The Rainbooms Meet Lamiaby Lord Shadow EclipseChaptersChapter 1 (edited)Chapter 2 (edited)Chapter 3 (edited)Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 1 (edited)Author's Note There are different versions of the story of Lamia, but I'm using my favorite version. Just letting you know. Also, yes it's true that no hero was ever sent to kill Lamia. She was left to eat children and horny young males. Chapter 1 (edited) In the Modern City of Athens, Greece Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had brought the students on a trip to Greece to meet with Professor Fossil to see a new set of ruins that were recently dug up in the hills. After staying the night in a hotel in Athens, the principals and students left to meet Professor Fossil at the dig site. They were currently riding on a bus to get to the trail that leads to the dig site. Once there, they would learn more about the dig and stay near the site in a campsite set up nearby. Sunset and her friends were sitting in close proximity to each other and chatting about what they might find at the dig. "I wonder if there will be any amazing artwork left at the dig," Rarity wondered. "Maybe, and I'm expecting to see at least a temple to one of the gods," Sunset said. "I hope they have a fighting arena at the dig site!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I'm simply excited to see whatever they find at the dig site! It's amazing that this apparent settlement has been left here in pretty close proximity to Athens and only been discovered a month ago," Twilight said. "I wonder why no one had even noticed these ruin were there until recently," Fluttershy wondered. "I'm not sure. Maybe Professor Fossil will tell us when we arrive at the dig site," Sunset replied. Soon enough, the bus rolled to a stop and Celestia stood up to face her students. "Alright everyone! We've made it to the trail. I need all of you to stay where we can see you," Celestia instructed. Everyone got off of the bus and began to make their trek through the Greek wilderness to get to the dig. The trail took them through the beautiful wild parts of Greece, through hilly forests and a flat plain. They walked with anticipation to the dig to see what the professor had discovered. ***** At the Dig Site The group had finally seen the special ruins that Professor Fossil and her team were working on. The ruins themselves were really quite remarkable. Of course they were not in the best of condition due to the passage of time. As expected from a Greek town, there were the remains of buildings, an arena, and a temple. Walking and working amongst the ruined buildings were a dutiful team of archeologists. Some of them were digging in ditches and dusting the dirt off of any artifacts they have found. One among their number was a middle-aged woman with messy hair and a pair of spectacles. She smiled upon seeing the CHS group. "Hello, everyone! I'm so glad to see you all here!" Professor Fossil greeted. "It's great to be here. Thank you for inviting us, Professor. What have you and your team found so far?" Celestia asked. Professor Fossil smiled a Pinkie-level smile. "We have found so many amazing things here at this site!" The ecstatic professor led the group to a large tarp laid out on the ground with several artifacts laying on it. There were the remains of pottery, children's toys, tools, weapons, armor, and other different apparent household or holy items. These artifacts were in varying states of decay. What really drew the eyes of everyone gathered was the remains of a pot that held images of farmers fighting off a monster of some sort. The monster depicted in this image was a combination of a beautiful woman and a large writhing snake. The creature in the pot's image was towering over the gathered men while they held spears towards the creature. "What's that on the pot?" Rainbow asked. Professor Fossil looked at the pot and smiled. "That is an image depicting what can interpreted as the men of this village facing off against Lamia". "'Lamia'? Who or what is that?" Pinkie asked. "Do you all like stories?" Professor Fossil asked in reply. The entire group confirmed that they do. They awaited eagerly for the professor to begin with the tale. "The story of Lamia is a tragic one. Long ago, there was a beautiful queen of a prosperous kingdom. Her name was Lamia, and her immense beauty drew the attention of the god Zeus. He ascended to the human world and seduced the lovely Lamia into sleeping with him and birthing children with him. But Zeus's wife Hera, whose jealousy and ruthlessness for revenge was legendary, found out about the affair and decided to punish Lamia for it. Hera used her powers to make Lamia kill all of her own children. In her despair, Lamia fled her kingdom. But Hera then changed her into the form of a serpentine monster. With her new form and the loss of her children, Lamia sought revenge against Hera. She started to stalk the wild lands around Greece at night and devour children. Zeus, in a bizarre form of kindness, gave Lamia the ability to switch between her human form and her monster form. This allowed her to start seducing and eating men as well as children. Lamia became something like a boogeyman in Greece, a story told to scare children into behaving. However, unlike other Greek monsters, she was never slain by any hero," Professor Fossil told. After finishing her tale, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were crying. "That's so sad!!" Pinkie wailed. "To be forced to kill your own children and be turned into a monster?! That's horrible!" Fluttershy blubbered. "I know. It's a truly tragic tale. And the fact that this village has a pot depicting a battle with Lamia may provide us some more insight into the story of Lamia," Professor Fossil said excitedly. "Maybe the artifacts found here could say how Lamia's story ends?" Twilight asked. "I have a good feeling about that. Especially with what we found in the temple," the professor replied. "What's in the temple?" Applejack asked. Professor Fossil simply beckoned the group to follow her to the temple. She asked them to mind themselves while they were in the temple so as not to disturb the team digging or accidentally destroy any artifacts that were found within. The temple itself was pretty standard for an ancient Greek temple. There were columns that held up a high ceiling and lined a second floor overlooking the inner sanctum. In the back of the inner sanctum was a large idol in the shape of a figure that the group had just recently become familiar with. It was a statue of Lamia in all of her terrifying and oddly seductive glory. The statue depicted Lamia as having an upper half like a beautiful woman and the lower half was that of a large coiled snake ready to strike. She was in a position that seemed like she was expecting to be worshipped. "The people here actually worshipped Lamia?" Rarity asked. "I believe that the people of this town may have been a cult that prayed to Lamia to leave their people alone or maybe even protect them," Professor Fossil theorized. "I guess better to have a monster fight other monsters," Pinkie said. Seeing that the sun was going down, Vice-Principal Luna whistled to get the students' attention. "Alright, students! It's time we get to the campsite for the night!" Luna called. ***** That Night In the hills near the ruined town, hidden behind large bushes, there was a deep dark cave. Within this cave, something stirred in the dark. After the sun had descended over the hills, the entity within moved beyond the bushes and inhaled the night air, puffing her ample chest through her ragged dress. The entity in question was female and she was startlingly beautiful. Well, from the waist-up anyway. From below the waist, a long scaly snake tail slithered on the ground. Her tail undulated and vibrated with the thick crushing muscles underneath her smooth scales. She flexed the claws on her hands and flicked her forked tongue in the air. This was Lamia, the terrifying creature of the Ancient World. Her reptilian eyes adapted to the night and she could get a good view of her environment. She stretched her arms and tail before giving a fanged sigh. "Looks like another boring night. Guess I had better start patrolling my territory," Lamia said. Night after night for three thousand years, she had watched over the hills she now called home. Ever since she was cursed to become a monster, she had been forced to live in the wild parts of Greece. It had quickly become very lonely to exist in her state as no one would approach her. At least no one was trying to kill her. Lamia slithered off to do her routine patrol of her territory. Once she got to the western border of her territory, she saw something she did not expect to find. She saw lights coming from what appeared to be a campsite near the town she became familiar with. "Humans are here? I'd better conceal my presence," Lamia whispered. Lamia slithered quietly to observe the humans who had intruded on her territory. This night had suddenly become much more interesting for her. Chapter 2 (edited)Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.Chapter 3 (edited)With the Rainbooms The girls heard a loud crash and thud just behind them. They all turned their flashlights to the direction of the sounds and were collectively shocked by what they saw. A creature that seemed eerily familiar to them emerged from the floor in front of them. From the waist up, they girls saw a humanoid woman with ghastly pale skin underneath a tattered toga. She clutched her head with a hand that ended in vicious claws. Her hair was short, messy, and was the color of coal. Her ears were pointed and jutted out from the sides of her head. She rose up until she was taller than all of them. Her lower half was a long and strong snake's tail, the scales being dark green in color with black stripes. From the tip of her tail to the top of her head, she measured at least twenty feet long. Once she was fully aware of her surroundings, the creature gazed at them with bright amber reptilian eyes. "Uuuuuuuh... hiss?" the creature said. "L-L-L-Lamia!!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The girls all screamed along with Lamia. After screaming a few more times, both parties stopped screaming. Lamia quickly slithered behind the statues and climbed atop the one of herself. She glared down at the human girls and talking dog and gave them all a threatening hiss. "Stay away from me!" Lamia shouted. "I don't mean you any harm, but I will fight you if you attempt to harm me". The girls all stood there staring up at the mythic creature before them in awe. The silence seemed to stretch on for what seemed like forever. Fluttershy stepped towards Lamia and barely managed to look Lamia in the eyes. "Are you... Lamia?" she asked the snake woman. "This is my city. This is my temple. This is a statue of me," Lamia said gesturing to their surroundings. "You... you're real. The Lamia from myth is right before our eyes. But you're supposed to be a myth," Sunset said. Lamia's face became a mask of confusion. "Wait, you followed me all the way here and you didn't even know I existed?" "Yeah! Spike told us you were snooping around our campsite," Pinkie said. Lamia's cheeks became red and flushed. She looked away from the girls and fiddled with her hair. "Well... I smelled food coming from your camp. It smelled really good and I was really hungry," Lamia said. "Well, if you were hungry, you could've just said so!" Pinkie said pulling a bag of chocolate chip cookies from her pajama pants. She threw the bag to Lamia, who caught it with her tail. Lamia examined the bag and opened it. The smell of the cookies wafting from the bag immediately sent drool dripping from Lamia's mouth. She pulled out a cookie, examined it a bit, and took a small bite. Her eyes widened in ecstasy at the taste of diabetic heaven in her mouth. Lamia greedily devoured the cookies and even the bag the cookies were in. "Food worthy of the gods!!" Lamia shouted. Pinkie smiled at the praise for her cooking skills. Lamia slithered down to the floor and grabbed Pinkie's hands, shaking them up and down. "You must be a muse of cooking! I've never eaten such things before! This is worthy of Olympus!" Lamia praised. The girls all relaxed at seeing Lamia acting so happy over some cookies. Lamia was even wagging her tail in excitement. "I'm so happy you like them! It's an old family recipe," Pinkie said. While Lamia and Pinkie were bonding, the others took this time to examine their current situation. Sunset leaned towards Twilight. "What do you make of this?" Sunset asked. "I mean, this is the mythical Lamia we're talking about". "I'm not sure. I don't think I would've believed it if I haven't seen it with my own eyes," Applejack replied. "If this is Lamia, then she's the same creature that eats children and people," Rainbow said. "I'm not so sure about the child-eating part. Look at her," Rarity said with the others looking at a happy Lamia. "She doesn't seem to have the attitude of a child-eating monster". "Besides, if she wanted to hurt us, she would've hurt us by now," Fluttershy said. "Okay, maybe she didn't eat any children at all," Rainbow said. "But what about the beginning of her story? You know, where she had children with Zeus and Hera made lamia kill them?" Lamia snapped her head backwards to the girls and stared at them with an expression that they couldn't read. Tears began to form in her eyes. Her face turned into a face of pure rage. "Zeus? My children? Hera?!" she seethed at them. Lamia's eyes began to glow and she bared her fangs in anger. Lamia's whole aura seemed to darken. The girls all took a few steps away from Lamia while she gripped her head in pain of the memories. Fluttershy ran towards Lamia and wrapped her arms around Lamia. She looked down at the shy girl. "I... I'm sorry. It's just... my past is a sensitive topic for me," Lamia said. "It's okay. You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to," Fluttershy said. "Yeah. If you want to talk about it, we won't force you," Sunset said. Lamia visibly relaxed. "Thank you". "Oh, where are my manners?" Lamia asked herself. "Greetings, my name is Lamia, the protector of Lamiopolis". "Is that what this city was called?" Twilight asked. "Indeed. This city was built in dedication to me," Lamia replied. "Why did you have an entire city dedicated to you?" Rarity asked. ***** 3,000 Years Ago It was a time of uncertainty and war. The Persian Empire was invading the land of Greece. Their armies were so massive, the earth itself shook with its march. Wherever they went, they brought nothing but death and destruction in their wake. It seemed like Greece would fall in a matter of months. A new settlement had recently formed nestled in a fertile valley. The people were those who prayed to the gods with nothing but fervor. At least, until a Persian scouting party showed up. The wretched Persians took some of their livestock and kidnapped some of their women and children for... unsavory reasons. Some of the men were killed in their defense. And that was a scouting party that attacked. If the Persian Army showed up... The people prayed and prayed to the gods for their protection, but all they got was another attack the following days and weeks. The people knew the Persian Army would be knocking on their gates in a mater of days. But they had a potential ally watching this from the shadows. Lamia, after fleeing her kingdom, had settled in the wilderness of the valley. She didn't want to deal with humans and tried to stay away from their settlement when they settled in the valley and formed an entire city. But she was disturbed by the Persian attacks. She decided to watch over the city just in case. One day, a Persian battalion, led by one of Xerxes's best generals, appeared before the city's gates. He met with the city's leader and made some rather unreasonable demands. The leader refused, saying that they would die for Greece. The Persian general said that he would gladly raze the city to the ground and leave no survivors. The next day, as Lamia was watching, the Persian force made itself ready to destroy the city. But before they could charge, Lamia rushed out of the forest and killed the Persian general in front of his own troops. The Persian soldiers, horrified by what they just saw, turned and fled. The Persian Army never went anywhere near that valley again. The people Lamia just saved, thankful for her actions, decided to dedicate the entire city to her. They even went as far as to build a temple for her and worship her as a goddess of their city. Lamia would receive food, shelter, and love from these people. It was a great life for Lamia. While it lasted at least. After a thousand years had passed, the gods of Olympus had rewarded the people of Lamiopolis for worshipping Lamia with a devastating famine. Crops and livestock died left, right, and center. The people, starving, decided to abandon the village and Lamia. Lamia, watching the whole thing unfold, fumed in anger at the gods for ruining her life once again. They took everything from her. Her mind, her children, and now they took the people she loved away from her! She hated the Olympians with a burning passion! She wanted nothing more than their destruction! But as she watched the world destroy itself countless times, she knew that the gods had all but abandoned the earth. ***** In the Present The girls listened to Lamia's story about the city with great interest. After she was finished, Twilight raised her hand. "The gods of Olympus are real?" Twilight asked. "Oh, they are indeed real. And they are a very horrible sort," Lamia said with anger. "I take it they turned you into a monster?" Rainbow asked. That earned her a punch on the shoulder from Applejack. "Indeed. They took everything good in my life away from me. No one could hate them more than me!!" Lamia shouted. After seeing the girls jump at her shouting, Lamia took a breath to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. That got more emotional than I had wanted. Can we talk about something else?" Lamia asked. The Rainbooms had already introduced themselves to Lamia. So they had decided to talk about things that related to Lamia so she could have input. "So, do you have any funny stories from when this city was inhabited?" Pinkie asked. "Well, there is one that comes to mind," Lamia replied. "One day, there was farmer tending to his pigs. A wolf eats one of the fattest pigs in his herd. But the farmer didn't go after the wolf. His friend asked him why he didn't go after the wolf, to which he replied 'Why would I go after the wolf for eating my wife'?". The entire group burst out laughing after that. Once the laughter was over, Pinkie let out a yawn. "Well, this has been fun, but it's still the middle of the night. We should save this party for tomorrow," Pinkie said. "Agreed, Pinkie," Applejack said. "We should hit the hay". "Alright, we should go back to bed," Sunset said. "Do you have anywhere to sleep, Lamia?" Fluttershy asked. "I sleep in a cave in the forest. Can I visit you tomorrow?" Lamia asked. "We'll look for you," Rainbow said. "Is your cave hard to find?" "No, it's not hard to find at all. You'll know it when you see it," Lamia said. The girls, dog, and Lamia left the underground sanctuary and the temple entirely. Lamia escorted the girls back to the campsite and bid them all goodnight. Once Lamia made it back to her cave, she laid down on her bed of leaves and gazed up at the stalactite-riddled ceiling. "Maybe... maybe those girls aren't witches. But their kindness seemed pretty magical," Lamia said. "I think I might like them". Chapter 4The Next Morning - With the Rainbooms The Rainbooms were having a hell of a time looking for Lamia's cave. She said that her cave would be easy to find, but that was easy for her to say. Forests were very tricky; if one didn't know the area, they could get lost just a few hundred feet away from where they entered. Perhaps they should've asked Lamia if she could guide them to the cave. "I worry we're going to get lost out here without Lamia," Rarity said. "Agreed. I can't make heads or tails of where we're even supposed to go," Applejack added. "Don't worry, girls. I can try tracking Lamia's scent," Spike suggested. Spike put his nose to the ground and started to search the ground for Lamia's scent. After some time, he finally found the familiar scent of pine needles and snake musk. And it seemed to be leading them east. Spike pointed his head towards the eastern part of the forest. "We go this way!" Spike said before taking off in the direction of the scent. As the Rainbooms followed Spike, they tried to think about what to do once they got to Lamia's cave. After all, this is the first time they've interacted with a real-life mythological creature. "Hey, girls. Once we get to Lamia's cave, what do we think we should do?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, whatever we do, we should avoid bringing up her past," Sunset said. "Pretty sure the subject is painful for her." "Yeah, remember how she reacted when we brought it up last night? I thought she was going to have a breakdown," Applejack said. "Roger that! Nothing about her past!" Rainbow said. "I hope Lamia's hungry! I made a good old-fashioned breakfast for her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smile. "What did you make her?" Rarity asked. "Let's see. Some poached eggs, a few strips of bacon, some sausage patties, and a stack of flapjacks!" Pinkie replied. "That sounds appetizing, Pinkie," Rainbow said. "I wonder what Lamia's been eating all this time." "If her teeth were anything to go by, she's more than likely been hunting other animals around here," Twilight said. "I wonder what we'll do while we're hanging out with Lamia?" Fluttershy asked. "I was thinking we could all have a picnic and simply talk. She looks like she hasn't had someone to talk to for centuries," Sunset said. "It's a miracle she's been able to stay sane all this time." "Girls! I found the cave!" Spike cried. The girls looked at the large opening to a cave at the base of a tall hill. The ground in front of the cave was worn from Lamia coming and going from the cave. There was no doubt that Lamia lived here. Sunset was the first to approach the cave. She cupped he hands to her mouth and shouted. "Lamia?! Are you in there?!" Sunset shouted. "It's us! Your friends from last night!" At first, nothing but silence replied to her. Then, the sound of something big dragging across the ground filled the cave. It took a few seconds, but Lamia eventually slithered up to the entrance of the cave and greeted Sunset with a warm fanged smile. "Sunset!" Lamia shouted in greeting. "I'm so happy you're here!" Lamia wrapped her arms around Sunset and began to squeeze her with the strength of a python. Sunset was struggling to breathe in Lamia's grip. Lamia eventually realized what she was doing and let Sunset go with a blush. "S-sorry about that," Lamia said quietly. "I'm just so happy to have friends again after so many centuries." "That's... fine... Lamia," Sunset wheezed between breaths. The rest of the girls cam up to the cave entrance and greeted Lamia. Lamia gestured towards the inside of her cave. "Please, come in! It's nice to have company!" Lamia said. "I spent all night cleaning up my cave." "Thanks, Lamia. We'd love to see your cave," Applejack said. The Rainbooms followed Lamia as she led them deeper into the cave. Each of them brought out their phones to use as flashlights as they walked. Lamia turned around instantly and stared at the lights in shock. "What magic is this?! Are you witches?!" she asked in shock. "Oh no, it's okay! It's just lights made through the use of technology!" Twilight said. "Here, let me show you." Lamia was a tad wary of the thing Twilight held in her hand, but she decided to trust her new friend. Twilight held out the phone to Lamia. Lamia stared at the device with childlike wonder. "A small tablet thing that creates light!" Lamia said. "What incredible magic." Twilight knew it would be a waste of time to try to explain how technology worked, so she opted to simply let Lamia think it was magic. She scrolled through her phone and showed Lamia the different apps she had. Lamia was eating up every of them with her tail wagging in excitement. "Hey, Twilight? Who are these colorful birds and why are they so angry?" Lamia asked, pointing to one of Twilight's apps. "That's a game called 'Angry Birds'," Twilight replied. "You want to play?" "The birds are not going to fly out of your magic slab and peck out my eyes, are they?" Lamia asked worriedly. The rest of the Rainbooms laughed. Lamia just looked confused. "What? Why are you laughing?" Lamia asked naively. "Why are you laughing?" "Nothing, Lamia. Here, let me show you how to play the game," Twilight replied. ***** One Hour Later It would be safe for Twilight to assume that Lamia was addicted to "Angry Birds". Lamia had the phone pressed to her face for the past hour, playing the game. To make things worse, whenever Twilight tried to take her phone back, Lamia would literally hiss and snap at her. This continued until Lamia suddenly looked fearful. "Ah! The magic has left the slab!" Lamia cried. "It didn't leave, Lamia," Twilight said soothingly. "The battery just died. I just need to charge it later." Lamia gave the phone back to Twilight with a sad expression. Her previously wagging tail now drooped along the ground and a sad hiss escaped her lips. Pinkie Pie took this as her cue to step in. "It's okay, Lamia. Maybe some food will cheer you up!" Pinkie said. Pinkie Pie proceeded to reach into her hair and pulled out a covered tray, opening the top and showing off food to the snake woman. "Here, Lamia! I made you breakfast!" Pinkie said. Lamia slithered over to Pinkie and sniffed at the food. Her reptilian eyes scanned the food in a way that seemed almost predatory. She grasped one of the little sausages in her claws and ate it. The next thing Pinkie knew, the tray was out of her hands and Lamia's face was pressed against it. Lamia handed it back to Pinkie so shiny she could see her face in it. Lamia licked her lips and smiled at Pinkie. "I haven't had food like this for over 3,000 years! It's better than raw venison or goats!" Lamia said. "Did you... try to cook what you caught?" Rarity asked. "I was once the great queen of Libya. I used to have the best chefs in the ancient world cook for me, so I never learned how to cook," Lamia replied. "You should've tried the roast herb chicken the king of Crete recommended to me. Of course, he offered it to me while he was trying to court me." "You were courted by the king of Crete?" Twilight asked. "Did you consider him a good suitor?" Lamia looked at Twilight with an apprehensive grimace. Not a good sign. "The fool was a man in his 60's and was so fat he couldn't walk. I only showed him the proper courtesy of a fellow ruler, nothing more," Lamia replied. "Besides, he reeked strongly of grease." The girls visibly gagged at Lamia's description of one of her suitors. Rarity got over it and was now curious about Lamia's royal past. "While that subject's on the table, would you be able to tell us about your time as queen of Libya?" Rarity asked. "Sure, I don't mind. When I was still a human, I was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the known world," Lamia said. "I made sure my kingdom was prosperous and my people were happy. Of course, I did have some help from my father Poseidon." "You're father was Poseidon?!" Rainbow asked. "Yes. Father helped me bring great schools of fish to the coasts for fishermen and protection from drought," Lamia replied. "Did you ever meet your father?" Applejack asked. "Yes, a few times when he came down to the mortal realm. I would wait by the sea for hours waiting for him," Lamia said with a wistful smile. "He would take me for rides across the entire Mediterranean on his chariot." "Was he a good father?" Fluttershy asked. "He was in his own way. Sometimes, he would sink the ships of people who said something horrible to me and would cause storms and floods to their lands," Lamia said. "I liked it whenever he would carry me on his shoulders and let me pet his hippocampi." "That's... nice," Applejack said uneasily. "Now that I think of it, do you know any jokes from 3,000 years ago?" Pinkie asked. Lamia put a clawed finger to her chin in thought. It took a few moments, but her eyes lit up with an idea. "Okay, I have a joke. What did the Samnite goat farmer say to the Phoenician soldier?" Lamia asked. "What?!" Pinkie asked excitedly. "The Samnite goat farmer said, 'You can't sacrifice my kids to Baal, because my only female goat just died'!" Lamia replied with a belly laugh. Twilight, being the smart one, was the only one who laughed at the joke. The others simply heard something that sounded more than a little dark. Rarity began to politely fake laugh, an action in which the others joined in. After calming down, Lamia let out a yawn. She stretched her arms above her head and scratched at her neck. "I'm sorry, girls, but I'm a bit tired. I tend to sleep during the day," Lamia said. "That's fine, Lamia. We'll visit you later tonight," Sunset said. "Actually, how about I come visit you? I'd like to give you a true tour of Lamiopolis," Lamia said. "That would be great! I'd love to learn more about this city from someone who's seen it in its heyday," Twilight said. "Great! I'll see you all later tonight!" Lamia said. "Well, time for me to go to sleep." Lamia slithered over to something behind one of the stalagmites. She pulled out a small clay jar that sounded like it was filled with liquid of some kind. Setting the jar down on the ground, Lamia reached into her eye sockets and pulled out her own eyes and put them in the jar. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the macabre sight. Lamia turned to them with eyeless sockets. "I'm so sorry! I should've told you about that!" Lamia said. "I have to take out my eyes when I sleep. Zeus gave me this ability." "It's fine, Lamia," Fluttershy said, regaining her composure. "We just... weren't expecting it." "Still, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you hate me," Lamia said with trembling shoulders. Twilight walked over and hugged Lamia. "We don't hate you at all. If you have to remove your eyes when you sleep, then we won't judge or hate you." "Really?" Lamia asked with a sniff. "Of course. We don't hate people based on their... conditions," Applejack said. "It's why we wanted to hang out with you." "Well... okay," Lamia said with a yawn. "Alright girls, let's let Lamia sleep. She needs it," Sunset said before turning to Lamia. "We'll see you later tonight?" "Yes. I'll come and see you. With my eyes in my sockets, of course," Lamia said with a giggle. The girls left the cave to let Lamia sleep. As Lamia coiled her tail underneath her, she smiled at the thought of seeing her new friends later. For the first time in millennia, Lamia would sleep with a smile on her face. Author's Note My headcanon voice for Lamia in this story would be Sarah Wiedenheft, who does the English voice for Power in "Chainsaw Man". Chapter 5Later that Night Lamia woke up in a place that looked all too familiar to her. It was the palace she lived in when she ruled! It still had the comfort and splendor she grew up with. The tapestries, the mosaics, the statues, and even the places where the servants were standing was familiar to her. Seeing her old palace, Lamia looked down to see something she hadn't seen for centuries. She had legs and feet again! No snake tail at all, just regular human legs. She was fully human again! Lamia jumped and ran around the room squealing with delight. One of the servant girls gave a small chuckle at Lamia's excitement. "I take it you're excited about the news, Your Majesty?" the servant asked. Lamia stopped running around and looked to the servant girl with panting breaths. "What news?" Lamia asked. "Don't you remember? The royal physician said that you're pregnant, Your Majesty," the servant replied. Those words came as a lightning strike to Lamia's heart. With wide eyes, Lamia looked down and saw that her stomach appeared larger than usual. Rather than delight at seeing her stomach, Lamia was shocked and overcome with sadness and grief. Lamia knelt down and let out a cry of despair. The servant girl knelt down beside her in worry. "My queen! Are you okay?!" she asked in a worried tone. Lamia didn't respond to that. She continued to cry into her hands as the servant girl stroked her head in comfort. "It's okay, Your Majesty. I know it might seem scary at first, but you'll be a great mother," she said. That only made Lamia feel even worse. She bit her lip to keep from crying more and got to her feet with the help of the servant girl. Lamia gave the girl a fake smile. "Thank you for your kind words," Lamia said. "I feel better now. Any news today?" "Well, the gods are coming here to celebrate the fact that our city now has a temple for each of the gods," she replied. Now, Lamia's grief was replaced with terror. She looked at the servant girl with a pale face. "The gods? They're coming here?" Lamia asked. "Indeed. All of them, even Zeus and Hera," the servant replied. No. Not Zeus and Hera, especially Hera. Not the goddess who ruined her life. Lamia's fear was replaced with hatred and rage. She clenched her fists to the point that her knuckles turned white. There were lots of mortals who had cause to hate Hera, but none could hate her more than Lamia. Still, she feared Hera as much as she hated her. Lamia would just have to grin and bear it until the gods left. ***** Lamia woke up in her cave with a start. A cold sweat formed on her face as she tried to regain her steady breathing. It took a while for Lamia to regain her composure. "A dream, that's all it was," Lamia said breathlessly. "A nightmare? Or a memory? Whatever it was, it was all too familiar." What was even more odd was the fact that it had been centuries since she had dreams at all. It was creepy that she was starting to have dreams of her past. Lamia curled her tail against herself in sadness. "Great! Now even sleep is no longer a haven from my suffering," Lamia said. "Will I ever know peace?!" Lamia slammed her fist on the ground so hard that it formed cracks. If Lamia had it her way, she would've strangled Hera with her tail. Still, as much as she'd like to fantasize about destroying Hera, Lamia had better things to do. She promised to show her new friends around the city. Hopefully that would take her mind off things. Lamia slithered over to her eye jar and put her eyes back in. Once that was done, she left her cave and made her way towards Lamiopolis with all eagerness. Lamia slithered out of the woods and through the field that bordered where the humans had made their camp. The tall grass masked her approach at night, so there's no way that the humans would see her. She couldn't see them, either. Just to be safe, Lamia lifted her head just above the tall grass to get a better view of her surroundings. There were no humans at first, but she could see a few silhouettes in the distance that she recognized. A smile spread across her fangs as she slithered towards the Rainbooms at high speed. She slowed down and rose from the tall grass making sure not to scare the girls. And they seemed happy to see Lamia. "Lamia!!" the girls shouted happily. "Hello, gi--," Lamia said before getting cut off by the Rainbooms wrapping her in a big group hug. Lamia was flustered at first, but she sank into the collective body heat the girls gave off and wrapped her arms and tail around them and gave them all a squeeze in return. Sunset began tapping on Lamia's tail as it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. "Uh, Lamia? I think we're good, now," Sunset said in a strained tone. Realizing her constriction, Lamia released the girls from her coils and blushed in embarrassment. It had been centuries since she had last experienced the loving warmth of being embraced. The last time she embraced someone was when... she had held her children before she.... Well, it was nice to hold someone again. Lamia gave the girls a loving smile. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you ladies," Lamia said. "Sorry about nearly crushing you." "It's fine, darling. We could tell that you were happy," Rarity said. "I kinda liked it. Ya popped by back and now I my back feels like churned butter," Applejack said. Pinkie Pie kept her arms wrapped around Lamia in a hug. "Yeah! Your tail just means you give the best hugs in the world!" Lamia held Pinkie and petted her in a way that was more than a little maternal. Pinkie Pie was surely something to be adored for her positivity and boundless energy. It made Lamia chuckle feeling weirdly nostalgic. She missed holding a child like this. "Thank you, Pinkie, dear. You always know how to brighten one's day and night, huh?" Lamia asked in a soothing motherly voice. Pinkie giggled and leaned into Lamia's chest. "I do like making people happy! I don't like seeing them sad," Pinkie said. "Well, I'm sure you'll continue making your friends happy, huh?" "I will, Mom." The silence that fell was deafening. A fly buzzing would sound like a jet engine in this silence. The most shocked out of the group were Lamia and Pinkie Pie. Lamia let go of Pinkie and hid behind her tail. "I-I'm sorry, Miss Pie. I d-didn't mean to-!" Lamia stammered. "It's okay. It's okay," Pinkie soothed with her hands up. "I'm sorry for calling you 'Mom' by mistake. I should've been more careful." Lamia was on the verge of having a panic attack. The memories of her children came flooding back like a tsunami. She would have lost herself to the memories if Fluttershy didn't pull out a white rabbit from her backpack and show him to Lamia. "Do you want to pet him?" Fluttershy asked. "Petting a bunny always helps me calm down." The only experience Lamia had with rabbits was when she was hunting and eating them, so she was confused by Fluttershy offering her a rabbit. "No thanks, dear. I'm not hungry right now," Lamia replied. Fluttershy didn't look amused. "He's not for eating, he's for petting. Try petting him," Fluttershy said. Tentatively, Lamia took the rabbit from Fluttershy and held him close to her chest. The rabbit was so soft and warm, something that Lamia wouldn't consider when she was hunting. Her heartrate dropped back to normal and her mind was now less foggy with wretched memories. "Thank you, dear. I feel much better now. You truly are the kindest soul I've met in all these centuries," Lamia said. "Now then, shall we go about having that tour of Lamiopolis I promised?" "Yeah! Let's get going!" Twilight cried out. "I wanna hear everything there is about this city!" Lamia laughed seeing how adorable enthusiastic Twilight was. She slithered behind the group and held out her hand. "Then let us begin," Lamia said. Lamia led the group deeper into the city proper, where she would go into detail about the city made in her honor. The amphitheater where there were sword duels and plays, complete with a special box for her to watch them. The open market where merchants and traders would conduct their business was vibrant with life and the different things that people would display, from crops and livestock to more extravagant items such as jewelry and fine cloths. There were schoolhouses for the children to be educated, with Lamia saying that she would sometimes visit the children to play with them and assist them in their studies. The king's palace had a spa garden in the center where Lamia would relax and bathe with the priestesses that worshipped her. And then there was a brothel in the city center where women would "sell their wares" on a nightly basis. Lamia ended the tour by stopping by one house in particular. "And this is the house of a man who was actually brave enough to court me," Lamia said, much to the shock of the Rainbooms. Rarity had a playful teasing tone to her voice. "Oh? What was he like? Did you like him back?" Rarity asked teasingly. Lamia blushed and held her tail close to her chest. Her memories of the man were of him offering her gifts we would make himself as a carpenter. He would make her things like shelves and toys to show her how much he cared for her. Her favorite was a little wooden snake he made for her. "His name was Stavros. He was a successful carpenter whose skills were the most reputable in all of Greece and the Mediterranean," Lamia replied. "Stavros would always go out of his way to speak to me whenever I visited and he would give me gifts of the wood he worked with. And he would shyly attempt to hold my hand while we went to the festivals the city held." "Did you like him back?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk. "Stavros was a really wonderful man, so I found myself falling for him quicker than I had expected," Lamia said before her smile became a sad grimace. "I was about to tell him I loved him when a vile plague swept through the city. Stavros was the first to die." Now the girls felt bad about their playful teasing about Lamia's love life. Good thing Sunset was able to change the conversation. It was something she had rattling in her brain for a while. "Hey, how'd you like to come to America with us?" Sunset asked. "Huh?!" the girls asked out loud. Lamia tilted her head in confusion. "What's America?" Lamia asked. Chapter 6The Seaport The girls were all a bit anxious. They were smuggling a mythical-but-not-mythical creature back to America with them. It was all something of a herculean task to pull off. That didn't stop the Rainbooms and Lamia from sneaking around the docks at night where their ship was docked. Lamia was nervous as Tartarus as she slithered behind the girls. "Are you sure this is safe? What if we get caught? What if they try to kill me?" Lamia whispered to them. "I'm scared." Sunset turned around to smile at Lamia. "Don't worry, Lamia. We plan to hide you in one of the artifact crates that the archaeologists loaded up. You'll have to remain in there until we arrive in America." "What about the customs officers? Aren't they going to search the crates as soon as they arrive?" Twilight asked. Sunset looked like she prepared for that. "That's why at the last minute, we're going to have Lamia hide in the bowels of the ship immediately after we make port. Then we'll come back to the dock later at night to retrieve her from the ship," Sunset replied. "I suppose that'll work, but what about while we're on our way back and we're seen going down to the cargo bay to visit or feed Miss Lamia?" Rarity asked. "We'll just have to be sneaky about it," Sunset replied. "We just need to make our moves and time that specifically for when we go down there for Lamia." "At least you've thought this entire thing through. I guess we should just go for it," Rainbow said. "I mean we are at the docks after all." Lamia clung to Fluttershy's sweater, her hands shaking like a leaf. She was still unsure about this entire thing, leaving behind the ruins of the only place in the world that accepted her as a monster. Lamia didn't know what to expect from this modern world, if they would accept a monster like her or kill her. "I... I don't feel right leaving behind the one place that I could call home," Lamia said. "Will the rest of the world be as accepting as you lot are?" The girls all faced Lamia and gave her smiles and a reassuring hand. Twilight spoke to Lamia in a calming voice. "Lamia, I can't speak on behalf of the entire world, but I know that we and the rest of the Wonderbolts at Canterlot High would welcome you as our friend," Twilight said. "I can't think of why anyone would hate someone as kind as you." As afraid as she was at the idea of revealing herself to the modern world, she trusted the Rainbooms to know what they were doing since they became her friends and were willing to do this much to help her. Lamia wiped a tear from her eye and hugged them all, wrapping her tail around them. She let them go and smiled. "Okay. I trust you lot, so I'll follow your lead," Lamia said. "Great. Let's do this thing!" Rainbow said. Lamia gripped the eyeball jar she had and closely followed the Rainbooms as they led her onboard the ship. It should've been expected that Lamia was in awe of a modern ship with all its modern looks and comforts. Lamia stopped a few times to take it all in. "I've seen ships before but this is nothing like the triremes of my day," Lamia said. "How does this ship move without sails or men to row it? And why is it made of metal? Doesn't metal sink?" "I'd be happy to answer all those questions later. Right now, we need to make our way to the cargo hold," Twilight replied. The group made their way down the ship until they reached the cargo hold, with crates of different sizes strapped down to the floor. Now that they were there, they would have to find a crate for Lamia to hide in until they reached America. They split up to look for a perfect crate to hide the girl in. "There's a big chariot in this one!" Rarity called. "A naked statue's in this one!" Pinkie called out. "I'm just gonna save a mental image of it for later." "TMI, Pinkie. TMI," Rainbow said. "Anyway, there's a bunch of old bronze swords in this one." "Hey, I found an empty crate over here!" Applejack said. The group rushed over to the crate in question. The crate wasn't that big, but it was the only one that was empty. Lamia tilted her head to the side as she looked at it. "Uh, I don't know about this one. I don't know if I can fit in their even if I coil my tail," Lamia said. "Well, get in there and try it," Pinkie said. Lamia crawled into the box and coiled her tail around herself. Her head was pressed tightly against her shoulder and she didn't look comfortable at all. Lamia unfurled her tail and stood up in the box. "While I appreciate your plan, Miss Sunset, I do not wish to have an aching neck the entire time we are on this journey," Lamia said. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. "Okay, so it's not one of my better plans. I guess you can just stay in Twilight's room since she doesn't have anyone staying with her other than Spike." "Me and Spike would happy to have you. You can simply hide of anyone other than us comes into the room," Twilight said. "Very well. I would like to stay with Twilight," Lamia said. Lamia followed the girls until they reached Twilight's room. The inside of the room was nothing special except for two beds, some bags, and a dresser for clothes. Lamia slithered into the room and settled onto on the beds. Lamia shuddered at how comfortable the bed was with her tail twitching and swaying all over the place. "Oh, sweet Hestia! It's been centuries since I've laid on a bed, let alone one this comfortable," Lamia said, burying her face in the sheets. "And they smell so nice. They're so soft and warm." The girls all "Aww'd" inside at the sight of Lamia rolling around on the bed like a cat. Twilight got onto the other bed next to Lamia and wished the others goodnight. They would have quite a journey back to America, and Lamia was starting to look forward to it despite her fear. She just hoped that her new friends would be by her side. Lamia would miss her home, sure, but at least she would be happy with her friends.
Chapter 1 (edited)Author's Note There are different versions of the story of Lamia, but I'm using my favorite version. Just letting you know. Also, yes it's true that no hero was ever sent to kill Lamia. She was left to eat children and horny young males. Chapter 1 (edited) In the Modern City of Athens, Greece Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had brought the students on a trip to Greece to meet with Professor Fossil to see a new set of ruins that were recently dug up in the hills. After staying the night in a hotel in Athens, the principals and students left to meet Professor Fossil at the dig site. They were currently riding on a bus to get to the trail that leads to the dig site. Once there, they would learn more about the dig and stay near the site in a campsite set up nearby. Sunset and her friends were sitting in close proximity to each other and chatting about what they might find at the dig. "I wonder if there will be any amazing artwork left at the dig," Rarity wondered. "Maybe, and I'm expecting to see at least a temple to one of the gods," Sunset said. "I hope they have a fighting arena at the dig site!" Rainbow exclaimed. "I'm simply excited to see whatever they find at the dig site! It's amazing that this apparent settlement has been left here in pretty close proximity to Athens and only been discovered a month ago," Twilight said. "I wonder why no one had even noticed these ruin were there until recently," Fluttershy wondered. "I'm not sure. Maybe Professor Fossil will tell us when we arrive at the dig site," Sunset replied. Soon enough, the bus rolled to a stop and Celestia stood up to face her students. "Alright everyone! We've made it to the trail. I need all of you to stay where we can see you," Celestia instructed. Everyone got off of the bus and began to make their trek through the Greek wilderness to get to the dig. The trail took them through the beautiful wild parts of Greece, through hilly forests and a flat plain. They walked with anticipation to the dig to see what the professor had discovered. ***** At the Dig Site The group had finally seen the special ruins that Professor Fossil and her team were working on. The ruins themselves were really quite remarkable. Of course they were not in the best of condition due to the passage of time. As expected from a Greek town, there were the remains of buildings, an arena, and a temple. Walking and working amongst the ruined buildings were a dutiful team of archeologists. Some of them were digging in ditches and dusting the dirt off of any artifacts they have found. One among their number was a middle-aged woman with messy hair and a pair of spectacles. She smiled upon seeing the CHS group. "Hello, everyone! I'm so glad to see you all here!" Professor Fossil greeted. "It's great to be here. Thank you for inviting us, Professor. What have you and your team found so far?" Celestia asked. Professor Fossil smiled a Pinkie-level smile. "We have found so many amazing things here at this site!" The ecstatic professor led the group to a large tarp laid out on the ground with several artifacts laying on it. There were the remains of pottery, children's toys, tools, weapons, armor, and other different apparent household or holy items. These artifacts were in varying states of decay. What really drew the eyes of everyone gathered was the remains of a pot that held images of farmers fighting off a monster of some sort. The monster depicted in this image was a combination of a beautiful woman and a large writhing snake. The creature in the pot's image was towering over the gathered men while they held spears towards the creature. "What's that on the pot?" Rainbow asked. Professor Fossil looked at the pot and smiled. "That is an image depicting what can interpreted as the men of this village facing off against Lamia". "'Lamia'? Who or what is that?" Pinkie asked. "Do you all like stories?" Professor Fossil asked in reply. The entire group confirmed that they do. They awaited eagerly for the professor to begin with the tale. "The story of Lamia is a tragic one. Long ago, there was a beautiful queen of a prosperous kingdom. Her name was Lamia, and her immense beauty drew the attention of the god Zeus. He ascended to the human world and seduced the lovely Lamia into sleeping with him and birthing children with him. But Zeus's wife Hera, whose jealousy and ruthlessness for revenge was legendary, found out about the affair and decided to punish Lamia for it. Hera used her powers to make Lamia kill all of her own children. In her despair, Lamia fled her kingdom. But Hera then changed her into the form of a serpentine monster. With her new form and the loss of her children, Lamia sought revenge against Hera. She started to stalk the wild lands around Greece at night and devour children. Zeus, in a bizarre form of kindness, gave Lamia the ability to switch between her human form and her monster form. This allowed her to start seducing and eating men as well as children. Lamia became something like a boogeyman in Greece, a story told to scare children into behaving. However, unlike other Greek monsters, she was never slain by any hero," Professor Fossil told. After finishing her tale, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie were crying. "That's so sad!!" Pinkie wailed. "To be forced to kill your own children and be turned into a monster?! That's horrible!" Fluttershy blubbered. "I know. It's a truly tragic tale. And the fact that this village has a pot depicting a battle with Lamia may provide us some more insight into the story of Lamia," Professor Fossil said excitedly. "Maybe the artifacts found here could say how Lamia's story ends?" Twilight asked. "I have a good feeling about that. Especially with what we found in the temple," the professor replied. "What's in the temple?" Applejack asked. Professor Fossil simply beckoned the group to follow her to the temple. She asked them to mind themselves while they were in the temple so as not to disturb the team digging or accidentally destroy any artifacts that were found within. The temple itself was pretty standard for an ancient Greek temple. There were columns that held up a high ceiling and lined a second floor overlooking the inner sanctum. In the back of the inner sanctum was a large idol in the shape of a figure that the group had just recently become familiar with. It was a statue of Lamia in all of her terrifying and oddly seductive glory. The statue depicted Lamia as having an upper half like a beautiful woman and the lower half was that of a large coiled snake ready to strike. She was in a position that seemed like she was expecting to be worshipped. "The people here actually worshipped Lamia?" Rarity asked. "I believe that the people of this town may have been a cult that prayed to Lamia to leave their people alone or maybe even protect them," Professor Fossil theorized. "I guess better to have a monster fight other monsters," Pinkie said. Seeing that the sun was going down, Vice-Principal Luna whistled to get the students' attention. "Alright, students! It's time we get to the campsite for the night!" Luna called. ***** That Night In the hills near the ruined town, hidden behind large bushes, there was a deep dark cave. Within this cave, something stirred in the dark. After the sun had descended over the hills, the entity within moved beyond the bushes and inhaled the night air, puffing her ample chest through her ragged dress. The entity in question was female and she was startlingly beautiful. Well, from the waist-up anyway. From below the waist, a long scaly snake tail slithered on the ground. Her tail undulated and vibrated with the thick crushing muscles underneath her smooth scales. She flexed the claws on her hands and flicked her forked tongue in the air. This was Lamia, the terrifying creature of the Ancient World. Her reptilian eyes adapted to the night and she could get a good view of her environment. She stretched her arms and tail before giving a fanged sigh. "Looks like another boring night. Guess I had better start patrolling my territory," Lamia said. Night after night for three thousand years, she had watched over the hills she now called home. Ever since she was cursed to become a monster, she had been forced to live in the wild parts of Greece. It had quickly become very lonely to exist in her state as no one would approach her. At least no one was trying to kill her. Lamia slithered off to do her routine patrol of her territory. Once she got to the western border of her territory, she saw something she did not expect to find. She saw lights coming from what appeared to be a campsite near the town she became familiar with. "Humans are here? I'd better conceal my presence," Lamia whispered. Lamia slithered quietly to observe the humans who had intruded on her territory. This night had suddenly become much more interesting for her.
Chapter 3 (edited)With the Rainbooms The girls heard a loud crash and thud just behind them. They all turned their flashlights to the direction of the sounds and were collectively shocked by what they saw. A creature that seemed eerily familiar to them emerged from the floor in front of them. From the waist up, they girls saw a humanoid woman with ghastly pale skin underneath a tattered toga. She clutched her head with a hand that ended in vicious claws. Her hair was short, messy, and was the color of coal. Her ears were pointed and jutted out from the sides of her head. She rose up until she was taller than all of them. Her lower half was a long and strong snake's tail, the scales being dark green in color with black stripes. From the tip of her tail to the top of her head, she measured at least twenty feet long. Once she was fully aware of her surroundings, the creature gazed at them with bright amber reptilian eyes. "Uuuuuuuh... hiss?" the creature said. "L-L-L-Lamia!!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed. The girls all screamed along with Lamia. After screaming a few more times, both parties stopped screaming. Lamia quickly slithered behind the statues and climbed atop the one of herself. She glared down at the human girls and talking dog and gave them all a threatening hiss. "Stay away from me!" Lamia shouted. "I don't mean you any harm, but I will fight you if you attempt to harm me". The girls all stood there staring up at the mythic creature before them in awe. The silence seemed to stretch on for what seemed like forever. Fluttershy stepped towards Lamia and barely managed to look Lamia in the eyes. "Are you... Lamia?" she asked the snake woman. "This is my city. This is my temple. This is a statue of me," Lamia said gesturing to their surroundings. "You... you're real. The Lamia from myth is right before our eyes. But you're supposed to be a myth," Sunset said. Lamia's face became a mask of confusion. "Wait, you followed me all the way here and you didn't even know I existed?" "Yeah! Spike told us you were snooping around our campsite," Pinkie said. Lamia's cheeks became red and flushed. She looked away from the girls and fiddled with her hair. "Well... I smelled food coming from your camp. It smelled really good and I was really hungry," Lamia said. "Well, if you were hungry, you could've just said so!" Pinkie said pulling a bag of chocolate chip cookies from her pajama pants. She threw the bag to Lamia, who caught it with her tail. Lamia examined the bag and opened it. The smell of the cookies wafting from the bag immediately sent drool dripping from Lamia's mouth. She pulled out a cookie, examined it a bit, and took a small bite. Her eyes widened in ecstasy at the taste of diabetic heaven in her mouth. Lamia greedily devoured the cookies and even the bag the cookies were in. "Food worthy of the gods!!" Lamia shouted. Pinkie smiled at the praise for her cooking skills. Lamia slithered down to the floor and grabbed Pinkie's hands, shaking them up and down. "You must be a muse of cooking! I've never eaten such things before! This is worthy of Olympus!" Lamia praised. The girls all relaxed at seeing Lamia acting so happy over some cookies. Lamia was even wagging her tail in excitement. "I'm so happy you like them! It's an old family recipe," Pinkie said. While Lamia and Pinkie were bonding, the others took this time to examine their current situation. Sunset leaned towards Twilight. "What do you make of this?" Sunset asked. "I mean, this is the mythical Lamia we're talking about". "I'm not sure. I don't think I would've believed it if I haven't seen it with my own eyes," Applejack replied. "If this is Lamia, then she's the same creature that eats children and people," Rainbow said. "I'm not so sure about the child-eating part. Look at her," Rarity said with the others looking at a happy Lamia. "She doesn't seem to have the attitude of a child-eating monster". "Besides, if she wanted to hurt us, she would've hurt us by now," Fluttershy said. "Okay, maybe she didn't eat any children at all," Rainbow said. "But what about the beginning of her story? You know, where she had children with Zeus and Hera made lamia kill them?" Lamia snapped her head backwards to the girls and stared at them with an expression that they couldn't read. Tears began to form in her eyes. Her face turned into a face of pure rage. "Zeus? My children? Hera?!" she seethed at them. Lamia's eyes began to glow and she bared her fangs in anger. Lamia's whole aura seemed to darken. The girls all took a few steps away from Lamia while she gripped her head in pain of the memories. Fluttershy ran towards Lamia and wrapped her arms around Lamia. She looked down at the shy girl. "I... I'm sorry. It's just... my past is a sensitive topic for me," Lamia said. "It's okay. You don't have to tell us anything if you don't want to," Fluttershy said. "Yeah. If you want to talk about it, we won't force you," Sunset said. Lamia visibly relaxed. "Thank you". "Oh, where are my manners?" Lamia asked herself. "Greetings, my name is Lamia, the protector of Lamiopolis". "Is that what this city was called?" Twilight asked. "Indeed. This city was built in dedication to me," Lamia replied. "Why did you have an entire city dedicated to you?" Rarity asked. ***** 3,000 Years Ago It was a time of uncertainty and war. The Persian Empire was invading the land of Greece. Their armies were so massive, the earth itself shook with its march. Wherever they went, they brought nothing but death and destruction in their wake. It seemed like Greece would fall in a matter of months. A new settlement had recently formed nestled in a fertile valley. The people were those who prayed to the gods with nothing but fervor. At least, until a Persian scouting party showed up. The wretched Persians took some of their livestock and kidnapped some of their women and children for... unsavory reasons. Some of the men were killed in their defense. And that was a scouting party that attacked. If the Persian Army showed up... The people prayed and prayed to the gods for their protection, but all they got was another attack the following days and weeks. The people knew the Persian Army would be knocking on their gates in a mater of days. But they had a potential ally watching this from the shadows. Lamia, after fleeing her kingdom, had settled in the wilderness of the valley. She didn't want to deal with humans and tried to stay away from their settlement when they settled in the valley and formed an entire city. But she was disturbed by the Persian attacks. She decided to watch over the city just in case. One day, a Persian battalion, led by one of Xerxes's best generals, appeared before the city's gates. He met with the city's leader and made some rather unreasonable demands. The leader refused, saying that they would die for Greece. The Persian general said that he would gladly raze the city to the ground and leave no survivors. The next day, as Lamia was watching, the Persian force made itself ready to destroy the city. But before they could charge, Lamia rushed out of the forest and killed the Persian general in front of his own troops. The Persian soldiers, horrified by what they just saw, turned and fled. The Persian Army never went anywhere near that valley again. The people Lamia just saved, thankful for her actions, decided to dedicate the entire city to her. They even went as far as to build a temple for her and worship her as a goddess of their city. Lamia would receive food, shelter, and love from these people. It was a great life for Lamia. While it lasted at least. After a thousand years had passed, the gods of Olympus had rewarded the people of Lamiopolis for worshipping Lamia with a devastating famine. Crops and livestock died left, right, and center. The people, starving, decided to abandon the village and Lamia. Lamia, watching the whole thing unfold, fumed in anger at the gods for ruining her life once again. They took everything from her. Her mind, her children, and now they took the people she loved away from her! She hated the Olympians with a burning passion! She wanted nothing more than their destruction! But as she watched the world destroy itself countless times, she knew that the gods had all but abandoned the earth. ***** In the Present The girls listened to Lamia's story about the city with great interest. After she was finished, Twilight raised her hand. "The gods of Olympus are real?" Twilight asked. "Oh, they are indeed real. And they are a very horrible sort," Lamia said with anger. "I take it they turned you into a monster?" Rainbow asked. That earned her a punch on the shoulder from Applejack. "Indeed. They took everything good in my life away from me. No one could hate them more than me!!" Lamia shouted. After seeing the girls jump at her shouting, Lamia took a breath to calm herself down. "I'm sorry. That got more emotional than I had wanted. Can we talk about something else?" Lamia asked. The Rainbooms had already introduced themselves to Lamia. So they had decided to talk about things that related to Lamia so she could have input. "So, do you have any funny stories from when this city was inhabited?" Pinkie asked. "Well, there is one that comes to mind," Lamia replied. "One day, there was farmer tending to his pigs. A wolf eats one of the fattest pigs in his herd. But the farmer didn't go after the wolf. His friend asked him why he didn't go after the wolf, to which he replied 'Why would I go after the wolf for eating my wife'?". The entire group burst out laughing after that. Once the laughter was over, Pinkie let out a yawn. "Well, this has been fun, but it's still the middle of the night. We should save this party for tomorrow," Pinkie said. "Agreed, Pinkie," Applejack said. "We should hit the hay". "Alright, we should go back to bed," Sunset said. "Do you have anywhere to sleep, Lamia?" Fluttershy asked. "I sleep in a cave in the forest. Can I visit you tomorrow?" Lamia asked. "We'll look for you," Rainbow said. "Is your cave hard to find?" "No, it's not hard to find at all. You'll know it when you see it," Lamia said. The girls, dog, and Lamia left the underground sanctuary and the temple entirely. Lamia escorted the girls back to the campsite and bid them all goodnight. Once Lamia made it back to her cave, she laid down on her bed of leaves and gazed up at the stalactite-riddled ceiling. "Maybe... maybe those girls aren't witches. But their kindness seemed pretty magical," Lamia said. "I think I might like them".
Chapter 4The Next Morning - With the Rainbooms The Rainbooms were having a hell of a time looking for Lamia's cave. She said that her cave would be easy to find, but that was easy for her to say. Forests were very tricky; if one didn't know the area, they could get lost just a few hundred feet away from where they entered. Perhaps they should've asked Lamia if she could guide them to the cave. "I worry we're going to get lost out here without Lamia," Rarity said. "Agreed. I can't make heads or tails of where we're even supposed to go," Applejack added. "Don't worry, girls. I can try tracking Lamia's scent," Spike suggested. Spike put his nose to the ground and started to search the ground for Lamia's scent. After some time, he finally found the familiar scent of pine needles and snake musk. And it seemed to be leading them east. Spike pointed his head towards the eastern part of the forest. "We go this way!" Spike said before taking off in the direction of the scent. As the Rainbooms followed Spike, they tried to think about what to do once they got to Lamia's cave. After all, this is the first time they've interacted with a real-life mythological creature. "Hey, girls. Once we get to Lamia's cave, what do we think we should do?" Fluttershy asked. "Well, whatever we do, we should avoid bringing up her past," Sunset said. "Pretty sure the subject is painful for her." "Yeah, remember how she reacted when we brought it up last night? I thought she was going to have a breakdown," Applejack said. "Roger that! Nothing about her past!" Rainbow said. "I hope Lamia's hungry! I made a good old-fashioned breakfast for her!" Pinkie Pie exclaimed with a smile. "What did you make her?" Rarity asked. "Let's see. Some poached eggs, a few strips of bacon, some sausage patties, and a stack of flapjacks!" Pinkie replied. "That sounds appetizing, Pinkie," Rainbow said. "I wonder what Lamia's been eating all this time." "If her teeth were anything to go by, she's more than likely been hunting other animals around here," Twilight said. "I wonder what we'll do while we're hanging out with Lamia?" Fluttershy asked. "I was thinking we could all have a picnic and simply talk. She looks like she hasn't had someone to talk to for centuries," Sunset said. "It's a miracle she's been able to stay sane all this time." "Girls! I found the cave!" Spike cried. The girls looked at the large opening to a cave at the base of a tall hill. The ground in front of the cave was worn from Lamia coming and going from the cave. There was no doubt that Lamia lived here. Sunset was the first to approach the cave. She cupped he hands to her mouth and shouted. "Lamia?! Are you in there?!" Sunset shouted. "It's us! Your friends from last night!" At first, nothing but silence replied to her. Then, the sound of something big dragging across the ground filled the cave. It took a few seconds, but Lamia eventually slithered up to the entrance of the cave and greeted Sunset with a warm fanged smile. "Sunset!" Lamia shouted in greeting. "I'm so happy you're here!" Lamia wrapped her arms around Sunset and began to squeeze her with the strength of a python. Sunset was struggling to breathe in Lamia's grip. Lamia eventually realized what she was doing and let Sunset go with a blush. "S-sorry about that," Lamia said quietly. "I'm just so happy to have friends again after so many centuries." "That's... fine... Lamia," Sunset wheezed between breaths. The rest of the girls cam up to the cave entrance and greeted Lamia. Lamia gestured towards the inside of her cave. "Please, come in! It's nice to have company!" Lamia said. "I spent all night cleaning up my cave." "Thanks, Lamia. We'd love to see your cave," Applejack said. The Rainbooms followed Lamia as she led them deeper into the cave. Each of them brought out their phones to use as flashlights as they walked. Lamia turned around instantly and stared at the lights in shock. "What magic is this?! Are you witches?!" she asked in shock. "Oh no, it's okay! It's just lights made through the use of technology!" Twilight said. "Here, let me show you." Lamia was a tad wary of the thing Twilight held in her hand, but she decided to trust her new friend. Twilight held out the phone to Lamia. Lamia stared at the device with childlike wonder. "A small tablet thing that creates light!" Lamia said. "What incredible magic." Twilight knew it would be a waste of time to try to explain how technology worked, so she opted to simply let Lamia think it was magic. She scrolled through her phone and showed Lamia the different apps she had. Lamia was eating up every of them with her tail wagging in excitement. "Hey, Twilight? Who are these colorful birds and why are they so angry?" Lamia asked, pointing to one of Twilight's apps. "That's a game called 'Angry Birds'," Twilight replied. "You want to play?" "The birds are not going to fly out of your magic slab and peck out my eyes, are they?" Lamia asked worriedly. The rest of the Rainbooms laughed. Lamia just looked confused. "What? Why are you laughing?" Lamia asked naively. "Why are you laughing?" "Nothing, Lamia. Here, let me show you how to play the game," Twilight replied. ***** One Hour Later It would be safe for Twilight to assume that Lamia was addicted to "Angry Birds". Lamia had the phone pressed to her face for the past hour, playing the game. To make things worse, whenever Twilight tried to take her phone back, Lamia would literally hiss and snap at her. This continued until Lamia suddenly looked fearful. "Ah! The magic has left the slab!" Lamia cried. "It didn't leave, Lamia," Twilight said soothingly. "The battery just died. I just need to charge it later." Lamia gave the phone back to Twilight with a sad expression. Her previously wagging tail now drooped along the ground and a sad hiss escaped her lips. Pinkie Pie took this as her cue to step in. "It's okay, Lamia. Maybe some food will cheer you up!" Pinkie said. Pinkie Pie proceeded to reach into her hair and pulled out a covered tray, opening the top and showing off food to the snake woman. "Here, Lamia! I made you breakfast!" Pinkie said. Lamia slithered over to Pinkie and sniffed at the food. Her reptilian eyes scanned the food in a way that seemed almost predatory. She grasped one of the little sausages in her claws and ate it. The next thing Pinkie knew, the tray was out of her hands and Lamia's face was pressed against it. Lamia handed it back to Pinkie so shiny she could see her face in it. Lamia licked her lips and smiled at Pinkie. "I haven't had food like this for over 3,000 years! It's better than raw venison or goats!" Lamia said. "Did you... try to cook what you caught?" Rarity asked. "I was once the great queen of Libya. I used to have the best chefs in the ancient world cook for me, so I never learned how to cook," Lamia replied. "You should've tried the roast herb chicken the king of Crete recommended to me. Of course, he offered it to me while he was trying to court me." "You were courted by the king of Crete?" Twilight asked. "Did you consider him a good suitor?" Lamia looked at Twilight with an apprehensive grimace. Not a good sign. "The fool was a man in his 60's and was so fat he couldn't walk. I only showed him the proper courtesy of a fellow ruler, nothing more," Lamia replied. "Besides, he reeked strongly of grease." The girls visibly gagged at Lamia's description of one of her suitors. Rarity got over it and was now curious about Lamia's royal past. "While that subject's on the table, would you be able to tell us about your time as queen of Libya?" Rarity asked. "Sure, I don't mind. When I was still a human, I was considered to be the most beautiful woman in the known world," Lamia said. "I made sure my kingdom was prosperous and my people were happy. Of course, I did have some help from my father Poseidon." "You're father was Poseidon?!" Rainbow asked. "Yes. Father helped me bring great schools of fish to the coasts for fishermen and protection from drought," Lamia replied. "Did you ever meet your father?" Applejack asked. "Yes, a few times when he came down to the mortal realm. I would wait by the sea for hours waiting for him," Lamia said with a wistful smile. "He would take me for rides across the entire Mediterranean on his chariot." "Was he a good father?" Fluttershy asked. "He was in his own way. Sometimes, he would sink the ships of people who said something horrible to me and would cause storms and floods to their lands," Lamia said. "I liked it whenever he would carry me on his shoulders and let me pet his hippocampi." "That's... nice," Applejack said uneasily. "Now that I think of it, do you know any jokes from 3,000 years ago?" Pinkie asked. Lamia put a clawed finger to her chin in thought. It took a few moments, but her eyes lit up with an idea. "Okay, I have a joke. What did the Samnite goat farmer say to the Phoenician soldier?" Lamia asked. "What?!" Pinkie asked excitedly. "The Samnite goat farmer said, 'You can't sacrifice my kids to Baal, because my only female goat just died'!" Lamia replied with a belly laugh. Twilight, being the smart one, was the only one who laughed at the joke. The others simply heard something that sounded more than a little dark. Rarity began to politely fake laugh, an action in which the others joined in. After calming down, Lamia let out a yawn. She stretched her arms above her head and scratched at her neck. "I'm sorry, girls, but I'm a bit tired. I tend to sleep during the day," Lamia said. "That's fine, Lamia. We'll visit you later tonight," Sunset said. "Actually, how about I come visit you? I'd like to give you a true tour of Lamiopolis," Lamia said. "That would be great! I'd love to learn more about this city from someone who's seen it in its heyday," Twilight said. "Great! I'll see you all later tonight!" Lamia said. "Well, time for me to go to sleep." Lamia slithered over to something behind one of the stalagmites. She pulled out a small clay jar that sounded like it was filled with liquid of some kind. Setting the jar down on the ground, Lamia reached into her eye sockets and pulled out her own eyes and put them in the jar. Rarity and Fluttershy screamed at the macabre sight. Lamia turned to them with eyeless sockets. "I'm so sorry! I should've told you about that!" Lamia said. "I have to take out my eyes when I sleep. Zeus gave me this ability." "It's fine, Lamia," Fluttershy said, regaining her composure. "We just... weren't expecting it." "Still, I'm sorry. I hope I didn't make you hate me," Lamia said with trembling shoulders. Twilight walked over and hugged Lamia. "We don't hate you at all. If you have to remove your eyes when you sleep, then we won't judge or hate you." "Really?" Lamia asked with a sniff. "Of course. We don't hate people based on their... conditions," Applejack said. "It's why we wanted to hang out with you." "Well... okay," Lamia said with a yawn. "Alright girls, let's let Lamia sleep. She needs it," Sunset said before turning to Lamia. "We'll see you later tonight?" "Yes. I'll come and see you. With my eyes in my sockets, of course," Lamia said with a giggle. The girls left the cave to let Lamia sleep. As Lamia coiled her tail underneath her, she smiled at the thought of seeing her new friends later. For the first time in millennia, Lamia would sleep with a smile on her face. Author's Note My headcanon voice for Lamia in this story would be Sarah Wiedenheft, who does the English voice for Power in "Chainsaw Man".
Chapter 5Later that Night Lamia woke up in a place that looked all too familiar to her. It was the palace she lived in when she ruled! It still had the comfort and splendor she grew up with. The tapestries, the mosaics, the statues, and even the places where the servants were standing was familiar to her. Seeing her old palace, Lamia looked down to see something she hadn't seen for centuries. She had legs and feet again! No snake tail at all, just regular human legs. She was fully human again! Lamia jumped and ran around the room squealing with delight. One of the servant girls gave a small chuckle at Lamia's excitement. "I take it you're excited about the news, Your Majesty?" the servant asked. Lamia stopped running around and looked to the servant girl with panting breaths. "What news?" Lamia asked. "Don't you remember? The royal physician said that you're pregnant, Your Majesty," the servant replied. Those words came as a lightning strike to Lamia's heart. With wide eyes, Lamia looked down and saw that her stomach appeared larger than usual. Rather than delight at seeing her stomach, Lamia was shocked and overcome with sadness and grief. Lamia knelt down and let out a cry of despair. The servant girl knelt down beside her in worry. "My queen! Are you okay?!" she asked in a worried tone. Lamia didn't respond to that. She continued to cry into her hands as the servant girl stroked her head in comfort. "It's okay, Your Majesty. I know it might seem scary at first, but you'll be a great mother," she said. That only made Lamia feel even worse. She bit her lip to keep from crying more and got to her feet with the help of the servant girl. Lamia gave the girl a fake smile. "Thank you for your kind words," Lamia said. "I feel better now. Any news today?" "Well, the gods are coming here to celebrate the fact that our city now has a temple for each of the gods," she replied. Now, Lamia's grief was replaced with terror. She looked at the servant girl with a pale face. "The gods? They're coming here?" Lamia asked. "Indeed. All of them, even Zeus and Hera," the servant replied. No. Not Zeus and Hera, especially Hera. Not the goddess who ruined her life. Lamia's fear was replaced with hatred and rage. She clenched her fists to the point that her knuckles turned white. There were lots of mortals who had cause to hate Hera, but none could hate her more than Lamia. Still, she feared Hera as much as she hated her. Lamia would just have to grin and bear it until the gods left. ***** Lamia woke up in her cave with a start. A cold sweat formed on her face as she tried to regain her steady breathing. It took a while for Lamia to regain her composure. "A dream, that's all it was," Lamia said breathlessly. "A nightmare? Or a memory? Whatever it was, it was all too familiar." What was even more odd was the fact that it had been centuries since she had dreams at all. It was creepy that she was starting to have dreams of her past. Lamia curled her tail against herself in sadness. "Great! Now even sleep is no longer a haven from my suffering," Lamia said. "Will I ever know peace?!" Lamia slammed her fist on the ground so hard that it formed cracks. If Lamia had it her way, she would've strangled Hera with her tail. Still, as much as she'd like to fantasize about destroying Hera, Lamia had better things to do. She promised to show her new friends around the city. Hopefully that would take her mind off things. Lamia slithered over to her eye jar and put her eyes back in. Once that was done, she left her cave and made her way towards Lamiopolis with all eagerness. Lamia slithered out of the woods and through the field that bordered where the humans had made their camp. The tall grass masked her approach at night, so there's no way that the humans would see her. She couldn't see them, either. Just to be safe, Lamia lifted her head just above the tall grass to get a better view of her surroundings. There were no humans at first, but she could see a few silhouettes in the distance that she recognized. A smile spread across her fangs as she slithered towards the Rainbooms at high speed. She slowed down and rose from the tall grass making sure not to scare the girls. And they seemed happy to see Lamia. "Lamia!!" the girls shouted happily. "Hello, gi--," Lamia said before getting cut off by the Rainbooms wrapping her in a big group hug. Lamia was flustered at first, but she sank into the collective body heat the girls gave off and wrapped her arms and tail around them and gave them all a squeeze in return. Sunset began tapping on Lamia's tail as it was becoming harder and harder to breathe. "Uh, Lamia? I think we're good, now," Sunset said in a strained tone. Realizing her constriction, Lamia released the girls from her coils and blushed in embarrassment. It had been centuries since she had last experienced the loving warmth of being embraced. The last time she embraced someone was when... she had held her children before she.... Well, it was nice to hold someone again. Lamia gave the girls a loving smile. "I can't tell you how happy I am to see you ladies," Lamia said. "Sorry about nearly crushing you." "It's fine, darling. We could tell that you were happy," Rarity said. "I kinda liked it. Ya popped by back and now I my back feels like churned butter," Applejack said. Pinkie Pie kept her arms wrapped around Lamia in a hug. "Yeah! Your tail just means you give the best hugs in the world!" Lamia held Pinkie and petted her in a way that was more than a little maternal. Pinkie Pie was surely something to be adored for her positivity and boundless energy. It made Lamia chuckle feeling weirdly nostalgic. She missed holding a child like this. "Thank you, Pinkie, dear. You always know how to brighten one's day and night, huh?" Lamia asked in a soothing motherly voice. Pinkie giggled and leaned into Lamia's chest. "I do like making people happy! I don't like seeing them sad," Pinkie said. "Well, I'm sure you'll continue making your friends happy, huh?" "I will, Mom." The silence that fell was deafening. A fly buzzing would sound like a jet engine in this silence. The most shocked out of the group were Lamia and Pinkie Pie. Lamia let go of Pinkie and hid behind her tail. "I-I'm sorry, Miss Pie. I d-didn't mean to-!" Lamia stammered. "It's okay. It's okay," Pinkie soothed with her hands up. "I'm sorry for calling you 'Mom' by mistake. I should've been more careful." Lamia was on the verge of having a panic attack. The memories of her children came flooding back like a tsunami. She would have lost herself to the memories if Fluttershy didn't pull out a white rabbit from her backpack and show him to Lamia. "Do you want to pet him?" Fluttershy asked. "Petting a bunny always helps me calm down." The only experience Lamia had with rabbits was when she was hunting and eating them, so she was confused by Fluttershy offering her a rabbit. "No thanks, dear. I'm not hungry right now," Lamia replied. Fluttershy didn't look amused. "He's not for eating, he's for petting. Try petting him," Fluttershy said. Tentatively, Lamia took the rabbit from Fluttershy and held him close to her chest. The rabbit was so soft and warm, something that Lamia wouldn't consider when she was hunting. Her heartrate dropped back to normal and her mind was now less foggy with wretched memories. "Thank you, dear. I feel much better now. You truly are the kindest soul I've met in all these centuries," Lamia said. "Now then, shall we go about having that tour of Lamiopolis I promised?" "Yeah! Let's get going!" Twilight cried out. "I wanna hear everything there is about this city!" Lamia laughed seeing how adorable enthusiastic Twilight was. She slithered behind the group and held out her hand. "Then let us begin," Lamia said. Lamia led the group deeper into the city proper, where she would go into detail about the city made in her honor. The amphitheater where there were sword duels and plays, complete with a special box for her to watch them. The open market where merchants and traders would conduct their business was vibrant with life and the different things that people would display, from crops and livestock to more extravagant items such as jewelry and fine cloths. There were schoolhouses for the children to be educated, with Lamia saying that she would sometimes visit the children to play with them and assist them in their studies. The king's palace had a spa garden in the center where Lamia would relax and bathe with the priestesses that worshipped her. And then there was a brothel in the city center where women would "sell their wares" on a nightly basis. Lamia ended the tour by stopping by one house in particular. "And this is the house of a man who was actually brave enough to court me," Lamia said, much to the shock of the Rainbooms. Rarity had a playful teasing tone to her voice. "Oh? What was he like? Did you like him back?" Rarity asked teasingly. Lamia blushed and held her tail close to her chest. Her memories of the man were of him offering her gifts we would make himself as a carpenter. He would make her things like shelves and toys to show her how much he cared for her. Her favorite was a little wooden snake he made for her. "His name was Stavros. He was a successful carpenter whose skills were the most reputable in all of Greece and the Mediterranean," Lamia replied. "Stavros would always go out of his way to speak to me whenever I visited and he would give me gifts of the wood he worked with. And he would shyly attempt to hold my hand while we went to the festivals the city held." "Did you like him back?" Rainbow Dash asked with a raised eyebrow and a playful smirk. "Stavros was a really wonderful man, so I found myself falling for him quicker than I had expected," Lamia said before her smile became a sad grimace. "I was about to tell him I loved him when a vile plague swept through the city. Stavros was the first to die." Now the girls felt bad about their playful teasing about Lamia's love life. Good thing Sunset was able to change the conversation. It was something she had rattling in her brain for a while. "Hey, how'd you like to come to America with us?" Sunset asked. "Huh?!" the girls asked out loud. Lamia tilted her head in confusion. "What's America?" Lamia asked.
Chapter 6The Seaport The girls were all a bit anxious. They were smuggling a mythical-but-not-mythical creature back to America with them. It was all something of a herculean task to pull off. That didn't stop the Rainbooms and Lamia from sneaking around the docks at night where their ship was docked. Lamia was nervous as Tartarus as she slithered behind the girls. "Are you sure this is safe? What if we get caught? What if they try to kill me?" Lamia whispered to them. "I'm scared." Sunset turned around to smile at Lamia. "Don't worry, Lamia. We plan to hide you in one of the artifact crates that the archaeologists loaded up. You'll have to remain in there until we arrive in America." "What about the customs officers? Aren't they going to search the crates as soon as they arrive?" Twilight asked. Sunset looked like she prepared for that. "That's why at the last minute, we're going to have Lamia hide in the bowels of the ship immediately after we make port. Then we'll come back to the dock later at night to retrieve her from the ship," Sunset replied. "I suppose that'll work, but what about while we're on our way back and we're seen going down to the cargo bay to visit or feed Miss Lamia?" Rarity asked. "We'll just have to be sneaky about it," Sunset replied. "We just need to make our moves and time that specifically for when we go down there for Lamia." "At least you've thought this entire thing through. I guess we should just go for it," Rainbow said. "I mean we are at the docks after all." Lamia clung to Fluttershy's sweater, her hands shaking like a leaf. She was still unsure about this entire thing, leaving behind the ruins of the only place in the world that accepted her as a monster. Lamia didn't know what to expect from this modern world, if they would accept a monster like her or kill her. "I... I don't feel right leaving behind the one place that I could call home," Lamia said. "Will the rest of the world be as accepting as you lot are?" The girls all faced Lamia and gave her smiles and a reassuring hand. Twilight spoke to Lamia in a calming voice. "Lamia, I can't speak on behalf of the entire world, but I know that we and the rest of the Wonderbolts at Canterlot High would welcome you as our friend," Twilight said. "I can't think of why anyone would hate someone as kind as you." As afraid as she was at the idea of revealing herself to the modern world, she trusted the Rainbooms to know what they were doing since they became her friends and were willing to do this much to help her. Lamia wiped a tear from her eye and hugged them all, wrapping her tail around them. She let them go and smiled. "Okay. I trust you lot, so I'll follow your lead," Lamia said. "Great. Let's do this thing!" Rainbow said. Lamia gripped the eyeball jar she had and closely followed the Rainbooms as they led her onboard the ship. It should've been expected that Lamia was in awe of a modern ship with all its modern looks and comforts. Lamia stopped a few times to take it all in. "I've seen ships before but this is nothing like the triremes of my day," Lamia said. "How does this ship move without sails or men to row it? And why is it made of metal? Doesn't metal sink?" "I'd be happy to answer all those questions later. Right now, we need to make our way to the cargo hold," Twilight replied. The group made their way down the ship until they reached the cargo hold, with crates of different sizes strapped down to the floor. Now that they were there, they would have to find a crate for Lamia to hide in until they reached America. They split up to look for a perfect crate to hide the girl in. "There's a big chariot in this one!" Rarity called. "A naked statue's in this one!" Pinkie called out. "I'm just gonna save a mental image of it for later." "TMI, Pinkie. TMI," Rainbow said. "Anyway, there's a bunch of old bronze swords in this one." "Hey, I found an empty crate over here!" Applejack said. The group rushed over to the crate in question. The crate wasn't that big, but it was the only one that was empty. Lamia tilted her head to the side as she looked at it. "Uh, I don't know about this one. I don't know if I can fit in their even if I coil my tail," Lamia said. "Well, get in there and try it," Pinkie said. Lamia crawled into the box and coiled her tail around herself. Her head was pressed tightly against her shoulder and she didn't look comfortable at all. Lamia unfurled her tail and stood up in the box. "While I appreciate your plan, Miss Sunset, I do not wish to have an aching neck the entire time we are on this journey," Lamia said. Sunset rubbed the back of her neck and blushed. "Okay, so it's not one of my better plans. I guess you can just stay in Twilight's room since she doesn't have anyone staying with her other than Spike." "Me and Spike would happy to have you. You can simply hide of anyone other than us comes into the room," Twilight said. "Very well. I would like to stay with Twilight," Lamia said. Lamia followed the girls until they reached Twilight's room. The inside of the room was nothing special except for two beds, some bags, and a dresser for clothes. Lamia slithered into the room and settled onto on the beds. Lamia shuddered at how comfortable the bed was with her tail twitching and swaying all over the place. "Oh, sweet Hestia! It's been centuries since I've laid on a bed, let alone one this comfortable," Lamia said, burying her face in the sheets. "And they smell so nice. They're so soft and warm." The girls all "Aww'd" inside at the sight of Lamia rolling around on the bed like a cat. Twilight got onto the other bed next to Lamia and wished the others goodnight. They would have quite a journey back to America, and Lamia was starting to look forward to it despite her fear. She just hoped that her new friends would be by her side. Lamia would miss her home, sure, but at least she would be happy with her friends.
