Title:           Goldilocks: A Tatzlpony Tale (Part 10)
Author:          AngryWino
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/pgyq5h1B
First Edit:      Saturday 13th of February 2016 09:57:40 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 15th of February 2016 04:04:21 PM CDT

>When you get back to the castle with Goldilocks, you are met by Spike.
>”You two are popular today. Your clothes are back from the cleaners, Rarity says for you to come over any time for a fitting, and Twilight wants to see you in the map room.”
“Thanks Spike.”
/Now what does the princess want?/
>Goldilocks presses her tentacle to your temple as you make your way to the map room.
**You know, I’m starting to like it here.
“Oh really?”
>It makes sense, she is making friends everywhere she goes.
**Maybe we could settle down here?
“Settle down? Like with a home and a white picket fence and all that?”
**I was watching you talk with Applebloom and her friends. You’d make a great dad…
>You stumble, and turn around to look behind you, wondering what the heck you’d just tripped over.
>Goldilocks giggles at you, and not just in your head.
>Time for an emergency subject change.
“I’ve been meaning to ask you, why don’t you talk out loud?”
>The giggling ceases abruptly.
>Her smile melts away, and you sense cloudy thoughts from her link.
“I’ve heard you make sounds several times now, so I assume you can speak, but…”
>You trail off as she looks at you.
**When I first escaped, I was afraid they might look for me. I learned to keep quiet.
>She draws closer to you, her tail curling about your waist.
>From the way she talks, there’s probably more to it than that, but you decide it’ll keep.
>You give her head a rub, and she leans into you.
“If we could talk to each other, you wouldn’t need to read my mind all the time.”
**I like reading your mind!
>Her tail squeezes you.
**You have so many thoughts and feelings! I could spend all day just listening to them.
 
>You enter the map room to find Twilight writing in a scroll, while watching the luminous symbols twirling above the castle.
>She looks up as you get to the table.
>”There you are! Where did you go today?”
“Er, just to the clock shop and Sugarcube Corner, why?”
>Twilight writes in her scroll, maneuvering the quill with her magic.
>”Are you two getting along okay?”
/I guess the rumor mill hasn’t gotten to her yet./
>This produces another giggle from Goldilocks.
>Twilight looks up at this.
“Oh yes, I’d say we’re getting along just fine, wouldn’t you Goldilocks?”
>Goldie decides to demonstrate by rearing up next to you and giving you an affectionate peck on the cheek, draping one foreleg over your shoulder for support.
>Twilight colors slightly.
>”Well I’d say that’s a yes.”
/Oh, if she only knew…/
>Goldie actually blushes at this.
**I know. That’s enough for me.
>Twilight is writing in her scroll again.
”If you don’t mind my saying so, you seem out-of-sorts. Does it have something to do with us?”
>Twilight sets down her quill and sits back, rubbing her eyes tiredly.
>”I don’t know. That’s why I’m ‘out-of-sorts’, as you put it.” she pouts.
>”The Princess just hates it when she doesn’t have all the answers,” a voice floats over the table.
>You recognize that voice.
>Discord appears behind you and Goldie, wrapping you both up in his mismatched arms and lifting you off the floor.
>”Group hug!”
>Twilight makes a sour face.
>”Ugh. Whatever’s on your mind, Discord, I’m really not in the mood.”
>”What? Can’t I just come by for a friendly visit and check up on my new friends?”
>He playfully noogies your head with his tail.
“Put me down please.”
 
>Discord sets you both back on the floor and leans over you, elongating his body until he is resting his elbows on the table.
>”Still trying to make sense of this little dilemma, I see?”
>Discord regards the spinning symbols with a gleeful smile as you walk over to look at them as well.
>Twilight huffs, but begins to explain in her best guest lecturer voice.
>”According to this, a major friendship problem is going to happen, right here in Ponyville —”
>”Do tell,” Discord interrupts, “what exactly is a major friendship problem? I assume it’s something more serious than somepony taking the last slice of cake without making another.”
>Twilight glowers at him.
>”It’s a problem that could lead to serious consequences for a lot of ponies, or anyone really, for that matter, like famine, plague or even war.”
>”So all of the really fun stuff, right?”
>”DISCORD!!”
>”Sorry, please, tell on…”
>Twilight takes a moment to compose herself before continuing.
>”It’s almost like it finds strife and chaos, and knows just which of us, the Elements of Harmony, to send to fix the problem before it gets worse.”
>Twilight suddenly comes to a realization.
>”Discord, you know all this, what are you asking for?”
>Discord pats you on the shoulder and Goldilocks on the withers.
>”For the benefit of our new friends of course, and exposition for any readers who aren’t up to speed.”
“Readers?”
>”Don’t worry about it,” Discord says reassuringly.
>”Ahem,” Twilight says pointedly.
>”But as you can see, the map is calling all six of us right here to Ponyville, and I don’t even know why. That’s why I was asking where you’d gone.”
>You and Goldilocks exchange a look.
>”I thought you two might be the reason, but you didn’t even move far enough to change the symbols, so I’m back to square one.”
>”Have you considered asking Anonymous and Goldilocks about it?”
 
>”Well of course, I have! But I don’t want to just ask questions like that. It’s rude.”
>You catch Goldie’s eye.
/Do you want to tell her, or would you rather I do?/
>A cold sensation creeps into the link.
**Do you really think we should?
/If it might be relevant, I think it might be a good idea if she knows./
>Goldilocks hesitates, and you feel her resolve grow in the link.
**I’ll tell her.
>You nod and give her a scratch between the ears, eliciting a purr, before she recovers her tentacle and walks over to Twilight.
”Princess Twilight, Goldilocks has something to show you.”
>”Show me?” she asks, a little uncertainly,
“Yes. If I were you I’d sit down, it can be a little — intense.”
>”Oh goody! Home movies!” Discord says, and boxes of popcorn appear on the table.
>Discord takes one and begins munching.
>Goldilocks approaches the Princess and extends two tentacles, hesitating until Twilight sits, takes a deep breath, and nods.
>”Well now, this is interesting!” Discord comments, downing another claw-full of popcorn.
>Goldie sits as well, and the tips of her tentacles carefully make contact with Twilight’s face. just below her ears.
>You can tell from the change in both their expressions that contact has been made.
>Discord nudges you. ”What’s going on, Anonymous? Fill me in on the deets…”
“Goldilocks communicates telepathically, but can also communicate emotions. She showed me her memories before.”
>Twilight flinches and gasps. You can’t help but feel a pang of sympathy.
“Let’s just say they’re not all sunshine and roses.”
>Discord offers you some popcorn.
>”Someone’s raising an army, aren’t they?”
“Wha…? How did you know?”
>”Oh, I have certain advantages that accrue when your age can be measured in millennia.”
>Twilight surges to her hooves, her wings flaring.
>You know what she’s seeing now.
 
>After a time, one of the tentacles detaches, and Twilight gasps and blinks her eyes several times, finally refocusing on her surroundings.
>Her wings gradually fold away, and her face clouds over with thought.
>”Oh dear, I know THAT look,” Discord comments.
>Goldilocks retracts both her tentacles and trots over to you.
>There are tears at the corners of her eyes.
>”Come with me,” Princess Twilight commands, and sweeps out of the room.
>All of you follow, compelled perhaps by the serious tone of her voice.
>Even Discord is uncharacteristically quiet.
>Twilight leads you to the library and magics one of the antique books over to a reading table.
>Monstrous Compendium. You recognize the title.
>Goldilocks draws closer to you, her tail curling around your waist.
>”The suspense is boring me,” Discord whispers in your ear.
>With a glow of her horn the book opens, pages flipping slowly until Twilight spots the one she wanted.
>”Goldilocks, are these the creatures from your memories?”
>You put a comforting hand on her neck as you all crowd around to have a look.
>It’s a snarling, humanoid creature with a tusked, piggish face, wielding a sword.
>You feel Goldie’s tail tighten on your waist.
>”Well,” Discord muses, “that IS a surprise.”
>Goldie looks at you, then at Twilight, and nods.
>You feel her trembling, and stroke her mane a couple of times.
>”Orcs,” Twilight confirms.
>Discord laughs, snorting derisively.
>”Orcs? Breeding tatzlponies? Hah!! Those magical ignoramuses?”
>”Discord, this is serious!” Twilight protests.
>”Why, is someone having a ‘monsters of antiquity’ festival you weren’t invited to?”
>Twilight goes to the door and calls for her assistant.
>”I refuse to take this seriously,” Discord huffs.
>”If someone had written a spell book with pictures and nursery rhymes, Orcs still wouldn’t be able to magically find their way out of a wet paper bag using both hands and a map.”
 
>”Then they’re obviously getting help from someone else,” Twilight replies.
>”You called, Twilight?” Spike asks as he enters the library.
>”Yes, Spike. Take a letter to Princess Celestia…”
>As Twilight dictates her letter, Discord rubs his chin in thought.
>”I suppose they could be getting help, though what wizard would want to help orcs in this day and age is quite the mystery, even to me.”
>Discord takes you under his claw and Goldilocks under his paw, and leads you a short distance away from Twilight.
>”As ever, the greatest of pleasure to see you both again, but the Princess is going to be in a mood when she finishes, and I want some answers for myself.”
>A green flare behind you announces the transmission of Twilight’s letter to Princess Celestia.
>”One final bit of advice. Tell her highness to check her map again.”
>”And one final bit of non-advice — love the outfit, Anon.”
>This has the effect of reminding you that you’re still wearing an oversized bathrobe.
>With a comically exaggerated leer, Discord vanishes.
>”Where did he go?” Twilight asks, trotting over to you.
“He, uh, didn’t say.”
>Twilight snorts in frustration. “Typical.”
>Closing her eyes, she takes a deep breath, then releases it, opening her eyes again.
>”In any event, Princess Celestia has been informed about the likelihood of a hostile force outside our borders, and I’m sure she will see to it that the proper military precautions are taken.”
>She takes another cleansing breath.
>”So, that’s problem solved, then,” she finishes with a smile.
>You and Goldilocks exchange a look.
>Twilight’s smile fades a couple of degrees.
>”What?”
“Nothing, it’s just that Discord suggested you ought to check the map again.”
>She cocks her head, giving you a funny look, then brightens.
>”Of course, the map!”
>Twilight leaves the library at a fast trot, jumping over Spike who was in the doorway on his way out.
 
>”She gets in these moods, sometimes,” Spike explains, then suddenly he erupts in green flame, from which a scroll coalesces and drops into his claw.
>”Well, that was fast!” Spike runs out after the Princess.
>You start walking, and one of Goldie’s tentacles presses to your head.
**Is this what you were expecting when you said we wouldn’t be able to run?
>She falls into step alongside you as you head back to the map room.
“This isn’t what I was expecting at all.”
**What will we do?
“I don’t know, I’m making this up as I go along.”
>From the map room ahead of you, you hear the Princess give out a frustrated groan.
>As you enter, you see her staring in disbelief at the spinning, glowing symbols, still centered above Ponyville on the map.
>”Nothing has changed! Why hasn’t anything changed?”
>She slumps her head onto the table with a resigned sigh.
>Spike approaches and offers her the scroll.
>”Twilight? Princess Celestia’s reply…”
>Her only response is another frustrated noise.
>”I’ll just leave it here for you to read later.”
>Spike carefully sets the scroll next to her head and turns, motioning for you to follow him out of the room.
>Once you’re all outside, Spike quietly closes the door.
>”She’s going to need a bit of time.”
>You sigh.
“I think we’ll head over and visit Rarity.”
>”Sure,” Spike agrees with a shrug. “Dinner will be in about two hours.”
 
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