In Which Gummy Acquires a Hat and Jacket
On top of the highest shelf in the southwest corner of a room was a peculiar scene. From left to right sat a pink stuffed cat, two teacups, a teapot with a crack down the side, a cone-shaped hat with a tuft of pink fur at the apex, a cobweb and a little green creature with purple eyes staring blankly ahead. At first glance once may think he was not alive. Alas though, the little creature was but really had no care in the world to move much from his comfortable spot away from all the action.
Below this peculiar set of companions on the top shelf rested six tired ponies: some were bundled up in sleeping bags, others sprawled out on a bed. The yellow one in particular was curled up in a corner as far away as she could get herself. If the floor was not covered by one of the pastel-colored ponies, then the floor was littered with confetti, junk food, blankets, and pieces that made up half a dozen board games. Indeed quite a party was had only a few hours prior, which is how the green creature found himself so high above the action.
His gaze, at least one would assume it was a he, was transfixed dead ahead. His little neck did not crane itself downwards to peer at the collection of ponies below. No, his purple eyes stayed still and rested on another shelf of almost equal height (but not quite as high as he was!) and at another off collection of objects. There really was no rhyme nor reason to how things were organized. This shelf was a dubious lot of companions made up of a fake fruit basket, a toy barn, a tiny bag of flour, and lastly a black rock that almost resembled coal. Each of these companions were perched on a long doily that draped off the sides of the shelf, probably put there to effect some sort of decoration. The green creature rather enjoyed this shelf to gaze upon. So many different things within his gaze; in a strange way it brought him serenity.
There were movements from below, that much he knew. Every hour or so his head would slowly move for a glance. Movements were drawn out and deliberate as to not cause any unneeded attention. The last thing he wanted at the moment was to disrupt this delicate peace he had. Peace was few and far between. A sense of irony was that these moments of peace and quiet, without fail, followed the most chaotic upheavals the small apartment would see. The louder and more rambunctious activities were the more tranquil and calm mornings would follow.
The yellow one, as mentioned before, was curled up in a corner on the other side of the room. She had made herself into a tiny ball and almost resembled a sleeping position of a cat. The green creature found no problems with that one. Next there was an off-white one with vibrant purple hair zipped up tightly in a plush sleeping bad. She was alright except every so often she would toss around every hour or so. Moving forward the ponies started to become more and more noisy. The purple one did not find herself into a proper bed the night before and was sprawled half on a couch and half on the floor. It was beyond him how any creature found that sort of sleeping position comfortable. She snored. On the couch was the light orange colored pony, she was fairly quiet though she kicked her hind legs every so often. Next to her on the floor was the second loudest pony. She was colored blue, but the most noteworthy thing was how this pony slept. Her fours were spread eagle on the floor, her mouth open and a faint snore echoed against the walls of this apartment. The noises were erratic and unpredictable, unlike the purple one. The final pony was the one he knew so well. She was pink and slept in the bed. Her snores were rhythmic and almost had a cute quality. These snore would have been cute had he not heard them every night.
Morning twilight was rapidly approaching. The east window was slowly starting to glow against the setting moon. Light reflected off the small droplets of condensation that had accumulated on the outside of the window pane the night before. Though Ponyville had been going through a s cold spell, the temperature last night did not dip to where ice formed. The entire week snow threatened to fall which was not agreeable to the green creature that sat on the top shelf with an odd assortment of companions. Perhaps it was an astute sign that the cold snap was over and warmer times were ahead. Oh did the creature just love it when it was warm.
A good many a time he had contemplated getting some sort of jacket or hat to keep the heat in. But unfortunately he had no means of really communicating with any pony or any creature to accomplish this. The pink pony asleep in bed never had the thought cross her mind to bundle him up when it was chilly outside. It was okay, he expected very little from her in terms of forethought. Indeed the condensation on the window outside was a sign that it was warmer than the previous days. However a gust of wind blew outside and the green creature remembered that Equestria was still a ways away from the spring warmup.
By the time the green creature moved his head to check the status of the situation of the world below, the sun's rays had crept all the way into the room and was spread out happily across three of the six ponies. Unfortunately the sun did not hit him, he remained too high and obstructed by other random items that filled the room. Perhaps he would strike it lucky in a few hours and be able to curl up under some blankets... or better yet in the bathroom with the shower on. It was infrequent that he would indulge in such pleasantries; more often than not he found himself treated to warmth rather than damp warmth. Oh how it tickled his scales and made the whole of his body feel just right. Just as how it was meant to be.
Those thoughts had to be shoved aside. Indulging in a fantasy for too long depressed the poor creature. Life here was grand for the most part, there was no need to nit pick at the finer details that went unnoticed to every creature but himself.
How much time had passed since the sunrise? Surely this repose soon would come to a crashing halt. As much as he enjoyed being far and away from the other alive creatures in this room, the thought of being warm was tickling his dry little scales. Of course he let the ponies pick up him, squeeze him, in all respects torment him; it did not however mean he enjoyed any of it. And for this reason alone was how he found himself this shelf to perch himself on; up and away from prying pony eyes and far away from harm of being the target of a miss-directed exploding confetti bomb. The little bits of paper and ribbon sometimes would get stuck between his scales. His little legs were too tiny to pick any out and his mouth lacked and teeth to grab hold of stray particles. Oh things could get so difficult.
The yellow pony in the corner was the very first one of the array of girls to stir. She gave a small sigh and her cotton pink hair blew slightly up, then down again to fall neatly to frame her face. Could she be of any help to his recurring desire for a hat or even a jacket? Sometimes he could see her out the window with a collection of animals around her. That annoying little bunny seemed to get what he needed from her...but perhaps his needs were much more apparent than his own. It was still far too early to make too much of a ruckus climbing down from the shelf. There really was no need yet to wake the rest of the ponies up in his silly little quest. Not to say that this idea was completely off the book; the little green creature filed away the idea for later use.
No sooner had he halted his thoughts about the yellow pony, a second one started to rustle. Then a loud thump. Only one was in a position to cause such a clamor; the purple one had fallen completely to the ground from her perplexing position of half on the couch, half on the ground. With all of her on the ground, her eyes bolted open in befuddlement. She was the smart one of the cohort. Always had her nose pressed against a book. She also had a dragon in her service. Dragons... now they had scales too, right? Perhaps … no, it would be too good to be true for them to have the same sort of scales and require the same type of needs. On the converse though, this one was the brains, she may be some help to this budding quest. That loud thud the pony made would surely awaken the rest of the lot sooner rather than later.
The purple pony's couch companion followed suit and was jostled awake shortly thereafter. The green creature continued building his plan, but saw no way this newly awoken pony could further his interests. In a way she was a lot like the pink one he shared this house with. Just no confetti and no endless barrage of parties. No, she would be no good.
And then it all came together just like magic when he heard her prissy voice groan. If he had lips to smile he may have just grinned ear to ear (if he had those too). The owner of that particular voice also so happened to own a garment making business. Aha. The plan was coming into play. Sometime soon he would find a way to the yellow pony and find a way to communicate his need of warmth (and if at all possible moisture) and have her relay the message to the white one so she could make him appropriate clothing for this weather. Brilliant! It all rested now on him making his points across, which was something he indeed had a rather difficult time in. Expressions were not his strong suit. Alas, he would have to make do with what he had.
With little care now for the last two of the girls (because in all honesty it would take a tremendous effort to wake either up), the little green creature trotted to the end of the shelf and started his delicate shuffle from item to item until he found himself on the floor. Now, that did not take nearly as long as he thought, nor was he as loud as he thought he may be. He continued his journey across the floor that was speckled with used party goods with special care as to not get any unwanted glitter or wayward paper on him.
The yellow pony was now perfectly curled up next to the white one – what luck he was having! As his prances drew him closer, the brilliant plan came together even further. His mouth was void of teeth, he really could do no harm to either of these mares by grabbing onto them. Frequently he found himself doing this to his owner with no adverse side-effects. Simply put, the little green creature would latch himself onto the white pony until the yellow one gathered what was needed. A hat and jacket!
Just a few prances away now. There was hardly any exposed parts of her to latch himself onto save for her face and neck. Those would have to do, he concluded. A short jump onto the sleeping bag caught both their attention away from the minor chit-chat they had engaged each other in.
"Oh look, I haven't seen you in a while, Gummy," The yellow one smiled brightly at him. And the he pounced on his white prey. Her eat was his ripe target and he started to dangle from it just like a gaudy piece of statement earrings. The white one yelped at the unexpected addition to her wardrobe and she quickly raised her hooves to bat him away. Beings he had no teeth to latch himself firmly, he clenched his gums down even harder to ensure his stability on her ear. "Oh my word! Gummy never attacks for no reason!" The yellow pony yelped at this onslaught attack.
"I don't care if it's normal or not, get it off!" The white one bellowed.
"Shh, you don't want to wake the others up!" The yellow one gave her rebuttal.
"Fluttershy you're the one that can talk to animals, get him off!" Fluttershy grabbed Gummy with both hooves and yanked gently as to not hurt the little creature.
"Gummy, would you be so nice and let Rarity go? Is there something you need maybe?" This one was smarter than he gave her credit for. She was catching on rather quickly. The small pupils of his purple eyes made direct and deliberate eye contact with Fluttershy. Their gazes were held for a few moments before Rarity tossed her head again in a fit. Gummy searched for Fluttershy's gaze once more in hopes she picked up on his affirmation of needing something.
"It hurts!" Rarity groaned, this time taking the scaly little creatures in her own hooves and tugging at him. Gummy failed to budge though. He unlatched his grip briefly then reattached himself higher up on her ear. Many a times he had bitten his pink owner with the same force and had not caused her any pain, so he knew he was in the safe with holding on this tight to Rarity.
"Rarity, shh! I think he wants something! Stop moving!" Bless Fluttershy, she really did have a way with animals. Perhaps he could let go? No, not until he was sure there was an understanding with them. Once more their eyes caught one another; Gummy could almost feel her blueish green eyes peering into his tiny soul. "Hmm... come here little friend, I know something is wrong," Fluttershy stroked Gummy from neck to nail and gave him a gentle tug. Just like that Gummy's grip loosened and he fell into Fluttershy's lap. "There there..." She soothed.
"What a horrible creature, and unprovoked too!" Rarity was still in utmost disgust and was now making a larger fuss by running her hooves through her hair. Fluttershy went on to ignore the goings-on next to her and focused all her attention on the astute little creature she now held up with both hooves so they were eye level.
"I'm sorry she tossed you around like that little friend," Fluttershy smiled, "You need something from her, don't you? That's how you get our attention, right? You grab onto them?" This pony here had a magical gift of sorts, this was not taking long at all. Their gaze was uninterrupted, even with Rarity's onslaught of groans and the like. "Hmm, I wonder what could be on your mind, little friend,"
Gummy felt instant bliss when her little hoof came in contact with the top of his head. Between a pat, a scratch and a pet... whatever it was it felt like heaven and for the second time this morning he would have grinned ear to ear (if he had ears, he still only had little holes on the side of his head).
"Gummy, lets play a game: one blink means yes or correct, two blinks means no or incorrect," Blessed communication, he could finally have a way of getting his points across.
His eyes closed slowly then opened just as slow to rejoin his gaze with Fluttershy. From there his eyes stayed wide open as they always seemed to.
"Yay!" All the while, Rarity had propped herself up in her sleeping bag and crossed both her front and hind legs. She watched this interaction take place and she was no more amused than when the creepy little alligator first decided to attack her. "Alright, you need something from Rarity?" This question gained Fluttershy a menacing glance from the disgruntled white pony. One slow blink. "Rarity, you see that, he needs you for something!"
"Humph," With a smug tut she turned the other way to look to see what Twilight Sparkle and Apple Jack were up to. To her chagrin the pair had fallen back to sleep. "Well the brat should know how to treat ladies. I won't be helping out any pet that attacks me,"
"Oh Rarity, he didn't mean it, he's just a baby after all and it's not like he can talk," Fluttershy broke eye contact with Gummy and pierced the back of Rarity's head with her sad little eyes.
Rarity had no smart retort and simply continued her tutting facing the other direction of the two sharing space on her sleeping bag.
"Oh well, I'm sorry about her, Gummy," Fluttershy directed her attention once more on the little creature in her hooves. "You would tell us if you could talk, I know it... but we have to get to the bottom of this without speech," A moment of silence as Fluttershy bit her lower lip and sought the correct words. "It's been cold out hasn't it? I bet you've been cold here recently, huh?" Bingo! The question deserved a single eye blink. "Ahh! I'm right!? How wonderful! So next question..." Fluttershy continued on her streak of wonderfulness and sought out the next question carefully.
"I guess he wants me to make him something to wear, I am after all, very talented at those things," Rarity scoffed in bemusement. Fluttershy was about to say something else but her sentence was abruptly cut short by Gummy's single blink. Unbelievable, Rarity was the one to guess correctly, not Fluttershy. No matter who was the one to get this right, the point was that two ponies now knew he required something to wear. Half the battle was already won, though the other half remained of actually bundling him up in his own winter gear.
"Rarity, you're right, Gummy's cold and wants you to make him something to wear. Could you do that please?" Gummy had to figure out a way to repay Fluttershy for what she had done for him in just these few passing minutes. But like she had said at the start of this interesting conversation, he was just a baby alligator with no teeth and no voice box.
The white pony brought her gaze to the pair and saw how helpless the little alligator was. It was such a shame, being Pinkie Pie's pet and all. The poor little guy was in all likelihood subjected to a whole display of pleasantries that were neither asked for nor wanted. She thought of her own cat and the life Opal lived. It was a far cry from Gummy's and that filled her with a twinge of guilt and sadness. Soon thereafter she remembered the minutes of agony she was subjected to not a few moments before this revelation. "Oh well, I don't know, my schedule is pretty packed since I picked up that contract with that one pony from Canterlot..."
"I'd do it myself but I don't have a sewing machine... Rarity, could you take an hour or so to make Gummy some clothes for the winter?"
Fluttershy turned Gummy around in her hooves and showed Rarity his face. Nothing in his expression changed, it was still the blank beady stare of purple eyes. Something about it though emitted a feeling of guilt that finally made Rarity crack. "Oh fine, I'll have Pinkie Pie bring you by the shop later today," She glared at Fluttershy, "Happy?"
"Oh yes, we are both very happy, right Gummy?" Gummy blinked once, this time a hair faster than he had been to show extra emphasis.
And this was how Gummy acquired a handsome winter coat and the hat he had been after. Nothing more, nothing less. Just a happy little alligator that otherwise gave no cares.