Chapter One: Herds, Humans, and Hospitality

Day 1

“What do you mean I've been kicked out!? I wasn't even in the herd yet!!” screeched Verde.

Verde stared in astonishment at Fiery Spirit, the Lead Mare of Ruffie’s herd, a unicorn whose coat was the color of an old red leather book and a mane like a wavy deep blue sea. Only a few weeks ago, had the Lead Mare and Ruffie agreed to welcome Verde as the newest member of their Herd. Ruffie was a middle aged stallion who got into a spat with one of his more spitfire herd members and she apparently took off, only for her to come back, no, welcomed back to Ruffie’s herd like nothing happened. Given a clean slate by virtue of Ruffie having a thing for Pegasi.

“You already know that this house can not house any more ponies in it, you need to just take your suitcases and go back to your mother’s herd.” Fiery ordered.

“But, I have so much stuff! And even then, I was promised a spot in this herd!” Verde wailed in the tone a brat uses when making demands.

“You know what, I don’t need to take that kind of lip from anypony, why don't you go join mud’s herd, I hear they are ripe for young ponies like yourself.” Fiery quipped as her horn started to glow like a transparent flame.

“Mud’s He-” Verde was interpreted by a POP. Suddenly there was a huge crash of clatter that would have spooked her, if not for the sudden sharp pain on her rear. Dazed, she could feel herself sliding on her back, swirling and flopping about. Soon, she was on her stomach, her legs splayed, unable to control the direction or speed of where she was going.

As soon as she stopped moving, Verde poked her head up and saw that she was outside.... in the rain.... covered in mud... along with her suitcases... the lead mare, teleported Verde outside in the rain and right into a thick, deep, dark muddy puddle next to the road. Her suitcases, also in the mud, still sliding about. Her box of art supplies however, had cracked open like an egg, spilling paint of sky blue and vermilion crimson into the mud. Her canvases, broken and battered, stained with the liquid dirt that the lead mare forced onto Verde.

At that moment, Verde decided that she would take her complaint to Ruffie himself. She deserved an answer, she waited too long to join a herd and a part of her was more worried than outraged. She galloped full speed toward the house... and into a unperceivable magic barrier.

Flying back yet again, the mundane green pony found herself back in the mud, both her rear sore and now her snout was too. That had been the final straw for her. What was left of her dignity had given way to salty tears of despair and shame. There she was... in the rain... all dirty... and alone... the tools of her art were oozing out and intermingling with the mud, thanks to the maliciousness of that unicorn.

Verde started to howl in despair. Home was a few miles into town and she really could only carry one of the three suitcases. Her mother and one of her herd mates helped move the suitcases from their home to Ruffie’s place, but left at Verde’s behest, as she was very confident that she would be welcome with open hooves, and to create the illusion of maturity. Glancing at the mudded paint, she wondered if it was even worth bringing all of her stuff back to her mom’s herd. However, her train of thought was interrupted by a voice that pierced her worried mind.

“Hey, are you okay?” said a figure hunched over, neary squatting down as he pulled back his hood.

Verde stared at the creature, it looked like a minotaur, but it wasn't, she had seen a few of what he was in her life. Skinnier, and less built, then a minotaur, but far more intelligent.

A Human.

“Hey...” the human spoke as he reached out and tried to touch Verde, only to have her back off in distrust.

Humans had become a unique species on Equestria, the Equestrian government had acknowledged them as sentient beings on par with ponies and there were even some ponies who claimed that humans were just ponies who mastered the arts of alchemy. There were even claims where ponies found happiness in finding their destiny, humans had the capacity to change it. Regardless, the humans had proved themselves a valuable ally, trained humans can detect a changeling transformed into a pony without any magic and their soldier class had begun escorting convoys from town to town to defend them against Diamond Dog raids, and they turned out to be more adept at fighting than even the Pegasi.

But many ponies were suspicious of these aliens, at least in the town that she lived in. However the humans brought with them something so valuable that even Trottington could not ignore it, instant communication. So powerful was this ‘internet’ that the Equestrian Government had commissioned a human company to begin connecting the country, and the humans recently set up an outpost near Trottington. They would have attempted to find space in the town, but the local council had decreed that no human company may own land within the city limits.

“Look, I know ponies out here don't trust humans, but your snout is bleeding and whatever happens, I am not going to hurt you...” the human spoke, holding out his blunt claws.

Verde looked at the wet, soft claws. She never got a good look at a human's hands before and it seemed anatomically incorrect for anything to have such precise control over it's claws... Thinking it over, she realized she didn't have much to lose. She glanced over to her paint kit, still mixing with the mud.

“I..I’m Verde.” Verde finally choked out, staring up at the human’s beady eyes.

“I’m Jason, do you need someplace to stay for the night, because,” Jason looked over Verde’s head and at her stuff, “it seems like you were just kicked out of your home.”

“Close.. I didn't even have time to make it my home...” Verde trailed off, looking back at the house. She could see the silhouette of ponies making dinner and the smell of bread baking.

Since she was a little filly, she was told that if she wanted to be a good grown mare, she needed to do whatever her cutie mark told her, join a herd and be a good herd mate, and a good mother. She had been so excited to join a herd, but never thought that another pony would do this to her.

“Well, do you need someplace to stay for the night?” asked Jason, pushing for an answer.

Verde finally got herself up, and looked behind her. She did not want to go back home, her mother might be cross with her because she was not able to stay with her herd for even one day... at least the human’s home would give her time to think.

“Yes... I would very much appreciate it if you could house me.” Verde said, trying to pick up her mudded saddlebag without touching any of the stained areas.

“Allright, I live about half a mile west of here, lemme get this stuff.” the human spoke, picking up her suitcases with no effort while disregarding the mud.

“Do we need to grab your painting stuff?” asked Jason.

“No, they can keep it.” Verde said with a huff, her anger overriding any desire to salvage her supplies.

“Well then, follow my lead.” the human said, his legs swinging forward, one leg, then the other, balancing as if were nothing to him.

===

The human unlocked the door and let Verde enter first. This place was HUGE compared to a pony’s home, everything was so tall. Verde knelt to let her saddlebag touch the floor and the human took her suitcases and put them next to his ice box. The entrance to the human’s hut lead directly to the kitchen first, a small but tall kitchen. The kitchen itself gave way to the living room almost immediately where the wooden floor ended and the carpeted floor began.

The colors in the lighted areas of the kitchen were a sad clash of whites and light wood brown, looking almost artificial in every way, save the fruit the human kept out in the open. There were no curves here, it was all right angles. Thats what unsettled her the most.

“Lets get you cleaned up, come with me.” Jason said, motioning the light brown maned mare to walk with him.

Verde followed the human into his bathroom and she kept noticing that everything was so tall, the sink would even force her get up on her rear legs just to look at the mirror. The tub was also pretty high and the color of this room was far more eggshell white then anywhere else she saw. The Human grabbed a misty clear bottle from beneath the sink and a huge roll of paper towels. Ripping a few of the paper towels off, Jason ran them under the tap water and sat down on the human toilet.

The human’s rubber coat slid off to reveal what seemed to be a tree with two trunks joining in the middle covered by cloth. It’s hair, brown in the dark rain outside seemed to be glistening a soft orange now, shorter than any mane cut she had seen. What would have been it’s bark, skin as white as a the old stained pages of a book lay, where branches, there were legs of flesh joined by angles of muscle and joints. He moved them, almost swaying in an impossible wind as he started preparing the supplies he had gathered to clean the green pony up.

“Please come here.” Jason beckoned Verde, “My fingers will allow me to clean you up quickly.”
Verde said nothing and moved forward, offering trust for the first time. With his fingers, he took a dry towel and started brushing the mud off of Verde’s coat. Jason was going for her tail when Verde backed up.
“No tail, got it.” he spoke, moving onto her front legs.
After Jason finished Verde’s chest, his fingers lightly gripped the bottom of Verde’s snout and started cleaning Verde’s face.

“You have a cut on the top of your snout, when we finish cleaning the mud off, I am going to use rubbing alcohol to disinfect the wound, but you need to understand, it will sting profusely” Jason said staring into Verde’s big purple eyes. For a moment, the stare made her really uncomfortable. But then she was able to relax. That was until he applied the alcohol.

“AGH!” Verde cried out, shaking her head violently, it felt like a bee stinging her face.

“I warned you.” Jason said trying to calm her down.

“And you think that would make it all right?” cried Verde, running into the living room and finding a pillow on his couch to shove her face into. It was enough to start the poor mare into tears again.

Jason approached Verde and placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Look, I know you're upset, but if its any help, I want you to sleep in my bed tonight.” Jason said rubbing Verde’s back.

The mare’s head suddenly popped up, she thought to herself, did he just say what I thought he said? It was kinda old, but did he just invite me into his herd? She remembered reading in her romance novels that stallions used to invite mares into their herd by offering their bed to sleep in.

But he is a human, well, not a bad human, but still... Verde turned around when the human got up.

“Look, I'll clean your luggage, you just get some rest, follow me.” Jason said.

Verde got up and followed Jason, still asking herself questions. Why would he invite me to be in his herd? Does he have other herd mates? Would I even like living with a human? She was still deep in thought when she entered into the human’s bed room.

Unlike everything else here, the bed looked like the average size for a herd’s bed. Some herds like sleeping together, and when you have three mares and a stallion, you need the sleeping space. He must have been sincere in his invitation. Verde then realized, like everything else, the bed was so high vertically... then she suddenly felt a the humans hands grasping her flank and chest. Before she could resist, she found that she was already on the bed.

Jason turned out the lights and started to close the door when Verde was able to choke out, “I accept!”.

Verde did not know why she accepted his invitation. Perhaps it was the stress of being abandoned by her first herd or the fact that the human had been kind, even when he had cleaned her wound, he had dabbed it to try and be as gentle as possible. He couldn’t be all that bad, Verde thought to herself.
Jason turned around and looked at her.

“Good, you need the rest, I’m sorry about the alcohol earlier, but I didn't want you to get sick... get some sleep.” Jason said, leaving the door a crack open.

Verde looked around the dark room, thinking to herself that so far, the human had been nice... maybe she would enjoy being a part of Jason’s herd. Pulling up the bed sheets, the mare found a comfortable spot, and went to sleep, wondering what tomorrow would bring now that she was in a herd.