On the Verge of Collapse

by Flip_Note

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Romance, Slice of Life, Sad, Original Character, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Length: 6681

Can Snowdrop accept the help of a stranger and trust him with her daughter, or will her own bravado be their collapse and eventually their death?

Snowdrop and Belle Harp have been living on their own for years, living by the rules of "out of sight, out of mind" to get what they need. But when they're at their breaking point, on the verge of starving to death, Snowdrop reluctantly accepts the help of a stranger after receiving shelter from a storm.

Published 2013-06-23 02:30:02 UTC
Last updated 2013-09-26 05:28:20 UTC

Chapter 1

The timing had to be perfect. The key here is to be out of sight, out of mind. That's the whole game, and not many knew it. Snowdrop, a white pegasus mare with long, tangled and messy sky-blue mane and tail. Her eyes were the same color and held an ounce of pain in them. The feathers on her wings have splits and bends in them which told anypony that they needed to be preened and cleaned, but Snowdrop hasn't had time for that. There were other things more important than her wings, and more important than her.

Her coat had a few smudges of dirt on it and her body is skinnier than usual do to a lack of eating the past week. Yet somehow she still managed to get up every morning to attempt to steal any scraps of food left unattended or forgotten. Snowdrop sat on a park bench, watching a couple set up a picnic. Her mouth watered at the thought of finally getting something to eat. The lack of food had started causing stomach pains a few days ago.

The couple laid out a blanket and a wicker basket which she could only assume had food in it. Sure enough they start pulling out bread and lettuce a various fruits. The two talked but Snow couldn't hear what they were saying and decided to wait. It took a lot of patience to wait as long as she did, and the pain in her midsection was only getting worse by the hour.

Soon enough the stallion had started to flirt with the mare he was with and before she knew it the two were on the ground in each other's hooves, making out right in the middle of the park. Snow saw her chance and quickly, silently trotted over to the couples stuff. The two were completely oblivious to her presence and Snow quickly snatched the basket which was a little heavy with food.

Seeing that she now has the food she could easily get away... "Hey!" Snow heard someone yell. She looked down at the stallion with fear and the mare stared back up at her. Now in a complete panic mode Snow took off running in the opposite direction with the stallion now chasing after her to give them their stuff back. Snow kept running even though she could hear the stallion catching up to her.

Snow ran into the residential areas of the small town, Ponyville, and into an alleyway. To her unpleasant surprise the stallion was still chasing her. He's yelling at her to stop even though she wont. She passes some boxes and stops momentarily to topple them over, causing a loud ruckus. It took the stallion seconds to climb over the fallen boxes and continue to pursue the white pegasus. Snow continued to run through the alley and soon came to an exit close to the market. Lucky for her today is one of those busy days.

Snow bolted out of the alley to find large masses of ponies moving about to different stands to buy various items. Without hesitation she made her way to the crowd and pushed her way through in attempt to lose the stallion chasing her. She looked behind her for a brief moment and saw the stallion looking around for her, obviously confused as to where she was. Snow didn't want to take any chances however and continued through the crowd, careful to not lose her grip on the basket.

After a few minutes Snow made it through the crowd with little problems and made her way back to the alleyways. She trotted quickly not wanting to be out too much longer sense she wanted to get this basket back home. Turning a corner, Snow yelped as she fell to the ground, the basket spilling its contents on the floor. The sound of hooves behind her began to approach but she couldn't move, her midsection hurt too much.

The pony who tripped her stepped in front of her and she looked up, cringing as pain shot through her. It was the same stallion she had stolen the basket from. He sneered at her before turning to collect the various fruits. Snow pushed herself onto her side. She laid there, watching as the stallion reclaimed his items then leaving once he had everything. She felt like crying then but that wouldn't solve anything. She needed to get back home.

Heaving a heavy sigh, Snow painfully pushed herself up onto her hooves, stumbling slightly. She made her way through the rest of the alley. Soon she came out and into the residential area. Ponies glanced at her as she passed by, some not really caring, others giving her a worried expression. No doubt she knew some of the ponies, not that she has met them, but others were old friends who she now avoided not wanting their help. If she had made it this far without their help, she most certainly didn't need them now.

Snow passed by a bakery, a well know one in Ponyville. A certain pink party pony worked there and it served as an opportunity to get food. The bakery looked like a giant gingerbread house. The roof looked like chocolate covered cookies for shingles and frosting lining around it. Atop that were two giant cupcakes stacked on top of each other. Windows went around the whole building, some of them having the same frosting looking stuff going around them.

The door to the bakery opened and a familiar purple colored pegasus mare trotted out with a bag in her mouth. This was definitely not the pony Snow wanted to run into right now. Her silver mane was spiked in a weird way, her tail the same. Her eyes were a sort of pink color, Snow couldn't really describe it that well. The mare turned in Snow's direction and to her dismay the mare spotted her and began to make her way over.

Not wanting to deal with the mare Snow quickly turned tail and trotted in the opposite direction. Snow yelped and stopped in her tracks when the mare landed in front of her, setting the bag down. The purple mare smiled at her, her eyes calm and caring. "Snow, it's been a while! Wow... you look terrible, worse than when I saw you last."

Snow forced a smile to her old friend. "Yeah, it's been a rough day." she said trying to keep her voice upbeat.

The mare, Cloudchaser looked her over, her expression growing more and more concerned by the second. "I see that. We're you limping?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Fit as a fiddle." Snow fibbed to her friend, though her slim form told otherwise.

Cloudchaser did a double take, getting a look at all angles. "If you want you and Be..."

"We're fine." Snow assured Cloudchaser, but it didn't do much to ease her worry. "Reall, Flitter and I wouldn't mind helping you two out. It's the least we could do for you guys knowing.... you know."

"We're fine!" Snow snapped, flaring her wings out and taking a step towards her friend then bringing them back in, unskillfully snagging the small bag on the ground and hiding it in her wings. "We don't need you, your sister, or anypony else! Got it?"

"Have you been eating, Snow?" Cloudchaser asked, the genuine worry practically dripping from her.

Snow was about to say yes but hesitated. "No..."

"Has Belle?"

"You know I wouldn't let her starve."

Cloudchaser smiled then gave Snow that smirk that told her she knew something. "Well, I should get going. Oh, you can have those by the way. Tell Belle I said happy birthday for me." she said before taking off to the skies. Snow's mouth hung open as she watched Cloudchaser take off without the baked goods she probably had just bought.

Without second thought, Snow took off in the direction of the Everfree forest. She wasn't too far from there and quickly passed by the warning sign that kept most ponies out, save for her, her daughter and that zebra. Snow went into the darker area of the woods, getting branches and leaves stuck in her mane as she went. She soon came to a small 'clearing' and at the far end is a wall of pony sized leaves. Their dark green color blending in perfectly with the surroundings.

Snow checked around to make sure no timber wolves had followed her before making her way to the small hut. She opened the door which was made of multiple branches tied together by some vines, then the hinge just being the door tied to the frame of the hut. Inside was dark unless the portable lamp they had was on, which it was. It lit the hut in a dim orange light which was just enough to allow her to move around without bumping anything.

Inside the hut were a few things that she has had for years and were now beginning to rot. There was a medium sized table and small wooden bookcase with a few novels in them along with plates and bowls. In the back corner there is a rain collector for their water. On the table is a bowl filled with a few different berries. It wasn't enough to feed both her and her daughter because they were seasonal berries and the place she got them from was difficult to get to, which was why Snow was forced to steal from other ponies on a daily basis.

The floor of the hut is covered in hay to keep them warm during the cold season and it also acted as an last resort food source. One that Snow had neglected using the past week because she need to get more from the local farm. Snow strolled over to the table and set the bag down on it. She looked over near the bookcase to see a light-grey filly wrapped up in a blanket. Snow quietly approached the filly and nuzzled her.

The grey filly slowly woke, yawning and opening her eyes. They're a deep green, like her father's, and her mane and tail were jet-black and had a wavy quality, but was kept short so it was easy to maintain. She had wings and the feathers were kept in an semi-good condition sense Snow would preen her feathers every now and then.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Snow asked softly, again nuzzling the filly to wake her up.

"Tired. And hungry." the filly replied.

Snow smiled slightly, "Well I got us something."

Belle's ears perked at the word us which meant food for both of them. "What ya get?"

"Go look and see. It's a surprise for us both." Snow said while helping Belle to her hooves.

Belle rushed over to the table and snagged the bag from up top, then peered into it. She let out a small excited gasp. "Cupcakes!"

Snow trotted over next to Belle, laying down with her fore hooves under her. "Cloudchaser says happy birthday. You remember her? I think you met her once."

Belle looked up with confusion. "I don't remember her." she said with a bit of disappointment.

"Yes you do." Snow replied, sitting on her rump. "Her mane looked like this." she said, taking her hooves and rubbing them through her mane causing it to frizz and spike up in a few places. This cause Belle to burst into a fit of giggles seeing her mom with such crazy hair.

"Yeah, I remember." Belle said before pulling out one of the frosted pastries.

"How many are there?" Snow asked a bit worried.

Belle peered back into the bag before pushing it over to Snow. "Enough, I think."

"Thank Celestia I finally get something!" Snow exclaimed, snatching the bag greedily. She pulled out a pastry and examined it. Maybe she did need help from somepony. She finally got to eat because of it. No, what was she thinking? She didn't need help before and she didn't need help now. They're were fine and they can survive on their own. They didn't need the pity, they didn't need society, they only needed each other.

"On second thought, you can have it. It is your birthday anyways." Snow said, putting the pastry back into the bag and sliding it back over to Belle.

Belle looked at it with concern, then up at Snow. "Are you sure?"

"I'm not really hungry. I ate before I came back." Snow lied. She hated doing that to her daughter but it was the only way she could get her to eat the food without feeling guilty. Unfortunately for her, her stomach didn't like the idea of passing up food and it growled to her dismay. Belle gave her that look that told Snow she knew she was lying but Snow just nudged the bag closer to her daughter.

"Mom?"

"Yes sweetie?"

"Do you not want it because Cloudchaser let you have it?" Belle asked with a sad tone.

Snow simply smiled. "Of course not. I just thought that sense it's your birthday you should have it."

"But I don't want it." Belle replied, moving the bag over to her mom.

"Yes you do, sweetie."

"But I don't."

"Yes. You. Do!" Snow growled back, standing and stomping a hoof on the soft ground beneath her.

Belle just glared at Snow for a few seconds before taking the bag. "Fine, but it's not my fault if you starve. If you and dad hadn't been so stupid we wouldn't be in this situation!" she shot back, catching Snow off guard.

"Don't talk about him like that! He was a good husband and you were lucky to have him as a father!" Snow yelled back, flaring her wings out to intimidate Belle.

Belle stood, flaring her own wings as well, "If I were so lucky to have him as a father then why are we here? Hmm? Can you answer that or is it going to be one of those bland answers you use just so you can get away without giving anything away? And you know what else? You're so thick headed, thinking that we can survive on our own and you won't accept any help from your friends, our family, anyone! And look where we are now. You've been starving yourself for almost a week because everyone in town is starting to understand your tricks, your tactics and what little you're able to get anymore you give to me!"

Belle took a minute to let what she said to sink in but her mother's expression never changed. "You're going to kill us. Maybe not right now, not next week, but eventually we are going to die because you have to do everything on your own." Snow still didn't say anything, just staring with a scowl. "I hope you're happy with that outcome."

Snow shifted slightly, looking at the bag on the ground then back at Belle. "Just eat the damn cupcakes. I'm through here." she said while turning towards the small pile of hay that she slept on every night.

"Yeah, I bet you are!"

Snow just ignored Belle and laid on the pile of hay. She could hear Belle stomping back over to her side of the hut along with the crinkling of the bag. Letting out a sigh she closed her eyes, letting herself drift of to sleep for the next day.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's Note

Hey there everyone! Here's my first story, so constructive criticism would be nice! What did you like, dislike. Also if you disliked it an explanation would be awesome.

Chapter 2

Snowdrop slowly woke to the light chilly air inside the small makeshift house. She let out a yawn and sleepily looked around, her eyes slowly adjusting to the dark room. She spots Belle curled up on her side, her chest slowly rising and falling with the pattern of deep sleep that she, Snow, had yet to enjoy for weeks now. Nights seemed sleepless now for her and it didn't help her worsening condition and soon enough Belle would be on her own.

Snow's stomach growled for food, but she didn't feel hungry for some reason. Another growl came, this time a little louder. Time seemed to pause as she rotated her ear towards the sound, searching for its source. Her heart had started to beat faster and she let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

Outside the makeshift house she could the quiet footfall of a predator stalking its prey, circling the hut. Another low growl is heard from outside, much closer than it was before. Snow finally realized what was outside waiting for them. She quietly got up and crawled over to where Belle laid and gently shook her. "Belle...Belle get up we ne--" Snow was cut off as two large glowing yellow eyes looked up at her. Belle's soft fur suddenly became a hard word and collection of sticks and twigs.

Snow's heart now pounded in her chest with fear as she backed herself into a corner and what used to be Belle stood up and snarled at her. The growls outside grew louder and ear splitting cracks came from the walls as the wood started to cave in. In seconds a timber wolf burst through the wall of the hut, it's yellow eyes searching for Snow. It turned to face and and snarled in anger before creeping up on her, watching her.

Snow could only watch in horror now knowing she had met her fate. It was bound to happen sooner or later. Her heart was pounding hard, threatening to burst out of her chest and save her from being torn limb for limb by the creature in front of her. Finally the large timber wolf stopped, it waited, and leaped--

Snow shot up, fully awake and breathing heavily and frantically searching the hut, only to find it empty save for the few items tey still owned. She felt something shift and looked down to find Belle curled up next to her. Snow calmed and let a small smile cross her lips, the moment ruined by a clash of thunder causing Snow to jump and let out a yelp. Snow could now clearly hear the rain outside and realized she was dreaming.

"Mom?" Belle's groggy voice called, rubbing her eyes in attempt to wake herself. She looked up and met her mother's worried gaze. "You okay?"

Snow nods her head. "Yeah...I'm....I'm fine." she laid before laying back down, Belle snuggling into her again. Both mare close their eyes to go back to sleep. The sound of the rain slowly began to lull Snow back to sleep until she heard a crack. Her heart started to pound in her chest again.

The cracking came again, then again until it sounded like a tree was falling. Seconds later a large Everfree tree splits the small hut in half, leaving one side crushed and the other side with a large hole in the roof soaking both mare. Snow wanted to scream, never had expecting this but a lump in her throat prevented her from doing so. Belle had scrambled to her hooves, backing herself to the back wall trying avoid the onslaught of rain.

Snow continued to stare at the fallen tree, part of its trunk scorched black. Lighting lit the area up for a brief moment showing the destruction. Twigs and broken logs of what use to be the roof of their home were crushed, sharp ends sticking up and others laying on the ground, smashed to dust. The ground inside the home- or what was left of it- became muddy and slippery, large puddles of water already forming from the heavy downpour.

"Mom!" Belle's voice brought Snow's attention to her. Belle was huddled up in a corner trying to avoid the rain, fear filling her pleading eyes for escape from the rain.

"Come on sweet heart." Snow said calmly, lifting a wing up for Belle to take shelter under which she quickly darted to. Belle clung close to Snow, shivering from the cold rain. Snow began to lead Belle to the door- which had been spared the wrath of the tree by a stroke of luck- and outside where the flat area was flooded about half a leg deep, the small raised are the hut was built on just about to be taken over.

They began to trudge through the water, moving slow so not to splash and get themselves wetter than they were. By the time they had reached higher grounds in the thick part of the forest Snow was soaked to the bone and shivering violently and her breaths coming out shaky.

The mares let out sighs of relief when they got under the thick leaves, less rainfall reaching them and were able to navigate the forest with relative comfort. Snow wasn't sure but she figured the had passed by now sense the thunder was getting harder and harder to hear as they went. The minutes also seemed to pass by slowly, with Belle still shivering and some distance till they reached the border of the forest.

Unfortunately to Snow's dismay she could hear the rain starting ip again, though a lighter drizzle than before. They continued through the forest for what seemed like forever until they found the border. Snow was finally able to see the sky, the stars blocked out by the massive rain clouds as the rain drizzled downward. Snow continued towards town with Belle still plastered to her side and shivering, she lazily looked through the homes, each one with their lights out and the owners most likely asleep.

After a few rows of homes Snow was about to give up and chose a random home to seek refuge until noticed the lights in one house come on. They were dim and she probably would have missed them had she not looked in the direction. Snow rushed Belle over and peeked in the window where the lights were coming from.

Inside was the kitchen, the dim light produced by a fee candle sticks that sat on a slab of smooth marble countertops. The counter tops led to a stove with a kettle on it and a very tired looking light-chocolate brown colored stallion. His mane is a generic black an had green eyes. The stallion was lazily watching his kettle heat up, looking bored and probably about to fall asleep then and there.

Snow quickly moved to the door along with Belle and knocked on it a few times and waited. She could hear the sound of slow moving hooves on a hardwood floor before the door cracked open, the stallion peeking around the corner. "Can I help you?" he asked, obviously not happy from the sudden company at his door.

"May we come in?" Snow asked quietly. The stallion opened the door slightly more before his eyes shot open.

He swung the door open wide and stepped to the side. "Yeah, of course!" he stated finally realizing that it was two mares standing on his porch. Both Snow and Belle swiftly strode in to escape the rain, their wet coats dripping water onto the wood floor. Snow said a quick thank you before the stallion closed the door and rushed up stairs, only to come back moments later with a plethora of towels and blankets. "I'm sorry, it took me a moment to reali-"

"It's okay." Snow cut off the stallion in his apology, before taking a towel and wrapping it around Belle. "Thank you again."

"Yeah... it's not a problem really." he replied standing where he was, not entirely sure what to do. "Could i get you two some tea?" he offered stepping towards the kitchen. Snow had simply nodded before the stallion left him.

"He seems nice." Belle stated to her mother as she dried her off.

Snow let out a short sigh. "We're only staying tonight sweetie."

"But why? He's letting us stay."

"Because I said so!" Snow hissed back before drying off Belle's mane. "We're staying tonight only."

"Gee, someone's up tight, and I can dry myself off I'm not five!" Belle snatched the towel from Snow and glared at her. "If I were you I'd stay until we could get back on our own four hooves! This is your problem, mom. Stop being so arrogant!" Belle shot back as she finished drying herself off and wrapped herself in a wooly blanket, hopping onto the couch in the living room.

"I am not--" Snow cut herself off as the stallion came back with a tray balanced on his back. He set it down on the coffee table. "Not sure what you two like. There's sugar and honey there if you're interested." he said poring tea into each of the three cups. "My name's Hammer." Hammer offered a cup to Belle with a warm smile. Belle sheepishly took the cup and brought it close to her letting the heat warm her coat. "You are?"

"Belle." she replied before sipping at the tea.

Hammer smiled before turning Snow and offered her a cup as well. "Snowdrop." she replied looking at the cup of tea for a moment before taking it.

"Beautiful name." Hammer commented. "So, just out of curiosity why were you two out in the rain?"

Snow hesitated on her answer for a moment, looking down at the tea. "We were... are homeless..." she admitted, hopping Hammer wouldn't think any less of them. "We needed somewhere to stay for the night."

"You're her, aren't you?" Hammer realized after a moment.

Snow lifter her eyes to meet Hammer's then nodded. "Yeah, but I'd rather not talk about it." Snow hissed at Hammer. "I'd also like it if you wouldn't try poking your nose into our buisness!" Snow put the untouched tea back on the tray. "It's late, we should be going to bed."

Hammer sat there with an unfazed expression. "You're right. I'll show you where the huess room is." Hammer set his own cup on the tray along with Belle who hopped off the couch with the blanket still wrapped around her. Hammer led the mares upstairs and stopped in front of one of the doors. "Here you are, hopefully there's enough room."

Snow pushed past Hammer with Belle right behind her. "We'll be fine." Snow replied not bothering to look at Hammer. With out a word the door closed and Snow let out an exasperated sigh before climbing onto the bed.

Belle climbed in next to her a curled up. "You don't have to be so rude you know."

"We're not here to make friends Belle, now stop talking about it."

"You just can't accept we need his help. Or anyone's for that matter." Belle went on in a hushed voice.

Snow was growing furious. "We don't need his help!" she growled back before angrily laying down under the sheets. She missed the feeling of laying under them and being warm. It was a nice change. "We were fine on our own."

Outside the door Hammer had been listening and let out a sigh before trotting his own room for the night.
_____________

Chapter 3

Snow laid awake on the bed, tired but unable to fall asleep again that night. She had been tossing and turning only to wake Belle multiple times forcing her to climb out of bed and go out to the living room where it was still dark and lay on the couch. She still laid there now, staring up at the ceiling. Her eyes felt heavy but no matter what thoughts about her nightmare kept her awake and she had thought about making coffee for herself. Assuming she could find any.

Snow took a peek at the clock on the wall, letting out a frustrated sigh from not being able to see anything. She stood, to her disgust, and squinted with her muzzle almost touching the clock. It read almost five in the morning. The realization seemed to make her even more tiered than she was before.

She finally decided she'd turn the kitchen upside-down to find coffee, something she felt he desperately needed. Snow groggily made her way to the kitchen, flipping a light switch which illuminated the whole area with a blinding light. She quickly switched them back off, leaving her in the dark again. Snow rubbed her eyes for a few seconds before blinking. Snow started to shuffled around the kitchen, looking for a pantry door.

Numerous times Snow had almost gone muzzle-first into a wall before finding a door and opening, turning on the light in the small room. Fortunately this light wasn't as bright and didn't hurt her eyes like the kitchen's lights. She began to push aside the many boxes in the pantry, most of them cereals and pasta. A few of the boxes had fallen over creating a lot of noise.

After a few minutes of rummaging through the pantry Snow gave up with an exasperated sigh and exited the pantry. She then made her way to the cupboards and began to search there. She found plates and bowls, a few glasses. Not finding any coffee she went to the ones over the sink. Upon opening a bag of ground coffee greeted her and a french press as well. She took them both and set them on the counter.

Snow began to search for a pot, quickly finding one in a drawer and filled it with water. Placing the pot on the stove she began to heat it up. She waited patiently for the water to boil before poring it into the french press along with the ground coffee beams and sealed the lid, pressing down on the top part sticking out just a little. She did this every few minutes and the scent of coffee had filled the kitchen. The black liquid beckoned her as she unscrewed the top and poured it into a mug, leaving the grinds behind in the press.

She pressed the mug to her lips and took a long sip. She savored the bitter taste, one she hadn't tasted in years and one she had longed for. "How is it?" Hammer's tired voice called to Snow.

Snow looked up from the mug, the light from the pantry allowing her to get a better look at him than the candle light. He was slightly taller than average height with a medium build. His eyes had a gentle hardness and determination. His coat was a light blue and his mane and tail- which were disheveled and going all over the place- were almost a faded yellow. Hammer's tail swished back and forth slightly with annoyance.

"It's good." Snow replied quietly, adverting her eyes back to the coffee. "Sorry about the pantry, I'll clean it up." Hammer didn't reply but Snow listened as he made his way to the cupboard with the mugs before sitting at the table with her. He poured what was left of the coffee into his mug and drank it quietly.

"You know I heard what you said last night." Hammer stated, looking at Snow.

Snow now looked at Hammer, making eye contact. His expression had changed from a calm one to one of disgust. "We're leaving, nothing you can do about it." she replied flatly, sipping the coffee again.

"You know you're putting you and that filly in danger if you do." Hammer counter in a low growl.

Snow glared at Hammer for a moment before letting out an exasperated sigh. "She's my daughter, and it's my decision."

"So if I gave you the option to spend another night here you're saying you would rather pass that up to go be homeless?"

Snow had opened her mouth to reply but nothing came out. He was right, she wouldn't dare to pass up an offer like that. She closed her mouth and gave Hammer a death glare for being right. "No. I wouldn't." she replied quietly, looking down at her coffee. She could imagine the smirk that stallion has on his muzzle right now and she'd be more than happy to slap it off him. Snow glanced after a moment and found Hammer's expression to be serious. "I guess we could stay one more night..."

Hammer let a small smile cross his lips and finished the rest of his coffee and stood up. "You're welcome take a shower after I'm done with mine." Hammer then left leaving Snow by herself again.

Snow finished her coffee as well before getting up and began cleaning up the pantry, setting each box back from where it had fallen, all but one. She picked it up and her stomach growled at the sight of food. She also grabbed what was the last of Hammer's bread and carried them both out, turning off the pantry light and turning on the kitchen one. She set the items on thr marble counter.

She quickly made herself a quick breakfast of cereal and toast, downing it quickly but still feeling hungry afterwards. She set the dirty dishes in the sink unsure what to do with them and then trotted out to the living room. Boredom quickly set in and Snow found herself sitting on the couch again. The faint sound of the shower was all that accompanied her until it had stopped an she assumed Hammer had finished.

Minutes later Hammer had come down the stairs, his mane now combed and still damp and Snow could smell the mango soap. Not her favorite scent but it wasn't strong either. "Shower's open." he stated as he walked into the kitchen and into the pantry. Snow stood and trotted upstairs. She found the bathroom easily, the light already on and the mango scent thick in the humid air. She found a towel already on the rack and a set of mango scented soaps.

Snow turned on the water, the room quickly filling with more steam and warmed her coat. She forgot how good it felt to take a shower as stepped into the water.
____________

Once Hammer had trotted into the kitchen he opened the pantry and found everything neatly put away, just like Snow had said. He went to grab his cereal only to find it wasn't there. Befuddled, he poked his head out from the pantry and found the box on the table, how he missed it he didn't know. He closed the pantry and grabbed himself a bowl and milk. He turned to make his way back to the table but stopped upon spotting Belle.

"Morning, Belle right?" he asked setting his stuff on the table.

Belle, who still looked very tiered and fighting to keep her eyes open shuffled over to the table with a yawn. "Yeah... Belle." She sat down and eyed the box of cereal that Hammer was no pouring into his bowl.

Hammer looked over at Belle and smiled. "Want some?" Belle hesitated a moment but nodded nonetheless. Hammer got up and got another bowl for the filly and set it in front of her along with the cereal. "So, you're up kind of early." He said trying to strike up a conversation.

"I'm always up this early." Belle replied with another yawn as she poured herself some cereal. "Mom kept waking me up last night, she couldn't sleep. This wasn't the first time either."

Hammer stared at Belle in disbelieve at her callous attitude towards her mom not being able to sleep, but her eyes held a hint of sadness in them. "Is it insomnia?" Belle shrugged in reply, too busy munching on the cereal. "Does it happen often?" Hammer tried again trying to pry information.

Belle looked up at gave him a slight glare, giving off the sense that she didn't like the intrusion. "Not really. Just every so often when her stomach pains keep her up or she has nightmares."

"Nightmares?"

"Yeah... she won't tell me about them." By this point Belle had already finished her cereal and was fiddling with the spoon. "Do you have anything else, still hungry..."

Hammer perked up got up from his seat. "Yeah, I think I have something around here." Hammer began to search through the pantry but found nothing but some macaroni and pastas. He then went and searched the refrigerator for anything only to find it empty save for a jar of pickles and cheese. He closed the fridge and looked at Belle. "Is there any cereal left?"

Belle picked up the box and tipped it over her bowl, only a little coming out. "Not really."

"Guess I'm going to have to go to the market." Hammer stated with a sigh. He sat back down at the table as Belle finished off what was left of the cereal. "If you want you and your mother can come with me and we can get you something."

"But... she said we were going to leave today..." Belle said a little confused. Hammer shook his head. "So... we're staying?" Hammer nodded with a smile. "I don't think mom would let us stay."

"Well she said that you both will be."

A smile formed on Belle's lips at the sound of those words. She was about to say something before she felt something fuzzy cover her head and block her view. She pulled it off her head and looked up. "Go take a shower sweetie." Snow gently told Belle. Belle took the towel and bolted towards the shower. As Belle left Snow looked up at Hammer with a scowl. "What do you think you're doing?" she demanded in a low growl.

Hammer gave Snow an unimpressed look. "Just getting to know her. Is that a problem?" Hammer challenged, crossing his hooves.

Snow continued to glare at Hammer for a few more seconds before letting out a defeated sigh. She didn't see reason to fight the stallion who let them in only to ruin it. "I'm sorry, I'm not use to having other ponies talk to her." Snow lied as she sat at the table with Hammer.

"Cute kid." Snow didn't reply. "So I need to go to the market later on when it opens if you two want to come along."

"I don't think that would be a good idea." Snow said in a low voice.

Hammer, on the other hand thought it would be a good idea. "Come on, you could rebuild your reputation."

"I already destroyed it. There's no point."

"Alright then, I'm forcing you to go."

"What?!" Snow exclaimed, her expression a mixture of anger and confusion.

Hammer grinned. "Either you come with me and at least try to make friends or you can go back to... whatever you were doing before." Hammer watched as Snow's expression turned to utter disbelief.

"W- but you can't do that!" Snow attempted to counter. Hammer didn't say anything in response but waited patiently for Snow to realize she had not option. "You're a fucking ass! He would have never done this to us!"

Hammer stopped grinning at the mention of 'he'. "He?"

Snow was going to continue yelling at Hammer but realized she had said a little too much. "It's.... he's nothing. Forget I said anything." Snow quickly replied now unsure of what to do. Everything was going so quickly for her she didn't want to give anything away.

Hammer wanted to know about who 'he' was and pry for answers but restrained himself from doing so, for now. Sooner or later she would have to talk about it. "Alright." he paused a moment before letting out a short sigh. "You don't have to come to the market. I just thought it would be a good idea to get you a few things sense you would be staying."

Snow shot Hammer an angry glare. "Well maybe you should've said that in the first place." Snow stood and trotted out of the kitchen and back up to the bedroom to get away from Hammer.