Discord’s Playground

Orphan

A young unicorn stallion lay on the floor of a supply closet, panting at the exertion he just went through as he felt the older and larger stallion pull out of him with an audible ‘schlok,’ leaving what he deposited into the white stallion to leak out of him.

The white coated, black maned stallion, lightly coated in sweat, stood up shakily as the older male, the red coated, straw maned Windy, was collecting himself.

The younger of the two of them stayed quiet as he tried to keep himself from falling over, his right ear, missing the tip, twitched lightly. Windy wasn’t a mean pony, but he was far from gentle, and they didn’t have time to take it slow today. Windy was coming off of his shift.

“Thanks for the service, Orphan,” he said, reaching out and mussing the smaller stallion’s mane.

Orphan smiled. “I’m happy to help, Windy,” he replied.

Windy kept the schedule for the slaves during his shift, telling them when and where they had to go to for their services. As a side effect, he would often become pent up for the entire shift, not to mention he was only interested in stallions, and Orphan was a favorite of his, and many others, in the establishment.

“Now get going, get cleaned up, it won’t do to have you leaking everywhere on your last day before joining the stocks,” he said, before leaving, likely to go home until he had to come in again.

Orphan did as he was told and went straight for the shower stalls, a couple of other slaves were there, cleaning up as well, having just come off their shifts. Orphan made sure he was as clean as necessary, and that he was no longer leaking, before quickly drying and making his way to the front room.

The young stallion enjoyed, at least for now, more liberties than normal slaves. He was born here, raised in the environment and the first thing he was taught as soon as he was able to understand it, was that he lived for others.

On his way out, he saw a mare coming into the showers, and he smiled to her. “Clover,” he called.

She turned her attention to him, and a smile graced her face and her tired looking eyes, “Hello, Orphan,” she greeted, “It’s good seeing you,” she said, reaching forward with her hooves and embracing the stallion, who was scarcely taller than she was.

“It’s good seeing you too, we don’t get much chance to see each other since I’ve started working during the day,” he said, returning the gesture.

“I know,” she replied, “I was going to eat after showering but I can shower afterwords, are you too busy right now to indulge an old mare in a few minutes to catch up?” she asked.

Orphan chuckled, “You’re not that old, Clover,” he told her before he looked up to the clock, he couldn’t read letters, but he could read the clock well enough to know he had a few minutes before he was required to be on duty, and he turned to her with a nod, “I have a little time,” he said, walking with her to the table where some of the other slaves would eat.

“I’ve known you since you were a colt, that’s old enough,” she went to get the plate of food before joining him at a table. “I miss when you were little, you didn’t have to work so often,” she mused, looking at him with a motherly smile.

He returned the smile, “I’m happy to do such important work, I clean the laundry, and everypony likes it better when there are good smelling sheets on the beds,” his enthusiastic smile made Clover giggle before he spoke again, “I’m… going to miss it,” he said, still smiling, but looking down at the table in front of him.

This earned a questioning look from the older mare, “Miss it? Why?” she asked.

“They told me I’m going to be in the stalls from now on,” he sighed, “I don’t mind, so long as I’m making ponies happy, but I’m really going to miss the smell of the clean laundry,” he voice trailed off a bit. ‘The warm linens fresh from the dryer, the smell of flowers…”

Clover looked at the young stallion, and reached over, putting a hoof on his withers, “I’m sorry, Orphan.”

He shook his head, and smiled again, “I’m not, if it makes more ponies happy, having me in the stalls, than I won’t mind at all, I’ll just have to make do with clean sheets when I’m sent to a room. Things change, I know that, they were different when I was little, they were different as I got a little older, they’re different now, and they’ll be different tomorrow, Copper always told me….” He wasn’t able to finish his sentence as he thought about the unlucky and greatly abused stallion.

They were both silent for a little while, Copper had been the closest thing to a father Orphan had and most likely will ever have.

The mare wanted to comfort him, and tried to think of something to say, but her gaze went to his damaged ear, and she saw it twitch lightly. She quickly changed the subject, “You… haven’t gotten to see Ruby or Morning in a while either, have you?” she asked.

Shaking his head, Orphan responded, “No, I haven’t,” he said, looking sad once more.

“Well, they were taken to rooms at the tail end of the shift, so if you’re quick, you might be able to catch at least one of them before they leave while you’re changing the sheets,” she said, and they shared a smile. “I’ve taken enough of your time for one day, get going and see if you can’t say ‘hi.’”

Orphan nodded, “Okay, I’ll do that,” he said, standing up, looking at her again, “I hope it won’t be so long before we get to talk again, maybe we’ll be put on the same shift again and we’ll be able to talk more,” he said with a hopeful expression.

Clover chuckled a little, “Yeah, I hope so too, have a good day, Orphan” she said.

“You too,” he started, almost calling her by her name, before stopping, a smile on his face, “You have a good day too, Mother,” he said, and he saw her smile tremble and grow bigger, a few tears forming in the corners of her eyes.

She stood up, and hugged him affectionately, “Know that you are loved, whatever happens in this place, know that we love you, Orphan,” she said softly before letting him go. With a smile and a somber goodbye, he left the cafeteria.

Orphan’s first stop was the laundry room, and luckily enough, he got there with a whole minute to spare. The washers paid him little mind as they moved linens from carts to washers, to driers and to carts again.

He breathed in the scent of the clean laundry as he moved to a cart, full of linens to be placed on beds after the old ones would be removed. His cart would be full of decidedly worse smelling laundry before he brought it back to be traded for another cart of clean linens.

Some customers stayed for hours, others for only a few minutes, but each room needed to be cleaned between customers, both for presentation and for hygienic purposes.

Orphan stepped out into the halls of the club and moved towards the front desk first to ask what rooms he needed to tend to first.

“Good morning,” he greeted the schedule keeper. Normally there would also be the twins who usually tended the front desk, but they must have taken the day off this time.

The stallion who sat there in their stead was the shift manager, who lazily looked up at Orphan with a dismissive glance before looking back down at the schedule. He said nothing in response, never had.

“Which rooms need cleaning?” Orphan asked him, a little nervously, his ear twitching slightly.

The stallion sighed and looked over another list, “Rooms 32, 34 and 37 are vacant now and need cleaning,” he said. “Room 40 finished up as well, but the slave’s a first timer filly, so she’s still there, probably crying. I’ll come and clear her out later, but get that room cleaned after you do the others, then I’ll give you some more work.”

Orphan frowned at hearing about the filly. He’d had to go into the rooms of the foals after they’ve had their first times. They were always crying, sometimes angry, but usually scared and lonely. He didn’t understand it personally, but they always looked like they were lost, or rather they had lost something, or something was taken from them. Something he never had.

Orphan’s ear twitched.

“You going, or do I need to motivate you?” the manger spoke up, glaring at Orphan from the corner of his eye.

“N-no sir, I’m sorry, I’ll go now,” he responded hurriedly as he went with his cart, heading down the hall to the first of the rooms.

He passed by room after room, moaning coming from them, sometimes cries of pain mixed with those of pleasure as customers served clients. Some of the doors were opened to provide a show for whoever wished to watch.

Orphan ignored them all as he came to room 32 and knocked gently and hearing the soft voice of a mare from the other side, his ears perked as he recognized the voice.

“I’m just leaving now,” she said as she opened the door, revealing a red maned mare with yellow fur. It took her a second to recognize the stallion but when she did she smiled and gave him a hug, “Orphan!” she exclaimed.

The young stallion laughed and returned her hug, “Ruby! It’s good to see you again,” he said.

He let her go when she released him from her embrace and looked him over, “I swear you got a little taller since I last saw you,” she said.

“I may have, it’s been a while.”

Ruby was possibly the only pony who’s known Orphan all his life. From his birth and onwards she had been a big sister, as she also grew up knowing little else besides the life of a slave.

Ruby waved him to enter the room, and he did, pushing his cart in with him. He went to change the sheets on the bed, and seeing how there was little besides sweat stains, it seemed Ruby was careful not to let a mess be made. Still, they had to be cleaned for the next client.

“Still doing that laundry thing, huh?” she asked as she watched him work. Despite being a unicorn, Orphan had to make due with his hooves and mouth, as he never learned to wield telekinesis as any normal foal would.

He nodded in affirmation, his mouth being full, as he put the dirty sheets into the basket meant for them, before pulling a folded clean sheet off, “It’s my last day doing it before I’m in the stocks full time,” he told her as he spread the sheet out over the bed.

The mare frowned but nodded, “I see, hopefully they’ll switch you over so we’ll see more of you,” she chuckled, giving him another friendly hug as he tucked the corners.

Orphan was happy to receive her affection, and returned it with a nuzzle, before turning back to his cart, “I’m glad to have seen you again Ruby, I was able to see Clover too today,” he said, getting a fragrant spray, and spraying the room down to get rid of the smell of sex.

“That’s good,” Ruby said, taking in a breath of the fresh scent. “You know we all love it when we get to see you,” she said.

“I know,” he said, his ear twitching lightly as he blushed a faint pink. “I like making ponies happy in any way I can,” he said, looking back to his mark.

Clover had told him that it was a cutie mark, a symbol of one’s special talent when they discover it. Orphan’s was that of a bed sheet, with the ends turned up and the middle hanging low. Looking a bit like a smile, at least in Orphan’s opinion.

Orphan looked over the room one more time, making sure to check the floor to make sure there wasn’t any mess left behind.

He looked to Ruby and smiled, “I’m done cleaning this room, I should hurry and keep up with the schedule,” he said.

Ruby nodded in understanding and gave him one more embrace and a kiss on the cheek, “You come and say ‘hi’ as soon as you can,” she told him with a nuzzle.

He returned it, and nodded, “I can hardly refuse,” he told her.

They said their goodbyes, and Ruby turned to leave, leaving Orphan to give the room one last look over, before he pushed his cart into the hall, and closed the door behind him and continued his task.

Orphan had finished rooms 34 and 37 even faster, not having a pony to talk to while cleaning them. He then came to room 40, and he could already hear the gentle sobs of a filly on the other side.

He wanted to give the filly more time, but he knew that time wouldn’t help her any.

He took a deep breath, and knocked gently on the door, hoping he can in some way help her cope with her new life.

The sobbing hitched as he knocked, but there wasn’t an answer.

Trying to sound as gentle as he could, he spoke, “I’m coming in,” he said, turning the handle and pushing the door open slowly.

In the corner of the bed, lay an orange filly with a red mane, she was curled up, trying to make herself look smaller and be as far from the intruder as possible. Her yellow eyes were full of tears, and the matted fur beneath them showed they were not the first tears.

She didn’t speak, and for a moment, Orphan only looked at her sadly.

Those eyes were haunting, just like every other foal that had their first time in the club.

He saw the stain on the sheets that were close to where she lay, full of a mix of fluids, including blood. This client was none to gentle with her it seems.

Orphan knew he had to be the first to speak, “I’m… here to change the sheets,” he told her, still speaking softly, hoping she’d open up a little. The foals who kept it all inside, and who shied away from anypony who spoke to them, they didn’t last long.

It seemed to take a second before what he said registered and the filly looked down at the messy sheets, and kicked them away in disgust. “Take them away!” she said through a choked sob.

Orphan looked at her with concern, and hesitantly made a further request, “I’m going to need you to get off the bed so I can change the plastic sheet too. Are you able to stand?”

The filly stalled for a moment before trying to get on her shaking hooves and legs, “I, I can do it,” she said, though her voice betrayed her discomfort.

The young stallion moved closer and offered his hoof to help her.

She looked at the hoof, and tried moving on her own, hissing with each step as she got off the bed, “I can do it,” she said with protest.

He moved quickly to her side. "Are you okay?" he asked her.

The filly nodded and sniffed, holding back her tears. “I’m fine…. It just really hurts,” she said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

Orphan frowned, not sure what to say. "Some clients are never gentle, even for a foal's first time," he said, sitting next to her, before looking to the cart and going to it, pulling a paper cloth from it and bringing it to her, offering it.

The filly looked at the cloth for a moment before taking it, “Thanks,” she said as she cleaned up her face a little. “He was really mean, and hurt me, even when I cried, and bled, he kept hurting me.” She started to tear up again.

The young stallion sat next to her while she dried her tears. His damaged ear twitched. "First times are hard, even for the ones who come to eventually enjoy their lives down here. I don't think there was ever a foal who wasn't hurt on their first time."

She looked up him with confusion in her eyes. “But, why?”

He wasn't sure how to answer her. He's given the answer he believes in before, but sometimes that makes ponies angry. "Well, as I understand it, it's our job to make sure that our clients are happy, even if it hurts us."

His answer didn’t seem to bring her any comfort, and she sniffed, wiping her eye again, “This isn't the adventure that Ms. Spirit promised me.”

He tilted his head. "Spirit? Do you mean Bright Spirit?"

“Yeah, her,” she said, nodding. “She came to my house, promised me an adventure. Then suddenly I wake up, and I'm in here and my jaw hurts and there's a funny taste in my mouth.”

Orphan sat there thinking for a moment, "I've spoken with Bright Spirit a few times, she's always been very nice. She brings a lot of foals here, she says they don't get any love where they used to be, but she never said anything about tricking them.”

She sat quiet for a moment and sniffed again, trying not to break down and cry again, “I don't want to be here,” she finally said. “I just wanna go home to my room and my books, and my window, she promised I'd go outside for the first time, and now... I can't.”

As she was getting closer to tears, Orphan put a hoof on her shoulder, "I've never seen outside either." He said, looking sadly, "Miss Clover used to talk about it all the time, but she'd get really sad when she thinks about it. I think she misses it."

With something to distract her mind, the young filly sniffed a few times and looked at him curiously, “Miss Clover?”

He smiles brightly, "She's one of the mares who raised me, she's kinda like my mom." He chuckled. "I was able to see her today, she's a real nice mare," he told her.

“Is she nice?” the filly asked.

He nods happily, "One of the nicest ponies here," he promised. He then suddenly got a worried look on his face. "Oh no, I've been talking and I should have been cleaning the room," he said, standing up and moving to the soiled sheets, gathering them and throwing them in the dirty laundry basket, his ear twitching again as he also replaced the plastic sheet and put fresh smelling sheets where they belonged.

She quietly watched him work, and when he seemed done she spoke again. “My name is Tiger Lilly, what's yours?”

He looked back at her as he grabbed the can of air freshener and sprayed the air for a short burst. "I'm Orphan."

The young filly named Tiger Lilly continued, “Will you... Will you be my friend?”

He smiled brightly to her, "I'd be happy to, but I can't promise we'll see each other much, I'm not going to be doing laundry anymore after today, and I don't know which shift they'll have me working in the stocks for," he said.

“You're nice, please, try and be my friend,” she quietly pleads, tears forming at the edge of her eyes once more.

Seeing her close to crying again, Orphan approached her and gently put his hooves around her in a hug, "I'll be your friend, now and always, even when we don't see each other."

She sniffles, “Promise?”

He gives her a smile "I promise, and I bet Clover will want to be your friend too."

Tiger Lilly sniffs again but smiles back faintly, “Ok, I'd like friends,” she said. “I've never had any before, except for Dust, the maid. She would play with me, until Green told her not to.”

Orphan nodded, "I have a few friends, some aren't here anymore, but most of the other slaves are nice,” he told her. “Clover, Ruby and Auntie Morning, they're all nice."

“So it's not too bad down here?” she asked, a faint glimmer of hope crossing her features.

His ear twitched but he nodded, "Just do as the staff tells you to, and please the clients, things are usually okay if you do as you’re told," he told her. "Some clients are meaner than others," his hoof went to his ear absentmindedly, "But you might find some you like."

Tiger Lilly rubs her sore flank with a bitter look on her face, “I don't know about liking them.”

The young stallion paused for a moment, "They're not all rough and mean like that, new foals, ones who haven't had their first time, they charge the clients a lot for them, the clients who like that are rarely gentle.... even when they say they will be."

“He was mean, I don't like him,” she said, glaring at the floor.

He gently stroked her back, hoping to comfort her "You can hope he never buys your time again, but we don't have any say in that," he told her.

She sighed, “Can I go lie down now? I want to stop hurting.”

He nodded, offering to help her up onto the clean and comfortable bed, "Somepony should be coming to get you soon, they let first timers have some time alone, but they'll take you to the backroom where you can rest and meet some of the others,” he told her.

She nodded, accepting his help this time. “Ok,” she said. “And, thanks, Orphan. You're nice,” she said, giving him a more genuine smile this time as he helped her onto the bed.

He smiled, his ear twitching aside gently, "Well, it's my talent, so Clover says, I like making ponies happy," he told her.

She ignored his comment and looked at his ear as it twitched, “What happened to your ear?” she asked.

Again, he puts his hoof to his ear and thinks for a moment, his eyes lowering as he smiles sadly, "One of my clients, when I was real little. I don't know if I made her mad or if she just felt like doing it, but she bit my ear really hard and took off the tip of it, it hurt a lot."

Tiger Lilly gave him a sad look, “I'm sorry,” she said. “Ponies shouldn't be mean to other ponies.”

He shook his head and smiled at her. "Its okay, from what I hear, she wasn't supposed to do that, she hadn't paid for it, so they fined her or something. I don't understand how some of the things work."

“I don't know if I want to learn about this place,” she said, rubbing her flank once more. “I just want to go home.”

Orphan sat down next to the bed. "I'm sorry but I don't think that’s possible, I never heard of anypony being allowed to leave."

She looked over at him, blankly at first, before tears begin to well in her eyes once more, and she threw her forelegs around his neck, sobbing hard as she apologized and pleaded, “I'm sorry I was a bad filly, I just want to go home. I'll be a good filly, just stop the hurting.”
Orphan held the scared and heartbroken filly as she cried out, unable to think of any way to calm her down other than this. He just held onto her and let her cry. She would calm down when she was ready, until then, he just rubbed her back and let her cry.

For several minutes she sobbed her heart out, before managing to gain control of herself She reluctantly pulled herself away, wiping at her eyes and looking at the messed up coat on Orphan's shoulder. “Sorry.”

He just gave her another smile, "It's okay, you needed to have that cry," he said.

Sniffing again, she settled herself back onto the bed, “You have a job to do, right?” she asked. “You should go, before you get hurt. I'll be ok now.”

Orphan was about to argue, when a pounding came at the door, and the voice of the manager came through it, "Hey! You better not be 'sampling' the merchandise in there," he said, his tone serious.

Orphan looked to Tiger Lilly and nodded, calling through the door, "I'm just finishing cleaning the room," he called back, his ears folded back, he looked to Tiger Lilly again, "When you get to the back room, ask for Clover, and even if she's asleep wake her up and tell her I told you to see her. I'm sure she'll be happy to meet you and be your friend too," he said.

"Hurry up!" came the voice of the manager.

Tiger Lilly nodded. “Clover ok,” she said. “And, thank you again.”

He noded in return and opened the door, pushing his cart with him. He ducked as he walked past the manager, but the older stallion gave him a swift smack upside his head before closing the door. "While you were taking your sweet time there are five more rooms for you to clean up, now get moving and don't let me catch you slaking off again!"

He nodded and moved quickly, hoping if he jumped to his work faster he would escape more severe punishment than a simple smack on the head.

He continued with his duties that day, until finally all rooms were either clean or in use.

Sighing contently, Orphan went through the front room, cleaning up little things before he headed back to the laundry room to return his cart and end his shift.

At that time, a pony familiar to him came through one of the back doors and saw him, offering him a gentle smile, “Oh, Orphan. How are you doing?” she asked.

The young stallion looked up from what he's doing and returned her smile, "Hello Bright," he greeted. "I'm doing alright, just, enjoying my last day as a cu... cu... What was it you called it?"

With a chuckle she told him, “A custodian, dear, and it's a very important job.”

He nodded. "Yes, that, and I know, and I love doing it, but they say now that I'm an adult, I have to work in the stocks from now on."

She nodded softly. “It's sad, but yes,” she said. “We all have our parts to play, some we don't like as much as others. But I'm sure that you'll grow to enjoy the stocks and all the love down there.”

Orphan looked aside, as if thinking about something, and his ear twitched. "Bright... do you know a filly named Tiger Lilly?"

Bright thought for a moment. “I do, yes. I brought her down here rather recently.”

"She had her first time today."

She raised an eyebrow, “Oh? How did it go?”

He sighed as he washed away a small smudge on the counter. "The client was rough with her, and she was very upset, like most foals when they have their first time."

She nodded. “I see, I'm sorry to hear that the client was rough.” She sighed as well, “I always hope that their first time can be a good one. Sadly, those interested in a foal's first time, are rarely interested in taking it slow, but she will get better over time, just like you have, dear.”

"I know that," he said, his voice downcast and sad, "but that’s not what I want to talk about. She said that you promised her she'd go on an adventure and see the outside... is it true? Did you lie to her?"

Bright chewed on her bottom lip. “Tell me, did she tell you anything about her life before I brought her here?”

He shook his head.

“She was born to parents who didn't love her, who hid her away from the world,” she told him. “She spent her whole life living in one room, sometimes not even seeing a pony. There was a flap in her door, so she could be fed without ever having to be seen.” She took a step closer to Orphan as she explained this. “I took her from that and brought her here, to a place where she can grow and live and love. Bright looked Orphan in his eyes, “I did say that she could go outside, and she did, she just doesn't remember it.”

He listened to Bright's explanation, and nodded, but sighed, "I guess that’s true, but it still seems wrong that you had to lie."

“It's easier for her if she doesn't know the truth, it makes the transition much smoother, less traumatizing,” she said. “I don't like it any more than you do, Orphan. But it's not about what I like, it's about what's best for Tiger Lilly, and all the other foals like her,” she said, smiling at him.

Orphan looked down, and thought for a moment, he wasn't the smartest colt, and knew little else besides his life there, but was it really the best thing for these foals? "If you say so," he said.

Bright placed a hoof on his shoulder “It's a harsh world out there, Orphan. Not everypony is as lucky as you to be born here, where you have ponies who love you. I offer foals a chance to be loved like you are, something they wouldn't have otherwise.”

He nodded, "I understand.... still wish I could see outside though, Miss Clover made it sound so nice."

“One day, maybe you will, Orphan. It's not impossible, after all.”

He looked up at her, a frown on his face, "I've never heard of anypony being allowed out of here."

Bright shrugged. “I never said that it would be easy, or likely. Just that it's not impossible. You're such a good boy, Orphan. If you keep being good, then perhaps you'll be rewarded with going outside, someday,” she told him.

He smiled lightly, and his ear twitched, but he nodded. "I'd really like that," he said.

Bright smiled back, “I know you would,” she took a quick look at the clock. “Are you still on shift? Am I keeping you from anything?” she asked.

He too took a quick look at the clock and shook his head. "No, my shift is almost over, and no more rooms need cleaning yet."

Bright smiled. “Oh good, I'd hate to accidentally get you in trouble with my idle chatter. I can certainly talk a lot. Or, at least, that's what my husband says.”

He chuckled lightly and smiled at the older mare. "Its okay, I don't mind," he told her.

Bright moved in close and gave him a hug. “You're too kind, Orphan, such a sweetheart for worrying over Tiger Lilly.”

Orphan hadn’t expected the hug and tensed up a little, but eased into it. "How could I not?" he asked. "She was sad, and alone, I couldn't just leave her like that."

“She just needs a friend,” she told him. “Just as you're a friend to me, be a friend to her.” She pats his head, mussing up his mane a little. “That's all she needs.”

He nodded, smiling. "I'll do my best," he said. ".... Though, I don’t know if I'll have the same shift as her."

“ You'll still be able to see each other.”

"Not often, but I will try my best" he said giving her a determined look smile.

“That's all anyone can ask of you, dear.” She looked over at the clock again, “If your shift is up, then you must be tired, I'll let you go get some rest,” she told him.

He nodded and bid Bright a goodnight, and started to leave, pushing his cart back to the laundry room before heading towards the backroom.

It was on his way out of the shower room that he suddenly had his eyes covered from behind by a pair of hooves and heard a familiar voice he had been speaking to earlier say, “Guess who,” in a playful manner.

Orphan had tensed up slightly at first, having his eyes suddenly covered, but he smiled and relaxed as he recognized the voice, "Ruby?" he asked.

The hooves were removed from his eyes and he turned around in time to see Ruby disappear in a flame of green and be replaced by the black chitin of another familiar creature. “Now how could you not recognize your favorite Aunt?” her voice teased.

He pouted lightly in response. "It's not easy to guess when you can change into anypony you want."

The changeling chuckled. “I know, but that's what makes it fun,” she said, giving him a hug. “It's been forever since I last saw you, how have you been?” she asked.

Orphan returned her hug with a smile. "I'm doing okay, things considered." He told her about how he's not going to be a custodian anymore.

She patted his head affectionately in a comforting manner. “Aww, I know how much you like that job. But hey, now you get to spend more time down here with me,” she said with a smirk. “And Clover and Ruby too, I guess,” she added. “And it's your birthday, so you know what that means?”

The young stallion smiled. "I know, I hope we get on the same shift so we can spend a lot more time together, like we used to," he said. He tilted his head to the side when she asked if he knew what his birthday meant, "umm...." he tried to think.

She smiled and chuckled. “Silly, it means that you get extra hugs,” she said as she hugged him again, planting a kiss on his cheek.

He giggled lightly, despite his age, his surrogate aunt being every bit as affectionate as she was when he was just a foal. "Auntie, I'm not five anymore," he protested lightly, "I'm a grown stallion now."

“I know, you're a grown colt now,” she said. “All the more reason for me to enjoy this while I can,” she frowned, pretending to cry. “Soon you won't want this old changeling around you anymore. You'll want some young, pretty thing.”

Orphan was unable to tell she was faking her crying, and he worried over her,."N-no, Morning, you're not old," he told her. "And I'd never want you to go away."

Morning’s crying turned into laughter. “Aww, you're sweet, and too easy,” she said, changing shape again, this time into the mare who often worked the front desk, April. “Besides, I can be anypony, age doesn't matter.”

He pouted again. "You keep teasing me," he complained, but couldn't really be mad, so a smile came back to his face soon after.

Morning turned back into her usual form. “It's a bad day when I can't tease you, or somepony else.”

He giggled lightly. "You've been teasing me for as long as I can remember."

She nudged him with a hoof. “And it never gets old, but I've been teasing you since before you can remember,” she said, correcting him. “You were such an adorable little foal when you were born, so fascinated whenever I'd change shape.” She chuckled lightly in memory. “Made playing peek-a-boo with you so easy.”

Orphan blushed lightly as she spoke about his foal hood. "I owe a lot to you," he told her. "Clover and Ruby too."

“Clover did most of the work,” she said. “She raised you, Ruby and I just helped. If you haven't seen her yet today, you should give Clover a hug and a kiss, she'd like that,” she told him, before thinking a moment. “Or...” her form changed into that of Clover, “you can just give it to me and call it even.”

Orphan smiled and shook his head. "I've seen her already today, before I went on my shift in fact, but we didn't really talk about my birthday or my foal hood."

Morning in Clover’s image shrugged, and shifted back to that of her changeling form. “Maybe I'm just feeling nostalgic today…. or old,” she said as she absentmindedly licked a fang. “Yeah, it's old.”

Orphan shook his head again. "You're not old, Morning.”

Morning smirked. “I was there when you were born, and now you're an adult,” she countered. “But enough about me, have you had an interesting day?”

Orphan nodded. "It was about normal, but I did meet a filly... she had just finished with her first time," he got quiet. "She's doing better now I think. I told her to find Clover," he smiled. "And she wanted to be my friend."

The changeling raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Well, having another friend, especially one more your age, is a good thing. What's this filly's name?”

"Tiger Lilly," he said. "Please be nice to her if you meet her, she's still getting used to this place."

She nodded. “Of course, I know what it's like, being new down here, I'll keep the teasing to a minimum,” she promised.

He smiled. "Thank you," he said before going quiet and thinking for a moment. "Morning... what was my mother like?"

Morning’s smile slowly faltered and she sighed, “I suppose you would want to know eventually,” she said, licking her fang again. “She was a good mare, liked by those down here. She would spend her days trying to make ponies happy, much like you do. Clients who were having bad times would request her just to talk to her, so she could cheer them up. She was certainly a very special pony.” She frowned, looking down at the floor. “It was a sad day when we lost her.”

He listened as she spoke and nodded, sniffing slightly. "I already knew that she died in childbirth," he said before smiling brightly to her through the tears that threaten to spill forth. "But, it's good to know that I'm a lot like her too," he said.

“You have her mane, and her eyes, and when you smile, it's her smile,” she said, smiling back. “You're your mother's child, Orphan.”

Orphan sniffed again and embraced her, tears welling in his eyes. "Thank you, Morning."

Morning hugged him back tightly, rubbing his back and patting his head. “I'm sorry that we don't have any pictures of her, though maybe some exist somewhere in this club. It would be nice for you to have something to remember her by other than just our words.”

"It’s okay," he sniffed again, "I have you, Ruby and Clover. I'm sad I never knew her, but I wasn't without mothers," he said.

She teasingly looked aghast. “I'm too young to be a mother, ‘Auntie’ works just fine for me,” she said.

He chuckled lightly. "Fine, Auntie it is," he said. "Ruby prefers when I called her Big Sister."

“So you've got it all,” she said. “A mom, a big sister, and an auntie, plus with that little filly, you've got a friend, too.”

He smiled and laughed lightly. "I have more than I could ever hope for," he said joyfully. "So I can live without doing the laundry, as much as I'll miss it."

“You'll still get to be around the fresh laundry,” she told him, her face becoming neutral. “Savor those moments you get alone in the room, before the member comes in.”

"So long as they only do what they paid for, I won't mind making them happy," he said smiling, his ear twitching a little bit.

Morning reached out and gently caressed Orphan's damaged ear. “I'm sorry that happened to you, Orphan,” she said, her tone sad.

The young stallion looked down at his hooves, and his ear twitched again. "It wasn't your fault, and it was a long time ago, it doesn't hurt anymore."

She frowned. “It still shouldn't have happened.” She let out a sigh, “But its part of you, now. And besides,” she let a smirk form on her lips, “it adds to your rugged good looks.”

He blushed lightly. "I'm not that good looking, I'm nothing special."

“I don't know,” her tone turned mischievous, “Maybe you should ask that little filly, Tiger Lilly.”

He continued to blush at her teasing, and his ears laid back, "I... I don't think she really cares about how I look, and besides she's still trying to get used to this place."

Morning laughed heartily. “Don't sell yourself short, Orphan, you're a good looking colt now,” she looked him over and licked her fang again as she let her mind wander. “Maybe if I was about ten years younger...”

He felt himself back up a little and lower his head at the sight of her fangs, prey instincts kicking in despite himself. His ear twitched, but he was quick to regain his composure, knowing Morning wouldn't actually ever hurt him.

Morning frowned at his initial response. “You know that I feed off of emotions, Orphan, and besides, I'm only teasing you,” she said. “But… I’m sorry if I upset you.”

"I-it's okay, you didn't mean to, and I don't mean to be scared, it's just... your teeth sometimes," he said, looking down.

She licked her fang again, this time in thought. “Yeah, they can be frightening. But you know I'd never hurt you,” she said, and after a moment she held out her fore hooves for a hug.

He smiled again and met her for the hug.

They embrace for a time and a smile returns to Morning’s face. “Thanks, and happy birthday, nephew.”

"Thank you, Auntie,” Orphan said, holding onto her tight.

They parted ways soon after, and Orphan went to the male side of the slave quarters.

He hoped that Tiger Lilly had found Clover and that she was helping the filly settle in. He also hoped that the coming days wouldn’t be too hard for her.

As his thoughts turned away from the filly, he climbed into his bed, and reached under the pillow to find the dryer sheet he placed there was indeed still there.

He smiled as he held the flower scented sheet fondly and breathed gently, before placing it back there and falling asleep, resting for and waiting for the next day.

Author's Note

This story was written by BookyBrony

If you'd like to write your own tale for this little story, then please, send me a PM.