Chapters The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
There is said to be another land other than Equestria on this world. One barely anypony has heard of.
This is a story that follows the life of a certain Unicorn mare. It isn’t a particularly happy story. Right from the start of her life she had problems, she was born already losing. Her name is Pond Water.
– P –
It was a dreary day, as was the norm in Trotland, it consistently looked as though it was about to rain throughout the year.
The father felt disappointed, he wanted a boy. The mother couldn’t care less at the moment, she was just glad the ordeal was over, but she liked the sound of having a little filly which could grow up in her image.
Bronze walked through the corridors of the hospital and headed to the Maternity wing where the newborns were.
Bronze recoiled in horror and shock. Never before had he seen a Pony without a horn. In fact nopony in Trotland had.
Minutes later, Bronze returned to his wife, with the cot squeaking as the wheels turned.“You disgust me”.
– P –
Goldstar’s parents are highly regarded among the upper class of Trotland due entirely to their vast wealth and influences in industry.
– P –
Goldstar was now two years old. The only noticeable differences in her were her increased size and her longer mane, which was cute and curly. Yet, despite her age now, she still didn’t talk. It’s not that she couldn’t, it’s more a case of didn’t want to.
It was one of the few times when Bronze ever spent any time with his daughter, and this wasn’t out of choice.
Silver had snapped. Her daughter being different to such an extent damaged her.
The Nanny was the only person outside of the four walls of the house to know of Goldstar and her hornlessness, and she was the only one to show any kind of affection, regardless of how little.
– P –
Goldstar is now four and a half years old. She was small for her age, very small, still roughly the same size as she was when she was two.
Goldstar had learned long ago how to get through the doors of the house without help, which was great for her, since she was never allowed in rooms with front view windows before.
As she stepped closer to her, Silver recoiled, but not far, there was no more room behind her.
It was a long time before anything happened, but what did happen was undesirable.How could I love such a hideous abomination?! It’s wrong, it’s disgusting… it won’t happen again.
She glanced down at the bloodied knife…
– P –
It was later that night, in the early hours of the morning, a long time before the sun would rise. Silver wrapped her daughter and her doll up and stuffed them in an ancient pram. She then headed out into the cold winter’s night.
Goldstar was watching her mother curiously; for once she seemed at ease. This worried her, it wasn’t a happy ease but more of a relieved ease, as if all her troubles were finally over.
Goldstar didn’t understand. She was scared and lonely, she didn’t know if her mother was coming back or not. Although this question was answered when she could feel the water pick up the pram and float it out to sea.
Goldstar struggled to get free of the confines of the blanket in the hope she could still jump to shore before it got too deep, since she couldn’t swim. But it was far too late.
– P –
This time of year, offshore of Trotland, it was a good time to go fishing, especially at night.
Hours passed, and not a nibble.
– P –
Clear Water, Blue Water’s wife, had woken up to prepare for her husband’s return by making some nice, hot food. This mare was light blue in colour, like the sky on the few days of the year it wasn’t overcast, her mane was white but with a single long streak of dark blue running through it, it was always tied behind her head but seemed to poof outwards in all directions. She looked very homely, matching her personality perfectly.
– P –
Blue sat on the sofa, holding Goldstar in his hoofs, warming by the open fire. He had swapped his coat which Goldstar was wrapped in and replaced it with a much softer fleece blanket.“almost”. What an ugly doll.
Clear Water had finished making the soup and was about to bring it through, but she paused outside the door and listened to her husband talking to the little filly.
“Lake? Yes lake, that’s a good name. A beautiful name for a beautiful little child.” Blue looked at the Unicorn child he was holding and frowned. “No, that name doesn’t suit you… Ooh, I know! How about Pond?”
– P –
This was her second memory, and the happiest to date. She didn’t remember the details, like the other attempts her new father had at naming her.
This was the moment when Goldstar Mirror-Wheel was no more. Instead she would forever be known as Pond Water.
The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
Pond Water, the Unicorn without a horn, was now seven years old. Thankfully she had grown considerably and was now only a little bit smaller than average.
She no longer lived in the city of Trotland. After being left for dead by her birth mother three years ago and picked up by a humble Fisherpony, she now lived in a small town many miles away known as Mareton, a seaside town dedicated to fishing mostly, as well as some traditional crafts.
The Waters were not rich, not by a long shot. They scraped by on the living gained by the few fish they caught and on the baked goods Clear sometimes sold. But this didn’t matter to them, they had what they wanted already. Something which money can never buy…
– P –
School was difficult, to say the least, for Pond. Her inability to talk was frustrating to everypony and severely hindered her learning.
The teachers at school didn’t do anything about it, and it was a collective effort by all the students to make her feel as horrible as possible. And the fact she didn’t talk only worsened the problem, not to mention Winks coming along with her everywhere.
But in saying this, at this age she did experience one of the best weeks of her childhood. And it was all down to one Unicorn.
– P –
Pond set off to school as hopeful as ever. She could always put a brave face on.
It was morning registration. Besides from the one in the afternoon, this is the one time she is with her entire class before they split up into their smaller groups for different lessons.
The teacher walked in after a few minutes. Her name was known to Pond to be Miss Doltish. She was not the best teacher in the world to say the least. And her glasses always made Pond smile with their ridiculous pointyness. Following behind her was a very nervous looking Unicorn, hiding away his head.Yay a new classmate to bully me , Pond thought sarcastically.Like they did with me, perhaps? , Pond snorted mentally.He’s going to be popular, isn’t he?
HI! My name is Pond. Don’t worry I am in the same boat as you. I am a Unicorn without a horn. Come sit with me!
Tesla looked up again, Pond was smiling at him and waving a hoof at him to try and get him to move. Tesla looked about the room, the rest of the class were talking amongst themselves again, and Miss Doltish had finished the register and was now preparing for lessons.
If you want to hang out with me then you have to learn how to read my face!!!
Tesla read it and laughed nervously.
– P –
Miss Doltish had seen that Tesla was getting on well with Pond so decided to put him in the same groups as her, which both Pond and Tesla liked very much, so in the time between morning registration and lunch they had learned a lot about each other.
The two of them were eating their lunch in silence, but only because neither of them could think of anything to say. But eventually Tesla couldn’t take it anymore and asked the first thing that came to his mind.“what?” in a judgemental sort of way, making him feel incredibly dumb.Oh! Well you could have just said so… , her body said.Fine. Suit yourself… That’s better. You want to go for a walk? she asked.
Their walk consisted of going round the large school field, but in particular the wooded area at one end, which they called “The Wild Area”. It was full of small friendly creatures like rabbits, squirrels and things that resembled miniature dragons, but without the fire. It was a very peaceful place, good for walks and talks.Huh? Of course I like ice cream! Pond gestured. Who doesn’t?! Race ya! Pond shouted through body language as she started to trot off, waiting for Tesla to follow before galloping.
– P –
The rest of the school day was uneventful, nothing more than the usual boring afternoon lessons with Miss Doltish and, of course, the pleasantly consistent barrage of insults which she now shared with Tesla, but her share was still the majority of it.What’s your dragon called? She gestured towards the dark blue dragon with the orange spines.Thanks.
– P –
Tesla lived considerably closer to school than Pond, so after a few minutes they parted ways, leaving Pond to walk the rest of the way home on her own. But she didn’t care; nothing could touch her on this high she was on. She had made a friend.
It was half an hour before she got home, it would have been shorter but she accidentally took a detour through the town centre.Well… you know… Pond gestured sheepishly, screwing her hoof in the floor.How the hay am I going to tell her? How do you say Tesla through body language? why can’t I talk?!
While in her room she emptied her school bag and put everything away neatly. She always was a bit of a perfectionist.
I HAVE A FRIEND!!! It took me long enough. He is a grey Unicorn with three horns, which is probably why I like him, he was bullied a little bit today as well, so that’s what we have in common, I guess… His name is Tesla.
This was all she wrote, she was never the best with words, especially when trying to write.
“Hello dear.” Clear gave her husband a small kiss, “Did you have a good day fishing?”
Pond sat on the step, thinking of what she heard her father said.What does he mean by not lasting much longer? Pond sat for a second before shaking it off then headed down the stairs to greet her dad.Why the buck cant I speak! Oh my god. I just used the word buck in that way. Where did I hear that word? Must have been Miss Doltish. She’s the only other grown-up I know and Mum and Dad don’t swear. Well… I don’t think so, at least…
– P –
The rest of the evening was uneventful. They enjoyed their dinner, delicious, as usual. Then they did not much at all.
She loved spending time by herself in her room. She felt it was the only place she could talk, although she didn’t much at all, but it was still a very comfortable place to be.
It was getting late, so her mother came to send her to bed. There was a knocking at her bed room door, the sound no foal wanted to hear.
Pond held Winks tight and shut her eyes.
– P –
Sleep eluded her. Pond tossed and turned in her bed, not being comfortable in any position her body would allow her to take.Why can’t I get to sleep?! I have been lying here for nearly two hours now! What’s keeping me up?
At first her mind drifted back to school. Nope, nothing out of the ordinary there. And I'm sure it’s not about Tesla… Wow… that guitarist sure was good. Her mind went off into its own dreamy world. No! Focus. What is bothering me? It can’t be anything from town, nothing happened. No, that wasn’t it. That was… normal, I think… That’s it! That’s what’s been bothering me.
A few minutes had passed, and she still was bothered by it.
“Wish me luck Winks,” she whispered quietly before tip-hoofing to the door.That’s what I call efficiency , she thought to herself as she blew the smoke from the barrel of imaginary gun, span it round in her hoof and then place it back in its holster on her flank.I’ve got you know…
Blue paused while preparing his pipe and looked up, investigating what had made the light tap on the floor of the living room.Mission failed , she thought as she turned round to head back upstairs, but she suddenly remembered, with a little jump, what she was planning to do before she got wrapped up in being the world’s best spy.
Blue didn’t know what to do, he was lost for words.
– P –
Pond didn’t go to sleep until about half two in the morning, when her body succumbed to tiredness. She had been making up for lost time and told her parents everything, from her first days at school until today, making sure it was all in the correct order.
– P –
The alarm went off. Pond awoke grudgingly, knocking the alarm clock of her bedside table, causing it to turn off.
She found her books and placed them in her bags along with Winks. She bounded down the stairs.
A quick brush later and Pond walked back down the stairs. “Bye again!”
– P –
Halfway to school and Pond was joined by the usual entourage of bullies, calling her all the familiar and annoyingly unoriginal names.
– P –
Pond arrived at school, still smiling broadly and the few left over giggles leaving her body quietly.
The class started to call back to Miss Doltish as she reached their names. Tesla said he was here and in a few names Pond would be called.
– P –
Ever since she gained the ability to talk to actual people, the bullying became less severe. It was still quite bad, she was still brought to tears every so often, much less frequent than before.
The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
“That’s a big building,” Pond said in awe as she looked at the tower looming over her. She had to physically move her head upwards to be able to see the top of the clock tower.
They were approached by a tall stallion, wearing a long black gown with half-moon spectacles resting precariously on his muzzle. His coat was dark grey in colour and had a white mane, which grew down the side of his face in the form of mutton chops. He was clearly the Headmaster.
– P –
Pond and Tesla headed towards the group which Mr Scrupulous told them to go with. They stuck to each other’s sides as closely as possible, not wanting to get separated for sheer fear of everything. They looked as they walked at everypony else.
They reached the group in a very short time; they didn’t want to dawdle among the tall Ponies and wanted to be around those of a similar height.
– P –
They were all sat in the hall, every single one of the newcomers. There was a little over one hundred little Unicorns sitting there, all as terrified as each other.
Pond approached her new teacher, Ms Lecture, with a great sense of happiness. Having such a friendly and pretty teacher was very calming for her, and now she was even excited to get started for school, a thought she never thought she’d have.
– P –
Pond and her new classmates followed Ms Lecture with a disturbing silence. Now that most of the older students had settled down in their respective classes there was very little noise, only the gentle clip-clop of their hooves on the hard floors.
They arrived at their new form room in a few minutes. Ms Lecture opened the door and walked in, her class following behind closely. She reached her desk at the front and let out a great sigh.
The entire class was distracted by a loud thud on Ms Lecture’s desk. It was caused by a large cardboard box.
Now that her class was talking amongst themselves, making friendships likely to stand the test of time, as friendships at that age so often do, Ms Lecture decided that she should have a word with Pond.
Pond felt happier after that. Miss Doltish had never been able to control a class with such ease, and Ms Lecture didn’t even have to resort to angered shouting, only a strict voice.
“Hey… Pond?” whispered a small voice coming from Pond’s side.
– P –
The bell rang signalling it was the end of the day. Pond and her class had just finished their first ever music lesson, where Pond discovered that she was particularly good at absolutely no instruments whatsoever.
Pond left the school with Scribble by her side, talking happily about their first day, but Pond kept an eye out for the three horned Unicorn. Fortunately for her, he saw her first.
Pond couldn’t wait to tell her parents how brilliant a first day she had at her new school. All the teachers were friendly. All the students were nice to her. There was a little questioning about her lack of horn, but that was just general curiosity, and they all found it more fascinating rather than something to laugh at her about.
And she couldn’t have been more wrong…
– P –
Pond loved this school. There was a lot of staring, of course, but that was all, no harsh words or bullying. Even Gem, her old bully, left her alone, and even became friends to a small degree. Pond felt normal here.
The first two years were fine. They flew by with very little hassle. It was the third that was a problem.
– P –
Tesla was a popular Unicorn. His strict exercise regime he put into practice to get him fitter and to make it easier to use magic had made him very attractive. Plus, having three horns was seen as some kind of symbol of power, among other things (you know what they say about a Unicorn with long horns). This all made him very popular with fillies around school.
Naturally, being separated by gender and social groups, they drifted apart. They began to speak less and less, although it was still very friendly when they did. They clearly hadn’t lost the bond they had made all those years ago, even though it was stretching thin.
They lost common interests. Pond was more interested in fishing and music; listening to, not playing. Tesla was more interested in magic and friends.
Tesla would ignore her if he passed her in the corridors, as if he was ashamed to be her friend. If he was on his own he would say “Hi”, but little else. If he was with a friend he would completely blank her.
“Tesla!” Pond called out as she saw her Tricorn friend down the corridor.
Pond couldn’t believe it. Her best friend for years had just completely blanked her. He was even on his own, which made it worse.
– P –
Pond earned her cutie mark at the age of fourteen, only one month after Tesla’s abandonment.
It was tricky to say the least. The line nearly broke several times in the long back and forth between her and the Shark.
– P –
A few weeks later, enough time for the hype of her cutie mark to disappear and also to become fifteen, Pond was on the school field, eating her lunch.
Meet me behind the bike sheds after school.
Tesla.
She was over the moon. Her heart raced at the possibilities of what he wanted.
If only Scribble had been there to advise her.
– P –
Pond waited behind the bike sheds, as instructed, humming a tune to keep her occupied.
She heard the sound of hooves on gravel and looked up expectantly, with a wide grin. She was so glad it was him.
What she felt next was the most unexpected sense of relief she would ever feel, but that only lasted not even a tenth of a second, for it was replaced near instantly with the most horrendous pain she had ever experienced.
– P –
It was two months before she could talk again.
Tesla was expelled.
The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
Pond Water, the world’s first and only Unicorn without a horn, is now 23. As expected, she grew into one beautiful mare, with her long flowing orangey-brown mane and her orange eyes, her dark murky green coat, so warm and inviting. She gained her cutie mark at the age of 14, on a fishing trip with her Dad, she had managed to catch the elusive Rainbow Shark, not only did this put her family back into money, but also she gained the Golden Swordfish that now shined on her flank.
She looked so peaceful and calm as she slept, bathed in the moonlight that shone through the gap in the curtains.
Mid-scream, something happened which hadn’t happened before. Pond felt a hoof get lodged in her mouth that wasn’t her own. This was accompanied by a familiar yet unusually angry voice.
Her friend is Dove Wings, a sunny yellow mare with a two-tone blue stripy mane slicked back loosely and tied into a braid, with some straggly bits escaping and falling in front of her eyes. The two bonded initially by the fact they both were different. Dove Wings was a Pegasus without wings.
– P –
Pond was due to leave home. She had been in the care of her mother and father for 14 years and no it was time to leave the nest. Pond was sad, sure, almost as much as her parents, although her Dad seemed inconsolable.
Blue Water held his daughter tight, crying uncontrollably, blurting out some incomprehensible words, which Pond played along with. She was crying too. Clear Water, Pond’s mother, came over and dragged Blue away before returning to Pond to talk.
– P –
Pond stepped off the boat a few weeks later. Her hooves touched the soil of Equestria, it felt strange to her, somehow more magical than Trotland. She looked around at the new surroundings, the strong sunshine gave a great sense of warmth and welcoming vibes.
The Trotland Unicorns had been bringing supplies from their small island to start up their own city, they had already built many a simple building in the few months of being there with the materials available, they even had decent plumbing.
– P –
Pond emptied her bags onto the small bed she rented. There were many things in them: the money her mother gave her, an instant Ponyroid camera, a few jumpers and other warm things, her diary, some random little things from her childhood that made her happy, and, most importantly to her, Winks. She next took her fishing rod and checked it vigorously, making sure that the line wasn’t damaged in any way, sharpening the hook, and finally checking the rod for signs of fatigue. Once she finished, she placed it gently beside the rest of her things.
– P –
Pond had woken up in the morning, at an incredibly early hour, the sun had barely risen above the horizon. But this was the time she deemed appropriate to go and explore this new world.
An hour after waking up, as the sun was climbing its slow ascent into the sky, Pond was almost ready. She slid the strap of her bags over her back after giving them one final check, she then took her fishing rod and tucked that under the strap. She took her fishing hat, which she discovered suited her quite well, and placed it on top of her head. She walked outside into the brisk morning air, taking a deep breath to feel its refreshing coolness in her body, she stretched her legs to prepare for the inevitably long walk. She looked back at the sea and the large bronze boat that sat in the harbour. She waved at them, saying goodbye to her home across the sea. She turned and sighed deeply. She placed her first hoof down, and her journey had begun.
– P –
It was about two hours after leaving the small settlement before she came across anything. She had to cross a large green expanse with nothing of interest whatsoever, only the small incline Pond had to climb up broke the mundanity. The thing she found first was a river, only a small stream, about 10 metres across. There was also a small woodland on the opposite bank, it was very thin, you could have see straight through it if it weren’t for the curvature of the planet.
Half an hour later and Pond decided that that was enough. She caught seven different fish, each interesting in their own strange way. She scooped the pictures up into her hoof and put them in a small tin in her bag, accompanying the few others she took of the beginning of her adventure. She packed her rod up, tucking it under the strap of her bags after she put them on. She couldn’t see a bridge so she decided she would wade across it. It wasn’t too deep, there was a point in the middle where she couldn’t touch the floor and had to swim a little bit, but she had no trouble crossing. She made it up the other bank, stopping at the water’s edge to shake the water off, and then she walked into the shadows of the trees, trotted happily through them, humming a happy tune as she marvelled at their size and beauty.
It was a very boring walk. Yes, it was lovely and all but it was six hours of walking in the same, unchanging surroundings. Pond made it out the other end just as the sun started going down, the sky darkening into a red-orange hue. All that met Pond’s gaze was another huge expanse of land, baron of anything interesting. Pond sighed and continued walking.
The moon had risen into the sky, it was huge. Stars surrounded it, casting their light onto the world. Pond had come to the top of a hill, where she could see all around her. The land was lit up in a brilliant blue light, she had never seen such a beautiful night, Trotland was always far too cloudy to let the moonlight through to such an extent.
Half an hour later and with a full stomach, Pond had finished her food, impressed with herself that she managed to eat the whole thing. The cashier came over.
The free section of The Hotel was nothing special, just like the cashier said. It was a large, long room with about 50 beds lining the walls. She had been warned by the receptionist that they were quite full and that she may have to share a bed with somepony, and unfortunately she did.
– P –
Red was a very shy sleeper, he barely moved an inch… for a while.
– P –
Pond woke up at half seven, wanting to get in the shower before anypony else. But she wasn’t the only Pony to think this as there was a queue of about twenty Ponies in front of her. It wasn’t long, however, until she got into one, there were eight of them, all of which were sparkling clean and flowing with hot water. Pond only had a quick shower, quite a queue had formed behind so she only spent five minutes in there, far shorter than she would have liked it to be.
Next up was the train. Pond was confused. For some reason the train wasn’t steam or magic powered, but instead it was pulled by twenty strong colts, all harnessed to the engine tightly. This raised another question as to why they needed the engine in the first place. Pond decided not to ask because if they used horsepower they probably wouldn’t know of steam engines, she thought. She boarded the train and found a seat. It was surprisingly spacious, she had an entire seat with a table to herself so she could lay down comfortably. Countless other Ponies walked further along the train, it was unbelievably big, roughly 15 carriages long, plenty of room for everypony with some to spare. Pond was later joined by Red, who sat opposite the table from her.
– P –
Hooflyn. A horrible city. At first glance from the train station it didn’t seem that bad, just like any other city. But then you got further in. The foul stench in the air was the first thing to hit you, the smell of pollution and depression. There was also a huge amount of Ponies living there, all of the three different types, there was also a quite a few Griffons there as well, and that took some explaining to Pond, who hadn’t seen a lion or an eagle before let alone the offspring of the two. There were far too many Ponies for comfort. The noise as well, just a constant wail of sirens and shouting filled in the gaps that weren’t filled with the hustle and bustle of city life. It wasn’t very polite either, Pond was used to the polite Ponies of Mareton-on-Sea where she grew up, passing you and saying “hello”, but here you were lucky if you didn’t get barged into the street.
Red took her down many roads and alleys, somehow the city became better, somehow filled with a special character which was starting to grow on Pond. He led her to a large building, it had a red sign above the door that stretched across the front which said “Red Lounge” and had a picture of a Pegasus mare laying down on a platform to one side of the words. It was very professional looking, it was clearly a classy place, the sign had been done in bright, elegant, neon lights but they weren’t on at the moment.
The club even had a stage with a catwalk.
The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
Her stage was lit. Her time was coming. That feeling once again in the bottom of her stomach, her adoring fans cheering with anticipation didn’t help. The final few preparations were being made, final tweaks to the costume, the last few additions to her makeup, one final mouthful of tainted water to keep her refreshed and awake. Her name was called, her cue. It was time. One final tear rolled down her cheek, and she walked from backstage, blinded by the lights, only hearing the cheering and hollering from the dozens of colts in the audience and the music starting to play. As her eyes adjusted, her prop came into view. In the centre of the catwalk. The long, shining pole, glinting in the spotlights, stretching from ceiling to floor. She walked towards it, masking her true feelings with confidence in her steps. She grabbed it, bringing about another cheer of excitement from the crowd. She preformed her routine flawlessly, being showered with coins from the many approving and aroused colts. She did not want this to happen. She did not want her life to ever come to such lows.
– P –
She had finished her routine, many coins lying on the stage around her, the colts cheering and hollering and whistling at her. She learnt to find this flattering, it made it easier to do night after night. She walked back down the catwalk towards the backstage, stopping to give a final bow and a strange flourish of her hind legs which her audience seemed to enjoy.
It was considerably less intimidating this side of the stage, Pond thought. The crowd seemed less rowdy and even quite pleasant. Well, besides those few who recognised Pond without her costume and playfully pinched her flank, but Pond either tried to not react or give them an evil stare, both responses only made them laugh more. Pond made it to the bar and sat on a stool, burying her face in her hooves.
The lights went down and the music changed.
The crowd started to slowly leave the club, now that all the shows were over. Those still sober enough said their goodnights to the staff and left without fuss, others had to be lead out by the bouncers. But one particular colt, drunk and… obviously aroused, trotted over to Pond, swaying dangerously with each step. He stood behind her as she sat facing the bar and chatting with Dove. He grabbed her in an undesired way. Pond let out a quick shriek as she was pulled to the floor. Dove was quick to act and jumped over the bar, she kicked the colt hard in the ribs and whistled loudly at a couple of bouncers, who swiftly came over to them, grabbed him and threw him to the curb.
– P –
Their pace had slowed considerably, they hadn’t made much effort to keep up any sort of speed. They just spent their time walking and talking. The city of Hooflyn was like any other city of that size, it was very grim, but had some hidden quality that you couldn’t see right away, only after a while of living there would you be able to see it. Pond still didn’t see it.
“So how long have you been a Bar-mare?” Pond asked inquisitively, she was getting bored of the sounds of sirens and alarms.
“Red, are you sure about this?” Dove asked nervously.
That slap to the flank strangely invigorated her and gave her a huge boost of confidence. Dove walked out into the roar of the audience and the blinding light. That night she felt much more in the mood for dancing, so her routine was much more… seductive. She had never done anything like that before, it was amazing, in her mind she couldn’t see how anypony would not be enjoying this to the fullest. She didn’t even notice the silence of the crowd, or the clicking of the door as some Ponies left, or even the lack of money raining down on the stage.
Dove finished moments later, the costume was completely destroyed and laying strewn on the floor in pieces, all apart from a belt around her waist which she couldn’t rip or take off without help. Red looked at the costume on the floor then back to Dove, her cheeks were soaked with tears, her makeup had run down as well. She was shuddering violently with the combination of sheer anger and sadness. She had begun gasping for air, hyperventilating almost. Suddenly, she bolted past Red, emitting loud sobs as she did. She galloped out of the backstage exit and into the car park behind the club.
Red galloped after her, hoping he could find her before it was too late and something horrible happened. He made it outside in no time at all and looked around frantically for any sign of Dove, but it was too dark. He heard a strange noise, something like a pained grunt mixed with tears. His mind quickly made the link and ran over to the source of the noise. It was coming from the alley around the side of the club.
“Red didn’t leave my side for days on end,” Dove said quietly. “I was in hospital for a week and he was always there beside me. According to the doctors he hadn’t actually left. When I woke up after a few days he practically exploded, I had never seen him so happy. He jumped up on the bed and kissed me and everything. Once I recovered and came back to work, he had a chat with me and said that I should probably work behind the bar after, y’know, that humiliation. I was so glad to. I had a knack for it as well which helped.” Dove giggled to herself. “It also meant I could watch all the other dancers do their thing.”
– P –
After narrowly escaping getting hit by a car, the two Ponies made it back to Dove’s house. It was a two storey terrace house, right smack-bang in the middle of the street, surrounded on either side by considerably run down houses, making her house look much nicer.
Dove demolished her sandwich by the time Pond was on the final quarter, but still she didn’t rush her, just waited patiently for her to finish.
– P –
It was still dark. Roughly half four in the morning. Dove was woken by a terrifying noise, the shrill screaming of the mare in the other room. She had experience with this sort of thing and did not hesitate to act. She jumped out of bed and grasped the machete in her mouth; she always kept one unsheathed on her bedside table just for something like this. She bolted out her door and down the short hallway to Pond’s room. Adrenaline pumping she was ready for anything. She reached the door barely seconds after being woken up and kicked it open with her front legs, prepared to kill the monster who dares attack her friend.
They walked into Dove’s room, Dove flicking the bedside lamp on as she passed it. She let go of Pond so she could climb into the bed. Pond lay on the edge, clutching her doll, shivering in the cold. Dove placed the machete back on the bedside table and got into bed next to her, it was just big enough to accommodate both of them without a squeeze. She turned off the lamp and pulled the covers over them. Dove felt very awkward at that moment in time, she didn’t know what to do, whether she should give Pond some room or hug her and try to make her more comfortable. She chose the latter, it only felt right to her. She slid along the bed and behind Pond, and wrapped her forelegs around Pond, holding her under her forelegs. She was awkward at first, but then she felt Pond move against her and get comfortable with Dove’s forelegs around her, letting out an erratic sigh of relief once she found the right spot and swiftly fell asleep. Dove, too, sighed with relief, and then proceeded to move closer to Pond as she no longer felt awkward. Pond was shorter than her, so she could rest her head against hers, with Pond curled up slightly it meant she slotted in nicely into Dove’s body. Dove nuzzled the back of her neck, and then shut her eyes, she couldn’t believe how comfortable Pond was; she was so soft and pleasantly warm against her tear stained coat. Sleep fell upon her in mere moments.
The whacky adventures of Pond Water the Unicorn!
It was late morning, about half ten, when Dove started to stir. She woke up, her eyes could barely open. She was glad to not have had another incident like that in the night, she doubt she could have handled being woken up like that again.
– P –
It had been some time before Pond woke up; the absence of Dove holding her was noticeable as she tossed and turned before waking. She opened her eyes slowly, the light shining through the thin curtains was painfully bright for somepony who had just woken up. Once her eyes adjusted to the light she sat up, wondering where Dove had gone, she felt rather nervous, she thought Dove could have been taken since it’s a possibility in this city. But all fear was dissipated as Pond heard a loud crash and an even louder use of profanity. Pond sighed with relief, now that she knew her friend was downstairs and just dropped a mug, by the sound of it, she could easily get up. She took Winks from the floor and placed him carefully on the nightstand before making the bed, paying close attention to detail, she never could leave a job done to anything less than an exceptional standard. Content with the bed she left and headed to the bathroom. She really needed a needed a shower, but felt far too rude to just go for one. So she leant her head over the banister.
Dove was sat at the table, idly playing with her mane, when she heard the clopping sound of hooves on the laminate flooring in the hallway behind her, coming ever closer to the kitchen.
Dove took a while to let all of this sink in, in the meantime Pond returned to her seat.
Pond’s story came to an end and she sat back in her chair, folding her forelegs smugly as she did so.
– P –
They sat in silence for a while. It had probably been half an hour since Pond won, making it a little before noon.
– P –
“Dove,” Pond started. “Do you mind if I have another cup of tea?”
Pond went into the living room with her mug of tea. The living room wasn’t too big or too small, although anymore than two Ponies would have made it a little too cosy. It was stripy with blue and red, but somehow it didn’t hurt the eyes. There were numerous pictures on the walls and sat above the fireplace. Pond placed her mug down on the table and took some time to look at all of them.
“Hey! What ya doing?” Dove said as she walked into the living room, her mane straggled and still a bit wet.
“That’s my parents over there.” Dove pointed towards a picture on the end of the mantelpiece. Pond trotted over to look at it. She saw the two Ponies in the picture and was amazed. Somehow, two of the ugliest Ponies she had ever seen, had come together to create two of the most beautiful she had ever seen.
– P –
It was some time before they spoke again; they were just sitting in the living room, watching the fish lazily swim around in their tank, listening to the buzzing created by the light.
– P –
Night came rolling on, and Pond and Dove were heading to work. They stopped outside of the club, Dove looked at it confusedly.
“Dove! Pond!” shouted an already tipsy Red as the two Ponies entered. “I thought you’d forgotten or something.”
Dove led her to the bar and grabbed a drink a drink for the two of them. “Here Pond, get this down ya!”
Pond could tell that it was going to be a fun night.
– P –
Pond awoke the next morning, back in Dove’s bed. She had a hangover, she hadn’t had one before, and she didn’t like it.
Something else caught her attention. It was in front of her, and unrecognisable at first, but a few minutes of relentless staring and trying to focus her blurry vision revealed what it was.
It was Red.