Not Her Fault

Icy yawned as she woke up, very comfortable and warm. She nuzzled the warm fluffy sheets and kept her eyes closed. Remaining like this for a few minutes, she kept telling herself in her head that this was infact not a dream.

Opening here eyes, she blushed deeply as she found herself hugging the stallion and him hugging back. He snored softly and didn't seem to notice as she quickly pushed away. Looking around, she saw the ringing alarm clock on the bedside table. She did know what alarm clocks were, but never knew how to operate them. She began shaking the stallion awake.

"Whuh? Huh?" He asked, then chuckling as she pointed at the alarm. He reached over her a clicked off the alarm. "Alright, time to get up."

Icy watched as he stood up and she did the same. Following him down the stairs with the luggage she could carry, they trotted toward the back door of the apartment building. Out there was a parking garage, and they put the luggage in the trunk of the car.

"You go ahead and get in the shotgun seat." He pointed to the seat and she opened the door and sat down in it, closing it after. He head back in the apartment to pack up his things while she looked around. Her eyes widened when she saw one of the workers from her mother's house trotting through the garage. He trotted right toward the car, and she whimpered and tried to scoot down in the seat, hiding and closing her eyes.

The driver door opened and she yelped in fear, but then calmed down as she saw Shadow looking at her with a worried expression. "Are you ok?" He asked calmly as she recovered from the shock.

After gulping and calming her breathing down, she nodded. "One of the workers from my mother's home was trotting right toward the car. I thought he saw me..."

"You are alright, dear. He was probably going toward the apartment door. Now, let us get out of here." He smiled and turned on the car, the engine rumbling softly.

Icy watched as they pulled out of the parking garage and started driving through the streets. It was only a few minutes before the buildings dissipated and the car was driving through the woods. The mare, meanwhile, was thinking about her luck in this situation. She was super happy to have a new chance at life. She watched the forest pass by as they wove their way through the forest. The car's radio played some folk and pop music, which she tuned out as she watched the road. They eventually drove out onto a highway, and Icy was surprised at all the cars and all the ponies.

"Wow... there are so many ponies," she proclaimed.

"Oh, there are many more than this," he smiled and replied, loving her interest in the world around them.

Looking into another car, she saw two ponies in the front and a small foal sitting in the back seat, facing backward instead of forward. "Why is the foal sitting backwards? Wouldn't it wanna see its parents?"

He chuckled, answering, "Little foals are safer that way. If a car crashed, the foal would be cushioned on its back and neck."

Icy nodded, understanding the reason. She looked into another car, smiling as she saw what looked like a stallion driving a car and a mare in the back seat, playing with a little foal, who was obviously enjoying it. She sniffled as she saw it, wishing her mother had not blamed her and her race for the divorce. She promised herself that if she ever had a foal, she would treasure it and love it with all her heart. They look so happy... she thought. Looking at the clock, she knew this would be a long drive. She pulled out the book Shadow had gotten for her and began reading it.

Icy's eyes opened wide as she felt a tapping on her shoulder. The book was on the ground closed and she had drooled on herself. Blushing as she saw Shadow chuckling, she quickly used a small paper towel to clean it.

"Hey, sleepy head. We are gonna go into that inn and get some food, along with allowing me to sleep." He opened his door and trotted to her side, opening hers and helping her out.

They both trotted into the inn and sat at a booth. He trotted to the counter and ordered some food before sitting down with her. She asked, "Why are you being so nice to me?"

He smiled and said, "Well, you are a very sweet and unique mare coming straight out of tartarus, and you need some help. Luckily convenience is just pointed in your direction."

Icy blushed and said, "Well... thank you." Her eyes lit up from the compliments.

He chuckled before his eyes diverted and he trotted to the counter, coming back with two very good looking daisy and lavender sandwiches.

She took one as he offered it to her, and ate it slowly and with attempted elegance. She did not realize Shadow watching her as he ate, only enjoying the yummy lunch. She looked up at him and he looked away, barely dodging a 'Why are you staring at me?'

"How far are we?" She asked, having been asleep for a while.

"We are over halfway there. You were asleep for a long time." He smiled softly and laughed as she blushed.

Icy smiled and nodded, finishing her sandwich. "What should I do while you are asleep. I want to read while we drive."

"There is TV in the room. You can watch that."

Her eyes brightened at the mention of TV. She had not seen TV since before her parents divorced.

They then threw away their trash and trotted up to the rooms, going into the room he got to nap in. They both got settled and he closed and locked the door. Giving and showing Icy how to use the remote, he quickly lay down and got to sleeping while Icy explored the many shows and movies on.

Icy had been watching a show when she felt the need to go to the bathroom. She trotted into the bathroom and did her business. Looking in the mirror as she washed her hooves, she realized something. She felt her cheek and realized that she did not look and feel starved and skinny. She smiled happily as her colours were coming back and her fur coming in thicker. She decided she wanted to try taking a shower by herself. She used her wings to carry the soap and wash her mane. Cleaning her body was quite easy, as her wings could reach about anywhere. After rinsing off, she dried off with a towel handled by her wings.

Icy decided to lay on the bed and watch the tv, but found herself looking at the stallion. She drifted off laying her head on his stomach.