Geldings

I didn't talk much to Rumble during recess, but he caught me after school.

"Hay, Featherweight! Hold up," he called, trotting up from behind. "I'm not supposed to gallop until this heals."

"Right," I said, slowing down. "I was just headed home."

"Well, you're not sick anymore, right? Can I come over and play?"

I stopped in place and thought for a moment. "Sure," I finally said. "I miss seeing you. I mean, I was inside all weekend." This was true. Talking to my friend again felt like a relief, even if he didn't have his testicles anymore. It's not like his testicles were the part of him I liked to play with, anyway. Neither one of us were old enough for that sort of junk, even now that we'd both 'grown up'.

"Awesome," he said, and walked beside me.

I was quiet on the trip back. I could see in Rumble's face he knew something was wrong, but neither one of us knew what to say. He waited until we got to my room to confront me.

"Hay dude. It's still me," he said, punching me lightly in the shoulder. "You know that, right?"

I sat down on my bed. "What? I never said it wasn't."

"Ugh. You look like I just broke your favorite action figure," he accused.

I pouted openly. "You made a promise, Rumble."

Rumble bristled at that. "We were little foals, Feather! What was I supposed to do, run away from home just because I'm afraid to grow up?" He sat down on the floor, very gingerly. "Look, it's gonna happen to you too someday. You gotta be an adult about this."

I sighed. "So, what's it like?" I asked, reluctantly.

He shrugged. "Not a big deal. You want all the grisly details?"

"I'm a colt, ain't I?" I said. I probably sounded a little defensive.

Rumble grinned. "Details it is. Okay, um, let's see. I guess it started Sunday morning. I woke up with dried goo on my sheets," he said, and I shuddered reflexively at my own memory. "Yeah, it's gross. It took me a while to figure out what happened, though. I figured I'd be like my brother."

"Oh, right. You have that narrow urethra," I said, and he nodded.

"Exactly. Thunderlane never had wet dreams. Don't ever tell anypony I told you this, but they found out he grew up when Dad caught him slapping off. You know, on his belly," he said. "He was using his wings too."

"Eww, gross!" I said, sticking out my tongue. "And getting caught by your Dad... that would be so embarrassing."

"Yeah, it was pretty awful. Way worse than just waking up to it, where it's natural and it's not like it's your fault. That's what I was thinking about while I sat there in bed, for like, a whole hour," he said. "It took me that long to decide I needed to tell Mom. I wasn't chicken or nothing, I was just... it's shocking, y'know?"

I nodded. "Yeah, no, that makes sense. I..." I paused for a few moments to collect my thoughts before adding in a voice louder than intended, "Why didn't you at least try to hide it from your parents?"

Rumble's face fell. "Are you... mad at me?" he asked, his voice incredulous.

"What? No!" I said, then looked away from him. "Well... no, I'm not mad. I'm just confused. I think... I think I'd try to hide it."

"Of course I thought about it, but that just pushes it off. You can't hide it forever," said Rumble. "We're still friends, right?"

"Yeah, of course we are," I said. "I wasn't friends with your balls."

"It'd be kinda weird if you were," said Rumble, making a funny face.

I laughed, despite myself. "I guess. So, what happened next?"

"Right. Well, I told her what happened, and she checked my bed and told me she was real proud of me for letting her know, and told me to take a shower and wash real good back there," he said. "Thunderlane was at 'Bolts practice so he couldn't come along with us. Dad had a migraine and asked if I needed him to come with, but I said I'd be okay without him, so it was just me and Mom."

"I never thought of it being a family thing," I said.

Rumble shrugged and carefully repositioned himself on the floor. "It's important, yeah. You're growing up and stuff," he said. "Anyway. Mom walks me to the clinic, and the whole time I've got butterflies in my stomach but it's too late for me to back out now that I've told her, so that makes it a lot easier. The doctor there was a nice guy..."

"The doctor was a gelding?"

"Yeah. That made me feel a little better about it than if it was a mare, 'cause he knows what it's like, y'know? He was kinda old, so it was probably more primitive back when they did it, though," he said. "So they took me to a clinic room, like you go when you have the flu, except they have this little table you climb onto that's only wide enough for your belly, and there's stirrups for your back hooves to sit in." Rumble stood up and posed with one of his rear hooves. "And your front legs go to the side, on these other two little tables, and then they strap everything into place."

"They tie you down?" I said, aghast.

Rumble sits back down on the floor and I listen in earnest. "They kinda have to, because they don't want you getting hurt if you accidentally jerk to the side or something. Of course, the guy just says, 'we're just going to strap you in to make sure you're comfortable', like being hogtied to a table until you can't move a muscle is the most comfortable thing in Equestria," he said, with a chuckle. "And once the straps are on I guess I'm freaking out a little, but my Mom is there and she holds my face in her hooves and she's smiling at me like she's really proud of me."

"I guess that's why they want your family there," I mumbled, and I clambered down onto the floor to sit with my friend so I could see him eye to eye.

He nods and continues. "It helps. I tried to turn my head and see behind me, but they keep the tools on a tray below you so you can't really see anything while they're doing it. Probably for the best," he said. "First he says he's gonna wash them, and he washes them and dries them and wipes something cold and wet all over them. Then he says he's going to make them numb, so I should just relax, like that's actually going to happen. He says 'little pinch' and I feel a poke and it hurts my left ball for just a fraction of a second, but then it goes numb, and he does it again to the right one. I think he poked me once at the base, too. Everything back there starts to get really numb, even my ponut. All four of my legs are shaking in place but I'm not really scared, I'm just nervous, and Mom kisses me on the nose and tells me I'm doing great."

I recoiled against the side of my bed. "That all sounds terrible! I thought you said it was no big deal?"

"That was the only bad part. And the doctor tells me that. The hard part's all over, so now all I gotta do is relax because I won't be able to feel anything. But he talks to me while he does it so I still know what's going on. He makes an insicion, pops one testicle out, then clamps the cord up inside me. It takes several minutes for the clamps to work, so it's a little boring," he said. "Mom doesn't wanna look because it's gross, but I ask her to because I'm curious. She tells me the cord is really long, and the testicle is white and slimy, and there's some blood."

I shivered in place, holding my forehooves over my balls. "Ohmygosh, that's so gross."

"Yeah. Well, after a few minutes the doctor says we're almost done, he's just going to take out the slack so I don't have an empty sac dangling around. I feel a tugging back there, and there's a sound like a huge stapler..." said Rumble, and he grinned evilly and slammed his forehooves together, "KA-CHUNK! And then the tugging sensation goes away. He does a few stitches, which I can't feel, then he sticks a bandage thing on it."

"And that's it?" I asked.

"Pretty much. Then I got my pills and we went home. Uh, and don't tell anypony else this either, but," said Rumble, looking left and right, "I cried a little after."

I frowned. "Oh colt. I'm sorry," I said.

"It's fine! I just, I dunno. It was emotional for some reason. I cried for a while but I'm okay now. I got to have lots of ice cream, and it'll heal pretty quick."

"Do they hurt?" I asked.

"There's no 'they' anymore, dude. It's a little sore, but it's way easier to sit down now. Here," he said, and tilted his pelvis back so I could see the bandage. "I have some pills that make the pain go away, and some antibiotics I gotta take too. I can't show you the scar yet because I'm not supposed to take off the bandage until tomorrow, but I'll show you then. In a couple days it won't hurt at all. They take the stitches out in a week, and that's supposed to hurt a little, but I'm an adult now. I gotta be a gelding about it and take a little pain."

I swallowed hard. "I still don't wanna do it," I said.

"Aww. You're a tough colt too," said Rumble, slugging me in the shoulder with a hoof.

"Not like you! And you cried..."

"A little," he corrected me.

"Yeah, but still. You're a year younger than me, but you're still twice as tough!"

Rumble smiled. "Heh. Yeah, I guess I am, but I gotta be. I got a brother to live up to, y'know?" He paused for a moment in thought. "Hay, you know what? Why don't I go with you when you get gelded?"

I blinked a few times. "You'd really do that?"

"Sure," he said. "You're my best friend, Feather. Getting gelded kinda sucks when you're scared, but you wouldn't have to be scared with me there."

I nodded nervously. "Yeah, I guess. Thanks."

We spent the rest of the day playing together, but as much as I tried to put it out of mind, I was constantly aware of the tiny weight swinging between my hind legs.