The Puppeteer

"What sort of bogus 'idea' is that, Match?" asked Nougat. She was sitting at the dining room table, tucking into a large plate of hayfries.

"The kind that'll get me a one way ticket through that purple whorse and into those big alien monkey's arms," replied Match.

Match lounged on a couch a short distance away from Nougat, looking out of their window and into the quiet town. She was thankful they had chosen Ponyville of all places to move in together. Life was peaceful here, all things considered, but sometimes a little slow for her taste.

Nougat groaned and glanced over her shoulder at the crimson mare. "Match, all the offence, but leave the thinking to Muddy from now on." She didn't notice the rapidly approaching clops until it was too late. "H-Hey!"

"Mmm... Thanks!" Match proclaimed as she chomped down on one of Nougat's hayfries. Nougat covered her plate with her wings and forehooves with a growl as the mares stared each other down.

Match's expression was blank, but her swishing tail gave her away - Nougat was ready for her.

As Match made another dive for Nougat's dish, the latter mare quickly scooped her entire plate of fries into her maw in one swift movement. Match froze with her hoof on the table, simply staring at Nougat's chipmunk impression with bewilderment.

Nougat placed her hooves to her waist in triumph and made a show of swishing the food around her mouth before spitting it all back out on her plate. Match remained speechless and watched as Nougat casually resumed eating.

Moments later, Muddy trotted down the stairs and approached the table. She walked past Match and asked, "Um, do you think I could have a couple of those...? I'm starving."

Nougat's pupils shrunk, her only response being a bizarre, breathy whining sound that ended in a gurgle. Muddy grabbed a few fries with her magic and daintily bit into them. "I'll take that as a 'yes'. Th-Thanks, Nougat..."

As Muddy continued past the pair and over towards the couch, Match finally thawed out and held a hoof out to her friend. "Uh..." Match quickly glanced at Nougat, and the pair made a silent agreement. "S-So what's the plan today, Muddy?"

Muddy plopped down onto the couch and brought a hoof to her lip. "Hmm... I'm not sure. I didn't have anything in particular in mind."

"Oh, well that's good," said Match, "because I was hoping we could go to the market today." Nougat began shaking her head and made a point of dropping her hooves to the table with a thud. Match did not acknowledge this, causing Muddy's brow to raise.

"Okay... Sure, we can do that. What are we going for? I'm pretty sure we're well stocked at the moment." Muddy's tone and posture gradually shifted as she spoke.

Match grinned and sat down next to Muddy. "Well, Miles and his disgusting purple 'friend' come back from the changeling kingdom today, so I suspect he'll be showing up in the marketplace at some point soon." Match's eyes half-lidded as she leered over at Muddy and whispered, "I want to show off my new hoof polish..."

Nougat groaned again, this time more explosively. "Muddy, she's just trying to suck things into her big black hole again!" Nougat turned her attention directly to Match. "And that isn't even a plan! You just want to 'show him your hoof polish'? Really?! I swear to Celestia, you're going to be looser than a changeling before the new year at this rate..."

This time it was Match's turn to growl. "Oh, please. Every stallion you've ever had was one I shared with you! Without me, you'd be a desert mare - a dry, shrivelled, lonely little pegasus drowning in her own heat."

Muddy rested her chin on a hoof and sighed as Nougat choked on a hayfry and spluttered, "Yeah?! W-Well... Well, I... Uh..." Nougat continued to stutter with a twitch of her ear, her cheeks gradually matching the hue of Match's coat as her shame spread like a stoked fire.

"You know I'm right, don't you, huh?" Match goaded with a grin.

Muddy had seen her fill. "Girls, enough," she commanded. The bickering mares immediately ceased their banter and gave Muddy their full attention. "I still haven't gotten over what happened when Miles first came to our home, but..." Match's eyes widened. "To be honest, he was brand new here at the time. He must have been stressed, and we tried to force ourselves on him."

Match looked at the floor and scuffed at the couch with her hoof. "So...?" Match peered at Muddy from the corner of her eye with her ears folded against her head.

Muddy sighed. "So, we can go and see him again today. He's been here for a few months, and we've seen him plenty already. He seems to have grown friendlier recently in the face of your repeated approaches, so..." She planted her hooves down on the couch and blew a strand of hair from her face. "Maybe you'll get lucky."

With a small jump, Match pumped a hoof into the air in victory. "Yes!!! Oh, Nougat, you'll see. Your ol' pal Match is gonna get us laid tonight. How long has it been for you, huh?" Nougat couldn't meet Match's eyes, her face contorted in embarassment. Match's smile grew lopsided. "Too long, eh? Well, don't you worry," said Match, waltzing over to Nougat's seat at the table, "mama's got you."

Nougat made small vocal protests as Match began playfully kneading her cheeks with her hooves. "How do you even know that him and Twilight aren't a thing?" asked Nougat, slapping at Match's invasive hooves. "You might be too late."

Match snickered and ruffled her amber friend's pink mane. "Hehe... Since when has a stallion being taken ever stopped me?" she quipped. Nougat frowned with a resigned sigh.

"On one condition," Muddy interrupted, causing the pair to freeze. "If you go anywhere with him, you don't go without me." Match turned around to face Muddy, the chocolate mare's tone commanding Match's limbs to draw the pair closer.

"B-But-"

"No buts. Do you understand me?" Muddy stepped into Match's space and looked up at the taller earth pony. Muddy's horn sparked to life and pulled Match's face down to her own. "Do you understand me?"

"Y-Yes, Muddy... I understand."

"See you later, Miles! We can do a review tomorrow!" chirped Twilight.

With a wave, Miles gently clicked the door to his home shut and took a deep breath. The tips of his fingers tingled, his body feeling as light as the air he displaced. Making his way over to the kitchen counter, he gently placed down his backpack and pulled its drawstring.

Once the bag opened, his lips pulled back over his front teeth. His breathing grew heavier and he pressed his tongue against the roof of his mouth. With steady hands, Miles pulled his prize from the backpack. He turned it over between his fingers, its cold touch nipping at his skin like a fond childhood memory. He ran his thumb over its tip as he sucked on his teeth.

It had been so long. So many months spent playing with these pastel ponies. Held within his grasp now was a key in all but form. A key to unlock his future, to kickstart his growth - a key to shut off the noise.

He clinked it back down into the backpack on top of its fellows and pulled the pack shut. With a crackling smile, Miles peered at his bookshelf in the hall through the kitchen doorway. Time to find out if his prize was worth the trouble.

"Where is he? Where is he; I don't see him!" Match reared up on her hind legs, placing one hoof to her hip and the other to her brow as she scanned the area for signs of the local anomaly. "Oh, look, there he is!"

The sun was setting over Ponyville, yet the marketplace still bustled with the evening rush of creatures making their purchases after school or on the way home from work. Match clopped back down to all fours and made her way through the crowd. She found herself almost knocked flat on her side as a yak to her left backed into her, but managed to make a quick adjustment and veer past with a wobble.

"Match, wait up! We can't... Ugh!" Nougat grew frustrated as a gathering of what appeared to be students from the School of Friendship flocked around a stall they were passing by. Muddy was hunkered down low at Nougat's side, avoiding the attention of the masses as much as possible.

"Muddy, we need to catch up with Match! She's disappearing into the- oof!" Nougat grunted in frustration at the changeling that had jostled her, and it scurried away sheepishly with an apologetic frown.

Nougat caught Muddy's eye. No words were exchanged, but Muddy quickly nodded her head, causing Nougat to smile in thanks.

With that, Nougat took to the air with a flap of her freshly-preened wings and scanned the marketplace in search of her blood-red friend.

Miles quickly surveyed the marketplace, surprised by just how busy it was compared to usual. Perhaps everyone simply happened to come at the same time, or perhaps it was because it was one of the first times he had visited the market without Twilight by his side. While the thought of the latter brought a smile to his face, it ultimately didn't matter.

"That'll be two bits for those, sir!" squeaked the mare behind the stall. She looked up at Miles with all the joy of a widowed gold digger. Miles smiled at the pony and reached over to place the bits in the pony's hoof. He paused with the coins between his fingertips, holding them over the pony's hoof for a few seconds longer than was necessary. Once the mare's smile began to fade, he dropped the coins into her hoof and gave her a wink.

"Thankyou, miss. I hope you have a nice rest of your day." Out of the corner of his eye, Miles spotted the red mare who had been hounding him for at least a couple of months now, and she was quickly approaching. His heart swelled with satisfaction as he turned to leave the marketplace, pretending not to have seen her. How fortunate he felt that these ponies controlled the weather; nothing would be left to chance. Yes, today would work just fine.

Miles's home was not too far from the marketplace, and so he stepped into the shade of the nearby overhanging buildings, making his way at a pace brisk enough to make some distance from the marketplace before the red mare reached him.

Once the clopping of her hooves grew close enough, Miles turned to face her with a surprised expression. "Oh! Red pony. It's good to see you. How have you been, my friend?"

Match stopped in front of the human and looked up at him with a smile. "Oh, you know... Same old stuff. Like, Nougat being a pain in my flank and just shopping around and stuff and, uh... Then I saw you and I was like, 'oh my gosh, I have to see how his trip to the changeling kingdom went', so..."

Match trailed off, lifting a hoof to her lips and blowing on it. After rubbing it on her chest fluff and turning it in the light, she glanced up at Miles's face with a sly grin - every stallion loved black hoof polish; it was just a fact. Miles noticed the gleam of her hooves, yet did not change his expression in the slightest.

"Well, thankyou for asking, miss. You see, since I appear to be stuck in this world, I suppose I had best explore as much of it as I can. After all, I'm the only human to ever have experienced it. Surely that in itself is valuable, no?" Match's eyes were partially glazed over, transfixed by his odd accent and soothing voice.

Her mind began to wander, circling around itself with little end in sight. Why did his accent sound so similar to that one grey musician mare that she didn't care to recall the name of? If he was from another world, how did he even speak the same language as everypony else? She remembered that Miles could speak more than one language, so maybe he just learned Equestrian at super speed the moment he arrived, using his amazing human powers...

Miles snapped his fingers in her face. She jumped back in surprise before shaking her head to try and recall what he had actually said. "Red pony?" asked Miles, innocently looking down at her. "Are you doing alright down there?"

"Umm..." Match held a hoof to her chin for a moment and glanced over her withers towards the marketplace. She noticed Nougat flying above the crowd, no doubt searching for her. Her mind played through scenarios in which Nougat's heckling sabotaged her current opportunity, and so she decided to cut to the chase.

Match reared up to her hind legs and placed a hoof to Miles's stomach as she leaned on him. "Well, you see... I could be doing better down there, to be honest." She fluttered her lashes and gently bit her bottom lip. "And I think it might be something you can help me with..." Match rested her head against Miles's stomach and began drawing little circles on his shirt, her mind running wild at the thought of what he might look like beneath it.

The bell of the town hall resounded for a moment, delaying Miles's response by a few seconds. During this time, he peered down at her without inclining his head. Slowly, a smile spread across his features. It was a genuine smile - one filled with excitement. That tingling feeling returned to his fingertips as he observed the raunchy mare leaning against his front.

"Is that right...? And how might I do that, dear?" Miles leaned down and scooped the mare into his arms, bridal-style. Her eyes widened in concern for a moment before the reality of the situation hit her.

Her face now beside his, Match breathed directly into Miles's face. He flexed his upper lip to the side for the briefest of moments, but Match didn't seem to notice. "Well, I think that maybe some drinks and a side couldn't hurt, if you..." Match took a brief pause. "If you're up for it?"

"Hmm..." Miles half-lidded his eyes and looked off towards the market. "I don't see why not. How ab-"

"-Can my f-friends come, too? It'd be a more varied welcome to Equestria for you..." At her interruption, Miles's eye twitched and he licked the corner of his lips.

He gently set the mare back down on her hooves and said, "Oh, I'm certain I have enough to go around. These things do tend to be merrier with more, after all." His voice retained its warmth, the offer making Match's heat come crashing down on her a season earlier than nature intended.

Match resisted the urge to do a backflip, her heart racing like steam engine. Before she could respond, however, Nougat finally zipped into view, landing beside Match with a stumble. "Match! Don't just dash off like that, you stupid bimbo! You'll have plenty of time to feed your black hol..." Nougat trailed off as she just now noticed the massive presence looming over the pair of them.

A loud crash could be heard in the distance, but Nougat's attention was focused solely on the human before her. After staring for a few moments, she chuckled reservedly and said, "Oh, uh. Hi, Miles, h-how are you? And uh... And stuff."

Miles smiled at her and replied, "I'm splendid. Thankyou for asking." He straightened his shirt sleeves, dusted down his front and ran a hand through his hair. "Match?"

Match's ears perked up. "Yeah?"

"My place at ten. Not a minute earlier and not a second later; I have things to prepare." He winked at her, and though her eyes remained wide open, she found herself winking back.

"Okay... Yeah. We'll be there!" With that, Miles set off walking towards his home once more. Match turned to Nougat with a giddy expression, her legs but crumbling columns struggling to bear her weight.

Match nestled her face against that of her friend and began to excitedly whisper, "Nougat, I did it! After months, I won him over..." She lifted a foreleg to observe her shining black hoof. "I knew the polish would do it! And you doubted me! Me!"

Nougat grumbled beneath her breath and turned to leave. The sun had mostly set, leaving the marketplace rustling with a few straggling ponies and the paper remnants of wasted grocery bags dropped in the chaos. Match bumped Nougat with her hip and raised her eyebrows a couple of times.

Nougat rolled her eyes and continued her march across the marketplace. "I still think he's a weirdo..."

Match mimicked her gesture and replied, "Well, duh. He's an alien - that's kinda the point." She wrapped a hoof around her friend's neck. "Just think, we'll be the first ponies in the history of Equestria to tumble in the hay with an alien. And a hot one, at that!"

Nougat scrunched up her muzzle and said, "I'm not so sure about that last part, but uh... I guess you're right. Mostly."

"Of course I'm right, featherbrain. You liked him too when he first got here, so don't give me that. Now, we don't have long, so we shou-" The pair skidded to a halt when they noticed Muddy leaning back against one of the tomato stalls at the far end of the marketplace. She stood with her hind legs crossed and her forelegs folded across her chest.

Nougat blew a small raspberry at the sight. "All you're missing is the stetson and a sprig of hay!" Match laughed along with her as Muddy dropped back down to all fours.

"Yes, very funny. So, how did it go, girls? Judging by your attitudes, do I even need to ask?" droned Muddy.

Match pursed her lips and sashayed over to Muddy's side. "Well, all I'll say is that we're gonna have a busy night tonight!"

Muddy sighed and smiled at her friend. "I said I'll be going with you - not that I'll be joining in."

Match raised her eyebrows and whistled. "Whew, kinky," she said. "Never thought you were one for watching from the wardrobe, Muddy."

Nougat involuntarily spat once again as she exploded into laughter.

Muddy shook her head and made to leave the now barren, darkened marketplace. And yet, she couldn't help but chuckle. The joyful looks on their faces were worth every moment.

Heavy rain pelted down on the quiet town in a barrage of chaotic, and yet soothing ambience. The trio had not seen a single pony on their hurried trip over to the resident alien's abode, as was to be expected.

"Hey, Muddy, how do I look?" Match inspected her hooves and did a quick spin in place.

"You look just as gorgeous as ever, Match," replied Muddy. Muddy reached out towards the large, foreboding door and prepared to knock. Nougat watched Muddy with a furrowed brow, noticing her friend's hoof quiver ever so slightly.

Match quickly grabbed Muddy's hoof and yanked it away from the door. "Wait! Are you sure? We got a little bit wet, even with the umbrella... Does my mane look o-uck!" Nougat smacked her friend upside the head with a wing. Match glared at her, but said nothing.

Muddy briefly glanced at her friends before rubbing her brow. "Girls, come on. You wanted this, so you'd better not just spend the whole night fighting. I won't be covering for you on that." She looked upwards. "Thank Celestia he has a sheltered porch..."

Match paused and raised a brow. "Whuh? I thought covering for us is why you said you were coming along," questioned Match. When Muddy didn't respond, she continued, "We know he's friendly, anyway, since he's been here for a while now and he's pretty popular around town. Just relax, Muddy."

Muddy sighed. "Yes, I know. But at the same time, you never know. So I'm here, just in case." Once again, Muddy faced the door and prepared to knock.

She had noticed they were unable to see through the large window at the front of the house that overlooked the porch upon which they now stood. Thoughts of what that could mean ate at her mind, muddying her brain and causing her to hesitate. As she paused with her hoof in the air, she could have sworn she heard an audible creaking of her foreleg even above the white noise of the late, stormy night.

Before her hoof could make contact, Match excitedly reached across and knocked first. When Muddy shot her an irritated glance, Match grinned before attempting to check her makeup in the reflection of her own hoof polish.

As the mares felt a soft thudding somehow permeating onto the porch from inside the house, Muddy once again felt an odd twisting sensation in her stomach. In her brief panic, she considered coming up with an excuse to pull her friends away from this engagement. Upon catching the excited glint in match's eye, however, Muddy locked her jaw in place.

She was being ridiculous, she told herself. Had she learned nothing from this town's history? Miles had been in Ponyville for months; if he meant anypony any harm, he would have done it by now.

The door swung open to reveal an immaculately dressed biped. His emerald-green eyes pierced through the darkness and immediately landed squarely upon Muddy's face. For a few moments, he said nothing, simply staring at Muddy with a smile.

Match glanced at Muddy with a frown and quickly looked over herself once more. A distant crow's call jerked Muddy back to reality. She opened her mouth to speak, yet before she could so much as inhale, Miles leaned against the frame of the door and said, "Good evening, ladies."

Match looked the man up and down, licking her lips as she greedily drank in the sight of his form-fitting white shirt. Just what exactly did he feed those muscles? She lightly shoved her way in front of Muddy and purred, "Well hello there, Mr. Alien. Mind if we come in? Thanks." Match slithered around Miles and made her way into his home. Muddy noticed a small wave of something flash from behind his optical windows.

The look on Miles's face immediately morphed into an expression of joy, however, as he stepped to the side and ushered the other two mares in. "Oh, but of course; come on in out of the rain," he said. "Make yourselves at home."

He held out a hand and presented his living space to Muddy and Nougat. "I will be through in just a moment, since, despite my specific instruction, you're a couple of minutes early." He offered a hand towards the umbrella Nougat was holding. Unable to meet his eyes, she shyly let him take it. "So, go and get yourselves settled. Can I get you anything?"

"How about an apple cider?" called Match's fetching voice from the living room. Miles smiled down at the other two mares in wordless question.

"Uh, I'll have the same, I guess. Or, whatever, y'know..." Nougat scuffed a hoof on the floor, unable to make eye contact.

Muddy wrapped a hoof over her friend's withers and looked Miles in the eye. With a wink, she said, "Make that three."

Miles clapped his hands and said, "Alright, no problem. I'll be right back."

Miles's brogue boots met the hardwood flooring with satisfying thuds as he made his way down the hall. Muddy took a moment to observe her surroundings. The interior had style, that was for sure. From the hazel tones of the floorboards and the lighter beige tones of the walls, all the way to the hand-crafted console table and the framed mirror hanging above it, this hallway certainly seemed to indicate a home that was held with a degree of pride.

As they made their way into the living room, Muddy took note of the intricately-decorated fireplace and the classy furniture. While the furnishings were indeed minimal, their arrangement with an accompanying coffee table gave the room a warm and inviting atmosphere.

What struck her as odd, however, was the fact that the windows were all firmly covered with what appeared to be thick curtains. Even the walls of the living space appeared to be partially covered in dark, padded, admittedly cosy-looking fabric. That must have been why she was unable to see through the large porch window.

Though this gave her pause for a moment, she quickly remembered why they were here in the first place. In light of that, Miles most likely just wanted to make sure they would have privacy for the night. She couldn't help but feel a small smile cross her lips.

Match sat upon one of the sofas beside the fireplace, the warm glow of its burning embers turning her deep red coat into an endearing bronze. She turned to the other two mares with some crackers in her mouth and attempted to communicate. "Thit down, girlth. Mmthf gud." Muddy glowered in her direction, and so Match quickly swallowed her mouthful and said, "Ahem, uh. I mean, sit down, girls! You have to try these crackers; it's real important."

"No, it's not," retorted Nougat, peering down at the pony-shaped crackers with distaste.

"Uh, yeah it is," spewed Match, with irritation. "You can't sit down at a stallion's place, where he's clearly set out food for us to try, and just not try it!"

"She's got a point, Nougat," said Muddy.

Nougat huffed a lock of her mane out of her face and muttered, "Mmf, whatever, fine..."

"You okay there, Nougat?" Muddy placed a hoof over that of her friend. Nougat looked into her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm okay. You seemed tense before, so I was just... I dunno... I'm nervous."

"Why's that? I was just being silly earlier - worrying over nothing." Muddy asked in the most cheerful tone she could muster. The effect was instantaneous as she noticed her friend's head lift slightly.

Match stuffed another few crackers in her mouth with a chuckle and said, "I fink I knoe why..."

Nougat snarled in Match's direction before returning her attention to Muddy. "Well, it's just... It's been a w-while for me."

Match heartily guffawed. "Baha! Aww, does the widdle filly want me to hold her hoof while she does it?"

Muddy flinched back in her seat with a deadpan expression when Nougat suddenly lashed across the table at her jeering tormentor. In doing so, Muddy noticed some framed pictures sitting upon the mantle of the fireplace. Most of them appeared to feature Miles posing with Princess Twilight and the other elements in some way. They certainly appeared happy together...

Match appeared to follow Muddy's gaze, and so Muddy quickly reached out to grab some crackers. Match's attention was immediately pulled back to her. "See, now you're gettin' it!" cheered Match.

"You know, for a 'lady', you sure don't act or speak very ladylike..." muttered Nougat. At Match's resulting sneer, Muddy noticed Nougat's demeanour gradually begin to brighten, and so in turn did her own. Perhaps this could be a good night, after all.

The trio was interrupted as a thudding sound with a familiar cadence approached from the hall. Miles gently pushed the door open with his shoulder, as his hands were occupied with carrying four fizzling drinks. Match and Nougat froze and stared at him, their hooves tangled in each other's mane. In a panic, Match shoved Nougat back, setting the pair at opposite sides of the coffee table once more.

Miles chuckled throatily, causing Muddy to facehoof once she noticed Match swoon. "So, ladies," said Miles, "who ordered the apple cider?" Match and Nougat glanced at each other in confusion and Muddy met Miles's eye with a chuckle.

"Oh, I don't know... Just put 'em on the table and we'll fight amongst ourselves, big guy," said Muddy, jovially.

"Be my guest." Miles set the drinks down on their respective placemats and took a seat beside Match. Across from them sat Nougat, with Muddy sitting to his left on a padded recliner. Immediately, Match latched onto his arm and settled in.

Miles glanced down at her, his expression unchanging. Nougat fiddled with her hooves and looked to her left and right, appearing somewhat isolated. Muddy hopped over to Nougat's sofa and seated herself with her friend.

The ticking of an intricately-crafted wooden clock on the wall to Match's right filled the silence, providing a gentle rhythm to enhance the crackle of the fire. Muddy noticed a distinct lack of pattering against the windows... Perhaps the fire was merely drowning it out.

Miles gently pulled his arm from Match's grip and instead wrapped it around her frame, pulling her body against his waist. Muddy watched with curiosity, while Nougat continued to fiddle with her hooves, albeit more rapidly.

Miles looked down at Match with affection and spoke so quietly that Muddy had to strain an ear to catch it. "So, what do you think of the place? A bit of a hodge-podge, I know."

"Oh, it's beautiful! You did an amazing job," replied Match, as she flicked her mane over her shoulder and immediately changed the subject. "S-So, I've been wondering... How do humans-"

Muddy zoned out of their conversation and focused her attention on Nougat. She was here for support, after all, and match appeared to be doing just fine. "Hey," whispered Muddy, "seriously, Nougat - loosen up. There's nothing to worry about."

"I know, but... What if I'm no good? Stallions find me boring. A-And what if we're not even compatible like... That..." muttered Nougat.

Muddy chuckled with affection. "Oh, Nougat. If he has a penis, then you're compatible. And I'm pretty sure he's a mammal, so please just stop worrying. See, watch this..." Muddy turned her attention to Miles and Nougat's expression quickly turned to one of concern. "You have a penis, right, Miles?" Nougat's eyes widened and her cheeks flared like the roaring flame of the fireplace.

"Muddy! Stop!" Nougat shouted with indignation, yet her tone and the tiny smile on her lips told a different story.

Muddy giggled at her friend's expense. Upon Muddy's question, Miles turned his attention away from Match and raised an eyebrow. "This is not the place for silly questions, brown pony," he said with a wink in Nougat's direction. Nougat tucked her forehooves into her lap and stared intently at the floor, wishing she could just shrivel up and sink into the cracks of the sofa.

Nougat remained silent, and so Miles returned his attention to Match, who had been waiting with an impatient look on her face. As they resumed talking, Muddy hooked a hoof around Nougat's shoulders and said, "Now come on. Let's try each other's apple cider and see which one is better."

Nougat raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, I'm pretty sure they're exactly the same."

"Only one way to find out! Here, try mine." Muddy focused her attention on her glass and picked it up with her magic.

Or at least, that was the plan. The glass did not move an inch. She frowned before trying again several times, and yet the glass still would not budge. Muddy felt an uneasy twisting in her stomach.

"Muddy? What's wrong?" Nougat's tone did little to loosen the knot in Muddy's gut, and yet Muddy still lifted her attention from the glass to respond. As she did so, however, she caught Miles's eye. What she saw caused the twisting pressure to spread to her bladder.

As Match continued to natter by his side and munch on the pony crackers, Miles's mouth had twisted into a subtle, lopsided smile. He held her gaze with such intensity that all air in the room turned to tar. Her breathing grew laboured and her muscles were suddenly held in sticky bondage.

The only mobility remaining in Muddy's body ran from her brain to her eyeballs, and so she could do nothing but watch as Miles reached across and swiped one of the pony-shaped crackers from the table.

He placed a thumb to the cracker's leg and slowly applied pressure. After several long, agonising seconds, it snapped off and into his waiting palm. He glanced at Match and spoke, yet Muddy hadn't the slightest idea what either of them had said. Still held in stasis, Muddy continued to observe, her breathing picking up speed and her senses growing numb.

She needed more oxygen.

Miles locked eyes with Muddy once more, and snapped off the pony's remaining legs. She could see him savouring the taste as he rubbed them against the roof of his mouth with his tongue until they disintegrated completely. Some distant part of her subconscious mind could feel a shoving in her left side, yet she paid it no attention. The world remained silent to her.

With all the speed of a sleeping dragon, Miles brought the pony's head to his waiting maw and paused. After a few seconds, he crunched down on the pony's neck, severing its head while simultaneously reattaching that of Muddy.

With a gasp, Muddy looked to her left at Nougat's pleading expression, yet felt the searing gaze of the gargantuan human flaying the skin from her right cheek. "Muddy... W-What's wrong...?" whimpered Nougat, now appearing almost as panicked as Muddy felt.

"Nothing... Nothing's wrong."

"W-Well why are you-"

Nougat was interrupted by a loud clap. "Okay, well. I think that should be enough chatter," said Miles, with finality. Muddy almost lost her dinner as her eyes quickly scanned the room. Her brain kicked into overdrive, instincts taking over.

Where were the exits? Could they take him on together if she called this off and he attacked them? Should she keep playing along? When was the time to act? Was he just messing with her? A million thoughts flooded her mind in an instant, and yet, they all battled against each other. As a result, she froze up once again.

"Let's get to the main event, shall we?" purred Miles.

Match grinned at him and gave Muddy a disapproving glance. "Sounds good to me, handsome. Now, how about you show me what you've got under ther- oop!" Match squeaked as Miles picked her up and set her on his lap, their faces now a mere salt lick apart.

"Good pony. I want to watch your face closely when I do this. You ponies are far more expressive than my fellow human ever was," growled Miles with a deep-seated hunger.

At Miles's words, Muddy felt her muscles spasm once again and urge her to leap across the table and pull her friend away. Yet, her base instincts dragged her in the opposite direction - he was huge; there was simply no way.

Match, now happily straddling Miles's lap, bit her lip and panted. She was more excited than she had ever been in her life. As he held her hooves to her sides with those obscenely powerful 'hands' of his, she felt herself almost reaching her peak right there on the spot.

Nougat held her hooves to her chest and quivered as she glanced between Muddy and the rowdy pair across from them.

Muddy's heart pounded in her throat, and yet she couldn't find the will to act. Why couldn't she just move? She had to do something... Right?

As Match licked her lips and began clumsily fiddling with Miles's belt using her clumsy hooves, she felt the human's hands slide up from her waist, over her shoulders and then settle firmly on her neck. He gripped her gently, and rubbed at her throat with a thumb.

Match's breath hitched for a moment at first, taken by surprise, but she swiftly recovered. "Mmmf... K-Kinky! Eheh-erk!" Match spluttered, but soon found her air cut off. She smiled at Miles awkwardly for a moment as he started to squeeze her neck with greater force.

Gradually, as seconds passed, Match's expression went through several stages. What first was excitement transformed to confusion, and once she felt her eyes begin to bulge and water - abject horror.

"H-Hey... Hey, let go of her! What are... W-" Muddy's voice caught in her throat, the very concept of the current situation lying beyond her scope of possibility. Things like this just didn't happen - it couldn't be happening.

Miles glared directly into Match's soul, greedily feeding on every moment, and every detail of his victim's struggle. From what he had been told, earth ponies were supposedly the strongest race of these creatures, and yet, as her hooves frantically kicked into his stomach, he felt very little.

"Match!!! Match, keep fighting him! Somepony, HELP!!!" Muddy had broken from her stupor, shouting out to potential rescuers. With a roar, she charged the human. Despite these vocalisations, the terror in her brow was evident; Miles drank such details in with a heady bout of exaltation. He grinned with delight and stood to his feet, still holding the struggling mare out in front of him.

As Muddy reached the towering man's form, she directed her horn towards his flesh in a desperate effort to gore him. With a speed seemingly impossible for a creature of his size, Miles freed up a hand to reach down and grab Muddy's horn, ceasing her charge. She found herself completely stationary, with Miles's large hand wrapped around her bony appendage.

In a panic, Muddy attempted to rip her horn free of his steel grip, but the effortlessness with which he held on brought tears to her eyes. With her fight response failed, her instincts screamed at her to flee, and yet she could not. Her legs scraped and burned, the noise they produced clouding her sense of restraint and focusing every ounce of her being into that one singular goal.

Now being held out to Miles's side, Match kicked at his arm with all her strength, her mighty earth pony hooves rapidly losing their power as she began to lose consciousness. Miles took note of this, and so finally loosened his death-grip.

The moment Match wheezed in a gulping breath, he swung all of his weight into his arm. The resulting choke-slam ragdolled Match through the coffee table and into the gaping jaws of darkness.

"MATCH!!! Celestia, no! NO!" Muddy's hooves scrambled and scuffed at the carpet, and yet the keratin of her hooves caused nothing but violent slips. With every movement, Miles's grip on her horn strengthened even further.

The man cast a glance down to Match and sniffed as he twitched his upper lip in satisfaction. Left alone with Muddy, Miles now lifted the squirming pony by her horn and brought her all the way up to his eye level.

With her hooves now dangling at least a couple of feet off the floor, Muddy's squirming did nothing but weaken her aching muscles further. Miles looked her dead in the eye and said, "How are we feeling, brown pony? Where is that little shy version of yourself? I feel as though I have not seen her in a while."

Muddy swung her right hoof into Miles's jaw, but she may as well have been trying to strike down a castle. Upon this revelation, tears began to stream like waterfalls from her eyes. She sniffled and choked, all four of her short legs curling up into her torso in an instinctive effort to protect her core.

"W-Why...? Why? Why us...?" Muddy's voice now shrivelled to a whisper. Her view drifted over to her fallen friend. Match remained out cold, with several large, splintered pieces of wood lodged into her flesh.

Miles chuckled incredulously and brought his thumb to Muddy's eye. He affectionately wiped the tears from her eyes and gave her an inviting smile. With all the kindness of a father reading to his child before bed, he said, "Oh, little pony... It's really quite simple..."

He set her down on the floor and let go of her horn. Muddy's eyes widened, and yet she did not run. What was the point? He was too close. As she slumped down and attempted to meld with the fibres of the carpet, she prayed to sweet Celestia that he would give her time to reason with him.

As Miles opened his mouth to continue, a loud crash rumbled from the hall. With a single step, he reached the door past Muddy and shoved through into the hallway. Muddy's eyed widened in horrific realisation.

"Ah, the golden one. Don't you know - that's the selfish way out. Hmm... Your red friend said something about you joining in on the fun tonight." Miles took a step towards Nougat and spread his arms. "So, come on. Let's play."

Nougat eyed the front door feverishly. After toppling the bookshelf blocking its path, all she had to do next was... Her heart convulsed. Miles had not come for her yet, and she was standing right by the door, which meant...

Miles retracted his arms and folded them across his chest. His expression grew disappointed. "Well? It looked like you were leaving. I understand if I'm not good enough for you, so go right ahead." With quivering hooves, Nougat reached for the handle and attempted to leave. She slowly closed her eyes, lowered her head and bit her bottom lip - locked. Of course it was.

"Oh! I almost forgot," chirped Miles, as he pulled a key from his pocket. He stepped over to Nougat, forcing her into the corner of the hall. She shrivelled up as small as she possibly could, retracting from the invading alien's massive body as much as possible. Her eyes grew wide and she could feel her pulse throbbing through her hooves.

"Here you are." He made to pass the key to her, but just as her hoof touched it, he pulled it back into his palm and closed his fingers around it. "On one condition: Tell your mud friend here..." Miles marched back into the living room, only to find Muddy absent. He paused upon hearing a thudding sound coming from the kitchen. Upon closer inspection, he found Muddy standing on the kitchen counter, bucking the boards covering the kitchen window.

Muddy's body seized, and once her eyes caught his, she suddenly let loose a harrowing scream. It was the scream of a mare on her last legs - the scream of a damned soul approached by the ferryman.

She turned her head to direct her voice at the boarded window, yet did not let Miles out of her sight. He folded his arms and leaned against the door frame as he watched her with interest.

She once again found herself praying - praying that anypony would hear her cries and send help. Even as her vocal cords flexed to near the point of tearing, she continued to wail. Soon, these wails died down to shouting sobs, the miserable kind projected by those with all hope strangled and devoured.

Miles shook his head and made to grab her by the horn once again. "You know, I'm glad that you in particular have a built-in handle. It makes this somewhat simpler for me."

"Wh-What did you do to my..." Muddy's voice croaked. "...My magic..."

"I just made it disappear, little one. With a poof. Like magic." As Miles stepped back into the hallway, he slung Muddy before the still-quivering Nougat with a meaty thud.

Miles leaned down and cupped Muddy's face by the muzzle, pushing up her cheeks with his index finger and thumb. He presented her damp, snotty face to Nougat and said, "Tell your mud friend here that you're leaving her to die."

Nougat visibly flinched. She closed her eyes and broke down into trembling sobs. Miles used his free hand to dangle the key beside Muddy's head, a slight smile masking his calm features. Blinking through the tears, Nougat could make out the form of the key, and with a shaky voice, she muttered, "M-Muddy... I'm so sor-ry... I... I- I'm leaving you to... T-To..."

"That is not what I told you to say, animal." He looked down at the floorboards beneath Nougat's flanks and scrunched his nose in disgust. "Consider yourself lucky I don't make you clean up your piss before you leave..." His tone continued to remain unnervingly calm. The fur on Nougat's back prickled.

Nougat sobbed several more times, her breathing coming fast and hard. Miles whipped out a hand and grabbed her by her pink mane, forcing her face directly before Muddy's. Her friend's expression was completely defeated, her eyes glazed and empty.

"Now say it!!!" roared Miles. Nougat's eyes flicked over to Miles's suddenly enraged face, her bloodshot eyes shrinking to pinpricks.

"I-I'm leaving you to die..." murmured Nougat.

"I don't think she heard you. Say it louder. And then once you have scurried scurried out through that door, announce it to the whole town. Tell everyone that you left your friends to die!"

"I'm leaving you to die!!!" screamed Nougat, a second torrent of urine dampening the hazel boards beneath her hooves.

"Good girl!" cheered Miles, his voice shaking the walls and the boards beneath Nougat's hooves. He tossed Muddy off to the side and presented Nougat with the key once more. "Off you pop now, miss," he said, his voice warm and calm once more.

Nougat took the key while making sure not to make contact with his flesh, and scrambled to her quaking hooves. She placed the key in the lock and to her immense relief found that it fit. Continually, she glanced over at Miles, making sure he remained in place as she clumsily fiddled with the lock.

Her tail tucked between her legs, as the threat of an approach at any moment created phantom pain in her lower back. Once she heard a click, a small smile graced her lips that contrasted with her furrowed brow, and she made to open the door by its handle. Her rugged breathing grew more intense, as freedom was mere moments away.

Without use of her wings, Nougat found herself taking to the air. In a split second, an ocean of agony came crashing down upon her skull as her brains were scrambled and every direction became indistinguishable, as though drowning underwater.

Muddy agonisingly climbed to her hooves and backed away, what strength she had been reserving returned to her. As Miles repeatedly and viciously slammed Nougat's head into the wall of the hallway, Muddy reached the door to the living room. Doing her best to block out her friend's feverish wheezing and the slicked splattering of her head's collisions with the wall, she looked inside the living room.

What she found was Match, still passed out in a pool of her own blood. The sight gave Muddy brief pause, and yet she prepared to make a play for her own life.

As Muddy continued to stare at what may very well be the corpse of one of her dearest friends, a wet hand made its home around the side of her neck, nestling into her fur affectionately. "You know what I find quite humourous about that over there, little Muddle?"

Muddy's eyes painfully dragged across the room and up to meet a pair of gentle, beady eyes. "W-What?" she whispered.

Miles smacked his lips and regarded Muddy's feral expression with one of calm and sincerity. "With the colour of its coat, it almost looks like a pony-shaped ice-pop, melting by the fire." Muddy blinked. "Do you think we could get those little splinters out of it with a pair of tweezers?"

With no warning, Muddy dashed away into the kitchen, running as fast as her exhausted legs would take her. Miles simply watched with a chuckle, giving her a decent lead. "Alright," he said, "you are still prey animals after all, I suppose." He opened the hallway's dresser and pulled out a hammer. He lowered his stance and bolted after her like a freight train. His expression had morphed to one of unhinged joy, his pearly-white teeth glinting in the remaining light of the dimming fire from the living room.

Muddy scanned every inch of each and every room she skittered through. To her dismay, all she could find were boarded doors and windows, and thick fabrics lining the walls. The skin of her rump tingled with anxiety as she heard the behemoth stampeding through an adjacent room.

After skidding to a halt in what appeared to be an strangely pristine workshop space, Muddy whipped around to find Miles approaching from behind her. The sheer weight behind his charge and the enormous sound of his thudding feet almost fossilised her bones where she stood.

Thinking on her hooves, she bounded over to the door and whammed it shut. She slammed its bolt lock across and moved over to a workbench on one side of the room. She huddled beneath it, eyes spinning in her head as she searched for any means of escape or defence as she prepared for him to enter the room.

To Muddy's horror, the cacophonous thundering of Miles's approach did not slow. Her shoulders tensed, and she prepared to bank everything on her next move.

She had no time to think, however, as Miles exploded through the door with an earth-shattering crack, sending it soaring across the room where it boomed against the opposite wall before finally coming to rest. He immediately set his sights upon the miniature mare and gave her a raising of the eyebrows. Reaching over to a nearby workbench, Miles grabbed a second hammer.

With a hammer now in each hand, Miles crept towards Muddy with a hunched posture. His immense musculature rippled beneath his now blood-spattered white shirt, its seams screaming in protest.

Once he had come close, but not too close, Muddy bolted out from under the workbench and skimmed the outside edge of the semi-circular room, clamouring over the fallen door with a noisy rumble. Miles roared with gusto and took a swing at her as she passed him. His hammer caught her left flank, almost toppling her with its force compounding on her effort to dodge.

Now back out into the hallway, Muddy found no solution as to where to go next. The front door was covered with the bookshelf once more, and the key was nowhere to be seen. She had checked every single room, and had found no escape. Her leg now bled profusely, most of its feeling gone.

The walls of the hallway appeared to shunt and gradually begin squeezing the space-time between them as her body neared its limit. The effects of shock were closing in, fast.

Miles slowly approached from behind the diminutive mare, now straightened and less aggressive. He stood directly behind Muddy, her shadow being completely consumed by the human's murky darkness. As soon as all seemed lost, she noticed something to her left... A passageway.

Judging from the marks on the wall surrounding it, the bookshelf fallen by the door likely sat here most of the time, covering a door almost indistinguishable from the wall it was built into. With legs barely obeying her commands, Muddy limped over to the supposed door, with Miles casually and silently matching her stride as she went. With a trembling hoof, she pushed it open.

What she was met with was a pitch blackness so deep that it sucked all remaining warmth from her body. Its mysteries both threatened the end and promised the world.

With nowhere else left to go, Muddy stood in the doorway and peered into the endless dark, barely able to remain standing. Her eyes began to roll, threatening to leave her completely defenceless as their lids drooped.

The slope of the ceiling just across the threshold suggested a descent. Perhaps, should she take the step, she would end up in Tartarus and suffer forevermore. Or maybe, just maybe, she would wake up tucked in bed beside her dearest friends - warm, comfortable and loved.

With an exhausted smile, muddy lifted a hoof and made to step down into whatever fate had in store.

After barely registering a force to the back of her neck, she found herself sinking, drifting off into the void below.