Bruises and Bitemarks

I felt the sunlight bathing my fluffy chest as my eyes were still closed for a little longer, then they fluttered open as I stared at the wall before me. Hopefully I didn’t keep the pony waiting at the lobby too long, but I knew I didn’t have anything to fret about. Getting up, I took a brief bath and soaped myself from tail to muzzle, drying myself off and making sure I didn’t miss anything before leaving the room. True, a spell could’ve made the process several minutes shorter, but there was just something about dousing yourself in hot water and soaping all the germs away. There were no words for such a mundane yet therapeutic experience.

Not willing to sweat my way down the stairs, I used a short teleportation spell to the lobby where two ponies were waiting for me. To the left side of the tables was Auburn with a small mug of coffee between her hooves, and to the right side of the tables was a bright-eyed deep blue stallion with a frizzy peach mane. He was Deep Sea, a classmate of Artsy’s that Auburn had never met. Such were necessary variables to my plan. He averted his gaze from mine and chewed on hay as I walked closer to Auburn’s table. Auburn’s eyes lit up as she waved her left hoof at me, as if I wasn’t just hooves away from her table. I swear, the sooner the morning was over, the sooner my headache would subside.

I nodded at her with a forced smile, walking past her and piling my plate with many strips of hay bacon, mixed berries, and pancakes with a glass of cranberry juice before I sat down at Auburn’s table. Auburn looked at my drink before looking up at me.

“No coffee?” Auburn asked.

“Nah, I don’t drink caffeine,” I told her. “So, you sleep well?”

“Mmhmm, best sleep in months,” Auburn beamed. “You?”

“It was okay,” I shrugged. “If you finished breakfast already, you should probably talk to Artsy now. I’m sure the mare is worried sick about you.”

“Didn’t Alabaster tell her where I was at?” Auburn frowned.

Heh, dumb bitch.

“What makes you think that?” I tilted my head. “She might’ve reassured her that you were safe, but Alabaster had no idea where we were at.”

“Oh no,” Auburn groaned. “I better go find her, will you be alright by yourself?”

“I always am,” I tried my best to keep my voice level as she stood out of her chair. “See ya.”

Auburn froze, her eyes widening as she slightly opened her mouth, before shaking her head and galloping out of the lobby. She’d get over it in a few days, me and her would’ve been nothing but a trainwreck anyhow. I looked across from me, and Deep Sea picked up his plate with his teeth as he walked over to my table and sat right next to me.

“So,” I turned to him. “Is Deep Sea still sick and staying home?”

“Yep, the school won’t let him back for another three days,” ‘Deep Sea’ grinned.

“Very good, then you will go to the Equality Club today and talk to Artsy about Auburn kissing me outside the restaurant,” I explained. “If she’s not convinced, just let me know. I have several backup plans.”

“Heh, I wouldn’t expect otherwise,” ‘Deep Sea’ snickered. “Shall we get to class?”

“You can go on without me,” I told him, glancing at the lobby desk. “I’ve got some catching up to do.”

“Before I go,” ‘Deep Sea’ leaned over, whispering. “Are you positive about attending Equality Club today? As soon as I break it to her, she’ll come at you like a bull seeing red.”

“I hope she does,” I giggled. “Remember her last conversation with Cornflower and Silk Scarf?”

‘Deep Sea’s eyes widened before he gave a wide grin.

“Oh my goodness, that’d be hysterical to watch,” ‘Deep Sea’s grin faltered a little as he put his hoof on my shoulder. “But I’ll have to intervene if they don’t, okay?”

“I understand,” I nodded, giving ‘Deep Sea’ a hug before he got up and left. As I munched on a bite of pancake and several berries, I watched as Silver Spoon leaped from her chair and galloped to my table, pulling out a chair and sitting down. Her hooves leaped onto the table’s surface, her bright eyes staring at me as she lunged forward.

“Tell me everything,” Silver Spoon insisted.

After I left Panphoria to speak to the silver mare, I let my blue pony disguise drop as I took on the form of Alabaster once more. I wore her skin till the last class, and as the bell rang, I grinned as I made a beeline for the nearest restroom. Opening it and locking the door behind me, I took on the form of Deep Sea again. Exiting the restroom, I saw Panphoria walking into Equality Club with an extra trot in her hooves and a grin that held back sharp teeth. As she went inside, I followed and my heart dropped as I didn’t see Artsy nor her marefriend in the classroom. Panphoria looked over her shoulder, her eyes wide. Before I could speak, I heard a messy clashing of sounds out in the hallway. I stepped back, and saw Artsy and Auburn further down the hall, the pegasus dickmare leaning close to Auburn as the shaking mare had her butt pressed against the wall.

“What did she do to you? What did she say about me?” Artsy growled as Auburn shook her head.

“I promise, she didn’t hurt me!” Auburn cried. “Artsy, please! You’re scaring me!”

“Um, if I could interrupt? I promise it’d be worth your time,” I stepped forward. Auburn’s eyes flashed as she made eye contact with me, and she turned back to Artsy.

“On second thought, maybe we could keep talking. Away from that stallion,” Auburn told her, but Artsy wasn’t looking at her anymore. The tall mare turned to me and took several steps forward.

“What do you know?” Artsy narrowed her eyes.

“I thought you should have the right to be informed,” I paused several seconds to allow the slut an opportunity to speak on her own behalf, but no such luck. “That I saw your marefriend kiss Panphoria outside of one of the restaurants nearby.”

“Panphoria kissed me!” Auburn squealed, and I shook my head.

“I was looking before anything happened, because I was about to say hi to you two when I saw you lunge for her lips,” I explained, before looking back at Artsy. “I’m sorry you had to hear it from me. Best of luck to you.”

I turned away and took a turn in the hallway, transforming back into Alabaster and deciding to wait a few moments before returning to the hallway. Grinning, I could hear Artsy’s thunderous voice from where I stood.

“YOU SAID SHE DIDN’T DO ANYTHING TO YOU!” Artsy’s bellow rang throughout all the classrooms and halls. I could hear Auburn bursting into sobs and choked begs for the screaming mare to stop, before I heard a door opening nearby.

“What the fuck is going on?” I heard Cornflower in addition to several hoofsteps and pawsteps approaching the two. As I walked back into the hallway, I arrived just in time to see Artsy’s wide eyes landing on Panphoria, who was standing behind Cornflower and Silk Scarf as they witnessed the mare towering over her shivering marefriend, who looked smaller than a mouse.

“YOU!” Artsy snarled, bulldozing Cornflower and Silk Scarf out of the way as she rampaged towards my dearest friend. Before I could throw her against a wall, Panphoria’s horn lit up as Artsy froze mid-air. The yellow unicorn shook her head.

“What is the meaning of this?” Panphoria demanded, and I was ready for her next words to seal the fate of their relationship. “There’s nothing wrong with a little casual sex, she told me you’d get over it anyway.”

Artsy gave a sharp inhale as she managed to glance at Auburn over her shoulder, the orange mare’s jaw dropping as she looked at Panphoria. Cornflower and Silk Scarf looked at each other, then at Artsy’s frozen form.

“Panphoria, take her to the headmare’s office,” Cornflower ordered. “I’ll send my mother over there to help handle the situation. Silk Scarf, you escort Auburn home and make sure she’s alright. And you…”

Cornflower’s gaze looked like a predator about to rip into its prey alive as they stared hard at Artsy.

“...are no longer allowed anywhere near this club,” Cornflower hissed, their tail flicking like a whip. “Get her out of my sight.”

“On it,” Panphoria turned away, trotting down the hallway as she glanced at me. “Oh hey Alabaster, I got to get Artsy to the headmare’s office. Wanna come with me?”

“Sure,” I skipped to her side as she carried Artsy in a ball of magic floating above us. “What happened? I heard a lot of yelling.”

“Oh, Artsy here is just pissed that I got freaky with her marefriend,” Panphoria shrugged as she glanced up at Artsy. “Why so quiet? You seemed to have a lot to say back there.”

“Fuck off,” Artsy snarled. “You won’t be laughing when I tell the headmare that you raped my marefriend.”

“Woah,” Panphoria frowned. “I did no such thing. Your marefriend kissed me outside of a restaurant and wanted to take me back to her place. But her parents live there, so we went to a hotel.”

“Why?” Artsy wailed. “Why do this to her? To me? How did you even convince her to kiss you, and be with you like that?”

“We just had a nice dinner, getting to know each other better,” I shrugged. “She must’ve felt something, so she kissed me.”

“But it was just casual sex?” Artsy asked.

“To me,” Panphoria told her. “Your marefriend seemed really eager to jump ship though.”

Artsy fell silent, only the quietest of muffled sobs escaping from her magical bubble until the two of us reached the headmare’s office.

After me, my ex-marefriend Artsy, Silverstream representing her offspring Cornflower, and Starlight Glimmer were in the office for an hour, Headmare Starlight decided to suspend Artsy for a week on account of harassment and attempted assault. As well as several sessions of required counseling when she returned to classes. The next part of my plan began when Alabaster found somewhere to hide and take on the form of a fly on Artsy’s back. Obsidian would stay with Artsy for that week, only returning to give me updates on the situation.

It was on one evening that I had been enjoying chocolate ice cream at my desk that I saw a black cat standing on the roof outside my window. Using my magic to open the window, my pet cat rolled onto the desk and took on his changeling form as he frowned. I closed the window, and felt my heart drop.

“Well?” I asked him.

“Um,” Obsidian gulped, his ears flattening as he looked away. “So Artsy and Auburn are staying together.”

My magic surged out of me like a lightning bolt as I howled and split the desk in two.