Chapter 2: To Take a Bath.

The water around me was warm, it helped soothe my aching body after that long walk through the woods. I spent my time there basking in the heat. It felt serene and calm to me. I feel my muscles loosen as I close my eyes. This wasn't like the previous times I had a bath. It used to be dipping yourself in cold water, and I don't like that. But this, this I could make an exception for. Quinn looked at me with a smile. He seemed happy that I was actually enjoying this rather than fighting him.

He lathered a cloth with shampoo and gently started scrubbing my withers and back. It felt heavenly with the heat of the cloth. It seemed like he knew what he was doing, but he seemed a little nervous. I guess I would be too if I was cleaning some pony I just met.

The Steam from the tub blew on my face. I felt the warmth from the water, It was something I rarely had because my adoptive parents did not have a good heating system. So if I wanted a hot bath I’d have to go to my friends. It would be very awkward with Cookie in the bath with me. My checks warmed up from thinking about that.

Sometimes, in moments like these, I would slowly submerge myself into the tub. The water splashed around, causing me to snap from my trance. I raise my head above the water. I noticed that it was around the time where my adopted mother went weird. They would all go lovey-dovey on the stallions. It made me uncomfortable, even my friends were in it. I don't know whether this time, I'll be like them. It makes me sick of what I was thinking. We used to have a medicine cabinet in the house, where the special medicine was taken. It made my adopted mother go back to normal. However, it was taken daily. I don't remember what it looked like.

At this point in the bath, I was nearly falling asleep. Relaxed and tired, Quinn had to take me out before fully cleaning me. He said I was clean enough to sleep on the couch. He didn’t want to clean my behind anyway, due to him feeling uncomfortable with it. I was fine with that. He was the first male to clean me since the incident occurred. If he wanted to take his time and get to know me, well that’s fine by me.

I was so tired I must have fallen asleep in his arms, He was just so warm. his comforting hands as he dried me just lulled me to sleep.

I was starting to like Quinn… I may not have known him for long but he just seemed to rub off on me.

“Ooh that feels nice, '' I said, barely even awake, if at all. Quinn seemed like the type of figure that’d make a good father or a good friend. But he seemed very anti-social, and not very good with his words, I kinda found that cute. But I didn’t want to say that to his face because he may take it the wrong way. He seemed lonely and a little bit unstable, he seemed to have things around his house that were not his and that were kinda girly, or in the shower, he had feminine products either he lost a wife or a girlfriend or maybe his daughter… or both. I heard snippets of what he was ranting about and it seemed as though one of my guesses could be true. It made me feel bad for him; he seemed to have lost a lot.

*************

I remember waking up at some point Quinn was putting pajamas on me, There was a large pony plush laying on the bed next to me it looked like he took the pajamas off of it, to put on me. But somehow they fit me perfectly.

I layed on Quinn's bed as he took some bedding out of the closet. He then said “I’ll be making you a bed on the couch. I thought you might like some Pj’s to help keep you warm. I don’t have a heater so it may get kinda cold at night.”

“Then how do you keep this place warm? It felt amazing when we walked in,” I asked.

“I have a wood stove but It’s too late to cut wood for it, but if you need anything like another blanket just wake me up” He said, as he tucked in the sheets on the couch.

I climbed onto the couch, and Quinn pulled the covers over me, laying my head on the pillow. The last thing I remember was Quinn wishing me a good night then I drifted into sleep.

I opened my eyes again, and instead of being in the cozy embrace of Quinn’s sheets, I was in a forest surrounded by waist-deep snow. I immediately shuddered as the frosty wind grazed my coat, chilling me instantly to the bone.

It didn't take me long, however, to recognize this as the place where I woke up earlier today. Everything I could remember seemed to be correct, though some stuff was still hazy.

I realized that Quinn must still be out here if I am somehow back out here too. I thought back to what happened earlier, if it even happened at all, and began to retrace my steps through the snow.

But as I walked It got darker and darker, and the wind was picking up. The cold was almost enough to make me want to stop, but I didn’t stop, I kept walking hoping to find Quinn and be in his loving arms again.

“Quinn! Where are you, P-please... I-I need you,” I whined as Something grabbed my back leg, it was Quinn's hand but this time it was bloody. It dragged me down into the snow, my lungs collapsing as the air was knocked out from them. The darkness soon took over my sight and I was trying to fight for air but the hand still had my rear legs.

I wanted to be back with my friends, I wanted Cookie and my plushie, and Most of all I wanted Quinn to be with me.

That was the moment I woke up, my breathing was heavy and the most embarrassing part was my pajama bottoms were soaked and was freezing cold on my rear.

The other thing was that the room was pitch black… and I really hated the dark. But I knew I had to face my fears if I wanted to get to Quinn and hopefully back into the warmth.

I got out of the soaked covers and tried to walk through the dark, I could not see a thing, and nearly tripped on my own hooves several times. But some object I could not see made me fall on my face and onto the cold floor.

I started shivering and thought to myself, Why does it have to be so dark I whined… but memories of my dream started coming back to haunt me. What if Quinn wasn't here? What if he was back outside where I found him. I started to hallucinate, seeing the hand from my dream dragging me down. I started crying wanting Quinn to just pick me up and tell me it was ok.

But then I hear bed springs creek, the lights flick one and I see Quinn standing over me. It turned out I had tripped over his slippers. He smiled and said, “It's ok sweetie I think you had a bad dream. And it looks like you had a terrible one at that… You seemed to have wet yourself little one,” He said in a calm voice.

A familiar feeling spread across my face. I knew I was blushing, I then sputtered out, “I h-had an-accident,”

“Well let's get you cleaned up and into another set of PJs. I don’t think the plush is going to be needing them as much as you…” He sighed.

He then picked me up and carried me to his closet. There were lots of clothes but the oddest part was the child's clothes and the plushies. It told me that indeed he had a daughter.

“Would you like help getting changed, Sweetie?” He asked”

“Yes please,” I said, a little embarrassed that he had to have to change my clothes but happy that he was caring enough to do so.

“It's not a big deal sweetie, I am just glad you found me and that I can take care of you,”

“T-thanks Quinn, I don’t know what I’d have done if I didn't find you…

“I just wish you found me sooner...” He whispered.

The next morning was rough. Quinn's alarm clock went off even though it wasn’t even a day he worked. It startled me quite a bit and Quinn had to wake up to me holding on to him for dear life, scared by the alarm clock. Well the alarm wasn’t all that scary it was the music it played, I had never heard anything like it. It was like someone was trying to destroy a cello. But five times worse. Pluss since I had a nightmare that night It made me panic. But with Quinn’s calm attitude I was calmed down in no time. But something in me was still kinda scaring.

“Well we should get up, it may be early but I don’t think I can fall back to sleep after having a pony strangle me awake…” Said Quinn, as he climbed out of bed.

I couldn't lie he was right, I don’t think I could go back to sleep after that startle either.

Quinn walked to the closet to get some clothes while I went to the bathroom to take off my PJs. Sure they were comfy but it can’t beat walking around in the nude. I thought to myself.

After three minutes of trying to undo the zipper, I decided to have Quinn help once again. It was kinda messing with my self-esteem, not being able to do things myself, and I think Quinn noticed this.

S’mores what's wrong, you’ve had that look on your face since you got up, and I don’t like it…” He said as he got the zipper unstuck on my PJs.

I didn’t respond, which only made Quinn worried all the more. But he didn’t barge any further instead he left it be. Which I found strange. It made me wonder if he was still facing the problem of his father dying like I am with losing my parents. Sure Lyra and Bon Bon were great parents but, nothing could beat my father in that regard.

So I decided it would be best to answer Quinn’s question, hoping that he’d also tell me what's wrong with him. “Well, you’ve been doing so much for me, and I have hardly done anything for you in return. It's kinda messing with my self-esteem,”

He looked at me for a moment, then smiled and said, “Well that's where you’re wrong sweetie you’ve done more for me than you’ll ever know. You’ve proven to me that there is indeed a kindness in this life of hate. You’ve shown me affection I thought I'd never have again. Sweetie, I am glad you stumbled upon me, you saved my life in more than one way. You gave me a meaning in life…”

I looked at him with confusion, and said, “What do you mean I saved you more than once,”

“Well that's a long story but I’ll cut it short, I suffer from depression and have suicidal thoughts which means I have thoughts to kill myself. And ever since I met you they’ve disappeared sure it's only been a day but that's a day without my misery which doesn't come that often. And I think as long as you're here…” he started to cry.

“I mean this much to you?” I asked, because I was still kinda confused.

“S’morse, you may be a filly, and you might not understand this but I love you, I know it’s strange after only one day of knowing you but it feels like I have known you all my life… I wish that was true because you really mean that much to me…”

“Quinn… I like you and all, but that's just weird. You have been so nice to me, nicer than anyone I have ever known, I have had mental issues since I was a filly and have been looked down on, why would you want me?”

Now we were both crying.

Me being a half-dressed filly and Quinn hugging me like there is no tomorrow, the situation was just awkward. But it meant more to me than you could imagine. For the first time in my life, I felt something I have never felt. I don’t know what it was, but it was better than any feeling I could imagine… Was it Quinn’s love?

Author's Note

I hope you guys like this chapter I worked really hard on it. Thank you for switching your attitude towards this story sure there is still lots of dislikes but I feel as though more people will enjoy it now after I fixed it.