The Lion and The Unicorn

Onyx had walked all the way to the remains of the trap, she looked around for any sign of the lion. She looked around with concern, she had no idea what she’d say or do, but she wanted to stop her from taking a dangerous journey in her current state. She hoped she wasn’t too late. Venturing in the same direction she thought she saw it run in, she stopped when she saw a large pawprint in the mud, heading into the forest. With one look, you could see the track was made hours ago, by the way it was mostly gone. If that was made hours ago, then that means that she was likely deep in the forest by now. It would be nearly impossible to find her now! She sighed, accepting defeat and decided to trot back to the tearoom. Hopefully the lion was preying on small animals or fish before she took such a long trip home. But seeing as how Bounty was hunting her down, maybe he wouldn’t find her so deep in the woods. Stuck in thought while running, her hind leg got caught in a small hole, sending her tumbling over a rock, snapping her out of her thoughts as soon as she hit the ground. Getting up, she looked around and limped all the way back to the tearoom, very unamused at the whole situation. Hopefully she wouldn’t have to explain that she tripped over a rock…

”Oh you're back!” Dapple exclaimed, now on the stage with his bongos, “Oh, What happened to you?”

“Tripped…” Onyx groaned, using a napkin to wipe the mud from her face and her legs, accidentally revealing the scrape, which didn’t go unnoticed.

”Oh! That’s nasty!” He exclaimed.

“I’ll live.” Onyx said, taking her tea and giving it a nice sip before freezing, making an annoyed expression before she put down the cold tea, it tasted terrible! She swallowed the ruined drink, including a fly, which made her shudder. She tripped, she met Agate and now her tea was cold and she swallowed a fly. She looked up at Dapple and back again at the drink, “I hate cold tea.” She shuddered a little before she went to head on stage, only for a certain pony to stop her.

”Onyx, nice to catch you. Again!”

She turned around to face Agate, looking unimpressed, didn’t he already leave, what he come back for? Oh yeah, he said he was going to return. “Agate…” She said before adding a little dramatic comment for the fun of it. “It appears you were almost too… Late.”

Agate waved a hoof. “Oh you know me, never too late.” He chuckled. “So, earlier, you were pretty busy. So I’ll ask you again- Actually no, i will demand. I challenge you to a bet! I mean, who wouldn’t accept with a hardworking stallion like me?”

Dapple looked at Onyx, expecting her to say ‘no’ as she glanced at him. He was rather irritated by Agate, he kept trying to challenge the two of them to a bet.

“I see you won’t stop till I say yes.” She paused. “So fine, what is it?”

”Oh finally, you said yes.” Said Agate as he flicked his mane, looking rather smug. “No backing out, okay?”

Dapple watched on, a foreboding feeling within him as he watched on. While Onyx decided to just go with it to hopefully make him be quiet for a while, besides, what was there to lose? Perhaps it was something simple like having to buy him an ice cream or give him ten dollars. ”What’s the bet?” Onyx asked, looking a little tired of this herself, but if she won it’s be a little amusing to see his reaction.

“Oh, just a little thing I saw from an old comic.” He shrugged, placing two large plastic bowels of water on the table, receiving confused glances. “We must walk to the door and back again, balancing these on our heads as long as we can.”

Onyx glanced him, wondering where he got such a weird idea from, was he running out of ideas and made one from the top of his head or something? She glanced at the bowels, they looked exactly the same and had the same amount of water, but they were huge! A lot bigger than regular bowels, they looked like bowels that would be used to mix a lot of cake batter or something. But it appeared they had the same amount of water in them, so there was likely not a bowel that was rigged so she’d lose. “I’m in…”

”Onyx!” Cried Dapple as he ran over. “It’s a trap!”

“So? If i lose miserably It’d blow over in a week, anyway. It’s harmless.”

”That’s not-“

”Oh-ho.” Chuckled Agate. “Did I forget the price for winning?” He asked, knowing he was using the wrong word. “Winner gets to do whatever to the loser, like ask them for something or take them somewhere..” He said before he put a bowel on his head and one on hers. “Now, no cheating, we can’t mess with each other. Also, there will be obstacles.” He smirked. Dapple gulped as he brought his bongos close to him, thumping them in some sort of competitive, dramatic beat to set the mood, mentally telling himself she’d be fine.

Jasper, along with a few other unicorns watched on with slight confusion, Jasper soon sighing. “I hope Dapple’s got the perfect bongo tune for loss…” He said softly.

As Onyx tilted her head, she felt a but of water splash down on her muzzle she grunted as she moved, feeling the bowel slip a little, she quickly moved slowly, trying to get it to balance better. She briefly gazed at her rival, seeing him seemingly struggle with the bowel, almost tripping as water splashed out. Soon enough he gestured towards Jasper who was standing near a large jar of marbles, he looked at them puzzled before he got the message, pouring them out, making both unicorns almost lose their footing as marbles went under their hooves. But she kept walking, not really caring if she won or lost, since she wanted Agate to be quiet about challenging her. So she kept moving forward as unicorns and a single earth pony watched on with curiosity and amusement, at least they were amused. She ignored the occasional splash of water that would happen upon her as she slowly picked up pace, puddles were on the floor, but the bowel was still heavy. It sure held a lot more than it looked. As she slowly approached the finish after Agate, her sore leg gave way as soon as she stepped on a big marble, a large pain shot through it as it slipped on it, sending her face first to the ground, bowel landing upside down on her head.“O-Onyx!?” Dapple cried as Agate and two other unicorns cheered, laughing as they left.

”I knew that was going to happen.” She said, not surprised.

He worriedly looked down as her as she laid there with a bowel on her head, he quickly looked at her foreleg with concerned. “Oh, you sprained a hoof.” he lifted the bowel with magic revealing her miserable, soaked face. “Oh-“

”Well well well, was there any doubt?” Asked Agate before he laughed. “You're just a weak, useless poet, after all. I always win! And you always lose to me. You got it?.”

”Hey!” Dapple shouted defensively.

“I knew it…” Jasper said softly as he walked over, “Losing is a thing that happens when you challenge someone in the tearoom…” He said before looking over behind the counter where Alphabittle was watching on. Both amused at the challenge and a little bit worried about how Onyx was treated.

Alphabittle raised his voice. “Agate! I don’t recommend you treat anypony like that here…” He said in a warning tone as he glared at him.

”Fine, hypocrite!” Agate rolled his eyes. “See ya, losers.” He teased before leaving.

”Are you okay, Onyx?” Alphabittle asked as he left the counter and walked over as Dapple helped her up.

“I wasn’t planning to get soaked today.”

”Sorry.” Jasper said softly as he looked at the marbles. Seemingly apologising to them or for them, it was hard to tell.

Onyx looked at at Alphabittle as he took a glance at her leg, picking it up gently, noticing the wound. “Oh dear. What happened?”

”She said she tripped…”

“Where?” He asked, worried, she was usually careful, even when trotting.

“In unexpected uneven terrain. Just near my home, then my hoof landed wrong with those marbles.” She paused, changing the subject. “At least the water was a bit refreshing…” Onyx said before a pause, water dripping from her mane as she got up. “At least it would be if i wanted to get wet…”

“Beating you in that hoof wrestling probably didn’t help…” He grumbled, hoping such thing the day before didn’t have anything to do with it. “Today, I want you to rest. It’s minor, but will get worse if you keep using it. That means no poetry, you need to stay off it.” Alphabittle said with concern as she pouted, knowing he was in charge of the tearoom so he had final say about her performing or not.

“Fine.” She said, not letting the loss bother her. Onyx sighed to herself, not looking forward to what the rest of the day would bring. She regret going back to try and find the lion.

”Okay, what’s bothering you?” Dapple finally found the time to ask. “Earlier you seemed in a hurry. You never rushed from the tearoom like that before.”

”I told you-“

”I know that’s not completely true.” He said, hood at reading body language, he knew she was not telling the complete truth as she looked away from him with ears down. She knew she couldn’t lie to him, so she simply muttered one word. “Bounty.”

It took Dapple a second to realise who she was talking about. ”That earth pony from yesterday?” He asked.

”I think he wants to hunt the lion.” She whispered to him. “For bad purposes.”

“Really?” He asked, curious on what she meant, as he head heard ponies talk at how good of a pest control pony he is. Getting rid of unwanted animals so easily and quickly, knowing how to trap them and just what their weaknesses were! He literally had blogs of them being released into the wild, why would the monster that Onyx is calling a ‘lion’ be any different?! “What makes you say that?”

”I overheard him this morning.” She said and paused. “He said he needed to get it down when I heard him. He also seemed pretty upset it escaped from its trap.”

”Well…” Dapple paused. “We’ve been friends for ages and I don’t want to say I don’t believe you, but I think you are looking at it wrong.” He paused. “I literally looked up his stuff last night. He is extremely gentle with trapping and releasing, he only wants what’s best for them. I don’t think we should judge a pony before you know him. Maybe he’s just stressed out.”

“I knew you wouldn’t…” She sighed, resting her head on her hooves.

”I sprain my hoof, lose a bet, I don’t believe it-“ She said to herself quietly as walked into her house with her dinner after her day, her leg feeling a lot better, she had a simple cheese burger with she had just finished before she came in, throwing the rubbish in the bin. She yawned a bit and decided to head to her room, it was a little late and she was exhausted thanks to not being able to sleep the night before. As soon as she opened her bedroom door her mouth opened wide as her eyes only widened slightly at the sight. Seeing her belongings all over the place and a familiar creature prowling about, noticing her and growling. She changed from her shocked expression to a slightly annoyed one as she gazed on, having enough for one day. “Now there’s a lion in my bedroom.” She exclaimed as if it were a natural occurrence before she quickly closed the door. “Now… There’s a lion in my bedroom.” She told herself in a more slightly raised voice. Wondering on her next move. What was she doing here? Why didn’t she go home?! Actually, that might have been a good thing considering her current state. Also It was a bit of a reassurance that she stated clearly she wasn’t interested in eating ponies, but she still didn’t exactly want a wild predator in her home, she was fine with helping, but a wild predator!? That’s kinda weird, having such a wild animal in your house, living with it, she wasn’t some sort of animal expert, she was a poet! What was she going to do with this lion? after a slight sigh, she decided to leave her alone in her room, hoping she was just scavenging for food and would leave soon, it was silly to think she was staying. Perhaps she knew how dangerous the journey was and decided to try and get fit for it. Hopefully she knew what Bounty was planning, too. After half an hour, she opened the door slowly, heart racing and hoping the lion was gone, she didn’t care where, she just wanted it gone! She let out a sigh of relief as soon as she saw the room was lioness. She quickly headed inside and closed the window, just in case it wanted to return. Just the idea of sleeping in the same building as a wild predator was not the best feeling. She quickly started to clean up, thankful nothing was broken or badly damaged beyond repair. Seems the lion only sneaked into the cupboards and draws searching for food. She never really had food in her room, at most she’d find forgotten scraps or crumbs. After she was happy with her work, she took off her hat and scarf, throwing them aside before she got into her bed and relaxed under her covers, hoping for a good sleep. Which should have happened but she heard some growling which made her heart race as her ears perked up as she looked around her room wondering where it was coming from. The lion wasn’t still here, was she? She looked for her earlier, and she wasn’t here. “Who’s there?” She muttered just seconds before she was violently shoved from her bed by a force, gasping as she went crashing to the ground headfirst with a loud thump, right on the black and purple mat she had laid next to it. A little surprised as she laid there before getting up “Ugh!” She groaned as she rubbed her head she she hit the ground and turned to look at the offender, freezing in shock as she illuminated her horn for more light. Seeing a familiar shape. “Y-you!” She gasped upon seeing the lioness. “You didn’t leave? This is my house.”

“You really think I’d be able to leave the first in this state? Who am I, someone with a deathwish!?” She roared in Onyx’s face. “I would rather get home to my family, thank you!”

”N-no. I actually agree. You’re too weak right-“ Onyx raises a hoof to try and calm her.

”Excuse me!? I am what!?” The lioness roared, raising a claw, Onyx actually looked rather worried as she eyed the sharp claw. She cleared her dry throat, not wanting to get on the lioness's bad side. Her heart was racing as she glared up at her.

“I meant in not the right eh- Health. You need food and energy before you make the trip.” Onyx said bluntly, pausing as she looked at this annoyed animal as she got ready to climb back in bed. “Considering your shape and that Bounty is likely setting up more traps, I’ll let you stay the night.” She said before eyeing the rope around the lion’s hind leg, it seemed it hadn’t come off. It was bleeding, so she had to get it off or it could cause an infection. But there was no way the lion would let her, she was way too aggressive at the moment. “You’re hurt.” Onyx said, raising her hoof towards the wound, only for the lion to take it back, all snappy. But she didn’t give up, knowing this would end in a scratch, but that wound was hurting more than a scratch would.

”Don’t touch me!”

”You want an infection or not?” Onyx asked, only to get hissed at. “Well too bad.” She said, grabbing some scissors from her drawer in her magic and putting them in her hoof. Making sure to cut at a looser part, gently raising ot away from the leg. “I suggest you don’t move, or else I may slip…” She said softly, cutting at the rope the best she could. Ignoring the hissing and growling from the lion, it didn’t help that she was on the right side of her, since her mane covered her right eye. But she just had to trust her. It was quite a while before the scissors made an indent, but eventually it was free at last! She had the rope lifted in her magic only a moment before she ended up being shoved onto the ground again, sighing with an expression like she had expected it. “Fine.” She said bluntly before getting up, She quickly tossed the rope in the nearby bin and walked out the room, the lion with a smug expression and curling up, believing this strange unicorn was finally leaving her alone. Only to hear her returning with a spray of some sort. Onyx quietly walked over to the leg, careful to not make any loud or sudden movements. “This may sting, but that’s a good thing. It looks nasty.” She warned as she aimed the nozzle at the wound, the lion glaring at her, she could feel how alert she was. She took a breath and and got ready to spray, expecting some sort of outrage, but this had to happen, her heart was racing, hoping for a simple flinch or growl. But the second she squirted the disinfectant on the wound, the lion let out a roar of pain, kicking Onyx in the face so hard she stumbling backwards on her hind legs for a few seconds and into some cupboards and hitting the ground with a crash.

“You're welcome…” She said in her normal monotone voice before getting up and dusting herself up. “May I get back in bed?” She asked.

”Get lost!” The lion roared with a swipe, glaring at Onyx as she sighed. She grabbed a blanket and an old cushion from her cupboard, knowing there was no way the lion was giving her bed back in this state and left the room, not wanting to deal with the lion anymore. ”Fine..” She muttered before laying on the couch right outside. Questioning this whole ordeal, she had hoped the lion was taking care of herself, it was nice to see her taking refuge somewhere safe. But why her home? Was it because she helped her? Was stealing her bed necessary? Why can she talk? Today she tripped, lost a bet and found out a moody lion decided to spend the night and steal her bed… What a day