Morning came after a long and restful sleep for Red. He turned over on the sod he’d bedded on and looked out into the gloom of the cavern he was in. Light reflected through crystals as large as he was, in some cases, from an unknown source as he licked his dry lips. “Master?” He asked out of habit.
Slowly Red recalled the previous day’s events and frowned at the thought of calling out to a creature that used him for longer than he could recall. He scooted to the edge and climbed to his hooves, shaking for a moment to get the sleep out of his body. “Hello?” He called out at a slightly louder than speaking voice.
Looking around he smiled at his own living space, then the morning urge to pee came to his senses. He was about to go where he stood like he had since he was young, but he wasn’t tied to a post anymore when he woke up; he also didn’t want his new home to smell like his old one. Quickly moving to the exit tunnel, he scooted and climbed his way out and into the berry bush that hid the entrance.
He nipped a couple berries as he extricated himself and chewed the sweet bits while exiting. He went a few lengths away, found a nice mossy patch, and finally emptied his bladder. Once done, he went a ways ahead and listened to the quiet sounds of morning nature.
No whips cracked. No creatures shouted at him. No threats. No stallions. No mares. There wasn’t a creature that could control him for days walk in any direction. He noticed a chill on his cheek and wiped at the spot, looking at his hoof to see a wet spot. He snerked at the fact he was crying for once without pain or sadness being the reason.
He sighed and wiped his cheeks, then turned back to his bush. His bush, he chuckled. One of the first things he had that wasn’t related to his indentured servitude; and it was a bush covered with berries. A bed. A table. A cavern to call his own, and it was all thanks to a creature that he never imagined.
“Where is she?” Red asked as he took a couple careful bites of the berries and leaves.
He walked around the tree and bush before calling out. “Laxxie? Where are you, girl?” There wasn’t an answer for almost the minute he waited. “Huh… I hope she didn’t leave me like,” he bit his bottom lip. “Laxxie?!”
The leaves on the trees rustled in a breeze as the only reply. His nerves began to get the better of him and he started to worry about how to survive and what creatures could be out in the forest; which could be hungry enough to find a lone pony as a tasty meal. He hurried back into the tunnel and when he emerged he rushed to the bed and climbed onto it.
Heart heavy at the potential loss of his new friend, he began to cry.
“Red?” A voice called from the broken tree above. A second later there was a soft thump as something was dropped in followed by the timberpony herself.
Red sat up and grinned at the shadowed filly. “Laxxie! You came back… why didn’t you answer when I called for you?”
“You were too loud, that’s a good way to get a wolf after you. Here,” Laxxie said and lowered her head to the floor. “I got you a rabbit. It’s good for a pony to eat, right?
Red watched her pick up a little white rabbit in her mouth and he hesitated. “I… don’t know. Is it safe?”
Laxxie sniffed the bunny before she scooped it into her mouth. “Yup. Fmelfs goof.” She trotted happily to the center of the cavern and dropped it on the floor. “Eat up, it’s good.”
Red grimaced. “Shouldn’t it be cooked first, or something? I don’t feel hungry enough to eat raw meat, or meat at all.”
Laxxie looked at him with her lime green eyes. “Then cook it.”
“Can you… make a fire for me?” Red asked.
Laxxie shivered. “I don’t like to be too close to fire,” she admitted, poking the rabbit with a forehoof.
“Oh,” Red said, thinking it over, “I guess that makes sense. I don’t know how to start a fire, so what else is there to eat?”
Laxxie stood up and pointed a direction outside the cavern. “The garden, then?” Red nodded. “So, you’re not going to eat this?” Red shook his head. Laxxie leaned down and chomped harshly into the middle of the rabbit, earning a quiet whimper from the pony. She tossed it into the air and caught it with another crunch before she giggled and went to the wall.
Seamlessly, the timberpony climbed the roots to the ceiling and out of the cavern. Red felt his stomach ache in either hunger or nausea he couldn’t tell. He ignored it as he’d done hundreds of times before and quickly went to the tunnel and left to follow Laxxie to the garden.
After finishing the fruit and vegetables he’d started the evening before, Red made a spot to fertilize future growth and left Laxxie to tend to the vegetation and melons, fruits, and berries. Red moved to the edge of the garden and laid down between some large tree roots on some soft detritus to watch Laxxie work.
He watched her go to where he’d gone to the restroom and grimaced. “Ew! Are you eating my… mess?”
Laxxie looked up from beside the tree, chewing slowly. She smiled and nodded. “It’s good for growing.”
Red gagged. “I thought you were grown already!” Laxxie pranced to the center of the garden and looked up into the warm blue sky as she rooted herself. “Now what are you doing?”
“Feeding. Sharing.” Red watched as she stood still under the sporadic sunlight that broke through the canopy for a few minutes, then she lifted her hooves one at a time. “There, the food is happy now. You can eat them again soon, once they are ready.”
Red licked his lips as he looked at a head of cabbage. Bright, green, white veins full of water. He got up noting his legs hurt less today than they had the day before. “When will they be ready?”
“You can eat any of them when the leaves shadows reach those branches,” she pointed to a tree and Red followed her point but did not see what she was talking about.
“What? What leaves, which tree? That one?”
“No… I will tell you when. So,” Laxxie started, “what is it like being a slave?”
Red looked at her with a hurt frown. “Why do you care?”
“Because friends care about each other, daddy says.”
Red glanced away. “He’s a smart pony, I guess. Fine; it was awful. I was tied to a post most nights with the water trough just at the edge of reach. I’d have to dip my hoof in it and drink that way… while standing in my own crap and pee because that’s where I could only go. I was worked pulling carts or carrying loads all day while nights that I wasn’t tied up were spent,” he stopped and felt tears filling his eyes.
“I was called The Bike and my wing was their handlebar. I don’t know what a bike really is, but I hate them if that’s what they’re used for. The mares wouldn’t touch me, though. They’d help me after the stallions and bulls were done, healing me from what they’d done through the day. Whipping me when I wasn’t working hard enough was never enough, they broke me every day…”
Red stopped when he felt firm legs wrap around his neck. He knew it was Laxxie, but he didn’t understand why. Affection was rare beyond a couple females that cared for him. He sat straight for a moment until she nuzzled him. He shook and then trembled, finally letting tears fall and cried to softly leave his muzzle.
“It wasn’t good what they did to you, but my daddy and family will make it better.”
Red cried louder and shook his head at random intervals. “N-no. I can’t go back; he’ll take me back, I know it.”
Laxxie patted his back. “No, he won’t. He’s a very good pony and won’t let you be hurt ever again. I promise.”
A minute passed as Red cried onto Laxxie’s back. “I… trust you, I guess. I mean, how much worse can one colt and a couple fillies be against my life until now.”
Laxxie pulled back to look into his eyes with her own. He looked deeply into them and leaned in for a kiss. She pulled back and shook her grassy mane. “I don’t… I don’t know about that, Red. My daddy is a prince and will talk to other ponies in charge to keep you safe, I know it.”
Red blinked a couple last tears from his eyes and, slightly embarrassed, nodded. “Okay, you’ve helped me so far. I trust you, and him. When can I meet him?”
Laxxie pulled back completely and placed her hooves in the soil. “I’ll ask and you can eat now while I do.”
Red cocked his head at her, then shrugged and went to eat again. “I shouldn’t kiss you anyway; you just ate shit.”
Laxxie giggled into a forehoof.
Daddy? Can you hear me? Laxxie asked through the void between them, not having tried to communicate with Snickers for a while now.
Yes? The answer finally came almost ten seconds later.
I made a friend. He wants to meet you. He’s very nice and big, but too skinny because he was a slave.
There was a silence that made her wonder if her message had been sent properly before Snickers replied.
Where are you? Are you safe? Is he safe? Do you need food or anything right away? Snickers asked hurriedly.
Laxxie shook her head slightly, even though the action was moot. No, I have a garden I was going to surprise you with he’s eating from. I helped him make a small home in a hole underground. A cave, I think the word is. We’re a day’s trot from Frand in the forest.
She could feel him groan through the link. Can you get closer to the city? I’ll find a way to sneak him into my apartment if we can.
Laxxie looked back at the large red colt munching happily on a cabbage, then smiled. It’ll take a couple days before he’s strong enough for the trip, but we can make it.
There’s no rush. If he’s an escaped slave… I was one once, and I know being free at first is hard. Guide him, help him, and when you think he’s ready, bring him to the city. We’ll keep him safe.
Okay, daddy. I love you and miss you.
I love and miss you too, Pup.
Laxxie giggled loudly. I’m not your pup anymore, I’m a pony now.
I know. But you’ll always be my little Pup. I’ve really gotta go, but keep me up to date with anything that happens, or when you’re on your way.
Okay. See you soon. Laxxie thought as she turned back to Red, who was looking at her curiously. “What? Do I have rabbit on my muzzle still?”
Red shook his head slightly. “No, you just acted really weird.”
“Oh? I was just talking to my daddy with magic, he’s ready to meet you, when you’re ready. He said a couple days, do you think that’s okay?”
Red stood still for a few seconds as he thought it over, then nodded. “Yeah, that sounds fine. Maybe you can tell me about him, I bet he’s a real neat guy.”
Laxxie smiled. “He is. He’s the best pony ever! Well, close to it.”
Night came almost too soon and instead of hiding in his cavern, Red sat outside and looked up to the sky. He saw a dozen stars through the treetops and recalled looking at them a week ago, imagining flying with them in the sky. His remaining wing moved a little brining pain he forgot about.
He looked back and forced his useless wing away from his body about an inch before the cramps started in his back and he let it snap closed to his side again.
“Are you okay?” Laxxie asked softly as she quietly approached him from behind. “You look like that hurt.”
“It should have been cut off years ago like the other one,” Red lamented. “It’s useless and I’d make a better earth pony anyway. All I ever did was haul stuff around my master’s manor.”
Laxxie sat beside him, the side with the injured wing, and leaned against him, resting her head on his shoulder. “I think it’s a very nice wing and you’d be very sad to lose it. My daddy won’t care about it, and neither will his herd or friends. They’ll like you very much, I’m sure of it. Why are you looking at the sky?”
“I like watching the stars. I like to think that each one is a free pony in the world and that means that we aren’t all slaves. But, I guess that doesn’t apply to me as much anymore.”
Laxxie looked between Red and the sky, then giggled. “You’re a star now! A big red star.”
They shared a laugh and Red wrapped a foreleg around Laxxie’s back. “Yeah, I’m a star now.”
Laxxie climbed down the tree roots to find Red asleep still from the night before. She crept toward him and nuzzled his foreleg. Red jolted awake kicking his forelegs as he tried to find purchase to stand up. “Yes, master?!” He called out. Laxxie didn't flinch back, but she stood looking at him. “Huh?” He asked blearily. He realized where he was and who had woken him up. “Sorry.”
“It’s okay. You’re just confused when you wake up. Daddy was like that for a while when he first left home, too.”
Red yawned. “Yeah, that. Is everything okay?”
“Of course,” Laxxie chirped, “it’s sunrise and time to wake up. It’s the day we go meet my daddy!”
Red clenched his jaw. “Um, do we have to? I mean, I want to, but I kind of like it here.”
Laxxie nodded. “Yes, friends don’t lie to each other; you are my friend, right?”
Red sat up and blinked his eyes several times. “I’m your friend, Laxxie. You’re my only friend and I wouldn’t lie to you. I don’t want to lose your friendship after everything you’ve done for me.”
“Great! We’ll go after you pee and have breakfast at the garden. Hurry up, I haven’t seen daddy for almost a whole moon,” she urged and hopped twice before turning away.
Red groaned as he got out of bed and stretched, went to the tunnel, and left into the bush. He ate some more berries as he passed out of it into the cold morning air. He went to his usual pee spot and then followed his energetic friend to the garden, trying at the halfway point to race until he nearly tripped.
Eating a variety of vegetables, he was ready to follow Laxxie to Frand. “Are you ready now?” Laxxie asked as she hopped in place.
“Yeah, I guess,” Red said as anxiety filled his being. “Let’s go before I change my mind.”
“Okay, follow me.”
A step turned into a thousand paces before doubling again and again as the day slowly passed from morning to afternoon and then evening began to fall. All the while, between long bouts of silence, Laxxie would talk about Snickers and what she knew of his herd and friends. Red was nervous about meeting a gryphon, but was told it would be safe, especially with Snickers there.
Finally, Laxxie told him to stop; which he did so suddenly he nearly stumbled forward. “We’re here. Daddy will be here in a moment with a couple friends. Stay quiet, just in case.”
Red squatted low and did his best to hide in the detritus while rustling came from beside them. His heart raced as the group approached and when they entered view he nearly bolted. Four ponies wearing cloaks with the hoods up entered the small clearing Laxxie was in. Laxxie rushed to one of the creatures and glomped it.
“Daddy! I missed you, I’ve been a good pony and helped my new friend, Red, stay alive.”
Hoods were drawn back and Snickers returned the hug. “I missed you too, Pup. I haven’t talked with you for weeks, sorry about that. I’ve been going to therapy, that’s a place to help me with what happened with the bandits.”
“Laxxie, it is good to see you after so long,” Kiwe said with a smile. Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon formed a square around the timberpony, all happy to see her.
Laxxie removed herself from the hug and turned to face Red. “Hey, come over here!” She said enthusiastically.
Red stood and quickly trotted to the outside of the group, all facing the very thin red colt. Red stopped at the edge of the group and lowered his head. “Yes, I’m here.”
“Oh, my,” Diamond Tiara said, “he’s so thin.”
Silver Spoon nodded as she stood by Diamond. “Are you, like, okay? You look so tired and, like… uh, I dunno.”
Snickers pushed between the two while Kiwe walked to the outside of the herd. “So, you’re Red, huh?”
Red lowered his head more. “Yes, master.”
Snickers frowned. “Don’t call me master, I’m not your master… I’m your friend.” Snickers said as Red looked up to him from his lower position. Red stood tall and Snickers’s eyes widened at the large colt. “Wow,” he whispered.
Diamond Tiara looked aside to her stallion and a smirk crossed her lips. “What’re you looking at?”
Snickers blinked and looked aside to Diamond. “He’s huge, is what. Look at him, he’s practically a stallion.”
Silver Spoon looked him over. “He doesn’t have a cutie mark yet, so he can’t be that old. But yeah, he’s pretty big.”
“Regardless of his size, we should make haste returning to our apartment in Frand,” Kiwe advised. He lit his horn and golden magic pulled a cloak from his saddlebag. “Put this on.”
Red stepped forward. “Yes, master.”
The group frowned. “We’re not your masters or mistresses, we’re just ponies, like you. I’m Snickers, this is Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara. The last one of us is Kiwe, he’s a great colt, too.”
Each nodded as they were introduced. Red looked between them and smiled a little. “O-okay, I’ll do my best.”
“That’s a good start,” Snickers said as Red looked at the cloak. Kiwe helped the red colt slip it on and pulled the hood over his head. ”Hey, look at you; ready to sneak into the city like a spy.”
Red adjusted his hood. “A spy, sir?”
Snickers sighed and pressed a forehoof to his head. “This is gonna be a long walk.”
“Yes, sir. I apologize, sir… for annoying you.” Red responded.
Snickers nudged the fillies away from him as he stepped to the larger pony. “Look at me.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m not your master and you’re not my slave. My name is Snickers… sometimes Aquelis, but we’ll cover that when we need to. Call me by my name.”
“Yes, Snickers.”
Snickers rolled his eyes and turned back to the others. “I’ve seen this before. He’s indoctrinated, completely broken, or almost. C’mon,” he said looking back to see the colt’s eyes moving to the ground, “let’s go to your new home.”
Snickers sighed as she walked from the small office lobby into a larger room decorated with images on the walls that were supposed to comfort a foal of his age. Creatures played in endless meadows across three of the walls under a colorful yellow sun on one of the walls while one wall depicted camping and sleeping at night under a moon that had a mare’s head silhouetted on it. The last wall had a large window covered with thin curtains to let natural light in with a white hue.
Snickers walked around the couch that was in the center of the room to a stack of toys by a table just his size. He looked at the soft blue unicorn mare in the room and sat down, tapping the table idly as seconds passed by in time with a clock over the door.
“Hello, Prince Snickers. I’m Holly and I hear you’re from Equestria, is that right?”
Snickers rolled his eyes. “Just Snickers is fine. I’m not supposed to be known as a prince, it just got out and I can’t take it back.”
Holly nodded with a smile and blinked red eyes at him. “I understand and I’ll call you Snickers from now on. I heard you have a herd, is that right?”
Snickers nodded and stopped tapping the table. “I guess. They’re from Equestria, too. Being here without them is kinda weird, but I guess I should be here.” He said, then flinched ever so slightly that most creatures wouldn’t have noticed it, but Holly did.
“And why do you think you should be here? Is everything okay with your herd?” She asked, levitating a notebook to her side while concentrating on the colt in her room.
Snickers’ eyes darted from the mare to the toys, then he reached for a couple blocks and stacked them on the table. “I… guess I saw a pony get murdered in front of me. Ever since then, I’ve let Aquelis take over whenever it hurts, or whatever, to think about it.”
Holly quietly scratched a note in her log. “And who is Aquelis? Is he a member of your herd, too?”
Snickers barked a laugh and knocked the stack of blocks over back into the pile of toys as he stood up. “You could say that. I’ve been… I dunno, cursed with the mind of another pony. I was a type of human before I became this,” he gestured to himself, “he’s the actual prince, I just look like him from a couple hundred years ago. He was the son of Princess Celestia, the mare that moves the sun.”
Holly’s eyes widened as he spoke. “Well, there’s a lot to unpack there, isn’t there?”
“No shit,” Snickers retorted. “I feel like I’m going crazy sometimes. I have my fillies, I have my friends, I have a temporary caretaker, and that jerk bastard fuck wad, Lorde if I need him, but I’ve always got this voice in the back of my mind trying to take over to experience the world he’s missed for the past couple hundred years.
“Less now that we’re in a new land with new things to explore, but still; all it takes is an agreed push for him to take over and put me in the back seat. He hasn’t done anything bad except try to break me and my fillies up a couple times, but they know what to look for since he’s a different pony than I am.”
“I see. And how do you feel knowing you’re sharing a body and mind with another pony?” Holly asked kindly.
“I dunno, fine, I guess. I mean, we were a bit difficult to get along with at first, and he’s gay so that makes having sex a little weird at times, since there’s no male for him to… you know,” Holly nodded while hastily making notes in her book, “but over all, it’s cool having somepony to always be there for me and take over when it gets to be too much.”
Holly used an experienced smile borne from years of experience to hide the shock and confusion she was feeling. “So, can you tell me about the pony that died?”
…
Snickers left the counselors office feeling better than he thought he would. Simply talking about his troubles and trials thus far since he entered the Undiscovered West and Queendom of Alar. Once outside he was greeted by two lightly armored guards that were flanking the door facing away.
Snickers trotted past them and turned around. “I guess I’ll go home. I have another appointment tomorrow, and the rest of the week with Miss Holly, so be ready for that.”
The guards nodded once and began to follow Snickers back to the apartment he’d rented, glad to be out of the Keep a week after moving in. The staff and everything was fine, but no indoor plumbing and having to see the sheep that was once his master was too much.
An hour of trotting through the town of Frand brought him to a nice three story building with several apartments. The ever presence of guards was a dead giveaway for which building was his. He didn’t necessarily like their ever vigilant presence, but for his friends safety; it was worth it.
He ascended the stairs and passed a minotaur that was one of his new guards on the stairs until he got to the top floor and went to the second door. What was once two apartments had been quickly converted to one by the simple removal of a wall, now doubling the rooms and available space they could occupy.
“Snickers is home!” Silver Spoon exclaimed as she looked at him with excitement. Diamond Tiara hurried from around the corner and rushed to meet him, too. Both fillies nuzzling the colt with affection as he kicked the door closed behind him. He, too, felt happy and fulfilled in ways he couldn’t completely understand as he felt the love he had being returned.
He gave each a soft kiss on the lips before they giggled and backed away. Diamond Tiara turned and hurried back to the kitchen while Silver Spoon returned to the living room to watch television with Trixie, who nodded at him when they met eyes. “Snickers, I’m making a pie for dessert tonight, aren’t you proud of me?”
Snickers walked around the corner to see Diamond standing by the oven looking into it excitedly. “I sure am. I hope it’s better than the last few, though.”
Her tail flicked and she turned to face him with a slight frown. “They weren’t that bad.”
“Yes, they were,” Trixie called from the other room.
“Shut up, hag!” Diamond snapped back. Trixie laughed loudly but didn’t reply. Diamond sighed and looked at Snickers. “I’m trying my best, honest.”
Snickers moved close and touched his snout to hers, exhaling slowly as she inhaled, calming her. “I understand, and you’re getting better each time.”
“No she isn’t!” Trixie shouted.
“That’s it!” Diamond shouted and tried to rush past Snickers, being stopped when he wrapped his forelegs around her neck and sat down. She dragged him from the kitchen, but stopped and turned her head to look at him. “What?!”
Snickers looked at her with little expression. “She’s not worth it, for one. Second, you know she’s got more spells in her than what she shows, do you want her to blind you for an hour again?”
Diamond’s ears fell and her frown softened. “No.”
Snickers nodded and let her go. “Then there we go. You focus on dessert and I’ll be sure to have Kiwe make something that compliments it. Where is he, anyway?”
“On the other side talking with Gil, or something.” Diamond answered as she returned to the kitchen and made sure to brush her side against his.
Snickers smirked and looked back. “Flirt.”
“You love it,” the pink filly replied.
Snickers nodded as he left her and walked past the other two watching a black and white movie on the television. He stopped to watch for a few seconds, then shook his head and walked past. “You know that isn’t good for you, right?”
Trixie snorted. “Trixie doesn’t believe that television rots brains anymore than radio opens the gates to Tartarus. Go away and mingle with the others while we enjoy our shows.”
Snickers rolled his eyes and went behind Silver Spoon, nipping at her ear while she was into the movie. The filly yelped and hopped in place, looking back to see Snickers smiling at her. She turned back to the television without giving him another word. Snickers shrugged and turned, walking to the other half of the apartment.
He went to one of the doors and knocked. “Busy, be right out!” Cress called from the other side.
Snickers cocked his head. “Why are you always busy in there? You should socialize with us more, it’s weird.”
The thestral filly grumbled something, then replied, “do you want to take care of my wings, then?”
Snickers wondered what kind of care bat-like wings needed, then shook his head. “No, I’ll let you be.” He turned to the next room and knocked. “Kiwe, you in there?”
“We are in this room,” Kiwe called out from the next and last room.
Snickers went to it and opened the door to see Kiwe and Gil talking while the egg sat between them on a bed of warm blankets. “It’s nice to see you finally getting along. How’s your day been?”
Kiwe raised an eyebrow. “I should ask you the same first. You have been gone for a few hours, what have you been doing?”
“Yeah,” Gil interjected, “you leave without telling any creature where you’re going, then show up like you just went for a walk around the block. What’s the deal, dork?”
Snickers waved a forehoof at them. “My fillies and a couple guards know, and that’s all that matters right now. How’s the egg? Any names picked out yet?”
Kiwe shook his head. “We do not know if it will be a gryphon or a pony yet, so until it is hatched, we will hold off on names.”
“Yeah, but we’re kind of agreeing on a gryphon name, regardless,” Gil said, fluffing his neck feathers in pride.
“Yes, but if it is a pony, then a name that fits its future should be chosen,” Kiwe stated, matter of factly.
Snickers moved quickly between the two, careful of the egg, and reared up to place his forehooves between the two. “Don’t start! You don’t want the baby to come out arguing, do you?” He snickered.
The others looked between the egg and the pony standing barely over it. Kiwe’s horn lit and Gil’s talon moved quickly, both using force to knock him back and away, landing Snickers on his left rump. “Are you mad, standing over my child like a fool?”
“What if you slipped with those polished royal hooves of yours and crushed it?” Gil snapped as he knelt down to gently caress the egg.
Snickers swallowed hard, realizing what he had done and could have done. He stood up and flicked his tail and felt his ears lower. “I’m sorry, I was just stopping you before you got into another fight.”
The others looked at one another, then frustratedly looked away, Kiwe looking at the window while Gil looked at the egg he was holding.
Snickers got up and quickly left the room, hurried to Diamond, and when she turned to him she was surprised by a hug and nuzzle to her neck.
“Snickers, what’s gotten into you? Is everything okay?”
Snickers pressed lightly on her withers, indicating he wanted her to sit down. She sat and glanced back at the oven timer, which still had several minutes on it. She looked down to see her lover resting his head on her chest, something she knew was comforting for him. Without asking a question, she wrapped her forelegs around his neck while stroking him gently. “Whatever happened, we’re here for you.”
Snickers inhaled the sweet scent of her shampoo and what natural smells that came from her, calming him down and clearing the stress from his mind. After almost a minute he pulled from her and sighed. “I just don’t feel like I belong with the guys anymore.”
Diamond snickered. “What? That’s silly, you’re practically the leader of our entire group. We wouldn’t be here without you.”
Snickers looked into her eyes and saw the unwavering confidence and belief she carried. He felt a smile creep onto his face. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
Diamond stood up and turned slightly to pose for him. “Guess? Honey, I’m always right, even when I’m wrong.”
Snickers giggled. “You’re right about that… this time.”
Diamond softened her look as she spoke, “Look, whatever’s bothering you, I’ll help however I can. Do you want to have sex? Would that make you feel better?” She asked, placing a forehoof to his cheek.
Snickers’s eyes widened a little. “N-no! Why would I want that?” He asked, nervously.
“Because, I read in a magazine that it helps upset creatures. If you don’t think it’ll work, though,” she hesitated, then gave him a leading look.
“W-well, I think it would be nice, but not right now. It won’t help me feeling left out, would it?”
Diamond looked down for a couple seconds, then shook her head. “No, it wouldn’t. If I was having trouble, sex wouldn’t fix the problem, only put it off. As a distraction.” She frowned. “Darn magazine lied to me,” she grumbled, then harrumphed, “anyway, I’ll go put those guys in their place for you.”
“No! Don’t do that,” Snickers blocked her path, “it’ll just be weird. I think I just need some time alone to get my feelings in order.”
Diamond raised her eyebrow. “Since when are you so in touch with your feelings?”
“Since Miss Holly talked to me today. I need to talk it out, or work it out before a problem becomes bigger than I can handle, and having my alpha mare take care of my problems isn’t how I get better in the long run.”
Diamond’s expression relaxed and she stepped closer to him, speaking softly so only he could hear. “You’re taking me to our room after this pie is done, then you’re going to hug me like you mean it while you talk about your feelings.”
Snickers now raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Diamond’s eyes half lidded. “Because, emotional stallions are such a turn on.” Snickers felt his ears tingle at the tips as he thought of what it might lead up to. “And if anything else happens, I won’t complain about a quick shower before supper with a certain lead stallion of our herd.” She said, turning quickly to give her tail a flick to brush the hair across his face. “Now, get. Both your pies are almost ready.”
Trixie chimed in. “Gross! Trixie doesn’t need to hear about your pies, Diamond Tiara.”
Diamond turned from looking into the oven to face Trixie’s voice. “Shut up and get your own pie creamed.”
“Trixie has just yesterday by a strapping strong guard.”
“Ew,” Silver Spoon said, “you’d better not, like, leak on our couch.”
Snickers rolled his eyes at the bickering mares and left to go to his herd’s room. He climbed onto the futon and lay down, looking at the ceiling as his mind cleared. He didn’t know how long he stayed that way until a very strong and attractive pink filly sat on his belly. “So, where’s my cuddles?”
…
Snickers entered Holly’s office and got checked in before sitting on one of the cushions provided for ponies to use. He looked around and noticed a magazine for foals and got up to get it. He smirked.
Fun for Foals
“It’s like Foal Fun from… back home.” He said dejectedly. He recalled that he was overdue writing in the magic journal, like it meant anything besides empty words written down for a mare and country that didn’t want him. He opened the cover and read some of the activities available, then began flipping pages, only to find nearly every puzzle and quiz filled out by past creatures.
Closing the magazine, he set it back where he got it from and returned to his seat to wait in the almost oppressive silence until the door to Holly’s room opened. He quickly got up and hurried into her room bypassing the couch and going right to the toy pile.
“So, Snickers; how has the past day been for you?”
Snickers used his mouth to pick out two pony dolls and then he set them on the floor in front of himself. “Fine, I guess.”
“You guess? You aren’t sure?” Holly asked.
Snickers scooped one of the dolls under its belly with a forehoof while the other he moved to rest over his leg. “I mean, it wasn’t bad. I got home and talked with my friends, had sex after a good cry, like you suggested, and then-”
“Wait,” Holly interrupted, “I’m sorry, but I didn’t tell you to have sex. I’d have remembered that.”
“Well, it happened with my alpha mare-” Snickers started, then corrected himself when he saw Holly’s eyes widen, “- I mean filly. She’s only a year older than me, so that makes it okay.”
“Sex at your age is rarely okay, but as long as you’re with a creature you’re comfortable and safe with, and know well, I guess it’s alright.”
“Thanks for your approval,” Snickers said sarcastically as he bounced one doll to the other and backwards. “Anyway, I was holding and crying to Diamond Tiara because I was feeling left out and after I was done she kissed me. I know it was just to make me feel better, but I heard sex can make a creature feel better, and I was already feeling better, but I could always feel even better, and it feels good and… well, you know.”
Holly restrained a sigh. “Yes, I do know how it feels to have a good partner, but sex isn’t supposed to be used to make a creature feel better just because.”
“I know that, it just happened. She was on top of me and I started to grow while we were kissing, then it went in her and-”
“I think we should change topics,” Holly said. “You said yesterday that you believe you were once a human, can you talk about that?”
Snickers tossed the doll in his hoof into the toy pile and did the same for the other while getting up. “Well, I was roughly in my forties before I… well, did something bad and then ended up here.”
“Roughly?”
“Well, time is a bit funky between planets and distance. I learned when I was in my local teens that our planet moved faster around its star than the planet we originated from. I guess I was in my twenties by that scale, but I didn’t really care. I was a slave to your great Lorde and had to fix what he found or broke.
“I was a sex slave before I was under him, and before that I was just surviving after getting my brain raped and pumped full of knowledge I didn’t want.”
Holly’s heart beat a little heavier as she imagined what his life must have been like to make up such a story, but that was for the future to work out, right now she had a very troubled colt in her presence that needed help more than any creature she was currently helping. “I see. Well, I think we should spend a little extra time today talking about your other friend, Aquelis.”
“What about him?” Snickers asked as he pulled a small box full of small connectible boxes toward himself before stopping to dump it all out between his legs.
“Well, do you think we could talk about him?” Holly asked.
Snickers looked aside to her and sighed, letting his expression fall and silence filled the room. “He wants to talk to you for a little bit because talking about him without acting like he wasn’t here is rude.”
Holly’s eyebrows rose slightly. “I would like to meet him.”
Snickers’s eyes sparkled visibly and Holly’s eyes widened as she felt a change within the colt. Aquelis looked between his legs and scoffed. He got up and turned back to the toys and picked up the dolls again. “I wanted to play with dolls, but he wanted to play with blocks. Now I get to play my game, thank you.”
Holly got to her hooves and walked to stand near the colt. “So, what are you going to play with the dolls?”
Aquelis looked up and smiled. It was kind, but different from the one she got from the same colt a mere moment before. “Would you like to play with me?”
Holly smiled, sat opposite him and took the female one he had offered her in her magic. “Do you have names for our little friends here?”
Aquelis smiled. “I wanna be Cup the stallion and you can be Potter, a guard mare that has to keep me safe.”
Holly looked around the pile of toys and grasped a small house a previous creature had made, bringing it to a space between them. “How about if this is our castle?”
Aquelis looked at it and then got up, looking around the toy area before he found a cart. He nickered happily and grabbed a small rope to pull it between them. He carefully picked up the house and set it on the cart and pointed. “Now it’s a wagon! That’s more real.”
Holly’s mind jumped to the connection Snickers had made about seeing a pony die and she focused on what to do next. “That sounds like fun. Is it going to be just us?”
Aquelis looked at the dolls he’d moved aside looking for the cart and his ears perked. He quickly went to it and spent the next minute picking several more dolls of various sizes and genders. He tossed them towards Holly, who caught them and looked them over as he added them to his game.
Aquelis returned and began setting them around the wagon with a larger one set on top of it. “There, this one is the mommy and she’s in the wagon. These two are Cup’s friends that are girls and these two are his friends that are boys. You can be the guards and we can take turns being the others, okay?”
“What about this one?” Holly asked about a doll he’d set aside.
“That one can be the bat. She’s weird and likes to be alone and we don’t really have to play her until the end.” Aquelis stated and grabbed his doll.
Over the next half hour, Holly played through the murder and aftermath of what she easily figured out to be Snickers’s experience. She was surprised when they took a moment break to co-build a large pile of connected blocks that helped add drama to the story Snickers hadn’t mentioned when they entered the story.
“Okay,” Aquelis eventually said, “now that we’re all better and our tummies are full and we got a good nap, we can go back on the trip to the big city ruled by the meanie…” he sat up and looked at the toys, “we don’t have any other creatures, do we?”
“Oh, yes I do. I usually only set out a few toys focusing on your tribe, but I think you might need a few others. Wait here and I’ll be right back.” Holly quickly trotted across the room and opened a closet that was blended into the wall so well it was barely noticeable. She quickly removed a box and hurried back to the play area. She set it down and opened it to show several shelves with dolls of various races.
Aquelis giggled and got up, rushing to it, taking out a griffon, sheep, and minotaur. He replaced one of the dolls with the griffon and added the minotaur to the side. He moved the creatures around and Holly kept pace with the changes, as well as how far away the sheep was tossed. She glanced at the clock and noticed the time was nearly up.
“I’ll be right back, okay? I have to talk with my friend just outside the door so we can keep playing for another hour before we have to part until tomorrow, okay?” Holly asked. Aquelis nodded in agreement. Holly rushed from the room and nearly closed the door as she explained to the next creature that they’d have to come back later in the evening.
She returned, closing the door firmly behind her. Aquelis looked up at her when she returned. “Did you have a good talk?”
“Yes, they were very understanding. So, are we going to see our friend the sheep now?”
“No! He’s been mean to Cup, so he gets to be in timeout until later,” Aquelis said as he pointed to the small fluffy sheep.
“But, the sheep hasn’t met Cup yet, right?” Holly asked, looking at the sheep.
Aquelis snorted. “Cup used to have a different name and he doesn’t like the mean sheep.”
“Why is the sheep so mean?” Holly asked, picking up one of the dolls she was playing with earlier.
“It doesn’t matter. He’s a meanie and has to be in timeout until Cup says he can come out.” Holly nodded and resumed her role when Aquelis began playing for the next several minutes. “Okay, now we got to the city and get to rest at the hotel. But, not all of us; just Cup and the girls get to go to the hotel and the rest go to the castle in the middle of town.”
“Yay, what are we going to do at the hotel?” Holly asked.
Aquelis cocked his head to the side. “I think we’re going to make sex, but it’s gross and wet,” he said looking up to the surprised mare. “I like boys, but Cup likes girls. It’s really confusing sometimes since the boys,” he pointed to the griffon and another doll, “don’t want to be that way with Cup or me,” he sighed in dejection.
“You said ‘me’,” Holly said, softly.
Aquelis looked at Holly and blushed a little. “I dunno what you’re talking about, Miss Holly.”
“Do you like boys more than girls? It’s okay if you do.”
Aquelis huffed and then dropped his doll. “I don’t wanna play anymore right now.”
“Is there anything you would like to do?”
Aquelis looked away from Holly and shivered. “I don’t wanna talk about him, Snickers,” he whispered, “he was your friend, not mine.”
Holly took note of the quiet and short conversation mentally, somewhat eager to get back to her seat and back to her notepad.
Aquelis moved to the guest couch and climbed up onto it, then laid down. “I wanna go back to the quiet place. Can I go, please?”
Holly, who had followed the colt, nodded as she took her seat. She watched as Aquelis’s eye sparkled and his posture changed.
“There, do you believe me now?” Snickers asked. “Or do I have to jump through some fucking hoops before you believe any of my story?”
“I-”
“Don’t give me any of that shit! I knew as well as Aquelis that you didn’t believe me until we changed places. I watched what I could as he played my worst experience again, like I haven’t seen it a thousand times since it happened.”
Holly moved a couple stray hairs from her face with her forehoof. “I understand where you’re coming from, Snickers. I want to help you, and now that you’ve told and shown me so much, I think I know where to start. Let’s talk for a little while about anything else besides that memory. You have said a few times you have a herd. Diamond and Silver, right?”
Snickers relaxed a little. “Yeah. What about them?”
“Do you love each other?”
Snickers huffed. “Well, yeah. We’re not like rabbits, having sex all the time just because, just so you know.”
Holly raised a forehoof, placatingly. “I wasn’t even going to suggest that. It’s normal for young ponies such as yourselves to form several herds before finding the right dynamic that works. Sometimes herds aren’t for ponies and they choose to live more monogamous lifestyles, sometimes they find gender doesn’t matter as much as where the love comes from, and sometimes they choose to live a more single life.
“There’s nothing saying exactly what works for some creatures will work for others any more than telling a creature how to live their personal lives should be exactly one way forever. Do you understand what I mean?”
Snickers relaxed even more. “Yeah… thanks for not judging me, or us.”
“So, tell me about your herd and friends you’ve traveled so far with.”
…
Snickers left Holly’s office an hour later and felt a pang in his stomach. “I’m kinda hungry,” he said to a guard to his right as he reached his few guards.
“Would you like to stop by a restaurant, your highness?” The stallion said in a baritone timber that tickled the colt’s subconscious alter ego in a weird but good way.
Snickers cleared his throat and averted his eyes from the surprisingly attractive stallion. “M-maybe,” he said, “but I can’t go out without my friends. Let’s go home and-”
There was a shout from down the street and Snickers watched a dirty mare in tattered clothing running from a much larger minotaur. “Get back here!” He bellowed.
“What’s happening?” Snickers asked as the minotaur grabbed the mare’s tail and stopped her in her tracks. She planted her hooves on the cobblestone and held her ground as her tail was pulled. Her look was panicked as she fought, but with a final tug she was pulled up from the ground with a pained shriek before landing in the minotaur’s arms.
“A runaway slave,” a guardsmare said from Snickers’s other side. “Probably new to it all and just realized what it means.”
Snickers grit his teeth as the slave mare slumped and wept as she was hauled away. The city barely stopped and those that were disturbed resumed life as though it was another day. “I told Lorde to stop the slavery, but he just laughed at me.”
“Don’t let Master Lorde bother you, your highness; he knows what’s best after all.”
Snickers turned his ire to the guardsmare. “He doesn’t know shit! He’s never been a slave, he has no idea what it’s like to be at the bottom, either.” He seethed for a few seconds at the mare before he spat his next order. “Take me home, I just want to see my mares.” There was a snicker from the stallion. “What’s so funny?!”
“Sir!” The stallion stood tall and showed off taught muscles in his legs that Snickers couldn’t help but look at. “Nothing that matters, sir.”
Snickers felt a stirring under himself and turned away from the stallion and started walking back to his apartment, his mind focusing on being around his friends and not on the large stallion just a couple of paces behind him.
…
“Hey, I’m home.”
“Snickers!” Silver Spoon called as she climbed over the couch and wrapped her forelegs around him in a tight hug. “I missed you, we both did, like, totally a ton. Why were you gone so long this time? Is this Miss Holly trying to steal you away from us?” She teased.
“Hey, not funny!” Diamond called from the bathroom.
“She’s just mad she ate some bad falafel and got indigestion,” Silver said.
“Hey, don’t tell everypony about my poop problems, Silver!”
Snickers couldn’t help but giggle. “I think everypony already knows,” he said as he waved a hoof in front of his face. Silver laughed loudly at his joke. “Where’s everypony else?”
“Well, Cress is out getting tummy pills for Diamond, Gil and the egg are out for a low flight around the outside of the city walls, Kiwe is at the market getting some groceries for supper tonight, and Trixie is getting some stuff to make fireworks for her next show tomorrow night. She said it’s a doozy of a show and it’ll be a great memory for every creature that sees it.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Snickers asked Silver as they went to the couch.
“I dunno. She’s, like, a weirdo, even for an adult weirdo. Like, a unicorn that doesn’t know any real magic that has to act like an earth pony to get bits? Kinda crazy if you ask me.”
“Ugh, isn’t anypony going to spend time with… me?” Diamond called out.
Snickers climbed on the couch and nuzzled Silver Spoon’s neck while the filly slid the remote between them and placed her hoof on the power button. “Sweetie,” Silver said in response, “no offense, but, like, you’re stinking up the whole place.”
“I can’t help it, it’s the falafel’s fault.”
Silver quietly groaned and looked over the couch to the bathroom door that was cracked open. “Look, if you read the sign like I said you should have then you’d have known it had red meat in it, not just vegetables. This is all on you.”
“I told you that I can’t read English!” Diamond shouted in reply.
“You could have asked me! I have these enchanted glasses for a reason and they’re to help.”
Diamond grunted for a couple seconds, then snapped back. “Well, I’m not wearing your glasses, am I, Silver Spoon?”
Snickers rolled his eyes and pressed the power button in Silver’s stead. Wondering if they’d been like this all day or not crossed his mind before a grainy gray image came onto the screen. An animated bunny hopped into a hole to escape a minotaur wielding a spear.
Snickers giggled at the short argument the two characters had before Silver Spoon got off the couch and pulled him back to reality. She hurried to the bathroom and pulled the door shut with a slam, cutting off Diamond Tiara’s grumbling. He returned to the show and saw the minotaur wearing an odd hat while pointing his spear at a poorly drawn sign that said ‘Wabbit Season’.
Silver climbed onto the couch with a huff. “You know what?”
“What?” Snickers asked somewhat distractedly.
“I have an itch that’s bothered me all day, and only my big strong stallion can scratch it for me…” She leaned in and kissed his cheek.
“Uh-huh.”
Silver Spoon scoffed and looked at him, staring at the television with a nearly blank look on his face. “Are you going to watch a cartoon instead of paying attention to me?”
“Mm-hmh.” Snickers said, not breaking his attention. Silver puffed her cheeks in frustration and tapped the power button on the remote. “Hey?! What’d you do that for?”
Silver hopped to the floor and stomped her hooves twice. “You don’t want to make love to me anymore, do you?”
Snickers’s eyes widened and he shook his head like he was coming out of a daydream. “Wh-what? I never said that.”
“You haven’t been romantic all week towards me, and just yesterday you did it with Diamond and didn’t even invite me. Just admit it,” she raised her snout into the air, “you’re not attracted to me anymore, are you?”
Snickers frowned. “Look, I’m not in the mood for your mind games. I’ve had a long day and it’s barely sunset. I got up snuggling you, ate breakfast with every creature, and then went on a walk around the block a couple times with both of my lovers.” He stood up and hopped to the floor to stand in front of the unsure filly. “How in the fuck does my coming home for five fucking minutes and not mounting you like a brainless beast fucking your tiny brains out as soon as I walk in the door mean I don’t care about you?!”
Silver Spoon’s bottom lip trembled and she sniffled. “I… I didn’t mean it like that. I just… I don’t know.”
“Fine, turn around,” Snickers spat with authority. When she complied he pushed on her withers so she was practically laying on her chest with her tail in the air. With a flick of his forehoof he exposed her and stood behind her. “Is this what you want? For me to be a tool for your enjoyment?”
Silver Spoon hiccuped as she started crying. “I… don’t want this, not like this.”
“Then why would you expect me to want it, too?!” he shouted. “Get up and get me a glass of juice, bitch.”
Silver stood up and nodded, hurrying to the kitchen while Snickers climbed onto the couch again and turned the cartoon back on. A minute later Silver returned with a tray containing the requested juice and a peanut butter sandwich. He smiled and sat up, patting the place beside him.
Silver slid the tray from her back to the couch and then climbed up with the tray between them. “Snickers, I’m sorry about trying to trick you into… having sex with me. I got advice from one of the guards and she said it worked when she was at the club, wherever that is.”
Snickers inhaled and exhaled, taking the information in. He took the juice between his forehooves and brought it close to his lips. “I’m sorry for calling you a bitch.” He took a sip. “But, you can’t treat me like an order at a sandwich shop to fit your needs and cravings when you have them.”
“I know, I just… ugh, I don’t have the words right now. I’m just, so sorry I made you feel like that. When you pushed me down and yelled at me, it hurt my feelings and made me feel like I think you felt. It wasn’t a good feeling.”
Snickers sipped more of his juice. “I think you get it. Are we cool?”
“Yeah. Can you do that to me again, though, when you get in the mood?”
Snickers sputtered his next swallow and looked at the filly besides him, noticing a blush taking her cheeks. “What?”
“I liked you being mean like that, it was kinda hot and I got wet, a little, until you made me cry.”
Snickers inhaled and exhaled. He put his drink down and picked up the sandwich. He took a bite and chewed it for a long half minute before setting it down and sliding to the floor. “Get down here, now.”
Silver quickly got to the floor and was ushered to their room.
…
“Trixie has returned home and… phe-ew!” The blue mare stumbled out of the apartment and used her magic to open a window beside the door. She stepped in again carrying a box of supplies in her magic and walking on three legs with her right forehoof covering her snout. “It reeks of too many unpleasant things in here.
“What have you fillies been doing while Trixie was away?” Silver Spoon lifted her head from the middle of the couch and giggled at the mare, who shook her head slowly. “Your muzzle fur is wet and Trixie fears she knows why.” Snickers lifted his head from the end of the couch and Trixie grimaced. “On the couch? Where Trixie rests between moments of creating awe?”
Snickers sat up and looked at Trixie with a smirk. “No, but it’s a good idea for next time. Maybe a little herd action in the living room just before you get home?”
“Bah, do not try to tease Trixie with your sexual exploits. If you are being suckled upon on the couch, then Trixie will simply buy a new couch before she leaves.” She stated.
Snickers and Silver Spoon sat up with ears perked. “Leave?” Silver said, wiping her lips. “What do you mean, leave?”
“You’re not going to leave us, are you?” Snickers asked.
The bathroom door opened and Diamond hobbled out, her tail low and a grimace on her face. “Finally. I think I just gave birth from my butt.”
Snickers looked at Diamond. “I’ve been there, trust me, you wouldn’t have survived. Trixie said she’s leaving us.”
Diamond looked between the group as Trixie shrugged. “So? She’s just some pony we met on the way here. She said she’s not going to be with us forever, so I’ve been ready for it. Ouch.”
“What is wrong, little one?” Trixie asked. “The falafel is still hurting you?”
“No, well, kind of. It had red meat in it, and I used a new kind of hot sauce. It burns to move and clenching feels like I stuck a hot coal on my donut.”
Trixie laughed as she walked past the foals, then stopped to open the bathroom window before she closed the bathroom door. “Trixie will be in her room preparing for the next show. She suggests you all do the same from now on, or you may be in trouble with the others.”
Diamond watched the mare enter her room and close the door. Then she turned to her herdmates. “So, ten minutes wasn’t enough for you?” She hobbled around the couch and tried to sit, but gave up and stood. “And what exactly were you doing on the couch that had her so upset?”
Silver tittered and glanced at Snickers’s lower area. “Just practicing.”
Diamond sighed. “You know we’re not dumb animals and have a room to do all our stuff in, right?”
“But it’s his fault,” Silver whined, “he asked me… told me what to do, and I just couldn’t say no. I don’t know why, but it really-”
“Yeah, yeah, got you going. I could hear the first few minutes since you didn’t close the bedroom door. I swear to Celestia if I wasn’t in so much pain I’d have joined you.”
“You’re still in pain, how are you going to do anything if you can’t sit down?” Silver asked. Snickers lay on his belly and turned on the TV to watch the next cartoon.
Cress entered the apartment with a bag in her mouth before dropping it and covering her snout. “Sheesh, it smells like sex and poop in here. Please, tell me those things aren’t from the same event.”
Snickers laughed while the fillies blushed and frowned. “No, they’re not. Did you bring me my tummy medicine?” Diamond asked.
Cress kicked the package towards the couch and backed out of the door. “It’s in there, plus something for the burning you were talking about. Doc said it would work as soon as it’s applied and the pills will help over the next couple days. Don’t eat any more meat until this passes! I’m going to find Gil and warn him about the smell before he comes home and drops the egg in shock.”
“Har-har,” Silver Spoon replied, “you’re so funny I fell off my dinosaur.”
Cress hopped into the air, laughing as she left.
Diamond and Snickers looked at Silver. “Dinosaur?” Diamond asked.
“What? I heard my mommy say it.” Silver replied.
Snickers and Diamond giggled and then split up to open more windows in the apartment.
Holly couldn’t help but frown at Snickers. “I don’t really like how often you’re having and using sex to get through your stressful moments.”
“Yeah, yeah. Next you’ll tell me to stop all together.”
Holly tapped her pen to her notepad once, forcefully. “I just may. There’s a limit to how often most foals in herds have sex, and you’re close to exceeding that by leaps and bounds. I understand it feels good and takes your mind off of stressors, but you have to know, given your previous age, that the problems will still be there when you’re done.”
Snickers sat up on the couch and nickered. “Then what am I supposed to do?!” He shouted, throwing his forehooves in the air. “You only see me an hour or two a day, and it’s only been three days. Aren’t you supposed to help fix me? Like, tell me what to do to get over watching a pony die right in front of me?”
“Snickers, it’s a process. You can’t expect to cook a meal for all your friends by shopping for ingredients, can you? There’s the trip home, preparing the vegetables, heating the pans, actually cooking the food.”
Snickers rested his forelegs behind his head and fell back. “Kiwe’s the cook… but I get it. The only problem is that I still have urges and stuff. I’m a colt, not a middle aged adult. I can’t handle stress the same way, and even as a human sex was sometimes currency. Other times it was forced. I rarely wanted it, but I got it regardless.”
Holly sighed quietly and wrote on her notepad while talking. “I understand how difficult it can be to feel confused about who you are. I’ve hosted groups in the past that have had some creatures with dysmorphia; an uncertainty or want to be another creature, or maybe just another gender.”
Snickers laughed. “I’m not giving up my cock anytime soon, lady.”
“Young stallion, that’s not what I meant,” Holly said sternly, but the corners of her mouth quivered. Snickers smirked at her. “Okay, that was out of line for us both. However, I simply meant that maybe you would be happier thinking-”
“I’m not confused about who I am,” Snickers said, “I’m happy with who and what I am. I didn’t take Harmony’s horn, I’m not giving up my gender, and I’m not going to stop having sex with my mares just because you think it’s too much. Besides, in Equestria I’m sure it’s normal the amount of sex I’m having.”
“This isn’t Equestria, so I can’t compare, but even so; foals would rather play than take on such responsibilities like you have. When was the last time you bounced a ball back and forth, or played tag, or even predator and prey? These are normal games for foals to play, and you haven’t said anything about playing yet, just living the same physical routine day in and out.”
Snickers slipped his hooves to his lap and looked down at them. “What do you want me to say?”
“I don’t want you to say anything specific, just be honest with yourself; when was the last time you acted like the colt you say you are?”
Snickers thought for nearly a minute before he looked at Holly. “It was while we were coming here, before Foil died in front of me.”
“And you don’t see anything wrong with the fact it’s been over two weeks you’ve been in Frand that you haven’t played?”
“It’s… I mean, c’mon, really? There’s a good explanation for it.” Snickers said, haltingly.
“And that would be?” Holly asked.
Snickers’s eyes watered and he looked down again. “I watched a pony die, and a part of me died, too. I felt so sad, so hurt, so weak when the arrow went through his head; I heard it clink the back of his helmet and I knew it cut his spinal cord. He died instantly, but still I was looking into his eyes when he… he…” Snickers hiccupped and then sobbed softly.
He felt a hoof on his shoulder and he looked up. Holly looked sad, too. “It wasn’t your fault, it never will be. What happened to the bandits that did that to him again?”
Snickers growled quietly. “Laxxie got most of them before letting the few remaining go. I should have let her end them all.”
“Would Laxxie have been able to stop them before Foil died?” Holly asked.
Snickers shook his head. “She didn’t even see them, they were so well hidden in the brush.”
“So, I have to ask; why do you blame yourself at all for what happened?” Holly boldly asked.
Snickers hesitated with his mouth open, then closed it. “I… guess I shouldn’t, huh?”
“Exactly. Look, it was fucked up what happened, but it wasn’t your fault. It was the bandits, and nearly all of them were killed or seriously hurt by Laxxie’s attack, right?”
“Yeah, mostly. Even the one that killed Foil got torn up,” Snickers said with a smile. “Okay, but what about seeing Foil dying? I can’t get that image out of my head. Every day, some nights, sometimes it just happens.”
Holly smiled. “I can help with that, if you’d like me to. I know a spell that can scramble a certain image in a creature’s mind. It’s not mind alteration or control; it’s as far from hypnosis as any spell can be. I’ll be taking the image you think of in your mind and just make it blurry, so it’s not as easily seen.
“The idea is to let you remember the event, but not see the traumatic imagery that’s bothering you. And since you’re royalty, it’s all covered by the crown, anyway.”
Snickers laughed. “So, Lorde is going to have to pay for it? Can you charge me double, then?”
Holly giggled. “I’m sorry, but it doesn’t work that way. If you’d like, I can perform the operation now.”
“Operation? You’re not going to be cutting into me, are you?” Snickers asked, nervously.
Holly smiled. “No, it’s just a term. I will be performing a spell on you and you’ll be going home today. It will be like going to the dentist or optometrist.”
“What’s a optometrist?”
“An eye doctor, dear.” Holly said.
Snickers hummed, then nodded. “Will it hurt?”
“Not even a little. Now, think of the bad memory and I’ll blur it a little to make sure it’s the right one before I go too far.”
…
Snickers left the office in a great mood. For the first time in weeks he could close his eyes and let his mind wander without seeing the detailed shocked, dying face of a pony inches from his own muzzle.
“Where to, your highness?” The mare to Snickers’s left asked.
“I want to go see John at the Terran shop. I have a question for him.”
“Certainly. Follow me,” the mare said as she took the lead. Quiet flapping could be heard by the guards overhead, but Snickers ignored that as they made their way through the city into the heart of it all, past the Keep, and into the market area they needed to be in.
“Wait out here, please,” Snickers commanded as he went in and was greeted. “John, we meet again,” Snickers said with a smile. “I was wondering something about your kind, the Terrans.”
“And what would that be, future boy?” John mused.
“First of all, don’t call me that. Second, what’s your take on the slavery in this place?”
“Sorry, your highness; I was just joking, I meant nothing by it.”
“Don’t start with that majesty crap either. My name is Snickers, just call me that when I’m here. And the second part?”
John nodded and stopped before he entered a bow, standing tall again. “Well, we don’t like it, but there’s nothing we can do about it. The law of the land was influenced ages ago by Lord Lorde… what a stupid name,” he mumbled at the end. Snickers snickered as John went on. “We tried a few times to petition the actual crown, but they won’t even see us as anything more than a tribe of crazy ponies.”
“So, there’s no knight in shining armor freeing them in daring raids, or buying their freedom with coins?” Snickers asked, glancing at a rack of toys.
“Ha, no. Buying a slave is expensive since the current owner sets the price. For second, Robin Hoof is a story about stealing from the rich to give to the poor, not about freeing slaves. Sorry, indentured servants. If you use your title, the price may be lowered, but I can’t promise anything.”
Snickers sighed. “I was worried about that. Hey, what’s this?” He asked, moving to the display rack.
“That’s a rollie pollie ball. It almost always returns to the creature that throws it by using gyroscopic wheels and some proprietary tech. I’m sure you could figure it out, but local creatures don’t even know what a CPU is, much less advanced technology is.”
“I’ll take one, I think… I’m overdue to act my age a bit.”
John raised an eyebrow, but went to take the ball in his foreleg. “Would you like it in a box or bag?”
“Bag, please. Thanks for the talk, I know it was kind of weird and sudden, but I had an idea that needed proving.”
As John reached the counter he placed the ball on it and knelt down to get a paper bag. “Well, I hope I helped in some way. That’ll be sixteen Lordecoins.
Snickers snickered again. “That’s such a stupid name for a currency.”
They then shared a laugh.
Snickers splashed in the pool after Silver Spoon who held the ball between her forehooves as she ran with her hind legs on the bottom of the above ground pool they’d had installed. Silver Spoon looked back over her wither and squealed as she noticed him almost touching her back with his forehooves.
Diamond Tiara popped up from below the surface of the water to tackle the colt from the side into the chilly waters. Snickers wrapped her in a grapple and twisted around her before planting his hind hooves on the bottom and pushing towards the gray filly while under water. Silver turned her head so quickly her braid spun around and slapped against her neck.
With a large splash Snickers broke the surface and grabbed the ball with a gasp of air he needed desperately. Silver happily screamed and swam away from the colt as a flustered Diamond Tiara broke the surface, her mane having come out of the bun it had been put into now flowed down her face and neck smoothly.
“Hey, you almost drowned me!” Diamond shouted. Snickers replied by tossing the ball at her, bouncing it off her head. “Okay, that’s it!” Diamond said as she played mean and plowed a slow pace through the water after her boyfriend. “When I get you, you’re gonna regret it.”
Snickers laughed as he hopped in the water getting a good pace ahead of her while still chasing the screaming gray filly.
Trixie watched from the top floor of the apartment while guards did their job around the area. She couldn’t help but smile as she watched the foals act their age. One guard walked up to her and stood beside her, looking down at them. “Ma’am, can I ask you a question?”
“Trixie will answer your question,” Trixie replied with a smile as she glanced to the mare beside her, “as long as it isn’t about Equestria. Trixie is tired of being asked those questions.”
“Are you really leaving soon?”
Trixie sighed and looked down at the foals splashing in the water. “If I leave here tomorrow, would you still remember me?”
“Of course, I think of you every day.”
“I must be traveling on soon, there’s too many places I have yet to see,” Trixie said, looking to the sky.
“But if you stay, things would be so much better,” the guard answered.
“You don’t understand; Trixie is as free as a bird, and this bird you cannot change.”
“But what if we were to make you an offer? Surely you’d like to stay then?”
“Trixie is a free bird, guardsmare, and this bird you cannot cage.” Trixie replied with a soft smile.
“So, there’s no changing your mind?”
Trixie shook her head. “You cannot change this bird any more than you can change a manticore.”
The guardsmare sighed and stepped away from Trixie. “Very well, but know you’ll always be welcomed here by the guard and, I’m sure, Lord Lorde.”
Trixie giggled. “Such a dumb name.”
The guardsmare smirked. “Don’t tell him, but most creatures agree with you on that.”
Trixie laughed and shook her head, flicked her tail, and looked at the guardsmare. “What is your name? Trixie feels she should know this after such an interesting conversation.”
The mare looked at the horizon and smirked. “Free Bird, ma’am. It’s been an honor,” she bowed slightly and replaced her helmet. With a flap of her wings she took off and entered into a glide, keeping guard over the area.
Trixie watched her leave and sighed, speaking softly to herself. “Maybe I should return someday before too long. A free bird returns home more than once in a while, after all.”
Snickers shook after he was dry, tossing the towel off his back and onto the cobblestone ground. He looked at the pink filly to his left and smiled at her even though she couldn’t see him as she was drying herself off. Silver Spoon playfully tossed the towel at Snickers who laughed as he shook it off his face.
“Thanks, honey.” Diamond said getting his attention.
“What for?”
Diamond nuzzled him. “For playing with us. It’s been so long since I just… had fun. Not that sex isn’t fun, but if it’s all we do it kinda gets old.”
Snickers winked at Diamond. “So, wanna play catch?” He asked.
Snickers felt a slap on his flank getting him to yelp and look at Silver Spoon who was starting to gallop away. “Tag, you’re it!”
Laxxie was a content creature. She had been living in the forest outside Frand for nearly a month by now and hadn’t had any worries. When she was hungry there was always ample sunlight and creatures to kill and bury before she rooted over them; life was good.
A short scream broke the peace while Laxxie was sunning herself, having a solar snack, getting her attention. She stood up and shook some fallen leaves off her timberwolf body before looking in the direction of the noise. It was unusual to hear anypony out in the woods, much less as far out as she was from the city.
She entered a trot through the foliage making nary a sound save for her paws crunching some dry leaves around a dying set of trees. Laxxie halted suddenly as she sensed a creature approaching her, fast. Taking a stance, she readied herself for anything before a small pony ran out of the brush just to her right, surprising her as she expected the pony to appear in front.
Laxxie hopped back in surprise as the pony looked up at her and shrieked, tripped, rolled a few times in every way and fell hard at Laxxie’s paws. Groaning, the pony went limp; resigned to its fate.
Laxxie stood up and leaned over the pony, sniffing several times across its body before determining it was definitely a stallion. What’s a stallion doing running in the forest? Laxxie wondered.
Two grey minotaurs rushed into the area and halted as quickly as they could without toppling over. “What in the Almighty’s name is that?!” One of them shouted in anger and fear.
The other took a split second longer before raising a whip and cracking it beside him. “Bring it!”
The first glanced to its comrade as it lowered its head and snorted. Laxxie looked down at the pony below and hopped over it, baring her fangs as she guarded him. “Mine,” was all she mumbled just loud enough for the pony to hear before the minotaur charged.
Blindly rushing forward and around a sapling, the minotaur made its way to Laxxie, intent on goring her and taking its prize. Laxxie wasn’t having it though. When the minotaur was about fifteen feet away, she turned quickly and swatted its head with her bark covered tail, earning a rage filled cry of pain.
Lifting its head, the minotaur had a second to react to ramming face first into a large tree, which it did with a heavy thud. “Damn it,” it shouted as it stumbled back and held its face with both hands.
The other, a female by the large uncovered chest it sported, narrowed her eyes and pulled a stick from its back. Laxxie was curious what the thing did, but waited as the minotaur attached a metal tip and held it forward. “Die, beast!” She charged toward Laxxie who didn’t move. Taking the spear into her chest like a champ, the timberwolf looked down at the now quarter buried shaft inside her chest, then followed its length to the nervous minotaur. “Um, hi?”
Laxxie bellowed sappy spittle into her face.
The other minotaur tried to tackle Laxxie from the side, but she planted her paws and stayed steady. She turned and bit into the males shoulder and tossed him like a ragdoll into a tree, cracking his back against it. The female tried to pull the spear free but let it go when Laxxie returned her attention to her.
The spear absorbed into Laxxie’s body and a few seconds later she coughed the spear tip up. Hesitating, the female minotaur took a step back and toward her friend before glancing down at the pony. “Sorry, slave, you’re dead meat anyway.” With that said, she hurried to the bull and helped him up onto her back before she took off back the way they’d come.
Laxxie relaxed her posture and turned to the pony lying on the ground. Black mane and a coat similar in color to her Alpha’s, she thought about reporting the event to him, but decided to wait and see what would happen. Growling, she stalked closer to the pony again and then snapped her teeth shut, realizing she wasn’t presentable.
She watched the stallion trembled with his eyes shut, then Laxxie shed most of her bark hide to expose the timberpony hidden within. She shook out her grassy mane and spit out a mouthful of sharpened teeth below her. “Hi, I’m Laxxie. What’s your name?” Laxxie asked.
The stallion peeked one eye open and snapped it shut seeing a wooden leg. “J-just eat me, end it all.”
Laxxie cocked her head to the side. “I’m not gonna eat you, you’re too big.”
The pony opened both his eyes and barely lifted his head to see the much smaller creature of wood.
“What happened to that monster?”
“Oh, that was me. I scared away those meanies chasing you.”
The stallion blinked owlishly, then rolled to his belly, wincing as bruises and scrapes made themselves known. Looking at the stallion, Laxxie wondered why he was being chased while the stallion looked at Laxxie with apprehension. “I’m… Red. You’re Lassie, right?”
Laxxie giggled softly. “Laxxie. Why were they chasing you?”
“I’m an escaped slave; been a slave all my life until now.” Red stated as he pushed himself up and winced. Looking back he grimaced. “They took everything from me, except my will to be free.”
Laxxie stared for a second at the stallion, then blinked. “You’re a pony, how can you be a slave?”
Red snapped his attention back to Laxxie. “Everyone can be a slave in these lands. And what are you, anyway; some kind of free golem?”
Laxxie nodded twice. “I’m a timberpony, but if I need to I can roll around in the area and become a timberwolf. My daddy is a pony, though.”
“A real pony, or a timberpony?” Red asked as he rolled his shoulders and turned slightly to look around.
Laxxie blinked several times, taking in what she was seeing. “You have one wing. Where did the other go?”
Red turned his muzzle to Laxxie and frowned. “Yeah, they took my other wing when I was younger,” he said, squaring up with Laxxie, “wanna make something of it?”
Laxxie shook her head. “I don’t know what to make with it. I’d probably just bury it, if I had it.”
Red didn’t know what to say and his thoughts were muddled. He relaxed his posture when he realized he wasn’t dealing with a mean pony but a small… plant pony. “You didn’t answer me about your dad.”
“He’s a real pony, he birthed me five moons ago. He’s really nice and smart. He’s kinda like you, but you’re a stallion and he’s only my size.”
Red smirked. “I’m not a stallion, I’m just big for my age, see?” He said, turning his flank to show it was blank. “I don’t know when I’ll get it, but as long as I’m not with them, it can be anything.”
Laxxie smiled and nodded. “Yeah, my daddy will get his and it’ll be amazing.”
Red stretched his hind legs, then turned around. “So, where are we?”
“Don’t you know? This is a forest, silly.”
Red snickered. “No, where in the forest are we?”
“Right here,” Laxxie stated and tapped the ground, cocking her head slightly to the right in confusion. “Don’t you know anything?”
Red sighed and rolled his red eyes. “I mean how far to a city?”
“Frand is a half days trot that way,” she pointed, “that’s where my daddy is.” When Red shook his head, Laxxie pointed in another direction. “That way is the old camp where meanies lived. They killed daddy’s friend, so I scared them and killed the rest. That way is my favorite spot to eat and rest.”
Red inhaled deeply. “So, are there any safe places for me to hide?” He finished with a deep exhale.
Laxxie looked up to the sky in thought, then looked towards the west. “I know! Follow me, I think there’s a place you’ll like. It’s safe.”
Red followed the timberpony, watching her grassy mane and tail sway with each step. As he walked he bit and tore leaves off trees and nibbled on bushes as he went, trying to sate his aching stomach; it hardly worked. He was almost ready to ask to stop so they could graze, but habit stopped him. He was already getting out of his depth talking so freely and thoughtfully, as opposed to doing what was told of him, silently obeying.
“So, how much farther?” Red eventually asked as they reached a large creek. He looked around cautiously before lowering his muzzle to the water and taking several gulps.
“It’s not too far, maybe half a day’s walk.”
Red inhaled sharply then coughed water from his mouth and snorted some from his snout. “What? I thought you said we were close.”
“It is close, unless you want to go to my daddy. He can help you and keep you safe from-”
“No! I mean, no thank you. I’ll go to your safe place.”
Laxxie stepped into the water and waded half way before looking back. “Are you coming?”
“Yes, I’ll be right behind you.” Red stated as he stepped into the cold water. As it passed his fetlocks he shivered at the temperature, but before he knew it he was out and barely wet to his knees. He wondered what it would be like to splash in the water like he’d seen his former master’s children do, but hurried to keep up with the creature he was following.
Eventually hours passed with only nature’s sounds and their limbs striking the ground, soothing the nerves of the pony until Laxxie stopped suddenly. Red stopped and crouched, his ears turning this way and that, trying to find out why she’d halted. He didn’t hear anything.
“What are you doing?” Laxxie asked, looking over her shoulder at Red.
“I thought you heard a slaver coming.”
Laxxie turned to him and cocked her head. “No, we’re here. The safe place.”
Red stood up and looked around, not seeing anything different of note. “What’s so safe about this place? Besides it’s far away from anything.”
Laxxie moved to a larger tree and pushed a dying bush aside, showing a crack in the tree that was hollow. “There’s a hole in the tree and it goes down into a… um, I don’t know the word… a bigger hole?”
Red didn’t know the word she meant, but he could guess it was something like a cave. He moved past her and peeked his head inside, noting a soft glow from beneath. He moved forward squeezing his shoulders in before the ground gave way suddenly and he slid in to his hips, stopped only by his thin legs bowing out to stop his fall.
Red coughed a couple times as dirt fell, then he opened his eyes and gasped at the network of gems and deep roots that permeated the cavernous opening. The only problem he had now was the drop of nearly ten feet straight down that would probably break some bones. “Hey, can you pull me up?” He called back.
Laxxie bit his tail and dug her hooves into the ground and backed up, easily pulling the pony free.
“Wow, that does look like a safe place. Now, how do I get down there and back out without hurting myself?”
Laxxie blinked twice at the large colt. “Can’t you just… oh, right,” she said, glancing to his bare side, “what about a rope? Can you climb?”
Red shook his head. “Not with hooves, my master had hands and those were made for more stuff. I wish I had hands sometimes.”
Laxxie shrugged. “I don’t have hands and I do okay.”
“You’re a plant pony, you probably don’t even need to eat food. I don’t think you even feel pain, do you?” Red asked, somewhat indignantly.
Laxxie nodded. “I feel pain and I eat. I’m real, see?” She stated and tapped her chest.
Red scoffed. “There’s more to being alive than that.”
“Like what?”
Red opened his mouth and hesitated, thinking it over. In his few years of life it hadn’t come up, much less in the time he was being beaten or told what to do or where to go. “There just is! Look, are you gonna help me or not?”
Laxxie trotted in place. “I’m a good helper! What do you need?”
“Food, for one. Then a way to get down there without breaking my legs,” he pointed to the hollowed tree.
Laxxie giggled cutely into a wooden hoof. “Silly, there’s food everywhere. You’re a pony, so eat trees and stuff.”
Red looked up and groaned. “I don’t wanna do that. I do that all the time and I’m always hungry.”
“Oh. I can help you, I think. Do you like berries?”
Red’s attention went back to Laxxie and he answered anxiously. “Yeah, what kind?”
“All the kinds! There’s an allberry tree I know of and the yummy juice fills me up right away.” Laxxie said, patting her side.
Red looked around the area. “So, where is it?”
Laxxie turned her grassy tail to the colt and started walking. “Not far, just around the hill over there,” she pointed to a massive dirt hill that spanned a length beyond what he could see. It wasn’t too high, but it would be a rough climb for his weakened body.”Follow me.”
“Yes, ma-” Red stopped himself from speaking and followed silently to the hill. He watched the timberpony climb easily up the hill and he went to follow her steps, only to slip down with each try. A giggle reached him from above, incensing him. “Shut up! I can’t do it,” he sat with a huff, “I’m not strong enough and its slippery.”
Laxxie turned away and silence, save for the natural sounds of nature, fell. A berry bounced off his head. “C’mon, the berries are right here. Don’t you want some?”
Red hungrily knelt down and ate the berry, along with some fallen leaves. The juice was delightful and the texture was barely rough on his tongue; a great motivator for his hunger to be satiated in longer than he could think to remember. He moved almost on instinct as he climbed the hill, falling to his knees to grip the detritus rather than using his hooves alone. In a mere several seconds he’d reached the top and almost bumped muzzles with the pony he was growing to know better and better.
She giggled and backed up a step to point to a large cluster of bushes bearing thousands of berries of different colors. Recognizing one as the one he ate a minute before he pushed past the filly and trotted to the bush. He sniffed the bush he was by before delving in to eat. He ate berries, leaves, and pulled off a few branches as he went for nearly a minute until he stopped to burp a little. He heard Laxxie giggle behind him, then gasp when he turned to her. She then laughed and pointed to his muzzle.
“You look like a meat eater!” Laxxie announced. Red looked down his muzzle to see some red at the top of his snout. He wiped at his mouth with a foreleg and looked at the color; a deep red. Shuttering, he closed his eyes tightly. “What’s wrong? I thought it was funny, sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
Red licked his lips and his eyes opened, a smile formed on his lips. “It’s nothing, I’m not around them anymore… and this is really tasty. Thank you, ma’am,” he said turning back to the bush, eating at a more relaxed pace. Munching quietly, over a few minutes, he ate his fill of the bush clearing nearly a quarter of it of leaves and berries both.
With a content sigh, Red sat down and looked at the canopy above. Seeing birds in the sky, he smiled wistfully until a wooden pony entered his line of sight. “So, want me to help you make a way down? Or do you want to sleep outside with me?”
“Sleep? Isn’t it early for that?”
Laxxie smiled. “It’s never too early for a good nap.”
Red looked along the path he’d made to the bushes from hill. He got up and shook his thin body from the dirt and dead leaves that had clung to him. “Well, I guess we should find a way for me to make that my home now.”
Laxxie nodded and hurried ahead, rolling in the detritus down the hill the whole way. When Red looked down the hill he saw a giant ball of leaves, dirt, and sticks that seemed to roll to the tree he’d been shown. Without a word the mess began to flow inside until it was all gone. He blinked and then thoughtlessly went to follow, slipping and tumbling down the embankment until he reached the bottom and curiously went to the hollowed tree.
“Hello?” He called down the opening, his echo being his only reply, save for the sound of rustling leaves.
“Wait!” Laxxie called from inside a couple seconds later. Time passed and he waited patiently as he was told until the sky changed from bright blue to a soft hue of pastels indicating the waning evening.
The ground felt like it trembled, but Red couldn’t be sure; then a sinkhole appeared beneath him and he yelped as he fell into in, right onto a pile of sod and leaves. “Ta-da! Welcome to your home,” Laxxie said as she gestured to her side.
Red rolled twice to get off the soft mat and onto his hooves. He was about to admonish the timberpony before he looked around the cavernous area. He had dropped a short ways but there was now a thin layer of churned earth that was soft to the touch. He noticed a small path dug from into the wall but didn’t know where it went yet.
The areas around them were lined with roots and somehow they seemed to be supportive in nature, holding the area firm. The gems were moved around the area opening it up more and allowing for natural light to reflect between them giving a soft glow to the cave. In one section the wall was hollowed out and it seemed ready to become a bed while another section had a natural stone area set up like a table.
Laxxie pranced around Red. “Do you like it?” She asked several times before trotting to the alcove. “This is where you bed can be. I’ll get you some grass and soil to make it soft. Over there can be where you eat when you have company, and I made a path out that way so you don’t have to fall every time you wanna come in. It leads to the bushes you ate, so don’t eat them all or you’ll have to extra hide the hole. Oh, the hole up there is gonna be closed up. I just wanted to surprise you.”
Red looked around and smiled slowly into a grin. “Thank you! I love it,” he said rushing to hug the timberpony. He sniffed her mane and felt his tummy ache. “I’m kinda hungry again, do you have any hay or long grass?”
Laxxie shook her head. “No hay out here, just what you can find. Don’t go too far, either. If you get lost I can’t promise I’ll find you again.”
Red let her go and trotted to the tight hole she’d dug. “Does this lead out, then?”
“Yes, to the bushes. Is it too small for you?”
Red snerked. “Are you calling me fat?”
Laxxie looked him over and shook her head. “I can see your bones, you’re not fat at all.”
Red snorted. “Thanks, now I have to gain weight.”
“That would be best,” Laxxie said sagely.
Red reached into the hole and climbed in, crawling his way for a while until it arced up. He pulled hard with muscles that were growing more tired with each pull until he smelled fresh air. Poking his head from the exit he flinched in surprise to see Laxxie staring at him. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you to hurry up. You said you were hungry so I was going to help you get some meat and vegetables.”
“Meat?” Red asked as he pulled himself free and flopped to the side before he got to all fours and crept from the bushes, looking and listening for danger. “I’m a pony, we don’t eat meat.”
Laxxie shrugged. “You can, you just don’t usually. C’mon, I’ll help you get something to eat!”
At the offer, Red followed the excited leader into the growing evening until they came to a wild patch of various vegetables. Red sniffed a melon on a vine and took a tentative bite; the sweet juices washed through is mouth and he couldn’t help but take several more bites before he could stop himself. Looking around he whinnied in glee at the options he had.
“I started this for my daddy if he had to leave Frand. He gets into trouble sometimes, but I’m glad somepony gets to enjoy these, anyway.” Laxxie said as Red finished half the melon and left it to move on to a large leafy root vegetable. He munched through several bites, then moved several paces to a bright head of lettuce.
He munched on that, too, losing himself to primal hunger for a few minutes until he was very full. “Ugh, I… I haven’t been this full in my whole life.”
Laxxie giggled. “Let’s get you home, then. I’m getting sleepy and have to root soon.”
“Root?” Red asked as he got up and looked back at his body and smiled at the distended belly.
“It’s how I eat and rest. See,” Laxxie held up a wooden hoof and extended small tendril like vines from it.
“Oh, duh, like a plant.”
“I am a plant,” Laxxie said, leading Red back to his new home in the ground.
Reaching the bush, Red tried twice to get into the hole, but he was low on energy and motivation, just wanting sleep at that point after a long harrowing day.
“I’ll make the hole bigger for you,” Laxxie offered and entered ahead of him. The ground rumbled and after a couple minutes, she called for him. While he followed down the now slightly wider tunnel, Laxxie closed the opening in the roof nearly completely and moved some of the soft sod and grass to the bedding area.
When he finally got in, Red stumbled toward the bed and climbed onto the soft matt she’d made for him. “Thank you, Laxxie, so much.”
“Am I a good friend?”
“My best friend,” Red said as he quickly fell asleep.
Laxxie grinned and giggled, then moved to nuzzle Red. “I like you, too.”
