Snickers: A New Land

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.