The Rocking Horse

Despite the work of Luna laminating the sky, the day was far from over for some ponies. Mares stumbled among drunkards on the street, laughing deviously as they let alcohol consume them. Stallions watched from the corners of streets and the darkness of the alleys. Some enjoyed the sight of freedom in the dead of night, but deep inside they were caged, bounded down by their physical needs.

Excluding one particular stallion, who sought to seek rest in the confinements of his home. His eyes were bloodshot from fatigue and his mane was in a jumbled heap. His grey coat was ragged, due to the act of physical activity late at night. He seemed to be deprived of oxygen, breathing heavily in and out slowly as he stared down at the ground before him, examining the region from his bed. The ticking noise of a small clock from afar rang in his ear, giving it an echoing feel as it bounced around in his skull. Despite all these traits though, he was perfectly calm. The only thing wrong with the current scene was the colt, who was actually indulging in his thoughts.

His mind was elsewhere not long ago. Coming from a wonderful gig with a gorgeous mare, as his companion left him to enjoy time with his new find, he decided to indulge in a night where he would be able to become satisfied with himself.  The entire night though, his mind burned furiously with questions, a feeling the colt was not exactly familiar with. The stallion pondered in silence, leaving his mind to process on the events of the day that passed not long ago, trying to recall the origins of a name who knew nothing of. Yet, according to the colt, it was enough to drive him into madness, causing him to literally tear at the walls of his mind to find an answer.

‘Dutch….Dutch…’ the colt thought to himself as he finally began to clink his hooves together in front of his face, both of which were tainted with a vibrant red stain that glinted in the darkness.

Lucius could not understand why the name had such psychological value to him.  As he stated to himself before, the stallion was nobody, a disdain figure not even worth noting. The fact Lucius could recount the name though, brought a strange feeling into his mind. And the fact that this stallion owned one of his many sins…

Lucius was an analytical being though, and had a tendency to read ponies. He saw the look in the stallion’s eyes when he saw Vinyl – it was a look of shock, yet, it was not the suspicious kind that came from one who would have noticed her.

The merchant felt that was no longer his problem and in the case of the mysterious stallion, he only reckoned it would be wise to be precautious.

“Sloppy…” Lucius muttered to himself, repeating the words of the treacherous unicorn that accompanied him long ago. And as he looked down at his hooves, he could do nothing but grin.

“I don’t know, do you think I’m sloppy?” Lucius asked as he turned back around to the mare lying on his bed with wide dull eyes and an open mouth. Her butterscotch coat was tainted with blotches of red, and a large gash could be found underneath the side of her heart. Her dark black mane was messy and clumped, the pigments of blood reaching to the tips of her mane. The entire scene was beyond horrid, but to Lucius it was a work of art. To the colt, he found the sight of dark red appealing on the white pure sheets he slept on. As for the mare, he was only getting started.

“It’s rude to ignore somepony you know?” Lucius continued, tilting the mare’s head in his direction to gain a better look into her dilated pupils. His twisted expression began to grow, his needs finally being fulfilled. The feel was all too great. It was almost erotic, but this lust was not sexual. It was a lust for control, power.

With a grin of satisfaction, Lucius slid himself off his bed, glancing down at the deceased mare that was sprawled out upon tainted sheets. The stallion snickered and shook his head.

“I tell mares all the time to never trust strangers” he sighed shaking his head as he began to walk around to the other side of the bed, passing through old, gothic furniture. His hooves left a trace of blood on the floor, a notion Lucius hated dearly.

“But to be honest,” Lucius continued, finally among the side of the mare, glancing down at her nimble frame, “It’s a good thing you came with me”

Lucius then grabbed the white sheets from one end and began to turn it in a circular motion, slowly wrapping the mare within the roll of sheets.

“I mean, just imagine” the merchant began, a gleam of excitement ascending from his sickly yellow irises as he tossed the encased mare over his backside, “If you actually left with a psychopath. I don’t think I would have been able to live with myself after that”

And with that, he began to walk out of the room he resided in, entering a door in which a long, narrow hallway ran in a straight path towards another door at the far end. The hall was lit by a dim, disgusting light that illuminated the walls with a deteriorating white pigment. As Lucius walked down the hall with his prize, the colt whistled an uplifting tone. The stallion was not one for music, but in times of celebration, he could sing as far as his sick pleasures would lead him to.

Lucius’ whistling came to a quick halt as he finally reached the end of the hall, now extremely close to the door before him. A spark of dark interest burst in his mind, bringing him to let out a sigh in satisfaction.

It was always this process he enjoyed the most in his hunt. Beyond the doors before him stood the sanctum of his pleasures, but it was a place where the key was never physical. It was psychological, and the only way to gain access to the room behind the door was to gain a kill.

After all, this is the place where Lucius forges his victims into his repulsive devices.

***

Dutch woke up in the eve of the morning, his mental clock quickly going off in his mind. The grey stallion was tired, his eyes heavy with fatigue, but once he managed to carry himself off the mattress and rub his eyes, he could finally muster up the courage to get up. Standing on all fours, Dutch leaned outwards, his back letting an excruciating cracking noise echo throughout the house. Afterwards he shook his mane and began to smack his lips, all the while lazily scouting around the house. Nothing interesting to see in particular, but the stallion felt refreshed. It was an alien feel, a thing Dutch was not used to, but he couldn’t help but let a sigh of relief leave his throat this early in the morning. Dutch had no vivid dream or nightmare, given the gift of a dreamless sleep instead. It was enough to give his mind time to rest, leaving it to ponder on nothing in particular. When the colt turned his head to the right side though, he instantly caught a glimpse of the wooden crate and the mare inside, still perched in her pose. Dutch did not walk over to the doll instantly though. No, he still had his usual job to attend to, and he knew he would have no time to pay attention to anything other.

The stallion finally began to take steps, walking in the direction of the bathroom to attend his usual morning routine as quickly as he could. He brushed his teeth, washed his face, took his cold bath and dried himself off all under a ten minute mark. Even Dutch was surprised, for it usually took him longer to attend each task. This refreshed feeling rejuvenated the stallion though, and it was feeling he has not felt in a long while.

Looking at the clock to keep track of time, he noted he only had fifteen minutes to attend his morning shift. Bolting out of the restroom, he trotted over to his cabinet and quickly put on his uniform, not taking any chances with time against him. Once he finished that task, Dutch moved to the center of his house so he could make out the approximate time left to attend work. The colt found it strange how he actually felt so energetic this early in the morning, but he didn’t feel like losing his job over it. Dieter was not forgiving for slackers, especially in the case of Dutch.

Fourteen minutes left.

Dutch muttered a silent prayer, hoping that he would be able to make it on time. Jogging over to the entrance of his house, Dutch quickly looked back into the house one more time to catch a glimpse of the mare in the crate. Despite his aging eyes, Dutch could not miss the gaze that kept him warm.

‘Calm down’ Dutch noted to himself, trying to tame his mind and not let his sanity reach its breaking point. The last thing he needed was to let his mind drift into the other direction of insanity.

So, shaking his head to clear his thoughts, Dutch closed the door to his home, locking it on his way out. Taking a deep breath to inhale the cool air, Dutch turned away from the door and began to descend down his staircase. Once he was on the sidewalk, he began to repeat the same route he has done every day on his way to work, except this time, he had a strong feeling that this day would not be like the others. With this thought in mind, Dutch managed to put on half a smile as began to descend down the dark city streets that were illuminated by the lamplights hanging on the side of each curb.

Seconds after hearing the noise of the satisfying click, and waiting a full minute to hear anything suspicious, the figure in the wooden crate finally dropped her pose and took one long heavy sigh in relief. Her mind was heavy with fatigue, and she felt stiff, and the only thing she sought for at the moment was sleep. So without uttering a word, Vinyl dropped to the bottom of the box and closed her eyes, engaging into a deep slumber she has been craving for hours.

***

The sight of ponies wandering aimlessly in the morning was never new to Dutch. Over the years he has grown accustom to the same sight of defeated, empty souls seeking comfort in all the wrong places.

Today was different.

As Dutch passed through a group of junkies, he felt no disgust or showed no sign of cynism. Instead he merely passed through, not even taking notice of their presence as he continued onwards. Dutch took notice of this behavior, but surprisingly he gave it no thought. His mind seemed to be clearer, despite the signs of hopelessness around him.

The only fact that disturbed Dutch was why he felt so…alive. It was not a feeling he was comfortable with, but at the same time it was a feeling he missed. Dutch reckoned it could have been the dreamless sleep, but he felt there was more to it than that.

Still, this happy persona gave Dutch the ability to walk all the way to work, without one negative thought entering his mind the entire way. Usually Dutch could not stand such long routes, for although it was enough to clear his head momentarily, it usually left him with more questions than answers and the ponies never helped. Not to mention a headache.

Finally, after a few minutes of walking through the streets as if it were nothing but a breeze, the colt finally made his way to the worksite, which was empty and hollow. The only thing that kept the worksite alive was the dim, small glow of a light hanging over a small office, to the left side of the entrance. Beside the glow stood a dark blue pegasus, wearing a black hardhat who surveyed the worksite ahead, noting the presence of the buildings skeletal frame and the ditch underlying the bottom of it all. Soon, Dieter began to take notice of another’s presence, but was not truly expecting anyone around at the moment.

“Dutch?” the blue pegasus said confused, bewildered to see the stallion here before him. “You’re early…”

Dutch, who began to feel the cold temperature of the morning from the dirt beneath him, nodded his head in a nonchalant manner.

“Yeah, I’m here” Dutch informed, flashing a smile to Dieter – something he has never done before. Dieter lifted a brow in suspicion, finding the stallion’s behavior to be beyond strange now. Dutch was not a pony of perfect attendance, an aspect that gave Dieter a good reason to replace him, but here he was on time. Not only that though, the colt was actually smiling – a trait the pegasus thought he never had.

Dieter thought Dutch must have took a shot of Dash before he made his way here, but the look in the stallion’s eyes was different from the junkies he saw on the street. This just didn’t add up for the overseer…

“Well, what now?” Dutch asked, cutting off the thoughts of the pegasus who jolted slightly, breaking the connection with his mind.

“Oh” Dieter asked, trying to snap back into his work mind set. “Well…” Dieter was not entirely prepared for Dutch to ask him what he would have him do. Usually it was Dieter who had to inform the colt what to do. Glancing back at the vacated work area though, Dieter was able to identify Dutch’s assigned task.

“…I need you to help me set up the site” Dieter informed, pointing his hoof over at the building that was still a work in progress. “I’m going to need you to pull out the metal rods, load up the bricks, check the lifts and supports, prepare the cement mix…”

Dutch listened to Dieter as he listed the various tasks he needed to do early in the morning. And the whole time, the colt nodded his head, all with an understanding expression plastered on his face. Dutch was not comfortable with the amount of work present on his hooves, but it was not like he was doing it all on his own for Dieter was going to aid him.

In the end of Dieter’s rant, it seemed like the pegasus was out of breath. Almost as if he was trying to overtask the stallion…

But Dutch did not let it affect his mood. Instead after all that he heard he merely nodded his head, muttered okay, and began to walk over to the metal rods, leaving Dieter wide eyed. ‘There had to be something wrong with this stallion’, he noted to himself.

“Dutch” Dieter called after him, flapping his wings for a short while to catch up with the stallion. A small cumulus cloud fluttered around the colt as the pegasus appeared by his left side. Dutch looked at the pegasus in confusion before having his eyes lock into place with Dieter’s.

“Are you…okay?” he asked, examining the colt that was slowly pulling his head back.

“Err…yeah?” Dutch answered, as if there was a right or wrong answer to it. There was no question to answer though. Dutch was fine – in fact he felt beyond that. Had he been in his usual mood he would’ve whined and groped about the number of tasks before him.

“You sure?” Dieter insisted, pulling his head back with the same expression on his face.

Dutch, possibly taking notice of what was bothering the pegasus, nodded his head. “I’m fine Dieter. I just feel…better” he smiled, causing the pegasus to think.

‘Better?’ Dieter thought as Dutch watched him analyze the words in silence. The stallion was too hyped on energy though, and walked off away from the pegasus who began to notice his leave.

“Hey where are you going?”

“I’m going to get the metal rods” Dutch shot, finally making his way to a large wide metal bin, “I just want to get this over with”

The surprises kept racking up for the pegasus, who could not stop thinking about the colt.

‘Wow’ he noted to himself, ‘whatever Dutch is taking, I want some of that. May be able to take off a shitload of stress…”

Meanwhile Dutch was opening the metal doors of the large bin, which now revealed the long thin cylinder frames of the metal rods. Each one stacked on top of another, all of them shaped in the formation of a pyramid. Dutch did not grumble or whine. Instead he took one long sigh, hoping to intake as much oxygen as possible, before he prodded his hoof out to grab a hold of one of the rods. With a large heave, the colt pulled out the rod, trying to balance out its long frame as he prodded it over his shoulder and backside. Now all he needed to know was where to put it…

“Dieter!” he shouted, causing the pegasus to turn his head and see the working stallion. The sight was all that was needed to wake up Dieter from his thoughts. Without uttering a word, the pegasus instantly began to flap his wings, going to some unknown location only to come back with a large wooden plate held by the thick wires of a crate, which he placed in front of Dutch.

Dutch nodded his head in thanks, and with another large heave, he threw the rod onto the platform, relieving his body of the large heavy item. Dieter always saw how Dutch worked, but today he could see something was different. Still, he gave the idea no thought and instead began to help Dutch, carrying rods and aiding him in lifting larger rods.

***

Within the box, Vinyl remained to sleep comfortably, her eyes closed shut while her head rested over her hooves. Her breathing remained timid, and the sight of her slumber was enough to invoke a sufficient amount of innocence into anypony’s heart.

Deep within her mind though, her thoughts began to solidify, forming themselves into a realm the mare was not familiar with. She was casted into the dream world, abiding by the world of her own illusion. All of which, was fueled by the pain and sorrow that’s burned inside her for so long.

Vinyl is lost. Afraid. Alone. Her body is shrouded by darkness, her eyes forced to look upon nothingness. As she glances down at her body though, she is able to make out her own legs and chest as if illuminated by some foreign light. Her breathing is tense and her legs began to tremble as she glances around, not knowing how she entered this void. Despite the presence of shadows though, she feel she is not alone. She feels she is being watched from afar – almost as if being surveyed.

“Hello?” she calls out in exchange for the sound of silence…a cold, lifeless silence that begins to send the mare into a feel of slight paranoia. Her heart begins to beat faster, and she could feel her nerves begin to tremble.

The unicorn begins to slowly walk ahead, hoping she would be able to make out an exit, but as soon as she makes her first steps, her eyes are blinded by a bright white glow. She jumps back and gives a terrified squeal, her breathing now heavy as this unknown glow continues to shine from far ahead.

Soon, the shine of the glow begins to dim, but it does not disappear. Vinyl, slowly bringing her forelegs away from her face, looks ahead, only to see a white glow shaped in the appearance of a door. The mare watches the exhilarating glow, a glow that brings an overwhelming sense of warmth to her body. A feeling she craves.

With a new burst of energy, and her fear not too far behind, Vinyl quickly dashes towards the light, her breathing growing frenzied as her hooves clicked against the illusive floor below her. The light began to grow brighter as she began to grow closer and the warm feeling within her began to grow along with it.

‘I’m free’ she thought to herself, allowing this warm feel to fuel her thoughts for a short while as she entered the door shaped glow. As soon as her entire body entered the glow, her eyes were instantly shrouded by a bright glow and her body felt a warm tingling sensation cover her entire body. A smile grew across her face as she began to embrace the absence of the darkness she was once in. She began to feel alive now, a feeling she wished for so long. And now, its finally happened. Vinyl began to giggle, her mind replaying an old, dusty emotion of joy and purity.

The beautiful essence does not last long though.

The glow of the light soon began to dim, and the once warm inviting feel began to depart with it. Vinyl’s smile begins to falter, taking notice of the strange occurrence happening to her surroundings. The glow is not gone though, and after a while, she realizes her eyes were closed all along.

Upon opening her eyes, she immediately notices the presence of various items and trinkets that would be found in any commonly owned room; a bed, cabinet, drawers and other various items. This room though, was far from common. As Vinyl glanced around her surroundings, she could do nothing but become mesmerized on how every item within her sight was white. Every single thing. The room had no windows either, leaving the room to feel like a bright, cozy prison.

This presence of pure white disturbs Vinyl though, for she feels that this ghastly glow is all too familiar. Never has she seen a room look so bright, so clean – yet so eerie and wrong. She could not place her hoof on the feeling, but she began to feel her nerves tense up slightly and her mind began to shift back into its cautious state. She could feel her ears willow and she lowered her head, for this feel of being watched returned to her, giving her gut a tightening knot.

Vinyl began to slowly walk around the room, passing through cabinets, drawers and a bed frame. As the mare passed the bed frame though, she caught a glimpse of something bright and blue in the corner of her eye. Catching her curiosity, Vinyl turns back to the previous region, only to freeze in place and stare wide-eyed at what she saw before her.

The image that reflected the vibrant blue glow was her, copied by a mirror that was hidden by the glow of the never ending white. This reflection before her though, was not her. Vinyl’s mouth trembled and her nerves began to give slight shakes as she began to ascend closer to the mirror, which reflected her. But it was not her.

No, the mare within the mirror was not Vinyl Scratch. It was a duplicate, holding the old characteristics of Vinyl Scratch – a varying blue, spiky edged mane with an exhilarating glow and a pair of light purple shades prodded on her face. Her coat seemed rugged though and she seemed to be trembling feverishly.

Vinyl could not stop thinking about the image of the mare before her. She could not help but notice that mare in the mirror was once her. It was once who she was – in mind, body, and spirit. But now, she was nothing like that. Her spiky mane was replaced with a wavy flowing mane and her shades were gone, her eyes now vulnerable to the world. It was enough to make the mare question who was truly the false duplicate of herself.

Vinyl, taking her question into thought, began to place her hoof over her head, trying to feel the spiky mane reflected in the mirror, but all she could truly feel was the silky smooth strands flow down amongst the sides of her scalp. She then attempted to feel a pair of shades on her eyes, but she did not need to do such a thing for she would have seen everything as a purple hue if she had them on. The entire time, her reflection did exactly what she did.

Glancing downward, she tried to see the other attributes her reflection gave. As she glanced down at her coat though, she did not see not a single hair on her body look rugged, nor did she see her body shake tirelessly.

This dream was beginning to worry the mare, seeing that her reflection gave her a subconscious shiver up her spine.

This so called dream would not last long.

As Vinyl glanced upward to examine her mirrored self-one last time, she lets out a loud gasp and jolts back, as her eyes lock with yellow, bloodshot irises, accompanied by a wide, blood ridden grin. The frame of the creature is massive and it is apparent its skin is deteriorated, showing clumps of meat and flesh. She cowers back quickly, her hooves clasping over her face as if to shield herself from the sight before her. Her body began to tremble in fear and the nerves on her fence grew tense, the feel of paranoia overwhelming her mind. A ringing noise screamed through her head, causing the mare to cringe as her mind continued to lock the image of the horrendous sight.

And just as she did in the dream world, Vinyl’s eyes quickly shot open as she lifted her head up in fear, a breathless gasp escaping her lungs. Her heart raced quickly and her breathing grew heavy. Vinyl began to look around her surroundings in fear, cautiously surveying the area around her as she hid in the wooden box she rested in. Her body was trembling and it caused the box to shake slightly as the friction from her body passed onto it.

Her mind was heavy with fear and her eyes were wide open. The image of the creature was fresh in her mind, and she could find no way to rid of it. Its features, its grin…its eyes. Vinyl could not stop trembling as she thought about those eyes, which she tried so hard to rid of. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t purge her mind of the demonic eyes she has been forced to stare at for years…

Soon her trembling turned into whimpering, trying to shield her eyes with her hooves but it was no use. The images of the merchant were too young in her mind. She was helpless now, forced to gaze into the eyes of the creature that gazed at her with sick pleasure. Her whimpering grew louder and her eyes began to twitch as tears began to stream outward, her mouth quivering feverishly.

Whimpers eventually turned into sobs. Vinyl began to let her emotions pour out of her once again, her eyes jetting tears down her face like a running faucet. She buried her head in her forelegs to hide the sobs, but it was no use. No matter how hard she tried to hide it, her muffled sobs could not shield her from the pain inflicted by the nightmare. Her body continued to fidget as her paranoia began to grab a hold of her, inflicting this idea that creature was no illusion.

The mare remained in the crate, crying and sobbing as she felt this overbearing tension shroud over her. Her fear began to fuel her emotions as well, yearning for the presence of anypony. But nopony would come for her. No pony.

So Vinyl remained in the box, alone, sobbing and trembling as she began to curse the very day she was born.

***

A funnel of dust circles around Dutch as he runs off across the worksite, carrying with him a tool box in his mouth. Ponies surround him, performing their assigned tasks in silence and with bitter antics. Some seem inadequate to work, considering the second life they attended to only hours ago.

Despite their presence though, Dutch is too caught up in the work mind set, and has been running back and forth aiding his fellow coworkers who have glanced at him with strange suspicious glances. His ecstatic energy was unbelievable to many, finding this feel to be alien – it was a feel some workers knew only came from a great dealer – or possibly from a special somepony.

A theory that crossed the mind of Twin Twist, who requested the toolbox to chisel the shape of drying cement mix.

“Wow, that was quick” Twin Twist shot as Dutch placed the toolbox in front of him, panting slightly as sweat beaded down his forehead. Dutch, tired but not finished, nodded his head as he tried to catch his breath.

“No…problem…” Dutch panted, closing his eyes as he allowed air to sweep into his lungs. Twin Twist shook his head and chuckled in response.

“Thanks” he responded, patting the shoulder of the colt that was now beginning to catch his breath. Despite his tired state though, Twin Twist was beyond surprised of the energy this stallion possessed. He knew of Dutch’s early shift, which began six hours ago. Twin Twist knew something was pushing the stallion forward – something that was absent yesterday for the colt seemed to be a totally different pony today.

“Hey, is everything good?” Twin Twist asked quizzedly as Dutch began to walk away, trying to see if any other ponies would require his assistance. Upon hearing the question he has been asked repeatedly in the time span of that morning though, Dutch turned around with a tired expression.

“Yes, Twin Twist” the stallion sighed walking closer to unicorn. He said it almost as if it was rehearsed. “Everything is good”

Dutch could not stop but wonder why his behavior was so strange to everypony around him. Was his swift mood change so noticeable it was appearing on his face every second of the morning? Even then though, was that a bad thing?

‘So what if I’m like this? I feel really good’ Dutch thought to himself, watching as Twin Twist put on a smile.

“It’s not a bad thing” the unicorn assured, raising his hoof to subconsciously tame the stallion. It was almost as if he could read his attitude in his tone. “This just happened so suddenly though so I wanted to know how everything was going for you.”

Dutch took a sigh, remembering that Twin Twist was not like the other stallions. The unicorn came from a place where this feeling was more common and the stallion felt ridiculous for getting a bit defensive.

“Yeah, everything’s fine” Dutch answered, opening himself partly to the unicorn who smiled. “Just woke up in a good mood, that’s all…”

“You sure?” Twin Twist asked raising a brow. “You seem pretty ecstatic about something…you come across anything that’s making you feel…good?”

Dutch then began to realize what the unicorn was finally getting at. And Twin Twist believed he finally knew what the reason was for his happiness, who gave him a playful smile.

‘Did he really find a mare?’ the unicorn thought to himself, eyeing the stallion with a proud gaze. At the same time, Dutch’s mind began to think on its own. ‘….Does he believe I found a mare?’

“Whole?” Dutch asked unsurely, already knowing what Twin Twist was getting at. “uh…nothing like that…I guess…”

Twin Twist lifted a brow, surely expecting a mare would behind such happiness – or if not that at least a pony of some gender. Even then though, if it was not that, the unicorn pondered ‘then what?’ The unicorn was familiar with this feel. This feel came from a source of invulnerability – something gained from being loved by another.

‘Was it drugs?’ Twin Twist thought to himself, but found that Dutch would not be the kind of pony to do such a thing. As he noted before he was different from the others, but at the same time, it seems there was more to the stallion than he realized.

“Hey Dutch” a voice called from afar, catching the attention of both colts who seemed to be lost in their thoughts. Dutch, turning to the source of his called name, caught the sight of a blue pigmented figure flying in his direction, with a satisfied grin on his face. Upon noticing his presence, the figure came to a halt before Dutch, patting the shoulder of the stallion before him.

“My friend” Dieter began to shaking his head, “I never expected this type of behavior from you, I’d give you that.”

Dutch was a bit shocked from the pegasus behavior. He could not believe his boss was actually admiring his work habits. Before Dutch could continue though, Dieter continued on.

“Well, it looks like your shift is up, and lucky for you, it’s your payday” the pegasus informed, motioning his hoof over at his office. Dutch knew about payment, but he never cared for the bits. He only found the cash useful for it was the only way to make a living.

“Alright Dieter, I’ll be there shortly” Dutch informed, leaving the pegasus to nod his head and fly back to the office from which he came from. Once the colt departed, Dutch turned back to Twin Twist who had a pompous grin in his face.

“I don’t suppose the extra labor was for a raise was it?” the unicorn asked, lifting a brow. Dutch never thought about receiving a raise, for at minimal wage it was unlikely he would earn anything higher. Still, if that was the case, he would have no problem with it.

“No” Dutch responded, but flashed a smile afterward. “But it wouldn’t hurt to have one” he chuckled, shrugging slightly. Twin Twist could not argue with that reason.

“Maybe I’ll work with you a little more” Twin Twist informed, pointing his hoof at Dutch. “That way I’ll be able to get things done around here faster”

Dutch took it as a compliment, but he felt the act of working alongside another pony was worth noting. It would be grand to work alongside the unicorn, chatting while working. Unluckily, Dutch had no time to converse with Twin Twist, but he felt there was always going to be time for that. For now, he was beginning to focus on some other tasks he may have needed to attend to.

“I won’t mind having an extra hoof to help” Dutch remarked, bringing his hoof outwards toward Twin Twist. The unicorn let out a warm smile as he looked down at the hoof, and without a second thought he shook it with a strong grip.

“Well, it’s best if you head on out and pick up your paycheck” Twin Twist suggested, pointing his hoof over at the office. “We’ll take it from here. You’ve already done enough for today”

“I feel like I could have done more” Dutch retorted flashing a meek smile.

Twin Twist shook his head, somehow expecting that answer despite the colt’s behavior from the day before. “Seriously, what has gotten into you?” the unicorn asked, literally giving up on trying to find an answer to the question.

Dutch sighed and let out a meek smile. “Well, let’s just say I found my anchor” he answered, leaving Twin Twist more puzzled. The unicorn reckoned he shouldn’t hold the stallion back any longer though, and decided he could discuss the reason with him another time.

“Alright, I give” Twin Twist sighed, defeated, patting Dutch’s shoulder. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?”

Dutch nodded his head, chuckling at the unicorn’s previous remark. “Yes, I’ll see you tomorrow”

Twin Twist then nodded his head and bid his farewells to Dutch, who returned the notion shortly after. Then, without another word, they both continued on with their assigned tasks.

As Dutch ascended away from Twin Twist and into the office of their boss, the unicorn glanced back and shook his head.

“That stallion must be hyped on some drug or something” he sighed, feeling an ounce of respect disappearing for the colt who he thought may have been different from the rest.

***

“Here’s your payment” Dieter informed, handing out a small saddle bag that was meant to hang over the side of its patrons. Something did not add up with this item though. Dutch eyed the bag with curiosity, noticing something strange.

“That bag seems a tad bit bigger than usual” Dutch noted, pointing his hoof at the bag that was now lying in the center of the table. The office they both resided in was small, containing not a single item worth noting.

“Well after today, I felt a little bonus would seem…fair” Dieter sighed, finding a hard time trying to utter the last word of the sentence. Dutch would have not blamed him for such difficulty.

“Really?” he asked in disbelief, wondering if there was a catch.

Dieter showed no sign of regret though, nor did he pull off the image of a treacherous pony.

“It’s not much, but it’s a little more than the usual, so don’t try to get too hyped up on it” Dieter replied, his bitter personality returning back to him.

Dutch ignored his tone though, for he felt like he just accomplished something today. It was not a great amount of money, and he was not a stallion who let bits consume him, but it felt like a small victory he was willing to take.

With a nod of his head, he grabbed his payment and walked away from Dieter, a feeling of luck beginning to grow in his mind. He felt that maybe this positive feel in his body gave him the potential to open new doors and gain new things.

And as Dutch walked out of the door, he craved nothing more than a nice, warm meal.

‘Speaking of which, I need to go out and get supplies’ he thought as he stepped out of the worksite, slowly passing through ponies. ‘I’m going to need food, some soap…a towel will do fine too’. He continued to list other items, mentally noting how he was going to need to spend his bits.

So instead of taking the usual route back home, making the usual left turn once he made his way up the street, he decided to turn right, making his way to the market square that was only a few blocks away.

***

Walking to the market was always a hassle, for it was by the worst slum of the city, harboring the homeless, waste, and despair. Even in Dutch’s calm collective state, it was enough to bring negativity to his thoughts as ponies watched him with defeated eyes, all of whom have known the feeling of loss.

As he continued to progress though, he saw something he never thought he would have seen in his entire life. Leaving his bubble, Dutch stopped dead in his tracks as he saw beside him three young foals, all of which were accompanied by one dirty mare. Their coats were rugged and their bright, lively manes were filled with specks of dirt and waste. They all looked up at him with tired, saddening expressions – a look one would not expect from foals. Looking away, his eyes locked with the mother of the foal, which had a gaze that begged for help. The sight was enough to make his heart ache with pain.

Looking at his bag, the stallion let out a sigh, knowing he could not allow these young ones to go on like this. The sight of these kids brought memories back into his mind, clouding his mind with dark shadows.

Moving his bag around his back and opening it, he pulled out six bits in the palm of his hoof. The young foals- two colts and one mare- all looked at the bits as if it was the key to their freedom. The mother, harboring her kids with whatever she could provide, looked at the stallion in disbelief.

Dutch’s face grew stern and his once positive energy shifted into a cold desolate feel. It was not cynism though, nor was it bitter. It was an emotion that showed pain, yet it tried its best to show comfort.

“Here” he said, reaching the bits out to the mother, whose eyes locked with his. Her dark purple irises looked tired, beaten. It was enough to make Dutch give them the entire bag of bits, but Dutch could not do such a thing. In this world, he needed a way to survive, and that could not be possible if he was back to where he started.

The mother, glancing away from Dutch to the bits in his palm, opened her mouth in disbelief. It seemed as if she tried to utter something, but her mind could not process what to say. All she could do was slowly lift her hoof upwards to the bits in Dutch’s hoof, her foreleg twitching feverishly. Grabbing the bits from the stallion’s hoof, the mare looked back at her kids, each of them calling to their mother.

The mother, upon looking at her kids with the bits in the hand, grew teary eyed, finally ensuring that she would finally feed her kin who have scavenged for food all their lives.

“Thank you” the mare said sweetly, her mouth quivering as a weak smile spread across her face. The sight of the mare’s happiness began to bring pain into Dutch’s heart, and he knew if he stood any longer, he would be forced to take her sorrows with him. Without uttering another word, he continued onwards, leaving the mare to finally acknowledge her children who all gazed at her with young eyes.

“Mama, who was that?” the little mare asked, her light pink eyes burning into her mother’s soul. The mare, with the bits in her grasp, bent low and grabbed all her children within her forelegs and clung onto them tightly.

“An answer to our prayers sweetie” she sighed, holding and kissing each and every one of her children, who returned the love back to their mother.

***

The market was empty on this particular day. The place never gave an inviting essence, having extremely dim lights and a bitter worker or two. Still, this place usually had more than one customer.

Inside the market, Dutch’s mind was lost. He tried to gather a list of all the items he needed, but his mind would only recount the image of the mother and her foals.

‘Don’t think about it’ he kept telling himself, as he scrounged around aisles of items, searching for the cheapest possible items. Deep down though, he knew that image would never leave his mind. It scarred him, searing a mark into his mind and emotions. His positive mood was now gone, replaced with his usual mindset.

Finally casting an eye over the cheapest batch of soap, he grabbed it and placed it into the cheaply built carts of the market. In it he had all that he needed – food, water, and now soap. His desire for a towel faded from his mind, realizing it was only a necessity and he would not have enough to afford it.

Making his way past aisles, Dutch let out a sigh, pushing the cart along with him as negativity began to block up in his mind. The stallion tried not to let it get to him.

‘I can’t be depressed’ Dutch thought to himself, as he passed through various fruits and produce, ‘I should be happy. I helped that mare and her children. They should be fine…’

But Dutch was a soul like no other. Despite all efforts, he could feel the pain of others – their broken dreams and sorrows transitioning into his mind and heart. It was the price he paid for having a humble spirit…

“Okay, that’s enough” Dutch spoke silently, bringing the cart to a halt. “I think it’s about time I have a day dedicated to me.”

It was not a selfish notion. After all, Dutch never had much for himself. The question was how was he able to invest time for himself when he had nothing to do. In all honesty, all he really craved was sleep, for he was tired from all the work he put out at the work site. But ever since what he saw, he knew his mind would not be able to rest. And if it did, he knew his mind would try to play tricks on him…

Letting out a sigh, Dutch felt this day was beginning to head downwards real quickly. As he hung his head low though, he caught a glimpse of a cheap, bright red sign in the corner of his left eye.

Turning to the left, Dutch caught the sight of small, wax coated candles, all of which were accompanied by a large red sign that read SALE. The stallion found the advertisement to be pathetic and let out half a snort before a quick thought crossed his mind. A thought he was not comfortable with at first.

But as he began to ponder on the thought, he eventually gave in, realizing it may not hurt to try it. It did leave him to question his sanity surely, but in the end, he knew his sanity would go downhill by pondering on the thoughts of the homeless foals, imagining their lives as they grew older and their inevitable fates…

Ascending closer to the cheap sign, Dutch took two of the candles from the stand and placed them into the cart. They both fell in with a heavy rattling noise as they hit the frame of the cart. Dutch, returning to his cart, felt a strange itching feeling come from his face, causing his hoof to scratch his chin. As he did that though, the sound of his beard shifting rung through his ears causing him to go wide eyed.

‘When was the last time I shaved?’ he thought to himself, continuously scratching his hoof. Despite the answer not coming to him, the stallion decided it would be at least nice to be presentable for his plan. So, he made his way back into the aisle looking up and down until he could find the cheapest shaving blade.

Throwing that item into the cart as well, Dutch realized he may indeed have enough bits to get himself a towel. This caused the colt to make his way around the aisles once again and find himself the cheapest towel he could find. It felt rough and thin, but it was useable so he did not complain.

Finally, once everything he needed was in his cart, the stallion let out a sigh in relief, realizing he could now return home and carry on with his day. His thoughts were still negative, but Dutch chose not to acknowledge it for a portion of his mind was now bright with an idea he was eager to perform.

Making his way to the cash register, Dutch did not have to put up with the sounds of grumbling ponies for there was not one pony around – excluding the cashier who was a young mare unicorn. She had a light blue short mane that was frenzied and her coat was a light purple.

Dutch greeted the mare with a smile, which raised a brow as she began to manually charge the stallion for all the items he placed on the counter.

“I’m too young for you dude” she spat as the pen held in her telekinetic grasp moved on a sheet of paper feverishly. Dutch raised a brow, confused by her words, but once he realized why the thought crossed her mind he rolled his eyes.

‘Can’t do anything good around here without on damn pony thinking you want something from them’ he whined in his mind.

“Please, don’t think I don’t know” she continued seeing the stallion’s eyes roll. Dutch let out a grunt and was beginning to grow tired of the pony’s rude behavior.

“How about you just tell me the price?” he asked, lifting a brow with a fake grin. He wanted to say more, but he didn’t want to grow bitter. And luckily, it was enough to shut the mare up.

The mare took a sigh and began to calculate the price, her eyes flashing up momentarily and realizing she missed two items – the candles. The mare looked at the stallion and back at the candles before saying another thing.

“…So you expecting a good time tonight?” the mare asked, drawing out that assumption from her experience with other customers. Dutch glanced at the candles for a short while, actually thinking about her question.

“…I’m counting on it” Dutch sighed, glancing down at the ground beneath him before looking back up at the mare. The mare, once bitter, gave the stallion a quizzical look. Whenever she asked that questions to others, they had a huge amount of confidence and always stormed off shortly after. This stallion seemed different though, and this gave the mare a second opinion on Dutch.

As she grabbed the candles and placed it into a bag along with the rest of the items, she held the entire bag within a light purple aura and handed it over to the stallion. Finding the bag a bit too large to carry on his own, he decided to pay the approximate amount of bits before altering the bag he held the bits in into a device that would allow him to carry the sealed bag on his back without trouble.

Although Dutch was now low on bits, he knew he would have no need of them until next week – even then though, it was hardly enough for him to get by.

As Dutch began to walk out of the market, he was stopped by the sound of the mare calling him.

“Sir!” she shouted, causing him to turn with a puzzled look. She seemed to be a bit embarrassed for some reason. “I hope you have a good time tonight…” she said, the words coming out of her forcefully. It was her own way of apologizing for her parents have never known how to teach their young mare how to be respectful. Still, Dutch was far from judgmental and was willing to accept it.

“Thank you” he responded, waving his hoof upwards to bid her farewell. She raised her hoof to say goodbye in return, flashing a meek smile that did not seem to be forged. Dutch found her behavior to be strange, but he decided to leave it how it was and walked out of the market.

Stepping back out into the city, Dutch took one long sigh, preparing himself for what may be the strangest plan he has ever conducted. The stallion felt tired though, and he wished to feel that warmth he felt early in the morning. The warmth of another’s presence…

Dutch let out a slight sneeze, as he glanced down the street from which he came, the memory of the mare and her children flooding back into his mind. The stallion had no urge to relive the scene, so in an attempt to shield his newly formed bubble, Dutch continued onward up the street, improvising his route back to his home.

Inside the market the mare stood in silence glancing around the market which was now empty and desolate. After a few seconds of thinking she let out a loud sigh and shook her head.

“I should’ve gave that stallion my address” she sighed. She could not help but realize he was different  from other stallions in this city. ‘He seems to be the only normal pony in this place!’

***

Hours have passed since Vinyl has awakened from her nightmare that has contaminated her thoughts and mind. She could do nothing but recount the events of the dream in her head, trying to find the purpose in all of it. She could remember talking to a purple unicorn long ago, who told her dreams were a gateway into the subconscious – a way of warning the soul of things to come or it wasn’t aware of.

With a dream such as that though, Vinyl hoped the unicorn was lying. As she lay on her owner’s bed, she could do nothing but stare ahead, her mind lost in hopelessness. She has spent hours telling herself it was nothing but a dream and that everything would be okay, but she knew nothing was okay.

Glancing outside a small window that hanged up on the wall ahead of her, she began to see the dim, red hue of the sun beginning to set. That was a sign the stallion could be home any second now. Vinyl closed her eyes for a second, trying to intake as much rest as she can, before she let out a loud grunt. Trotting off the bed and falling on all fours, Vinyl slowly made her way back to the box, moving at an extremely hesitant pace.

“What a way to live” she sighed, lowering her head as she finally began to place her body back into the crate, turning herself around until she could face the direction she did in the early morning. She was not going to enter her stance just yet though. She wanted to endure this freedom for as long as she could, staring ahead at the piano which was stationed in the end of the room. Vinyl swore she could feel her chest beat every time she saw the piano before her. She could not explain the reason for it, but all she could say was that in her mind, there was this burning sensation to run her hooves over the keys of the large instrument. She was not a mare who was not familiar with what she used to call ‘dinosaur instruments’. In fact, compared to her home, this country seemed to be different. It seemed to be more…older, almost a century younger. Then again, it was far from her home country in every possible way. But the mare always had a passion for music – a treasure she has been denied for so long. She felt this urge to relive her old hobby.

No, she felt urgent to relive her reason for living. Music was her life, as were her friends. But with all that gone, her reason for living faded with it.

Just as the decision to run her hooves over the frame of the piano began to cross her mind, the sound of a clicking noise from ahead broke Vinyl’s thoughts.

“Shit” she whispered, letting out a defeated sigh. After hours of recollecting her thoughts and piecing together back her mind, she was now forced to resume the stance of her double persona.

As the clicking noises finally turned into the noise of creaking Vinyl assumed her stance quickly, positioning herself just in time as Dutch came into his home, a tired yet humble expression on his face. With the bag still on his back, the colt turned back around and closed the door to his home, locking it at the same time, in hope of preventing the cold winds from entering inside.

Dutch let a shiver leave his body, causing him to shudder as he began to glance around his home, thankful to be back in his house – in the case of today, that is. Walking into the center of his house and turning on the light, he let out a satisfied sigh as he looked in the direction of the doll. As his eyes locked with Vinyl, he let a smile form across his face as he moved away from the center of the room, turning to his left side into his old worn down kitchen. Dutch made many attempts to repair the area where he cooked his food (took even more attempts in attempting to repair the gas pipes), but in the end, the walls seemed to be continuously degrading, almost as if it was crumbling by the second. The kitchen was small, so small that it only provided enough space to cook in it and harbor a small counter where Dutch decided to place the bag of purchased items on.

Vinyl watched from afar as Dutch began to pull out various items out of the bag. Dutch decided it was about time to enact the plan he had in his mind ever since he left the market. Before he finally decided to try it out though, he began to wonder was it something he should really do.

‘It’s not like it’s going to mean anything’ Dutch thought to himself, trying to make up an excuse. But somehow he felt that it could lead to his mind betraying him later.

‘There is not much else to do though’ he continued, trying to provide himself with reasons, ‘I mean, I don’t drink…anymore…but that’s not the point. The point is it’s just something to keep me entertained. Yeah, that’s it. It’s just a way to get my mind off everything’

Vinyl was completely unaware of the stallion’s plans, so as Dutch took various items from the bag – soap, a razor and a towel – and walked right past her into the restroom door directly across from her, she let out a confused emotion act out in her mind.

‘What’s he doing?’ she thought to herself as the stallion closed the door to the bathroom, granting Vinyl the ability to move around freely. She did not want to risk it though, for she was aware of the creaky floorboards around her.  What she did allow herself to do though was let her pose falter, allowing her to drop on her bottom and mover her body around as the sound of running water entered her ears.

‘Oh, he’s taking a bath’ she thought to herself, raising her ears upward. This was a good sign that she was able to leave the crate – until she remembered the time span of Dutch’s baths.

“Oh, c’mon can’t I have just one break?” she whined, falling back into the box as she raised her arms upward as if to curse some nonexistent deity. She already knew the answer to her own question, but despite the answer, she decided to take the risk.

Crawling out of the box, she stretched out her back, at least providing her frame with some space, unlike inside the box where her entire body was crammed inside. Her back let out a frail cracking noise, relieving the unicorn of a great amount of stress that built up in her body. She wished she could just lay sprawled out on the floor, allowing every single one of her bones to stretch out – or at least on the bedframe. The idea sounded too great for Vinyl though, so she decided to give it a go.

Lying on her back, Vinyl closed her eyes as she began to stretch out her arms and legs, letting her belly face upwards. The unicorn felt the feel of her body stretching out to be better than she imagined. ‘If only it was on a cozy mattress’ she thought to herself as a tired smile spread across her face.

***

As Dutch finally began to grow tired of the cold water running down his backside he turned the knob to the tub, allowing the cold water around him to escape to the pipes underlying the house. With teeth chattering, Dutch grabbed his new towel and looked at it with a satisfied grin.

‘Let’s see how these things work’ he thought to himself. As water dripped down from his short mane, the stallion threw the towel over his head, shaking it furiously to rid itself of all the water present. As Dutch rubbed the towel furiously, he could feel his hair drying off quickly, which assured him that buying the towel was actually a good idea.

‘Wow, this thing can save me some time’ he thought to himself as he began to bring the towel to the rest of his body, allowing its drying abilities to take its toll over his entire body- all except his face. Dutch still had some business to attend to with his facial features.

Stepping out of the tub, Dutch felt refreshed and satisfied all the fatigue from today washing off with the rest of his filth. As he took only one step ahead he already found himself positioned in front of the mirror in his restroom, allowing him to take a view of his bewildered hair and unattended beard. The light in the bathroom may have been dim, but it was enough for him to view himself.

‘Wow’ Dutch thought to himself, stroking his beard as he began to imagine how he would look without it. Despite how attached he was to his beard, he was curious as to how he would look without it. So without another thought, the stallion grabbed the blade he left in the sink and began to wash it off, scrubbing it with the remnants of the previous bar of soap he had. He didn’t want risk catching anything from an unwashed item if he cut himself. After all, it has been a long time since Dutch has decided to shave his face.

With a sigh, the colt rubbed the remnants of the soap on his hooves and began to fling it over his face. It was the cheapest alternative to shaving cream, and it provided the same effect so he did not mind it.  The only thing he did mind was if he was going to cut himself.

***

After hearing the stallion shout ‘ow’ once, Vinyl gave up resting on her back. The scream instilled fear in her head, giving her the idea she would be caught and she did not want to risk it. So she got up (after a long battle with her comfortable mind) and returned to the box, waiting for the stallion to ascend out of the door.

‘What the heck was this colt doing?’ she thought to herself as she shook her head, glancing in the direction of the door. She could not find one good reason why he would be shouting in pain.

Suddenly the door swung open, causing Vinyl to flinch and freeze back in her position, quickly changing any nitpick that would make the stallion suspicious.

The sound of a running faucet could be heard clearly now, no longer being shielded by the door. Vinyl, not seeing anything stirring, moved only her eyes as she looked into the bathroom, only being able to make out half of Dutch’s frame. The sound of water splashing along with the running faucet could be heard until the faucet finally shut off.

A few seconds passed before Vinyl was able to see the stallion slowly move out of the restroom, causing her to move her eyes back into its usual position. The noise of hoof steps could be heard throughout the house along with the sound of the floorboards squeaking.

As Dutch continued his way into the kitchen of his house though, Vinyl noticed something strange about the stallion. She could not see it clearly from the corner of her eye, but she saw something about him that made him look…different.

***

“Alright, now time to batch up a nice fettuccini salad” Dutch noted to himself, his taste buds watering at the sight of a nice steamed succulent plate of garlic covered, steamed pasta. He could already smell it.

Taking the required ingredients for his meal out of the bag – pasta, garlic powder and anything else he could substitute for a cheap dish – he placed each one on the counter, fiddling around with the items as he began to wash away the bundle of lettuce, heat up the oven, boil some of the pots, and prepping the seasoning.

A breeze rolled into the house, passing over the stallion’s face who felt the cool fresh air against his face. His once bushy beard was now gone, replaced with the sight of a clean face which felt completely vulnerable in the cold temperature of the city.

‘I still look rather dashing though’ Dutch mused as he placed the pot of water of the heated stove, allowing it to boil the water in it for the bits of pasta. It was going to be a small proportional meal though, for he needed to make the food last him the entire week. Still, the colt actually considered making two dishes, but found that to be too far. That would only leave one of the plates to be eaten while the other remained in the cold.

***

As Dutch left the kitchen, Vinyl was surprised to see the stallion before her. She was frozen (mentally) as she saw the new visitor she has never seen before.

The stallion she saw had a clean shaven face that brought out his dull features. His eyes were a brighter hue of brown, and she felt like she could notice him as a reasonable looking stallion. Still, Vinyl was not giving anything else to the stallion which she still held no respect for. He was her captor, so the most she would be willing to give is that.

Dutch, upon walking out of the kitchen glanced in the direction of the doll and let out a light smile. When Vinyl caught the smile, she noticed it was a totally different expression when he did not have his beard. It seemed more…humble.

The stallion looked at the doll for a short while and shook his head lightly from side to side. “I hope you’re ready for tonight” he informed, letting out a warm chuckle.

Upon hearing those words, despite Vinyl’s frozen state, she instantly felt her thoughts crash together. ‘That’s why he’s getting fixed up! He’s going to use me damn it!’

She was now enraged, but her anger grew even more furious as she realized she would not be able to do anything about it. She would have no choice but to accept it, forced to be used without her say. It was beyond degrading for her…

In Dutch’s mind though, no such thing ever crossed his mind. The stallion may have been alone, but he was surely not desperate for lust. He made sure to cover that idea in his mind many times, chanting the same idea in his head. ‘You aren’t doing a doll…you’re not doing a doll….’

This entire night was just a night to relieve stress through some mischievous humor, he put it. In short though, he knew a better way to describe it. Glancing away from Vinyl Scratch, the colt made his way into the restroom, his mind still processing the act in his head.

‘Face it Dutch,’ his subconscious told him, ‘you’re playing with your toy like a little foal’

Dutch could not deny that. He was going to play with the doll, just not in a way any other might. Instead, he would choose a more different approach, much similar to that of a foal. It did not help to realize his toy was indeed a doll, which made it a filly’s toy…

Walking into the bathroom once again, Dutch let the sink run once again and placed his hoof in the water. As the water poured over his hoof, he began to dab the droplets of water over his head, trying to fix his dark, thick mane into a clean, fresh style. Slicking his hair to one side, he gave himself what some up north would call ‘a cow lick’. It fitted the stallion’s persona perfectly though, despite his built frame. Whether it may have been his bloodline or not, the clean look seemed to fit best with the stallion who began to admire his reflection in the mirror.

Dutch was never a pony to indulge in himself, nor did he ever care about his looks. After admiring his new look though, he couldn’t help but at least give it a good thought.

‘Maybe I should stick with this look’ he thought to himself, flashing a smile that seemed to be more uplifting than his previous ones. ‘While I’m at it, I should get a fedora…’

Dutch shook his head lightly, realizing that he may start getting carried away with himself. ‘No, you’re good for now’ he told himself as he sighed heavily, glancing at the mirror one last time before the smell of boiling vegetables filled his nostrils, giving him a wonderful essence.

Quickly, he made his way out of the restroom, passing by Vinyl Scratch who noted yet another change in the stallion, but she gave him no thought. She was far too infuriated by the lies building in her head. She had her reasons though – legitimate reasons.

When Dutch entered the kitchen, the heat of the steam from the pot gave the stallion a warm, comforting feeling, but he would need to discard the boiling water if he wanted to have a perfect meal. So, grabbing the pot, he steadily began to tilt the hot liquid into the sink next to the stove, which hit the metal rim with a sizzling noise as it began to pour down the drain. Once he finished that, Dutch grabbed a lid for the pot and using his mouth, placed it over the pot. The food was half way prepared, but the colt wanted to cover other things first before enjoying a delicious meal.

Walking out of the kitchen once again, Dutch began to approach the crate in which Vinyl stood, still staring ahead with her plastered gaze. The stallion stopped a few paces before the doll and knelt down slightly, examining its features as he began to let out a slight chuckle.

‘Okay Dutch’ his mind told him, ‘I give you permission to be insane’

And with that, the stallion decided to amuse himself with playful humor.

“Ma’am” Dutch began, instilling fear into a frozen Vinyl. Her mind began to race as her paranoia of being returned slip back into place, but Dutch was quick to continue onward. “Would you like to have dinner with me?”

Vinyl Scratch was shocked and she was going to let her mouth drop but she caught the act before she could even let it occur. ‘Was the stallion serious? How did he even know I was alive in the first place? Is he really asking me out to dinner?’ these thoughts burned in the unicorn’s head, almost giving her a good reason to drop her stance and actually reveal herself to the stallion.

Timing is everything though.

Before Vinyl let herself budge, Dutch chuckled and nodded his head. “What’s that? You would be honored to?” the colt continued, letting another smile appear on her face.

Vinyl, confused on the colt’s behavior, quickly found out what was going on. He was playing with her. Just as Lucius use to do before…

Vinyl’s anger began to intensify, her ability to keep her emotions concealed slowly beginning to fade away. But before she would allow herself to lose it, a question asked her mind.

‘Is it worth it?’

She began to question was it worth fighting the stallion, possibly beating him with all the rage she held in? Or would it be all for nothing, the stallion winning in the end and returning her back to Lucius, which her dream seemed to be hinting at. What if this is what her dream was warning her of…

All the while Vinyl remained fighting with her thoughts and harboring her emotions, Dutch continued on with his plan. Unfortunately, he knew nothing of Vinyl’s conscious state so he could not see the damage he was doing to her. Even in humor though, Dutch had a way of displaying respect.

“Let me help you out of the there ma’am” he laughed, ducking low and grabbing a hold of Vinyl’s waist, slowly pulling her out of the box. As Dutch placed her out of the wooden crate, the stallion let out a sigh and patted his hooves on his coat.  Without uttering anything to the mare, he continued to move the doll away from the box, placing her beside the worn down table he had by the piano.

“Here we are dear” he informed, waving his hoof outward to display the table that was old and rugged looking. Dutch taking note of its appearance, decided to use that in his little fantasy.

“Yes I know it isn’t the best table…” Dutch began, almost as if the doll was complaining. “…Really, you wish to go there…ugh, fine, I’ll just get a new one” Dutch sighed, walking away tiredly, leaving the doll frozen by the side of the table.

The colt seemed to be having fun with his minor role-play, finding his bit about arguing with the mare humorous. Walking over to his mattress, he glanced down at his bed sheets and took one long sigh. ‘Well I guess this’ll have to do’ he thought to himself, pulling off the clear sheets from his bed and folding them in four halves. Once he finished that, Dutch made his way back to the table, pretending he was out of breath.

“Sorry…it was just…too many…” he fake-panted, holding out his hoof as if to catch his breath. Throughout the entire time, Vinyl did not budge. Not that Dutch ever expected her to.

“Well, I got the sheets” he informed, holding the sheets up high, but as he glanced at the table, he knew he was going to need to move things out of the way before he could put on the cloth. With a shrug, Dutch began to pull off the two plates that have sat on the table for so long.

Strangely enough, despite the history of the table, not one memory has crossed Dutch’s mind. It was possible that he was caught up in his own ‘humor’.

Once the plates were moved aside (specifically of the back of Vinyl Scratch, which Dutch protested with ‘can you hold these for me please?’) Dutch laid out the thin white sheet, covering the disgusting hue of the table and giving it a new refined glow. Once Dutch grew satisfied, he took the plates off of Vinyl’s back and placed it back on the table.

“Thank you” Dutch said, nodding his head towards the doll. Taking a step back, Dutch admired the new look of the table, finding it appealing now. It finally looked like something he actually wanted to eat on. Before Dutch moved onto his next task though, he refused to let down his joke.

Moving past the doll, Dutch pulled out a seat from the table, displaying it with a broad hoof. “Here is your chair” he informed, looking at the toy with a pair of kind eyes. To Vinyl, she saw a pair of sick, twisted irises that she wished to gouge out with her hooves. Still, while the unicorn found the colt’s behavior eerie and repulsive, she couldn’t help but feel this strange feeling come from the stallion. It wasn’t entirely happiness, but it was a playful feeling… as if the stallion was truly playing around.

Holding out the seat wouldn’t just make the doll walk right onto the seat though, Dutch knew, so he began to walk to the mare. Once he reached where she was, he grabbed her in his forelegs and, lifting her up, placed her flank on the seat of the chair, while still in her playful stance. Dutch knew he would have to pose the doll to fit the act of sitting, so Dutch began to tinker with Vinyl’s joints, bending her hind legs downward in a crossing fashion as if wrapping her hooves with one another. Once Dutch finished aligning the legs, he pushed in the seat, causing Vinyl’s torso to rear closer to the table, her upper portion of her body still in its previous pose. Dutch let out a sigh, finding the doll almost impossible to pose. Still, he continued on, pressing his hoof against her back to align her vertebrae, making her head look across at the seat in front of her. Her forelegs, spread out before her like a zombie, were now being crossed and bent, now lying directly over one another on the table in front of the mare. Dutch went back a few paces to admire his work, but he felt like something was missing.

Returning back to Vinyl, Dutch tilted the mare’s head turning it to where the stallion would be able to view both of her eyes. The problem with that though was her eyes turned to the far right as her head turned, due to the way her eyes were fixated. Dutch placed a hoof on his chin, and decided if this doll was really flexible, he may be able to fix that problem. Cautiously, Dutch raised his hoof out towards the mare’s eyes and gently began to move them to the left side, trying to realign them in the direction of her head. Her eyes were glassy, an aspect that made Dutch truly admire the work of this doll.

Soon, Dutch was able to fix the gaze of the doll, giving her this affectionate, humble look. The colt, believing one final thing would make this image perfect, moved closer to the mare one last time and tilted her head to the left slightly, giving her this romantic aspect. Finally backing away from his scene for good, Dutch let a smile appear on his face, admiring his work. He was able to pull off this scene perfectly, not only through dialogue but in scenery.

‘Dutch, you got talent’ he informed himself jokingly. Just as the stallion began to get lost in the image of his work, he immediately remembered what this entire night was about – thanks to the help of his stomach which let out a loud growl. Glancing down at his gut, Dutch immediately went back into the kitchen, finally preparing himself a meal, and leaving Vinyl on the table in that fixed pose.

Vinyl, upon seeing the stallion gone, began to blink slightly and breathe but she did not do much more than that. She was not truly familiar with this position, so if she drastically moved her body, she would return to her previous stance out of instinct if Dutch returned.

Still, she found the stallion’s behavior to be beyond strange now. This was something Vinyl did not expect. She was not expecting the stallion to actually…play, with her, in the true context. Although she did find his behavior beyond eerie, she could not help but give a puzzled look as she began to ponder on the stallion’s behavior. ‘What is he really doing?’ she thought to herself, feeling that the colt still had a lot more in store for the night.

As her thoughts began to grow, she caught a glimpse of grey stick out of the door, causing Vinyl to tilt her head and freeze. Dutch appeared shortly after, walking over to the table carrying a strange small plate with two glowing items resting next to one another. Approaching the table, Dutch carefully placed the glowing tray in the middle of the table, leaving a wonderfully glowing essence to overcome the table. After leaving the tray in the center, Dutch took a plate from the table in his mouth.

“Excoo me” Dutch apologized with the plate in his mouth and began to walk back to the kitchen, not before passing to the center of the room and turning off the bright light that lit the entire room. Once the light seized to function, the entire room was lit with the glow of the two candles in the center of the table, lighting up Vinyl’s features from afar. Dutch, seeing the effect truly helped, walked back into the kitchen, granting Vinyl another chance to blink freely.

‘That’s what I mean though’ she thought to herself as she looked down at the flames on the candle flicker from side to side, almost as if alive. ‘The way he plays with me. It’s almost as if he…he sort of…’

The unicorn had no way of actually finishing her sentence. She had a way to finish it, but she did not know if it was the right term to use. It was almost as if she was hesitant to admit this to herself.

The smell of food began to fill Vinyl’s nostrils and although her stomach could not rumble, she felt her mind grow eager to harbor a taste of this extravagant meal. ‘Hopefully he’s insane enough to try to feed me’ she thought, trying to give this humorous feel a shot of her own.

Once again though, the sight of something sticking out of the kitchen door caused the unicorn to freeze back into her newly forged position. Dutch approached the table, with a steaming plate of fresh brewed food prepared on top of it. Its excellent aroma was covered with steam, giving the meal a holy presence. Placing the plate on the table, Dutch pulled out his own seat and prodded himself on it, glancing ahead at the mare before taking one bite of his meal.

Instead he seemed to be more interested in the newly formed expression of the mare, whose eyes seemed to look more inviting and characterized with her current position.

The colt flashed a warm smile, and placed his forelegs on the table as well, glancing at the eyes for a few seconds longer before uttering a word.

“I would have given you a meal, but you seem to be all filled up from this morning’s breakfast” Dutch explained, creating an excuse for the mare that has actually had not one meal in years. Vinyl let her mind sting with bitterness, but she reckoned she could always pick scraps when he was asleep.

Dutch, grabbing a fork that was placed on the plate, grabbed a portion of the fettuccini with it and brought it into his mouth. He began to savor the mixed flavors of the meal, all of which left him satisfied.

“I don’t think you would have enjoyed it anyways” Dutch lied, taking another mouthful of the delicious meal. ‘Damn this is too good’ he thought to himself, allowing the flavored pasta to mix so greatly with the seasoned salad. It was possibly one of the best meals he created.

His sentences were only responded with the noise of silence though, so soon, after a few more bites, Dutch began to feel the humor of his fantasy slowly fading away. Soon he began to see that he was only talking to himself, staring at a doll while he enjoyed his meal. The colt did not see this as depressing at all though. Not in the slightest.

As the colt glanced upward at the doll though, he felt his mind shift away from the food for a while. He was always intrigued by the doll, but never contemplated on it. Now that he had time to spend on the doll, he decided to ask his questions aloud.

“…Whoever crafted you must be an artist” Dutch sighed, finally giving into the truth. “I mean really, it’s almost as if you’re real…”

‘You have no idea…’ Vinyl thought to herself, an urge in her mind begging her to scream out and admit the truth. She knew the stallion was only speaking to a doll though, not her. He did not truly believe he was talking to a real spirit.

“…And those eyes” Dutch continued, throwing his hoof out to point at the doll’s romantic gaze. “I mean… those eyes are just…”

Dutch let out another sigh and shook his head. “Wow, all this time I’ve been talking to a doll…”

Vinyl watched as the stallion began to roll his hooves in front of him, trying to process what to say next. But instead of saying anything, the stallion only scooted his seat closer, and placing his forelegs on the table, he began to look straight into her eyes, which seemed to be frail and petite within the glow of the candle flames.

Her eyes locked with his as the two stared into one another, one of them having no clue about the other’s existence. Vinyl looked into the stallion’s brown eyes, which showed something she has never seen. She could see this caring, humble look, the kind that was eager to make a friend. At the same time though, she could see there was pain behind those eyes – a pain she was familiar with. His eyes showed he was hurt, lost, and alone. Very much similar to herself…

As Dutch stared into the eyes of the doll before him, he could do nothing but let a smile stretch across his face. Those eyes were enough to make Dutch feel whole, almost invulnerable. Despite the pain his mind could recount from the memories of those eyes, this warm inviting glow overpowered it all. It almost gave him enough strength to believe that in the end, everything he has been through – every challenge, obstacle, and battle – will all be worth it in the end. It was an embodiment of the mare he once loved – and that was enough of a reason for the stallion to keep the doll.

In the span of their connection, the two souls’ minds enacted on their own, forging their own thoughts from their own experiences. Such a thing is not unusual, for one’s experience fuels their behavior and choices.

But the connection was bound to break, for Dutch eventually turned back to his food, leaving Vinyl to stare at him enjoy his meal. It did not take him long to finish his meal though, as he finally came to a satisfied sigh. His appetite was now full and his desire to clear his mind was nearly finished. Glancing around back to the small window on the wall, he could see the presence of nothingness, showing that it was evidently time to rest.

Dutch turned back around and let a sigh escape his lungs. He did not wish to rest though. Despite his mind being satisfied, he felt there was still something missing. Something he wished to accomplish tonight…

Sliding himself off the chair, Dutch began to walk closer to Vinyl whose gaze was still fixed straight ahead. The stallion truly thought he was going insane, for he wished to perform this task with a doll. In his mind though, she was no doll. Her eyes were enough to make him believe it was his old love.

So, with a sigh he came up on his hind legs and stretched out his hoof to the doll, who he knew he would have to forge to grasp his own.

“Would…you care to dance?” he asked, not truly expecting an answer in return. He felt his mind play a trick on him, panning out a scene where the mare came alive and responded to his question, embracing in his hold as the two danced he night away. But that was his mind only playing tricks on him.

Vinyl, hearing the stallion’s question, could not believe what this stallion. Her mind was truly beginning to race, for she was now eager to know what was running through this stallion’s mind. She was beginning to believe this stallion was actually…caring for her. Despite this idea though, she did not dare move, and she continued to tell that to herself as Dutch grabbed hold of her frozen frame and began to mover her limbs around, trying to place her in a moveable position. As Dutch stretched the mare’s forelegs outwards and placing her legs straight, he began to move her to the center of the room, in which he held her by the waist.

The dolls vibrant red eyes stared at her dance partner with enthusiasm, who responded with a warm smile. Despite the silence around him, Dutch could feel this warm feeling in his heart guide his choice to move. His hesitation prevented him from moving at first, but soon, he could hear this music play from the bottom of his heart. This noise that echoed in his head, despite the silence around him, caused him to close his eyes and move around slowly with the doll, guiding his hooves and body movement as he slowly but majestically turned and pivoted with the doll in his arms. Unfortunately, the toy’s frame was rigid and stiff, but this did not stop Dutch. He knew the doll could not move, but the catch is, he was never visualizing the doll.

No in his mind, Dutch replaced the doll with his mare – his true love. He imagined her light holy glow moving around him majestically, giving him warm, lively signals that forced him to work harder, making sure that image of the mare would forever stay pure. He began to visualize the two ascending close to each other with every move of this slow dance, their love for one another growing stronger as their bond strengthened.

As Dutch swung the doll around slowly, her mind began to guide her imaginations, for she visualized a scene she thought she never would have. She could see herself, alive and glowing, her hair back into its previous shape, and her happy ecstatic behavior flowing back into her heart. Within her grasp was the stallion she danced with, who gave her this feel of affection she garnered from no other for so long. The way he looked upon the mare with truth behind his eyes – actually recognizing her as a living soul unlike so many others.

Soon, Dutch laid a halt to the dance, swinging the toy into his chest as he opened his eyes, finally breaking the connection with his mind. Upon looking at the doll, he realized his mare was absent, the only trace of her left in the toy’s eyes. Dutch was not hurt nor was he disappointed. He knew it was nothing but a memory. He finally came to accept that she was gone, and there was no way of her coming back. With the doll though, Dutch was able to harbor the great memories he once held with his soul mate, so he would not mind to treat the item in the same manner.

Leaving Vinyl in the center of the room, Dutch walked away to prepare himself for rest. The night was beginning to age, and he knew he had work to attend tomorrow. He had his fun for today, and knew it was time to confront reality once again. Approaching the table, Dutch blew out the candles, leaving the house to become lit up by the moon which seemed to shine through the smog in the air. The colt began to take off the various items on the table - placing the used dishes in the sink, removing the white sheet from the table, shaking it off and returning it to his bed. In the end of it all, Dutch decided to place the two fresh candles back onto the center of the table. The twin duo seemed to match the features of the table, so he did not mind its presence.

Once all seemed back in place, the colt let out a tired yawn, stretching out his back to show that he was now truly tired. With a few hesitant strides, Dutch began to move around to his side of the bed, the floorboards squeaking beneath him. Once he finally reached the left side of the frame, the stallion crawled onto his bed, his mind beginning to weave out the feeling of fatigue, while at the same time, the events that occurred not too long ago-

“Oh wait…” Dutch groaned as he lifted his head up from his bed and looked straight ahead, noticing a figure standing upright in the center of the room. The stallion got up from his bed, sighing for he knew he would have to leave the comfort of his sheets to put the doll away.

As Dutch ascended closer to the figure, he began to pose her once again, this time bringing her back down to a normal stance but not exactly fixing her features. Dutch seemed to have let his mind fuel his fatigue quicker than usual, but he felt like simply leaving the doll in the crate.

When Vinyl was back down on all fours though, a breeze rolled in causing Dutch to shiver. He knew the nights were always cold, but his body grew accustomed to such cold temperature. Still, it would not pain Dutch if he had anything he could use to help him out.

Suddenly, as Dutch glanced down at the doll, an idea grew in his head, but he quickly turned it down. ‘No, there is no way. I’ve handled the cold before, so I’ll just do what I’ve always done before’

As Dutch told himself that though, another breeze rolled in, this time stronger and more aggressive than the first. It seemed as if these winds were rolling in as if timed, according to Dutch.

Glancing down at the mare, Dutch sighed, finally giving into the thought. Grabbing Vinyl in his forelegs, he lifted her up and took her over to his bedframe tossing her on the bed as he passed by, making his way to crawl onto the mattress as well.

Vinyl Scratch, who was completely caught off guard by this notion, let her dreams falter at the realization that the stallion wasn’t who she believed he was. As she lay on the bed, she felt a bitter emotion bite at her mind as she began to realize he may actually use her tonight…a fact that caused the mare to mentally sigh.

The stallion had no other idea on his mind though, other than needing something to give him additional warmth. On the bed, Dutch looked down at the mare whose legs seemed to be scrambled, each of them intertwining with the other as she looked ahead with slim red eyes. Dutch, growing curious of the doll’s ability to display expression, decided to take a different approach. Bringing his hoof closer to the mare’s eyelids, he began to lift them slowly, shifting her romantic gaze into a happy, heartwarming look. Her eyelashes which only added to her eyes, gave a more adorable aspect to the unicorn. The smile of the doll shifted with the alterations of the eyes, changing from flirtatious to innocent and it was enough to bring a smile onto Dutch’s face.

Gathering the sheets around him as the feel of another breeze rolling in pierced his skin, Dutch grabbed Vinyl by the waist, softly squeezing onto her as he covered both their bodies with the sheets. At first, the doll’s cold plastic skin gave him shivers, his body temperature soon began to heat up the doll-  much like body temperature heats up a blanket or sheet. Dutch found the feel of the mare’s soft coat against him and the smell of her hair nerve wrecking, but Dutch was not giving into such thoughts. She was a doll that supplied him with memories of the mare he truly loved, and that was t.

His tired mind began to slip into an unconscious state, his entire day- the work, the mother, the cashier, the doll, and the dance- draining him entirely of energy. With one last final act in the conscious realm, Dutch squeezed Vinyl’s waist tightly, before finally falling fast asleep.

And as Dutch rested, letting his mind weave dreams, Vinyl remained still, afraid to breathe for the stallion’s hooves were tightly wrapped around her. She was stunned as well, finding what she planned out to be far from what she expected. She expected to be used and manipulated in an attempt to satisfy a colt’s sick needs. Instead though, she found herself in the grasp of the stallion, but with no form of sin apparent.

‘Is he playing tricks on me?’ Vinyl questioned, wondering if he was just as insane as her previous captor she did not wish to note. He was definitely different from the rest – she realized that today during her physical bond with the colt. She still could not allow her mind to trust him though. She was not willing to risk her life to reveal herself to a stallion who she does not know at all.

‘The way he looked at me though’ she tried to counter with herself, as if trying to trick herself. Her mind would not allow it though. Her defenses were so high, and she has been in pain for so long, she could not allow her defenses to falter for some stallion who tried to sweet talk to her. That’s how she fell into the grasp of Lucius…

Even then though, she would not stop. ‘He does not know I’m alive though and he looks at me as if I am…’

Whether the statement was supposed to support her or confuse her, Vinyl could not decide. She was just confused now, her mind contradicting with her thoughts as she tried to figure this stallion out, but she just couldn’t. He was just too much of a mystery.

The feel of hooves tightening around her waist put her thoughts to a stop, finally taking the presence of Dutch into consideration. His body was warm, and it has been so long since she’s felt this kind of warmth reflected on her body. For so long, she could remember being forced to stand rigid, the cold gnawing at her nonexistent nerves. This warm, comforting essence though brought a true smile onto Vinyl’s face. Although it made her feel cold inside, knowing she could never enjoy the feel of this warmth personally ever again, she could not help but feel safe in the presence of the stallion. After her previous nightmare, the cold, eerie silence did not aid her mind. With the presence of Dutch though, she felt his presence would be enough to stave off the freezing winds that continuously passed over her skin and the monsters of her subconscious.

Vinyl felt she was no longer alone. With Dutch around, she felt that his warm, inviting spirit would provide her body with enough strength to keep her mind clear. And she seemed to have no problem with that, for it seemed the stallion actually saw her as a living being, despite her current state. It may have shown the stallion was just as insane, but it was far from the insanity she knew of.

Still, she could not afford to risk revealing herself with Lucius not too far behind. The image of the demonic merchant flashed in her mind, accompanied with the sound of a screeching noise that caused her to wince slightly, but the memory soon died down once she heard the sound of Dutch shifting his body slightly.

She wished to close her eyes, and embrace this comfort of the stallion, but she knew her mind would place her into a state of comatose.

Despite all the benefits she garnered from the colt, in the end she knew they would only remain true if Dutch had no knowledge of her true existence, for she felt Lucius was not too far behind, watching her with a sinister grin…