How Nea Met Ephy


                                            >You paced the sides of your cage, your tail swishing in that nervous way that it always did.

                                            >You'd been in this kennel for a good while, and if it wasn't for the regular trips outside to get some fresh air and play with the other ponies, you'd have no clue what time of day it is.

                                            >The shelter was abnormally quiet for this time of day, the usual 5pm crowd of parents taking their kids to see the ponies at the shelter weirdly... absent?

                                            >The late afternoon glow cast shadows across the lobby, and a whine escaped your throat as you looked over at your half eaten bowl of pony chow, and room temperature water.

                                            >You hated it here.

                                            >Every part of your body felt gross, incomplete without the one thing your body was meant to have.

                                            >An owner.

                                            >You've watched your friends get carried away in the arms of strong, dominant Masters, and as much as you wanted the be happy for them, it started to nag at you.

                                            >Why couldn't it be you?

                                            >What did they have that -you- didn't?

                                            >Did you make the wrong choice?

                                            >Every part of your life was going the exact opposite to how you desired, so when the pamphlet arrived to become a PCC, to let go of all your worldly possessions and live a life of luxury as a little cartoon horse, you didn't hesitate before showing up.

                                            >It seemed like a good idea at the time, desperate times call for desperate measures and all that.

                                            >But you've been in here for what has started to feel like an eternity, your bad timing resulting in the wave of owners just missing you.

                                            >So here you were, in some stupid kennel.

                                            >And here you thought you were pretty cute...

                                            >But you were always glanced over, your kennel slowly being moved further and further back as more arrivals came in, poor mares that got the same short straw you did.

                                            >People just weren't looking for ponies this time of year, you suppose.

                                            >You remember the hopeful little gleam in your eyes, looking over your new form for the first time.

                                            >They even let you rummage through a box of potential accessories, for ponies that want to have little scarves or bows or the like.

                                            >The latter called to you more than anything, a bow the color of salmon adorning the back of your head.

                                            >You let out a small whine and look at your somewhat warped reflection in the back of the kennel, the steel wall distorting your features to an almost comical degree.

                                            >Your mane was somewhat disheveled, your usual nightmares causing you to writhe in your bed to the point ruining your mane.

                                            >Not to mention throwing your blanket off.

                                            >You let out a whine, using your hoof to paw at the bars of your cage to get the attention of one of the attendants.

                                            >Eventually one walks over to your cage, having heard the commotion of the rattling metal.

                                            >She looked like every other twenty something year old college student sorority girl that worked here.

                                            >Most of the attendants were girls, since the shelter had so many more mares than stallions.

                                            >After enough mares decided to flirt with the few male attendants this place had, the higher ups decided that most of the "floor workers", as they were called, would be female.

                                            >At least that's how it was explained to you anyway...

                                            >That was before you arrived, but that's how all the other mares kinda explained it to you.

                                            >With a click she opened the bars to your cage, reaching down and gently tussling your mane in that way that you liked.

                                            >"What's wrong sweetie? you need food or water?"

                                            >You let out a small whine as you sit down, relaxing a little bit as she smiles down at you.

                                            "C-can you fix my blanket?"

                                            >She giggles for a second, before reaching down and scratching under your chin, the purr leaving your throat before you could even think about it.

                                            >"Sure thing sweetie."

                                            >You move out of the way, watching her easily correct your blanket, tucking in the sides before petting your head a few more times and being on her way, telling you to let her know if you needed anything else.

                                            >You made your way back over to your bed and curled up, resting your head on the lip and letting out a little sigh.

                                            >You could've fixed it yourself, but you were getting kinda lonely.

                                            >Most of the owners to be never come back this far, but occasionally you'll find a diamond in the rough.

                                            >Your eyes wander as you peer out the bars to your seemingly permanent prison cell, glancing over the few mares that occupied this spot, most of the other cages empty.

                                            >Your mind thinks of some of the friends you made here, watching them smile and laugh with their new owners before being carried out the door, never to be seen again.

                                            >You look up at the clock, and it's almost 7pm already.

                                            >You lost track of time.

                                            >A couple minutes later the girl from earlier comes back, still chipper as she opens the door to your cage again, patting her leg as she clips on a leash to the plain leather black collar you were given when you were arrived.

                                            >"You wanna go outside, sweetheart?"

                                            >You nod, perking up noticeably at the idea of any time spent outside this awful cage.

                                            >She takes you out through the back door to the little fenced in play area behind the main building.

                                            >It was adorned with little things to play on, tubes and ramps and such, a couple trees too.

                                            >You had boundless energy, but you weren't really feeling like socializing with the other mares that had already made their ways over there.

                                            >Another mare came over to you, a tan earth pony with a brown mane and tail, with lighter highlights.

                                            >She nuzzled your neck in greeting, and you returned the gesture in kind.

                                            >"Hi! My name's Hazelnut! What's yours?"

                                            >Oh.

                                            >She's one of the new arrivals.

                                            >Or at least that's what you think.

                                            >Nopony is this chipper all the time.

                                            "I'm nea."

                                            >Your voice was a little colder than you wanted, her ears folding back in a way that immediately sent pangs of guilt through your heart.

                                            >You're about to apologize as a minivan pulls up, all the mares perking up and running over to the fence, rearing on their hind legs to try to get a better look at what you believe to be a nuclear family.

                                            >One of those poster families for boring household appliances, a mom, dad, and their two kids, looking to buy a pet pony for what you could probably guess would be the little sister.

                                            >A fate worse than death.

                                            >You stay back, but morbid curiosity means your eyes never leave the car.

                                            >Your eyes widen as a... guy steps out of the car?

                                            >Immediately you find yourself taking a step forward, watching him make his way over to the gate, the outdoor supervisor greeting him with a firm handshake as they make idle conversation, the herd of mares that once occupied the fence rushing over towards the gate.

                                            >It almost looks like chaos.

                                            >The poor supervisor having to fight off a good dozen ponies, various noises of excitement and wonder as they all compete for his attention.

                                            >The sensation of fur mixing with yours snaps you out of your daze, and you realize hazelnut never left your side.

                                            >He seems to know the mares, calling them by name and petting them all one by one, leaning down to play fetch and do various other things.

                                            >You realize Hazelnut might be of some assistance here.

                                            "Hey Hazelnut?"

                                            >"Yea?"

                                            "Who's that?"

                                            >She ponders in thought for a couple of moments, even letting out a small "Hmm..." as her mind sorts through her answers.

                                            >"I never got his name, but he comes in here pretty regularly on his way home from work, the other mares really really seem to like him. He's definitely the good owner type."

                                            "Oh."

                                            >You try to think of something to say, but she's already ran off to join the myriad of other ponies over there.

                                            >You sigh and watch, your tail swishing happily behind you as your mind thinks of little fantasies.

                                            >You'd never act on them, it's just something that came with being a mare, you guess.

                                            >Any time you see a strong man, your body immediately fantasizes about being his pet.

                                            >It seems to be par for the course, if the behavior of the other ponies is anything to go by.

                                            >You watch Hazelnut slowly make her way up to the front of the pack, her mane getting ruffled as he pulls out a bag of treats, and feeds her some out of the palm of his hand.

                                            >You can tell she's talking to him, but you're just out of earshot.

                                            >Then they both look over at you.

                                            >He waves.

                                            >Your heart flutters.

                                            >He doesn't come over to you though, and you let out a breath of relief you didn't know you were holding.

                                            >The smile and blush on your face don't fade for the rest of the day.