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Pulling a Pony Out of a Hat

By SlavePonyGeneral
Created: 2022-04-19 19:50:55
Expiry: Never
anontrixie/spg/drama

  1. [Copied from https://pastebin.com/rS7yR1Ya ]
  2.  
  3. >9:34 AM
  4. >Delivery day
  5. >At least, that’s what the papers claim
  6. >”To be delivered by 5:00 PM”
  7. >Previous experiences with other sites like Amazon leave you feeling skeptical
  8. >You ordered your very own pony
  9. >You have everything ready for her
  10. >Lots of vegetables and oats, a clean and welcoming home, books, her collar, a new laptop for entertainment when you’re away, fully equipped with state-of-the-art text to speech software, because typing with hooves does not sound enjoyable
  11. >Well… maybe it’s not a new laptop
  12. >It’s your old one you dug out from your closet, but it should suffice, it’s only 4 years old
  13. >You went all out on her collar though
  14. >Nappa Leather, equipped with the all of the functionalities required by law
  15. >A high accuracy GPS tracker and a shocker
  16. >You understand the need of a tracker, but forcing collars to have shockers seems a bit excessive
  17. >Based on the research you did, ponies tend to hate wearing collars, and it’s usually quite a battle to get them on
  18. >Eventually though, many come to enjoy it
  19. >They see it as a form of protection and security
  20. >Some even begin to form a sense of pride in them
  21. >When your world and the horse world collided, Equestria, if you recall correctly, the battle that followed was swift
  22. >Well, it was more of a massacre than a battle
  23. >American soldier casualties were small, as only a handful took place in the beginning when pony magic was an unknown force
  24. >The power of unicorn magic, earth pony strength, and pegasi flight took a few lives of cocky soldiers
  25. >But said pony magic was quickly countered by modern American military technology
  26. >Pony deaths were by the hundreds though
  27. >The military showed no signs of slowing down the slaughter until they captured two of their leaders
  28. >They originally wanted them all, but later opted two were enough, deciding that pursuing the others wasn’t worth the time and money
  29. >Two were more than enough to conduct tests
  30. >Apparently they’re winged unicorns of the sorts, all female
  31. >They contain all 3 powers of magic, strength, and flight, all supercharged too.
  32. >They’re government property now, never to be seen again, having god knows what kind of tests performed on them
  33. >5 or 6 are estimated to exist, the remaining ones still holding up the last bastion of Equestria, Canterlot, a capital of the sorts from your understanding
  34. >After the military’s involvement ended, Equestria became a free for all
  35. >Many came in seeking profit, with the idea of domesticating and then selling ponies for the purpose of human pleasure
  36. >The government saw the possibility of an emerging market and took a hands off approach to the situation
  37. >Ponies were hunted, rounded up, caged, and sent straight to training camp
  38. >At training camp, ponies were domesticated and taught to be respectful to their future owners
  39. >They learned how to do common jobs, and to not deny their master’s requests
  40. >After undergoing training camp, many were auctioned off as laborers, pets, and bed slaves
  41. >Pony stores and kennels opened
  42. >Some conventional pet stores starting taking part in the sale of ponies too
  43. >Laws were quickly put into place, but they were limited
  44. >Neither party in Congress had any interest in passing laws to give ponies basic rights
  45. >Many just saw them as livestock, and others were paid off and funded by trainers and traffickers
  46. >Therefore, there were minimal requirements and restrictions on how you could treat a pony
  47. >For example, physical discipline was ok, within reason.
  48. >Mutilation was obviously illegal
  49. >However, found cases of illegal abuse were rarely punished, as law enforcement usually turned a blind eye, some by choice, others, once again, paid off by trainers and traffickers
  50. >Many abuse cases go unfounded anyway
  51. >The law also stated it was illegal for a pony to be free. Too dangerous.
  52. >It wasn’t that big of a deal anyway, if a pony is found it is usually quickly captured by police or animal control
  53. >If the collar shows no form of identification, they are sent to a store for resale, usually at a discounted price
  54. >If they lack a collar, they are brought into the slave system and sent to training camp
  55. >And of course if the collar has identification stored on it, they are returned to their legal owners
  56. >Sexual intercouse with ponies, while a taboo subject to be bought up, was technically allowed due to their ability to clearly consent in language
  57. >Of course breeding was legal, much like it is for animals. As a result pony mills and brothels began to pop up
  58. >Among these laws, the government also took advantage of the craze and implemented a required tax on every sale of a pony, booming the economy
  59. >As a result, shady underground markets emerged
  60. >Many customers of these underground markets sought to use their ponies in ways that violated the loose laws put in place
  61. >Hardcore abuse, sick fetishes such as pedophillia, erotophonophilia, and necrophilia, as well as snuff films
  62. >And thus, pony slavery was born
  63. >You bought your mare off the black market as you aren’t the most wealthy individual
  64. >But what you wanted was a friend
  65. >Aaaaand maybe a maid to do some housework for you
  66. >But mostly a friend
  67. >You had friends back in highschool
  68. >Had
  69. >Backstabbing pricks
  70. >You’ve been a loner with trust issues ever since
  71. >At least you aren’t a stereotypical loner
  72. >You’re about average weight, 6’3, clean shaven, and have an honest job
  73. >You keep your hair kind of long and messy though
  74. >Looking down at your papers, you take another look at the soon-to-be yours pony
  75. >Unicorn, blue coat, pale cerulean mane, violet eyes
  76. >Her cutie mark, as they call them, is a waning moon intersected by a star tipped wand
  77. >Name: Star
  78. >Not the most inspired pony name you’ve seen
  79. >Guess it’s because of the design on her flank
  80. >Doesn’t matter, she’s a real cutie
  81. >She’s not “used” either, you’ll be her first, and hopefully only home
  82. >All the official ownership documentation still won’t be here for another week or so, until then, she’s legally still the training facility's
  83. >You paid quite a premium for her due to being a unicorn
  84. >Unicorns tend to be the most expensive pony race as their magic has a near endless amount of uses
  85. >That’s not to say they’re the best at everything
  86. >The raw strength and stamina of earth ponies can’t be competed with, making them an essential part of farms anymore
  87. >Pegasi go for about the same as earth ponies
  88. >Their flight is a powerful, but hard to control tool
  89. >Electric fences and shock collars are often used to keep them in line
  90. >Some just have their wings clipped
  91. >After that, they serve the same tasks as earth ponies do, but with far less efficiency
  92. >4:53 PM
  93. >Ding Dong!
  94. >You suppose they weren’t lying after all
  95. >You’ve spent the majority of the day playing Age of Empires on your laptop
  96. >But forget that my pony is here!
  97. >You jump off of your couch in excitement.
  98. >You open up the door, in the hallway is an obese man, wearing a shirt that was way too small for him
  99. >And with him, a large portable kennel
  100. >ohboyohboyohboyohboy, there’s a pony waiting for you in there!
  101. >”You must be Anonymous.
  102. “Yeah...That’s me”
  103. >You try to keep cool and hide your excitement
  104. >The man continues, “Today’s your lucky day, your little bitch is here”
  105. >He kicks the kennel as he says that
  106. >Oh
  107. >God his breath stinks, and he’s even at a good distance away from you
  108. >”She put up a good fight when we first received her. Some dumbass shit about how she’s too great and powerful to succumb to slavery, always referring to herself in third person… er… pony.”
  109. >You just nod your head, slightly uncomfortable
  110. >He suddenly lightens up with a smile;
  111. >”Oh but don’t you worry, those days are behind her. She gave in, they all do eventually. And now she’s trained to be your little mareslave. I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t hard, she put up a hell of a fight.”
  112. >You’re very uncomfortable now
  113. >”Still a virgin too, from what we could tell poking around in there, and she’s ready to lose it to you without a fight”
  114. >That's about enough of that
  115. >You sign the papers and lift up the kennel and bring it into the living room
  116. >Ooof, its heavy, the kennel is made of metal
  117. >Or maybe she’s heavy
  118. >She’s a pony after all
  119. >As you’re closing the door, the man yells at you to stop
  120. >Jesus christ you got a waft of that
  121. >You let go of the kennel and turn around back to the door
  122. >”You almost forgot you’re accessories”
  123. >Oh joy
  124. >He pulls the items out one by one from the plastic bag
  125. >”Here we got all the essentials. A paddle, in the rare case she talks back to you, but I highly doubt that, she’s gotten more spankings than any other bitch I’ve personally trained. Like I said, she’s as broken as a bottle of wine after being thrown off the World Trade Center”
  126. >You really want this to end, you don’t want Star hearing any of this.
  127. >He continues, ”Sorry, I get carried away sometimes, I take pride in my handywork, can’t help but boast from time to time.”
  128. “...”
  129. >”And here we got a magic suppression ring, since she’s a unicorn and all. If I were you, I’d set it to the highest setting, they are completely devastated without it. The look on their face is priceless. Be sure to put it on within the next 2 hours, that’s when the drugs wear off.”
  130. >”And last, but certainly not least, her collar, or rather the remote for it. The collar is currently on her of course. Cold metal wrapped tightly around her neck. Still loose enough for her to deepthroat you of course! Don’t worry about that!”
  131. >”It’s equipped with tracking technology and a shocker of course. Damn liberals and all their rules and regulations… She’s felt that a few times too, seeing her melt into a curled, shaken up mess after taking the highest setting is a fun sight.”
  132. >For real this time, thats enough. Anything else in the bag you’ll go over yourself
  133. >You snatch the bag from him and give a thank you with the fakest smile you ever pulled and shut the door.
  134. >You obviously aren’t going to use the collar she came with, since you spent all that money on the leather one
  135. >The ring you have to use, as required by law. You hate to admit it but you probably have to agree with him and set it on high.
  136. >Initially at least, until you’re sure she won’t blast you into a pile of ash
  137. >You’re not even sure if she can do that but you’re not taking any risks
  138. >And the paddle. You hope to god you won’t have to use that.
  139. >Again, you bought her as a friend first and foremost, housemaid second.
  140. >But she is a pony, you are her master, and she needs to be obedient.
  141. >You turn back around and your morbid thoughts immediately go away
  142. >Your heart rate is through the roof right now
  143. >Your very own cute, fluffy pony is here!
  144. >You walk back over to the kennel that you placed in the middle of the living room
  145. >OK, this is it!
  146. >You place it down and unlatch the door
  147. >Must be an old kennel, as the door creaks as it opens
  148. >Your heart rate shows no signs of slowing down as you wait for your mare to crawl out
  149. >... nothing
  150. >Maybe she’s shy?
  151. >You give it a minute, maybe she’s sleeping
  152. >Still nothing
  153. >You decide to speak up in a calm voice:
  154. “Hey there, I’m Anonymous, but most call me Anon. Want to come out and see your new home?”
  155. >No response
  156. >You peak in
  157. >Inside, you see a blue ball circled up, looking away from you, opting to stare at the back of the kennel instead
  158. >Her ears are flopped down too
  159. >Poor thing is visibly shaking
  160. >That’s never a good sign
  161. >Can you blame her? She must be a little nervous
  162. “You can call me Anon too. Or Anonymous, whatever you’d like. You can come out now if you want, there is nothing here that will hurt you”
  163. >Again, nothing
  164. >It’s hard to see, as you have no lights on and you don’t have any windows in your apartment, but giving her another look she’s much thinner than she was in her listing photo
  165. >No blanket or pillow either, she’s laying right on the plastic as far as you can tell
  166. >Your mind is racing on what to say next
  167. >Silence falls upon the room for several minutes
  168. >Actually, no, you can hear sobbing
  169. >Looking back into the kennel, you can see her face is now buried into her hooves, sobbing and whimpering into them
  170. >You decide to continue:
  171. “You're safe wi…”
  172. >Turns out the slave trainer’s breath wasn't the worst thing you'd smell today
  173. >You gag and cover your mouth
  174. >Strong scent of… urine coming from the kennel
  175. >Poor mare literally pissed herself
  176. >Must of just happened, as you think you would've smelled it already
  177. >Or… its currently happening
  178. >Even in the dark room, you can see a small pool of the mare’s urine start to form under her
  179. >With this her sobbing and whimpering elevated to full on crying
  180. >Instinctively you begin to get up to grab a bottle of Febreze from the bathroom
  181. >Then you stop
  182. >You don't want to offend her or make her think she's done anything wrong already
  183. >Well, she did do something wrong, but from the way things look she has no control over it right now
  184. >Also, spraying a bottle right into the cage with her still in it may not be healthy for her
  185. >Not only because of the chemicals, but because of the possible trauma and belittlement from being sprayed
  186. >Guess you'll have to tough it out
  187. >You aren’t really sure what to say, but you begin again, speaking as the thoughts come to you
  188. “I don’t know what they put you through, Star. I can’t even begin to imagine. But that’s behind you now.”
  189. >You thought maybe calling her by name would help
  190. “Star… It’s a cute name ya know… is it because of your mark?”
  191. >You point to it, but you don’t know why
  192. >She obviously can’t see you, with her face in her hooves and all
  193. >It also seems the small talk didn’t help, and it may of just made matters worse
  194. >The crying escalates again
  195. >She’s now moving her head left and right while it's buried in her hooves
  196. >Her eyes must be bloodshot red right now, rubbing them against her fur and hooves
  197. >...or is she trying to communicate something to you..?
  198. >After some more thought you add:
  199. “There is no need to be embarrassed either. It’s natural and you can’t control it.”
  200. >Her coat must be soaked from her own tears and urine by now
  201. >First thing on the to do list is a bath, thats for sure
  202. >With no new thoughts, you decide to continue with what you wanted to say before you got a scent of her fear and humiliation
  203. “You're safe with me, Star.”
  204. >You really aren’t sure what else to say
  205. >Another compliment maybe? It's all you can think to do
  206. “That's a pretty horn you got there on your head. Nice and long.”
  207. >It's looks pretty damn sharp too.
  208. >You’re quite surprised that it’s still fully intact
  209. >Lots of unicorn owners have their pony’s horn slightly blunted in case of a retaliation in the form of a stab attack
  210. >It’s permanent, but it has a minimal effect on their magical ability, it just makes it duller so it can't stab anything
  211. >But you want to create a trust between you two, and you're even willing to take a few bumps to achieve that
  212. >Her horn is really the only other thing you can compliment her on, as it's the only other feature you can actually see in her tightly curled up state
  213. >The lack of room lighting doesn’t help either
  214. >You really wish she’d look at you
  215. >Of course, you could command her to, and she'd probably listen by instinct thanks to what they beat into her at training camp, but you felt that wasn’t a good idea right now
  216. >Maybe some more reassurance?
  217. “Star, whatever they forced into your to think in little head of yours won't happen to you here. I want to be your friend.”
  218. >You decide to reach out and give her an ear scratch for comfort
  219. >You read online these ponies love that
  220. >You immediately regret your decision.
  221. >As soon as your hand touches her her, she shakes even harder, clamps her tail around herself to cover her privates, and somehow curls into an even tighter ball
  222. >Heavy concern falls upon you
  223. >You decide to finally turn on a light
  224. >You kind of kick yourself mentally, you should of had a light on from the beginning
  225. >A dark room probably isn’t the most welcoming first sight
  226. >As you get up you notice how sweaty you are now
  227. >And, much like Star, you’re shaking too
  228. >Not nearly as much as she is though
  229. >And you don’t have nearly as much a reason to as she does
  230. >Your heart's still racing, but not in the same beat as it was before
  231. >You flick the light switch on and head back over to the kennel
  232. >As you kneel back down, your mouth opens in shock
  233. >She’s thin
  234. >Like, REALLY thin
  235. >She could pass off as a leftover halloween decoration from last month
  236. >Her ribs are clearly visible too, poking out of her body
  237. >Her mane and tail are a muddy cerulean color, much different from the pale color in the photo
  238. >Lots of loose strands and split ends going about
  239. >And her fur is filthy
  240. >It’s still blue, but barely
  241. >Lots of dirt
  242. >As well as yellow stains towards her belly, presumably from her panic attack earlier
  243. >Not only that, but some of her coat is actually missing, replaced with what looks like cigarette burns
  244. >And of course you now have clear vision of her puddle of shame
  245. >Your stomach drops as you look at the sight infront of you
  246. >What the fuck did they do to her?
  247. >Sure, you knew pony training and domestication camp probably wasn’t exactly a good time
  248. >Fear of the unknown and such
  249. >But do they really break ponies down into a terrified blank slate?
  250. >They beat and burn them into nothingness?
  251. >You agreed that physical discipline was fair game on ponies, but there is a fine line
  252. >Index fingers on your temple, you think of what to do next
  253. >It might be time to throw the towel in for the night
  254. >She’s clearly broken, and you need time to think
  255. >At least you can get her some food and water, maybe it’ll build some trust, every little bit counts
  256. >In the kitchen, you chop up some lettuce and carrots
  257. >You even made a bowl for yourself, as you only had a plain mini bagel for breakfast.
  258. >You even figure that if she sees you eating the same thing as her, she may feel a bit better
  259. >Every little bit helps
  260. >You went a bit overboard with Star’s, it's a huge bowl, but after getting a good look at her condition, it's still might not be enough
  261. >She was thinner than she was it her picture, needless to say
  262. >It’s not even a fair comparison, the pony in the picture almost looks like a completely different pony
  263. >You don’t even know how old that photo is, could of been taken as soon as she was captured
  264. >In fact it probably was, considering how much fuller her coat was, how much cleaner she looked, and how innocent she looked
  265. >You grab the dog bowl from the counter and fill it with water
  266. >You feel bad making her drink out of a dog bowl, but with hooves it's really the only option
  267. >Hell, eating the salad out of a bowl with your mouth like a dog must be humiliating too
  268. >At least her salad bowl was your tableware, from what you read most ponies get dog bowls for everything
  269. >2 salad bowls stacked on top of each other in your left hand, and a water bowl in your right, you walk back into the living room
  270. >You put on your best smile as you place the two bowls right outside her kennel
  271. >You wish she would come out, but you place them in such a way that she won’t be forced to if she isn’t comfortable with it
  272. “I got us some dinner Star! Lettuce and carrots. It’s a simple platter, but it’s nice and fresh!”
  273. >No response
  274. >That’s really disheartening
  275. >But it should've been expected
  276. “Well, it’s not going anywhere so feel free to have some whenever”
  277. >You turn and hop up on your sofa and turn on the TV
  278. >You don’t want to eat your salad until she does
  279. >Spongebob reruns, The Sandlot, Spiderman 2… hundreds of channels but nothing you’re remotely interested in
  280. >The news is always an option, but the news has been a shitfest for years
  281. >You wish the news would do their damn job and simply give the facts without telling you what to think about it
  282. >Left wing or right wing, every channel is guilty of this
  283. >Those that claim to be neutral never are
  284. >You settle in on a 36 hour It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia marathon
  285. >You’ve seen every episode thus far, but it’s humor and perfect execution gives it a high rewatch value
  286. >Before tuning in you turn over to the kennel sitting right beside the couch for one last message of reassurance
  287. “I promise to never cause anything bad to happen to you, Star”
  288. >Every so often you look over and hope to see a tiny pony head pop out of the kennel, munching on her greens with her cute little muzzle
  289. >2 episodes later and it never happens
  290. >2 becomes 3
  291. >3 becomes 4
  292. >4 becomes 5
  293. >5… becomes...
  294. >...zzzzz
  295. >...”and i'm sure our relationship would be a real home run…”
  296. >You slowly open your eyes
  297. >The World Series Defense, that's a pretty good episode
  298. >You shut off the TV
  299. >You look at the clock
  300. >4:38 AM
  301. >Must of dozed off
  302. >That’s putting it lightly...
  303. >Oh right! Your little pony is right next to you!
  304. >You look over, and to your dismay, the salad and water look untouched
  305. >She’s not... trying to kill herself is she?
  306. >You shudder at the thought
  307. >Trainers would have the decency to at least give them will to live, right?
  308. >You remember the condition of her body last night
  309. >You shudder again
  310. >You mentally kick yourself again for considering that these trainers have any sense of decency
  311. >Suddenly a realization goes through your head
  312. >You forgot to put her magic suppression ring on!
  313. >You hope Star is as broken as she seems, believe it or not
  314. >Maybe she was beaten down way too much emotionally to even bother escaping
  315. >Maybe she’s still there, sobbing her eyes out
  316. >When you look over you can’t see anything in the kennel
  317. >Don’t panic, its pitch black in the room
  318. >You reach over to the light switch, and flick it on
  319. >You’re literally shaking rn
  320. >You crawl over to her kennel
  321. >...
  322. >She’s gone
  323. >All that’s left of her are puddles of urine and some strands of mane
  324. >...
  325. >She’s…. gone
  326. >She’s almost certainly wouldn’t be hiding in the apartment
  327. >She took her chance, she wouldn’t be hanging around here still
  328. >You’ve been asleep for a good 10 hours, must of exhausted yourself from all that excitement of getting your friend
  329. >10 hours is a long time
  330. >Who knows how long ago she left
  331. >Everything seems untouched, it figures. She probably used magic to teleport away
  332. >You would think if she just wandered out of your apartment she’d be seen by security or front desk workers
  333. >Just how far can these unicorns teleport you wonder, are there any restrictions?
  334. >Still worth a look around the apartment to be safe
  335. >There aren’t many places to hide in your apartment
  336. >Pretty much just the closets and under furniture
  337. >It’s an apartment, after all
  338. >Living room, kitchen, hallway, bedroom, and a two closets in its entirety
  339. >You figure you’d also be able to smell her if she was in the room too
  340. >You turn to go down the bedroom hallway, which is to the right of the front door
  341. >Your entire apartment minus the kitchen and bathroom is carpeted, so there is also the possibility she left a trail
  342. >You open the closet to the left of the bathroom
  343. >Towels, toilet paper, detergent, soap, but no mare
  344. >Closing the door, you head to the bathroom to your right
  345. >Empty, unless she somehow hid herself in the toilet
  346. >She’s a small horse, but not that small
  347. >To the right of the bathroom is your other closet
  348. >It’s a bit bigger than the previous and includes bedroom supplies and general storage
  349. >You have stacks of cardboard boxes, but again, nothing that could fit your pony
  350. >You turn on the flashlight that’s on your phone and look behind the boxes to make sure
  351. >Again, nothing
  352. >Down at the end of the hall if your bedroom
  353. >It’s basic.
  354. >White walls, no wallpaper, no closets or anything fancy like that
  355. >You got your bed, of course, in the middle of the room, and your dresser right below your bed
  356. >You pull up the bed linen, hoping to see a sobbing blue ball under your bed
  357. >She’s gone
  358. >You feel awful
  359. >It’s been a good two hours since you secured the area
  360. >You’ve just been sitting on your couch since then, thinking
  361. >This is really your fault
  362. >If you put the damn ring on, Star would still be here
  363. >You can’t be angry at her
  364. >She must hate the human race, so can you really blame her for seizing the chance?
  365. >But you are angry
  366. >Not at her, but at your kind
  367. >You really don’t have a problem with pony slavery as a concept
  368. >They make great maids, waiters, and farm hands, among many other jobs
  369. >All light hearted tasks that let them still be themselves and live in comfort
  370. >Being beaten and submitted into nothingness is something you do have a problem with, however
  371. >What they did to make her flee from a comfortable home like that?
  372. >To make her sob in her own piss like a wild animal?
  373. >To make her forget who she is and wash away all her personality into a blank slate?
  374. >Who knows what she was even like beforehand
  375. >Reminiscing on the horrors on mankind makes you jump up out of your seat
  376. >She could be anywhere
  377. >And she may very well be with the worst humanity has to offer right now
  378. >And you have no time to lose
  379. >As you open the door you remember:
  380. >The tracking collar!
  381. >You run back over to the kitchen where all the paperwork is
  382. >While shuffling thru the papers, your mind is racing, hoping your little pony is ok
  383. >Then it gets worse
  384. >As you get to the last paper, you remember that the tracker login ID is a part of the formal ownership papers that are yet to come
  385. >What the fuck do you do now?
  386. >You could notify the police, but what good would that do?
  387. >They don’t take missing pony reports seriously, they see them as dispensable
  388. >You have no options other than to look for her yourself
  389. >She could be on the other side of the country by now for all you know
  390. >She’s set out to achieve Mareifest Destiny
  391. >You don’t know the specifics of teleportation and pony magic and how far she could actually travel
  392. >You probably should have read up on it before purchasing your own unicorn pony
  393. >Well, no time to lose
  394. >You already had off of work today, as well as the next week because you wanted to put them aside for your new pony
  395. >You grab your winter coat and head for the door for the second time, this time not backtracking back into your apartment
  396. >Now what?
  397. >If she’s still outdoors, she must be suffering
  398. >It’s late November, averaging around 45-50° F outside
  399. >Sure, she has a fur coat, but it was damaged
  400. >She’s malnourished and thin too, which is definitely harmful in the cold weather
  401. >Between that, having a coat stained in urine as well as possibly feces by now, and her psychological trauma, she doesn’t have a good combination for survival outside
  402. >Not to mention any dirty, contaminated water or food laying around she may try to eat
  403. >While police don’t often look into missing pony reports, ponies alone out in public are often captured by police or animal control
  404. >Problem is, she presumably left in the middle of the night, when pony search patrol is less active, and now most likely hiding during the daylight
  405. >Like many other professions, ponies are enslaved by the police and animal control
  406. >They’re used much like police dogs are
  407. >Ponies’ strong sense of smell as well as the ability to communicate in English makes them a much more valuable asset than dogs though
  408. >They locate suspects, search for missing persons, attack dangerous suspects, and detect explosives
  409. >As well as capture and trail the scent of missing and stray ponies
  410. >...Ponies whose sole job is to capture and bring their own kind back to their masters
  411. >You wonder what has to go through their minds
  412. >Do they do it out of fear of being disciplined, or are they brainwashed into not feeling sympathy?
  413. >...
  414. >As you are lost in your thoughts, you almost slam into a bus stop pole
  415. >Without even thinking about it, or keeping an eye out for Star, you’ve already been walking for 25 minutes on autopilot
  416. >Fucking great
  417. >You notice you stopped in front of a convenience store
  418. >You are hungry, since you never ended up eating your salad last night
  419. >Hunger may affect your concentration on the search anyway
  420. >You convince yourself to go in for a bite
  421. >You head in, grab the usual; an Applewood Smoked Bacon Sandwich, a hardboiled egg, and a bottle of orange juice
  422. >The store has no seating, so you head outside to a bench next to the bus pole to eat your meal
  423. >The bench has one of those gold dedication plaques on it:
  424. >”In Honor of Private First Class Edward Huffman, who gave his life for his country in the American-Equestrian War”
  425. >Unlucky bastard must of have rushed right into the battlefield in the opening battles of the war, only to be annihilated by the unknown force of magic
  426. >You settle down and try to enjoy your breakfast, but there is a lot on your mind right now
  427. >Its loud out - car horns, people bustling by on their phones, bus breaks, underground subway rumble, and street performers
  428. >Everyday center city life, but you enjoy it, everybody keeps to themselves
  429. >As you are making your way through breakfast, your mind continues to wander
  430. >You try to reassure yourself that something like Star, a small blue equine, would stand out in the dark and grimy atmosphere of your city
  431. >The logical part of your brain tells you that she would have made it much further than you’ve walked so far
  432. >But the loud, worrisome part of your brain tells you that you may have went right by her
  433. >While the two sides of your brain are arguing for your support on your shoulders, your phone goes off
  434. >Your hands are a mess
  435. >And as usual, you forgot to grab some napkins
  436. >Fuck it, you spit on your hands and rub them together
  437. >You pull out your phone
  438. >Text from an unknown number
  439. >Probably just local election campaigns asking for support or some shit
  440. >You unlock your phone
  441. >Your eyes widen as you read the contents of the message
  442. >”hey anonymous, hope i got the rite number from my paperwork…. its Tom from the pony enslavement training camp… i delivered ur bitch yesterday. im sure u no by now, but she got away. either ur dumbass forgot to put her ring on, or shes got a special talent in show magic. anyway, the sluts with me now, they returned her to me about an hour ago.”
  443. >Ohthankgod
  444. >”... i hope u aint too upset at me, i take some responsibility for this, i thought she was ready to be a good little mare for her master… but apparently not… ill give u half the price u paid 4her back as a sign of good will”
  445. >That’s nice and all, but you don’t care about the money, you just want Star back
  446. >”... bitch got a good visit with mr.paddle today, got more lashes than ive ever given to one of my trainees. on top of that, i did one better for you. all ill say is she wont ever be performing her houdini acts again. youll love what i did.”
  447. >Below he has the address of what you assume is the pony training camp
  448. >”...all ill say is she wont ever be performing her houdini acts again...”
  449. >You repeat the text over and over in your head, specifically that phrase
  450. >What did he mean by that?
  451. >Inputting the address into google maps, you find you can get to the location from the bus pole you almost slammed into
  452. >Further research tells you the next bus will be here in less than 2 minutes
  453. >It’s your lucky day
  454. >Looking into your pockets, you realize you have no change to pay the fare
  455. >Maybe it isn’t quite your lucky day
  456. >But you do have your debit card, and the convenience story has an ATM
  457. >Unfortunately, you can only take money out in multiples of $20
  458. >The store isn’t that crowded at the moment, so you change your $20 bill for a $10, a $5, and 5 $1s
  459. >As you walk back out of the store, the bus opens up its doors
  460. >You totally planned that timing
  461. >You pay your fare and start down the aisle
  462. >Like the convenience store, the bus is near empty
  463. >Oh right
  464. >It’s the middle of a workday, but you took of to spend time with Star
  465. >Thinking about her gets you nervous again
  466. >You don’t like that guy, his entire vibe isn’t right
  467. >You ESPECIALLY don’t like that he’s alone with your mare
  468. >He can’t do anything that bad, right? She’s your property after all
  469. >Deep in your thought about Star, you almost miss your stop
  470. >In fact, you did technically miss the bus stop but you were able to pull the stop request cord shortly after the bus started again
  471. >According to the GPS, you have a 2 minute walk to his location
  472. >But it doesn’t look like a training camp could be anyway around here
  473. >It’s a ghetto, to put it bluntly
  474. >It’s rundown, lots of houses are condemned or seemingly abandoned
  475. >You’ve never really been to this side of the city, and even then, it's outside of the center city area
  476. >The GPS leads you to an intersection between two narrow streets, with an old drug store on corner, and houses everywhere else
  477. >Wrong address?
  478. >Won’t hurt to give him a call
  479. >Your cell signal is low, but reachable here
  480. >Since you have no plans to add this man to your contacts list, you call him from the messaging app
  481. >You have no plans on speaking to him again after you get Star back
  482. >Any slave pony care tips he could provide are probably bogus and not actual tips anyway
  483. >bringg….bringg….bringg….
  484. >"I'm sorry, but the person you are calling has a voice mailbox that has not been set up yet. Goodbye."
  485. >You’re pretty pissed at this point
  486. >This man leads you to the middle of nowhere, and he has your pony
  487. >About to give it another chance, your phone buzzes
  488. >”i dont take unappointed calls anonymous, what do you want”
  489. >You want your fucking pony, that’s what you damn want!
  490. >You manage to make the message more PG when you write it though
  491. ”I’m at the address you listed. I don’t see you, or any pony training camp, what’s up with that?”
  492. >A minute passes
  493. >”o rite. 2 things. 1st, i gave u the rite adress, but its not to my business, its a random location. I dont want anybody knowing one of my products had the nerve to try and escape, bad for buiness. the slut is back at my place now. that leads me 2 my other thing. i guess i forgot to tell you before lol. the lashes and spankings i gave her apparently werent enough, so imma keep her for the next few nights to make sure she knows her place in the world and to fucking submit to her master and dont worry, i didnt forget giving u half ur money back, ill give it to u with the pony in a few days. also lik i said b4, i went another step to make sure she will never 4get this. youll thank me when u see it, hell, maybe youll give me the money back because of how much youll love it! ill message u when shes finally rdy.”
  494. >That’s your horse goddamnit, and you want her back now
  495. >You want her to be comfortable
  496. >She’s a slave, but you want her to feel safe in that position
  497. >Sure, food, water, and a loving home is technically her reward for being a good slave, but you wouldn’t deny it from her either way
  498. >You want to give her a great big hug, tell her everything is going to be ok
  499. >Filled with more rage than you thought was possible, you call the number back, ready to demand your pony back
  500. >bringg….bringg….bringg….
  501. >”I’m sorry but the number you are trying to reach is no longer in service.”
  502. >Are you FUCKING kidding me?
  503. >You double check, you dialed the number correctly
  504. >Your mind is racing right now
  505. >That bitch has your pony captive, seemingly giving her extended training, and you can’t do anything about it
  506. >Well, you can try to do something, at least
  507. >...
  508. >Back in your neighborhood, you head to the police station closest to your apartment
  509. >Stepping through the revolving door, you find two police officers behind the reception desk
  510. >The officer on the left is clean shaven, with short, ginger hair
  511. >The officer on the right is quite the opposite
  512. >Long, brown hair almost going down to his shoulders, and a full beard
  513. >Basically, Officer Jesus Christ himself was in front of you
  514. >The officer on the left begins
  515. >”Anything we can do for you, sir?”
  516. “I wanted to file a missing report, where do I go for that?”
  517. >You’re answered by the officer on the right
  518. >”Right in front of you. Can I have your name?”
  519. “Anonymous”
  520. >The officer pulls out a clipboard and presumably jots down your name
  521. >He glances back up at you
  522. >”Man or Woman?”
  523. “Pony, mare”
  524. >The officers turn to each other, back at you, and then to each other again
  525. >The officer on the left tries to hide a smirk, but doesn’t do a good job at it
  526. >The officer on the right looks back up at you
  527. >”What’s its name?”
  528. >It’s
  529. >That bugs you
  530. “Star”
  531. >Officer Jesus rolls his eyes
  532. >”Coat and mane color?”
  533. >”Blue coat, pale cerulean mane, and violet eyes. She’s a unicorn, her horn is surprisingly long and sharp. Her cutie mark is a waning moo…”
  534. >”I didn’t ask for all of that”
  535. >The ginger officer repeats Jesus like he’s his cartoon sidekick
  536. >”Yeah, he didn’t ask for all of that!”
  537. “I just thought the more information, the better”
  538. >”Look Mr. Anonymous, we’ll keep an eye out but we don’t really have the time and resources to send anybody out for your sex toy. Resources go towards lives that matter.”
  539. >Wow, they’re surprisingly honest
  540. >”Do you have any trace of her scent? Your best bet is giving a scent sample to us for our ponies to trace. Their sense of smell and recognition is amazing, especially in tracking and identifying their own kind.”
  541. >Ginger sidekick budges himself in again, elbowing Jesus as he says;
  542. >”Well that’s because they’re no different from dogs. They’re quadruped and make good pets.”
  543. >Jesus nods his head in agreement and goes on
  544. >”Get us a scent of her and we’ll see what we can do. Something like a mane strand. Most of our ponies are out on patrol protecting American lives that are more valuable than they could ever be themselves.”
  545. >He gives you a hand motion to get out
  546. >Walking back out into the cool Autumn air, you think about the encounter
  547. >While they clearly don’t give a shit, they were honest with you and even willing to take a scent sample
  548. >But she left no coat or mane behind when she made her daring escape
  549. >...
  550. >Sliding the keycard through your door, you go straight towards your bathroom and grab a plastic dixie cup
  551. >Back through the living room and into the kitchen, you cut a piece of plastic wrap and some duct tape and leave it on the table
  552. >Finally, you backtrack back into the living room with the cup
  553. >The smell hasn’t died down at all
  554. >You kind of knock yourself for being unhygienic enough to have not cleaned it yet, but you suppose it works out in the end
  555. >It's deeper than you remember
  556. >Either that’s because you’re finally poking your head in up close and personal, or she pissed herself again that night
  557. >Both options are equally likely
  558. >And it still has lots of mane strands, but those are worthless now
  559. >You’re holding your breathe now, but you don’t have the best endurance so you have to do it quick
  560. >Luckily, it’s depth makes it easy to just scoop some into the cup
  561. >Pulling your head out of the kennel, you take a deep breath
  562. >Idiot
  563. >You almost gag
  564. >With the cup in hand, you run back into the kitchen
  565. >You shouldn’t run with scissors, but they never said anything about pony urine!
  566. >You place the cup on the table that you eat on and cover the top with the wrap
  567. >You thoroughly tape the wrap
  568. >And there you have it
  569. >A cup of terrified mare piss sitting on your kitchen table
  570. >You feel bad for the police pone that’s going to get a whiff of that
  571. >While you’re still here, you might as well clean her kennel out
  572. >It wouldn’t of been a good sight to bring her back home with it still like that
  573. >Fill it with some pillows and blankets, and make it into something she can call her own
  574. >Your arsenal includes a sponge, febreze, soap, paper towels, a bucket, and a spray bottle that includes a mixture of white vinegar and water
  575. >You have no mask or anything to cover your face from the spray or smell, but you’ll have to manage
  576. >No gloves either
  577. >Small price to pay for having your own pony, right?
  578. >And she had to sit in it for hours, you have no right to complain
  579. >There is a lot too, it may take the entire roll
  580. >You tear a big piece of paper towel, and fold it nice and thick to minimize how much gets through it
  581. >Dipping the towel into the kennel, you wipe back and forth
  582. >It takes every fiber of your being to not gag
  583. >It’s already soaked
  584. >And your hands are wet anyway
  585. >You throw the soaking wet towel into the bucket
  586. >You repeat this 9 or 10 times until the kennel is relatively dry
  587. >Time for phase 2
  588. >You soap up the sponge and wipe up and down the floor as well as the walls of the kennel
  589. >After wiping away the soap suds, you grab your vinegar bottle and spray the entirety of the inside
  590. >You spend the next 20 minutes on your laptop, giving the solution time to kill off any remaining bacteria
  591. >You dry the crate of any remaining wetness
  592. >Smells good to you
  593. >Of course any scent of her is gone, and you aren’t sure if ponies like their safe spaces to smell like them, akin to dogs
  594. >You pick up the kennel and move it into your bedroom
  595. >You backtrack out to your closet and grab some some spare bedsheets and blankets, as well as a brand new pillow you never opened
  596. >While you could use the new pillow for yourself and give her your current one, you figure giving Star her very own pillow to break in is the least you can do
  597. >Back in the bedroom, you lay a bedsheet down on the cold metal of the kennel
  598. >You add another one for good measure, as you want her to be as comfortable as possible
  599. >Next, you lay a blanket down on top
  600. >Pushing down on the kennel floor, it feels nice and cushiony now
  601. >With that, you add one more blanket for her to cover herself with
  602. >You unwrap the pillow from the plastic and push it into the back corner
  603. >Looking at your handywork, you’re quite impressed
  604. >You’d love to relax in there if you were small enough
  605. >You kept your mind busy for an hour, but now all your worries are coming back
  606. >She’s probably cold, scared, and alone
  607. >Tom better have not layed a hand on her
  608. >But by the way it sounds, he’s giving her more training
  609. >You kick the kennel in anger
  610. >You’re about to go to sleep to rid yourself of these thoughts, but you remember you have to deliver Star’s urine sample
  611. >It’s still on the kitchen table of course
  612. >Mental note to self: clean that
  613. >You grab a small paper bag to put it in for the walk, as openly walking around with a cup of piss probably isn’t a very nice thing to do
  614. >Leaving your apartment, you make haste to the police station
  615. >Most jobs have let out by now, so the streets are more crowded
  616. >Plenty of people taking their ponies out for a walk
  617. >You like seeing all the different kinds of cutie marks ponies have
  618. >You see an elderly couple with an earth pony that has a raspberry mane and a rose cutie mark
  619. >She looks happy, and elderly couples are usually sweet, so knowing she’s probably in good hands makes you feel good
  620. >They’re giving her lots of attention too, almost like she’s a puppy
  621. >It warms your heart, but at the same time it’s depressing because you wanted to take your pony out for nice walks just like they do
  622. >Further on your walk you see, like Star, a blue unicorn, but with a mark of an hourglass
  623. >Her master seems to be a businessman, he’s in a suit, talking through a bluetooth earpiece about finances, barely paying attention to his pony
  624. >As a result, the blue pony seems down
  625. >Not depressed, but not quite happy either
  626. >Almost at the police department, you see something that makes your stomach drop
  627. >A pony that looked to once be a pegasus, with a mint bluish green coat and cutie mark that looks like a rain cloud
  628. >There are stubs where her wings must have once been
  629. >The mare is shaking while her master yells back to her
  630. >”What the hell do you mean you’re embarrassed? You’re an animal!”
  631. >The pony speaks up
  632. >”M-master please! It’s too busy here, I can’t do it! I’ll do anything for you tonight, just please let me go to the bathroom somewhere else”
  633. >Her master, with more anger in his voice now, responds
  634. >”Piss on the sidewalk like the animal you are! You complain to me that you have to use the bathroom, and now you won’t!”
  635. >The pony is wailing now
  636. >”I caaaan’t! Like, I physically can’t! My body won’t let me because I’m too embarrassed! Can I please use your toilet when we get home?”
  637. >Master is now furious now
  638. >”Who the hell are you to talk back to me? And who the hell are you to think you have any right to use my bathroom? You know your place in the world! Now lift your leg and do what you have to do”
  639. >”Master at least take me somewhe…”
  640. >”Shut up you dumb horse!”
  641. >The man kicks the pony in the underbelly, and she drops to the ground, covering her eyes and sobbing
  642. >”Go you stupid bitch! If you don’t go on the count of three, you’re holding it for the night! And if you DARE piss anywhere in my home tonight, you’re going to get more beatings than you’ve already earned!”
  643. >You’ve been watching this exchange across the street, acting like you were on your phone, but you can still see the red in her eyes and hear her continued whimpering
  644. >The pony, in tears, slowly gets up on her hooves and lifts her back leg
  645. >At this point you turn away to respect the mare’s privacy, even though it probably doesn’t do much to ease her situation
  646. >Not only does the scene on it’s own bother you, but the fact that Star is with someone just like that right now makes you sick to your stomach
  647. >Finally, you get to the police department for the second time today
  648. >Both of the men earlier were gone, instead, a woman with a blonde pixie cut is sitting there, typing on the computer
  649. >”What can I do for you?”
  650. >Her eyes are still glued to the computer
  651. “Err… I was here about an hour ago, I filed a missing pony report to a man with long hair and a beard, I don’t suppose here’s still around?
  652. >”Just missed him, I can give you a hand though, what’s the person’s name?”
  653. “Pony’s name, and it’s Star”
  654. >That makes her glance up at you
  655. >”I thought you said missing person report?”
  656. “I said pony”
  657. >She looks back down at the computer
  658. >”We don’t care about these glorified housecats. I’ll leave a message if you want, but it’s not going to lead to anything.”
  659. “I don’t have any message, I have a delivery”
  660. >You raise the bag and wave it around
  661. “He told me I could drop off a sample for one of your ponies to sniff.”
  662. >She bites her lip
  663. >”That’s not going to happen. The officer you spoke to is relatively new around here, and he probably doesn’t understand just how strained our resources are. Human safety and crime comes first, and God knows we have enough of that”
  664. “Can you at least give it to him? It’ll make me feel better”
  665. >You put the bag on the desk and push it towards the officer
  666. >She slowly reaches up and grabs it
  667. >”What is it? Some strands of mane?”
  668. >Your face gets red hot as you try to hide your immature smile
  669. “Uhh…”
  670. >The officer opens up the bag
  671. >She looks up at you with a stone cold stare on her face
  672. >”What the hell is this?”
  673. >You shrug
  674. “It’s my mare’s urine. I didn’t have any mane or coat strands so I figured that would suffice”
  675. >Her expressionless face turns to anger
  676. >”I’m not keeping this shit here overnight. You can either take this home, or I’ll flush it down the toilet.”
  677. >A grin comes across your face
  678. “Well good thing it’s not shit then”
  679. >...
  680. >It’s 11 PM now, and you’ve been playing Oblivion for the last few hours to keep your mind off things
  681. >Your brain keeps telling yourself your childlike humor cost you a chance to find Star, but deep down you know nothing was going to come of it
  682. >You savescum your way through the arena questline and then head to bed
  683. >The next few days are some of the shittest in recent memory
  684. >You stay up until the sun comes out and sleep until the evening
  685. >Your one meal a day consists of cheerios and a slice of banana
  686. >You do whatever you can to get your mind off your situation, whether that be TV, vidya, or sleep
  687. >Not only are you mad that a piece of shit has your pony, but you’re mad at yourself for letting this happen
  688. >Star was only doing what she thought was best for her survival
  689. >She probably thought you’d abuse her just like Tom did to break her in
  690. >But you wanted to have a pony to love and care for with all your heart.
  691. >A pony to provide a home for
  692. >A pony to keep nice and healthy
  693. >A pony to play with
  694. >A pony to take for walks
  695. >A pony to share laughs with
  696. >A pony that you would look forward to seeing after work
  697. >A pony to look forward to seeing you too
  698. >A pony to be your friend
  699. >She had no idea how well she was going to have it under your care, all in exchange for some chores and her companionship
  700. >A few days turns into a week
  701. >Between doing absolutely nothing and being worried sick the last 7 days, you’ve lost all your stamina
  702. >You’ve been quieter than usual too, lurking on your websites rather than posting
  703. >You’ve spent most days curled up on the couch
  704. >You’re tired all the time, and you’ve been sleeping more and more each day
  705. >Seemingly nothing can perk you up
  706. >That is, until you hear a chirp go off from your room
  707. >Nobody bothers calling or texting you except your boss, and you're still on vacation
  708. >That only means one thing
  709. >You jump up off the couch with your newfound sense of energy and run to your bedroom
  710. >Your phone is kinda dusty already and it’s only been a week
  711. >If only someone was here to dust the apartment for your lazy ass
  712. >You don’t recognize the number
  713. >You feel yourself melting away
  714. >Wait
  715. >Tom disconnected the previous line when you tried to call him back
  716. >Don’t jump to shit conclusions brain
  717. >You unlock the phone, and low and behold, it's Tom
  718. >”the pony is finally ready. took a week but the thing finally summited. same location. i got the cash as well as the modification i promised u. im already there, so dont worry about me dipping again lol”
  719. >You feel energized again
  720. >If you had to spend anymore time like the last week you’re sure you would of died
  721. >You grab your wallet, ready to leave and get back Star when you realize you haven’t changed your clothes for nearly a week
  722. >Nor have you showered
  723. >You want to get your pony as soon as possible, but such an unhygienic appearance may remind Star of Tom
  724. >You take off all your clothes, that are now essentially rags, and throw them in the corner of your room and grab a fresh arsenal
  725. >Clothes in hand, you head to the shower
  726. >The plus side of living alone in an apartment with no windows is that you can walk around naked
  727. >However, those days will be coming to an end soon
  728. >Walking around naked with a traumatized pony in the home probably isn’t a good idea
  729. >You stay put, Little Anon!
  730. >You’ve been waiting at the bus stop for 35 minutes
  731. >The slum he’s sending you too doesn’t run busses often
  732. >You’re quite lucky one came within 2 minutes last week
  733. >Your headphones broke during your week of depression, so the wait is more boring than usual
  734. >12 minutes later, the bus finally arrives
  735. >Looks like the same driver, but you aren’t sure
  736. >You just stare out the window, imagining all the fun times ahead of you
  737. >It took slightly longer than expected, but you will finally get to meet your pony
  738. >You bought the magic suppression ring with you, incase Tom just drugged her up again
  739. >Again, your deep immersion in your thoughts almost costs you the stop
  740. >You don’t need the GPS this time, you remember exactly where to go
  741. >Getting to the corner with the drug store, you again, see nobody
  742. >But you do see a car across the street, and you don’t believe it was there before
  743. >The driver door opens, and out rolls lord lardass
  744. >It looks like he put on even more weight
  745. >He’s probably wearing the same shirt too
  746. >He smiles and waves to you as he shuts the car door
  747. >As Tom crosses the intersection, he puts out his hand
  748. >No way you’re shaking this guys hand
  749. >He notices this and retracts it back
  750. >”Err… Anonymous, right? I’m really sorry about all this trouble. Terrible misjudgment on my part putting her up for sale so soon. She-”
  751. >You cut him off
  752. >Not only because you don’t want to hear his voice, but because you don’t want him breathing in your face again
  753. >You’re angry and wish you could sock him across the face, but you manage to keep your cool
  754. “Where is Star?”
  755. >”That’s her name? I don’t fucking remember. I just called her Bitch, or Slut.”
  756. >Your hands form a fist, but you manage to control yourself
  757. >You repeat yourself
  758. “Where is Star?”
  759. >Tom points back to his car
  760. >”She’s in there, don’t worry. I just figured I’d give you your 50% refund first for all the trouble.”
  761. >He pulls the cash straight out of his wallet, no bag or wallet, and holds it out
  762. >You give him a cold stare, and snatch it out of his hands
  763. >”I take so much pride in my work, it means so much to me I’ll take the hit.”
  764. >You just nod and shove the money into your pocket
  765. >He guides his arm out toward his car
  766. >”Well, now that unpleasant business is out of the way, shall we?”
  767. >Walking across the street, your legs feel like jelly
  768. >It’s a week later than you expected, but you are finally taking your pony home for good
  769. >You’ll get her to talk to you this time, you’ll make sure she eats this time, and you’ll make her happier than she could ever imagine to be as a slave
  770. >You’ll make sure she knows you love her and you aren’t mad at her
  771. >You are going to do things right this time
  772. >Tom chirps his car and with that he opens up the backseat
  773. >”Let’s get this over with, it’s supposed to rain soon.”
  774. >The windows are tinted, but you can make out a kennel
  775. >It’s much bigger than the one you got previously, and is metal rather than plastic
  776. >Tom, being the lard he is, is already breaking a sweat trying to get it out
  777. >”Give me a hand, will ya? This thing is heavy, and the dumb thing inside it isn’t doing me any favors.”
  778. >You don’t like the idea of giving this guy any favors or hands, but you don’t really have a choice in this case
  779. >You go over to the car door and lift it from the bottom corner
  780. >As a matter of fact, it is pretty damn heavy
  781. >Has to be mostly due to the metal body though, you had no trouble lifting Star last week, and you doubt Tom fattened her up, let alone fed her much at all
  782. >Placing the kennel down on the sidewalk, Tom wipes a puddle of sweat off his forehead
  783. >”I don’t see your car anywhere, do we have to carry it around the block?”
  784. “I don’t have a car. I took the bus.”
  785. >”You’re going to take this big heavy crate onto the bus?”
  786. >He manages to bring up a good point
  787. “Open it up. Is she on a leash? I’ll take her home without the kennel.”
  788. >Tom looks over towards the car
  789. >”She doesn’t have one on but I may have a few in the trunk”
  790. >Tom wobbles his way over to the trunk of the car and starts digging his way through it
  791. >You crouch down next to the kennel
  792. >It has no grating to see though, just tiny holes to allow breathing
  793. >You were hoping to give her a smile as a form of assurance, but it doesn’t look like that’s possible right now
  794. >You pull her ring out of your pocket to make sure you don’t forget
  795. >Tom stands back up over by the trunk, waving a red leash in the air
  796. >”The great and helpful Tom has you covered!”
  797. >The kennel vibrates a bit
  798. >”Let’s get this bitch leashed up and ready to go.”
  799. >Tom moves you to the side and crouches down next to the door of the kennel
  800. >He pulls a keyring out of his shirt pocket
  801. >”Now this may be a little trial and error, I don’t know which one is for this kennel”
  802. >You wonder what his plan was if you took the whole kennel home
  803. >As he’s working through the keys, he speaks up
  804. >”I put her up for sale a little prematurely, as I’m sure you figured out. But she’s 100% ready to serve and please her master now. I made sure of it. If she somehow disobeys you or escapes again, I’ll give ya double your money back and a better pony. I’ll also be sure to put her down with my own two hands, mark my words. But that won’t happen, right?”
  805. >He gives the kennel a little pat on the side
  806. >“...As I said earlier, I did a little somethin’ to make sure she doesn’t get away from you again. This... magic of theirs… it's pretty useless in the long run ain’t it? You either have it set so low they can’t do anything meaningful with it, or set too high and they blast you to smithereens.”
  807. >You don’t think that’s 100% true, as the ring seems pretty flexible with its settings
  808. >You hold it out to put onto her once he finally opens it
  809. >”And…”
  810. >Tom takes a deep breath, fat fuck’s hyperventilating at this point from the little bit of exercise
  811. >”...And, they’re insanely good with their hooves somehow too. Almost as if they’re magnets, but for any stinkin’ object.”
  812. >You aren’t liking where this is going
  813. >”...So I took the liberty of eliminating this entire prob…”
  814. >Click!
  815. >”Took long enough! Of course it was almost the last key I checked...”
  816. >He takes a deep breath and opens up the door
  817. >...
  818. >Your stomach drops all the way to the earth’s core
  819. >Her overall condition looks to be about the same
  820. >Her coat is still short or missing in some places, and she has some more lash marks across her body than she did before
  821. >But you ordered a unicorn
  822. >The papers said she was a unicorn
  823. >You complimented her on her pointy, unblunted horn didn’t you?
  824. >However, the papers didn’t lie
  825. >She was indeed a unicorn
  826. >Was
  827. >You drop the ring in your hands to the ground
  828. >A tiny voice speaks up
  829. >”Nice to meet you, master! I’m sorry for leaving you, and I deserve any punishment you deem necessary. I’m a bad pony.”
  830. >She’s… smiling?
  831. >No.. her eyes are puffy and red, she was clearly crying not too long ago
  832. >”I’m ready to please you now, master!”
  833. >If your stomach dropped to the earth’s core before, now it’s en route to Andromeda
  834. >You feel your eyes tearing up
  835. >Stay strong Anon, this is no way to look in front of her
  836. >You turn your gaze over to Tom
  837. “What… what did you do to her?”
  838. >Tom shrugs
  839. >”I made her act the way she should of in the first pla…”
  840. “NOT THAT YOU FAT FUCK!”
  841. >You’re crying now, in a fully fledged but justifiable meltdown
  842. “HER HORN, WHAT DID YOU… WHAT DID YOU DO TO IT?!”
  843. >”I, uhh, told you, I took that useless tumor off. It’s a favor, it was only going to bring you trouble, I know best.”
  844. “YOU DON’T KNOW BEST, YOU’RE A FUCKING IDIOT! I WANTED HER TO HAVE FREEDOMS! NOT TO MENTION I PAYED A PREMIUM FOR A UNICORN IN GOOD CONDITION!”
  845. >The fat egg gets up on his feet
  846. >”And I gave you half your money back. You got her for less than the cheapest pegasus money can buy”
  847. “I DON’T GIVE A SHIT ABOUT THE MONEY! I’LL.. I’LL SUE. YOU TOUCHED MY PROPERTY WITHOUT MY CONSENT!”
  848. >”Two reasons that won’t work Mr. Anonymous. One, courts aren’t going to listen to your case. It’s over a pony. Two, even if it somehow got to court, you’d lose because she’s still under my legal ownership until your ownership ID and papers come in, and from experience with how slow they are I guarantee they haven’t yet.”
  849. >DAMNIT!
  850. >He has every legal right to do this
  851. >A smirk crawls across his face
  852. >WHACK!
  853. >You sock him across the face
  854. >With that Tom backs up and pulls a pistol out of his pocket
  855. >”Don’t make another fucking move. I did something to benefit you, and you’re screaming and calling me an idiot?”
  856. >You charge toward him
  857. “YOU MUTILATED MY PON-”
  858. >He points the gun towards your face
  859. >”I SAID NOT ANOTHER FUCKING MOVE. TAKE THE LEASH AND GO, OR BOTH YOU AND THE PONY ARE DEAD.”
  860. >The pony
  861. >Holy shit, Star’s witnessing all of this
  862. >The thought of that grounds you
  863. >You take a deep breath and grab the leash
  864. >”Now go.”
  865. >Tom keeps the gun pointed towards you as you walk back over to the kennel”
  866. >Star has tears in her eyes
  867. >You use a hand gesture to call her forward
  868. >The pony trots towards you and you clip the leash on her
  869. >”Are-are we going to your home now master?”
  870. >You sniff and wipe your eyes dry
  871. “Yes, Star. We are going home, to OUR home”
  872. >You hear a snicker behind you
  873. >You stand up and give a tug and Star exits the kennel
  874. >You walk away without looking back, but you’re sure he’s still locked and loaded on you
  875. >As you are about to turn the corner, you hear Tom yell to you
  876. >”YOU’LL THANK ME FOR THIS ONE DAY”
  877. >As you’re approaching the bus stop, you notice Star is limping
  878. “What’s the matter Star?”
  879. >Her eyes are still bloodshot red, probably from the trauma of what she just witnessed
  880. >You suspect she's exhausted too
  881. >”Nothing’s wrong master. I’m happy to serve you.”
  882. >Jesus Christ
  883. “Your back leg. You’re limping. What happened?”
  884. >Star looks back at her back leg
  885. >You can see the expression change on her face
  886. >”Mister Tom did it when I talked back to him.”
  887. >You grind your teeth together
  888. >Her expression suddenly changes to that smile again
  889. “But I deserved it. I’m a good pony now!”
  890. >She’s smiling, but her eyes tell another story
  891. >That makes you stop in your tracks
  892. “Come here Star.”
  893. >You crouch down and hold your arms out
  894. >The pony tilts her head in confusion
  895. >”I’m sorry master, what do you want me to do?”
  896. >You figure she knew you wanted to pick her up, but she’s obviously hesitant to human touch and trying to avoid it without straight up defying your orders
  897. >Regardless, it’ll be better than her limping around, possibly causing more damage
  898. “Hop up, I’ll carry you.”
  899. >Star’s eyes widen
  900. >”Mister Tom said I need to feel pain to remind me to be a good pony. It’ll heal, un… unlik… unlike my… unlike my… EEP!”
  901. >The pony lets out a squeak and a flinch as you pick her up into your arms
  902. >Just in time too
  903. >You’re trying to keep her loss in the back of your mind for now, and it’s especially important that she does too
  904. >You hold her with your arms like one would hold a baby
  905. >Despite obviously not wanting it, she doesn’t fight it at all
  906. >In fact, she’s really sniff, the only movement coming from her wildly inconsistent inhales and exhales
  907. >With a pony in your arms, you make haste to the bus stop
  908. >10 minutes later, the bus arrives and the doors open
  909. >This time two people get out, that’s the most you’ve ever seen on this line
  910. >You put Star back down on the ground
  911. >As much as you don’t want her to walk on her hurt leg, you can’t carry her on the bus, she’s too big
  912. >You wrap the leash around your wrist and head up the entry steps
  913. >You notice the leash gets tighter which causes you to turn around
  914. >Still outside the bus doors you see Star, looking at the steps
  915. “C’mon Star”
  916. >You give a light tug on the leash
  917. >The pony glances up at you, down at the steps, back up at you again, and smiles
  918. >”Yes master…”
  919. >She’s doing that smile again, but she didn’t put on the happy voice this time
  920. >It kills you on the inside that you’re making her go up these steps, but you have no choice
  921. >Star trots a few steps back, takes a deep breath, and makes a dash up the steps
  922. >”EEP”
  923. >She lets out another squeak, this time in pain rather than surprise
  924. >You pull out your payment and drop it in
  925. >The driver, same one from earlier, looks up at you
  926. >”You got yourself one did ya? Take good care of it.”
  927. “I have every intention to sir. Thank you”
  928. >You tug the leash and Star follows you to the back seat
  929. >You sit down on the window seat and look over towards the isle
  930. >Star is looking the other way, towards the seats on the opposite side of the isle
  931. >As a result, her backside is facing in your direction
  932. >She has her tail clenched tightly around her privates for protection
  933. >You pat the seat next to you, signaling her to get up
  934. >Star turns around and tilts her head and smiles again, and makes another running jump onto the seat
  935. >No screech this time, but she was obviously still in pain
  936. >She settles down on the chair and sits on her haunches, and stares towards the front of the bus
  937. >The doors close and you’re on your way
  938. >Looking at Star, you can tell she’s barely conscious
  939. >She often shuts her eyes, looking as if she’s about to drift to sleep, only to wake herself up a few moments later
  940. >Your suspicions of her being exhausted were seemingly confirmed
  941. >Other than her eyelids, she hasn’t moved a muscle since getting up on the seat, much like when you picked her up
  942. >She also seems to have sat herself in a way that puts much of the pressure on her bad leg
  943. “Star, stop trying to hurt yourself. You don’t deserve it, put some pressure on the good leg.”
  944. >”As you wish master.”
  945. >She readjusts herself to even out the pressure, lets out a sigh, and then goes sniff again, staring into space
  946. >She’s clearly holding tears back, but the floodgates are holding them back
  947. “We’ll be home soon Star. You’ll be comfortable and safe there.”
  948. >”Star is excited to serve, master”
  949. >You repeat what you told her the last time you met
  950. “I promise to never cause anything bad to happen to you, Star”
  951. >However, you already broke that promise
  952. >Her horn… your neglectance caused that
  953. >It’s gone and will never come back, and it's your fault
  954. >Looking over at her head, you get a better look at what remains
  955. >You distinctly remember complimenting her on her horn last week
  956. >It was quite long, maybe 8 inches, and unblunted too, which is quite rare for any unicorn slave
  957. >It’s all but a stub now, maybe 2 inches at best, probably more like 1 and a half
  958. >It’s all jagged like a cracked eggshell
  959. >The jackass probably used a hacksaw from his garage
  960. >As much as you hate to say this, you’re going to have to either flatten the jagged top or finish the job and cut it completely off
  961. >It’s a safety hazard to you, and even herself, as it looks like pieces of it could chip off at any moment
  962. >That can be put on the backburner for now though
  963. >You take a deep breathe and look out the window
  964. >It’s dark now as the days are getting shorter
  965. >The rain that was called earlier has started to lightly pour
  966. >Drops of rain begin to form on the bus window
  967. >On the bus radio, Frank Sinatra's rendition of When You're Smiling comes on
  968. >Being late November, you’re surprised Christmas music isn’t playing
  969. >You look over at Star and start to pet her mane
  970. >Star flinches at the touch, causing you to quickly pull your hand away
  971. >She flinched when you picked her up too, but that was a necessary evil for her health
  972. >Continuing to pet her mane now would just cause unnecessary discomfort for her, even if she doesn’t show it
  973. >You look back over to the window, watching the world go by for the rest of the ride home as the sound of the radio fills the bus
  974. >“...But when you're cryin'... you bring on the rain...”
  975. >”...So stop that cryin'... be happy again...”
  976. >”...Keep on smilin'... 'cause when you're smilin'...”
  977. >”...The whole world… smiles with you…”
  978. >You juggle your keycard out of your pocket while holding Star
  979. >She’s still stiff, not moving a single muscle while being held in your arms
  980. >It was a little bit of a walk from the bus stop to your apartment, so the both of you are wet
  981. >Star smells vulgar, probably from a mixture of the rain and not being cleaned since forever
  982. >You manage to swipe the keycard on the elevator panel, giving you entry to it
  983. >4 floors later you exit the elevator and head to your place
  984. >You put Star back on the ground carefully
  985. “Alright Star, here we are. This place is your’s as much as it is mine. Make yourself at home, because it is.”
  986. >You don’t really believe it’s hers as much as yours
  987. >You love her and want her to have freedoms, but to say you see her as an exact equal to you would be a lie
  988. >No response this time, just her staring at the door
  989. >Odd
  990. >She’s shaking, but hopefully just because she’s cold, but you have your doubts
  991. >With another swipe, you open up the door and flick the light switch on your left on
  992. “I think we can save the tour for tomorrow. Let’s get you cleaned up and get a good night’s sleep.”
  993. >Today’s the last day of the time you took off, but you’ll use a sick day tomorrow to show her around and get to know her
  994. >After that though she’s unfortunately going to be alone during the day
  995. >Still saying put, you give the leash another tug
  996. >Once you shut the door, you signal her over to you
  997. >The pony sits down on her haunches in front of you, staring into your eyes
  998. >Her eyes are full of sadness and exhaustion
  999. >You unhook the leash and drape it over the couch
  1000. >”Master… Mister Tom said you would beat me once we get home. Would you like the pathetic and helpless Tr-S-S-Star to fetch your paddle for you…?”
  1001. >You turn around to see a pony lift her tail in the air behind her
  1002. “What was that you said?”
  1003. >”Would you like the pathetic and helpless Star to fetch your paddle for you…?”
  1004. >Her sentence is followed with a smile
  1005. >You’re dumbstruck, and your mind goes blank for a moment
  1006. >Her smile changes to an expression of fear
  1007. >”M-master’s sending Star back already isn’t he!”
  1008. “Wait, what? No! why would I…”
  1009. >”Mister Tom says it’s not a pony’s place, job, or right to talk back or suggest things to master.”
  1010. “Star I..”
  1011. >”Take me back, if I’m lucky I’ll get the needle.”
  1012. >She’s holding back tears again
  1013. ”Star, those are wild conclusions you’re making there. I don’t know what Tom told you, but I guarantee 99% of what he said isn’t going to happen here.”
  1014. >She’s already looking towards the door handle, seemingly waiting for you to put the leash back on and walk out
  1015. “Star, I promise I’m not sending you back, nor am I going to beat you.”
  1016. >The pony turns back around
  1017. >”Mister Tom says to be thankful when master shows mercy. So, thank you master. I won’t mess up again.”
  1018. “C’mon, let me set up the bath. Let’s get you nice and clean. It’s probably been awhile, hasn’t it?”
  1019. >You’re in the bathroom now with Star, filling the tub up with water
  1020. >Star gave a bit of resistance to the idea, going from believing she didn’t earn a bath, to thinking it was going to be by hose.
  1021. “Dip your hoof in, tell me when it’s comfortable”
  1022. >With a bit of hesitation, she puts her front hoof in
  1023. >The rest of her body is completely still though
  1024. >You slowly turn the dial up
  1025. >And up
  1026. >And up
  1027. >Until enough’s enough
  1028. >You see her holding back pain
  1029. “Star, I’m not going to let you torture yourself.”
  1030. >You turn it down a little
  1031. “That’s the highest I’m setting it. Do you still want it that high or do you want it lower?”
  1032. >You understand she probably wants it somewhat warm, since she was just out in freezing November rain, but you were almost at maximum heat
  1033. >”Mister Tom says I should make everything as painful as possible for a week to punish myself.”
  1034. >You turn the dial down a bit more to a comfortable warm
  1035. >You stand up and grab a bottle of shampoo that she wouldn’t be able to reach and put it in the bathtub
  1036. “Do you use shampoo or soap for your coat?”
  1037. >It’s a genuine question you aren’t sure of. Do they use soap since it’s their body, or shampoo since it’s still hair?
  1038. >”Shampoo, master.”
  1039. >At least you managed to have a simple question and answer with her that time
  1040. “Alright. I’ll leave you too it then. You should be able to reach that towel hanging over there with your mouth right?”
  1041. >Confusion covers the ponies face
  1042. >”Master… isn’t going to clean me?”
  1043. >You figure if she does things on her own, it may help her feel independent again
  1044. “Nope. I want you to feel at home.”
  1045. >”Mister Tom says bathes are a reward for ponies, but master enjoys it too since you get to feel me. Wouldn’t you like that master?”
  1046. >Your mind's telling you no, but your body’s telling you yes
  1047. >Luckily, your mind wins pretty easily
  1048. “Nope! Just relax and enjoy yourself. Take your time.”
  1049. >With that you give an assuring smile and head for the door
  1050. >Halfway out the door, you call back
  1051. “Oh, and one more thing Star. I command you not to change the temperature.”
  1052. >”Yes master”
  1053. >And with that you shut the door
  1054. >You really don’t want to command her, but you’re sure she’ll listen to that
  1055. >And you fear otherwise she’d try to scald herself
  1056. >It’s been 10 minutes since you’ve sent your pony to take a bath
  1057. >You’ve been passing the time on your laptop
  1058. >You aren’t even really doing anything on it, just staring at the screen in deep thought about Star
  1059. >When you met her last week, she had a fire burning in her
  1060. >A fire that fueled an escape attempt, something most ponies wouldn’t even dare
  1061. >Tom said she put up a hell of a fight and back talk when she was first put into training, and again when she was recaptured
  1062. >The last 7 days must've been hell on earth for her, and she’s obviously traumatized, but is the fire really out?
  1063. >It’s been 20 minutes now
  1064. >You aren’t really concerned, but you figure you should check on Star
  1065. >She was a mess, and you’re sure the water feels good on any wounds she has
  1066. >But it’s still worth a peek to make sure she’s okay
  1067. >Besides, it’s not like you could walk in on anything, she’s not any more naked than she usually is
  1068. >You crack open the door to the bathroom
  1069. “St--”
  1070. >You stop
  1071. >There, your pony is lying peacefully in the tub, as if taking a sauna
  1072. >Her front hooves are draped over each side of the tub
  1073. >Her eyes are shut too
  1074. >A thin steam has filled the room, and looking at the temperature gauge, she’s turned it up a bit from where you left it
  1075. >Not high enough to burn her though
  1076. >She looks… peaceful
  1077. >Her fluffy belly slowly rises and falls in a steady rhythm
  1078. >This is probably the most relaxed she’s been in a long time
  1079. >Probably in her own personal bubble, taking a hot soak back in Equestria
  1080. >You wouldn’t don’t dare disturb her serenity, this possibly being her only true moment of respite in months
  1081. >You quietly shut the door with a smile on your face
  1082. >The fire wasn’t extinguished
  1083. >It’s just hidden away, waiting to shine bright once again
  1084. >It’s been an hour now, and it’s getting late
  1085. >You’d like to make sure there’s time to feed Star tonight
  1086. >As much as it hurts you to do so, you’re going to have to pull her out of her little fantasy
  1087. >Back in the bathroom, your pony is still in her relaxed state
  1088. >You tiptoe over to the tub and crotch down
  1089. >You whisper
  1090. “Star…?”
  1091. >The pony opens her eyes, startled
  1092. >Her breathing starts to increase, but slowly settles back down as reality sets in
  1093. >”Yes master?”
  1094. “Time to get out. I want to feed you before we head to bed. Did you enjoy yourself?”
  1095. >”Was I too long master?”
  1096. “I saw how relaxed you were earlier and figured you needed it. You looked so happy and content”
  1097. >Star pulls herself up onto four hooves, not without a yipe
  1098. >”My happiness doesn’t matter. Master’s does.”
  1099. >You ponder at the thought for a moment
  1100. “Your genuine happiness makes me happy.”
  1101. >This time it’s the pony’s turn to ponder
  1102. >You’re really hoping to get something out of her with that
  1103. >”Thank you master. Mister Tom says I should repay kindness.”
  1104. >The two of you stare at each other for a few moments
  1105. >The pony whispers to herself loud enough for you to hear
  1106. >”O-Oh... right”
  1107. >Star lifts her tail up and manages to muster an inviting smile
  1108. >She’s trembling on her hooves now too, but she continues
  1109. >”And you were kind to me, mast…”
  1110. “Star.”
  1111. >You interrupt her assertively
  1112. >This causes the pony to flinch and swing her tail back down
  1113. >Having her attention now, you speak in a softer, but still assertive tone
  1114. “Star… don’t offer yourself to me, please...”
  1115. >”I want to repay you master. I want you to r-rut me”
  1116. >Her lie was obvious enough already, and her nervous stutter didn’t do her any favors
  1117. >And you don’t know much about pony mating signs, but you figure if she really wanted it she’d subconsciously raise her tail at the thought
  1118. “Star, listen… You don’t need to repay me like that. We both know you don’t want it, and that’s ok, I don’t want it either. You’re a very pretty mare, but it just isn’t right. I don’t know if Tom told you I was going to use you like that or what, but I’m not, I promise. All I want in return is to see you happy and yourself again.”
  1119. >You also want the home clean and some meals made every now and then, but no need to mention that now
  1120. >The pony tilts her head
  1121. >”I’m a… pretty mare, master?”
  1122. “I picked you out because of how cute you looked in your photo. Nothing’s changed.”
  1123. >The ponies eyes dilate
  1124. >”B-but m-master, in that ph-photo I-I had m-m-my, m-my… a-a-and n-now I-I-I d-don’t…”
  1125. >Tears are visibly forming in her eyes now
  1126. “It’ll be ok Star. It’s an obstacle we’ll have to overcome together. I can’t even begin to imagine what it feels like. Let’s get a bite to eat.”
  1127. >Star manages to pull herself together and dips her head underwater to open up the bath stopper
  1128. >The amount of dexterity these ponies have with their mouths is amazing
  1129. “Do you want me to lift you out? I don’t want you to hurt your leg.”
  1130. >The pony almost instantly fires back
  1131. >”What do you want ma-”
  1132. “What matters is what you want, Star. You’re allowed to make your own decisions here.”
  1133. >The pony is either confused, or in deep thought
  1134. >Finally, she responds
  1135. >”I-If you could just lift me out, that would be ok.”
  1136. >You carefully wrap your arms around Star’s underbelly and give her a lift
  1137. >She’s stiff again, and clearly nervous
  1138. >She’s soaked, and her coat is holding a ton of water, making her a lot heavier to your surprise
  1139. >You almost drop her right back down because you didn’t expect the weight
  1140. >But both her coat and mane smell great
  1141. >Up and over, you place her down on the bathroom floor
  1142. >Her hooves slip around on the wet floor before gaining her balance
  1143. “I’ll use my hair dryer on you afterwards so your coat is nice and dry. Pat yourself down with the towel and call me back in when you’re done.”
  1144. >”Thank you, master.”
  1145. >It shouldn’t take long for her to dry herself down, so you just head in the kitchen and make sure you have enough ingredients for the two of you
  1146. >Greens, check. Carrots, check. Tomatoes, check. Apples, check. Vinegar, check…”
  1147. >...Raisins, check. Corn… check. And last but not least, Oats for Star, check.
  1148. >That should be more than enough. You look up at your microwave’s clock
  1149. >Oh crap it’s been 10 minutes
  1150. >You got a little carried away checking your fridge
  1151. >You don’t want Star to think you forgot about her
  1152. >You turn around and are halfway through the living room when you hear soft trotting on the carpet
  1153. >She pokes her head around the corner and gives a proud smirk
  1154. >”I’m done master!”
  1155. >Panic goes through your mind
  1156. >Why the hell is she dragging water through your carpet?
  1157. >You manage to hide the emotion and keep your cool
  1158. >It’s just water Anon, just water
  1159. “Star, I haven-”
  1160. >Your pony interrupts you
  1161. >”I found your hair dryer under the sink cabinet, so I dried myself off completely.”
  1162. >You sense a smidgen pride and triumph in her voice
  1163. >Between her interrupting you and disobeying what you told her and doing it herself instead, you’re caught off guard
  1164. >You’re not angry, just surprised
  1165. >You signal with your finger for her to come forward
  1166. >Slowly, she trots forward, still limping on her bad leg
  1167. >You run a finger through her mane, causing a bit of a flinch from Star
  1168. >You run another finger down her coat, causing her to stiffen up
  1169. >Completely dry
  1170. “Sorry.”
  1171. >After taking your hands off her, she smirks again
  1172. >”It wasn’t that hard, master.”
  1173. “B-but, how’d you know you needed to plug it in?”
  1174. >Her smirk disappears
  1175. >”I-I learned about your electricity all the way back in t-training camp. How it makes things work on their own. I learned how to look out for the surprised face on a wire, and to put it into the surprised face on the wall.”
  1176. >You let out a giggle to the surprised face description
  1177. >”I-It kind of reminds me of m-mag-”
  1178. >You quickly interupt her before she upsets herself
  1179. “Let’s finally go eat, shall we?”
  1180. >You lead Star into the kitchen
  1181. >You spread your arms out
  1182. “Here's the best room next to the bedroom, let me show you where everything is.”
  1183. >Your kitchen really isn’t that big
  1184. >To your right when you walk in there is an oval bar table of the sorts, with some stools around it
  1185. >On the other side of the room, which is only a few feet away, are some cabinets and the refrigerator
  1186. >You give Star a quick rundown of where all the dishes, silverware, and cups are located inside
  1187. >You’re reminded of Star’s bad leg
  1188. “Hey Star, I’ll place some dishes and such in the lower cabinet for now, at least until you can climb the stool when your leg improves.”
  1189. >The pony is just watching and absorbing all the info, not speaking since entering the kitchen
  1190. >You open up the lower cabinet where the trash can usually stays and take it out
  1191. >You slide it over to a tight corner
  1192. “There, let me get some stuff.”
  1193. >Easy for you, you reach up to the cabinet and grab a stack of plates and some cups and place them down in the lower cabinet
  1194. >You pull open the drawer and grab an assortment of knives, forks, and spoons and place them in the cabinet as well
  1195. >That should solve the biggest problem
  1196. “Don’t worry about the dishes until your leg heals, I don’t want you climbing up to the sink while you’re hurt.”
  1197. >You get your first response since coming into the kitchen
  1198. >”Thank you master”
  1199. >Most ingredients to make a salad are in the bottom drawer of the fridge, so you figure that would make an ideal meal
  1200. “You know how to make salad Star?”
  1201. >Silly question, ponies love salad
  1202. >”Of course master. I learned how to cook lots of things for you.”
  1203. “Great! All the ingredients are in the bottom drawer of the refrigerator. Make 2 bowls. I’m going to grab my laptop.”
  1204. >You leave Star to it as you fetch your laptop from the living room
  1205. >Back in the kitchen, you place the laptop on the table and sit yourself on the stool
  1206. >”W-What do you want in it master?”
  1207. >You turn around and see Star pick up a bag of baby tomatoes with her mouth
  1208. “The basic sounds good. Greens, tomatoes, carrots, and some raisins.”
  1209. >”Yes master”
  1210. >With your pony busy at work, you turn back to your laptop
  1211. >You’re going to have to give Star her’s too, but that can wait for tomorrow
  1212. >You spend the next couple minutes reading some news articles
  1213. >The forecast, local stories, and some oniony headlines about the president that are probably an exaggeration
  1214. >Halfway through an article about a documentary airing tonight, Star speaks up
  1215. >”Your meal is ready master.”
  1216. >She’s right at the foot of your stool, and picks back up one of the bowls with her mouth
  1217. >You grab it out of her mouth and place it on the table
  1218. >Before you can do anything else, she’s holding the other bowl out towards you
  1219. “Star, that one’s for you.”
  1220. >The pony places the bowl back on the ground
  1221. >”Oh no master. Mister Tom said I need to earn my... d-dog... food.”
  1222. >Dog food
  1223. >She flinches as she says it
  1224. >That deflates you a little
  1225. >”Star, enough with what Tom said. Again, it doesn’t apply here, even if he said it would. I asked you to make 2 bowls so you could have one. You need 3 real meals a day, not dog food.”
  1226. >No wonder she’s so thin, she either ate nothing, or dog food
  1227. >Star looks to the ground
  1228. >”Sorry mas-”
  1229. “No need to be sorry. He dug that crap into your mind, you can’t help it. I’m just trying to dig it out.”
  1230. >The pony looks back up at you
  1231. “Let me get us some water, it’s too high for you to get right now.”
  1232. >You grab a cup and the dog bowl from the dish rack
  1233. >She’s pretty dexterous with her hooves though, much more than you thought these ponies could be
  1234. >Once her legs heals up and she’ll be able to reach into the refrigerator to pour her own water >Then she’ll graduate to a cup
  1235. >The dogbowl holds much more water than a cup, so one filling should last her the day whenever you’re gone
  1236. >Unfortunately, she’s going to have to eat on the floor for now
  1237. >The stools are too small for her to sit on her haunches
  1238. >The only other possible way for her to sit up there would put as lot of weight on her hurt leg, so it’s going to have to be this way for a bit
  1239. “This is really good Star.”
  1240. >The pony swallows
  1241. >”Thanks master, but all I did was put it in a bowl. I didn’t make it good.”
  1242. >She’s got a point
  1243. “The… erm… the balance of all the ingredients is well done. Not too much or too little of anything.”
  1244. >”T-Thanks master…”
  1245. >There was a hint of sarcasm in her voice there
  1246. >And with that, she goes right back to chowing her salad down
  1247. >Halfway through your salad, you look down
  1248. >Her bowl is licked clean, and she’s chugging her water down
  1249. >You grab your bowl and dump the rest of your salad into her bowl
  1250. >”Master…?”
  1251. “I’m stuffed, and you need it more than me.”
  1252. >After round two, you pick up the bowls and cups and put them in the sink
  1253. >”I’ll do them for you master, please.”
  1254. “I don’t want you using that leg for anything more than basic walking right now. I’m going to pick you up some medicine for it later in the week.”
  1255. >”But, I don’t want to be the useless and unhelpful Star…”
  1256. >You stretch your arms and nod
  1257. “You just made us dinner. You aren’t useless. I think a little bit of sleep is overdue, you agree?”
  1258. >Walking down the hall to your bedroom with Star, it feels a little warmer
  1259. >As if the fire is flicking ever so brighter
  1260. “That’s your place, there”
  1261. >You point to Star’s kennel in the corner
  1262. “If there's anything you want for it, let me know. It’s quite big, so there’s enough room to stuff it with anything that’ll make you comfortable.”
  1263. >”Master that’s the same-”
  1264. “I-”
  1265. >”I probably deserve to sleep on my urine anyway. Thanks for letting me sleep inside, at least. Mister Tom says that’s only for occasions when I’m an especially good mare.”
  1266. “...cleaned it thoroughly.”
  1267. >You let out a sigh
  1268. >Enough’s enough with this
  1269. >You crouch down next to your bed and signal Star to sit down in front of you
  1270. “Star, you keep saying Mister Tom this and Mister Tom that and reciting what that jackass has told you.”
  1271. >Pony’s eyes begin to swell up
  1272. >You let out a sigh and continue, this time sounding less angry
  1273. “I guess it’s not really your fault, is it? He drilled shit into your mind for a week nonstop. And then he told you you’d have to follow every little detail, or else I’d beat you, rape you, send you back to be killed, or a combination of all three.”
  1274. >Her eyes widen
  1275. >”I-I want to be killed master. I want to die.”
  1276. >Hearing that, a ton of weight falls on your shoulders, and the air is knocked out of you
  1277. “That’s not true.”
  1278. >Star tears up for what seems to be the 100th time tonight
  1279. >”I-I-I want to be p-put down master. I don’t want to live anymore.”
  1280. >You want to hug the pony in the worst possible way, but you know better
  1281. “That’s not true Star. If it was, you wouldn’t of been so careful to follow Tom’s instructions. You wouldn’t of balled your eyes out when you thought I was going to send you back for suggesting something to me. You ran off when you had the chance, someone ready to accept death with open arms wouldn’t do that.”
  1282. >Star looks up, dumbstruck
  1283. >After a few moments, she continues with a shaky voice
  1284. >”I was going to kill myself that night.”
  1285. “No you weren’t.”
  1286. >Star wipes a tear with her hoof
  1287. “If you were, you would of done it. You could of jumped down the staircase, bit someone, light yourself on fire or something with your…”
  1288. >She’s bawling again
  1289. >You got to be more careful with your words, you inconsiderate fuck
  1290. “What I’m trying to say is… you could of ended it before anyone captured you again. You were caught on the run. Your listing had you described as a boastful, high spirited pony, among other things when you were first captured. Seeing that proud smirk on your face after you used the hair dryer on yourself and your dare to escape showed me those traits are still there.”
  1291. >Star is squirming a bit now
  1292. “Not to mention that I heard you would always refer to yourself in third person, something you’re still occasionally doing.”
  1293. >Star flinches back a bit at that
  1294. >”Tr-Sta-I-I i-is..am? I am?”
  1295. “The Star that was listed is still in there. I don’t think you forget who you are, you’re just scared to show it, understandably so.”
  1296. >Star just stares off, mouth open
  1297. >Finally, she recollects herself
  1298. >”What else did they describe Star as?”
  1299. >You let out a little giggle
  1300. >”Arrogant, entitled, egotistical, abrasive, full of herself.”
  1301. >You smile
  1302. >Star follows with a smirk, much like the one when she dried herself
  1303. “That’s why I got you. I wanted someone to throw some verbal punches at me, to treat me like their oldest, best chum. I want you to be comfortable to express yourself, be who you were. Within reason, of course, but the fine line is quite high.”
  1304. >Star sniffs her tears in
  1305. >”But don’t be afraid to cross that line initially, I’d let you know without punishing you or hurting you.”
  1306. >You give a deep breath
  1307. “Let me go get you some water if you need it overnight. Get yourself ready for bed”
  1308. >You really want to brush your hand through her mane
  1309. >You get up and head to the kitchen
  1310. >You don’t want her running out of water in the middle of the night, she needs to drink
  1311. >And a drowsy, half asleep pony may accidentally knock it over
  1312. >You fill the dogbowl up with fresh, with cold water and some icecubes
  1313. >Careful not to spill any, you carry it back into your bedroom
  1314. >Star is still sitting on her haunches, staring into space
  1315. “Heres some water if you get thirsty in the middle of the night. Drink up as much as you want, you need it.”
  1316. >Placing it down to the right of her kennel, the water reminds you of another thing
  1317. “You know how to use our toilets?”
  1318. >You aren’t sure if these pascal ponies had them back at home, or if they kind of just peed everywhere, not giving a shit
  1319. >”Master To- St- I…”
  1320. >The pony is clearly having trouble with her words
  1321. >”I was told I wouldn’t be allowed to use your bathroom, so he never taught me, but they look just like ours. I’ll manage.”
  1322. >That’s a relief, saves a potentially awkward encounter
  1323. >”May I go master? Star’s been holding it in for hours.”
  1324. “You should've said something sooner, you can go whenever.”
  1325. >”Thank you master!”
  1326. >Star slowly gets up and trots out to your bathroom
  1327. >You call out to Star to clarify
  1328. “You don’t need to ask to do anything like that!”
  1329. >”Yes master!”
  1330. >She yells back in a happy tone as you hear the door shut
  1331. >A tone much different than the false happiness she had before
  1332. >With your pony doing her business, you turn around to get undressed
  1333. >You usually sleep naked, but with Star in your care now that probably isn’t going to happen anymore
  1334. >Not until you’ve fully gained her trust and she’s comfortable, at least
  1335. >So you leave an old T-Shirt and a pair of underpants on
  1336. >You take your phone and wallet out of your pant pockets, and put them on your nightstand
  1337. >Looking on your nightstand, that reminds you
  1338. >Next to where you placed your belongings is the box that contains her leather collar
  1339. >You pick up the box and pace around the room until Star gets back
  1340. >5 minutes later, you hear a flush and Star trots back in
  1341. “No problems? You washed your hooves?”
  1342. >Star turns back while making her way towards her kennel
  1343. >”I’m civilized, ya know.”
  1344. “Star, come here before you go in”
  1345. >She makes a quick 180, both physically and mentally
  1346. >She gets down and submits to you, breathing heavily
  1347. >”Was that too much backtalk master? I’m sorry! I’ll be a good, cooperative pony!”
  1348. “What…? No. I had something for you.”
  1349. >”A spanking? I deserve it!”
  1350. >You snap your fingers
  1351. “Star! Snap out of it. You didn’t do anything that concerned me in the slightest. I got you a gift.”
  1352. >She’s improving, but still quite fragile and easy to set off
  1353. >You open up the box and present it to her
  1354. “Nappa Leather, one of the highest quality leathers money can buy. I had it custom made for you based on the measurements they sent me of you. I figured it would be more comfortable than that bent piece of metal around your neck”
  1355. >The pony’s eyes are twinkling like starlight now and her breathing slows back down
  1356. >”You got the pathetic and helpless Star a gift?”
  1357. “No, but I got the great and awesome Star a gift”
  1358. >You pick it up and toss the box to the side
  1359. “I got it for you because I wanted to show how much you mean to me.”
  1360. >Star looks down
  1361. “Look at me Star. I mean it when I say you mean everything to me. I’d take a bullet for you. I went to multiple tailors to make sure I got you the best, no matter the cost because I care for you and love you. I know it’s probably bittersweet, getting a collar put on, no matter how nice it is, but I made sure it’s the most comfortable it could be.”
  1362. >You unhook the new collar
  1363. “Let’s get it on, shall we? Do you mind if I touch you?”
  1364. >The pony’s tail swings a bit
  1365. “I mean your neck, Star. Don’t worry.”
  1366. >”Y-Yes mast-”
  1367. >You put your finger to her mouth
  1368. “From here on out, I’m Anon. Or Anonymous if you want. I may be your master, but first and foremost we’re friends, so we should refer to each other like so.
  1369. >Star just stares at you, not saying anything
  1370. >You put your hands around her neck and unhook the metal collar
  1371. >Yikes
  1372. >The part of her neck where the collar was is a completely different color than the rest of her coat
  1373. >Just how tight was that thing on her?
  1374. >You toss it to the side where the box is and wrap the new collar around her neck
  1375. >The tags on it jingle
  1376. >One has her name, and the other your phone number and address
  1377. >Unfortunately, the measurements aren’t completely valid anymore due to all the weight she’s lost
  1378. >It’s still close enough, you just had to use one of the later punch holes
  1379. >It’s snug, but nowhere near as tight as that piece of scrap metal was
  1380. “That better?”
  1381. >Star is still out of it
  1382. “Star?”
  1383. >A few moments later, she gives the widest smile you’ve seen in a long time
  1384. >”Yes master- I mean Anon! It feels as if there is nothing on my neck anymore! What a relief!”
  1385. “You don’t have to pretend to like it for me. Collars must still hurt to have.”
  1386. >”Anything’s better than the collar Mister Tom gave me. I feel like I can actually breathe. Besides, it’s kind of stylish, and I’ve never been one for fashion.”
  1387. >She looks down at it in awe
  1388. >She uses her hoof to push up the tags so she can read them
  1389. >Suddenly her smile turns upside down
  1390. >”Right… Thanks again.”
  1391. >Her mood change is slightly concerning,
  1392. >She’s like a lightbulb, she shines brightly when you let her, but make one mistake and she’ll shatter
  1393. >Looking back, you’ve made a shitton of progress with her already.
  1394. >It’s late and now anyway
  1395. “Alright Star, I think it’s time to retire for the night, for real this time.”
  1396. >”Yes Anon.”
  1397. >You’ll have to work on the robotic responses too, but that can be for another time
  1398. “Water is next to your kennel. Sleep as long as you need. I won’t wake you. Wake me, however, if you need anything.”
  1399. >”I haven’t slept on my own schedule in ages.”
  1400. “I’m being especially lenient right now, but even when you have more chores I’ll still be lenient with you, as long as you get them done.”
  1401. >You hop up in your bed as Star retreats to her kennel
  1402. >She lays so there isn’t much pressure on her hurt leg, and rests her head on the pillow
  1403. >As she shuts her eyes, she wraps her tail around in front of her mouth
  1404. >She grows and shrinks steadily with her heartbeat
  1405. >You’d think she’d be a bit more uncomfortable tonight
  1406. >Perhaps the combination of the progress you made with her, and the fact that she’s flat out exhausted helps though
  1407. “Goodnight Star. Sleep well.”
  1408. >With that you click off the lights and shut your eyes
  1409. >You have never felt so well rested in your life
  1410. >Your realization of your situation makes you ever more comfy
  1411. >You have your cute poner next to you, finally getting some peace, right?
  1412. >It’s not like she could've escaped again
  1413. >She doesn’t have a horn or anything to poof out anymore
  1414. >Besides, you believe you’ve made enough progress and she wouldn’t try to escape until you give her a reason to
  1415. >How long have you been sleeping?
  1416. >You pull your phone over to your face
  1417. >3:23PM
  1418. >Drowsy mental math tells you you’ve been sleeping for roughly ~16 hours
  1419. >No time to lose
  1420. >You click on your lamp and your eyes readjust to the brightness of 1,000 suns
  1421. >To your relief, Star is still there
  1422. >To your disbelief, she’s still sleeping
  1423. >Shit, now she’s squirming around a bit in response to the light
  1424. >You quickly shut the lights back off and place your head back on the pillow
  1425. >I guess you shouldn’t be too surprised she’s still asleep
  1426. >Groggy, half awake brain doesn’t have best judgement
  1427. >Once you’re sure she’s settled back into her sleep, you ever so quietly get out of your bed
  1428. >You just threw your pair of pants from yesterday on the floor, so they’re in easy reach
  1429. >They’re dirty, but it's less risk of waking her by opening a drawer
  1430. >After you put your pants on, you tiptoe to the door
  1431. >You open it slowly, and once outside, you leave it nudged open
  1432. >Typically she’d probably be able to get up on her hinds and open the door
  1433. >But the current state of her leg would make getting up on her hinds a bad idea
  1434. >Ideally she’d be able to push it open with magic
  1435. >In the kitchen, you go through your refrigerator, pushing things aside until you find something that sounds appetizing
  1436. >You really have to go food shopping, you stocked up so much on pony food you forgot to get anything you like
  1437. >It would be quite handy if Star could go food shopping for you, but it’s illegal in your city for ponies to be out without their owner, even with proper tracking and identification
  1438. >She’d be classified as a stray or runner, rounded up, and returned to your doorstep
  1439. >After multiple offences they may just get tired of your shit and she’ll mysteriously disappear
  1440. >After going through the entire fridge twice, you settle on scrambled eggs
  1441. >Combining it with some hot sauce and you got a champion’s breakfast
  1442. >Unfortunately for you, you’re out of orange juice to tie it all together, so you have to settle for water
  1443. >You beat a few eggs, pour some milk in, sprinkle some pepper, and pour it into the skillet
  1444. >The sizzle of the eggs always made you feel comfy
  1445. >Reminds you of going to diners with your parents for breakfast
  1446. >Once done, you slide them on a plate, drizzle some hot sauce on top, and pour some water into a cup
  1447. >With your meal in both hands, you turn around, and too your surprise is your pony, standing at the border of the living room and kitchen, staring at you
  1448. >How long has she been watching you?
  1449. “C’mon in Star, I’ll make you some too.”
  1450. >”Thanks Anonymous.”
  1451. >The leather collar really does wonders for her appearance
  1452. >You cycle back to the refrigerator to grab some more eggs
  1453. “How’s the leg feeling?”
  1454. >”Hurts.”
  1455. “If I have time I’ll pick up some medicine for it later on. If it doesn’t improve by the weekend we’ll probably have to take you over to the vet.”
  1456. >You turn to beat the eggs again
  1457. >5 minutes later, Star’s breakfast is done
  1458. >You dump them into another bowl
  1459. “Let me go get your water bowl for you.”
  1460. >Back in your bedroom, you flick on the lightswitch
  1461. >To your surprise, the bowl is filled to the brim
  1462. >Don’t think the worst brain
  1463. >She was exhausted, probably slept through the entire night
  1464. >And she drank during dinner too
  1465. >You pick it up, not without spilling some
  1466. >The ice cubes melting made it overfilled
  1467. >You bring it back into the kitchen, Star just sitting there next to your chair watching you
  1468. >You decide not to say anything about the water
  1469. >You dump it out and fill it back up with fresh water
  1470. >Bowl in each hand, you bring it over to here
  1471. >”Eat up! The eggs should be good for your coat.”
  1472. >”Thanks Anonymous.”
  1473. >Not very talkative today
  1474. >Probably nothing to worry about, she’s still waking up from oversleeping
  1475. >You hop up on the chair and enjoy your eggs
  1476. >You went a little overboard with the hot sauce, but it’s still good
  1477. >You dislike that Star’s still giving you robotic responses
  1478. >It’s probably hardwired into her brain at this point though, so you can’t be mad at her
  1479. >Hopefully it’ll go away as she learns she’s safe with you
  1480. >Also being called Anonymous is quite jarring
  1481. >Sure, it's your legal name, but you haven’t been called it regularly since you were a child
  1482. >Job interviews too, but those aren’t on a regular basis
  1483. >You look down at Star, her head buried in the bowl, nibbling on the eggs with her little muzzle
  1484. >It’s a pretty cute scene actually
  1485. >You decide to break the silence
  1486. “Anything special you want me to pick up? Any food you like? I’m loaded with greens and oats, but is there anything else you like?”
  1487. >Star stops eating for a moment
  1488. >”No.”
  1489. >She keeps staring at you
  1490. “Are you sure?”
  1491. >Pony looks conflicted
  1492. >”It’s my job to feed you what you want. My master shouldn’t have to go out of his way to cater for me.”
  1493. “It’s my job to feed you and make you happy too. Unless your favorite snack is filet mignon, I’m going to pick it up for you.”
  1494. >”Filet mignon?”
  1495. “It’s a steak. Very expensive. It probably wouldn’t be your favorite food anyway, or in your diet at all.”
  1496. >With no response to that, you go back to eating your eggs
  1497. >You put some more hot sauce on the last half, as none of it sank to the bottom
  1498. >You’re almost done when you hear a voice below you
  1499. >“Are peanut butter crackers expensive?”
  1500. “So all in all it’s not much. All I am really going to ask of you is to keep the house clean and make meals. Maybe the laundry too, but first I would have to make sure with the front desk that you’re allowed to wander down the hall yourself to the washer and dryer.”
  1501. >That’s the truth, but it does go deeper than that
  1502. >Not only do you need permission from administration, but you want to be sure she won’t run off as soon as she has key access
  1503. >You want her to have freedoms, but you need to be sure first
  1504. >The entire grand tour lasted all of 10 minutes, you’re back in the kitchen now
  1505. >You don’t know why, but you expected it to be longer even though you live in a tiny apartment
  1506. “Not too much, is it?”
  1507. >”I don’t know…”
  1508. “For now though, you don’t need to do anything really. Not until your leg heals.”
  1509. >”So I am the useless and unhelpful Star then. Just say it.”
  1510. “It.”
  1511. >You let out a smile
  1512. >Star doesn’t share it with you
  1513. >”Your Star doesn’t appreciate the humor.”
  1514. “C’mon Star, lighten up a bit.”
  1515. >”I feel worthless Anonymous.”
  1516. “You're worth something, I paid a hefty price for you.”
  1517. >Pony is shaking a bit now
  1518. >”I can’t do anything without all 4 legs…”
  1519. “It’s only going to be temporary. Don’t sweat it.”
  1520. >Steam erupts out of her ears
  1521. >”You-EEEEP!”
  1522. >Star quickly gets up on all hooves, hurting her leg in the process and falling to the floor again
  1523. >She gets up a second time
  1524. >”You-You know what ISN’T temporary? MY-MY...”
  1525. >”MY-”
  1526. >Deep inhale and exhale from pony
  1527. “MY-MY HORN! YOU’LL GET SICK OF ME STRUGGLING WITH MY HOOVES. YOU’RE GOING TO END UP USING ME AS A FUCKTOY, SEND ME BACK, OR KILL ME. PROBABLY IN THAT ORDER. YOU JUST DON’T KNOW IT.”
  1528. >You feel backed against the wall here
  1529. >”YOU HAD HIM CUT IT OFF DIDN’T YOU? YOU GOT YOUR MONEY BACK. MONEY IS ALL YOUR KIND CARES ABOUT. YOU DON’T CARE WHAT HAPPENS TO ME. YOU’LL JUST USE IT TO BUY ANOTHER PONY AFTER YOU GET TIRED OF ME.”
  1530. “St-”
  1531. >”I’M PATHETIC AND USELESS. YOU KNOW IT. I LOST THE ONE THING I LOVED AND I'M NEVER GETTING IT BACK.”
  1532. “S-”
  1533. “WHY NOT PERMANENTLY TAKE MY VIRGINITY TOO WHY YOU’RE AT IT-”
  1534. >”I’LL BE YOUR GOOD LITTLE MUDPONY. IT’S WHAT I AM NOW. A MUD-”
  1535. >Star collapses and breaks down into uncontrollable tears
  1536. “Star…”
  1537. >”Don’t say my name.”
  1538. “Why?”
  1539. >You sit down next to the sobbing blue pony
  1540. “St-”
  1541. >You take a moment to recollect yourself and honor the pony’s wishes
  1542. >”You’re being irrational.”
  1543. >Star pounces her elbow onto the flow
  1544. “That’s ok though, we all are when we get upset. And you have every reason in the universe to be.”
  1545. >She won’t look up from her hooves at you, but her ears are raised so hopefully she’s listening
  1546. >”I didn’t ask for what happened to you to happen. I almost got shot by the guy for going berserk at him over it. You were there.”
  1547. >”...sniff…”
  1548. “You made a good salad yesterday with nothing but your mouth and hooves. I was quite impressed. It’s a tough transition period for both of us, but mainly you. You’ll learn though. If it wasn’t doable, earth ponies probably would of died out, right?”
  1549. >”...sniff...sniff...”
  1550. ”And you know what I’m using the money I got back for? The best vet out there. I’m not going out and buying another pony or using it for leisure. If we end up not needing a vet yet, it’s going towards you, one way or another.”
  1551. >”...sniff...sniff...sniff…”
  1552. “I know you hate Tom. I hate him too. I know you hate society, I hate it sometimes too...”
  1553. >”...sniff...sniff...sniff…sniff...”
  1554. “...I know you hate me. I hate myself sometimes too.”
  1555. >”...sniff...sniff...sniff…sniff...sniff…”
  1556. >You really just want to give her a big hug right now
  1557. >Run your fingers thru her mane, something
  1558. >It’ll probably cause more harm than good though
  1559. >You’ve given your spiel, it’s all you got right now without repeating yourself
  1560. >Your pony is just laying on the cold kitchen floor, sobbing her eyes out
  1561. “Go-”
  1562. >”To my room? To my cage? Go fetch my paddle?”
  1563. “Go take a soak in the bathroom. Like you did last night.”
  1564. >One of Star’s ears go down
  1565. >”W-Why are you doing this to me? Why are you giving me nice things? Slaves don’t get this treatment.”
  1566. >Her body is shaking back and forth
  1567. “Because you're my friend.”
  1568. >”I’m not your friend.”
  1569. >Pardon?
  1570. “W-What?”
  1571. >Star quickly gets up on her hooves again
  1572. >“I’M NOT YOUR FRIEND! I’M YOUR SLAVE! DON’T YOU GET IT? YOU PAID MONEY FOR ME. I’M TRYING SOO HARD TO OBEY AND ACT LIKE YOUR FRIEND TO MAKE MASTER HAPPY BUT IT’S TOO MUCH.”
  1573. >That feels like a couple blows to the gut
  1574. “Go...go take your soak. That’s an order.”
  1575. >”The obedient and submissive Star is happy to follow master’s orders.”
  1576. >She’s not even trying to hide her sarcasm
  1577. >With that, she limps off towards the bathroom
  1578. >You’re sitting on the couch now staring at nothing as you hear the bath turn on
  1579. >You really aren’t sure how to feel right now
  1580. >Everything just happened so fast and out of nowhere
  1581. >She was fine eating breakfast
  1582. >Maybe not happy, but it’ll take a while until she’s truly happy again
  1583. >But she just snapped at you out of nowhere
  1584. >Was it something you said?
  1585. >You try to recall the events leading up to the outburst, but it’s such a blur
  1586. >...
  1587. >You remember cracking a joke when she called herself useless
  1588. >But it wasn’t a joke at her expense, it was just meant to lighten the mood a bit
  1589. >”It”
  1590. >”It’s only going to be temporary.
  1591. >“Don’t sweat it.”
  1592. >Does she really believe the things she said, or was it due to high emotions?
  1593. >After being in deep thought for some time, you facepalm
  1594. >You’re retarded
  1595. >A couple things
  1596. >First, she wanted assurance
  1597. >She wanted validation that she wasn’t useless
  1598. >She wanted her ego stroked, or whatever’s left of it
  1599. >She told you to call her useless and unhelpful, but deep down she was begging for you to tell her the opposite
  1600. >She wanted a real confirmation from the heart
  1601. >And you ruined it with your shitty humor
  1602. >You’ve been so caught up in getting her to treat you like a friend, and never stopped to care about how she feels
  1603. >That leads to the second point
  1604. >You just expected her to come right out of the box as your friend
  1605. >You told her you weren’t going to ask much of her right away, but that’s a lie
  1606. >You asked her to be your friend
  1607. >A huge commitment, one she has no interest in
  1608. >She had a point, you paid for her to stay in your home and do what you ask
  1609. >She doesn’t give a shit about you, she just does what you want so she gets food
  1610. >She got sick putting on an oscar-worthy performance and snapped
  1611. >You thought you were treating her great
  1612. >In a way, you were
  1613. >But after all she’s been through, you were selfish enough that your main concern was what you bought her for
  1614. >What you wanted out of her
  1615. >And what you wanted was a friend
  1616. >Friendship is a two way street though
  1617. >You either have to pull yourself up by your bootstraps and work to earn genuine friendship from her, or continue having her fake it just to follow orders
  1618. >You grab your keys off the counter
  1619. >You don’t hear water running in the bathroom anymore
  1620. >You want to go in and check to make sure everything’s alright, but now isn’t the time to risk bothering her
  1621. >You’re heading out to the store to grab some odds and ends
  1622. >You were hoping to bring Star along, get her out to see the world a bit, even if it’s just a grocery store
  1623. >But it may of worked out in the end anyway, it’ll probably have to wait until her leg is better
  1624. >That, or pushing her in the shopping cart like a kid
  1625. >And while she may comply to be on your good side, you’re already sure she’s not the kind of pony to actually enjoy that
  1626. >Plus you’re trying to achieve the opposite of that
  1627. >You want her to genuinely be your friend and do things she actually wants to do
  1628. >Not fake it for her survival
  1629. >You hit yourself again for not realizing this earlier
  1630. >It took an outbreak from Star for your tard brain to realize this
  1631. >You fill her water bowl back up and put it on the back kitchen wall
  1632. >You grab a piece of paper and write a note telling Star where you are going and when you should be back
  1633. >No fluff, just what’s going on
  1634. >You don’t trust yourself to say anything else right now
  1635. >The grocery store isn’t that far from home
  1636. >It’s already getting dark though, and you’ve only been up for a couple hours
  1637. >Damn you shorter winter days
  1638. >Depending on how much you buy, you may need to Taxi or Uber home, even if it’s only a 10 minute walk
  1639. >10 minutes later you arrive
  1640. >The city streetlights made it an easy navigation
  1641. >It’s not exactly a large supermarket, no carts, only baskets
  1642. >It’s pretty busy inside, most work shifts recently ended so many people are grabbing something for dinner
  1643. >You see an elderly lady pushing her pony around in the cart, just like you wanted to do with Star
  1644. >As a matter of fact, it looks like the same pony you saw with the elderly couple last week, rose cutie mark and all
  1645. >She looks just as happy again this week
  1646. >But you can’t help but feel as cozy looking at it this time
  1647. >Is she just looking happy for survival too?
  1648. >She looks genuine
  1649. >But Star looked genuinely happy at times too
  1650. >Down the meat aisle, you grab a few packets of rib-eye steak for yourself
  1651. >Hopefully Star isn’t too disgusted at you for it
  1652. >You waltz over to the snack aisle
  1653. >You grab some lays and old bay chips, as well as a 2 liter of coke
  1654. >As you walk by the frozen food aisle, you grab a tub of ice cream
  1655. >It doesn’t hurt from time to time right?
  1656. >You don’t know what flavor Star likes, or if she can even eat ice cream at all, so you just pick your favorite: chocolate marshmallow
  1657. >Down the pet aisle, you look for pony painkillers
  1658. >There are two different types of pony medication
  1659. >Some are just classic horse medication usually only obtainable to vets and farmers, mass produced and rebranded as pony medication
  1660. >Due to ponies having similar anatomy to the horses you’re familiar with, it gets the job done for the most part
  1661. >It doesn’t taste as good apparently, and ponies can suffer some extra side effects
  1662. >The other kind of pony medication is the cadillac of pony medication
  1663. >It’s made with herbs native to Equestria, grown on location
  1664. >As a result, it’s about 3 times more expensive than their traditional counterpart
  1665. >This medication is generally much more effective than regular horse medicine
  1666. >You suppose it may remind them of home too
  1667. >Now whether that’s a good or bad thing probably varies from pony to pony
  1668. >However, both types are only sold in pill or powder form like normal horse medicine
  1669. >They even sell oral syringes too
  1670. >Giving Star medicine like they give traditional horses medicine probably wouldn’t score you any favors with her
  1671. >You grab a box of the high end Equestrian medicine, in pill form
  1672. >The partial refund is letting you splurge a bit
  1673. >The pill are meant to be crushed and mixed in with food or put into a syringe, but unlike the powder you can still present it to her as normal medicine
  1674. >With that, you’re pretty much set
  1675. >The checkout line is pretty long
  1676. >7 people or so in line with only 1 of the 4 lanes open
  1677. >Again, more of a corner store than a supermarket
  1678. >5 mins of waiting, you see something on display that catches your eye
  1679. >You get out of line over it
  1680. >You head over to the Christmas display
  1681. >There’s an advent calendar set on display
  1682. >Christmas merchandise already?
  1683. >You look down at your watch
  1684. >Oh… It’s November 28th
  1685. >It’s a full set, it includes a small artificial tree with small wooden ornaments to put on each day
  1686. >You put your basket down and pick up the box
  1687. >”MADE IN USA”
  1688. >Works for you
  1689. >You grab 2 chocolate advent calendars on the wall too
  1690. >The ones that you pull open the cardboard each day to reveal a little chocolate
  1691. >Great, the line’s even longer now, and you’re back at the end
  1692. >What feels like hours later, you get out of the store
  1693. >No taxis in sight, so you pull out your phone and call an Uber
  1694. >10 min ETA
  1695. >You could walk home in that time
  1696. >But your hands are quite full
  1697. >6 minutes later, your ride pulls up
  1698. >That’s a 5 star rating already
  1699. >The driver pulls down his window
  1700. >”You Anonymous?”
  1701. “Yeah.”
  1702. >The doors click open
  1703. >You shuffle your way in and shut the door
  1704. >Your driver looks at you from the mirror
  1705. >”Holiday shopping?”
  1706. “Yeah. Few other odds and ends too.”
  1707. >”Let me tell you, this pony craze is really helping our country. We’re getting jobs back by the millions. Not only are people getting jobs in training them, but we’re getting manufacturing jobs back too. My pal finally landed a job on an assembly line making clothing for them. Not like they wear clothes really, but some people love dressing them up, especially the older folk.”
  1708. >Pony
  1709. >SHIT
  1710. “STOP!”
  1711. >You’re already halfway out the parking lot
  1712. >”Woah woah what’s the matter?”
  1713. “I forgot something. Mind if I run in?”
  1714. >”Go ahead, I’m keeping the payclock running though.”
  1715. >It’s a fucking scam that they charge by the time rather than distance
  1716. “Yeah whatever. I’ll be quick.”
  1717. >You shut the door and make a sprint back
  1718. >No basket, you only need 1 item
  1719. >You run back over to the snack aisle
  1720. >Pepperidge farm cookies, cheez-its, pringles….
  1721. >Ah there we go
  1722. >Hmmm… Keebler, Austin, Ritz, store brand….
  1723. >Ritz are the most expensive, so they gotta be the best right?
  1724. >You grab 2 boxes and head to checkout again
  1725. >It’s still crowded, but they opened up a second lane so you’re in and out in 5 minutes
  1726. >The car is parked off to the side of the lot
  1727. >The driver rolls down his window again
  1728. >”You added $4 to your bill. You ready?”
  1729. “Yeah.”
  1730. >In no more than 3 minutes, you’re home
  1731. >Pretty lucky considering it’s right around rush hour
  1732. >You probably paid more for going back into the store
  1733. >”Have a good night dude. You got everything?”
  1734. “Yeah. Drive safely.”
  1735. >He gives a thumbs up as he drives away
  1736. >A few button pushes later and you’re at your door
  1737. >You put one of your bags down and scan the key
  1738. >You open up the door and grab your bags
  1739. >All the way in the back, inside the kitchen, is Star, drinking water out of her bowl as her tail wags back and forth
  1740. >Combine that with the slurping sounds, and it makes a pretty cute scene
  1741. >You step forward
  1742. >Just your luck
  1743. >The floor creaks a bit
  1744. >Star’s ears flick back, her wagging tail clamps down and she lets out a whinny
  1745. >She bucks around to face the door, not without letting out a yipe
  1746. >Had she not yiped in pain, it would've been adorable
  1747. >”Anonymous…?”
  1748. “I’m home.”
  1749. >”N-Need any help?”
  1750. “Yeah, that would be great actually, can you grab this bag?”
  1751. >You place one of the bags down on
  1752. >Star slowly trots over, keeping your eyes on you the entire way
  1753. >She picks it up with her mouth, wags her tail back and forth and gives a little half smile
  1754. “Let’s take it to the kitchen.”
  1755. >It’s odd, she’s almost acting like nothing happened
  1756. >Should you address it, or leave it go?
  1757. >Maybe the bath did her some good
  1758. >...No, you have to address it, she may just be acting again
  1759. >You decide wait a bit though and get settled in
  1760. >“What’s this Anonymous?”
  1761. >Star pulls out one of the chocolate advent calendars with her mouth
  1762. “It’s an advent calendar. We won’t be using them for a couple days. There should be another one in there as well as a bigger box, yes?”
  1763. >”Yeah…”
  1764. “I’ll put them on the counter for now then”
  1765. >You reach down and grab the bag, and after Star finished staring at the one she pulled out you grab that too
  1766. >Little pony gives a look of disappointment
  1767. “I got you something better anyway.”
  1768. >You’ve considered waiting until Christmas to give her the crackers, but they may help smooth over today’s events
  1769. >Besides, no need to have her wait on what she wants
  1770. >She ought to feel comfortable as soon as possible
  1771. “Here.”
  1772. >You place the bag on the ground
  1773. >Star cautiously gives it a few sniffs before looking back up at you
  1774. “Open it up. It’s all yours.”
  1775. >She aims her head at the bag before letting out a deep breath of sorrow
  1776. >Dexterously using her hooves, she pulls the back right side up and sticks her muzzle inside
  1777. >It’s pretty cute
  1778. >Using her mouth, she pulls the contents out
  1779. >”Meat…? T-thanks Anonymous.”
  1780. “Wa-”
  1781. >”Oh... and medicine. A bare necessity. That’s nice I guess, but it’s only so I won’t be useless anymore, right?”
  1782. “T-That’s the wrong bag. Don’t knock the medicine though, it’s good shit.”
  1783. >You pick up the pack of steak and the medicine and put them on the table
  1784. “Sorry Star, wrong bag. I’ll show you the medicine in a bit. Here.”
  1785. >You hand her the other bag
  1786. >She pulls it out of your hand with her mouth
  1787. >She’s surprisingly strong for her size
  1788. >Once again, Star dips her muzzle into the bag
  1789. >It’s even cuter this time knowing for sure what she’s gonna pull out
  1790. >Pony seems puzzled
  1791. “C’mon, pull them out.”
  1792. >Star has a dumbstruck expression on her face now
  1793. >She sticks her muzzle back into the bag, and pulls her gift out with her mouth
  1794. >Star places it on the ground and looks up at you
  1795. >”W-Wh-Who-Who are these for?”
  1796. “Well I’m not a big fan of peanut butter myself.”
  1797. >”F-For your mare…?”
  1798. “For Star.”
  1799. >Star just stares into your eyes
  1800. >”This is a trap, a test, isn’t it?”
  1801. >You frown
  1802. >”Why would my master buy me a treat, especially after I was a bad pony?”
  1803. “Star, I got them for you because I care. I want you to be comfortable. I want you to work with me so your arrangements here are the best they can be.”
  1804. >You manage to get a half smile out of her
  1805. ”I wouldn’t see them as a treat either, you aren’t my pet. I want you to be responsible with them, but I’m not going to hide them or only give you them as a reward.”
  1806. >Her tail starts wagging a bit
  1807. >Good sign
  1808. “As a matter of fact, go crazy with them for now. You still need to gain a lot of weight. Just don’t get yourself sick.”
  1809. >Star has a full smile now, tail wagging and all
  1810. >She looks like an excited puppy
  1811. >But a few moments later, she dims back down
  1812. >”Star didn’t get presents much.”
  1813. “We’re past Tom”
  1814. >”No- It’s not just him. It’s been like that my entire life.”
  1815. “Hm….?”
  1816. >”It-It’s nothing. Why do you do this?”
  1817. “Do what? Treat you with dignity and respect, like a person, how it should be?"
  1818. >”You do it just because you want a friend, don’t you?”
  1819. >You weren’t expecting that question, and it knocked some wind out of you
  1820. >...
  1821. “I wanted you to be my friend.”
  1822. >”I gladly will be then.”
  1823. “No.”
  1824. >Star’s eyes widen
  1825. “It just doesn’t matter then. I got you the crackers because I want you to be happy. I’m not trying to butter you up or bribe you, I just want to see a genuinely happy pony. I don’t want you to pretend to be my friend or pretend to be happy just to please me. I’m not going to punish you if you aren’t happy or don’t want to be my friend. If you aren’t happy, it’s a failure on my part, not yours.”
  1826. >Star is just staring at you again
  1827. >This goes on for several minutes
  1828. >She’s seemingly in deep thought
  1829. >”I don’t think I’m your friend.”
  1830. >That stings, but you have to accept it
  1831. “T-”
  1832. >Star tightens herself up and braces for the worst
  1833. “That’s ok. I’ll have to live with that.”
  1834. >She exhales and straightens herself back up
  1835. >”I-I think I’m happy though. At least happier than I’ve been in months.”
  1836. “Y-You mean it?”
  1837. >Now it’s your turn to stutter and choke up
  1838. >”I’m getting fed. I have comfortable sleeping arrangements. I love the bathes you’re letting me take. I just- I still don’t understand why.”
  1839. “Why what?”
  1840. >”Why my well being matters so much to you. Why not just have me do chores and not be bothered with the rest? I’m your slave, I don’t deserve any of this.”
  1841. >You suppose she is your slave
  1842. >You aren’t friends
  1843. “I- I don’t know.”
  1844. >Star tilts her head
  1845. “But I’m not going to stop. I want you to be happy again, I want you to be you again.”
  1846. >Star looks down
  1847. >”I’m not even sure I knew who I was…”
  1848. “I’m sure she’s still in there somewhere. You knew peanut butter crackers were your favorite food.”
  1849. >She looks back at them
  1850. “Speaking of which, why don’t you dig in?”
  1851. >She smiles and turns around to start working on the packaging with her teeth
  1852. >You could help her, but it’s probably important for her to do it herself
  1853. >Letting her do things on her own is probably good for her
  1854. >Plus she is going to need to learn how to do things the new way
  1855. >Without magic
  1856. >”Do you want some?”
  1857. “Nope, all yours. I want to do a few things in my room anyway. Meet me in there when you’re done, we’ll give you your first dose.”
  1858. >You pick up the paper bag off the floor, which still has the tub of ice cream in it
  1859. >You place both the ice cream and the steak into the freezer
  1860. >Star is working her way through the plastic
  1861. >She almost looks like a normal horse standing there, wagging her tail back and forth, head in the ground as if she’s eating grass or hay
  1862. >You grab the medicine box off of the counter and head to your room
  1863. >You’re just lying there in bed, staring at the ceiling
  1864. >You look over at your phone
  1865. >Has it really only been a day?
  1866. >It feels like it’s been a month
  1867. >Star is going back and forth
  1868. >She’s depressed one minute, happy the next, and angry following that
  1869. >You can’t predict how she’ll be next
  1870. >You said you want her to be a happy pony, but can you really achieve that?
  1871. >She looks happy, but that can change in a moment if you say something she doesn’t like
  1872. >You want her to be herself, you want her to be happy all the time
  1873. >You want to crack jokes with her
  1874. >You want to be able to speak your mind with her
  1875. >...
  1876. >What did you expect? Again, it’s only been a day
  1877. >She is malnourished, mentally beaten, and physically beaten
  1878. >She just had a week no living creature should experience
  1879. >Not to mention she essentially has to relearn everything
  1880. >It’s been little over 24 hours and your hair is already grayer
  1881. >You can’t give up dummy
  1882. >You should've known the first weeks were going to be the hardest
  1883. >Instead, you sped right in, expecting a pony that just lost her horn to be a happy, cute, and mentally stable friend
  1884. >You can’t blame her for not trusting you either, you’re probably the only smidgen of kindness she’s seen in humanity
  1885. >Why should she believe you are any different than the other people she’s met?
  1886. >She isn’t your friend
  1887. >She is your slave
  1888. >But you will sure as hell be the nicest, open, and kindest master a pony could ask for
  1889. >Maybe someday, things will change
  1890. >”...An....”
  1891. >”....Anon….”
  1892. >”...Anonymous….”
  1893. >”...Anonymous…?”
  1894. >You stretch your arms out
  1895. >You must of dozed off
  1896. >You turn over to check the time on your phone when you see a blue blur sitting on the floor
  1897. >”Anonymous…?”
  1898. >You rub your eyes
  1899. “How long has it been?”
  1900. >”20 minutes”
  1901. >Oh
  1902. >Not bad, it felt like you’ve been out for hours
  1903. >You spring up and sit on your bed
  1904. >The blue blur in front of you forms into the shape of a pony
  1905. “How were the crackers?”
  1906. >Her ears raise
  1907. >”G-Great!”
  1908. “Suitable for a great pony like you?”
  1909. >One of her ears go back
  1910. >”What do you mean?”
  1911. “Well your adoption paperwork said you are full of yourself, often on a high horse.”
  1912. >...
  1913. >You want to be careful with your words
  1914. >You’re treading thin ice right now
  1915. >You could easily set her off again
  1916. >But at the same time, if you’re careful enough you may be able to get something out of her
  1917. >Her ears go back
  1918. >Shit
  1919. >”W-What do you mean? They were great! I’m pleased with whatever I can get!”
  1920. >One step forwards, two steps back
  1921. “But that’s… that’s not who you were, who you are. I want you to be yourself.”
  1922. >Pony is sweating now
  1923. >”I don’t… understand…”
  1924. ”I want you to forget just about everything he told you. Every belittling thing he said to you. Every automated response he told you to say… I won’t sugar coat it, I’ll be perfectly clear. You are my property, you are my slave, but that doesn’t mean I want you to submit to everything I say. I want you to be you, how you were back at home, within limits of course…. But I won’t punish you if you break those limits… push them a bit, and I’ll tell you, nicely, if you go too far. But the limits are much further than you think, and probably further than anyone else would give their slave.”
  1925. >Her ears turn back a bit and relax
  1926. >...
  1927. >A minute or so has passed, and Star still seems to be in confusion
  1928. >You’ve said all you could
  1929. >You feel as if you’ve repeated yourself a hundred times
  1930. >You’ve plead your case
  1931. >Time to change the subject
  1932. >Maybe things will come naturally
  1933. >It’s been a day, after all
  1934. >You seem to keep forgetting that
  1935. “Here… we ought to get you on your first dose.”
  1936. >You pick up the medicine box off the floor
  1937. “As I was saying earlier, don’t knock the medicine, it’s good stuff. It’s made with native plants, grown in Equestria.”
  1938. >Star just looks at you
  1939. >”They’re from Equestria?”
  1940. “Yup. Grown and produced on site.”
  1941. >”Star’s only ever been given human medication with Tom, it made her sick! And I only got it if I was a good pony for the day, but only sometimes.”
  1942. >You flip the box over
  1943. “Looking here you should start by take it twice a day. If it gets better we’ll just use it as needed, sound good?”
  1944. >Star nods
  1945. >You read from the back off the box
  1946. “Everfree ring a bell?”
  1947. >”The medicine is from Everfree Forest? I didn’t know they even made that stuff, It must've cost you a fortune.”
  1948. “Despite what you’ve seen, there are people out there who care. Let’s not talk about the cost anymore either, just know it was well worth it.”
  1949. >Star isn’t smiling, but she isn’t frowning either
  1950. >You can feel something softly emitting from here though
  1951. “I got you the pill kind. I guess you can either swallow it, or I can mash it up in some applesauce or something.”
  1952. >Fear strikes the pony’s eyes
  1953. >”N-No pills! Tr-Star never liked pills.”
  1954. >Her child-like fear of pills is cute
  1955. >You gloss over the back of the box again
  1956. “Wait, I spoke too soon. They’re chewable. They probably taste pretty good too.”
  1957. >You open up the box
  1958. >Not only did these cost much more, but they include less medicine than the standard horse pills
  1959. >You peel one out of the plastic and hold it in front of her
  1960. “Edible. Nothing to be afraid of.”
  1961. >Star gives it a few sniffs before looking at you for confirmation
  1962. >You push it forward a little in response
  1963. >She opens her little muzzle and grabs it out of your hand with her mouth
  1964. >She slowly moves her jaw up and down to bite into it
  1965. “How is it?”
  1966. >She chews faster and gives out a hum of approval, and then swallows it
  1967. “How’d it taste?”
  1968. >She moves her tongue around a bit and opens and closes her mouth a few times
  1969. >”It tastes just like the medicine I used to have.”
  1970. “And what would that be?”
  1971. >”Apples. This medicine specifically almost reminds me of something from Sweet Apple Acres, but I don’t think they ever used their apples for medicine.”
  1972. >You grab the box off your bed
  1973. “It doesn’t say anything about an Apple Acre, just Everfree Forest.”
  1974. >”I don’t recall apples ever coming from Everfree though.”
  1975. >You shrug
  1976. “That’s just what the box says.”
  1977. >That gives you an idea
  1978. “There’s something else I wanted to give you. As a matter of fact, I think it's under the bed, mind pulling it out?”
  1979. >The mare gives a puzzled look
  1980. “You can fit under there, right? I think it’s the only thing under there, it shouldn’t be too deep.”
  1981. >Star gets too it, and crawls on all fours to reach under your bed
  1982. >A few moments later, she reappears with your old laptop in her mouth
  1983. >You weren’t planning on her having to move the thing around by mouth, but a little bit of saliva shouldn’t hurt the thing
  1984. >”Wath thith?”
  1985. >You laugh
  1986. “Come again?”
  1987. >Star drops it out of her mouth and repeats
  1988. >”What’s this, Anonymous?”
  1989. “Computer. More specifically a laptop. We’ll take it to the kitchen, unless you wanna come up here. ”
  1990. >You pat your mattress
  1991. >Her ears point forward and she starts to shake violently
  1992. “We’ll take it to the kitchen.”
  1993. >Star follows you back into the kitchen
  1994. >You had her bring the laptop in herself
  1995. >She’ll have to get used to lugging it around if she’s gonna use it
  1996. >She doesn’t seem to mind though, and she carries it around with ease
  1997. >A lot of strength packed into that small package
  1998. >She is a horse you suppose
  1999. “Lemme me put it on the table.”
  2000. >She presents it to you, with a smile of the sorts
  2001. >Well, at least as much as she can smile with a laptop in her mouth
  2002. >You place it up on the table
  2003. “You mind if I pick you up?”
  2004. >You can practically see the gears turning in her little poner noggin’
  2005. >”N-No...”
  2006. >You reach your hands out and wrap them around her body
  2007. >She’s dead still, not daring to breathe
  2008. >But you’re proud of her, she’s a brave one
  2009. >You lift her up into the air, careful not to hurt her leg
  2010. >Unfortunately, your dedication to avoid her leg leads to another problem
  2011. >You subconsciously held her from the belly with one arm
  2012. >And her behind with the other
  2013. >Specifically, her vulva
  2014. >”EEEEEEP!”
  2015. >You quickly turn around to put her on the table
  2016. “Sorry.”
  2017. >Star sniffs
  2018. >”I-I won’t decline if you want it…”
  2019. >Star bows her head down and starts to tear up
  2020. >Good job retard
  2021. >She’s shaking again too
  2022. >You panic on the inside
  2023. >You look around
  2024. >On the ground is a mess of peanut butter cracker wrappers
  2025. >But there are still 4 packs or so left
  2026. >You grab one and quickly unwrap it
  2027. “H-Here.”
  2028. >You hold out the cracker in your hand
  2029. >She shakily raises her head and gives it a quick sniff before taking a bite of it out of your hand
  2030. >She shivers as she chews and swallows it
  2031. >She grabs another piece from your hand with her mouth
  2032. “Star… I was trying to avoid hurting your leg. I didn’t mean anything by it, I promise.”
  2033. >With how shaky her head is, you aren’t sure if she’s nodding or not
  2034. >She does however, take the last piece of the cracker from your hand and begins to munch on it
  2035. >The crackers seem to do the trick, and she beginnings to recollect herself
  2036. >It really must be her comfort food
  2037. >”I don't mind. It’s better than anything more.”
  2038. >It’ll take time until she respects herself again
  2039. >Apparently, Star saw the dilemma on your face and chimes in panic
  2040. >”B-But I won’t protest if you want anything more! I’ll be happy!”
  2041. “No Star, that’s not the problem. I need to be more cautious. I wasn’t thinking. I didn’t mean to do that.”
  2042. >Her ears turn back
  2043. “I need to be more cautious with what I say and do.”
  2044. >”I-”
  2045. “You can’t help it. After all that’s happened to you. I’m trying to though.”
  2046. >This is one of those moments where you wish you could pet her mane
  2047. >She wipes away the last tears with her hoof
  2048. >She’s still shaking though, and her tail is clamped tight around her privates
  2049. “Lemme show you the laptop…”
  2050. >You pat the laptop
  2051. “I guess you could say it opens up like a book, but sideways. Give it a shot.”
  2052. >Star crawls over, still clenched tight, and uses her mouth to pull the system open
  2053. >”Like this?”
  2054. “Yup! Now you see that big round button over there? Hold it down for a few seconds.”
  2055. >She follows your instructions and uses her nose to push the power button down
  2056. “You can probably use a hoof for that, it’s-”
  2057. >”EEEEEP!”
  2058. >Star crumbles over into a sobbing mess thanks to the horror of the bright screen and the Windows boot sound
  2059. >She’s an emotional mess right now
  2060. >You look at the bottom of the computer screen
  2061. >8:03 PM
  2062. >You have to show her this stuff tonight, because she’ll be home alone tomorrow
  2063. >You have some time though
  2064. “Wanna go take a bath? 40 minutes or so?”
  2065. >She nods with her head is buried in her hooves
  2066. >You move the chair out of the way and go up to her side
  2067. “I’ll be more careful this time.”
  2068. >Your words probably ring hollow, but you’ll have to speak with action
  2069. >You scoop your arms under her belly, right below her front hooves and wrap them around
  2070. >You try to be careful because there isn’t much flesh there, just rib
  2071. >You lift her up and place her on the ground in one fluid motion
  2072. >Without saying anything, she starts her way to the bathroom for the second time today, tail between legs
  2073. >You wipe some sweat off your forehead
  2074. >This loop isn’t ever going to end, and it’s not her fault
  2075. >It’s yours
  2076. >Not only did you say something that set her off today, you did something too
  2077. >The two times you set her off today resulted in completely different responses too
  2078. >You draw a line graph in your mind of her mood and feelings today
  2079. >Both extremes have been shown
  2080. >You hear the water running in the bathroom now
  2081. >You start to prepare some meals for Star tomorrow
  2082. >Some big bowls of salad for the 3 big meals
  2083. >She still has some crackers left as a snack, but you figure she could use some more for the time being
  2084. >You grab some carrots from the refrigerator
  2085. >Your mind is occupied thinking of your fuck up, and you cut yourself while chopping the carrots
  2086. >You rush over to the sink and run water over your cut
  2087. >A few moments later you shut the water off and make your way to the bathroom for a bandage
  2088. >You’re a foot out the kitchen when you remember the bathroom is occupied by a broken blue pony
  2089. >You curse yourself and turn back over to the counter
  2090. >Minutes later, you have a makeshift bandage on your finger
  2091. >Paper towel and scotch tape
  2092. >Frugal, but it’ll stop the bleeding
  2093. >You finish cutting the carrot all the way down to a stub
  2094. >You plop the stub with the root into the trash
  2095. >Now you have tons of salad, crackers, and carrots for Star tomorrow
  2096. >Once you show her the laptop, she should be set for tomorrow
  2097. >You might as well show her the TV too, but operating the remote may be a difficult task for her
  2098. >You spend the next 20 minutes on said TV
  2099. >The credits roll for a cartoon you’ve barely been paying attention to
  2100. >It’s been roughly 40 minutes, give or take
  2101. >You force yourself up off the couch and to the bathroom door
  2102. >You knock on the door
  2103. “Star? You awake?”
  2104. >You hear a faint hum
  2105. “I wanna show you the rest of the laptop and a few other things. Take your time, I’ll be on the couch.”
  2106. >You continue to be a couch potato for the next 10 minutes
  2107. >Star slowly approaches you from the side of the couch
  2108. >”I’m done, master.”
  2109. “Anonymous, remember?”
  2110. >You smile in an attempt to comfort her
  2111. >She stays silent
  2112. “Did you use the hair dryer again?”
  2113. >”It upset you last time.”
  2114. “Didn’t upset me, I was just surprised you knew how to use it. Feel free.”
  2115. >”What are you watching?”
  2116. >The question caught you by surprise
  2117. “You know about television?”
  2118. >Star looks down
  2119. >”It’s all he would do whenever he wasn’t… conditioning me….”
  2120. “Do you, uh, know how to use it?”
  2121. >”You push the buttons to put in codes and shows beam into that little box.”
  2122. >She acts out the whole thing with her hooves
  2123. >You giggle and look forward at the TV
  2124. “That’s the idea of it. You can play around with it whenever, I’m sure you’ll find something you like.”
  2125. >Star nods her head in approval
  2126. “I wanna finish showing you the laptop. It’s a lot cooler than the TV.”
  2127. >You get up off the couch and head to the kitchen, Star trotting behind you
  2128. >The sound of her hooves on the hardfloor of the kitchen warms your heart
  2129. >You aren’t quite sure why
  2130. “Alright… let’s try this again.”
  2131. >You take a deep breath
  2132. >Star tightens her tail in between her legs
  2133. >You scoop both arms under around her belly
  2134. >Your left arm wraps around behind her front legs
  2135. >Your right arm wraps around lower down
  2136. >But not too low
  2137. >You make sure not to go anyway near her teats
  2138. >She lets out a squeak as you lift her into the air, and back onto the table
  2139. >Mission complete, boss
  2140. >You hold down the power button and shut the lid
  2141. “Let’s… start from the top. Open it up.”
  2142. >Star’s ears pin and she looks at you
  2143. >”You don’t have to baby Star.”
  2144. “I just-”
  2145. >She swishes her tail and uses her mouth to open it up and pushes the power button with her nose
  2146. >The laptop boots up to the desktop
  2147. >She looks at you with a sense of pride and accomplishment
  2148. >You’re really excited to show this to her
  2149. “Right, so those keys down there are too closely spaced for hooves. Sure, you could use your muzzle, but that’s tetious. What if I told you you can use your voice?!”
  2150. >Star stares at you blankly
  2151. “Right, you have no idea what I mean.”
  2152. >You pull a stool over
  2153. “See, so…”
  2154. >You really aren’t sure how to explain a computer or the internet to somebody
  2155. “Like… any book, any information you want to read is readily available on here.”
  2156. >She looks down at the keyboard
  2157. “Typically you’d use that to write and navigate the system, but like I said that’s probably a difficult task for an equine, so I got this super fancy program on it. Programs add features to it.”
  2158. >The text to speech program isn’t the only thing you put on in preparation of your pony
  2159. >You also have a tight antivirus program on it, so the naive mare doesn’t fuck it up beyond repair
  2160. “So rather than use the keys or the trackpad here…”
  2161. >You move the mouse around to show her the mouse, which she follows closely with her eyes with
  2162. >Top cute
  2163. >You may need to get a laser pointer once she’s finally playful
  2164. “The screen works the same way the TV does, little people aren’t trapped in here or anything.”
  2165. “Ask it to open Chrome, it’s how you access all the information on here.”
  2166. >You blacklisted your voice in the settings so it doesn’t set off whenever you have to explain something to her
  2167. >You haven’t tried much else with it though, and you’re quite excited to see it in action
  2168. >A few moments pass and she doesn’t comply
  2169. >She looks nervous and/or embarrassed by her body language
  2170. >”O-Open Chrome…?”
  2171. >Bam, Chrome opens up
  2172. “Just like that. Ask it for something. Information, books, addresses, the possibilities are endless!”
  2173. >You’re more excited than her to see this thing
  2174. >She just looks at the computer screen
  2175. “Well, my idea was to ask it about where that medicine came from, see what’s up with that.”
  2176. >She still looks uncertain
  2177. “Ask it for a map or something. Just talk to it like it’s a person, it’ll pick up.”
  2178. >”Can I s-see a map of the Everfree Forest?”
  2179. >Less than a second later, the computer pulls up an image from google
  2180. “Pretty cool huh?”
  2181. >Star seems to ignore you though, giving her full focus to the screen
  2182. >”It’s… expanded.”
  2183. >You raise an eyebrow
  2184. >”See over there? That’s where Ponyville is.”
  2185. >She points at the top of the map
  2186. >”... Or was…. The entire place is overrun by the forest.”
  2187. “I’m- I’m sorry.”
  2188. >You don’t really know how to sound more genuine
  2189. >You are, but you aren’t sure how to show it, especially without touching her
  2190. >”It’s- it’s fine. I didn’t really live there anyway. Besides, I’m never going back so why’s it matter?”
  2191. >That hurts a little
  2192. “Well I’m going to make myself some dinner, you still hungry?”
  2193. >Star shakes her little head no
  2194. “Alright.”
  2195. >You want her to fatten up a bit because she’s still bone thin, but you don’t want to force her to eat either
  2196. >She’s proven she’s willing to eat and won’t starve herself, so it’s a no worry
  2197. >You’re making yourself a steak over the stove
  2198. >Behind you, Star is gaining confidence with the computer
  2199. >She’s searched for things from random pictures, to peanut butter cracker recipes, to Equestrian children’s books
  2200. >Or foal’s books, rather
  2201. >Some Equestrian literature has been salvaged
  2202. >Luckily they read in English, but it’s called Equestrian instead
  2203. >As your steak is finishing up, you go over to the back wall and grab Star’s water bowl
  2204. >Not quite empty, but pretty low
  2205. >Full of blue hairs too
  2206. >You bring it over to the sink, which catches Star’s attention
  2207. >You rinse the bowl out over the sink and fill it back up with cold water
  2208. >Afterwards, you put it up on the kitchen table next to Star
  2209. >You get raised ears and a wagging tail in return
  2210. >You finish up sizzling your steak and grab a soda from the fridge
  2211. >You bring it all over and sit across Star
  2212. >Your entertainment during your meal is your pony, slowly getting the hang of the laptop
  2213. >That voice control system is really cool
  2214. >Sure, phones have assistants and such, but she can control everything on the computer with just her voice with no problems
  2215. >As you’re finishing up your meal, you hear a voice across the table
  2216. >”Can I try a piece?”
  2217. >You look up across the source of the voice, sitting cutely on her haunches on the other side of the table
  2218. >You’re surprised and bewildered by the question
  2219. >Evidently, Star sees that on your face and cowers
  2220. >”I-I’m sorry Mas-Anonymous I didn’t-”
  2221. “Aren’t you an equine?”
  2222. >Star blushes at the question
  2223. >”Y-yes but I’m curious.”
  2224. >You look down at your plate
  2225. “Are you sure your little pony gut can handle it?”
  2226. >Star’s demeanor completely shifts
  2227. >Her posture is the best you’ve ever seen it
  2228. >Front legs straight, muzzle up, back straight
  2229. >She smirks
  2230. >There’s a fire in her eyes
  2231. “The great and powerful Star can handle any piece of food.”
  2232. >You laugh
  2233. “If you say so.”
  2234. >You cut a small chunk of steak off your plate and hold it out in front of her
  2235. >The pony gives it a sniff before gagging
  2236. “You sure…?”
  2237. >She gives you a loud, fierce nod and opens her muzzle and pulls forward
  2238. >She pulls it out of your hand and closes her mouth
  2239. >She chews down on it
  2240. >Her look goes from smug to pure panic and disgust in a matter of seconds
  2241. >She tries to swallow it, but ends up leaning over the table spitting it out
  2242. >You laugh
  2243. “You got guts.”
  2244. >Star’s ears pin back as she slurps water out of her bowl at an extremely fast pace
  2245. >You and Star cleanup the mess she left on the kitchen floor
  2246. >You grabbed the towels off the counter and threw them away, but you had her do the actual cleaning work on the floor
  2247. >Afterwards, you give Star a list of expectations for tomorrow while you’re gone
  2248. >These expectations include and are limited to keeping the apartment relatively clean
  2249. >That’s all, for now
  2250. >She’s living the good life
  2251. >She knows from training how to operate lights and other switches
  2252. >The laptop and TV are readily available too for entertainment
  2253. >If she had magic, you’d of showed her what videogames are
  2254. >You leave a mental note to put her food out and fill her water bowl up again before you leave
  2255. >With that, the two of you head to bed
  2256. >It’s kinda early, but the last 24 hours have left you exhausted
  2257. >You switch off the light, pleased with how today ended versus yesterday
  2258. >You’re under the blankets and your eyes are shut, but the bedroom feels warmer and brighter than it was before
  2259. >Your peaceful sleeps ends with the sound of your alarm
  2260. >You spring out of bed to shut it off before it wakes Star
  2261. >You switch the alarm off on your phone, then you shine the screen over towards the kennel
  2262. >Inside is Star, curled up in a ball on top of her blanket, steadily breathing in and out
  2263. >Every few moments her ears twitch
  2264. >It’s a great sight to wake up to
  2265. >You slide yourself out of bed and tiptoe over to your dresser
  2266. >You pull out your work clothes, which consist of tan dress pants and a grey polo bearing the company’s name
  2267. >With your clothes in hand, you sneak out of the dark room and into the bathroom
  2268. >This has been your usual routine for the last so many years, showering in the morning
  2269. >But that may have to change so you don’t disturb your pony’s sleep
  2270. >As you step into the shower, you notice blue clumps of fur in the tub, along with some loose strands
  2271. >You’re annoyed, but not angry
  2272. >She can’t really help it
  2273. >With no other option, you scoop the hairs up and dump them into the trash
  2274. >You run the water down the tub to drain any loose strands remaining
  2275. >Hopefully it’ll happen less as her coat and general health improves
  2276. >Eventually, she’ll be able to clean the entire bathroom herself for you
  2277. >With the tub now free of pony, you take your shower
  2278. >You finish up your shower freezing
  2279. >You couldn’t seem to get any warm water at all
  2280. >After drying yourself off, you waddle over to the toilet
  2281. >You lift the lid, and to your surprise and disgust are drips of mare urine on the seat
  2282. >You let out a mixture of disapproving noises
  2283. >You’re unsure if Equestria had toilets
  2284. >But you are sure that Star would of been trained to use it either way, which makes it unacceptable
  2285. >She’s either going to have to be more careful, or clean up after herself
  2286. >Which doesn’t sound pleasant considering she’d probably have to hold the towel with her mouth
  2287. >You leave a mental note to remind her later
  2288. >Hopefully it doesn’t set her off
  2289. >Even if it does, it’s something she needs to know
  2290. >And she’ll eventually settle back down, right?
  2291. >This time though, you’ll wipe it off
  2292. >It’s not the first time you’ve had to do this…
  2293. >After you finish your business, you dry yourself off one more time and put on your work uniform
  2294. >You don’t have the greatest job in the world
  2295. >It pays the bills though, and not having a wife or kids gives you a good bit of leisure money
  2296. >You’ll have less now though with another mouth to feed
  2297. >It’s worth it though, to have your very own pony
  2298. >To see her grow happy and healthy in your care
  2299. >....Aaaand it saves you from doing mundane chores
  2300. >It’s an investment alright
  2301. >Hopefully one that will eventually pay off in the form of a friend…
  2302. >Dressed, you head to the kitchen
  2303. >Rather than brew your own coffee or make your own breakfast, you decide you’ll stop at a coffee shop
  2304. >You got a head start this morning, so you have time
  2305. >You still feel pretty full from the steak too, so a coffee and a muffin should be enough to keep you going until lunch
  2306. >Maybe once Star heals and settles in she can serve you breakfast in bed on the weekends
  2307. >While you’re in here in the kitchen, you get everything set up for Star
  2308. >Her water bowl is still on the table, for which you curse yourself for not bringing it into your room last night
  2309. >You ought to get another
  2310. >One for the kitchen, and one to put outside her kennel
  2311. >You wash out and fill her bowl, which had some pieces of steak floating in it
  2312. >You chuckle recalling her determination to eat a piece of meat last night
  2313. >Her wonderful posture, the fire in her eyes, it warms your heart
  2314. >It almost sounds like the pony that was advertised
  2315. >You put some ice cubes into the bowl, to prolong its temperature a bit
  2316. >You place the bowl along the wall and head over to the refrigerator
  2317. >You take out the salad you made for Star and place it next to her water bowl
  2318. >Hopefully it stays fresh enough unrefrigerated
  2319. >She could easily reach the door handle if she stood on her hinds, but you don’t want any hurt put on her left leg
  2320. >Eventually, she’ll be able to reach in to make her own food, but now is not the time
  2321. >You reach into the cabinet and grab a dose of her medicine
  2322. >You put it on the other side of her water bowl
  2323. >You top off her meal with a packet of peanut butter crackers
  2324. >Last but not least, you place the laptop next to it all incase she wants to use it
  2325. >Finished with her preparations, you check your phone
  2326. >You have a message from your apartment
  2327. >”6:10 AM: ATTENTION ALL RESIDENTS ON THE THIRD FLOOR, THE WATER HEATER IS UNDER MAINTENANCE FOR APPROXIMATELY THE NEXT 2 HOURS. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE.”
  2328. >That would of been nice to have known ahead of time
  2329. >It’s 6:20 now
  2330. >Your shift begins at 7:30
  2331. ]>Before you leave for the day, you grab a sticky note and write a note to Star stressing to take her medicine as soon as she wakes up
  2332. >You sneak your way back into your bedroom and manage to stick it on the inside wall without disrupting the pony’s slumber
  2333. >You run your fingers through her mane
  2334. >In response you get a faint hum
  2335. >You stand back up and exit the room, being sure to leave the door open
  2336. >She could definitely open it if you forgot, but again, you want to avoid her standing on her hinds
  2337. >Before heading out, you do a double check around the apartment to make sure everything’s set for Star
  2338. >Once you confirm that it is, you grab your keyring off the wall, make sure your phone is in your pocket, and head out for the day
  2339. >It was a really long day
  2340. >Nothing particularly bad happened
  2341. >You had a few unpleasant customers, but it’s nothing out of the ordinary
  2342. >You’ve been thinking of your pony all day
  2343. >You’re worried she isn’t OK
  2344. >You have no real basis on this
  2345. >It’s just nerves of leaving her alone for the first time
  2346. >After finishing a few documents, you clock out and leave
  2347. >The bus was late, again
  2348. >You’ve come to accept that
  2349. >Whatever time is posted, add 7 minutes and you have the real time
  2350. >They’re consistent with it, so you give them that
  2351. >American public transportation is great
  2352. >As the city goes by through the window, you remain deep in thought about Star
  2353. >She seems happy enough, especially when left alone
  2354. >She’s frazzled and delicate, but that’s only due to some of your actions
  2355. >If left alone, she shouldn’t have any reason to freak out, right?
  2356. >Ironically enough, it should be even better for her once you assign chores
  2357. >It’ll keep her physically and mentally busy
  2358. >Your stomach is growling as you walk down the hall to your door
  2359. >You ended up passing on lunch today
  2360. >Unfortunately, you’re going to have to make your own dinner again
  2361. >You keep those thoughts to yourself
  2362. >You don’t want Star to feel like shit again
  2363. >Are you upset? Sure
  2364. >You paid for a pony to do chores for you, and she’s unable to do them
  2365. >Your anger isn’t at Star though
  2366. >Still, if she knew your frustration she’d probably take the blame on herself
  2367. >You shuffle your cardkey out of your pocket and head in for the day
  2368. >You fully expected to be greeted by Star at the door, but that seems it isn’t so
  2369. >You don’t know, maybe they’re like dogs and can sense you a mile away
  2370. >Maybe not
  2371. >Regardless, it’s quiet in the house
  2372. “Star?”
  2373. >No response
  2374. >This concerns you
  2375. >You go to your bedroom
  2376. >The kennel is empty
  2377. >You’re on the verge of panicking
  2378. >You make haste to the kitchen
  2379. >To some relief, much of her salad is gone and the medicine missing
  2380. >And the cracker packet was chewed open and empty
  2381. >You hear a door open down the bedroom hallway
  2382. >Around the corner is a wet, yawning pony
  2383. >When she sees your presence she lets out a loud whinny and falls over
  2384. >You try your best to hide your amusement out of fear of angering her
  2385. >You decide to just pretend it didn’t happen
  2386. “How’s it going?”
  2387. >Star lets out a few deep breaths before recollecting herself
  2388. >”Fine.”
  2389. “You really enjoy those baths, huh?”
  2390. >You make your way into the living room and sit on the couch
  2391. >”Yeah, they uh… are nice.”
  2392. >She’s still a little dazed
  2393. “You do anything else today?”
  2394. >”Ate my food out of a dogbowl like the pet I am.”
  2395. >That pierces you right in the heart
  2396. >You notice the laptop on the coffee table
  2397. “You use the computer too?”
  2398. >She rolls her eyes
  2399. >”Yeah. That too.”
  2400. “Anything interesting?”
  2401. >”Y-N-No…”
  2402. “What did you see?”
  2403. >You worry you spoke in too much of a condescending tone there
  2404. >”M-Magic. It, it exists here?”
  2405. “Well…”
  2406. >”I saw ads for magic shows on the computer. Are they around here?”
  2407. “I’m sure there are some nearby...”
  2408. >You’re filled with joy to see her lit up, animated, and excited. You really are
  2409. >But this is a minefield, with what happened to her
  2410. “Yeah… there probably are some. May not be what you’re thinking though. It’s stuff like pulling a rabbit out of a hat, card tricks, sawing a woman in half, escape tri-”
  2411. “YES! THAT!”
  2412. >You feel like the force of her excitement was going to blow you against the wall
  2413. “You like that stuff?”
  2414. >It said nothing about that on her paperwork
  2415. >”It…It...”
  2416. >She breaths in through her nose
  2417. >You pull yourself forward on the couch
  2418. >You can see her excitement being drained
  2419. “Star…?
  2420. >You can tell it’s imminent
  2421. >Your prediction comes true, and a few moments later she’s lightly sobbing
  2422. >”N-nothing. Can I be excused to my bed, master?”
  2423. >You just nod
  2424. >Once Star hobbles out of the room you cover your face with your hands
  2425. >This is what you worried would happen
  2426. >You don’t want to deny her what she loves
  2427. >Like, these are the things you wanted to do with your pony
  2428. >But now what she loves may do more harm than good
  2429. >Until she gets over her loss
  2430. >That’s easier said than done
  2431. >You can say that again
  2432. >She isn’t just going to get over it easily
  2433. >It’s more involved than simply losing a limb
  2434. >Like, if you lost your arm, it would suck, but life would go on relatively normally
  2435. >It’s more akin to someone with a diehard passion for sports loosing their legs
  2436. >Can someone really ever get over that permanent loss that and enjoy their passions again?
  2437. >You decide to just order in tonight
  2438. >You’re physically and emotionally drained
  2439. >It was your first day back to work in over a week
  2440. >If that wasn’t enough, your heart is aching for your pony
  2441. >You wonder if you should bother Star by asking if she wants anything
  2442. >You peak down the hallway, but the darkness shows only her general outline, curled up in ball shape inside
  2443. >You decide to just let her be and order a couple slices of pizza
  2444. >You’ll leave her something out too incase she comes in
  2445. >After ordering your food, you do just that
  2446. >You clean out the little bit of salad left in her bowl
  2447. >You decide to mix things up a bit
  2448. >After all, you don’t what her to get sick of salad
  2449. >You put together an oat and carrot medley for her this time
  2450. >After that, you refill her water bowl
  2451. >That brings something else to your attention
  2452. >Her medicine
  2453. >She needs her second dose
  2454. >You just leave it by her food bowl
  2455. >She’ll come in eventually for a snack, right?
  2456. >In the case she doesn’t, you set a reminder on your phone to feed it to her before you go to sleep
  2457. >A few minutes later, you hear a knock on your door
  2458. >You look out the peephole, and to your bewilderment you don’t see anyone
  2459. >You turn around to head back into the kitchen, thinking you’re going crazy, when you hear it again
  2460. >You turn back and open the door quickly so the knocking doesn’t disturb Star
  2461. >Standing in front of you is an pegasus pony with a pizza box in her mouth
  2462. >She has a red polo of the sorts on, along with a matching red baseball cap
  2463. >The hat matches her red mane, but the shirt clashes heavily with her yellow coat
  2464. >Pinned on the shirt by her chest is a nametag
  2465. >”ID: 0382L2 - STRAWBERRY SUNRISE”
  2466. >The pony is holding her head up to deliver you the pizza
  2467. >You pull it out of her mouth
  2468. “They’re using ponies to deliver now eh?”
  2469. >”Yes sir.”
  2470. “Interesting. I haven’t heard anything about it. How is it?”
  2471. >”My masters are very kind. They keep my wings unclipped so I can fly to make delivery easier. That’s more than most pegasi can say. I’m a very lucky pony.”
  2472. >Ponies being used for delivery is a great idea
  2473. >The more honest tasks available for ponies means less in morally reprehensible enslavement
  2474. >You catch yourself staring off into space
  2475. “Oh, here one second.”
  2476. >You put the pizza box down on the ground and pull out your wallet
  2477. >The pony looks puzzled
  2478. >”Sir I was told you paid in advance.”
  2479. >You pull out $3
  2480. “It’s for you.”
  2481. >The pony’s eyes widen
  2482. >”Oh no no no I can’t accept that sir!”
  2483. “Take it. It’s yours.”
  2484. >”I’m not allowed to. My masters said no.”
  2485. “Hmm.”
  2486. >You stick the money back into your wallet
  2487. “Well, thanks. I’ll put good word in for you next time I call.”
  2488. >She gives a half smile and begins to trot away
  2489. >You shut the door
  2490. >Shame they can’t take tips
  2491. >Then again, what’s a pony slave going to do with money?
  2492. >You’re halfway through your second slice of pizza
  2493. >You’ve never ordered from this place before
  2494. >It’s pretty darn good though
  2495. >You’re definitely going to order from there again
  2496. >And when you do, you’ll put good word in for that delivery pony
  2497. >It may help her out, it may not
  2498. >But it wouldn’t hurt to say something
  2499. >Star never came out
  2500. >Even if she doesn’t want to talk, you just want to see her
  2501. >Also, you’d rather not have to wake her to get her dose in
  2502. >At least you didn’t piss her off this time
  2503. >After you finish the rest of your dinner, you head back to the couch for some TV
  2504. >This pony owning stuff really wears you out
  2505. >A quick nap was just what you needed
  2506. >30 or so minutes just to recollect…
  2507. >Or so you thought
  2508. >Looking at your phone it turns out it’s 9:00
  2509. >PM, you didn’t sleep through the night
  2510. “Star?”
  2511. >You go back to the kitchen
  2512. >The medicine and food are still there, and the water looks untouched
  2513. >Disoriented by your slumber, you grumble
  2514. >You really don’t want her to miss a meal
  2515. >You figure some breakfast in bed may be nice for her
  2516. >... Or dinner, rather
  2517. >After all, she’ll be giving it to you eventually
  2518. >You put the medicine on the top of the food and grab a bowl with each hand
  2519. >You decide against a cracker packet this time
  2520. >It’s only been a day and there is only one pack left
  2521. >That’s fine, she needs to gain weight, but you figure she may appreciate it more tomorrow when she’s wide awake
  2522. >Also, you don’t want her to get TOO used to having them all the time
  2523. >Despite what you told her, they’ll eventually have to be limited as a treat
  2524. >You put the bowls down on your bedroom floor
  2525. >You aren’t sure how to approach waking her
  2526. >You could either speak to her, ruffle her mane, or just turn on the light
  2527. >You decide to just turn on the light
  2528. “Star…?”
  2529. >There are some grunts as she rolls around in her kennel”
  2530. “I wanted you to have something to eat.”
  2531. >She blinks a few times
  2532. >Her ears pin straight back, clearly annoyed
  2533. “I uh… just think its a bad idea to skip a meal.”
  2534. >You smile to sell the message
  2535. >She sticks her head up and forward
  2536. >You quickly push the bowls over to her instead before she goes any further
  2537. >She was clearly trying to cast something to pull it towards her
  2538. “Here. Be sure to take the medicine too.”
  2539. >She glares up at you before dipping her muzzle into the food bowl
  2540. “It’s oats and carrots this time… I uh, hope you enjoy. I’m just going to lay down.”
  2541. >You hop up on the bed and shove a pillow in your face
  2542. >Time passes in the darkness, but the entire time you hear the cute noises of Star munching on her meal
  2543. >You’re making a mental checklist
  2544. >For starters, you’re going to schedule a vet appointment for Saturday whether her leg feels better or not
  2545. >You just want her evaluated, see if there is anything else wrong
  2546. >Maybe find out what her weight is and what it should be
  2547. >As you continue to go through your checklist, you hear Star speak up
  2548. >”Anonymous?”
  2549. >You take the pillow off your face and see a small blue pony looking up at you
  2550. >”St-… I-I’m not much of a morning pony. Never was. If I was rude I’m…”
  2551. “It’s fine. The papers said as much. They also said you refer to yourself in third person a lot, so feel free to do that too.”
  2552. >”Star appreciates that.”
  2553. >You sit up on the edge of your bed
  2554. >”But why?”
  2555. “Why what?”
  2556. >”Why do you want Star to be herself?”
  2557. “Well why would I want you to be any different?”
  2558. >”Because Star’s rude. Star isn’t desirable.”
  2559. >You speak as the words come to your head
  2560. “I got you for who you are. I…”
  2561. >You stumble on your words
  2562. “I... wanted a little resistance. Some push and pull I wanted you to be your own person. Not just some mindless slave that gives robotic responses, that’s boring.”
  2563. >You finish up
  2564. “I needed a spark in my life I guess, and from what I read, you fit the bill.”
  2565. >Star doesn’t seem convinced
  2566. >”If you say so…”
  2567. >You rub your hands through your hair
  2568. >You decide not to press any further
  2569. “How’s the leg?”
  2570. >She moves it around a bit in the back of her kennel
  2571. >”Painful.”
  2572. “Any better than before?”
  2573. >Star moves it around some more
  2574. >”Star’s weak and pathetic leg is still…. Weak and pathetic.”
  2575. “Well I’m going to schedule you a vet appointment for Saturday. Not just for the leg, but a general visit. Get you on their records.”
  2576. >She nods, but not without wincing
  2577. “Want anything else? I’m going to try to sleep again. I can grab the laptop if you want it.”
  2578. >”Star could use some more sleep.”
  2579. “Works for me. I work again tomorrow, same hours. So I’ll prepare the house for you again.”
  2580. >You shut off the light
  2581. >”Goodnight Anonymous.”
  2582. “Goodnight Star.”
  2583. >You haven’t slept yet
  2584. >That nap really screwed you over
  2585. >Looking at your phone
  2586. >NOVEMBER 30TH, 1:24 AM
  2587. >You go into work again at 7:30
  2588. >So even if you were to fall asleep right now, you’d still only get 5 hours or so
  2589. >Great
  2590. >It’s silent in your room, with the exception of the occasional slurp, collar jingle, sneeze, or a flush of the toilet
  2591. >You really don’t know how she uses it
  2592. >Not your business, you suppose
  2593. >As long as she keeps it clean
  2594. >Your mind bounces back and forth between Star, shopping lists, and even TV shows
  2595. >As far as you know, Star thinks you’re asleep
  2596. >You haven’t really moved, and your head is facing the opposite side of the room
  2597. >After another hour passes, you consider calling out of work
  2598. >The logical part of your brain kicks in and convinces you not to
  2599. >You just took a week’s vacation, and then an extra sick day
  2600. >You consider taking a shower, maybe it’ll help
  2601. >You’re awake enough to the point it won’t hurt
  2602. >But you also don’t want to wake Star up
  2603. >At least someone is getting a good night’s rest
  2604. >And it’s the one that has every reason in the world not to
  2605. >...
  2606. >If things were perfect, you’d be cuddling with your pony right now
  2607. >It’s not something you ever expected from your pony
  2608. >Nor are you ever going to ask it of her, even when…
  2609. >...Or rather if she ever comes to accept you
  2610. >But they are just so small and fuzzy
  2611. >Like a pillow that breathes and gives warmth
  2612. >You get lost deep in thought again
  2613. >After an unknown amount of time passes, you decide to just fuck around on your phone
  2614. >You make sure to turn the brightness all the way down
  2615. >You have a good amount of games on your phone, most of them gacha
  2616. >You decide to just browse the internet
  2617. >Looking at your bookmarks, you see you still have the pony adoption site bookmarked, along with a few listings
  2618. >Of course, including Star
  2619. >The center you were looking at and ultimately got Star from could be considered black market
  2620. >It’s disguised as another website on the surface
  2621. >The purpose to sell ponies while avoiding the federal tax on all sales
  2622. >But you aren’t super wealthy, so you ultimately choose the cheaper, less legal option of not paying the tax
  2623. >In hindsight, you should've known it was a bad idea
  2624. >If the place doesn’t adhere to pony tax, why would they follow any of the other laws in place
  2625. >Sure, they’re limited, but they prevent hardcore abuse
  2626. >And mutilation, which came into play in Star’s case
  2627. >Would of saved you a lot of heartache if you chose the traditional route
  2628. >Maybe the pony would of came happy and themselves from the get go too
  2629. >But then again, maybe this all happened for a reason
  2630. >Out of curiosity you go on Star’s page
  2631. >As expected, her listing has a big “SOLD” maker across the page
  2632. >You take a close look at her picture
  2633. >You don’t know exactly how long ago it was taken, but the difference is night and day
  2634. >You notice a different pony
  2635. >A tougher pony
  2636. >A healthier pony
  2637. >A pony that respected herself
  2638. >A pony that’s resisting her hoof shackles and bridle
  2639. >A pony with a fire in her eyes that you’ve only seen occasional sparks of
  2640. >And, of course, a unicorn
  2641. >You also notice something you hadn’t before
  2642. >Just barely in frame is what looks like a blanket of sorts
  2643. >Perhaps a cape
  2644. >It looks to be purple with some sort of design across it
  2645. >It’s tattered and dirty though
  2646. >You close the page, and delete the other remaining bookmarks
  2647. >A few moments later, you regret that decision
  2648. >You wanted to see if the other ponies you were looking at were sold
  2649. >Hopefully they got good homes, and are loved
  2650. >The chance seems slim though, unlike normal stores sometimes do, these underground places don’t tend to inquire into your intentions
  2651. >Basically, you’re probably one of the few customers they’ve ever gotten with pure intentions
  2652. >You spend the next little while just switching between some websites
  2653. >News, both local and national, forums, and some social media
  2654. >Nothing interesting going on, which could be a good thing you suppose
  2655. >...
  2656. >As expected, today sucked
  2657. >You didn’t feel like showering
  2658. >And you were too lazy to eat breakfast
  2659. >Despite not caring for your own well being though, you made sure everything was in order for Star before you left
  2660. >You even plugged the laptop in for her
  2661. >You left another note, essentially the same one as yesterday
  2662. >Just reminders, you want her to know she can really do whatever she wants
  2663. >For now, at least
  2664. >Even though today is your second day back, it feels worse than the first
  2665. >On top of your morning coffee, you drank a couple energy drinks to get through the day
  2666. >Which in all honestly probably made things worse
  2667. >As you finally get to your door, all you want to do is plop down in bed again
  2668. >But right before you go for your keys, you remember Star
  2669. >Specifically, the vet appointment you told her you’d schedule today
  2670. >You groan at your every growing list of chores
  2671. >If only you had a little pony to give you a hand, right?
  2672. >You decide to head back to the lobby to call the vet
  2673. >Your decision is based on a couple things
  2674. >For starters, you don’t want Star to hear anything she shouldn’t
  2675. >For example, if you have to bring up her horn for any reason
  2676. >Secondly, you can tell her you did it much earlier in the day
  2677. >You’ll look responsible and caring, which should make her feel good, right?
  2678. >And you should lead by example too, if you present yourself as irresponsible in front of her, that could transfer to her quality of work once you put her to work
  2679. >You don’t even know where you’re taking her yet
  2680. >But you aren’t just going to find the cheapest place, you want quality care for your pony, even if it puts a little dent in your wallet
  2681. >You sit down on a bench in the lobby and weigh your options
  2682. >For the most part, ordinary veterinarians take appointments for these ponies, but new places dedicated to them have sprung up too
  2683. >It doesn’t seem to have a correlation with what places are better though, you find highly and poorly rated places that fall under both umbrellas
  2684. >You ultimately decide on “Happy Tails Pet Vet”, which boasts recently acquiring top of the line pony care facilities
  2685. >Most reviews are from customers with traditional animals, like dogs and cats, but there are a few pony reviews too, all positive
  2686. >It’s pricey compared to other places nearby, but nothing you aren’t willing to pay
  2687. >You dial the number and you hear a cheerful women on the other side
  2688. >”Happy Tails Pet Vet, Miranda speaking! How may I direct your call?”
  2689. >Don’t drop spaghetti Anon
  2690. >”Hello?”
  2691. “Yeah hi.”
  2692. >”What can I do for you?”
  2693. “Yeah, I’d like to schedule an appointment for my mare.”
  2694. >”Have you scheduled with us before?”
  2695. >You feel sweat on your forehead
  2696. >Pull it together
  2697. “Yeah uh, no. I just got her last week and wanted to get her a first time checkup and registered for regular appointments…”
  2698. >Keep going Anon, you got this
  2699. >”I’d be happy to get you set up with us! What’s the pony’s name and sex?”
  2700. “Star… mare… or female... yes.”
  2701. >You hear a giggle on the other side
  2702. >”Oh right silly me, you said that already.”
  2703. >Next you hear a notebook flipping
  2704. >”Star…”
  2705. >You hear her jot it down
  2706. >”Ok! Do you have your ownership information?”
  2707. >Shit
  2708. “Uhhh…”
  2709. >A few moments pass
  2710. >”Hello?”
  2711. >Fuck
  2712. “I-I’ll be right back…”
  2713. >”It’s-”
  2714. >You hang up the call and wipe the pool off your forehead
  2715. >Followed by some deep breaths
  2716. >You panicked a little thanks to your autism
  2717. >Fucking tard
  2718. >Ownership information…
  2719. >The documents haven’t come in yet
  2720. >You get up off the bench, legs weak
  2721. >You head over to the front desk
  2722. >The clerk working right now is an older man
  2723. >Andrew, you’ve known him for a while
  2724. >He’s been working here longer than you’ve been living here
  2725. >”You good Anonymous? You looked a little flustered over there”
  2726. >Your face is read hot
  2727. “It’s- none of your business… do you have my mail? 535”
  2728. >”I won’t pry. Let me have a look for you.”
  2729. >Andrew disappears into the back room
  2730. >A few moments later, he comes out with a plastic box
  2731. >”Lots of stuff in here, looks to be 2 or 3 days worth. Have you been around?”
  2732. “I-I’ve been really busy the last few days…”
  2733. >Have you really been forgetting to pick up the mail?
  2734. >It’s such a routine task that you don’t think about
  2735. >You grab the thick stack of mail out of the box and head back over to the bench
  2736. >”See you around Anonymous.”
  2737. “Yeah yeah.”
  2738. >You wave your hand up without looking back
  2739. >You shuffle through the last couple day’s worth of mail, looking for your adoption papers
  2740. >Near the bottom of the stack, you find a manila envelope
  2741. >No return address either
  2742. >You open it up, and low and behold, is all the paperwork certifying you are the proud owner of Star
  2743. >You’re annoyance of failing to pick up the mail earlier is surpassed by your relief
  2744. >You are finally Star’s legal owner now
  2745. >Nobody can touch her now
  2746. >Nobody can keep her away from you
  2747. >Nobody can mutilate her
  2748. >You flip through the papers
  2749. >All of Star’s info is there,
  2750. >Coat color, mane color, type, eye color…
  2751. >Birthdays aren’t included, unless a foal was born here on earth
  2752. >Different calendars and tracking of time make it hard to know
  2753. >Instead, many ponies are just divided based on how old they look
  2754. >Foal, filly, colt, juvenile, young adult, adult, etc
  2755. >A photo of her is there too
  2756. >The same one from her listing
  2757. >You feel like it may be best to update it
  2758. >At the bottom are credentials to the national registry, where you can update her picture, as well as other info
  2759. >It has all of your information on it as well
  2760. >Name, address, phone number, social security number
  2761. >Holding these papers at last gives you a massive shot of adrenaline, and as a result you don’t feel sulky and tired anymore
  2762. >You pull out your phone and redial the number to the vet
  2763. >”Happy Tails Pet Vet, Miranda speaking! How may I direct your call?”
  2764. >You’re knocked off your high horse a bit after hearing her voice again
  2765. >You still feel good through
  2766. >”Yeah… I’m Star’s owner, I was calling back because, you see…”
  2767. >Think
  2768. ”... I lost service. It’s been up and down in the area recently.”
  2769. >You smile to sell the lie, even though she can’t see you
  2770. >”No worries. Where were we…”
  2771. “I have my ownership documents right here.”
  2772. >”Oh right! Can I have your social security number and registry info?”
  2773. >You give her your information as you hear clicking of a keyboard, presumably entering it into the vet database
  2774. >She didn’t need any information on Star as you gave her the registry information, which mirrors everything on your adoption papers
  2775. >”Alright Anonymous whe- Do you go by Anon?”
  2776. >That throws you off guard
  2777. “Y-Yeah!... It’s what I prefer.”
  2778. >”Doesn’t that work out? When were you looking to come in?”
  2779. “S-Saturday or Sunday.”
  2780. >A few moments later you add
  2781. “Preferably Saturday.”
  2782. >”Saturday…”
  2783. >You hear her flip through a book
  2784. >”On Saturday we only have an early appointment at 9am, would that work?”
  2785. “Yeah.”
  2786. >”Saturday the 2nd… at 9 o'clock AM… Alright! It’s a date. Did you need anything else?”
  2787. “Nope.”
  2788. >”Alright! Thanks for choosing Happy Tails Pet V-”
  2789. >You rudely hang up the call
  2790. >You clearly need to work on your social skills
  2791. >As you go back up to your apartment, you feel refreshed
  2792. >With the appointment scheduled, all your duties for the day are done
  2793. >And of course, you feel comfort in knowing Star is yours now
  2794. >You click open the door
  2795. “Star? I’m home.”
  2796. >You hear munching coming from the kitchen, followed by the clopping of hooves on the kitchen floor until Star comes into view
  2797. >”Hey Anonymous…”
  2798. “How’d your day go?”
  2799. >You consider straight up asking her if she’s feeling better, but decide to find out through actions instead of words
  2800. >”Just trying to be a good pony for my master”
  2801. >Even the most socially inept person could detect that sarcasm
  2802. “Well, you just keep being you and I’ll be more than happy.”
  2803. >You place the ownership documents on the coffee table
  2804. “I scheduled a vet appointment for you. 9 in the morning on Saturday. Gonna get you a routine checkup and have them do an exam on that leg of yours, the full nine yards.”
  2805. >You sit down on the couch, and she follows you around
  2806. “Speaking of which, how’s it feeling?”
  2807. >She looks back at it and moves her back leg a bit, hip moving up and down
  2808. >She narrows her eyes
  2809. >”It hurts.”
  2810. >More sarcasm
  2811. “Well you’re going to have to give the veterinarian more detail than that.”
  2812. >She lets out a small giggle
  2813. >You eye down Star, thinking of anything else that needs to be done
  2814. “Your coat looks better. More shiny and full.”
  2815. >Star rolls her eyes
  2816. >”Star is not one to take compliments of the feminine nature.”
  2817. “Well then… your mane does look pretty messy, and long, and I think I see some split ends."
  2818. >Star blows her bang up
  2819. >”Thanks…”
  2820. “You able to cut your own mane?”
  2821. >”Yeah I ca-”
  2822. >Reality sets it on Star
  2823. >You’re quick to talk
  2824. “Alright. It’s alright. I’m sure plenty of places can do it. I don’t trust myself to do it, unless you wanna be bald.”
  2825. >Fear strikes the eyes of Star
  2826. >Pretty good call on your part, distracting her with another fear
  2827. “I’m kidding!”
  2828. >You laugh
  2829. "You really do care how you look then!"
  2830. >Star calms back down
  2831. >”I like- having good hair.”
  2832. >You look at the time
  2833. “Maybe tomorrow then we’ll take you out. You ought to see the world a bit anyway. Plus you wanna look good for the vet right?”
  2834. >Star tries her hardest to not blush, but ultimately gives in to the laughter of you both
  2835. >For dinner, you just threw a frozen sandwich into the microwave
  2836. >You poured Star some more oats and mixed them with some peanut butter, to her delight
  2837. >You try to enjoy your bland meal of a chicken sandwich and water, but it’s hard when the middle is still cold
  2838. >You always add 30 seconds or so to the instructed time, yet it never comes out fully thawed
  2839. >Your microwave may just be underpowered, but you don’t really know as it’s hardwired into a cabinet
  2840. >You’re busy eating around the center of the sandwich when you hear something completely out of left field from below you
  2841. >”Do you get a Christmas tree?”

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