GREEN
25
0
3408 18.87 KB 288
3408 18.87 KB 288
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>It’s evening by the time anyone checks in on you.
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>Celestia had long ago run out of tears.
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>The alicorn now curled up with her head on your lap and her body still on the bed.
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>She had called out a few things in her grief.
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>Old names for the most part, you guessed.
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>But two stood out.
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>Twilight.
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>Luna.
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>One of them you know to be her sister.
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>The other one could have been Twilight Velvet outside.
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>But you’d like to think it was her daughter - the illustrious student.
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>Though she was in a deep sleep - every now and then, a small shudder would go through her body.
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>Each time you’d gently squeeze her hoof.
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>Thankfully, it seems it calms her.
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>You still don’t know exactly what you’re doing for her.
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>But it doesn’t matter.
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>You don’t need to know.
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>What matters is being here for her when she needs it.
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>Slinking into the room, Emily carefully inspects the mare.
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>First, the IV going into her fore-hoof.
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>Next, she carefully pulls back the mane on the back of her neck to reveal a monstrous bruise showing through the white fur.
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>Your eyes go wide, but you hold your tongue.
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>Satisfied, she lays the mane back down and gives you a flick of the head towards the door.
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>You give her your fiercest frown, but she flicks her head again.
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>Carefully removing the sleeping mare from your lap and letting her rest her head on the chair,
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>It’s only a few steps from the door when she speaks up.
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>”You’re going again?” Celestia croaks with her hoarse voice.
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”Just stepping out for a bit to make sure everything is okay out here. Going to be right outside the room, Celly. Try to get some rest, okay?”
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>The poor mare gives you a miserable look, and weakly curls up at the head of the bed, facing away from you.
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>Baby steps..
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>As you step outside, you find Coal and Velvet sitting on either side of the door.
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>A warm smile from Velvet, and a firm nod from Coal.
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>Emily has already moved down the hall to the kitchen, and you follow her to find Stint, Match Stick, and Tinder all sitting around a simple Kitchen table eating Pizza.
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>”Hi, Mr Anon!” Tinder shouts, waving his adorably short arm at you as he chews a huge mouthful of cheesy pastry.
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>”Tinder, Manners!”
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>His sister immediately admonishes him as she nibbles at the start of a new slice.
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>The young mare - still wearing your shirt around her hindquarters - only gets an eye roll from the defiant colt.
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>Stint, on the other hand, doesn’t even acknowledge your entrance.
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>The stallion looks like he’s been hit by a ton of bricks and is about to pass out at the table.
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>Your eyebrows go up, and you even spy a few slices that have some meat on them.
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“This is a nice surprise.”
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>”I thought we could all use a pick me up. Been a pretty intense week.” Emily says.
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“No kidding.”
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>You pick up a slice of ham and cheese and dig in, taking a moment to let it sit in your mouth and enjoy the taste.
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“I didn’t know horses ate meat.”
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>”We’re not horses. And horses can eat meat. Dumbass.”
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“Nice to see you too, Stint.”
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>He snorts back at you.
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“Where were you all day by the way?”
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>”Working. You know, that thing that most living things have to do to survive?”
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“Cool,” you brush past his sarcasm. “What do you do here?”
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>”Are you serious?”
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“I am actually. I wanna know what you do.”
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>Stint gives you a wary look, but pulls his head away from his plate.
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>”Well, like Emily, I’m a veterinarian by mark.”
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“By mark?”
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>”Talent. Gift. The great big tattoo on my ass like Match Stick has.”
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>Tinder giggles and Match Stick nibbling intensifies.
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“So you help with taking care of all your fellow ponies?”
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>The stallion rolls his eyes.
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“What?”
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>”Anon, do human veterinarians treat humans?”
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“No. Why?”
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>He gives you an unimpressed look until it finally clicks.
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“Ohhh. Okay, I get it now. But, wait. Do you still treat horses?”
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>”Once again, we aren’t horses. Dumbass. Just like you aren’t a monkey. Though I’m starting to wonder about that.”
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>That gets a genuine laugh out of you and Emily, the latter of which you notice is trying to pretend she isn’t carefully listening in on the conversation.
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“Okay. Okay. So you treat the horses in Emily’s stead, and she looks after the ponies. Have you had to cover for her since she’s in here?”
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>”Actually,” Emily speaks up, mouth full of pizza. “I did my Equestrian rounds today while you were watching things.”
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“Oh okay. So why are you exhausted, Stint? The Earthen Horses nibble on your ear a bit?”
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>He shivers.
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>”Look Anon, I don’t know where this-” he gestures at all of you with a hoof. “-Is coming from, but it’s making me feel weird. Can we just go back to thinly veiled animosity?”
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“No.”
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Tinder laughs.
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>”They’re funny.”
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>The colt reaches another slice of pizza, only to be slapped down by his sister’s magic.
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>”You’ll be sick.”
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>”No I won’t.”
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“How many slices have you had, Champ?”
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>He looks to the ceiling then holds up his hooves to count.
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>The lack of fingers means he counts one whole hoof at a time.
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>”Seven slices!” He beams.
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>Your heart feels weaker in your chest again.
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>”You’ll definitely be sick. That’s enough for tonight, now go wash up.”
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>The colt pouts, but does what he’s told.
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>”Fine.”
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>Though not without jumping down from his seat and scurrying off to the bathroom before his sister can yell out for him to not run down the hallway.
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>His hooves thumping against the wooden floorboards the whole way.
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>All of you collectively hold your breath.
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>Thankfully, no sounds come from Emily’s room.
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“Was he always that energetic?”
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>”I-” she stops like a record just scratched in her head, “I don’t really remember… I think so?”
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>Emily and Stint stop eating and look over at her.
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>”He’s been so sick for so long. Yet he still always needed more medicine than a full grown stallion.”
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>She stares wistfully down the hallway.
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“Well, thanks to you, he’s up and running around like he’s on a sugar high. Good job, big Sis.”
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>”Mmm.” she murmurs her agreement, and resumes nibbling on her pizza.
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>But you see the smile creeping near the corner of her mouth.
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“So, Stint. About what you do around here.”
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>The pizza hits the spot.
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>It’s only after you finish that you finally look at the time.
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>Nearly eight-thirty.
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>Once you got Stint going, he began rambling non-stop about the finer points of horse care.
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>You had zoned out a short way in.
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>But it was adorable to see the way Emily smoldered over her partner's ramblings.
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>Smoldering and love drunk.
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>While not as taxing as some other days, the general exhaustion that’s been building up the past week is weighing heavily on your shoulders.
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>You wish you could cut to the end, where everything is better again.
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>But you’re not alone in that wish.
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“”Right.”
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You cut Stint off ten minutes into a lecture about the finer points of horse nutrition.
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“Time for a movie.”
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>”Hold on, there’s still a lot more that I haven’t even scratched at when it comes to the difference between vitamin balance and potential supplementation?” Stint looks stunned.
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>”You’re such a big horse nerd. I love it.” Emily gives him a big smooch on his cheek, placating him immediately.
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>”Well, alright then. But anytime you wanna know more about horses, or anything that isn’t a pony really, let me know.”
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“Is that how it works? You’re a Vet, so anything non-pony, you’re good at treating and taking care of?”
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>”Well, duh. Isn’t that what Vets in your world are like?”
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>”Maybe after a few years at University, or some other private training course, or a very long internship.”
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>She rests her cheek against his muzzle.
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>”You know I’m only good with horses and ponies, Stint.”
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>”Oh you definitely know how to treat me right.” He leans back into her.
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“Ehem!”
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>The couple gives you an irritated look before glancing over at the non-plussed Match Stick still nibbling on a slice of Pizza.
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>”Oh don’t mind me.” She smiles politely and returns to her food.
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“Alright, I’m gonna go take Tinder down to see a movie before he passes out. Otherwise I don’t think we’d hear the end of it all tomorrow.”
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>”Movie?” Emily furrows her brow.
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>”He used the projector in Stable one, babe.”
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>The confused vet shakes her head.
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>”I didn’t think you could do that.”
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“Yea, you just use one of the HDMI cables hanging out of the…”
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>She looks to Stint to see if he knows what you’re talking about.
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>He shrugs.
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“Really? You’re both dinosaurs.”
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>”As long as it still works when you’re done, Anon.”
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>Emily yawns and stands up.
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>”Care to join me, Stint?”
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>”Oh yeah.. Just, uh…”
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>He looks over at Match Stick.
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>”Wh-what?”
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>”Think you could suck my-”
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>”Stint!” Emily scolds him.
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>The maroon mare goes an even darker shade of red.
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>”Magic! I was gonna say Magic! Yeesh.”
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“Hah.”
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>”Shut up, Anon.”
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>Putting down her Pizza, Match Stick breathes a sigh of relief.
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>”I can do that.” she says.
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>Climbing down from the table, she quickly lights up her horn and zaps the stallion.
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>What once took several dozen seconds now only takes a few moments.
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>Again, Match Stick's body shivers once she finishes hoovering up his magic, and her coat seems to glow with an otherworldly sheen.
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>You can’t shake the heavy feeling that something isn’t right here, but getting their magic back just seems too important for you to intervene.
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>The mare then quickly hits up her usual pit stops.
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>First Velvet.
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>Next is Coal.
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>Finally she disappears up the hallway, and after a few infantile objections, you hear her magic go off and she returns with a very eager Tinder.
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>”We’re gonna see a movie?” he nearly yells in the hallway.
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>Only to be shushed by six mouths.
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>”Sorry… We’re gonna see a movie?” he asks again in an excited whisper.
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“Yup. We’re gonna head down to the barn while these four hold the fort.”
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>You impishly watch Match Stick as the look of confusion grows on her face.
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>The others seem to have caught on, and they smile softly as they wait for her to work it out.
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>”Don’t you mean, five?” she asks nervously.
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“Nah, You’re coming too. Who else is gonna carry Tinder?”
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>You fake a shoulder injury, making the small colt on her back giggle.
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>”But what about my mark? If anypony sees that, they’re gonna know right away.
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“Then don’t let them see it.”
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>The mare doesn’t appear convinced in the slightest.
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“Don’t worry about it. I figure that cat is gonna get out of the bag sooner or later. Right guys?”
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>Emily and Stint give each other a concerned look.
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>Coal and Velvet share a gentle smile and agree.
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“Alright then. We’re good to go. But same rules as this morning. No magic. And no talking about it. Okay?”
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>”Okayyy.” They both drone back, trying to hide their smiles.
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>Saying goodnight to the two couples, you slip out the backdoor and make your way down the back hill in the sparse nighttime light.
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>As you approach the barn, you see a cluster of ponies hanging out in a circle around the side.
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>One of them notices you, and it suddenly hits you.
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>You don’t know whether it was the movie last night.
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>Or the run today,
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>Or whether it’s because you know Match Stick is a bundle of nerves right now.
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>But the panic is gone.
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>You’re still a bit nervous, and you wish Coal and Velvet were here as backup.
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>But you think that you can handle things.
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>One of the ponies of the practice notices your approach, and yells out to the others.
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>Rather than rushing you, they rush to stable one where your laptop is set up.
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>Someone has even managed to get the barn door at least part way open for you to step under.
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>But as you lead Tinder and Match Stick inside, you’re a bit blown away.
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>Small couches and other pieces of furniture have been transplanted from who knows where all over the now very crowded stable.
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>A few heads turn to look at you, a small cheer goes out, some hooves wave, but most are still engaged in vibrant chatter.
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>Snacks and small sleeping bags litter the floor, and a few of the ponies with stronger presences in the herd are sitting on a cluster of stools near the laptop.
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>The stool closest to the laptop is empty.
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>And they’re looking at you pretty expectantly.
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>The maroon mare hiding behind your legs is nearly shaking.
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>The colt on her back is staring in wonder at the projector screen.
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>No time like the present.
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“Good evening, everyone.”
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>The buzz of excited chattering quiets down, and the ponies of the practice all turn to face you.
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“To start with what you’re all most concerned about; Coal, Emily, Velvet, and Stint are looking after Celestia tonight, but rest assured, she’s well on the road to recovery in their very capable hands.”
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>There’s a pleased murmur across the seated herd of miniature horses.
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“My hands, on the other… Hand.”
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>You pause for comedic effect, and get a few sympathetic chuckles from the audience and a gaggle of giggles from the kids crowding one of the corners.
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“-Are quite exhausted. Especially after that race with Coal.”
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>A few whoops and hollers go through the crowd.
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“I’d like to sincerely thank you all for joining us. It was a fantastic surprise that made for an incredible afternoon. But I have here two new ponies who missed out on today's fun, and would like to join us for tonight’s movie.”
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>You step aside and Match Stick tries following.
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>Clinging to your legs like a shy kid at a party.
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>”What are you doing?” Tinder whispers in her ear.
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“Care to introduce yourselves?”
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>Frustrated with her sister’s tepidness, Tinder hops down from her shoulders and gives a friendly wave.
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>”Hi!. Tinder. I’m seven and a half years old.”
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>There’s a collective hello from the herd, and the group of kids loudly whisper ‘Over here’ and wave back at him.
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>You bend down on a knee and whisper to Match Stick.
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>”You want me to introduce you, Big Red?”
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>The skittish mare looks at her brother, eager to introduce himself and chomping at the bit to run off and hang out with the other kids.
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>”I’m good. Thank you, Mr Anon.”
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“Alright then.” you smile at her.
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>She steps forward.
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>Clears her throat.
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>”Good evening everyone. I’m Big Red. No. Wait. I mean Match Stick. My name is Match Stick.”
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>The mare cringes so hard you think her face might collapse.
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>“Big Red it is.” One of the mares in the back calls out with a gentle southern twang to the herd’s gentle bemusement. “How old are ya, Sugar?”
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>Match Stick shoots you an angry look.
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>”Seventeen.”
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>”That’s perfect. Means you’re around our age. Name’s Pink Lady.”
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>Funny name for a mare that isn’t Pink.
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>Match Stick gives you an unsure look as the small group of ponies wave expectantly.
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“You’ll be right. Go make some friends.”
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>Tinder doesn’t wait an instant.
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>The colt galloping over to the group of kids as fast as his legs will carry him and nearly bowling over the other foals.
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>His sister though, she gives you a dour smile and slowly trots off.
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>Flinching slightly as ‘Pink Lady’ immediately hooks a hoof around her neck once she’s close enough - dragging her into the circle of ponies near the back.
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>Now that the kids are taken care of, you look over to the laptop and the group of ponies waiting for you.
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>Taking your own deep breath, you confidently stroll over.
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>All of them are smiling at your approach.
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>”Prince Anon.”
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>One of them addresses you straight away with a slight bow.
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>You nearly trip at the title.
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>The other ponies glare at him.
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“Prince?”
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>”You are the royal consort, are you not? Coal declared so last night.”
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>”We were meant to ask him together.” one of the other ponies hisses at him.
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>”Just showing a little bit of initiative my dear.”
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>The others silently fume behind stiff smiles and turn to you.
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>”Well then… Prince Anon.” She purses her lips, as if the words had a strange taste.
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>’We were all looking to enjoy a nice bit of small talk during the movie.”
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>”If it wouldn’t bother you.”
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>Ah.
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>This is something you remember not so fondly.
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>”I think it sounds wonderful.” The fourth pony chimes in before you even respond.
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>Aristocrats.
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>Brown-nosers.
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>Bottom-feeders.
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>You should be more ticked off, but a part of you is secretly delighted.
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>These ponies may have suffered quite a bit, but they’re still strong enough to be stuffy.
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>They still have some form of dignity.
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>It also means that you don’t need to prove anything to these ponies.
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“While I would love to chat with all of you-”
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>All four ponies lean in slightly, fake smiles stretching from ear to ear.
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“I think it’s rather impolite to talk during a movie. And the herd is waiting for us.”
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>None of them look at the other ponies, their eyes glued to you and their facades cracking as they quickly grab for something to talk about.
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>”A bit of a chat never hurt anyone.”
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>”That’s right. Good point. Why don’t we start with…” She twirls a hoof. “What you, er, do for a living?”
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>”Yes yes, what do you do for a living, Prince Anon? Clearly a man of your… Resourcefulness must be quite talented. Your generosity to Emily has already been gratefully received here.”
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>You’re not feeling all that sympathetic to their desperation, so you stand up and turn to the laptop.
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“That stuff’s boring, we can talk about it some other time.”
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>”Not at all! We’d love to hear about you and the kind of pon-, uh, person you are.”
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>The others shoot daggers at her for that little slip-up.
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“Like I said. Celestia’s doing well, and everyone is waiting for the movie. Lets just watch it and have fun. Okay?”
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>You walk past the empty spot and organize tonight’s viewing.
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>Their smiles quickly melt as they smolder on their stools.
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>Prince Anon.
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>Now that’s bizarre.
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>Oh well.
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>Those types aren’t the ones who just give up.
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>You scroll through your library until you find one that’s perfect.
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>You’re trying to avoid human centric films, and a comedy feels like it’lll lighten up the mood.
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>Hmmm.
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>It might be a bit much, but it’ll give a much needed culture boost.
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>Turning on the projector, another crowd of ‘ooo’s go through the crowd.
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>In the corner, you can see Tinder absolutely dumbstruck by the giant blue screen from the midst of a scrum of tiny ponies..
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>Near the back, Match Stick is frantically fielding off question after question from the group of older teens in the herd.
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>Smiling at the sight, you press play and sit down on the empty stool.
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>The dejected aristocrats light up again.
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>”So about your-”
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“Shhh, it’s about to start.”
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>”Ah right.”
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>The ones facing away from the screen regretfully spin on their stool to watch the show.
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>And as Mike Myers’ voice narrates a typical fairy tale story intro from a book, you find your gaze drawn to the rest of the herd so you can watch how they react.
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>”~SOME-BODY ONCE TOLD ME~”
by Adjudicant
by Adjudicant
by Adjudicant