GREEN
128
0
3037 16.43 KB 294
3037 16.43 KB 294
-
>Orange street lights illuminate the empty diner parking lot.
-
>Somewhere in the distance you can hear the whine of cicadas.
-
>It would have been a nice night for a jog if you didn’t have to work.
-
>You turn around and make your way to the back of the building.
-
>As you gingerly throw some garbage into the dumpster, you let out a sigh.
-
>With that done, you are just about ready to close up.
-
>But… you have one last thing to do.
-
>You walk over to the steps of the back entrance and sit down, placing a paper bag beside you.
-
>You sit in silence, not even sure if this will work.
-
>But just as you are about to get up, you see her.
-
>That same cream colored mare.
-
>The first time you saw her, she was sitting in the parking lot, staring up at the streetlamps.
-
>She looked shaken up and more than a little lost, but when you approached her, she ran before you could get a word out.
-
>She’s been skulking around at night ever since.
-
>Despite at first thinking she might wind up being an annoyance, you ended up growing used to her presence.
-
>For the most part, she left the diner alone when it came to food, opting instead to scavenge around in the woods.
-
>You’ve seen her try just about everything out in those woods, from crabapples to pinecones… to more crabapples.
-
>You think she preferred the crabapples.
-
>Seeing that she's here right now, maybe she got sick of them?
-
>Or maybe she ran out.
-
>She hasn’t seen you yet, which was a little funny seeing that she was obviously drawn by the sound of you throwing the garbage away.
-
>She slowly makes her way to the dumpster and you watch her take a sniff, only to see her face scrunch up and her shake her head.
-
>Despite her clear reluctance, she takes a few more steps forward.
-
>You probably should say something before she makes herself sick.
-
“Hey.”
-
>She shrinks down and quickly turns to face you, eyes widened.
-
>You can already tell she’s going to bolt if you aren’t quick.
-
“Hold on, just wait a second! I just wanted to offer you something to eat.”
-
>Her ears perk up a bit, so you guess that got her attention.
-
>She follows your hand as you place it on the paper bag.
-
“You’re hungry, right?”
-
>Her eyes dart around the area before locking onto yours again.
-
>You open the bag and pull out an apple.
-
>You extend it out towards her and nod.
-
“Here.”
-
>You bring the apple to the floor and roll it in her direction.
-
>Her eyes follow the apple as it slowly makes its way to her.
-
>As it finally settled at her forehooves, she brought her head down to get a closer look.
-
>Seemingly pleased, she picks it up with her mouth and sits down.
-
>You watch as she wipes off the apple and turns it around in her hooves, staring at it with an indecipherable expression.
-
>You’re not entirely sure what she's doing, but after a while, she takes a slow bite.
-
>Something seems to click in her mind, as her face lights up and her next bite is much quicker.
-
>You guess the apple was a good choice.
-
-
>As she eats, you notice how unkempt she is.
-
>It was harder to tell before, but now that you get a closer look at her, it’s a lot more obvious.
-
>She looks like she’s been sleeping in a bush and with all the woodland around the diner, it wasn’t farfetched.
-
>The twig stuck in her tail certainly completes the look.
-
>She probably knows these woods better than you, that’s for sure.
-
>A survivalist through and through, this one.
-
>You wonder where she goes during the day, seeing that you’ve never seen her out before midnight.
-
>It was… honestly baffling to behold.
-
>A markless earth pony just milling about without any supervision.
-
>Considering her sheepish behavior, she might be a runaway.
-
>If that’s the case… why?
-
>Ponies aren’t exactly prone to going off on their own without reason, after all.
-
>You’ve thought about telling someone about her, but you wanted to figure out her deal first.
-
>There’s something weird going on with the back of her neck, but you can’t get a good look at it because her mane is covering it up.
-
>She finishes up the apple, leaving only the stem, which is now hanging from her mouth like a cigar.
-
>She looks like she’s debating whether she should eat it or not.
-
“I got more if you want, I know that’s probably not enough.”
-
>You rummage around your bag and pull out a pair of sandwiches.
-
>It was a hodgepodge of vegetables that you hoped would appeal to a pony.
-
>When you look up at her again, she is eyeing you inquisitively.
-
>Seeing that the stem is nowhere to be found, you guess she found her answer.
-
>You hold one out to her and for once, she approaches.
-
>She takes it from you and backs away slightly, seemingly unsure what to do now.
-
>You gesture to your left.
-
“You can sit by me if you want.”
-
>She’s thinking about it, and after a moment, she nods.
-
>She quickly makes her way up the steps and passes by you, planting herself by the back door.
-
>There was still a wide berth between the two of you, but this was certainly progress.
-
>It doesn’t take her long to begin eating again.
-
>From her face, you guess she’s enjoying herself.
-
>You look down at the remaining sandwich and wonder to yourself if you should give it a try, seeing that she likes it.
-
>But… you think you’ll let her have it.
-
>She looks like she needs it.
-
>You wrap the sandwich back up and set it in the bag, which you close soon after.
-
>You sneeze suddenly, which makes your skittish companion freeze up.
-
>You give her a reassuring smile.
-
“Don’t worry, it’s just me.”
-
-
>She settles down and finishes her sandwich, now simply sitting with her back against the wall, her forehooves close to her chest.
-
“As the guy who throws out the garbage, I can safely say that there isn’t anything worthwhile in there.”
-
>She fidgets with her hooves as you get up and stretch.
-
“I know it’s not much, but there’s a few more things in the bag, it’s all yours. Just make sure whatever is left makes it into the trash, alright?”
-
>You pull back your sleeve and check your watch.
-
>It’s way past closing, so you should probably lock up and leave.
-
>With a sigh, you turn to her and wave.
-
“Have a nice night and uh, try not to get in trouble.”
-
>You start walking, but are stopped almost immediately.
-
>You turn to see the mare with a chunk of your shirt firmly in her mouth.
-
“What’s all this then?”
-
>She lets go and you face her again.
-
>She frantically tries to convey something to you through gestures, but she gets frustrated and ends up staring at the ground, dejected.
-
>Now that you thing about it, she hasn’t said anything since you’ve met her…
-
“Is there… something wrong with your voice?”
-
>She quickly picks up her head and nods in succession.
-
>She points to the back of her neck and makes a grabbing motion. Once finished, she points to you.
-
“You want my help?”
-
>Another nod.
-
“I… don’t know how to fix a pony. I mean, I *did* work at a shop once bu-”
-
>She grabs your hand with her forehooves and pulls it a bit.
-
>Her eyes are staring at you with certainty.
-
“Alright, I guess… I’ll take a look.”
-
>Well, this will be interesting…
-
-
>She makes herself comfortable on the steps as you kneel down next to her.
-
“You’re… still sure about this?”
-
>She pouts.
-
“Look, an hour or so ago, you probably would have bit me if I got this close, and now I'm within hugging distance.”
-
>She tilts her head.
-
“What? Ponies are huggable!”
-
>Her eyes narrow.
-
>Wait, is she… confused?
-
“Nevermind, uh, let’s just get this over with.”
-
>She blinks a few times and then nods, resting her head on the concrete step.
-
>You look down at the back of her mane and place your hand on it, which elicits a flinch.
-
>It was surprisingly soft for something so clearly dirty.
-
“If you want me to stop, just wiggle out of my grasp or something.”
-
>She nods slowly.
-
>You brush her mane aside and are… stumped.
-
>What even is that?
-
>You certainly haven’t seen this before.
-
>There was a white patch on the back of her neck which stood out starkly compared to her usual cream coat.
-
>It was smooth and was riddled with small holes.
-
>It almost reminds you of a cheap speaker.
-
>Do you just… pull it off?
-
>You feel around the edges of the patch until you feel a pair of indentations.
-
>You get a good grip and with a quiet *pop* the ‘panel’ comes off.
-
>As you turn the panel around in your hands, you notice that the holes are covered by some sort of mesh.
-
>It would make sense for it to be for waterproofing purposes, how would she clean herself otherwise?
-
>Very carefully you suppose.
-
>Inside is… weirdly simple.
-
>There’s a compartment for fuses, but besides that, everything else seems like you can take it at face value.
-
>There’s even an on switch.
-
>...And that switch is off.
-
>A plastic tab is sticking out of a slit next to the switch.
-
>Is that really…?
-
>You pull the tab out and look at it.
-
>Yeah… that’s the sort of thing you see stuck in toys sometimes.
-
>You stuff the tab into your pocket and look once more at the switch.
-
>It can’t be that easy, right?
-
>Everything is fairly straightforward so… maybe it is?
-
>You press it and gingerly put the panel back on.
-
-
>Once firmly in place, you sit up and turn to check on your uh… patient?
-
>Yeah, let’s just go with that.
-
>Her eyes are shut tight and she almost looks like she’s bracing for something.
-
“Relax, it’s done… I think.”
-
>She opens her eyes in an almost surprised manner.
-
>She sits up and rubs the back of her neck, looking around.
-
“How about you give it a shot? Talking, I mean.”
-
>She turns to you and mouths something, though she stops shortly after, her ears drooping.
-
>”At least he tried…”
-
“Heh, well whaddya know?”
-
>She looks up and tilts her head.
-
>”What is he tal-”
-
>She pauses, her eyes widening.
-
>”...Apple.”
-
>You give her a nod.
-
“Yeah mare, apple.”
-
>A mixture of happiness and confusion crosses her face.
-
>Her voice was coming from the… speaker.
-
>The thing on her neck is a speaker.
-
>Now it feels kind of obvious…
-
>”This feels weird but… it works. It- It really works!”
-
>With her excitement boiling over, she jumps up onto her hooves.
-
>You watch her bound around happily, rambling off random things she saw the day prior.
-
>”T-there was a bird- no! *two* birds! And- And they were making a really pretty nest and there was a *rabbit*!”
-
>She keeps going for a little longer until she takes a deep breath.
-
>”Phew! Okay, okay I’m good now.”
-
>She turns to you and beams.
-
>“Thanks… um…”
-
>She looks down at your shirt for a moment and resumes her grin.
-
>”Thanks, chief!”
-
>Chief?
-
>You look down at badge on your shirt.
-
>Chief Custodian
-
>Huh, did you really forget your ID? At least it was her and not your boss who noticed…
-
“You’re welcome! I’m glad you’re feeling a little more chipper.”
-
>”Uh-huh! …Oh and thank you for the food, too.”
-
“I think that was kinda implied from the other thanks.”
-
>You get up and stretch once more before leisurely making your way to the front of the diner, a scruffy little mare on your heels.
-
-
>Despite being glad she’s happy, you still can’t shake the feeling that even with how cautious she was, she was still a little too trusting.
-
>Once you make it to the door, you turn to her.
-
“You know, I’m surprised you’re being this chummy.”
-
>”Chummy?”
-
“Like friendly.”
-
>”Oh! Well um… you’re nice.”
-
“And how do you know I wasn’t pretending?”
-
>She looks bewildered.
-
>”Why would you do that?”
-
“Well.. some people are like that. You don’t want to be around those kinds of people.”
-
>Her ears droop slightly and she looks at the ground.
-
>”I… I know what you mean, but…”
-
>She raises her head. “You’re not like that.”
-
>You fold your arms.
-
“How can you be so sure?”
-
>“I… Uhm…”
-
>She paws at the ground with her hoof for a moment before suddenly perking up.
-
>”Miss Possum and her kids! You gave them lotsa veggies! And uhm… You like animals! …L-like uhm… p-possums!”
-
>Despite being the only example she can muster, she’s not wrong.
-
>All you wanted to do was give her a helping hand, but…
-
>You just don’t want her to trust every stranger she sees.
-
>”And- And… You didn’t… It didn’t… Hurt…”
-
>Hurt?
-
>You focus on her again and realize how much she’s trembling.
-
>Her breathing is funny and she looks like she might fall over at any moment.
-
>You can tell she's trying to say something, but she keeps mumbling.
-
>Her pained expression says it all.
-
“Hey now, it’s alright…”
-
>You kneel down in front of her and gently set your hand on her head.
-
>You brush your hand through her mane slowly and she lifts her head up, staring at you through misty eyes.
-
>You smile warmly.
-
“Remember that thing about hugging distance?”
-
>You wrap your arms around her and guide her into a hug.
-
>She’s tense and shaky, but the more you hold her, the more she melts.
-
>Soon enough, she’s limp.
-
“Deep breaths, okay? You’re right here, right now, under all those pretty stars…”
-
>After the longest time, you feel her slowly hug you back.
-
>It takes quite a while, but she does eventually let go, which you follow suit.
-
>Her face is tearstained, but she has more or less calmed down.
-
“Feel a little better?”
-
>”Mmhm…”
-
“I… I won’t pretend to know what you went through, and you don’t have to tell me.”
-
>You give her a pat on the head.
-
“But if you need to chat, I’ll lend an ear, it doesn’t even need to be anything important.”
-
>She rubs her eyes a moment and sniffles. “R-really?”
-
“Really.”
-
>”...Thank you.”
-
“Do you… have anyone you really trust that you can go home to? I know you’ve been here awhile now but maybe I can…”
-
>You trail off as she shakes her head.
-
>You let out another sigh and scratch your head.
-
“Figures.”
-
>You get up and look over to the door of the diner.
-
“Let me finish things up and I’ll be back.”
-
>”Okay! Uhm I’ll- I’ll be here, chief.”
-
>Heh, there it is again.
-
-
>You let yourself inside the diner and take one last look around.
-
>You left the garbage for last, so everything else is in tiptop shape.
-
>But…
-
>Aha!
-
>You pick up a stray napkin and throw it in a bin.
-
>A second glance is always a good thing, you’d say.
-
>With one last sweep through the place, you lock up and meet your companion outside once more.
-
>You weren't gone long, but in that span of time, she somehow brought the bag from the back and was sitting quietly, staring up at the streetlights.
-
>Although, now that you don’t scare her off with your presence, you realize she’s looking up at the stars instead of the lights.
-
>You stand next to her and look up.
-
“They’re nice, huh?”
-
>She nods and turns to you.
-
>”You’re… going home?”
-
“Well, as close as I can get.”
-
>She lowers her eyes.
-
>”Can…”
-
>She fidgets in place for a moment.
-
>”Can I come with you?”
-
“In all honesty…”
-
>You gesture towards your beat up old car.
-
“That is home, at least for now.”
-
>You strife a yawn.
-
“Pretty soon I'll try to get an apartment in the city or… something. But until then, I'll just make due with that clunker.”
-
>”Do you like it?”
-
“I mean… It’s better than sleeping outside.”
-
>”It is?”
-
>She seems genuinely curious.
-
“I mean, it’s nice to go camping sometimes, but I wouldn’t want to do that all the time.”
-
>”I’m… camping?”
-
>You turn to her.
-
“You know what? You can sleep in the backseat if you want. I got blankets and I can at least guarantee that you won’t get rained on.”
-
>”Really? I- I’d uhm… like that.”
-
“Alright then… Keep up!”
-
>The walk to the car was short and with a huff, you sit down in the driver seat.
-
>You look back at her and see her fiddling with her seat belt.
-
“So… how familiar are you with cars?”
-
>Sufficiently buckled, she wiggles a little in place.
-
>”A bit, where are we going?”
-
“Not far, just over to a rest stop a little up the way. Do you think you’ll be okay?”
-
>”Don’t worry, I’ll be fine, chief!”
-
“That uh, isn’t my name.”
-
>She blinks.
-
>“It- It isn’t?”
-
“Nope, it’s just a title, a bit of a tongue and cheek title, but a title nevertheless. You can call me Anon.”
-
>”Well maybe… maybe I think you deserve a title, Anon!”
-
>You chuckle.
-
“If you say so, I won’t stop you, that’s for sure.”
-
>You look back at her and smile.
-
“How about some tunes?”
-
>”Tunes?”
-
“Music, I got some CDs.”
-
>”...Sure!”
-
>She doesn’t sound like she knows what you’re talking about, but she’s certainly enthusiastic.
by Castafae
by Castafae
by Castafae
by Castafae
by Castafae