//------------------------------// // 4: Kindness's Legacy [Sad] // Story: Thirty Minutes Shy // by Esle Ynopemos //------------------------------// ((Prompt: Kindness can be the greatest cruelty of all.)) Harry the bear was so very hungry. He wished the gentle yellow one would come back to feed him, but she did not. The purple one had come to the cabin one day, and said something to her. Harry did not understand the words, but the way it caused the yellow one to shake with fear had made his lip curl in a snarl at the purple one. The ponies had left, and neither one had returned in weeks. He clutched at his stomach as it twisted and churned. It hurt. It hurt like he never knew a stomach could hurt before. When he had injured his leg once, that had hurt, too. The yellow one had made it feel all better. She could make this all better, too, Harry was certain. If the purple one hadn't taken her away, she would be here to give him food and make him feel better. A growl bubbled from Harry's throat. Damn the purple one! Damn her for taking away the sweetest, kindest creature he had known in his life! She was the reason his stomach was empty! She was the cause of this pain! Harry got up on four shaky paws, weak from hunger. The cottage was in shambles. The furniture had been torn apart, and the contents of every cabinet and cupboard in the place were spilled out across the floor as the dwindling remnants of the house's residents had desperately foraged for food. He tried in vain to sweep the mess into a pile. The yellow one would be upset when she came home to find it so disheveled. After a few fumbling tries with his enormous paws, he gave up. He could move the big things around, but it was the job of the squirrels and birds to get at all the empty nutshells and inside-out sacks of rice. The birds and squirrels were gone, because there was no food left. What he wouldn't give for a nice juicy fish like the yellow one would catch for him. He smacked his lips, almost able to taste it just from the mental image alone. Or maybe a big bowl of berries! Yes, that would make Harry so happy right now. He glanced out the window, and his eyes widened. There, across a clearing at the edge of the forest, there was a whole bush full of bright red berries! Harry pushed his way outside, the door sagging on its hinges as it allowed him through. He charged across the field and greedily stripped every last one of the little red treats he could find. Sated, he sat on his haunches to digest the meal. An hour later, he was wretching into the grass. All that was in his stomach—mostly the red berries and little else—hurtled out of his mouth and onto the ground. He didn't think it was even possible, but the berries had made him feel worse! Harry moaned pitifully. His eyes roved up the road. Beyond a small grove of trees, the path led to many more pony-dens. Of course! The gentle yellow one was a pony, and she knew how to get food. In town, there were lots of ponies. Surely one of them would feed him! Harry loped down the road into Ponyville. There were no ponies out in the streets. Perhaps because it was night. The yellow one never stayed out after dark; he had to come inside to find her when the sun was not out. Harry walked up to one of the buildings, sniffing at the door. He could smell vegetables and bread and good things beyond. Licking his chops, Harry pushed at the door with his nose. It did not budge. With a grumble, he pushed a bit harder. Still nothing. Frustrated, Harry reared up on his hind legs and beat his paws into the wood. The door shattered apart. A high-pitched shriek stung Harry's ears. “Aaah! Bear! I'm being attacked by a bear!” Harry moaned, and pointed to his stomach. Once this pony understood he was hungry, she would help him. The shrieks rose in volume. “It wants to eat me! Somepony help!” A potted plant struck Harry in the head. Lights came on up and down the street, and ponies poured out of their homes, shouting. “It's attacking Berry Punch!” “Get it!” Soon, Harry was pelted with a rain of blows from rocks and hooves. One of the ponies' horns glowed, and suddenly his tail was on fire. Harry roared in anguish and turned to flee. “Go back to the Everfree, monster!” Harry was not certain how long he ran, only that by the time he stopped he was exhausted, covered in mud, and lost in the middle of a dark, scary forest. And still incredibly, unbearably hungry. He collapsed in a pathetic heap, his breaths coming shallow and ragged. He wished the yellow one were here. She could fix this.