The Clydesdale

by Ocean Heart

Finding Your Strength

"Jake? Jake, wake up."

Head pounding, limbs heavy and hungry, Jake groaned out his pain and lifted his head off the grass.

"Captain?" He said, eyes still adjusting to the sunlight.

Soon the visage of one his few friends on the farm came into focus, the stallion standing over him with a confused look on his face.

"You were out cold for a week...that lady doctor nearly gave you your last shot."

Mixed panic and relief washed over Jake, getting to his hooves slowly to avoid hurting anything that might still be stiff, he found his body returning to normal fairly quick. The grassy field, the giant apple tree, red barn and even cars flying by the fence just a few yards away. It was so much to take in at once..Jake was scanning the area twice just to be sure it was all real...A smile, ear to ear came to his face before rearing up on his hind legs and shouting out his joy, Captain taking a quick step back and getting more confused by the second.

"What happened to you?"

Questions raced in Jake's mind, all of which he didn't care to answer...he was home. Home and with his friends...

"Did they hurt you at all?"

Jake lowered himself down and laughed, rolling his eyes even and the notion of those colorful mini horses even trying...but his smile quickly faded and he looked at the familiar face of his dear friend with hesitation and fear.

"I...it was just a dream..." He answered cautiously...

The sound of cars had stopped, the gently rustle of grass and wind was silent...the very air became heavy with the tension of Captain staring at Jake with uncomfortable emptiness. The sound of the wind created by cars had ceased, the air grew heavy and the grey face of his friend only became more hallow and...sunken looking.

"C-captain.....? Yo Capt..." He said, trying to step back, only to feel his limbs sluggish, like he was dragging them through cement. "Wait...we...you can't speak like a human..."

The world around him shuttered, Jake flinched, closing his eyes for barely a second...but he opened them to a new nightmare. The apple tree was dead, its limbs towering into the sky like skeletal hands reaching for heaven, field a valley of sand and barn rotted, cracked and discolored.

"God...Captain..."

The form of his friend was gone, replaced with clean bones rotting on the dust in a pile, a lone raven sitting atop the skull and staring at Jake with haunting precision. Ringing in his ears made him wince..it got louder, Jake shouted and lowered his head to the ground, the Raven cried at him suddenly and the ringing stopped. World silent and still....

Everyone you know is gone.

Jake backed up more, the Raven jumping off the skull and walking slowly with him, as if stalking...

A bitter wind swept up the dust and Jake felt his heart wanting to beat out of his chest; backing up rapidly and only getting the black bird airborne, Jake turning around for a full blown sprint.

It was never fast enough, cracked and shoe less hooves dug into the dry sand and caused him more pain as the Raven shouted behind him, crying out its song of disrepair as it slowly caught up with him; drawing closer and closer as he ran. Jake was nearly in tears when he watched the perpetual safety of the broken down barn suddenly grow in distance by miles, nothing but a speck and the Raven hot on his tail...

Your life is over.

"Shut up!"

It is useless to resist.

"Leave me alone!"

Give in...

"I WONT!"

A bright song pierced the Raven's cries and a blur of blue shot into existence, flashing by Jake's head and slamming straight into the Raven, reducing it to black dust. Jake skidded to a halt, hooves bleeding and tears flowing down his face with his legs shaking uncontrollably. It was a dark blue nightingale...a color he had never seen on such an animal, it was flapping its wings quietly and hovering where the Raven once was...

It is your choice, and yours alone...to seek what you truly desire.

_ _

The figure had been sleeping for hours...with long legs, massive build...it looked like a monster and a pony somehow mixed to from this giant.

That's what Lovestruck thought...

Hiding on the ceiling of his own den, afraid of something that had no reason to hurt him, everything seemed to be on his side...perhaps it was just his nature to fear anything that wasn't like him. Slowly, the giant had begun to stir in his sleep, mumbling about something that he couldn't quite understand, a farm, some captain...it made him hesitate more, thinking that perhaps this could be one of Celestia's guards...but he slowly made his way down to the ground, approaching the sleeping form.

"I...w-wont..."

Lovestruck tenses and almost stutters back, unable to get back to safety when the form shoots awake and backs himself against the wall even further, rising slightly and grabbing at the stone, no time to run, no chance for a change...he had to do something....

"You! ...Thing! What are you doing in my cave!?"

Thing..? Not the best start...

The giant just looked around in terror, as he clambered; making Lovestruck less afraid for himself and more afraid that this thing was going to damage his home away from home..

"Hey hey! Calm down!"

It finally looked down at him and the giant actually looked like he would have a full blown panic attack.

"Buddy, buddy! Breath, in and out..."

Thankfully, he listened; slowing his breathing and coming to the realization that he wasn't going to harm him...a bit odd for a pony not to immediately run from him.

"W-what are you?" It asked.

That got Lovestruck's attention, about to outright answer the stallions question until an idea struck him...an idea and under all that fear...he glimpsed the feast of a lifetime. Lovestruck was the kind of changeling that wouldn't just eat the scraps off the table of the queen, or say...vulture his way to a meal already picked at by his bothers and sisters, he had fine tastes. Sticking to places like Manehatten or even Canterlot fed that guilty pleasure most of the time...but this...this pony had a flavor that even he
couldn't pin down. Sweet and sugary, like young love; a dash of cinnamon to add spice...almost like adoration. Honey...the rare taste of true love sitting deep in the pool of emotions and flavors.

If this pony didn't know what he was, then truth was the best option for winning the trust of the giant pony. Lovestruck had to only stall him until his hatch mates joined him in the secret spot to overpower the pony and have the meal of a lifetime. Taking a deep and calming breath...

"I'm...a changeling." He said, trying to think of a lie to go with it."We...are like ponies...just more...different."

Smooooooth...

"Really...?" The giant asked...

And an idiot...well, today just might be my lucky day.

"Yeah, My name's Lovestruck...well now that you know what I am; what are you..?"

_ _

"I'm Jake...I think..." He said, suddenly plopping down on his flank against the wall in bitter defeat.

The nightmare was a sign..this paradise was not meant for him. Jake...Second Chance...he didn't belong on Earth anymore, now he didn't even belong in Equestria. The strange insect looked up at him with big, curious blue eyes and tilted its head a little; paper like wings fluttering slightly.

"I'm a Clydesdale...I'm not from here...Equestria that is." He said slowly, burying his face in his hands and rubbing his eyes. "I wanted a change of scenery and by god I got it, huh?"

"Uhh..."

Lovestruck sat down, holding back a long sigh at his fate. The meal would be worth it..he never doubted that for a second, but this stallion was about to spend the next hour and some change babbling on about problems that he didn't have the slightest amount of pity for.

"Yeah..I thought I could just fit in..." Jake sighed heavily..

Lovestruck panicked, the stallion looked like he was about to get up, he read the stallion wrong and was about to lose a easy buffet for it.

"Maybe I should go back and..say I'm sorry or-"

"No! Uh...why don't..you tell be about where you came from? ...Mother always told me that sometimes the answers we seek for the future, sometimes hide in the past."

If he had to divulge more about himself to keep the stallion talking, then he would. If he had to suffer more self-pity stories then why not? His brothers were not far off, he just needed to keep him talking...

"Well...I was on this farm...Big red barn and this apple tree that looked like it could touch the sky..."

So melodramatic.... Lovestruck groaned on the inside.

"There was plenty of food, we were cared for..and my two best friends in the world would be there. Moe and Captain...Moe was my friend since I was a colt, that dog could run me ragged with his energy...but the poor guy couldn't catch a break, always getting scolded or spending days training..Sundays were the best because both of us were free to play out in the field."

A..dog? This guy isn't just a giant....he's nuts.

"And then I met Captain...the old fart knew how to get away with anything, he could even scare the color off a human and only get a mean look from the caretaker..he took me under his wing and taught me everything about being a real Clydesdale." Jake felt water on his eyes and a lump in his throat forming. "But...we got into an argument...."

"Jaaake! Time for breakfast!"

Janice...the sweetest girl Jake ever met. Every morning she would come out and feed all of the clydesdale's their morning feed...but she always gave him a treat or an apple to go with the food; she spent time with him...made him feel special. Summer was winding to a close, the days became cool and short with the change of the seasons coming; Jake was a little worried about the change after moving into his new home, but Janice knew just how to make him feel better...even if he did feel a little childish when she would play games with him. Not that he minded...he always enjoyed the training a lot more than he had in his youth, it was a chance to push himself and do his best to impress, and she just made it all feel like a fun game.

A quick shake of the head to adjust his mane a little and a snort of displeasure caught her attention, heading over to his stall with a happy look on her face as always...

"There's my big man!" She said with a slight southern accent, hiding something behind her back as she entered his big stall.

This morning was a little different than others...the whole team had left without him to do something with that cart and took Moe with them, now all alone...he wondered when Janice would find him; or perhaps the team would return and explain what was going on, it was his first year in the stalls with the best of the best of course...

A big bucket of apples took his attention out of his thoughts and back to the sandy blond human in dark blue overalls.

"Well, you gonna keep looking at me or are ya gonna eat up?"

Jake let out a happy nicker and gladly bit into a cluster of the apples.

"Sorry for being a little late, buddy...big day for all of us. Do you know what's going on today?" She asked him, crouching down and rubbing him behind the ear.

No..

"...Well it's like this, every year, the A-team here gets dressed to the nines to film the commercial for the superbowl. That puts a lot of pressure on you guys...so I told them to give you one more year, let you settle in with the crew before you toss you into this mess."

The big game...that's what the human in the suit said all the time. The day where everyone proved themselves to be more than just horses; the day to prove you would be a real Clydesdale. This superbowl had to be that day, whatever it meant to the humans, it meant a lot more to the farmers, and the other horses on the odd plot of land...

"Hold on hold on...What's a human?"

Jake looked up and blinked in confusion, thinking about his answer for a moment...

"Tall..hairless...like an ape but skinny and wearing clothes all the time...anyway..."

The sun was going down before Captain and the other finally made it back, everyone looked tired, heads low or walk dragging until they made it to their stalls, falling asleep before Jake could stop any of them...

The grey face of Captain walked by and gave a smile to Jake as he entered the stall adjacent.

"What happened?" He asked quietly.

"The shoot went great...poor Duke was hitting a snag in his harness that made it hard to walk, but Dennis fixed it as he always does..."

Jake had an entire day to form his opinions of this...his friends were gone all day! And they come back looking exhausted..Moe was still yet to be seen. Jake let out a long sigh and stomped his anxiousness into the hay at his hooves.

"It's not right...you guys were run ragged! I don't want to do something for them that hurts me...what if Duke tripped and broke his leg? Or worse!"

Captain was too tired to quell his friend...already on the ground and sleeping with the warm wash of sunset light over him relaxing his whole body. Jake poked his head over and huffed angrily...he had thoughts of leaving before, but now he was sure in his thinking..this wasn't the life for him...trapped and pampered, only to work to the point of exhaustion once a year...

This wasn't the life he wanted; to exercise without jumping through hoops or over low fences, to work without being worked to death...that was his goal, now more than ever...to be normal.

"I gotta find Moe..and get the heck out of here.."

"I wanted to leave and he told me to stay, I begged for him to come with me but...I said things I'm not proud to repeat, I even kicked the crap out of the cart they wanted me to pull, Captain was so angry...I wonder if he misses me.......I wonder what Moe is doing right now."

Lovestruck heard noises that Jake missed in his story telling...his brothers had arrived...and he felt a wave of panic wash over him.

"Listen...you should really get out of here...get back to your friends n' stuff..." He said, jumping up and looking around to see if any of them had entered the chamber already. Sure enough, bright blue glare staring down from the ceiling just over Jake, was Loveless...and soon entering was Loveblind...the Love brothers was a force...or club...to be feared..

"What? What's wrong?" Jake asked, standing up and looking around, the darkness covering any trace of movement.

Lovestruck quickly hissed a few commands and the two looked at him in confusion, backing up a little but sticking to their target...

"Look, just...this isn't the place for a guy like you, you need to run!"

Lovestruck was a born hunter..but he felt sympathy for this lost pony, he knew what it felt like to be shoved into a world he didn't belong in; he was thankful for his brothers everyday...he wouldn't want to be separated from them for anything. Moe might be a dog..and Captain might not even exist, but to him, they were as real as the sun and moon...and his love for them made his stomach growl. So he quickly shoved at Jake's leg and hissed, scaring him out of the cave and letting him get a good look at his brothers when they dropped down, hissing just like he is.

Eyes widening at how silently they figures entered, he took off, expecting to be followed by his new friend...but when he looked back, nothing came after him. Running in the caves for what felt like forever, he finally saw the entrance and light of day...a new resolve filled his mind, he knew what he wanted; the ruins were a waste of time...he just wanted to go home...

I gotta find them...I need to see Celestia..

_ _

The two changelings dropped from the ceiling and hissed in contempt of their leader. Good effect to scare off the giant...

"Why let him get away?!" Loveless asked in fury.

"He's a lost pony who doesn't belong here..." Lovestruck quickly regained his composure and huffed dramatically to show his distaste. "I wasn't about to touch something from Mother knows where!" He lied..

Soon, heavy footsteps came from the entrance to the hideaway, the three turning around in a blink to see the glare of their overwatcher...the adult in charge of a hatch group and solely responsibly for the health of the hatchlings.

"I thought I told you three to stay in the nursery..." He said with disappointment seeping from his tone.

We're in for it now...

Author's Note:

I learned things about burds...

That is all...

Cute little changeling kids being nice...

Comments

[AllTheAmendments]

Wait, what gave you the inspiration for this? Do ya work there?

[Ocean Heart]

4590373 Nope, though I think it would be a fun. The inspiration came from a lack of stories about real horses...it just struck me as odd and when I wanted to do something different, this big lug stuck out the most.

[AllTheAmendments]

4590444 quite the inspiration story. Its a BEAUTIFUL story though. Methinks the story's universe can expand on.

[Ocean Heart]

4591056 Thats what I started with the most recent chapter I'm delving into the past so I can show how much it is an impossible decision he has to make. Thanks for compliment and the motivation