A Game of Homes.

by Lethrael

Feed when you hungers.

Feed, when you hungers.

Curryfeather's days were far from varied or with so much friends, as her foals days were. Nopony who talked to her, nopony who comforted her, and no friend who visited her. Only her own malicious reflection, who had just see after her as Scootaloos letter had arrived a few days ago. Thankfully Curryfeather had the clock, which her other self had brought in the room. But was the awareness of the slowly going of time really a thing to be thankful about? The mare turned away from the clock, looked around in the empty room and to the cloudwalls. At first she had cried out for help, or had hit the bars with her hooves, or had created other sounds, but it seemed, that nothing sounded out of the room. Even her reflection didn't mention the quarrels she had made. The cold inside of her deafened everything, though the small warmth out of Scootaloo's letter reminded her to be hungry and she shouted out for her other self. But she didn't respond. She returned late at night, or early in the morning, Curryfeather couldn't say when exactly. But she didn't come back, because of her worries about her prisoner, only to appease her own hunger.

“Hello there, Curryfeather.

Your foal hadn't send a letter today.

But I'm hungry and have to feed on your love.”

The mare in the cage looked at her mournfully and her stomach growled. She was hungry too. Her reflection nodded and raised a hoof.

“I will feed you, you shouldn't simply starve out, right?”

The cold hoof touched her face and over her coat ran a goose flesh. The cold inside of her answered with a wave and even the warmth in the letter wasn't able to protect her this time.

Everything darkened as something inside of her faded away. Curryfeather saw an image for her inner eyes. A grey pegasus mare with a yellow mane and a mailmare uniform came in her mind.

“One is happy to be of service...”

This words sounded shortly in her, but the image and the voice shattered and the fragments were leaving her. The cold came back and flew through her veins. Tears were streaming warm over her cold face. Curryfeather forced gaping the warm air in herself, but it didn't help. She pressed Scootaloos letter against her chest, but the warmth in it was just like a candle in a dark night. Like a shadow of warmth in the darkness of her emptiness.

“Ah, Derpy.

I know her from a few others...”

The hoof lost her hold and she found herself back sitting in the cage. Her wings trembled out of her will and the cold bled out into the warmth around her. She pressed Scootaloos letter tighter against herself with both hooves. But it warmth faded away it couldn't stand up against the stronger cold much longer.

Her other self fluttered out of the room and returned with a slice of bread and a shrivelled apple. She threw it on the ground in hoof reach and smiled gently down to her.

“Today you have got a few letters, who are wishing you a quick recovering.

And I guess your sister has brought you soup.

It tastes a little bit strange, but...”

The Curryfeather on the outside interrupted herself, as her caged counterpart tried to get the bread. She picked it up and passed the feed into the cage. Her smiled looked even real, as the famished prisoner started to devour the small amount of food.

“Thanks...reflection.”

This hushed thank came out of her mouth and 24601 froze for a moment. His look was a little bit gentler for a few seconds and he shook his head resolute.

“I believe you misunderstand me, Curryfeather.

I'm not interested to see you starving out.

I know quite well, what it means to be really hungry.”

The scared look from her eyes reflected his real face and he lifted a black hoof. He inspected it interested and stretched himself.

“Yes, this is my real me.”

He changed back to her reflection and moved closer.

“But you will see this, whenever I will accompany you, Curryfeather.”

The pegasus mare raised her head and licked her dry lips.

“Would you please bring me a bottle of water and more to eat?”

Her reflection sighed and rolled her eyes. However she fetched it. This time she had even put jelly on the bread and brought a bottle of juice in addition to the water. She sat down in front of her and watched her pensive, as she ate up. As Curryfeather had finished she glanced at her reflection and saw it, she didn't hover, but was able to walk on clouds instead.

“This time your love has faded away.

Is it really just because of your foal's letters, Curryfeather?”

The mare floored the bottle of water and glanced again to her other self. She breathed out clouds, as she started to speak up and her hole body trembled.

“I don't know.

But what's your plan?”

Her counterpart smiled and shook her head. She strutted around in the room, eyed up her foal's cloud bed, grabbed the blanket and waved it to Curryfeather. As soon as the cloud hovered through the bars, they frayed out and flew through the mare, without any sort of hindering from her. They took away much of the cold inside of her, as would they carry a reminder of warmth inside. Curryfeather looked sadly past the cloud, as it drifted out of the cage. As it had leave behind the bars, it started to rain hard and disappeared quickly. Her counterpart looked interested and as nothing else happened, he laid down in front of Curryfeather again.

“I'm not here to answer your questions.
Tell me about your duty in Cloudsdale!

You are a chef, but much more than just this,
many ponies are visiting your diner and arouse the love inside of you,

or strengthen their own love.

What kind of magic is that?”

Curryfeather looked at her tantaliser for a long time, she wasn't sure how she had to answer. The cold decayed for a moment, as she reminded herself to the Curryparadise and her many guests. She stood up and smiled.

“These are my friends and they want to hear from me,

how they're able to be better ponies for their friends...”

She interrupted herself and extended her wings, as the warmth returned. Her reflection raised too and gazed at her. The love was grown inside of her simply because of this statement. This mare was.

“Unique, 24601.

Take her, or her foal. But don't kill her. Keep both of them nearby.”

He remembered the hoggish expression from the queen and gulped. Now he could see it easily. This mare was able to get love in this terrible circumstances, just because she thought about her friend. This was...

“And I try to solve their problems, too.”

He had to ask just one question.

“I see.

But who helps you out with your problems?”

This question stroke something inside of her, but like a few days ago, the string was droopy and the emptiness sent out a wave of cold through her body. It exhausted all warmth, who was inside of her, replaced it with ice and her reflection sighed. She wasn't so unique at all. This love was just a flash in the pan and collapsed right now.

“You're so weak, Curryfeather.

I hope your foal would write a letter soon.

Till then I'm just leaving behind a question.

Why were you helping so many ponies in the first place?”

The cold hoof stroked almost gently over her face, awoke a new wave of cold and backed down. Curryfeather stayed back in the room and buried her face in her hooves.

Her thoughts rushed in her head, and one question sounded in her ears.

“Why do I like to help ponies?”

A warm voice well known like her own raised in her memory.

“You know, Fire, sorry, Curryfeather.

I have always liked seeing you,when you help your friends out.

You know all the times how you should help them.
I'm proud of you.

But you have to listen to yourself more often and let others help you too.

Her own wings wiped away a tear from her eye and she saw a mare in a bed.

She smiled to her very gently.

“I...will try.”

Her mum raised a trembling hoof, the orange coat, reminded her to her foals coat. Her eyes, pink, like her little sisters, starred at her.

“No, please find somepony, who loves you and helps you, when I'm gone, child.”

Again her eyes were filled with tears, but a weak wing fondled gently over her mane, as Mum always did.

This memory didn't answer her question, but she wasn't eager to dig deeper now. The cold snapped her back into reality and she covered her trembling body with her horrent wings. The warmth in the letter died and she let it go. It glided slowly out of the cage and landed on the floor with the lines from her daughter on the top. From there it started to get warm again and sent the little bit of warmth slowly to Curryfeather. It caressed over her cold body like gentle hooves.

“So I have to release her and the warmth returns.”

She murmured and shivered heavily. But the warmth helped her to slowly drift off.

Author's Note:

Again we learn something about the Changeling,
who had imprisoned Curryfeather.
And why he had took her in the first time.
It was an order.
Enjoy my work.