//------------------------------// // Ease Back, Filly // Story: Rarity's Colt: A New Life // by Mocha Star //------------------------------// Snickers reached the main floor and was beset upon by a beast that would have struck fear in the hearts of those around him a day before, instead there were happy giggles and jovial laughter from around him as Pup and Snickers playfully wrestled and rolled for dominance in a mock fight that the colt won. There was cheering and stomping of hooves at his victory and in a surprise move, Pup’s eyes dimmed to black and she fell limp with her tongue hanging out of her mouth. Snickers tapped Pup’s nose with his hoof. “” Pup’s eyes brightened and she barked at him once, then licked across Snickers’s face and a more expected event happened; Rarity stood on her hind legs and dramatically fell back onto a fainting couch that was just pulled into place by her own magic. Diamond Tiara laughed at the colt’s expression and the sight of steaks of sap matting the fur where the tongue touched. “Pup! Ya stop that right now or Ah’ll give ya a reason ta whimper later on,” Apple Bloom shouted and shoved Snickers off Pup. “And as fer you,” she pointed at a streak of sap on the colt’s face, “we all just spent fifteen minutes gettin’ ya all spiffed up, and the first thing ya do is get inta a fight that ends with yer mane all messy, ya got a knot in yer tail, and ya made yer mama straight up an’ faint.” Rarity peeked her eye open to watch the events and a small smile pulled at her lips when she saw Pup push her small body between the ponies and bark at them both. It was a heartwarming sight to see such a typically vicious predator acting as a mediator, of sorts, to two foals bickering. Silver Spoon ran into the room sweating lightly across her head and breathing heavily. “Snickers?! I heard that thing and came running, you’re not hurt, are you?” She said with wild eyes that darted between the ponies in the room and landed on Rarity. “Oh, no! It attacked Rarity and we’re next? Help me, my stallion, keep me safe,” she exclaimed dramatically and feigned fainting to her side.  Snickers looked at Apple Bloom and shook his head. “Pup,” he looked down and winked, “go check if she’s okay.” They shared a moment and then Pup ran to the filly lying down and snuffled at her; the others watched as Silver Spoon stiffened and her ears moved to follow the wolf’s location around her body. Pup opened her mouth and a set of thorns in place of canines flicked into place like a snakes and with playful care, Pup nibbled on Silver’s foreleg. “Eek! It’s gonna eat me for real,” Silver shrieked and galloped to Snickers, hiding behind him. “Please, I’m too young and pretty to die.” “Oh, get over it,” Snickers said to the grey filly and tapped the floor beside himself. “” Pup’s ears twitched and she returned to Snickers’s side. A feeling of contentment tingled in Snickers’s chest and he smiled at his pet. “Do you have to speak in , Snickers?” Diamond Tiara asked. “” he replied to Diamond Tiara. “Woah, did you just talk in that weird language, Diamond?” Scootaloo asked. “Yeah, he’s been teaching me for a couple days now. It’s really easy, if you’re even a little smart, that is.” “Hey, you might be my , but you aren’t allowed to talk like that to Scootaloo, got it?” “Whatever,” Diamond said with a smirk at their multilingual banter, “she’s not even my kind of mare, so whatever. And don’t tell me what to do, , you’re not even mare enough to handle me.” Snickers snickered. “Okay, what you just said was ‘chicken pencil’, but you mean ‘’, I think. Second, I get that you’re into mares, but you’ve said that word, like, fifty times today. Are you sure you only like mares? Because it sounds like you’re kinda insecure about it; we’re not gonna think any less of you for being bisexual. Right, everypony?” Rarity rolled to her hooves. “Indeed, as we all know; as long as you’re happy, your lover doesn’t matter. Why, take Isabelle and Grint Westwood. A cow and a gryphon couple that are as adorable as any two ponies, if I have anything to say about it.” “Hey! He asked me a question, and I’m totally into mares and I totally don’t think he’s cute or kinda sexy at all, so don’t even think I’d be willing to do anything to try something with him to see what it’s like, okay?!” The room was deathly silent and only Pup’s panting was audible. Scootaloo slapped her forehoof to her head. “Why is it always Snickers?! Seriously, dude,” she looked incredulously at the brown colt, “is it your mane? Your eyes? The fact you can be a total jerk but make friends with everypony you meet?” Silver Spoon pulled his face to meet hers. “That last one, my prince,” she said and kissed him. Snickers pulled back and noticed Silver made a point to drag her forehoof across his muzzle and swiped at his nose, just missing as he leaned back. “Hey, I’m not a total jerk anymore, right?” He sniffed the aroma on his muzzle and his eyes unfocused for a second. “Darn it,” he grumbled and bent down to Pup. Pup sniffed at Snickers, then his cheek, then barked happily, seeing this as an invitation by the other female to help grow the pack. An impression struck her and she was compelled to lick the spot that Silver had marked Snickers with her scent. “Hey, dumb wolf! That’s my gift to him, not yours,” Silver shouted and tried to run around Snickers to strike at Pup, but was held in the air by Rarity’s magic.  “Now, now. None of that in my shop and home, young mare. I’d like it if you could go to Sugarcube Corner and gather Kiwe, it’s approaching supper time and he’s been quite insistent on feeding our family a decent meal; especially since our little survivor here is home. I would dearly appreciate it, Silver Spoon, if you’d try a bit less with attempting to woo my little prince and actually attempted to earn his affection, as well.” Silver Spoon slumped in the magical aura and sighed. “But, what if he chooses somepony else? What if he gets over me?” “I was never that into you,” Snickers mumbled. “Yeah, but she wants you to be,” Scootaloo and Diamond said in unison, then shared a hoof bump. “Nice.” Silver Spoon pouted at Snickers. “You don’t want me, or even kinda find me attractive?” Snickers rocked his head from side to side in obvious thought. “Do I have to be honest?” “...Yes!” “Can we talk about this in private?” Snickers asked. “Oh, no way I’m gonna miss this,” Diamond Tiara stated. “She’ll tell us anyway, or maybe even you will; so spill the feels, sappy stuff is hilarious.” “Cram it in your foal hole, you walking douche advertisement!” “Snickers?!” Rarity condemned his entire statement with a single look that deflated the colt. “Sorry, mom! I didn’t mean it, it just slipped out.” “That’s not all that’s gonna slip out.” Rarity turned her hostile attention to Diamond Tiara. “Diamond Tiara, one more comment from you of any sexual nature, and I’ll have you banned from my boutique and home for the next two days. Am, I, understood?” Diamond snerked, but nodded. “Sure thing, won’t hear another joke slip from my mouth. Ugh, excuse me while I wet my lips; they get dry sometimes and a little lick--”  Rarity pointed to the door. “Out! I will have none of your sass, young lady, and it’s not conducive to the resolution of this conversation.” “Wait, mom! Can’t you just, like… I dunno, sew her lips shut?” Snickers offered. “All of them would be welcome.” “And as for you, young stallion; no more encouraging this,” she gestured to the fillies around the room, “nonsense! Feelings are going to be hurt and friendships will become frayed, if not broken altogether, if you keep being so contrary and blase about all this. Diamond Tiara, you can wait until we’ve finished this moment, then I kindly ask that you leave without any fuss until at least sunset tomorrow.” Diamond shrugged, finally taking a more serious demeanor while staying silent. “Now, Snickers, would you kindly answer Silver Spoon’s question?” Sweetie stood beside Snickers and Apple Bloom stood by his other side for support. “Fine, there are some things I like about you. I like how honest you are and how you smell when you get close. I like your voice and when you’re just being normal around me and playing and having fun.  “I don’t like when you’re all sexual at me and rubbing your pussy juice on my face,” Rarity frowned at his choice of words, but he ignored it, “I don’t like you talking about my future sexual performance with you. I really don’t like how you keep trying to get me to love you by being bossy and telling me, and everypony, what I’m going to do to you our first time, like it’s going to happen for sure.  “I don’t like when you tell me and everypony when it’s going to happen and then act like I’m going to get you pregnant and we’ll never be apart again, with you as the alpha mare in a herd you’re gonna choose who’s in. Can you please try to remember that I’m an adult of a different race, stuck in the body of a creature I’ve only barely heard a story or two about. “Not only that, but I’m a child on top of it all here, so all this pushy sex stuff is really…” he looked at the interested looks he was getting, “uncomfortable. I mean, I like it; to a point. But, when it’s all that I get from some ponies, it’s just too much sometimes and I just wanna run away and hide from it all.” Snickers sat down and crossed his forelegs over his chest. “I mean, I can’t go a single day without some filly talking about me like I’m the last fry in the basket or the last pancake at breakfast. Every part of me is on display and every filly comments on my body, but none of them want to know anything about me, the pony. I’m surrounded by everything I want and ever needed.  “I’m home after a long time lost and thinking I was gonna die a hundred different ways, but I feel so alone right now. Am I really just a body to you, Silver Spoon? Some thing to give you what you want... like your own personal Mr. Ed? Is that all I am in pony society?” Rarity’s eyes welled with tears and she watched as everypony surrounded Snickers in a hug. “Oh, my word,” she said watching the sullen colt, “is that truly how society has come to see males? Have we gone full circle and are back to those horrific days of our past mistakes?” Hoofsteps entered the room and Rarity looked back to see her five friends, and Spike riding on Twilight’s back. “Ah rightly don’t know, Rarity, but if we are, then we’re headin’ fer a bad wake up.” “No, we can still change things,” Twilight said looking at Rarity with compassion, “there has to be a way to find out if other stallions feel the same way.” Fluttershy stepped forward and ruffled her wings before pulling them tight to her sides before speaking softly. “I… might know a few stallions that can answer, but knowing what may be happening… I really don’t feel I should see them at the moment, given the topic and subject matter.” Rainbow Dash took wing and hovered in the air. “Okay, so we take a census or have a blind Q and A session where colts and stallions are asked their feelings but they aren’t logged or even seen, like through a curtain or something, and we get honest answers that way. We can also try to use the Marecomtic method to determine the nationwide answers by asking seven percent of random colts and stallions in each city with over four thousand residents. “The stallions have to be asked the same questions, less than seven questions, and once we have the results from the nation we apply that to the overall stallion population worldwide and then, boom, we have the resulting numbers in percentages with a four percent margin of error… but that was based on a margin from seventy years ago and based on…”  Rainbow blinked and noticed she was tapping her hoof on her chin and standing between the groups with all attention on her. “Uh, I mean…” she looked side to side and felt herself growing anxious. The desire to hide atop a cloud and pretend to nap was increasing with each second that passed. Twilight stepped forward. “Well, thank you for remembering the lesson on statistics I gave, I thought you weren’t paying any attention, but it seems like you weren’t just doodling in your binder, were you?” Rainbow stared at Twilight and caught the slightest nudge of her friend’s head. “O-oh, yeah! The lecture you were practicing with me… about that math stuff and all that! I was listening, like a good friend should… because that’s what I am, a good friend that listens to her friend when she lectures about boring egghead stuff.” Rainbow flapped her wings and lazily flew around her group of friends. “Yeah, there’s no way I’d know that boring stuff otherwise. I’ll probably forget it by tomorrow, now that I got it all out of my brains and stuff. So, we can use that whatever stuff Twilight told me about to get the numbers, then we’ll be made in the shade. Oh yeah, Silver Spoon… stop trying to fuck my little spunk machine or I’ll have to shut you down.” Applejack bit Rainbow’s tail and yanked, hard. With a loud thud, Rainbow landed on the floor and the reverberations were felt by them all, as well as a quiet rattling sound from the wall shelving. “Rainbow Dash, what did Ah tell ya about cussin’ around them foals?” “Ow,” Rainbow groaned from the floor as she forced herself up. “AJ, why’re you so rough? You nearly dislocated my shoulder that time?” Applejack’s expression softened and she stopped herself from taking a step closer. “Ah’m sorry, but Ah asked you a question.” “...That if I kept doing it you’d give me the silent treatment for a whole day,” Rainbow said, rubbing her left foreleg.   Applejack stepped in and looked at Rainbow’s foreleg, taking it in her own and lifting it. “How’s that, Sugarcube? Ah didn’t hurt ya too bad, did I?” They shared a look and were close enough to feel their breath against one another’s muzzles. “Nah, it’ll take more than that to keep me down. Why, I’m as tough as an apple tree… I reckon.” “Gross!” Apple Bloom shouted. “Don’t get like that in front ‘a me, Ah don’t wanna see my sis kissin’ nopony.” The mares leaned back and every other mare’s hopes were deflated like a balloon letting its air out. “Aww,” was the consensus from them all. “Shoot, so close,” Pinkie said.  “Well,” Fluttershy said quietly, “I thought it was a nice moment.” “Excuse me,” Silver Spoon spoke up, “can we focus on Snickers, the real problem here? Oh, I’m so sorry; I didn’t mean problem-problem, I mean that--” Snickers touched his hoof to lips, his lime green eyes meeting hers for a brief instant before they blinked. “That’s the young mare I like,” he said and glanced at Scootaloo, knowing she’d be the one that got away for a while, but if he waited he might just have a chance in the future. Silver Spoon leaned back from his hoof so she could speak and placed a forehoof on his chest. “Snickers, if you want me to love you for you, then I’ll do that. And, like, I’ll stop trying to get you to be my first so much… but, it’s gonna be hard not to try.” “I understand, but we’re all here together, and we can help each other however we need it, right?” Everypony nodded. Pinkie hopped in place to get the attention. “Oh, Snickers and his herd! There’s a reason we weren’t here a little bit ago, and Rarity doesn’t know either. There’s a special guest that wants to meet you and is super excited to see you.” The door opened again and the first thing Snickers felt was an intangible power press all over his body, as though he were near a fusion reactor during start-up. A horn came into view and it didn’t seem to stop in length until the pony it was attached to entered the room. Princess Celestia moved to stand beside Twilight and, the whole while, didn’t stop staring at Snickers, her mouth slightly agape. “Princess, this young colt is Snickers. He’s the one I’ve been telling you about and he was the one in the pictures I sent you last night.” Snickers stared back at the being radiating loving warmth that permeated his entire body, and he smiled slowly at the alicorn. “Your mouth’s open, trying to catch a fly?” All the ponies gasped and Celestia’s mouth closed with a clack of her teeth. Rarity inhaled, ready to scold him again, but a white blur shot past her and Snickers glowed, surrounded by a golden aura that picked him up. Terror clutched everypony’s hearts as they thought, for a split second, that Celestia was about to punish the colt. Instead, Celestia wrapped him in a hug with forelegs and wings, her eyes began to release warm tears, and she spoke in a shaking voice as she collapsed to her knees and pressed her nose into his mane and inhaled deeply. “Aequalis, it is you! Oh, Sweet Mother on High, it really is.”