Jake and the kid

by peter

Ch20 The Camping Trip part two [edited]

Princess Celestia was diligently going over her early morning correspondence, hoping to clear her desk enough to justify taking a small cake break before the morning audiences. For the same reason, she was also doing her best to ignore Papercut who had been dithering out in the hallway for the last five minutes. When it became obvious that her secretary was going to neither come in or go away, Celestia gave a sigh and let her quill settle down on her desk. “Do you have something to tell me, Papercut,” she asked the empty frame of her office door.

The sound of hooves shuffling in the hallway stilled, and a few seconds later her secretary crept into view. Celestia quirked an interrogatory eyebrow. Inside, she was wondering what in Equestria had her normally unflappable secretary in such a dither?

It couldn’t be anything like a Changeling invasion, or something similar. Papercut would have shown no hesitation in announcing that. And even if she did, the Royal Guards would have already filled the room with a protective detail.

No, it was likely something inconsequential, but which Papercut felt would annoy Celestia. The latest idiocy from the Senate or Prince Blueblood might normally fit the description, except her secretary had never shown such hesitation over previous incidents featuring those worthies. So, by a process of elimination. “What has Luna done?” she asked.

Several minutes later Princess Celestia stood in the main concourse of the palace, staring at the wall above the main entrance. A vein was visibly throbbing in her forehead.

“Princess Luna said it was a shame that so much artwork was hidden away in dusty old galleries nopony ever visited and that we should rotate them with the ones on public display that nopony ever pays any attention to because they’ve seen them a thousand times. Artwork should make a pony think,” Papercut babbled.

“I see!” said Celestia, thinking of fire. The mural was officially titled Celestia Among the Flowers, portraying the Princess of the Sun lying regally on a hillside among a number of young fillies and colts. It also, due to the artist not being very good at eyes, been very unofficially titled among ponies who would have rather died than admit it, with a rather different name. If not for her exceptional hearing, and a guard explaining the artwork to a stunned new cadet centuries ago, she would have never known its unofficial title was Molestia Among The Foals.

“Could you please arrange a meeting with the head of the Canterlot Weather Patrol, Papercut? It has come to my attention that a certain area is unusually dry for this time of year and could use a good soaking.”

As she walked back to her office the various ponies she passed did their best not to notice her mumbling to herself. “You want to rough it, Luna! I’ll show you roughing it!”

“But I need that!” Twilight said, attempting to project calm assurance, but flushing bright red as she heard the distinct whine in her voice.

“Really, a treatise on Saddle Arabian architecture, with an addendum detailing the development of royal desert tents?” Luna asked with a quirked eyebrow.

“I thought some information on tents would be useful on a camping trip,” Twilight said while shuffling her hoof like a school filly called up in front of the teacher.

“Hast thou ever seen a Saddle Arabian royal tent? Believe me, Twilight Sparkle. They have as much relationship to the sort of roughing it we are preparing for as Canterlot Castle has to one of your friend Applejack’s outbuildings. Meaning no insult to your friend or her building. They are both admirable and functional, as should be the gear we utilize on our camping trip.”

“How about the waffle iron, Princess Luna?” Spike asked, holding up the item in question for inspection.

Luna considered the implement. “We are supposed to be roughing it,” she hedged, but her expression showed she was reluctant to out-and-out ban the tool.

“But this is a camping waffle iron,” Spike wheedled. “You heat it in the campfire. We could garnish them with wild berries we pick ourselves and freshly ground gems. For me, I mean.”

“You make a most excellent point! Very well, we will take the waffling iron,” Luna decreed. She floated the object in question over to a very small pile to the left of where she was standing. Directly in front of her was another small pile containing the remains of what Twilight had picked out as absolutely necessary for a camping trip. To the right was a massive heap about five feet tall and ten feet across consisting of items that Luna and Spike had rejected.

Twilight could not help but let out a little whimper of dismay as she contemplated everything she was leaving behind. As Twilight’s designated pack mule, Spike had little sympathy for her disappointment. It was her own fault for attempting to pack pretty much the entire library, as well as the contents of one rapid trip through the sporting goods and camping department of Rich’s Bargain Barn emporium, with Princess Luna’s royal charge card burning a hole in her saddlebag, and a massive checklist. Truthfully, he was a little gleeful that the Princess was here to keep Twilight’s enthusiasm in check. He could get used to being treated with a little more respect, instead of like a baby all the time. Unlike Twilight, he had kept his packing to a bare minimum: some gems, a bottle of his scale polish, and his blankey.

“What about this, Princess Luna?” a voice asked from behind the small middle pile. A moment later the piebald end of a small pinto colt came into view as Pipsqueak dragged out a gleaming metal and glass construct that was half again his size.

The small colt had been a bit of a surprise to Twilight when he had shown up a little earlier with nothing but a bedroll on his back, eager to accompany Princess Luna on her camping trip.

It seemed that after Princess Luna had lowered the moon, she had extended an invitation to Pipsqueak. He had dashed off to get permission from his foster home, as well as a ground cloth and bedroll, almost before Luna had finished speaking.

“Well, this requires little thought! Such an obvious bit of decadent modern living has no place on an activity devoted to living off the land as our distant ancestors did,” Luna exclaimed, plucking the device from Pipsqueak’s hooves and levitating it toward the discard pile.

“It’s a coffee maker,” Spike said in a nonchalant manner. The small dragon casually lifted his hand and started counting down the seconds with his claws. He didn’t even get to his second claw before the floating device reversed course and moved over to the essential pile.

A few minutes later, the selection process was finished. The selected items were packed away in Luna and Twilight’s saddlebags of holding, and the party of four left the library. Twilight dragging her hooves and continuing to look back longingly at the things they were leaving behind. They had barely gone ten feet, when Twilight suddenly blurted out, “I left the tap running in the kitchen.” She made a lighting-fast dart back inside and while looking guiltily over her shoulder stuffed the Saddle Arabian book into her saddlebags, just in case.

“We shall gather up thy compatriots, Twilight Sparkle, and proceed from there to gather up our wayward foals at thy friend Applejack’s. From there we will continue on to our glorious adventure in the great out-of-doors!” Luna said as she practically pranced down the street, almost a mirror image of Pipsqueak, who was at her side, in terms of her exuberance.

“Truly, I would very much love to accompany you on your camping trip, Twilight, dear. But I simply must complete a new garment for Curry. Truthfully, it is simply giving me fits,” Rarity apologized. There was a manic air around the fashion maven, along with several floating measuring tapes and other tools of her trade as she bent over a piece of rapidly changing cloth. Twilight was used to standing back a pace or seven during Rarity's creative bursts, and this looked like an eight-pace day.

Twilight had no doubt that if she insisted, Rarity would accompany them, but it was not as if the fate of Equestria depended on her presence. “I understand, Rarity. I’ll miss you. I’m sure Curry will love whatever you make for her.”

“That, my dear, is the problem. You have no idea how draining it is to create for someone who has no comprehension of appearance or style. Still. One must persevere. When the time comes for Curry to meet Princess Celestia and be presented at court, she will be attired properly. This! I promise!”

“O... kay,” Twilight said, taking a step backward. “I’ll leave you to it then.” She was talking to a closed door by the time she finished, Rarity having withdrawn into her sanctum sanctorum to continue working her own personal brand of magic.

Twilight turned to leave and heard the door open up behind her. “Do have a most wonderful time, dear. I personally am not inclined in that direction myself, but I’m sure you and the Princess will be very happy together,” Rarity said, a spark of mischief in her eye.

“Oooh, that Rainbow Dash,” Twilight fumed. She turned while speaking, “The Princess and I are not...” Twilight trailed off as she realized she was again talking to a piece of wood.

A moment later, Rarity’s door opened yet again, and the fashion maven stuck her head back out like some foals toy. Only this time she wasn’t looking at Twilight, she was staring at Spike, while the fires of inspiration danced in her eyes. “Spikey Wikey, would you be willing to do me the teeniest little favor?”

Spike’s spikes stood up straight all along his spine, and he became totally focused on the gorgeous unicorn standing in front of him. “You know I’d do anything for you Rarity. Anything!” he gushed.

“Oh, you are such a dear. I am having the most dreadful time getting my mind around designing clothes for a somepony who walks around on two legs. Last time I had Curry right there for a reference, but I just can’t seem to do it without that inspiration. I’ll come up with the most fabulous idea, and then realize it only works if the model has four legs. It would be ever so much help if you could model for me.”

“But I don’t look anything like Curry!” Spike protested. “But if you think it will help I’m there for you!” he quickly added before Rarity could get the idea he was rejecting her.

“Oh, how marvelous! You don’t mind do you, Twilight?”

“We—” Twilight started to say, only to be cut off mid-word.

“Oh, thank you. You’re such a dear. Spike will be ever so much help. I promise I’ll take good care of him while he’s helping me.” Rarity enveloped Spike in her magic field and whisked him into the shop, shutting the door firmly behind him, only just barely missed catching the tip of his tail in the process.

Twilight stared in befuddlement at the door, wondering what had just happened. She didn’t believe for a minute that Rarity really needed Spike’s help as a bipedal model. This was just another blatant move to throw her and Princess Luna together. She stomped away from the Carousel Boutique, wondering just how many ponies Rainbow Dash had spread her misinformation too. The ponies she was passing in the street didn’t seem any different than normal. Maybe Rarity was the only one? What on earth was that pony thinking? She would never have pegged Rainbow as that sort of gossip. She thought she’d left those type of ponies behind in Canterlot. Twilight couldn’t help but be disappointed in her friend.

“I tell you Fluttershy, Twilight will thank us for this,” Rainbow reassured her oldest friend.

“I don’t know, Rainbow Dash. What if Twilight really needs our help?”

“She’s going on a camping trip. With Princess Luna! Heck, it's not even way out in the wilderness. I saw the ponies from the castle setting up over in the old campgrounds just outside town. She’s only going to be a ten-minute trot from Sugar Cube Corner. How much help could she possibly need?” Rainbow looked thoughtful for a minute, and then added with a lecherous wink, “Well, there is that sort of help, but I don’t think either of them are ready to take their relationship that far yet.”

Fluttershy blinked at her friend in puzzlement, Rainbow Dash’s innuendo going right over her head, as usual. Long practice dealing with her friend allowed Fluttershy to simply ignore her when she made those sort of comments, and soldier on with her main point. “I just don’t feel right. Telling Twilight I’m too busy to help her with something so simple. And, she’s going to have Curry with her. Curry is my responsibility.” Fluttershy’s voice became almost firm as she said the last little bit.

“Look, Fluttershy! Twilight is a nerd, a geek. She thinks way too much. She’s convinced herself that there is nothing between her and Princess Luna. If we don’t do something serious she’s going to let this chance slip right through her hooves!”

“Maybe she’s right. Maybe there isn’t anything between them,” Fluttershy whispered.

“You didn’t see the way they were looking at each other. Take it from an expert, those two have it bad.”

“But, Rainbow Dash, you don’t have a coltfriend, or a marefriend, for that matter. How did you become such an expert?”

Rainbow Dash flushed and rubbed the back of her head with a hoof as she said, “Look trust me. I know what it’s like to not go for it.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she added, “I won’t let Twilight make the same mistake I did.”

“I understand,” Fluttershy said, enveloping Rainbow Dash in a warm soft hug.

The multicolored pony stiffened, a look of panic on her face for a moment, but after a second she relaxed into Fluttershy’s embrace. “You do?”

“Of course. And I just know that someday you’ll tell your ‘friend’ how you feel.”

Rainbow sagged slightly. “Yeah, someday,” she whispered.

“Okay. I’ll do it,” Fluttershy said firmly. “I’ll help you give Twilight and Princess Luna the chance to see if they really have those sort of feelings.”

“Wheeeeee!” Pinkie Pie cried out as she swung over Mane Street, her teeth and hooves clamped tight to a streamer of flags. Her cry of delight was cut short when her swing left her hanging in the air, her hoof a fraction of inch from her target roof. She strained with all her might, defying gravity to do so, but in the end, her effort was futile. Just as she started to swing back the way she had come a purple glow formed behind her and gave the pink pony’s plot a tiny nudge, just enough to let her swing her hind legs around and settle firmly on the rooftop. Pinkie looked over the lip of the roof, down at Twilight who was standing in the middle of the street with Luna and Pipsqueak. “Golly gee, Twilight! Thanks. Thought I was going to have to have another go at that. Fun is fun, but twenty tries is a bit much when you have so many decorations to get up.”

Back down at ground level, Pinkie Pie shook her head in regret. “I’d really, really, really, love to join you and Princess Luna, and Pipsqueak, on your camping trip. It will be so much fun. Toasted marshmallows are the best! Smores are yumilicious too! Cheese sandwiches grilled over the fire are so, so, so, tasty. Oh gee, there are so many wonderful things about camping! At night there are ghost stories. Those are so great and scary, especially if you have a special somepony to hug at the really, really, scary parts! I know so many really, really, scary stories. I bet I could even make Princess Luna shiver, and she’d hug you so tight you’d hardly be able to breathe. Maybe she’d have to give you muzzle to muzzle first aid! Or you could pretend that is why. But maybe it would be better if you waited till the colts and fillies were asleep before you tell those sorts of stories, and—” Pinkie Pie paused to take a long-delayed breath, only to have Twilight hastily duplicate her earlier move with Rainbow Dash and clamp a hoof over her mouth.

Blushing, and not daring to look in Princess Luna’s direction, Twilight said, “So what you’re saying is that you’d like to come, but you have too much work to do getting ready for a big party?”

Pinkie Pie nodded her head, and then made a gesture toward Twilight’s hoof, which was starting to blend into the blue hue Pinkie Pie’s face was turning.

“Sorry!” Twilight blurted out and pulled her hoof away. Pinkie gave a huge gasp, strong enough that the hairs on Twilight’s mane were pulled toward her, leaving them draped over her eyes. Twilight brushed her mane back over her forehead in time to see Pinkie Pie speaking to Princess Luna.

“Even if I’m not there, I’m sure somepony can tell a super scary story that will let you hug Twilight. So you have a really good time and make some really good memories because good memories are so nice to pull out on a rainy day! They can make you feel all warm and cuddly, even if it is cold and damp. So always be sure to make lots of warm memories. Bye!” With that, Pinkie bounced off, intent on her next bit of decorations.

“Well, I guess we’re on our own!” Twilight said in a high pitched voice. Without looking toward the princess, she gestured down the trail with a hoof. “Might as well get going! Yep, times a wasting! That campfire isn’t going to light itself!”

Princess Luna and Pipsqueak exchanged looks as Twilight trotted off. “Miss Twilight is acting funny. Is she okay?” Pipsqueak asked.

Luna shifted her gaze so she was watching the retreating unicorn. The view... was intriguing. The way Twilight’s tail bounced in time with her agitated stride was almost hypnotic. Reluctantly tearing her eyes away, she looked at her companion. “Twilight Sparkle is very much, okay, young Pipsqueak.” Luna took another quick look and licked her lips. “Very okay indeed.”

Fluttershy, despite having time to prepare herself for the confrontation, found herself lost for words when she answered a knock at her door and found Twilight standing there. The sound of foalish giggles drew her attention past Twilight. Over in the pet pen, Pipsqueak, who was a regular visitor, was introducing Princess Luna to the current roster of critters who were interested in becoming some pony’s pet.

The sight of Princess Luna in such an innocent setting brought a slight blush of mortification to Fluttershy’s cheeks. The princess must think her the meanest pony possible after the shameful way she’d behaved on Nightmare Night. Bad enough that she’d treated Princess Celestia’s sister like she was some sort of monster, which Fluttershy knew perfectly well she no longer was, but now it seems she was also the marefriend of one of Fluttershy’s best friends. Fluttershy’s behavior had been unforgivable.

“Fluttershy?” Twilight asked.

The shy pony blushed as she realized that Twilight had been talking to her for several seconds and she had no idea what her friend had said. “Oh my. Oh dear. I’m so very sorry Twilight. My mind wandered. What was it you said?”

“I was telling you about Princess Luna’s plans for Curry and Jake,” Twilight said, patiently starting over again. “She plans to work a spell that will reduce Jake’s physical age till it matches his mental one.”

“It won’t hurt him, will it?” Fluttershy asked in a worried tone.

“We won’t do it if we think that is likely. We plan on doing a complete and thorough scan of his magic and will modify the spell accordingly as needed. He shouldn’t feel a thing.”

“But why do you have to do it?” Fluttershy asked apologetically. “If you don’t mind telling me, that is?”

It was Twilight’s turn to blush. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are concerned that because Jake is an Alicorn, a large number of the noble families will attempt to marry him to a mare of their household.” Twilight gave a little cough, and stammered out, “They are afraid that some of the mares might try to... seduce Jake, in a rather forceful way. They are hoping that if they turn him into a young colt, he will have a chance to mature naturally and not have to deal with that sort of situation until he is prepared.” By the time she was finished talking Twilight’s hide had shaded from lavender to deep turquoise.

Strangely, Fluttershy was only slightly embarrassed by the topic. Living more with critters than with ponies had given her a rather matter of fact attitude toward purely physical relationships. It was always the emotional connection that gave her problems. “I see. That does make a certain amount of sense. Jake is such a sweet pony, and it would be a shame if he missed out on a normal colthood because of his condition.”

“So you’ll come along and lend a hoof on the camping trip?” Twilight asked hopefully.

Fluttershy was on the verge of agreeing until she remembered her promise to Rainbow Dash. “Oh dear. I really would like to, Twilight. But, I have so much to do here. Do you really need my help?”

For a moment Fluttershy thought Twilight was going to try and convince her to come along, but in the end, her friend simply gave a sigh, and said, “No. It’s just a camping trip, and I’m sure that Applejack will be able to look after the foals while we examine Jake and prepare the spell. It’s not like we’re going off to face a dragon, or something similar.”

Curry took a step back as Diamond Tiara lunged at her. She’d been expecting something like that. Anyone with a lick of sense could see that the poor thing was scared near witless. Because of that, she didn’t hold the attempt to bite her against the small filly. In actuality, she felt a certain amount of sympathy for the poor thing. While the pony’s general attitude reminded her way too much of the spoiled rich girls who boarded their ponies at Old Man Sedgwick’s stable, she was, when all was said and done, still a pony and Curry was prepared to cut her a whole lot more slack than she would some stupid human girl.

Her feelings of sympathy didn’t stop Curry from bringing out the crude Jerry-rigged hackamore she had concealed behind her back up to that moment. Grasping it with her free hand she held it open and with a well-practiced move slipped it over Diamond Tiara’s overextended head, and before the shocked filly could react, she used the rope dangling from the nose-piece to cinch her firmly in place. The pony’s muzzle ended up a scant inch away from the shower wall. Despite a desperate lunge backward that caused her hooves to slip on the slick tiles and led to her falling onto her haunches, she didn’t come close to gaining her freedom. Her actions only tightened Curry’s hastily tied knotwork. Curry watched with concern as Diamond Tiara struggled against her imprisonment. In Curry’s grip, there was a length of rope leading from the side of the hackamore. With a simple pull, she could release the harness if she thought the filly was going to hurt herself struggling.

Curry thought she was ready for anything the spoiled brat would do. She was taken totally by surprise when the high-spirited foal sagged against the wall and broke into body-shuddering sobs of despair.

Diamond Tiara had led a charmed life; she’d always had the best home, the best toys, the best food. Her father doted on her, and her maids constantly reinforced her belief that she was in all way superior to the hicks who lived in this backwater of a town. Now in less than a day she had lost it all. Her home, her comfortable secure life. Her father had even sold her into servitude to the hickiest of the hicks. And now she was helpless in the grasp of the terrible monster who she had tried to capture the day before, and who was the instigator of all her misfortune. All her iron-clad self-assuredness had evaporated like summer dew. If she cried for help, no one would come. They’d likely laugh at her fate. She was nothing more than a helpless scared pony, who was likely going to be eaten in the next minute or so.

No pony in the history of Equestria had ever suffered such a crushing blow. Someday, all ponies would learn in school about the fate that had befallen her. She would be an example of pony’s inequity to pony. The wretched Apple family would be held up as an example of the kind of monsters that every pony should despise. Countless fillies would weep into their pillow in sympathetic sorrow for her. Diamond Tiara held onto that thought like a security blanket. She should meet her fate with a brave face that would become the stuff of legends. Her determination lasted all of five seconds before she leaned up against the wall she was tied to and dissolved into gasping sobs, her entire body shaking with the force of her bone-crushing despair.

“Aww, now come on. A pony as pretty as you shouldn’t cry like that. You’re going to ruin your good looks.” At the same time, the voice whispered in her ear, a gentle hoof stroked the back of her neck. No, not a hoof. No hoof felt like that. Gulping down a sob, she twisted her head and saw the Snipe kneeling on the tiles next to her, with the creature’s strange face wearing, what on a pony, would be a look of concern, and maybe guilt. Amazing something so ugly could fake such a look.

“Do with me what you will, monster! A Rich does not cower before such as you,” Diamond Tiara said. Her brave words might have been more effective if they had not been mixed with sobs, and if she hadn’t been cowering away from the Snipe’s touch.

“Look, I’ll make you a deal. I’ll let you loose if you promise not to bite or stomp me. How about it?”

The weeping filly gulped down some tears and tried to think. Could the thing be that stupid? Did she really think that Diamond Tiara would honor her word to a monster? “Very well,” she choked out. “I’ll do it.”

“You’re not really very good at this you know. You’re an awful liar.” the Snipe said, giving a little laugh.

A flare of anger at the arrogant beast began to burn through Diamond Tiara’s self-pity. “As if I cared about the opinion of some stupid blank-flank!” she snorted, directing a glance at the things hideous hairless flank, which was bare of even the slightest hint of a cutie mark. Though her inspection did show that the creature was a mare, which was some consolation at least. She wasn’t sure what she would have done if the thing had turned out to be a stallion.

“You think that bothers me? Where I come from, having a mark like that means you’re someone’s property.” She leaned in closer and whispered in Diamond Tiara’s ear. “That! Means! A! Slave! Do you want to be my property, pretty pony?”

“You’re just trying to scare me!” Diamond Tiara said while trying to swallow a rising lump in her own throat.

The Snipe leaned back and grinned broadly. “Yeah, you’re right. Let me get this off of you,” she said, undoing the constricting harness from around Diamond Tiara’s head.

Diamond Tiara froze in place, unable to believe that she was free. She gave her head a shake, expecting to still feel the rope cutting into her head. Nothing. She got to her feet and stepped back from the wall. Still, nothing stopped her. She looked to the side where the Snipe was standing, grinning at her like a half-wit, her paws behind her back. Now she’d have her revenge. Lowering her head, she charged forward, intending to butt the foul fiend right in her belly.

“Like I said, liar,” the beast said in a perfectly calm voice while lifting her hand from behind her back and squirting Diamond Tiara right in the face with a stream of water from the hose she had been concealing. The water went into her eyes and up her nose, causing her to rear back out of pure reflex. The monster followed right after her, soaking her with the hose and driving her right back to where she had been tied down before.

“Listen here, girl. I’ve been washing and grooming ponies since I was knee-high to a toad. You ain’t got nothing I ain’t seen before. All you’ve done is prove you ain’t to be trusted. So why shouldn’t I hogtie, clean and groom you no matter what you think about it?”

Diamond Tiara stopped trying to shake the water out of her nose as she lost the battle and sneezed furiously. She squinted through the soggy mane that had been tossed over her forehead by the nasal explosion and whined, “I don’t understand! You want to groom me? Why?”

The creature actually looked surprised at her question. “Why? Because you’re gorgeous! From the very first time I saw you yesterday, I thought so. Course I thought you were a piece of pretty artwork at first. Seeing you all messed up like this ain’t right. It’s like seeing a pond full of garbage. Who wouldn’t want to clean it up and make it look pretty again?”

Diamond Tiara’s mouth dropped open. She didn’t know what to say. She wanted to believe the creature was tormenting her further. But, as a verbal bully herself, she just wasn’t getting that feeling. She didn’t understand it. The creature was not trying to gain her favor because her father was rich. Not with the way it had treated her up till now. It didn’t seem to care at all if Diamond Tiara liked her, or hated her. The Snipe just wanted to make her look pretty. Trying to project a nonchalant air, she tossed her head in a manner meant to cause her soggy mane to flip. “Well, I am the most beautiful mare in Ponyville. So I can understand why you would want to do that.”

“No, you ain’t. The most beautiful mare, I mean,” the creature had the temerity to say. “I saw the most beautiful mare ever last night. Even if she is an evil Princess of the Night.”

While the evil part set Diamond Tiara back, there really couldn’t be any doubt as to who the Snipe was referring to. “You saw Princess Luna last night?”

The Snipe’s eyes grew distant, and a look of remembered wonder softened her ugly features, making them almost acceptable. “Yeah, in the middle of town. She came floating down from the sky, light as a feather, and just took over. Everypony bowed down low to her. She was the most wonderful pony I’d ever seen, for an evil creature of the night, that is.”

Diamond Tiara didn’t have much of a personal opinion about Princess Luna, beyond the fact that the princess occupied a position in society that she aspired to in her more wild dreams. In certain circumstances, she would have quite happily accepted the idea that Princess Luna was evil, and was merely biding her time until she could overthrow her naive sister. Two things prevented her from accepting the Snipe’s opinion. The first was that she had spent an entire week in close proximity to a large number of Nocturne ponies, and had encountered Princess Luna several times during that period. She refused to accept that someone who had filled her, personally, with such awe could be evil. The second was that there was no way in hay she was going to agree on any topic with the ugly creature who was abusing her.

“That’s utter nonsense!” Diamond Tiara said firmly and then spoiled the effect a bit by flinching from potential retaliation, closing her eyes and tucking her chin down. When nothing happened, she peeked out from under an eyelid and saw that the nasty Snipe was not going to hit her. Relaxing slightly, she started to tell the creature how Princess Luna had merely been the victim of a demonic possession that had been eradicated by the Elements of Harmony.

Getting to lecture an inferior creature and display her worldly knowledge restored some of Diamond Tiara’s self-confidence, and she declaimed freely. She didn’t even protest when the Snipe used to hose to gently soak her mane and began to rub some apple-scented shampoo into it.

Applejack took her eye away from the knothole in the barn with a relieved sigh. There had been several moments there when she was sure she was going to have to rush in and break things up before Curry hurt Diamond Tiara. That had been a revelation. She’d been afraid that it would be the other way around. In fact, she’d felt more than a touch worried leaving the little human alone with Diamond Tiara. Curry was so small and frail. It had truly surprised Applejack to see how easily Curry had wrangled the stubborn little filly.

It had been a relief to see that Curry could look after herself, providing she had the proper tools handy. As someone who valued a good length of rope and was well aware of its versatility, she admired Curry's talent with it. She made a mental note to rustle up a nice length of well made and supple rope as a gift for Curry. Everypony ought to have a lasso.

Applejack was distracted from consideration of the Curry/Diamond Tiara situation as Rainbow Dash came in for a landing next to her. Her ears pricked up as she took in the expression on RD’s face. While it wasn’t something she was proud of, Applejack did enjoy a good gossip, providing it was not of the malicious variety. Isolated as she sometimes was on the farm it was the only way she got news on what was going on in town. From her friend’s expression, it looked like RD was just about ready to plum bust with something really juicy. Applejack looked around to make sure there were no small foals in the vicinity and then leaned into her friend. “So what you got? Something good?” she inquired in anticipation.

“Oh, this is good alright. You ain’t going to believe it. In fact. I’d say it’s a big mug of hot apple cider with a big plate of pancakes good.”

“Kitchen is filled with young fillies with big ears right now. But tell you what. Dish out here, and we can have that cider and pancakes afterward. I’ll even pull out a jug of Granny’s special reserve if it’s as juicy as you say.”

“Done,” Rainbow Dash said, rubbing her front hooves together in glee, at both the thought of Applejack’s reaction to her news and the upcoming treat.

Curry smiled to herself as she lathered up the talkative pony, letting Diamond Tiara’s words go in one ear and out the other. It was just like some of the grooms at the boarding stable had told her. ‘Don’t let your ego get in the way. The important thing is that the pony does what you want, not that it thinks you’re the boss. Let the pony think it’s the boss if that’s what it takes.’

Digging her fingers into the pony’s soggy mane, Curry carefully worked out the tangles, her experienced fingers making sure that she wasn’t painfully tugging against the pony’s scalp. She held each clump of matted hair and twigs, as well as other substances she didn’t let her mind dwell on, firmly at the base of the tangle. She then used a heavy comb with wide spaced tines to ease the hair straight and get rid of the foreign matter. She hadn’t been lying when she said she thought Diamond Tiara was beautiful. Yesterday, sleeping so gently on the grass, she had been as pretty a pony as Curry had ever seen, and it had made her fingers itch to see her in her current state.

Sorting out Diamond Tiara’s messed up mane had taken the biggest chunk of time out of the whole process of cleaning up the pony. By the time Curry was done with it and had brushed all the dirt out of the pony’s hide, her belly was starting to rumble, reminding her that she had not yet had breakfast. Even so, she was a bit surprised at how quickly things had gone. Curry would have guessed at least two hours to restore the pony to anything close to her original glory. Instead, it had taken barely twenty minutes. The mane hairs had seemed to straighten out on their own, and the clumps of various unknown substances had pulled free with the minimum of effort on Curry’s part. She chalked it up to being just another example of pony magic and forgot about it.

At some point during the grooming Diamond Tiara had stopped lecturing, and had started leaning into Curry’s brushing. She’d even let out little expressions of pleasure, her eyes closed in the enjoyment of the sensation. Curry didn’t for one minute think that she’d tamed the nasty little pony. She’d groomed far too many ponies who had enjoyed the treatment just as much, only to try and bite her hand off moments after she made it clear she was finished pampering them. She didn’t really care; she got her satisfaction from the end results of her efforts.

Curry looked over her work and could not help but grin in appreciation of a job well done. Diamond Tiara gleamed in the sunlight streaking into the barn. Not a trace of dirt or a strand of hay marred her perfection, nor was there a single strand of hair out of place. There wasn’t anything nicer looking, in her opinion, than a well turned out horse. Curry let her mind wander for a minute. This was a world of ponies. If she wanted, she bet she could spend every day doing this. Surely there were lots of ponies who would want to look their best. She could set up her own pony beauty salon. Idly, Curry gave her butt a scratch to relieve a sudden itch. At the same time she gave her head a mental shake. It was a nice thought, but she needed to focus on finding her special magical talent. To Curry’s relief her itchy butt stopped itching and she went back to admiring her handiwork.

Only after satisfying herself that Diamond Tiara was as polished as possible did she take account of her own status. She was pleased to see that the side splash of soap and water had done an excellent job of cleaning her own nude body. Maybe not as good a job as if she’d taken an actual bath, but close enough as far as she was concerned. Best of all, technically she could count it as a victory over Applejack’s cleanliness decree because she hadn’t actually taken a shower or cleaned herself on purpose. Petty maybe, but she’d take it.

Curry stepped back from Diamond Tiara, putting some distance between her and the foal’s hooves. It wasn’t unusual for a pony or horse to strike out at a groom once they realized that there was no more brushing coming their way that day. Diamond Tiara, to her credit, did not do that. Instead, she opened her eyes, and looked over at where Curry was standing and said, “Oh, are you done?” There was a tone of disappointment in her voice, and she must have heard it herself, because her expression turned haughty and she continued by saying, “Well, I must say, it certainly took you long enough. The staff at the spa would have finished my treatment in half the time.”

“Well, Y'all were so darn cute, I maybe dragged things out a little bit,” Curry said in an apologetic tone, stifling the urge to laugh at the way her comment clearly flustered Diamond Tiara.

Diamond Tiara gave her a suspicious look, but Curry maintained her straight face, with some effort. The pony trotted over to a dusty mirror and checked herself out. Her eyes widened, and she turned her body this way and that, her expression turning from sulky boredom to pleasure as she checked out her perfectly brushed mane, tail, and hide. Curry felt a sudden affection for the pony. While most horses enjoyed being groomed, they could have cared less about their final appearance. Diamond Tiara clearly appreciated the end results of Curry’s hard work.

The filly made an obvious effort to school her expression to one of cool neutrality, but was not very successful as her face took on a sly calculating look.“Yes, well, I suppose you did an acceptable job. I’m afraid I don’t have any bits for you at the moment. But, you show promise. I might be convinced to hire you as my personal groomer if you can do something about that attitude of yours.”

“That’s mighty kind of you, Miss Diamond Tiara, but Y'all are so naturally beautiful, I don’t think there would hardly be any work for me to do most times.”

Once again Diamond Tiara directed a suspicious look Curry’s way, but the little Snipe was not paying any attention to her. Instead, her focus seemed to be on the sound of heavy hoofbeats coming toward the barn. A deep, deep, voice called out, “Curry, are you there?”

A look of pure joy lit up the Snipe’s face. Diamond Tiara was shocked to find that herself thinking the monster was actually sort of cute when that happened.

“Sure as shooting. You come to have a wash-up?”

Diamond Tiara’s surprise at the monster’s sudden transformation turned to annoyance. Despite the Snipe’s talk about how beautiful Diamond Tiara was, the creature had not looked anywhere near that happy at being able to touch her coat. Why should some clod of a farm horse, from the weight of those hoofbeats, elicit such a reaction?

A sudden realization as she heard the hoofbeats resume caused her to cry out in panic, “Stop! Don’t you dare come in here!”

The steps stopped, and the same voice as before called out plaintively, “Curry?”

“Hold on a second, Jake,” the Snipe said, before turning to Diamond Tiara and asking, “What’s the problem?”

“Are you crazy? I can’t let some farm stallion see me in the bath! A true lady is modest.”

“But, you’re naked all the time,” the creature, whose name seemed to be Curry, said in a confused manner.

“Well, I can’t expect someone like you, or a low-class farm pony to understand. Just take my word for it. It is not done,” Diamond Tiara said haughtily.

“So, if you were to, say, go stand over there,” Curry said, gesturing to the other side of the barn, “you wouldn’t be in the bath, and that would be okay?”

“Exactly.” Pleased that Curry understood, she gave a flounce of her tail and trotted over to the side where a stack of fluffy towels waited.

“But, that’s... Ah, who cares, Jake you can come in now.”

The warmth from the old boiler and the steamy water Curry had used to wash down the filly and herself had kept the corner of the barn where the shower was warm. Now, a sudden breeze from the door sent a shiver through Curry and drove home the fact that she was a lot more nekid than Diamond Tiara when you got down to it, not having a good thick coat of horse hair to keep out the chill. She suddenly felt extremely self-conscious about that.

“Wait, hold on Jake! Just give me a minute here,” she yelled out.

“Come on, Curry,” Jake whined in a tone like a bass cello. “Granny Smith said I have to wash up before I can have breakfast.”

“I hear you. I hear you. Just wait dang it,” Curry cried out, as she hopped up and down while trying to get her wet legs all the way into the corresponding part of Rarity’s magical outfit.

“She’s making pancakes, Curry. Apple pancakes!” Jake’s voice was becoming frantic. “If I don’t hurry, Granny says they’ll all be gone.”

Curry’s gyrations brought her around to where she was facing Diamond Tiara. The filly’s ears were pricked up high and her face bore an expression of pure unadulterated amusement at Curry’s antics. The small girl scowled, while her face turned red, even as she yanked the top of her body suit up her torso and shrugged her arms and shoulders into it. That was a downside of living in a world of intelligent ponies. Back home the horses in the stable would have been watching her with bemusement and curiosity, but not with snide amusement. It was worse than stripping down in the girl’s locker room, where half the girls she was sharing the room with had started to grow curves, and felt that this put them on a higher plane than what they called ‘ironing boards.’

“Curry!” Jake called out in his, I-got-to-go-now! voice.

“Okay, Okay. I hear you. Sheesh. Put a plug in it, will you! Come on in,” Curry called out, reaching around to fasten up the back of her body suit. The hood was still laying against the back of her neck, but at least she was decent now.

Diamond Tiara had watched the Snipe’s, Curry’s, actions with great amusement. It had not been lost on her that her words had altered the creature’s attitude and made her self-conscious about her bare, hairless, body. Curry had demonstrated by her actions that it was possible to manipulate her, just like it was possible to manipulate other ponies. That restored a great deal of Diamond Tiara’s own self-confidence. She might have lost the initial battles, but there was no reason she couldn’t win the war.

Curry aside, Diamond Tiara was burning up with curiosity because of the conversation she had just overheard. That voice and the weight of those steps indicated a very large pony. Maybe as big as Apple Bloom’s hick brother, Big Mac. The manner of speaking on the other hoof spoke of a very young colt. The two things simply did not fit together. And the way the Snipe had addressed him, and he had obeyed. What was their relationship? She looked toward the open barn door, squinting her eyes slightly at the bright early morning sunshine, in anticipation of the answers to at least some of her questions.

The barn suddenly became a good deal darker as a large Pegasus shaped silhouette filled the door. Diamond Tiara’s eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open as she took in the sheer bulk of the winged pony who was blocking out the sun. Even with his wings tucked into his sides, he was beyond big. With them spread he’d be humongous.

“Well. What are y’all waiting for? You were in such an all-fired rush before. Get over here so I can hose you down,” Curry called out, a touch of exasperation in her voice.

Clearly sun blind, the huge pony shifted his head from side to side, trying to locate Curry, upon which Diamond Tiara was able to see that besides the wings folded along his sides he sported a unicorn horn. She relaxed slightly at that sight. The gossip about the large Pegasus stallion working at the candy store had been all over town, and even the maids at her house had been talking about him, and about the ridiculous fake horn, he constantly wore. Mind you, while they had remarked on his size, they had not indicated he was freak show large, instead of just being a pony of unusual size.

The big pony stepped into the barn, and out of the sunlight. With his eyes no longer blinded by the outside glare he could clearly see, as was proven when his eyes tracked from Curry to her. For some reason, Diamond Tiara was suddenly reminded of Snips and Snails as the pony’s eyes lit up and he trotted toward her, a stupid grin on his face. At first Diamond Tiara wasn’t too worried. She expected him to pull up and say something stupidly coltish, but he kept coming. She started to panic and stumbled backward as his head loomed over her, seeming as big as her entire body. She just had time to think, ‘that’s not a fake horn’, when his face swooped down toward her, his mouth opening and his tongue lolling over his large teeth. Oh, Celestia, he’s going to kiss me, she thought. She closed her eyes and twisted her head to the side.

“You dang idgit! Don’t go messing up all my hard work,” Curry’s voice yelled out, only a few feet away. Diamond Tiara opened her eyes to see the Snipe’s long gangly legs dangling in front of her face. She looked up and saw that Curry had wrapped her slender arms around the big stallion’s muzzle and was glaring up into his wide eyes.

“Just wanted to say, hi,” the big stallion mumbled around Curry’s clothing, which was pressed into his mouth.

“Y’all can do that while I’m hosing you down!” Curry said in a commanding tone. She slid down his muzzle till her hooves — Paws? Touched the ground. She shoved against the stallion’s massive head. He moved it, there was no way Curry had forced it, so he was facing toward the shower. He strolled in that direction and as his large flanks passed in front of Diamond Tiara’s eyes, and as drool started to pool in her mouth, she blinked in shock as she realized he wasn’t sporting a cutie mark. That was such a stunning revelation that she at first barely registered Curry giving the blank flank Diamond Tiara was looking at a hard slap to hurry the pony on his way. Her jaw dropped and her eyes flickered back and forth between the huge Alicorn? and the tiny, scrawny, Snipe. Going just on size, she should be terrified he’d step on her. Instead, Curry seemed to be in total control over the massive pony. It would have been bad enough if he’d been the farm pony she first expected, but this was an Alicorn for Celestia’s sake.

An Alicorn? Diamond Tiara blinked her eyes as she cast her mind back to her school lessons. Try as she might, she couldn’t remember learning a single thing about stallion Alicorns. Nor, when she thought about it, had she ever heard a mention of them in any other gathering. Well, that was not entirely true. There had been that night she’d gone to give her daddy a goodnight kiss while he had some important stallions from Canterlot over. The room had been filled with thick clouds of cigar smoke, and stinking with the smell of hard apple cider. One of the stallions had been waving around an empty cider jug while ranting about how Equestria needed a firm hoof on the reins of power. They needed a male Alicorn, to put the sisters in their place, the kitchen, and bedroom, she recalled him saying. It was so long ago, back when she was still a blank flank, and her father had hustled her right off to bed as soon as he noticed her standing in the doorway, it was hard to remember, but she was pretty sure the drunk pony was only saying what they needed, and not what they had.

But, if nopony knew about this Alicorn, where had he come from? And why did he talk, and act for that matter, like a colt? Why was he a blank flank? Once again Diamond Tiara’s eyes were drawn to the slim figure of Curry. The Snipe was using the hose to soak down the big pony, laughing as he twisted around so she could squirt water right into his mouth.

Diamond Tiara considered the evidence. The Snipe was like no creature she had ever seen or heard of, yet it was almost as intelligent as a pony. With the Snipe was an Alicorn Stallion, who despite being, well, an Alicorn, obeyed Curry with only the most minimal of grumbling. The Alicorn also acted and talked like a young colt. Was it possible? Could the Snipe have turned a simple colt into the Prince in front of her? It seemed impossible. But, could she risk it not being true?

Curry felt a shiver go up her spine and shuddered inside her normally comfy body suit. She looked over her shoulder and flinched slightly as she caught Diamond Tiara staring at her in a very intense way. The pony, when she saw Curry looking, gave her a huge, disquieting, smile. “What is she up to now?” Curry mused to herself, not trusting that look at all.

“Hurry up, Curry. All the pancakes are going to be gone,” Jake complained.

“Okay, Okay, hold your horses. I’m doing it,” Curry snapped. Having thoroughly soaked Jake, Curry picked up a long handled scrub brush. Numerous teeth marks decorated the handle, showing how it was usually handled. “Lift up those wings so I can get under them,” Curry ordered Jake. The big colt shifted slightly so his wing would not knock against the wall and lifted both of them up and away from his body.

From behind her Curry heard a gasp. She looked over her shoulder and saw Diamond Tiara staring raptly at Jake, a slight blush coloring her face. Curry had seen this effect before and had been curious about how the heck it was possible. This time her mind was on other matters. She set the head of the brush on the floor and placed her hands on the butt while she stared at the pony till Diamond Tiara’s eyes shifted from Jake to her. “If it ain’t okay for Jake to see you in the shower, seems only right that it works the other way. Why don’t you scoot, before you get all over dust.”

Curry had selected her words and tone of voice on purpose. Now she watched in curiosity as Diamond Tiara’s face clouded over while the pony made a visible effort to gain control of herself. The freshly groomed pony drew a deep breath and gave Curry another one of those disconcerting smiles. “Very well, I shall see you outside when you are done.” She trotted out of the barn, her now dry tail flipping from side to side.

“She’s up to something,” Curry muttered to herself. Any speculation as to what Diamond Tiara was scheming was put on hold when Jake swung his head around and nudged her firmly in the back, causing her to stumble a few steps forward. “Okay, don’t get yer panties in a bunch,” Curry said in a distracted tone as she resumed her work.

“How dare she treat me like that!” Diamond Tiara raged, once she was sure she was out of the Snipe’s sight and hearing. “Reach out your hoof to a pony, or thing, and this is the thanks you get.” She started to kick out at a clod of dirt, and then paused, reluctant to get her newly polished hoof dirty. Distracted, she lifted her leg and admired the way her hoof gleamed in the morning sun. She might be ungrateful, uncouth and in general unworthy, but Diamond Tiara had to concede that Curry the Snipe certainly knew her way around a polishing cloth.

“Pssst!” somepony hissed from behind the bushes.

“Eh? Who’s there? I wasn’t doing anything wrong. I’m allowed to be here,” Diamond Tiara stuttered out, wondering what new indignity was going to be visited on her.

“It’sh me,” a muffled voice said. Diamond Tiara let out a sigh of relief as Silver Spoon stepped out of the shadows, a picnic basket held in her mouth. “Ish came ash soon ash I heard,” she mumbled around the handle of the basket. She grimaced and set it down on the ground. Wetting her lips with her tongue she started over. “As soon as I heard what had happened. I rushed right over. I can’t believe your father is doing this to you.”

Silver Spoon’s expression grew conspiratorial, and she looked around carefully as she nudged the basket at her hooves toward Diamond Tiara. “I made up a care package for you. All your favorite jams and pastries. You know, to keep up your strength. Those Apples are likely going to make you sleep in the barn and eat nothing but hay ...,” Silver Spoon trailed off as she finally took note of Diamond Tiara’s polished appearance. “Wow, you look great!” she blurted out.

Normally Diamond Tiara’s reaction to such a compliment would have been to boast about her latest high-priced beauty aid, or her recent visit to the spa, where she’d gotten the works. This time she felt conflicted, and half wished Silver Spoon had shown up a little earlier when she had looked like a disaster, or Apple Bloom after a day mucking around in the dirt with her family. Thanks to the job the Snipe had done, Diamond Tiara had lost the chance to garner lots of sympathy from her friend, who would have been sure to carry the tale back to town about how brutally the Apple’s were treating her. A frown appeared in the form of a wrinkle between her eyes. ‘Could that have been the Snipe’s plan all along?’ she wondered. After a moment of thought, she decided it was impossible. There was no way such a simple creature could have fooled her.

Jake did not require anywhere near the amount of attention to detail that Diamond Tiara had needed, and Curry’s pride had demanded, but he also had a heck of a lot more hide to scrub.

Curry didn’t even try to do anything with his wings. She wouldn’t know where to start. She did buff his horn with a long cloth folded into a strap. Jake’s eyes had widened, and he’d hastily tossed his head up in the air, while what could only be described as bass giggles escaped from his mouth. “Tickles,” he had complained, and Curry hadn’t pushed the matter.

“Quit twitching,” Curry ordered as she balanced one of Jake’s massive hooves on her knee. She could only manage the trick because Jake was holding his hoof up himself, while all she was doing was bracing it while she checked the bottom for chips of stone or other foreign matter that might have gotten jammed into his frog. She used her fingers to brush away small clumps of dirt and exposing the small crevasses that stones could get caught in. “Good as gold,” she said giving Jake’s ankle a slap to let him know he could lower his hoof.

“Told you,” Jake said. “Big Mac showed me how to clean out my own hoof.”

A spike of jealousy caused Curry to snap out, “Big Mac, Big Mac. You sure do talk a lot about this Big Mac. What’s so special about Big Mac?”

“Nuttin’ much,” a baritone voice said from right behind Curry.

“Yaaah!” Curry cried out in surprise, jerking erect, and jamming her head into Jake’s belly. “Dang it,” she cried out, her neck hurting from the sudden shock. On Jake’s part, he let out a tiny grunt, more from surprise than from any physical effect, and twisted his head around to look at Curry in concern.

“What’s the big idea, you—?” Curry cut off as she spun around and found herself staring up at the broad forehead and gentle green eyes of a massive red pony.

When he had come in from his early morning chores for breakfast, Granny Smith had told Big McIntosh that Jake was out in the barn washing up with his little friend, Curry. In need of a quick wash himself, Big Mac had headed out to the barn, not just to get cleaned up, but to indulge his curiosity. He’d been hearing about Jake’s strange companion from Applejack and Apple Bloom, not to mention Apple Bloom’s friends, mostly though, he’d heard about her from Jake.

While Jake was woefully ignorant about Earth Pony magic, or for that matter, pony magic in general, he had demonstrated a great deal of skill when it came to shifting heavy objects. Pulling large loads was not all about brute force; there was an art involved in getting the most out of your body. Jake had shown a very high level of talent and had given the credit fully to somepony named, Old Ben and the small human, or Snipe now he guessed, Curry.

So it wasn’t just her apparent odd appearance that had roused Big Mac’s curiosity, but also her knowledge of hauling. From the way Apple Bloom and her friends described Curry, she was a very weird looking critter, but tiny. So how did she know so much about power pulling? He’d been prepared for just about anything when he’d softly stepped out of the sunlight and into the dim barn, except for what he’d found. Nothing anypony had said had prepared him for how downright adorable Curry was. She was just about the cutest little thing he’d seen since he’d run off with Twilight’s much loved, and very battered doll, Miss Smarty Pants. For just a brief moment he wondered if Fluttershy would let him adopt her as his pet, which was something he had never been inclined toward till that moment. He dismissed the idea as quickly as he thought it. Despite her appearance, she wasn’t a critter to be made a pet.

He hadn’t meant to sneak up on the little thing, but she’d been so distracted that he’d ended up peering over her shoulder as she made an excellent job of examining Jake’s hooves. He heartily approved of her technique; the number one reason for foals coming up lame was stone chips that they had not yet learned how to clean out their own selves. However, he still felt a bit guilty for not checking Jake’s hooves himself each night. The young pony’s size had fooled him into thinking it unnecessary, even though he should have known better by now.

When he heard Jake’s little friend ask in an exasperated tone of voice what was so special about him, he couldn’t help giving into his own inner foal and answering her himself. Her startled reaction and surprise at finding him nose to nose with her was funny as heck, though he did feel a little guilty over the way she’d jammed her head into Jake’s belly.

Horses were both very social and curious, creatures. As a result, Curry had learned that if you worked anywhere near a free-roaming horse or pony, sooner or later they’d wander over to see what you were doing to solicit a snack, or request some physical contact in their own horsey way, most probably nose-first into an unexpected bare area of skin. If you were fully involved in whatever you were doing, this could lead to a heart-jolting reaction as a head half again as big as you were was suddenly thrust over your shoulder so the pony, or horse, could get a better look at whatever chore you were engaging it. The only thing more shocking was the sudden application of a wet nose to the middle of your neck.

Screaming in fright and lambasting the poor horse with curses was frowned upon.

For one thing, you might want to use that same curiosity to lure a pony in close enough to catch her up at some future time.

It had taken a while, but eventually, Curry grew nerves of iron, developing certain ingrained reactions that bypassed her flee-or-fight reflex.

A few days in Equestria was not enough time to change a lifetime, three years actually, of experience. As a result, Curry’s surprise at Big Mac’s sudden appearance caused her to fall back on her typical reaction in such situations.

“Well, ain’t you a nice looking boy,” Curry said in an admiring, but calm, tone of voice. “Here, let me take a good look at you.” Curry moved in under Big Mac’s chin, causing him to lift his head slightly in surprise. She ran a hand over his well-muscled chest in a combination patting/petting motion. “You are one good looking hoss, I’ll tell you what. Good chest, big lungs. Good wind I bet.” Curry bent over and ran her hands down Big Mac’s legs, checking out not just his muscle tone and configuration, but feeling for hot spots that might indicate an injury. All of this in a matter of a few seconds, lasting till she reached his cutie mark.

By this point, a pony back home would have been reacting to her tone of voice and the physical contact. While reactions would vary, they would not have gone as stiff as a board with their tail stuck straight out and their mane standing on end. Curry froze as her mind caught up to her reflexive actions and she realized what she was doing. This was not some big goofy gelding, this was a full-grown, uncut stallion. More importantly, this was a person, not an animal you could just walk up to and pet. Sheer and utter mortification flooded Curry, and her face and neck came very close to matching Big Mac’s natural shade. She wanted to curl up and vanish from the face of the earth.

A hoof, bigger than her head, settled gently on her mop of a hairdo and rubbed softly. “Good girl,” Big Mac said in a kind, slow voice. Curry craned her neck so she could look up at his face from underneath his hoof. There was no nastiness in his expression, no spite or snark in his voice. There was a twinkle in his eyes, however, and his expression was downright mischievous.

Ducking out from under the huge, but surprisingly clean, hoof, Curry said, “Please to meet you, Mr. Big Mac. Don’t mind my talk. Old Ben always did say my mouth was running before my brain was engaged.”

“Eyupp,” the large pony said. Turning his head he gave Jake a nod and flicked his muzzle toward the door. “Better hurry.”

“Ahhh, Breakfast. Come on Curry, let's go,” Jake said. He lowered his head so he could push against the small of Curry’s back, nearly lifting the slight girl off her feet as he shoved her toward the door.

Breakfast was ... filling. It turned out that Fluttershy was experienced in creating portions suitable for the size of her guests. The portions set out on the large trestle table that Apple Bloom and her friends had helped Applejack set up in the farmyard were pony sized. Curry did her best, but only managed to eat about two-thirds of the single flapjack that had been served to her on a plate that would have counted as a platter back home. Mind you, the pint of apple preserve she’d dumped on top of it hadn’t helped matters. She’d ended up leaning back in her booster seat and pony watching while everypony else continued to chow down with enthusiasm.

Granny Smith had the place of honor at the head of the table, with Big Mac at the other end of the twenty-foot-long table. Along the side opposite Curry was Apple Bloom and her friends, along with Diamond Tiara and a surprise guest, Silver Spoon, the other pony from the day before. Twist, Curry’s new best friend in the whole world, dang could she make good candy, was placed as a buffer between the two groups of ponies who kept directing dirty looks at each other.

Curry was sitting toward the end of her side of the table, with Jake standing beside her to the right. His poor wing control meant he needed a lot of space. Rainbow Dash was to Jake’s right, hidden behind his bulk. Applejack was to her left.

With the exception of Jake, it was interesting to see how neatly the ponies managed to eat. While most of them ate directly from the plate, Diamond Tiara made a production of using the supplied implements. Silver Spoon alternated between both methods, but due to the fact that she couldn’t stop staring at Jake half the time, she ended up missing her mouth, no matter which she was using.

The sheer mass of food being consumed was amazing seen from the perspective of a human. It sure put Curry’s last Thanksgiving to shame. Half of all the food consumed was going into the belly of Jake and Big Mac, which only made sense. Applejack was no slouch when it came to wielding her eating implements either. If Curry had needed any proof about how hard the farm pony worked that would have supplied it. Not even a pony could eat that much food on a regular basis and not end up fat as a pig if she didn’t do something to burn off the calories.

“Company coming,” Granny Smith announced in her creaky voice.

Curry turned around while all around the table pony heads lifted, with the exception of Jake who was chasing a chunk of stewed apple around his plate with his tongue. She swallowed nervously as she saw the beautiful pony from the night before. She seemed somewhat diminished in the sunlight of mid-morning but was still by far the most heart-stopping lovely equine Curry had ever seen.

The news that she and Jake were to go on a camping trip, of all things, with the Princess and Twilight Sparkle had been the big news at the breakfast table. Aside from the timber camp, Curry’s experience with camping had involved accompanying Old Ben and his peers on their fishing trips. Jake’s job had been to pull the rowboat along the old timber roads to the lake, after which he and Curry had been free to walk in the woods and play Ninja, or Indians, or whatever else was inspired by Curry’s most recent favorite entertainment. The last such trip has seen Jake spending the entire weekend being referred to as Toothless, for instance. Pity he hadn’t had his wings back then.

As Curry had a hunch that pan-fried trout would not be a big feature of this trip, she wasn’t sure what a camping trip with some older ponies would entail.

Apple Bloom and Scootaloo had no such doubts. They already had the needed gear packed up just inside the door. Sweetie Belle and Twist had not been as enthused at first but had allowed themselves to be convinced by their friends that it would be the greatest trip ever.

Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon, on the other hand, had been clearly appalled at the very idea of ‘roughing’ it in the great outdoors. Only the fact that Applejack had made the choice between going on the camping trip, or helping her and Big Mac in the fields had caused Diamond Tiara to at least pretend to have some interest. The fact that Princess Luna was a member of the proposed camping party had helped and likely been the factor that had inclined Silver Spoon to stand by her friend.

“Woo Hoo!” Scootaloo yodeled. “Time to go camping.” Along with Apple Bloom, she raced over to collect her gear. The other four fillies followed, their various paces indicative of their enthusiasm for the task. Silver Spoon had barely turned away from the table by the time Scootaloo returned, hauling her wagon behind her scooter. Curry wasn’t entirely sure how the pile of gear stacked haphazardly on the wagon was staying in place. The stack was higher than her head and bulged out a good two feet all around the edges of the small wagon.

“Listen up!” Applejack bellowed, causing even the Princess, who was halfway up the lane to pause. “You fillies head over to the gate. I have some things to discuss with Twilight and the Princess. Curry, you and Jake might as well stay at the table till we find out if the Princess has anything special in mind for you.”

“Huh, wazat,” Jake mumbled, having finally corralled the last little bit of food from his plate. He raised his head and looked around in bemusement at finding only Curry and himself still at the table. Following Curry’s gaze, his eyes widened with pleasure as he saw Twilight, but they grew even rounder when he spotted the pony next to her.

“Jake, no,” Curry cried out when Jake left the table and lumbered directly toward the Princess. She didn’t know what the penalty was for licking a princess against her will, but gelding came to mind. She reached out and just missed grabbing Jake’s tail, stumbling and nearly falling on her face from the effort.

Twilight, Applejack, and Curry all watched on in various stages of dismay as Jake charged toward the princess. Luna looked more than a little discomforted herself at the sight of the biggest pony she’d ever seen bearing down on her like the Canterlot express. His flared wings and the long sharp horn jutting from his forehead added to the effect. Only the fact that she’d been kept fully up to date on Jake’s nature, and the rather silly expression on his face, kept her from taking some sort of offensive steps. Still, she prepared to cast a soft shield in front of her that would catch and slow even a pony as large as Jake without doing him any harm.

Rumbling past Luna without a sideways glance, Jake skidded to a halt and lowered his head till he was nose to nose with the tiny little pinto colt who had up till now been ignored by everypony else.

“Hi, I’m Jake. Want to be friends?”