It was deathly quiet, save for the faint creaking of metal rubbing against metal, as Granita and her mother waited for Pa to speak. The only source of light in the room, a lantern that had been hung directly above the table, swayed lazily back and forth from an unseen draft of air. Its pale, yellow light casted ominous dancing shadows in every nook and cranny of the dimly lit farmhouse.
Melody momentarily closed her eyes, shivering as a breeze ran through her coat, sending a crawling sensation down her neck, all the way to the base of her tail. She glanced back up to the large stallion that towered over her small frame. It was hard to see his facial features with the dancing light behind him, causing his shadow to cast over her body, like a mountain blocking the sunlight to a nearby valley. She was about to speak up, just to break the tormenting silence, but the large wall of a pony grunted, causing her to quickly close her mouth.
“You say she worked fer a few hours, huh?” He eyed the filly, glancing back up to Granita for just a split second. “Spacing out an’ makin’ the holes deep enough, the ways they needs ta be?” he asked a bit skeptically, not taking his inquiring eyes off the grey and pink Earth filly that Ma had, for some reason, named Melody. Why she had named her that, he still didn't understand.
“That’s right!” Granita beamed, mussing up Melody’s mane with a hoof for which the filly didn’t seem too pleased about. “She caught sight of what I was doin’ an’ picked right up on it. I was a mite worried when she ran away from me all of a sudden, but she stopped and starting diggin’ with both her hooves just the right distance away, like she knew exactly what she were doing.”
“Well, I reckon that wheres ever she’s from, she has a strong Earth pony bloodline running through them veins of hers.” He smiled a bit. “She even has the same rambunctious nature you had when you was a youngin’.” He moved his head down to eye level with the foal and smiled at her. Melody tried backing away from the monstrous head that was now taking up her entire field of vision but had nowhere to go except into Granita’s firmly planted legs.
As he got a better look at her in the low light, Melody looked up to Granita and then back to him. Without warning, she booped him in the nose with her small hoof, hoping that he would get the point. Pa was caught off guard as he wrinkled his nose while pulling his head back. Blinking a few times, he looked down at the filly and let out a hearty laugh.
“Yup. Just like you was, always getting into stuff and causing a ruckus,” he said with a chuckle, looking back over to Granita who was holding back a snicker of her own. Rubbing his nose, he thought back to his younger days when his daughter was just a foal herself as he turned to his wife with a grin. “Ain’t that right, dear?”
“Mmhmm,” Ma flatly hummed out before taking another sip of her tea. “You two should quit your yappin’ and come eat. Supper is gettin’ cold. Besides, I haven’t seen Melody have a bite to eat all day.” She looked over to Granita. “What did ya give her fer lunch?”
“I, uh, well…” Granita ears laid backwards, flat on her head, as she glanced between the filly, her father, and her inquisitive mother. She had been so worked up with trying to get caught back up on her missed work that she had skipped lunch entirely. That also meant that she had made Melody skip lunch as well. The little filly never complained though, so the thought had completely slipped her mind. “She had breakfast at the clinic this mornin’...”
“This morning?! Granita! She’s just a foal. Foals needs ta eat at least three times a day,” her mother scolded, raising an eyebrow to her daughter. “Why didn’t ya get her something when ya had lunch?” She waited a moment for an answer, but Granita just turned her head to glance at the floor. “You did have lunch, didn’t ya?” The older mare just shook her head and sighed knowing full well that her daughter had skipped lunch, again. “You know what we told ya about skippin’ meals. No more of that, ya hear?”
Granita opened her mouth to rebuttal but was swiftly cut off by her father who was staring disapprovingly at her. “Yer Ma is right. Ya cain’t just be skippin’ meals like that. It ain’t good fer ya. Especially true fer a foal,” he said in a stern tone, glancing to Melody who was looking in between the two of them with a confused look on her face. “Ah know we don’t have much ta eat, but ya know ya can always take an apple’er two to eat from the trees. We don’t want ya ta be all skin n bones.”
“I... I know. I'm sorry.” She glanced shamefully between her two parents. Both of them wore a slight look of disappointment on their faces. “I was just tryin’ to get caught up on my work an’—”
“No excuses, missy. Yer Ma an’ I expect more from ya than that. Especially since ya have a youngin’ ta look after.”
“Ye-yes, Pa.”
“Now come on an’ eat. You three’s supper is gettin’ cold.”
Granita half-heatedly nodded to her mother, ushering the confused and nervous filly below her over to the table. She helped Melody up to the empty seat between her and Pa, scooting her up to the table so she could reach her bowl of soup.
Chloe sat on her haunches in the chair, resting her front hooves on the table for support. It was kind of odd to be sitting like this, but with how small she was, it was the only way to reach the tabletop and not lose her balance. She glanced in between the three ponies who had already resumed their supper. The stallion and the younger mare didn’t notice her when she stole a glance at them, but the older mare warmly smiled back at her and took a sip of her drink. Chloe quickly looked away until the older mare said something to her and pointed to the wooden bowl filled with, what looked to be, cut up potatoes and carrots in a dark, heavy broth.
When Ma spoke up, Granita smiled at Melody and nudged the spoon towards her. She picked up her own, taking another bite of her soup while rubbing her belly and making an ‘mmm’ sound as she looked over to Melody, smiling as the filly picked up the spoon. “Ma, remember, she cain’t understand ya. Ya have to show her what to do.”
“Ya even have to show her how ta eat? Every foal, no matter wheres they from knows how to eat. Why when you and your siblings was little, I couldn’t keep your little hooves outta the cupboards,” Ma said with a little laugh. “Ya know, I believe she is just a mite bit scared right now, is all. She won’t stop lookin’ at us when we ain’t lookin’ at her.” To prove her point, Ma smiled across the table at Melody who had been watching her talk. True to her words, Melody quickly averted her eyes back to the soup in front of her. “Wha’d I tells ya? I think she is just scared right now. And I think I might know why too,” she said, glaring over at Pa who stopped mid bite.
“Wha’ ah do?” he asked with a mouth half full of food, turning his head towards his wife.
“Ya done probably scared her with that big ol’ face of yers. It’s as big as she is, an’ ya went stickin’ it right in hers, ya idjit.”
“What about when ya scared her half to death earlier, Ma?” Granita chimed in, giving her father a quick smile and a bit of help.
“What ya mean? I never scared her,” she shot back defensively.
“Did you see the look in her eyes when you suddenly picked her up…”
Chloe looked back and forth between the increasing loud ponies. She was almost sure by the way their tone was that they were arguing about something. Probably me. She shrugged, rubbing an eye as she still was trying to fully wake up from her unexpected nap. Letting out a little yawn, she pulled her small bowl of still steaming soup closer to her. Now that the other three were occupied with arguing with each other, she figured this was as good of time as any to see how good the soup actually is.
Hovering her nose over the bowl for a moment, she took in a few quick test sniffs. It didn’t look like much but the earthy aroma of the cooked vegetables and spices lightly burned her nose, making it tingle slightly. Chloe eagerly lifted up her wooden spoon and stirred the contents of the bowl, trying to see exactly what was in it besides the carrots and potatoes that were bobbing in and out of the surface of the dark broth, looking for any signs of beef. Wouldn’t really make sense for horses to eat meat anyways, but I could still hope. After a few cursory stirs of her spoon had confirmed that it was indeed just carrots and potatoes, much to her disappointment. She lifted a spoonful of the soup to her mouth, gently blowing on it to cool it down to a reasonable temperature before taking the first test bite.
The soup tasted exceptionally good, much like everything else she had eaten here so far, even though it looked like mush with chunks floating in it. Chloe swallowed her soup and quickly went back for another spoonful as the first bite settled into her empty stomach. She didn't realize just how hungry she had been but it made sense seeing the last time she ate was early this morning and it was now after sundown.
Chloe completely ignored the three rowdy ponies as she continued eating the delicious and satisfying soup. Well, she did look up at them occasionally just to look away when any of them looked at her as she started thinking about her new existence here. This is fucked up. She thought as she stole another glance around the table as the ponies shouted at each other and pointed hooves.
A dark train of thought started rolling through her head, she knew where it was leading but once it started, she couldn't stop it, no matter how hard she tried. It was something that was always in the back of her mind, scratching and clawing at her thoughts until she was forced to address it. How, how am I... here? Why I am here? What happened to Gennie? My parents, my friends? What about my old life? She could feel the tears swelling up in her eyes as she ran a foreleg across her face, staring at it as she pulled it away. There were a few small wet streaks on her fur. Why do I have to be a foal? Why a foal? I don't want to be a kid again...
She mulled over her thoughts while idly mixing her soup with the spoon. I hate this stupid body. I hate this place. Her mind started to race as it filled with more and more negative thoughts, each compounding and building off of the last until she just couldn't take it anymore. I want my old body back… I want my friends back… I want my whole life back! Her forelegs folded on the table, pushing the near empty bowl out of the way. She buried her head into her much despised, equine forelegs as another pounding headache etched its way into her skull.
The other ponies were calming down now and the stallion started laughing in his deep voice, loud enough to vibrate the table. It didn't take but a few heartbeats before the other two followed suit and the whole room was filled with laughter. Throughout this, none of them had noticed how distraught Melody was until the sound of sniffles cut through their laughter like a hot knife through butter. One second, Melody seemed fine and the next something was very wrong. Pa just looked over curiously at the filly while Granita and Ma rushed out of their seats to find out what was the matter.
Chloe shot her head up as soon as she felt something touch her shoulder and glared at the light-green mare. “Don’t fucking touch me!” she shouted, bolting out of her seat. Seeing that the door to the outside was still closed, and she still hadn’t figured out how to properly open it, at least not in enough time for her to escape, she ran back into the bedroom that she had awoken in a little while ago and thanked God that the window was still open. Rushing over to the bed, Chloe quickly jumped up on it, and leapt right out the window, tumbling on the grass below.
Shouting could be heard coming from the inside of the house as she scrambled to her hooves. Her mind told her that she needed to get away from these horse-aliens things as quickly as possible, find Gennie, and get them both the hell out of here.
The stars were out in full force, lighting up the heavens with their ethereal glow as Chloe quickly shook her head, regaining her bearings, and took off towards the large forest on the edge of the orchard with the starlight and near full moon to guide her way. Though the forest that bordered a good part of the property seemed foreboding when she looked at it earlier in the day, for some strange reason, she was drawn to it now, almost as if it was calling her name and guiding her thoughts and actions.
The filly’s legs quickly carried her through the moonlit path in between the fields, darting in and out of the shadows cast by the overhead apple tree leaves. Shouts and pounding of hooves against dirt could be heard not far behind her as the mares gave chase. She knew it was impossible to simply outrun them. Their legs were as long as her entire body, and they could cover many times the distance with each gallop compared to her. At least she had the cover of darkness and her small size on her side to which she planned on taking full advantage of. There were a few shrubs alongside the path just up ahead, and they would make a perfect hiding spot until they passed. Chloe just hoped she could make it in time without being seen and was thankful that her coat and mane were darker colors.
Granita and her mother ran past the hiding filly, a single lantern between the two of them as they shouted out something. Chloe watched with baited breath from the shrub, looking back down the path to see where the stallion was but it seemed that he wasn't out here. She turned her attention back to the two mares that had slowed down. They searched the sides of the fields for her, looking in between the rows of trees for any sign of where she might have gone. She let out a relieved, drawn-out sigh as she cautiously climbed out from the shrub’s leafy cover as the light from the lantern faded into the distance. She looked around again for the stallion. He didn't seem to be out here for some reason, but that didn’t bother her any. One less alien that she had to avoid.
With the mares off in the distance to her right, she cut through orchard, using the trees to camouflage her escape. She crept through the plentiful rows of trees, being very wary of any sticks or errant leaves that would give away her position. Thoughts ran through her head about what kind of trouble she would be in if she were to get caught; none of them pretty. She shuddered and forced those silly thoughts down. They hadn’t hurt her or done anything to even make her think that they would hurt her, but that was not what her mind was telling her at the moment. It was insisting that they had nefarious plans for her, and that if she didn't run away from them now, it would not end well.
Those thoughts filled her mind, giving her an overwhelming sense of completely unfounded fear that pushed her into an outright sprint for the dark forest up ahead. Its call was stronger than ever now, forcing her to run at a full gallop into its awaiting embrace. The mares had heard her rustle some leaves when she took off as they focused their efforts on the sounds. She could hear them shouting and running towards her, getting ever closer, but so was the forest’s edge. There was only a short distance to go and the sound of running water could be heard. Up ahead was the brook that the green mare had washed her off in when she got paint all over herself this morning and just past the bank on the other side was freedom. All she had to do was leap over the babbling brook and dart into the dense woods beyond.
That was easier said than done.
Chloe let out a surprised scream as did two other voices from right behind her. Her short legs had failed to get her all the way across the brook, sending her crashing into the cold water. The resulting splash had drenched from her head to hoof. She was shivering but that wasn’t going to stop her, not when she was this close. Luckily the large splash of water had hit the other mares as well, giving her a slight reprieve as she quickly climbed out of the brook and leapt into the forest. She heard both of them yell the same thing and felt something grab for her tail while she was in mid leap, but they were too slow and only got a few strands of hair for their efforts.
The dense foliage wasn’t too hard for her to scamper through, though the same could not be said for the larger mares that were falling farther and farther behind as she forced herself deeper and deeper into the woods. With each step, her mind grew calmer. Each step, she was more confident that she made the right choice. Each step, it smelled more and more like… rotting meat?