//------------------------------// // 1 - 07 // Story: Four Hooves // by destinedjagold //------------------------------// “Eat up!” “Don’t you mean eat down?” Sienna rolls her emerald green eyes as she munches on the grass. “Just eat, you silly pony.” The sun is already setting, and even though the sky is still bright, the forest has already gotten quite dark, probably because the leaves up above block the sun’s rays. Anyway, Miss Deer and I are on the edge of another stream. This is probably the second stop of the pony harvesters who deliver their crops to the unicorns up north. Sienna gulps down the grass she was eating and flashes me a concerned frown. “Hey, Jay. You really, really need to eat.” “Mrrrf,” I mrrrf as I stare at the grass. I have been feeling dizzy during the last hour because I’m really hungry, but I’m just too stubborn to eat...grass. The cold water that I drank as soon as we got here didn’t help, and my stomach growls in agreement. “You won’t have the energy to move if you—” “I know!” I hiss as I throw her a tired glare. I sigh as I sit down on the ground. “S-sorry,” I mumble quietly. What can I say? Anyone can lose their temper if they’re hungry, and I’m no exception, but damn it, I don’t want to eat grass! “I...just don’t like grass.” “Pffft—!” Sienna chokes and coughs, and she hurries to the stream to drink some water. I roll my eyes and lightly shake my head. I look down and stare at the grass stalks before me. I lean closer to it and take a sniff. Well, it smells...nothing, I guess? So I suppose it’s safe to assume that this grass hasn’t been pissed on. “It’s not gonna kill you, you know,” Sienna says as she walks back towards me from the stream. “Come on. At least eat a little bit?” “I’m not a kid,” I say as I throw her a soft glare, “so stop treating me like one.” She rolls her eyes as she stops a few paces away from me. “Well, you sure are acting like one.” She blinks. “...Then again, I’ve never met any goats before, not to mention kids.” I close my eyes, take a deep breath and let out a heavy sigh. My stomach growls loudly as I reopen my eyes, my gaze on the green grass. I swallow a lump of uncertainty as I chant ‘eat it! eat it! eat it!’ in my head. I open my mouth wide, clench my eyes shut, lean down, feel the tallest stalk touch the roof of my mouth, and chomp the grass. I shiver as I pull my head back, fighting the urge to spit the grass out of my mouth. I slowly start to chew the weird and tasteless food as I ignore Sienna’s amused face. “See? That wasn’t so bad, was it?” I throw her a glare as I continue chewing. It needs ketchup...or soy sauce. Anyway, after a few more chewing, I swallow and let out a shivering belch. “Ugh...” “Now eat up before the sun sleeps!” “Aren’t there any fruits around here?” She arches an eyebrow. “Uh, no.” She shakes her head. “Even if there are, wild fruits are usually not something we should eat.” I arch an eyebrow of my own. “...Why not?” She shrugs. “Well, for one thing, we can’t reach them.” ... ... ... “Because they’re really out of reach. Second, birds and fruit bats eat them, so its best not to ruin the animals’ source of food unless you want them to start infesting on pasture-grown fruits.” “Ah...” Okay, I guess that makes sense, if that’s how things work here in this world. Also, she said ‘animals.’ “Aren’t we animals, too?” She arches an eyebrow again. “...Why do you not know these things, anyway? Shouldn’t you ponies know this?” “Just humor me.” She blinks. “...What?” I sigh and plant a hoof to my face. “Never mind. I’m going back to eating grass now.” I decide to just fuck it and continue to eat grass. As she said, it won’t kill me...I hope. There’s nothing else to eat around here anyway... “Well, if you really don’t know,” she says as she starts eating. “Mrrf—is yes, we are animals, too, but—mfff—we’re different because we’re sapient.” She thankfully gulps down what she was eating. “Ponies, deer, giraffes—” What? “—zebras, wolves, dragons—” Oh my god... There are dragons here?! Wait, wolves talk here? “—dogs, foxes, eh...and so on.” Foxes too? “Um... Tigers? Lions?” She blinks and shrugs. “I’ve heard of them, but never seen any of them before. But I’ve seen a lynx and a leopard before.” She shakes her head. “Trust me when I say that you shouldn’t get close to them.” “I wonder why,” I say lamely. I blink. “...About that.” I look around, trying to spot another ‘sapient’ creature. Spotting no one, I return my gaze on Sienna, who is looking curiously at me. “What were you doing all alone in the—” “I don’t want to talk about it,” she quickly cuts me off, her two ears drooping. She shakes her head, but it didn’t hide the grimace on her face that she tried to cover. Well, I suppose I can put two and two together. She was alone, doesn’t want to talk about it, and kept on mentioning that she should start making her own choices. Eh, she probably ran away from her herd, or from some deer-only pasture. Aw well. I shouldn’t trouble myself with her own troubles. “It’s getting dark,” she suddenly says, snapping me away from my train of thought. She looks around, her two ears pointed up and turning in different directions. It’s kinda cute to look at though. I wonder if I can do that with my own pony ears. After a few seconds, she turns to me, lies down on the ground and lets out a big and long yawn. “Well, I’m getting some shuteye.” I blink. “Wait... You’re sleeping here?” She arches an eyebrow. “...Yes?” ...So I guess tents haven’t been invented here yet. Sigh... I look around. “Well, shouldn’t we first start a fire?” “What?” she gasp in surprise. “W-why would you want a fire?” “To...keep us warm at night?” Aaand I just realize how stupid that sounds in this world. She glares at me. “That’s a stupid way to keep ourselves warm during the night, Jay!” She slowly shakes her head. “Um... S-sorry?” “Don’t you know that fire can spread and burn everything?” she asks me. “It could burn entire forests—pastures even!—and your winged ponies could barely stop it!” I sigh as I slowly sit down. “I said I’m sorry... It was...just a random idea...” “A stupid one.” “Fine,” I roll my eyes. “A random and stupid idea.” She shakes her head, her angry features slowly fading. “You’re a really weird pony... Anyway,” she looks at me, “if you can’t handle the cold night air, then you can sleep beside me.” Er... “Don’t tell me you don’t know that either? We could share our body heat and—” “Er... Yeah, uh, n-no thanks!” I smile, albeit an awkward one. “I-I think I’ll be okay.” Okay fur, don’t fail me! Please don’t fail me... She shrugs. “Eh, if you say so.” She puts her head on the ground and sighs as she closes her eyes. “Sleep well.” “Um...” I see one of her ears turn to me. “...What about predators?” “If we hear one,” she mumbles quietly without raising her head or even opening her eyes, “then we run as fast and as far away as we can.” I blink. But...how? “How can we hear them if we’re asleep?” Oh, poop... Timberwolves! They’re active at night! “W-what about timberwolves?” “They usually prey on smaller animals...” she mumbles. “Now go to sleep.” “But...but...” She sighs and opens one eye to give me a tired glance. “Jay... Is this your first time being alone?” I pause. I...no. Actually, no, this isn’t the first time that I was alone. I’ve...always been alone ever since I moved out of my parents’ house. Well, technically, that’s not true. My brother and I live in the same apartment because he wanted to be closer to the university where he studies. Now that I think about it, the moments when I thought I was alone, someone was there close by, yet I chose to feel alone... I had a few friends at work and in the apartment building. I had my brother. I had my parents. I...suppose, me being a quiet type, I find it hard to share my thoughts with others. It probably made me feel alone, even though I really wasn’t. But now? I guess I really am alone... I feel my ears droop as I look down on my two front hooves. “I was never alone from the start...” “Hm...?” I take a breath and sigh as I close my eyes. “I chose to feel as if I was alone. Now? I guess the universe wanted to let me feel what being alone actually feels like... And I don’t like it.” “Well,” she says softly, “I don’t know who this ‘universe’ is, but you’re not really alone.” I sigh. “Yeah, I know.” I look at her. “Because you’re in front of me.” She smiles as she closes her eye. “That, and you have your undying feelings for this Twilight pony you’re looking for.” I roll my eyes. “Look, I don’t love her, okay? I just need her help.” “Sure...” she whispers. “You’ll find her, Jay. Don’t worry.” I sigh as I look down on the ground. “...I sure hope so...” I’m still feeling quite hungry, so I continue to eat some grass... Sigh... Crickets start to chirp as the sun continues to dip down in the horizon that I can’t see. I then hear rustling noises form behind me. I immediately turn around, fearing for my life. It’s about time a predator jumps out and try to kill me, but nope, it’s just a bunch of rabbits going inside their dens under the bushes. I let out a sigh of relief before I put my muzzle back on the grass. I love rabbits, because they’re cute and fuzzy and I find it cute to stare at their little movey-movey noses. But I’m feeling so...depressed at the moment that cute bunnies aren’t enough to lift my spirits. I’m not sure it ‘depress’ is the right term to use but, well, tomorrow’s Tuesday, and I’m running out of time... I stare at Sienna’s sleeping form as I munch on some grass. Maybe I can continue walking after I’m done eating? But, I wonder if the forest will be too dark for me to see where I’m going later on. Then again, my hooves are aching now, so I guess I’ll just sleep, wake up early tomorrow and hope that Twilight could get me back home before sunset. ...About that... No, no, Twilight is Twilight. No matter what universe, Twilight will always pursue magical discoveries. She may be different in this world, but I...hope that she could help me. Applejack and Pinkie Pie were different, but they still have their familiar qualities and traits. Pinkie’s friendly and Applejack...well...uh...she...um...friendly, too? Never mind. Right, I think I’ve eaten enough grass for one night. I quietly walk towards the stream to drink. ...What are the odds of Twilight being able to help me in this world? Ponies here all behave like...ordinary animals. I mean, it’s like the only thing they’re thinking of are the basics of life, with a small knowledge of trade. I dunno... All these thoughts make my head ache. I pull my head up and sigh as I turn around and join my deer companion. I lie down on the ground with a respectable distance between the two of us. I stare at her two little stubs on her head before I let out a yawn. I suddenly feel how tired and sleepy my everything is, so I lazily lay my head on the ground. Sleeping like this doesn’t feel that bad, probably because of my fur, but it’s kinda sad though. Oh well... This is just for one night anyway. Tomorrow, I’ll find Twilight and ask for her help.