Stuck in Equestria

by Mike the Red

A New Beginning

The party went without a hitch and Brenda and I enjoyed ourselves. My fears of a repeat of the first party proved to be unfounded, though Pinkie had ensured that wouldn't happen. Somehow or other, she seemed to know what we would enjoy and she also seemed to take control of the party, guiding every pony by engaging in activities Brenda and I might find fun. In short, we had a good time and I congratulated Pinkie on giving us a good party. As we left, we met up with Twilight, a suggestion of mine being to ask her to allow us to stay in her guest room. Brenda was rather reticent about the idea, but after discussing it with the librarian, she agreed to let us stay with her. She also informed Brenda that she would respect our privacy and our marriage as she bid us good night. Brenda and I expressed our happiness at being allowed to sleep together once again, even if we were in different bodies. As such, it gave us an opportunity to express our love for each other in a more intimate and physical manner. Brenda discovered a new sensitivity as a zebra and I discovered how much more satisfying providing her such pleasure could be. I think that night we resolved to renew our vows to each other as soon as we could, though it might also have been something we said during the heat of passion. It had been a long time since I had felt that way about my wife. The night flew by far too fast for my liking as we were awoken by a knocking at the door.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked groggily, rubbing sleep from my eyes.

"Okay, you two, it's time to get up -- breakfast is waiting downstairs," Twilight noted brightly. "From what I heard last night, it sounds as though you two may have finally put your differences aside." She continued to smile at us as I returned her smile.

"Well -- perhaps I was wrong about him," Brenda declared. She flashed a tentative smile as she glanced at me. "Maybe being ponies might work out for us."

I turned to my wife, a neutral expression on my face. "Um, I kinda hate to say this, Brenda, but we might not have a choice in that matter -- I seem to recall the Princess saying something about us not being able to go back home and that we needed to be ponies so we could fit in a little better -- but in your case, being a zebra might complicate matters a little," I noted, disappointment tinging my words.

"So what are we going to do about it, Mike? We lost everything back home, didn't we? Why -- why did I have to follow you? Ugh!" she groaned as memories began returning, their presence as unwelcome as their poor timing.

"I can answer that," Twilight offered almost wryly. "You love your stallion so dearly you felt compelled to follow him regardless of the consequences. I sometimes wish I had a special somepony who was as dedicated to me as you are to him," she stated wistfully. Her smile began to wilt as she took a few moments to ruminate over her past.

"Well, you can't have my stallion, Twilight -- you'll have to find someone else to help you," Brenda replied with just a hint of malice coloring her words. Her eyes narrowed slightly as well as she glanced at me. My expression was one of sympathy for the librarian, something which seemed to spark a little jealousy. "Mike, I don't wanna spend another six months in that dungeon -- so please respect me."

"Give me a little credit, Brenda," I muttered. "Sorry, Twilight -- I hate it when we have these little disagreements. Brenda, we need to put the past behind us -- we have to start fresh here."

"So what are we gonna do? How are we suppose to get our own place? And why do all these ponies have to keep staring at me like I'm some kind of freak?"

"Because you're trotting around in a zebra's body, Brenda -- and the ponies here in Ponyville aren't used to seeing zebras other than Zecora," I replied. My expression brightened a little as I turned towards our host. "Hey, Twilight, how about we pay her a visit? I'm curious to see her reaction upon seeing Brenda," I chuckled.

"Mike, I don't like the sound of that -- what if she tries to steal you away from me?"

"Oh, come on now, Brenda! You know you're the only zebra in my life -- you need not worry about her taking me away from you," I replied as I ran my right fore-hoof through her mane. This calmed her down somewhat and she flashed me another soft smile.

"Your breakfast is getting cold," Twilight said almost stiffly, causing me to wonder if she might actually be a little jealous of my marriage.

"Thanks for your hospitality, Twilight," I intoned softly. "Brenda, let's not keep our hostess waiting any longer." I heard her mutter softly, causing Brenda to chuckle softly. The unicorn grumbled under her breath as she turned around and trotted away, her hoofsteps sounding on the stairs as she returned to the ground floor. "I take it that's our cue to leave," I noted. We got up from our bed and went downstairs to the kitchen to eat. We continued our discussion over breakfast, complimenting Spike on his cooking and thanking Twilight yet again for her kindness and generosity. We then helped out with cleaning the kitchen and washing the dishes.

"So, Twilight, how about it? Can we go meet Zecora?" I asked.

"She lives in the Everfree, Mike -- are you sure you want to venture there?"

"I'm curious to see her -- and I'm not scared of forests," I replied as I found her trepidation amusing, a wry smile playing on my lips.

"The Everfree is not a benign forest like Whitetail Woods -- there are many dangers lurking inside it," she admonished, her gaze hardening at me.

"Well -- you've taught me quite a bit of magic -- I think I can deal with those threats," I replied confidently. "Brenda, are you interested in meeting a fellow zebra?" I grinned.

"Um -- Mike, please! How can you call this ... Zecora ... a fellow zebra? I -- I wasn't born a zebra!"

"No, but you've been a zebra for about a year now, even if half that time was spent in a dungeon cell," I commented dryly. I immediately regretted saying that as she fell to her hocks and began sobbing again as the memories returned, overwhelming her with sadness and rage. Upon seeing this, I cooed softly to her. "Brenda, I'm so sorry -- I -- I want to fix this for you -- I had no idea it was so bad." I sat next to her and wrapped my forelegs around her.

"Mike, you should be more careful with what you say," Twilight admonished as she flashed a disapproving look at me. I continued to hold Brenda close, trying to comfort her again. After several minutes of this, she rose to her hooves again. She glowered at me, a slight hint of a growl escaping her lips.

"Don't bring that up ever again! Don't remind me of what I went through! You have no idea!" she shouted, tears trickling down her cheeks.

"Look, I said I'm sorry, okay? I'll try not to talk about it again -- I know you told me just how bad it was -- but -- I guess I can't understand if I didn't suffer the way you did. I'm very sorry," I said softly as I tried to console her again.

"I'm going to talk to Princess Celestia to see about getting you two a place of your own -- and given what you've gone through, Brenda, I think it's the least she can do to make amends," Twilight announced. "If you want to meet Zecora, please stop by Fluttershy's cottage -- perhaps she can escort you there. I have some important business to attend to."

"Um, I'm sorry if I offended you, Twilight," I said softly.

"Mike, let's get going," Brenda implored as she tapped a hoof impatiently.

"Okay, Brenda -- seeya later, Twilight," I addressed her before turning to the door.

"Michael, you might need your staff," she noted, levitating it over to me.

"Good idea, thanks, Twilight," I smiled at her then placed the staff in its holster.

"And your saddlebags," Twilight added, levitating them on our backs.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd swear you're trying to get rid of us," I grinned as I trotted to the door. Brenda trotted beside me but kept quiet, short of stifling a giggle at my comment.

"I am," she deadpanned, her expression one of seriousness, causing my mood to sour somewhat.

"Well -- thanks again for everything, Twilight -- see you later," I said as we exited her home. The door closed sharply behind us, surprising me a little with the loudness of the sound. "I think she's a little jealous of us," I uttered softly to my zebra.

"Don't let that bother you, Mike. Let's get going if we're gonna see this other zebra -- I wonder what she'll think of me -- I hope she's nice," Brenda mused as we trotted to Fluttershy's cottage. The trek took about fifteen minutes or so as we chatted back and forth a little more. Presently, we reached our destination and I spotted the yellow pegasus tending to some birds.

"Is that Fluttershy?" asked Brenda, her voice scaring away the birds. The pegasus turned around to see us, though her expression showed annoyance.

"Yes, I'm Fluttershy -- and you interrupted me while I was feeding my birds," she grumped.

"Terribly sorry, Fluttershy, but -- Twilight suggested we meet up with you in order to see Zecora," I noted.

"Thank you for reminding me -- I need to get some special supplies from her! Of course I'll take you to see her!" she chirped. "I think she'll be happy to have some new company!"

Comments

[Renodil]

Yay! New chapter. Been waiting so long to see where the story goes. Here's hoping that the next chapter won't take so long.