And They Call It Puppy Love

by kudzuhaiku

Chapter 5

Screwloose sat in her bed, thinking about the night before, and staring at the prescription bottles on her bedside. Last night had been downright magical. The reality of the morning, not so much. The pills she was required to take beckoned to her, imploring her to be reasonable and responsible.

With a quiet sigh, she bucked responsibility and reason.

This would be the first morning in several years that she didn’t take her pills. She was genuinely curious as to what might happen. She didn’t know. She thought about what Mint Jewelup had told her. What if the pills were utterly unnecessary? What if they had been prescribed to her with good intentions… Could a pony be a dog in pony skin? Her mind reeled. The questions filling her brain caused a painful sense of confusion.

There was nagging sense of something wrong. Clearly, there had been something wrong with her. She couldn’t remember any part of her life before being found. So there was evidence of something. Illness? Mental illness? Was it actually evidence? She didn’t know and couldn’t say. Evidence of something ambiguous wasn’t really evidence of anything tangible, a quiet part of her mind said, one of the parts that whispered softly to her on occasion. She trusted that whispering voice. It rarely spoke, but when it did, it cut through and silenced the other voices.

She worried briefly about her internal dialogue. Was that normal? Was there really a difference between hearing voices and having an internal dialogue? What about ponies who claim to hear their good conscience telling them what to do? Were they mad as well? Did they take pills to silence the the voice of reason?

She lashed out with her hoof, knocking the pill bottles to the floor.

After a moment of sitting and fidgeting on the bed, she got down on the floor and picked them up, placing them back upon the bedside table. But she did not take any. The lids remained sealed on the tiny plastic bottles, the pills remained inside, and the voices remained active.

She stumbled down the stairs to the kitchen, nearly tripping near the bottom, her hooves thudding loudly as she slid down the last few steps. She clattered onto the kitchen tile floor and held still, hoping she wouldn’t wake her roommate.

Which was nothing to be concerned about. Screwloose let out a startled yelp as two legs wrapped around her neck and squeezed, and she felt two lips press against her face, just below her ear.

“Hi there sunshine. Have a nice night?” Mint Jewelup said, still hanging from her neck. “I really like earth ponies. So delightfully solid and nice to hang a hug from.” She let go of Screwloose and sat down at the kitchen table.

Screwloose stood there at a loss for words. The side of her face was damp. She raised an eyebrow.

“You checked out my plot. Now I get to kiss your adorable face in the mornings. Sometimes. When the mood strikes me.” Mint said, pouring a second glass of orange juice and sticking a straw in it. “I might even crawl into your bed one night and cuddle you a bit. Nothing too serious.” Mint added the last sentence when she saw the look of startled concern on Screwloose’s face.

Screwloose sat down at the table and took a sip through her straw. She smelled tea brewing. There was a plateful of zucchini, carrot, and parmesan muffins on the table.

“So how was last night?” Mint asked, beginning to prepare the tea without leaving the table, her magic filling the kitchen with a serene blue glow.

“I might need a cuddle soon.” Screwloose said groggily between sips of her orange juice.

Mint raised an eyebrow. Her roommate was usually rather reserved. This was new.

Screwloose yawned and blinked at the tea being set out in front of her. She looked at Mint Jewelup, her eyes narrowed, one nostril twitching slightly. After drawing a deep breath, she spoke: “I can tell you anything right?”

Mint nodded, stirring honey into the tea.

“I did not take my pills this morning.” Screwloose confessed.

Mint said nothing, but looked at her friend intently, waiting.

“I don’t know how I am without the pills. What if there really isn’t anything wrong with me?” Screwloose questioned. “Everything I think I know is all muddled up right now. I do not understand who or what I am. I feel like I am in the wrong body. I feel like I am not myself. I want to stop taking the pills for a while and see what I am like on my own.”

“Alright.” Mint said. “I’ll be here with you every step of the way. If you fall, I’ll catch you. If you can take off running, I’ll run with you. Either way, you’ll have me.”

Screwloose blushed slightly.

“Feeling like you are not in the right body isn’t that uncommon.” Mint said in low tones. “There are ponies that feel that way. Some of them males, some of them female. In Manehatten, there is a hospital that performs gender reassignment surgery. Stallions become mares and vice versa. Before going through the change, many of them feel they are in the wrong body. Many suffer through mental illness. Many take pills, trying to be normal. Some even try to kill themselves because they feel like they just don’t fit into the herd.”

Screwloose pondered her roommate’s words.

“I met a lot of these ponies during my recovery. Even loved a few of them, in those first few awkward steps were I really set out to discover my self. My adolescent explorations only satisfied so much of my curiousity. I’ve loved mares who used to be stallions. I’ve loved stallions that used to be mares. It taught me that the body is a flexible shell, like molded clay, a projection of what lies inside, a hint of what lies within, but it is really only a shell. Perhaps the body is comparable to clothing. And clothing can be changed. The pony on the inside is important, no matter how they might be dressed on the outside.”

Mint smiled and then sipped her tea.

“I learned to look past whatever a pony might be wearing at the moment and love them for what they are when they are truly naked.” Mint giggled and blushed slightly. “My metaphors are really awful, sorry.”

“No. They’re comforting.” Screwloose whispered, her voice husky with emotion. Screwloose grabbed a muffin and started nibbling tiny careful bites.

“It is going to be painful.” Mint warned.

Screwloose nodded.

“Dr. Hornwinkle isn’t going to approve.” Mint cautioned.

Screwloose nodded, taking another bite and chewing on a chewy matchstick of shredded carrot from the muffin. After swallowing, she took a long sip of tea. Green tea blended with ginger.

“And I’d be careful what you tell him.” Mint said at last.

“I will.” Screwloose said, muffin crumbs on her lips.

“You are adorable when you eat Screwloose. I really feel very attracted to you right now.” Mint Jewelup said, looking Screwloose in the eye.

Screwloose stammered wordlessly and broke eye contact, staring down at the muffins.

“Don’t worry. It remains platonic for the time being. But I really do feel the desire to be close to you. Just like we are right now.” Mint said, winking suggestively.

“Alright.” Screwloose squeaked. “Are the lines of our friendship blurring?”

“There are lines?” Mint asked. “Nopony told me. I love without boundaries. My friends and those I love are indistinguishable. Don’t worry Screwloose, for all of my teasing, I wouldn’t actually put any moves on you. Right now, you are too fragile and vulnerable. Later though, if you ever check me out again, I might try. But only if you send a very clear signal as an invite first.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.” Screwloose replied with a nervous giggle.

“Now, when are you going to invite your friend over so we can have a meal together?” Mint asked, raising an eyebrow and blowing her mane out of her eyes.

“Um, actually, I’ve already done that. Dinner. Tonight. I was going to meet him in the park and bring him here.” Screwloose replied. “We went out in the open last night. Ponies saw us. Nothing happened. So I was thinking that tonight, I would bring Fleagle here and we could all eat together.”

“Tonight I was going to have Parasol over to have supper with us.” Mint said. “But don’t you worry. Our table seats four. Parasol is a very open minded pony, I know she wouldn’t mind.”

“Is Parasol like you?” Screwloose asked.

“Not exactly, no. She’s into mares… And she’s having some issues. She was raised by very strict parents who have told her that loving mares is wrong, and they have hurt her a great deal. I’m trying to walk her through the rough patch.” Mint said. “She came to Ponyville to get away from her parents. We still have some trouble here, but Ponyville is a haven for those who are different.”

“I will bring Fleagle over to dine with us.” Screwloose said. “Maybe it would be good for all of us to be together. Sounds like we all have something in common.”

Mint nodded and then gulped her tea. She poured another cup and added honey. She picked up her fresh cup and took a careful sip.

“Since we are very close and intimate friends now, would it bother you if I sniffed your backside?” Screwloose asked. “In a platonic way of course.”

Mint Jewelup sprayed her tea all over the floor, her eyes going wide with shock. “Whaaahuh?”

“Well, it started out really awkward and weird, but it is really rather pleasant.” Screwloose said with a grin.

“You!” Mint cried. “You’re teasing me. I don’t think you’ve ever done that before. You’ve changed!”

Screwloose tittered faintly and blushed. “I don’t know what has come over me.”

“I don’t either, but I like it. Will you look at that mess.” Mint said, slightly annoyed but still laughing. “There really is something different about you this morning. Maybe this change will do you good.”

“I had a really magical night last night. I feel good. I feel changed.” Screwloose said.

“Is that so?” Mint inquired.

“Yes. Last night was wonderful. We had a picnic that Pinkie Pie provided for us, we chased fireflies, we went for a swim, found a secluded hollow and howled at the moon together, he licked me during our picnic…”

“Wait!” Mint said, interrupting. “You got licked?”

“Yeah.” Screwloose said, melting into her chair.

“So this was your first lick then.” Mint said, her tone teasing, a smile spreading.

“Something like that. He pressed his nose into my ear and sniffed it like a flower while we were howling.” Screwloose tittered.

“So you are moving right along.” Mint Jewelup commented.

“It just feels right.” Screwloose admitted. “Feels natural somehow.”

“Well try not to rush things.” Mint warned. “Take things slow. Enjoy this first time. Make it last, squeeze out every moment you can, savour every new experience, and try to learn as much as possible.”

Screwloose nodded.

“And most important thing of all…” said Mint, “is that you tell me all of the steamy details. If you feel comfortable that is. You don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.”

Screwloose chortled, an odd sound, a choked back full belly laugh that got caught in her throat. She took a long pull from her teacup, trying to clear her throat.

“Diamond dogs do not have romance.” Screwloose said slowly, her tone turning serious. “Fleagle has no idea what to do or how to do it. I am utterly clueless about romance as well. I’m really afraid that something will go wrong. I don’t want this to end. We’re both so happy.”

Mint set down her teacup and gazed at her friend. “Screwloose, if you ever need advice, about anything, and I do mean anything, you know you can come to me, right?”

Screwloose nodded.

“Now, I don’t know the first thing about dog and pony romances, but I know an awful lot about loving whatever is on the inside. And that is what is important. If you ever feel stuck, don’t sit in your room and fret. You come to me, and we both work on getting you unstuck. I’m not going to let you mess this up Screwloose.” Mint said, staring at her roommate and best friend.

Screwloose nodded and began to tear up a little. She took a long sip of tea and pulled another muffin to her plate. “You are the best friend a confused pony could hope for.” She said, meeting Mint’s gaze.

Author's Note:

And now, we delve into some very difficult topics about sexuality. I'd love to hear some opinions. Let me know what you think. Hey, bring friends, have them read, get them into the debate.

Any really profound or worthwhile bits might even be incorporated into the story later.

I understand that this is a very sensitive subject, so I really have tried to handle it with kid gloves, with out candy coating anything or holding back. I intend for things to become rather frank later. Hold on.

Comments

[Texus]

It seems nothing wrong with it. I like it

[scooterdash]

I have work tomorrow and was ment to be asleep over an hr ago.. curse you and your addictive stories!!

[Callos Sombra]

ive really liked how this is turning out.. Screwloose has a great friend in mint n.n