A House is not a Home

by Fall

A House is not a Home

It was a warm autumn afternoon as Pint the Unicorn and Bucky the Pegasus made their way up to the very large house in which their friend, Fall, lived at.

“Wow,” awed Bucky. “I wish my house was that big.”

“A lot of fillies and colts live there,” stated Pint. “Though I don’t see many grown-ups when I last passed by.”

“Do you think that is why all of Fall’s brothers and sisters were able to bully her as much as they did?” asked Bucky.

“I suppose so,” replied Pint. “Though let’s not bring that up when we see her, okay?”

“Good point,” agreed Bucky. “I don’t like being reminded of times when I was hurt or felt bad.”

“Then why do you always bring up that scrape you got when we got into mischief in my neighbor’s yard?” asked Pint with a smile.

“That’s different,” grinned Bucky. “That’s a ‘battle scar’.”

“If you say so,” chuckled Pint.

***

“This is it,” stated Pint after climbing the stairs towards what he believed to be the front door.

KNOCK-KNOCK-KNOCK
The sound of trotting could be heard from inside until the top part of the door opened to reveal a middle-aged mare.
“Hello?” she asked looking outward.

“Down here!” cried Pint. “We were wondering if we could play with Fall today?”

The sea-foam-green coated mare put her hoof to her muzzle.
“Fall?” she asked. “I’m afraid I’m new here and don’t know many of the foals and colts here yet.”

“Is that the Families for Foals representative?” asked a female voice from inside the house.

The greenish mare looked at the colts, smiled, and faced into the house.
“We have two colts here who want to visit with Fall,” she stated.

“Colts?” the mare inside asked with a hint of irritation. “We’re already at capacity.”

The greenish mare looked down at the two boys and frowned.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “But you two should run along back to your families.”

“But-” Pint tried to say as the mare closed the top part of the door.

“Something’s weird about this place,” stated Bucky. “I say we figure it out.”

Pint thought about the fence he had magically transported over before and how he went unnoticed when he did.
“I’m up for some mischief,” he said with a smile. “Especially if it will allow us to play with Fall.”

***

Upon reaching the fenced in yard, Pint tried to use his Unicorn magic to teleport himself and Bucky inside. However it just wasn’t happening.
“Up for a challenge?” he asked his friend.

Bucky grinned as he reared back, scraped his hoof against the ground, dashed towards the fence, and leapt into the air with the aid of his wings.
“Oh, yeah!” he cried until his back hooves clipped the top of the fence and sent him crashing haphazardly to the ground.

“Show off,” stated Pint as he watched his friend recover from his near face-plant.

“I made it over at least,” he boasted.

“How about putting those wings of yours to use by helping me over the fence?” asked Pint.

Bucky put a lot of effort into picking up his chubby yellow body into the air enough so that he was hovering over the fence with his front hooves dangling down in preparation to bring his friend over.
“Get a move on, Pint!” he grunted. “I don’t know how long I can keep this up!”

Pint reared back, dashed towards the fence, and leapt with his front hooves outreached towards Bucky’s.

CLASP
“Got…” said the amber haired Pegasus as the additional weight caused him to plummet to the ground. He fell on his bottom and was forced flat against the ground as Pint came crashing down upon him.

“Ow,” moaned Bucky.

“At least we made it over,” stated Pint as he picked himself up. “Now let’s go find Fall.”

***

Pint and Bucky walked through the yard in search of their filly friend. As they did they noticed over twenty fillies and colts who were arund their age gathered in groups of varying sizes.

“Perhaps more than one family lives in that house?” Pint thought aloud.

“Isn’t there that one neighbor on our street who has his mother and grandfather living with his family?” asked Pint.

“Yeah,” said Bucky.

“So I guess a whole bunch of families living together in one big house makes sense,” stated Bucky as he looked about for the grown-ups who would normally be observing such a grouping of children. But all he was able to see were a stallion talking with a much older mare from a covered porch.
“But I don’t see many grown-ups,” he said while putting his hoof to his muzzle and giving a perplexed expression.

“I don’t know,” said Pint. “I know there are lots of moms and dads at the park.”

“But not here,” stated Bucky while gazing about the yard.

“Perhaps Fall can tell us a little more about all the families who must live here?” suggested Pint.

Bucky and Pint looked about the yard. Each kind of getting a feeling like they weren’t exactly welcome as the fillies and colts would tend to look away from them if any eye contact was made. Some of the younger ones looked like they wanted to say something but would then shy away without a word.

“I think I see her!” exclaimed Pint as he pointed his hoof towards a far-off corner of the yard.

“Great!” exclaimed Bucky. “It’ll be nice to see a friendly face.”

***

Pint and Bucky found Fall all alone near the edge of the yard. She was staring at a lone dandelion and gently pushing upon it with her hoof.

“Hey, Fall!” greeted Pint.

Fall’s pigtails flopped in the air as she was startled by the greeting.
“Oh!” she gasped upon recognizing the white Unicorn with black Dalmatian-like spots and his pudgy Pegasus friend. “It’s you guys.”

“We told you we’d come by to visit,” stated Pint.

“Why are you all alone?” asked Bucky.

Fall lowered her head and sighed.
“I’m always alone,” she said.

“Where is your mom?” asked Bucky.

“My… Mom?” asked Fall as a tear formed in her eye.

“What’s wrong, Fall?” asked Pint.

Fall’s underdeveloped wings drooped as she replied, “I don’t have a mom.”

“Huh?” asked Bucky with a look of disbelief.

Fall shook her head very slowly as tears began to well up in her blue eyes.
“No,” she said sadly.

Pint and Bucky looked at the various groups of gathered fillies and colts.
“Are any of those ponies your brothers or sisters?” asked Pint.

Fall shook her head.
“No,” she whimpered. “They’re all orphans, like me, who don’t have parents who treat me like it’s my fault that they don’t.”

Pint and Bucky felt nervous as things made even less sense by the minute to them.
“Perhaps you could, uh, show us around your house?” asked Pint.

Fall gave the dandelion another gentle nudge with her hoof before stating, “I suppose. Though you may want to keep your distance from me since nobody here is my friend and I know a few fillies and colts who’d do some very mean things if they saw me with any pony.”

Pint and Bucky looked at each other. Both boys feeling they were in perhaps the most awkward situation they had ever been in.

“Follow me,” Fall said softly. “But keep your distance.”

The colts felt knots in their stomachs as they allowed Fall to have a three ponies distance before following her towards the giant house.

***

Upon entering the building, Pint and Bucky were surprised to hear the cries of many foals coming from a nearby room.
“More foals?” wondered Pint. “How many families live in this house?”

Without turning to face the colts, Fall replied, “There are no families here.”

“But?” asked Bucky with disbelief as he ran alongside Pint. “That just doesn’t make sense.”

A stallion came from another room with a group of fillies and colts who were of school age behind him. None of the children had Cutie Marks.
“Okay you little rugrats!” the stallion proclaimed. “Tomorrow’s a visitation day. So let’s make sure you’re all presentable so we can get you out of here!”

“Yes, sir!” the youngsters announced in unison.

“Visitation day?” asked Pint.

“Is this place some sort of fancy daycare?” asked Bucky.

“If so,” said Pint. “It’s not like any I’ve ever been in.”

The sound of older colts came from behind them.
“I hate having a Cutie Mark!” growled the white-haired and black coated colt. “No pony adopts ponies who have their Cutie Marks!”

Another colt who was brown in color glared towards the foal’s room.
“Why do you think they fuss over the foals and ignore us!” he exclaimed.

Fall seemed to assume a guarded posture as she sped up her pace.

“Huh?” wondered Bucky as he looked back to see the two upset colts.

“Hey!” cried the brown colored one. “Do I know you?”

“Umm…” said Bucky.

“Wait!” cried the one with the black coat. “You look familiar, spots!”

Pint turned to see the very ponies he had saved Fall from when he first met her.
“Uh,” he gasped. “We’re just, uh, visiting?”

“Visiting?” exclaimed the brown one. “You must be really stupid to think that you just ‘visit’ this place!”

“Yeah!” announced his friend. “You’re a prisoner here and it is survival of the fittest!”

Pint wasn’t liking how the two colts appeared interested in getting into a fight.
“We’re not looking for a fight,” he said.

The white haired colt stomped his hooves and snorted before stating, “Then you’re just as weak and pathetic as Fall and should make yourself scarce like her, too!”

“That’s unless you want to start something,” added the brown colored colt as he glared towards Bucky and Pint.

Bucky hunched down, fluttered his wings, and glared back at the colts.
“What’s your problem?” he boomed.

“You newbies!” the curly-haired brown colt snarled.

“Hey!” shouted a young mare from within the foal’s room. “You colts will knock it off out there if you know what’s good for you!”

“You’re lucky,” the curly-haired colt stated.

“Just stay out of our way,” warned his friend. “And don’t expect to get out of here before us because we won’t let you.”

The two colts turned, bucked their back hooves in the direction of Bucky and Pint, and headed for the door that lead outside.

“What is this place?” asked Pint.

“I don’t know,” said Bucky with a growl. “But if those punks want to start something I’ll definitely finish it.”

Fall’s head was barely peeking out from a corner room. Her expression showing great fear.

“We should go check on Fall,” said Pint. “I’ve seen those two before and they were very mean to her. We need to know she’s okay.”

***

Pint and Bucky caught up with Fall in what appeared to be a large room tightly packed with bunk beds. Her face was buried under a worn down pillow on the bottom bunk near a windowless and dimly lit corner.
“Fall?” asked Pint as he trotted towards her.

“Go away!” she sobbed through the pillow.

Bucky was speechless as all his senses were telling him that this was not a good place to be and that they should get out as soon as possible.

“No,” said Pint. “We won’t leave you.”

“Why?” asked Fall from within the pillow with a sniffle. “You’ll only get beat up and treated horribly by staying with me.”

Bucky looked around the crowded bunk room. He noticed that all the bunks had little stands by them in which had various personal items. All of them except Fall’s. Her’s was empty and the bunk above her had a barren mattress.
“What is this place?” asked Bucky with a hint of fear in his tone.

“Yes,” said Pint as he put a comforting hoof upon Fall’s back. “Why is everyone so mean?”

Fall fought back her tears, sat up, snorted, and wiped her eyes.
“This is a terrible place,” she whimpered. “You should leave before they come and think you’re my friends.”

“What’s wrong with being your friends?” asked Pint.

“Every pony should have friends,” stated Bucky.

“We’re not leaving,” stated Bucky as he put his hoof over her hoof. “Not without you.”

Fall sniffled as more tears rolled from her eyes.
“No I don’t,” she choked.

“Yes you do!” insisted Pint.

“We’re going to get you out of here!” proclaimed Bucky.

Fall’s eyes grew wide with fear as she gestured for the colts to quiet down.
“They’ll hurt us all if they find you here with me,” she stated. “Or they’ll take away more of my headband.” She then began to cry even more as she tapped her hoof against the headband in her mane. “This is all I have left of my mother. Or, at least, that’s what I remember the nicer ponies telling me when I was really little.”

Pint was having a terrible time taking in all the awful things in which Fall was telling them.
“Where is your mother?” he asked.

Fall put her hooves to her face and began to cry uncontrollably.

“What’s going on in there?” snapped a stallion. The sound of approaching hoof steps approaching soon after.

“Fall?” asked Pint.

“Go!” she cried. “Out the window! While you still have time!”

Bucky turned to see a large window on the opposite side of the room.

“But we can’t-” insisted Pint.

“-You must!” sobbed Fall.

“You kids better not be making a mess in there!” the stallion’s voice boomed.

Bucky ran for the window and unlatched it. It was a short fall down into the house’s yard with a clear shot for the fence.
“We got to go, Pint!” he exclaimed while gesturing to the window he was now pressing open.

Pint looked to his friend and then back to Fall.
“We’ll get you out of here, Fall,” he stated confidently. “I promise.”

Pint dashed as fast as he could for the window and leapt out of it with Bucky close behind. Seconds later the stallion was in the room.
“What’s going on in here?” he asked while looking around until he spotted Fall. “Oh, it’s you.”

Fall was still crying as the scruffy-haired, elderly stallion with a faded blue coat approached her.
“You’re always causing trouble,” he said. “You definitely don’t act your age in the least.”

“I’m sorry, sir,” she said.

The stallion felt a breeze and then looked to see the window was opened.
“Did you do that?” he asked while gesturing towards the open window.

“Yes, sir,” she said. “I just wanted to-”

“-You know that’s prohibited!” he interjected. “Now you stay here in your bunk and don’t come out until supper!”

“Yes, sir,” she said.

Pint and Bucky could hear the whole discussion from where they landed beneath the window.
“I promise, Fall.” said Pint. “I’m going to get you out of this horrible place.”

“And you can count on me to make it happen,” assured Bucky.

Author's Note:

Story wording by Yosh
Plot characters and art by me