A mare and her dog

by cammera

Day 31: As terrible, terrible food roams somewhere

A thunder sounded in the distance.

"Twenty six"

There was another.

"Twenty seven," counted Applejack absent-mindedly "I hate it when storms take so long to just happen"

"I kn- twenty eight. I know"

A single drop fell in Nanda's muzzle, and they both watched the sky expectantly for nearly a minute before walking again.

"By the time water falls the storm drained itself in thunder and wind"

Nanda nodded, "Twenty nine"

-º-

"Are you sure it ain't meat?"

"Yes"

Applejack smelled her bowl, "Smells like meat"

"It isn't"

"Its got chunky brown bits"

"You saw me cook it"

"Not all of it"

"You were gone for two minutes"

"I don't-"

"Will you eat already"

Applejack gave her stew an untrusting look.

"If you don't eat the food I made you'll experience the pain of a thousand deaths"

"I think than that's what I have in my bowl" Applejack took one of the brown cubes with her fork and touched it with the tip of her tongue "What in the hay is this?"

Nanda sighed, "Do you want to know a song my mother sung, when my father argued too much? She called it "Turd for dinner" "

"Uh"

"It's alfalfa with mushrooms, foal. You saw me cook it"

"Good mushrooms or ba-"

"Eat already" Nanda put a forkful in her mouth "See? No meat, no drugs, just good alfalfa with perfectly safe mushrooms and some pepper"

"Alright..." she took a forkful and, at glaciar pace, moved it to her mouth.

"I thought you were a traveler" sighed Nanda.

"Rotten clay stew" she swallowed, clearly disliking the taste "I was open to new experiences until that one"

"What? the clay stew is good with enough salt"

"Enough salt that you can't taste the actual stew?"

"Er" Nanda fidgeted for a moment "Its not like all food is clay stew"

"No. But there is something worse, somewhere, and I am not going to find it"

"You are seriously over reacting"

"I spent two days puking. You?"

"I-" Nanda cut herself "Three days"

"I understand," nodded Applejack.

"What I don't understand is why they make it. It's like they are playing a joke to every single traveler" Nanda's head hung "And they insist in that you like it if you eat enough"

"They are all mad, those minotaurs. So much clay gets in the brain or something"

"Do they still put those small egg things in it?" she asked "The grayish green ones?"

Applejack nodded.

"Oh for the love of-" Both them and Winona jumped at the sudden roar.

"Thirty five" counted Applejack when their breaths had returned to a normal pace.

-º-

"You sure?"

"Yes, kid, the sign says clearly that we have to cross the bridge"

Applejack eyed it warily.

"We should take another way"

"It'll resist us"

"Like a bull, throwing us away"

"I doubt it"

"Ever mounted a bull?"

"Can't say I've had the pleasure"

"You don't want to" Applejack peeked down the crevice "We really should search another path"

"And waste a day's worth of travel?"

"We'll have to camp soon, anyway"

"Then we'll decide tomorrow" nodded Nanda.

Comments

[Aatxe360]

Traveler food is a trap.