My Little Pony: The Fox of Everfree

by Valtyrian

Chapter 1: A Misunderstood Meeting

The Everfree Forest was a wild place, untouched by ponies and inhabited by many dangerous creatures. Over the years, despite the efforts of the most powerful unicorns and the Tree of Harmony, the forest had grown larger and larger, encompassing the entire southeastern part of Equestria from the edge of Ponyville to the open sea, forcing many towns to completely relocate.

Within the deepest part of the forest near the coastline, where no pony dared to journey, wild sounds could be heard from every direction. Everything from the howling packs of Timberwolves to the cry of large wild birds. But the strangest sound was that of a gentle tune and the echo of something thumping against the base of trees.

The cause of the thumping and music was a fox, and a young one at that. His fur was the color of autumn leaves--tinted dark green with a shade of amber. His voice carried across the small section of Everfree he called home.

"Oh, little fishies swimming upstream,
you all look so yummy,
It's like I'm in a dream!
Large fish, small fish, fishies all around,
Oh, how many fish could ever be found!"

The young fox's song grew louder as he danced back and forth amongst the trees. With his three tails he beat against their trunks, knocking down various fruits into a basket on his back.

A black chipmunk with brown stripes, sitting comfortably on his shoulder, started to tap on the fox’s neck.

"Hmm? Oh hey, Chirpy, what's up?"

Chirpy stood up and started to gesture all about while squeaking.

"Oh yeah," the fox said with a smile. "Well I'm sorry, but I don't know any songs about nuts."

Chirpy continued to talk to his friend as the young fox walked onward.

"Yes, I know how healthy they are." The kitsune’s tails slammed into another tree. "I like them too, but not half as much as fish." He smiled at his friend. "What do you think? Enough for dinner?"

While Chirpy looked through the basket of fruit, the fox took the time to stretch. The chipmunk pushed at various fruits, pointing his little finger at them repeatedly as if counting. Once he had finished, he chirped a few times to his friend.

"Then let's head home," the fox said, nodding. "It's starting to get late."

As he strolled down the worn dirt path, the kitsune crossed a small river where beavers showed their two kittens how to build a dam. Closing his eyes, he let out a deep, drawn-out sigh as he lowered his head and kept on moving onward. His heart felt heavier in his chest and tears formed at the corners of his eyes, until he moved up to an edge of a small beach that surrounded a large lake with a waterfall.

The raging waters cascaded down in single sheet, interrupted only by a few trees that grew on the side of the cliff. As the water splashed into the lake, it sent up a spray of mist that created a perpetual rainbow. At the sight of the rainbow the heaviness of his heart lifted and a smile crossed his lips. This was his favorite place in the entire forest. Here he could feel like he was the king of his own little kingdom.

A loud chirping quickly brought him out of his woolgathering.

"Hmm?" he asked, looking up and seeing his chipmunk friend hanging from his bangs. "Oh yeah, I'm okay."

The chirping continued as Chirpy leaped from his head down in front of him.

"Am I that transparent?" he muttered as Chirpy continued to chitter and gesture wildly. "Okay, yes, I'm a little down."

The chipmunk hopped closer, patting the fox’s shoulder with his little paws.

"I guess I just want some companionship." Sitting down, he felt the basket slide down his back. He caught it by his tails and shifted off to his side. A few more chirps caused him to raise his head. "Yes, you're a great companion. No one doubts that, but I miss my family. And this time of year, a female would be nice to have around."

Chirpy put his little paws on his hips and squeaked out a few notes.

"Yes, your little sister is cute, but I kinda want one that I don't consider to be an appetizer." A soft chuckle escaped his lips as his friend swooned and stumbled backward, eyes wide in shock. "Oh, relax, will you? I'm not about to eat her, you are my closest friend. And she's rather funny. I don't eat funny creatures."

A few more chirps as the chipmunk ran up his leg and back onto his shoulder.

"Yeah, but finding someone my size isn't easy. I mean, it's not like beautiful girls just fall from the sky."

At that moment, a sudden high-pitched scream caused both the fox and chipmunk to look up at the waterfall. What they saw looked to be a quickly falling marshmallow with cotton candy hair. Two large broken branches plummeted along with it, sending a splash a few feet tall upon hitting the water. In the wake of the splash the marshmallow was swallowed into the lake.

The young fox blinked in amazement before gazing up at the sky.

"Large amounts of fish don't just fall from the sky," he said and looked around the waterfall for a moment. "Worth a shot. Watch the basket." Running to the edge of a small nearby cliff overlooking the lake, he jumped off and dove in headfirst, while his chipmunk friend leaped off onto the basket filled with fruit.

Once in the cold waters, the young fox looked about. He abandoned all thoughts save for one, the hunt. Swimming deeper underwater, his eyes focused like a hawk on the wing, outlining everything in his path with a sharp glow.

Okay, where is she? he thought as a large salmon swam across his focused eyes. Nope, that’s a fish. Looking left he watched two large bass fight over a half dead perch. Nope, more fish. His stomach started rumble as his mouth watered. His eyes scanned further down into the dark depths until the outline of a small sinking pony was as clear crystal. There you are.

His tails swirling behind him, the schools of fish became a blur as he sank deeper and deeper. Colliding with the pony, his tails wrapped firmly around her body. Every curve of her well-developed teenage body was registered along the fur of his sensitive tails and sent a wanting shiver up his body. Thankful for the cold waters, he turned and started to dog paddle back up to the surface.

His paws pushed hard against the water as the weight of her body slowed his way up. Upon breaking the water, he brought what he now saw as a unicorn's head up to his and pushed her up against his back.

Breathing heavily, he used his tails to keep the unicorn against his body as he moved to shore as quickly as he could. Pulling the unicorn out of the water, he turned and looked at her.

She is beautiful, the young fox thought. As he examined her body, he took note of all the small, but deep, scratches. Shifting his eyes up at the four-hundred-foot waterfall, he took note of the trees that were now missing several large branches. It’s a good thing those were there to cushion her fall.

A loud chirping broke the fox's thoughts. He turned his head and shifted his attention back to his chipmunk friend.

"Hmm?" he asked as he looked at Chirpy and was greeted with several squeaks and gestures. "Oh yeah, thanks for reminding me."

Leaning down, the fox rolled her over on her back and laid his ear over her chest. Closing his eyes, he listened carefully. Her heartbeat resounded in his ears and brought a smile to his lips. Listening closer, he heard gurgling of liquid in her lungs and a breath that was growing weaker.

“Okay, stay back,” the fox told his friend as he sat up and put his front paws together. Closing his eyes, he brought the image of his father to mind. He recalled with perfect clarity the day his father taught him how to do what he was about to do. Taking a long deep breath, he began to chant slowly, his three tails forming various gestures with each word.

“Rin, Hyo, To, Sha, Kai, Jin, Retsu, Zai, Zen!” on speaking the final word his paws ignited in an emerald smokeless flame. Swiftly placing his paws down on the pony’s chest, he exhaled slowly as the flame spread from his paws down over her. Moments later she began to cough up all the water she had breathed in.

Leaning forward, he listened carefully to the sound of the pony who was now breathing a lot easier. Groaning loudly, he slowly stood up on all fours and immediately started to stagger to the side till he crashed into a tree. He looked up at his friend who looked about ready to laugh uncontrollably.

“Not one word!” the fox’s voice came out in a low growl. The chipmunk immediately pushed back against a tree and quickly became silent. “I just need a moment. And a mango.” Staggering over to his fruit basket, he tripped over his own paws and rolled headfirst into it. After a moment he lifted his head with a mango between his fangs. Rolling away from the basket, he lay on his back and began to devour the fruit. He started to purr as the sweet juices rolled down his throat. Once the fox had finished at least two mangos, he felt his strength return.

Moving up next to the filly, he wrapped his tails around her and pulled the pony up onto his back. He started to walk back to the path.

"For somepony so small she's not light," he groaned. "You think I'd be a lot stronger, carrying all that fruit every day."

His chipmunk friend was chirping as he jumped onto his head and gestured back to the basket of fruit.

"I'll come back for it, my first priority right now is to get her someplace warm, dry, and safe. Hopefully, I can treat her wounds. It's a good thing I paid extra attention while in the Fox Scouts."

Chirpy gave a few squeaks, leaping atop the filly’s head and poking her horn, looking at it as if she was completely alien to him. Smiling, the fox turned his head and stopped at a fork in the path.

"I don't know, Chirpy. She’s definitely not from the village." The fox sighed. Shaking his head, he pushed aside a set of bushes next to him, exposing a new path that lead up behind the waterfall. "I just wish I knew who she is and how in the name of Amaterasu did she get way out here."

***

Sweetie Belle ran as fast as she could through the dark woods, loose branches from the low bushes cutting into her skin. Her designer blouse quickly tore, the silken fabric hanging off of her lithe body in tatters. Her bare white coat matted with streaks of fresh blood from the multiple cuts. Behind her the shadowy creature roared, its growls echoing in her ears. Her breath quickened as her heart began to beat as fast as she was running.

Sweetie Belle quickly looked over her shoulder. The shadow-clad creature quickly flew toward her, its red eyes flaring, blood dripping from its claws. Shadowy tendrils snaked out from behind it, stabbing out toward her. Slipping, she tumbled to the ground as one of the tendrils bypassed her chest by a hair’s width. Wide-eyed, she watched as it speared into a rabbit that was running to a nearby bush, sending a spray of blood over her face.

Her voice died in her throat. She scraped her hooves repeatedly against the ground as she forced herself up and ran as fast as she could. She shoved past a set of trees and slid to a halt at a small cliff overlooking a whitewater river. Turning around, her eyes widened even more as she came face to face with the creature. Blindly walking backwards, she slipped and stumbled over a single rock, tumbling over the cliff and crashing into the river below.

Sweetie Belle, panicking, reached out with her hooves, trying to grasp anything that she floated past. A sudden wave pushed her under. For several moments she saw nothing but white bubbles as her body rolled along the river bed. When her head finally broke free, she took a long gasping breath. Her ears swiveled forward to the roar of a waterfall. In the moments before going over, she closed her eyes and whimpered. After a moment of falling, her body struck a few large branches. The limbs shook and bounced under her weight, making her grip them tight with all four legs. Amidst the shaking of the tree under her, Sweetie Belle felt a firm pinching in her hind legs. Looking behind her, she found that they were pinned between a fork of the two branches.

Whimpering loudly, she lay there on the larger of the two branches, her head hanging down. As her tears streamed down her face, Sweetie Belle looked down at the lake below. Her breathing slowed as she just watched the waterfall crash into the waters below.

Sweetie Belle’s gentle breathing quickly halted at the sound of two large cracks from behind her. In the time it took for her to draw a breath, the two branches broke free as searing pain shot through her hind legs and raced through her body. With her eyes widened, the young pony let out a feral, gut-wrenching scream that echoed in the valley below as she fell faster and faster. Her head struck one of the branches she was previously lying on.

Sweetie Belle gasped loudly as she woke up in darkness, a heavy weight over her whole body. Feeling around with her front hooves, she found a thick woollen fabric tangled all around her. Pushing out with her front legs, she kicked away at the heavy blanket covering her head. As the blanket slid off of her body, a flash of bright sunlight forced her to quickly close her eyes.

Wheezing and breathing heavily, Sweetie Belle winced and slowly opened her eyes, letting them adjust to the lights. Wrapping her front legs around her chest, she felt thick bandages bound tightly around her. Looking down, Sweetie Belle saw the same bandages around her forelimbs as well, just not as tight as the ones around her midsection. Every breath made her feel uncomfortable as she slowly pushed the blanket off of her body.

What the? she thought. Reaching down, she felt over her limbs, finding them firmly bandaged with two padded curved bamboo boards that wrapped around each leg. Around the outside of the bamboo were braided silk straps keeping her legs immobile.

Feeling a slight chill, she pulled the blanket back up her body and looked about. The first thing Sweetie Belle noticed was the bed itself. It was huge, so large that her sister’s bed could fit on it three times and still have some space left over. Another design that she admired was the bed’s shape--a large circle. The far wall of the room looked to be made of thick opaque white paper lined with thin strips of wood, and an open sliding door in the corner.

Through the open door she heard a pair of voices, one musical in nature, yet clearly masculine, and the other a series of grunts and growls. Two shadows were projected on the wall. The first a very large bear, the other a smaller creature she couldn’t identify. However whatever it was, it had three tails. As she listened in on the conversation, she felt her blood run cold as her body started to tremble. Biting down on her lower lip, she tried to keep herself as quiet as possible.

"I don't care. I'm not sharing," said the musical voice. "I found it, do you know how long it took me to catch that thing in there? I rarely find one that big, so I'm keeping it all to myself."

Sweetie Belle listened as a series of grunts and a half roar came from the doorway. She guessed the other room was a kitchen, given the scent of spices and herbs coming from it.

"Well, if you must know, I'm going to gut it, clean it, and roast it whole. Making sure the skin is nice and crispy while the insides are tender and juicy." A light musical chuckle escaped the three-tailed creature. "My mouth is salivating just talking about it."

Sweetie Belle gulped and pushed herself back into the pillows supporting her. Her breathing started to get heavier as cold sweat ran down her spine. Looking about the room, she scanned her surroundings and tried to find some way out. Only two other doorways were in the room, one a double sliding door set in the center of the western wall. And the other a smaller portal directly to the left of the open door, both closed and visible to anyone near to the kitchen door.

With her legs bound she felt helpless and trapped. The very idea of being eaten made her heart pound more than when she plummeted off the waterfall.

Throwing off the blankets, Sweetie Belle pushed herself hard and tried to crawl off the bed. Every movement she made sent a wave of pain shooting through her whole body. After several minutes of crawling she got only halfway across the bed before collapsing in pain. She saw her hopes of saving herself flying away like Rainbow Dash in a race.

Oh no... oh please not like this. I don't want to be eaten, she thought as her grip on the blankets tightened while tears started to fall from her eyes. As she lay there, whimpering, she felt as helpless as a newborn filly. Trying to pull herself up, her limbs betrayed her, refusing to move any further than they already had. From the other room, she heard the sound of more grunts and growling.

"Okay well, you have a good day," the musical voice said as a door opened. "We're still on for next week, right?" The bear answered with a quick grunt. "See you then, H."

Sweetie Belle heard the sound of door closing and a gentle chirping, from what might have been a squirrel or chipmunk.

"Hmm? Oh right. Thanks, Chirpy," the voice said. After a few moments she heard the sound of a stone being moved aside. "Hmmm, heating up nicely. I'd say another half hour, then the oven will be perfect roasting temperature."

Sweetie Belle could hear the voice getting closer to the room she was in. Pushing herself into the bedding, she gripped the edge of the blankets and pulled it up over her back, hoping that she could turn invisible.

"Which reminds me, I have to go get it. It's going to take me that long just to get it ready for roasting," the voice said hungrily, which made Sweetie Belle feel very sick to her stomach. "Particularly if it puts up a fight."

Sweetie Belle closed her eyes and pulled the blankets up over her head, praying with all her heart that this all was just a horrible nightmare. Taking a long deep breath, she looked about the room again. She knew she couldn’t run, her previous movements told her that clearly.

If I can’t run. I’ll fight, but with what? she thought in a panic as she scanned the room. There wasn’t much she could use. Large mats that would be very difficult to move when she had issues levitating even a broom. Her eyes turned to a bookshelf, which was filled with large thick tomes. Her gaze stopped on a very odd curved dagger. Struggling, she levitated the dagger over to the bed and hid it under the blankets.

A weapon, okay, I have a weapon, but what else can I do? Sweetie Belle thought. Looking back to the bookshelf, she saw the largest book on it. Turning her gaze to the door again she saw a ledge above it. That's it, I’ll hit him with that. Lighting her horn again, she levitated the book up to that shelf and held it there, waiting for the moment the creature came into the room.

Watching from under the blankets, all she could see were his paws as he walked into the room. Canceling her horn’s magic, she heard the book fall from the shelf and the satisfying sound of it slamming down on the creature’s head. Her heart sank a little when it didn’t knock him out.

“Ow! What the hell...” the creature said as he stumbled and fell to the ground, rubbing his head. Picking up the book, he groaned. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

Sweetie Belle watched as the creature got up and grabbed the book from the floor with one of his tails. “Let’s put this back where it belongs. How it got on that shelf is beyond me.” His paws moved to the bookshelf and he just stood there for a moment. She watched as he stood on his hind legs, his front two paws vanished out of her sight up the wall.

“Okay, now where is my tanto? I could have sworn I put it here,” the creature said curiously.

As she listened in carefully, Sweetie Belle heard things on the shelf being moved around. Her hooves gripped the dagger which she assumed was the ‘tanto’ he was looking for. Tears streamed down her cheek as her body trembled. Gulping quietly, she watched as all four paws of the creature landed again on the mats.

“Damn, I guess I left it out in the forest,” he said in an irritated voice. “It’s a good thing Otousan isn’t around, he’d box my ears something fierce for misplacing it.” With a sigh she watched as the paws moved closer to the bed before turning and walking over to one of the other doors in the room.

"Okay now. Better get this over with," the voice muttered. Soon after a door slid open. "Don't worry, it'll be quick and painless. One quick snap, then it's all over. Now come here!"

Sweetie Belle gritted her teeth. Her heart was beating out of her chest. She was about to scream when she heard something odd.

"Gotcha! Now come on, don't make a fuss. No, no, no! Don't do that." A loud thump on the ground. Then the sound of something flopping around on the ground. “Ahhhh, fox down!”

What the... she thought when she heard the creature yell out.

Sweetie Belle opened her eyes and pushed her head out of the blankets. On the ground flat on his back with one paw raised up to the air was the creature she had been watching. Flopping around next to him was a fish half the size of the fox. An excited chirping could be heard from the shelf she had used to drop the book on him. Looking up, she saw a chipmunk rolling in apparent fits of laughter. She had to work hard not to burst into laughter herself. Keeping her head down on the bed and her eyes half open,

Sweetie Belle watched as the fox got up and leaped at the fish. Only to be met with an errant swing of its tail which caught him square on the snout. Biting her lower lip, she found herself rooting for the fish.

"Now, I’m really glad my Otousan isn't around. Imagine my humiliation, bitchslapped by a fish."

The fox looked up at the chipmunk who was rolling around on the shelf laughing even harder now. "Laugh it up, fuzzball." He gave a low groan and pounced at the fish again. With a quick bite and snap of its head, the fish stopped moving. "There. Maybe that will show you who's the boss."

Groaning, the fox rubbed his shoulder. "I'm so going to be feeling that in the morning. Now, let's get this fish into the kitchen."

Sweetie Belle watched as the fox swiftly dispatched the fish. The sight of the large fangs sinking into the animal’s body made her tremble harder. She watched, wide-eyed, as he licked the blood off of his own muzzle. Looking at the fish, she could clearly see herself in its position. A young pre-teen filly lying there on the ground, her neck snapped and blood pooling under her from a large bite mark. Closing her eyes, she heard herself whimper louder than she wanted. She was almost positive that she had been heard, as the room got as quiet as a graveyard at night.

"Hmm? Oh, ya," Sweetie Belle heard the fox say. "Go get the spices, Chirpy, I'll be there in a moment." Then the sound of soft paw pads coming toward her.

Her hooves gripped the dagger between them. She was trembling so hard it slipped and rolled almost a foot away from her under the sheets. Before she could reach out for it, Sweetie Belle felt the fox pounce onto the bed and walk toward her. Closing her eyes, she half rolled herself into a small ball and whispered over and over again.

"Please don't kill me. Oh please don’t kill me." She felt the spot on the bed she was on shift slightly as the fox lay next to her.

"Poor girl, she must be having one bad dream," he said. His voice soft and tender as she felt his paw on her head, caressing her mane gently. “Shh, it’s okay. It’s going to be okay.” He continued to caress her mane for a moment before stopping. “I wish I could do more for her, but I can’t save her from her dreams.”

Sweetie Belle kept her eyes closed, as she felt a soft bit of fur brush under her eyes wiping away the tears that she had been shedding. Her heavy breathing lightened a bit in her confusion. She felt those paws grip the blanket and pull it tight up around her shoulders. Then one of those paws pressed itself just under her horn.

"At least her fever broke. That's one bit of good news." She felt him walk off the bed as the chirping from the chipmunk could be heard again.

"No, she still hasn't woken up." Sweetie Belle heard the chipmunk continue squeaking. "And yes, I'm still going to prepare a meal for her just in case she does. Just like I do every day, every meal time."

Sweetie Belle opened up her eyes and watched the fox move from the bed toward the door. Then she looked at the shelf and the chipmunk who was still chirping. Watching the fox, she could almost feel him roll his eyes in frustration.

"Are you stuffing those nuts in your ears rather than your cheek pouches? I just told you, she hasn't woken up. So no, I still don't know her name. I wish I did," the fox continued, but was shortly interrupted.

"It's Sweetie Belle," Sweetie Belle said softly.

“Thank you,” the fox said, looking over his shoulder toward her. Then he returned his attention back to the chipmunk.

"There, now you know her name, it’s Sweetie Belle and I..." the fox said, only to stop mid-sentence. Both him and the chipmunk turned to look at Sweetie Belle. "Hello."

"Uh, hi," the filly greeted back in a quiet voice.

"Hello there, Sweetie Belle," the fox said and rested his forelegs up on the bed. Whatever he was going to say next was interrupted by repeated chirping. "Excuse me, I have to take care of a pest problem."

All she could do was nod as the fox walked over to the chipmunk. He snagged it with one of his three tails and walked out of the room, saying, "Okay, chatty Cathy. You’re out of here. See you tomorrow and give my love to your sister." The sound of a window opening, a few squeaks, and then the sound of a window closing.

The fox then walked back into the room and to the bed. "Okay, now that the third wheel is out of the way, let's start again. Hi, I'm Kohaku."

"Pleasure to meet you," Sweetie Belle said in a soft voice, not really sure what to say to him at the moment. Her emotions all mixed up inside of her. She opened her mouth to speak again, but was swiftly silenced by a loud rumbling in her stomach.

Kohaku gave a soft chuckle. "That's a good sign, you’re hungry."

"I'm so sorry, I'm usually a lot more refined."

"Hey, that's okay. You haven't eaten for a while," Kohaku said with a smile on his lips. "Let's get you some dinner."

***

Sweetie Belle sat comfortably at Kohaku’s kitchen table. She had seen pictures of Asian decor from her sister’s fashion magazines, but it was a much better experience seeing it in person. The table was very low to the ground--while she sat on a plush cushion it came up to her belly. She took in the various old-fashioned designs of her host’s home. Including a very large stone and clay oven with a flat iron plate on the top that Kohaku was working at.

Watching him work, she felt herself grow even hungrier. Even munching on the rice cakes he had set out for her did little to settle her grumbling stomach. The spice-filled room was like culinary heaven, whatever it was he was making smelled great. She even had to admit that the fish he was roasting smelled delicious.

Oh that scent’ is so wonderful, Sweetie Belle thought as she took a long deep breath. How could I have been so stupid, thinking he was going to hurt me? Taking a long deep breath, she winced a little in pain.

She saw Kohaku turn from the stove as she sucked her breath in. She raised a hoof, trying to signal him that she was okay but watched as he strolled over to her.

“Does it hurt?” Kohaku asked as he stopped in front of her and placed a paw on her chest bandages.

“I’m fine, really.”

“Nonsense,” Kohaku said as he felt around. His paw caressed over the bandages slowly, pushing in a little, he heard her suck in air through her teeth. “There it is. Now, just remain still.” Lifting up his paw, he pushed out a claw and with a swift jab struck three spots on her body. “How’s that? Better?”

Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened at seeing that pitch black claw. But as fast as her fears rose, her surprise went even higher at how fast he poked at her body and even more at how painless it was. She didn’t even feel the spots he touched. She took a deep breath, deeper than before, and let it out in with a sigh of relief.

“How did you?”

“Pressure points,” he said and sat on a cushion next to her. “I know half a dozen of them for pain relief.”

“You bandage me up. Cure my pain and cook me a meal that smells better than anything my sister’s probably ever made.” Sweetie Belle leaned into the table and took a bite from another rice cracker. “How did you learn to do all of this? You don’t look much older than I am”

“Fox Scouts. My papa was the clan scout master,” Kohaku said as he got up and moved back to the stove. “He drilled this stuff into my head every day for three years since I was five.” Pulling a bamboo steamer from a large pot, he moved it back to the table and set it in front of Sweetie Belle. “Here you go, your dinner is done.” Lifting the lid, he showed off at least fifteen steamed little dumplings. “Vegetable Gyoza. There’s a dipping sauce in the little ramekin on the table.

“And for the record, I’m only twelve,” he said as his tails pulled the large platter with the fish on it from the oven. Placing it on the table, he took his seat on the opposite side of the table from Sweetie Belle. His paws picked up a pair of chopsticks and he started eating.

“Twelve?!” Sweetie Belle’s eyes widened as she dropped a half-eaten dumpling back in the steamer. He’s a year younger than I am! A year younger and can do more than most adults.

“Mmhmm,” Kohaku said as he swallowed. “Yeah. Papa always said I needed to learn these kinds of things, who knew he was right?” Munching on the fish, he let out a low purr.

“But putting that aside, there’s one thing I really want to know,” the young fox said as he continued to eat. “What’s a pony doing all the way out here?”

“That, is a long story,” Sweetie Belle said, slumping down on her seat. “Needless to say, my sister is a royal pain in the flank. I couldn't take it anymore, so I thought I’d go live with my parents. But one thing lead to another and the next thing I knew I was flying off a waterfall.” Reaching down, she rubbed her bound legs. “Speaking of which, when can I get these things off?”

“I’d say about a week,” Kohaku said as he placed his chopsticks down. “I’ve been doing my best to speed up the healing, but I’ve never mended bones on any creature larger than a beaver.”

“That’s okay.” Sweetie Belle smiled as she continued to eat. “A week, huh? Well I’m sure my parents will worry, but a week’s delay is better than the alternative.”

“What do you mean a week’s delay?” Kohaku asked with a full mouth. Swallowing loudly, he leaned above the table. “You’ve been here for some time.”

“Well, I figured a few days already, right? From what you’ve said earlier?”

“You’ve been here far longer than just a few days.” Kohaku pushed his half-eaten fish aside and looked at his guest.

“Uh, how long have I been here?” Sweetie Belle asked.

“You’ve been here just over a month now,” Kohaku said, smiling. His smile vanished quickly as her eyes widened. She swooned a bit in her seat.

Reaching out, he tried to grab her hooves with his paws to keep her from falling backwards, but was too slow. Looking over the table, he watched the teenage filly lying there completely unconscious.

“Well, she took that better than I thought she would.”

Author's Note:

Translations:
"Otousan" - Father

Comments

[gamerbro123]

This is pretty darn good! I can't wait for the next chapter! My only hope is that this story isn't too sad. I would prefer if the fox goes to live with ponies instead of In solitude with animals later. I wonder how he would react to fluttershy since they can both speak to animals. Keep up the good work!

[Valtyrian]

9990368
as River Song would say 'Spoilers'

[Angel_Wings]

Oh dear.

Rarity's going to be beside herself

[Shadowflamepony]

I like. Give more.

[rikithemonk]

So far, great start.

You have a follower.

The Monk
“Puberty was a curse for those inflicted with it, and boundless amusement for others who survived the process.” -Scarheart

[Valtyrian]

9994762

9994151

9990589

9990368
More is on the way.

[Artist]

Cool

[Switch Swap]

Kohaku is a interesting name for a fox with three tails

[tsaukpaetra]

At first it felt like he was a horndog, but if he managed to keep to himself for a while month, maybe...
Also, a month is a long time to go without food or drink, unless he sleep-fed her somehow?

[Mystic Sunrise]

At that moment, a sudden high-pitched scream caused both the fox and chipmunk to look up at the waterfall. What they saw looked to be a quickly falling marshmallow with cotton candy hair. Two large broken branches plummeted along with it, sending a splash a few feet tall upon hitting the water. In the wake of the splash the marshmallow was swallowed into the lake.

Well that's one way to make an entrance 🤪. Wonder how Pearl will make hers. If she ever moves to Ponyville that is.

"Now, I’m really glad my Otousan isn't around. Imagine my humiliation, bitchslapped by a fish."

And if you listen carefully, you can hear Pearl Rose laughing up a storm in Baltimare, and she has no idea why 🙃.