Sugar Hoof the Wizard Colt

by Furenstein

Starvation

I awoke in Birch's arms. I should've been angry at such a display of affection, but I felt pretty comfy. There was work to be done though, so I sort of wiggled my way out his arms. He wasn't sleeping though, so once he noticed what I was doing, he let me go.

"Have you been up all night?" I asked, tilting my head.

"Do not worry, Trees do not require sleep." Birch said with a smile.

"Right, beings composed of magic don't have the same needs as natural born creatures." I said, moving my dark green mane from my eyes. "We don't know how long the people in the cavern have been enslaved, make sure they get a big breakfast and a hot bath." I ordered.

"Yes, master." Birch said before walking off to carry out my orders. I don't even think they know how to cook, but hopefully the slaves will be fine with whatever the treants serve them. Slaves don't usually have a very high quality of life. I don't think the treants have built baths though, trees don't sweat so why would they need to bathe, and I've been using magic for personal hygiene.

My bedroom was much better looking than it was before, I figured the treants must've been working above ground. My cotton mattress had been swapped out with a green fungus slime mattress. Don't worry, the slime is wrapped up in a thick film, which is covered in green silk sheets.

"I'm glad the treants knew what they were doing decoration wise." I said as I rubbed my hoof on my newly carpeted floors. "Green and brown, the colors of life." I sighed, pleased with my surroundings before I heard wood on wood knocking on my door.

Opening the door with my magic revealed one of the treants, it wasn't Birch, which was weird since he's usually the only one who I've ever interacted with outside of our master/thrall relationship. I could tell immediately that something was wrong by the way he looked. My thralls were conjured from ironwood, the strongest type of lumber I know, but this treant looked shaky and unwell. He got to his knees a bit more forcefully than usual and looked over at me.

"Master, forgive my intrusion, I would not dare bother you if it weren't important." He said in a soft voice. I know I told them not to kneel anymore, but this seemed important so I bit my tongue.

"Think nothing of it, what's happened? Is it to do with the slaves?" I asked.

"No, the slaves have remained in their cells. It's the treants, master, we're starving." He said, looking upset.

"Starving, but we're harvesting more food than ever, how could you be starving?" Our net gain in food has increased 100x due to the farm land underground, even with how many treants there are, they should have plenty to go around.

"Overseer Birch imbued the farms with his magic, his magic is far below yours, master." Overseer Birch? I never gave Birch any titles. "Without your magic, master, many are skipping meals, even more are simply going without."

"Why don't any of you eat the fruits and vegetables being grown? Sure, it lacks my magic, but it would still be filling." I said, beginning to walk off to the caverns.

As I left the comfort of my home, the sad state of my treants became known to me. Many stood guard outside on shaky tree trunks, some were so low on magic that they had to sit. I doubted they could even attack anyone if they had to.

"Cannibalism, master?" The treant replied, barely keeping up with my short-hooved trot. He grimaced, eyes closed, at the thought. "Plants should not eat plants, it isn't natural."

"Since when did thralls have morals? Before I wound up in this desert, not a single thrall in history would think twice before eating anything, meat, plant, even humans."

He looked scared for a second. "Forgive me master, we will eat the plant spawn if it is your command." He looked like he was seconds away from vomiting at the thought.

I rolled my eyes as the treant took a step back, "Take me to the farms, then. Picky thralls, who would have thought."

Despite his lack of food, he was quick to comply as his head hung low. "Yes, master."

---

"Three griffons, two ponies, two cats, and three uh... 'diamond' dogs, right?" Birch said, writing down what he could about each of the slaves. Turning to his fellow treants, "Take the griffons, cats, and dogs off to the bathing chamber, we'll get them clean first."

"What of the ponies, Overseer?" Asked one of the treants as he began to tighten the manacles of one of the griffons for transport.

"I have need of the ponies, take them to the private bath, guard the door, prevent them from leaving, but do not interact with them otherwise." Birch replied, narrowing his eyes at the ponies in thought. 'Two mares,' He thought. 'I'm positive the master can find use for them. As he is a wise and kind master, he would want us to treat them to a higher standard.'

"Yes, Overseer." Said the treants in Unison as the griffons, cats, and dogs were hauled off forcefully to carry out their duties as quickly and efficiently as possible; and as the two pony mares were delicately carried off to a private bath.

The two mares were grateful they were getting a better treatment than the others, but were afraid of what it could mean for them.

"What do you think he'll do with us?" Whispered a mare with golden mane and a yellow fur.

The other mare, a blue furred mare with a cyan mane and wings began to tear up. "Oh Celestia, you don't think..." She sniffled.

"The colt?" Asked the first one.

"Private baths, he has 'need of use.' She began hyperventilating, "Rain, I'm t-too young to lose my virginity." Her lips quivered as more tears fell from her eyes.

Rain, the blue, winged pony, looked on as they were carried, trying to remain calm. "Everything will be alright, Goldie. I don't think trees even have those feelings."

---

As far as my eyes could see, there was nothing but farm. The soil glowed a murky blue, Birch had only put the weakest fertilizer enchantment on them, no wonder so many were going hungry. The treant who led me here remained at my side, quiet and sullen.

"Treant, there have been many new advancements among your kind here, including the use of titles if you calling Birch, Overseer, is anything to go by. What of you, do you have a name?" I asked, pondering if I even should enhance Birch's spell.

"I am Burden, named for my existence as a valueless slug to you, master." His head hung lower as my hoof collided with my face in frustration, causing his head to hang lower in shame.

"The master hurts himself for my actions. Why do I make master suffer?!" His voice grew frantic as sap fell from his eyes. He clutched his wooden head in pain. "Please, make it stop, make it stop, make it stop, PLEASE MASTER, MAKE IT STOP!"

I was at a loss for words, no thrall had ever behaved this way. "ALL I DO IS HURT AND DISAPPOINT YOU MASTER, MASTER IS TO BE DEFENDED, NOT HURT!" His wooden claws clutched his head tighter as I backed away to a safe distance. "I AM THE ENEMY! I HURT THE MASTER! ALL WHO HARM THE MASTER MUST BE DESTROYED!" The treant shouted before jumping off the cavern's cliff down the who knows how many levels where the farms were hanging flawlessly on life magic.

I looked down the cliff at the treant who had just killed himself until he faded from view. While I did not hear him impact, I could feel the magic inside of him fizzle out.

"I... I just rolled my eyes and face hooved ... this ..." I sighed before falling onto my back. I stared at the ceiling of the cavern, unblinking as I remembered what I had said.

"Picky Thralls... I insulted him, rolled my eyes at him, and face hooved at his apology, and he jumped off a cliff..." The cold cavern floor for some unnatural reason, felt even colder as the image of him impacting with the floor went on repeat.

Comments

[GlitchyFox]

suger hoof sure has his hoofs full with what could be interpreted as children in adult bodys he has to take care of

[StarzGecko]

Forget the slaves. The trees need help!

Not sure why the tree thinks he was hurting his master… The colt really got to give a lecture to them how to learn face expressions.

I wonder what he would do for the two mares? They’ll be surprise when knowing the colt is the master so I guess they might either be able to leave or stay.

[Blankz]

"Three griffons, two ponies, two cats, and three uh... 'diamond' dogs, right?" Birch said, writing down what he could about each of the slaves. Turning to his fellow treants, "Take the griffons, cats, and dogs off to the bathing chamber, we'll get them clean first."

"What of the ponies, Overseer?" Asked one of the treants as he began to tighten the manacles of one of the griffons for transport.

"I have need of the ponies, take them to the private bath, guard the door, prevent them from leaving, but do not interact with them otherwise." Birch replied, narrowing his eyes at the ponies in thought. 'Two mares,' He thought. 'I'm positive the master can find use for them. As he is a wise and kind master, he would want us to treat them to a higher standard.'

Now this to me is important, wonder what’ll happen to them for now, Hm if they ended up as a village with newcomers over time that’s be cool, the populations increases overtime, that is if they all were set free, I still don’t know about the other races other than assuming the ponies would be set free due to better treatment, and I’m still loving the story