Hold Your Horses
The local Fair was in full swing around the mid-afternoon mark. The scent of burnt popcorn filled the air, as every available surface was coated in the stickiness of cotton candy. Booths of every conceivable bamboozle were available to the public, each ready to offer some kind of injustice.
Ring Toss? The rings were too small.
Balloon Burst? The darts were so dull they couldn't even pop a bubble, let alone a balloon.
Go Fish? The goldfish available to win were just cheese characters floating in stale water.
The human world was indeed a wild beast in need of being tamed. Back in Equestria, everything was fair and fun was usually the sought-after currency. Not on earth, the almighty doll hair ruled the hearts of humans with an iron fist.
They fought over it and cheated each other for it. Sadly even in certain extreme conditions, they would kill for it, green crumpled paper had more power than Celestia here.
And it frightened her.
Who?
Short Changed, she was a cinnamon-colored mare with a mane similar to that of melted chocolate. She had left her home in Equestria to try her hoof in the world of humans, a choice which she had quickly begun to regret.
Everything in this realm moved at a snail's pace, she wanted adventure and to see the wonders of the earth. But without doll hairs, she was out of luck, so with little choice since her old home was sold. She rented a rickety old stable nearby and got herself a job with the traveling Fair as a children's entertainer.
She was in charge of Pony Rides, actually, she was the ride!
Scandalous right!?
Short Changed let her honey-colored eyes scan the passing crowd in boredom. Today had been slow in terms of rides, and sadly she was paid by a quota. A dingy black saddle strapped tight to her backside, as her ears folded down in growing dismay.
"Mommy, I wanna ride the pony!" An adorable little lass squealed in excitement, with amber waves tied into a set of bouncy pigtails.
Her mother looked concerned as emerald eyes searched around the area for an attendant of some sort. "I don't know Gina, it seems dangerous." She spoke with uncertainty and anxiety.
"Don't worry ma'am, she'll be safe as can be!" Short decided to speak up in a chipper tone of voice as she flashed a big smile.
"Oh lord, you can talk!?" The mother gasped with a disturbed gaze.
"Yes I can, I also don't pontificate." Short rolled her eyes slightly as the woman huffed.
"Fine, just one ride." The woman sneered while her child screamed in delight.
The child clad in jean overalls leaped without the faintest of concern as she nearly snapped the small equine in half. Short found this child a tad heavy but nothing she couldn't push through. With a tiny huff, she began to trot around a filth-covered circular path set up by the boss.
"Faster!" Gina tugged roughly on the ears of her mount.
"Owww, dear please just enjoy the ride and don't tug…" Short yelped as the young girl smashed her heels painfully into her ribs.
"You're just a dumb animal, faster!" Gina lifted her hand to smack the pony upside her ear with a loud pop.
Short Changed could only hear a horrid ringing within her head as she winced in pain. Without hesitation she tilted her head towards the brat, eyes filled with a light mist of tears and anger.
"You need to be far nicer to others!"
"Huh!?" The child seemed shocked by the equine's sudden stern voice.
"There's such a thing as karma, if you continue to act this way you'll be the one on all fours, crawling through mud, and letting people mount you for money! " Short exhaled warm air from her nostrils into the child's face.
"Mommy, I don't wanna be mounted!" Gina began to bawl uncontrollably as her mother ran over horrified.
She was scooped up and quickly carried far from the annoyed little pony. Of course, this uproar caught the attention of multiple humans who began to whisper and gossip in an eerie melody of judgment. Short Changed watched as her boss pushed through the crowd towards her, his chubby features scrunched in anger.
"Another problem from you!?" He barked in anger as his rotund belly jiggled out front hidden behind a dress shirt and suspenders.
"She smacked my ear." Short mumbled under her breath as a crowd began to form around them.
Her boss shook his head as if not understanding the problem. "So!? Toughen up, I don't want to hear anything from you except happy horse noises!" He clutched a meaty claw, his crooked yellow teeth clenched.
Short felt her heart sink and cheeks flush as her mind raced." Nay." She lifted her gaze to meet him as her eyes burned with anger.
"Good." He scoffed smugly.
"I said nay!" She stomped a hoof and ripped the saddle off her backside with her teeth, tossing it into his face before stamping off through the crowd.
Of course, he bellowed curses towards her and threats of every nature. She couldn't care less, at least she had her dignity. Ears folded and eyes on the ground, the tiny equine started her journey down the road to nowhere.
"That job didn't fit you." A soft gentle voice of a woman suddenly spoke.
Short lifted her head to see a beat-up yellow truck had stopped at her side, a blonde short-haired woman flashing a goofy grin.
"Nothing fits me." Short chirped with uncertainty.
"Well, I run a small lawn service and could always use a mower." The woman winked playfully as she pointed to the back of her truck.
"Get in and we'll talk business over lunch, on me." The woman spoke with warmth and generosity, wiping tears from her eyes the pony hopped into the bed of the truck.
Kindness hadn't completely faded, some people still gave her hope.
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Posted to
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"Contest Entries" folder
cute story!
11514830
Thanks, I wanted to try something new.
11514782
Cool!
More please
AAAAAAaaaaaaand directly to the glue fabric!..... a little too morbid perhaps?
11515470
XD, so dark!
11515452
I might continue Short Changed in multiple little adventures.
For such a short story this communicated the feelings I think you intended.
Such is life, right?
Scandalous indeed!
Yes, this does look very dangerous...
derpicdn.net/img/view/2015/2/12/826756.png
Source.
Are you sure it's Short Changed who is the "dump animal" here?
Good story!
I enjoyed reading it.
I have to wonder why she chose to stay for so long. Is the portal (assumption) back to Equestria blocked or gated? Do citizens wanting to repatriate have to pay a fee or something? I'm guessing her own stuborness is turning her away from an easy escape back to familiar lands and easier economies.
Still, when she said "mower" I immediately thought of her grazing which would be, to me, as demeaning as the carney sideshow pony rides. Eating lawn grass wouldn't be healthy, not with all the chemicals dumped on it, on purpose or by accident from the roads boarding most lawns. No, I picture her driving one of those speedster jobs with the "skateboard" on the back where it's not so much manual dexterity of slipping levers but torso-strength steering the mower around obstacles and such. An Earth Pony would be a natural at lawnscaping I'd think.
Mmm.
This is a nice story. It has an error in the description:
Before consances or the letter "H", "a", "my", and "thy" become "an", "mine", and "thine".
You forgot the initial inverted exclamation-point and a space exists between the final exclamation-point and the closing quotation-mark. it should look like this:
It is a good thing that one can say this to a child without is being misconstrued.
I believe that "doll hair" should be "dollar".
I like the story.
11516357
English does not typically use inverted punctuation in any form. That’s more of a Spanish rule.
11516357
Agreed with the above comment, and also I took "doll hair" to be a completely intentional mistake, due to the main character never having paid attention to the spelling.
11516392
English has no rule against inverted punctuation, so it is great to use. My favorite is the inverted Interrobang. ⸘What is an inverted Interrobang‽ ¡It is only the bestest punctuation-mark evar!
11516403
Good luck with that. Proofreaders or copy editors are gonna ding every single one of those.
It’s only used in Spanish because intonation is critical for that in writing. English uses word order instead.
I’m not just making this up; I’ve got a baccalaureate degree in English.
11516409
¿Did your professors specifically told you not to use inverted punctuation?
Maybe you should try inverted punctuation. I did. ¡It is great!
Next, you probably will tell me to give up the Interrobang.
11516425
Thank you for alerting me to ignore everything you say from now on.
11515470
That's honestly what I was expecting.
11516425
bruh I use to help teach English. We do not use inverted punctuation.
11520010
Inverted punctuation, such as ¡, ¿, and ⸘, are marks commonly used in Spanish to indicate the beginning of an exclamatory or interrogative sentence. However, these marks are not commonly used in English. In this essay, I will argue that English should adopt the use of inverted punctuation marks in order to improve clarity, tone, and to better reflect the meaning of the sentence.
1stly, inverted punctuation marks can improve clarity in written communication. In English, it can often be difficult to discern whether a sentence is intended to be an exclamation or a question. This can lead to confusion, especially in cases where the meaning of a sentence hinges on its punctuation. For example, consider the following sentence: "You didn't do that, ¿did you?" Without the question mark, the sentence could be interpreted as a statement, and the meaning would be lost. Inverted punctuation marks make it immediately clear whether a sentence is meant to be a question or an exclamation, which can eliminate any potential confusion.
2ndly, inverted punctuation marks can help to convey tone. When we read a sentence, the punctuation can give us clues about the tone or attitude of the speaker. Inverted punctuation marks are particularly effective at conveying a sense of excitement, enthusiasm, or urgency. For example, consider the following sentence: "¡What an amazing sunset!" The exclamation mark conveys a sense of excitement and wonder that would be lost without it. Similarly, the use of an inverted question mark can indicate that a question is being asked with a sense of incredulity or surprise.
Finally, inverted punctuation marks can help to better reflect the meaning of the sentence. In some cases, the meaning of a sentence can be ambiguous without the use of appropriate punctuation. For example, consider the sentence "You're not going to eat that, ¿are you?" Without the question mark, the sentence could be interpreted as a statement of fact. However, the use of a question mark makes it clear that the speaker is asking a question. Similarly, the use of an exclamation mark can convey a sense of urgency or importance that would be lost without it.
In conclusion, the use of inverted punctuation marks can improve clarity, convey tone, and better reflect the meaning of a sentence. While it may take some time for English speakers to adjust to the use of these marks, the benefits are clear. By adopting inverted punctuation marks, we can improve our written communication and ensure that our meaning is always clear.
11522406
Yea, no. Not how it works, regards a Brit.
Great start. It needs to be continued, or a sequel, so we can follow Short's progress towards her goals.
That's exactly what I'm doing with a little 1K story that screamed for more.
11516396
It was.