King Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bon

by Fanon Canon

The King's Speech

Cold air and sharp snow is much preferable when enjoyed from the comfort of what the common folk call the comfy inside of a building. That's not to say it cannot be enjoyed when on the outside too, as the newly christened Sweetie Drops found herself appreciating as she made her way to her workplace that evening. For some odd reason, it felt like the events of the past morning and afternoon had passed by at an incredibly slow pace, yet it had not been threw hours since her little transaction with the Colonel. She must have been growing confused by the cold that was all.

At any rate, despite how she did appreciate the good cold atmosphere that only a true winter can afford, it was with immense relief that she stepped out of the freeze and into the furnace. Well that might have been a poor choice of words, but overwhelmed was what the earth pony certain felt upon feeling the heat as she closed the door behind her, denying the cold more freedom to enter with her. Soon she got properly acquainted with the heat and soon found herself overcome with a warm snugness, quickly disrobing the thick scarf and hat she was wearing and hanging them both on a coat hanger.

Now to business...

"Hiya Bon Bon." The receptionist greeted her with a warmth that matched the cost interior.

"Bon... oh right." Sweetie Drops replied, getting over her brief spell of confusion.

"Your patients all waiting." The mare went on.

"Appreciate it." Sweetie acknowledged. "What do you make of him?"

"Him?" The receptionist said. "He's a strange one alright. Looks pretty out of place, barely said two words to me."

"That was the impression I got too." Sweetie replied, retrieving her patient file from the reception's desk. "Well, see you."

Bidding the receptionist goodbye, the mare strolled down the hallway towards her ward. To her sides, she could make out the signs of ponies like her going about their vocal sessions through the doors. Despite such a select profession, there was quite the demand for speech therapists across the land of Equestria. It was not quite a full time medicinal matter, but nor was it something that could be easily dismissed through a simple spell. It was somewhere in the middle, fairly mundane but something she felt deeply about nonetheless. It took a great measure of skill to dabble in this profession, and Sweetie Drops considered herself nothing short of an expert in the matter.

So when she finally came to her door, she did not imagine that it would take too long before she could add yet another pony to the growing list of ponies she had successfully cured of whatever articulate affliction had befallen them. At least that's what she thought, as she entered...

Her file was right, there was something strange about this stallion. He was of earth stock, yet there was definitely something magical about him, and she had not even registered the fact that she was actually clothed. A rare commodity to be seen in Ponyville of all places, the mares and stallion around here wore the odd accessory when the need arose, but this one was properly clothed, the red cape very much distinct despite the fact that it looked like it had seen better days. And as for his mane, well, it was unlike any other manes she had seen before, acquainted with the bright and colorful blue, yellow and green, not dark black that suggested some shady depths. And she had not even seen his face yet.

"Hi there." She expressed quite amicable, even if his appearance was making her slightly nervous.

The stallion turned to face her, and Sweetie Drops found herself pleasantly surprised. If there was one word she had for his body, it would have been menacing. If there was a word she had for his face, it was lost. Those eyes, perhaps they had been intimidating in the past, but now they looked like those of a worried bird that must make the decision to remain in the nest or spread its wings. The mane was all the more apparent now, Sweetie thought her own was quite decorative with the dark blue and pink strip, but that black mess along with that cape of immense red created quite the oddity of a stallion before her.

"Please, make yourself comfortable." Sweetie addressed the strange stallion.

He only answered her with a curious of confusion. She beaconed to the sofa in the middle of the room. The stallion obliged, but took more than enough time trying to get into a good position, acting like he had never seen a sofa in his life before. But at long last, he managed to overcome that hurdle, and Sweetie Drops could consider the session had officially begun, settling into her own, much less impressive seat with his file at her side.

"Your file says you're completely incapable of uttering even the simplest sentence." She noted. "Well, we'll get to that, but before we do, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Sweetie Drops, and I am a speech therapist. Do you know what that is, sir?"

The stallion in front of her looked at her for a good long second. She wanted to get a good impression of him first, for what information she had about him was incredibly bare. Not even his name did she know. Soon, he managed to move his head in something halfway between a nod and a shake.

"Well that's a start." Sweetie remarked, before continuing. "Now then, let's try your name. Can you tell me your name?"

Once again, the stallion could only reply with an inquisitive look. Soon however, he closed his eyes in what she imagined to be deep concentration. He started breathing quite heavily, but managed to utter a discernible croak.

"..King...” He muttered deeply.

"King?" She repeated. "Kinnng... King what?"

The stallion screwed up his eyes in concentrate again, but suddenly opened them in alarm. Almost panicking, he quickly diverted his gaze from the inquiring mare, before making a barely audible reply.

"King..." He groaned in fright

"Just King, hmm?" Sweetie mused. "Well now, err, King. I noticed your breathing all over the place. Why don't we try a few breathing exercises?"

"King" gave the same look split between confusion and contemplation. He soon replied with a careless nod.

"Alrighty then." Sweetie remarked. "Now, let's start off simple: can you repeat after me..."

She closed her eyes, comfortable enough with him watching, and breathed in a slow audible intake of air. A process she made as clear as she could, followed by emptying her lungs in an almost elegant manner. Opening her eyes, she noticed King observing her intently, obviously picking up her every notion.

"Now you try." She asked him.

The stallion closed his eyes, quite brutishly, and attempted to draw in the air as she had done. But it was all too obvious that he could not mimic her notions perfect, and ended up spluttering out in hoarse, sharp grunts.

"No no." She uttered politely, much like a tutor. "Listen to me. First, breathe in, do it slowly, but keep it smooth and steady..."

Sweetie breathed in deep, with elegant grace courtesy of her mastery over her lungs. King listened to her, hinging on everything she did, and tried once again. He started to breathe in deeply, much more smoothly than before, and actually sounded like he had some control, but could not manage to hold his breath for any more than a second, and once again coughed an immense cough. After recovering, he let out a viscous snarl, frightening Sweetie a little, but she could tell he was simply frustrated with his failed attempts.

"Hey, come on." She tried to comfort him.

In a seemingly careless minded gesture, she reached out a placed a hoof upon King's shoulder. The moment he felt her touch, his eyes met hers, and somehow she could tell the frustration he felt subsiding. King's breathing became quite steady, and to her surprise, he breathed in once again, slow and smoothly like she had asked. Sweetie herself breathed in, and the two of them held their breaths together, King following her with ease.

"Now... we breathe out." She uttered.

She emptied her lungs slowly and surely, enough for the stallion following her to follow her lead. King breathed out after her, replicating her example with unusual adeptness.

"See. You can't get the hang of it." She remarked cheerily.

King saw her face, full of perky optimism. To Sweetie's surprise, he actually found the courage within him to give speaking another try.

"Sweetie... Drops?" He asked wearily.

"That's right." She smiled back.

King looked deep into her eyes, and for a moment she forgot what exactly they were doing there.

"Oh... shall we continue?" She asked him, quickly pulling away.

King replied in the only way she knew. By nodding simply.

"Alrighty then." She began. "Well, breathing's all good and all, but how about speaking. Can you remember the very first word you ever said?"

King looked at her with an inquisitive glare, obviously bewildered by why she would ask such a thing.

"You know what mine was?" She said. "Candy. I know, pretty low, right? Can you say that: candy?"

"Candy?" King echoed.

"There you go!" Sweetie exclaimed. "But what about turning that into a sentence."

King darted his eyes to the floor, quite daunted by such a prospect.

"Don't be anxious, you can do it. You're just worried you can't." She explained. "Listen to me: I like candy, candy likes me. Together, we're..."

King scoffed at her recital. Not out of hoe complex it sounded to him, but rather, how ridiculous it sounded.

"Oh, I'd like to hear you come up with something different." Sweetie retorted.

He once again diverted his gaze from her, fixating on the floor in silent anxiety.

"Come on." Sweetie did her best to coax him into words. "How about: I am a slave to candy."

King sharply looked up at her with a very different look about him. Somehow, she reckoned there was something he could easily recite in that string of words.

"Slave... to candy." He repeated.

"That's an improvement." Sweetie remarked, a little anxiously but satisfied nonetheless. "Now, how about the whole thing?"

King screwed up his eyes in deep concentration. She edged in closer, eager to hear him master a simple sentence.

"Slave... slave." He repeated to himself. "...A slave to candy."

"I'm a slave to candy." She declared.

"A slave... to candy." Was all King seemed capable of saying?

"Come on." She said. "I... I."

"I?" King asked.

"That's right, I." She replied.

"...I." King said.

"I am a slave to candy." Sweetie persisted eagerly.

"I..." King began. "Am a slave to candy."

"Come on. All together." She pressed him.

"I... am... slave to candy." The stallion tried his very best to proclaim.

"I am a slave to candy." The mare said once again.

"I am a... sl... lave to c...candy." He went, struggling intensely.

"I am..." She began

"I am a slave to candy!" King exclaimed, causing her to jump in fright at the sudden increase in volume as he yelled the phrase.

"There you go!" She exclaimed animated. "Clear as crystal!"

King suddenly looked at her, and then diverted his gaze to the floor yet again.

"Can you say that?" Sweetie asked. "Clear as crystal."

He looked back at her, and closed his eyes yet again.

"... Crystal." He slowly croaked.

"Looks like we've got a ways to go yet." Sweetie remarked, quite disappointed.

At that instance, the clock chimed the hour.

"Wow, is that the time already." She said, noticing that it was now quite late. "Guess that's the end of our session."

She rose from her seat, stretching her limbs about. "I'll see you here, same time tomorrow, right?

King looked at her, but seemed quite reluctant to make any motions of leaving.

"Don't you have a home to go back to?" Sweetie asked.

King did not make any signs of replying. Curious, Sweetie flicked through his file, finding a very different display of records before her then what she was usually accustomed to.

"You are an odd one." She remarked.

Any other time, this would be something far out of her hooves to deal with. Yet somehow, there was something about this particular stallion that struck out to her. And then, her mind suddenly wandered over her empty residence, far too cold for just the one mare to properly enjoy, and after her little break up, there was now room for another...

"Hey." She said suddenly. "How would you to... well err... stay with me for tonight. A space has... recently opened up."

King looked up at her. His glance suggested that it was something he had definitely not counted on being asked that night, yet somehow, she got the impression he did not indulge the thought of braving the cold, dark streets alone, when she was offering an alternative. So he nodded.

"Oh that's good. I think." Sweetie remarked, extending a hoof to lead the stallion out of the room.

Comments

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Ah, how cute!

[-Brutus]

Moar please!

[Themaskedferret]

Very cute and fun but you may want to look for an editor to help you with some grammar and spelling issues. They're very minor and don't detract overly from the fic. I also suggest working on our dialogue as sometimes i feels a bit wooden and doesn't bring across the character as well as it could.

Lots of fun and keep it up