> Orchestrated Chaos
>  by ReFro
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> 1. This day was going to be perfect.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Chloe awoke to the warmth of the sun shining down on her and the sound of birds merrily chirping in the distance. I don’t even remember going to sleep… how long have I been out for? She groggily opened her eyes to the bright light, letting out a small yawn in the process.

And why in the world am I—she stopped mid-thought, blinking her eyes a few times to make sure that what she was seeing, was in fact correct—outside? She sat there as her mind reeled, franticly searching her memories for an answer to this whole conundrum. The fog that had been clouding her mind gradually lifted, allowing the memories of last night to clearly come into her mind’s eye, eliciting a wave of nauseating pain. 

Oh shit!

She quickly swiveled her head around, scanning the area in search of her friend, Gennie, who she had been sitting next to before this happened. She took note of the lightly wooded area that she had somehow managed to wake up in. The next thing she noticed was the deep blue sky; there were a few wispy clouds lazily drifting across it with the bottom half of them being lit up in the soft, orange glow of the dawning or setting sun—she couldn’t determine if it was the former or the latter. 

Her gaze fell back to the forest that seemed to be all around her. The haze of waking up was fading, and she noticed that her field of vision seemed a bit, well, off. She could see considerably farther with her peripheral vision than before, making her a bit dizzy every time she moved her eyes. The dizziness was only temporary it seemed, as it passed within minutes. 

Now that her head wasn’t spinning, she could actually focus on her surroundings. The grass, the trees, and everything else around her looked so much clearer and more vivid than anything she had ever witnessed before in her life, but something else beside her vision was a little off. 

It wasn’t her new, but totally awesome, cat-like vision that had been gnawing at her brain, or even the fact that she had woken up outside in a forest, it was the damn colors. These colors just didn’t make any sense at all! It looked like everything had been painted by a 4 year old with too many pastel-colored markers at their disposal. And it looked every bit as fake.
        
This is so freaking bizarre! It has to be a dream... I have never seen anything like this before. But, it doesn't feel like a dream. She had been staring at a lone yellow and blue flower a few feet away from her as she collected her dream-thoughts. But, did Gennie and I really die in that accident last night? She frowned and kept her stare on that single flower, as if it held all the answers to her questions. Is-is this, Heaven? 

She had been pondering the meaning of this very lucid dream—it had to be a dream, there was no other way of rationally explaining it—for what seemed like an hour or two, putting her into a near trance-like state. A loud, gut-shaking sound emanated from her belly, pulling her from her thoughts and back into reality. She needed to get out of here and find her way back, as well as get some answers as to what had happened.

Looking back up at the sky, it seemed to be getting brighter out and the clouds no longer held the sun’s rays in them like they had before. It must be morning after all, she mused to herself. At least I won’t be wandering through this forest at night. That would suck.

She had been lying in the same position when she had awoken a few hours ago, her arms and legs felt odd but they were probably just asleep. She gradually pulled her arms out in front of her and gave them a good stretch to get the blood flowing. 

And that’s when she noticed, them.

She froze mid-stretch. A small gasp escaped her lips as she stared blankly down at these, things. She gave her left arm a slow shake and this furry, light grey colored stump followed her commands as if it was actually her arm. She willed her right arm to move and the other stubby appendage followed her command as well. She stopped telling her arm to move and the thing in front of her stopped, once again following her commands to a tee. She lay there, in a bewildered state, moving both of her new arms when it dawned upon her. 

Hands. 

She had no hands! They were gone! Complete and utterly missing! She touched her, what used to be hands, together hoping that her favorite digits were just hiding somewhere inside these grey monstrosities that were now her arms. This action created a sharp crack as if stone had just hit stone. The ends of her stumps were smooth, devoid of fur, and semi-hard. She could bend them slightly but they were no replacement for misplaced hands. 

No no no no! This cannot be right! This just proves it, I must be dreaming, or hallucinating, or something! She tried hitting herself, holding her breath, anything she could think of to wake herself up. When that didn’t work, she went into a full blown panic. Her breathing became short and shallow as she clenched her eyes tightly shut. Her mind raced a mile a minute, trying desperately to tell her that this was all a lie—the car wreck, the strange place she was at, and most of all, her new arms—and that any minute she would wake back up home in her bed, safe and sound. She tentatively opened her eyes, hoping that this nightmare had passed, but to her dismay, the same pair of grey arms were still there, still taunting her.

She sat there with her eyes fixated on the alien appendages as she tried to comprehend how in the world that this had happened. In turn, this made her forget all about her hunger pains as well as forgetting that she needed to keep breathing as she passed out.  



<><><><><><><><>



Two days prior:


—BEEP BEEP BEEP...
 
Chloe groaned, turning over in her bed, burying her face into the pillow.
 
...BEEP BEEP BEEP—
 
It didn’t work.
 
“Fine, fine, I’m awake,” she mumbled while reaching for the phone to silence the hand-size banshee. She grumbled, unwrapped herself from the warm cocoon of her covers. 

Getting out of bed and placing her warm feet on the ice-cold wooden floor of her studio apartment was not part of her ideal morning routine. She made herself a mental note to pick up the biggest, fuzziest pair of slippers she could find the next time she was out shopping. She shuffled over to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee—after all, coffee is the most important meal of the day. 

With the liquid pick-me-up brewing, she glanced at the window and yawned. The only light that shone through was the artificial glow of the streetlights below. Normally she wasn't up this early and enjoyed waking up when the sun was already part way through the sky, but today was not a normal day. It was the day of her first concert—well, first real concert anyway—and she had to be at the auditorium at 7 A.M. sharp for dress rehearsal.
 
Walking into the bathroom, she turned on the glaring row of lights above the large mirror. After her eyes adjusted to being momentarily blinded, she groaned at the mess that stared back at her in the mirror. Her usual straight, black hair was now matted down on one side of her head, but on the other, it stuck out in every direction. 

Chloe scrunched her face at her reflection, knowing that she didn’t have the time to properly fix her hair in its current state of disarray. She would just have to give it a quick rinse and hope for the best.
 
After taking a quick but oh so comfortable warm shower, getting into a shouting match with her reflection in the mirror over makeup issues, and spending way too much time trying to tame her unruly hair before giving up and settling on just tying it into a long ponytail. After all that, she was finally able to get dressed in her formal attire. It consisted of a set of black dress pants, a black button-up jacket, a white undershirt, and a pair of glossy black high heels. Although, she would forgo the high heels until the concert started. She loathed wearing those torture devices. For now, she opted for a pair of comfy, well-worn sneakers.
 
By this time, the coffee had finished percolating, and she poured it into her favorite mug, setting it on the table along with a bowl of the best cereal known to man—Lucky Charms™. Breakfast was a quick affair and before long it was time to leave. Her coat and cello sat next to the door where she had placed them last night, ready and waiting. She made her way out the door after donning her coat, grabbing her prized cello, and the plastic bag that contained her high heels. 

It was a short walk down the hallway, past the elevator and to the stairs. The cursory glance she gave the elevator door confirmed her suspicions. The "Out of Service’ sign that had been taped up on the door months ago, was still there. This happened after someone had caused a minor explosion in the pit of the elevator shaft. For some reason, they thought dumping old kerosene down it was a perfectly logical and rational thing to do. 

Morons, shaking her head as she walked past the elevator and into the narrow stairway. Chloe adjusted her cello, cautiously making her way down the five flights of stairs, trying not to damage her clothes or her instrument.
 
She skillfully navigated her way down the stairwell and stepped out onto the sidewalk. The first light of dawn was just starting to show itself as she walked to the curb as a cab was pulling away. She patiently waited for another one to come by.
 
After trying for several minutes to hail a cab without success, she gave out a frustrated sigh. The auditorium was several blocks away, and it would take her around forty minutes to get there by foot. She took out her phone to check the time: 6:42 A.M.. She stood there for a few more minutes, hoping that she wouldn't have to walk in the cold—that would just be the icing on the cake that has been her morning so far. She checked the time again: 6:47 A.M.. 

“Dammit,” she grumbled, picking up her cello and walking towards the auditorium with it slung heavily across her back. What a lousy way to start the day this is.
 
A long and cab-less trek later, she had arrived at her destination. It was a large 8-story building, off-white and grey, with massive arches adorning the outer walls and several large windows that allowed one to see into the foyer.
 
“Only twenty-five minutes late and to your first concert of the school year no less…” She shook her head while pocketing her phone. She hoped that she wouldn't be in too much trouble, despite her instructor being very strict about punctuality, amongst other things.
 
Opening the door to the theatre as quietly as possible, the voice of her instructor, Mr. Jiao, could be clearly heard from the edge of the stage. He was addressing the orchestra members, going over the details of the day's events. His voice abruptly stopped when he eyed one of his cellists trying to sneak into the auditorium—not an easy feat with a large instrument strapped to your back.
 
“Ah, Ms. Griffin, so nice of you to join us.” He glanced to the clock on the wall. “And only twenty-seven minutes late,” Mr. Jiao snarked as a few of the more punctual members of her ensemble turned around, staring at their red-faced band member.
 
Fuck, she had been caught. I guess it’s time to run some damage control. She looked down at the floor, trying to avoid his scrutinizing eyes. “I’m sorry, Mr. Jiao,” she stated in an apologetic tone. She didn’t want her dreams to be crushed just because of some fucking lazy-ass cabbies were conveniently never around when she needed them—okay, maybe she was just slightly bitter at this point, maybe. “It won’t happen again.”
 
“See to it that it doesn’t, Ms. Griffin. We still have much to cover before the actual rehearsal, so please, find a seat.” 



<><><><><><><><>

 

“Any other questions?” Mr. Jiao asked after giving a very lengthy itinerary of today’s events. “No? Alright then, everyone please come up to the stage and get into position.”
 
A feeling of relief passed through the ensemble members as they were released from their seats after hours of sitting. Chloe stood up and stretched her arms before heading onto the stage along with the rest of her members. 

Everyone was busy settling into their respective places, making sure their instruments were properly tuned and ready to go. There were about seventy musicians that made up this school’s philharmonic orchestra, and Chloe was near the front left of the stage, along with her fellow cellists. 
 
“Hey, Chloe?”
 
She instantly recognized the voice of one of her closest friends, turning around to meet him with a giddy smile. “Hey Michael,” she started, but paused briefly. This was the first time she had seen her in formal attire, and boy did he look handsome. “What's up?” 
 
“Is everything alright?” he asked with a hint of concern in his voice as he leaned closer to her. “It’s not like you to be late, especially for something this important.”
 
She sighed, “Yeah, I know, it has just been a rough morning is all. I couldn’t fall asleep last night because I was too excited. When I woke up, my hair was a wreck, and I didn’t have enough time to fix it, which is why it’s in a ponytail now by the way. The super still hasn’t fixed the elevator after all these months, and I don’t know if it’s ever going to get fixed. It’s can’t really count on him to be punctual about fixing anything anyways. The only thing that sorry excuse for a man ever does on time is collect rent.”

“Oh wow. You have had quite the rough morning, haven’t you?” Michael raised an eyebrow as Chloe paused to catch her breath.

“And that’s not even the half of it,” Chloe deadpanned. “Since he is such a lazy bastard, I had to carry my cello down five flights of stairs while not messing up my outfit. After that, I was forced to walk all the way here—that’s the reason I was late and tried to sneak in—because there are no freaking cabs in this damn city, and the only one I saw had just drove away!” She finally stopped, almost on the verge of tears after laying out her pent up frustrations.
 
She was a good friend to him, but he didn’t quite know how to respond, so he did the next best thing. He got up, giving her a comforting hug.
 
Chloe gave a quick sniff. “Thanks, Mike. I’m sorry I dumped all that on you like that, but I really needed to get that out of my system,” she half-heartedly chuckled, wiping away a single tear from her eye before it could ruin her makeup.
 
“Anytime, Griffin, and if it means anything, I kinda like your hair up in a ponytail. You should wear it like that more often,” Michael smirked, removing his arms from around her. "Now let’s get ready before Mr. Jiao decides we aren't moving fast enough for his liking and gets on our case.” 

He had just said he liked her hair, my hair! Okay, calm down, Griffin, just play it cool. Chloe laughed. "Yea, good idea. I don’t need him irritated at me anymore than he already is.” She turned back around and went to work, making sure her cello was properly tuned, rosining her bow, and making sure it was at the correct tension—she didn’t need anything else to screw with her today.
 
“Everyone to your places please,” Mr. Jiao said in a firm tone, “We will be starting dress rehearsal in just a few minutes.”
 


<><><><><><><><>


 
The rehearsal went about as well as could be expected; there were a few missed notes here and there but nothing major. The scheduled concert time was quickly approaching as people started making their way in and filing into their seats. The golden stage curtain was thankfully closed, as Chloe and the other members of the ensemble were fidgeting nervously and talking amongst themselves while they awaited their time to shine. 

Chloe turned her head, shooting a quick smile back to Michael. He returned the smile, playfully sticking out his tongue at her. She softly giggled as the small gesture did wonders in calming her nerves. I can’t believe this day is finally here. Even after all the crap I had to put up with this morning, the rest of this day was going to be perfect. The sound of the announcer’s voice brought her out of her thoughts as she turned her attention towards the closed curtain.

Ladies and gentlemen! Please welcome conductor Sam Jiao and the Chicago Academy of Performing Arts Symphony Orchestra!
 
The roar of the crowd was almost deafening as the stage curtain ascended, revealing Mr. Jiao standing in front of his podium with the rest of the orchestra behind him at the ready. Chloe gulped, looking out over the sea of applauding crowd. Over two-thousand were in attendance for tonight’s concert, and it felt like all eyes were on her. 

Mr. Jiao took a deep bow before turning around, lifting up his arms, and pointing the baton to the ceiling. The theater fell silent as the ensemble readied their instruments.

Chloe took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, forcing the thoughts about this morning, along with any lingering doubts, from her mind and waited for her instructor’s lead. Mr. Jiao pointed to the string section with his baton as they started the first of tonight’s many songs. After the first few bars, Chloe’s prior nervousness melted away as she poured her heart and soul into every movement of her bow. She had become one with her instrument, and at that moment, nothing else in her life seemed to matter.

 

<><><><><><><><>



The concert continued on for the next two hours, but to Chloe, it felt as though time itself was standing still. With the final bars of the final song, Mr. Jiao’s conducting came to a close. Chloe was so enthralled with the music that she was almost confused as to why her instructor was stopping but then noticed that they had completed their entire set. 

Mr. Jiao was very pleased with their performance and smiled proudly to the band members before turning around to face the audience. Bowing deep, as he'd done earlier, the audience roared into applause. He bowed a few more times until the ovation died down, and the golden stage curtain descended. As soon as it was fully closed, Mr. Jiao turned to his group with the same proud smile he had shown them just a moment ago.
 
“Exceptional performance! You all should be very proud of your first performance together.” 
The group members began clapping and congratulating each other. They had earned it after all; their long hours of practicing had paid off with tonight’s outstanding performance. 

This is going to be an exciting year, Jiao thought to himself. It had been a long time since a concert had gone this well with a group of freshmen. “Have a great weekend, go relax, and remember that we will be resuming our normal practice schedule on Monday.” He set his baton down on the podium. “You are all dismissed!”
 
“You were amazing out there tonight, Chloe! I have never heard you play quite like that before! You must have been practicing your ass off!” exclaimed Michael.
 
Chloe blushed upon hearing the praise. “Thanks, something inside me just clicked, and with all those people watching me, everything just fell into place. When I started playing, it felt like I had merged with my cello and it was no longer just an ordinary instrument, it felt like it was an extension of my own body. Throughout the performance, nothing else mattered as the music seemed to flow from my very soul. It felt so wonderful; it felt so, so...” Chloe trailed off as she tried to piece together the correct words to try and describe the way it had felt, but words were failing her.
 
“...so incredibly powerful and moving that you wish you could just live in that one single moment for the rest of your life?” Michael finished the thought for her.
 
She thought for a moment, “That is a pretty good way of putting it. But the great thing is that I now know, without a shadow of a doubt, what my calling in life is,” she stated, matter-of-factly with a big grin on her face. “I want, more than anything, to be the very best cellist I can be and to perform on the finest stages this world has to offer.”
 
“Yeah, I feel exactly the same way as you do, Griffin.” He gave her a light nudge on the shoulder. “Hey, let’s make a promise to each other that one day, both you and I will be part of the best orchestra in the world. We will play for presidents and royalty alike.” He gave her a look that she knew all too well. It was the look he gave when he was being equal parts serious and goofy. He reached his hand out to her to solidify their promise.
 
“You got yourself a deal, mister,” Chloe remarked as she vigorously shook his hand, both letting out a laugh as they broke the handshake. Chloe quickly looked at the ground just as Michael was turning around to pack up his things.
 
“H-hey, Mike?
 
“Yeah?”
 
“I-I’m sorta hungry, and I... well, I was wondering if you wanted to go get some dinner,” she said with a sheepish look on her face. “You know, just the two of us.”
 
“Oh, um... hey, I’m sorry, but I had already made plans for tonight,” Michael said as he rubbed the back of his neck, looking away from her.
 
She began to study the floor with her eyes, trying to hold back the tears that were threatening to make themselves known. “Oh...okay. Maybe some other time then?” she muttered, a hint of rejection evident in her voice.
 
“Sure thing,” he started in a cheerful tone. His tone changed almost instantly when he saw her dejected look, “but hey, let me know a few days in advance next time, okay?” Michael hadn’t been aware Chloe had feelings for him in this way up until now, and it seemed to come right out of the blue for him. Yes, she was a good friend. But, she was more like a sister to him than anything else. And he wasn’t just making excuses; he really did have plans for tonight.  

“Al-alright,” Chloe whispered, her stomach in knots.
 
After a short but awkward silence, they both made themselves busy packing up their things. Save for a few stragglers, everyone else had already left the stage.
 
Way to go, stupid! What if everything now becomes awkward between us? Not only did he not seem interested, you may have just lost a good friend too! You should have waited for a better time, you idiot! Chloe mentally berated herself as she finished putting her cello in its case. She was still deep in thought when Mike’s voice broke her concentration.
 
“Hey, I’m getting outta here. I’ll cya on Monday for practice, okay?”
 
“Yea, okay, I guess I’ll see you then,” she responded, trying her best to act as if nothing was wrong. “Have a good weekend, Mike.”
 
“You too. Cya, Griffin.” He gave a warm smile before headed to the exit at the back of the stage, giving her a final wave before leaving.
 
Chloe sighed in frustration as she replaced her high heels with her beloved sneakers—she was glad to finally be rid of those monsters for the night. Walking to the backstage area, she grabbed her coat and pulled out her phone, checking for any messages.
 


1 new text message

From: Gennie
hey classypants how ddi the concrt go
i am goin bar hopin toniht did u wana come


 
Chloe had met Gennie at the start of college last semester. They shared a Musical Theory class together. Gennie was almost the exact polar opposite of her; more outgoing and well... crazy, to put it lightly. She was into digital music such as techno and dubstep, rather than classical music—‘real music’ as Chloe would put it. The first day of class, the professor, Mr. Franklin, had asked each student to briefly talk about their musical tastes and experiences to get to know them better.
When it had been Chloe’s turn to answer, she had stated that she had been playing the cello since she was around six years old and that her parents were very adamant that music be a part of her life. She went on to explain how she loved Gioachino Rossini, Edward Elgar, and George Frideric Handel amongst others. She explained how classical music was the truest form of musical expression—it was the source that all modern music stemmed from.
After hearing this, Gennie scoffed, arguing that classical music was only for old people and that digitally made music was far superior to any ‘old dusty scrolls or whatever they wrote their music on’. She argued by saying that there are far more people in the world today who enjoyed digitally created music over classical.
Chloe’s eye twitched. She’s now pulling statistics out of her ass to support her argument?! How could someone be so out of tune with reality? If it wasn’t for the great composers she wouldn’t have her damned techno noise in the first place! 
The two of them started arguing, almost yelling at each other right then and there while their classmates looked between the two livid females. Mr. Franklin just sat back with a grin and listened to the two passionate students argue over what form of music was “better”. But after Chloe and Gennie got nose to nose, he decided to break it up before things got physical.
They didn’t talk to each other for weeks after that. As time went on, they started to respect each other as they both learned more and more about each side’s position on music. Now, they were almost an inseparable pair.
 
Chloe hit the reply button on her phone and began typing;
 


To: Gennie
You know, after tonight I could use a few drinks. Pick me up at my place in an hour?
PS. You know I hate that nickname…


 
She slipped on her coat and grabbed her things before exiting the building. Once she got about a block away from the auditorium, the crowd had thinned out considerably, and she tried hailing a cab. She really didn’t want to walk all the way back to her apartment. Lady Luck was on Chloe's side this time as a yellow cab pulled over as soon as she raised her hand.
 
“Thank God.” She placed her cello in the trunk and hopped into the cab.
 
After the cab ride, she made her way into her bedroom, changing out of her dress attire and into more suitable clothes for going ‘bar hoppin’. She had just finished changing when her phone chirped. It was a reply from Gennie. She would be there in thirty minutes.
 


<><><><><><><><>

 

Chloe was nervously pacing outside of her apartment building. It had been fifty minutes since the text message from Gennie, and she still wasn’t here. She had tried texting Gennie again, but she wasn’t responding. She was about to go back inside when she heard the familiar sound of Gennie’s car—although, heap of junk would’ve been a more suitable description.
 
It was an old early 90’s dark blue Ford Mustang that had seen better days. There was more rust than paint left nowadays, and the paint that was left, was badly faded and peeling. Mechanically, it was in just as bad shape as the cosmetics.
 
As Gennie’s car rolled up to the curb, it sounded like a shotgun had gone off as it backfired, making her jump and think twice about just calling them a cab. Against her better judgement, she opened the passenger side door and slid in.
 
“Yo, Chloe, sorry I’m late, had to make a pit stop and get some rad fluid for the beast.” Gennie smirked as she patted the dashboard gently. “So, how ya been?”
 
“Hey, Gennie. Been better, I guess,” Chloe stated in a defeated tone, “How about yourself?”
 
“Well, besides the professors riding my ass about my studies, I have been doing great. Went to a new club downtown last night, Gravity 93, and met this awesome guy there. I think his name was Jim, no, John… Jamie? I can’t remember, I mean, I was pretty wasted by the end of the night.” She giggled at the thought. “He bought me some drinks. We talked a bit, then danced like maniacs till three am and closed the place down! All in all, it was awesome!” She exclaimed, grinning widely as they took off down the road.
 
“Oh, Gennie,” Chloe shook her head, “You’re going to get yourself into trouble one of these days. What if that guy had done something bad to you? You could have been hurt or worse!”
 
“Hey! I can take care of myself, you know?”
 
“I know you can. I just worry about you and your reckless behavior. I just care for you is all,” Chloe stated in an almost motherly voice as she put her hand on Gennie’s shoulder.
 
“Yea, yea, I know,” she chided, brushing off the hand. “Enough of that mushy shit already, let’s go get wasted! WOOO~,” Gennie howled and slammed down on the gas. The Beast backfired again before roaring back to life.
 
Between the backfire and the sudden lurch of the car, Chloe’s anxiety was almost through the roof, while Gennie just laughed.
 
“What in the world did I get myself into?!” Chloe cried, covering her face with her hands as they sped towards their first, of many, destinations that night.



<><><><><><><><>



It was getting close to 11pm. They had been out drinking for over three hours and had hit up four bars already. The current establishment they were patronizing, on the north side of Chicago, was an Irish bar called “O’Reilly’s Pub”. It was a small but lively place and had about twenty other people currently eating and drinking, with a few playing darts in the corner. Chloe and Gennie were currently seated at the bar, having just finished up their meal.

“Soo what’d he ‘ay aft’r y’ as’d him to dinn’r?” Gennie slurred out after finishing her third Jager Bomb in the past hour, forcefully slamming the shot glass down on the bar, making a loud crack.

“W-well...” Chloe started to speak in a low tone, thinking back to the conversation with Michael, “After I asked him about dinner, he... he looked away from me and told me that he already had plans for tonight.” She started to get teary eyed as she thought about what had transpired. “I don’t think he would lie to me about something like that but... but it felt like he was pushing me away from him. Like there was something he wasn’t telling—”

“That JERK!” Gennie almost screamed, causing some of the other bar goers to stare. Her eyes filled with anger as she glared over Chloe’s shoulder towards the entrance.

“Gennie! He’s not a jerk! It was my fault for suddenly asking him out, not his! I should have thought it through mor—” Chloe was interrupted as Gennie grabbed her head and turned it towards the entrance, almost knocking her off the barstool in the process.

Chloe’s heart sank at what she saw. Michael and another woman about their age had just walked in and sat down in a booth across the room. He was completely unaware that Chloe was at the bar watching them as they kissed before sitting down and settling in.

That was all Chloe could take. She got up, quickly making her way to the exit, trying to not been seen by the couple.

“Shit...” Gennie said, turning back to the bar, grabbing the shot glass that had just been replenished, and slammed it down—just because her friend was having a breakdown was no excuse to waste alcohol. She quickly threw some money on the counter and went after Chloe.

“Y’ coud’va ‘est told-told ‘er the trooth, ASSHOLE!” Gennie slurred/yelled at Michael as she ran past him. He watched, with a very confused look on his face, the woman that had just berated him stumble out the door. 

“Who was that? And what in the world was she yelling at you for, Mike?” His date asked him.

Michael just shrugged, shaking his head, “I have no idea....”

Gennie ran after her friend or at least she tried to. She had a bit too much to drink tonight and was finding it difficult to maintain her balance as she stumbled her way to the parking lot around the side of the building. She found Chloe leaning up against her car, sobbing quietly.

She hobbled over to Chloe, grabbing her in a big hug, holding her close while trying to keep her balance. They embraced each other until Gennie broke away, placing her hands on Chloe’s shoulder.

“Itsh gona be ok, classy’ants” She smiled, looking into her friend’s eyes, “Com’on. Let’ get y’ home.”

“A-alright,” Chloe whispered as she wiped the tears from her face. They got into the Beast and Gennie turned the key. The engine spun over a few time and just sputtered. She tried again. More spinning but this time, they were greeted with the familiar sound of a loud backfire.

“Com’on, don’t let me down, baby...” Gennie cooed, rubbing the dashboard lovingly with her hand while turning the key once more.

The engine spun over a few more time until finally coming to life. A wide grin came over her face as she looked over to Chloe.

“Shee? Works e’ery time!”

Chloe giggled at her antics as they drove out of the parking lot when a thought suddenly crossed her mind. Shit! Gennie is really drunk...she shouldn’t be driving at all! Her driving seemed fine at first, but as time went on, it was apparent that Gennie was having difficulties taming the beast. 

“Gennie...” she said with a concerned look, “are you sure you’re okay to be driving, you had quite a bit to drink tonight.” 

“Yus, I’m perf’tly alr-alri-I’m good ...” Gennie boasted, smiling at her as she crossed the double yellow line before jerking the wheel back.

They were rapidly approaching the red light at the next intersection, and Gennie showed no signs of stopping.

“Red light,” Chloe pointed out.

“.. I do th’s all the time!” 

“Gennie! Red light!”

“Huh?” 

“RED LIGHT!” Chloe screamed as Gennie suddenly remembered that she was in the driver’s seat.

She slammed on the brakes, locking up all four tires as they slid through the red light causing Chloe to scream. There was a brief white flash from the red light camera the moment they passed the white line and into the intersection. The sound of screeching tires and car horns could be heard as they came to a complete stop. Chloe started to hyperventilate.

“FUCK!” Gennie screamed as the white smoke dissipated around them. “Now I’m gonna get a tick’t an poss’bly a DUI!” She turned to look at Chloe who was now white as a ghost.

“Ya okay?” Gennie asked, nudging her friend. Chloe nodded her head as the blood slowly returned to her face. 

“You are right, Chloe. I am too drunk to be driving,” she said in a surprisingly sobering tone. “Let’s get outta the middle of the road and you can drive.”

“S-sure thing,” Chloe stammered, not sure if that was a good idea or not since she could still feel the effects of the alcohol in her system.

Gennie had just started to pull over to the curb when suddenly the whole car started shaking like they were in an earthquake, but they were in Chicago—there are no major fault lines around here.

The two of them looked at each other in confusion as the car lurched downwards. There was a moment of silence before they both let out a blood curdling scream as they fell into the sinkhole.

> 2. What the hay?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A black tendril shot forward from the darkness, enveloping Chloe’s torso in its powerful grasp. Chloe screamed out to Gennie, trying desperately to grab her hand as the unknown assailant pulled her, kicking and flailing, out of the still falling vehicle. Gennie desperately grabbed out for her best friend, but it was too late. The tendril had pulled Chloe completely out of the vehicle and into the void.  

...et me go! Gennie, help! Her head snapped up, eyes shooting wide open. Her breathing was shallow and rapid. It felt like her heart was going to beat out of her chest at any moment. 

She winced, instantly closing her eyes from the blinding sunlight. She waited a few moments for her vision to acclimate to the light and to catch her breath. The sounds of birds singing and the wind blowing softly through the foliage could be heard as she recovered from the nightmare in her mind only to have to face the nightmare of reality.

 No. Please no… 

Tentatively opening her eyes, and taking a quick survey of the area confirmed her fears as the blood drained from her face. She was in the same forest, with the same awkward colors, and no idea how in the world she had ended up here. Oh, and she still had hooves. 

        Closing her eyes and taking in deep, steady breaths, she was able to maintain her composure and not completely freak out like earlier. She let out a long sigh, forcing herself to open her eyes. She blinked a few times, still not quite used to the bright light.
  
Well... I this can't be a dream, since I’m still here. She looked to the ground in front of her and then to her forearms. The sensation was still very odd to her as she curiously moved her new hooves in circles on the grass. If my arms were replaced with these, ugh, hooves, do I really even want to know what the rest of my body looks like? It took a few minutes but curiosity got the better of her, as she turned her head around to get a good look at the rest of her new form.

Her frame was small and thin, roughly the size of a small dog. She was completely naked, albeit covered in the same grey fur as her forearms. A small tail was protruding from the back of her body; dark grey with light grey highlights running throughout its length. She also had dark grey hair that was flowing down past her shoulders, it had the same grey highlights as her tail but she couldn't see much more of it without a mirror of some sort. After examining herself for a little while, she had determined that she was now in the body of a small horse-like creature, but why she was in this body and this strangely colored place was a whole different question altogether.

        Alright, now is not the time to be freaking out. You need to think! You're in an unfamiliar place, in a strange body, everything looks like some badly colored art project, and- 

The pain emanating from her stomach caused her to wince as it twisted and gurgled. She hadn’t eaten since the bar and had no idea how long ago that actually was. Finding food was now a top priority. Squinting up at the sky, the sun was just past its zenith overhead, indicating that it was slightly past noon, and she had to try to get up and move before nightfall. That was easier said than done…

Quickly pushing herself up with her front legs wasn't really the most well thought out of ideas. Her smooth hooves slid forward, trying desperately to find purchase on the grass. Her efforts were in vein as her chin smacked against the ground, hard. A cry of pain escaped her lips as she tasted blood in her mouth. Running her tongue against the inside of her bottom lip, trying to locate the source of the pain, she found a raw area that was now missing a small chunk of flesh. After holding her tongue there for a minute, easing the pain, she attempted to stand up again, but this time with a bit more caution in her movements.

Spitting out the blood that had pooled in her mouth, she contemplated how to stand up without further injury. Okay, front right arm first, pull it back a bit then push down... The neural pathways in her brain started to reconfigure her motor function, piece by piece, to her new form, as she willed her body to move with her thoughts. Inch by painstaking inch, the front of her body began to rise off the ground. Now repeat the same process with the front left arm... A grin started making its way across her face as both of her forearms pushed her up and back until she was in an upright sitting position. 

Back legs, your turn! With more confidence now that her front legs seemed to obey her commands, she willed her back legs to move. They, however, had different plans. All she could get them to do was to twitch slightly as her grin faded into a frown. 

Why can’t I move my back legs? Are they injured? She didn't feel any pain coming from them, so that couldn't be it. Are they crippled? And if they are...how will I be able move from here? She slunk back down to the ground as she started to panic again, thinking about all the different possible scenarios of why her back legs didn’t work and what would become of her if she was stuck in this spot with no food and no water. I need to find food before I starve to death!

The pain from her belly was ever there, pushing her—no forcing her. I have to get up, I have to move! I don’t want to die here! With a look of determination on her face, she got back into a sitting position. She smirked, and her tail swished on its own accord at how easy that was now as she thought about what to do next. Now if I can start rocking myself back and forth, maybe I can feel the muscles move in my back legs and try to focus on moving them myself. 

It took a few minutes to figure out how to correctly push her forearms to get a steady rocking motion going, but once she did, her thoughts were confirmed. The rocking was starting to pull her back legs up and down with her body, and she was able to feel the muscles in them expanding and contracting, all while memorizing the new feeling in her mind.

Come on! I can do this...just a bit more...  Concentrating on the part of her brain that controlled her hind legs, a small grunt escaped from her mouth as she pushed with all her might on the next forward motion. She was now up on all fours, if only for a brief second. Pushing with all her strength might have been a bit overkill. Her hind hooves slid out, bucking backwards. On instinct she stuck out a hoof, stopping herself from face planting again, but she could not get her hind legs back into position quickly enough to keep her hind quarters from hitting the ground, leaving her legs splaying out behind her.

At least I didn’t hit my chin again. 

She rested for a moment, letting the pain subside. A rustling from a nearby bush caused her ears swivel, and she quickly looked over to the source of the noise. She did not to move or dare make a sound as she focused all of her attention on the bush and the immediate surrounding area, trying to determine what had disturbed it.

What the hell just made that noise? She stared at the foliage, her ears swiveling subconsciously at the tiniest noise. Maybe it was just a bunny or a squirrel? But what if...does it want to eat me? Oh god, what if it DOES want to eat me!? A cold shiver went down her spine. Wait, are there even predators here? I should just wait a few more minutes before trying to leave...but where do I go? I don’t even know where I am! But I do need to look for-

Chloe’s attention snapped from her thoughts as the bush rustled and a small, brown blur darted away from it. Just a small...something, nothing to worry about. Chloe exhaled, giving a sigh of relief, slumping back to the ground. She went to wipe away the small beads of sweat that had formed on her forehead and were now running into her eyes, only to hit herself with her hoof. She recoiled a bit from the shock and looked at her hoof in bewilderment before shaking her head.

I’m an idiot. This time she used her forearm and not the headache-inducing hoof to wipe away the sweat.

Spending the next ten minutes or so trying to get up on all fours, she had finally got the hang of using her hind legs well enough to be able to stand on them without falling over. Now that she was upright, walking was next on the list of mundane things she had yet to master in this new body of hers. 


How do dogs, cats and other quadrupeds walk? Mulling this over in her head for a while, she took a shaky step forward with her left forearm while moving her right hind leg at the same time. Setting them both down at the same time as a smile crept across her face.

I took a step! Or is that two steps, since I moved two legs…? Gah, focus! Putting all her weight on the legs she just moved, she repeated the same process but with the opposite legs this time.

Chloe started walking slowly, step by step, in a wide circle as her confidence grew. Her legs were no longer shaking as she started moving with more grace and poise. Soon she was able to trot without much thought.

I can move! Oh yeah! Now I really need to find some food. I have already wasted a lot of energy today. She looked around, deciding on what to do. There were trees in every direction with a few scattered bushes and other shrubbery. What way, what way? Oh why didn’t I ever join the Girl Scouts like my Mom wanted me to all those years ago... Mom...Dad... A tear started to form as she thought about her parents. Will I ever see them again? What about Gennie? Was she in this place too? I need to find her right away!

“Hafoiy!” She quickly put a hoof over her mouth.

What was that?!

“Hafoiy!” she cried out a second time.

“HAFOIY!” 

What the hell is wrong with my voice!?

Moving her tongue around her mouth, it became apparent that it was much longer and the roof of her mouth didn’t have the same shape as she remembered it having as a human. She stuck out her tongue out as far as it would go. It ran up and past her nose, almost waving back at her as she watched it twitch back and forth.

Holy crap! My tongue is huge! Her eyes went cross trying to get a better look at it. This has got to be why I can’t... Suddenly it all clicked. Oh that’s just lovely. Just another thing I’m going to have to relearn... 

Her stomach grumbled again.

Oh shut up, you! I’m looking! Gotta find food, and then I’ll search for Gennie. So what do horses eat, let’s see... hay, oats, berries, grass... Ugh, I don’t think I’m going to be finding any hay or oats in the forest and grass...Yuck! I’m not going to eat grass! Berries are alright and there are a few bushes around here. Guess I’ll head east since there seems to be more bushes that way...

Chloe headed away from the sun that was now three-fourths its way down in the sky, checking every bush that she came across for any signs of something to eat. After checking thirty or so she was beginning to lose faith that she would find any sort of food. Another hour of walking and hunting, the trees had begun to get farther and farther apart, and it wasn't long before she heard a constant, dull roar in the distance.

A river! She picked up her pace to a full out sprint, not bothering to look for food anymore at the thought of finally being able to get a drink was the only thing that dominated her mind. She had not realized how thirsty she actually was until she’d heard the sweet sound of flowing water.  

The dull roar steadily increased in volume as she neared the source. It was a wide, fast flowing river, but all she could think about was drinking that precious water. She galloped to the edge of the water, pushing away the vegetation that was growing along the side and plunged her muzzle into the cool, refreshing water; gulping down as much as she could before coming up for air.

Best. Water. Ever! With her stomach full, she laid down on the grass, panting a bit to catch her breath and to rest her hooves. 

The water somewhat helped to lessen her hunger pains as she looked across the river. There was open grassland on the other side, but she couldn't tell what was beyond since it was becoming dark outside as the sun slowly faded into the horizon.

I wonder if there is a way to safely get across this river? 

She got up and started heading south, following the river, in hopes of finding a safe place to cross. The river twisted and looped back onto itself several times before widening. The water was much calmer here, and she noticed that it was not very deep at this point, but still at least 30 feet wide. She stepped in and tested the strength and depth of the water. After a few steps in, the water was only up to her knees and it wasn’t pushing her very hard, so she kept going, slowly making her way across, trying to avoid any slippery rocks or anything else that may be below. She was just about halfway to the other shore and the water was now up to her neck. It was getting harder to keep her balance, and the water was trying to push her over. 

Should I turn around or keep going? She stopped, looking back before making her decision.

She took another step forward, reaching the halfway point. She put her hoof down and it landed on a slimy rock, causing her to slip, and throwing her off balance. The water swept her other legs out from under her as she plunged into the cold water. Panicking, she flailed her legs, trying to right herself and get her head above the waterline. Still struggling after a minute, her lungs started burning from the lack of oxygen as she exhaled her last breath of air. 

Well, this is it, Chloe. This is how you go, drowning in a river, in some strange place, and in the body of, whatever I am... She stopped struggling, letting the water take ahold of her. Not being able to keep her mouth closed anymore, she gasped for air but there was only water. 

Mom, Dad. I love you.

> 3. Mustangs and... Ponies?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Chloe’s lifeless body was being tossed around by the current as it shoved her unceremoniously further and further downstream. The once wide and calm river had started to pick up speed, becoming ever more turbulent as it narrowed. A tight bend was quickly approaching where several jagged rocks that were protruding from the waterline near the shore. 

The speed of the current forcefully pushed her into one of the larger rocks of the group, hitting her squarely in the chest. The impact had spun her around, leaving her back facing the shore as she hit the bottom of the river, making her body twist over itself and land on her other side halfway onto the shore with her face coming to rest in the muddy soil of the bank.

Chloe’s eyes opened and then shut again in pain as she was brought back to life from the jarring impact. The moment she tried to gasp for air, the water in her lungs came up. She desperately struggled to breathe but was only able to get small amounts of air into her lungs. The air mixed with water causing her to go into a coughing fit as more and more of the river water was expelled. By this time, her body was begging for oxygen as she felt like she was on the precipice of passing out again. 

With most of the water, or at least what felt like most of it anyways, out of her lungs, she drew in as much air as possible. The initial shock and adrenaline rush had worn off by the time she went to exhale, and she could now feel a stabbing pain in her chest. She tried to slowly let out the rest of her breath but started coughing. This, in turn, caused her chest to burn with renewed fervor as tears flowing down her face. After expelling the rest of the water in her lungs with a few more very painful coughs, she forced herself to steady her breathing. 

Chloe was finally able to take deeper breaths as the pain subsided with each passing minute and was calm enough now to start thinking rationally about her situation. The first thing she did was check over her injuries. Looking down at her chest, she noticed a large portion of her fur was matted in blood surrounding a large gash. Her eyes followed the trail of blood as it flowed down her chest, ending up in a pool in the mud below. The sight her own blood was making her queasy, and she turned her head away with a grimace, trying hard to keep herself from throwing up what little was in her stomach. After steeling her nerves and stomach, she got back to thinking about what to do next. 

Ok, what did they teach us at camp about treating injuries in the wilderness...? She pondered, trying to remember her teacher’s instructions all those years ago. I need to stop the bleeding first, and then I have to try and find help... Is there even anyone or anything that can or will help me? I haven’t seen any signs of any towns or anything that would suggest intelligent life even existed here... Well, I can worry about that later; I have to close up this wound. Let’s see... Chloe looked around for anything she could use to stop the bleeding. Grass, a few bushes, cattails and... mud? Duh! Why didn't I think of that before?!

Scooping up some mud the best she could with her hoof—man, she missed her hands so much— and applying it liberally but gently as possible over the cut. She winced and gritted her teeth each time her hoof ran over the injury. A few painful applications of river mud later, the blood had finally stopped. Looking over her mud covered chest, she shivered as a stiff breeze flowed over her wet body. The evening air was getting chilly, and she was still half in the river. Deciding that it would be best not to stay drenched all night long, she was hesitant to stand up, but knew she had to get out of the cold water and get onto drier ground before twilight fell into night.

With a long exhale, she rolled onto her stomach and pulled all four of her legs under her, shifted her weight backwards onto her hind legs as she pushed her front half up. As soon as she pushed upwards, the stabbing pain in her chest came back in full, causing her to yelp in pain as she lowered herself back down to the ground. 

Chloe laid there on the ground as she watched the last sliver of the sun vanish over the horizon through the trees, turning the sky and the few clouds into a brilliant array of colors. Normally she loved watching the sunset; it reminded her of her childhood on her parent’s farm in the countryside of Illinois before she had been accepted to Roosevelt University and moved to her apartment in Chicago. Tonight though, she couldn’t have cared less about the sky, no matter how beautiful it was.

The shivering was getting worse the longer she stayed in the water, and she loathed being cold. After a few mental encouragements, she braced herself, and began to stand up again. This time she fought through the pain, forcing her body to move up the embankment. She made it halfway to the grass that was about twenty feet away before collapsing back onto the ground, tired of the now all too familiar pain shooting from her chest. Panting heavily from the torture she had just put her body through, she tried to get back up, but her body refused to move any farther.

At least I’m on dry ground now and starting to warm up. I guess having fur does have its advantages, even if it is wet... She looked over her new body again. Oh... 

It was a complete mess; she had mud coating a good portion of her body and various bits of vegetation sticking out in every direction. Not to mention that she smelled like fish too. Even though she was a farm girl at heart and loved getting dirty when she was younger; that stage in her life had passed as she grew older. Now being dirty just got on her nerves as it meant she had to spend a lot of time to be presentable again, but for now she let it go. She was exhausted, wet, and sore. Also, there were much bigger problems to worry about besides her appearance.

The sound of the bird’s singing fell away with the night. In its place, the cacophony of frogs, toads and other creatures took over. Chloe was now mostly dry and much warmer as she looked up to the stars that had started to make their presence known. Her instincts told her it wasn't safe to be in the open like this but what could she do? She was unable to move any further with her exhaustion was finally getting the best of her as she gave out a small yawn and tucked her head in between her front legs, closed her eyes. The rhythmic croaking from the frogs and the warmth from her coat quickly lulled her aching body to sleep.




<><><><><>



Chloe sat in passenger seat of Gennie’s Mustang, trying to catch her breath as the smoke slowly dissipated around them. She looked over to Gennie whose knuckles had gone white from gripping the steering wheel for dear life. Gennie slowly looked back to her friend and had a look of horror on her face. She started to talk but could only stutter as she pointed to Chloe, her face had turned pale. 

She quickly looked down at herself, but it was not herself that she saw. Small grey legs had replaced her human ones and she suddenly seemed to be sitting a lot lower in the seat than she’d realized. Before she could react, the car started shaking, and they both screamed out as the car started to fall; only Chloe didn’t fall with the car. She watched in horror as the vehicle, with her friend still inside, plummeted into the darkness, and she closed her eyes, screaming out in pain.

Chloe was shaking again—at first she thought it was a seizure—but when she opened her eyes again, she was back in the passenger seat, staring at Gennie as the whole car continued to shake. Gennie just looked at her with a warm smile before everything faded to black. 

“GENNIE, DON’T LEAVE ME!” Chloe tried to yell as she woke up, only to have gibberish come out of her mouth. She heard a gasp and a small thud next to her. Opening her eyes, she saw what looked like a young, green pony with blonde hair done up into two braids that hung from either side, with a frilly red bonnet on her head and a saddlebag on her back. She was sitting down in front of her with a hoof covering her wide open mouth.

Chloe’s pupils shrunk to the size of pinpoints as she yelped out in surprise. She flinched backward and fell on her side, sending yet another bolt of pain through her chest. Tightly closing her eyes and wrapping her forearms around her chest, she started shaking and curled up as small as possible into a ball. 

“Oh dear! Are you alright?” the light green pony asked with a concerned look on her face. But all that Chloe heard was unfamiliar noises coming from the creature as she tried to make herself into an even smaller ball.

What is this thing gonna do to me?! Should I try and run away...? No, that won’t work, I can barely move... Maybe it will just… Chloe’s thoughts were interrupted when she heard the creature stand up and the sound of hooves approaching her. Shit! I’m dead! It’s gonna eat me!

Chloe heard the pony stop right next to her and a second later she felt a gentle pressure on her back that slowly started running along the length of her, and then it repeated the disturbingly comforting motion.

“It’s okay there, I ain’t gonna hurt ya,” the creature said in a soothing voice while attempting to calm down the visible shaken filly.

Is it actually trying to talk to me? But wait, ponies can’t talk... can they? And another thing, I have never seen a green colored pony before...

Chloe slowly opened an eye to see the pony looking down at her with a look of kindness in her eyes, and it looked like she was even smiling at her as she continued to gently run her hoof up and down Chloe’s back.

“Well, ‘lo there youngin’. Name’s Granita. You gotta name there little missy?” Granita asked, looking the little filly right in the eyes.

She really is trying to talk to me... I think. But how do I respond? Or do I even need to respond?
        
        “Who are you?” Chloe tried to ask but gibberish just came out again.

        The mare just turned her head to the side with a confused look. “What? Can you repeat that?”

Chloe sighed and looked up to the pony with a pleading look in her eyes after a moment of awkward silence had passed, shaking her head back and forth as she tapped her mouth, trying to indicate that she cannot speak. She couldn’t tell if the pony understood her gesture or not.

“What language was that? Eh, guess it’s pointless to ask if ya can't speak Equestrian then ya probably cain’t understand it either,” Granita said after mulling over the filly’s actions for a moment. Her eyes fell on the young one’s chest that was covered in dried mud and blood. “That looks like a nasty cut ya got yerself there. Mind if’n I take a gander?” Granita inquired, raising a hoof in the direction of the filly’s wound. She had a good feeling that the filly couldn’t understand her but she would keep trying. Chloe just stared blankly back at her. Granita waited a moment but after getting no response, she reached a hoof out to try and remove some of the mud from the young one’s chest, but she stopped as the filly started pushing away from her, stopping a few feet back.

“What the hell are you doing?” She started to protest but her stomach decided that now would be the perfect moment to stage a protest as it loudly growled. Her ears laid back, and her cheeks turned bright red at hearing her stomach’s plea for food. She suddenly found the ground to be very interesting to look at. Her ears perked back up when she heard what sounded like giggling coming from the light green pony as she glanced up to stare at the strange sight of a giggling pony.

Wow, that was really embarrassing and... is she giggling at me? Do the ponies here have emotions? I know animal have basic emotions like fear and happiness but I have never seen an animal laugh... well, maybe laughing hyenas, but those guys are jerks.

Chloe watched the light green pony with interest as it put a hoof inside its saddlebag. She had been rummaging through it for a few seconds before lifting out a small green object, rubbing it on her fur, and started walking over to Chloe with the object in her grasp.

Chloe’s mouth started watering as soon as she recognized the object in the mare’s hoof. It was an apple. Not just any apple, it was the most delicious looking apple she had ever laid eyes on. Although, this could be due to the fact that she was absolutely starving at the moment. The mare stopped a foot away from her, stretching out her arm and holding the apple right in front of Chloe’s face. She looked at the apple, and then back to the pony. The mare just moved the apple closer to the filly, trying to get her to take it.

I’m so hungry, I haven't eaten in, what feels like, days but should I really take this apple? What if its been poisoned? Well that’s a silly question... why the hell would it be poisoned? Her stomach growled loudly again. That made up her mind for her as she reached out to take the apple. She was about to grab it, but one look at her mud-covered hooves stopped her. She was about to clean them off on her coat, but it was just as filthy as the rest of her. While Chloe was debating about how to approach this situation as she looked down at her dirty, well everything, she felt a hoof take her own. 

“Hey!” She attempted to pull her hoof back and was ready to try to make a break for it as she looked back up. “Oh…” She stopped resisting, seeing that the apple had been replaced by a washcloth, which was currently being used to wipe one her hooves clean.

Chloe sat there on her flank in shock as this older pony finished cleaning off one hoof and then the other before cleaning her muzzle. After she was satisfied that the filly was sufficiently clean enough to be able to eat, the cloth was placed back in the mare’s saddlebags, being swapped for the same apple she had pulled out before. She smiled warmly, holding the apple out to Chloe.

        “Thanks!” Chloe eagerly grabbed the apple this time with both hooves holding onto it tightly, taking as big of bites as she could manage. Every time she swallowed, the pain in her chest flared up again but it was well worth it. This apple tasted so much better than any she had eaten before. She wasn’t sure if it was because she was a pony now and ponies just likes apples more or what, but none of that really mattered right now anyway as she happily ate the whole thing. Even the core tasted delicious!

Maybe I should let this pony help me out, she has been nothing but nice to me so far, and I don’t think she wants to harm me. Maybe she even knows where Gennie is! Oh, I hope she does! A grin came across Chloe’s face as the thought of being able to see her friend again. Licking her lips to get any lingering apple bits from it, she looked back to the mare that was sitting in front of her smiling. Chloe smiled back to show her appreciation. It seemed that body language was the best way to communicate, even if it was very odd to be communicating with a pony.

Now that Granita had seemed to gain the trust of the grey filly, she pointed with her hoof to Chloe’s chest with a concerned look across her face. Chloe looked down at her chest, sighing before motioning the mare to come over and look at her injury. 

Granita walked over, sitting down in front to her, and started removing the caked on mud that was covering the wound. Chloe flinched and let out a soft whimper as the light green pony began to peel away the stuck on mud. Noticing her discomfort and the difficulty she was having removing the mud that had been smashed into the filly’s fur, she trotted down to the river, pulled a cup and the washcloth out of her saddlebag. She filled the cup with water and rinsed off the dirty cloth.

The mare returned to Chloe and slowly started to pour the water over her chest, freeing the mud from its grasp on the fur and patting at it softly with the washcloth to clean the wound. When she ran the cloth over a certain area above the cut, it made the filly wince and recoil a bit. She made a note to be extra careful around that area. 

It had taken Granita several trips to the river to refill and rinse the washcloth before all the caked on mud and dried up blood had been removed from the wound and the surrounding area. She looked it over and noticed that it was showing signs of infection and needed to be treated quickly before it became worse. Chloe had sat there patiently as she watched the mare work on cleaning her and look over her injuries. During this time, felt like it was getting harder for her to breathe. She shrugged it off; it was probably due to having her chest touched again is all.

Granita stood up, turned around, and started walking away. After a few steps, she turned her head around and motioned to the filly with a hoof to follow her. Chloe looked back at her and tried to get up but the pain was still too great to move on her own. 

“I can’t move yet.” She looked up to the mare and shook her head.

Seeing this, the mare trotted back over and laid down next to the filly, motioning with her head to her back, trying to get her to climb on. Chloe was dumbfounded at first, not knowing what the light green pony was getting at. Granita scooted closer and laid right up against her, using her head to gently nudge the filly up onto her back. 

“Oh, you want me to get on your back?” Chloe eyed the mare with disbelief as she put a hoof on the mare’s back.

Granita nodded back to her. Summoning all her strength, she stood up and crawled over the mare’s back, laying down between the saddlebags that hung off either side. It was a bit painful lying directly on her chest like that, but it was better than the alternative of staying there all alone and with the very real possibility of dying.

After the filly had settled in on top of her back, Granita carefully stood up and turned her head around, checking on the filly one last time and giving her a reassuring nuzzle much to Chloe’s surprise, before heading back the way she had come from.

> 4. A Ville of Ponies.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	How long have we been traveling for? An hour? Two? How much longer am I going to be on this pony’s back? I don’t know how much more of this I can take! Chloe was starting to get anxious and was feeling exhausted from the constant state of pain her body was in. I just want to go back to sleep and forget all about the pain... and the fact that I’m riding on a pastel green pony's back headed to god only knows where. 

Chloe was about to open her mouth to try and communicate again when she suddenly let out a cry of pain. Her chest suddenly hit the mare’s back particularly hard causing her to slide forward and almost fall off. Quickly, she squeezed all four legs tightly around the body beneath her. The light green mare regained her hoofing and looked back to her small passenger to make sure she was alright.

“I’m sorry ‘bout that there, sweetie,” Granita said, a look of embarrassment and worry shown on her face. “I ah... stumbled a bit on this here rock, seemed to come outta nowhere,” she said, almost in a whisper as her cheeks turned red, and she pointed a foreleg to the offending rock.

Chloe glared back at her and inhaled, ready to give to give the clumsy mare a piece of her mind, only to start violently coughing. She covered her mouth with a hoof only to find a speckle of blood covering it when she pulled it away. Crap, this doesn’t seem good… Looking at her hoof for a moment before another cough came out, and with it, more blood.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’ mean to hurt ya even more!” —Granita’s eyes started to water— “We gotta git ya to the doc’s place, an’ quick like!” She grabbed the washcloth from her saddlebag with her teeth, passing it to the filly. Chloe fumbled with the cloth for a second before she was able to wipe the blood off her other hoof. She was about to hand it back, but she started painfully coughing again, using the cloth to cover her mouth.

Granita began trotting with a sense of urgency in her steps, wanting to move as quickly, but safely as possible, with the injured filly on her back. The river they had been following through the grassland continued on into the forest just ahead of them. Chloe’s coughing fit had slowed down to only a few coughs every minute as they entered the forest. Granita slowed her pace, being careful to not trip again or hit the filly, or herself, with any low hanging branches.

“This here is tha last part of Whitetail Woods,” the mare proclaimed, stopping for a second to look back at her small passenger and to catch her breath. “Ah few more kilotrots and we will be in Ponyville where we can git ya some help from the doc.”

There it is again, those sounds that are coming from this pony’s mouth. There is a certain rhythm to it and the different tones... It really sounds like it’s speaking to me... Chloe hadn’t given the mare’s actions much thought before due to the state of shock and seemingly endless pain that she has been in, but nonetheless, this thought had slowly crept into her mind, and now it was the one thing she could not get out of her head.

God, this is so creepy... this creatu... no, pony...  a pony... she? I think this pony is female. Her voice, if that really is a voice, sounds feminine enough... I’ll just go with that for now. She, rescued me, cleaned me up, and I think, has been talking with me. Her brain was starting to put together the pieces of the puzzle that this world had presented to her, and she didn’t like the picture it was making. But ponies don’t do any of those things! None of those things at all! That’s just silly Chloe, get ahold of yourself! All this can’t be real… The colors, —God, the colors. I’ll never get used to that—this talking pony, light green pony no less, waking up in a strange forest. She looked back down at her forelegs. It just can’t be real… She moved her foreleg a bit and shuddered when it instantly followed her command. I can't be a pony! 

Chloe started to hyperventilate, clenching her eyes shut. She didn't want to see anymore of this world, she just wanted to wake up! As her breathing hastened, her chest began to protest her actions and voice its opinion loudly, sending back a jolt of pain with each breath. She had to force herself to take in long, slow breaths and equally long and slow exhales until she was calm again; or at least, calm enough to not involuntarily cause herself anymore pain. 

With the pain from her chest now greatly diminished, she felt a buildup of pressure in the front of her head. She groaned, laying her head back down onto the mare’s back as she rubbed her temple with a free hoof in an attempt to soothe the oncoming headache. She thought the light green pony had made a noise but she ignored it and continued to massage her head. 

But are you a pony now... The hard, flat hoof that was against her head reminded her of that. She quickly stopped rubbing her temple, frowning at the thought as she looked at the hoof—her hoof—in front of her face. Beyond her hoof, she could see the mare staring at her with an almost puzzled look on her face. Why is she looking at me like that? And why did we stop here? Oh, right, she did make some noises, err speak to me...

“Ya still with me, sweetie? Can ya breathe fine now?” She a looked concerned as the filly on her back merely stared blankly back at her. 

Is she waiting for me to respond back? Well, if she is talking to you, then yes. Her brain answered back. She waited a second before giving the light green mare a pained smile and a slight nod, hoping that was what the right thing to do, not knowing exactly what she had just agreed to—if anything. The mare smiled back, turning her head forward and started making her way through the forest. Chloe let out a soft groan as she laid her head back down, trying to get a little more comfortable. So creepy...  

Scores of uncountable minutes passed as the trees grew further and further apart, letting more of the warm sunlight reach the two travelers. Soon they came around another bend in the river, and as they did, Chloe could now see that the forest was almost completely behind them and ahead was a sea of fields that covered the rolling landscape for what seemed like miles. Some of the fields even had wooden fences around them, partitioning the land into different sections. Chloe stared inquisitively at the fences before looking up ahead. She could see what looked like a very small town in the distance with only a few buildings. Columns of smoke could be seen rising up from a few of the chimneys, taking their place in the late morning sky before slowly dissipating into the wind.

Chloe blinked at the sight before her. Wait... ponies couldn’t possibly have built these things; they don’t even have thumbs... Come to think of it, who made the saddlebags and washcloth that this pony has? Maybe they are just smarter than the horses from back home, and they are just someone’s pets. Yea, that’s gotta be it. Chloe sighed at how ridiculous that sounded as she tried to piece this world together. Yeah, right, pets that seem to talk and rescue people...ponies, whatever. She moaned, laying her head down back down, fighting back the headache that was starting to form again. She didn’t want to think about it anymore, lest she start hyperventilating again, and she definitely didn't want that to happen. She liked being relatively pain free.

Granita smiled at the sight of Ponyville on the horizon, picking up her pace now that they were out of the forest and on a dirt path that lead directly into town. “We’re almost there, just hold on fer a few more minutes,” she said as they passed a barn alongside the road that was under construction, waving and smiling to one of the ponies who was working on the mostly finished barn. “That there is the Oranges’ new barn. They’re neighbors and good friends of ours. Ah’ll introduce ya to them when yer better.” 

Chloe looked over to where the mare was waving her hoof and gasped as the large, muscular orange colored pony waved back at them as they continued trotting down the path. Chloe watched the orange pony pick up a hammer with his mouth while somehow holding a nail steady against a board with his hoof. He drew his head to the side, hammer still in mouth, and quickly brought it back, hammering the nail into the board with one swing. He picked up another nail out of the pile and started to repeat the process. 

Chloe’s mouth hung open at this sight. That isn’t possible! It’s just not scientifically possible! Her head started pounding again. This was just too much for her to take in while in her current state. She gave out a soft whine, resting her head back down on the mare and closed her eyes, not daring to open them again until her headache receded. The combination of the constant, fatiguing pain, her difficulty breathing, not sleeping well the night before (sleeping halfway in a river will do that to you), the rhythmic motion coming from the mare that was carrying her, the warmth of the sun, and all the thoughts racing through her mind about this place was just too much for Chloe as her brain gave up and shut down on her. She was snoring in the matter of seconds. Her breath became unsteady and labored since she was no longer manually regulating it as her subconscious mind took over. 

The filly’s erratic breathing was starting to worry the mare. She seemed to be struggling more and more with each passing moment to get air into her lungs, and at one point she had almost stopped breathing altogether. A quick nuzzle brought the filly’s breathing back, and Granita sighed in relief.

The buildings of Ponyville were quickly getting closer as Granita continued her way to the clinic near the center of the town almost in a full on gallop. Several ponies greeted her as she ran past but she ignored them. Her only goal was to get to the clinic as fast as possible before it was too late...

“DOC!” Granita yelled, bursting through the clinic’s front door, startling the Unicorn nurse as she almost fell out of her chair, dropping the paper she had been reading.

The cream colored mare swiftly readjusted herself on the chair as she looked to the pony that had almost given her a heart attack. “Granita?” she asked, recognizing the mare that had almost taken the door off its hinges, “What’s the matter?!”

“Ah need to see teh doc right away! Ah have a’ injured filly that I found near Whitetail Woods,” she explained as she turned sideways, revealing the pained-breathing but still sleeping filly on her back. “She has a gash on her chest and it’s bruised pretty good too. Ah think she hurt her insides too, her breathing t’aint right.” 

“Oh my!” she gasped out, seeing the badly injured and absolutely filthy filly. “He stepped out for lunch, but let’s get her into a bed, and I’ll get her examined right away,” she said, walking to a doorway behind her. “Follow me please.”

The two mares walked into the hallway that lead to the back of the clinic and into a small, white room with a bed and a few cabinets on the wall. Granita stopped next to the side of the bed as the nurse gently moved the filly off of her back and onto the bed, setting her on her side so she could begin her examination. She looked at the filly’s chest for a moment before her horn started glowing in a light blue aura. Chloe shuffled slightly in her sleep as the aura surrounded her.

The Unicorn frowned as she turned to Granita, “Granita, Dr. Charts said he was going to try the new cafe that just opened down the street. I need you to go get him right now. This filly needs treatment immediately, her lung is about to collapse!”  

Granita gasped and nodded as she galloped out of the clinic as fast as her hooves could carry her.



<><><><><>


Chloe took a deep bow as the thousands in attendance showered her with a multitude of roses and a thunderous applause. She had just finished playing the piece she had composed and practiced over the last year for the first time. Every note, every high, every low, every rest, it was all carefully woven together into the most beautiful, moving musical score, and they all loved it—they loved her music! It was a dream come true, she had finally done it! 

Tears of joy streamed down her face as she came up from her bow. Bowing one final time, the audience roared again. As she stood upright, she saw her hand, but it was not her hand. It was a grey fur covered hoof. She quickly looked over at her other hand and saw the same thing. The audience went deathly silent before she was hit with an uproar of laughter and people pointing fingers at her. 

“Don’t look at me!” she screamed, covering her face with her hooves, as her tears of joy turned into tears of humiliation and disgust. She tried to run off the stage but found she couldn’t move. Panic had set in as she tried desperately to move, but her limbs would not respond to her commands. She thought she heard a familiar noise coming from her left, but she couldn't see anything except complete darkness now; the audience, the stage, her cello, everything was gone, and she was now standing alone in complete darkness. The noise was a bit louder this time as it called out. She stared off to her left where she could see the outline of a... a... pony? Why... why does this noise and pony seem so familiar to me?

Chloe’s eyes snapped open; she was staring up at a white ceiling that seemed to be shimmering in a light blue. What’s with this color...? She moved her head down to look at her side. There, standing below her, was the light green and now slightly bluer looking pony looking back up at her with a concerned look in her eyes. Wait, below me?! Looking down, she noticed that she was now hovering about two feet off the bed.

Outside, several ponies covered their ears and cringed. The birds that were perched on the buildings surrounding the clinic, suddenly all took flight as the scream emanating from the clinic disrupted the, up till then, peaceful evening in the small town of Ponyville.

> 5. Magic and Medical Treatment.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The creme colored Unicorn was taken aback by the sheer volume coming from the grey ball of fur that was currently being held by her magic. Her aura wavered slightly before quickly regaining its strength. She definitely did not want to lose control of her magic again, not after the belittling she had gotten not only from Dr. Charts, but from the foal’s parents as well. She cringed at the unpleasant memories of that day while gently lowering the still screaming filly safely back onto the bed, releasing her magic.

Chloe stopped screaming when she felt her backside make contact with the bed below her. She opened her eyes just in time to see the last traces of the aura around the Unicorn’s horn, as it dissipated into the surrounding air.

What. The. Fuck?! Chloe tried desperately to comprehend what had just taken place as her breathing increased rapidly. Her mind was still hazy from just waking up, not only that, but being in an unfamiliar place and floating in mid-air. Her eyes darted around the room. The light green mare that had helped her was there, along with another mare that had an off-white coat. Where... am I? The last thing I remember is coming into town- Wait, that pony has a... a... freaking HORN on her head! And it was glowing with the same light blue aura that was surrounding me... No way... There are Unicorns here too?! And they can use magic?! I... I... I…

"It's all right sugarcube, don’t you fret none. You’re safe here in the clinic," Granita soothingly spoke, raising a hoof to the panicking filly's head, softly stroking her mane until she had calmed down a notch. Chloe’s heavy breathing had been replaced by a quiet sob as her eyes filled up, overflowing with tears that began to run down her cheeks. The last few days had proven too much for her as she buried her face into her hooves. A good cry was what she needed at this moment. 

"Well, at least we now know that her lung has healed quite nicely over the course of last night," the Unicorn sarcastically said under her breath.

"Heartsong!" Granita barked back at her.

"Sorry, sorry!" Heartsong spoke before looking at the floor, her cheeks flush from embarrassment. "I just had a long night, and I didn't sleep well, and the sudden screaming, and I almost lost control of my magic while levitating her, and that brought back some really bad memories, and... and... Oh I'm rambling now, aren't I?" Heartsong sighed and slowly lifted her head back up, her eyes meeting with Granita's. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have made that remark, and I truly am glad that she is recovering quickly. I'll go inform the doctor that she is awake now, I'm sure he has some questions for the both of you."

Granita nodded as the embarrassed mare stepped out of the room, leaving her alone with the still sobbing filly. She gave a soft sigh, walking over to the cabinets and opening one of them in search for a clean towel. A couple cabinets later, she had found the item she was looking for and promptly returned to the bedside with it in her hoof. 

“Here, I got ya something to dry yer eyes with,” Granita spoke out but got no response back. “Come on now, the doc’s gonna be here in a few, an ya don’t wanna be seen like that, do ya?” A few seconds passed by with still no response from the filly. She was starting to get a little annoyed at this one-sided conversation and gently nudged the filly to garner her attention.

Chloe felt something touch her forearm and removed her hooves from her face, letting out a small sniffle. The light green mare was standing on the opposite side of the bed from where she last saw her and was now dangling a towel in front of her face. Slowly she reached out and attempted to grab the towel from the mare, but it slipped out of her hoof and fell onto the bed. Several more attempts were made to pick it up but each time the cloth proved to be too malleable, and she was not able get a firm grip on it.

Granita smiled and held back a chuckle at the sight of the filly’s antics. She knew it was wrong to laugh at other pony’s misfortunes, but the look on the grey filly’s face was priceless as she struggled to grip the cloth in her hoof. She continued watching a few more of the filly’s attempts before grabbing the cloth herself.

“I give up! I hate these hooves!” Chloe moaned, letting out a snort of disapproval as she watched the cloth fall from her hooves for the umpteenth time. She crossed her forearms against her chest—it was still tender but felt much better overall—and there was also a large bandage across it. She started to examine the wrappings but didn’t get much of a chance as she was interrupted by the mare.

“Let me get that for ya, sugar.” She grinned, easily picking up the cloth as Chloe scrunched up her face and glared at the mare. “Now hold still fer a moment an I’ll git yer face lookin’ right as rain.” Granita moved the towel towards Chloe’s face.

Who does she think she is? My mother? She turned her head and moved back slightly, trying her best to avoid the cloth. “I don’t need you to clean me up! I can do it myself!” Chloe tried pushing the mare’s hoof away with hers, but it wasn't very successful. 

“Now don’t ya go being all stubborn like, and let me get ya cleaned up,” Granita scolded, moving the towel quickly to the filly’s face. Just as the cloth was about to touch her face, Chloe ducked down and slid off the other side of the bed, landing on the floor with a dull thud. She got to her hooves as fast as possible and made a break for the door. Granita tried to grab the feisty filly, and before she knew it, the grey blur shot out the door. She stomped a hoof. “You get back her, missy!” She ran out the door after her, hoping that she wouldn’t get far.

Okay, that’s it! I gotta get outta here, wherever here even is... But there is no way I’m gonna let these crazy peop... uh, ponies keep touching me with their han- hooves. And there is no way in HELL I’m going to let them restrain me again, magic or not! Chloe ran through the doorway as fast as her little legs would carry her, which was pretty quick now that she thought about it. She had never ran this fast before in her entire life, but I guess trying to escape alien ponies and magical Unicorns would get anyone’s adrenaline flowing.

Just as she turned to head down the hallway in this unfamiliar building, she was sent reeling backwards, landing abruptly on her haunches. Her eyes spun for a second before regaining focus. Chloe rubbed the unseen red spot that had formed on her head. 

"Oh, are you alright?" 

Chloe looked up with one eye closed at the sound of this new, deeper voice that came from directly in front of her as she stopped rubbing her head and stared. Standing before her was a large, blue stallion Unicorn that was wearing a white coat; a stethoscope lazily dangled around his neck. Oh crap! Another Unicorn…

“EEP!” she shrieked, starting to backpedal, looking for a way out of this situation. 

"Quick doc, grab her!" Granita shouted as she came running out of the room. 

The stallion looked up to Granita, and Chloe took the opportunity to dart around him before he could even react to what was happening. She burst through the door at the end of the hallway and entered a medium sized room lined with chairs, end tables, and a few potted plants. There was a door on the far wall with sunlight pouring in through its window. Freedom was in sight!

Yes! There’s the exit! Time to get the hell outta- She suddenly stopped moving, her entire body going rigid as a familiar light blue aura filled her vision. She tried to yell out, but she couldn’t move a single muscle in her tiny body. No, no, no, no, no! I was so close... Tears filled her eyes, blurring her vision as she was unable to wipe them away. I don’t want to be here anymore, I just want to go back home… And I HATE Unicorns! Stupid magic! 

“And just where do ya think you’re going, missy?” Nurse Heartsong asked in a playful, yet stern voice as she floated the little escapee in front of her to look her eye to eye. “You really shouldn’t be up and running around, you know? Your wounds still have not fully healed, and you don't want to have to go through surgery again now, do you?” She reprimanded the clearly upset filly while letting her have some control over her movements again.

Chloe closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable. She knew she was powerless to stop the creme colored Unicorn from hell.

“Not much of a talker now, are you?” Heartsong playfully joked, still holding Chloe steady in her magical aura.

“Oh thank Celestia ya caught her, Heartsong. I was afraid she was going to run away, and get herself into trouble again before we found her parents,” Granita stated as her and Dr. Charts came into the lobby.

“Oh, by the way Nurse, have you been able to locate her parents yet?” Dr. Charts asked as the three of them, plus one mad filly, entered the hallway heading back to the room.

“I have asked the guards, several of my friends, and acquaintances, but no one has heard anything about a missing filly. The guards said they would spread the word to the other nearby settlements and let us know if they hear anything,” she said with a small sigh and turning to look at Granita with a sly smirk. “Well I guess with no parents or guardian found yet, you are her guardian for now.”

“WHAT?!” Granita’s jaw dropped as she stared dumbfoundedly at the nurse. “I can’t be her guardian! I have my responsibilities at the farm that I cannot and will not neglect!” She huffed, but as she looked over to the filly, her ears drooped. “But I can’t, in good conscious, let a filly just roam free, who knows what could happen to her...” It was not like she didn’t want a foal or six someday but to just be handed one out of the blue like this and one not even of her own blood, mind you, was a hard idea to swallow. There had to be other options. “Can’t you keep her here or what about the guards, what did they say to do with her?”

Dr. Charts cleared his throat gaining the mares’ attention. “Now, you know very well that we can’t keep her here any longer than necessary, Granita. We only have a few rooms available as it is, and with only Nurse Heartsong and myself here, we wouldn’t be able to keep an eye on her, and she might try and run away again.” He gave a cautious glare towards the filly who was trying her best to poke a hoof through Heart’s magic aura. “As for the guards, since cases like this are so rare, they do not have any procedures set for this kind of thing, and the guardhouse itself hasn’t even been finished yet. So I don't think they will be able to help in that regard.” After Dr. Charts finished his explanation it was silent as they continued to walk back to the room.

“It would only be for a short time,” he spoke up again, entering the room. “I’m sure the guards will find her parents or vice versa soon. I know if I had a missing foal, I would be doing everything in my power to locate them as soon as possible, and I’m positive her parents feel the same way.”

“Well...” Granita trailed off, trying to make sense of all the different thoughts and emotions that were racing through her mind. “I would have to talk with Ma and Pa, since it is their house after all. Plus we don’t exactly have a spare room or even an extra bed for that matter.”

I wonder what they are all talking about... Chloe pondered as she was placed back onto the same bed she had, just minutes prior, escaped from. Well, whatever it is, it can’t be good news for me.

“You be a good little filly now and no more trying to run away, you hear?” Heartsong chided. After getting no response from the filly, she walked over to the door, closing it while simultaneously releasing her magic grip on her. Chloe’s ears swiveled and flattened against her head as a loud *thunk* echoed throughout the small room. She looked up to the door and sighed, crossing her forearms in front of her. Yea, I think I blew my only shot at getting outta here. How much longer do they plan on keeping me here anyway?

Nurse Heartsong walked over to Dr. Charts who was still trying to convince Granita to take the filly and whispering into his ear. “You know, we have that small extra bed in the back storage room that we are not using. We could let Granita borrow it until they find her parents, what do you think?”

“Why, that is an excellent idea, Heart. That would at least solve one of the issues at hoof,” he said, looking over to the earth pony with a grin on his face.

“What are you two going on about over there?” Granita asked with a hint of suspicion in her voice.

“Oh nothing much, we were just solving one of the problems about this filly staying with you!” Heartsong chuckled.

“And that is what exactly?” Granita deadpanned as she eyed up the two of them.

“We have a bed for her, in the back storage room to be exact, and I am willing to loan it to you for as long as you need it. I’ll even pay to have it moved to your farmhouse,” Dr. Charts proudly stated, hoping that this would tip the scales in his favor.

“That’s mighty fine of you to offer Doc, but I still haven't made up my mind yet or asked my folks. It is their house you know...”

“Well you still have plenty of time to figure out what you would like to do. She still needs to stay here for at least another day to make sure her lung has healed properly, and her cut doesn’t develop an infection. Now, onto the reason I was actually coming to see both of you.” He motioned to the nurse, letting her know she was not needed in the room anymore. She nodded back to him and exited the room, walking back down the hall to the front desk. 

Dr. Charts cleared his throat after Heartsong left. “First off, I want to say that she seems to be recovering remarkable well. I’ll chalk that up to her innate earth pony resilience, if she was a Unicorn or Pegasus, I don’t think she would have even made it back to town. She has a deep cut across her chest, most likely from the same incident that broke her rib, given its placement. The impact forced the rib into the left lung, causing a puncture. That was the reason for her difficulty breathing and the blood she was coughing up yesterday. I reset the broken rib, closed the hole in her lung, and cleaned out and bandaged the gash on her chest. I have placed a persistent healing spell over the wounds. They should be mostly healed by tomorrow morning.” He stopped and looked over to the grey filly that was wiggling around, trying to get under the covers. “That is, if we can keep her still long enough that she doesn’t reopen her wounds.” 

“I, ah, think that’s gonna be easier said than done, Doc,” Granita chuckled as she watched the filly struggling with the blanket in her hooves, trying to kick her hind legs under the blanket. “She seems to be a bit of a mover now, seein’ that her injuries have healed for a spell.”

“I noticed...” Dr. Charts laughed, looking back to the light green mare. “I will have to place a barrier on the door so she doesn’t try to run away again, although, I don't think she will appreciate that very much.” He looked back over to the grey earth pony that was now fully under the covers, walking over and uncovering her head. “Will ya hun?”

Chloe looked up at the two ponies in surprise as the covers were suddenly removed from her head. Looking back and forth between the blue stallion and the light green mare, she was getting a bit paranoid have both of them staring at her like this. 

What in the world do they want from me? Don’t they realize that I can’t understand them...? God, I wish I could understand them or at least tell them somehow that I am not a pony, and I just want to go find Gennie and get the hell outta this place. Chloe looked back to the stallion; he was still looking at her with an odd expression across his face. Okay! You can quit staring at me now! God Damn!

Her eyes darted to the wall behind them, trying to find something interesting that wasn’t the two pairs of huge eyes that seemed to staring into her very soul. A sigh came past her lips as the wall offered little relief with nothing but blank white paint and a plain wooden door to stare at. 

Dr. Charts turned to Granita as he spoke, “Has she been like this the whole time since you have found her? I mean Nurse Heartsong and I haven’t heard her speak a single word and she doesn't seem to respond to anything we say.”

Finally! Chloe moved her head to the side, resting it on the pillow, glad that they were no longer staring at her.

“Come to think about it now, I ain’t ever heard her speak neither, but she did give me a few weird ol’ looks and made some strange noises when I tried talkin’ to her before, but I just thought it was ‘cause of her condition and what not.” Granita looked to the stallion with a pained expression. “You don’t think she hurt her noggin as well, do ya?” 

“Well, that’s the next thing I wanted to talk to you about,” he said with a bit of uncertainty in his words. “I ran a diagnostic spell to check her brain functions before we did the surgery and...” he trailed off, rubbing his neck with a hoof.

“What is it Doc? Give it to me straight, is she gonna be ok?” Granita shifted nervously in place waiting for him to respond, her eyes never leaving his.

“Don’t worry, her brain is perfectly healthy, but, I... I don’t quite know how to put this... Her brain pattern is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The strength of her brain waves are off the charts. Well above anything I have ever encountered before. The only thing that even comes close is that of a very high level Unicorn mage,” he said with a heavy sigh, knowing that this was, of course, a ridiculous thing to say about an earth pony.

“Doc... that’s impossible.” She pointed back to the obviously not-a-unicorn filly. “She ain’t even a Unicorn! So how can she have a brain that acts like one?” Granita stated, scoffing in disbelief.

“I’m sorry, but I don’t know how to explain it myself.” Doc shook his head. “I’m going to send the readings to some of my colleagues at the Royal Canterlot Medical University and see if they can make heads or tails of it. But now that she is awake, I would like to run some more basic tests.”

Granita nodded as she looked out the window that was behind the bed. The sun’s position was now directly overhead in the sky, indicating that is was around noon. “Um, Doc? Did ya still need me around for anything? Pa is gonna kill me fer not getting my morning chores done...” she spoke with trepidation in her voice.

“There was a few more minor things I wanted to talk to you about, but they can wait till later.” Dr. Charts started rummaging through his pockets in his coat.

“Alright Doc, I’ll be back in the morning, and we can talk then,” she said while walking over to the side of the bed and reaching out quickly to give the grey filly a hug. “Don’t fret none sugar, I’ll be back ta see ya in the mornin’.”

Chloe recoiled and tried to push the space-invading pony away from her, but the strong arms of the mare wrapped around her small frame, pulling her in much closer that she appreciated. What is with these ponies and their touching! I mean, it’s not unpleasant, it feels nice and warm with the soft fur and all, but damn! How about some personal space!

Granita pulled away from the hug and nodded to Dr. Charts. “Take good care of her Doc, and I’ll see ya’ll bright’n early.”

“I’ll make sure she is just fine, Granita. Now you better get going before your Pa starts worrying about you.” He grinned as she walked out the door. ”See you tomorrow morning.”

The door closed with the same heavy *thud* as before as Chloe gulped, now realizing that she was here all alone with the blue stallion that had just finished grabbing something from his pocket. It was a small, round, and brightly wrapped object that reminded her of hard candy. He held it up in his hoof in a way so that she could see what he was doing as his horn began to glow in a golden yellow aura. Chloe suddenly went from curious to scared as she tightly closed her eyes shut, and turned her head away from the stallion, expecting to lose all control of her body again. She heard what sounded like a chuckle and after a few moments had passed, nothing happened. She dared to take a peek. To her surprise, and relief, the aura was around the object in his hooves and not herself for a change.

He noticed that the filly was looking at him again as he proceeded to slowly unwrap the object with his magic, making sure she was watching him the entire time, and placed its contents into his mouth. Chloe could smell a sweet scent starting to permeate the air in the room. 

That smells sooo good... Wait, I know that scent... it smells like, honey! The smell had brought back memories of her trips to visit her grandparents. Her grandpa always had honey flavored candy around the house, it was his favorite candy after all, and he would always make sure she got at least one piece whenever she came over, despite her parents’ objections.

Saliva was already building in her mouth as she subconsciously licked her lips. Dr. Charts saw this and smiled to her. He stuck his hoof back in his pocket, pulling out another identical shaped object. He held it in his hoof and unwrapped it in the same way as the previous one but instead of eating it, he enveloped it in his magic aura and floated it over to her. Chloe looked at it inquisitively for a second before slowly reaching out a hoof to it. Feeling a slight tingle as her hoof penetrated the aura and placed it under the round object. The aura vanished as soon as she had her hoof on it. Slowly and carefully, she moved her hoof towards her, examining the object resting on it.

This sure looks and smells like candy, plus that pony ate one... so it can't be bad, can it? The object was now directly in front of her watering mouth; the smell was tickling her nose with its delectable aroma. Her body made up her mind for her as she went to pop it in her mouth, only to miss and sent the object rolling onto the bed and down to the hard floor with a sharp *crack*.

Dr. Charts chuckled as Chloe sat there, frozen in place. Her hoof still hovering over her open mouth that was expecting a delicious treat but got nothing for her efforts. She glared back to the blue pony that was now holding a hoof over his mouth, trying to stifle a laugh. He cleared his throat and reached back into his pocket, retrieving another piece of candy, unwrapping it just like before.

“Let me get it for you this time, my dear,” Dr. Charts said as he floated it over to the frustrated filly.

Chloe went to grab the candy piece but it was pulled back from her hoof just before she could grasp it. She sighed and lowered her forearm; the candy still floating just out of her reach. It started moving towards her again but she didn’t reach for it this time as it made its way closer to her mouth.

Ugh! This is so degrading... I can’t even feed myself unless it’s something big like that apple from before... I guess it’s this or nothing... She reluctantly opened her mouth and was rewarded with the sweet taste of honey.

Maybe this guy isn't so bad after all, he does look like a doctor and all that. Now that I think about it, I’m most likely in a hospital or something like that. I can actually breathe now, and I do have a bandage across my chest... A hospital only makes sense and they don’t seem to be violent or anything. Well, that magic is some scary shit, but I guess I really shouldn't have freaked out and tried running away earlier. Well, not at least until I’m fully healed, that is. She smiled at the thought, rolling the candy around in her mouth as her tongue soaked up the wonderful flavor. I’ll definitely have to get a few more of these before I leave though.

“See, that wasn’t so bad now, was it?” Dr. Charts chuckled, seeing the filly smiling, clearly enjoying the treat he had given her. “I’ll be back in a bit to check on you, don’t go moving around too much now.” He grinned as he started to walk into the hallway before stopping. “Oh and Nurse Heartsong should be in here shortly with your lunch.” Chloe looked back up to him with a blank look on her face, her lower jaw was the only thing that moved as she rolled the candy around in her mouth.

“What a strange little filly...” he muttered, shaking his head before closing the door behind him and making his way to the next patient.

> 6. Soup's on Everypony!
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	As soon as the honey flavored candy finished dissolving in her mouth, which was about twenty minutes later, Chloe rolled over onto her stomach, moving to the edge of the bed. Her hind legs dangled over the side, carefully inching herself further and further off the tall bed, not wanting a repeat of her last attempt. With her back hooves firmly on the tile floor, she slid the rest of her body off the bed. Her fore hooves made a loud clomping noise as they came in contact with the floor. She cringed at the loud noise and waited, listening to make sure no one was coming to check on her. After her ears gave her the ‘all-clear’, she quietly walked over to the door, giving it a slight push; it didn’t budge. 

Dammit! This door must not be the same type as the one in the hall. She looked up to where the doorknob should have been. Instead of a handle, it was completely flat with the exception of a round metal plate slightly inset into the door.

Well, that’s certainly convenient, especially without having any hands to turn a knob. She smirked as she stood up on her hind legs, balancing herself against the door with one forearm while using the other to push the plate. The plate moved inward. A soft click could be heard coming from within the mechanism as the plate was fully depressed.

Giving the door a gentle push, being as quiet as possible to avoid alerting anyone to her activities, it still didn’t move. She pushed it harder, and then harder still, but the door would not open.

What the hell is wrong with this door?! She jammed her hoof into the plate several more times in frustration but it was all for naught. The door remained closed, silently mocking her futile attempts to open it.

Chloe slid down the door and onto her flank. She sat there on the cold floor for a moment examining the door, double checking it for anything she had missed. While looking at the edges of the door, she noticed a faint shimmering at the corner of the door where it met the frame. Following the light with her eyes, it traveled up the side of the door, back down the other side before finally meeting back up in the corner where she had first noticed it.

This looks the same as that doctor’s mag—that son of a bitch locked me in here! She flinched slightly as her hoof hit the floor a bit more forcefully than she would have liked, sending a wave of pain up her leg and back down her spine, stopping at the base of her tail, causing her to shiver. That’s definitely a new sensation. 

Turning her head back to look at her tail, she watched in fascination as it swished back and forth across the floor on its own accord. While looking at it, she noticed that her coat was no longer covered in mud and various other unknown things from yesterday. Someone had given her a bath when she wasn’t aware that they were even doing so! The longer she thought about it, the more disgusted and embarrassed she became. The sound of approaching hoof steps brought her back to reality as she quickly made her way back to the side of the bed. 

Then it dawned on her as she looked up. 

How am I gonna get back up there? And why do all hospital beds have to be so damn tall? I can’t even see the top! She thought about her predicament and what they would do if they caught her out of the bed, trying to escape for a second time. The hoof steps were right outside her door now, and she was out of options.

Suddenly, as if out of instinct, she brought her hind end as close to the ground as possible, resting all her weight on her two back hooves. Her flank wiggled slightly from side to side before she pushed out her back legs with all her strength. Leaping up into the air and landing on the bed with a soft *pomf*, she rolled on her side, trying to look natural, well natural as possible given her situation.

A resounding click for the door as it swung open. A cart came through the door being pushed by the same creme colored pony that had thwarted her escape earlier. Chloe glared at the mare as she moved the cart next to the bed. Then she looked at the items on the cart; there was a steaming bowl of, something, a glass of water, crackers and a muffin. The sight and smell of real food had reminded her just how hungry she actually was as her glare faded.

“How are you doing, dear? Not moving around too much I hope.” Nurse Heartsong smiled to the filly, placing a portable table down on the bed and began to load it with the items from the cart. “Still not talking to me, huh? I’m just trying to help you get better. I’m not going to hurt you or anything like that,” she said, the smile never leaving her face as placed the last item, a spoon, on the table.

Chloe rolled over onto her back and scooted up against the headboard, getting into an upright sitting position as her stomach started to rumble from what smelled like chicken noodle soup. Using her magic, Heartsong lifted the portable table over Chloe, setting it down across her lap. 

“I brought you some hay noodle soup, wheat crackers to go with it, water, and a muffin for desert.” She pointed to each item with a hoof as she spoke. “I hope you enjoy it, I made it myself, just for you. The hay noodle soup is a special family recipe of mine.” She winked at the filly with a grin as she started pushing the cart back out of the room.

Chloe licked her lips at the food that was brought to her before looking up at the mare that was leaving the room. “Thank you,” she softly spoke.

Nurse Heartsong stopped in her tracks, turning around to look at the filly. “What was that, dear? I didn’t quite catch what you said,” she asked with a hint of excitement and confusion in her voice, walking back over to the bed.

“Thank you for the food,” Chloe said again, looking away from the mare and back to the table, pointing to the food. She was proud of herself for getting better pronouncing English words with her new mouth, though she highly doubted they could even understand English, she still wanted to be somewhat civil.

The mare half cocked her head, trying to understand what the filly was saying. She had never heard anything like it before, it just sounded like gibberish.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand you, dear,” the nurse said, looking down to the table. “Is there something wrong with the food? Is that why you're pointing to it?” She looked over the items on the table, trying to find anything wrong with them. “Well, if you don’t like it, I guess I can go make you something else...” she trailed off, sounding a little hurt, as her horn lit up, surrounding the table.

“Stop!” the filly cried out, throwing both arms over the table, looking up to the mare with pleading eyes.

The sudden outburst startled the nurse as her magic aura dissipated from around the table. “So, you do want the food?” she questioned. A thought came to her as she looked back down to her little patient. “Wait, can you understand what I'm saying? Nod if you can.” She waited a moment for the filly to respond.

“Thank you for not taking the food,” Chloe responded, oblivious to the unicorn’s question as she reached out for the spoon.

“You really can’t understand me, can you? Hmm...” she pondered. “You must be from a faraway land then that speaks a different language. Oh, how exciting! I didn’t even know that there was another language that ponies spoke!” She squeed and trotted in place at the revelation. “Wait until Dr. Charts and Granita here about this!”

Chloe watched the mare with an inquisitive look. What’s up with her? She’s acting really, strange... oh well, food first, strange ponies later. She shrugged, grabbing the spoon only to have it fall out of her grasp. How the hell does picking up something with, with these damn hooves work anyways?! I wish I had my hands back. She sighed as the spoon fell from her hoof for the second time, making a loud clink as it hit the side of the bowl. 

The noise brought Heartsong out of her thoughts as she looked back to the source. She watched as the grey filly tried to grasp the utensil and failed to keep ahold of it as it dropped against the side of the bowl again, almost falling completely into it this time. Chloe made a grumbling noise and looked up to the nurse as she pointed to the spoon that now laid haphazardly on the table, the handle coated in hay noodle soup. Heartsong grabbed the cloth towel with her magic that she spotted on the counter and floated it over to her; making sure it was clean before levitating the spoon up and wiping the soup off of it. 

“How does a filly of your age not know how to pick things up with their hooves?” She shook her head. “Do you need me to feed it to you?” she asked, knowing that she was not going to get an answer as she scooped some of the soup out with the spoon and floated it over to the filly’s mouth.

Chloe watched as the spoonful of warm soup floated over to her as her ears drooped. I feel like crying. I’m starving but this is just so humiliating. I want my hands, my life, back. I don’t want to have to be fed and treated like a child, going through that once as a human was enough, but now it seems I’m going to have to go through it again as a pony too. Her stomach growled, begging her to just swallow her pride and eat the spoonful of delicious smelling soup. I really feel like crying... Chloe sniffled, holding back her tears before blowing on the steaming spoon of soup that was in front of her a few times before opening her mouth. 

A bit tangy, creamy, sort of earthy tasting, but overall, it’s not... bad. Different, but not bad. Chloe thought as she swirled the soup around in her mouth before swallowing it down. It’s no chicken noodle soup, that’s for sure. But hey, right now I don't care; I’m hungry enough to eat a horse! She looked over to the mare that was in the process of getting another spoonful of soup for her and shuddered. Okay, BAD analogy!

“I hope you like it,” the unicorn said to herself more than to the filly. “Are you ready for more?”

The spoon was floating over the bowl for longer than Chloe had liked as she reached a forearm out to bring it closer. 

“I’ll take that as a yes then.” Heartsong chuckled, floating the spoon back over to the waiting filly.

This process continued until the soup was almost gone. Chloe was starting to get quite full and waved off the next spoonful. A loud burp came from the filly as she quickly raised a hoof to her mouth.

“Excuse me,” she said, a red blush appearing on her cheeks.

Heartsong just laughed, placing the spoon back into the bowl and grabbing the cloth towel and using the clean side to wipe the small amount of soup that was left around the filly’s mouth. Chloe had thought about resisting the unicorn when she brought the cloth to her face, but instead resigned to the fact that her new hands were still useless to her, and she had already lost most, if not all, of her dignity at this point anyways. 

You know what? This isn’t really all that bad, I don’t have to do anything for myself. I can just treat this like a vacation with my own personal servant. She giggled at the thought, causing the mare to look at her funny.

“What’s got you in such a good mood all of a sudden?” Nurse Heartsong asked as she moved the near empty soup bowl from the table back onto the cart. “I take it that you feel better now with a full belly?”

Chloe ignored her question, not being able to understand the mare anyway and reached for the glass of water that was still resting in front of her. She made sure that the unicorn was watching her as she grinned. She went to grab the full glass of water, purposely almost knocking it over before turning to the mare, and giving her the most pathetic look she could muster, which being a filly was pretty damn heart attack inducing.

“I take it you’re thirsty now,” she spoke, giving a slight sigh and floating the glass over to the filly. “You know, you are old enough to be doing these things yourself. I don’t know where you came from but a five or six year old filly should have no issues at all picking things up with their hooves, especially an earth pony.”

HA! It worked... Although she doesn’t look too thrilled to be doing this. Chloe felt sort of bad for what she was doing. I really should learn how to use my new hands properly. I don't want to have to rely on someone else forever. But why brain? Why can’t you let me enjoy myself for a little while without giving me a guilt trip..? It’s because you’re better than this, that’s why, and you know it. 

Chloe sighed and reached out for the floating glass, much to the unicorn’s surprise. She fumbling around with both hooves, trying to get a firm grasp on the smooth glass. It took her a few tries but she finally got a good hold on it, the light blue aura disappeared from around the glass as she slowly brought it to her muzzle and started to drink.

Why can’t the water in Chicago taste like this?

“Ahh, that water was awesome!” Chloe exclaimed after finishing the whole glass in one go. She held the now empty glass to the mare.

“My, my! I guess you really were thirsty,” Heartsong chuckled, taking the glass in her magic aura and setting it back down on the cart. “I have to go check up on the other patients, but I’ll bring you another glass of water in a little while. I’ll leave the crackers and muffin here for you,” she said as she started moving towards the door. 

“Thank you for feeding me.” Chloe put her hooves together in front of her and bowing her head, hoping the mare would pick up on the gesture.

“I’m not sure what you said, dear but.” She smiled as she saw what the grey earth filly was doing before ruffling Chloe’s mane with her hoof. “You’re welcome, sugar.”

Chloe looked up at the unicorn with a smile on her face; it seemed the nurse had understood her.

“I have to get a move on now, other ponies are waiting on me,” Heartsong said, turning back to the cart and giving a quick wave goodbye before disappearing through the doorway. A second later, Chloe cringed as she heard the all too familiar *thud* of the door, to her temporary cell, closing. She was all alone again.

> 7. To Trust a Unicorn.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Chloe sat there, bored out of her mind, staring at the plain white wall across from her, not really looking at anything in particular as her mind wandered in and out of thoughts of the past few days.

She looked back down over her new body. Why me? What did I do to deserve this? Did I really die in the car that night? What about Gennie, is she here in this... world? Is she still alive back in Chicago? Is she...dead? Does everyone think I'm dead? Oh God, my poor parents must be devastated... Chloe sniffed as a tear started to run down her cheek before she wiped it away with a hoof. I have to find a way to let them know I’m still alive and well, just not a human anymore.

She gave a sigh and slouched down in the bed, letting her head fall onto the pillow before closing her eyes. What would they think if they saw me like this? Would they even believe it was actually their only child that now inhabited this body? Would they still accept me as their daughter and love me unconditionally even in the body of a pony? They would, wouldn’t they? She grabbed the edge of the pillow, scrunching it up against her face as she started softly sobbing into it. I just want to go home!

Several minutes passed, and Chloe’s tears finally ran dry as she slowly pulled herself back up into a sitting position. She wiped her eyes with her hooves, restoring her blurred vision. The boredom was starting to get to her, and she needed something to take her mind off of her thoughts before they drove her insane. 

Focusing on the table that was still positioned across the bed, resting over her lap, the uneaten muffin and crackers were the only things remaining on it. Nothing interesting there... She looked over to the cabinets on the wall. And I can’t reach those... She surveyed the room, looking for anything that could occupy her mind besides her own thoughts. Not even any of those creepy doctor’s posters on the wall. This room is so bland! Ugh! She started hitting the back of her head repeatedly against the headboard of the bed, hitting it a little harder each time until she accidentally hit it a bit too hard. 

“Ow.” She cringed, closing her eyes and tilting her head forward, rubbing the back of her head gently. Opening her eyes, she noticed the bandage that was across her chest. Being curious, and completely bored, she gently poked and prodded at the bandage, trying to see if it underlying flesh hurt to be touched. To her surprise, it didn’t hurt at all.

What the heck? This was a big cut, there is no way it could’ve healed this fast. She began to peel the bandage away to see what the cut really looked like. She kept grabbing at the corner of it, but with hooves instead of hands, and with her inability to properly articulate them, she was getting nowhere with the bandage removal. Chloe let out a snort of anger, cursing her luck at being turned into something with no digits at the end of its forearms and was about to give up on removing the bandage until a thought crossed her mind. 

I can just use my teeth to grab the corner. Why didn’t I think of that sooner? Although, it is a bit disgusting. Well, when in Rome... She grabbed the corner of the bandage in her teeth and methodically started pulling back on it. Whatever adhesive they used on this was definitely not fur friendly. Wincing, she continued slowly pulling the bandage off, along with patches of grey fur that were clinging to it. A few moments and curses later, the bandage was completely detached from her now tender and slightly less furry chest. She spit the bandage out of her mouth and it fell off the side of the bed.

How in the... She stared at area on her chest where the deep cut was supposed to be. The skin had completely grown back together leaving a slightly red trail in its place. This is amazing! Neosporin has got nothing on whatever they did! She rubbed a hoof over the red mark, slightly pressing down every so often to make sure it was real. There isn’t even any pain! She was flabbergasted and jabbing her hoof harder into her skin. 

“Ahh!” She yelped, hissing between her clenched teeth. 

Ok, I lied, there is still pain. She shook her head slightly as she tenderly rubbed her chest, massaging the pain away. Only me...

The minutes slowly passed, and Chloe was still bored out of her mind as a dull pressure below her stomach had begun to make itself known. She tried her best to ignore it, thinking it was a residual pain from her injuries as she hadn’t really felt this sensation before. A few more painfully boring minutes passes by and the dull pressure had gone away, being replaced by a much more painful pressure now. Moving around did nothing to relieve the pain. In fact, it only made it more pronounced as she held onto her stomach.

A thought ran across her mind as she started to panic. Restroom! Now!

Pushing the table further down the bed, she rolled over, albeit painfully, and lowered herself to the floor like last time. She almost lost control of herself as her hooves hit the floor, jostling her innards. Making her way to the door, she tried pushing on the round plate again and pushing the door open, but it still held fast. The golden yellow aura was still around the borders of the door. She grumbled and started rapidly pounding on the door with her fore hoof.

“Hey! I gotta use the restroom!” she shouted loudly as possible while still furiously pounding away, “Let me oooouuut!”

Chloe stopped for a second as her ears swiveled, picking up the faint sound of hoofsteps and redoubled her efforts. The hoofsteps got closer as she kept yelling and pounding away. The door suddenly gave a click, giving her only a split second to jump out of the way before it hit her.

“What’s this racket all about? And why are you out of bed?” Dr. Charts scowled at the grey earth pony that was sitting on the floor with a pained expression across her face. His scowl was quickly replaced by a worried expression. “Did something happen? What’s the matter?”

“Restroom! Now!” Chloe blurted out before jumping up on her hind legs, crossing her forearms over her stomach while swaying from side to side, and giving out a pathetic whimper as she looked up to the unicorn.

Dr. Charts stood there for a second, “Oh, OH! Umm...” He turned his head down the hall before yelling, “Heartsong! Come to room three and hurry!”

Chloe could hear rushed hoofsteps heading towards the room. Moments later, the creme colored unicorn appeared alongside Dr. Charts. 

“What is it Doctor? Is everything alright?” Nurse Heartsong quickly asked with a bit of worry in her voice.

“Everything is fine but I believe the little one needs to relieve herself,” he said, pointing to the dancing filly in the room “And soon by the looks of it.” 

“Alright,” she said, sounding a bit relieved as he stepped aside, letting her into the room. “Come on, sugar. Let’s hurry before I have a mess to clean up.” She smiled at the filly before taking the grey earth pony’s fore hoof in her own and started leading her out of the room and down the hallway.

“Oh, and Heartsong, make sure to keep an eye on her so we don't have another incident,” Dr. Charts remarked as they walked passed. “And when you get back, please check out her chest, it seems the bandage has mysteriously disappeared.” He chuckled. Heartsong nodded in return as she hurried the filly down the hallway.

Chloe whimpered at every step. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold it.

“Almost there, honey. Just hold on.” Heartsong and Chloe reached the door at the end of the hallway. The mare opened up the door, causing sunlight to flood the hallway and bathed the two ponies in its bright light. Chloe close her eyes for a brief second until they re-adjusted.

Wait, outside? Why are we going outside? He eyes went wide. They don’t go... outside... I can’t do that! That’s disgusting! Not to mention humiliating! I don't want anyone else to see me go...

They walked down the side of the building and around the corner. Chloe saw a small, rectangular wooden building set back from the main building. A single door in the front of it that had a moon shape cut out about three fourths of the way up, but what came as odd to Chloe was that the moon had a unicorn’s face on it.

Eww, an outhouse?! You have got to be kidding me! Don’t they have indoor plumbing at least? Chloe cringed a bit as they walked closer to it. At least it’s better than going out in the open and not really the time to be picky...

“Here we-” Heartsong stopped as the filly let go of her hoof and began to run. She quickly readied her magic to stop her before noticing she was running towards the outhouse.

Chloe ran up to the door. Luckily it was partly open, and she was able to wedge a hoof in between to open it. Rushing inside, she slammed the door shut behind her. Inside there was just a raised wooden box with a hole in the middle and three seashells rested on a small shelf on the side of the wall. And the smell, it was nauseating. Chloe gagged and tried to just breathe through her mouth as she cautiously positioned herself over the hole. It was a bit too big for her and she could easily fall in if she wasn’t careful. She also had to take the time to make sure her new hind appendage was out of the way.

She did her business and was thankful it was only number one that she had to do since there was no toilet paper anywhere in sight. She got up and turned around to find the handle to flush.

...right, outhouse. She huffed, looking over herself making sure she didn’t get anything on her before pushing open the door and walking back outside to the waiting mare. She stepped out of the outhouse, exhaling quickly before taking a deep breath of fresh air as she closed the outhouse door.

Nurse Heartsong let out a quick laugh before speaking, "Not the most pleasant smell is it?" she asked, raising her hoof, beckoning the filly over to her.

Chloe briefly glanced over to the mare before looking at her surroundings. Now's my chance. I can just dart in between the buildings over there and slip away. Her body started involuntarily swaying slightly back and forth at the thought, getting ready to flee at a moment’s notice as her excitement built up. Alright, let's do this!

Chloe began to push with her hind legs and almost immediately fell forward. Letting out a surprised yelp, she quickly shut her eyes before her face collided with the ground. But the impending pain never came as she opened her eyes; a familiar aura was holding her forelegs in place.

"I know what you were thinking, Missy, and it's no use trying to run," Heartsong said with a frown, giving a slight tug on her magic aura that was around the filly's forelegs, bringing her point across. "You probably think we are being cruel, forcing you to stay here and having to restrain you at times but believe me, it's for your own good." She sighed, walking over to the magically bound filly, looking her right in the eyes, but now with a harsh glare that Chloe was expecting. No, it was almost a look of, sadness? "I wish you could understand me, Hun, I really do. Then you wouldn't be so scared of us, at least I hope you wouldn't be. You know, Dr. Charts and I are doing our best to reunite you with your family, but we can't do that if you run away from us."

She put a hoof on the filly's withers. Chloe recoiled slightly but couldn't move far. "Now, I know you are a smart filly, and you are trying to communicate with me from that little gesture you did earlier, so I'll see if I can come up with a way to explain to you what is going on. But first, let's get you back inside and get a new bandage on that cut." She removed her hoof from Chloe's withers and pointing back to the building.

"I'm going to remove my magic from you, so please don't try to run. Despite what you may think of me, I don't like having to restrain ponies," Nurse Heartsong said as her ears folded flat against her head. "So please, don't make me do that to you again." 

She nudged the filly gently towards the building before turning around and trotting to the back door on the other side, leaving Chloe standing there. "I hope I got through to her..." she muttered to herself, slowing down as she rounded the corner.

Wha... What just happened? Chloe stood there with her head cocked slightly, dumbfoundedly watching as the mare walked out of sight around the corner of the building. Am... Can I go? She glanced over her body. No magic aura, no unicorns in sight... but she did nudge me back to the building before walking off. Hah! Chloe turned away from the building and started to take off. Fat chance of that! 

She made it to the next building as a thought came across her mind. Where are you going to go? Do you even remember how to get back to where you first woke up after the car accident? And what would happen if you got hurt again? You were extremely lucky someone found you after almost drowning in the river and cared enough to carry you here. Here to a town, where they healed, cleaned, and fed you, literally, I might add. Do you even know if you're fully healed yet? Is only been what, one day since getting hurt? Chloe stopped and looked back at the clinic. And how have you repaid their kindness? By constantly trying to run away from them and cause them trouble, that’s how! 

Chloe let out a drawn out sigh as she headed back towards clinic. She couldn’t fight her own logic, no matter how much she wanted to. After rounding the corner of the building, and much to her surprise, the creme colored mare was sitting next to the door. A smile came across the mare’s face as the filly trotted around the corner. Chloe smiled back as Heartsong stood up and opened the door for her.

The trip back to the room was quick as Chloe trotted to the side of her tall bed and proceeded to jump right up onto it, almost knocking the table off of the bed as she landed. Nurse Heartsong gasped as she watched the filly.

“You really shouldn’t be doing things like that, sugar.” Heartsong spoke in a motherly tone, scolding at the filly that was now working her way back under the covers. “You’re still not fully healed and could injure yourself again, not to mention the table you almost knocked onto the floor.” She removed the table from the bed, setting it down on the counter behind her. A white piece of something under the side of the bed caught her eye as she turned back around. On closer inspection, she noticed that it was the bandage that had previously been on the filly’s chest. Grabbing it with her magic and floating it up, Chloe watched the bandage float in front of her.

“And why did we think it was a good idea to take this off, hmm?” She chuckled a bit, lightly swaying the bandage back and forth. “I know that had to hurt taking it off seeing how there is a good bit of your fur still clinging to it.”

“I just wanted to look at my injuries,” Chloe said, pulling down the covers and rubbing the injured area on her chest. “I was going to try to put it back on, but it fell to the floor.” She pointed to the floating bandage and then to the floor. “I swear!” 

The mare looked at her with one eyebrow raised as she tried to explain what had happened. “Well, no matter your reason for taking it off, you still shouldn't have done it. But, since it’s already off, let me take a look at how it’s been healing, alright?” Heartsong replied, mashing the old bandage into a ball before tossing it into a nearby garbage can. 

“I’m going to have to move some of your fur to get a good look at it but it shouldn’t hurt one bit,” she said, raising her hoof up to the filly’s chest. Chloe tensed up, holding her breath as the mare’s hoof ran over her chest. Heartsong examined the healing cut for any sign of infection or a spot that wasn’t healing correctly. 

At least it doesn’t hurt; it actually feels sorta, nice, if not a tad bit odd. Chloe thought as the unicorn continued moving her hoof to different spots on her chest. Never thought I would have a pony run their hoof over me to be checking out an injury. It’s definitely better than a cold stethoscope on your chest, that’s for sure.

It took Heartsong a few minutes to finish checking the wound. “Everything looks like it’s healing nicely. Now I’ll just put some more healing ointment and a clean bandage on it, and it should be completely healed by morning.” She moved over to the cabinets on the wall, taking out a bottle of cream and a fresh bandage. 

Chloe stared at the bottle that was hovering in the air. Hmm, is that the stuff they used on my cut to make it heal so fast? She pondered as the unicorn opened the bottle, pouring some onto her hoof before setting the bottle back down. That stuff could be really handy to have.

As Heartsong brought her hoof with the cream down to Chloe’s chest, the smell hit her nose like a ton of bricks as the mare started to rub the ointment onto the her wound.

“Bleh!” Chloe gasped, sticking out her tongue and quickly turning her head to the side, trying her best to avoid the smell that was assaulting her senses. Ok, maybe not with a smell like that...

“I know, Hun. It smells horrible, doesn’t it?” Heartsong giggled as she continued to rub the cream into the filly’s chest until it was all absorbed into the skin. “But the smell will go away in a minute or so.”

With the cream applied, the smell dissipated as quickly as it had appeared. Chloe turned her head back to watch the mare as she floated the bandage over, setting it over the affected area and lightly pressing it down with her hoof to make sure it would stay put.

“Now don’t you go and take this one off. It only needs to stay on until morning,” the unicorn said, giving the filly a stern look. Chloe pulled the covers back over her chest and looked up to the mare, noticing something resting in the crook of her ear. It looked a lot like...

Hey, a pencil! That’s what I can do to pass the time, draw! I haven’t drawn in years. She started to recall all the times as a child that she had drawn the animals on her farm, with the horses were her favorite to draw. That’s sorta ironic considering all things. She let out a giggle.

“Hmm? What’s got you giggling all of a sudden?” Heartsong asked as the filly pointed up to her. “What? Do I have something on my face or mane or something? Is that why you’re laugh-”

“Can I have your pencil?” Chloe blurted out, cutting off the mare as she pointed to the pencil that was resting on her ear. “Please~?” Trying to act as cute as possible. If she was in this body, why not use it?

 “Wha- huh?” She replied, moving closer to the filly. Chloe reached out farther, grabbing for the pencil. “What are you trying to get at?” Heartsong ran her hoof through her mane as she tried to figure out what, exactly, the filly was trying to reach for. Her hoof hit the pencil that she had forgotten was there. “Is this what you are wanting?” She removed the pencil from its resting place, holding it out in front of her.

“Can I have that, please?” Chloe asked again, her forearm still stretched out towards the pencil.

Nurse Heartsong stepped back, keeping the pencil out of reach of the grabby filly. “I’m sorry, hun, you can't have this pencil, but I can get you something better.” She smiled as the filly pulled her forearm back, a frown coming over her face.

“Come on! It’s so booooring in here. Can I please have the pencil? It’s not like I’m going to break it or anything!” Chloe dropped the cute act and frowned seeing the mare put the pencil back in its previous resting place behind her ear.

“I’ll be right back.” She tried not to giggle at the pouty face the filly was giving her. “The poor dear must think I’m teasing her by not giving her my pencil,” she said to herself as she left the room and headed to the lobby. 

Chloe crossed her arms and huffed seeing the mare leave the room with her only source of entertainment tucked behind her ear as the door swung shut again with the same *thud* that she was growing to hate. What a bitch! She wouldn’t even give me a stupid pencil?! I finally find something I can do to pass the time, but noooo! Can't have an entertained Chloe now, can we? Well, fuck you too, horn-head!

Chloe laid there fuming, looking up to the ceiling as the seconds ticked by. She tilted her head forward as the door to her room was opened. As soon as she saw ‘horn-head’ walk back into the room, she quickly set her head back down, rolling over onto her side, and pulled the covers over her head. She listened to the hoofsteps as they stopped next to the bed. Something was set down on the bed, and the rustling of paper and a few hard objects hitting something could be heard.

“Come on, don’t be like that now. Look what I got for you.” Came the voice of ‘horn-head’ as Chloe felt a hoof gently push on her back.

“Leave me alone! I’m being miserable, just like you want me to be,” Chloe said, choking out the words. She wanted the mare to just go away but she was being very persistent with her nudging.

Chloe rolled onto her back, removing the covers. “What do you wa-” she started to growl out but stopped as she noticed what had been set down on the bed. The table was once again resting across her lap and it had a few sheets of paper, a thin but colorful looking book and some crayons.

“Y-you brought me crayons and p-paper?” Chloe stared at the table, not knowing what to think, so she did the first thing that came to mind. She quickly sat up and gave the mare a hug around the neck. “Thank you!”

Nurse Heartsong was taken aback from the sudden affection the filly displayed, but she hugged her back all the same. Chloe broke the hug after a few seconds, smiling from ear to ear at the unicorn before pulling the table closer to her.

“I told you I would get you something much better.” She chuckled. “You have fun with those now, and try not to drop any on the floor.” She smiled to the ecstatic filly on the bed before walking out of the room. “I’ll be back to check on your in a little while.”

Chloe didn’t even notice that the mare had left as she reached for one of the crayons only to have it fall right back down to the table. She blinked, looking at her hoof and then down to the crayon. “FU~”

> 8. Color Me Red.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Almost... steady... steady... don’t let it fall this time, come on... You can do it...” Chloe sat there on the hospital bed trying to keep herself motivated after the numerous failed attempts at trying to pick up the various objects that were now scattered across the bed and floor. She had been practicing picking up and manipulating objects in her hoof for about an hour now, all while talking to herself the entire time, getting used to how her new mouth and tongue worked together to form sounds. At least now when she spoke, it actually sounded like English and some jumbled sounds all mashed together. In all honesty, it wasn’t that much different from her human mouth now that she was getting used to it; you just have to be extra careful with that long tongue. You can make some really strange noises with it just by making the slightest change.

“Yes! Finally! I got you now, you stupid crayon! Hah!” She beamed, holding the once elusive crayon proudly in her hoof. Huh, that’s strange. Chloe’s smile turned to confusion as she stared at the hoof that was holding the crayon. I’m holding it in my left hand? I’m left han- left hoofed now? She thought about this new revelation, intensely watching her left hoof as she rotated the crayon back and forth.

Setting down the crayon and tried picking it up with her right hoof; she almost lost her grip on it but was able to keep it from falling back to the table. It... it just doesn’t feel right when I use this hoof, just like it did when I used to try and use my left hand before. Chloe grabbed the crayon with her other hoof as she thought about it some more. Hmm, what other things like this have changed? After a minute, she shrugged. Guess I’ll find out soon enough. 

Chloe set the crayon back down as she eyed the brightly colored book that was somehow still on the table. It was green with a picture of a red barn, a cow, and a dog standing alongside of it in the grass. It was half colored in and half white. The non-colored half was just the outlines with some symbols centered in the middle of each segment.

“Ha! I haven’t seen one of these in years.” She smiled as she picked up the ‘color by numbers’ book and began to flip through the pages. “Cow, ponies, birds, unicorn, umm griffon? Sorta odd but, whatever,” she muttered as she kept turning the pages. “More ponies, bear with stars all over its body... okay, moving on, pony with... wings?” She stared at the page for a moment. “Are there really pegasi here? I haven’t actually seen one yet...then again, I haven't really been out much either.” She turned slightly and looked at her side. “Aww man, why couldn’t I have a pair of wings?” She turned onto her back again as she rubbed her forehead. “Using magic would have been awesome too.” She sighed before flipping to the last page. “Guess I’m just not that lucky.” 

The last page had a picture of the most regal unicorn she had seen. She was much taller than the ponies in the other pictures and had a crown on her head and what looked like metal shoes on her hooves. She had a very long, flowing mane that almost touched the ground even with how tall she stood. Her wings were spread out and upwards not unlike a peacock that was showing off its plumage. 

“Wings and a horn? What is that even called...? A pegacorn? A Unisus? Nah, those don’t sound right. Hmm.” Chloe wondered as she flipped back through the previous pages of the book. “None of the other ponies pictured have a horn and wings, it’s all been one or the other or none at all, like me.” She sighed as she reached the beginning of the book and turned back to the picture on the last page as her brow furrowed. “So why is this one different than all the other ponies? And dressed like royalty? Also, what’s with the butt tattoos?”

The door to the room opened as Dr. Charts came through, a clipboard surrounded in his golden aura was floating in front of him. “Hello, Sweetie...” He paused for a second looking at the disarray of crayons and papers that were scattered on the table, bed, and floor. “Ah, I see Nurse Heartstrings found you something to... occupy your time.” He smiled as the filly set down the coloring book onto the table and looked up to him.

“Hey, Doc,” Chloe cheerfully said as a small smile crept across her face. Hehe, I wonder if he has a tattoo on his ass too?

The unicorn’s ears twitched at the unfamiliar sounds that came out of the filly’s mouth as his brain tried to make them into sensible words. Heartsong was right; this filly did seem to speak an entirely different language. “My dear, I know several languages, but I have never heard one as, how can I put it, horri- err, unique, sounding as what you just spoke. I don’t suppose you can tell me what language that is, can you?” Dr. Charts asked as he set down his clipboard on the counter and started to remove the papers and crayons from the bed and onto the table. He was looking at the pages to see if the filly drew anything, but they were all still blank.

“I didn’t think so, since you’re either playing dumb and ignoring me or, more likely, what Heartsong and I think, is that you can't understand a word I’m saying.” He chuckled, picking up the table with his magic, turning around, and placing it on the counter.

AH HA! He does have an ass tattoo! Chloe grinned, staring at the stallion’s flank. It’s a... stethoscope laying across a clipboard? Who in their right mind would get a tattoo like that?! She pondered as she continued to stare.

“Ahem.” Dr. Charts cleared his throat snapping the filly out of her fixation on his rear. “You know, it’s not polite to stare at another pony’s flank,” he stated as he turned back around, removing his hind quarters from the filly’s view.

Chloe’s cheeks turned deep red as she quickly looked down, her hooves suddenly became very interesting to stare at. “Sorry,” she meeped out. I can’t believe he caught me staring at him like that, it’s not like I was staring at his butt, just his tattoo, the tattoo that was on his butt, his firm bu... Oh God, no! Don’t even go there brain, I don’t need this right now. I have enough crap to deal with at the moment without having to deal with my own hormones as well. I mean, come on! We’re not even the same species... well, technically we are, but still, just, no! Chloe grimaced, pushing those thoughts out of her head as she continued to twiddle her hooves until she felt the covers being lifted from her moments later.

“Now, I need to look over your injuries to see how they're coming along,” Dr. Charts said as he finished removing the blanket from the embarrassed filly, setting it down at the foot of the bed. “Please lie down on your back, and I will get started.” He motioned with his hoof for her to lie down as he spoke only to have the filly watch him with a confused look.

“I don’t understand what you want,” Chloe replied. “Did you want me to get out of bed?” She started to move to the side of the bed only to stop when she felt a hoof on her withers. Looking back, she saw the stallion pat the bed just past her hind legs, motioning again for her to scoot down and lie on her back.

“Oh, is this what you wanted?” Chloe laid down on her back, crossing her forearms across her chest. Even with fur, the room was still quite cold without the warm blanket on her.   

“You’re not making this easy, are you?” Dr. Charts chuckled as he gently tugged at the filly’s forearms, getting her to reluctantly remove them from her chest. “Let’s take a look at that nasty cut you got and see how it’s been healing. Nurse Heartsong said it was coming along quite nicely.” 

His horn lit up as his magic aura surrounded the bandage. Chloe gritted her teeth, expecting it to hurt like it did when she pulled it off earlier in the day but to her relief, the bandage came right off with no pain at all. The doctor ran his hoof back and forth over the wound a few times, moving her fur out of the way as he checked for any complications.

“It is almost completely healed and there shouldn’t even be a scar. You’re definitely an earth pony, that’s for sure.” He laughed as he floated his clipboard over and started writing in it before setting it back down on the counter. “Let’s hope the same can be said for your rib and lung.” His smile was replaced with a serious look. “This might be a little unpleasant. You will feel a pressure on your chest but don’t be alarmed, it will only take me a minute to complete.”

The unicorn’s magical aura enveloped Chloe’s chest as she gasped. It felt like someone had just sat on top of her chest. She tried to breathe but her lungs felt stiff and they wouldn’t expand or contract. Her eyes went wide as she started to panic.

“Can’t... breathe...” She struggled to gasp out as she started frantically flailing her forearms towards the doctor.  

“I’m sorry, dear. Just a few more seconds.” He set a hoof on her shoulder, trying to calm her down. “And... we’re done.”

As soon as Chloe felt the pressure disappear, she quickly took a deep breath that caused her to start having a coughing fit. She calmed herself down after a minute and sat back up. “What the hell—cough—was that all about? I couldn’t breathe!” She folded her fore arms across her chest, scowling at the doctor who wasn’t paying attention to her as he wrote on his clipboard.

“I know it was an unpleasant experience but I had to keep your lungs still while I took the readings. It’s the only way to check on how well you have been healing. Which, by the way, everything looks good. The rib has set properly and will take about a week to fully mend but the puncture in your lung has completely closed up. You will be able to leave with Granita tomorrow morning,” he said as finished writing on his clipboard and began digging in his pocket for a second before pulling something familiar looking out. “Candy?” He said, smiling to the filly.  

Chloe rolled her eyes as she sighed. “First, you try to kill me; then you want to bribe me with candy?” She reached out as he dropped the honey flavored candy onto her hoof. “You’re just lucky I like this stuff.” Chloe huffed as she unwrapped the candy and popped it in her mouth. She closed her eyes and swirled the honey flavored treat around with her tongue, savoring the flavor as she shivered a bit. “Mmm....”

“Hah, works every time,” Dr. Charts chuckled under his breath as he grinned. He grabbed the blanket that had been resting on the foot of the bed, pulling it over to the filly.

“Why does every hospital have to be so damn cold?” She muttered, quickly taking the blanked from the stallion and covering up. She tucked herself snugly back into the blanket’s warming embrace as the doctor waited for her to get settled in before he picked up the small table and set it back onto the bed across her legs.

“I’ll come and see you again tomorrow morning to do a final check-up. Try and get some rest, dear. I’m quite sure you're going to have a busy day tomorrow,” he said, his clipboard floating next to him as he began to walk to the door but stopped abruptly after a single step as he lifted one of his forelegs, looking at the space on the floor that it previously occupied then back to the filly before speaking. “And try not to make such a mess with the crayons this time, okay?” He chuckled as he picked up the blue blob that was once a crayon in his magical grasp and floated it into the trash bin.

Chloe let out a soft giggle as she watched the doctor scrape the rest of the smashed wax from his hoof. After deeming that his hoof had been sufficiently cleaned, he looked back and gave a warm smile to the filly before exiting the room. Chloe sat there under the blankets, letting them warm her body back to a comfortable temperature as she rolled the ever shrinking piece of candy around in her mouth. 

After the candy had completely dissolved, and she was nice and warm again, she went to work clearing a spot on the table, setting the coloring book, along with the various pages of blank paper, onto the bed. Grabbing a blank piece of paper from the top of the stack she had just made, placing it in the middle of the table as she picked up a crayon. She was finally starting what she had set out to do over an hour ago now: draw. 

> 9. Dinner and Decisions.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Land sakes! It sure is a scorcher today,” Granita exclaimed as she looked up to the sky. There was not a cloud in sight.

She wiped a few beads of sweat from her forehead as she walked to the edge of the field that she was currently tending. Her coat glistened with a sheen of sweat from the oppressive afternoon heat as she sat down under the cooling shade of a large oak tree. She had been pushing herself hard trying to make up for the time she had spent yesterday and today with the mysterious filly, and she had responsibilities on the farm that just could not be ignored. Celestia herself had given her father a little over one hundred hoof-acres of fertile land to cultivate and prosper on just this spring, and she would not fail either of them or the town for that matter.

How in tarnation am I gonna ask this of ma and pa? She pondered as a strong breeze rustled the leaves above her, sending a shiver down her spine as the air instantly cooled her damp skin. She looked up into the leaves of the oak tree as the wind made traces of sunlight cascade through them and fall onto her face while she thought. I guess I outta just tell them the truth. I already told them about the filly last night. That I found her all beat up an’ starving all by her lonesome in the Whitetail Woods. And that I brought her into town to get patched up by Doc. They did seem concerned for her, so maybe having her stay here, just until we find her parents, won’t be as big a deal as my noggin is making it out to be. Well, maybe... 

She gave a quick sigh as she got back on her hooves, walking over to the brook that was just past the oak tree, taking a quick drink before heading back to finish up today’s work of planting seeds in the new field. 


 <><><><><>  


It had been a relatively quiet afternoon for the human-turned filly in her hospital room. There was the occasional sound of hoofsteps or voices, but nobody had come in wanting to take measurements, poke and prod, or even just to check up on her, but she didn't mind it in the least. 

Chloe picked up her recently finished drawing, placing it under the small table along with the rest of the drawings she had made over the past few hours. She groaned and stretched out her limbs, letting out a yawn as she did. Her back and legs were sore from sitting in roughly the same position all day. It was also getting harder for her to stay focused on the lines and colors on the paper as the light inside the room had become considerably dimmer than when she began, and it was starting to give her a headache from the eye strain.

Her ears swiveled at the sound of hoofsteps coming down the hallway. The noise stopped right outside her room. Moments later, the door swung open and a very worn-out looking Nurse Heartsong stepped in, pushing a cart.

“Sorry I haven’t checked up on you for a while, dear, but we had a group of ponies come down with food poisoning,” she stated. ”Apparently they discovered a new plant in the Everfree Forest, and they thought it was safe to eat.” She gave the filly a weak yet warm smile, bringing the cart alongside the bed and lighting a lantern on the wall behind the filly to give them more light. “Anyways, I brought you some dinner. I hope you like spaghetti and hayballs.”

Chloe smiled back to the mare as a delightful smell caressed her nose, causing her to involuntarily lick her lips. Nurse Heartsong begun to clear the small table turned art board. Chloe saw what she was doing and helped out by grabbing the crayons that had fallen into the folds of the blanket, giving them to the nurse. Chloe was looking for any last stragglers when she heard the rustling of papers and a short gasp. She looked up to see what was going on. Heartsong had the stack of drawings Chloe has made and was staring at them.

Nurse Heartsong was looking at a drawing that depicted a pony with a bridle in its mouth and a saddle on its back being ridden by, what looked like, a small but slightly disproportionate Diamond Dog.  “Wh-why would you draw something like this?” Heartsong asked in a shaky voice, holding up the image for the filly to see.

“That’s me riding my horse at my parent’s farm.” She pointed to the picture of her human form in the drawing and then back to herself as she beamed, thinking about all the good times she had with her horse. “His name is Jimbi, and I have had him since he was a foal. He’s a great—" She hesitated. "—pet.” Her ears went flat against her head as the words she was saying sunk in. For the first time since she had arrived here, she was extremely happy that these ponies couldn’t understand her.

Heartsong couldn’t understand why the filly seemed so happy about this unsightly drawing. She put that picture on the bottom of the stack and slowly shuffled through the other drawings. None were quite as shocking as the first one of a horse in what amounted to risque attire, but still most of them contained things that she had never seen before like very tall buildings, strange machines, and almost all included Diamond Dogs. The one thing that stood out the most to her was that there was only that one drawing that included a pony in it. 

Was this filly raised by Diamond Dogs? That would explain why she was alone, and why she can’t speak or understand our language… She decided that it would be best to show Dr. Charts the drawings to see what he had to say about them and her theory.    

Heartsong set the papers down on the cart and finished cleaning the rest of the table off before setting a plate of spaghetti and hayballs along with a glass of water down on it. “Here you are, dear.”

“Thank you,” Chloe said, putting her hooves together and bowed her head slightly. It felt weird to be doing this, but she would have to get used to it as body language seemed to be the only way to communicate right now.

“You’re most welcome.” She couldn’t help but giggle at how cute the filly was when she did that as she pushed the cart out of the room. “I’ll be back in a little while to check on you before bedtime.”

As soon as the door shut, Chloe grabbed the fork, it felt so good being able to actually use her hooves now. She hummed happily to herself as she started to eat. This stuff isn’t half bad for no meat.


<><><><><>  


Granita sat at the dinner table, only halfway listening to her father explain to mother and her how he had made this great deal or something with somepony in town to help supply them with farm equipment in exchange for a discount on the goods when the harvest came in.

“That’s wonderful news, honey!” her mother said, congratulating her father on his success and giving him a quick peck on the cheek. Granita was looking down at the bowl in front of her idly making circles in her split bean soup—it was more broth than bean since times had been tough—with her spoon as her mother looked over at her, smiling. “Don’t you think so, Granita?”

“Wha?” Granita snapped out of her thoughts, looking up from her soup to her mother, then to her father as they both stared at her. “Oh, ya. Sorry. That’s great to hear, Pa,” she responded half-heartedly. Her mother’s face scrunched up slightly as she started to open her mouth only to be cut off by her father.

“You’re not usually like this, Granita,” he said, setting down his spoon, giving her a concerned look. “Somethin’ eatin’ at ya?”

“Well…” She started rubbing her fore leg as she looked back down to the table for a second before turning her gaze back to her parents. “Ya know that filly I rescued the other day?”

“That grey earth filly? What about her?” Her mother spoke up. “Is she doing okay?”

“Yes… and no.” She sighed as both of her parents gave her a slightly worried and confused look. “Doc said she will be fully healed by week’s end,” she explained, watching their faces as she tried to gauge their reactions.

“So, what is wrong with ‘er then?” her father suspiciously asked, cocking an eyebrow.

“Well, the thing is, Doc and Nurse Heartsong haven’t been able to find her parents yet, and...” She had a pleading look in her eyes as she paused for a moment. “She needs a place to stay while her parents are located, and since the clinic cain’t keep her there past tomorrow morning…”

“Of course the little deary can stay here!” her mother blurted out as she looked to her husband who had a shocked expression on his face. Granita’s face instantly lit up.

“Whoa, whoa, slow down there, honey. How are we gonna feed another mouth?” he quickly rebutted. “We are just barely scraping by as it is. And where is she gonna sleep? It’s not like we have a’ extra bed or anyth—”

Granita quickly spoke up. “Doc said he had a small bed that he could have delivered out here for her to use while she was here an’ all,” she enthusiastically stated, looking over to her mother for support when she saw that her father’s expression hadn’t changed any.

“Dear, it’s not like a filly eats much and it would only be for a little while,” she said, looking over to her husband as she stared into his eyes.

"I, uhm..." He coughed, closing his eyes for a second to get a break from that stare his wife had been giving him before looking back to his daughter. “I’m sorry, there is just no way we can take on a youngin’ like this. Even with Doc offering up a bed, there ain’t anywheres to put it in our home.” He pointed a hoof around to their surroundings. They were in a the main room of the house that acted as the living room, dining room, and kitchen all in one, with two much smaller rooms off the side of the main one that were Granita's and her parents’ bedrooms. Each was just big enough to fit in a bed, a dresser, and not much else. “We can barely move in here as it is, and you want us to take in another?” he scoffed at the idea. “I think you are out of your mind.”

“But she needs our help, Pa! And she…” Granita paused in thought for a second. “She can sleep with me at night if we cain’t find room for another bed, but we cain’t, in good faith, just let her wander the streets with no place to go! T’ain’t right!” Granita protested to her father who was about to respond back when he felt a hoof slip onto his thigh. 

“Honey,” his wife softly spoke as she looked at him with big, puppy dog eyes. “What if it was Granita that had gotten lost and hurt when she was a filly? Would you rather have her wander the streets or countryside, scared and lost all by herself, or would you rather have a nice, caring family take care of her until we could be reunited?”

He looked to his daughter and then back to his wife as he tried to find any flaws in her logic and sighed in defeat. “You’re right, dear. I wouldn’t want that to happen to one of my children if they ever got themselves lost.” He looked over to Granita, a stern look returning to his face. “But, this filly is one hundred percent your responsibility while she’s here and ya still have to do all your chores,” he explained in his gruff fatherly tone. “No slacking off just because of the youngin, ya hear?”

“Oh, Daddy! Thank you!” Granita squealed with delight. She got up and gave her father a kiss on the cheek and a tight hug before sitting back down in her seat as she grinned from ear to ear.

“Now that’s the stallion I know and love,” her mother cooed gently in his ear before pulling his face to hers and giving him a passionate kiss.

> 10. Down on the farm. Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning rays of sunlight slowly crept their way down the wall, and soon they were shining on Chloe’s sleeping body. The bright light caused her to scrunch up her face as she stirred from her peaceful slumber. She gave out a quick yawn and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, trying to adjust to the light.

The sun shouldn’t be up yet… A quick glance over to her digital clock on the dresser told her that it was already twenty past six in the morning. She blinked, rubbing her eyes again as she stared as the clock in a sleepy haze. That can’t be right. I set it for five, didn’t I? She checked the alarm; it was set to seven.

“Ugh, I swear I set that last night! How in the world did I forget?” she grumbled, throwing the covers off before stumbling to her feet. She swayed slightly, using the bed to steady herself as she regained her balance. Chloe carefully walked around the piles of clothes that were strewn about the floor and made her way to the bathroom that was just outside of her room.

It only took her a few minutes, as opposed to the normal half hour, to do her morning routine. Usually she dreaded mornings, and most days she was lethargic and dead to the world until well after breakfast. But today, today was different. This was the day that the horse her father had bought—her horse—was arriving. The plan was to wake up early to get the morning chores done so she could get the stall ready for the new arrival that would be here in—.

“Crap! They will be here in less than two hours!” She wasn’t watching where she was going and almost tripped on a pile of dirty clothes. Eh, I’ll just deal with those later. She quickly kicked them out of the way and threw on the first set of clean clothes she could find.

The smell of pancakes and sausage that her mother had no doubt started cooking while she was in the bathroom permeated throughout the house. Although she was hungry and hated to miss such a wonderful smelling breakfast, she didn’t have time for it right now. Chloe practically ran down the hallway and into the open kitchen where her mother was just finishing up another batch of pancakes.  

“Hi, Mom! Bye, Mom!” Chloe shouted, running past her mother as she made a beeline towards the front door.

“Hey! Where you off to in such a hurry?” Her mother poked her head around the corner, the frying pan, complete with pancakes, still in her hand.

Chloe stopped, looking back to her mother. “I gotta get my chores done before they drop off my horse, and I forgot to set my alarm last night so I’m running late,” she explained in a rushed voice.

“Not until you eat some breakfast.”

“Bu—”

“No ‘buts’, missy.” Her mother cut her off, giving her that look that said ‘do as you’re told or else’. She went back to place the final batch of pancakes on a plate and started to make her own plate of breakfast.

“Yes, ma’am.” Chloe sighed and reluctantly headed back into the kitchen to get a plate. At least her stomach thanked her for it. Fine, just a single pancake and sausage link, and then onto the chores. She placed the small amount of food on her plate and grabbed a glass of orange juice before sitting down at the dining room table.

“That all you’re going to have?” her mother prodded as she sat down at the table with a full plate.

“Mmhmm,” Chloe replied while chewing down the last bit of the sausage link. Her mother gave a disapproving look but said nothing more. She stood up and downed the last of her juice. “Thanks, that was good, Mom. Love you,” she said, giving her a kiss on the cheek before taking her dirty dishes to the kitchen sink.

“Love you too, dear. And don't push yourself too hard this morning. I don’t want to see you getting hurt again because you weren’t paying attention again.”

Chloe rolled her eyes as she headed to the front door. It was just the one time when she accidentally knocked herself out trying to carry a bit too much at once, causing her to stumble and fall. Yeah, maybe she should have been paying more attention to where she was going instead of thinking about that cute boy from school. She rubbed the spot on her head where it had collided with the fence post that day. Her mother would never let her forget about that moment. “Mom, I’ll be fine! Don’t worry. I’m just doing my morning chores, like always,” she replied with a groan, closing the front door.

The morning went by quickly for Chloe as the time drew ever closer to the arrival of her new horse. She had gotten the horses and pigs fed in record time as well as the eggs collected from the chicken coop. They didn't have too many animals and their main source of income was from the crops, which her father and uncle tended to while she mainly took care of the animals, as well as some of the lighter work that needed to be done around the farm.

Chloe had only started to muck out the stall when she heard her father pull up to the barn in his old pickup truck. She could never forget the sound that truck made. It always meant that her father was home from the fields. Usually she loved when her father came home and could spend time with him, but right now, it was causing her to panic. The stall was still a wreck, and her father pulling up to the barn could only mean one thing. Her horse would be here at any minute, and he wasn’t going to be too happy that she wasn’t ready yet.

After months of begging and pleading, Chloe had finally convinced her father that she was responsible enough to have a horse of her own. She had taken on more chores and responsibilities around the farm to show him that she was serious and could handle it. And now that the day had finally arrived, here she was, sleeping in and having to rush to try and finish the morning chores. But even after her rushed pace, the stall had barely been touched yet. Gah, this sucks. Why did I have to sleep in today of all days?! She threw another pitchfork full of old hay from the stall floor into the wheelbarrow. She could hear the sound of her father’s boots approaching. Luckily the stall was at the far end of the barn, which gave her a little more time to get ready. 

“How’s it going in there?” he asked with a chuckle, leaning against the railing, seeing that the stall still needed some work. She had actually made it farther than he thought she would have by now.

“It’s going fine, I’ll just be a few more minutes, Dad,” she replied with a grunt, throwing the last of the old straw and muck into the barrow. “I just need to move this out and bring the fresh hay in.” She set the pitchfork to the side, looking over to him as she grabbed the handles of the wheelbarrow. “They’re not here yet are they?” she inquired, pushing the load of muck out of the stall, past her father. She knew better than to stop working just because she was having a conversation.

“Naw, they’re not here yet.” He walked alongside his daughter as she wheeled the muck out to the compost heap. “You sure you are ready for a horse of your own?” he grinned, but she didn’t see it. “It’s a big responsibility, you know.”

Chloe dumped the old hay and muck on top of the compost pile. “Yes, Dad, I know. And yes, I’m ready. I just messed up this one day.” She moved the wheelbarrow over to the fresh hay as her father continued to follow her in silence. He was making her kind of nervous. “I just forgot to set my alarm clock is all, it won’t happen again,” she kept talking, hoping that her father would let her off easy or at the very least, say something to her.

He continued to watch her, grinning the entire time.

Chloe grunted, picking up a hay bale, placing it in the wheelbarrow, and headed back into the barn. “So how come you’re following me around?” she asked, not being able to bear the silent treatment anymore.

“Oh, just making sure you can handle all this by yourself is all.”

“You know I can! I do this almost daily for the other horses! So what is the real reason?” she asked, eyeballing him as they came to a stop outside the stall. She hefted the bale out of the barrow, setting it down outside the stall gate. Not wanting to waste any more time while she waited for her father to answer her, she walked into the stall and began to scrape the manure that was still left into a corner. With the manure scooped into the wheelbarrow, she moved it out of the stall. She undid the twine holding the bale together and started spreading it out on the floor as quickly as possible. There was at least another bale to lie down and fluff before the stall was ready.

His stoic face turned into a grin as he watched her. “I just came by to see how you were doing, like I said. But,” he started, leaning up against the stall fence as he tipped his old John Deere hat up a bit. “I also came here to tell you that they called me early this morning and they are going to be late bringing in the foal. They should be rollin’ in around noonish. Momma told me you slept in late so I figured I would let you cook under pressure a bit,” he finished with a laugh. 

Chloe instantly stopped and glared at her father. Her eye started to twitch. “What?! What do you mean they aren’t coming until noon! You mean I didn’t have to be running around like a chicken with its head cut off all this time?!”

“Eeyup.” He had just gotten that single word out of his mouth before he had to duck, narrowly avoiding a face full hay as he laughed.

“That’s not funny, you big jerk!” Chloe yelled at him, stomping a foot as he ran out of the barn, leaving her to finish the work. “Ugh, I swear!” She fumed for a moment, looking around at the nearly finished job and sighed. “Well, at least I don’t have to rush anymore...”



<><><><><>



Chloe and both her parents were all sitting down at the dining room table, just finishing up lunch when they heard a truck pull up and honk its horn a few times in quick succession. 

Her father looked out towards the front window, spotting a truck and trailer with a ‘BB Farms’ logo on the side. “Well, looks like they’re here,” he said. “You ready to go meet your new horse?”

Chloe looked over to her dad and grinned as she got up. “You know I have been waiting for this for a long time. I’m as ready as I will ever be.”

“Well, get your butt moving then, missy.” 

“Have fun you two!” her mother called out to them as they headed outside, leaving her with the clean-up.

Chloe practically ran outside to meet their neighbor who her father had bought the foal from. “Hiya, Mr. Brenson!” she said as he got out of the truck. 

“‘Ello there, Miss Griffin,” the older man greeted her in a friendly tone, tipping his hat. “Excited about the foal, are ya?”

Chloe nodded her head. “Very much, sir. Can I see him?” She could barely contain her excitement. “Can I?”

“Woah, slow down there, Chloe. Let the man have some space,” her father said, walking up to greet their neighbor with a hearty handshake. “How ya doing, Bernie?”

“Oh, not bad fer an ol’ feller.” Bernie chuckled as they shook hands. He glanced back over to Chloe who looked as anxious as ever as she waiting for them. “I suppose I can let you see him now,” he said, walking to the back of the trailer as Chloe excitedly followed with her father trailing behind them both. Bernie opened the gate, letting Chloe see inside. “Get on up there and see him fer yourself.” 

Chloe didn’t need any more of an invitation than that. She climbed into the trailer, eager to see her new friend. There, in the back, laying on some bedding and facing away from her, was an unusually proportioned small, grey foal. Something about the filly in front of her registered as being a bit off as she approached this young horse. First off, she was told she was getting a colt, not a filly, and second, its head was quite large compared to the rest of its frame. A feeling of uneasiness as a strong sense of deja vu crept over her. Kneeling down next to it, she tentatively reached out to touch its back, not wanting to frighten it.

The instant her hand brushed up against the foal’s fur, she felt as if she was being pulled by some unseen force into the foal. Her mind went white as a myriad of sensations filled her head before everything went black. When she came to, she was no longer in her own body, but in the body of the foal. Dread washed over her as she looked to the entrance of the trailer, wondering what had just happened. This whole thing seemed familiar yet distant at the same time, like she had been in this body before and yet, it wasn’t her body.

Speaking of her body, it was nowhere to be seen. She looked out towards the back of the open trailer, seeing nothing but pitch black. It was like all the light that was in the trailer refused to go beyond its confines. She rubbed her eyes to try and clear them, hoping that this was some sort of trick. She stood up with ease in her new body like it had known exactly what to do. She had expected to stumble, at least a little bit, having been a biped her whole life. She shook off that thought for now and headed to the end of the trailer, where the light met the blackness outside.

“Hello? Dad...Mr. Branson? Anyone?” she cautiously called out into the nothingness. After hearing absolutely nothing except for her own breathing and heartbeat, she stuck a hoof into the void. A feeling of warmth washed over her as her hoof penetrated the blackness, making her quiver from the sensation. It didn’t feeling dangerous or anything, just warm. So she stuck her head out, trying to get a better look at what was happening outside. The rope, which she hadn’t realized was around her neck, was pulled taut, stopping her from leaving the trailer. Stupid rope.  

Chloe sat down to untie the rope, but as soon as she touched it, a flash of blinding light obscured her vision, causing her to shield her eyes with a forearm. When the intensity of the light died down, she removed her hoof only to see that the darkness was gone, replaced by the familiar sight of the barnyard. Chloe gasped, starting to backpedal at what she saw next. Instead of her father and Mr. Branson standing outside, there was a creme colored mare and a blue stallion standing a few feet away. They looked like they were chatting to each other, but turned their heads simultaneously towards her when she gasped, with wide, almost malicious, grins on their faces. 

Both of the ponies started moving closer to her, their faces kept that same eerie grin, their eyes never falling from her own. Chloe backed up farther into the trailer as the beads of sweat that had formed on her brow turned into rivulets down her face. A green colored mare had materialized, seemingly out of thin air, just behind the other two ponies. Chloe locked eyes with the new mare and a warm smile appeared on the mare’s face. 

Something inside of Chloe told her that this new mare was friendly and here to help her. She gave a pleading look to the mare to come save her as the other two inched closer and closer. The look the green mare gave the filly was calming, as if to say everything would be alright. Chloe glanced over to the two other ponies, but they had disappeared as strangely as they appeared. She looked around for them in confusion, glad that they were gone, but wondering at the same time where they had went.

The blond maned mare kept her warm smile as she walked closer, stopping only a few feet from the confused filly. The mare opened her muzzle as to speak, but in an instant, a black tendril shot out from her mouth, wrapping completely around the dumbfounded filly, blocking out all light, sound, and air. 

Chloe fought desperately to get free, but the more she struggled, the tighter the black tentacle squeezed her. Each passing second, it wound tighter and tighter around the filly, until she couldn’t move anymore. She started to panic; her attempts to free herself had been for naught and had rapidly depleted her oxygen supply. Her body felt like it was burning up, and her mind was racing as to what had just happened. Her entire body felt weak, like it was being drained as she drifted off into a calming sea.



<><><><><>



Chloe jerked in her sleep, startling herself awake. She was very hot and had sweat running down her face, stinging her eyes. She tried to take a breath but something was blocking her throat, and it was moving! The tickling in her throat caused her to hard cough with the last bit of air in her lungs. This dislodged a large moth that had been blocking her windpipe. How it had got there in the first place though, she hadn't the faintest idea. Chloe watched it fly out from her mouth and up to the ceiling. Gagging, she took in as much air as her small mouth allowed her to. It took a few moments to get her breathing back to normal as the burning in her lungs faded away. 

Holy crap! That fucking moth almost killed me! She went to rub her eyes, but discovered that her legs were bound tightly against her body. She blinked a few times, getting the sweat from her eyes as they adjusted to the dim light in room, looking down over her bed. During the course of the night, she had ended up cocooning herself in the large blanket and ended up almost completely immobilized by it. So hot...stupid blanket. Get off of me!

She rolled from side to side, working herself free, inch by slow inch. It had taken a good ten minutes or so for her to completely free herself and throw the blanket off. “Ahh, so much better.” She laid there on her back, spread eagle, letting the cool room air flow over her.

The sun was just starting to rise as evident by the faint reddish-orange glow that was creeping into the room from the window behind her. What a really messed up dream that was. Something about chores, pancakes, and horses… She stared up at the ceiling, watching that murderous moth fly around, while trying to recall her dream. The pancakes and horse parts made sense. She could chalk up the pancakes to her being hungry and the horses due to the fact that she used to raise them and is now in a world that is apparently run by them, but the chores? She hadn’t had to do chores in years. The longer she thought about it, the more the memories of the dream slipped away from her. Crap, now I can't remember any of it.

Chloe was starting to get cold as the room got steadily brighter. She pulled the blanket back over her body as her fur crunched a little from the dried sweat, making her cringe. “Eww. I’m going to need a nice, long bath after last night. Who knew having fur covering your entire body could make you so hot?” she muttered, rolling her eyes, snuggling up in the blanket again. “Just another one of those little things that I’m going to have to get used to, I guess.” It didn’t take long for her to start lightly snoring again under the warm blanket.

  “Rise and shine!” Came the all too cheerful sounding voice. Chloe had only been asleep for around thirty minutes before the sound of hooves and a familiar voice woke her from her light sleep.

Chloe groaned, pulling the blanket over her head, shielding her eyes from the bright morning sun. “Five more minutes.”

“Come on now, it’s time to get up. Granita is here to take you home.” Came another familiar, but deeper voice. “But before that, I need to do a final check-up on you.” He moved over to the side of the bed, gently nudging the filly while Heartsong wheeled a cart up to the other side.

When Chloe rolled over and opened her eyes, the first thing she saw a blue stallion on one side of her and a creme colored mare on the opposite side, both with a grins on their faces. Her face went white, and she froze with the blanket held tight in her hooves, as part of her dream came flooding back into her mind. She wanted to scream but the rational part of her brain won out and reminded her that it was just a bad dream, a nightmare. Chloe let out a sigh, loosening her grip on the blankets. She seemed to be getting those a lot lately. Maybe it was her mind’s way of trying to tell her something. Or, it could just be her mind’s own way of coping with all that has happened.

“Morning, sugar.” 

The sound of Granita’s voice made Chloe look up to the mare that was standing at the foot of her bed. When did she enter the room? Her thoughts were interrupted when she felt the warm covers being removed. She looked over and saw Dr. Charts pulling the blankets from her. What the hell? Those were warm! Chloe shot a scowl to him.

“This will only take a few moments, then you can eat and go. Now let’s have a look at your chest.” The bandage lit up in his golden magic, easily and painlessly coming off, just like last time.

Chloe laid there silently as the doctor went over her injury as Heartsong chatted with Granita while getting the filly’s breakfast ready. After checking the cut, he pulled the stethoscope from his neck and checked her breathing. Soon enough, the stallion was finished with his exam, writing down his findings on his notepad.

Dr. Charts looked up from his notepad over to Granita and Heartsong. “Well, good news. Everything seems to be healing just fine. The cut is almost completely gone and her breathing is normal. She is expected to have a full recovery within a week.”

“That is great news, Doc,” Granita exclaimed, giving the filly a smile.

Chloe gave an unsure smile back to the mare. It was a bit unsettling to have all three of them in the room with her and not being able to understand what was really going on. She got into a sitting position, spying the food on the cart. She could smell something sweet and fruity emanating from it. The smell was making her belly grumble and it was very hard to think about anything else during the short exam.

“Yes, it is. I’m glad she is going to be alright,” Heartsong said, nodding in agreement, setting down the small tray of food across the filly’s lap.

Chloe wasted no time and eagerly dug into the bowl of oatmeal that had bits of apple in it, giving it just that right amount of sweetness. As the filly ate, Heartsong and Granita said goodbye to each other before the nurse left the room with the cart to go tend to the other patients. Dr. Charts set down his notepad and looked over to Granita.

“We should talk.” 

> 11. Down on the farm. Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“...what’s a...changeling?”

Dr. Charts let out a light sigh and looked at the grey filly who was still eating her breakfast. “Personally, I don’t know much about them. But from what I understand, they are an equine subspecies that have both horn and wings. Don’t confuse them with an Alicorn though. Their horn is jagged and the wings are not feathered like that of a Pegasi but rather translucent and leathery. They also have a black, insect-like carapace that covers their entire body and webbed mane and tails. Their magic, from what I have heard, is far weaker than even an average Unicorn and their wings are not as powerful as a Pegasus. The magic they do possess is almost exclusively geared towards altering their appearance.

“They use their power to kill, and then mimic”—Granita gave him an odd look—”erm, what I meant is, they change their appearance to look like the unfortunate victim so they can take over their place without being detected by others. I have no idea why they would do this though.”

“And, you really think she could be one of them killin’ critters?” Granita glanced over to Chloe, an inquisitive look on her face. “But she looks like a regular ol’ filly to me.”

“Granita,” he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “You are missing the point. Changeling change their appearance, so of course she would look exactly like a normal filly. But do I think she is a changeling? No, I don’t think she is one of them. But if she was, it could explain the abnormal brain pattern I detected. Also, I have never heard of changelings being able to completely change their internal physiology as well, and from what I could tell, this filly is one hundred percent Earth pony.” 

He cleared his throat, noticing that Granita was staring at the filly. “Like I said, I’m not saying I know a lot about them or anything like that, it was just a warning that I received in the reply letter from a colleague at the Royal Canterlot Medical University this morning. He still has to take a more detailed look at my findings, but he wanted to warn me, just in case. All that I am saying is that I want you to keep a close eye on her, and let the guards know right away if you notice any suspicious behavior.”

Granita looked over to the happy little filly who was still working on her oatmeal. “Ah think all that changeling talk is a bunch of phooey.” She turned back to Dr. Charts with a nod. “But I reckon I’ll keep an eye open, like you said, just to be safe.”

“Good, I would hate to see anything happen to you or your family, better to be safe than sorry I always say,” he light-heartedly chuckled. “Well at any rate, her injuries appear to be healing nicely. The cut on her chest is all healed. The chance of it leaving a scar is minimal. Her punctured lung is all healed but the rib will still take about a week longer to fully heal. Everything else about her looks fine. In my book, she is clear to leave.” He looked up from his notes to the filly then back to Granita with a serious look. ”It was very fortunate that she is an Earth pony, you know? Things could have gone a lot worse if she wasn’t.”

“Yuppers, you know us Earth ponies can pull through a lot of things. We may not have fancy magic or the ability to fly, but we can survive through most anything,” she jabbed at the doctor as both of them laughed.

“Yes, yes you can. Oh, I almost forgot, did you still need that bed delivered?”

“Naw,” she replied, waving a hoof dismissively in the air, “don’t worry none about it. We don’t have room to be placing it anywheres anyhow.”

“Wait, so where is she going to sleep then?”

“I figure she can just sleep with me, I have a big enough bed for the both of us.”

“Don’t you think that would be a little awkward for her?”

“I think it will be a mite bit odd fer both of us, Doc. But it was either this or let her roam the streets. Which would you rather have her do?”

“Well, I guess it’s settled then,” Dr. Charts stated, grabbing his clipboard. “If you could bring her back in after a week, I would like to run a follow up exam. And don’t forget, she needs to keep any strenuous activity to a minimum for at least the next week. Don’t want that rib to break again.”

Granita nodded. “Will, do, Doc. I’ll make sure she isn’t too rambunctious, but you know how fillies can be at times.”

 “Yeah, they can be quite a hoofful at time, but I have full confidence in you to keep her safe. Anyways, I’ll leave you two alone while she finishes. When you are ready, you are free to take her. Heartsong and I still have a bunch of patients to take care of from that food poisoning incident yesterday, so don’t worry about coming to find us when you leave.” He started to leave but stopped. His hoof into his pocket, rummaging through it for a moment before pulling out a few of the golden-wrapped candies, handing them to Granita. “Here, take a few of these, she seems to like them,” he said with a wink.

Granita smirked at him, taking the hoofful of small gifts and putting them into her saddlebags. “Thanks, Doc. For everything.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I’m just doing my job and helping out where I can. Now you take care of our mystery filly and I’ll see you two in a week!” He smiled as he exited the room with a wave.

She looked over to the grey filly who was just finishing her breakfast. Granita sighed, watching the foal for a moment, as the reality of the situation sunk in; she was going to have to take care of a filly. Sure, she would have her parents there for support, but ultimately the grey filly was under her care until her parents could be found. She just hoped she didn’t screw up somehow. “What have ya got yourself into, Granita?” She shook her head letting out a small snort. 

The whole time the two other ponies had been discussing things, Chloe had been quite content eating her oatmeal, blissfully unaware of what Dr. Charts and Granita had been talking about and how much more her life was about to change. 

It struck her as kind of odd when the blue unicorn left the room and the light-green mare looked over in her direction, letting out what she could only assume was a sigh. Though it was hard for her to read these ponies’ faces, the mare looked almost sad or nervous or something similar to that. Although when Chloe smiled at her, the Earth pony’s features almost instantly seemed to brighten as she returned the smile wholeheartedly.

Seeing human emotions on a pony…I don’t think that will that will ever stop being disturbing. She looked back down at her bowl, which still had quite a few bites left in it, but she was full and couldn’t eat another spoonful without becoming bloated. She was still adjusting to her new size and part of that was learning that a small amount of food would completely fill her new, smaller body. 

Setting her spoon down, she carefully pushed the tray back, giving herself room to stretch out. Chloe put her hooves behind her head, lifting them towards the ceiling. “Mmm, that felt good,” she said after popping a few of her bones and lowering her fore legs back to her sides. “Being stuck in this bed sucks, you know?” 

Granita gave the filly a strange look. She had never seen a pony stretch like that before. The thought of this filly being a changeling came back to her. What if she really is? Dismissing the thought, she walked over to the side of the bed. “You all done with yer breakfast?” she asked.

It took her a second to remember what Dr. Charts had told her earlier as the filly stared at her blankly; she seemed to respond well to body language and candy, but everything else seems to be lost on her. Granita grabbed the tray of mostly eaten food and motioned with her head over to the counter and waited to see if she could get her to respond.

Chloe watched the mare grab the tray and look to her as if waiting for something. What in the world is she…? Oh! She nodded her head to the mare, holding her forearms to her stomach. “You can take it, I’m stuffed.”

Granita chuckled to herself as she took the tray off the bed and moved it to the counter. “Well, I guess the ol’ Doc was right about that.” She at least had a simple way to communicate with the filly now. Maybe this language barrier thing would be so bad after all.  “Well, it’s time to get a moving. I got a whole heap of chores to get started on.” She pulled the blankets back and positioned her body up alongside the bed, pointing to her back.

Chloe tried to grab the blankets before they were pulled off of her. “Hey! What are you doing?” She glared at the rude mare. “I was using those!” Is it too much to ask to let me stay under the blankets? I mean, come on! It’s like every time one of them comes in here it’s always ‘Off with the blankets, Chloe!’ God, it’s embarrassing enough being essentially naked, but to keep taking the only thing from me that is allowing me even a modicum of decency? That’s just freaking rude! Her tail rapidly swished back and forth as she crossed her fore legs over her chest in frustration, turning her head away. 

“Now I know you probably don’t want to get up, but time’s a wastin’ and we gotta go.” Seeing that she was upset and pretty much ignoring her, she gave the filly’s tail a gentle pull with her teeth to get her point across.

Chloe felt an odd sensation run up her spine as her head snapped back to the mare. “What was that for?” she yelped in shock at the pony. 

“I want you to get on my back so we can go.” Granita pointed at her back a few more times.

“I dunno what you want. Is there something wrong with your back or what? That why you are pointing at it?”

“Okay...maybe this language barrier thing won’t be a walk in the park after all…” She went to give another quick tug on the reluctant filly’s tail, but Chloe quickly pulled her tail out of the way and got to her hooves. “Good, at least I got you standing, but come on now. I know you’re smart, so get up here. We gotta get to the farm,” she huffed. This might be a bit more difficult than I had imagined…

“The hell?! Quit trying to bite my tail!” Chloe scowled at the annoying mare, taking a few steps backwards on the bed with her tail tucked between her hind legs where it was safely hidden from pony teeth.

Granita sighed. It was difficult to communicate having to rely on body language alone, and she didn’t want to get the filly mad at her; that would only be counterproductive in a situation like this. She opened up her saddlebags with her mouth, fishing out one of the golden-wrapped treats that Dr. Charts had given her. She showed it to the agitated filly before placing it between the saddlebags on her back. Granita figured it would be like baiting a rabbit with a carrot down on the farm.

Chloe stared at the mare as she pulled out a familiar piece of honey flavored candy and curiously watched as she placed it on her back. Wait, is that what she wanted? She wants me on her back? Are we...leaving? She started to move closer, the expression on the mare’s face softened with each hesitant step and she almost smiling as Chloe was now right next to her.

“Alright, up you go.” Granita nudged the filly towards her back.

“I get it! Jeez, you don’t have to shove, you know.” Chloe grabbed the candy and climbed onto the impatient pony’s back, settling in between the saddlebags. They did a decent job of keeping her in the middle of the mare’s back, but the strap the connected the two sides of the bag was rather uncomfortable to lay on. She held out the candy to the mare, who starred at her for a moment before taking the candy and placing it back in her saddlebags. Chloe didn’t want it at the moment anyways, she was still filled up on oatmeal and didn’t want to end up getting sick due to the up and down motion that came with riding on a pony’s back. 

With the foal finally on her back, Granita headed out the room and down the hall towards the lobby. She didn’t see Heartsong or Dr. Charts on the way to the front door. Doc wasn’t kidding. They must be really busy with the other patients. Oh well. It’s best I be getting back anyways. “Alright there, sugarcube. You ready to go meet my folks and see where you will be stayin’?” She turned her head around, smiling to the filly before pushing open the front door and walking out into the cool morning air.

The village was fairly small. Most of the homes and shops looked to be either brand new or still under construction. Almost all of the buildings were timber framed, having thatched roofs with just a handful of them deviating from that standard. The main road that there were currently traveling on was more of a wide dirt path than actual road. There were quite a few ponies that waved at the pair, some even coming up to talk as they kept trotting along. Chloe was a bit put off when the unfamiliar creatures got close to her. She tried to hide behind the mare’s blonde mane. It was a silly thing to be doing but it made her feel less anxious about the whole affair. She was usually never this shy when she was a human but being forced to be around talking, intelligent ponies was a different matter altogether, and it made her feel downright nervous.

During the few short intervals that they weren’t being harassed, Chloe was taking in the sights and sounds of this new place. Her only recollection of this town was when she saw it from a distance before everything faded. Her next memory being that of waking up on the hospital bed. Well, hospital wasn’t really the right word for it, and it was more like floating a few feet above instead of on. 

Everything she saw fascinated her; the architectural style of the buildings, the variations of the oddly colored ponies that were just going about their daily lives. There were several market stalls that lined the busy road. Each one was selling different wares, mostly it was different foodstuffs like vegetables or fruit but there was an odd one here and there that was hawking tools or other odds and ends. There was even one stall that was selling musical instruments. That one really caught Chloe’s eye. 

 She smiled, seeing a family walking down the street. They had two foals that were playing a game a tag while their parents browsed some wares. There was also this older couple  that was sitting on a bench around the fountain that was in the center of the market as the pony-watched. They seems to be happy just to sit there and enjoy each other’s company.

It was hard for her to believe that any of this was even possible, yet here she was; surrounded by ponies, in a town built by ponies. The thought of all these ponies acting just like humans acted was giving her a headache. But when she closed her eyes, all the voices and sounds of the small marketplace that they were passing through melded into an almost rhythmic white background noise that was comforting to listen to. 

 The hustle and bustle in the middle of town faded away after only a block or two, which Chloe was very grateful for, and they seemed to be near the edge of the town. The dirt road they had been traveling narrowed as they left town and approached a stream of water spanned by a wooden bridge. Beyond this bridge there were very few buildings to be seen. The ones few that she could see were off in the far distance and looked to be barns and farmhouses, surrounded by miles of farmland. 

Now that they were out of town, Chloe’s anxiety had subsided considerably, and she could really start to appreciate the scenery as they walked. The melody of the birds, the soft wind in her mane and fur, the brilliant white, puffy could that lazily drifted overhead, and the warm sun on her back. It was all a very pleasant and peaceful experience. The colors were the only thing that threw it off, but that was just a minor annoyance in the grand scheme of it all.

The countryside was idyllic and she could get lost in its beauty and serenity for hours on end if it weren’t for the reciprocating motion she was being subjected to. Riding on this mare’s back was starting to agitate her chest. Besides she had been all cooped up inside a clinic for a few days with little chance to move around. Now she just wanted to stretch her new legs for a while.

“I want down,” she stated, poking a hoof into the back of the larger pony’s neck.

Granita stopped, wondering what the filly wanted. As soon as she did, Chloe jumped down. She quickly put a hoof on the filly’s back, worried that she would try to run off. 

“Where do ya think you’re goin’?” she questioned, giving a skeptical look as Chloe stared back up at her.

Chloe wasn’t exactly sure how to interpret the hoof on her back but figured it meant the mare didn’t want her taking off and was confused about what she was doing. God, this would be so much easier if I could simple talk with them. Chloe let out a snort. Ha! Talking to ponies, that still sounds so ridiculous… She stretched out, front legs pushed out all the way forward, bringing her chest low to the ground, getting her spine to pop in a few places. Mmm, now I get why cats do that all the time.

“Well, let’s get going to wherever it is we are going,” she spoke after the brief stretch while moving to the side to get the hoof off her back. She looked over to the mare and saw that she was still looking at her, so she just pointed forward and was about to start walking when, that caught her eye and she fell back on her haunches, bursting out in laughter.

Granita was a bit taken aback by the filly’s sudden outburst of laughter. “What in tarnation are you laughing at?” She looked over to where the filly was starting at but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. 
Chloe’s laughter calmed down to a giggle as she wiped her eyes with a hoof, composing herself before getting back to her hooves. Oh my god, I can't believe she has a tattoo of a pie, a freaking pie, on her ass! That is the more hilarious thing I have seen a long time. A few more chuckles escaped her before she motioned forward again. “Come on, Pie Butt.” She couldn’t help but giggle again as she started walking. She was in much better spirits after having a good laugh and  finally being able to stretch out her legs after all that bed rest.

Granita had no idea what was so funny to the filly or why she wanted off her back, but figured as long as she stayed by her, it was fine to let her walk for a while. Keeping a close eye on the foal to make sure she didn’t wander off, Granita found it strange how the grey Earth pony walked. She couldn't quite put her hoof on it, but there was definitely off about it. She shrugged it off as they continued down the path, side by side, to her home.

A short while later, the pair crested a small hill as their destination came into view. 

“Well, there it is, sugar,” she said, stopping to gesture at the land before them. “Home sweet home.”

Chloe looked over to the mare, who seemed to have a smirk on her face, and then to where she was pointing. There were two larger buildings in the distance with several smaller structures and various tools and farm equipment scattered about.

The house, barn, and accompanying barnyard had a white fence surrounding them, with the road they were traveling on coming to an abrupt end at the entrance to the farm. A single wooden sign, a cutout of a large apple in the middle, hung from the archway above the entrance. And all this was surrounded by what had to be acres and acres of gently rolling hills filled with farmland growing various crops and orchards of apple trees. 

Way off into the distance directly in front of them, Chloe could see several majestic, snow-capped mountains that dominated the skyline and off to their right was a large expanse of uninviting dense forest that looked like it went on forever. To the left was wide expanse of fields as far as the eye could see with even more large mountains in the distance.

“Is this where you live? And am I going to be staying with you?” Chloe pointed a hoof to the buildings in the distance. This has to be where we are going to be staying and it figures that it would be a farm. I don’t want to live on a farm again; all those chores, all the smells, all the...dirt. Ugh. She sighed. At least it’s better than not having a place to stay at all. Speaking of farms, I wonder how Mom and Dad are holding up. Do they even know I’m gone yet? I really miss them. And Gennie, I hope that wherever she is, she is alright. Man, I could really use her company right now…

Granita chuckled and nudged the sad filly. “Aww, cheer up. Farm life ain’t so bad.” She ruffled the filly’s mane, pushing her gently to get her moving again. There was still a lot of chores she had to get done and it was almost mid-morning already. She started to walk towards the farm, taking a second to look back at the filly who was still just standing there looking over everything in front of her. Granita motioned with her hoof to follow as she started walking again.

Chloe turned her attention back to the mare and trotted up to her side, keeping pace with her as they walked. She glanced at the pony’s flank again and couldn’t help but let out a quick snort of laughter as she shook her head. Pie Butt...damn these ponies are crazy.

Granita had no idea what had turned the filly’s mood from sour to sweet, but was glad that the little one’s spirits had lifted. She knew this situation had to be difficult for the foal. To be separated from her friends, her family, and her life. That would weigh heavily on anypony’s heart and mind. All she could do was make sure that the filly was well taken care of until her parents could be located again.

They had just passed the opening in the fence to the barnyard and Granita was eager to introduce the strange new filly to her parents. She knew her mother couldn’t wait to meet her, but her father on the other hoof; well he wasn't happy about having another mouth to feed but Granita knew he wouldn’t give the filly any trouble as long as she could follow the rules of his house.

That brought another thought to her mind. Speaking of rules, I really need to think of a way to teach her how read or write or something while she is here. Gestures and body language can only go so far and Pa was a stickler for rules around his house. Whether you be guest or family, if you didn’t follow the rules, it was out to the fields with you.

Chloe had been too busy taking in the new surroundings of the barnyard to realize that they had already made it to the front door of the house. It was a smaller, wooden home; just a single story, and with a few windows here and there. It was a natural brown color as there was no paint on it like the houses in town had, but it still looked fairly new in construction. It seemed everything thing around here was just built. The light-green pony had pushed the door open with a hoof, yelling out something as she beckoned her to come inside. 

The outside of the house kind of reminded Chloe of a scene in a horror movie the more she thought about it. The ones where a seemingly nice person helps out a hot blonde woman in distress. They are lulled into a false sense of security, only to be lead to a farmhouse way outside of town and tortured for days until they were either rescued or were killed, never to be heard from again.

She hesitated, not knowing what awaited her on the inside of this now eerie looking house. The mare had taken care of her so far and she had no reason to think ill of her. Chloe gulped. Just like in the movie plots… Get ahold of yourself. It’s not like she is going to kill me or anything like that…that just happens in the movies, right? She shook her head, steeling her nerves before following the mare inside...only to be instantly assaulted by an older looking mare. She had been swept off her hooves, pressed tightly into the mare’s chest. She was being held so tight that she could barely breathe. 

“Help me!” she gasped, trying to push away from the mare that was assaulting her.

“Ma! You’re scaring her!”

“Oh, but she is so cute!”

“Help!” she croaked out with the last remaining bit of air in her lungs. Fuck, it’s gonna kill me!

“Yes she is, Ma, but look at her, she’s so scared, she’s shaking!”

Chloe felt herself being released from the older mare’s chest, and as soon as her hooves were back on the floor, she bolted behind Granita, trying her best to hide herself. She was going to run out the door, but it had been closed already and the mare’s tail was the next best thing.

 Her heart felt like it was going to pound out of her chest as she peeked her head around the mare’s tail, making sure she wasn’t going to be grabbed again by miss ‘Pony Crusher’ over there.

Granita stepped to the side, pushing the cowering filly forward and holding her next to her side, trying to comfort her. “There is no need to be afraid. This is just my Ma, she is just excited to meet ya is all.”

Chloe really didn’t feel comfortable being pushed closer to the older mare again and moved in between Granita’s front legs, never taking her eyes off of her, just in case.

“I’m sorry, dearie.” Her ears were now laying flat against her head as she laid down on the floor, getting eye level with the filly. “I didn’t mean to frighten ya. Ya don’t have to hide from me.”

“She can’t understand ya, Ma.”

The older mare looked up to her daughter. “What ya mean she can’t understand?”

“This filly here don’t speak Equestrian.”

She stood back up. “How can she not understand Equestrian? I know ya said she was injured and such, but did she get hit in the noggin or something?”

“Nope, Doc says her head is just fine. She just comes from someplace where they don’t speak Equestrian I guess.”

“Oh… But y’all have no idea where from?”

Granita shook her head. “Nope, not a clue. Even Doc has no idea what language she is speakin’”

“Oh my, does she at least have a name?”

“I, umm...” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I dunno what to call her.”

“What?” the older mare asked in shock. “The poor dear needs a name.” She thought about it for a moment, tapping her chin with a hoof.  “And I think I have the perfect one for her too!”

> 12. Start of a new life.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A loud whistle reverberated throughout the room. Chloe’s ears twitched and flattened against her head as she and the other two mares looked towards the source of the disturbance. From her position between the light-green mare’s front legs, she could see a cast iron stove on the left wall. A large, black teapot was resting on one of the burners as steam poured from the spout and flames danced around its bottom.

“Oh, looks my water is a’ callin’ me,” the light-yellow mare chuckled, trotting over to the stove and taking the pot off the burner. “We’re going to be a’ havin’ potato and carrot stew tonight, so don’t dawdle on yer work.” She gave her daughter a quick glance as she pulled something out of a nearby container and placed it in the boiling water.

Granita licked her lips as she set down her saddlebags by the front door. Potato and carrot stew was a godsend compared to what they had been eating. “That sounds great, Ma! Speakin’ of work, can the youngin’ stay inside with you so I can get my chores done?” she asked, pushing the filly out from between her legs.

“Now you done heard what your father said last night. She is your responsibility, and since you wanted her to be here so much, you are going to have ‘a look after her and get your chores done. Or did ya already done ferget what ya told Pa last night at supper?” She glanced down at the filly and then back to her daughter. “Now I would love to look over the darling, but what would your father say if he came in and saw me watchin’ over her?”

“He wouldn’t like it none, I reckon,” she replied, rubbing a fore leg.

“Darn tootin’ he wouldn’t.” She smiled warmly at Granita. “Don’t fret none. I’m sure she won’t be that much of a problem fer you to handle. Now you better skedaddle before Pa finds that you still haven’t started your chores yet.”

“But what about her name? You said you had just the name for her, didn’t ya?”

“The what now?” She paused for a second. “Oh! Her name. Yes, I’ll tell you and Pa at suppertime. Wouldn’t be fair if we were to leave him out now would it?”

“But, Ma-”

“Don’t ‘But, Ma’ me, I said I would tell the both of ya at supper, now git!” she scolded, waving a wooden spoon at Granita.

“Yes, Ma.” She nudged the still unnamed filly towards the door. “Come on, let’s get goin’ before we both get in trouble,” she said with a small sigh. 

Chloe stood in between the light-green mare’s front legs, and now that she was at least somewhat certain that she wasn’t going to be hugged to death, she could finally take a look around the small room. 

None of the walls were painted. Instead, they were simply bare wood, with the grain and texture fully visible. The ceiling was also bare, except for a lone lantern that had been hung from a rafter in the middle of the room. Below the lantern was a square wooden table accompanied by four matching wooden chairs, one on each side of the table. On the left wall was the aforementioned cast iron stove. It sat in the middle of the wall, with cabinets hanging to the right of it.. There was a small countertop with more cabinets and drawers underneath that ran to the back wall. To the left of the stove were a few shelves. Various foodstuffs and other miscellaneous items had been stacked on them in no discernible order. Under the shelves was was a pile of quartered logs, no doubt used to fuel the stove.

Why do they have wooden chairs shaped like, well, normal chairs? That doesn’t make any sense. She rolled her eyes and continued looking around. Because everything else here make sense, right?

To her right, there were two doorways. She couldn't really see where but from looking at the outside of the house, they couldn’t go very far. In between the doors was a small wooden table with an oil lamp and a few books on it. A picture displaying a couple of ponies hung directly above the table. One looked very similar to the older mare and the other was of a brown stallion with a black mane and tail that she didn’t recognize.

The far wall, from what she could tell, had a backdoor and a few various items lining the baseboards. There were a few pegs on the wall that were currently holding up some articles of clothing. This entire room was about the size of the living room of her one bedroom apartment. With all the stuff crammed in here, there was barely any room to move around without running into something or another.

After getting a good look at the room, she turned her attention to the strawberry maned mare that was messing with the stove. She cringed as the older mare picked up the teapot by the handle with her teeth and covered the open flame with a lid, snuffing it out. How in the world did she pick up that pot without burning herself?! That whole thing looks like it is cast iron with just a bit of wood on the handle and it didn’t look very pony-safe at all. One false move and the pot could swing towards her, burning her chin and neck.

Chloe was interrupted from her thoughts as a hoof nudged her forward, removing her from her hiding spot for some inexplicable reason. The light-yellow mare looked at her briefly before saying something to the younger mare. A few more sentences were exchanged between the two as the older one sounded like she was getting annoyed with the conversation. Chloe again found herself being nudged, but this time around it was towards the door as the light-green mare opened it, motioning for her to go back outside. I feel like a freakin’ pinball around these ponies! Always pushing or pulling or grabbing…it never ends! If only I wasn’t so damn small.

She let out an exasperated breath, glaring up to the mare in front of her before looking back to the strawberry-maned mare who was still busy cooking something or other. So what exactly was the point of coming here anyway? Was that older mare just a friend of hers? But why did we come here just to leave again? That makes no sense. We obviously didn’t come here to drop off or pick up anything. Did we come just so she could show me off to her friend or something? Chloe glared at the older mare one last time. Oh well, at least I won’t have to worry about being crushed to death by a certain overzealous mare. 

Chloe turned back to the other mare who was standing at the edge of the open door, patiently waiting for her to exit. She trotted through the door, stopping just outside, and inhaled deeply, taking in the all too familiar scent as a small smile crept across her face. This smell reminds me of... Her eyes scanned over the barnyard, bringing back childhood memories as one of the hens in the chicken coop make a loud cluck. ...home. She took a few more steps into the barnyard as the mare followed alongside her. Good old dirty, smelly home.

Granita led the filly around the side of the house and over to the oh-so-typical-colored red barn with white accents. She opened the barn door and ushered her tag-along inside. The barn has a typical layout; empty stalls lined one side while tools, hay bales, and several burlap sacks lined the other, separated into three compartments by walls that ran all the way to the ceiling. There was also a loft with a ladder going straight up from the ground floor to a square entrance. 

Chloe wondered just how a pony could possibly get up there with their anatomy, but it seemed she would have to wait for another day to find out as they walked past the ladder. The light-green mare grabbed a dingy looking saddlebag, placed it over her back, and walked over to the large pile of burlap sacks. Chloe followed the mare, curious as to what they were going to be doing. Now that she was closer, she could see little pictures printed on the sides of each sack. Most of them depicted different crops from what it looked like. There was the usual; corn, wheat, peas, lettuce, etc… but most of them had pictures of apple on them. And those were the ones that the mare was starting to load into her saddlebag with a metal scoop. 

I’m bored. I wish I had my phone or something. Chloe had been watching the mare load seeds into her bags for a few minutes now. Her eyes started to wander around the barn, looking for anything interesting. Oh, hey. What’s that?

Something metallic on one of the stalls shined in the sunlight, drawing the curious filly ever closer to it. But as she got closer, she noticed that it was just a plain old watering can. Disappointed that it was not something in the least bit interesting, she began to search around once more. From this vantage point she could see almost the entirety of the barn. Off in the corner was a single axle cart somewhat filled with hay bales. In front of the cart, closer to the wall, was a strange looking contraption that caught her eye. It had a large, metal wheel with a handle on it. There was a chute coming off its side that looked big enough to throw something large in it. All this was supported by a wooden frame and four thin legs. The wall behind had multitudes of tools hanging on it along with cans and other various things that were on a shelf above everything.

Chloe trotted over, wanting to get a better look at this strange machine that was blocked in by the cart. There was too much stuff on the sides on the cart to safely get around and the only way to get a better look was to go over the cart. There was just enough room for her to jump up into the back of the cart and walk over the hay bales. She positioned herself directly behind the cart, looking up at the edge of it. Her tail swishing back and forth while she contemplated if she should sate her curiosity or just let it be.

Granita had been busy putting scoop after scoop of apple seeds into her saddlebags and didn’t notice that the filly had wandered off. With her bags now filled to the brim, she turned to where the filly was just minutes ago. 

“Ya ready to- Hey, where did ya go?” She turned around and started looking for any sign of the missing filly.

Moments later, there was a loud crash followed by several smaller crashes and a distinct high-pitched yelp, all of which came from the corner of the barn. Granita cringed as her ears dropped. She rushed over to where the sound emanated from, hoping that the filly was alright despite whatever had just happened. Being so worried about the filly, she wasn’t paying attention to where she was going and the next thing she knew, her legs hit something that wasn't there a minute ago, causing her to lose her balance and tumble forward as she cried out in surprise. The ground came fast as her face slammed into it with a hard thud, and to add insult to injury, a good portion of the seeds she was carrying spilled out onto her head and the surrounding floor.

As Chloe rounded the corner, she collided into the mare’s front legs, sending both of them to the ground. The impact sent Chloe tumbling to the side, landing with on the ground with an ‘oomph’. She groaned, slowly pulling herself into a sitting position as she rubbed the sore spot her head, and the back half of her coat felt like it was covered in something heavy, warm, and very tacky, causing her flank to stick to the ground. She was about to check out what it was but caught sight of the mare who was just getting off the ground. She cringed as she watched the seeds fall from the mare’s head. Chloe could tell that she wasn’t very pleased with her at this moment.

“I-I didn’t mean too! I only wanted to look at something over there,” she sputtered out. Her ears drooped down the side of her face as she pointed to where she came from while doing her best to avoid eye contact. “I jumped on the cart and ended up knocking something into the wall and then...then everything just sorta fell.” She glanced up to the mare who looked like she was about ready to explode. “I-I’m s-sorry…”

Granita let out a frustrated snort as she eyeballed the filly. She wanted to be angry; she wanted to just yell at her for not staying put. But it was really hard to stay mad after seeing the sorry state the she was in. She had to actually stifle some laughter for a moment as she took the saddlebags off, shaking the remainder of the seeds from her body before heading over to the previously grey foal.

“Are you alright there, sugarcube? You’re not hurt or anything, are ya?” she asked with a worried expression while running a hoof over the filly’s forehead, moving her mane out of the way so she could check the spot where the filly was rubbing.

Chloe glanced up and saw a genuinely concerned look on the mare’s face as she checked out the red spot on her forehead. “I’m alright,” Chloe mumbled, pushing the mare’s hoof away. The sticky feeling that was covering a good portion of her body was getting to her, and she looked back at her flank.

Her jaw dropped seeing that her back half has covered in paint. The white and red had mixed together forming many different shades of pink along with dirt and hay sticking to it. “My-my fur!” she gasped, hastily getting to her hooves. Oh my god! I’m covered in paint and hay and dirt! She started turning around in circles trying to get a better look at her own rear until she got dizzy and had to sit back down. Holy crap! I didn’t think I had gotten this much paint on me...it’s everywhere!

Granita couldn’t hold her laughter in anymore. It was obvious that the filly wasn’t hurt too badly after noticing the way the she reacted to seeing herself covered in paint. Now that she was fairly certain the filly was alright, she went to go check on the damage to the barn. But not before making sure the filly wouldn’t go anywhere again. She didn’t want her to wander off and cause any more trouble.

Granita stopped laughing and put her serious face back on, clearing her throat. “You,” she said in a firm tone, pointing to the filly, “stay right here and don’t move a muscle.” She pointed to the ground. “Understand?”

Chloe got the gist of what the mare meant and nodded, lying down on the ground. Yeah, she’s pissed at me alright. Ugh...I’m pissed at me. I can’t believe I basically tarred and feathered myself. This is going to suck to get out. If it will come out...

“Good.” She trotted over to look at the mess the filly had caused. She stopped as she turned the corner. All the color drained from her face as she surveyed the carnage. Everything was awash in a sea of red and white, turning the ground and the tools pink where the colors overlapped. She could see several buckets of paint scattered on the floor that were leftover from when they painted the barn just months ago. The corn shucker had somehow been knocked over and was now laying broken in several pieces on the floor. Quite a few of the tools that had been hanging where now strewn across the floor, also covered in a lovely mixture of paint. Her mouth hung open; there were no words that she could say. This was going to take her quite a while to clean up, and she was going to have to do something with this filly. It was clear she would have to watch her every second just to make sure she didn’t get into anymore trouble.

Granita took a few calming breaths and thought about the situation in front of her...and behind her. The former, she could deal with later, but the latter was a problem that she had to take care of before it got worse. Thankfully when she returned, the filly was still in the same spot on the floor and gave her a quick glance before averting her eyes again. 
 
“Alright, let’s go git you cleaned up before this stuff here up and dries,” Granita stated, pointed to barn door and giving the filly a nudge with a hoof.

Chloe sighed, carefully getting to her hooves as the drying paint tugged painfully on her fur. She kept her head low as she started slowly walking to the barn door, the solidifying paint on her coat wasn’t making it any easy to walk. She cringed as she sulked past the mess that she had accidentally created. Chloe could completely understand why the mare was upset at her. If some kid had come in her barn back home and done what she just did, she wouldn’t be handling the situation as calmly as this mare is. And that is what scared her the most.

Granita kept a close eye on the foal as they walked side by side. As they reached the barn door, she put a hoof out in front of the filly, stopping her as Chloe gave the mare a confused look.

“You.” She pointed a hoof at the foal again and then to the ground. “Stay.”

Chloe groaned and fell back to her haunches. She’s going to treat me like a criminal now, I just know it. She deadpanned at the mare, giving her a quick salute.

Granita just shook her head. She walked a few feet over and grabbed a brush and a large bucket that was next to the wall. Upon returning to the awaiting filly, she motioned her to follow. They made their way out of the barn and over to the side of the house where there was an opening in the fence that led into an orchard. Chloe wondered where the mare was taking her as she was guided through the field of young apple trees. With the orchard behind them, the pair reached a small opening of grass. Chloe could see a small stream up ahead whose banks were dotted with regular ol’ trees. Granita motioned for her to stop as they reached the edge of the stream that snaked its way throughout the farm.

Chloe glanced at the bucket with brush in it and then to the stream. “Oh no.” She started to back up. “There is no way I’m going to take a bath in a stream.”

“It’s just a bit of water. It ain’t gonna hurt ya,” Granita said, setting down the brush and filling the bucket up with water. “Let’s just get this over with so I can get to work.”

“You seriously want to give me a bath...with water from a stream?” she hesitantly questioned, looking at the mare in disbelief while backing up even more.

“I don’t have time to be playing games.” She glared. “Now get over here.” She pointed at a stop right next to her.

“No way.” Chloe shook her head, turned around, and started walking back to the house. She didn’t get but two steps before she was hastily lifted off her hooves. “Hey! Let me go you stupid horse!” she shouted as she struggled to get free. The much stronger mare easily kept hold of her, setting her down unceremoniously into the stream. “Ahhh! It’s cold! Let me go!” She splashed around in the water, hooves trying to find purchase on the slippery rocks as the mare just held her there until she stopped flailing about.

Granita didn’t want to be forceful with her, but the filly left her little choice in the matter. She needed to be cleaned of the paint before it dried. Otherwise, they would have to shave her fur off to get it out. After several minutes of the filly thrashing about in the water, Granita was wet from head to hoof but it seemed that the filly had finally either calmed down or just ran out of steam. Either way, all that moving around had at least gotten some of the paint removed.

“Stay,” she ordered as she loosened her grip. Granita kept her hooves around the filly, waiting to see if her command would be adhered to.

By this time Chloe was already soaked to the bone, and her legs were tired from straining against the mare. She sat there shivering, chest deep in the cold water, as she watched the clear water turn a light shade of pink. Now she just wanted to get this over with as quick as possible and warm back up. In a matter of moments, she felt a brush on her back, attacking the more stubborn of the paint that clung to her fur. The brush would start at the top of her back and work its way down until it made it to the base of her tail or got caught, sometimes very painfully, in the thick layer of paint. Then it would return to the top of her back, starting the process all over again.

Chloe had figured she had been getting cleaned up for at least thirty minutes when the brushing finally stopped. She felt the mare’s hooves wrap around her midsection, pulling her out of the stream, and setting her on the bank with just her tail left in the water. Thank god she let me out. That water is fucking cold!

On instinct she stood up and shook her body back and forth, throwing the cold water in every direction off of her fur, causing the mare to turn her head away. Chloe was about to start walking over to a particularly inviting looking sunny spot just beyond the bank of the tree-lined stream when she felt a hoof on her back, gently pushing her back to the ground. 

“I know it doesn’t feel good and you’re cold, but you still got a bunch on your tail that we need to get off,” Granita said in a motherly tone. She kept her hoof on the filly’s back as she started to work on getting the paint out of her tail. “You know, if ya hadn’t been messing around back there, we wouldn’t be doing this right now, and I could be out in the fields getting my actual work done.” She sighed. Pa wasn’t going to be happy about the barn or the fact that she wasn’t going to get much done today. She would just have to deal with that later on.

Chloe laid there on the ground, still shivering as the mare constantly brushed the paint out of her tail. She wanted nothing more than to just be warm again and the sunny spot, just a few feet away, was calling her name. The only problem was that every time she moved a muscle, even the slightest bit, the mare would put more pressure onto her back, holding her in place. Yeah, she is treating me like a criminal now… I know this was entirely all my fault, but did she have to use freezing cold stream to wash me off with? She sighed, closing her eyes and relaxing her muscles as the mare continued cleaning her tail off. Maybe this is her way of getting some payback. Besides, it’s not like the brushing feels terrible or anything like that. It actually feels quite nice. Well, except when the brush gets stuck and a she rips a few strands of hair out. 

It took Granita about half the time to finish up the filly’s tail as it did her coat. It wasn’t as bad since it had been soaking the entire time and the paint came out much easier. “There, all done.” She noticed that the little one was still shivering and picked her up into a hug.

What the- Chloe was about to push away from the mare, having no desire to be hugged by a horse, especially one that had just practically froze her to death, but stopped. Ohhh, she’s really warm...and soft. She wrapped her fore legs around the mare, pressing her chest and face into her chest, as the warmth permeated through her coat and into her skin. This isn’t really as bad as I thought it would be. Still, getting washed and then hugged by a horse? She shuddered at the thought. Well, at least I’m not freezing anymore...
	
	

> 13. What's in a name?
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	After Granita finished giving the filly a good scrub and a comforting hug, she gathered up her bucket and brush and gently nudged the foal back in the direction of the farmhouse, indicating that it was time to go. As they headed back through the apple orchard, the only sound that could be heard was the rhythmic clip-clop of their hooves and the occasional gust of wind that rustled the leaves above them. The pair trotted silently, side by side, neither having anything to say to the other—not that it would have mattered anyhow.

Granita had been pondering just how she was going to keep an eye on the filly while also getting her chores done before suppertime came around. Not to mention the catastrophe in the barn that she would have to clean up and explain to Pa. He wasn’t going to be too happy that a good portion of his new tools were now painted in various shades of pink. 

A barely audible sigh left Granita’s mouth. She wondered if her mother’s earlier remark about how watching a filly would be ‘no trouble at all’ was just a joke at her expense. Seeing how it had only been two hours since she had started watching her. In that short time, the grey filly had already proven to be more of a hoofful than Granita could have ever imagined.

Chloe was trying to keep up with the longer legged mare as she seemed to be walking at a faster pace than before. During this time, she had been thinking as well. That was a really stupid thing for me to do. Why couldn’t I have just sat there and waited patiently while she did her thing? It was only like what, ten minutes if that? She started falling behind the mare and had to pick up her pace to get back next to her. A small headache started to manifest in the back of her head as they walked. I have never had problems with my attention span before, so why now? Am I suddenly developing a pony version of ADD, or am I just starting to lose my mind? She let out a slow breath and momentarily closed her eyes. All this thinking seemed to make her headache worse. Well, on the bright side, at least that bath got rid of the dried sweat in my coat. She made a disgusted face. I hope I don’t ever wake up like that again… Stupid blanket burrito, stupid killer moth. She stopped for a moment to rub her head. Ugh, stupid headaches…everything here is just plain stupid!

After a few more minutes of walking in silence, with Granita looking over her shoulder every few seconds to make sure the filly was still there, they had entered the barn again. Chloe followed the mare as they made her way over past the giant mess, hanging her head a bit lower as she glanced at the mess she made. I didn’t really think too much about it before, but this is why we must have come out here. She’s a farmer. This is where she works. That’s gotta be it. And if this is her work, I bet I just really messed up her day… 

She picked up her pace as the mare went towards the burlap sacks. I hope I didn’t get her in too much trouble with her boss. That old mare has a strong grip, I would hate to see her when she is angry. Chloe stopped as the light-green mare grabbed a sack from the top of the pile with a picture of an apple on it, setting it down on the floor. I’ll just have to try and make it up to her somehow. Maybe if I show her I won’t wander off anymore, she won’t be so nervous about me getting into trouble.

Chloe lay down as the mare started turning to face her.

“Now you stay—” Granita stopped. Her hoof was already pointing towards the ground by the time she noticed that the filly was already laying on the ground to her side. Chloe was looking up to her with a small, apologetic smile. “Good girl.” She smiled, patting the filly’s head before turning back to the sack of seeds.

“Yeah, knew that was coming,” Chloe muttered under her breath. She returned the smile and watched as the mare filled her saddlebags for the second time today. Chloe noticed that the mare was still glancing at her every now and then. But then again, she figured she would be doing the same thing if she were in the mares shoes, or hooves, as it were.

The minutes slowly ticked by as Chloe waited, patiently this time, for the mare to finish. She was contemplating just going to sleep to let her headache run itself out, but that idea was squashed when the mare set down the scoop.

“Alrighty. Let’s get a move on,” she spoke with a smile, nodding in the direction of the barn door.

“You finally ready, huh?” Chloe got to her hooves, gave a quick stretch. “Well, at least my headache isn’t as bad as before,” she mumbled, turning towards the exit. 

Chloe followed the mare out of the barn and into the sunlight. She noticed that her coat was completely dry now, although most of her flank and tail were still an off shade of pink. “Bleh!” She stuck her tongue out, wrinkling her face. “I look horrible!”

Granita chuckled, watching the filly make a face at her dyed coat. “It won’t be like that for long, sugar. A few more baths and you won’t even notice. But come on, I got work to be gettin’ to.” She motioned for her to follow. 

Celestia’s sun was steadily climbing higher in the sky and with it, the chill of the morning was replaced by its warm rays. Granita and her little accomplice had made their way out into the field that she had been tending to yesterday. She stopped in the middle of the field where the evenly spaced mounds of dirt stopped and began to dig the dirt up with her hoof..

Chloe surveyed the field in front of her. There were small, evenly spaced humps in the dirt, all arranged neatly in long rows about five hundred feet wide. She turned around and looked behind her. The field went on for a considerable distance. It was hard to tell exactly how far, but it had to be at least a half a mile long. That meant that there was still a good portion of this field to complete and the mare was doing it by herself. And by hoof at that! Chloe watched as the mare’s hoof dug into the soft, pulling back a good size chunk of fertile looking dirt with it before depositing a few seeds from her saddlebag into the hole, covering it back up and moving down a bit to start all over again.

“You’re going to do the whole field like this by yourself?” Chloe asked, raising an eyebrow.

“I’m planting apple seeds. Gotta get this field done soon so I can get a’ going on the next one,” she replied, pushing a pile of dirt over the hoofful of seeds she had just placed. “We’ve been plantin’ a new field every month so we can have fresh apples almost year round.” She moved over to the next spot as the filly followed and dug a new hole. “Here, you wanna try plantin’ some? It’s real easy like.” She grabbed a hoofful of seeds, holding them out to the filly.

“What, you want me to plant them?” Chloe asked, taking the seeds. She looked at the seeds and then back to the waiting mare.

“Well, go on. Just drop’em in the hole in the ground,” she explained, pointing to the freshly excavated dirt.

“Alright.” Chloe put the seeds into the hole. “Easy enough.” She shrugged. Not exactly how I thought I would be spending my day, but it beats just standing around watching her work. Besides, I need to make it up to her anyways.

“Very good!” Granita smiled, covering up the seeds and moving to the next spot. “You’re a quick learner.”

Chloe followed her and stopped the mare’s hoof when she was about to dig with her own. “Wait, I’ll start digging some. It could save us some time.”

“What in tarnation are ya doin’?” She watched as the filly started digging in the ground with both front hooves, pulling out a good portion of dirt. It wasn’t as much as she could do with one hoof, but it made her smile anyways. “So, ya like to dig, huh?”

Chloe grunted, pulling out a second pile of dirt but making sure to keep it out of her clean coat. Getting her hooves dirty didn’t seem like such a big deal, but she just had a bath and didn’t want to have to go through that twice in one day. The hole was now deep enough for proper planting. “Here, I’ll keep digging. You plant and cover them back up,” she said, pointing to the mare then to the hole.

Granita stared at the filly for a second before snapping out of it and planting the seeds in the ground. While she did that, Chloe moved over to the next spot, which caused Granita to worry for a second, thinking that she was going to run off. She smirked when the filly started digging the next hole. And it was right where it should be too, directly in line with the other holes.

“We’ll I’ll be.” She looked at the hole the filly had dug. “I have never seen a filly as young as you pick this up that quick. And I didn’t even have to explain it to ya.” She chuckled. “Doc was right, you are a smart one. Well, when ya want to be anyways.”

Chloe smiled back as she watched the mare plant the seeds and fill in the hole she just dug. “See, I told you this would be faster! And I won’t be bored out of my mind just watching you work. Everyone wins!” She proudly beamed before starting to dig a new hole.

The sun was now slightly past its zenith and the deceptively cool morning had turned into a blistering hot afternoon. Chloe’s pace had slowed almost to a crawl in the span of just a few minutes. She held her tongue out of her mouth and was heavily panting as rivulets of sweat ran down her already soaked face. Wondering just where her seemingly boundless energy had gone as she rubbed her face free of sweat with a clean spot on her fore leg, she glanced over to the light-green mare. The mare seemed to be having no trouble at all, sure her sweat-soaked coat glistened in the sunlight but other than that, she kept right on going as if the heat didn’t bother her one bit.

Chloe trudged over to the next spot and slowly dug out yet another hole for the umpteenth time that day. But halfway through the first scoop, her front legs gave out and she collapsed on the soft dirt with an ‘oomph’. She tried to get back up, but her limbs felt like jello, and an emerging pain in her chest was causing her to take short shallow breaths. There was an unexpected shadow over her head as she glanced up to see the mare standing above her, looking rather concerned.

“Hey, you okay? Ya feelin’ alright?” Granita soothing spoke as she ran a hoof over the exhausted filly’s head.

Chloe attempted to take a few deeper breaths, but the pain was still there each time she inhaled. She rolled onto her side, not caring anymore about getting her coat dirty. “I can't move,” she said in a shaky voice. “And it hurts to breathe.” She held a hoof to her chest and winched when it made contact. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as it did a few days ago, but the pain was definitely coming back, and she was worried that she might have overexerted and re-injured herself.

Granita gave the filly a worried look as she looked her over; she was showing signs of heat stroke. The foal had been going almost non-stop since they started, and the heat was growing very intense at this point. Granita sighed. She knew she couldn't keep her outside in the hot mid-day sun. If she did, the effects of heat stroke would worsen and possible put her right back in the clinic. But if she took the filly back to the house, it would prove to her parents that she couldn’t watch over her.  

“Well, there’s no way around it. You’re going back inside with Ma before you get any worse.” She laid down and nuzzled the filly. “Get on,” she said, glancing to her back. She waited for a moment as the foal tried to get up. It wasn’t until her second attempt that she realized she could no longer move on her own.

It was an awkward feeling to say the least. Being lifted up by the back of your neck the way a cat would pick up its young, that is. At first, Chloe thought it was going to hurt. The mare had been surprisingly gentle with her teeth and with some careful maneuvering, was able to safely set her down in between the saddlebags. She hung on the best she could as they headed back to the barnyard. As the mare trotted along, the urge to sleep was tugging strongly at Chloe's mind. She fought it off for most of the trip, but it was getting to be too much for her to keep fighting. She gave out a stifled yawn and shut her weary eyes.




<><><><><>



Chloe awoke to the sound of several nearby voices, one of which she recognized as the light-green mare’s voice. Of the other two voices, one sounded like a female and a little familiar. The last voice, she couldn’t place it at all. It was much deeper and gruff. She let out a yawn and sat up. Her muscles felt much better and the pain in her chest was now just a dull throb with each breath. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked around the unfamiliar room. The setting sun was flooding in through the open window, basking the entire room in a magenta hue. The small bedroom looked like it was part of the farmhouse, which would make sense.

Wow, I must have really been tired. I slept for quite a while and what a strange dream. I think I was in a washing machine or a tub, or something. Everything was wet. She rolled over and slid off the bed. Her hooves made a sharp clopping sound as they impacted the wood floor. Chloe was going to head out the door and see what was going on, but the voices outside the room came to an abrupt halt which caused her to stop in her tracks. 

A set of hooves could be heard heading her way. Chloe debated whether she should jump back into bed or not. She didn’t want to get into trouble like she did back at the clinic. Before she could decide, the light-green mare appeared in the doorway. Chloe’s ears fell flat as she sat back on her haunches while looking up at the approaching mare, almost expecting to get scolded for being out of bed. The expression that the mare was wearing was not one of anger or annoyance, but a gentle one of concern.

Granita smiled and sat down in front of the filly. “Ya feeling better now?” She asked, moving fallen strand of mane from the filly's face. She waited a moment for her to respond or do something but only received a blank stare in return. “Well, come on, dinner is ready and on the table. Plus I want you to finally meet Pa,” she cheerfully stated. “And don’t worry he’s not that upset about his tools.” She winked, nudging her to her hooves, making sure she could walk again before heading out of the room.

Chloe followed her into the other room, and as she had guessed, she was indeed back in the farmhouse. There was the older mare sitting at the table and a new face as well. This new pony was also older looking, like the mare, but was a burly stallion that looked like he had worked hard most of his life. His mane was dark, almost black—it was very close to the same color as hers. His coat was close to auburn in color but with more brown than red in it. He reminded Chloe of her father in a strange kind of way.

He took a gander at the filly as she followed his daughter out of her bedroom. “So this here is the little troublemaker that was messing with my stuff,” he gruffly stated, setting down his spoon and getting up. Chloe didn’t like the expression on his face as he stared at her while walking over, he didn’t look happy at all. She began to hide under the mare but was blocked by her hoof. She looked up to her and just received a smile back. Chloe turned her attention back to the very large stallion that was now towering over her. She wasn’t sure what was going to happen next.

“Pa, I would like you to meet Melody.”

> 14. Over the river and through the woods.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It was deathly quiet, save for the faint creaking of metal rubbing against metal, as Granita and her mother waited for Pa to speak. The only source of light in the room, a lantern that had been hung directly above the table, swayed lazily back and forth from an unseen draft of air. Its pale, yellow light casted ominous dancing shadows in every nook and cranny of the dimly lit farmhouse.

Melody momentarily closed her eyes, shivering as a breeze ran through her coat, sending a crawling sensation down her neck, all the way to the base of her tail. She glanced back up to the large stallion that towered over her small frame. It was hard to see his facial features with the dancing light behind him, causing his shadow to cast over her body, like a mountain blocking the sunlight to a nearby valley. She was about to speak up, just to break the tormenting silence, but the large wall of a pony grunted, causing her to quickly close her mouth. 

“You say she worked fer a few hours, huh?” He eyed the filly, glancing back up to Granita for just a split second. “Spacing out an’ makin’ the holes deep enough, the ways they needs ta be?” he asked a bit skeptically, not taking his inquiring eyes off the grey and pink Earth filly that Ma had, for some reason, named Melody. Why she had named her that, he still didn't understand. 

“That’s right!” Granita beamed, mussing up Melody’s mane with a hoof for which the filly didn’t seem too pleased about. “She caught sight of what I was doin’ an’ picked right up on it. I was a mite worried when she ran away from me all of a sudden, but she stopped and starting diggin’ with both her hooves just the right distance away, like she knew exactly what she were doing.”

“Well, I reckon that wheres ever she’s from, she has a strong Earth pony bloodline running through them veins of hers.” He smiled a bit. “She even has the same rambunctious nature you had when you was a youngin’.” He moved his head down to eye level with the foal and smiled at her. Melody tried backing away from the monstrous head that was now taking up her entire field of vision but had nowhere to go except into Granita’s firmly planted legs.  

As he got a better look at her in the low light, Melody looked up to Granita and then back to him. Without warning, she booped him in the nose with her small hoof, hoping that he would get the point. Pa was caught off guard as he wrinkled his nose while pulling his head back. Blinking a few times, he looked down at the filly and let out a hearty laugh. 

“Yup. Just like you was, always getting into stuff and causing a ruckus,” he said with a chuckle, looking back over to Granita who was holding back a snicker of her own. Rubbing his nose, he thought back to his younger days when his daughter was just a foal herself as he turned to his wife with a grin. “Ain’t that right, dear?”

“Mmhmm,” Ma flatly hummed out before taking another sip of her tea. “You two should quit your yappin’ and come eat. Supper is gettin’ cold. Besides, I haven’t seen Melody have a bite to eat all day.” She looked over to Granita. “What did ya give her fer lunch?”

“I, uh, well…” Granita ears laid backwards, flat on her head, as she glanced between the filly, her father, and her inquisitive mother. She had been so worked up with trying to get caught back up on her missed work that she had skipped lunch entirely. That also meant that she had made Melody skip lunch as well. The little filly never complained though, so the thought had completely slipped her mind. “She had breakfast at the clinic this mornin’...”

“This morning?! Granita! She’s just a foal. Foals needs ta eat at least three times a day,” her mother scolded, raising an eyebrow to her daughter. “Why didn’t ya get her something when ya had lunch?” She waited a moment for an answer, but Granita just turned her head to glance at the floor. “You did have lunch, didn’t ya?” The older mare just shook her head and sighed knowing full well that her daughter had skipped lunch, again. “You know what we told ya about skippin’ meals. No more of that, ya hear?”

Granita opened her mouth to rebuttal but was swiftly cut off by her father who was staring disapprovingly at her. “Yer Ma is right. Ya cain’t just be skippin’ meals like that. It ain’t good fer ya. Especially true fer a foal,” he said in a stern tone, glancing to Melody who was looking in between the two of them with a confused look on her face. “Ah know we don’t have much ta eat, but ya know ya can always take an apple’er two to eat from the trees. We don’t want ya ta be all skin n bones.”

“I... I know. I'm sorry.” She glanced shamefully between her two parents. Both of them wore a slight look of disappointment on their faces. “I was just tryin’ to get caught up on my work an’—”

“No excuses, missy. Yer Ma an’ I expect more from ya than that. Especially since ya have a youngin’ ta look after.”

“Ye-yes, Pa.”

“Now come on an’ eat. You three’s supper is gettin’ cold.”

Granita half-heatedly nodded to her mother, ushering the confused and nervous filly below her over to the table. She helped Melody up to the empty seat between her and Pa, scooting her up to the table so she could reach her bowl of soup.

Chloe sat on her haunches in the chair, resting her front hooves on the table for support. It was kind of odd to be sitting like this, but with how small she was, it was the only way to reach the tabletop and not lose her balance. She glanced in between the three ponies who had already resumed their supper. The stallion and the younger mare didn’t notice her when she stole a glance at them, but the older mare warmly smiled back at her and took a sip of her drink. Chloe quickly looked away until the older mare said something to her and pointed to the wooden bowl filled with, what looked to be, cut up potatoes and carrots in a dark, heavy broth.

When Ma spoke up, Granita smiled at Melody and nudged the spoon towards her. She picked up her own, taking another bite of her soup while rubbing her belly and making an ‘mmm’ sound as she looked over to Melody, smiling as the filly picked up the spoon. “Ma, remember, she cain’t understand ya. Ya have to show her what to do.”

“Ya even have to show her how ta eat? Every foal, no matter wheres they from knows how to eat. Why when you and your siblings was little, I couldn’t keep your little hooves outta the cupboards,” Ma said with a little laugh. “Ya know, I believe she is just a mite bit scared right now, is all. She won’t stop lookin’ at us when we ain’t lookin’ at her.” To prove her point, Ma smiled across the table at Melody who had been watching her talk. True to her words, Melody quickly averted her eyes back to the soup in front of her. “Wha’d I tells ya? I think she is just scared right now. And I think I might know why too,” she said, glaring over at Pa who stopped mid bite.

“Wha’ ah do?” he asked with a mouth half full of food, turning his head towards his wife.

“Ya done probably scared her with that big ol’ face of yers. It’s as big as she is, an’ ya went stickin’ it right in hers, ya idjit.” 

“What about when ya scared her half to death earlier, Ma?” Granita chimed in, giving her father a quick smile and a bit of help.

“What ya mean? I never scared her,” she shot back defensively.

“Did you see the look in her eyes when you suddenly picked her up…”

Chloe looked back and forth between the increasing loud ponies. She was almost sure by the way their tone was that they were arguing about something. Probably me. She shrugged, rubbing an eye as she still was trying to fully wake up from her unexpected nap. Letting out a little yawn, she pulled her small bowl of still steaming soup closer to her. Now that the other three were occupied with arguing with each other, she figured this was as good of time as any to see how good the soup actually is. 

Hovering her nose over the bowl for a moment, she took in a few quick test sniffs. It didn’t look like much but the earthy aroma of the cooked vegetables and spices lightly burned her nose, making it tingle slightly. Chloe eagerly lifted up her wooden spoon and stirred the contents of the bowl, trying to see exactly what was in it besides the carrots and potatoes that were bobbing in and out of the surface of the dark broth, looking for any signs of beef. Wouldn’t really make sense for horses to eat meat anyways, but I could still hope. After a few cursory stirs of her spoon had confirmed that it was indeed just carrots and potatoes, much to her disappointment. She lifted a spoonful of the soup to her mouth, gently blowing on it to cool it down to a reasonable temperature before taking the first test bite.

The soup tasted exceptionally good, much like everything else she had eaten here so far, even though it looked like mush with chunks floating in it. Chloe swallowed her soup and quickly went back for another spoonful as the first bite settled into her empty stomach. She didn't realize just how hungry she had been but it made sense seeing the last time she ate was early this morning and it was now after sundown.

Chloe completely ignored the three rowdy ponies as she continued eating the delicious and satisfying soup. Well, she did look up at them occasionally just to look away when any of them looked at her as she started thinking about her new existence here. This is fucked up. She thought as she stole another glance around the table as the ponies shouted at each other and pointed hooves. 

A dark train of thought started rolling through her head, she knew where it was leading but once it started, she couldn't stop it, no matter how hard she tried. It was something that was always in the back of her mind, scratching and clawing at her thoughts until she was forced to address it. How, how am I... here? Why I am here? What happened to Gennie? My parents, my friends? What about my old life? She could feel the tears swelling up in her eyes as she ran a foreleg across her face, staring at it as she pulled it away. There were a few small wet streaks on her fur. Why do I have to be a foal? Why a foal? I don't want to be a kid again... 

She mulled over her thoughts while idly mixing her soup with the spoon. I hate this stupid body. I hate this place. Her mind started to race as it filled with more and more negative thoughts, each compounding and building off of the last until she just couldn't take it anymore. I want my old body back… I want my friends back… I want my whole life back! Her forelegs folded on the table, pushing the near empty bowl out of the way. She buried her head into her much despised, equine forelegs as another pounding headache etched its way into her skull.    

The other ponies were calming down now and the stallion started laughing in his deep voice, loud enough to vibrate the table. It didn't take but a few heartbeats before the other two followed suit and the whole room was filled with laughter. Throughout this, none of them had noticed how distraught Melody was until the sound of sniffles cut through their laughter like a hot knife through butter. One second, Melody seemed fine and the next something was very wrong. Pa just looked over curiously at the filly while Granita and Ma rushed out of their seats to find out what was the matter.

Chloe shot her head up as soon as she felt something touch her shoulder and glared at the light-green mare. “Don’t fucking touch me!” she shouted, bolting out of her seat. Seeing that the door to the outside was still closed, and she still hadn’t figured out how to properly open it, at least not in enough time for her to escape, she ran back into the bedroom that she had awoken in a little while ago and thanked God that the window was still open. Rushing over to the bed, Chloe quickly jumped up on it, and leapt right out the window, tumbling on the grass below. 

Shouting could be heard coming from the inside of the house as she scrambled to her hooves. Her mind told her that she needed to get away from these horse-aliens things as quickly as possible, find Gennie, and get them both the hell out of here.

The stars were out in full force, lighting up the heavens with their ethereal glow as Chloe quickly shook her head, regaining her bearings, and took off towards the large forest on the edge of the orchard with the starlight and near full moon to guide her way. Though the forest that bordered a good part of the property seemed foreboding when she looked at it earlier in the day, for some strange reason, she was drawn to it now, almost as if it was calling her name and guiding her thoughts and actions. 

The filly’s legs quickly carried her through the moonlit path in between the fields, darting in and out of the shadows cast by the overhead apple tree leaves. Shouts and pounding of hooves against dirt could be heard not far behind her as the mares gave chase. She knew it was impossible to simply outrun them. Their legs were as long as her entire body, and they could cover many times the distance with each gallop compared to her. At least she had the cover of darkness and her small size on her side to which she planned on taking full advantage of. There were a few shrubs alongside the path just up ahead, and they would make a perfect hiding spot until they passed. Chloe just hoped she could make it in time without being seen and was thankful that her coat and mane were darker colors.

Granita and her mother ran past the hiding filly, a single lantern between the two of them as they shouted out something. Chloe watched with baited breath from the shrub, looking back down the path to see where the stallion was but it seemed that he wasn't out here. She turned her attention back to the two mares that had slowed down. They searched the sides of the fields for her, looking in between the rows of trees for any sign of where she might have gone. She let out a relieved, drawn-out sigh as she cautiously climbed out from the shrub’s leafy cover as the light from the lantern faded into the distance. She looked around again for the stallion. He didn't seem to be out here for some reason, but that didn’t bother her any. One less alien that she had to avoid.

With the mares off in the distance to her right, she cut through orchard, using the trees to camouflage her escape. She crept through the plentiful rows of trees, being very wary of any sticks or errant leaves that would give away her position. Thoughts ran through her head about what kind of trouble she would be in if she were to get caught; none of them pretty. She shuddered and forced those silly thoughts down. They hadn’t hurt her or done anything to even make her think that they would hurt her, but that was not what her mind was telling her at the moment. It was insisting that they had nefarious plans for her, and that if she didn't run away from them now, it would not end well.

Those thoughts filled her mind, giving her an overwhelming sense of completely unfounded fear that pushed her into an outright sprint for the dark forest up ahead. Its call was stronger than ever now, forcing her to run at a full gallop into its awaiting embrace. The mares had heard her rustle some leaves when she took off as they focused their efforts on the sounds. She could hear them shouting and running towards her, getting ever closer, but so was the forest’s edge. There was only a short distance to go and the sound of running water could be heard. Up ahead was the brook that the green mare had washed her off in when she got paint all over herself this morning and just past the bank on the other side was freedom. All she had to do was leap over the babbling brook and dart into the dense woods beyond.

That was easier said than done.

Chloe let out a surprised scream as did two other voices from right behind her. Her short legs had failed to get her all the way across the brook, sending her crashing into the cold water. The resulting splash had drenched from her head to hoof. She was shivering but that wasn’t going to stop her, not when she was this close. Luckily the large splash of water had hit the other mares as well, giving her a slight reprieve as she quickly climbed out of the brook and leapt into the forest. She heard both of them yell the same thing and felt something grab for her tail while she was in mid leap, but they were too slow and only got a few strands of hair for their efforts.

The dense foliage wasn’t too hard for her to scamper through, though the same could not be said for the larger mares that were falling farther and farther behind as she forced herself deeper and deeper into the woods. With each step, her mind grew calmer. Each step, she was more confident that she made the right choice. Each step, it smelled more and more like… rotting meat?

> 15. The Chase.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Low branches and thick underbrush closed in around Chloe as she fought her way past several smaller bushes and deeper into the heart of the forest. Twisting vines and numerous branches seemingly reached out to grab at her hooves as she passed, while the thornier vines kept getting snagged in her fur and mane, impeding her movements with each new step. The sickening smell of rotting flesh had finally faded when the wind shifted. It blew the opposite way through the foliage, causing the wet filly to lightly shiver upon reaching a small clearing. Thin slivers of moonlight pierced through the dancing leaves high above, taking her attention off the path for a brief moment. An unseen root caught her front hoof, sending her tumbling towards the ground with a yelp, landing face first in a pile of dirt and leaves, a few of which stuck to her still damp face. The wind picked up again, howling through the trees and blowing large strands of hair in her face, adding insult to injury. 

A cacophony from the leaves far above drowned out all other sounds for a moment, causing the moonlight to skitter and dance all around as it fell through the small openings in the treetops. With a groan, Chloe muttered under her breath, slowly getting back to her hooves and brushed the debris and hair off her face while swiveling her ears backward, scanning the surrounding area for any hint of the mares. There was nothing to be heard, save for the sounds of the forest itself.

Huh, did I really get that far ahead of them? Turning in place, the young mare glanced around for any glimpse of light from the older mares’ lantern, but only the moon-lit trees and shrubs caught her eyes. There was no sign of the pair anywhere as the wind started to die down, leaving the forest feeling a lot more foreboding now that the adrenaline was wearing off. The voice inside of her head, which had been catering to her fears and insecurities, was gone now as well, leaving her alone with her thoughts in this creepy forest as she wondered why in the world she ran off in the first place. Running away on a whim wasn’t like her at all. Never before had she been this irrational, or this compulsive, but then again, she had never been turned into foal and transported to a new world before either.

Chloe huffed, irritated at her lack of forethought as she sat down and looked around again while gently rubbing her sides to remove some of the foreign debris that had gotten tangled up in it and to feel a few of the light scratches that had been acquired in her haste. From this small clearing, the dim outlines of trees was all that could be seen all as she thought to herself, trying to figure out what way she had come from, but everything looked the same no matter what way she looked. 

This is just great… Way to go, Chloe. Way to run away from a nice meal, warm shelter, and a bed just to get lost in this maze of twisting trees. And for what? Just because you suddenly freaked out, thinking that those folks were going to harm you after how kind they have been towards you? Well look where that got you, lost at night in a huge forest, bravo! You do remember seeing this forest earlier on the walk to the farm, right? It goes on forever, and who knows what could be lurking in here, not to mention how scratched up you got us already. I mean, I know you don’t like this body swap horse-thing, but it‘s our body after all, and you should take better care of it. Now get back up and get us out of this mess you got into. Oh, and try to keep us out of the hospital this time, okay?

The wind started to pick up again, though not as harsh this time, but it was still enough to send a cold chill down Chloe’s spine even as the heat from the day lingered. Moving her gaze upwards and peering through a small opening in the canopy, she noticed that the stars were now gone, replaced by a blanket of clouds that crept over the treetops. A moment later, the last rays of moonlight faded as well, leaving her in a veil of darkness, unable to see more than an arm’s length away as she turned around in place, completely disorientated now that even the heavens had abandoned her. 

“This is just,” the filly scrunched up her nose, “freaking peachy!” she said with a growl, stamping a hoof into the ground accompanied by an annoyed snort. It took a few moments, but her new, larger eyes adjusted to the dark. Slowly, the outlines of trees and shrubs became visible once again as she took another look around, hoping that there would be some clue as to what direction the farm was in. After a few minutes of searching, to no avail, she gave up. Nothing out of the ordinary could be seen as panic started to set in.

“HELP!” Chloe desperately shouted out into the darkness, her voice echoing through the tightly packed trees. All the surrounding insects stopped making noise when they were so rudely interrupted, only to pick back up after a few moments of silence later. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath, letting out an annoyed sigh. “HELP! ANYONE! LITTLE FILLY IN DISTRESS HERE!” she screamed at the top of her lungs, ears desperately scanning the surrounding area, searching for any sound that could possibly be her ticket out of here. It was dead silent as the last sound of her echoing voice faded into the distance. The insects had stopped momentarily after the second outburst from the filly, only to return to their chittering, seemingly mocking the cries for help with their renewed sound—It was like a dagger had been shoved in her heart as the feeling of despair sunk deep into her chest.

Why would they give up on me so quickly? Probably because of all the trouble I have caused them so far. But still, who would just let a child run off into the woods alone at night? Not like they really just let you though, you did sort of run away on your own, so don’t put the blame on them for your stupidity. Rolling her eyes at the sarcastic thoughts, she started walking in a random direction, hoping that it would lead her back to the apple orchard. 

A barely visible branch almost hit Chloe in the face as she shoved her way in between two bushes. She had become just as lost in her thoughts as she was in this forest it seemed. Would they have really given up searching for me already or was there something— A loud thunderclap rolled over the heavens, interrupting her thoughts as another cold gust of wind whipped her mane into her face. Looking up to the sky, a cold drop of water landed on her muzzle, splashing her in the eye. 

“Oh, that’s lovely,” she sarcastically stated into the darkness, rubbing the irritated eye to get the water out. Her nose wrinkled as she caught a whiff of rotting meat floating on the wind again. “That’s just what I needed now, rain. I was just starting to dry too… and why does it smell like a slaughterhouse out here? Yuck!” The annoyed filly stuck her tongue out at the offending smell before starting to weave through the woods again as the single droplet of rain quickly called its brothers, turning it into a downpour. 

The storm raged on above Chloe’s head, lighting lit up the sky as thunder boomed all around the heavens every few seconds, not caring one bit about the young mare below who was now soaked to the bone and shivering. Her wind-battered mane was plastered to the side of her face and refused to go anywhere but there, no matter how many time it was moved. Every so often, the wind would shift and one could almost taste that offensive, rotting smell as it came and went with the changing wind, but each time it popped up, it was stronger than the last. Her mind went back to thinking about where it could possibly be coming from and why it was getting more and more potent. 

There have to be some dead animals or maybe some carnivorous plants around here somewhere. I know there are a few species that smell like this to attract bugs, so that has got to be it, I hope. But do they have plant life like that here? Chloe shrugged and pushed the thought into the recess of her mind, there were more pressing matters to attend to at the moment, like how she was going to get out of here and not face planting into the ground again. Though a mud bath at a spa would be nice after all this...

The path the miserable filly was traveling, if you could call it that, had turned into a muddy mess; there were rain slicked roots and leaves everywhere that she had to watch out for. Visibility was at an all time low at this point, only a few feet in front of her could be seen at best and that was only when a sudden flash of lightning would light up the area for the briefest of moments. 

All this made traveling through the woods very tedious and treacherous to say the least and, on more than one occasion, Chloe had lost her footing to an unseen root or leaf-covered hole. At this point, she was actually very thankful for having the body of a quadruped as four legs worked wonders in this kind of situation. It was kind of like having four-wheel drive in a vehicle back home; slip with one hoof and no problem, the other three keep you stable, if you were quick enough to react. But, on the other hand, being covered from head to hoof in fur in a cold downpour was not very pleasant. Also, having a tail helped out a little with being able to balance, but as water-logged as it currently was, it was more of a hindrance than anything, sticking to her hind legs while she walked, the occasional too hard of a tug on an errant strand of hair was painful too, almost like plucking a stubborn eyelash but at the top of your ass. 

More than ever, Chloe just wanted to be back inside the small farm house with the other three that had been kind enough to take her in; no cold rain, no blinding wind, and definitely no smell of rotting meat making her want to vomit. 

Okay, what the hell? This is getting a bit ridiculous. She stopped to look around as the stench was now too overwhelming to ignore. Her curiosity was getting the better of her at this point and she really wanted to find out what was causing it. Now was a good time to poke around anyways, the rain was currently at a lull, so seeing in the dark was a tiny bit easier as the outlines of trees and other things a little ways out were now visible without the aid of random lightning flashes. 

Sniffing the air, her nose picked up the scent; it was strongest over to her right, in the direction of a large, gnarled bush several feet away. Cautiously, she crept towards the source of the putrid smell as another flash of lightning lit up the surrounding area. The flash of light reflected off a set of large, almost glowing green, eyes that definitely didn't look friendly. These were not the eyes or a deer or another type herbivore, oh no. These were the eyes of a meat-eating predator. With a muffled gasp, she started slowly backing away as the eyes followed her every movement. A deep, low growl emanated from the bush. Whatever it was that was in there rustled the leaves as it started to emerge. Its large, wood-like head started to poke out from between the leaves, looking menacingly in her direction. 

What the fuck is that thing?! Its head looks like it’s just a bunch of sticks all mashed together in the shape of a wolf’s head! Sheer terror swept over Chloe as the shape and size of the beast began to assemble in her mind, setting all her hairs standing on end. Her entire body began to quiver and tingle as it called upon her fight or flight response. With her ears splayed backwards and head down low, she took a shaky step away from the emerging monster, not daring to take her eyes off it as it revealed itself. 

Whatever this thing was, the rest of its body was just like its head; it was a massive body composed of different sized sticks, interlocking together to form a coherent, wooden shape, a shape that closely resembled a wolf. The wind picked up as the lull in the storm subsided, causing it start pouring, once again making things hard to see. No, no, no! This can’t be happening!

As the frightened filly slowly backed up, another low growl came from her immediate left, causing her to gasp and jump slightly from the sudden sound. A quick glance confirmed what was feared; there was a second wolf-like creature in the bush directly to her side. Her ears laid flat on her head, letting out a pitiful whimper as her tail tucked in between her legs as she kept slowly backing up, glancing in between the two pairs of glowing, green eyes. 

There was no time to think as the two wooden wolves lunged an instant later, their large, wooden teeth bared, ready to sink into her young, equine hide. A loud, shrill shriek echoed through the forest as Chloe took off running in the opposite direction. The sound of the wolves snarling and chomping their teeth rang out in her ears, just mere inches behind her flank, filling her with a level of fear that she had never experienced before.

Thunder cracked in the sky as the small filly darted back and forth on the slick forest floor, her hooves slipping and sliding all over the ground as they tried to find purchase against the rain-slicked mixture of leaves, rocks and mud. The way in front of her was barely visible as the wind howled through the trees, whipping the rain into her face, making her vision blurry and her eyes sting. Snarling filled her ears as she dodged bushes, low limbs and whole trees alike, they were still right on her tail, somehow able to keep up even though their bodies were magnitudes larger than her own. Where she had to dodge the bushes and lower limbs, they just barreled right through them with reckless, animalistic abandon. The pounding of her little heart burned on the inside, feeling like it was going to break though her skin and fall out of onto the ground if she didn't slow down soon. Heavy breaths, burning lungs, and stinging eyes; there was no way she could keep this up for much longer. She just didn’t have the stamina or the proper technique of running as a pony yet to be doing a marathon through the woods. 

Panting hard and out of breath, Chloe had to slow down; her body just couldn’t keep up this break-neck pace any longer. A quick swipe from her assailant’s paw was all it took to send the filly tumbling to the ground with a pained yelp, knocking her head against a tree trunk, and causing her vision to go all cloudy as the world started to spin. With a throbbing pain in her head and a large gash on her hind leg, she scrambled to her hooves and dove to the side just a heartbeat before one of the large beasts bit down where she was. Their large maw had a good sized chunk of the tree in it, spitting it out while the other one rushed towards her. Time was running short for Chloe. Either she found a way to outsmart these wolves or face becoming their late night snack in the next few minutes.

There was something up ahead of her that she could hear closing in fast as it barreled through the forest, but her real concern was still right behind her as she fought through the pain, running towards the fast-approaching sound, hoping above all else that it was something friendly and not another one of their wolf buddies coming to eat her. Besides, given her size, she wasn’t even sure she would even be filling for one of these massive creatures, let alone three of them. 

Out of the corner of her eye, there was a quick blur. One of the wolves had ran up alongside her and was getting ready to pounce. Hah! Like I am going to let that happen! 	Adjusting her trajectory at the last moment before the wolf leapt at her, she darted behind a small tree, causing it to plow right into it. Much to her surprise, its head almost looked like it exploded in a puff of dust and fell to pieces from the impact. 

Holy crap! Are these things really that fragile? There wasn’t much time to ponder this thought as the remaining wolf swiped at her leg again, but this time she saw its body shift before the attack so there was just enough time to jump out of the way. Only, the landing wasn’t too great. Her two front hooves landed on top of a slippery, leaf-covered rock, sending her falling to the muddy ground with all four legs stretched out as she slid to a messy stop right below a small rock outcrop. Every inch of her entire body was, without a doubt, now completely covered in mud.

There was just enough room under this rock for Chloe to quickly scoot under and stay just out of reach from the wolf’s flailing claws that were trying hard to get at her. She did her best to catch her breath and calm her beating heart. Oh God! That was too damn close! A deep baritone voice in the distance shouted out, and she knew instantly who it belonged to and shouted back immediately. “HELP! I’M OVER HERE! GET THIS DAMN THING AWAY FROM ME BEFORE IT EATS ME!” she belted out, mustering all her strength to do so, her voice cracking from the volume as she glanced past the wolf just at another bolt of lightning lit up the sky. “OVER HERE!” she shouted again, seeing the silhouette of the stallion, who was just beyond the bush line behind the wolf. 

The beast stopped its incessant digging to glance over its shoulder, but it was too late for him to react before two large hooves connected with its head, smashing it between them and the large rock. Splintering wood went everywhere as a result of the force that was behind the large stallion’s kick, causing Chloe to shield her eyes and cough a few times from the resulting dust. A moment later, the headless body was violently kicked to the side to make way for the drenched stallion to lie down and look under the outreaching rock with a big, goofy grin on his face. After finally locating the runaway filly he had been looking for, he spoke something to her in a soothing tone. Tears of joy streamed down her face as she crawled out from under the filthy rock, latching her arms around his large neck as she cried into it. As Pa slowly sat back onto his haunches, he cradled the trembling filly in his fore legs, gently nuzzling her cheek for a moment, but frowned, seeing her injured leg.

> 16. Interlude.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sometime early fall, I think. Two days after my run-in with those wolves. 2:27 P.M.

Dear Diary,

Guess what? I have my own diary now, isn’t that great?! How you ask? Well, after I so foolishly ran into the forest a few days ago and got this nasty gash on my leg, I was taken back to that clinic in town again. I don’t want to bore anyone that happens to be reading this with my second stay there, but I will just state that, thankfully, my stay was brief this time, in and out within a few hours, just as the sun was coming up. 

The nice nurse, the very same one that liked to detain me with magic, cleaned and wrapped up my leg before talking with my new family. She recommended that they should get me a diary to jot my thoughts down or to just doodle. I guess she must have seen some of the writing in the drawings I did during my last visit here. And wouldn’t you know it, on the way home we stopped by a local bookstore, and I got to pick one out my very own diary! Either way, I am very thankful to Pa for saving my life that night and to now have something to pour my thoughts into instead of keeping them locked inside of my head. I have a diary again! Yay!

I don’t think I will be wasting the diary’s paper on my silly drawings though. Besides I only have this crude, chewed up pencil and nothing to color with. Where’s the fun in that? And the reason for the pencil being all chewed up? Well, it seems all the non unicorns write holding a pencil in their mouth. In. Their. MOUTH! Talk about being non-hygienic, yuck! In fact, I am getting grossed out by just looking at all the bite marks on it as I write this—with my hoof, thank you very much. I don’t care if it does take longer to write this way, I refuse to put this, or most things, anywhere near my mouth. 

Well, that took longer than expected... I felt the need to go wash the pencil a few times before continuing, but when I went outside to the well I saw that some of the chickens had escaped the coop, and Granita was trying to herd them back into the pen by herself. Feathers and dirt were flying everywhere as she hollered at the rampaging chickens, chasing them around the yard like a madmare. It was quite comical actually, though I did help her corral them back in the pen after I stopped laughing long enough to catch my breath. Oh man, there is never a dull moment around here it seems.

Anyways, I have been slowly adjusting to my new life here, learning the in’s and out’s of this world as much as possible from the safety of the farm, though I’m sure I am just scratching the surface. It’s been pretty rough at times too, and I still get the sudden urges to run off at times, but no way, nope, never again. I don’t care how hard that voice in my head yells and screams at me to leave, it ain’t happening. 

But thankfully, I have learned to kinda keep it at bay. The voice and headaches tends to pop back up together whenever I get depressed and think of home, almost as if it feeds off of negative emotions, but the ones in particular about my home and family are the worst. It’s sorta odd the way that works, and I will have to look further into it, but now my headaches have almost ceased altogether. That right there is a huge blessing, you have no idea.

Oh! I have also been learning to communicate through a mixture of crude sign language and the ponies’ native tongue with the help of Sew, or Ma as she seems to want to be called. She has been helping me learn everyday so far this week, pointing out objects and telling me their names. I only know a few words so far, but it hasn’t been too difficult to pick up. The hardest thing is recreating the funny sounds. Ma started with the family and I first, along with showing me that all older ponies had those tattoos on their flanks. I think she called them cutie marks, but I have no idea why they have them... 

I don’t know why, but they all call me Melody for some reason. I mean, it’s a nice name and all, but it’s not my name. I keep repeating Chloe to them whenever they call me that, hoping they get the hint, but they seem dead set on Melody. I get the feeling they just can’t pronounce my real name correctly. 

As for the others, there was Sew who had an old timey sewing machine for a cutie mark, her daughter, Granita who had an apple pie on her flank, and last but not least, Pokey, or Pa who had a picture of a large acorn and other smaller seeds on his. Pa turned out to be really nice and very kind to me, even after the whole barn incident and running away into the woods, which they later told me were called the Everfree. I was also told several times to never go in there again. Hey, you don’t have to keep telling me that, I got the point after the first time, thank you very much. But Pa was nowhere near as intimidating as I thought he was when I first laid eyes on him. Man, that was scary that first time though, having to tilt your head all the way back just to see his face...zeesh! It’s all good now though, and I like hanging around him, even if he doesn’t talk much. I just feel...safe with him next to me I guess.

I am doing my best to learn as quickly as possible so I can talk with them on a normal level, instead of feeling like a baby, always have to point and say a word two or three times before they understand it. It’s quite frustrating to say the least, and by the time I can properly communicate, I fear that it will be too late for Gennie. All I can do is pray that she is alright... I swear I will do all that I can to find you, just please be alright.

Now that I have composed myself again, I can continue without getting the paper all wet. The cut on my leg feels much better now that the infection has past, you should have seen it on first day, all pus filled and turning nasty shades of bright yellow and green. No idea why I wrote that out, eww. And just my luck, there is no eraser on this pencil, so I will just... cross that out and pretend I never wrote it in the first place. There! Anyhow, the bandage should be coming completely off when I go back to see the doctor again in a couple days and hopefully score some more of that sweet, sweet candy he has stashed in his pockets. Too bad I didn’t get to see him this time, but Granita had one that she gave me. I wasn’t sure where she had acquired it from, but that act of kindness earned her a big ol’ hug, which seemed to make her happy as well so, win-win!

Wow, there are so many new things that I want to write about, but I have been sitting at the table now for well over three hours according to the cuckoo clock on the wall. Since I am still fumbling to legible write these words, it is kinda of a pain to continue, and my wrist is pretty sore at this point. Looks like I am getting kicked off the table anyways, Ma is starting to set the table for supper as well, and I need to help her with that, so tootles!

~Chloe Griffin~

P.S. - I am writing this in English for my own privacy mostly, and for the obvious fact that I don’t know how to write in the ponies’ language yet.




[/hr]


The next night. 1:41 A.M.

Dear Diary,

I can’t sleep. I was hoping that the nightmares would pass after the first few days, but they continue to haunt my dreams, robbing me of precious beauty sleep. For the past three nights it has been the same thing over and over again, wolves. Huge, snarling, Chloe-eating wolves. Cold sweat and shivering uncontrollably, sometimes screaming a the top of my lungs. That is how I am waking up after each nightmare. I want it to just stop.

Since I sleep in the same bed with Granita, which I am still getting used to, but she is warm and soft, like a big heated pillow, my nightmares wake her up as well. She was freaked out the first night as she tried to figure out what was wrong with the screaming, trembling filly by her side. I wish I could explain it fully to her that it is just a bad dream and nothing to really worry about, but that is a bit too advanced for my knowledge to properly convey to her yet. Even after repeatedly waking her up, she was always there for me, holding and rocking me gently as she whispered soothingly into my ears—even though I am twenty-six years old and fully capable of handling this kind of thing on my own, it was nice to feel loved like that, and her actions worked wonders at easing my mind. She is quite awesome, like that older sister I never had, but always wanted.

Thankfully, I didn't wake up her up again tonight. The poor mare has a lot on her plate during the day, and I feel terrible that she was woken up in the middle of the night these past few days. I was able to slip out unnoticed as soon as I was jostled awake by those incessant beasts again. I pray that by writing this down and facing my fears that it will help ease my troubled mind. A good night’s sleep is all I ask!

I better try to get back to sleep before I wake someone up from the candlelight. Here’s hoping for a few good hours of rest at least.

~Chloe Griffin~




[/hr]


Evening after the checkup at the clinic. 7:33 P.M.

Dear Diary,

Good news! The dreams have calmed down considerably. I still see the wolves out there, but they can never seem to reach me anymore. Pa always shows up before they can which is a huge relief and has made it so I can sleep soundly most nights. I think Granita is happy that I am not waking her up anymore either. She seems less cranky in the mornings as well, but don’t tell her I said that, hehe.

Granita took me to the clinic today after breakfast and it went...okay. I learned that the doctor’s name was Dr. Charts… Seriously? At first I thought there were pulling my leg, but nope, that is his real, honest to goodness name! He took the bandage off my leg as we talked a bit. It surprised him at first that I could understand a little of what he was saying and could talk back in small words, but he quickly got over it. He tried asking me a bunch of different things, but I had no idea what most of the words were that he spoke, so that didn’t go on for very long. 

Feeling around my chest,  he pushed and poked with a hoof after a quick magical scan, asking me if it hurt anywhere as he did. I told him no, it all felt fine. He looked pleased at that fact and moved onto the cut on my leg. There really wasn’t much for him to look at there as it had mended nicely back together after the infection went away. Even though I wasn’t in pain anymore, I still have a faint scar across my chest and will probably have a matching one on my hind leg now too. I just hope I am lucky enough to never collect anymore of the set.

After I passed the check-up with flying colors, Dr. Charts gave me another piece of candy for being so well behaved. Hey, don’t look at me like that! I really like these things! While I was happily sucking away on the delicious morsel, he and Granita talked for a bit as I tried to make sense of what they were saying. It was something about a letter and going somewhere to meet someone I think. The next part was that they were still looking for my parents. I spoke up at that time in the conversation, trying to tell them that they were not going to find them anywhere. I think they took that the wrong way, because the next thing I knew, I was being hammered with questions along the lines of ‘who killed my parents?’ and ‘did you kill your parents?’. I was more than a little shocked at these accusations but kept my cool and very slowly explained that my parents were fine, just that they wouldn’t be able to find them because I was a long way’s away from home, and that no, I didn’t know where home is or how to get back to it, and if I did, I wouldn't be sitting here right now in his clinic.

He kept pressing on for more and more answers, all of which I either couldn't understand or was unable to properly answer. That whole ordeal was really stressful and caused me to think back to home, sending me into a downwards spiral of depression as another headache came on strong. With the politest growl I could muster, I told them that I didn't want to talk anymore and asked if we were done because I wanted to go lay down, now. Granita picked me up, setting me down on her back as Dr. Charts gave me a sympathetic nod and smile before we said our goodbyes.

I was glad to be out of there and back at my new home where I could relax, and if I was being honest, I never wanted to go back there again, especially if Dr.Charts was to push me to tell him everything about my past. I wasn’t ready to do that yet, nor could I do that yet, even if I wanted to. It would just confuse them even more at this point. Dammit, I need to get my mind off of all this, I’m going to go see what Pa is up to outside.

~Chloe Griffin~ 




[/hr]


October 2nd. 8:04 P.M.

Dear Diary,

Wow, has it been over two weeks already? Time just flew by with so much going on it seems. The past two weeks were harvest season for apples trees around here, and this family lives, eats and breathes apples. No joke. That may sound crazy and might come off as no big deal to some, but don’t be fooled. There were hundreds and hundreds of those trees to harvest! Each one containing dozens of shiny apples to pick. The whole family worked together as a team to bring down each and every apple too, all within that small two week’s worth of time. 

The way they did it was simple mind boggling as well. No machinery was used at all. The only things that were used was a brand new wagon that came in the day before the harvest, several large baskets and lots and lots of horsepower. (Pun intended, hehe.) Ma and I would set out the baskets under the trees while Pa and Granita would buck the side of it, and this is the ridiculous part that I have no idea how to explain other than magic I guess, and all the apples would fall into the empty baskets. Not a single one of them missed and hit the ground! I have to admit, it was a very nice setup, but I still can't wrap my mind around how it actually works it.

I am not strong enough to help out too much with the harvest, but I did what I could and it was still very tiring work. From about five in the morning till seven or eight at night we were all out there collecting apples. I have never had to work that much in all my life, but at least it is all over now that to barn is full, giving me some much needed free time to relax. I miss music, and I really miss my cello.

Almost forgot. I finally got to see pegasi! It’s amazing to watch them fly around and move the clouds and everything. I would love to meet one personally one day, maybe they could ever take me flying if I asked hard enough, hehe.

~Chloe ‘Melody’ Griffin~

P.S. - There has been an orange stallion about Granita’s age coming around to see her quite a bit and she has been staying out late with him more and more. She won’t tell me anything about it and tries to deny it all, but I will get to the bottom of this mystery stallion!




[/hr]


October 8th. 11:31 P.M.

Dear Diary,

Holy shit! That’s a mental image I will never get out of my head! I knew those two were an item, but I never expected to catch them in the act like that! Note to self: never sit on that hay bale again… eww. If I was a real filly I would be scarred for life.

~C. M. Griffin~




[/hr]


October 19th. 6:49 P.M.

Dear Diary,

Tomorrow is the day I have been dreading since I got here. I made a promise to tell the family all about my past when I was able to articulate it to them correctly. I will tell them exactly how I got here, all about Gennie, my family, who and what I was before they got to know me as a little grey filly called Melody... Man, this is going to be rough day tomorrow, and I pray that they will believe me and not think that I am throwing their kindness out the window with ridiculous lies. I am just too nervous to concentrate on writing tonight, so wish me the best of luck. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.

~M. Griffin~
> 17. The Truth.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Melody! Come on now, time to git up! I’ll pull the covers off ya if you don't get your flank up right now.” After the fourth time, the sound of Granita’s slightly agitated voice had finally cut through the veil of sleep that had its firm grip on the slumbering filly.

“Five more...,” Melody started to mutter but had to pause for a moment to think of how to say the correct word. She was still trying to switch from speaking English to speaking Equestrian, and it took her a little bit sometimes. “Minutes.” Quickly pulling the blanket over her head with a moan, she wanted nothing else at this moment than to just get a few more precious minutes of shuteye since she hadn’t got much sleep last night on the account of worrying about today. “Please?”

The sound of hooves fast approaching meant only one thing as she clenched onto the corners of the blanket and mentally moaned, knowing that she wasn’t going to be getting anymore sleep this morning... 

“Not today. Up ya go, missy.”

With that one brief warning, the blanket was unceremoniously pulled completely off of her in one swift, cruel motion. The warm, comforting air that had surrounded her just a second ago, was quickly replaced by harsh, cold breeze that rushed over her now exposed body, sending a chill racing down her spine. With it getting much colder at night now and, with the lack of central heating, the blanket and body heat from Granita were the only two things she could rely on to keep her warm at night; well, the fur coat helped too.

“Granita~,” Melody moaned, a little bit of whining evident in her tone as she curled up into a ball on the bed. “It’s cold!”

“Ah know, but time to get up. Yer breakfast ain’t gonna get any warmer,” she said, picking up the reluctant filly, setting her down on the ground and forcing her to stand up and get going for the day. “Ma made cinnamon oatmeal. That will warm ya up real quick like, as long as you get your flank movin’ before it gets cold.”

Wiping the sleep from her eyes, Melody looked up to the older mare with a quick yawn. It was still dark outside and Granita’s features were hard to make out in the low light as she blinked a few times. “Ma made what now?” she groggily asked, not understanding the last part of what the mare had said. There was a slight smell of something familiar in the air. The musky sweet smell wafted over her nose, causing her to sniff a few times, trying to figure out what it was.

“Cinnamon oatmeal,” Granita repeated slower this time but that only gained her a blank stare in return. She lightly sighed, but she couldn't blame Melody for not knowing every word yet. In fact, it was quite amazing that the filly had picked up all the words that she had already. Dr. Charts just might of been correct when he had called her smart. In fact, Melody was scary smart at times. She had this uncanny ability to grasp things very quickly for a foal her age, even very complex things like algebra that no filly should be able to understand at the fundamental level that she displayed. It was very impressive to say the least that only a month ago she couldn’t speak a lick of Equestrian. Now, she was able to speak almost as well as any other foal her age, which everypony’s best guess was around five years old, but nopony knew for sure, not even Melody.

“Cin-na-mon,” Melody parroted back slowly, still not understanding what those words meant in Equestrian yet, “oat-meal.” She paused for a second as she stretched, yawning again with a small shiver. At least hooves on a cold floor are a lot better than bare feet on a cold floor, she thought to herself before speaking up. “Well, whatever that is, it smells good,” she replied with another small yawn.

“Yup, cinnamon oatmeal, and it is good, but it’s not so good cold, which it will be if you don’t get moving. We have a bunch of things that need to be done today,” Granita replied, a hint of annoyance in her voice, nudging the slow-to-wake filly out of the room and towards the table.

“Why, what's going on today?” Melody asked, climbing up into the chair and looking over the contents of the bowl. Her eyes lit up in recognition as she took in a big whiff, the hot steam warming her cold face. “Ohh, cinnamon oatmeal. That's what I have been smelling.”

“There’s a whole heapin' list of things that need done before it gets too cold out and starts snowin’. And, it seems that fall will be short this year. Fer some reason, the new weather team captain decided we needed an extra long winter.” Granita gently shook her head with a sigh at that while grabbing a scarf that Melody had never seen before and set it down on the table. “Here, after yer done eatin’, put this on and come out to the barn. Ma and Pa are already out workin’.”

“Alright, but where did this come from?” she asked, picking up the light pink and white crocheted scarf as she looked to Granita and then back to the new scarf, taking note of how it felt as it draped over her hoof and part of her foreleg. The yarn was very soft and fluffy, not itchy in the slightest. It seemed to cling onto her fur, instantly making that part of her body warmer, causing her to lightly shiver from the sudden temperature difference. “Wow, this is nice. Warm too.”

“Sure is. Ah got one too.” Granita smiled, pulling out her own brand new orange and white scarf, putting it around her neck. “Pa picked them up in town yesterday. He wanted to give it to ya himself this morning, but ya slept in.”

“Oh,” she replied, her ears drooping a bit as she rolled the tip of the scarf around in her hoof. “Well, I’ll have to thank him and let him know how much I appre… apprec...“ She let out a little snort in frustration. “How much I like it.”

Granite giggled a bit and mussed the filly’s mane before heading over to the door. “Ah’m sure he would appreciate that. But, eat up and get yer flank out to the barn.”

Melody flashed her a quick scrunched up face, running a hoof through her mane to straighten it back out before smiling at her. “Yes, ma’am,” she replied in a playful tone as the mare left. After Granita was out of sight, she put on the scarf. Warmth instantly filled her entire body as if someone had turned on a space heater that warmed her from every angle. “Ohh~ wow. I could have really used one of these ages ago,” she mused to herself and returned to her breakfast, thinking about what exactly needed to be done on the farm today since even Ma was outside working.



<><><><><>



Melody stepped outside into the cold morning air after finishing up her breakfast and did a quick grooming. Even though she had been turned into a pony, she still liked to look her best, even if it was just for farm work. The stars were still clearly visible in the dark, cloudless sky but off in the distance, the snow-covered tops of the western mountains were already brightly illuminated by the morning sun’s rays, signaling that dawn was almost here down in the valley. 

With every exhale, her breath could be seen as she made her way across the yard and over to the barn with a smile, mentally thanking Pa for the new scarf. It was doing an excellent job at keeping her nice and warm on this chilly October morning.

“Granita,” Melody shouted out, her voice echoing throughout the barn as she opened the door. The strong smell of slightly rotting apples mixed with hay assaulted her nose, making her scrunching her face a bit.

“Back here.”

“Back where?” she asked, looking around for the older mare but not seeing her anywhere.

Granita popped her head around the corner of one on the far back walls, waving a hoof. “Over here.”

The barn was fairly empty now that all the apples had been processed into cider. The family had a makeshift stall setup all last week and had sold off every single bottle they made. The only things that remained in here was the farm equipment, most of which was still slightly pink. Pa still poked fun of her about that from time to time, but it was all in good fun, and she did, in a way, ruin his tools so she let it slide.

“What’cha doing over…” Walking around the corner, she abruptly stopped. Her question was answered when she saw a few barrels of apples and the large fruit press that they made the cider in that Granita was setting up. “Where did these come from?” Melody asked, pointing to the few barrels of apples. “I thought we turned them all into cider already?”

Granita smiled a very wide smile with a glint in her eyes as she went back to setting up the fruit press. “This is for the special cider that's just fer our family. We used to make it before we moved here, but ya have to wait for the apples to ferment a little. Ah’m gonna surprise Ma and Pa by making us some. Well, Ah guess just us adults. We can’t have a drunk filly wandering about, now can we?” She giggled, putting another piece of the machine in place. 

It took a second for Melody to understand a few of the words, but it made enough sense to her. “So you are making...uhhh, the good cider?” she asked, walking up the fruit press and giving Granita the next piece it needed. Having helped set it up a few times before, she could probably put it together herself if she wants so small.

“Guess that there is one ways of putting it. Ah think the word ya are looking fer is, alcoholic. Very alcoholic.” She smiled, mussing up the filly’s mane again.

“Stoooop~” Melody frowned at her, quickly brushed back down her mane with her hooves the best she could. Sure, she couldn’t get it styled the way she wanted it to look due to the lack of proper grooming accessories that were required, but she still tried to make it look as good as possible with what little she had available to her, and Granita had just messed it all up.

“Oh, you’ll be fine. Ain’t no one gonna mind one bit if yer mane is a little fussy. Sides, ain’t anypony else here sides us family anyways.”

“I, yeah, but… I just like to look good. And you ruined it.” She pouted for a second.

“Say, when we get back inside, Ah’ll do your mane and tail up really nice like, how about that?” 

“Really!” The filly’s eyes lit up a bit. “I mean, yea, sure,” she said with a cough, covering her mouth with a hoof.

That poor act garnered a laugh from Granita as she finished up with the press. “Yes, really. Ah messed up your mane, so Ah’ll fix it. Ah don’t want ya to be mad to me fer something like that.” She stepped back, looking over the press one last time. “Alright, grab that small barrel and let’s get started.”



<><><><><>



Time went by fairly quickly that day with lunch coming and going before they knew it. Melody was glad that she was able to keep her mind off of what she was going to have to explain tonight. Besides, every time she thought about it, it gave her a small headache till she stopped thinking about it. The cider making had taken a good part of the morning and after lunch, they did their normal chores around the farm. Taking care of the animals and tending the fields a little, though there wasn't much left to do on that front, they still had to pick up all the things that Ma and Pa usually did while they were here. Melody had inquired about them when she found out that they hadn’t been out working somewhere in the fields or anywhere on the farm. Granite had informed her that they had gone into town for something today and they would be back by suppertime.

She had tried to understand what it was they were gone for, but whatever Granita was saying to her just didn't make any sense, so she let it go for now instead of pestering the mare to explain it better. Ma and Pa were gone till suppertime and that is all she really cared to know about that anyways.

After they had come back inside, Melody got all washed up and relaxed for a bit, glad to be done with the day's work. She watched as the sun starting to set over the mountains while Granita started supper. That meant that twilight was fast approaching and Ma and Pa still weren’t back yet.

“Ya ready to get yer mane all done up nice and purdy now, squirt?” Granita asked, placing the lid on the pot as the contents started to cook.

“Sure, but when are Ma and Pa gonna be back? It’s getting late…,” she asked as she went into their bedroom. Lying down on the bed with a sigh, she watched as Granita followed her, sitting down next to her after she had grabbed a brush from the dresser.

“They should be home anytime now. Don’t worry about it, they'll be fine.” The brush went up to the filly’s mane, starting at the top of her head and gently going down her neck in long, slow strokes. Granita took great care to get out any knots or tangles without pulling too hard as she worked Melody’s disheveled mane back into something proper.

“It’s just... I’m worried and a bit nervous about how y’all are gonna react when I tell you about my past. I don’t want you to hate me or throw me out or anything like that.” She let out a long, exasperated sigh, laying her chin down on the bed as the brush stopped mid stroke partly down her neck.

“Melody,” Granita said in a loving tone, “we would never do anything like that. Where in the world did ya go and pick up them ideas from?”

Turning her head to look back, she noticed that Granita had a slightly worried look on her face. She sighed, looking back down to the bed while pawing at the blanket. “I just… I dunno. I don’t think you will believe me, and I don’t want any of you to think I’m a… a… that I’m not telling the truth. I’m worried that y’all will hate me for what I am going to tell you, and I’m scared that I’ll be alone again, like I was before you found me.”

Setting the brush down, Granita scooped up the filly, bringing her into a tight hug and gently rubbing her back. “Now listen here. Ma, Pa, or I would never, ever hate you. We love you. No matter what you went through before, we will continue to love you, understand?” She lightly squeezed her before setting her back on the bed.

With a nod, Melody laid back down. “Thank you. I... I love you guys too. That is kinda why I am scared, but I need to tell all of you. Keeping it from you has been eating me up inside, and I think that is part of the reason I haven’t been sleeping well. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it and it has been giving me headaches every time I do.”

Placing a hoof on the filly’s back in between her shoulder blades, Granita started to rub in a small circle as she softly spoke. “Ya don’t have to be scared of nothin’, sweetie. Just explain everything to us after supper, and we can all work through whatever is it that has been eatin’ ya up, alright?” 

Nodding again, Melody closed her eyes for a second before her ears twitched, picking up a sound outside right before the front door opened.

“Granita! Melody! We’re home!” Came the voice of Ma followed by the sound of the door shutting behind her, along with the clip clop of two pony’s hooves on the wooden floor. “Ohh, supper is smelling good!”

“Welcome back and thanks Ma. Melody and I are in our room,” Granita called out, letting them know where they were. “You get what’cha needed from town?”

“Even better,” Pa said, looking inside the bedroom, smiling at the two of them. “Come spring, we are getting a few cows. Gonna start producing milk ‘round here as well.”

“Cows?” Granita mumbled mostly to herself as she started combing Melody’s mane again. “Shoot, we are going to have to build a pasture…”

“Hi, Pa! Hi, Ma!” Melody cheerfully said, smiling at them from her spot on the bed. “Thank you for the scarf. It’s awesome!” 

“Hello, dear. And you’re welcome,” Ma said, smiling back as she set down her saddlebags and started putting things away.

The large stallion nodded and smirked. “Well, we can’t have ya go around shiverin’ all the time, now can we?” He chuckled before heading to his bedroom.

Melody smiled at that and watched Ma through the bedroom door from her spot on the bed. The mare had begun putting away a few things on the shelf and after a few moments Melody spoke up. “Granita, what’s a... cow?” She had a good idea what it might be, but there were lots of animals that produced milk and seeing as how there were many new and different animals here than what she was used to, it was better to ask than assume.

“What’s a cow?” Granita quickly asked back, not really expecting a question like that but then chuckled. “You know, big, usually black and white critters that produce milk? They go ‘moo’ a lot.”

“Oh. I thought so, but I wasn’t sure.” She giggled for a second before a small blush appeared on her cheeks. “I probably sound silly asking all these questions, huh?”

“Nah, Ah don’t mind. Ya just caught me off guard is all. In fact, Ah think yer doin’ a great job of learnin’ our language. Darn quick like too,” she said with a smile, finishing up the filly’s short, dark grey mane. “Alright, stand up and Ah’ll get yer tail, and then we can go eat.”

“Hey, Granita?” she asked, standing up.

“Yeah?”

“What’s the sound a cow makes again?” She started to giggle.

Granita rolled her eyes. “Hush you.”



<><><><><>



“...so if we move the barn over yonder, then build the pasture off the West end of it, that would give the cows a mighty big grazing area, plus they could git to the barn then,” Pa spoke as they all finished up their supper at the table, “and leave us with a decent size of land to build a bigger house next year if’n all goes well.”

“But Pa,” Granita replied, a bit of confusion shown on her face, “moivn’ the barn ain’t no easy task. Us four can’t do it alone. We’s gonna need some helpin’ hooves.”

“Oh, ya didn’t tell them yet?” Ma asked, eyeing her husband.

“Tell us what, Pa?” Came the stereo sound of Melody and Granita at the same time, causing them to turn their heads to each other and giggle. “Jinx! You owe me a Coke!”

They all turned and looked at the filly for a second. Ma spoke up to break the awkward silence, “What’s ah jinx and what’s ah Coke?”

Melody sheepishly looked down at the table, lightly giggling. “It’s nothin’ really. Just a silly joke from back home that you said when two ponies say the same thing at the same time.”

That’s right. It is nothing. And it will stay nothing if you know what is good for you, came a deep, almost growling voice inside of her head causing her body to lockup momentarily as her fur stood on end.

“Sweetie, what’s the matter? You look like ya just seen a ghost.”

Ma’s voice brought Melody back, though she could feel a cold electricity run through her veins. “May I be excused please? I need to use the outhouse.” The second Ma nodded, she jumped out of the chair and ran out the backdoor to the small outhouse. It was only a few yards away from the house but the laughing voice in her head made it seem like it was a mile away.

“I reckon she really had to go.” Pa chuckled as the two mares just rolled their eyes at him. “What?”

Having gotten a whiff of the outhouse from a few feet away, Melody decided against going in there and headed to the nearest apple tree in the orchard that was several more yards away. She stood behind the tree and waited for a second to see if the voice would speak up again. When it didn’t, she tried to reach out to it.

“Hello? Who are you?” Melody quietly asked, her breathe swirling in the cold night air as her heart thumped inside of her chest.

Several tense moments went by with no response from whatever had conjured up that voice. “What did you mean when you said it would stay nothing?” she asked, hoping for an answer this time around.

Nothing. 

At this point, Melody thought she just might be hearing things, or perhaps losing her mind, or who knows what other things that this body was doing to her. A few weeks ago, she had begun to notice that some memories were blurry, and it was hard at times to recall some of the finer details that she used to be able to remember with relative ease. “It’s gotta be the stress or something that's getting to me,” she muttered, letting out a slow, calming breath and watched as it swirled in the moonlight before slowly dissipating.

The wind picked up a little, rustling the leaves above her. She shivered from the cold, biting wind as she looked up to the heavens. A full moon was clearly visible in the cloudless sky, lighting up the orchard in its soft, pale glow as the howl of a timberwolf could be heard echoing throughout the farm, though it was some distance away. That made a chill go down her spine, and she quickly turned around to head back indoors, not wanting anything to do with those god-forsaken wolves ever again. It seemed that the voice was just her imagination playing tricks on her and there really was nothing to worry about in the first place.

Or so she thought.

There will be dire consequences if you tell anyone about your past life, little one. 

Melody froze again at the sound of this voice. “Who are you, and how do you know how to speak English? Are you the one that brought me to this place?” she asked in a whisper.

Yes, I was the one that brought you here. One could even say that you are my little mistake. His bellowing laughter gave her a slight headache. But who I am is not important and as for speaking in your native tongue, I am doing it as a courtesy so we can converse easily. Perhaps you would rather us speak in Klingon instead?

“Well, it’s important to me,” Melody shot back, anger in her voice. “Tell me who you are and why you brought me here. In plain English. Now.”

There was an ominous chuckle that reverberated throughout her mindscape. Looks like someone has a temper and... doesn’t know Klingon. What a pity. It’s a beautiful language. Anyways... back to the matter at hand. You always had a strong mind, Chloe Griffin, twenty-six year old human female from Chicago, Illinois, location Earth, pursuer of the fine arts. A strong mind indeed, but not strong enough to keep your own identity it seems. His voice was in a teasing tone and it only served to make the filly madder.

Melody growled. “How do you know all this about me and what the hell is that supposed to mean? I am still me, just in a different body and answer my other question! Who are you?”

Don’t play dumb with me, little girl! The voice roared, completely ignoring her previous question. You know exactly what I meant by that. You have all but shunned your old life and have taken quite well to this new one as a little filly it seems. Why, you even went as far as to give up your native name and took on a new persona in life as one Ms. Melody Harvest. Oh, what would you family and friends think of you now? He chuckled, egging Melody on.

Melody snorted through her nose, wishing that she could see this monster so she could punch him in the face, or at least glare at him. Instead, it was the innocent outhouse that got the full wrath of her gaze. “I am not a little girl, you asshole. I am still Chloe Griffin. I still have my identity. I only took to the new name because I couldn't tell them what my real name was at the time and when I did, they had such a hard time pronouncing it, that I felt bad for trying to force them to use it. So, as a token of my appreciation for them being kind enough to take me in, I let them call me that. That is the only reason! And for another thing, leave my friends and family out of this!”

My my. Someone is a bit sensitive about this subject, he said in a sing-song voice. Although, I just might have some information that you just might like to hear about your friend one Ms. Gennie Brooks. But, if you want me to leave them out of this so badly...

Melody grit her teeth as her eyes tried to burn a hole in the side of the outhouse. It was a fitting facsimile for how she felt about this monster in her head. “What did you want from me in exchange?” she asked though her teeth.

Ohhh, right to the point, I like that. Well, Ms. Griffin, there is only one thing I want from you, one thing alone. Your past. You do this, and I will tell you all about your friend and why you were brought here.

The filly’s expression turned from anger to that of confusion as she stared dumbly at the outhouse. “My past? How are you going to take my past? That...I don't even know what to say to that. It doesn't make sense! I want to go home, not forget about it!”

It makes perfect sense, you dolt! Are all humans as stupid as you are, because if so, I should just eradicate your entire species just to spare the universe from your blatant stupidity! Here, let me explain this in a way your simple mind can understand. Ahem. The new body you are in will gradually push your human side out, I’m sure you have felt it before, like something poking and prodding at your mind. That is your body trying to push out your old thoughts and memories, replacing them with new ones or removing them altogether, he stated in a monotone voice that reminder her of some of her more boring professors.

“But...why?”

If you wouldn’t have interrupted me, I would’ve explained that already, he hissed. Now then, if you would kindly shut up while I am talking, I’ll explain. Your new body’s brain and your old body’s brain are incompatible. One stores information one way while the other stores it in a different way. Now that your thoughts and memories have been transferred over, your new mind sees them as a foreign object and is trying to get rid of them, but the more you think about them and try to recall them, the longer they’ll persist.

Melody was doing her best not to freak out at this troubling information and instead was focusing on getting as much information out of this thing as possible. “Is that why I was having headaches all the time when I kept thinking about my home? And what about just bringing me back to Earth? Can’t you just do that? Why keep me here since I was a mistake as you so bluntly put it.”

You have no idea how inter-dimensional travel works, do you? Bah, who am I kidding? Of course you don’t. The short answer is, no. There is no way for you to return. Ever. As for the headaches, I am no doctor, but I would say that there is a good correlation between the two.

Taking a deep breath, Melody wiped away a tear that was starting to form in one of her eyes. “So, there is no way back home… and I am just supposed to forget about twenty-six years of my life, just like that? Forget about everyone and everything I-I love and hold dear to me?” She started to sniffle; it was getting harder to hold back the dampness in her eyes. The cold air continued to blow over her as stared up into the night sky. “I refuse to believe you.” She stamped the ground with her small hoof after a moment. “I refuse to believe that there is no way back home. I refuse to believe that I have to give up everything. I think you are just fucking with me for kicks or something. Take Gennie and I back home, now!”

I never said Gennie was here, I just said I had information about her. But, since you seem to not trust my word, let me put it in a more primitive way for you to understand. 

Melody felt a sharp pain run through her head and quickly found out that she couldn’t control her body at all as panic raced over her. What are you doing to me? she spoke to him in her mind as her body stood up on its own.

Even if there was a way for me to send you back home, I wouldn’t. I owe you nothing and that is exactly what you are going to get from me if you don’t stop acting like a brat. Now, I am going to demonstrate to you that I am not playing around, nor do I have time to be playing around with stupid little girls like you.

Her body started backing up, getting a decent distance away from the outhouse as Melody tried to understand what it was doing to her. Before she could think too much on it, she started running at a full gallop towards the outhouse. Wait! Stop! There was no response from the voice or her body as she got closer to the small building. She couldn’t control herself at all, not even able to close her eyes as she impacted the side of the outhouse head on.

You will do as I say and forget about your past or the next time I will not be so lenient.

That was the last thing Melody heard as she slipped into unconsciousness on the cool grass.
	
> 18. A Day Off. Part 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	A gentle breeze blew through the orchard as Melody started to stir, moving a hoof to her pounding forehead. “Oww,” she dryly muttered as hoof made contact with a very large sore spot that was smack dab in the middle of her forehead. It felt like it was raised a few inches culminating into a nice, large mound of throbbing pain. “Fucking hell that hurt.”

Blinking a few times as the pain slowly subsided, she looked around and shivered as the cold breeze ruffled her fur. It was still night outside and the outhouse was directly in front of her. The moon was in roughly the same position as before, so she gathered that she couldn’t have been out for that long. Fighting with a headache that had swept over her as soon as she moved, her head felt like it had been hit over and over with a baseball bat. The world around her became a blur for a moment as she got into a sitting position, wobbling a bit while gravity did its best to bring her crashing back to the ground.

“Ugggh… You didn’t have to be such an ass about it,” she said aloud while gently rubbing her forehead as the dizziness faded away. She was half expecting an answer, but only the sound of the rustling leaves above answered her back. Stumbling to get back to her hooves, the wind picked up, sending a ripple of shivers down her spine as she waited a moment to catch her balance before attempting to walk.

It was hard to wrap her head around there being a sinister voice inside her head. And, what it had demanded of her, which was almost asking the impossible. How could she just forget about everything? The voice did say that it would happen naturally if she didn’t think about it and force the memories to stay, but if she just let it go, she would be losing everything that she was. On the flip side, if she tried to forcefully remember her past or told anyone about it, then who knows what would happen to her or whoever she told it to.

But there was one thing she knew for certain, whatever that voice was, it was powerful enough to control her body at will it seemed, it knew intimate details about her life and it has information about Gennie’s whereabouts that it was withholding from her. But overall, there was little question that she would have to play along with its scheme until she could find out more solid information about it. Like how exactly it knew about her and Gennie, and why it had pulled them from their world to this one. Besides, when something can completely take over your actions seemingly on a whim, you tend to listen to them.

“So that’s it? You’re just going to come into my head, threaten me, give me an ultimatum, and just leave?” Melody snarled out in frustration up to the sky, her eyes fixated on the moon as if it was somehow the source of her problem. “Well... fine! Don’t answer me! But you forgot. One. Little. Thing.” She smirked a little, licking her lips. “You just said I couldn’t tell them about my past. You never said I couldn’t tell them about you or what you are doing to me! So HA!”

Grinning up to the heavens on her little victory, a single ear swiveled towards the sound of the back door opening as she watched the silhouette of either Ma or Granita coming out, probably to check on her since she had been out here for a while. Melody was about to speak up only to have that same sharp pain in her head again, causing her to gasp at the sensation. Her front legs gave way, and she slammed herself into the ground, her face taking the full brunt of the blow, yet again. You know exactly what I meant, stupid girl. Do not try and test me again, the voice hissed.

“Melody! Are you alright?!” The sound of Ma’s voice could be heard through the ringing in her head, along with the pounding of hooves as they drew closer before coming to a complete stop next to her as she started to remove her face from the small impression it left in the ground.

“D-dammit!” Melody said in English, rubbed her raw nose, covering her hoof in something slimy. Sitting back up, she felt Ma’s hoof on her back, rubbing it up and down as she looked at her hoof. It shimmered in the moonlight, covered in a layer of blood that caused her to stare at it for a moment before looking up to Ma. “I, umm, slipped,” she quietly replied in a nasally tone, rubbing her nose again. She was shaking a little, but doing her best to hide how terrified she felt. If they found out that something was wrong, she would either have to outright lie to them, or crack and tell them the truth and possibly be killed or worse, and she had enough near-death experiences to know that the latter was not a smart option.

“Goodness me…” She gently placed her hoof under the filly’s chin, lifting it up to the moonlight so she could get a better look at it. “Ah say ya did a fine job of slippin’ by the looks of things,” the older mare bluntly stated, still looking her over. “Tsk tsk, ya even have a huge bump on yer noggin’ too.” She lightly sighed, running her hoof lightly up Melody’s cheek with a small, yet warm smile. “Let’s get back inside and get ya taken care of.” Turning around, she started back towards the house, looking back to make sure the filly was following.

With a sigh, Melody got up and started back as well, sniffling along the way as she thought about how utterly stupid this situation was. Not just the crazy, fucked up, body controlling voice in her head and what it was forcing her to do, but just everything that has happened in the past month or so now. The more she thought about it, the more upset and depressed she was becoming. But for now, those thoughts had to be pushed aside if she wanted keep all this a secret.

As she entered the small, yet warm house, Melody was pinching her nose shut with a hoof as Ma guided her over to the sink. Granita was busy washing dishes from dinner while Pa was reading the newspaper at the table. Neither of them seemed to have noticed what had happened to her yet.

“‘Scuse me there dear,” Ma said, stopping next to her daughter with Melody by her side, “I need to get a wet rag.”

“Sure Ma, what did ya-” Granita stopped mid sentence. Her mother took the wet rag as Granita’s eyes ran over the injured filly. Melody’s mane was all disheveled and her face was caked with dirt, along with fine red scrapes that ran across it. To top it all off, there was a large, red bump on her forehead. “Melody?! What happened to you? Are you alright?!” she suddenly said in an outburst.

“Tripped,” Melody quickly responded in a wispy voice, closing her eyes and holding her head back as Ma held the rag to her snout; it was cold and soothing on the burning, raw flesh.

“Oh, she’ll be fine. No need to fuss about a bloody nose and a few bumps and scrapes,” Ma responded, placing Melody’s hoof on the rag to hold it in place. “Just hold that there fer a few minutes while Ah get some of that there healin’ salve, if’n Ah can finds where I put it...” She went over the few rows of shelves, rummaging through the items.

Granita looked over Melody’s face for a moment and shook her head. “You should really be more careful in the dark. Take your time and watch where yer goin’. You could seriously hurt yerself instead of just a few scrapes and whatnot.”

Overall that was some pretty sound advice, but they didn’t know the real cause of these injuries. Her best bet was to just play it off that she was clumsy and to just take the hit to her pride. “Sorry for worrying you. I’ll be more careful next time,” she solemnly replied with a small sigh, still keeping her eyes shut and holding the wet rag to her nose.

Granita ran a hoof over the filly’s head and smiled before going back to the dishes. “That’s alright, it was just a mite bit shocking to see you like that is all. But, you know, we are going to have to fix your mane up again,” she said with a slight giggle causing Melody to groan.

Pa had been quite this whole time as he read through the day’s paper. It was only after Granita went back to the dishes that he spoke up. “In a hurry to git to the outhouse, were ya?” he asked with a warm smile as Melody cracked an eye and glancing over to him. She gave him a small, but cute grunt in acknowledgment. “Let me take a good look at ya.” He sat down the paper and scooted back his chair from the table a bit, giving him some room.

Balancing the rag on her snout, Melody walked over to him. He picked her up, gently setting her in his lap as he looked her over with his large, caring eyes. Moving the rag away, he examined her snout as well. “Ya really did a good number on yerself but the bleeding seems to have stopped.” He chuckled, wiping some of the dried blood from around her muzzle off with the rag as Ma came back over, mixing the healing salve in a small, wooden bowl.

“Yeah, but I’ll be fine. I’m tougher than I look,” she said in a nasally voice, giving him a smirk that made him grin.

“Ya maybe a tough filly, but ya still need to be cleaned up,” Ma said, setting the wooden bowl of foul smelling stuff on the table in front of her, causing both Pa and Melody to wrinkle their noses at the pungent smell. She grabbed the soiled rag and rinsed it out a few times before coming back over and cleaning the caked on dirt off of Melody’s face while Pa held onto her in his lap just in case she got any bright ideas about running away from a good cleaning like most fillies and colts would.

Without any struggle at all, save for scrunching up her face and grunting at times when the rag would run over a tender spot, Melody sat there and let the older mare wipe her face down until it was free of any dirt. The worst was yet to come though. She had been smelling that healing cream that was just a foot away from her this whole time and was dreading having that spread all over her face. It smelt like a mix of rotting greens, fish oil, and a hint of something sickly sweet which just made the whole concoction that much more nauseating. Oh yeah, it was also the color of snot.

“Do I have to have that nasty stuff on me?” she asked with a grimace, tilting her head away from the bowl of putrid goop as she leaned back into Pa’s chest and started to squirm in his grasp. “It smells horrible!” 

Pa chuckled, holding on to the writhing ball of fur a little tighter. “Ah know it smells awful, but it’s for yer own good, so hold still and let Ma put it on ya, unless you want me to just tickle ya into submission,” he said with a wide grin as his hooves moved to her sides.

That made Melody sit straight up and look forward, closing her eyes. “Just get it over with then,” she hastily conceded, knowing that it was good for her as she had watched Ma put some of that stuff on a few cuts that he had gotten before—they healed up almost completely the next day too—and the fact that, somehow, Pa was a top notch tickler even with those huge hooves of his. He somehow could get to just the right spots on her sides that threw her into a laughing fit, unable to do anything until he stopped.

Ma smiled and shook her head at how easily Pa got the filly to sit still. He always was good with foals, ever since their first one. She started applying the salve to Melody’s cuts, putting on just enough to cover the affected areas while getting as little of it on her hoof as possible. No pony liked the smell of that stuff, but it was worth it. Nothing else could heal small cuts and bruises save from actual unicorn healing magic.

“All finished.” Ma pulled back after several minutes, admiring her handiwork as Pa released his grip on Melody, letting her down.

“Ugh, this stuff is horrible… How long does it have to stay on for?” she asked, scrunching her face and sticking out her tongue as she clambered into her own seat at the table.

“Just a few hours and most of it will soak into your skin, but don’t ya go rubbin’ it off now. I don’t want ya gettin’ infected with anything,” she sternly said, going over to wash her hoof off as Granita was finishing putting the cleaned dishes away before sitting back down at the table herself.

Melody mentally grumbled hearing that, but at least it would only be a few hours of having to smell this. “Does it smell this bad the whole time?” she hopefully asked.

“Nah, smell wears off rather quickly,” Pa said, picking back up his paper. “Give it, oh, another thirty minutes an’ ya won't even notice it anymore.”

“That’s good at least.” Melody sighed and sat there quietly after that, just watching and listening to them converse with one another and occasionally chiming in on something or answering a question. Now that she had time to think and calm down, the darker thoughts that had built up while she was outside faded away, replaced by those of caring and love from this unlikely new family of hers. It put a smile on her face, reminding her just how lucky she was to have met Granita on that fateful day.

One good thing did come from all this though; getting hurt seemed to have made them forget that she was going to tell them about her past this evening. It was a perfect opportunity to be able to push off telling them for another day or so and to come up with something to tell them instead of the truth, but she had to find out more about this world in order to make it more believable. She really didn’t want to get beaten to a pulp or killed by some pissed off, powerful being that resided in her head.

Speaking of her head, not only did it still hurt quite a bit when she touched it, but as she ran a hoof past her sore forehead to her mane, she saw a tiny bit of dirt and dust shake free as she frowned. “Definitely going to take a bath tomorrow,” she muttered to herself.



<><><><><>



Morning came all too soon and Melody was awoken by Granita’s voice yet again calling out her name. Letting out a yawn, she clambered out of the mound of blankets that seemed to be determined to hold her in their warm embrace for just a few moments longer. After a brief struggle, she was completely out of bed, stretching out. At least today didn't seem as cold as it was yesterday. The floor wasn’t freezing and the sun was already out, nice and bright. The smell of breakfast already being made was nice thing to wake up to as well. Today seemed to be starting out wonderfully.

Breakfast consisted of fried eggs, pancakes, and apple juice and it was delicious as always. Ma and Pa were already talking over what they were going to do today as the four of them ate. Melody just sat there quietly finishing up her meal as Ma got up and said her goodbyes to before heading outside.

“Well girls,” Pa said, smiling at Granita and Melody, “since you two have been working so hard and have gotten ahead on all your chores, me and Ma think you both deserve a break.” He pulled out a small, jingling bag, letting it plop onto the table with a smile. “There is some extra bits that we made thanks to both of yer’s help. It’s not much, but you two deserve it.”

Melody and Granita both stared at the small bag of bits as what Pa said sank in. “That’s great news, Pa,” Granita said but there was a hint of worry in her voice, “but are ya sure ‘bout lettin’ us spend this? Don’t we need it fer the farm?” She looked back over to her father who was still smiling kindly to them. 

“Ah’m positive. Now you girls go have fun and enjoy your day and don’t come back till ya spent every last bit,” he playfully said, getting up from the table, putting on his hat. “Ma and Ah have to go meet with a few ponies today ‘bout those cows we’re gettin’, so we won’t expect ya back till suppertime, if’n ya wanna stay out fer that long.” He smiled back to both of them before walking out the backdoor.

“Huh, reckon we got ourselves a full day fun in town then.” She chuckled, picking up the small bag of coins, dumping them out haphazardly onto the table to count them.

“I guess so.” She hummed a little bit. “But is nice to have a day off every once and a while you know?” Melody idly said, putting her dishes in the sink before trotting back over to the mare. Standing on her hind legs with her hooves on the table’s edge, she poked her head up to the table surface, looking at the coins as her tail wagged gleefully from side to side. “How much did Pa give us?”

“Yeah, having a day to just relax will be nice, and Pa gave us ten bits.” Granita placed the gold coins back in the pouch.

“That a lot?”

“It’s a fair amount. Enough to keep us busy fer most of the day if’n we’re careful.” With a smile, Granita got up, mussing the filly’s dirty mane, causing her to scrunch her face and get back down on all fours. “You need a bath first though. Gotta wash the rest of that gunk off your face and check out yer scrapes too. How’s yer noggin’ feelin’?”

“Still a little sore right here,” she replied, placing a hoof gently to the middle of her forehead. The lump was still there, but it felt much smaller. “How does it look? Does it look bad?” she asked, removing her hoof and showing the spot to Granita.

“Not bad for a unicorn,” she giggled.

“Granita~!” She pouted, placing her hoof over the bump again, looking rather embarrassed.

“Ah’m just messin’ with ya.” She smiled, still giggling a bit as Melody huffed. “You look so darn cute when yer all flustered up, Ah couldn't help myself.” She grinned. “But don’t worry your little hide, you can’t even tell it is there. Yer lucky ya have dark fur, it hides it all nice like.” Getting out of her chair, Granita put her dirty dishes in the sink as she continued talking. “Ah’ll get the mornin’ dishes cleaned while you go take a yer bath. Remember to wash yer face really good,” she said, tossing a rag to the filly, “I need to check on yer face after it’s all nice and clean.”

Melody caught the rag in her hoof and smirked at how good she had adapted to her new body as she turned to head out the backdoor. “You don’t have to tell me twice to get cleaned up. You know how much I hate being dirty~” she responded in a sing song voice as she stepped outside.

“Oh, Ah think Ah know,” she hollered back, laughing a little as she went back to cleaning the dishes.



<><><><><>



The sun was about a quarter of the way to its zenith in the near cloudless sky already when Melody and Grantia said their goodbyes to Ma and Pa before they left, finding them in the yard, taking measurements. Just as it had looked earlier, this morning was turning out to be a gorgeous mid October day and the warm rays of sunlight falling down on Melody’s back felt wonderful, making it that much easier to forget about that voice in her head, even if that was exactly what it wanted her to do in the first place.

“So what are we going to do first?” a properly cleaned and brushed Melody asked as she trotted side by side down the only road to Ponyville at a lazy pace next to Granita. It wasn’t often that she got to go into town. In fact, she could count the times on all four of her hooves, so, needless to say, she was a little bit excited to get to go and explore a bit and maybe get to see a pegasus up close. She had been thinking about that ever since she saw the first one a little while back.

“Well, I reckon we could go check out some shops, go see the new park, get lunch, and then just wander around for a bit to see if anything catches our fancy. How’s that sound?”

“That’s sounds good to me,” she replied with a big smile, looking over the landscape as they exited their property, the farmland turning into slightly rolling meadows with wild grass and flowers of all colors. It was kinda odd to see so many vibrant colors this late in the year. Usually things started to die off or go into hibernation mode by now, or at least they did back in Chicago. “When does winter usually start in Ponyville? I’m not used to it being this colorful at this time of year.”

“Hmm, that is a good question. Ah meant to ask Pa that myself but plum forgot. We traveled around so much before settlin’ down here, that Ah never really paid close attention to the seasons since we tended to travel south befer it got too cold.” Grantia though as they walked for a few moments. “Said, Ah got an idea. Ponyville just got a weather team to, ya know, take care of the weather and schedule them sorts of things. We could stop by their office and go have a chat with them if’n ya like. Ah’m sure one of those pegasi will be kindly enough to talk fer a spell.”

Melody’s eyes lit up as she heard that word, pegasi. “Oh! Can we? Please?” she practically begged, hopping around the older mare as she enjoyed her seemingly boundless energy of youth that desperately needed an outlet.

A hearty laugh filled the air as Granita nodded with a grin on her face. “You seem mighty eager to want to go talk ‘bout the weather.”

With a large, toothy grin, Melody stopped bouncing around long enough to respond. “It’s not the weather I’m interested in,” she grinned even wider, “it’s the pegasi!”

“Huh, the pegasi? What’s so special ‘bout them?” Granita asked, a perplexed look on her face.

“What’s so special about them?” She parroted as she stopped, giving the mare a ’you can’t be serious’ face. “They have wiiiiinnnnggggsss!” she happily said, starting to bounce around again. She didn’t know why exactly she was acting this way but it just felt right, and it was way better than mopping around and worrying all the time so she just went with it. “So can we go talk with them? Pleeeeease?”

Shaking her head with a chuckle, Granita started to walk again. She was not really sure what was up with the filly today, but she sure was in high spirits. “Yes, we can go see them, but why ya so interested in wings? All pegasi have them, just like all unicorns have horns, and all earth ponies have endurance and strength.”

“Well, there weren’t any pegasi or unicorns where I came from, and I-” She quickly shut her mouth after blurting that bit of information out, hoping that the mare wouldn’t pick up on it.

“What’d ya mean there ain’t any where ya come from?”

Crap. “Uhh, what I meant to say was that I never got to see any up close before.” While it wasn’t exactly a lie, it wasn’t the whole truth either. “I got the see the doctor and nurse up close when I stayed at the clinic, but I haven’t got to see any pegasi up close yet, so I am excited to finally get to see one is all.” She let out a cough, hoping that Granita would take that as a good enough explanation.

“Mmhmm…”

Time for Plan B. “So, you gonna tell me who that stallion I saw you with a few weeks ago in the barn is?” she quickly asked as Granita’s faced flushed with blood, making her normally light green cheeks look like a McIntosh apple.

“If’n Ah tell ya, ya don’t tell nopony, understand?” She gave the filly a stern look. “Especially Ma or Pa.”

Melody nodded enthusiastically. It had worked! And, she was finally going to get to know about this mysterious orange stallion. “I swear I won’t. Now, who is he?” she excitedly asked, leaning closer to the mare.

“Good, if’n ya do tell, Ah’ll let Pa know that ya like to check out his flank when he ain’t looking.”

“WHAT!? I-I do not!” Melody said with a scoff, holding up a hoof to her chest in protest.

Granita chuckled, staring directly down at her. “Mmhmm. So, we have a deal then?”

With a begrudging sigh and a blush of her own now, she nodded. “Y-yeah, deal.”

“Okay then, now that that’s settled, Ah’ll tell ya,” she stated as they started walking again. “Ya remember me tell ya about our neighbors, the Oranges?” Melody nodded. “Well Ah was over there with Pa talking and getting to know them a bit more one day and that is when I met him, Moro Orange, or just Mo for short. We kinda just fell for each other, love at first sight and what not, but Ah didn’t want to break the news to Ma and Pa just yet since we have been so busy with the farm and all. Ah have been trying to keep it real low like.”

Melody smiled widely hearing all this. “So, do you think he is the one then? When are you going to tell Ma and Pa? Have you guys been on a date yet?” she asked in rapid succession.

“Whoa, slow down there. As fer the answers to yer questions, maybe, dunno rightly know, and no. Haven’t had time yet, you know that.”

“Oh yeah, I guess so… So why don’t we go see him today? You two can go on a date today while we check out the town.” Melody grinned widely, doing her best to help play little matchmaker.

“Eh-hehe, well wouldn't be much of a date if’n Ah have to watch you all day.” That caused the filly to pout as Granita rolled her eyes. “Yer too young to be running around on yer own, missy. Besides, trouble seems to follow you like flies to manure.

“It was a nice thought, but today wouldn’t work anyways. He’s out of town fer the week anyways.” She smiled to Melody as they crossed the bridge over the babbling brook that acted as a natural boundary for the city limits on the West side of town.

Oh, how she wanted to say that she was really twenty-six years old and that she could take care of herself and not have to be watched like a little kid. But, the older mare was right. She did seem to have trouble following her everywhere she went, and having Granita around was probably for the best, especially around town with a bunch of strangers consisting of the small horse variety. “Oh, well it was just a thought,” she quietly replied, glancing away from her at some of the quaint houses that they were passing.

Quite a few ponies, mainly earth and only a few unicorns so far, were out and about today in town, most likely making the most of the nice autumn weather they were having. Melody still wasn’t that comfortable around other ponies, but it was nowhere near as bad as it was the last time she was in town. At least she wasn’t hiding in Granita’s mane this time around, but she still stayed close to the mare as they entered the town proper.

“Hey, Granita?”

“Hmm?”

“Why are there so many earth ponies here and only a few unicorns and even less pegasi?”

She thought for a second. “Ya know, Ah never really thought about that befer, but Ah reckon it’s due to the fact that Ponyville is a new, and it’s mainly a farming town. Earth ponies are well suited for farming while most pegasi live up in the clouds, tending to the weather and such, with only a rare few living on the ground. As for unicorns, they tend to stay in the larger cities like up there in Canterlot.” She pointed way off into the distance, high up on a distant mountainside where a huge castle-esque looking place was. “But some like the charm of small towns. Plus ya can make a small fortune if say ya are the only unicorn doctor in a town.”

“Huh… You think that is why Dr. Charts lives here?”

“Yup, that there would be my guess, squirt.” She smiled and waved to another mare. “Hello, Minty!”

Melody looked over to the other mare apparently named Minty that seemed to be around the same age as Granita, or at least that was her best guess. It was hard for her to tell the differences in ages of mature ponies. Minty was a creme colored earth pony with a medium length, pale red and white mane and matching tail. Both curled up on each other at the ends, making her hair have a swirling pattern of the two colors. Melody thought it looked really unique and interesting, especially compared to her almost black, shorter mane that had a few lighter gray streaks in it. Her cutie mark was that of two pieces of hard peppermint candy leaning against each other.

“Granita, hello! Pleasure to see you again,” Minty said, a smile on her face as she walked over. “Been a few months. How you been and who is this? Is she yours?” she politely asked, smiling down at the filly.

“Ah’ve been real busy at the farm, so Ah don’t get to town as much as Ah would like. And, this here is Melody.” She giggled a little. “To answer yer other question, yes and no. Kinda a long story, but me and my family are watching over her for now till her parents can be located.”

“Oh my. That’s awful!” She looked back down to the filly, a sad look in her eyes. “What happened?”

Looking away, Melody didn't want to start thinking about that right now. She especially didn’t want anyone else feeling sad for her, she didn’t need that kind of guilt piled on top of what she already had to deal with so she needed to nip this pity party in the bud asap. “I’m fine, Miss Minty, but I don’t want to talk about it. Granita, Ma, and Pa take really good care of me. So, can we talk about something else?” she asked, looking up to the mare with pleading eyes as Granita placed a hoof on her back, comforting her. 

“Oh… I’m sorry dear.” She gave her a remorseful smile having apparently opened back up something in the filly’s life that she was obviously having a hard time going through. She would have to ask Granita in private about it later. “Say, do you like sweets?” she asked, changing the subject.

Glancing back up to Granita for a second, she looked back over to Minty, giving her a questioning look. “Y-yeah? Why?”

Minty’s mood went back to the cheerful, bubbly state she was in a minute ago. “Good! You two should come by my new candy shop. We just opened it up last week. I’m actually running around picking up a few things before we open today. I’ll let you two pick out anything you want. Free of charge of course.” She beamed, giving Melody a wink and adjusting her saddlebags that were half full and half falling off her back. “I love your accent by the way.”

“My accent?” Melody looked over to Granita, cocking her head to the side a little. “I have an accent?”

Granita chuckled. “Yeah, ya do have an accent, sweetie.”

“Huh.”

Minty smiled at the two, mentally kicking herself for bringing up that the filly’s voice was different. “So free treats on me then?”

“That sounds mighty fine of ya, Minty and congratulations on the new shop.” Granita was still stroking Melody’s back as she looked down at her. “Sound good to you, squirt?”

“Sure, yeah.” She nodded and glanced back to Minty, a bit conscious of the way she sounded now. “Thanks Miss.”

Minty laughed with a grin. “It’s no trouble at all, but Miss makes me sound sooo old. Just call me Minty, k?”

“Okay, Minty.” Melody smiled.

“You two want to accompany me while I pick up the last of my things? We can catch up while we walk.”

“We were just going to wander ‘round the market anyways, so sure.” 

“Great!” She turned and started walking over to a nearby shop. “This should be my last stop.”

The two mares talked as Melody just listened in on the gossip and looked around inside the small grocery store while Minty shopped. It only took her a few minutes to gather up and pay for everything she needed before they were back outside again. Once outside, Melody spotted a fast moving shadow on the ground with no apparent owner until she looked up and grinned. Her gaze followed a light blue pegasus as he moved a cloud over to the town before taking back off out of sight again. She was so fixated on trying to find him again, that she accidentally ran into a vendor’s cart of fruit, almost knocking some of it off. 

“Hey, watch where you’re going!” came a gruff voice from above as she caught her balance, rubbing her shoulder.

“S-sorry, Sir,” Melody said to the stallion who was manning the cart before quickly looking around and spotting the two mares several feet to her right. She quickly ran back over to them and was glad that they didn’t notice what had happened, seemingly too caught up in their gabbing. The rest of the walk to Minty’s shop was thankfully uneventful as Melody walked in between the mares.

“Well, here we are,” Minty said with a grin as they stopped in front of a small, two story bakery. 

Like most of the shops in Ponyville, the outside looked like what was sold on the inside. Different decorative confectioneries of all shapes, sizes and colors adorned the outside of the shop, even the roof and chimney had some candy decorations on it. There was a few wooden steps that led to ornate, wooden double doors that served as the entrance with a large painted, wooden sign that read ‘Swirly's Sweets’ in nice bright, red bubbly letters. The doors, steps and sign were also decorated with various painted on sweets.

Just looking at the building made Melody’s teeth hurt, but the aroma coming from it smelled divine. “Wow, you really went all out on trying to draw peop-ponies’ attention to you store,” she said as they walked up the stairs.

“Sure did! Do ya like it?”

“Yeah and something smells really good too, like…,” she sniffed the air again as Minty held the door open for them, “vanilla and cinnamon.”

“You got a good nose, kiddo. My husband and son are making vanilla and cinnamon bread as we speak.” She smiled to Melody and waited for both of them to enter before entering herself.

The smell of sugar, spice and everything nice flooded they noses as they all went inside the confectionary shop. Granita chuckled as she just remembered something when Minty mentioned her husband and son. “Minty, this is a very nice shop ya got here. You and yer husband did good,” she said looking around at the counters and multiple shelves lining the walls with sweets of all kinds and the counters filled with different breads and pastries. There was a door leading into the back of the shop where it looked like the kitchen was and stairs that lead upstairs, most likely where the family lived. “How are Golden Beam and Silver Blast? Ah haven’t seen them in a while now.”

“Thank you kindly, Granita,” Minty spoke as moved past them to the kitchen door. “They have been doing well, Golden and I have been teaching Silver the family trade, and he is picking up on it quite well. Much faster than it took me to teach his father too,” she said with a laugh. “I’ll just be one moment.” She backed up through the door. “I’ll see if they have a moment to come say hello. Look around, see if there is anything that catches your eye.” She winked before disappearing into the kitchen.

Melody wasted no time looking around at the different items displayed throughout the store that Minty and her family had made. There was everything from licorice, to hard candies, to pies, to breads. Just so much to choose from that it was going to be hard to chose just one thing. In fact, having to pick one thing was almost a form of torture. This mare knew exactly what she was doing when she brought them here, offering just one single thing for free, like a candy-coated drug dealer that offered the first hit of a pixie stix just to get you hooked on its sugary high.

Her foray into deep thought about deciding what one item to get was interrupted as the kitchen door opened again. Her ears swiveled picking up the sound of a younger male voice that was hidden from view.

“Hi, Granita!”

“Hello thar, Silver! How’s ya been, kiddo? Long time no see?”

Melody’s eyes went wide and her mouth dropped a little as the colt came into view. He was a light grey with a short, brown mane and tail, no cutie mark yet. He also had what looked like flour in splotches all over the front of him that he started to dust off his chest before ruffling his wings lightly, as more flour fell from them. 

“Silver! What did I tell you about making a mess in the shop area?!” Minty chided, glaring at him before he could answer Granita. “Clean this up right away before we get any customers,” she demanded, pointing to the small, white mess now laying on the once clean floor.

“Sorry, Mom.” He quickly went back into the kitchen, coming back out with a small broom and dust pan, cleaning up the mess and disappearing again into the kitchen.

“You try to keep the place clean. I swear, between him and his father…” Minty shook her head as she laughed before looking back over to Melody. “So, find anything you like?”

Melody was still staring at the kitchen door with a small smirk on her face. “Yeah, I think I did.”
	
> 19. A Day Off. Part 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Melody was sitting at the small, two-seat corner table, finishing up her custard-filled powder sugar coated doughnut. Her eyes wandered around the confectionery store, stopping every now and then when something particularly interesting looking caught her attention. Granita and Minty were over by the register, still chatting about this and that; who's doing what, when they’re doing it, the high price of eggs—things that Melody really didn’t care about. She was waiting for Silver to come out from the kitchen again, hoping that she would get a chance to talk with him and maybe get a closer look at his wings.

“How’s ya doin’ over there, squirt?” Granita said, heading towards her as Minty went to go check on her two stallions in the kitchen.

“Doing alright, I guess.” Melody shrugged, a little bored now that she had been sitting here with nothing to do, patiently waiting as her mind wandered. “That doughnut was really good. Kinda messy though,” she stated, her tone a bit happier as she held up her sugar coated hooves. “See?”

“Yeah, that they can be,” Granita said with a chuckle, looking at the mess of sugar that had painted the filly’s hooves white. “Let me see if’n Ah can find ya something to wash off with. Don’t want ya to get tracks all over Minty’s clean floor.”

Melody nodded as the older mare smiled to her before walking over to the kitchen door. Granita was just about to poke her head through when the door suddenly swung open, catching her by surprise as she gasped, jumping back just in the nick of time as a few strands of her mane gently floated down in front of her..

“Oh! Sorry, Granita. Didn’t expect you to be standing there,” Minty said as she backed out, carrying a tray of steaming bread.

“Ah, don’t worry about it. My fault anyways,” Granita replied, letting out a sigh of relief as Minty started filling one of the counter’s displays with the freshly baked bread. “Don’t suppose ya happen to have a wet rag or somethin’ fer Melody, would ya? Ah didn’t want her gettin’ yer floor all dirty like.”

“Yeah, no problem at all. I’ll get one from the kitchen in just a sec.” She looked up from the counter and smiled over at the filly. “How did ya like the doughnut, Melody? Messy enough for ya?” she asked with a grin, the tray of bread now emptied into the counter.

“Yup! Good and messy. Thanks again for letting me have one.”

“No problem at all. Glad you enjoyed it,” she said with a proud smile. “That there was my Great Aunt’s Honey’s recipe. I loved those as a foal. Still do actually.” She chuckled, giving the filly a quick wink before turning around to head back into the kitchen. “I’ll get you a washcloth in just a second.”

“She seems really nice,” Melody said after the mare disappeared through the door. “How did you two meet?”

“Oh yeah, she’s a doll. Minty and Ah met back in Canterlot when my family was a looking fer a place to settle down. Her and Golden were there too, but they were lookin’ fer a place to set up shop in Canterlot, but all the land in inside the city was too expensive fer them. They overheard Pa talking to the Princess about startin’ a new town. And, well, they just jumped right at that opportunity. We got to talkin’ later that day, and short story is that we became good friends after a while.”

“My ears are burning.” Minty said in a sing-song voice, a warm smile on her face as came out from the kitchen, a damp washcloth in hoof. “You telling stories about me again?” 

“Oh, just how we met in Canterlot is all. Youngin’ was curious.”

“I see. That’s kinda a boring tale to tell, don’t ya think?” Minty replied, walking over to Melody, giving her the damp washcloth to clean up with. 

Granita shrugged. “Not all tales gotta be exciting, ya know?”

“Yeah, but you’re gonna bore her to death with that one.” She giggled, winking to the filly.

“Thanks, Minty.” Melody smiled, handing her the used washcloth and started to get up from the corner table.

“Sure thing, hon,” Minty said with a soft smile, using the washcloth to quickly wipe down the table. “But, before you get up, let me see your hooves.” Looking them over to make sure they were clean, she nodded to Melody. “Okay, you pass inspection.” She gave her a warm smile before walking back over to Granita. “So where you two off to next?”

“Oh, Ah think we might head on over to the new park and see what that’s all like. Let Melody run around a bit to work off some of that energy she has, especially now that there is a bunch of sugar in her,” Granite said with quick laugh. “Plus, Ah think it would be nice fer her to find some other foals around her age ta play with. We have been so busy at the farm lately that all she has been doing is working. Ain’t good fer a foal not ta get some playtime and make some friends,” Granita stated, glancing over to Melody who was now out of her seat, roaming around the shop, perusing things as they talked.

Minty hummed for a moment, glancing back to the kitchen door. “You know, Silver could use a little break as well,” she said, a sly grin crossing her face as she looked back over to Granita. “Say, I don’t suppose you wouldn’t mind taking him to the park with you as well? I’m sure Silver and Melody would get along just fine.”

“Ah don’t see why not,” Granita said as Melody came over, hearing her name mentioned. “Ya don’t mind if Silver comes with us to the park, do ya, Squirt?”

“Silver is going to come with us?” Melody hopefully asked, looking up to the mare with a small glint in her eyes. “I mean, yeah… sure, I don’t mind,” she calmly stated, covering up her mouth with a hoof as she faked a cough.

Minty chuckled, grinning at the filly who was just so adorable. “Well, I guess that settles it then, huh?” The mare smiled to the pair as she headed into the kitchen.

Granita nudged Melody, half grinning at her. “Ya seem ta be a mite bit infatuated with Silver.”

Melody’s cheeks turned an embarrassing shade of red as she glanced up to the older mare, giving her a look. “I am not... whatever that word is with Silver. But I know what you are getting at,” she grumbled, letting out a soft huff. “I just want to see his wings up close. I have no other interest in him other than that, just so you know. Besides. I haven’t even spoken with him yet, so I have no idea what he is like. And, I don’t even like colts!”

With a short laugh, Granita grinned at Melody, ruffling her mane. “Quite a list of excuses ya got there, Squirt,” she stated matter-of-factly as the kitchen door opened once more, Silver and Minty coming through as Melody quickly stuck her tongue out at Granita and fixed her mane with a hoof before turning her attention to Silver.

“So, ya git ta go with us to the park, eh?” Granita asked with a smile to the young colt who was busy looking over to the grey filly he hadn’t noticed before.

“Yup!” Silver happily replied, glancing over to his mother. “Mom said I have been inside too much and needed to get out,” he stated, looking back over to Melody who was right beside Granita. With a small smile, he took a step towards her, getting within leg’s length of her as he reached out his hoof for a shake. “Hey. I’m Silver. What’s your name?”

“M-Melody,” she replied, looking down at his outstretched hoof. A hint of nervousness washed over her now that he was this close. She took a small step backwards as her nerves started to get the better of her. Ma, Pa, and Granita... those ponies she was fine with being this close to, but not with anyone else just yet, especially a child that might not know what personal boundaries where yet. She had always had a hard time dealing with kids in the first place. 

“Well, M-Melody, nice to meet you. Nice accent you have there,” he stated with a grin, running his hoof through his mane as she left him awkwardly hanging. “Guess we are hanging out for a while today then, huh?”

“It’s just Melody, and I guess so,” she replied, rolling her eyes before glancing back up to Granita.

“You three have fun at the park,” Minty said with a cheerful smile. “Oh, and if Silver acts up, don’t be afraid to give him a good spanking.” She shot her son a quick look, letting him know that she meant business. 

“I’ll behave, Mom… jeez.”

Granita lightly chuckled. “Ah’m sure he will be just fine, Minty. If not-” she turned her head towards him, “-Ah’ll tan his hide good for ya.” She gave him a quick nod.

“You get in trouble a lot of something?” Melody asked, almost in a whisper, taking a step closer to him.

“A little bit.” Silver shrugged, looking back up to his mother and Granita. “I swear I will behave,” he said, holding his hoof up to his chest, closing his eyes as he spoke. “Besides, we are going to the park, how much trouble could I possible get into anyways?”

“You and your father are very creative in that fashion. I’m sure you could easily figure something out to get yourself in trouble,” Minty joked, bending over and giving him a kiss on the cheek which he promptly wiped off with a groan, making Melody silently giggle.

“Alright, you two ready ta get?” Granita asked, starting to head towards the door, holding it open for the two foals. “We’ll be back in an hour or so, Minty.”

“Yup!” Melody happily said, waving bye to Minty as she caught up with Granita, heading past her out the door and back out into the nice, late morning day with Silver following right behind.

As the trio walked, Melody on one side of Granita, Silver on the other, towards the newly opened park on the other side of town from the farm, Melody took in the sights, sounds, and smells of the budding town around her while its citizens went merrily about to and fro. She had only been half paying attention to Silver and Granita talk, mostly keeping to herself, watching the world around her as they walked along the main road, staying close to the older mare’s side. It wasn’t until they came to a stop in front of a construction site that she started to pay attention to the conversation as the sharp sound of nails being driven into wood filled the air.

“This is the new school I was telling you about, Granita,” Silver said, not sounding too enthralled about it as they watched the construction crew for a moment who were hard at work erecting the small, square building. “I heard the mayor is going to sign in a law that requires all foals to attend too.” He made a small face at that.

“Is that so?” Granita asked, looking over the small sign that indeed stated that this was the site of the new Ponyville school.  A quick look over the sign told her that the school was scheduled to be completed this coming spring. “Ya don’t happen ta have heard who the teacher is now, have ya?”

Silver shook his head as Melody did her best to piece together what exactly this building was from their conversation. “So,” she piped up, “what exactly is going on in the spring with this building?” she curiously asked, wondering why Silver had a somewhat displeased look on his face.

“What do you mean, ‘what is it for’?” Silver replied in a slightly sarcastic tone, giving her a disbelieving look. “We just said what it was for. It’s a school. You know what a school is, don’t ya?”

Melody shot him a look and was about to speak up when Granita cut her off. “Now, Silver, there’s no need to be rude,” the older mare chided. “Melody isn’t from around these parts, and she doesn’t fully understand our language yet, so be nice.”

“Is that why she has that weird accent?” Silver quickly asked, glancing over to Melody who wasn’t looking too happy with him at this moment, though he didn’t exactly know why. Mares...

“I don’t have a weird accent!” she shot back. “You have a weird accent!”

“Do not!” Silver scoffed, huffing at Melody.

“Do too!”

“Do not!”

Granita facehoofed, letting out a quick sigh as she closed her eyes for a moment. “Alright that is quite enough! Both of you!” she yelled out, loud enough that the pounding of nails was suddenly silenced as a few of the construction workers looked over to see what the commotion was about before going back to work. But, it got her point across as the two foals stopped yelling and just stared daggers at one another. “Ah want ya’ll ta apologize right now and shake hooves.”

“Sorry,” Silver hastily mumbled as he glared at Melody, reluctantly holding out his hoof.

“Sorry,” Melody said, looking briefly at his outstretched hoof before glancing up to Granita. The older mare gave her a stern look and nodded. She lightly sighed, pressing her smaller hoof into his, giving it one small shake before quickly retracting it.

“That’s better. Ah want no more bickering from either of ya. Understand?”

“Yes, Granita,” came the half-hearted sound of both of the foal’s voices.

“Good. Now Silver, please explain to Melody what a school is.”

“Do I have to?” he griped as Melody scrunched her face up a bit at him. “She should know this stuff already!” 

“What did Ah just get done explaining ta ya?” Granita asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Heh… oh yeah. Not from here... Sorry,” Silver sheepishly replied, pawing at the ground for a moment before turning to weird filly that didn’t seem to know much. “A school is a place where foals… you know,  go to learn... from a teacher with other foals,” he said, stumbling a bit over his own words as he tried to describe what a school was to somepony that had no idea. But he had done a decent enough job of it, or at least he hoped he did when he saw a bit of recognition in the filly’s eyes after he finished his explanation. “So, do you get what a school is now?”

“I’m pretty sure I know what you are talking about now. Thanks for explaining it to me,” Melody replied, giving him a small smile that turned into a frown when she realized what this meant. “So we are going to have to go to… school in the spring?” She sighed, glancing between Silver and Granita, hoping that she wasn’t going to have to repeat school all over again, she just wanted to find Gennie and get back home, but even that was a bit of a long shot by now according to whatever that voice was inside her head. Demon. That was a fitting name. 

Silver cocked his head a bit to the side, starting at Melody. “You don’t like school that much either, huh?” he asked in an amused tone, a small grin on his face.

Ignoring Silver for now, Granita nodded, looking down at Melody who didn’t look to happy about this new prospect. “It seems so, Squirt. Come spring, looks like you and all the other foals will be gettin’ yer learnin’ from school. Ah wouldn’t fret it none though. Ya seem ta like leanrin’, so ya should have fun. Besides, ya get to meet all the other foals in town too,” she happily said, trying to make swallowing this new information easier for the filly, but it didn’t seem to have the desired effect. “But… then again, you might not have ta be here anymore to have ta worry about it.” She ruffled Melody’s mane, giving her a warm smile.

“What do you mean she might not be around anymore?” Silver curiously asked. “She waiting for her parents to get back or something? He glancing between the two as Melody found the small pebble at her hooves very interesting at that exact moment.

Seeing that Melody was upset over the question, she gave her a comforting smile before quickly turning to Silver, pulling him to the side to explain Melody’s situation to him. “Silver, nopony knows where her parents are, even she hasn’t said anything about them yet, and it has been a few months since we took her in,” she whispered in his ear, quickly glancing over to Melody who was still looking down at the ground. “Don’t bring up anything about her folks or her past. She seems ta get really upset about it still, and Ah wish Ah knew why, but she hasn’t had the courage ta tell us just yet. So ya understand what I am tellin’ ya?”

Silver nodded, now extremely curious about Melody. “Y-yeah. I won’t bring it up,” he quietly stated, still looking over to the filly.

Granita smiled, heading back over to Melody, quickly picking her up, giving her a loving nuzzle and hug. “Ya ready ta go play at the park, Squirt?” she asked with a big smile, a jovial tone in her voice.

Melody nodded as she gently hugged her back for a moment. After the quick hug, she was placed on the older mare’s back, not even given the chance to protest before Granita started walking with Silver following at her side, heading away from the town proper.

“So… what do you like to do for fun?” Silver asked Melody after a few moments of silence as they made their way to the park.

The question brought her out of her thoughts as she held on to Granita’s back. “I, umm...fun?”

Silver rolled his eyes, scoffing a bit. “You do know what fun is, right?”

“Yes, I know what fun is. I was thinking and you caught me off guard,” she retorted. This colt seemed to know how to push her buttons... “Well, I like making music, umm reading, and just hanging out with friends…”

That answer made Granita’s ears perk up a bit, but she didn’t say anything. She couldn’t if she didn’t want to pry into Melody’s past.

“Making music? You mean playing an instrument?” Silver curiously asked.

“Umm, yeah. That’s what I meant, playing an... instrument. Why, do you play?”

“Oh yeah. I play the best instrument of all. The guitar!” Silver replied, boasting. “What do you play?”

“Ah didn’t know ya played an instrument, Melody…” Granita curiously replied, wondering why Melody was opening up more to this colt she just met than she had to her or Ma and Pa.

Melody giggled a little at his boyish enthusiasm. “I have no idea what a… guitar is, but you sure seem proud to play one,” she said with a genuine smile. “But, I have no idea how to pronounce the instrument I play. It is stringed, you place the bottom of it on the ground, it umm has a neck and a big body, you play it with a…” She frowned, trying to think if she had heard that word here before. Making a back and forth gesture with her hoof, she hoped that he would understand what she meant.

“Like a bass?” he hazard a guess. Granita giggled and he looked up to the mare. “What’s funny about that?”

“Ah am just picturing her tryin’ ta play the bass.” She giggled some more. “A bass would be like four feet taller than she is, Silver. There’s no way she could play the bass.”

“Hah… I guess you’re right. That would be a bit silly, huh?” he asked, smiling up to the mare as Melody gave him a curious look as she started thinking.

“Granita? Can we stop by that music store on the way back? I wanna see if they have the instrument that I play, then I can show both of you,” Melody asked, gently tugging on the mare’s mane as she peeked over her shoulder, the lush green grass of the park coming into view.

“Ah don’t see why not, Squirt. Ah would really like ta see what you play.” Granita smiled back to her, wondering what else Melody would surprise her with.

“Awesome!” Melody hugged Granita’s neck as they walked onto the path that lead into the park.
	
> 20. A Day Off. Part 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The main access way into the park was nothing more than a loose cobblestone walkway that gentle inclined up to the top of a small hill. Either side was dotted with various clumps of flowers, grouped in colors along the way. Most were surprisingly still in bloom, filling the air with a pleasant, refreshing smell that got stronger the deeper they went. Melody stopped for a moment, deeply inhaling, enjoying the lovely fragrance and beauty, ending with a satisfied smile as they continued on. Several large trees were scattered randomly on either side of the walkway, providing a nice shaded corridor for the visitors as they passed. A gentle wind rustled through the leaves casting rays of light that shone down upon them as they ventured deeper into the park. 

Up ahead, the pathway and surrounding land leveled out revealing a grass clearing with a large, white gazebo and benches spread out here and there along the path. Past that, the landscape declined rather quickly. Melody could see the glistening late-morning sun reflecting off the small waves in the large lake that slowly came into view. 

As they got closer to the gazebo, she noticed, what she assumed was, a young Earth pony family; a stallion, a mare, and a filly about her size. They had the table in the middle covered with a red and white checkered tablecloth. On top of that was several dishes of food, some of which she could easily smell from this distance. She smiled, noting how happy and content they looked, idly chatting to one another while eating an early lunch. Her eyes momentarily locked with the filly’s, but instead of being an awkward moment like she expected, the young one quickly swallowed her food before smiling and waving to her. Melody grinned and quickly waved back, not wanting to be rude.

“This is pretty nice,” Melody mused to no one, or pony, in particular, a smile on her face as the three of them came to a stop at the end of the path. Ahead of them was the sharp decline that led down to a sandy, but pristine shoreline. There were a few ponies out swimming and playing in the crystal clear water, something that she wouldn’t mind doing but only if the water wasn’t ice cold. That thought quickly turned sour though. A frown showed itself for a brief moment she remembered her last, very unsuccessful, attempt as trying to swim in her current form. Yeah...pass.

“It does seem rather invitin’, doesn’t it?” Granita warmly replied, gently humming, thinking about what they could do first. 

Looking around from this vantage point, one could see almost the entirety of the park. There were a few adults sitting on wooden benches along the cobblestone path that snaked around the lake, some could been seen chatting with each other, while others looked to be just enjoying the lovely day in solitude. A ways to the left of the gazebo, there was a small group of fillies and a single colt playing with a ball in a flat, grassy area. They had it marked off with small flags, playing some kind of game, hooting and hollering to each other. The group seemed to pique Silver’s interest, as he had a twinkle in his eye and a grin on his face.

“Hey Granita. A few of my friends are over there. Can I go join them?” Silver asked over his shoulder, already starting to head towards the older foals as his wings twitched with excitement.

“Ah don’t see whys not. Just take Melody here with ya. She needs ta make some friends anyways,” Granita stated, eyeing up an empty and very comfy looking bench that overlooked the lake. The thought of relaxing for a while was sounding very pleasing to her, and Silver was old enough to be responsible, so she wasn’t worried. “I’ll be over on this here bench.”

“Awesome! You’re the best, Granita!”

“But!” Melody started to object but found herself being hastily pulled along on three legs, Silver’s hoof tightly latched onto the other one as he quickly pulled her away towards his group of friends before she could get another word of protest in at Granita.

“Stay in the park!” Granita called out with a wave of her hoof as the pair ran off to the small field. She trotted over to the bench and sat down. A content sigh left her lips as she closed her eyes, basking in the warm sunlight. “What a great day to relax…”

After a quick three-legged jaunt over to the flat grassy area where the group of four foals were playing, Silver finally let go of Melody’s hoof, leaving her standing by herself on the side of the small, rectangular field that was marked off with little blue flags in the corners with two red flags spread out evenly in the middle of both the shorter sides. 

Silver ran out to greet his friends, causing the game to come to a halt, much to the annoyance of the formerly sole pegasus of the group.

Melody watched from the sidelines as the foals either hugged Silver or gave him the pony equivalent of a high five, a high hoof? All except for the pale pink flyer that swatted him on the shoulder, grumbling something that Melody couldn’t quite pick up. 

After they finished their greetings, the group started asking questions, glancing over towards the filly he had left on the sidelines. Their questioning voices pulled Melody’s attention away from absentmindedly staring at the filly pegasus, quickly looking away from the prying sets of eyes that were all locked on her. 

Melody prayed that they would leave her alone. Anxiety and a hint of trepidation start to build inside her gut, bubbling upwards, making her want to run back to the safety of Granita. She had no desire be among a bunch of noisy, rowdy, personal boundary pushing kids; Silver was more than enough on his own for her liking at times.

“Melody! Come meet my friends!”

Dammit...

Slowly glancing back over to the group of awaiting foals, she saw that Silver was in the middle of them. He had a big, goofy grin on his face and a twinkle in his eye that she didn’t like the look of one bit. It almost seemed like he knew she didn’t want to meet them and was enjoying every second of this.

“I’m fine right here, thank you.” She dismissively waved a hoof, quickly setting her eyes on a nearby alcove of trees, finding them much more interesting to look at for the moment.

“Uh-uh,” Silver quickly replied, shaking his head as he trotted over to her while the others curiously looked on. It wasn’t often that another pony would flat out refuse to simple meet somepony new. “Granita said you needed to make more friends,” he softly whispered in her ear as she shrunk back a little, making him frown momentarily as he switched tactics. “Plus, you’re making this awkward. Also, you’re making me look bad in front of my friends. Just let me introduce them to you. They’re all really nice, and if you still don’t want anything to do with them, then you can sit on the sidelines like a baby while we play.”

“I am not a baby,” Melody quietly hissed back, wrinkling her snout as she glared at him, crossing her forelegs over her chest.

“Good, then don’t be a baby and let me introduce you to them,” he quickly retorted with a smirk. Knowing that he had won this little squabble, he moved to her side, wrapping a leg around her withers. Before she could muster up any form of protest, Silver started walking, almost dragging, her up to introduce his friends who were all waiting patiently with mixed looks on their faces that didn't help quell Melody’s anxiety.

“This here is Autumn, Rose, Cherry, and Henna,” Silver stated, pointing out each one of his friends with a grin as he spoke. “Everypony, this is Melody. She is staying with Granita and her family at Sweet Apple Acres and, best of all, she isn’t from Equestria!”

Melody grimaced when Silver stated that she wasn’t a local. It was bad enough when she found out that she had an accent earlier this morning, and now it was going to get out that she was a foreigner as well... It was just going to draw more attention. Attention that she was trying her best to avoid. 

A few seconds later, a sudden nudge to her ribs brought her out from her thoughts.

“Well? Aren’t you going to say hello back?” Silver asked in an annoyed tone, slightly scowling at her.

“What? Sorry, I kinda spaced out...” She glanced over at the other fillies and colt who were still looking at her. They all had varying expressions on their faces ranging from confused to uninterested. “Umm, nice to meet you all. I’m Melody,” she softly said, a warmness in her cheeks.

“Ha! You weren’t kidding, Silver. She does have a funny accent,” the golden-brown Earth pony rudely stated in a teasing tone with a smirk on his face. His voice was much deeper and gruffer than Melody would have expected to come from a colt.

“Autumn!” The light green Earth pony standing next to him chided, clocking him in the back of the head with a hoof. She looked almost like a younger version of Granita except with orange hair instead of a light blonde. “That’s not a nice thing to say,” she said, scolded him like a mother would a misbehaving child, in an accent of her own. It sounded almost like French to Melody. Silver and the other two to snickered at Autumn’s misfortune, while Melody was staring at the pair, not knowing if a fight was about to break out or not.

“Jeez! Sorry…” Autumn said with a frown, glancing at her while rubbing the back of his head. “You didn’t have to hit me so hard, Henna.”

“It’s the only way to get things into that thick skull of yours,” Henna replied with a quick nod before turning her attention back to Melody who was now giggling at the exchange. “Don’t mind Autumn. He’s nice once you get to know him,” she said with a smile, holding out a hoof to her. “Name’s Henna, if ya didn't catch it. Pleasure to meet you.”

“Nice to meet you too, Henna,” Melody replied, giving her hoof a quick bump with her own as she giggles died down. It was an odd greeting, hoof bumps, but for creatures who lacked hands, it was quite effective to say the least.

“As Silver said, I’m Cherry,” the deep red filly eagerly replied in a bubbly voice, a large smile on her face as she enthusiastically held out a hoof.

“Hello, Cherry,” Melody replied, once again going to bump hooves, but was instead pulled into a hug that just about pulled her off her hooves. “What the?!” She tensed up for a moment, having her space invaded like that, but just as suddenly as it happened, it was over, and she was back on all four hooves and left with a bewildered look on her face. Cherry just giggled and smiled to her like it was the most normal thing in the world to do. A snort broke the odd tension Melody was feeling. It came from the last filly who was currently hovering in the air, holding the white ball they were using in their game.

“Yeah, yeah... Silver already introduced me,” the pale pink filly huffed, clearly annoyed that the game was interrupted as she did a small loop in the air, tossing the ball back into the middle of the field. Melody couldn’t help but watch in awe at the agility Rose displayed in the air. “Are we going to continue or what?”

“What are you guys playing?” Melody curiously asked as she watched Rose hovering above the ground.

“Duh!” Rose rolled her eyes. “Hoofball of course!”

“Hoofball?”

“Yeah, ever played before?” Cherry asked Melody, shooting Rose a quick, annoyed glance. “It’s a really fun game. You should join us! Rose and I need another player anyways since Silver is on Autumn and Henna’s team. That way each team gets a Pegasus. And, since Rose here is a super duper awesome flyer, you can be on our team so it will be pretty even,” she exclaimed with a giggle. Silver rolled his eyes at that jab while Rose grinned at him.

“Join you? I-I don’t think I should. I have never played hoofball before. Besides, I don’t even know the rules...” Melody said, trailing off, glancing back in Granita’s direction as she thought about running back to her again.

“What are you? A chicken?!” Rose scoffed out, throwing her hooves up in the air dramatically. “Come on, filly! We need another player if Silver is going to join their team.”

“The rules are simple, Melody,” Silver said, clearing his throat. “You have to kick the ball into the opponent's goal on the opposite sides of the field. There and there.” He pointed to the space between the red flags before continuing. “You can’t pick up the ball at all, but you can use any part of your body to hit it. If you hit it out of bounds, the other team gets to kick the ball back in where it went out at. Also, no hitting, tacking, or trying to hurt other players. Got it?”

While Silver was explaining things, Melody’s eyes lit up when she realized what hoofball actually was. “Got it.” This is exactly like soccer! She mentally squeed as a grin made its way across her face. I haven’t played since being on the varsity soccer team in high school though…

“You okay there?” Henna asked, noticing the sudden change in Melody’s demeanor.

“Oh, I’m perfect! We play this game back home, but it’s called Soccer instead of hoofball, and I love playing,” she excitedly said as the words rushed out of her mouth.

“Heh, well glad you like the game,” Silver said with a chuckle. “I take it you want to play now instead of sitting on the sidelines?”

Melody nodded, a smile on her face. “Yeah! Like Rose said, what are we waiting for?” She let out a small giggle, so did Henna and Cherry at their new friend’s sudden enthusiasm for the game.

“That’s the spirit!” Rose did another small loop in the air, before darting off to the center of the field.

Autumn was already trotting back on the field and getting into position near the center with Rose on the opposite side. Silver and Henna followed suit as well, taking positions a little ways back from Autumn. That left Cherry and Melody still standing on the sidelines. Cherry gave her a quick smile as she started to head off to the field but stopped. Melody suddenly didn’t look as enthused as she did moments ago for some reason.

“What’s the matter? I thought you wanted to play?” Cherry asked, giving her a confused, but concerned look.

“I…” Melody shook her head for a moment, pushing a few negative thoughts that decided to surface out of the way as she put on a small smile. “Nothing, let’s go!”

Melody trotted out to the field, mirroring the position that Silver had taken up as a slightly confused Cherry followed behind her, getting into her position that mirroring Henna. Rose gave them both a quick glance, making sure they were ready before setting the ball down in between her and Autumn. 

“You ready to get your flank kicked again?”

“Humph,” the colt snorted back to Rose. “We’ll see about that. Kickoff on three.”

“Bring it on big guy.”


<><><><><>


“... and then, I darted around Henna and kicked in the winning goal!” Melody happily chirped, almost bouncing around Granita as she finished recalling her team’s victory.

“Yeah, well…” Silver started to say something but decided against it. “You were pretty good out there, I’ll give you that.” he said, finishing with a smile as her gave her a small shoulder to shoulder nudge.

Granita had been quiet the entire time, patiently listening to the whole story of how Melody and the others on her team came back from losing two to one as they walked down the main street. “Sounds like you two had a wonderful time, and ya made some friends to boot, eh?”

“Yeah! I’m glad that I got to meet them all,” she replied, a small smile on her face as she glanced to Silver. “Thanks for…” She scrunched up her nose as she tried to think the right word in Equestrian. “Thanks for showing me your friends,” she finally said, her ears flicking at how odd that sounded.

Silver gave her an odd look. “You’re welcome, I think… So, what country are you from? You never did mention it when Henna asked earlier.”

Melody about tripped when he asked her that, but miraculously caught herself before falling. She let out a few fake coughs, trying to buy herself a little time and to fight back the embarrassment of almost falling flat on her face in the middle of the street. Back at the farmhouse, she had read about a few other countries here in Equestria but didn’t know enough about any of them to pick one without the possibility of raising suspicion, so she decided to try and stall some more.

“I, umm…”

“Hey, Melody!” A familiar voice called out to her from above the trio causing them all to look skywards towards as a pale pink pegasus came into view, landing gracefully as a cat in front of them a split second later.

“R-Rose! Hey. What’s up?” Melody replied with a smile on her face. She was extremely glad for the distraction but also curious as to what this filly wanted from her. “Did, did I forget something or...?”

“Nah, nothing like that,” Rose nonchalantly replied, running a hoof through her windswept mane to get it out of her eyes. “I wanted to invite you to our weekly game, seeing how well you handled yourself out there and all,” she said with a grin.

“You want me to join you guys again? R-really?” A small pit of uneasiness balled up in her stomach. Sure she had a great time today, but did she really want to join them all every week?

“Duh.” She rolled her eyes. “Yeah, really. Would be awesome to have somepony like you out there. Besides, I need a little competition, otherwise it gets boring,” Rose remarked, flashing a smirk Silver’s way.

“What the hay is that supposed to mean?!” Silver huffed, glaring at Rose.

“What I mean is... You need to step up your game, Silvy, or you’re gonna have two mares that will be running circles around you out on that field!” she stated with a grin, glancing to Melody as Silver scoffed at the notion. “So, what do ya say? You wanna join us and run circles around Silver here every week?”

“I, umm…” She stalled for a moment. That pit in her stomach grew slightly larger, but having a chance every week to show Silver up would be fun, plus it would give her a chance to get out and see more of the town than just their farm… The feeling of earlier uneasiness started to fade as the prospect of having some freedom overrode any doubt or worries she had. “What day do you guys meet?” Melody asked before glancing over to Granita, giving her a questioning look.

“Saturdays about ten in the morning. We all meet at Silver’s house. Most of the time, Minty gives up treats,” she replied with a grin.

“Hmm… As long as yer chores are done, and we don’t need ya in the fields, well... I don’t see why not,” Granita replied. “But, Pa will have the final say on that, and we can talk to him more about it more over supper.”

Melody’s eyes lit up for a brief second, a wide smile on her face. That pit in her stomach now completely squashed, replaced with exuberance and overflowing excitement. “Thank you!” She gave the older mare a quick nuzzle before turning to Rose. “I would love to join you guys!”

“Awesome. I’ll see ya next week. Later!”

“See ya then!” Melody eagerly called back, a large grin on her face as Rose took off into the sky. Damn I wish I could fly…

“Sounds like ya really made a good impression on that there filly,” Granita mentioned as they started walking down the road towards downtown again.

“Hehe, I must have…”

“Hey, I guess that means I’ll be seeing you every week then, huh?” Silver asked with a grin. “Come over early enough and you can help me with chores!”

“Only if Pa says it’s okay, then yeah I’ll be over, but I’m not helping you with your chores. I have enough of my own, thank you.” Melody grinned back at him, returning the shoulder bump from earlier. It was nice to have friends, even if they were not human, to look forward to hang out with. She loved Granita, Ma, and Pa for everything they had done, and still are, doing for her, but what Granita said at the park was right, she needed friends as well as family.

“Can’t blame me from trying, huh?” Silver chuckled as he glanced to Melody.

This morning when they had first met, Silver had thought this little filly was going to be a drag to hang around with all day. At first she was so boring and timid. The fact that she had even hid from him behind Granita’s legs when he greeted her was a testament to that. Even when they were walking to the park and they finally got to talking a bit, it only ended up with them bickering, and that was why he was so excited to see his friends in the park. He wasn’t sure they would still be there after he told them he couldn’t make it today due to having to help around the bakery.

But now, he was glad to have met Melody and introduced her to his small group of friends. It turned out that she was a great hoofball player despite her age and size difference. And, she seemed to hit it off with everypony as well. Heck, even Rose liked her enough to invite her back. If that wasn’t saying something, then nothing was.

“Hey, Earth to Silver…”

“Huh? What?” he asked, quickly shaking his head as he glanced at a slightly annoyed looking Melody.

“I was asking you about your, umm, what did you call it again?” 

Silver gave her a blank stare having no idea what she was referring to since he had missed the first part of this one-sided conversation. “I don’t even know what we are talking about…”

With a small huff, Melody started over. “Your instrument. I can’t remember what you called it, but I was asking you how long you have been playing.”

“Oh. Oh! You mean my guitar. Well, I started when I was six and I’m about to turn nine, so like two and a half years give or take a few months. How about you? How long have you been playing your bass or whatever mystery instrument it is?”

“My what instrument?” She asked, a look of slight confusion on her face.

Silver waved his hoof dismissively. “Was a joke. I take it you don’t know what mystery means?”

“N-not exactly, no.”

“We need to get you a dictionary, you silly filly,” he said with a laugh. “Though, it is kinda cute with your accent and all. Makes you seems all mysterious.” He grinned, teasing her a bit.

She stuck her tongue out at him, not knowing what the last word was they he said, but she could tell it was a joke at her expense. “I thought you didn’t like the way I talked? Thought my accent was silly,” Melody suspiciously asked, giving him a glance. “And what’s a dict-i-on-ary?”

“What's a dictionary?“ Silver facehoofed with a groan. “Celestia help me…”
	
> 21. The Corner Cornet
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Hmm, The Corner Cornet. Never been here before. Seen it from the street a few times though,” Granita idly mentioned as she read the wooden sign before opening the front door. A bell chimed from above as she held the door open for the foals. Silver walked right in, but Melody stopped to look at the store’s exterior for a moment longer. 

The small building was located in the market square, like most stores in town save for a few odd ball ones here and there. As the name implied, it was on the corner of the street, cozily nestled in between a cafe with alfresco dining on one side and a barber shop complete with the old timey red and while spinning pole on the other. 

The Corner Cornet's exterior consisted of plaster exterior walls with wood trim everywhere, topped off with a straw roof. The walls were painted a deep shade of blue, similar to zaffre, causing them to shimmer in the midday sun, drawing in one’s eyes to the large window displays. Needless to say, it was a stark contrast to most of the neutral off-whites that adorned the outside walls of the majority of stores in town.

Melody stopped as she stepped inside. There was a upbeat, melodious tune coming from the back of the store which sounded like it was coming from a viola. The store’s interior was deceptively large, much more so than the small facade on the outside made it out to be. Instruments of all kinds lined the deep cherry red walls; woodwinds, strings, brasses with several sets of percussion instruments set up on raised polished black pedestals with overhead lights shining down on them, causing the polished metal to shine and twinkle as her eyes moved across the room.

“This place looks amazing!” Melody gleefully chirped, eyes wide as she took it all in. Her natural affinity for stringed instruments had her gravitating towards them almost immediately, leaving Granita standing just past the doorway by herself.

“Looks expensive if’n ya ask me,” Granita muttered, walking deeper into the musical showroom, careful not to bump into anything. “So don’t touch anything, either of ya,” she threatened, glancing at Silver as she knew Melody was well enough behaved and would listen.

Silver stopped, his hoof midway to a guitar already as he pouted and turned his head back to Granita. “But I want to try this one out,” he lightly whined, glancing back to the glossy red and black six string.

“Ya got the bits ta buy it?” Granita questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“Well… err, maybe?” Silver quickly looked at the price, frowning. “No...”

“Then ya can look, but don’t touch. Yer parents would not be pleased if ya went an’ damaged something. They’d tan yer hide if they had to pay fer it.”

“Awww, alright…” Silver huffed and went back to perusing the guitars and their accessories. He really wanted to try out a few of them, but being grounded again for a month or more just wasn’t worth the risk.

Granita glanced over to Melody, checking on her and smiled as the filly nodded back in acknowledgement, with none of the fuss that Silver had given, just as she had come to expect from the youngster. 

Slowly walking along the row of carefully showcased violins and violas, Melody was amazed to see that almost all the instruments were nearly identical to the ones back home. But, like most things here, there seemed to be an eerily similar counterpart to what she was used to. They might not be perfect counterparts as there was always something missing or added here or there, but it was enough to give her that eery sensation from time to time, leading her to think that this place and Earth had interacted in some shape or form before.

After looking over a few of the fancier violins that caught her eye, she grinned and eagerly trotted down to the end of the aisle. There sat two cellos, one extremely expensive looking one inside a glass protective case, along with a single double bass. This was exactly what she was looking for, though, her smile turned to a neutral expression as she tilted her head back, blinking at the sheer height of the very large musical devices that towered over her.

Her tail flicked from side to side in an agitated manner as she stared at her partly scowling reflection in the glass around the cello as she contemplated what to do about this annoying predicament.

Seriously?! How in the world am I supposed to play something like that in a body like this? Unless… I wonder if they have any one-tenth sized ones here. Probably not. She let out a light, but frustrated snort as she thought back to when she was young and had to use one of those tiny cellos.

The melodious music from the back of the store abruptly stopped, pulling Melody away from her thoughts. Moments later, approaching hoofsteps and the sound a door opening could be heard.

“Oh my!” a stallion’s voice said “I’m terribly sorry. I didn’t hear you come in.”

Melody turned her head, glancing around a rack of woodwinds, to see a spindly looking unicorn stallion trotting over to meet Granita. His coat was a shiny brown and his sleek mane and tail bore the color of an avocado. If he would have been rounder, he would have reminded her of a potato. Her eyes moved down to his flank. On it was black double eighth notes, one slightly higher that the other. “I’ll never understand those marks…” she muttered, shaking her head at the thought.

“Welcome to The Corner Cornet,” the salespony cheerfully stated with a smile. “I’m Ochre Note. How can I help you today ma’am?”

“Why ‘ello there Mr. Note. Nice place ya got here, but we’re just lookin’ fer now.”

“We…?” He blinked, eyes glancing around the store for a moment, stopping as they met with the eyes of a young filly. “Ahh! I see. You are here to find your beautiful daughter the perfect instrument for her to learn then?”

Granita’s green cheeks turned slightly red at that remark as she glanced over to Melody. “Thank ya kindly, Mr. Note, but no, she ain’t my daughter, just a family friend. But, like Ah said, we are just looking around today. Melody wanted to come see what y’all had.”

Note politely nodded and smiled, his thoughts interrupted as movement from the other side of the store caught his attention. “Ah, I see. This young colt with you as well?” he asked with a chuckle, glancing over to Silver.

“Sure is- Silver! What did Ah say about touchin’ things?” 

Silver stopped midway through taking down a guitar from the wall, eyes wide as he was just caught with his hoof in the proverbial cookie jar. Melody giggled quietly at Silver’s failed attempt, putting a hoof in front of her mouth. “I just wanted to try it out. Not like I am going to hurt it or anything…” he replied only to get a stink eye from Granita. With a reluctant sigh, he carefully put it back on the wall. “Stupid adults and their stupid rules,” he muttered under his breath.

“Anyways,” Note said, drawing the word out as he glanced back over to Melody with a warm smile, walking over to her. “I see you have a good eye, miss. I take it you’re interested in cellos?” he happily asked, pointing with his muzzle to the cello that he had seen her eyeing up. “That one there was made by the great master Coltonio Hoofavari himself! It’s one of my most valued and prized instruments in my collection!” he proudly stated, grinning ear to ear as he gently rubbed the protective glass case.

So that’s why it’s in a glass case like that, though, I still have a hard time believing that this place has so many instruments so close to what we have back home. She lightly snorted, wrinkling her nose as she thought to herself, giving the stallion a smile. “I am, Mr. Note,” she replied, glancing back to the Hoofavari as it was called. “Though I doubt I will ever get to play something as wonderful as this… umm, what was it called again?”

“A Hoofavari,” Note replied with a small smile as he cocked his head ever so slightly to the left upon hearing her foreign accent.


“No… I meant, what was the name of the instrument again?” Melody asked but felt slightly embarrassed having to ask something so mundane.

Note’s right ear twitched as he stared down at the young filly, giving her a disbelieving look. “A cello,” he dryly stated.

“Chell-ohh,” she parroted, smiling at him. “Cello. Thanks, never heard them called that before.”

“Never heard…” He gave her a funny look. “What did you you call them then?” he curiously asked.

“We called them ~cellos~,” she said, her last word coming out in the English tongue that made Note visible cringe, something that she was used to by now. She had no idea why ponies looked physically hurt when she spoke in her native tongue, but by this point she didn’t care anymore and just rolled with it. “I used to play them, but… they were a lot smaller back home.”

“Smaller? Oh, you probably had a foal’s sized one,” he said with a hum as he glanced to the back of the shop where he had come from. “You know, I might just have one of those in the back. Hold on, I’ll go check,” he stated, trotting off out of sight before Granita or Melody could say anything to stop him. 

Granita chuckled at Note’s enthusiasm, shaking her head, hoping that he remembered what she had told him about not buying anything. Twice. Walking over to Melody, she placed a hoof on her withers and smiled. “Just remember squirt, we only got ten bits now. Ah doubt we’ll be able to afford it right now, so don’t go getting yer hopes up, okay?” she softly said.

Melody nodded, though she did look slightly disappointed. “I know,” she replied with a small sigh, giving her a small smile as she gazed into her eyes before glancing down to the floor. “It would just be nice to play again is all. I miss it.”

Letting out a quiet sigh, Grantia felt her heart melt. It was painful to see Melody like this. The little filly had been through a lot over these last few months, and, if the roles had been reversed, Granita didn't think she would be coping anywhere near as well as Melody has been. “Hearth’s Warming is coming up, you know,” she hinted with a grin, softly stroking Melody’s back. In a way, that made her sad to say. For Melody to be here, missing her friends and family, for so long… It wasn’t right. “We’ll get ya a cello one ways’r anothers if that is what ya really want. Ah promise.”

Melody reared up on her hind legs, wrapping her hooves around the older mare as she nuzzled her cheek into Granita’s chest. “Thank you,” she whispered as she felt her heart warm.

Fondly hugging her back, Granita smiled. She was glad to ease even a tiny bit of pain that Melody had, and she knew getting her a cello wasn’t much but would do anything within her power to help her feel more at home while she was here.

“Ahem,” Note feigned a cough into his hoof, holding a small, rather well used stringed instrument in his magical as he smiled at the scene before him.

It seemed Granita and Melody had lost track of time embracing one another. Melody blushed as she was caught sharing affection with Granita. Not that she didn’t like being comforted, but being caught by somepony who was basically a complete stranger caused a few unsettling butterflies in her stomach. 

They separated from each other as Granita giggled. She couldn’t help herself with how cute Melody looked. Her rosy red cheeks and those small ears laying down, almost hiding themselves in her dark grey mane mane.

“What’cha got there?” Granita asked, moving her gaze over to the floating wooden instrument. Melody followed suit, eyes going wide as she saw what Note had.

“It’s a smaller ~cello~,” she abruptly exclaimed, eyes twinkling as they roamed over every inch of the small instrument that they could see.

Note’s ear flicked at that word again as her floated the cello down to her. “Cello,” he said, correcting her. “This is my cello from when I was a but a young colt, just learning how to play. It’s a one-sixth size, but I think you could manage to play it,” he smirked, “if we got you a stool.” 

Melody sat back on her haunches, her front hooves holding the small cello upright in her hooves. He was right, it was still taller than she was by a good foot and there was no way she could play this properly. That’s when his words hit her. “A stool? To stand on? While I play?!” she asked in a questioning tone a she glanced up to him.

He nodded with a warm smile. “Yes, yes, and yes.”

She thought about that for a moment, pondering how that was going to work without her falling over many, many time in the process. She couldn’t think of any instances outside of having a harness on or having someone else hold her up.

Silver laughed upon hearing that, the sharp sound caused Melody to just about jump out of her skin as he seemed to have appeared almost directly behind her without her knowing.

“Silver!” she hissed at him, most of her fur standing on end as she grasped firmly onto the cello, having almost dropped it a second ago. “Don’t do that!”

He grinned at her, a playful look on his face. “Do what? I didn’t do anything, but I do think it’s hilarious that you have to use a stool to play your cello,” he quipped, a shit-eating grin on his face as he mocked her by standing up on his hindlegs, pretending to play before dramatically falling over. Granita and Note couldn't help but to silently chuckle.

“Not. Funny,” Melody replied. Her snout scrunched up in anger as she glared at him for a moment before deciding it was best to just ignore him for the time being, though she really wanted to kick him right now. But, there were other things to worry about. Much better things. Turning back to Note, she took a calming breath, composing herself. “So, this, chel-low, it was yours, and you are giving it to me?” she inquisitively asked, raising an eyebrow and cocking her head ever so slightly. 

“That’s correct. Well, the first part anyways.” Melody’s heart sunk a little hearing that. “I will not be giving you my beloved cello to keep as your own,” he responded with a straight face, one devoid of any emotions. “What I will do, is to let you borrow it with the promise that you will return it safely to me when you are done with it, or I ask for it back,” he said with a warm smile. The look of unadulterated joy on Melody’s face was worth it the risk of lending his personal cello out. “Now then, before I see you leave, I do believe that you mentioning that you know how to play, correct?”

Melody was so excited that she was going to get to have her very own cello again, she was almost shaking in her little hooves. “Y-yes. I know how to play!” she quickly replied, a wide grin on her face. Granita laid a hoof on her back, smiling encouragingly down at her.

“Then follow me and show us what you got then, little missy!” He chuckled, taking a step backward while turning towards the door in the back of the shop. “I have a practice area back here. It’s where I teach and where a few of my friends come by for jam sessions. Oh, and let me get that for you.” His magic lit up and surrounded the cello, floating it behind him as he headed for his practice area.

Glancing up to Granita, Melody looked almost shell shocked. She couldn’t believe this was actually happening. This shopkeep, this stranger, had just given her permission to take home his personal cello. Her. A young filly. Never in a million years would she had given up such a thing to a young child, especially one she only knew for all of five minutes. It was just unheard of generosity! What… What did he just say? “Y-you want me to... p-play?”

Note turned around to look at Melody. There was a very noticeable look of hesitance on her face, almost as if she looked scared to play. Maybe she just wasn’t used to playing in front of others? “Well, yes? I don’t really care how well you play, I just want to make sure you know how to properly handle a cello. Wouldn’t want to give my cello to somepony who is going to beat it up anymore than it already is. That’s all.” A soft smile danced across his face, his features relaxed as he tried to push through whatever it is that was holding Melody back. After all, he loved spreading and sharing the gift of music with others and if this filly had talent, he wanted it to be the one to help it blossom.

That makes sense I guess… “O-oh. Okay.” Stupid logic. How am I supposed to play like this?! How do you even hold down strings and properly grab a bow with hooves?! Bigger objects she understood how it worked, just barely. But, something small and precise as this was beyond her comprehension.

“Yeah, Melody. You kept going on and on about being able to play today. I wanna hear it!” Silver said, a grin on his face as he nudged her shoulder, pulling her out of her mini internal freak-out.

Not helping, Silver. Melody scrunched her nose, glancing to Granita who smiled at her, nodding her head in the direction of the backroom. They’re all against me. Every one of them...

“Don’t ya be frettin’ none,” Granita said with a comforting look and a warm smile as she patted Melody’s shoulder. “We don’t care how good ya are as long as ya enjoy playing. That’s all that matters ta me.” 

Melody gave her a quick half-smile and nodded to Note, looking slightly more confident than a moment ago. “Alright, but I’m not that good.” Probably downright awful with these hooves. “I haven’t played in awhile,” she quickly amended, already doing damage control. 

Note kept that same, comforting smile on his face as he waved a hoof to follow and started walking to the practice room in the back. “Like we said, Melody. We don’t care how good you are at playing, that is not what matters. I want to see how you play, not how well you play” he cryptically said, a happy, upbeat hum left his lips as they all followed him out of the showroom and into the practice room.

The room itself was surprisingly large, almost as large as the showroom. An earthy scent hung heavily the air, reminding Melody of some of the more run down bars that Gennie like to drag her to from time to time. Occupying most of the room were several rows of wooden chairs, simplistic in design and all facing a small wooden stage at the far end of the room. The chairs had pillows of varying faded colors laced around the bottoms. No doubt they were old and had seen better days, also a lot of pony posteriors. The rows of chairs sat upon slightly dirty wooden floorboards that creaked as they walked towards the stage. The wooden walls surrounding them had been painted a rich, dark brown and jutted out at odd angles, evenly spaced out along the sides of the room, hiding candles behind them that provided a soft and subtle mood lighting. This arrangement stopped the direct light from reaching the stage.

The centerpiece of the entire room was, of course, the stage itself. It wasn’t large, nor was it as impressive compared to what Melody was used to. It didn’t even have a curtain, nor did it seem to have a backstage, but it was a decent enough for what its intended purpose was, as Note said, it was a practice area. A single set of stairs made its way up the left side, only a few steps high, leading to the stage area itself. From what she could see, there was only enough room for four, maybe five, ponies at a time.

Despite its looks and smell, it was kinda nice. It made Melody slightly envious that she didn't have her own personal stage and seating for friends and family. “I kinda like it back here,” she idly mentioned.

Note chuckled as he reached the top of the steps, floating over a small stool from the back of the dimly lit stage, placing it front and center. “I do too. My personal practice area. My safe haven, if you will. Sorry for the mess though, I haven’t had time to properly clean since our last practice. It got a little rowdy to say the least.” He chuckled and faced her. “If you are ready my dear, please come up here with me. And, you two can take a seat if you so desire.” He gestured to the front row of seats.

Melody glanced back, watching as Granita and Silver took a seat in the front row. Her hooves suddenly felt like they were encased in blocks of lead as she swallowed hard, glancing back up to the stage where Note stood, waiting patiently for her, but thankfully not rushing her in the slightest. He just stood there with that same warm smile from before. Something about it connected with her. She had seen that same comforting look before, telling her that everything would be alright.

Her hesitance didn’t last too long as confidence began to fill her mind. This took her back, back to when she had first stepped up on a stage to play in front of an audience. Of course her parents were there for for her, and it was her father that bore that same, caring smile on his face, just as this stallion currently was. Melody stopped when she was next to him, nervously smiling back down to Silver and Granita. Silver had started to make funny faces at her while Granita had a pleasant look on her face as she gave her an encouraging nod, elbowing Silver to knock it off.

Note’s hoof tapped the stool gaining her attention. “Go ahead and hop up here and stand on your hind legs. Do you think you can do that, or do you need assistance?”

“I think I got it.” With that, Melody hopped up on the stool. it wobbled slightly, her tail swishing back and forth as it instinctively helped in balancing her. It was still strange to have that extra appendage, but it definitely came in handy at times.

Note floated the small cello over to her, resting the end pin on the ground slightly off center from her and leaned the neck down as Melody again hesitated before standing up on her hind legs as she held onto the cello, using it for balance. Once she found a good resting spot where she was leaning just right, Melody found that it wasn’t all that uncomfortable of a position to be in, nor was it as awkward as originally perceived. Now all she had to worry about was actually playing, with hooves... while standing on a wobbly old wooden stool.

What could go wrong?
> 22. In the Spotlight
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Here you are, dear.” Note magically floated the lovingly used wooden bow over to Melody, gently resting it on top of her hoof. Melody carefully grabbed the bow, testing its weight and balance. It was surprisingly well made, not at all what she was expecting. Giving her an encouraging smile, Note walked over, stopping directly in front of her. “Don't worry about trying to be perfect. I’m not here to judge you in the slightest, and neither are they, okay?” he softly spoke with a warm smile, lightly resting a hoof on her shoulder for a moment. “Now, are you ready?” Note asked, stepping off to the side to give her a little space.

“Yeah, I guess so,” Melody responded, an unsure look in her eyes as they darted from Note back down to where Silver and Granita were seated. “Did you want me to just play a song I know or…?”

“That would be lovely if you already have one in mind. If not, I was just going to ask you to play me a few different notes as I watch your technique. Whichever you prefer,” he casually stated.

“Hmm… Might be best if you just told me the notes, and I’ll try to play them. I'm not used to a cello this size, so I might be a little, umm, off?” Melody hesitantly remarked, her hoof tracing down the oh so aptly named fingerboard. The way the string felt was like night and day, only serving to remind her how much she missed her fingers as the four strings smoothly slid under her hard hoof. How am I supposed to do this? I can’t even press a single string down without pressing another one... or three. With a sigh, Melody closed her eyes for a moment, taking in a  calming breath, slowly releasing it as she gave Note a nod, letting him know she was ready.

Note nodded as he watched the filly’s hooves and body language, ready to catch her or the cello in case of any little accidents. “Now then, can you play me an A?”

An A? Oh thank you for starting out with something easy! The bow slowly hovered over the strings in her hoof. Melody was finding it to be a little wobbly and almost impossible to hold correctly as to what she was used to, but she was going to try anyways, even if she had to learn this all over again from scratch! Goodbye twenty years of practice. Thanks brain, that wasn’t depressing in the slightest...

“Woah, hold up a minute,” Note interrupted right as Melody was about to draw the bow across the string. “Here, try holding it like this instead,” he said, moving to her other side as he gently took the bow in his magic. “Put your hoof out like this for me.” He pointed his hoof upwards so she could see the bottom of it. “Now, you want to hold the grip with this part of your hoof, letting just the very tip of your hoof rest on the camlin to help guide it,” he instructed, moving the grip of the bow to the dead center of the frog of her hoof. “Now lightly squeeze to hold on to it. But not too hard now or it will not only put extra strain on you, and the bow won't glide as freely as it should.”

Doing as he instructed, Melody squeezed the bow, slowly moving it back into a playing position, getting a feel for the way it moved and reacted in her hoof. It definitely felt better this way. “Like this,” she asked, hoping that this was the way Note wanted since a few of those words he used she didn’t quite understand.

Note nodded and took a step back. “Now try and play an A. Take it nice and slow until you get the feel for it.”

Glancing up, Melody exhaled, looking out to Granita and Silver. The older mare was patiently waiting and gave her an encouraging nod while Silver looked like he was bored out of his mind, messing picking at something in his seat. Melody lightly shook her head at the colt’s non-existent attention span, grinning for just a second and then focused her attention back on the cello. Moving the bow to the correct string, she rested the hair on the smallest of them for a heartbeat before slowly drawing it back in a single, smooth motion, filling the room with a vibrant, low hum that lasted only for a few brief seconds.

“Ohh! Very good!” Note remarked, clapping his hooves together as Melody lightly blushed from the praise. “You have excellent foreleg control, especially for somepony your age. The tone was rich, steady, and solid all the way through,” he said with an excited smile. “Can you show me how well you can play a D, then G, then E?”

“Thanks,” Melody softly replied, giving him a quick, but small, smile. That one simple note had filled her with confidence and a burning desire to keep going. Sure, this was just the very basic of basics, but she had never seen, nor heard, of a pony, or any other hooved creature, play a cello back home before, though it would have been quite the sight.

Moving the bow back into position, Melody played the next three notes, each with the same precision and grace as the first one, earning her more praise from Note and Granita this time as well. Silver still didn’t look like he was all that interested as he had been expecting her to actually play a song or two instead of single notes from the way she had been talking about playing earlier. Oh well, this was about her and not him.

“Excellent, excellent. I can tell that you have had a lot of practice before though you do have some questionable techniques.”

“Huh? Like what?” Melody curiously asked, turning to look at him.

“Well, for one, the way you are resting the neck, your positioning, your overall movements, and other little things here and there that caught my attention.” Note pointed out as he did a small circle around her. “I can tell you have talent, but something is blocking it from truly showing. You will need a lot of practice to make it blossom and shine, my dear.”

A slight frown appeared on Melody’s face as he pointed out many things wrong with how she was playing. Though she really shouldn't be upset about that as this was to be expected being in a new body and all. Still, she couldn’t help be feel a hit to her pride after all the years of hard work and practice she had done. Starting over sucks. “That bad, huh?”

“Oh, no no no, dear,” Note tsked, shaking his head. “You are still very young, and you did an excellent job playing so far. In fact, far better than most your age. It seems that whoever taught you before, neglected a few of the, shall we say, basic things. But you have the desire to play and make beautiful music, to show all of Equestria your wonderful talent, do you not?” he asked with a grin and a gleam in his eyes.

“I dunno about all of Equestria, but I do want to play. I enjoy playing more than almost anything else,” Melody lightly responded, grinning at how dramatic Note had been on the delivery of that question.

“Glad to hear, my dear! The world needs more musicians with drive and passion. Heart and soul~” he adamantly stated. There was fire in his words as he started to go on a rant when the bell above the front door chimed, cutting him off as he blinked. “Oh, another customer. Would you three excuse me for a moment while I attend to my clientele?” Note asked, his voice changing back to normal like someone flicking off a switch.

“Go right ahead, Mr. Note. I’ll make sure these two stay outta trouble while yer tendin’ to yer work,” Granita stated, smiling up to Melody on the stage. Note thanked her and nodded, quickly exiting the stage before slipping into the showroom.

Melody was fidgeting with the cello and moving the bow back and forth above the strings, not really paying attention to Silver or Granita. This is so awkward. I’m amazed I was even able to play what I did. How am I supposed to hold down the proper strings without pressing on the others?

“You going to play some more or just stand up there frowning at it?” Silver spoke up, cutting through Melody’s glum thoughts.

“I would like ta hear you play more too,” Granita warmly stated in an encouraging tone.. “Those few notes ya did play sounded mighty good. String a few of those ta-gether and yer in business.”

“I…” Melody paused for a moment, looking down at both of them from the stage. “Yeah,” she said as a small smile grew on her lips. “I’ll play some some more.” Straightening herself back up, Melody got into position once again and let out a small breath. She had just the song in mind too. 

Slowly, her small hooves began to move, the notes lazy and long as she fraught with the fingerboard on every note change. Whereas it used to come naturally to her, she was now having to think about where and how to place her hoof. The hard edge of her hoof seemed to work the best, but it was easy to slip and miss a note or end it too soon as the strings slid out unexpectedly. Still, she played on, missed notes and all.

The song she wove was somber and slow, made even more so in her inexperienced hooves. The melody was a perfect reflection of things lost over the past few months, and uncertainty of things to come in the future. But, through all that, she kept up hope for the better. Closing her eyes, a faint smiled danced across her face as the notes smoothed out, flowing beautifully together now that she was letting her heart conduct her hooves instead of her mind,  creating a wonderful, and completely improvised, harmony. As she played, there was a slow tingling buildup along her lower spine. Thinking that it was just from the awkward standing position, Melody thought nothing of it and soon, there was a slight itch on her flanks and then it simply vanished as quickly as it came.

As she drew out the final note, there was a sudden stomping of hooves that made her eyes snap open in surprise. The rhythmic beating reminded her of a low frequency applause against the wooden floor that she could feel through the stool, making her gasp. Back by the exit to the showroom was Note along with three others, presumably the customers he had went to take care of earlier. They were all lightly cheering and stomping their hooves along with Silver and Granita. Time had little meaning while she had been playing, drowning the outside world out as she was sucked into the music. The only thing she could do was to stand there on top of the stool and slightly bow, if only to hide her growing blush. Why are they all cheering for me? That was... It was slow and sloppy at best is what it was. I don’t get it.

“You got your cutie mark!” Silver stated, rushing the stage alongside Granita as the applause died down.

“My what?” Melody remarked, caught completely off guard as Granita picked her up into a big, warm hug. “Hey, what gives?”

Setting the filly back down, Granita pointed to Melody’s flank. “I’m so proud of you! You earned your cutie mark,” she enthusiastically stated, fighting the urge to pick her up and squeeze her little filly again.

“It looks awesome too!” Silver interjected, softly poking Melody in the flank.

Quickly spinning in a circle, and ignoring Silver's invasion of personal space, Melody craned her neck to see. I actually got a cutie mark?! I’m a human, how could I get…? Her train of thought ground to a halt, leaving the passengers inside the Melody Express confused, bewildered, and overwhelmingly elated at what they saw. Adorning her grey flank was a prominently displayed lilac colored coda.

"I GOT MY CUTIE MARK!"
	
	
> 23. The Secret
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The crack of dawn came all too early as usual. Though, today was slightly worse than others as Melody groaned, pushing Granita’s hoof away for the second time. After all the excitement yesterday along with the mini celebration that Ma, Pa, and Granita threw for her last night, Melody’s eyes were refusing to open.

“Ya got five minutes, then I’m a gonna haul ya out myself,” Granita half-jokingly stated, voice trailing off as she exited their spartan, but cozy, shared room.

With a groan, Melody rolled over on the straw-filled mattress, eyes still refusing to open to welcome the new day. The cold morning air that crept in under the blanket when she turned wasn’t helping one bit either. Fur or not, late fall sucked…

Granita had left the door open, letting the light fall upon Melody’s face while the smell of Ma’s maple flavored oatmeal wafted in, appealing to her mostly empty stomach. Her full bladder on the other hoof, appealed entirely to another.

“Ugh... I’m up,” Melody groggily stated, throwing the covers off, attempting to just get it over with as the cold air made her shiver and want to move. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she rolled out of bed, all four hooves clopping down at the same time on the cold floor. “I really miss central heating,” she muttered to herself, walking out into the common area.
“Mornin, sweetie,” Ma warmly stated, stirring the pot of oatmeal. Granita was donning her new scarf and some beat up boots. Pa could be heard in his bedroom, doing something or other.

“Mornin,” Melody sleepily responded, barely awake enough to keep herself upright as she moved towards the back door, wondering what Granita was getting all bundled up for. Sure it was cold, but once you got moving, the fur made it toasty and warm.

Melody soon found out as she opened the back door and was greeted with a face full of snowflakes and about a half a foot of snow, the cold blast instantly waking her up. “Holy…”

Slamming the back door shut after coming back inside from her morning business, Melody was shivering. The snow came up to her belly and was not a pleasant experience to say the least, not to mention that she could swear she had icicles hanging off her snout, though a quick swipe with her hoof proved otherwise.

“Cold out there?” Pa asked with a grin, eating his steaming bowl of oatmeal at the table with the rest of the family as Melody shot him an ‘Are you serious?’ look. “Guessing so.”

With a sniffle, the filly walked over to the stove with a comforting sigh as the radiating heat was a godsend to that freezing outhouse. If she didn’t have fur, she was sure her ass would have frozen onto the seat. “Just a little,” she stated, rubbing her front hooves together, taking a seat on the floor, letting the warmth melt off the snow that clung to her underside.
“Was gonna tell ya ta put on your boots and scarf, but ya seemed in a mite bit of ah hurry,” Granita snickered.

“Gee, thanks.” Melody rolled her eyes and plopped herself down at her chair to eat.


<><><><><>


“Why are we cleaning up the barn again? We just moved all this stuff in here last week,” Melody asked Granita, grunting as she pulled a bay of hay across the cold wooden barn floor, having to stop every so often and move her mane out of her eyes. Both of them had just come from outside after spending a few hours clearing snow with Ma and Pa. The workout, plus the boots and the scarf, helped keep her warm from the freezing temps. The filly helped out as best as could with her small size, but each one of her adopted family let her know that she was still very much appreciated with what help she could give.

“You’ll see ta-morrow,” Granita playfully hinted at, gathering up loose odds and ends scattered about the barn, putting them in their respective places.

With a huff, Melody moved the bale against the back wall and headed to get the next one. “Does this have anything to do with why Pa went into town today?” she asked, critically eyeing the mare for a moment. She had asked Pa where he was going earlier, but all she got was a short, ‘to town’ and not a single word more. Usually he brought a cart into town to sell goods or at least brought his bit pouch with him, but she didn’t see any of that today after they cleared the snow. He was up to something, she just knew it, but couldn’t figure out what ‘it’ was, and it was annoying her to no end.

“Maybe. Maybe not. You’re just gonna have ta wait and see, now aren’t’cha?”

“Granitaaaa~” Melody moaned. Not even her best friend was going to tell her it seemed. It has to be something to do with me, or they wouldn’t be being all secretive-like. I doubt it’s about my cutie mark since we just had a celebration about that last night… Maybe it’s a holiday coming up or some kinda celebration? But if it was, why are they keeping it hidden from me?, she thought to herself as she moved the next bale of hay, putting it next to its brethren in the back in a nice line, just as Granita had asked her to.

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it too much,” Granita stated with a warm smile as she hung up the still slightly pink shovel on the wall in the tool section of the barn.

“Easy for you ta say,” Melody softly remarked, slipping a little into the family’s mannerisms that got a quiet giggle from Granita.

“After we get the barn cleaned up, it should be time for lunch, then Ma wants to cut your mane and tail. Getting ta be a might bit shaggy, if’n Ah do say so myself.” The mare chuckled, mussing Melody’s mane as she walked by.

“Stoooop~” Melody whined, sitting back on her haunches to fix her mane as she eyeballed the antagonizing mare.
With a grin, Granita scooped up the filly, pulling her into a hug as she nuzzled her cheek. “You can git me back for it later,” she lovingly stated. “But you really do need a mane cut. That'll make it much easier for you ta handle, plus git rid of all those split ends too.”

“What?! I don’t have any split ends!” She pushed back, giving her enough room to grab a lock of her mane, bringing it down and giving it a critical look over. “I have split ends…” She frowned and brushed her mane back on top of her head. “Okay, so I do need a mane cut. Is... Ma any good at it? I have never seen her cut any of your manes before.” I really hope she is. I can’t stand having terrible looking hair.

“Oh Ma is pretty darn good at it. She cut’s all our manes and tails. Just remember to stay still and don’t make a fuss. Don’t want her ta nip your ear with the scissors, now would ya?” Granita half-jokingly stated with a grin.

“Get my ears with what?” Melody asked, not understanding that word, scissors, in their language yet. While having grown to know quite a lot of their words over the past few months, some still some eluded her, and it would probably take years before she became proficient in their tongue. Hopefully going to school in the spring will help me learn some more of these common words. Though I still kinda dread having to start my school career all over again...

Letting fully go of Melody, Granita slipped over to the tool area and pulled down a large, metal hedge trimmer, the kind that looked like a pair of scissors but only if your hair was made of leaves and branches. Kinda like those timberwolves… Melody shuddered at the thought.

Turned around to face Melody, Granita sat back and snipped the air a few times with the trimmers. “These!” she loudly stated with her best fake evil laugh.

Melody’s eyes went to the size of pinpricks as she screamed and bolted out of the barn, startling the chickens in the coup as she ran for dear life.

“Wait! It was just ah joke!” Granita called out. “Oh horseapples!” The trimmers fell unceremoniously to the ground as she galloping out of the barn after Melody.


<><><><><>


Melody sat on top of the kitchen table. It was an unorthodox place to be in her mind, but it was the only place that was tall enough and had enough room so she could get her hair cut. Currently, she staring at the shelf on the wall, the same one she had been staring at for the past hour, give or take some minutes. It was plenty of time to memorize every detail about it as there was really nothing else to look at while she held perfectly still. The scissors snipped again, close to her ear this time as Ma took another strand of hair off her mane. The pile of her grey hair was starting to grow at her hooves, and she was beginning to wonder how much hair she would have left after this was all said and done. But, she trusted Ma, and Granita swore up and down that her mother knew what she was doing when it came to cutting manes and tails after she had calmed the filly down, promising that it was all a joke and no pony was ever going to use hedge trimmers on her mane. So, it was a big relief that the scissors Ma was currently using on her resembled ones Melody was used to back home, with slight modifications for hooves of course.
After a few more snips, Ma started brushing Melody’s mane out again. It was a few short moments of bliss every time that brush massaged her scalp and made sitting here on top of the hard wooden table for so long bearable. What was not so bearable was when Ma started with her tail and was brushing and cutting back there. It was really embarrassing to have someone, or pony, doing things that close to one’s posterior, especially with sharp scissors… More than once Melody had to be told to hold still. If it wasn’t her rocking back and forth from being nervous, it was her tail moving uncontrollably on its own, also probably from being nervous. She was more than glad when Ma had finished back there and found that her tail felt much lighter than before after she tried moving it.

“That’s it. Yer all done,” Ma suddenly announced, smiling as she set the brush down on the table and grabbed a small mirror for Melody to look at her mane. “Well, what ya think?”

Looking at herself in the mirror, Melody moved her head around to different angles while running a hoof through her much lighter mane. There was quite a bit of hair missing, as evident on the table all around her, but her mane looked like it was professionally done. It was layered and flowed nicely down her neck and slightly over her shoulders with all the ugly split ends removed. It was hard to believe how nice it actually looked. With all the hair around her, she didn’t know what to expect, but her fears were over nothing it seemed.

“My mane… and my tail. They look wonderful! Thank you,” Melody graciously stated, turning around and gave Ma a quick nuzzle followed with a much longer hug around her neck. “I’m so glad you didn't use the hedge trimmers…” she stated with a small giggle as she pulled back.

Ma laughed at that, a small twinkle in her eye. “You’re mighty welcome, and maybe Ah might just use those trimmers on Granita next time she’s due fer a cut,” she stated with a wink.

Melody giggled again as she started brushing some errant strands of hair that had stuck to her fur.

“You got clean up duty though. We gots ta eat lunch in a bit, so don’t dawdle,” Ma stated as she grabbed the mirror, brush, and scissors to put away, leaving the mess of hair for the filly to clean.

“Yes, Ma’am,” Melody happily replied, climbing down from the table to a chair, and finally back down on solid ground, going to get the small broom and dustpan.

Ma had started up the wood burning stove, setting up a large pot of water to boil while Melody worked on getting all her hair off the table and floor, making numerous trips outside to the refuge pile, glad that it had stopped snowing and warmed up slightly as the sun poked out of the clouds as a few pegasi were up there removing them. It was still quite a wonder even after being here for months that pegasi controlled the weather and fly, unicorns cast visible magic from their horns, and earth ponies, such as herself, could grow things with magic, or feel the flow of the earth as they put it.

Weeks ago, she had tried and tried to get in touch with her own magic, but every attempt ended with the same result. Nothing. Ma, Pa, and Granita could all make plants grow at will, though they only did it when absolutely necessary as Pa had explained that using magic to grow a plant sucked up a lot of nutrients from the surrounding soil, leaving it barren if one was to overdo it. Melody almost doubted that she had any kind of magic inside of her, but that all changed yesterday when she had gotten her cutie mark. Now she knew for sure she had magic inside her. Maybe she just wasn’t good with plants? It’s not like she had a plant type cutie mark. It was a musical mark, a coda. A conclusion to a piece.

Her adopted family had explained last night after she had calmed down from the small party that cutie marks aren’t always clear in what they mean, but they are a defining piece of one’s self. And finding out what that piece truly is… that is what makes a pony complete. For some, the journey to find one’s self takes years, for others, they know, without a shadow of a doubt, the moment that symbol appears on their flank. Melody was part of the former group, but it was just another piece of this strange world’s puzzle that she was determined to find out about someday and hope that it would lead her to Gennie and a way back home.

Today though, was not that day. Closing the back door behind her, Melody lightly shivered as the warmer indoor air hit her. She was finally done cleaning up all her hair from the table and floor. Her ears swiveled, scanning for any indication of Pa being back from wherever he went. “Ma, where has Pa been all morning? He and Granita won't tell me nothing but to wait and see…” she softly whined, trying to sound sincerely hurt as she walked over to Ma, doing her best ‘give me what I want because you know I’m cute’ face.

“Oh, he went ta town. Should be back before lunch is ready though,” Ma remarked, her attention fully on stirring the pot of vegetables while humming a happy tune.

Melody wrinkled her snout at the mare and internally huffed. Ma didn’t even bother to look at her secret weapon. How rude. “What did he go to town for?”

“Nothing much. Just need ta talk ta some ponies. That’s all,” Ma easily replied, still stirring their lunch. The aroma of cooking veggies was filling the air, making Melody aware that she was indeed getting hungry again. Even being so much smaller than she was as a human, she was finding herself eating more and more and still not sating her hunger entirely at times. It concerned her a bit when she first took notice, but since she found that there was no extra weight being added to her frame anywhere, she just chalked it up to being a pony and as long at she didn’t become pudgy, it was of little concern.

“He went inta town just to talk?” Melody skeptically asked, looking up at her adoptive mother. “He never go inta town to just talk…”

“Well, that’s what he done did. But now that yer all done cleaning up, why don’t ya go back and help Granita finish up in the barn?” Ma remarked, more as a statement than a question.

Melody’s ears fell back against her head as she frowned at the older mare for a moment. What in the world are they hiding from me? Why won’t any of them tell me what is going on tomorrow? It’s not like them to keep secrets... “Yes, Ma’am,” Melody softly stated, donning her scarf once more before heading back out to see what else was left in the barn to clean.





October 22. 8:18 P.M.

Dear Diary,

It’s been a hectic couples of days since I last wrote in you and I’m sorry for that. But, now that I have a chance, where to even begin? Well I guess I will start with the worst thing first. A couple days again, a… voice thing or whatever entered my head and basically told me I couldn’t tell anyone and to let my new body just… forget my past. What a complete and utterly stupid request that was. Even if my mind is trying to push out my old thoughts like they were interlopers in my own head, I can still recall them, or better yet, I’ll just start writing them down. I’ll have to see about getting another diary and then find time to sit and write out any memories that come to mind. See, that thing said I had to forget them, but didn't say anything about writing them down and then reading them later on. Heck, that way they would be completely new memories to me and I wouldn't have to worry about the whole incompatible brain thing, if that was even true or not. But as of right now, I have no way of knowing, plus if I want to find out anything about Gennie from him, I guess I will have to comply. Too bad I wasn't a unicorn, then I could just magic up a way to get him out of my mind forever. Or something like that. Magic that thing away! Don’t I wish…

Well enough about that, writing and thinking about that whole incident is getting me down, and when I start feeling down, my family starts asking questions and I really don't need that right now. I still really do want them to know, even if it is just for the selfish reason of getting rid of this guilt I have about keeping what I really am from them. But I need to find out what happened to Gennie first, then I don’t care what that thing does, I’m telling Ma, Pa, and Granita everything, even if it kills me. Ha. Morbid thought. What if me dying was the way to get back home? What if I really died to get here and that it worked the same way but in reverse? I wish there was a way to test that theory but I doubt there is… Maybe Dr. Chart has a resurrection spell or something? You know, just in case. Yeah, that’s getting a bit too morbid for my taste. Moving on.

Yesterday was a hell of a day. Pa gave Granita and I some bits to go into town to relax and have fun. It was great getting to wander around town with nothing in mind to do for a while. Then I got to meet Silver, a pegasus, and his family who are friends with Granita. They own an awesome bakery, and I would love to go back and try more of what they had. I also got to meet Silver’s friends, Rose, Autumn, Cherry, and Henna. I didn’t really want to meet them at first since hanging around with a bunch of kids isn’t really my thing, but after that game of soccer, I think it is safe to say that I was wrong, and I’m glad that I got to meet all of them. I guess I impressed them so much out on the field that they asked me to join them again, which is sweet and I think I will. I missed playing soccer.

Even better than finding some friends, was something magical that I thought would never, ever happen to me. I got a butt tattoo! Or a cutie mark, which is the proper term for it. And I got it while playing the cello. That’s right! I can play the cello with hooves baby! Suck it, universe!  Anyways, it’s a pale violet coda, one right on each flank. I have no clue what it means (I know what the musical term stands for) or what purpose it has yet, but now that I know for certain I have magic inside me, I’m going to damn well learn how to use it.

P.S. The family is hiding something from me. I know, I know, irony, right? Even after asking Pa again when he got back from town why everypony was being so secretive, all I got was the same thing. I’ll find out tomorrow. At least tomorrow isn't that far away now, but I can't stop thinking about what it could be… It’s obviously something to do with me or for me, or… bleh! I want to know, dammit!