Cherry was finally back home where he belonged. His head still pounded like someone was beating it with a sorry stick, but he knew he’d be okay. Switchy and the other fluffies galloped to greet him when he was finally let out of the carrier.
Cherry gulped and stared at the carpet when Switchy approached him. Would Switchy still consider him an alicorn? He started to shiver.
“… Am yoo otay? Yoo smeww wike scawedies and huwties.” Switchy quietly asked, sitting down only a few inches in front of him. The red stallion glanced up at Switchy. Switchy looked frightened, his eyes wide and brows furrowed in concern. Cherry lowered his head.
“Y-Yus… Am otay.”
Then Cherry felt Switchy’s front legs wrap around him in a tight hug. “Gud.”
Cherry gasped, his heart fluttering in his chest. His eyes teared up again and the stress of the whole situation came crashing down. “Huuuuu, huu huuu!” He hid his face in Switchy’s furry chest and bawled. Switchy only tightened his hug and leaned down to groom Cherry’s mane.
Apple sniffled in empathy and wandered over, rubbing Cherry’s back with a hoof. He softly spoke to the vulnerable stallion. “It’s okay Chewwy, you’we safe. Fwuffies stiww wub yoo and you’ww heaw soon!”
Lucky gasped and ran over, snuggling up to Cherry’s shoulder. “Wucky wiww heaw yoo! Wucky keep yoo safe wif wuck!” She cooed and nuzzled his fur, mumbling nonsense into it in an attempt to help.
Dusk seemed to show concern for once, and walked closer to Cherry, sitting near him. “Cawm down, dummeh. Dusk pwotect yoo. Dusk… Nu say it much, but Dusk cawe about yoo.”
Cherry continued sobbing, for about 2 hours. Switchy’s chest fur was wet and crusty with snot and tears by then, but he didn’t mind. Cherry needed the comfort, and he wanted to be there for him, always. Even if Cherry didn’t feel the same about him, Switchy loved him. He knew that now.
He didn’t expect Cherry to lean up and point his muzzle at him when he leaned down to nuzzle Cherry’s mane. They ended up booping noses and nuzzling by accident. The fluffy form of a kiss. Both Cherry and Switchy threw themselves away from each other.
“C-Chewwy?”
“… Switchy? Yoo wuv Chewwy too?”
“… Wha?” Switchy’s train of thought derailed and went off a cliff. Cherry was asking if Switchy loved him? Oh, god, how was he going to answer that-
“Cause Chewwy wike yoo…” Cherry looked down and scuffed a front hoof on the floor. Switchy’s eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and his mouth moved before his brain did.
“Yus! Wuv yoo!”
Cherry gasped, raced forward and plowed into Switchy’s chest, purring. Switchy smiled, and gently used a hoof to tilt Cherry’s face up. They both leaned forward, and nuzzled again. Switchy couldn’t help letting out happy little chirps into the kiss and fluttering his wings.
“Coo…” They both broke away from each other to see Brian, Gavin and the other fluffies gazing at them, smiling. Dusk was giving them a small smirk, which was the most they’d ever seen. Both lovestruck alicorns yelped and hid their faces in each other’s fluff. Their faces would be bright red if there wasn’t so much fur covering their cheeks. Their family laughed and practically rushed forward, scooping them up and cuddling them with whispered congratulations.
That night, they were all cuddled up together, a big happy family again. But the soft, fuzzy feeling was broken by Lucky freezing up and going practically catatonic.
“… Wucky? Am yoo otay?” Cherry asked, crawling forward through the blankets to reach her. The green unicorn started shivering, her breathing shuddering.
“You okay, sweetie? Stay back from her, Cherry- Come here Lucky.” Gavin beckoned to Lucky, concerned. She didn’t move, didn’t seem to notice anyone was talking to her.
Then, she began to scream.
“SCREEEEEEE! NU! NU HUWT NYU FAMIWY!” She shrieked. Cherry hissed and leapt off the bed in a panic. He’d never heard a fluffy scream that way before. It was the sound of pure terror, of anguish. Dusk’s hackles flared and he growled, heavily unsettled.
“Nyu mawe! Nu scawe hewd wike dat! Cawm down!” He barked, shivering.
Brian immediately scooped up Lucky and cradled her in his arms like he had with Cherry at the vet. He stroked her mane, scratched behind her ears and hummed softly to her. She hyperventilated, eyes watering. She burrowed into the space between his arm and his side, and refused to come out.
After a while, her breathing slowed. She was finally able to speak again. She leapt up onto Brian’s chest, holding his face between her front hooves, demanding his attention.
“Uh… What?” Brian asked, confused.
“Nyu daddee, somefing vewy bad am coming. A munstah! Wee nee’ wun away befowe da munstah comes!” She spoke almost too fast to be understood, and it took a few seconds for Brian’s brain to catch up.
“A monster? There’s no monster’s here, lucky, I promise. You’re safe. You’re afraid of your old owner coming back, aren’t you?” He gently asked. He hugged her gently as Gavin petted her back. Cherry leapt back up onto the bed, worried.
“It am safe hewe, Wucky. Nu nee’ to be scawedies! Hoomans an’ fwuffies protect yoo!” Cherry puffed out his chest, preening.
Lucky nodded, pretending to agree. She wasn’t calm at all. But she didn’t want her new family to worry. She pretended to calm down completely and everyone settled back in for sleep.
Lucky cowered in Brian’s arms, even after they all fell asleep. Something bad was coming.
First chapter: Cherry And Brian, Chapter 0: Cherry's Backstory (Star-The-Alicorn)
Previous chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 12: A Lucky Encounter (Star-The-Alicorn) (Art by Mlgbunnyiscool)
Next chapter: Cherry and Brian, Chapter 14: The Final Fight (Star-The-Alicorn)
