(Another project is eating up a lot of my time and energy at the moment. The next arc is mostly plotted, but I can’t promise expediency. Thank you so much for your patience.)
Apple stirred from his fatigue induced nap. Next to him he saw his sleeping lovers. Sunny and Star were resting with a peaceful expression on their faces. It put a smile on his face. He still had “it.” Not that he really knew what it was. He felt bad that he couldn’t do this for the rest of the mares in the herd.
No, that wasn’t quite it. He didn’t want to. These two were is special friends since they’d all figured out what special huggies were. That and he couldn’t look at the other mares without thinking about the stallions they’d left to the barky monsters.
Bubbles had sent them all out to take forever sleepies. Apple wanted to hate him for it, but Bubbles hadn’t lied to them.
Several soon mommas who couldn’t be saved had already been torn apart. The rest of them were in danger too. The barky monsters hadn’t been afraid of Bubble’s horn magic. Not enough to leave anyway, though it had spared Apple’s section of the herd.
“Am ‘ou be bwabe!?” Bubbles had shouted. “Den don’ wet dummeh bawkie munstahs hawt mawes an’ babehs!”
The toughies had been ordered to stay with the herd. Apple didn’t regret following that order.
That’s why he couldn’t hate him. He’d have to hate himself too. If he’d been in charge, they probably all would have taken forever sleepies. Maybe that was why even his own thinkie place told him Bubbles was the smarty.
But that was the before times. The human’s yard was so nice. They didn’t need a fluffy to be in charge. The human was strong. The human could do things Bubbles couldn’t even compare to. Bubbles was weak.
Apple didn’t want anything to happen to Bubbles, but he wanted him to stop calling himself the smarty.
If he could do that, maybe him and Apple could really be friends. It was a nice thought, but Apple had a feeling that day would never come. He was worried that some day he’d have to hurt Bubbles bad enough that he wouldn’t try to boss them around and ruin their fun. He had a lot more of those thoughts the last few bright times.
He tried to remember the only really good memory he had of Bubbles. The day Apple had joined his herd after the 3 had fled their old one. Apple’s old smarty had tried to take Sunny and Star for himself and his toughies.
Something happened, but Apple couldn’t really remember it. He only remembered taking Sunny and Star and running away.
When Bubbles had found him after, Apple had just dealt with some stupid regular fluffy with a worse version of his own fluff, “too dark” he remembered thinking, Bubbles had offered him a spot as a toughie. The other fluffy… he didn’t remember.
But Apple had told Bubbles he wanted to keep his 2 special friends. Bubbles had looked them over and told him it was fine. Many of the other fluffies had thought it was weird. Bubbles had told them all to deal with it.
Bubbles hadn’t taken arguments from any fluffy back then.
Maybe he wasn’t so-
“Gud feews!”
The words echoed through Apple’s head. It was something he hadn’t heard in a long time from any fluffy besides himself. There were only a few stallions with Shadow missing. Apple wondered if Leaf or Bubbles had finally cracked.
But… that didn’t sound like Leaf or Bubbles. It was deep, closer to, but not the same as Shadow. He felt his hair stand up at that.
‘intruders.’ His thinkie place told him. He quickly ran to the ramp. It was high, but he couldn’t see the place where the noise had come from. He looked to Lilly and Candy’s nests.
All three mares were lying next to Lily in hers. Apple saw a few tufts of fluff in the mares. That meant they had their babies. That was good. Leaf was standing in front of them. He looked tense, but he wasn’t moving from his spot.
Bubbles… was nowhere to be seen. He must have already been over where the noise came from. That was bad! Bubbles would be in real trouble without a toughie. Apple took off down the ramp.
As he rounded the corner he saw two fluffies he didn’t know. A big and honestly scary looking gray stallion. He was laying next to Coal.
The other fluffy… had the same color fluff that Apple did. Fear continued to swell up in his thinkie place for some reason. That fluffy was on top of Grassie. Dawn was resting on the grass next to them.
The air smelled of special huggies. That was good. Fluffies got tired after special huggies.
As he felt the ache in his own hooves he remembered that he’d just done the same, and with two fluffies, and that if they did fight he’d be fighting the toughie who seemed to have been resting.
Apple slowed his advance. He didn’t see Bubbles anywhere. He was alone.
He looked back to Leaf. He was still standing with the mothers, though he’d clearly seen Apple. Apple doubted Leaf would be coming to save him if it meant leaving his special friend and the other mothers alone.
Still, Apple couldn’t leave the intruders to do what they wanted. He needed to make sure things would be okay. If they let him keep his special friend, and if they didn’t hurt the herd, he’d even let the red-
His thinkie place shuddered. Something about the red one… Apple didn’t know this fluffy, but his thinkie place told him they couldn’t be friends.
“Gud feews!” He heard as the red one finished. He dismounted the mare. He didn’t look tired at all. The gray one rose to his feet. He didn’t look tired either. They both looked like they were ready to play meanie huggie tag for the next few forevers.
Apple felt his own body hurt even more. He stopped a short distance away. He huffed to catch his breath. He wasn’t ready. He needed a few not forevers.
The red fluffy’s snout wrinkled as he drew near. Apple tried to think of something to say but the other red fluffy spoke first.
“‘Ou stawwion?”
“Hewwo Appew!” Dawn said excitedly from her spot on the grass. “Nyu smawtie fwen’ giv bestest speshaw huggies! Nu dummeh wike meanie Bubbews!” Apple wasn’t sure why she’d shared this with him.
“Dis smawtie?” The red fluffy asked her, apparently unable to read the wall place.
“Oh! Nyu smawtie Heawt, dis am toughie fwend Appew! He hab pwettie wed fwuff too!” The fluffy named Heart was giving him a very not pretty look. “An’ Appew, dis am Heawt! Gonna be new smawtie an’ get bestest skettie ebwee day fwom dummeh hoomin!”
“Daddeh Bwake am nu dummeh!” Apple shouted without thinking. Dawn puffed out her cheeks. She opened her mouth but Heart cut her off.
“Wock, I tink we fownd dummeh…” He said in a low voice. Apple felt like making scardie poopies. He felt his own ears droop a little. He forced them to perk up but Heart continued. “Wan toughie, but Heawt nu nee’ hoomin wuvin’ dummeh fwuffie dat nu undahstan’ Heawt am bestest smawtie ebah.”
Apple looked to the mares. Coal was giving her new special friend a scared look. Grassie was covering her eyes. Dawn, looked like she wanted to fight Apple too.
He was alone. He backed away as the gray fluffy stomped toward him. Apple looked back to the bridge.
That was it! It was the thing he was really good at. If he could just get the bigger toughie to chase him onto the bridge- He remembered the sleeping forms of his special friends. He couldn’t risk that. He needed to win or… Or they’d… these fluffies with his special friends…
Apple turned ready to fight, only to feel something slam into his face. He toppled over. A long shadow fell over him. The toughie’s hoof landed on the spot where his leg connected to his body. It hurt. He tried to move but there was too much weight.
The toughie bent down and bit down hard on Apple’s ear. He felt it pull and rip. He felt the worst pain he’d ever felt in his life. He heard a sound he couldn’t describe as the bigger fluffy yanked hard.
He heard his own voice explode from his throat. Then sensation of something warm ran down the part of his head that felt the searing pain. His eyes danced around haphazardly until they fell on Rock’s snout. There was something red hanging out if it. It didn’t look like his tongue.
The fluffy spat whatever it was out to the ground. Apple couldn’t think of what to do. His thinkie place only seemed able to focus on the pain where his hear pla-
That was his hear place he’d just seen. His eyes looked to the location it had landed in. It wasn’t gone. Maybe he could put it back. His vision blurred as a stinging sensation fell of his see palce. He wasn’t sure why. The fluffy above him spoke.
“Heawt wan Wock tu wet dummeh fwuffie be nyu toughie?” He asked the smarty.
Apple wanted to beg the smartie for mercy. He wanted to promise him he’d be the bestest toughie in the herd if he’d just let him keep his special friends safe. He’d help him find Bubbles if he could just get that.
“Nu, don’ wan wed fwuffie in hawd. Dat cowow am foh smawtie an’ smawtie babeh onwy. Gib fohebah sweepies.”
Apple understood then where his fear had come from.
He felt Rock lift off him. He wanted to run, but he knew it was too late. He thought about closing his see places but something caught his attention.
In complete silence, a blue shape moved toward Heart from a place none of them were looking.
It crashed into Heart. Heart tumbled onto his back letting out a surprised gasp. Rock looked over to his fallen smarty but didn’t seem ready to do anything.
The blue shape became clearer. It was a fluffy. It was Bubbles. His head moved to Heart’s no-nos. Apple watched as Bubbles teeth covered the fallen fluffy’s special lumps.
“Skreeeeeee!” Heart’s legs kicked only helplessly bopping into the side of Bubbles head. It didn’t seem to bother him. Bubbles yanked his head. Heart was dragged a little and his voice got louder. Bubbles put a hoof down on his body and yanked again. This time his head flew back.
Bubbles stepped away as a spray of boo boo juice shot out from Heart’s no-no place. Bubbles spit something out away from the two of them.
Bubbles might as well have been as big as the human in that moment. There was red around his mouth as Heart crawled away from him while he cried.
Apple couldn’t believe he’d even been afraid of him just a few not forevers ago. He looked so silly now. Rock was standing completely still. He was staring at Bubbles, but he didn’t look like he was going to fight him.
Bubbles spoke. “Come on Bubbew’s wand, gib speshaw huggie to Bubbew’s mawe, an’ wowstest ob aww…” He walked closer to Heart’s head. “Ou hawt one ob Bubbew’s Bestest toughies.” Bubbles hit his head with his front hoof. “An ‘ou nu smeww pwettie.”
It was true. Now that Apple had a moment to think about it, these fluffies from outside the yard smelled really bad. He’d gotten so used to the human’s magic water smell.
“‘O, ou…” Rock said to Apple.
“Shu’ up!” Bubbles yelled. The bigger fluffy actually took a step back and his hear places drooped.
“Scawwy!” Coal said as she covered her eyes and shook.
“Bubbews am ‘ou smawtie nao. Nu tawkie tiww done wid dummeh nu speshaw wumps habin’ fwuffie.”
“Huu huu, why hawt smawtie, jus’ wan huggies and wub.” Heart said beneath him.
Apple watched as the rest of the herd was now viewing the spectacle. Bubbles looked so powerful, Apple hardly recognized him. He turned his attention away from the fallen smarty and to the herd. He spoke in as loud a voice he could manage.
“Dis dummeh fwuffie twy tu invade wand! Dummeh hoomin nu sabe hawd fwom fwuffies. Smawtie an’ bestest toughie Appew am du dat!” He yelled to the other fluffies. Apple was confused. All he’d done is lost to an outsider and cry. He even lost one of his hear places. He was practically a dummy himself now.
Bubbles put two hooves on Heart. It made him look even bigger. “Dis smawtie wand! Hoomin am gud bu’ nu be weadew foh hawd. Nebah be nyu daddeh. Hawd nu nee’ dat! Bubbews am bestest smawtie!”
Bubbles looked down to the cowering Heart. His hooves were squirming. Bubbles gave him a kick and he stopped. Even his whimpering quieted. The fluffies in the yard were cheering. They didn’t approach but Apple could feel them all the same.
Lowering his voice so only the 5 of them would hear, Bubbles spoke again.
“Nu wike gib fohebah sweepies an’ speshaw wump hawties to soon mummah speshaw fwen… bu’ Bubbews kno ‘ou won’ stop twyin tu be smawtie.” He said it like he was telling a winged fluffy they would never fly.
“F-fwuffie nu cawe ‘bout dat. Onwy wan nu go fohebah sweepies. Wan speshaw wumps back. Wan weave… Wa-" Heart coughed as his mouth quivered. "Wan mummaaaaaah!” He wailed.
Apple rose to his feet. He didn’t dare argue with Bubbles now, but it didn’t seem right to- Apple’s see places looked down the red fluffy. He remembered the feeling from before. The way he had told Rock to give him forever sleepies. Just seeing his fluff was filling Apple with anger. Bubbles spoke again.
“Hawd nu hab two smawties. ‘Ou say ou am smawtie.” Bubbles drew closer. “‘Wiww nu gib fohebah sweepies tu mummas if fwuffies hab babehs. Am just wittew babehs.” Bubbles face sagged as he said it. “Bu’ dey hab nu daddeh. Hawd wiww hewp mummahs.”
Some anger returned to Heart’s face. “Nu cawe! Nu hawt Heawt! Am bestest fwuffie. Am hab bestest hawd an’ babehs!”
Apple’s body flared up when he heard that. Bubbles was right, this dummy still thought he was going to be a smarty. Not just that, but the best smarty. He didn’t even have special lumps anymore!
All Apple’s worry disappeared. Apple was looking forward to Boris ending him.
But when Apple looked to Bubbles, he didn’t look like the fierce fluffy he’d been just a few not forevers ago. He looked scared. But it wasn’t like the scared he’d had when the barky monsters had taken their herd. It was like he was watching his baby go to forever sleepies.
He shouldn’t have looked weak. Not with that red stain on his mouth. Not while he was standing on the stallion who’d tried to invade. It wasn’t right. It wasn’t fair.
“Dummeh Bubbews!” Dawn shouted at him. It seemed to catch his attention, which was bad considering his enemy was just below him.
Weak weak weak. Apple wanted to hit Bubbles. He’d just beaten up another smarty. He’d just scared the toughie that could’ve given Shadow a hard fight. He was smart enough to turn this entire disaster around but he wasn’t strong enough to…
Bubbles looked at Apple as he backed away from the mare. He was breathing heavy. There was something in his eyes that was desperate.
‘hewp fwuffie.’ He heard from a voice that wasn’t real.
Shadow was gone. Leaf was too busy protecting… not just Candy, but all of them. Apple had been playing when he was supposed to be guarding the herd. He’d allowed these intruders to give special huggies to their mares, and give him sorry hoovsies.
Bubbles had been smart. He’d been smart enough to beat their smarty. This new smarty was just a big headed dummeh.
And so was Apple.
It was Bubble’s job to be smart. It was Apple’s job to be strong.
Apple felt his own teeth clench. He walked over to Dawn and hit her as hard as he could in the snout with his front hoof. She lurched back and covered it. Apple didn’t see any boo boo juice.
“Shu’ up! ‘Ou nu tawk to bestest Smawtie wike dat, ow Appew du wowse tu ‘ou an’ babehs!” He hadn’t thought any of it. He’d just let his talkie place go.
Dawn didn’t say anything. Apple had hoped she would so that he wouldn’t have to do what came next. When he looked to Bubbles, he saw another chance to stall.
“Sowwy foh be dummeh wazy toughie fwend Bubbews. ‘Ou nu nee’ give fohebah stumpies tu dummeh nu smawtie.” He said as he looked his leader in the eyes. “Dat am suppose’ tu be toughie ting. ‘Ou sabe hawd an’ Appew so nu nee’ du.” He saw the relief and gratitude on his leader’s face.
Apple turned to the fallen smarty. Now that he was staring at his defenseless, weak, so close to forever sleepies form, he could hear something in his thinkie place telling him to hug the hurt fluffie.
A much angrier voice was screaming ‘enemy.’ He tried as hard as he could to listen to the second voice.
He reared back and stomped on the harmless creature right below the head. He heard a dry gasp and tried again. This time a crack and the creature stopped moving.
Apple looked to his smarty. Bubbles hadn’t turned away from the scene. Several fluffies had, but Bubbles had watched the whole thing even though his body shook.
“Tank ‘ou.” Bubbles mouthed quietly. Apple nodded. Both of them turned their head to the toughie.
Behind him was a stream of shit. There were a lot of fluffies in the same situation. Apple was still scared of the big fluffy, but he was ready to fight again. He took a step forward, his hear place throbed. Rock stepped back before looking down to Coal. He froze, then he stepped in front of her.
“Fw-fwuffie nu hawt mawe.” Rock was trembling in a way that put Bubbles to shame. Yellow was flowing down between his legs.
Did he think Apple would hurt her? That was silly, Apple didn’t hurt mares.
The sound of Dawn’s crying behind him crashed into his thinkie place. He pushed the guilt back. He had a job to do.
“Nu fight.” Bubbles said from behind him. Apple stopped. He wanted to yell at Bubbles that they needed to show their strength. They couldn’t be nice or the herd would keep disrespecting Bubbles.
Bubbles walked past Apple. His shaking had ceased as he sat in front of Rock.
“Ou wook stwong.” Bubbles said. Why would he say that? There was nothing about this that looked strong to Apple.
Rock nodded back to him.
“Wemind bubbews ob toughie fwen’…” Bubbles reached out a hand and patted Rock. Rock tensed but didn’t pull away. “Who am smawtie?” Bubbles asked him.
“… ‘Ou namesie am Bubbews?” Rock asked.
“Fwuffie am Bubbews.” Bubbles said with a nod.
“Bubbews am smawtie.” Rock nodded back.
“Who tink Bubbews am smawtie?” Bubbles continued.
“Wock tink Bubbews am smawtie.” Rock said quickly.
“Dat gud. Ou am smawtie’s toughie numbah twee foh nao. ‘Ou hewp hawd an’ nu fight wid uddah toughies. ‘Ou wissen tu Weaf an’ Appew ow Bubbews take wumps.”
Rock nodded again with a dry gulp.
Bubbles looked to Coal. “Be gud speshaw fwen foh toughie. Be gud mummah foh hawd.”
“Fwuffie wiww.” Coal responded.
Bubbles turned to Dawn. She cowered on the ground and kept her hooves over her nose. Bubbles walked to her back leggie. He looked bothered by something. Apple was going to offer to help but before he could get a word out Bubbles reared up and stomped on Dawn’s leg sending a loud crack through the yard.
Dawn made a sound that hurt Apple’s ears. When Bubbles backed away her back leg was bent in a bad direction.
“Who am smawtie?” Bubbles asked her.
“…Ou am….” She said between sobs.
“Dat wight. ‘Ou am dummeh maybe soon-mummah nao. Nu fwuffie wiww wan be speshaw fwen’ wid dummeh mawe. Nu smawtie definitwy.” She lowered her eyes but said nothing. She slumped back onto the ground and sobbed.
Bubbles looked over to Grassie. He didn’t even need to say anything.
“Ou am smawtie!” She yelled. He nodded.
Seeming satisfied, Bubbles walked back toward Leaf and the mothers.
Rock seemed completely stunned. He laid down with Coal and tried to ignore Dawn. He nuzzled her and she returned the gesture.
Apple was prepared to go after Bubbles when he heard the sound of something heavy moving.
“What the hell happened out here!?” Blake shouted as he walked out the door.
————
“Awmoss dere…” Apple continued to coax Bubbles as he made his way to the end of the number 2 bridge. Apple had asked Blake to replace it after the incident in the yard last bright time.
Bubbles made his way to the end with Apple and collapsed. He’d actually listened to Apple’s advice and didn’t look down for the whole trip.
“Smawtie did it!” Apple said in a loud whisper. He felt his own heart thumping. This was the second time tonight Bubbles had cleared the bridge.
“Be quie’.” Bubbles responded, though it didn’t sound mean.
Apple covered his mouth anyway. “Sowwy smawtie.” He said. “Bu’ dis is gud. ‘Ou did it!”
“… Stiww nu gud at bwidgie game…”
“Dat otay, dis am toughie game. Appew nu can du cuppie game gud.” Apple hugged Bubbles and tried to nuzzle him before feeling a sharp pain and lurching back. He kept his talkie place from making a loud noise by covering it.
He’d forgotten that his hear place still had hurties even after the hoomin’s magic and several hugs from Star and Sunny. He expected Bubbles to yell at him anyway but he didn’t. He was just looking at him with a sad look.
“Sowwy ‘bout heaw pwace… Smawtie see dummeh fwuffies bu’ nu am fast enough.” Apple was floored. Bubbles hadn’t said much to him outside of yelling orders. Bubbles felt the need to say something.
“Ou sabe hawd. Toughie hewp pwotect hawd. Dat am gud ‘nough.” Apple could tell Bubbles was still sad about it. He could see it through Bubbles tired see places.
“Dat soun’ wike owd smawtie.” Bubbles said. That caught Apple’s attention.
“Bubbews owd smawtie? What am wike?” Bubbles turned his head away from Apple and let it sit between his hooves. He smiled, but something about it still felt bad to Apple.
“He was da weaw smawtest smawtie. He teww Bubbews many tings ‘bout twee pwace an’ hoomins. Bubbews hab tu wemembah aww ebwyday. Aww toughies twy, bu’ Bubbews am bestest.” He looked like he wanted Apple to say something. Apple stayed quiet though. He wasn’t sure what he could add. Bubbles sighed and continued.
“Sum nummehs am bad, su onwy eat wittew bit fiwss time. Fwuffies am dummeh, awways eat fiwst to wemind who weadah am. Dun fohge’ tu aways ea’ new food fiwss time. If ge’ sickies, teww toughies tu make da fwuff piwe and onwy stay wid speshaw fwen, ow bestess fwen.’” Bubbles eyes widened like Apple had just said Shadow’s name.
“Bubbews was… bestest fwen sumtimes.”
Apple listened as he said the whole thing. It really gave him an appreciation for his leader. He was already forgetting most of what he’d just heard. And he wasn’t finished.
“Thinkie pwace say nu wet uddah stawwions hab speshaw fwen’, bu’ stawwions wid speshaw fwen nu wan be smawties. Hab one speshaw fwen otay, bu’ pick stwong mawe if am du. Dun wan’ too many babehs.”
That seemed less smart. Part of their problem today was due to the herd being filled up with mares.
“Maybe smawtie bweak wass wuwe. Mawes wan babehs. Yawd am nice pwace foh babehs.”
Bubbles looked like he was giving that some serious thought. “‘Ou can du? ‘Ou hab nu babehs ye’.”
“Onwy gib speshaw huggies tu Sunnie an Staw.” Apple said without a hint of doubt. He was prepared for an argument over this. In part he knew both of them should just get over it and have babies with other mares but he just couldn’t. Apple didn’t want Sunny and Star to feel sad about not being able to have babies.
Bubbles only smirked. “See pwobwem?”
Apple blinked. He understood what Bubbles was getting at but the way he said it had been weird. “Whewe Bubbews fin’ dose wowds?”
Bubbles tilted his head. “Owd smawtie use’ tu say.” Bubbles seemed lost in thought again.
After a moment Apple asked the question he’d been too afraid to ask since Bubbles had asked him for practice again.
“Why Bubbews wan’ be smawtie? Ou nu wike be toughie?”
Bubbles didn’t say anything to that. He didn’t even look like he was thinking. He just let his head rest on the ground again. It had been a silly question to ask, though Apple wasn’t sure why that was the case. He supposed that was why he wasn’t the smarty.
Even when he’d thought Bubbles was a bad smarty he’d never wanted or even been able to see himself in that role.
There couldn’t be two smarties. Bubbles had liked his smarty. That should have made him afraid but despite everything earlier, he couldn’t imagine his friend who missed Shadow hurting a fluffy he liked and respected.
“Bubbews be smawtie tiww fohebah sweepies.” He said finally. “Nu cawe ‘bout weason nao. Dat am Bubbews.”
It wasn’t a satisfying answer, but maybe that was fine. Apple had never needed a reason to be who he was either.
“Den Appew be toughie tiww fohebah sweepies.” He said with a big smile. Bubbles didn’t return it.
“Bubbews miss Shadoh…” Bubbles said after a time. “Nu wan be smawtie widou’…” His eyes looked wet. “Su hawd widou’ bestest fwen’.”
“Den Appew be moh wike Shadoh. Nu can be big, bu’ am stwong. Bubbews hab pwobwem wid hawd ow hoomin, teww Appew. Appew am Bubbew’s toughie tiww fohebah sweepies.”
Bubbles stared at Apple for a moment. The tears that had been gathering in his eyes finally fell. Apple was about to hug him but Bubbles spoke.
“Bubbews am bewy tiwahed. Nee’ ge’ beddah, bu’ wan sweepies. Nu wan hawd see Bubbews sweep. Bubbews sweep hewe, gu pwotec’ mummahs. If Wiwy hab babies, come ge’.”
Apple nodded. “Appew du.”
Bubbles nodded and turned his head away and laid down. “Wan sweep foh wong time. ‘Ou nu wet fwuffie pway hewe when dey wakies.”
“Otay.” This was getting complicated. Apple would probably have to wake up Leaf… No, he could get Sunny and Star to watch the bridge. They could handle any one fluffy toughie or otherwise who tried to argue.
“Tank ‘ou Appew.” Apple felt his breath catch in his throat.
Apple couldn’t think of what to say to that so he jumped into the soft ground and walked out of the bridge. He walked back up to where Lily slept quietly. She looked comfortable.
Apple stifled a yawn and checked the rest of them. They all slept soundly.
Apple sat in an area between all of them and looked toward the wall that marked their territory. He kept his eyes on the door that the herd and the intruders had used to enter. The strange thing that let danger in but wouldn’t let them leave.
He looked back to the door the human would enter from, to the house that the human had taken him into for the first bridge game.
There was a fluffy in there. Apple had smelled it the few times he’d ventured near.
If he was a threat, if more threats came in from the outside… He’d fight till he couldn’t stand anymore to protect this.
He watched over them for what felt like many forevers. As he watched the sun peak over the trees he smiled. The sky was turning red like his own fluff.
This land was nice. His special friends were nice. And now, he had another friend. But at any time that door could let something terrible come in and ruin it. At least it was one door though.
…but it wasn’t.
Apple remembered the strange human that had taken Lemon. It wasn’t just the one door. Apple had almost forgotten because the human had made him feel safe. It was the door to the house that had lead to the disappearance of 4 fluffies.
Apple swallowed a nervous gulp. He hadn’t looked at the door in a few forevers. What could they do if a human showed up? He turned his head to the dark window. He felt his heart in his throat.
Why was he scared? It was the same place he’d looked at every da-
Blake’s face stared back at him from the window. Apple flinched and stepped back. It took him a moment to recover from the shock but he managed to avoid making scardie poopies.
The human waved to him. Apple waved back.
“Weiwdo” Apple said quietly as he resumed his duty in the yard.
————
Blake sat as his desk as he watched the herd play. Yesterday had been quite eventful. The camera feed had caught it all. It had been a treat to watch Bubbles work. He was a lot more clever than Blake had thought.
Amazing. This was shaping up to be an actual fight.
It was about noon and soon his own fluffies would require attention. Bubbles remained in the tower of the bridge game that the two yellow fluffies were guarding. Apple was watching the door and sneaking glances at the house.
The behavior was new, but not without explanation.
Blake had microphones built into his toys. They were at the tower in his bridge as well. They’d caught all of Bubble’s conversation with Apple. A conversation that he’d listened to at least 4 times.
Now he was listening to Bubbles speak gibberish. He was apparently a sleep talker, though Blake was only catching every 5 or so words. Fluffspeak was terrible on it’s own and Bubbles was only hitting a quiet mutter.
But there was at least one new word Blake could make out, A name.
“Silbamane…. Silvermane…” Blake repeated to himself.
The only candidate he could think of was Boris’s old smarty. The smarty that was too smart to be a regular fluffy. A fluffy with a name that was too complex for a mare to have come up with it.
“Alicorn or abhorrent?” Blake muttered to himself. Either way it was a opportunity that he’d already missed.
Blake got up and walked to the drawer under the unused telephone mounted on the wall. He pulled out a notepad that his father had written all the important phone numbers on.
He looked until he found the note for the “up-street neighbors” the word “The Clarkes” had been written.
Blake remembered them. At least he thought he did. They were an old couple if he remembered right. Wouldn’t be weird for them to have moved and for the new owners to buy the property. Turning it into a mill was unlikely but not impossible.
If there was a mill, it could be any of the other houses. Heck, it could be a place in the next valley over. Oh well, he had a few minutes to kill. He could just go back to putting it off if the number was disconnected.
Blake returned to his computer and started searching until he found a site that would allow him to make a call from a disposable number. After some wrestling with authentication he managed to get what he needed. He put in the number.
1 ring, 2 rings, 3 rings…. on the 6th the phone was picked up.
“Hello?” A young man’s voice said in a gruff tone.
Blake attempted to deepen his own voice. “Hi, My name is Brad Carlton and somebody gave me this number to call about sellin’ off a designer pegasus fluffy.”
Blake held his breath and waited for a reply.
“… And who would that somebody be?”
“…Hmmm? Oh yeah, had it written down but I lost the damn paper.” Blake prayed the gentleman wouldn’t see the obvious hole in that story.
“I don’t know what hustle you’re trying to pull here buddy-“
“Hustle? Oh dang, I must’ve gotten the number wrong. I ain’t no telemarketer. If you ain’t in the market I’ll just ask around or somethin’. Sorry for the bother.”
Blake stayed on the line. After a moment he heard a grunt and some cussing before the voice spoke.
“Colors?”
Blake hung up the phone. A wide smile spread across his face. He’d have a new project after the big game.
