>You are anon
>Student, Officer-in-training, gun enthusiast, professional burger flipper, and fiancé to a horse.
>...yeah.
>Ain't life grand?
>"I've told you a million times, anon, I'm NOT a horse!"
>silly horse
"Well, TECHNICALLY..."
>"'Well, technically' you're a monkey!"
>GOD
"GOD, I've told already, that's not how it works!"
>"uh-huh."
>this is a daily argument.
>and you love every minute of it.
>you can't imagine a life without it, that'd be just awful.
>and for that reason, you're willing to defend it with every fiber of your being.
>even if some would like to take it away...
>...
>you remember how you first met her.
>during the Great Migration, millions of equestrians moved to America.
>many young equestrians, sadly, lost their parents because of the War.
>much younger ones were put up for adoption, older ones were allowed to stay with foster families to "finish school".
>many more humans lost family to the War.
>you lost your brother.
>your only sibling, your childhood best friend, suddenly gone forever.
>it broke you.
>you became deeply depressed; many of your friends left you.
>you were lonely.
>your parents decided they had to do something to help.
>they, ultimately, decided to foster an equestrian.
>you had no say in it; you actually had no idea.
>she just showed up on your doorstep one day when you were home alone.
>FLASHBACK TIME!
 
>be TeenAnon, 5 years prior.
>playing CoD.
"FUCK!"
>you're shit at CoD.
>honestly, you don't know why you're even playing it.
>it's fucking awful to begin with.
"Fuck this game."
>hitting escape, you hear a knock at your door, making you almost shit yourself.
>your parents aren't supposed to be home until much later.
>you have no idea who it could be at this time of day; it could be a thief or a pedophile for all you know.
>reluctantly, you get up to answer the door, but only after retrieving your dad's revolver.
>you weren't necessarily out of shape, nor were you really fit.
>you could take down an unarmed elderly midget if need be.
>probably.
>you cautiously walk up to the front door and look out the peephole, only to see... nothing.
>nobody's there.
>you shrug and turn around to go back to your room, only to hear knocking again (making you nearly shit yourself again)
>this time you open the door, with the revolver drawn, now to see...
>...a small, cowering, naked, dirty pony.
>what
>it looks up over at your gun and whimpers.
>"I-Is this the h-house of Mr. Mous?"
>you stare for a few seconds, still somewhat confused and surprised
"Huh? Oh, uh, yeah yeah, I'm his son. Come in, I guess"
>the small pony walks in, its eyes on your gun
>you glance outside one more time before closing the door, seeing a rather intimidating tan humvee drive off in the distance
>concern.jpg
>you look back to your guest.
>getting a better look, you can tell it's actually a she.
>Well. This changes things.
>you kinda stared at her for minute expectantly, being the rather awkward person you are, and she did the same until her stomach growled.
>another quick look over her led you to the conclusion that she hadn't eaten in quite a while.
>poor thing.
"I've, uh, got some food in the kitchen if you're hungry. You want me to get you something?"
>"Y-yes please."
>you head over to the kitchen and, being the master chef you are, pour her a bowl of cereal.
>you left out the milk, though, because you weren't sure if ponies were weird vegans or something.
>setting the bowl of dry cereal on the table for her, you invite her to come over and eat. It was empty before you could even think about leaving the room.
>you pour her another bowl, and another, and another
>you stop, this much cereal would make YOU sick, who knows what it'd do to a small equine.
"You seem like you haven't eaten in days, sheesh."
>"I haven't..."
"O-oh."
>good going
"Let me try to make you some real food instead of this crap."
>using your best cooking skills, you fill up a pot with water and throw spaghetti noodles in, with the marinara cooking in another pot.
>while your gourmet dish cooks to perfection, you go back to your room and find spare clothes for her.
>an old pair of jeans with a large tear on the back, a t-shirt, and (fairly) unused underwear.
>perfect.
>you go back to the kitchen to find that the pony hadn't moved.
>right as you are about to hand her the spare clothes, you smell something burning
"MUH SPAGHETTI"
>you drop the clothes on the floor and sprint over to your masterpiece, which happens to be smoking.
>all of this madness gets a giggle out of the pony.
>fuckin adorable.
>you manage to save the spaghetti from catching aflame, though just barely.
>the pasta and sauce look suddenly more diverse and tolerant, with blackish chunks in both.
>although not as quality as you had hoped, you put the Italian cuisine in a different bowl and hand it to her.
>you watch as she chows down, you still somewhat shocked by the whole scenario.
>hell, you don't even know her name yet.
>you'll have to ask.
>she finishes your meal, with marinara sauce  all over her muzzle.
"Let me get that for you."
>you grab a paper towel and wipe the red sauce off her face, evoking a slight blush from her.
>"Thanks"
"No biggie."
>looking down at your paper towel, you notice dirt splotches that didn't look like they came from your spaghetti.
>you look back over to her and notice she's absolutely filthy all over.
>as well, the stench you noticed earlier wasn't very appealing either.
>this pony needs a bath.
 
>she hops off the chair, her hooves making loud clopping noises on your hardwood floors
"C'mon, let's get you washed up."
>you lead her back to your bathroom, and turn on the water
>you sit on the side of the tub while it fills up
>she stands next to you, looking in the tub like she hadn't seen one in years.
"I never did get your name."
>"Pillow Case, but my friends called me Casey."
>equestrians have weird names
>like Native Americans
>wasn't there someone named "sitting bull" or something?
>... yeah...
>"So, what's your name?"
"Anon Y. Mous is my full name, though just call me Anon."
>"That's a weird name."
>rude
"Hey, Pillow Case is a pretty weird name too."
>"Hmph. It's not THAT weird..."
"Just sayin'."
>although slightly insulted, at least you're getting her to open up some.
>earlier she was just muttering and stuttering, now she could form whole sentences.
>she must've been REALLY hungry.
>you turn back to readying the tub.
>it's not full, but it's full enough, and the steam indicates that it's warm enough too.
"Tub looks ready. Hop in."
>she carefully steps in, making sure not to get her wings wet
>the water around where she gets in darkens.
>gross
>she obviously hadn't bathed in quite a while.
>eventually, she seems to settle in the warm water.
>for the second time, she smiles.
>you probably would too.
>kinda envious actually, you'd have to make yourself a hot bath later.
>you look over and grab the bathing brush hanging up above the bath.
>do people even use these anymore?
>whatever.
>you get some shampoo (which you assume is pony-safe) and lather her up.
>once she's well-soaped(?), you get to scrubbing.
>you try to scrub every nook and cranny.
>slowly, the dirt and grime come out of the pony's fur and mane.
>you're especially careful around the wings, sometimes plucking any loose feathers.
>there's only one area you haven't scrubbed, and you really would rather not.
>but you had to.
"I, uh, gotta clean everywhere, if you get what I'm saying."
>smooth
>she seems a bit confused for a second, but catches on pretty quickly, nodding.
>you reach down with the brush and do the dirty work, which gets flushing from both parties.
>once you've cleaned the once-filthy pony enough, you pull her out and dry her off, using a spare towel.
>the water in the tub is absolutely disgusting, you're surprised anything could be so dirty and not show it that much.
>you comb her hair the best you can, and tie it up the only way you know how, that being in a ponytail fashion.
>a ponytail on a pony.
>how original.
>she looks in a mirror and seems surprised by what she sees.
>"I don't think I've ever felt so clean before..."
>damn, guess you did pretty good.
>maybe you should get a job washing ponies.
"Trust me, it's the least I could do."
>you aren't lying, she smelled BAD.
>the only thing left you have to do is clothe her.
>you lead the now-clean pony into your bedroom, where you grab the assortment of clothes you had put together earlier.
>clothing her shows itself to be a challenge, especially with human clothes.
>after some tumbling around, you manage to fully clothe her.
>she takes a special likening to the jacket.
>you had never been too fond of the purple-striped hoodie, but hey, somebody's got a use for it now.
>at this point, she's well-fed, clean, and clothed.
"Well, you don't seem so... desperate... now. I guess we can chill on the couch until my parents get home. They'll know what to do with you, hopefully."
>you head down to your living room and she follows in suit.
>you jump onto the couch and she hops up next to you, resting her head on your lap.
>about to turn on the TV, a sniffle gets your attention.
>"Anon... I can't thank you enough for h-how you've cared for me today... nopony's cared about me in ages..."
"Uh... Y-yeah... [spoiler]y-you too[/spoiler]"
>"No, if it weren't for you, I-I'd... I'd still be..."
>she never finishes her sentence
>and you now have a sobbing pony.
>...
>well
>this is unfortunate.
"Shhh... you're safe now, no crying please..."
>seriously though, you don't want to start crying too
>you don't know what this pony's been through, but it obviously wasn't anything good.
>"D-do you p-promise you'll protect me, A-Anon?"
>uh
"Yeah, of course."
>you're really not sure what to think here.
>maybe this all ties into that humvee you saw drive off.
>hmmm...
"T-Thanks Anon... You're the best."
>she hops up and hugs you tightly.
>you're a bit surprised at first, but you hug back.
>you keep the embrace until the tears stop after a minute or so.
>even after that she stays on your lap.
>though trying to avoid sensitive topics you, through conversation, find out she's actually not much younger than you are, and that her parents died in the War.
>you're quick to point out your brother didn't fare too well either.
>damn, really didn't plan on having these feels.
>you also really want to know what happened to her to get her in this state, but you don't want to risk another breakdown.
>you turn on the TV when the conversation dies down.
>the news isn't exactly too cheery, with headlines like "RIOTS IN NEW YORK" and "BOMBING IN LONDON LEAVES 4 DEAD".
>you're somewhat intrigued, but she obviously isn't, falling asleep in your lap.
>d'aww
>this doorpony is beginning to become something of a blessing, you haven't felt like this in ages.
>you consider taking a nap yourself right when your parents finally arrive back home.
>you're quick to point out to them that there's a no-longer sleeping pony on your lap.
>to your surprise, they're actually well aware of your now permanent guest.
>apparently, they decided to foster an Equestrian without telling you anything about it.
>it kinda ticks you off that you knew literally nothing about it and had no say.
>they had tried a few things in the past few months to get you off your lazy ass, but this is a step too far.
>though, really, you aren't complaining.
>you kinda like the company.
>and you already washed, fed and clothed this pony, so you'd be hesitant to want to kick her out anyways.
>you certainly DON'T want to kick her out though.
>that'd be rude.
>and a waste of numerous hours of hard work.
>in fact, you really want her to stay.
>you've been kinda lonely recently.
>in fact, she's the first person your age you've actually spoken to in the past few weeks.
>pretty sad now that you think of it.
>regardless of what you want though, she's staying, which is certainly fine by you.
>after a few minutes of them getting to know her, your mother instructs you to prepare the guest room for her to sleep in while she fixes dinner.
>the guest room used to be your brother's room, but after the occupant... moved on... it was turned into another guest bedroom.
>you show her upstairs, as well as to the room she'll be sleeping in.
"...and over there is my room. There's a bathroom right next to it, so you wont have to worry about needing to go downstairs in the dark. Now, you'll be sleeping over in that guest bedroom."
>"But aren't I- ...nevermind."
>the both of you walk into the guest room.
>it isn't commonly used as there aren't really many guests.
>because of that, everything is fairly pristine, at least compared to your own room.
>not much to prepare really.
"This is now your bed, evidently."
>it used to be your brother's bed.
>it also used to be a lot more interesting. Now it's just got boring white sheets.
>kinda like the rest of the room.
>the room was stripped clean a while ago, everything was taken to the bare minimum.
>it's almost like the room's been waiting for a new inhabitant to make it special again.
>...
>deep.
>"It's... uh..."
"Boring?"
>"I was gonna say nice, but that too. I've slept in worse."
>you'd imagine so.
>before you can say anything in response, you can hear your mother call everyone in for dinner from downstairs.
>well, that was fast.
>you both walk downstairs to the table.
>today's meal is... spaghetti.
>wow
>great timing
>Pillow eats a bowl, presumably out of politeness, while your parents barrage her with a wall of questions.
>you eat a little yourself before you decide to go and get a bath, specifically because you promised to make yourself one earlier.
>you spend a good blissful while in the hot water before you finally get out.
>checking the clock, it's around 8:30
>damn, time flies.
>you clothe yourself and head to the living room.
>your parents sit on one end of the couch and she sits on the other.
>they're watching some shitty sitcom by the looks of it.
>you sit somewhere in the middle.
>she scoots over to you and snuggles up to your side.
>you put your arm around her in response.
>"I see you two are getting along well." your dad states.
"I uh... yeah..."
>both you and Pillow blush.
>after a minute or so, your parents head off to bed, leaving you two alone again.
>you locate the remote and change the channel to something less bad.
>you locate a war documentary, an Equestrian soap opera, and the news.
>you watch the soap opera for a minute or so, both of you finding it somehow hilariously worse than the sitcom.
>you change it to the news.
>nothing really special, as usual; just more protests, random homicides, and intensifying oversea conflicts.
>you check the time.
>9:30
>eh, screw it.
>you're pretty worn out anyways from everything you'd done today.
 >you turn off the TV and go upstairs, with Pillow in pursuit.
>you say goodnight as you part ways with her.
 
>you lay on your bed staring at your phone for a few minutes, when tapping on the door nearly scares the shit out of you.
>you turn the lights on.
"Who is it?"
>"It's Pillow."
"You need something?"
>"I'm scared of, uh, thunder. Can I sleep with you tonight, Anon?"
>it's not even raining
"Are you telling the truth?"
>"Well I... err... n-no"
>ah, fuck it
>why not
"Sure, you can sleep with me."
>"T-thanks"
>she enters your room and hops up on the bed wearing a t-shirt and boxers.
>where she got those, you don't know, but you're not gonna ask either.
>she lays down and you put your arm over her, spooning and snuggling her like a massive, lavender teddy bear.
>"Goodnight, Anon."
"G'night."
>you turn the lights back off.
 
>You suddenly find yourself in a trench holding a rifle, wearing a gas mask, and in various types of heavy clothing.
>You get out of cover for a second and fire off a few rounds at what you presume is the enemy.
>Getting back to cover, you quickly inspect your guns; a Mini-14 with a 30-round magazine, and some 1911-looking gun at your side.
>Huh, you thought you were in WW1 or something.
>You look over the cover for a second.
>The scene is grisly; dead (or dead-looking at least) bodies litter the ground, and in the distance you can see a massive fire and what looks like something that was once a city.
>A few rounds fly by your head, prompting you to duck back into cover.
>You hold your rifle up over your head and let loose a few more rounds, though you doubt you hit much.
>Keeping down, you start following the trench until it eventually curves to the left.
>You look that way and see a small door in the side of the ground; opening it reveals...
>...your room.
>what
>You walk in the door.
 
>You awaken to find that you are no longer in a trench.
>...and that you're nose-to-nose with Pillow Case.
>u-unf
>She must've turned overnight.
>You've still got your arms around her though, so you're not too sure how this is comfortable for her.
>guess it's not your place to ask
>You attempt to retrieve your arms, only for her to respond by snuggling up against your chest more.
>looks like you're not moving
>Not that you'd want to though; you feel like your heart is going to explode from the d'awwwness
>Speaking of 'exploding'...
>Fuckin weird ass dream, it seemed awful real.
>Almost déjà vu-esque.
>You check the electronic clock behind you.
>3:00
>Hot damn, it's not even close to morning.
>Stupid dreams.
>You shift a little and snuggle your 'pillow' until you eventually fall asleep again.
 
>A small pony yawn wakes you up.
>It doesn't really sound much different from a small human yawn per se, but it still came from a pony.
>You (hesitantly) open your eyes to find that she hadn't moved much since last night.
>She's next to open her eyes, only to see yours inches away from hers.
>Her face deeply reddens and she scrunches when she realizes that.
>god that's adorable
>how are you gonna survive this?
"G'morning, my scrunchy pony."
>blush intensifies
>heh
>You check the clock again, just to be sure.
>9:00
>Good.
>You don't want to sleep a third time.
>You hop out of bed and throw on some clothes.
>She evidently changed to just a pair of boxers before bed, so you grab her jacket and jeans.
>It's not like she really HAD to wear clothes; you had already seen her... uh... lewd parts.
>It was more a matter of manners
>and law, when you finally decide to leave the house.
>Once you're dressed and you've gotten her dressed up, you head downstairs.
>Your parents had left earlier, so you and Pillow are all alone again.
>You grab out two bowls and some oatmeal mix.
>It's not exactly something you eat regularly, but you know horses love oats, so, presumably, because she's vaguely horse-like-ish, she'll like oats.
>Kinda the same thing as saying you'd have to like bananas because chimps do, though...
>eh, whatever
>You make two bowls of oatmeal anyways, and all the while she fiddles with her hooves while she waits at the table.
>After a few moments, you join Pillow at the table with the oatmeal.
"Bon appetite, madam."
>"Huh?"
"It's human for 'shut up and eat your darn food'"
>she giggles
>"Rude."
>hue
"So, whatcha wanna do today PC?"
>"As in?"
"Like, I dunno, go shopping or something. Or we could just lay around the house again. I'm cool with either."
>You got a license and a debit card a while back but rarely ever used them, so maybe today you finally might.
>And judging by how her eyes lit up at the thought of that, you think that may be what's happening.
>"Ooooo, I've never been to a human store before. Can we go shopping? Pleeeease?"
>...
>Fuck, actual social interaction.
>It had been a while since you left the neighborhood.
>You're probably gonna end up broke, too.
>But goddamn, how can you say no to that.
>And you don't want her wearing all of your clothes, either.
"Yeah, aight. Let me get my stuff together and we'll head on"
>You grab your keys and money and lock up the house.
 
>Your car is a meh-tier Volkswagen your dad gave you a few months prior.
>You can't really complain though, because you haven't spent a dime on it
>You hop in the front seat and turn on the car
>...but you have to get out again and open PC's door, because hooves.
>You return to your throne and buckle up, but yet another problem arises.
>"How on earth do I put this thing on?"
>She's somewhat angrily struggling with the seatbelt, trying to put it around her and buckle it.
>This is a fruitless effort however, because she's sitting all wrong and can't actually grab ahold of the buckle.
"I think you're gonna have to sit like I'm sitting. That's not going to work otherwise."
>"Oh... Yeah... That might be the problem."
>She very awkwardly navigates around and slides down into a sitting position like your own.
>It looks extremely uncomfortable, and her face tells you you're right.
>"Can I just not wear a seatbelt instead?" she says pleadingly.
"No way, I'm not getting a ticket. It's only a few minutes away anyways."
>She 'hmph's and somehow crosses her front legs like a human crosses it's arms.
>weird
>anyways
>You buckle her in and back out of your driveway, thinking about places to go.
>The only real shopping center relatively nearby that you can think of is a rather large mall.
>You pick up speed and head in that direction.
>The whole time, Pillow stares out the window in awe at every little thing, sometimes pointing stuff out she finds more interesting.
>It's like she's never ridden in a car before.
>Hell, you're not even sure if they have cars where she's from.
>A lot of stuff about Equestria is an enigma; the government rarely talks about what lies inside.
>Eventually, you get to the mall.
>She's wide-eyed by the sheer size of it.
>meh, you've seen bigger
>It's practically empty, probably because most people don't go shopping in the middle of the week.
>Most of the few people there are around your age and, obviously, human.
>Some give your associate weird glances, but nobody bothers either of you.
>You both walk around the rather large building, seeing if there are any shops of interest.
>A good number are permanently closed or empty, however you encounter quite a few still.
>Most are irrelevant, though; Gamestop, Godiva, Apple, Justice, and Barnes and Nobles are amongst the open shops.
>The both of you stop, nearing the end of the mall's long corridor.
>On the left is a frozen yogurt shop, on the right is a Bed, Bath, and Beyond, and in front of you is an Old Navy.
>"Huh. I think I've heard of 'Bed, Bath, and Beyond' from somewhere, but I can't put my hoof on it..."
"No clue. Old Navy probably has what we're looking for though."
>That being mainly clothing for your favorite horse.
>Because sharing clothes is kinda gross.
>Especially when you're both different species and different sexes.
>You both walk in to Old Navy, only to be underwhelmed by their equestrian selection.
>It consists of a few shelves in the back with assorted, untagged clothes of various shapes and sizes.
>You're not too surprised, though, but she seems more than a bit dissatisfied by the selection.
>They're only slightly different from human clothing in design, and slightly more expensive.
>The t-shirts are near-identical but all unisex
>The pants are somewhat different, as they compensate for the tail, differently shaped backside, and weird angled legs
>The underwear is sparse, and both male and female underwear look quite similar to men's.
>You grab her three pairs of pants and a pack of mare's underwear, but decide to save money and buy normal human shirts.
>It costs you around $100, which is quite a bit seeing as though you don't work.
>She had wandered off while you decided what to buy.
>Though she isn't too hard to find again.
>"Hey Anon, look at these weird pink cloth glasses I found!"
>a small violet pony walks toward you wearing a bra like oversized pink goggles.
>You're not even sure how she could find you with those on.
>You can't help but laugh a little.
"I assure you, Casey, those are most definitely not glasses."
>"Then what are they? They seem kinda pointless if you ask me."
"Well, uh, Human women wear them, sorta like underwear for their breasts."
>"OHHHH, I've always wondered what those things on their chest-balloons were."
>chest-balloons
>ok
>You take the bra back where it belongs, pay, and leave the store.
 
>That's about all you need as far as shopping goes.
>The growling of a pony's tummy alerts you as to where you need to spend your money next.
>"I'm really hungry, Anon. Can we get something to eat before we go home?"
>You're pretty hungry too, actually.
"Yeah, let me see what's around here."
>It's been a while since you've been to this mall, but you still remember the layout fairly well.
>You eventually run into a small burger shop sitting right outside the mall.
>Not too expensive looking, but obviously not McDonald's-tier either.
>sure, why not
"How 'bout here?"
>She looks it over, then looks up at you.
>"You know I can't eat meat, right?"
>oh yeah
>shit
"Well, they've probably got salads or something. C'mon."
>She somewhat hesitantly follows you into the restaurant.
>Luckily for her, they've got an Equestrian/Vegetarian menu.
>You, like the patriot you are, get the most American burger possible.
>She, for the spirit of things, gets a veggie burger.
>god bless
>It totals up to another $15.
>You pay and leave, with a slightly pudgier pony following suit.
>When you get back outside you check the time.
>1:00
>It's still fairly early in the day, and your parents don't get back for another few hours.
>You're not too sure what to do next other than to head home.
>You both walk back over to the oversized parking lot.
>If it was the weekend you might actually have trouble finding your car, but since it isn't, you can easily see where it is.
>You both hop in and she has the same uncomfortable pose as before.
>If it weren't illegal, you'd just let her sit on her haunches instead.
>You need to figure out what to do about all of that later.
>After leaving the general vicinity of the mall, you decide to take a different route so she'll be as surprised as before.
>Your plan works, and she's in awe from all the new "human marvels" she sees.
>The only thing you notice of importance is some smoke in the distance, but it's probably nothing.  
>You eventually arrive home without any other incidents, getting out of the car and heading inside.
>As you expected, nobody had broken into your house or anything while you were gone.
>You hop onto the couch and she jumps up next to you.
>The difference is that this time you have a PS3 controller.
>You never really bothered buying a PS4 or any of that next-gen stuff; you were always short on cash anyways.
>You toss her a controller too, but you're not too sure how she's gonna play with no fingers.
>She obviously couldn't really play anything like an FPS very easily, so you go with Gran Turismo 5.
>You start up a match and turn on split screen.
>Immediately, you get to 1st place.
>At first she has no control of her car at all, but eventually she gets the hang of it.
>To your surprise, she starts to really get into it, pushing up to third place.
>You have no idea how.
>You still keep your place though, and win.
>"Ugghhh, rematch!"
"You're on."
>You're not so lucky in the next match.
>You get first place at the beginning, but she catches up and passes you.
>You don't give up so quickly, however.
>You speed up and catch her, but she still stays ahead.
>She ends up marginally beating you.
>"HA! Beat that!"
>how
>HOW
>she HAS NO FINGERS
>ehhhh
>you don't want to know actually.
>You play a few more matches, with fierce competition in each, before you decide to play something else.
>You consider putting something like Battlefield or GTA in, but you're not sure how she'd react to that.
>You turn on your Wii and put in Super Smash Bros instead.
>Maybe still violent, but less so.
>She gets the only controller, while you're stuck with the wii remote.
>Just like before, she starts out hardly able to walk without falling off, but eventually gets to the point where she's okay at fighting.
>After a while, she's even beating you.
>Either that's impressive or you're a lot shittier than you remember.
>She's really having a blast kicking your ass.
>But sooner or later, you both get bored of that too.
>You check the time.
>4:00.
>whatever
>Your parents get home at 5, so you just change it to TV while you wait.
>Once again disinterested, she scoots up next to you and rests her head on your shoulder.
>Can this horse stop being so adorable?
>You put your arm around her in response.
>For a few minutes, you both sit in silence, watching whatever it is on the tele.
 
>Of course, the news is your first choice.
>Headlines read "NATO PUSHES BACK INTO POLAND", "FIRST LOOK INTO EQUESTRIA SINCE 2016", "CONGRESS CONSIDERS NEW GUN CONTROL BILL", and stuff of the sort.
>Arguably more interesting than the previous day's headlines, especially the second one.
>Though even that gets repetitive.
>You flip through the channels, and, as you expected, you find nothing of value.
>fuck it
>You turn off the TV.
>You may as well take a nap until your parents get home, you figure.
>The mare cuddled up next to you looks like she's already doing just that.
>cute.png
>You get a bit more comfortable without disturbing Casey and start to doze off yourself, before a knock at the door startles you.
>You spring up to check and see who's there, causing PC to flop over on the couch.
>You look out the peephole, only to find...
>... nobody there.
>You hope it isn't another pony, you're already satisfied with the one you've got now.
>Opening the door, you find that it, in fact, isn't another pony, but that it's a small, flat box.
"Huh."
>You pick it up and take it inside.
>Pillow Case, now fully awake, follows you as you go get scissors.
>You cut open the box, to find an envelope and a number of small books inside.
>The books are all various informative textbooks about Equestrian history, biology, and various legal books.
>???
>You pick up the envelope and open it.
>It's dated for yesterday's date, so you figure it must be late or something.
>The letter is rather long and obviously not intended for you, but you read on anyways.
>"What is it? What's it say?"
"Some letter. Here, I'll read it aloud."
"Hello, and thank you for working with the United States Equestrian Foster Services! Before you take on full responsibility of your foster FILLY, PILLOW CASE, you may want to do a little bit of research on the history and biology of, and laws regarding, Equestrians.
 
Here will detail... blah blah blah... legalities... blah blah... due to the lack of general knowledge about Equestrian biology and history... etc etc etc... books are shipped with... blah blah blah... due to the sex of your fostered individual, you may want to read Chapter 14 in the biology textbook on heat and management... common household items that can often be poisonous include... laws regarding driving with an equestrian include... schools that allow equestrians are often... yeah, alright.
 
Signed, Administrator of the Department of Social Services."
>"So nothing important?"
"I don't think so, I just skipped through it."
>The letter is obviously meant to arrive before the pony itself does.
>Nothing too mysterious or questionable about it, though.
>You put the letter back in the envelope and stick it back in the box with the rather daunting textbooks.
>You'll let your parents deal with it.
>In the meantime, you've got some work to do.
"Let's get you washed up before dinner."
>You lead her back to the bathroom, turning on the hot water.
"Do you need me to help out again, or are you good this time?"
>"Help would be, uh, nice."
"Gotcha."
>You shut and lock the door behind you.
>She sits on her haunches and looks up at you expectedly.
>oh yeah, probably don't wanna bathe with clothes on.
>Her face is flushed the entire time you undress her.
>kinda weird considering she didn't care the day beforehand.
>You chuck her clothes in the hamper and feel the water.
>Nice and warm.
"Alright, you're looking good."
>"I... I am?"
>goddamn horses
"It's a figure of speech, meaning the water's ready."
>"O-oh."
>She turns around and steps into the tub, melting into the steaming water.
>You grab the brush and get to scrubbing.
"So, if you can't bathe here, how did you bathe back in Equestria?"
>"Well, here on earth, everything is made for hands instead of hooves, making pretty much everything hard to do. And I never said I COULDN'T bathe here alone, Anon, I just said I liked you helping."
>Her slight blush gives away her actual implications.
>oh
>OH
>clever girl
>You continue your scrubbing, slowly making this dirty little pone less dirty.
>As in literally, not figuratively.
>geez.
>"Don't you have to take a bath later too, Anon?"
"Yeah, of course."
>"Then why don't you just get in with me?"
>thrice in a row, horse.
>you're pushing it.
>she's probably just kidding around
>... though it's not a bad idea itself.
>Yeah, you got a bath like this yesterday, but that was just yesterday.
>You doubt you'll be able to pull that off again with the shitty water heater you have.
>Plus, with all the running around you did today, you wouldn't mind having a bath like this to unwind.
>eh, sure, why not
>besides, you'd obviously already seen her in the raw, and as long as neither of you do anything lewd, it's perfectly OK, right?
>... right.
"Sounds like a plan."
>She seems a bit surprised by your agreement.
>You start to strip.
>"Um... Anon?"
"Yeah?"
>"... nevermind..."
>Once you're butt-nekkid, you turn back to get in the hot water.
>She's wide-eyed, biting her lip, and it looks like her cheeks are about to catch on fire.
>lol
"Scoot over, the S.S. Anon is about to set sail!"
>Luckily, it's a fairly large bath, so you can both fit.
>You all but jump into the tub, sending a little bit of water over the edges.
>oh fuck
>it feels amazing
>She seems to slowly get over the initial surprise of you losing your clothing.
>You grab the brush and get back to scrubbin' the pony.
>She's facing you at this point so that you can get to under her legs and to her belly/chest.
>She's not nearly as filthy as she was yesterday; you can still mostly see through the water.
"Aight, just about done, now I've just got to clean the land down under and you'll be finished with the brush."
>"Just make sure not to- ah!~"
>oh
>She shudders, with her eyes rolling up and her tongue out in a rather lewd fashion.
>You snap the brush back, and she returns to normal, both of you blushing fiercely.
>She scrunches and tries her best to avoid eye contact, while you try to pretend it never happened.
>Anon Jr. isn't easily convinced, though.
>fuck
>this is exactly what was NOT supposed to happen.
>She eventually looks back down into the tub.
"uh"
>"What's... oh my."
>At this point, Anon Jr. is at full mast.
>this was all a really bad idea from the start
>jesus fuck you're stupid
>how did this even slightly sound like a good idea
>'let's get naked with the opposite sex', even if she is a horse, never ends well
>god
>"D-do you mind if I..."
>She reaches her hoof down in the water, towards the [spoiler]danger[/spoiler] zone.
>that's it
>DEFCON 1
"HAHA WOW THIS WATER HAS GOTTEN PRETTY COLD I THINK WE SHOULD HURRY UP"
>You get numerous squirts of shampoo and lather it in her hair before she can reach any farther.
>This surprisingly works, getting her attention away from doing anything potentially even more lewd.
>After you've washed her mane, you grab a few towels and start the drain.
>Stepping out, you put one around your waist while you go get a change of clothes for the both of you.
>You grab PC her new pair of shorts, while you yourself put on some casual wear.
>Afterwards, you go back and dry off the sopping wet pony, re-clothing her and putting her mane back into a ponytail fashion.
>Your parents arrive back home shortly thereafter with dinner.
>You show them the letter and package, though they're not terribly interested.
>fine then
>You take the package up to your room and put it on your desk.
>After returning and eating dinner, you head straight back up to your room.
>You've got some buddies online who might be wondering where you are, and plus, you're kinda curious about what information lies in those textbooks.
>You boot your computer up and log back in to Steam, Skype, Origin, and all that other fun stuff.
>Luckily for you, however, there are no pending messages or anything of the sort.
>"Whatcha lookin at, Anon?"
>JESUS FUCK
>You didn't notice her sneakily follow you up here behind you.
"Christ, don't scare me like that."
>"Sorry, I was just curious about your computer. I've never seen one like that before, the ones back home looked COMPLETELY different."
>oh yeah, that
>You're surprised she'd seen one at all.
"Feel free to take a look at it, I'm done with it anyways."
>"Thanks!"
>You get out of the computer chair and she immediately hops in, somehow grabbing(?) the mouse with her hoof.
>horse magic
>You grab the package and pull out the letter, this time actually bothering to read the whole thing.
>As expected, it mostly just goes over what's in the textbooks and what's to be expected overall from fostering.
>You lie down on your bed with the biology textbook first.
>Glancing up, Casey has your headphones on and is watching some video or something.
>You're kinda surprised she knows how to use any of that stuff.
>Maybe they have somewhat similar computers in Equestria?
>You have no clue, but whatever.
>You start out on Chapter 14, as per the letter's instruction.
>It's mainly about mating and the mare's estrus cycle.
>gross.
>You look back up to see that there is a certain pony missing from the computer chair.
>"Hey, I think I froze the computer and I'm not too sure how to- Ewwwwwwww, Anon! That's nasty!"
>she really needs to stop sneaking up behind you like that
>but you can see why she'd say that, as there are some particularly graphic "diagrams" on the page you're looking at.
"Hey man, just reading what letter told me to."
>"I'm a mare, not a man, Anon."
"I know, I know, but 'hey mare' doesn't sound as good."
>"...true."
>She returns to the computer, only to come back to you to ask you to fix it a few seconds later.
>You oblige, fixing it all the while hoping you deleted your browser history earlier.
>After that you go back to your bed, getting the book on Equestrian history.
>You read through it for about an hour or so.
>After a while, PC gets tired of your PC and hops up next to you on the bed.
"Sleeping with me again tonight?"
>"Yep."
"Fine by me."
>You throw the book back on your desk while Casey lays down next to you.
>Cuddling up against her, you once again act as the big spoon.
>"Good night, Anon."
"'night, Casey."
>You turn off the lights, thinking about how this little pony has already changed your life.
 
>Once again, you find yourself in the field of battle.
>This time, however, you aren't alone, as five others sit around you with various guns and clothing.
>Judging by your surroundings, you're likely in some sort of troop transportation truck.
>You inspect your gear; you have the same Mini-14 as before, the same gas mask, and a pouch containing spare magazines and filters.
>Nobody in the truck seems too talkative, and you're not one to break the silence.
>Instead, the silence is broken by what sounds like rumbling and gunfire slowly approaching you.
>Or, alternatively, you approaching it.
>Eventually, the truck stops.
>"OUT, GET OUT, MOVE!"
>Everyone, including you, hops out of the back of the truck and readies their gun.
>In the sky you can clearly see rockets and various aircraft going about.
>The sound of heavy crossfire sounds near, but you don't see any sources of the gunfire.
>The only notable landmark around you is a house; all around is an empty field with forest bordering the left and right sides of it.
>Off in the distance, a familiar city is burning.
>The six of you approach the house, guns drawn.
>You all get to both sides of the door; one kicks it down and charges in.
>You follow, entering total darkness.
 
>You awaken to the sound of thunder.
>Looking around, you notice it's still dark.
>The clock behind you reads 3:15.
>fuck that
>You hug your pony closer and go back to sleep.
>When you awaken again, it's visibly morning.
>PC is already half awake.
"G'morning"
>She yawns.
>"Morning, Anon."
>She hops off the bed and stretches.
>Kinda like a dog stretching.
>Weird.
>You put her hoodie on her and both of you go downstairs, once again finding your parents gone.
>well
>You both retreat into the kitchen; she preens in her chair while you "cook breakfast".
>Oatmeal again.
>Not the best food, but tolerable.
>You're still not 100% sure what foods are shared between Equestrians and Humans outside of stuff like oatmeal.
>Maybe that book has some answers.
>Once you've made two bowls of the stuff, you turn around, only to find feathers littering the floor.
>You're not too sure if you should find that gross, cute, or annoying.
"Could you hold off on that until we're outside?"
>She seems a bit confused at first before glancing under her chair.
>"Oh yeah, sorry about that."
"No worries."
>You set the oatmeal in front of her and she digs in.
>She can't really hold silverware, so there's some degree of justification to that.
>Had it been two days prior, you would've given her your bowl, too.
>She already looks much healthier than how she appeared on your doorstep.
"So, anything in particular you'd like to do toda-"
>Knocking on your front door interrupts you mid-sentence.
"Huh, wonder who that could be."
>You walk over to the door and look through the peephole.
>A U.S. Army Officer stands a few feet away from your door.
>not this again
>You consider not opening the door at all and walking away.
>...but that could end poorly.
>welp
>You open the door.
"Uhm... Good Morning, sir."
>"Good Morning, Mr. Anonymous! Are your parents home today?"
>OH YEAH
"No sir, they're both at work, sorry."
>"Hmm... Do you know when they'll be back?"
"Yessir, around 5 or 6 in the afternoon I believe."
>"Thank you. Have a good da-"
>Pillow walks in the room as he finishes his sentence.
>The officer instantly loses his smile.
>You're not dealing with this, not today.
"You too."
>You quickly close the door.
>Looking through the peephole, you watch him as he turns around and walks off.
>phew
>"Who was that?"
"Oh, just some army guy. He wants me to sign up to go and fight in the War."
>"Don't."
"I, uh, wasn't planning on it."
>At least for now.
>You had signed up as "interested" in pursuing a career as an officer in the military a while back.
>You're too young to serve of course, but that doesn't keep them from wanting you to go to summer seminars or have your parents send you off to any number of military schools.
>They bug you fairly often with phone calls and emails, and occasionally "door-to-door recruiters" show up.
>If this had been a few years ago they wouldn't have bothered you, but with the War going on, they're trying to get every man they can to fight.
>You'd really prefer not to die though.
"So, anyways, whatcha wanna do today?"
>"We could go exploring! I'd love to see around the rest of the town!"
>sure, why not
>You grab your keys and go outside.
 
>She seems a bit less awe-inspired this time around.
>Though there's not much to be in awe about, really.
>The town you live in is relatively small and old, populated for the most part by hipsters and old people.
>just like any other small town.
>The downtown area consists mainly of century-old buildings that now act as small businesses, and newer buildings that don't.
>There's a park off to the east of downtown and a neighborhood to the west.
>Going to the park doesn't sound like a half-bad idea, actually.
"We should have a picnic for lunch, I have a blanket and stuff in the back."
>"Great idea!"
>success
>You always knew that that blanket would come in handy some day.
>though you predicted for entirely different reasons
>You park your car in front of a local market near the downtown area.
>You both get out of the car, and you make sure to lock it behind you.
>those ghetto hipsters are such a huge problem these days
>When you both get to downtown, you look around at the stores in the area.
>Few seem especially interesting.
>PC looks intrigued, however.
>You both walk down the street, looking through the large windows as you go.
>She gets a number of odd glances from passerbys, but she doesn't seem to notice or care at all.
>Equestrians aren't too common in the area, and speciesism is definitely the norm.
>Even the government only recognizes them as partial persons.
>Not much you can do about it, though.
>"Ooo, that looks good!"
>She pushes her face up against the window of a bakery, looking in wide-eyed.
"What does?"
>"That, uh, bread-stuff. Cheesy bread I think."
>odd, but whatever
"Well, we can come back later if you want that for lunch. C'mon."
>She walks back over to your side as you keep strolling along.
>Eventually, an older looking store catches you eye.
>'Liberty Guns'
>god bless
>You walk in the store to find the clerk cleaning a rifle on the front desk.
"Hey, do you have any-"
>"No .22, .223, 5.56, .308, or 7.62 in stock. Sorry, kid."
"Oh. Thanks anyway, I guess."
>You glance around at the guns awkwardly.
>PC seems more confused than anything else while looking at the rather intimidating firearms.
>Much of the rack is empty, as well as the shelves behind you.
>The only guns there are either gimmicks or high-pricetag weaponry.
>After a minute or so, you take your leave, Pillow close behind you.
>No other stores seem all too interesting, so you decide to get some food and the blanket.
>Both of you walk into the bakery, a little bell ringing as you open the door.
>"Well now, what can I do for you?" a man with a strong French accent says from behind the counter.
>He sounds kinda like the spy from TF2.
"Hmm... Well, I'll just get a BLT."
>"And for the pretty little mare?"
>"I'll have whatever it is he's having but with no meat. Oh, and with cheesy bread, too."
>He writes it all down on a sticky note and lets it go into the air.
>At first you're confused, but then you notice the aura surrounding it.
>A unicorn mare opens a door behind the Frenchman, holding the note with her magic.
>"I'll have them out in just a second!" she says, going back through the door.
>Huh
>maybe you weren't entirely correct on the whole speciesism thing
>"So, what might a pretty mare such as yourself be doing on such a lovely day, hmm?"
>"Oh, we're both going on a picnic in the park. We haven't been up there yet, but I imagine it's beautiful!"
>"Oh yes, of course, at this time of year. The early flowers are in bloom right now, you should get your friend here to get you some while they're still fresh!"
>He looks over and winks at you, and PC giggles.
>???
>you don't get the joke
>it's not even spring yet
>The mare comes back out with two sandwiches, one cheesier than the other.
>You pay for them both, still thinking.
>"You two lovebirds have a wonderful day, now!" he says as you're walking out the door.
>.
>lovebirds
>LOVEBIRDS
>HEY, WHAT
>You finally get what he was saying.
>PC seems much less phased than you, being as though she giggles again.
>You're sure you're blushing at this point.
>You're not a couple, right?
>You only met her a few days ago, she can't REALLY like you.
>Although...
>Hmm...
>You wipe those thoughts out of your mind as you walk over to your car to get the picnic blanket.
>Once you've got the goods, you head in the direction of the park.
>It's not too terribly far away, perhaps a quarter mile away maximum.
>After jaywalking numerous times, you make it.
>...only to be greeted by the self-proclaimed neighborhood revolutionary.
>She stands on a box with a loudspeaker, a few yards away from the park entrance.
>She's gathered a small crowd of maybe a dozen people, all standing around her box of liberation.
>"... AND IF IT WEREN'T FOR THOSE PIGS IN WASHINGTON, THE AMERICAN PEOPLE WOULDN'T BE SUFFERING FROM THIS DAMNED WAR!"
>A few cheers of agreement come up from the crowd.
>"ANOTHER THING THEY DON'T SEEM TO RECOGNIZE IS THAT EQUESTRIANS ARE PEOPLE, TOO! AND NO, I MEAN FULL PEOPLE, NOT ONLY THREE-FIFTHS OF ONE!"
>tru
>but still annoying
>She looks over at you and Pillow Case, fury still in her eyes.
>She points at PC.
>"YOU!"
>"Me?"
>"YES, YOU! COME ON OVER HERE!"
>PC looks up at you, a bit surprised.
>You shrug your shoulders.
>She gulps and trots over to the angry protester.
>"TELL US HOW YOU'VE FACED DISCRIMINATION AS AN UNDERPRIVILEGED, EQUESTRIAN CIS MARE."
>"I, uh, um..."
>She looks rather uncomfortable.
>"Well, I guess I find human soap much harder to hold."
>A few chuckles come from the crowd.
>"NO, I MEAN REAL DISCRIMINATION!"
>"Hmmm... this one guy looked at me weird earlier today, I guess."
>Huh, so she did notice.
>At first, the protester seems slightly unsure of what to make of this information.
>Within a second, however, she's back to work.
>"SEE HERE? SHE CAN'T EVEN WALK DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT FEELING UNCOMFORTABLE! THIS IS A CLEAR SIGN OF..."
>At this point, PC is already back at your side.
"Let's go somewhere else, I can't stand how loud she is."
>"Agreed."
>You both walk a good ways through the park until you eventually find a decent sized, open, grassy field, free from homegrown rebels.
>There's a small hill with a tree on top of it in the middle.
>You decide that this is a prime picnic location.
>After you've laid the blanket down, you both flop down on top of it.
>Both of you get to town on your sandwiches.
>In the meantime, you look around.
>A few others sit around you, on various picnic tables and blankets.
>Most are either couples or families.
>Because it's extremely late winter, the grass is already pretty green.
"Hey Casey."
>"Yeah?"
"Do ponies still eat grass?"
>"I dunno, do humans still eat bugs?" she says snarkily.
>hey
>well, actually, now that you think about it...
"Yeah."
>She seems a bit taken aback by your response.
>"That's just... ew."
>heh
>But the frenchie was right, you notice; some of the flowers are already blooming.
>Not nearly as many as in, say, Spring, however.
"Can't wait until spring, it gets really pretty around here."
>"I'm not a big fan of Spring myself, but I can see that. Not the best time of the year for us mares, though."
"You're not a fan of Spring? Why-"
>oh wait
>isn't that when heat starts?
>gross
"...nevermind."
>When she's finished with her sandwich she snuggles up next to you.
>this is nice
>The view is pleasant, to say the least.
>Off in the distance you can see visibly see downtown, especially the taller buildings, such as the old courthouse.
>A bit closer is the protester, though she's hardly audible from this distance.
>Closest are the fellow picnic-ers.
>To your right is a stereotypical white family, consisting of a baby, a boy, a girl, their parents, and a golden retriever.
>The boy throws a frisbee towards his sister, but the dog catches it mid-flight.
>Impressive.
>In front of you, a couple kisses after exchanging gifts.
>must be their anniversary or something
>You hear a small sigh next to you.
>"Anon?"
>"Yeah?"
>"D-do you like me?"
>well
>you saw this coming from a million miles away
"Well yeah, you're the first person I've really gotten to know, since, well..."
>damn you're lonely
>and technically, she's only three-fifths of a person, but hey.
>"You kidding? You're the first person I've met in forever that hasn't either been sold off or disappeared!"
>???????????
>what?
>that's quite, uh...
"What on earth do you mean by that?"
>She ignores your question.
>"And, more importantly, even if it's only been a couple of days, this is the first time that I've really felt, well..."
"Loved?"
>She smiles.
>"Yeah. Loved."
>You can feel the man-tears coming on.
>You can see it in her eyes, too.
>This is some pretty emotional shit right here.
>"So do you really l-love me?"
>You bring her into an embrace.
"Of course, you silly little pony. We've only known each other for a few days now, but I don't know where I'd be without you."
>you totally do know actually.
>you'd be sitting in a computer chair, jacking off to your steam inventory.
>this is considerably better by all accounts
>"Thank you, Anon..."
>She pushes back and you look into her slightly teared-up eyes.
>man, enough of this sad bullshit
>fuck it
>or, as Shia LaBeouf famously stated, "JUST DO IT"
>the implications are already there, now you just need action
>herewego.jpg
>You pull her into a kiss.
>Judging by the muffled "Mmph!" sound, it catches her totally off guard.
>You hold the kiss for a few seconds before letting her go.
>Her face is as red as the Soviet banner, a string of saliva still connecting your lips.
>You imagine you're a bit flushed too.
>You're surprised you went through with that at all, really; you've never kissed a pony before now.
>though you can't imagine that's something to be too ashamed about
>"A-again?"
"Hell yeah."
>You kiss once more, this time without her being totally in the dark.
>For another hour or so afterward, you both sit there, enjoying each other's company.
>the damned frenchie was right again
>When you get back home, neither of you say anything of it to your parents; you have no clue as to how they'd react, but your inner pessimist says badly.
>Hell, you don't know how anyone would react.
>It's taboo as fuck, like dating a black woman in 1916.
>You bathe her and yourself, and do all the other stuff.
>In bed, instead of having a semi-awkward snuggle, you fully embrace her, now not as newly found friends, but as newly found lovers.
>You don't dream of war that night, or the night after, or the night after.
>Finally, you're both happy again.
 
[PART 2.0]
>Months pass by.
>Spring ends with a far more solidified and loving relationship.
>and with exams.
>those are important too.
>Summer break begins, and you both find yourselves with not too terribly much to do.
>With your free time, you learn a good bit about the species.
>Their history is much less complex than human history, but somehow longer and more mysterious.
>They advanced far slower over a longer period of time, only reaching a weird mishmash of industrial and medieval technology by the time of the 'liberation'.
>Supposedly, they were ruled by two tyrannical queens for millennia, before they were ousted by both rebels and various human forces (namely NATO and U.S. allied coalition forces).
>Pillow Case seems to vaguely recall them, but she also says she was too young to remember much about them.
>As for biologically, the species is just as fascinating.
>Their different races have different perks and abilities and are genetically very different, yet they can still interbreed and produce fertile offspring.
>Human sperm is incompatible with equestrian eggs, however equestrian wombs can somehow carry human babies, and vice versa.
>Numerous companies have created "potions" that "temporarily cure" the incompatibility, although how exactly is not stated.
>Not that these "potions" are very successful or common; interspecies marriage is illegal, and couples aren't terribly common.
>A few notes in one of the books have numerous strange theories about them, one notable theory saying that it's possible that Equestrians are the result of genetic tampering.
>'At times, it seems as though Equestrians were simply created by humans to fulfill certain roles and needs; at other times, it even feels as though we somehow share a common creator.'
>As to whether the note makes religious or scientific implications is up for debate, as it ends there.
>Other parts mention their strange 'hooves', and theories as to what magic is.
>The other sections are fairly normal though, going over the reproductive system, digestive system, anatomy, etc. of the species.
>Meanwhile, the War rages on across the ocean, with news still coming in as always.
>School starts back up again, passes by, and ends again.
>Although slightly less secret, your relationship still doesn't falter.
>Before you know it, graduation is around the corner, and you've got special plans for afterward.
 
>"... miss Pillow Case, our first Equestrian student to graduate here!"
>You stand up, clapping and cheering, along with many others around you.
>A few don't.
>rude
>Your marefriend shakes hands (hooves?) with the principal and trots up to the podium.  
>"I'd just like to say, thank you all so much for..."
>Her speech continues for a minute or so.
>"...and I'd like to give a special thanks to Anonymous, for helping me get through these brutal school years, and for being the best friend a mare could have!"
>Applause follows, this time directed at you.
>You had already gotten your diploma and stuff, so it wasn't the first time.
>Once she's done speaking, she grabs her diploma with her mouth and walks back into the crowd.
>A few more hours pass, with friends, colleagues, and enemies giving out their depressing and boring speeches.
>After the ceremony is over, you meet PC at the front of the school.
>She's ecstatic.
>"We're finally finished, Anon! Can you believe it?! Now we can run off into the sunset and be adults and pay taxes and and..."
"Yeah. Yep. Anyways, it's only about 8 right now, I was thinking we could get some dinner. You know, to celebrate n stuff."
>"Great idea, I'm famished! Where ya thinking?"
>You knew perfectly well where.
>It's a small bakery near your hometown, that you both had gone to a million times.
>You know the two owners there by name; the french guy Louis Bellerose, and the unicorn Honey Drop.
>Coincidentally, they're also the only other interspecies couple you know.
>Plus, they've got PC's favorite cheesy bread sandwich.
"Oh, I dunno. Maybe Honey Drop's Bakery, that's not too far from home."
>"They're still open?"
"Err... Yeah, yeah, they're open until 9 tonight."
>"Oh cool. Sounds good to me then!"
>You drive down to the bakery, to find you're the only ones there, as expected.
>They're generally not open this late, but tonight's a special occasion.
>"Hiya, Honey!"
>"Welcome back, Pillow! You want the regular?"
>"Yep."
>"And for you, Anon?"
"Oh, I'll just have my regular too."
>"Gotcha. I'll be back in a minute, you two occupy yourselves."
>She winks at you.
>You involuntarily gulp in response.
>Never have you been so nervous in all your life.
>You trace the small box in your coat pocket as you find a seat; it's just how you left it.
>Both of you sit by the window.
>It's already dark outside, so it hardly matters.
>"Hey Anon, remember back when we first came here a few years ago?"
"Yeah, sure do. I couldn't forget that."
>"The chef called us lovebirds. I knew he was right, and I guess you figured it out too. How long ago was that? Two years ago? Three?"
"Yeah, something like that."
>"I remember when I first saw you, half naked and with a gun in your hand."
>She giggles.
>yeah, that was... something.
>"I was a bit skeptical at first, but after you fed me your 'gourmet' meal, bathed me, and kept me close, you gained my trust pretty darn quickly."
"Yep. You know, you never did tell me what happened before you magically appeared on my doorstep."
>She loses her smile.
>fuck, shouldn't have asked that
>"It's... It's not really something I'd really like to talk about right now."
"I understand, it's fine. Hey, remember back when-"
>On queue, Honey walks out with your meals.
"Thanks, Honey."
>"Any day. I'll leave you two alone."
>She winks at you again.
>god
>NOT helpful
>After she's gone, Pillow Case speaks back up with her mouth half full.
>which is not very appropriate due to the fancy dress she's wearing
>"Man, she's being WEIRD tonight, eh?"
"Y-yeah, totally."
>You know why, too.
>The butterflies in your stomach feel like they're on fire.
>which sounds kinda funny now that you think about it
>heh
>well
>here goes
"Hey, Casey, remember that agreement we made like a year or so ago?"
>"No."
>... that's a pretty long time to remember actually.
"The idea was that, well, after we got outta highschool, we'd run off into the sunset together n' stuff, ya know?"
>Her eyes widen a little.
>"... yes?"
"Well, I've been thinking... Now that we're done with school and all..."
>For the second time, images of Shia LaBeouf fill your mind.
>You get out of you chair, pull a black box out of your coat pocket, and grab her hoof.
>Opening the box reveals a plus-sized "ring", followed by a sharp gasp.
>herewegoagain
"Will you-"
>"YES!"
"oh, okay, swee-"
>She jumps up and hugs you, nearly knocking you over.
>"This is the BEST DAY EVER!"
"Oh, uh, yeah, I think it's pretty good."
>The hoofed applause coming from not too far away indicates you're not the only ones happy about this turn of events.
>You pull out of the embrace and look into her tear-filled eyes.
>Pulling out the "ring", you snap it around her hoof.
>Although it looks like an oversized, thin, gold ring, it functions more like a snapping bracelet, as ponies don't have fingers and thus can't wear normal rings.
>It costed you a fortune, especially since you had to get it custom-ordered from an Equestrian jeweler in California.
"Huh, it fits perfectly. I thought we would need to have it fitted."
>"Where's yours?"
"I get one later. No point in buying two unless I knew what the answer was."
>"C'mon, you knew I was gonna say yes!"
"Maybe, but they're also expensive as all heck. I'm gonna have to save up to buy my own. Speaking of which..."
>Honey is standing a few feet away, also looking rather emotional.
"How much is this whole special arrangement gonna cost me?"
>"No worries, it's on the house!"
>sweet
>now you're slightly less broke
"Thank you so much, Honey. C'mon PC, we've got some explainin' to do."
 
>Your parents reacted worse than you expected.
>They had known the both of you were in some sort of relationship, but "nothing like this, especially at this age!"
>It was rather disappointing, really.
>But you don't mind too much.
>You'll surely convince them otherwise later.
>That night, you don't go to bed until much later.
>Your now-fiancée is a bit too energetic about the situation, already making over-the-top wedding plans.
>She eventually does calm down though.
>Once again, you sleep in a lovers embrace.
 
VOLGOGRAD, RUSSIAN FEDERATION
>You are Viktor
>"Trained" Russian medical "professional"
>Your job is to make sure the millions of other men serving the Motherland make it back in (mostly) one piece.
>Not a difficult task on paper, but man is it unpleasant in practice.
>You wanted to be a doctor, though you hadn't decided what kind.
>The cursed war began before you finished medical school in Moscow State University.
>Like every other Russian man, you were conscripted, and sent off to fight in the Ukraina.
>The war was good at first.
>European-based Russian Federation forces, backed by the Chinese and other allies, pushed as far as Poland, regaining rightful slavic clay.
>Meanwhile, Russian forces in the Pacific took chunks of northwestern Equestria, eliminating both American invaders and the scattered Equestrian rebels.
>Slowly, however, the tides turned.
>Now, NATO forces have pushed Russian forces all the way back past Ukraine and onto Russian soil.
>Meanwhile, Equestria is under total occupation by the U.S. and allies, with Chinese and Russian troops no longer on the continent.
>Now you sit in a truck, approaching what is going to be the biggest battle in all of history.
>Absurd numbers of NATO troops had approached the city of Volgograd over a period of months; on the other hand, Moscow decided to throw all of what it had left to defend the city.
>You grip the Kalashnikov in your hands slightly harder.
>This is going to be brutal.
 
>BWAP BWAP BWAP BWAP
>Be Anon again.
>fuck this alarm
>you slap the top of the clock as hard as you can muster.
>A small yawn signals that you're not the only one awakened by that fucker.
>It's been a few months since you proposed to your qt horse fiancée.
>It didn't go over too well with your family.
>Eventually you got your parents, and even your grandparents on your side, but your more conservative relatives still won't talk to you.
>It's not a pleasant feeling.
>Damned gays have it easy.
>You get up and stumble into the bathroom.
>Like every other day, you take a piss, shave, and brush your teeth within the 5 minute mark.
>You walk out of the bathroom to put on your APFU and notice PC is fast asleep again.
>Whereas you have to get up every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 6:00, she doesn't need to get up until later.
>You walk over and tuck the snoring pony back in before putting on your uniform.
>gotta protect that cuteness with a whole bunch of guns
>The APFU (Army Physical Fitness Uniform) is ugly as fuck, but you've got no say in it.
>While you had indeed gotten into a decent college, you also had to sign up in a ROTC program, as to avoid being immediately drafted as a grunt after finishing college.
>Damn wars.
>Also, the whole Army-pays-for-your-college thing is nice too.
>Pillow had actually gotten into the same school, however she obviously had no intention of signing up for the Army.
>There are a few ponies in the military, but it's a rare sight.
>Hell, you had seen more griffons in uniform, and they're a minority.
>They're supposedly a bloodthirsty bunch, too.
>You grab your bag and keys, kiss your pony on the forehead as goodbye, and walk outside into the chilly late-fall temperatures
 
>Be Pillow Case
>Be in bed.
>As per the normal routine, your fiancé had unintentionally woken you up.
>Again.
>You open your eyes just enough to see the time.
>6:02
>Nuh uh, there's no way you're getting out of bed.
>You groan and close your eyes again, taking all of the blanket.
>You hadn't slept too well the previous night; weird dreams had been plaguing you for a few weeks now.
>Nor had you mentioned these dreams to anyone.
>eh, they're probably nothing.
>Besides, you've got school to worry about.
>You listen to your husbando bang around in the bathroom and get his stuff together.
>Finally, he tucks you in, kisses your forehead, and leaves.
>You glance up, set the alarm to 8:30, and drift back off to sleep again.
 
>Yet again, another unusual dream occurs.
>Four people sit around a wooden table in a dark room.
>One wears a ski mask and tan revolutionary-esque uniform, with a Cuban cigar sticking out of his mouth.
>Another wears an unusual uniform, the coat and pants resembling that of the confederacy, but with the hat of a German officer from the Second World War.
>The third wears simple business attire; a black suit and red tie.
>The last is a familiar looking white-coated alicorn, in a mixture of paramilitary and regal attire.
>"I realize we have different, ah, beliefs... but do we not share a common goal?" the businessman states.
>"He's right. If we don't work together, there's no way we'll win over the hearts of the people, let alone succeed in an uprising!" proclaims the alicorn.
>Although you couldn't tell it earlier, she appears to be the only female at the table.
>"I agree with you, miss, but I just don't know how well we'd get along with the Subcommander over here and his commie goons."
>"Indeed, how could we possibly work with these fascist pigs? No offense to you, Marshal."
>"We've already agreed to put ideology behind us. Back in my homeland, there was a saying that friendship is magic."
>"What's friendship gonna get us in the middle of a battle?"
>"Allies."
>"Hmph."
>Discussion continues for a while, but eventually, they appear to reach an agreement.
>The man in the ski mask stands up after shaking hands with the other members of the table.
>"Let it be known on this day that the forces of the Revolutionary Army of National Liberation, the Equestrian Revolutionary Front, the Free Continental Army, and the American National Front, are united!"
>A woman walks in with a platter carrying four wine glasses.
>All four individuals pick up a glass, clink them, and drink.
>The discussion changes from politics to personal lives as they all slowly forget about the looming conflict.
 
>BWAP BWAP BWAP BWAP
 
>Be Russianon again
>Your cavalcade had arrived at its destination.
>That destination being a large building to the east of the city.
>Once upon a time, it may have been a store, but that must've been years previously.
>The "white", warehouse-esque building doesn't look in tip-top shape, however men are walking in and out of it, so it must be holding up on the inside.
>Surrounding the building are a good number of various tents and temporary shelters.
>Off in the distance, thunder-like rumbling can be heard.
>Not very welcoming.
>"OUT!"
>You and everyone else in the transportation truck pile out of the vehicle.
>"Report to Lieutenant Igor for stationing!"
>The group finds a certain Igor and reports to him, splitting into smaller groups to join others in the besieged city.
>You get a location to the north of the city, in what is a more or less rural area.
>Unluckily for you, somewhat heavy concentrations of NATO troops had been gathering there, leading to more or less continuous fighting.
>this is gonna be unpleasant
>You find the battalion heading to the area and report in, getting in yet another transport truck.
>You speak to a few in the truck; most refuse to respond, but a few do talk back.
>Eventually, you get to know a Ukrainian guy named Maxim.
>Apparently, he had been around since the Ukranian Civil War, and remembered back before it all started.
>His specialty is filmography; he had brought a digital camera along with him to document the war.
>As well, he talked of a race of talking horses and flying cat-birds to the far west that he had seen.
>You, of course, knew about them both, but you had never really seen one in real life.
>Some have told you that they're innocent and adorable.
>Others claim that they are the spawn of satan; western puppets meant to take over the minds of the Russian Orthodox people.
>You believe the first more, but a little bit of skepticism never really hurts.
>Meanwhile, the rumbling gets louder and louder.
>The truck stops, and you are ordered to dismount and head to the west.
>Tanks pass you on both sides as you walk.
>You are told to take a defensive position, meaning, really, to find cover and wait.
>You find a foxhole without much effort.
>The foxhole seems rather used, as it's deep, worn, and practically furnished as far as foxholes go.
>You and your Ukrainebro set up camp in it, and get ready for the night.
>The rumbling gets louder and even deafening, to the point of which a tank can
be heard firing only a few meters away.
>At this point, the battle is going on around you.
>There's an explosion twenty meters away, causing you to practically jump out of your skin.
>fuckfuckfuck
>You hold your AK, but you're still hesitant to look up and out.
>Eventually, Maxim does.
>"Holy shit."
"WHAT?"
>"I SAID HOLY SHIT!"
>He pulls out a digital camera and starts screaming in Ukrainian.
http://youtu.be/l1NsmEP8Qko
>well shoot
>isn't that just something
>never have you seen anything so beautiful
>or anything so terrifying
>It's quite the light show.
>As you stand and watch, the tanks nearby explode into pieces.
>The explosion is followed by a loud BRRRRRRRRRRRRT
>oh shit
>you know that sound
>the angels have come to reap the sinners
>You and Maxim drop down into the foxhole again.
>It does no good, however.
>The ground around you flies into the air and everything goes black.
 
>You open your eyes to find yourself... somewhere.
>Welp, looks like you died.
>that sucks
>Looking around, you see... nothing.
>Just an eternal blue-ish room.
>this is shitty
>You consider exploring before a tall, white thing appears in front of you.
>It's a four-legged horse-thing, wearing a weird mixture of what looks like regal and paramilitary outfitting.
>Is this one of those "ponies" you were told about?
>"Hello, Viktor. I have brought you here f-"
"Заткнись, you devil-spawn. How do you know my name? Where am I?"
>Strangely enough, the horse speaks English.
>AMERICAN English, worse yet.
>You had learned it after spending a few summers in America when you were younger.
>It finally came in handy though.
>The horse sighs.
>"I know a lot of things. Now, while I can't say WHERE we are, I CAN say WHY you're here."
"Да?"
>"I am Princess Celestia, once-proud leader of the Kingdom of Equestria. I am no longer in power, however, and that's why you are here."
"Why me? What the fuck did I do?"
>"You are highly skilled, or, at least in your field. I need a good number of men who can speak multiple of the more important languages in this world, as well as skilled fighters and qualified workers. You meet all of those criteria."
>Now you feel accomplished.
>though you're still dead
"Why should I help you?"
>"You just died. This is your second chance, and I'm giving it to you."
>fuck
>looks like you've got no choice in the matter
"Okay. What else?"
>"You'll learn everything when you wake up."
>wake up?
>what does she mean by-
>You suddenly find yourself in a bed.
 
>Be Anon
>You might just be the happiest man in the world.
>The Russians had lost one of their last lines of defense, Volgograd, after NATO forces used some sort of experimental magical weapon against their fortifications.
>They're saying the war should be over within the year, and you've got quite a while before you graduate.
>There's a small chance you'll still get deployed to help occupy, but you doubt it.
>And as far as China goes, they've already signed a treaty.
>It's a good feeling when you know you probably won't die horribly in the fields of battle anymore.
>Then again, that's probably not a bad way to go out.
>...
>But you've got your whole life ahead of you.
>A house, a fiancée, an education, a, uh, "job"...
>sure, it's flipping burgers at McDonald's, but after college you'll be able to actually work.
>Plus, you're getting married in a few weeks, once you've saved up enough money.
>Everything seems to be falling into place.
>You smile, driving home while http://youtu.be/s7dTBoW5H9k plays on the radio.
>Things are going to be OK.
 
>Tonight, since it's Friday, you're going out to dinner with your qt.
>With the military paying for most of your college expenses and your parents giving you excess money, you're able to live fairly comfortably.
>You plan on going to an out-of-town restaurant you'd heard good things about.
>Can't have anything too fancy, though; weddings are expensive.
>You pull into your driveway and honk the horn.
>PC should be home already, as her classes had ended earlier than usual.
>You check your phone while you wait for her to come out.
>The news app has a few notifications, so you open it.
>BOMB EXPLODES IN SEATTLE OFFICE, NONE KILLED; TERRORIST GROUP BLAMED
>CHINESE REBELS TAKE ZHENGZHOU
>RUSSIAN FORCES RETREAT FURTHER EAST AFTER LOSS
>EQUESTRIAN LYNCHING IN LOUISIANA
>nothing usual, really
>You flinch as she opens the door.
"Ohfu- uh, didn't see you there."
>She giggles and climbs in.
>those goddamn adorable giggles never get old
>"Yeah, I'm small, I know."
>she's right though
>you'd never thought about it too much, but Pillow is noticeably smaller than other mares
>probably nothing major, you just thought it was kinda weird
>You back out of your driveway and hit the gas.
 
>You reach the restaurant without issue.
>It doesn't look very... upper-class...
>You can't pretend to be too surprised, though; it's not a terribly wealthy neighborhood.
>anymore, at least
>You both walk in and land a seat near the bar.
>Nothing too usual happens for a while.
>You both talk about your days, gossip, etc etc
>After a few minutes, however, you notice a particular group of men a few tables away staring at you.
>They look like stereotypical southern bikers or truckers, but younger.
>You try to brush it off at first, but eventually they get up and come over to your table.
>oh fuck
>impolite southerners
>doubleplus ungood
>The apparent leader of the group walks right up to you.
>"We don't want none'a you horse-fucker types 'round here."
"u-uh..."
>Pillow Case seems slightly taken aback.
>You'd always gotten strange glances and things of the sort, but you never took it personally.
>There was a bible passage or something that always got the both of you on religious short lists.
>“Cursed is the man who has sexual relations with any animal.”
>something like that
>Indeed, that's what got you kicked out of numerous family events.
>You always figured Equestrians weren't animals though, so the passage didn't bother you.
>It did bother a good number of religious folks, however.
>Which is why interspecies marriage isn't entirely legal.
>Doesn't mean you can't still get non-legally married, though.
>You refocus on the situation at hand
>time to engage alpha mode
>You stand up and look him straight in the eyes.
"How about you mind your own goddamn bu-"
>He punches you in the gut.
>ow
>You manage to throw a punch back before being pushed over a chair.
>Your head slams against a table behind you and you're out of the game, but still conscious.
>...which means you can very clearly hear all the people screaming in the restaurant.
>so much for that 1337 military training
>PC jumps up and runs over to you.
>"ANON! ARE YOU ALRI- EEP!"
>The rude dude bends over and grabs her flanks, pulling her away from you.
>"Now as for you, lil' m-"
>She bucks him in the stomach, knocking him on his back.
>His goons seem shocked.
>You open an eye and look over in that direction.
>With her wings extended in a way you hadn't seen before, she turns around and jumps on the man.
>She just loses it and starts hitting him.
>You notice a good number of people taking video around you.
>this is really not good
>"WHY? WHY CAN'T YOU JUST LET US BE LIKE EVERYONE ELSE? WHAT DID WE DO WRONG?"
>oh man she's angry
>but she's right
>this all seems very odd
>you hadn't been bothered too much before, but now you're getting beat up?
>hmmm...
>all you can do is try to watch, but even then you feel intense pain
>The goons are still in shock as she continues to beat him.
>Eventually, they become aware of the situation and ditch.
>You manage to sit up, albeit still in pain.
>The man looks unconscious, and PC is in tears, standing on top of him.
>but still rather angry looking.
>it's actually a little bit scary.
"C-Casey?"
>She looks over at you, still furious, but she breaks down and starts bawling, running into your arms.
>"W-why, Anon? W-w-what did w-we do?"
"I don't know, I don't know..."
>You hug her tighter as she cries in your arms.
>There are easily 3 or 4 cameras/cell phones taking of video you, but you don't pay them any mind.
>This is all going to be an issue.
 
>The cops arrive a few minutes later, as well as an ambulance.
>The paramedics say you've got a bad concussion, but nothing quite life-threatening or hospital-worthy.
>As well, you've got a black eye in the making and a nasty bruise on the back of your head.
>It's unpleasant, and apparently this wasn't the first species-based hate crime today.
>Another pony had been lynched earlier down in the Deep South.
>which you don't entirely understand.
>You'd never really thought interspecies hatecrimes were much of a thing.
>and they really hadn't been, until recently.
>They DID technically start World War 3, yes, but does that mean they deserve to be hung by white guys in pointy ghost costumes?
>probably not
>...
>yeah, probably not.
>You had wanted to ditch the restaurant  before news crews arrived, but to no avail.
>Although a few had come up to you and asked you a couple of questions, they just ate up PC.
>and she doesn't seem to hesitate to get interviewed.
>She's easily got 5 microphones stuffed up to her face, but she doesn't seem phased at all.
>"...and it's because of these kinds of people that I can't get a job! I'm a person too, and if they can't..."
>You try to stand away from the cameras, but you still watch.
>She rants on and on about people like your attacker, eventually spilling into why ponies and humans aren't all that different and deserve to be equals, etc etc etc
>man, she could be a politician.
>You figure most of it will be edited out, but one or two of the newscasts are broadcasting live, so who knows what kind of fame she'll get.
>...hopefully good, lynch-free fame.
>The restaurant owner is standing outside, talking to the police.
>You walk over to them.
>The policeman is much older, likely in his 50's, while the owner is a younger African American man.
>You decide to barge in and ask the cop a few questions.
"Any idea who these guys are?"
>"That's what we were hoping to ask you."
"I've never seen any of them before in my life."
>"Huh. Know any reasons why they'd just suddenly attack you? Part of any gangs or anything? Got any enemies?"
"Nope and nope, but I think I MIGHT know why..."
>"Hm?"
>You point to PC.
"I'm engaged to her. I'm in the military too, so that might contribute."
>The cop looks a bit surprised.
>"To HER? The pony?"
"...yes."
>"...oh. Well. You learn something new every day I guess."
>yeah, if you're old and live under a rock maybe
"Oh, and is she gonna get in any trouble for knocking that guy out?"
>"Nope, it's a clear-cut case of self defense from what everyone's said. I wouldn't worry too much about it."
"Sweet. Well, thanks anyways."
>"Mhm."
>You walk back over to where Casey and the cameramen are.
>Most of the cameramen had left, with one or two still fixated on her.
>She looks over at you and you motion her to hurry up.
>Apparently, she does just that, as she smiles at the camera, says something, and walks back over to you.
"Ready to go home?"
>"Yeah, I'm beat..."
"Oh, YOU'RE beat?"
>"Hah. Very funny."
>hue
>You're probably not supposed to drive with a mild concussion, but you do anyways.
>It's been a long night.
 
>You make up the lack of dinner with some delicious, homemade spaghetti.
>Since PC has no hands, naturally, you cook most of the meals.
>Her attempts at being "a good wife" and cooking for you have ended disastrously, and with the replacement of numerous kitchen appliances.
>You seriously wonder how they cooked things in Equestria.
>In fact, there are still a good number of things you've been hesitant to ask about.
>Every time you've meant to ask about how she got into that sorry state that she was in at your doorstop, it always... drops out of your mind.
>maybe eventually you'll ask
>but for now
>eat the spaghetti to forgetti to your regretti
 
>After you're done with dinner, you go to the bathroom to inspect your wounds.
>Looking in the mirror, you've got a black eye, and you can feel a painful bump forming on the back of your head.
>So nothing unexpected.
>You shower, change, and go to bed, snuggling with your resident qt as always.
>This night, however, you have yet another unusual dream.
 
>A man walks down a long hallway; you don't recognize his fatigues, but you notice a handgun on his hip.
>He opens a door and steps in, closing it behind him.
>Inside are four individuals (namely 3 men and one very unusual, but familiar looking... Equestrian? You can't tell; it looks more like a equestrianized horse than a pony.), all in different uniforms, sitting around a large, square table.
>"Any news?" says a clearly hispanic man who's at the table.
>"Yes. The techies are saying we're ready to broadcast at any time."
>"Really? Already?"
>"They're reporting that they encountered little to no resistance getting in."
>"Any indications of it being a trap?"
>"No. Posts seem to be abandoned entirely."
>The horse-thing interrupts.
>"This all seems like a trap. Why would they ever abandon th-"
>"No, we're still going through with the plan unless they show clear signs of attack. Though you're right, it feels like someth-"
>Deafening alarms start going off.
 
>You jolt up in a cold sweat.
>You're breathing heavily, and your mouth is really dry.
>Luckily, you didn't wake Casey, but it's still dark outside.
>It's not the first time you've had a weird vivid dream like this.
>There have been a good number of others, especially when you were younger.
>They only started when Equestria appeared, though; you don't remember them occurring before then.
>You lay back down and go back to sleep.
>This time, no weird dreams.
 
>A few weeks pass, and your wedding date closes in.
>Pillow ends up getting a part-time job at a Bed, Bath and Beyond to help pay for things, including the wedding.
>The extra money doesn't hurt in the least bit- in fact, you save enough to buy a new TV set and gaming system.
>having money is nice.
>especially when you buy things with it.
>You had even gone so far as to buy a special gaming controller for "those lacking opposable thumbs".
>there's a market for everything.
>and as far as you're concerned, that's not always for the best.
>You found out first-hand how much decent suits are, and you imagine your fiancée found her wedding counterpart no less costly.
>ESPECIALLY since it had to be specially fitted by a human company onto a pony.
>heck, if she didn't take a job, she probably would've had to just get a used human dress.
>Not a particularly romantic idea.
>Luckily for you, however, the wedding itself won't be too costly
>The priest's coming free (being as though it's at a church), reservations/rentals aren't too much, and the church isn't too far off of a drive.
>You both had chosen it to be on the same day you two had met, that being in mid-winter.
>As well, not many people are coming- only close friends and a few of (your) relatives.
>You have doubts as to if hers are attending the ceremony.
>...
 
>You scold yourself mentally for thinking anything like that as you pull into your driveway.
>As you get out and walk to your door, you notice a strange lack of, well, anything.
>Usually people are out and about doing whatever during the day, but you seem to be the only one outside.
>strange
>You unlock your door and step in.
"I'm home, sorry for being so late, we-"
>"Come check this out"
>You put your stuff down by your desk and walk over to her.
>She's watching TV, where a very familiar sounding voice narrates something while grisly pictures and video of... concentration? camps show.
"What's this?"
>"I'm not too sure..."
"Hit info or guide or something, I'm curious."
>"That's the problem. I can't."
>She smashes the change channel button, guide, everything.
>Nothing changes.
>and you can't quite place that voice...
>it sounds almost like...
>oh shit
>that horse-thing
 
>The connection quality isn't great, but you can still see the images and make out what she's saying.
>"...kept away from the public's prying eye. In these camps are kept political prisoners, dissenters, refugees, POWs, and others disliked by the regime. Even the larger of these camps, such as the Springlake Internment Center..."
>Pillow Case tenses up and shudders after she says the name.
>odd
>She continues to list off other camps, as well as show photographs and video footage of said camps.
>The shots of the people inside are pitiful; many are extremely skinny and filthy all over.
>Heavily armed, masked guards wander outside the fences.
>Occasionally, clips are shown of guards forcing prisoners to dig a pit, lining them up, and shooting them.
>The scenes slowly get more and more brutal, eventually changing entirely to the faces of politicians and scenes of war.
>"...indeed, this regime is nothing like that of the one that existed before the appearance, but something altogether different, sinister, and evil, deserving only to be overthrown by we the people."
>PC is visibly shaken.
"Alright, enough already."
>You turn off the television.
"I don't know what the hell that was, b-"
>"Springlake camp..."
"...huh?"
>"That's where I was, Springlake internment camp..."
"... oh..."
>She looks over at you.
>"I never did tell you about what happened before you found me, did I?"
>She hadn't.
>A couple of times, she had told you about her life as a filly in Equestria, but she never told you about her life after the appearance.
>Every time you asked, she'd either ignore you or change the subject.
>The few times you really pressed her, she'd say she didn't want to talk about it and go quiet.
"Nope."
>She sighs.
>"I wish I didn't remember as well as I do, but... It all began after the appearance. The whole thing was an accident; we were trying to build a portal to Earth, not teleport the entire continent. Somep- someBODY messed something up though, and off we went. I don't know any of the details other than that."
>She looks away from you, towards the wall.
>"We were expecting peace, maybe even help to get back to our world... what we got was invasion. How were we supposed to know that we wiped Hawaii off the map?"
>You remember that.
>The good-sized continent of Equestria appeared essentially in the place of Hawaii, taking both the president and one and a half million citizens to who-knows-where.
>"Our leaders capitulated within a day, with soldiers in every town and city in Equestria. I lost both of my parents during the initial bombings."
>Her lips quiver.
>"I-I was a refugee, I had no home or family... I think I was 14, or maybe 15? I slept in the street for a few days until one of the soldiers found me. They put me on a truck, then a boat, then another truck, with me eventually ending up in that camp."
>"We weren't the first ones there, there had already been a group of refugees. Eventually, the prison started getting full, with both political enemies and refugees confined in it. The floors were covered with urine because there were no bathrooms, there were unspoken gangs that formed, people were just dying on the ground... It was horrible. The guards started to get angsty... I saw some of my friends get raped by them, and a few shot. I was really lucky to be alive, and, erm, un-raped."
>She sighs again.
>"Even my best friend, Strawberry, was eventually a refugee. She made her appearance right after I was told I was being fostered... I don't remember why she was there. It didn't matter, though. When they were stuffing me like a pig so that I wouldn't look TOO unhealthy, I snuck her some bread, which almost got me in serious trouble. You know, I was supposed to write to her..."
>She trails off, and goes quiet.
"Wow, that's really..."
>She cuts you off mid-sentence.
>"They told me if I ever told anyone ever about what I saw, they'd send us both back, and for good... They said nobody would ever know, because they control the media."
>Pillow looks at you, teary-eyed but angry looking.
>"THAT'S why I never told you anything, anon. I don't want either of us to have to go through that. Ever."
"That's... goddamn, I don't even know what to say. That's just awful."
>You're really angry.
>Why would they do anything like that to these innocent little ponies?
>... well, yeah, Hawaii n' stuff.
>But they didn't do it on purpose!
>And the civilians had nothing to do with anything!
>You sigh.
"C'mere."
>You embrace her.
>The room is filled with silence.
>"I need to find Strawberry."
"Hmm?"
>"I'm sure she got out. She was on the list to be... given out. I promised I'd get in touch with her after we both were freed, but... I don't know, I guess it slipped from my mind."
"I'll see if I can find anything, I promise."
>You both sit there for a few more seconds in silence.
>"Turn the TV back on."
"You sure?"
>She nods.
"Alright..."
>You turn the tele back on.
>It's still showing the pirate broadcast, but the signal is much weaker.
>A man sits at a table while wearing a gasmask, seemingly mocking news reporters.
>"BREAKING NEWS! Riots in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and pretty much everywhere else that matters. Is it because they're fed up with the regime's bullshit? More tonight."
>The connection is lost for a second, and an actual news broadcast is shown.
>The signal is so weak you can barely hear the anchorwoman.
>"... terrorists... satellites, after... hacking... magic... believed to be... Seattle lost... growing fears over..."
>You can't make out much of anything.
>The signal seems to switch between the two, almost as if they're fighting over it.
>That's when you lose power.
 
"Fuck."
>You get up.
>"You think someone cut it?"
"Dunno, but we've got a generator, so-"
>The power turns back on.
"Nevermind then."
>The TV shows the normal news now, without the signal interferences.
>It seems nearly as though they shut off power to kick the intruders out.
>"Radical militants and deserters have attempted to occupy parts of western Washington state over the past two hours, as well as parts of New England. The Canadian and Mexican governments are reporting similar issues, and the European Union has reported rioting in a number of cities. We have unconfirmed reports that the intrusions done earlier today are attributed to the international terrorist organizations of the New Continental Army, Equestrian Revolutionary Front, Revolutionary Army of National Liberation, and the American National Front, as their leaders have claimed ownership over the incident. In other news, Research Triangle's..."
>What the fuck is going on?
>You probably look mortified.
>This seems like it's gonna get up close and personal.
>Should've listened to Ron Paul. He warned us. We didn't listen.
>You expect PC to have a similar reaction, but she's unphased.
>in fact, she doesn't seem to be surprised at all.
>weirdo.
>The rest of the night goes fairly normally.
>You wonder if all this stuff will mess with your wedding plans.
>Hopefully not.
>The more violent stuff still seems pretty contained.
>After a few hours, though, it hardly crosses your mind.
>Cuddling with a pony annihilates any and all stress, as you've found.
>especially one named "Pillow Case"
>the name and cutie mark probably allude to that.
>You sleep well, anticipating your wedding day in less than two weeks.
 
>Not much happens over the next few days.
>Just kidding, a whole fucking lot of stuff happens.
>Ron Paul warned us, we didn't listen.
>A bunch of rebels manage to wage guerrilla warfare against the government in some states, more successfully in some places than others.
>A few soldiers even abandon their posts to join the rebels.
>Most areas, however, are generally unaffected.
>A police state has been in place for years already, so not much changes there.
>Really, the whole thing doesn't bother you too much.
>Your life is still as quiet as it usually is.
>which is not very quiet
>especially since you're marrying your horse-fiancée
>you still get backlash about it
>but hey, who are they to tell you what to do with your life?
>... other than them being your family and friends...
>Regardless, your wedding day is within a few days.
>Thankfully, too.
>You want to be married before the whole civil war thing gets really bad, like people are saying it will.
>On a somewhat happier note, you had managed get your hands on a rather expensive suit, and you imagine her dress isn't the world's cheapest either.
>you're still pretty poor though, so you're hoping she didn't go all-out.
>having enough money for food is kinda nice.
 
>You pull your car into the driveway and park.
>You never did get a new car; you're too cheap for that.
>But hey, as long as it still works, it's good enough.
>You open the door and walk inside.
>Luckily, this time, there's no pirated TVs playing.
>A small, lavender pony trots up to you.
>"Afternoon, anon!"
"Hey casey!"
>You pick her up and twirl her around, her giggling.
>never gets old
>Really, even though she's a bit smaller than most other ponies, she's still a good size, so doing such a thing isn't as easy as it sounds.
"What's got you in such a good mood?" you ask, setting her back down.
>"I heard from one of my pony friends earlier today that Strawberry is in this very town! I was hoping we could maybe meet up with her tonight."
"Uh, sure. When and where?"
>"Some... place... outside of town, tonight."
>Already sounds pretty shady.
"Where?"
>"It's, erm... where that closed up store is."
"Really? What'd they put there?"
"... nothing. It's just a meeting place."
>oh
"I dunno, something seems weird about what you're describing."
>"C'mon, please! And even if you don't go, I'm still going regardless. Wouldn't you ra--"
"Alright, alright, I'm going. This still seems shady though."
>"Well, it IS a totally illegal and super secret meetup between revolutionaries."
>...what
>No.
>Not okay.
>You don't want to get your ass thrown in jail.
>There's no way you'd survive prison!
>You'd get assraped on the first day!
>She'd probably be even worse off!
>You already agreed to it, though...
"I don't know about this... I REALLY don't wanna get arrested."
>"Neither do I, but I'm still going."
>No shit.
>You're still uncertain, but she's adamant.
"Actually... ehhh..."
>"C'mon! Pretty please?"
>she gives you her best puppydog eyes
>...
>fuck
>you can't say no to those eyes
"I... I guess I'll go."
>she instantly loses her 'give me what I want or I'll cry and you'll feel guilty' face
>"Good. I'm not even sure how I'd get there without you driving anyways."
>True.
 
>After an hour or two, you're back on the road, this time headed to the outskirts of town.
>Highways turn to backroads, suburbs turn to forests.
>As per PC's directional skills, you eventually find yourself at what looks like an older, lower-class rural bar.
"You sure this is right? Last time I went in a place like this, I left with a concussion."
>"I'm pretty sure I'm right."
>You sigh.
>This is probably gonna end up in extreme pain.
>For you.
>You both get out and walk in.
>Inside, the building is overfull with people.
>Many wear different uniforms or symbols on them, while others wear normal clothing.
"Any idea where this Strawberry pony is?"
>She scans the room.
>"I-I don't see her any-"
>"PILLOW CASE?"
>The source of the exclamation is a red mare sitting at a table to your left.
>"STRAWBERRY!"
>PC and the red pony run over and hug each other.
>"It's been so long! How've you been doing?"
>"Pretty good I guess. And you?"
>"Ugh, do you have any idea how hard it is to start a revolution AND keep up with relationships? It's not fun."
>You walk over to the table.
>"Oh, Strawberry, I'd like you to meet Anonymous here!"
"Hi."
>You hold out your hand for a handshake.
>She looks at it and then up at you.
>oh, right
>hooves
>"So you're a friend of Casey here, huh?"
>You chuckle.
"I guess you could call me that-"
>PC interjects.
>"No, he's my fiancé, we're getting married soon."
>The red pony gasps
>"OMIGOSH, REALLY? WHEN? HOW? WHAT?"
>"We've been engaged for months, we've just been saving up! The ceremony is next week."
>Strawberry shakes her head.
>"I never expected you to get a coltfriend, much less marry a human guy!"
>"Hey!"
>"Kidding, kidding."
>She sighs.
>"We should've gotten back in touch a long time ago. I've got so much to tell you... it's crazy."
>"Yeah, same. Oh, by the way, how did you-"
>PC is interrupted by a man standing on a table with a microphone.
>"Attention, attention!"
 
>The crowd goes silent after a few seconds.
>"Welcome, comrades, both new and returning! We have called this meeting in order to welcome a representative of the Equestrian Worker's Party, affiliated with both the Equestrian Revolutionary Front and the Army of National Liberation- please welcome Strawberry Jam!"
>She turns back towards you both.
>"Looks like I've gotta go up. We'll chat afterwards, just stay put for a minute."
>There's applause as she walks towards the man with the microphone.
>You're both surprised and concerned; surprised that this little red pony is affiliated with numerous terrorist groups, and concerned that you now know her.
>Somehow, she picks up the microphone and holds it.
>"Comrades, less than a few months ago, our best..."
>blah blah
>speeches
>politics
>etc
>you learn over to PC and whisper
"Did you have any idea she was some sort of commie-commander?"
>"Nope. Now shush."
>hmph
>She's really interested, too.
>You look back over to the Strawberry pony.
>"...he's making a sacrifice, for the good of me, my foals, and my foal's foals, that will be remembered throughout history. Even if..."
>yeah okay
>you have no idea what she's talking about at this point
>some leader or something?
>whatevs
>you phase out again
>"... and I'd also like to thank my long-time friend and new member of the revolution, Pillow Case, for helping me get through my darkest days in the camp."
>There's applause as she points at PC
>wait
>new member?
>what?
>Casey smiles and blushes at the attention.
>A few give her half confused looks while applauding, until one's face lights up.
>"Hey, wait, I remember you! You're that pony from the barfight video!"
>... barfight video?
>Others catch on.
>"Yeah yeah, I remember you!"
>"Holy shit, I didn't know she lived here!"
>"You've got some serious balls for a mare!"
>A bunch of people approach her.
>She seems as confused as you are.
>"What barfight video? Huh? What're you people talking about?"
>Some seem taken aback, almost surprised she doesn't know.
>...wait.
>the barfight
>now you remember
>but how do they know about it?
>...
>oh shit
>those people recording it must've posted it online
>fuck
"I think they're talking about the barfight a few weeks ago, remember?"
>"but how-"
>Strawberry trots up.
>"The reason I came down here was to find you, and I knew you were here because of that video!"
>"How do all these people know about it too, though?"
>"You kidding? Those videos went viral! You don't get to see a little mare beat up a neo-nazi every day. You're pretty famous now, anyway."
>"F-famous? I didn't even know there were videos of it before today!"
>"Well, now you do."
>no shit
>but you're still a bit confused
>how've you not heard of this supposed fame by now?
"Why haven't we seen it or heard about it by now?"
>"Well, I mean... it's not THAT viral."
>oh
>well
>true
>"Us revolution-people just like it. Very motivational, you know." blurts out an older man
>There's something of an agreement to that statement before Strawberry goes back to her speech.
>The rest of the night isn't nearly as eventful.
>You yourself get a few drinks before you both head back home, after saying farewells to Strawberry.
>You need to think this whole revolution thing over.
 
>You're awoken by a knock at the door.
>Groggily, you get up and start walking in that direction before there's a loud crash.
>The sound wakes you up fully, and startles PC awake.
>"What was that?"
"Shhhh, I think someone just broke in."
>"WHAT?"
"SHHHHHHH"
>eugh
>now your finger is covered in spit
>and probably Pillow's face, too
>You grab your rather large pocket knife and look out your bedroom door.
>"Pillow? Anon?"
>wait
>what the fuck
>You go and peep into the living room.
"Strawberry? What the fuck?"
>"Anon! Where's Pillow? Are you two alright? I came as fast as I could!"
"Other than our door being fucking broken, yeah, we're peachy."
>Pillow Case trots in.
>"What's going on? Strawberry?"
>Now that you look Strawberry over, she seems a bit panicked.
>"The... It was... The whole thing was a trap! A sting! I don't know who was FBI, but I do know that the police are after us!"
>WHAT
>FUCK
>WHY
"HOW? I thought that was, like, some casual get-together for terrorists or something! Or like some casual potluck community thing or something!"
>"What? No! Why would you think that?"
"Because... uh..."
>"There was NOTHING legal about that meeting! Didn't know the risks before coming?"
"b-but"
>"WHATEVER! You need to pack up your things and we need to leave! NOW!"
>You feel slightly sick after hearing this.
>Is this just a bad dream?
>You hope so, as you rush back and start packing suitcases, PC doing the same.
>This all just seems out of nowhere.
>You were completely normal yesterday.
>'She's the one who caused this', you think to yourself.
>'You would have never gone to one of these terrorist playdates.'
>She glances at you apologetically, as if she knows what you're thinking, and you return a scowl.
>She looks back down and seems like she's gonna cry.
>wow
>good job anon
>'She deserves it with what she did.' you think again.
>...
>'Why are you even married to this animal? She can never give you children. You'll both die alone and unhappy.'
>.......
>'You should leave her for a real woman, not some children's toy come to life. Both of these terrorists deserve to go to jail.'
>Enough.
>You rub your temples, and a throbbing headache manifests itself.
>The intrusive thoughts seem to go away too, thank god.
>You start packing.
 
 
>Once you're packed up well enough you walk back to Strawberry.
"Are... Are you sure this is all necessary?"
>"We've already had three of our own taken by doorkickers. I think it's safe to assume you've been seen too."
>fuckin' hell
>you had a whole future ahead of you
>a job
>a wife
>the potential for money
>eventually foals/babies would've been on the table
>but now you've thrown at least two away
>just because your wife is a goddamn horse and convinced you to attend a meeting for revolutionary socialists, and now you're basically a fugitive because the government doesn't like dissenters much anymore
>...
>You think about your situation for a moment, and you're really impressed.
>Who knew?
>this sounds like a cheesy action movie
>pretty cool
>Strawberry snaps you back into reality.
>"C'mon, let's go!"
>You grab your keys, walk outside, and walk over to your car.
>"No, we're not taking that car. This way."
>She leads you past your car and to what looks like a pedophile van.
"Huh, could you possibly choose a MORE obvious escape car?"
>"Yes."
"o-oh."
>"This van is enchanted. It's still technically visible, yeah, but they'll probably overlook us."
>not a very good explanation, but it works.
>You open the back and climb in.
>The second you do, you feel dizzy, slightly nauseated, and that throbbing headache returns, but you don't say anything.
>You throw your stuff in, and take a seat.
>Pillow does the same, but she refuses to make any eye contact.
>When you're both seated in the back, she leans as far away from you as possible.
>Not what you had hoped for.
>Pony snuggles generally help in situations like this.
>well
>in any situation really.
>But why is she avoiding you?
>You feel angry.
>Does she not love you anymore? Is she cheating?
>You wipe those thoughts out of your mind.
>Looking at her face, you can tell she's about to cry, but she doesn't give you time to ask why.
>As usual. Who cares what you say?
>"This is my fault. All of it."
"..."
>"I shouldn't have made us go to that. I just wanted to see my best friend again, not..."
>well, she's right.
"You're right. That was a really, really stupid decision you made."
>That comment doesn't seem to help her much.
>Your headache worsens.
>"I-I'm sorry... I-"
"You better be."
>You feel furious.
"You know what that costed us? Everything!"
>She seems shocked.
"You stupid fucking animal! Ruined my life!"
>At this point, she's straight out crying.
>Whore deserves it.
>Whore?
>Ha!
>No way did she get out of those camps without whoring herself out to every guard there.
>Why the fuck did you propose to a tail-lifter?
>You need to break up.
"Why are we even talking? Fuck! Why are we even together anymore? I can tell you've been with other guys! Fucking tail-lifting whore! You obviously don't like me, and at this point, I don't think I like at all either. The second we're out of here, we're DONE!"
>"W-w-what? N-no, p-please, I'm so sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I didn't, I l-love you, n-no, I-I..."
>she's all-out bawling at this point.
>your head
>She's covered in snot and tears.
>Disgusting animal.
>The only good thing this... THING... offered was sex, and even then you only got it on occasion.
>Greedy bitch.
>Maybe you'll fuck her one last time before you send her back to the camps. It'll be all the more fun too when she doesn't want it, when she's scr...
>it hurts so bad
"Y-you d-..."
>things are going blurry
>the pain is blinding
>your mind is only filled with hate for everything around you
>you want to kill, you want to rape, you want to hurt, and it doesn't matter what
>you collapse over, and the last thing you see is a red shape.
 
>You awaken in a bed.
>Ugh
>Your head still hurts like shit, but you don't feel quite so...
>"Oh! He's awake!"
>That voice sounds... familiar.
>Who was it again? Cranberry?
>You don't remember much from last night, but...
>Did you drink too much or something?
>That'd explain the headache.
>but why do you feel guilty?
>oh god
>you must've done something bad
>shit
>you make sure nobody's in bed with you before staring back at the ceiling.
>You're not quite sure where you are.
>The red mare walks in the room you're in.
>"Thank God you're alright! We weren't sure when you'd get up!"
>wait
>what
"Ugh... Where am I? What happened?"
>"Can't tell you where exactly, but I can say we're safe."
"What? Why? It's not like I can just leave."
>"Well... We're monitoring you closely, and we think you're over it, but better safe than sorry."
"...'over it'?"
>"You were under a... special kind of spell last night. Psionics."
"what"
>"Mind-bending spell. The idea of it is to eventually render the victim unconscious, though it has a vast range of side effects. Memory loss, nausea, severe headaches, dizziness, and EXTREME emotional distress, such as your fury last night, are common effects. Experimental magical weapons from the government, but, looking at your case, they've made advancements. Somewhat alcohol-like, but much more severe. Mostly affects humans."
"...oh."
>Well, that makes it obvious.
>But how and why were they attacking you?
>"...and about that..."
>Strawberry shifts awkwardly.
>"...do you remember much from last night?"
>oh god.
>you couldn't have.
>fuck.
"No. Did we...?"
>"WHAT? Nonono!"
>She looks rather flustered.
"You just, erm, well... Look, I know it wasn't your fault. It was the spell talking, and even the slightest twinge of anger would've been multiplied to that... but you said some nasty things. I didn't hear much of it, but I do know..."
>It starts to come back to you.
>Everything you said.
"Oh my God."
>She solemnly nods.
>"She didn't fare too well. I had to force her to stay in the back with us, and even then she avoided your unconscious body like the plague."
"I don't blame her... After all this, and now..."
>You feel angry.
>Much more at yourself than anything else.
>You climb out of bed, but Strawberry keeps you from leaving.
>"Wait! Before you leave, you need to answer me a few things."
"I really don't have ti-"
>"Do you have any idea why they would target you? Do you work in any government or military branch?"
"No, yes. Look, I really gotta-"
>"Do you have any items in your house that could give off an artificial magic aurora?"
"Hell if I know."
>"Anything particularly notable other than the spell?"
"Well, I know the headaches and bad thoughts went away temporarily before coming back worse."
>She mumbles to herself a bit.
>You stand up fully.
"Do you have any idea where Casey is?"
>"...yes, but I'm unsure if she'll want to see you."
"I need to set things straight."
>She frowns.
>"Ponies are not exactly like humans. We're much more attached to our partners, so breakups, though less common, are far more painful. If you've really been together for this long and you've broken her heart, I don't know if you'll be able to fix it, and looking at how she was last night, it's a good possibility."
"I... Where is she?"
>"Just outside the building last I checked. You should see her by the big oak."
>You, slightly dizzily, start to walk out.
 
>Looking out in the hallway, you find that the building is more of a house than a secret compound.
"Uh, which way is outside again?"
>"Down the hall, to your right."
"Gotcha."
>You follow her directions, ambling somewhat dizzily in that direction until you find the front door.
>Outside is, indeed, Pillow Case, sitting under a rather large oak tree with several books.
>Before you go outside, you make sure you don't have vomit or anything on you.
>While still in yesterday's clothes, you don't seem especially soiled or anything.
>You take a deep breath and walk out next to her.
>"I've already said it twice, I don't want-... Anon?"
>You kneel down a little to her level.
"Look, I am so, so sorry for anything I sai-"
>You're cut off by the high-velocity impact of a book to your face.
>Hardback, no less.
"Ow, fuck!"
>"Yeah! That better have fucking hurt, asshole!"
>damn
>never really heard her curse much
>or sound that angry
>"If Strawberry hadn't explained what happened earlier, I don't know what I would've just done! Do you KNOW how that shit made me feel?"
"I, uh-"
>"I didn't SLEEP last night because I was pretty sure my whole life was just, well, just kaput! It was only later that she told me you didn't mean jack shit."
"If you knew that, why'd you throw the book at me?"
>"Because your face is really pissing me off right now."
"Ah."
>"You're a lucky man, Anon. Lucky I'm not beating the shit outta you as we speak."
>you both manage to smile a bit at that, but seeing as though she's already beaten a few guys after you've lost fights, you're unsure if she's joking.
>ponies can be scarier than people make them out to be.
"I'm still really sorry. Are you going to forgive me?"
>"Of course, I still love you, even if what you said crushed my heart and soul for a few hours. But I tell you what, we're killing the person who put that spell on you. Preferably with a gun."
"That's, uh..."
>"Not negotiable."
"Right..."
>She gets off her haunches.
>"Now, here's what's going to happen: You're going to buy me a bunch of flowers and some hay fries.
Then you're going to groom my hair and cuddle with me a whole lot.
Afterwards, we'll get married and have a happy little family. But only after crushing the modern political regime thoroughly and mercilessly."
>well then.
>You salute.
"Yes, ma'am."
>She giggles.
>"Good. Now get on the flowers bit while I eat breakfast."
>You salute again and she trots off towards the house, leaving her books behind.
>That went a lot better than expected.
>Shucks, you were pretty sure she'd run away or scream or do something overdramatic.
>Guess mares really are smart.
>You pick up her books, simultaneously reading their covers.
>There's a pretty large pile, easily ten or so books, which you presume are owned by Strawberry.
>The Communist Manifesto, Das Kapital, Thus Spoke Zarathustra, 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Atlas Shrugged, What is Property?, the Wealth of Nations, all that good stuff
>and...
>'How to be an Assertive Wife and Mother'
>Damn.
>She really wasn't kidding.
>You remind yourself to drop that one in a river as you walk back to the house.
 
>Now that that's over, you decide to get a good look around where you are.
>The house itself is rather large, and quite old looking.
>The property is a decent size as well, with forests surrounding the grassy field you're in on all sides.
>A break in the trees gives you a glimpse of the city in the distance, and also gives away that you're on a hill.
>Something about it all seems familiar, but you just can't place it.
>You shrug off the bad feeling and step indoors.
>An odor you didn't notice earlier hits you hard.
>The smell of...
>"Hey, Anon, we've got some rations in here if you're hungry!"
>...shit.
>Of shit.
>You're still hungry as hell though.
>The mindfuckery from the previous day probably made you throw up the previous meal.
>Or something.
>Your head hurts if you think about it too much.
"Alright, coming."
>You follow the little purple pony to a much larger, clearly repurposed room.
>You were a bit surprised to find so many people there.
"Huh. I thought we were the only ones here."
>"In a building this size?"
"...yeah."
>You get a tray and a plate.
>A man at a table distributes severed canned meats, vegetables, and some unknown slop onto your plate.
>Mmm, green goop.
>Of the several tables in the cafeteria-esque room, you find a smaller one made for four.