“The antidote for fifty enemies is one friend.”
-Aristotle
 
“Veni, vidi, vici!” (“I came, I saw, I conquered!”)
-Gaius Julius Caesar, 47 BC
 
 
> You are Sparks.
> And you are now awake.
> Bright Time has come at last. You almost thought it would never come.
> The sky cried and was angry for a very long time, and your sleep was not restful.
> You were cold for a little while, but the fluffpile you made with your friends gave you warmth.
> Cuddles and Brownie slept soundly. You, Scout and Sunny however awoke at various points during Dark Time.
> You were afraid, but when Cuddles put her leggies around your neck and hugged you while she was sleeping, you found that you weren’t scared anymore.
> Because you were with your friends, and away from the horrible Rink.
> You decide that you will wait here, under this particular tree, nuzzling and cuddling with your friends until they all awake.
> You close your eyes.
> You hear the chirping of Feather-friends.
> Not the big, mean, Feather-monsters that sometimes eat forever-sleeping fluffies, but the nice ones who make pretty noises.
> You like that.
> You look at Cuddles, who snores lightly. She’s smiling in her sleepies.
> You can’t help but smile back.
> And in that moment, you feel a feeling you haven’t felt for a long, long time.
> Happiness.
> It makes your chest hurt, but in a good way. Like the night Cuddles decided she wanted to be your wifey.
> But this happiness you feel now is nothing compared to the happiness you felt that night.
> You always doubted yourself, thought you were a bad, stupid, weak fluffy. Stompy always used to say so.
> Looking at Cuddles, now, however…there is no more doubt.
> All good fluffies are good to their friends.
> Your eyes burn, and your vision blurs.
> “Wuv yoo, Cuddwes.” You whisper, before closing your eyes and attempting to go back to sleep.
> You drift in the pretty-feeling half-sleepies for a long time.
> Until a rustle rouses you to wakefulness.
 
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> You are Maroon, best smarty friend ever.
> You sit upon your Smarty Seat, and gaze out amongst your herd.
> Everywhere, fluffies are having special hugs.
> From every corner of The Rink, the sounds of “enf, enf enf” can be heard.
> Occasionally, a cry of “Feew guud!”, or “Yah! Yah!”.
> You’ve been waiting for this day all Snowtime- making sure not too many nummies were taken from the Nummie Room. What’s more, since Greentime started, your herd has been getting more and more nummies from the Nummie Place.
> When you decided you had enough nummies, you got the Ash Horns to bring out as much of the stored-away foodies and placed them around your Smarty Seat.
> You then brought your herd before you, and announced that Special Time had begun, and ordered them to eat their fill of good nummies and have as many special huggies as they wanted.
> Some of your herd is still out, getting grassies or trying to fetch more good nummies from the Nummie Place. You’re not worried however. They won’t miss out- there will be enough for the whole herd.
> Both nummies, and mares.
> While your herd eats, plays, poops, gives special hugs and enjoys themselves, a few slaves move, or rather cower, amongst them, cleaning up poopies by taking them in their mouths and putting them in the corner near the Owwie Ring.
> Two Ash Horns- one of them stupid Pepper- wait near the entrance of the Smarty Seat, making sure no slaves eat the good nummies, try to gives special hugs to the good fluffies of Best Herd, or refuse to clean up the poopies.
> The Good Smell, the smell of mares ready for special hugs, mixed with the smell of no-no juice, good nummies makes you feel dizzy, makes your happy thing hurt, and your mouth water.
> “Smawty? Wook what Cwoud found!”
> You look to your right. The group you sent out looking for nummies from the Nummie Place is back!
> Cloud, the gray colt of Jinxie and Ash Horn, has brought before you a strange…rock?
> “What dat?” you ask.
> “is cawwed a ‘can’. Dey sometimes hav guud nummies in dem!”
> “Wat kind of nummies?”
> Cloud looks over this ‘can’, confusion written across his face.
> “dunno. But we open it, and find out!”
> “How we do dat?”
> Cloud looks around, as if searching for something
> “Can weawwy tough. Need shawp thing.”
> You think for a moment.
> “Hown is shawp.”
> “Dat wight! Smawty hewp giv can owwies?”
> You smile. “Just wike a dummy eawthie. Howd can, make nu move.”
> Cloud does this.
> You poke the top of the can with your horn. A little dent appears.
> You poke it again, and again. The dent becomes a small hole.
> You then thrust into the tiny hole with your horn. There is a strange crickle-crackle-crunch noise as you do so.
> The can must be crying because of the big owwies you’ve given it.
> You thrust harder, and pull your horn out.
> There is boo-boo juice coming from the can.
>…no, not boo-boo-juice. It smells like…
> “Skettis!”
> Cloud echoes your excitement as you drive your horn deeper into dummy, weak can.
> Soon, the hole is big enough to get your hoof through.
> You reach in and-
> “owwies!”
> You take your hoof out of the hole. Booboo juice wells up in a tiny cut.
> Dummy can hurt you!
> “Cwoud see dis befowe when mumma wive with Hoomin daddeh. Need make can’s head go pop!”
> You look around.
> Two slaves are currently cleaning poopies. One is a poopie-brown earthie stallion with a black mane, and one is a small, peepee-yellow wingie filly.
> “Cwoud, get dose two swaves.”
> Cloud trots over, and begins speaking to them. You can’t hear him over the sound of special hugs, but he stamps his hoof once, and the stupid slaves follow him over to you.
> Their eyes are down…and if they had ears, they would likewise be down, you imagine.
> Good. These slaves won’t be trouble.
> “Yoo, dumb eawthie!” you say. He looks at you for a moment, then looks away.
> You point to the hole in the can. “Put hoof in dewe!” you bark.
> Slowly, cautiously, he obeys. “Wike…wike dis, smawty?” he says, after pushing his hoof and most of his leggy inside.
> You smile.
> “Jus wike dat…”
> You bring your two front leggies up and bring them down, hard, on the earthie’s one leggie.
> There is that crickle-crunch noise, followed by the earthie’s scream of “OWWIES!”
> You push with all your strength, your mind set on the bounty of sketties that will surely be inside of the can!
> “PWEASE STOP! HUUU! HUWWWTIES!”
> You ignore his pleas. You push and push, while he wails and cries. His young filly friend looks on in fear.
> Suddenly there is a loud *CRUNCH* followed by a *POP*.
> Skettis flow out from the can’s head.
> The earthie takes his leggie away, which is awash in both sketti juice and booboo juice. He wails and clutches his hoof to his chest.
> The nearby fluffies of best herd all look your way, as you bury your face in the delicious skettis.
> You haven’t had skettis in such a long time. It’s like special huggies for your tummy!
> You eat your fill…which is to say most of it. You give the little that’s left to Cloud for being a good fluffy.
> You will have to remember that cans have nummies in them!
> As Cloud enjoys his reward, you look around.
> “Whewe Queenie?” you say.
> Cloud doesn’t stop eating, but still tries to answer you.
> “GMPH-Queenie-OMMPH eating gwass-NOM-ies on Big Fiewd.”
> He then burps.
> No Queenie? Poopies, you wanted special huggies next!
> You look at the earthie, who cowers with his small filly friend.
> “Dummy eawthie, who dat?” you ask the stupid slave.
> “Dat…dat speciaw fwend babbeh…my babbeh…” he says in a voice strained and shaking from hurties.
> You trot over to the filly, and sniff her. She cowers, and lets out a squeak.
> You smile, and look back at Cloud.
> “Dis nu fiwwy.” You say. “Dis a mawe. Heh! And mawes awe fow speciaw huggies!”
> Cloud smiles back, and walks up to you, a few of Best Herd following.
> “Howd eawthie.” You order.
> “NU! SUNSHINE WUN!”
> Cloud and the Best Herd members rush the earthie.
> Sunshine runs past you.
> You turn around, just in time to see Sunshine trip over the can.
> Her front leggies go over it, but her back leggies stay on the floor. She tries to jump over it, to continue running but this only makes her rock back and forth awkwardly.
> “NU! PWEASE HEWP!” She cries.
> You can see her peepee place. It glistens and makes that Good Smell.
> Before she can wiggle her way off, you trot up and bring your own leggies up to rest on her back.
> You smile, bite down on the back of her neck, and begin thrusting a little bit until your happy thing finds her peepee place.
> “NU! NU WAN DESE HUGS!”
> You begin thrusting harder. It’s tight. You like that: she hasn’t had special hugs before.
> “Enf, enf, enf!”
> Your head pounds. Weak wingie couldn’t run from you. Stupid, too, like her daddeh.
> You hate her utterly. But you love her peepee place.
> Booboo juice trickles out of your noise. You close your eyes and think of Queenie, then Silky, then Queenie again.
> You then feel the good feel, and dismount.
> “Dat was nice, wingie.” You laugh. She sobs and tries to get over the can again, but fails.
> The earthie keeps crying.
> You whirl around. “Shut stoopid eawthie up!” you roar at the Best Herd members. “Make him sweep fowevew!”
> They immediately start stomping, kicking and biting him. You look at Cloud.
> “Noo yoo, guud, smawt Ash Hown.” You say to him.
> He stops stepping on the earthie’s neck, and looks at you.
> You point to Sunshine, who still rocks back and forth on top of the can.
> “Yoo tuwn! Jus make sure to give biggest owwies aftew.”
> You trot off, feeling refreshed.
> You’re not done yet, though. When Queenie comes back, you’ll be ready for more special hugs.
> What luck! A stray chippie for you to eat before you go to the poopie room!
> It tastes crunch and yummy.
> This is how everything should be.
> You’re such a happy smarty fluffy.
 
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> You are Cuddles. And you awake.
> Sparks is standing above you, shaking you.
> “Cuddwes, wake up!”
> You notice that Sunny, Scout and Brownie are all awake.
> Then you notice the rustling sound.
> You look around. You can’t see anything wrong, but the bushes are moving.
> Monsters?!
> You stand up.
> You’re afraid…
>…for a moment.
> Then you puff your cheeks and stomp your hoofs.
> Fluffies emerge from the bushes. Wingies, earthies and unicorns. Could they be meanies?
> Brownie rushes up to your side, and likewise puffs her cheeks, and sparks her horn.
> Sparks, Scout and Sunny seem uncertain.
> “Dummy, meanie fwuffies nu huwt husban and fwends ow Cuddwes giv big owwies!” you declare.
> You’ve never felt so…brave before.
> For leading you away from The Rink, for saving you and your friends from the Metal-monster and leading you here to Dark Forest, you’d take on any fluffy. You’ve never given owwies before, but this won’t stop you from trying!
> “Dey nu dummies ow meanies. Dey fwends, Cuddwes.” Comes a familiar voice from the bushes.
> Trotting from the bushes is a friend you haven’t seem for such a long time. Upon seeing them, you stop puffing your cheeks and stomping your hoofs. Brownie likewise stops.
> A unicorn mare, all black and shiny. A long, pretty mane, a big, white smile and eyes that shine almost as brightly as her fluff.
> Despite some mud, dirt and a few leaves, you could never mistake this fluffy, this friend.
> It makes your chest want to burst with joy to see her again.
> Silky.