Title:           Goldilocks: A Tatzlpony Tale (Part 2)
Author:          AngryWino
Pastebin link:   http://pastebin.com/FSE0QQy8
First Edit:      Saturday 16th of January 2016 11:27:50 PM CDT
Last Edit:       Last edit on: Monday 15th of February 2016 03:42:13 PM CDT

>Well, here you are, walking through the forest in the early pre-dawn light.
>Your new traveling companion trots alongside you, never far away.
>Every so often, she extends one of her tongues to touch your face.
**What are you thinking of?
>Sigh.
"The same thing I was thinking of a few minutes ago. I'm wondering how far we have to go."
**Oh. Me too. I don't think I've ever been here before.
"Terrific."
>If she knows what sarcasm is, she fails to show it.
>The tongue briefly caresses you before withdrawing.
>She's looking up at you.
>Okay, so you'd done the whole Q&A session back at the clearing.
>She explained that she's been traveling on her own for as long as she can remember.
>She had made some friends, the same way she made friends with you...
>But they were small animals, with limited language skills, unlike you.
>So she's mostly been on her own.
>You ask her where she comes from, but she claims not to know.
>She gets a bit upset when you try to press the issue, so you decide to leave it alone for now.
>Being a stranger here yourself, there isn't much for you to tell her.
>Living on your own, trying to make your way in the world, job sucks, yada-yada-yada.
>She knows most of the story already, having read your mind while you were inside of her.
>But neither of you know how you got here.
>You're still having a hard time wrapping your head around being swallowed like that.
>Not to mention that whole learning language from you and reading your mind thing.
>And her method of communication.
>She apparently can't vocalize much, so she extends a tongue to your temple and somehow communicates directly with your mind.
>You infer that these aren't tongues, but sensory organs, maybe extensions of her nervous system.
>But "tongue" seems to be an apt descriptor for them otherwise.
 
>You are still learning a lot about each other as you travel together.
>Lacking a name, you've started calling her Goldilocks, in reference to the spun gold color of her mane.
>She doesn't seem displeased with the moniker.
>In fact, she was so excited about it that she knocked you over, then extended two tongues and pressed them against both your temples simultaneously.
>The flood of excitement and happiness flowing into your mind from that contact had been startling.
>You found that it erased the sour mood that had been building at the thought of being stuck here.
/So she's an empath as well./
>She can read and convey feelings and emotions as well as thoughts.
...
>You also discovered that she was somewhat clingy.
>The fact that she had practically begged you to travel with her should have been your first clue.
>But when at night you had been sleeping close together for warmth, you had felt the call of nature, and therefore walked a fair distance away to do your business.
>You had been camping before, and knew how to dig a latrine.
>When you had cleaned up and gotten back to your bivouac, you had found her awake and practically frantic with worry.
>She had pounced on you, desperate to make contact with you again.
**I thought you had left me!
>You could feel the fading sense of loss echoing behind those thoughts.
"No, I just had to take care of some private business."
>You reached out to her and ruffled her mane.
"I won't just run out on you."
**Well, could you just warn me if you need to go like that again?
>What an odd request...
>But who could say no to those sad puppy dog eyes she turned on you.
"C'mon, let's get back to sleep."
>You lay down next to each other for warmth, as before.
>Just as you were getting comfortable, you felt her shift, and she wrapped both of her forehooves around you.
>She draped one hind leg over you.
>And just for good measure, she wrapped her tail around your leg.
 
"Ooof... C'mon Goldilocks, I said I wouldn't run out on you. Let go of me."
>A tongue extended and touched your temple.
**No.
>She responded to your request by holding on to you more tightly.
>Like a child who had been awakened by a scary dream.
>You sighed again, and tried to get comfortable. Eventually sleep reclaimed you.
>Since then, every time you had stopped for the night, she insisted on cuddling you like that as she went to sleep.
>So here you are, on the road again.
>Heading for who knows where.
>Goldilocks knows the woods fairly well, she's kept you fed.
>Which is to say, she knows what plants, nuts, and fruits are safe to eat, and which aren't.
>You miss meat, a bit, but you're not starving.
>Eventually the forest begins to thin, and you find yourself in grassy plains.
>Goldilocks seems pleased to be in the sunshine.
>She runs out into the grass and flops over, rolling on her back, and delighting in the sun on her belly.
>Seeing that you hadn't followed, she runs back to you and wraps one of her tongues around your arm, tugging at you.
>Another tongue reaches up to your temple.
**C'mon Anonymous! It's so beautiful here! I've spent a week in that dreary forest!
>She tugs insistently at your arm.
"Alright, I'm coming."
>You step out into the sunlight, squinting because you didn't have sunglasses with you.
>But then, you didn't really get the opportunity to pack for this trip.
>All you had with you was the suit you were wearing when you had left work.
>Goldilocks retracts her tongues and bounces out into the field, stopping near a patch of wild flowers and turning around to look at you expectantly.
/Yeah, she wasn't lying. This is pretty nice./
>You take a deep breath, squinting against the sunlight.
/Sneak attack!/
>Goldilocks has pounced on you, knocking you over and sending you both rolling down a hill in a tangle of limbs.
>You come to rest on your back, Goldilocks sprawled across your chest.
>She isn't really that light.
 
>You groan and try to sit up.
>Goldilocks squirms atop you, bringing her muzzle around to your face.
>She opens her mouth, and all three tongues extend towards your face.
/Ohshit, not again!/
>You know she means you no harm, but you really don't want her to swallow you any more.
>And she doesn't.
>Instead, all three tongues are pressed to your face, and laughter floods your mind.
>Goldilocks is laughing - genuinely, unabashedly laughing.
>As her laughter echoes around your mind, you can also read her mirth in her eyes.
>It's infectious.
>You find that you can't help but laugh as well.
>You had been ready to read her the riot act for that flying tackle, but now you see why she had done that.
>She was filled with a joy at living this day, and she had wanted to share that joy with you.
>Much to her surprise, you laugh out loud.
>She seems momentarily taken aback, but she recovers quickly.
**I have always wanted to know what that feeling sounded like!
>She nuzzles into your neck, caressing your face with her tongues, passing her joy along to you.
>One of her tongues slips down your collar and runs over your chest.
/Triggered!/
>That brings back memories of the time she swallowed you.
>You grab the invading appendage through your shirt.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! Take it easy there!"
>She sits up at your reaction, still keeping contact with your face.
**What's the matter?
"I'm sorry, but when you do that, I get the feeling that you're tasting me."
>You pull the tongue out of your shirt and sit up.
**Tasting you? Oh, no, don't be silly! I can't taste with those. I gather lots of information from them, but not taste.
>From beneath her black tentacles, a pink tongue emerges.
**I use my tongue to taste things.
>It's a perfectly normal, flat, pink tongue.
>Well, apart from being slightly forked at the end.
>As if to emphasize the point, she leans forward and licks your face with it.
>Unlike the black tentacles, her tongue is coated in saliva, and leaves a wet trail on your face.
 
>Goldilocks pulls a face.
>She licks her lips a couple of times, still pulling a face.
"What's the matter?"
>She stops and looks at you, mirth still bubbling behind those green eyes of hers.
**Well, let's just say you don't taste like food.
>You're not sure whether you should feel relieved or insulted.
>She leans forward and licks you again, leaving another damp trail.
"Bleah, cut it out, will you? Horse germs..."
**Nope. You don't taste like food at all.
>She smiles at you.
/Wait, is she messing with me?/
**Yes. But I still won't eat you.
>You forgot she was in contact with you, which meant she could read your thoughts and feelings.
>Suddenly feelings of gratitude flood into your mind.
**Oh Anonymous... thank you!
>Your eyebrows shoot up in surprise.
>You're not accustomed to hearing those words.
"For what?"
>She leans in to you again. pressing her head up against yours.
**Thank you for traveling with me. I've been so alone, and I would never have known that if I hadn't met you.
>You are momentarily stunned into silence by this confession.
"Well, you're welcome, I suppose."
"Truth be told, I haven't laughed like that in a very long time."
"You brought out that laughter in me."
>She nuzzles your chin.
**You brought out the laughter in me too.
>You stand, and wait as Goldilocks gets up as well, then you cradle her head to your chest.
>You sense an excited new thrill from her contact as you do.
**I can hear your heart beat!
>You can't help but laugh again.
"C'mon, let's go. Let's see how big this field is."
 
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