> Roasting Hops tightened the table saddle's girth > a platter of drinks, balanced across the saddle's beams. > "Watch your step out there, Hops" came her boss' words. > Hops had been distracted all day; stumbling into customers. > spilling precious drops of their drink. > She just nodded, then waded back into the thick press of equines. > It wasn't just equines tonight. > a mated couple, griffons, sat with a kirin. > A sort of dragon/lion/unicorn cloven hooved thing. > Their magic was not compatible with pony magics. > But their coin was. "Hey welcome to the Salted Cider have a seat I'll be right back" > She'd take their order after the platter was empty again. > Every drink put down shifted the platter's weight. > it wanted to fall off; Roasting Hops had to keep shifting the platter on the saddle. > "Order up." Hops went to swap empty platter for full. > The boss wanted gossip. "Tell me, girl, this concoction ordered by a griffon?" > She looked at the cloudy mess. "Kirin." > Her boss laughed at that. "Does she speak Pony, then?" > Roasting shook her head, no. "Not so's I can tell. Griffin pair traveling with him have to repeat everything." > Hops left her boss' chin scratching before she could ask Hops to introduce her. > The letter's words still clouded her mind. > In her despair, Roasting Hops almost ran over the new customer. > It seemed to be a pair of filthy denim pants. "Excuse me." > The voice came from three quarters of the way to the ceiling. > Deeper, more rumbling than even a stallion's voice. > Hops looked up. > Normal mane, though she wasn't sure whether to call it dingy red or bright brown. > No hair coat. Bared arms showed a snake coiling up and down the insides of both. > Is this where they kept their cutie mark, then? > The thing's flanks were completely covered by pants, so Hops assumed it was so. > "You're a human." Her neck hurt looking that high. > A broad smile revealed teeth of myriad shapes as it spoke again. "No, no. I'm just walking bipedally today. See how it works out." > The human spreads his hooves in a shrug. > Cloven? No. Roasting had never even seen a drawing, let alone a live one. >They must not walk on those skinny forehooves, much. ||| > Be me. Anonymous. Or just Anon. > It's not what you're called. Not really. > If your mom knew you were here … she'd have probably written a letter. > You hope that's why you haven't seen her since you were four. > If your dad knew you'd left, you'd know for sure you had no home to go back to. > Instead of guessing it was like that. > If your sifu knew you'd left… > The other students would be tasked with giving you a snake-style beat down > it would be painted (''in your blood''), framed, and mounted in the dojo. > Hopefully what you'd heard was right. > Pony lands didn't have a "minimum drinking age" > This bar was crowded. Was it their Friday? > The serving girl, an earth pony, nearly bowls you over. > She'd clearly never seen a human. > To be fair, until three weeks ago you'd never met a pony. > Order a beer and some food. > Tell the server you can't digest hay. "But I can eat some of your food." > Point to the kirin. "I've eaten with one of those things, and everything on the table was okay" > Serving girl squints at the trio of non-ponies, and shouts up to you. > "I can get you the seafood plate. Are you paying in Pony bits, or Human gold?" > You'd stolen seven gems when you left Humanity. > Three from your sifu, but those were probably stolen already. > One from Johnny, because no one had ever stood up to him before. > And three from the traveling merchant, because he charged you 100g for a ratty bedroll. "Human gold." > You still had enough for a couple days in this pioneer town. > Ponyville, as if the ponies had never though to have a villa of their kind, before. > Your appearance draws stares, but none are offended. > The cider is … bitter. > The fish is well seasoned, and their use of vegetables unfamiliar, but good. > The green server, young, no horn, short. She has to work twice as hard. > It's showing. She's tired. > There she is, bringing two more ciders to … you? > "Hey. I'm off shift; I don't suppose you'd want some company?" > She sets the two ciders on the table > Now she's tonguing something between her front legs. > Straps fall away, and she lifts the tray off her back. > Through clenched teeth, she calls "Barley!" > The tray, along with the emtpy serving plate, all the straps begin to glow. > In a pale blue aura they silently float away, floating after a unicorn server. >''That's not how kirin magic works'' ||| > Roasting thinks about her beer & whiskey equipment. > Her dad dumped out the mash in a fit of rage. > How was it her fault wine tasted like vomitus, bottled? > The human was about done with its food, and she didn't want to go home, yet. > "Where you staying, then?" > The human shrugged, mumbled something about sleeping in the woods. > Friends of the whitetail? Surely even this creature doesn't sleep in the Everfree. "I'm actually looking for work. I want to move out here. Somewhere among ponies." > After that, the hulking giant reaches into a vest pocket and brings out an emerald. "I'm also looking for the right place to sell these." > Hops catches the sadness in its face as the human adds, "They're my inheritance from my mother." > A pony can't just sell something for 150b out here. Nopony has that much. > "I know some rich people in Canterlot. But out here?" > She explains that there's no apple orchard > the 3rd harvest of carrots is weeks away. > Maybe a new life in Canterlot is what's needed. > She doesn't really want to go home anyway. > "There's a barn being retrofitted into an inn." > Roasting Hops notices this human's economy of motion. > Every movement is easy, like he's a pegasus. > But those arms bristle with an earth pony's muscles. > Hops watches as the human freezes, eyes carefully following the kirin as walks past. > But when the kirin has left, the human sighs, and finishes the scraps on the plate. "Sure. Hopefully quieter than your nearby forest." > The human really '''did''' mean the Everfree. > Roasting Hops tells the human to wait, then grabs some of the booze. > No way she's taking a cold blooded killer out on a date without slowing him down. > Hopefully alcohol slows humans down. > The human is leaning against a lamp post, on the other side of the street. > Watching every pony walk past, the binocular vision of a hunter. > Roasting gulps, and hopes this all works out. > ''Get the mook to a fence, or a real gem buyer. Take a cut.'' > ''Buy a home far away.'' > ''Trottingham. Absolutely none of her family wares make it there.'' > "Hello! And, what should I call you?" "Anon. And you?" > "Roasting Hops. Can I ask about your cutie mark?" ||| > Be me. But with more hangover. > Seriously, at 17 you've never touched alcohol. > Sifu would beat you for being slowed. > He beats you enough just because he can. > You've known the pleasures of women, before however. > It was … different, with a filly. > Roastie was hardly any older than you, and you think this was her first time. > She groans now, sounding as pained as you feel. > It took some creativity to make the parts reach in a pleasurable way. > Roastie's eyes, the beautiful color of afternoon sunshine open > She inhales, as if to scream. > You lay a hand on her shoulder, hoping to hold off her alarm. > You may have to talk to a disgruntled father about where she was last night. > Obviously, you can never have enough dads furious at your very existance. "Roastie, good morning. I guess that stuff you brought was pretty potent." > You can't remember when you started calling her a pet name. > But she laughed, when you said it. > You wanted her to be free to laugh more. She needed it. > She didn't scream, but was almost hyperventilating. > "Anon, they ''execute'' ponies for bestiality." > The bedroom, literally a floor covered with three inches of straw, has no amenities. > You look for something towel-like so she can at least wipe her privates. "Are you sure they consider human on pony by that term?" > She nods, as she tries to get up. > Getting dressed quickly, you begin to rethink your life's plans. "Did you tell anyone you were going to get drunk & laid last night?" > She stumbles toward a nearby wall, not lifting her head all the way. > Shaking her head carefully she turns and plants her tail end against the wall. > "No but the booze I stole will paint a picture." "We just need to leave at separate times and not hold hands. Hooves, whatever." > If it squicks the natives that much, they'll assume nothing is actually happening. > So long as the pair don't give the impression anything more '''is''' happening. > The door bursts open. Intruding on the private room are two white pegasi > Wearing metal uniforms. > "We're her about some noise complaints." The one on the left all but demands. > "Come outside right now." the one to your right adds. > "We need to talk to you about what happened last night." ||| > Instinct kicks in. The titanium blades you'd bought for your 14th birthday. > But the handles and bindings were stolen, yes. > One blade, now buried under the collarbone of the pegasus on the right. > The left was just slashed. Not incapacitated yet. > You throw a kick to its rib cage, and feel bones break. > Just as the nausea takes you, you remember the wings. > Grabbing a wing, you drop the sword in favor of a choke hold. > Barfing over his bleeding neck, you punch just in front of the shoulder blades. > Repeatedly. > Until his spine cracks. > You're now covered in blood, vomitus, and standing over two dead cops. > You understand Roasting Hops' fears. > Gasping, you take the large step toward Roastie. > Crying, she leans against the barn's wall. > You lay a hand gently on her right shoulder. "Roastie?" > You wait for her to make eye contact. "You need to make a choice. I'm going to run. Do you want to run with me, or stay here?" > She's almost shivering now, but the sound of her tears has stopped. >The way she's eying the corpses, you think you know her answer. > "Trottingham." > That was not what you thought her answer would be. > "It's far from Ponyville. No one travels between them. We can escape." > She steps away from the wall to lay her head against your right hip. > Wrapping a foreleg around your left hip, she speaks so softly you almost can't hear her. > "I don't want to be in this town, ever again."