Took Care Of Them [w/ story]
Ah, Stalliongrad. The shithole of Equestria that’s also cold as fuck. But, it was home for most of my life, so I can’t complain too much. Wait, I can, but this isn’t about how much I hate Stalliongrad, it’s about how Orange and I met and became great friends.
We both grew up in a segregated part of Stalliongrad called The Abandoned Sector. Very welcoming name, I know. TAS was reserved for creatures like driders and lamias such as myself. It even had its own school that Orange and I went to.
Now, I was a very rowdy kid. I kept getting myself into trouble by making snarky remarks and picking fights with other kids, much to the disappointment of my parents and teachers. Thing was, though, I only picked fights with other bullies. Most of the time they were making fun of me because of how small I was, but other times I was just standing up to the other kids they were bullying. However, all that did was make every other kid scared of me for being “small but deadly,” but did I care? Not that much.
Orange was a bit small as well, but she was still bigger than me. She was smart, too, especially with English. Even though nobody in the school ever heard her speak, she had such a gentle and kind nature that most kids don’t really care all that much. That was, until we all got to seventh grade.
I was just about to head home when I realized I left a book in one of the classrooms. Right before I got in, I was shoved aside by some group of boys laughing as they exited the room. I was wondering what the hell was so funny to them, but then I heard soft crying coming from the classroom.
That was when I saw Orange coiled in the corner of the room, completely in tears. Orange Fluff, a little lamia that did nothing to anybody, got utterly destroyed by those motherfucking sons of bitches.
I was pissed that anyone would do this to such a nice girl. So pissed that I caught up with the boys just as they were about to leave and beat the absolute shit out of them. I probably would’ve killed them if the hall monitor hadn’t pulled me away from them. Obviously I got in trouble, but the principal only called my parents.
After I was dismissed, I went back to the classroom and comforted Orange. Once she calmed down enough, I asked her what the boys did to her. She responded with opening her mouth and showing me her dark secret…
No teeth, only fangs and gums. She couldn’t be able to say anything cohesive even if she wanted to. After she showed me that, she looked like she was about to break down again, but I interrupted.
“Hey, we all have quirks. Those assholes are just being petty if they’re making fun of you for something that’s beyond your control. Besides, who cares if you can’t talk? You’re already the nicest and smartest kid in the whole school. And in the end, that’s all that matters.”
She blinked, then cracked the biggest smile I’ve ever seen from her and pulled me in for a hug. Damn, she may be gentle in nature, but her hugs are anything but. Afterwards, I went with her to her house to make sure she doesn’t get picked on as she went home, and just because I didn’t feel like going back home and sitting through my parents’ lectures for the billionth time.
Her parents, Lemon and Carrot Fluff, were very nice people. They didn’t approve of me beating up Orange’s bullies, obviously, but they were thankful that I stood up for her. Carrot even cleaned up my wounds and Lemon made Orange and I hot cocoa and cookies. I stayed there until it got dark out and I had to go home. They invited me to come back again anytime, and Carrot went with me and made sure I made it home safely.
Things kind of got bad when I arrived home, though. I was used to being greeted by the angry faces of my parents, but getting punched in the face as soon as the door opened? That was not something my dad does unless I really piss him off. Carrot wouldn’t have known what was happening behind him as he went back if my parents weren’t practically screaming at me while I was still on the ground.
Turns out the boys’ parents called mine and told them I tried to murder their kids, and that ended up being the straw that broke the camel’s back that was my parents’ patience with me. They disowned me right then and there and threatened to call the Workforce Recovery Teams if they ever saw me again, then they slammed the door so hard that it knocked some of the snow off the roof.
For those that don’t know, Workforce Recovery Teams are a very well-equipped police force in Stalliongrad that specializes in capturing and arresting slaves.
I was stunned. Eventually it all sunk in and I just completely broke down. Carrot had to comfort me and carry me back, and he had to explain what happened to Lemon and Orange while I sat in the other room with an ice pack on my cheek. Eventually they decided to take me in.
That night messed me up for the rest of the school year. I stopped picking fights, I no longer stood up for myself, and whenever I saw someone else get picked on, I just had them pick on me instead. I still made snarky comments, though, so at least one thing stayed about the same.
Of course, Carrot and Lemon got worried when I kept coming home with fresh wounds, despite not receiving any calls from the school about me getting into fights. After a while, they had to sit me down and talk to me about standing up for myself. I kind of tuned out of their lecture out of habit, until I heard one of them bring up slavery…
“Please don’t send me off! I’ll be good, just please don’t send me off!” I blurted out as tears ran down my face.
They had to calm me down and reassure me that they would never do that. Eventually they took Orange and I out to get ice cream together to help cheer me up.
I started to recover from the trauma after that, to the point to where I was coming home with less wounds than the day before. It wasn’t long before I was back to my old self, minus the fights I no longer got myself into.
When we started high school, I hit a growth spurt that made me as big as an average lamia at that age, while Orange seemed to have stopped growing completely. Of course this new trait got her picked on, but at least I was always there for her until graduation. After we finished school, we moved from Stalliongrad to Fillyhammer.
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Yes, we get the origin story of Orange Fluff’s and Cornela’s friendship.