Dark Horse: Tales from the Ranch Ch. 02

"A little farther," Ms. Winters called, hands cupped around her mouth. Peep looked over at Belle, and they each dragged their barrels back a few more feet. The indoor arena had been divided in half, and all of Ms. Winters normally-disused gymkhana equipment had been pulled out of the storage shed. It was pouring outside and so, instead of their normal routine, she had decided to have a little fun with her ponies. Even if the ponies themselves weren't having any.

Belle met up with Peep and walked, slump-shouldered, back toward the front of the arena. No matter how much Peep tried to cheer him up, Belle was despondent. Beau hadn't spoken to him in a week, and the sudden void in his life where his twin should have been was clearly affecting the little show pony.

Peep frowned to herself as she laid a hand on his shoulder. "C'mon. Chin up," she said. Belle nodded and stood up straighter. If his posture slipped too much for too long, Ms. Winters noticed. Peep was pretty sure Ms. Winters always knew right away and was cutting Belle a lot of slack, but that slack was not infinite. Belle was her ward for the time being, so if Belle got punished, so did Peep. That wasn't why she was looking out for him, though.

Well, maybe it had something to do with it, but Peep had put some thought into her motivation a few days before and was pretty sure it was 80% helping Beau, 20% helping herself. Maaaaaaaaybe 70 / 30.

Dead ahead stood Velvet and Beau. The two race ponies could not be more different. Velvet, who Peep was pretty sure was either Cuban or Dominican, hopped up and down in her heel-less boots. She was a picture of boisterous exuberance. Everything about her was dark, from her cream-and-coffee skin, to her near-black eyes and pitch black hair, to her often-disturbing-and-sometimes-unhinged smile. Maybe Mexican. It was almost funny, when Peep thought about it; Velvet could stare you in the eye and retell every detail of the most horrific, inhumane things Ms. Winters had ever done to her, but she wouldn't say word one about her life before she got here. If Peep were a betting mare, she'd have guessed it was somehow worse, as if that was even possible.

Beau, on the other hand, was bitter indifference to her toes. Which, Peep thought, were pretty cute. She had light colored hair for an Asian (just like her brother), and really striking blue eyes (again, just like her brother). Where Velvet had the run of the ranch, Beau was leashed and tightly controlled. Where Velvet was loud and in your face, Beau was sullen and introverted.

The only place they were the same, as far as Peep could tell, was in the way Ms. Winters treated them. Sure, she had an enviable rapport with Velvet, but there was never any special favors. Their meals were the same and their treats were the same, even if Beau ignored them or failed to earn them. The scoreboard reset to zero every day, which Peep thought was mighty white. Which Peep thought was a kind of racist thing to say, but she didn't have a better phrase.

Ms. Winters was already talking to them as Peep and Belle got there. "...will count as a forfeit and an automatic loss. Not running the course properly will count as a forfeit and an automatic loss. Remember, Beau, the doors are locked." Beau was unphased by the meaningful look cast her way. "Do either of you need me to explain the course again?" Velvet shook her head vigorously.

"This is stupid," Beau said, doing a pretty good impression of emotionlessness.

"Ah, but you haven't heard the prize yet, my impertinent little pony," the older woman said, with a twinkle in her eye. "On your marks..." Velvet leaped to her side of the arena and hovered over her starting line.

"What's the prize?" Beau hadn't moved, but her enthusiasm level had risen juuuust a hair.

"Get set..." Beau folded her arms, leaned back slightly, and tilted her head to the side. In her peripheral vision, Peep could see Belle's frustration. He hated seeing his sister punished; it tore him up. Peep empathized, not wanting to see Beau punished either, although her reason was a little different. Beau's almost-militant refusal to cooperate at any time was a stressor for everyone. If she could just open her eyes and see what was right in front of her, Peep knew things would get better.

"Go!!" Velvet threw herself headlong down the first straightaway. She slid through the soft sand, sending up a sheet of it as she rounded the first barrel. Then, almost all the way back to the start, her arms pumping furiously as she ran. She made the next part, a 6 -turn slalom, look easy. All eyes in the arena were on her as she rounded the final barrel and sprinted the last hundred yards back to the finish line. All eyes except Beau's, that is. Beau remained stock still, staring at Ms. Winters.

"One minute 12 seconds," Ms. Winters announced loudly. "Very good, Velvet." The short stallion beamed. "Now, in the future, we will run three heats and use the best of three or an average for each of you, but that's not going to be necessary today, is it Beau?" The angry little race pony hadn't moved and did not acknowledge the question. "I thought not. Velvet is the winner!" Velvet shouted gleefully, but quickly composed herself. Beau rolled her eyes. "First prize is... wait for it...

...

...a night with Belle!"

"What?!" Beau took a menacing step forward, her small hands balled into fists, but stopped when Velvet appeared at her side.

"You haven't heard the best part yet. Second prize is a night with... me!" Beau took another step, this time in reverse. The taller woman's smirk, as she stepped up and leashed the shrinking mare, could have been interpreted in so many ways that Peep had no idea where to begin guessing. "Come along, Beau."

Peep watched with equal parts curiosity and sympathy as Beau was led off, yet again, to the house. She yelped as Velvet stepped in between her and Belle and stretched her arms over their shoulders. Peep swatted the offending hand, and Velvet chuckled. Beau looked back over her shoulder once, and Belle squealed as Velvet grabbed his ass.

Once Ms. Winters and Beau stepped out of the arena, Velvet seemed to settle down. Her posture drooped a little, and her manic grin eased to something a little more human. Peep couldn't tell if it was because the departure of her rival or Ms. Winters. Belle started to walk toward the door, but Velvet grabbed his shoulder. "Give them a few minutes," she said somberly. "That might not be something you want to walk in on. Go clean up the barrels."

Peep nodded and, with Belle in tow, began the process of cleaning up the arena. Given the way Ms. Winters had intimated future races, they didn't put the equipment back fully, but instead left it tidy and out of the way; more easily retrievable than at the back of the storage shed at the corner of the property. Velvet seemed a bit on edge as the two show ponies came trudging toward her. Peep looked over at Belle, and he seemed even more reluctant than usual to be near the raging stallion.

"How about dinner," she blurted. Velvet and Belle both paused. "I mean, if it's a prize and all, why not make a night of it?" Belle stammered, and Velvet... was Velvet discretely nodding at her? Yes, Velvet was. Nodding where Belle couldn't see, and when Belle turned, Velvet merely stared at him. "Ok," Peep said. "Velvet, you're filthy, and you know it. Don't give me that look."

"Fine," Velvet said sullenly.

"Go wash up. Me 'n the boy wonder'll cook up something in the kitchen."

"We will?"

Velvet nodded and jogged off toward the exit, and Peep put her arm around Belle's shoulder. "Yup," Peep said. "Plus, it's about time you started helpin' with the food anyway."

As her two show ponies rarely got dirty enough to require cleaning beforehand, Ms. Winters only demanded that they take off their boots before coming up into the main house. Velvet was already stripped and under the hot water as they entered the basement, and Peep thought it was odd that Velvet turned away as they walked by. Turned away, but was keeping them in her peripheral vision. Peep had never seen anything approaching modesty from the diminutive stallion, and it wrinkled her brow. Belle seemed not to notice, and they climbed up the stairs into the kitchen quietly.

"Okay," Peep said, clapping her hands together as they stared at the contents of the refrigerator. "Start off with a nice saaalaaaaad, aaaaaaaaaaaaaaand... aha!" She pulled out the paper-wrapped fish and delicately set it on the counter. She blindly pointed behind herself. "Grab that sauce pan."

Peep set Belle to work putting together a salad while she fried up the fish for the three of them. It wasn't long before the rich smell wafted through the air and filled the kitchen, but Belle's mind was clearly elsewhere. Peep watched him nervously staring towards the half of this floor occupied by Ms. Winters bedroom and playroom while he inattentively shredded lettuce. She couldn't hear any noise coming from there, but she wasn't sure if that made things better or worse. If she heard screams, as horrible as that might be, at least they'd know. The wondering was eating at him, and it was starting to show.

Peep snapped her fingers in front of Belle's face, grabbing his attention. "If you shred that lettuce much more, we'll be eating confetti hun."

Belle flushed. "Sorry... my- um... Belle? Belle's mind was wandering."

Peep raised an eyebrow and crooked a finger underneath his chin, lifting his gaze to meet hers. "Peep knows where your mind was, but that's not going to do you, or the dinner, any good. What's going to be is going to be. Right now you just need to worry about dicing up these tangerines and not yer fingers. Your sister will come down later, maybe a little better or worse off, but she'll be fine." Belle gave Peep a small smile, leaning into her touch and earning himself a wide grin. "That's my boy! You know, Peep thinks we should crack open the juice. We're gonna live large tonight!"

"Juice?"

"Well, you don't think Ms Winters would let us have alcohol do ya? Unless you'd rather water."

"Peep!" Velvet's voice echoed up from the grooming room. "Get your fat ass down here!"

"Ugh. Bitch," she muttered. She pointed at the fish as she crossed the kitchen to the stairs going down. "Add the salt, the dill, and the lemon zest next, and don't let it burn." She stumped down the stairs, mumbling about smothering Velvet with her 'fat' ass one of these days. "What?" she grunted.

"Velvet never thought about this," she said quietly, "but she has no nice clothes to wear." Peep stared at her, dumbfounded, and bit hard on her tongue. "Don't laugh," Velvet said, blushing slightly, which of course only made Peep laugh.. "She looks stupid, doesn't she?"

"Oh darlin'!" She hadn't really looked at Velvet when she first came down, and now saw the soft eyeshadow and liner and "Oh mah Gawd, are you wearin' lipstick?" Velvet frowned and sighed. "You like him! Like, like him!" Peep gushed. Velvet growled menacingly. "Oh and Peep didn't even see your hair!" which was parted down the middle, the left side held back from her face with a beret. Her mane was so thick that you almost couldn't tell she had the undercut.

"This is stupid," Velvet said, turning back to the mirrors.

"You're gonna leave him speechless," she said, which caused Velvet to duck her head and blush. "Really. Just put on that jet black corset."

"It's not too much?"

"It's perfect, now hurry up. From the smell, he's fucking up dinner already." Peep stumped back up the stairs, and was barely successful at hiding her grin, "Why is Peep smelling burned fish?" she called out.

"B-Belle's sorry! He's never cooked before!"

Peep gave the boy's ass a slap and shooed him away from the stove. "You two, go set the table and try not to break anything. I'll salvage this." Belle gave her a sheepish look as he grabbed the plates and left. Peep grinned and winked at Velvet as she stepped up and into the kitchen, making shooing motions. "Don't just stand there, go get him!" she whispered. Velvet lingered at the top of the stairs a moment longer, nibbling at her lip, before following Belle to the dining room. Get a room, she thought to herself, although she immediately took it back. She wanted to watch.

Maybe more than watch.

She frowned as she inspected the filets. He'd mostly just burned the skin, so the fish was going to be a bit dry at worst. The seasoning wasn't half bad though. Maybe there was hope for the kid yet. She scooped up the salads and carried them out to the table where Velvet and Belle were very intensely not looking at each other. "Doesn't she look pretty, Belle?" Peep prodded.

"Ye- uhh..." he stammered, as he looked at Velvet. Probably for the first time, she thought. "Yeah." The second one was far more earnest, and Peep smiled to herself as she went back for the fish. They were both blushing fiercely by the time she returned. She set down the plates and moved past the table to open the doors and windows that lead out onto the patio, letting in the cool evening air. Belle leaned forward to take a bite of his fish, and didn't see Velvet mouthing the words thank you to her, which Peep responded to with a small nod.

"The... uhmm... fish tastes good," Velvet said quickly.

"Belle did a good job seasoning it," Peep deflected, "didn't he?" Velvet nodded and grunted affirmatively around a mouthful of food. Most of the meal passed in a comfortable silence interspersed with compliments for the food.

The more she thought about it, the more Peep marvelled; she'd never seen Velvet so out of her element, so subdued. It occurred to her that there was a chance this was Velvet's first date. Like, ever. She nodded to herself, deciding not only that it was probably true but also that she was determined to make it a good date and not just for Belle's sake. She took a gamble.

"Belle, do you know any jokes?" Most good guys could be counted on for a good joke here and there, and Belle seemed like a nice... well... more than a boy anyway. Belle paused mid-chew to stare at her like a deer in headlights. He swallowed a few seconds later and stammered, eyes rolling up as he searched his memory.

"Velvet knows a joke," she said quietly.

"Hun," Peep said carefully, "it's not another knock-knock joke, is it?"

"No, this is a real joke." Belle sat up and turned toward her, and Peep braced herself. Velvet quietly cleared her throat and took a quick sip from her glass. "So this guy, his... his bar closes. You know, it was his bar. Went there every day. He spent a week moping, dejectedly drinking at home, alone, before he decided he needed to find a-a-a... a new place. You know, a new place to call his own. So on his way home from work the next day, he spots a little hole-in-the-wall he's been passing for years, but that he's never gone in. In a moment of inspiration, he swerves into the parking lot and strides inside."

Velvet licked her lips, and when she continued, her voice was a little stronger. "The interior is very much to his liking. A lot of old wood that's been re-lacquered more than a few times. It has... character. The kind you can't whip up by stapling americana to the wall. He nods to himself and decides it's passed muster, so he goes up and takes a seat at the bar. The cushion is nicely worn. He takes a minute to look around, and... kinda take it all in.

"The bartender comes over and asks what he'll have, and he orders a beer. Baseball's on a TV in the corner. Not a giant, obtrusive TV; it's part of the ambiance. He turns, and as he does, his elbow brushes against something on the surface of the bar and he turns back to it. There is a 4x6 card, attached with more layers of scotch tape than he can count, that reads 'Ask about our three challenges'.

"Next time the bartender comes by, he flags him down and asks. '20 bucks to find out,' the bartender says, so the guy shrugs and shells out. The bartender puts it in a giant pickled egg jar down at the end of the bar. Practically bursting with money. 'Ok,' he says when he comes back. 'First challenge. See that guy down there?' Guy turns to see that the bartender is pointing at a large biker, possibly Mexican, certainly covered in tattoos, sitting at the end of the bar and enjoying a quiet drink by himself. 'You gotta knock Lenny off his stool.'

"Guy nods, not wanting to show too soon that he's already out. He doesn't think the trick is knocking Lenny off, but being able to continue after Lenny gets up. 'Second Challenge,' the bartender says. He leans back and pounds his fist against the wall. A gruff dog starts going ballistic on the other side. 'That's my girl Daisy. Daisy has a loose tooth, the poor thing. You've gotta get it out.' Guy nods. He can't get any more disinterested in trying, but at this point why stop him?

" 'Third Challenge,' the bartender says, as he pulls up his arm and checks his watch. 'In about two hours, Sister Helen Marie is gonna come in, sit down in that corner booth, order a Shirley Temple, and relax for a while. Fine little thing. You've gotta fuck her. Panties as proof, or whatever it is nuns wear.' Guy just nods. He was out 20 bucks after the first challenge.

"So... many beers later... Guy is grumbling to himself. He's a little annoyed that he doesn't think this bar is gonna work out. They kinda ripped him off. He looks down at the jar of money, and it's just 20's on top of 20's on top of 20's. And he looks over at Lenny, who looks positively dead on his stool, and he thinks... maybe...

"Staggers off of his barstool... Doesn't say a word. Just slugs Lenny. Boom. Lenny drops like a stone. Turns around without really checking and stumbles through the swinging door into the back. Daisy immediately starts barking ferociously, but after a few seconds, the tone changes completely. She's howling, and loudly. Wailing. Guy is kinda screaming too. Everyone in the bar is just watching the door. Slowly, after a couple minutes, Daisy quiets down, and another minute later, Guy comes staggering back out. Shirt and pants shredded, bleeding from numerous deep scratches, and he says 'Alright, where's the nun with the loose tooth?' "

Velvet's straight face never faltered, but a hint of color began to creep into her cheeks as the quiet stretched out.

"Oh mah gawd," Peep finally said, breaking the silence. Belle continued to stare in mute shock, while Peep slowly covered her gaping mouth. "Oh mah gawd. Oh mah gawd!" Belle's laugh was quiet at first, but it slowly rose in volume and fervor until he was cackling. "Oh mah gawd." Velvet's smile, as she looked back and forth between them, was particularly odd for her. It was... warm.

Velvet perked up. "Wait, I've got another one!" Peep groaned in desperation. "No, this one is funny! Knock knock." Belle blinked and waited for Peep to respond, since Velvet was looking at her. "Come on!"

"...Who's there?" Peep said, reluctantly.

"To"

"To who?"

Velvet started to snicker. "To whom!"

Just as Peep was pressing her palm to her forehead in weary resignation, a throaty cry tore through the house. Everyone spun to look at the wall, knowing Beau's voice well. Belle began to grind his teeth, and Peep empathized completely. "Velvet thinks we should... probably go downstairs." Peep nodded. Everyone did their part bringing their dishes into the kitchen, and Peep left a short note explaining that she would be back to clean once things were a little less noisy. She knew that wouldn't actually fly with Ms. Winters and there would be some kind of punishment that went along with it, and she smirked as she followed Belle down the stairs. The trick was to not appear eager.