Girls and Bridle Ch. 08

"Ah! So it has something to do with it! Look, I won't change my mind! I'm not going back there."

"I'm not asking you to."

"..."

"Come on. Follow me and save your breath. We are far from our destination."

***

Hours passed. It must have been close to midnight when Tiantang finally stopped and began climbing on a huge rock for no apparent reason, which puzzled Moonlight even more. Not only did she feel like a hostage due to her dependence on Tiang to go back home, but on top of that, not knowing the reason for this strange destinationless trip tortured her.

"Can we go back, now? And why are you climbing on that rock? Are you going to meditate or something?"

"Nope. I'm going to sleep. It's late, and I'm tired."

"..."

"You should do the same, Moonlight. If you sleep on the sand, you might get bit by a tarantula or a snake, so you shouldn't. You'll be safer on top of the rock."

Being born in this arid region, Moonlight knew that what Tiang was saying about the spiders and snakes was right, but sleeping on a rock was something she had never done before, and it didn't seem like a good idea from a comfort perspective.

"No! Let's go back home! I don't want to sleep on a rock. Why are you doing this?"

"Sleeping on a rock? I told you. I don't want to be bit by a spider."

"Not that! Why did you drag me in the middle of the desert? I have no idea where I am, and you know I can't go back home by myself. I need you to lead me back."

"No, you don't."

"... Yes... I do. I'm lost. I can't go back without you."

"Wrong. I'm lost too."

"... What!? You... You are lost too?"

"I sure am. We've been walking in the desert at night for hours. Did you really think I could remember my way back? I'm not an explorer."

"... But... How are we supposed to go back then?"

"I don't know. We will have to figure it out, or else it's not going to end well for us."

"But... we have no food... no water... Tomorrow is going to be super hot... We have to return home now."

"I'm sleeping here, Moonlight. You can do whatever you want. But just don't stand still on the ground. You are going to get bit."

The young ponygirl immediately climbed on the rock, suddenly fearful of what could be crawling around her. Tiang was trying to find a comfortable position on the hard stone that would be her bed for tonight.

"You are lying! You know where we are! You are just pulling my leg to punish me for having left Penny's stable."

"Instead of spitting insanities, just sit down here next to me. Can't you appreciate what you have?"

"Appreciate what I have? What are you talking about?"

"Sit down, Moonlight."

"I'm not Moonlight."

"I don't care about your name. Sit down."

Frustrated and feeling trapped, Moonlight dropped her butt next to Tiang, who was already stargazing. There was almost no moon tonight, and the clear sky allowed the stars to shine brighter than usual.

"Look at the sky. Isn't it beautiful?"

"I've seen stars before, Tiang. Thank you. Nothing special there."

"Do you see that very bright one over there?"

"... The orange one?"

"Yes. That's Betelgeuse, part of the Orion constellation. I was born there."

"... You were born there!?... What are you smoking?"

"Nothing. You were born there too, Moonlight."

"..."

"See... Everything we have here, even you and I, is made of stardust. Did you know that when a star dies and explodes, it sends an unquantifiable amount of particles across the universe? This dust then turns into new stars and planets. This cycle has existed since the beginning of time. Everything surrounding us is there because of dying stars, and that includes you and me."

"I... I didn't know that."

"So, everything you see, here on Earth and as far as you can see in the sky, it's all the same thing. We came from everywhere. Do you understand?"

"... Yeah... I mean, we live in a big universe."

"No, Moonlight. No. We ARE the universe."

"..."

"Try to appreciate what you've been given. Everything you can see and touch is part of who you are, and you must make the best of it. Let's sleep now. I'm tired, and tomorrow will be a long day."

This little conversation, seemingly out of place, had somehow soothed Moonlight. She had indeed looked at the sky often, but never from that angle. Why did Tiantang tell her this? Was it because she thought she had been ungrateful toward the opportunity that she had been given? Was this the underlying message? Was being part of such a gigantic universe meant that she shouldn't have wasted a possible second chance at winning something with Morning Star and Sophie?

Yet, Tiantang didn't use a reprimanding tone when she shared her vision of the universe. She had merely stated a fact. Something that, perhaps, she needed Moonlight to know. Some guidance for a young girl who didn't know who she was anymore.

Moonlight laid down on the hard rock, trying to find a spot that wasn't too uncomfortable. She wouldn't sleep just yet. She had to observe the night sky for a bit longer. She had to contemplate who she was for the first time.

***

"You are so cute, Cassy."

"Haha... Thanks... but I really want to sleep now. I'm not used to coming this often."

"Nooo, Cassy! Play with us some more."

"Maybe tomorrow, Nightshade. Okay?"

"Awww!"

All evening, Hemlock and Nightshade did kinky things with Cassy, pushing the poor woman beyond her limits, but at some point, they had to consider sleeping because tomorrow was a training day.

Sleep with Cassy between them was something the two ponies grew accustomed to. They didn't want her to go away, and on top of that, they thought pressing their big boobs on hers was pretty hot. Until now, they had never considered playing with a third girl, but their new companion was just so attractive and fun. Cassy's big brown eyes must have had something to do with it.

Hemlock played in Cassy's hair gently and gazed into her eyes.

"Stop looking at me like that. It's embarrassing."

"No. Nightshade is right. You are super pretty."

"Aaww!"

"Why aren't you a pony anymore? I mean, you are still young enough to run."

"I am, but I was not good enough. I never won anything."

"But, you can still be a pony, right? Just for fun."

"Haha... Just for fun? I'm not too sure about that. It would be kind of pointless for a stable to keep a ponygirl who doesn't run."

"You are a helper, no?"

"Yes. What about it?"

"You could help Brittany as a pony. She makes us do all kinds of boring jobs like grooming the track. She told us more than once that she wished she had a third pony to do all that because we were doing it wrong."

"Mmm... I'm good at grooming the track. I did it often. I found that kind of work calming."

"See! See! I'll tell Brittany that you want to be a pony again. She is going to say yes!"

"I'm so sure about that, Hemlock. Mmpph!"

For no reason other than not wanting to argue, Hemlock pressed her lips on Cassy's for another deep kiss.

"Aaaah! Enough with the kissing! We need to sleep!"

"Okay, but you are going to be a pony again!"

"Sure! Sure! Whatever you say!"

***

"Hey! Wake up, sleepyhead."

"Hmmm..."

It wasn't even sunrise when Tiantang Zhi Ma woke up Moonlight. The faint glow of the sunrise began illuminating the horizon, and the last few stars were slowly fading away. It was definitely chilly in the desert in the morning as the rocky sand had already released all its accumulated heat overnight, getting ready to absorb more.

Moonlight slowly twisted back up on her legs. It took her a moment to remember why she was here and how much trouble she was in. There was nothing familiar around her that would have allowed her to situate herself. As far as she was concerned, she was lost.

"Tiang... Can we go home now?"

"Sure. Lead the way."

"..."

"I told you. I have no idea where we are. We walked randomly for 5 hours last night."

"... being lost in the desert... is dangerous."

"Yes. Very. And I think it's going to be a hot day too. We have no food or water."

"... But... Why did you do this to me? Is it really just because I left Penny's stable."

"Oh, it has nothing to do with that. At least, not directly."

"... So, why then? What did I do?"

"Nothing. You did nothing wrong. I just like you."

"You... like me? So you want me to die under the hot sun?"

"Certainly not. And I don't want to die either. I just wanted to give you a great opportunity to learn something important before you leave us."

"An... opportunity? An opportunity for what?"

"To learn that you can do whatever you want."

"But... I know that already. I can run, I can get a job, I can do all kinds of things."

"No, you don't, Moonlight. You know how to try things, but you don't know what you can do yet. Not even close. You don't know you can win because you never won anything."

"That's not true. I won my first race."

"No, you didn't. Sophie won it for you. You just did what she told you to. Plus, how is it winning when you knew you could outrun everybody else on the track?"

"... That's... mean!"

"Whatever, Moon. Now, start walking. The sun is rising, and soon, the heat is going to become unbearable."

"Do you seriously want me to lead the way back home? I can't do that. I have no clue where to go. I'm lost."

"Exactly. You are lost. Now save your saliva and get moving."

"..."

Moonlight has not grown in this area. At home, she certainly would have recognized some sort of landmark to get an idea of her location, a hill, a rock formation, a distant mountain... But out here, there was nothing like that. It was not her land, and nothing helped. With Tiantang pressuring her to lead the way, it made things even more difficult. If she were to pick the wrong direction, she would drag her mentor to inevitable death. They wouldn't be able to last long in this environment without water. It was so unfair. What was Tiantang trying to teach her? A lesson? Or was this simply a punishment for having failed to win the Triple Crown?

"Ow! Did... did you just throw a rock at me?"

"Yes... It was a small one. I'm trying to motivate you... Move!"

"Hey! Stop throwing rocks at me... It's not cool!"

"Then start walking!"

"Alright! Alright! So mean!"

The two women finally made their first steps in an unconvincing direction. It was a choice based on nothing tangible, but in this case, there weren't any good options other than getting their legs in motion.

***

"You are such a pain, Cassy."

"It was not my idea, Brittany! It's Hemlock and Nightshade who..."

"Whatever! As if I needed another pony on top of those two crazy troublemakers."

The small pickup truck wobbled along the road leading to town. Onboard was Brittany, grumbling incessantly, and Cassy, who chilled on the passenger seat with her arm out of the window to enjoy the fresh air before it became unbreathable.

"I'm sure I can help around the stable. It's not an entirely bad idea, you know. I miss being a pony a lot."

"You can count on that. I'll put you to work, so you stay out of my hair. I'm doing this to keep Hemlock and Nightshade happy. Not because I need help."

"Oh, you need my help, Brittany. You just don't know it yet."

"Shut up! I don't need anybody's help. I can take care of the stable by myself."

Indeed, this morning, right before the sunrise, Hemlock and Nightshade had raced back to the house, ran up the stairs, burst into Brittany's room, and jumped on her bed. This partly was why she was in a foul mood today. Her two ponies had asked her to make Cassy a pony again, which she flat out refused. Letting her ponies play with the helper had no impact on her life, but taking care of a third ponygirl definitely would.

But they insisted. Again... and again... and again... and again... until she lost patience and agreed to do it just so her two ponies would get off her bed. It was an unfair tactic. The sanctity of her bedroom had been violated.

"And why don't you have pony gears already, Cassy? You were a racer, no? So where is all your old equipment?"

"I sold it. I didn't think I would play pony again one day. I was just happy helping Stardust with her various endeavors."

"Not smart... Now we have to buy you new stuff. I had nothing your size at the stable."

"Yay! We are going to Pony Exchange!"

"AH! In your dreams! We are only going to secondhand shops. I'll find you the most used tack I can find. Tarnished leather, rusty rivets, frayed straps..."

"Awww! That's not cool."

"Well, if you bring no money in, I won't spend big bucks on you. You are not worth it."

"Brittany, I understand why you have no friends."

"That's it! You get out of the car and walk!"

"Stardust wouldn't be happy about that. Haha!"

Cassy oscillated between her weak position and Stardust's strong influence. Brittany wasn't wrong when she said that it wasn't worth paying the high price for brand new gears, but at the same time, she couldn't go too extreme because Cassy was Stardust's protégé. Abandoning her in the middle of the road wouldn't be an intelligent thing to do.

Slowly but surely, the small truck made its way to the nearest town. As promised, Brittany refused to stop anywhere close to Pony Exchange and instead went directly to a disreputable neighborhood where the buildings were poorly maintained and the people had suspicious attitudes.

"Mmm... Brittany... I don't think they sell pony gears around here. Or if they do, it must be stolen stuff."

"That's why we are here. We are looking for good deals and people we can haggle with. They will be more preoccupied with getting rid of the merchandise rather than getting a good price for it."

"That's a way to look at it."

After parking in front of an abandoned barbershop with broken windows, the two girls jumped out of the car.

"I think I just stepped on a rat... It was squishy and made a noise. Like, Eek! Eek!"

"Stop whining. Over there, Cassy... There is some sort of used clothing store..."

"It looks like a pawn shop to me."

"It's probably not far from the truth."

The whole wooden building looked run down. Fortunately, there was not much rain in this region because that thing would have been entirely rotten by now. Even the name of the store was unreadable because the red paint had faded under the relentless sun.

Brittany and Cassy crossed the street, avoiding potholes, and reached the store's door. When they pushed it open, it gave the impression that it would snap in half so much the frame was dry. The little brass bell worked fine, though, and its jingle attracted the attention of a very suspicious-looking man wearing a formal outfit that clashed with the general ambiance.

Most of the clothes were carelessly piled up on various tables of unequal shape and size. The best-looking clothes seemed to, at least, be hung on racks, and the walls were decorated with all kinds of rusty signs and antic junk.

"Customers! Yeees! Welcome to our modest shop. Pretty ladies like you are certainly looking for nice robes? Or perhaps a wedding dress, yes?"

"Gross! No! And keep your distance."

"Aaah! Yes! Not from around here, we see... we see. Let me introduce ourselves, yes? We are Archibald DeGrasse! At your service."

The creepy man was getting too close for Brittany's comfort. Yet, she was still doing the talking.

"Why do you say "we" when you are alone here?"

"Aaaah! Yeees! The life of a merchant can be a lonely one, Miss pretty girl. Yes. Do not mind our little habits. What we care about is to offer you the best service possible. So tell me, young ladies... What are you looking for exactly? Something special, yesss?"

"Kind of... We need pony gears... Something... affordable... if you get my drift..."

"Aaaah! Ponygirls... yes... we see, we see... Of course, it is for the taller pretty lady, yes? Please, please! We have what you need. Will you follow us, yeees?"

As the strange man headed toward the back of the store, Brittany and Cassy looked at each other. The former pretended to puke by inserting two fingers inside her throat, and the latter just smiled as she found this caricature of a man quite entertaining even though she probably wouldn't like him to touch her.

They followed him to another room separated by a dusty curtain. On the way, Cassy snatched a brown cowboy hat and placed it on her head as if there was nothing to it.

"Haaa! Cassy! You are going to get fleas in your hair."

"Nice! So you can wash my hair back at home!"

"In your dream! I'll shave it instead!"

"Hey, I'll be your pony. So you have to take good care of me."

"Yes, I'll give you a monthly bath in the cold river."

"There are no rivers near the stable."

"Exactly!"

The back room was not what the two girls had expected. It was actually dedicated to ponygirl outfits. What was supposed to be a festival of useless junk and broken gears turned into something quite exceptional. The place was LOADED with harnesses, boots, bridles, reins, and pony outfits of all kinds.

Yes, everything was extremely dusty, piled up carelessly, and the spiders had a blast decorating the place. But for pony lovers, this could be an amazing goldmine. This place was dark; there was one small window, but the light had trouble piercing the floating dust.

Brittany's jaw dropped to the floor.

"Woah... We probably will get lung cancer, but... This is amaaazing!"

"Yeees! Amazing it is! The little lady is a connoisseur. We see. Is it fair to assume that you won't need assistance past this point, yeees?"

"... Yes... We are going to be okay. That is perfect."

"Perfect! Perfect! Please! Take your time. You may let Archibald DeGrasse know if you need anything, yees?"

"... sure!"

Not soon enough, the weird store owner walked out of the room and carefully closed the curtains behind him, darkening the pony room even more. It only took one second for Brittany to forget about how dirty this place was and start digging in the various piles of tangled leather on the table in front of her.

"This is nuts!"

"Who is going to get fleas, now? It's Brittany!"

"Shut up, stupid pony, and help me find what we need!"

***

"WHY DON'T YOU HELP ME, TIANG?"

"What do you want me to do, Moonlight?"

"Look, it's noon already. We are roasting. We don't have any water or food. This dead tree we found is not really useful at providing shade either. If we don't find help soon, we will die."

"It is very hot, yes."

"Okay! I'm sorry! Happy now? Is that what you want to hear before telling me the truth and leading me back home?"

"Sorry for what? And I told you many times. I have no idea where we are."

"Sorry for having left Penny's stable!"

"Oh, I don't care about that. I told you that too."

"Why did you do this to me then?"

"Are you even listening when I talk? It's because I care about you. But, look, since it's bugging you that much, why did you leave Penny's stable? Because you lost the race in a humiliating way?"

"Yes!... No!... I don't know! Sophie went all ballistic on me, and I don't have to take that crap! I'm not a ponygirl! I was just trying to help!"

Moonlight kicked the arid dirt, frustrated and dehydrated.

"If you can help, why didn't you? I mean... You lost badly. Is it because you didn't try?"

"Of course not! I tried! But Morning Star was running all wrong and..."

"Hahahaha! Good one! Morning Star running all wrong? The fastest ponygirl in the world, multiple Super Cup champion, running all wrong? It's hilarious that you even try to put the blame on her."

"..."

"Why don't you just admit it, Moonlight... You CAN'T help them."

"That's not true! I'm very fast and super strong! I'm probably as fast as Morning Star!"

"Yeah, but you left because you thought you couldn't help them. Right?"