Previous thread: >>43180747Archive Link:- https://desuarchive.org/mlp/thread/43180747Celesti-Maid edition.>What is this thread about?Pretty much this thread is about anon owning a pony as a slave. He can do whatever he wishes, be it white-knight or an abusing master.Are you new and want to write your own story but have no previous experience?Check out these guides:https://poneb.in/V1ujiyJthttps://poneb.in/bnMmZ2T3https://poneb.in/g4VpEg4f (clop specific)We have a Discord server! https://discord.gg/b7EFmajRemember not to save anything of value on pastebin, use ponepaste.orgHave a broken pastebin link? Replace pastebin.com with poneb.in---Featured Story:---Equestrian Rehab by Shitcunt (incomplete)- https://ponepaste.org/5110- https://ponepaste.org/5111---Ongoing Story:---Barbarians (Mayor Mare) by AspiringWritefag- https://ponepaste.org/5389- https://ponepaste.org/7856- https://ponepaste.org/9738- https://ponepaste.org/11514---Most Recently Completed Story:---Getting Shy by AspiringWritefag- https://ponepaste.org/752- https://ponepaste.org/4185---Useful Links---~~~Recommended Stories for New Readers: https://ponepaste.org/1587~~~Completed Stories [37]: https://ponepaste.org/1589~~~Popular Stories: https://ponepaste.org/1579~~~All Stories [209]: https://ponepaste.org/1590~~~One-Shot Stories [47]: https://ponepaste.org/1584~~~Thread Archive: https://ponepaste.org/1642~~~Image Archive: https://1drv.ms/f/s!AiFkdye7rtydbfk0wBnid5vnFUg (outdated)~~~
>>43228940Yes, I replaced the description with the old one from the early threads. Fuck you. Retards can't even bump the thread or make a new one for days.
>>43228944No reason to make one before awf is ready to post.
Needy
>>43229079
Her ball rolled under the couch again
brushie brushie
>>43230232
Ball-draining sex with my pony slave!
dont be mean, shes trying her best
>>43234713The original post with the image had the quote:>"WHY WON'T YOU FUCK ME, MASTER?"
Need more art of ponies with saddles and bridles.
Slidefags are trying to kill of all the actual threads. Post pone.
honestly i don't have sexual fantasies anymore. I just want a good slave to serve me and please me.
>>43235125>Entire thing is being a magician>Forced to wear magic suppressing ring on her hornNo wonder she's miserable.
>>43228944The thread name war (white knight general) ended 10 years ago, why do you bring it up again? The consensus was to keep the spT name (while calling it SPG) and change the description to it being a white knight and pet general.The last time when this thread description was used was during the rouge janny times. In 2016.Also >>43228999 (nice trips btw)
>>43234713Extremely cute poner. Would pet.
>>43235858>why do you bring it up again?Purely because the last thread got pushed into the archive by slidefags at 217 posts.
>>43228940Been a few years. Skittles when?
>>43237229Fireking when?
Make sure to keep toxic chemicals out of reach of your slave ponies and keep your slave ponies supervised. Strychnine may look glittery due to its crystalline structure, but it is extremely toxic.
>>43236560Might as well rename it to the AWF thread. It's been years since anyone else posted any new content.
Any fics where Anon fixes up a pony (or even an alicorn) that is in a really bad condition? I already read Equestrian Rehab and that one vet Anon greentext from a previous thread.
>>43239697>or even an alicornIt's an aie green, not /spg/, but it was written by one of our old writers:https://ponepaste.org/404
>>43239772Its a pie not aie.I don't recommend reading it. The first half is ok, then the writer took a few year pause and continued. It will feel like the story just took some LSD and sped up 50x.
>>43239545
Getting ready to be sold. Maybe it's their lucky day!
Now SiM died.
>>43240107The first seven chapters are good, then it just gets worse and worse.
>>43240931Yep, about when the writefag went on a multi year hiatus.
In the days when the world economy was reliant on slavery, literate slaves were more valuable than illiterate slaves.
>>43228940There's already a thread for turning Anon into a pony >>43184251
>start coming up with a bunch of worldbuilding for an enslaved Ponyville>realize I don't have a good story ideahow to fix this?
>>43240107>pieit is pie, I forgot they merged with aie>>43240931I still think the early stuff with Twilight and Anon makes it worth the read.>>43243059have you got any characters in mind for your setting? writing about them could be a good start>>43240831ripthey submitted to page 10
>>43243059Eh. Sometimes you might start with worldbuilding ideas and then think of a story that might happen in the setting's conditions, and sometimes you might start with a story idea and build the setting's conditions to support it.
>>43228940>Equestrian Rehab by Shitcunt (incomplete)Gave this a re-read and I was once again struck by how suddenly an engaging, stirring, well-paced hurt/comfort story between anon and celly at home could devolve into the eternal slogfest at the ranch. What an incredible amount of time spent on not-the-thing-I-came-for and not-the-characters-I-givadam-about.
>>43245548It's been years since I read that one, but if I remember the rehab on the ranch part starts pretty early. Like 80% of the story plays out there.
>>43245554Unless if he continued the story elsewhere, Celestia's rehab doesn't really start until the end of the story, then it just ends there, and Vacation Vocation is just after a timeskip. The fic goes from focusing on Anon and Celestia to focusing on the fact that Celestia was Equestria's head of state.
Master does not let her relax in peace even after she done all her chores!
>>43239772>>43240107>>43240931Thanks for the reminder that New Equestrian Railroad will never be updated anytime soon
Are there any fics that deal with ponies being obsoleted? A lot of fics that I saw either have the ponies being used for hard manual labour, retail, or sex slavery.
>>43241738>>43240931>>43240107TL;DR on how it went down? What happens in the story the it gets shitty so suddenly?
>>43246932Switches from gear 1 to gear 5 in a snap without even trying to slip the clutch or stomping the accelerator afterwards for more torque.
>>43246932The first part is straightforward and focused. Anon buys Celestia from the last place where ponies in poor condition go before they get turned into glue. Celestia is filthy and addicted to a drug that makes her horny. Anon cleans her up and starts looking after her.After that, it starts growing in scope. Celestia suffers from severe pain, so Anon calls a vet and basically has to beg her and her slave pony to help Celestia. Suddenly, it starts to shift from Anon rehabilitating Celestia to a ton of different OCs all expecting Celestia to liberate the ponies from their situation. This doesn't go well and Celestia starts crying and throwing up in front of them. Celestia's rehab from the drug that she is addicted to doesn't start until towards the end of chapter 2. The fic stops there and then the only real ending is a fic set years later where Celestia disguises herself and saves a bunch of slave ponies from a workshop that uses their labour to make cheap trinkets for tourists and beats up the slavers.
>>43247233Wrong story.>>43247192>>43246932>>43243189>>43240931>>43240107>>43239772This discussion is about https://ponepaste.org/404 (https://poneb.in/U1k4Y12e)Seems like the writefag rewrite it somewhat on fimfic: https://www.fimfiction.net/story/539441/a-dubious-welcomeMaybe the rewrite is better dunno.>>43245574>>43245554>>43245548This is what you meant to respond to. This is the Celestia rehab by Shitcunt.
>>43247256Oh, yeah, my bad. A Dubious Welcome's problem is that the first seven chapters are about vet Anon helping Twilight heal after accidentally hitting her with his car and teaching her a few things about Earth, then it immediately shifts to Celestia rushing over and getting shot and enslaved by African poachers, Starlight going over and blowing up Big Ben, Luna dealing with Celestia being missing, Luna having a romance with one of her guards, a secret organisation, and so on. It goes far outside the original scope.
>7
>>43247233>>43247299funny how you can get the wrong fic and yet describe the exact same problem of an author losing focus of the primary relationship in the story. imo you should have a specific ending in mind before you start publishing, it's far easier to not get lost if you know where you want to end up by the end. A Dubious Welcome treats the Twinon relationship as a total afterthought by the end, and it's a shame.I get that people want to do fun plot/worldbuilding but it's far better if you don't make big sweeping changes to that world. other people can write sequels or other stories in your setting if it remains static. a story can be complete without slavery being abolished or the ponies going back to their home planet or whatever else.
>>43235125>Anon goes to a magic show in a dangerous part of town>Takes his gun loaded with live bullets with him because murica>Blue slave unicorn is performing>"...and now, the great and powerful Trixie will catch a bullet with her teeth! As you can see, her magic is blocked, but you will be amazed by her catching it anyway!">Trixie points at Anon and asks him to come onto the stage and shoot a live bullet at her mouth>Anon fully expects to blow her head off in front of everyone>She actually catches it with her teeth>Thanks Anon and asks him to return to his seat>Audience cheers>Anon is cheering and clapping harder than anyone else>Genuinely surprised and impressed
>>43247995I really like the idea that Trixie is a good illusionist, but her lack of actual magical power makes her an unpopular performer by Equestrian standards.
>>43247625>you can get the wrong fic and yet describe the exact same problem of an author losing focus of the primary relationship in the storyYea. Not spg related, but it reminds me of "It Never Really Ends" on fimfic, the first sequel story to Ending. The first half is focused on slowly building the relationship between AJ and the human MC, but then when he suddenly leaves and walks to Canterlot they barely interact for the rest of the story, with AJ only showing up in a few chapters afterward, their slowly building dynamic gets completely forgotten, characters like Gilda show up for 2 chapters and then are never seen again, and it flops around with one chapter interactions with other random ponies that don't go anywhere, before being abandoned for several years and then unceremoniously tossed onto a new author who swiftly wrapped it up in three chapters with the original premise basically forgotten.When a story is kinda builds itself on the dynamic between two characters, abruptly dropping that and focusing on other random things seems like a surefire way to turn people off from it. INRE is pretty good in its first half, before the second half backflips off a cliff and starts becoming an incoherent mess.
I've been going through the early threads to look for art that probably hasn't been posted in years. Is Skittles any good?
>>43248213its alright, i dig the fruit flavor ones the most
Can bats use ultrasounds to clean stuff?
>>43248811What a weird dog
Portable warm bag.
>>43248232I mean the fic. It's almost 13,000 words.
>>43246708Maonyman is on fimfiction, go yell at him to finish it
>>43249225Just read the Story then and see for yourself if is any good.13k words is nothing
Can anyone read moon runes?
>>43251896>Former Human, now Pony
>>43251896It says "Pin the tail on the pony, 200 gems"I think that crystal icon is from the shitty mobile game.
Extreme softness
Pony pulls the wagon
>>43254247We have cars.
Slaves rebelled a lot.
>https://poneb.in/mwZ3hvYz>Finally find a fic about Celestia and Luna in the ancient threads>Look inside>BDSM stuffFFS
>>43255225I think this posted on SiM instead of here. I'm too lazy to check it now.
Thief! THIEEEEEF
AWF where are you?
So, is this the end?
AWF posted an update to ponepaste! https://ponepaste.org/11514#1706
>>43246912>Ponies start a war aimed at wiping out humanity>Pony magic turns out to be no match for human manpower, intelligence, and industry>Terrified of being slaughtered for meat or turned into glue>Each offers their own special talent to show that they can be useful>None of them are needed>Earth orbits the sun>The moon orbits Earth>Humans have machines that shake apple trees to harvest the apples>Drawing carts, pulling ploughs, and other jobs once done by horses are now done by machines>Ponies can't be slaughtered for meat because who knows what kind of drugs (medical and otherwise) they had taken before and during the war>Ponies don't get turned into glue because glue is mostly made from oil these days>Bestiality perverts are imprisoned>Ponies just end up being sent to horse boarding services and aren't broken up from their families
>>43256989>bad end
>>43256195If anyone missed this, here is a reminder.
>>43259079How so?
>>43259374Second to last line.
>>43259392Do not the pony.
>>43259421
>>43231594>not an apple
scratchies
Pony rescued from her pony "friends".
>>43263474Since when is she australian?
>>43263955>australianBri'ish
>>43264092>Bri'ishYou mean Irish? Or Welsh? "OI" is not something Brits say.
>>43264092>CAM ON INGERLAND, CAM ON!>SCORE SOME FAKKIN' GOALS THEN!
>>43264098>Welsh>Not British>Oi>Not something that Brits sayRetard.
>>43264516>combat mode engaged
>>43262553Pancakepony
Appul honse
The fourth wall won't stop Pinkie Pie.
I'm not sure if it counts if it's just the Equestria Girls setting with human Celestia and Luna and horse other characters.
>>43265835too hoers
pet the poner
>>43269660iirc there was a pony petting game like 10+ years ago
>>43271204I want to snuggle with a pone at night. Which breed is the best ?
>>43271314Pegapone is the overall best choice, but if you live in a colder place kirin are also worth considering.
>>43271314Alicorn.
>>43271573
>10
>4 hours and 20 minutes is enough for a thread to reach page 10
Rewarding good behaviour is more effective than punishing bad behaviour. It is better for the pony's mental health and avoids causing behavioural problems.
>>43256195What the? I've been sitting on catalog, refreshing and searching "SPG", thinking to myself "why isn't there a thread for three weeks now?!". Today I searched for "slave", and it's been here all along. I guess the opening post doesn't have the word "SPG" anywhere in it?Sorry everyone, I've been writing and posting to ponepaste, waiting till the thread popped back up so I could post here too.if no one had done it by then, I'll post all the new stuff tomorrow.
>>43272514I guess I'm a big dum. Should have found it even with the different description. I'll make sure to look for "slave" and other keywords in the future too.Sorry for the ball drop.
>>43272514Oh, damn, sorry. I'll include SPG in the opening post next time if the slidefags send it into the archive again.
>>43272514I blame this guy: >>43228944>if no one had done it by then, I'll post all the new stuff tomorrowIf you don't want to waste time solving captchas just ask someone to post it for you.
>>43228940How much would you realistically pay for a service that sent around a pony in a maid uniform to clean your entire house while you look at them?
>>43273257A vacuum cleaner is much cheaper.
>>43273257I'd whore her out for $25 per hour. Food, logistics, advertising and spare bonnets being accounted for, it seems like she would pay for herself in about two or three weeks.
>>43273572(((Windigo))) hooves typed this post.
>>contondered> It was weird how the long-forgotten things became normal once again. All that paperwork wasn't so bad, not if Thistle took it a little at a time. Her mornings dragged, but she was slowly winning the battle for her in-tray. She wasn't as productive as before, but neither was she dead from boredom, which had to count for something, no?> Taking the afternoons off helped, too. She could forget about her monotonous job and stroll around the nomad camp to stay in touch with what was happening. After all, it was important to keep a hoof on the pulse of the community. Both her Ponyville one, and her adoptive community of nomads.> Her pony citizens were also getting used to the new normal. Every day there were fewer crowds, until only the out-of-town visitors and journalists gathered to gape at the strangers. The presence of these tall creatures in the Ponyville market, or among its many shops, was becoming commonplace. Ponies hardly batted an eye.> Perhaps the most stubborn were Cranky Doodle and his wife, Matilda, who still persisted in teaching the nomads' donkeys to speak Equestrian. They weren't having a lot of luck, and she, at least, was starting to understand that the beasts really were nothing more than that.> She'd admitted as much to Thistle in a private meeting, although she immediately regretted it and implored the mayor not to mention this to her husband. It would break his heart, Matilda had said, if he knew that his own wife wasn't one hundred percent behind him.> Besides, the jenny had said, it wouldn't be much longer until Cranky also acknowledged defeat. She just hoped it wouldn't make him too depressed.> Since that little discussion, Thistle made it a point to come by the nomads' donkey herd at least every other day and chat a little with the distraught Mr. Doodle. She very carefully supported his work, praised his efforts and his sense of responsibility to what he saw as his kin, and tried to prepare the poor jack for the disappointment when he would inevitably be forced to give up.> It didn't help that some of the nomads still found it funny. Others, more industrious ones, came to listen to Cranky's lessons and were taking away the occasional Equestrian word or phrase.> To Thistle's dismay, it was mostly the young nomads who wanted to learn. The older ones thought that if they simply repeated themselves a little more slowly, and a lot louder, the ponies would understand the nomad language. Most of the trade had to happen with someone to interpret, or through displays of emphatic gesturing and shouting.> Those who could speak Equestrian were in high demand. Hisein had thus found new life in the clan, and he seemed happier than at any point since the injury which had cost him his leg.
>>43274305> The fact that the thestral from Luna's personal guard kept visiting probably also helped with that. Thistle knew first-hoof just how attractive a willing mare was to a lonely nomad, even if most of them refused to admit it.> Funnily enough, she only knew about the secret visits because of a chance encounter. She'd been out in the park with Rangi, having watched the sun set and waited for the air to cool from the usual summer-oven-hot. They were going home in the dark, but the moon was large and glowing and she'd seen the stealthy bat pony silhouetted overhead.> At first she hadn't recognized that it was that very same pony from the Everfree. She saw the glint of Lunar Guard armor and the bat wings, which was unusual enough to spark her curiosity. Doubly so because any official guard functions would have been somewhere at the top of her in tray that day. This was either an unsanctioned visit, or a covert operation by the Crown.> Those were both intriguing possibilities, and neither was out of the question, given the presence of these dangerous-looking strangers, so she'd instructed Rangi to follow. He was the only one of them who could do that both quickly and quietly. His bare feet made hardly any noise on the grass and he was adept at sneaking through the sparse foliage of the park.> Exactly why she'd taken it upon herself to investigate this strange occurrence, Thistle couldn't answer, despite racking her brain. It was just one of those spur-of-the-moment things. Pure gut feeling, maybe, and a touch of independence she'd had to learn in the nomad land.> Rangi came back, sweaty and out of breath, some half an hour later, and reported that the mare had flown in circles above the camp until everything was quiet, then slipped into Hisein's tent.> That told Thistle pretty much everything she needed to know. Luna wasn't spying on the strangers, which was a relief.> What these clandestine visits *did* prove, however, was that the two peoples could mingle, even thrive together. More than that, it gave her a juicy bit of gossip which she could use to make Hisein squirm a little!> She had been looking forward to this little bit of 'fun' the whole day. It was Friday, too, which meant that the 'sport' of teasing the nomad would preclude an entire weekend away from the cursed stack of papers and the soft rustle of ponies going about their business in the Town Hall. A whole weekend away from the stuffy, dusty air of her office!> Just what she would do over the weekend remained to be seen. Now that she'd settled back into a semblance of her old life, the possibilities were endless. Perhaps she could take Rangi on a trip with the train. He might enjoy seeing Canterlot. For that matter, maybe she could bring Fen Ko and Ning.> First, however...
>>43274307> She didn't try to hide her grin as she trotted happily into the nomad camp. She exchanged polite greetings with her once-neighbors and still-friends. She listened to the familiar sounds of nomads living their lives.> The smells she could have gone without, but they were part of the nomad culture as much as their language, or so it seemed. It would get better as more and more people learned about hygiene from the ponies' example.> The tent she wanted was in front of her. She looked at Rangi at her side and jerked her head."[Go and find Janus. Ask him if he needs to talk about anything with me. Do the same with Saule and Salki. I can see them when I'm done with Hisein.]"> Off in the distance she saw the telltale pink glow of some Twilight's spell. Her visits were getting less frequent, but the alicorn still came around most days to run an experiment or two, or to speak with one of the nomads. Thistle also suspected the alicorn often fell asleep in the camp, too engrossed in her studies to return to her castle.> Luckily, she was treated pretty much like a chieftain of a very friendly, trusted tribe, so she was quite safe. More so because she was a pony, and the nomads had seen what her magic could do.> Language was still a barrier, but Twilight paid a handsome fee to anyone who could translate, and the nomads could never resist shiny gold. Especially now that they'd seen what it could buy them at the market.> Rangi murmured an agreement, which almost sounded a little annoyed. Thistle resolved to have a quiet word with him once they were home. She didn't think of him as a slave, but there was such a thing as proper respect. After all, she was giving him a roof, a bed to sleep in, and three solid meals each day. The jobs she asked he do weren't onerous. He had no reason to be grumpy!> She glanced around, but there were no other nomads nearby, so she pushed her way into the tent. Good, Hisein was alone. No doubt he'd sent the two children on some errand or other.> "[What is-]" he began, then saw who it was and seamlessly switched languages. "Oh, it's you. Why are you here?""I came to ask you a few questions."> "Like what?"> He'd really gotten fluent in Equestrian, Thistle had to admit. The continued lessons he was no doubt receiving from his bat-pony marefriend were really helping, and having to interact with ponies every day in the market was doing wonders for his nomad accent."About a certain bat-winged mare. One of Luna's guard. I think you know who I mean!"> She saw the widening of his eyes, and the way he drew away from her, just a fraction, until he caught himself. "I don't know what you mean," he said flatly.
>>43274314"Oh? No games, Hisein. I saw you two when you came back through the way from the nomad world. I saw she almost kissed you, but changed it to a face lick just in time. Not that that's a whole lot better."> "You're crazy.""I also know she's been coming here."> That shut him up. His mouth was open, but his eyes darted around as he tried to come up with a counter. In the end, his eyebrows drew down and he glared at her. "So? What will you do with that? Have you come to threaten me? I don't have anything you want!" He began to rise up, as if he would toss her out of the tent.> This time it was Thistle who flinched back. She had wanted to tease him, but had obviously come across a little too strongly. She held up both hooves."Sorry. No, I don't want anything. I was just teasing you."> Hisein settled back down, muttering something dark and probably obscene under his breath. Even with her pony ears she couldn't quite make out the words."Sorry," she said again.> "So, what do you want? Did you tell anyone?""No, and I'm not going to. I just wanted to hear from you how it happened. Who is she? What are you going to do?"> The nomad, sighing and shaking his head, looked down at the empty circle in the middle of the tent where a fire pit would go, were it not summer. "I wish I knew. I can't tell anyone or they will call me an animal-fucker."> Thistle's breath caught. He knew *that* word in Equestrian?! Even she hadn't heard it spoken out loud more than a couple of times in her entire life! Until she was in college she thought merely saying it would land her in Tartarus before the echo faded away!> "It just happened. We were together in the other world for a long time. There was nothing to do. She was teaching me your language." At that, the man spread his arms as if to say that the outcome was inevitable.> Perhaps it was. Thistle thought back to her own experience with Salki, and later with Rangi. Maybe it had been the mysterious mare's time of the year? A little bit of heat would have made her very persistent indeed!"Who is she?"> "Luna's personal Night Guard. Name's Neoma."> It was an unusual one, even for a bat pony. The sound was faintly familiar. She was sure she could tell something important about it!"Where is she from?"> Hisein barked a laugh. "I don't remember. Neoma would smack me with a wing if she heard me say that, but I can never remember these pony places.""Hmm. Shut up for a second."
>>43274318> A Thestral would have a name related to the night. It stood to reason. It was where they lived, what their entire species had adapted for. Maybe they were magically changed in some way? It didn't matter. 'Neoma' didn't sound like a typical Thestral name. It sounded like something she'd read. Read on a menu, back during her college days in Canterlot.> Restaurant Row. Thistle dug deeper, certain there was a bit of memory to be found."Neoma. Neoma. It sounds - mm-"> She grinned in triumph and pumped her hoof."Yes. Skyros! I remember! It sounds like it's from Skyros! I still got it! Huh, never heard of bat ponies living in Skyros, but who knows..."> Hisein looked doubtful. "Yeah, that's it. Maybe. I don't know. Is it important?"> Thistle gave him a big grin."Not even a little! Anyway, you said you were- well- with her?"> If her exuberance had nearly made the man smile, this question once again darkened his countenance. "What's it to you?""Just curious. I'm happy for you. Neoma sounds like she's good for you."> He kept watching her suspiciously, but Thistle simply kept up her happy smile until Hisein shook his head in exasperation. "I don't understand you. So, what do you want? Did you just want to come and make fun of me for sleeping with a pony?""No. I want to take Fen Ko and Ning away tomorrow. I will take Rangi and we will go see the big city on the mountain. The children should go too. This land will be their home, too. They should see it."> Judging by the way his mouth opened in shock, this had been the furthest thing from what Hisein had expected of her. It made Thistle grin triumphantly. She could still pull out a surprise or two when she wanted!> "And you'll bring them back when you're done seeing this city?""Of course. Well, we'll need to talk about them being your slaves, but we can do that later. We'll also talk about sending them to school!"> He nearly said something impolite at her insinuation that he should give up his property, but held back. His gaze slid away from her and rested on his cot. Thistle followed it, her smile slipping. Had Neoma been talking to him about it too?> She needed to have a serious chat with that mare!"Also, I want you and Neoma to visit me. I will get donuts. Remember? Buygra sometimes brings them for the children. We will have the donuts and coffee. Next time Neoma visits, tell her. We can go in the morning."> "I'll ask," Hisein said non-committally."Good. I will be here before the sun is up to get the children tomorrow."> "Fine."
>>43274323> She inclined her head at the man and ducked out of the tent. It had gone smoother than she'd expected. Now if only she could join forces with the Thestral mare, perhaps between them they could convince him to give the children up. They would probably have to go to a foster family in Ponyville, or maybe an orphanage in one of the larger cities, but their lives would be much better than serving Hisein's every need.> If nothing else, the two would get an education.> Thistle looked around for Rangi, but he was nowhere to be found. Shrugging, she headed to the firepit in the center of the camp. That would be the best place to spot her young helper. More importantly, she might run into some of her nomad friends and she could catch up on the latest gossip.> ~~~~> Thistle dug out a fresh jug of apple juice from the cupboard beside her fridge. She should have thought ahead the previous day and put it in there to chill. Right now, she had no choice, so room-temperature would have to do.> Unless.."[Rangi! Come in here!]" she called.> The nomad padded over, his stare a little annoyed at having to get up. "[What?]" he asked testily after his interrupted conversation with Hisein."[Grab the ice from the cold box, will you?]"> He gave her a blank stare, then approached the fridge. He had a vague idea of what she wanted, so he put his hand on the handle and looked at her for more guidance."[Yes. Open that. It is a little white bowl with frozen water in there. Take it out.]"> The nomad inspected the tray for a short while, then shut the freezer. She'd only had to tell him once to keep the appliance closed at all times."[Good. Take this apple juice and that in the living room. Put some ice in the crystal to make the drink cold. I will be right out with more chips!]"> She went back to the cupboard as he left, but stopped when she heard the distinct sound of hoofsteps behind her. They weren't like an earth pony. Softer and gentler, somehow. If she didn't know her guests, she would have assumed a pegasus.> "Hey, need any help in here?" Neoma asked. "[Or should I ask it like this?]"> Hearing the nomad dialect from a pony, even a bat-pony, was still weird and Thistle shook her head."Don't be silly. Equestrian is fine. And thank you, I don't need help. I was going to bring a bowl of chips out."> "Which cupboard?" Neoma asked, then followed Thistle's quick shake of the head and opened a few until she found the ceramic bowl. "Good idea, but maybe we want two? Hisein will be okay with it, but Rangi might not want to eat chips after we've stuck our head into the bowl. Some of them have really weird notions of hygiene.]""No, Rangi will be fine. What do you mean by weird?"> He hadn't minded her mouth on his in the past.
>>43274325> There was a soft clink as Neoma maneuvered the bowl to the table with her wing. It was stronger than it looked, the way she effortlessly balanced the thing, but then again she'd had elite Lunar guard training. Thistle couldn't help glancing once more at those toned, muscular limbs and barrel. "Well, you've probably seen how they never really wash, or bathe. Well, maybe during the summer, but that's more because they're hot. They grab food with dirty hands, too.""Well yes, they're nomads."> Thistle didn't add that she'd let her own personal hygiene lapse a little in her time with the camp. She had to actively force herself to wash and brush her teeth now that she was home again.> "Well, with all that, they will absolutely refuse to eat something another nomad has touched with his lips. Seeing us put our head into the bowl will be like it's poisoned.""It's not quite as bad as all that."> The bat gave an expressive shrug with her wings while Thistle struggled to tear the bag of chips open. "Yeah, maybe, but they're surprisingly squeamish about some things. Surprisingly not about others. I'm just asking if you have another bag and another bowl if that happens."> She didn't have time to answer because the blasted plastic was slippery and she couldn't get her teeth around the corner to tear it up. "Here, let me," Neoma said. There was a little claw at the tip of her wing, which she used to expertly slash the bag."That's good. I should have used a knife, but it seemed like a hassle to get it."> The bat pony chuckled, her laugher reaching an odd, high pitch in places, like a small squeak. "We're not quite unicorns, but we have our little tricks. Come, I'll take the bowl. Let's see if we'll have to get another.""Before we go," Thistle said, lowering her voice, "a question?"> "Shoot!"> She had to be quiet because Hisein could understand Equestrian very well, even if Rangi could not. Luckily their hearing was not as acute as that of ponies, especially Thestrals."How did it happen? I mean, you and Hisein?"> "Same way as you and your guy, I imagine. Why do you ask?"> Thistle shook her head and flattened her ears."I doubt it. Rangi is- well, he's Saule and Salki's slave. Or was. I think I freed him, so now he's like my... let's go with 'butler'. He helps me around the house and the office until he learns the language."> "Then what?"> She'd never really thought that far ahead. Obviously Rangi had to learn Equestrian, but Thistle had simply assumed he'd remain in her service. She would give him some kind of an allowance, so he could buy things for himself, but living in her house and eating her food meant he wouldn't really have any expenses of his own."Huh. I guess we'll see?" she quickly lied.
>>43274327> Neoma gave her a quiet, narrowed-eyed look, as if she could smell the falsehood. "Right," she said. "What if he wants to leave? You say you freed him, but have you really?""What makes you say that?"> "I saw his face when you called him. Have you been treating him like a slave? You sure you haven't picked up more nomad habits than you think?""I haven't! I'm not!"> The other mare gave her a wide, pointy-fanged smile. It was unsettling, especially with her slitted eyes. Just why the Thestrals needed such teeth, Thistle didn't want to guess, especially now that she'd met some nasty creatures with fangs up close!> "Prove it," Neoma said."How?"> "The Lunar guard is going to Fillydelphia next moon. Some political function or something, I didn't pay a lot of attention to the briefing. I'll talk to some of the guard, and we'll pitch in a few bits together. Hire Rangi to handle our luggage, prepare our meals, polish armor, oil leather, that sort of thing. Like doing little jobs for the squad. Kinda like a squire, back when we had that sort of thing in Equestria, except paid.""J-Job?"> "Yeah. Leaves the squad free to train, or even just gives us more time to relax. It'll help us focus on guarding. Could be a regular thing if it works out. Maybe it'll become a job for other nomads, too. You see- I know how good they are with those hands of theirs. Could be very useful to soldiers.""Okay," Thistle said, head spinning, "so you take him for a week?"> "*Hire*!" Neoma repeated. "There you go again. It's a job. Call it a trial run.""And the other bat-ponies in your guard will be okay with that?"> "Probably. I'll ask, but I think they will be. What do you say? Let Rangi start making his own way in the world? Or would you prefer to keep him as your personal slave?"> Thistle sputtered a bit at the accusation, then her ears went completely flat, her muzzle scrunched, and she pointed an accusatory hoof."Oh? Well what about Hisein and the two children? *They* are slaves, not Rangi!"> For a few seconds the mare had the decency to look embarrassed. "Okay, okay. I'm working on that too. Hisein agrees they can't stay his slaves forever. He'll free them. Still needs to take care of them until they grow up, though. It doesn't hurt if they help around the tent a little.""So when it's convenient for you and Hisein, then a little bit of slavery is fine then?"> Neoma looked away and Thistle was sorry for the low jab."Sorry. Look, I was thinking about that, too. That's why I wanted to meet you. Between us, we can convince Hisein. I'll go talk to Cherilee and make sure they can start attending school. An education would be a good first step for them."
>>43274329> That brought the bat-pony's smile back out. "Good idea!" she chirped. "Thanks! I'm sorry about what I implied about Rangi too. I didn't mean it that way.""I didn't mean it about Fen Ko and Ning. We'll figure something about. The nomads will have to change, now they're here."> "Yeah, I guess. Let's go out, the boys are probably wondering by now.""Yeah, let's."> As Thistle walked past Neoma, she swung her rear to gently press her side to the other mare's in a quiet, familiar gesture of support. In return, Neoma gave her withers a very quick squeeze with a wing.> It felt strange. Soft, warm, and leathery. A little like nomad skin, but very alien. She wondered if Hisein ever ran his hand down the sensitive membrane.> For that matter, what would it be like to rub her muzzle against it?> Would Neoma and Hisein be up for it? It would be really *really* strange to do it with Hisein, but maybe it'd be worth it?> The thoughts painted her muzzle a shade of pink, and her guest obviously noticed, judging from the squeaky little chuckle she let out again.> Thistle took a deep breath and shook her head. She'd need to do something fun with Rangi. It had been too long and these thoughts were starting to invade her mind at the most inopportune times.> ~~~~> She heard the commotion through her open office window. The sounds were unmistakable. A nomad man was yelling profanities. There were pony voices responding in kind, and even an occasional scream from a mare.> Thistle jumped from her chair and slammed her office door aside with her body in her rush to get outside and see. She heard Rangi running after her, and another set of hooves on the wooden floor could only mean that Tadwell was right on her tail.> By the time she made it to the street the crowd was already gathering. The commotion was happening in the marketplace, not too far. She weaved around confused ponies, dodged a few who were high-tailing it out of the way, and came to a sliding halt when she saw what was happening.> A brawl!> An honest-to-Celestia street brawl! She didn't immediately recognize the pony, but his yellowish-range coat, and the stomped hat on the ground named him as one of the Apple family. She did know the nomad, though! There was no missing that birthmark."[Yasin! What the fuck are you doing?]"> She put a lot of force into her call and with all the practice she'd gotten living among the nomads she could manage quite a decent shout. The ponies around her immediately flattened their ears, and hearing his name was surprising enough that Yasin froze to look around.
>>43274331> He had his fist raised to hit the Apple stallion, but he didn't have the upper hand. By nomad standards, he might have pinned his opponent down and was getting ready to pummel their face, but Thistle saw the stallion had his hind legs under the man, with hooves braced against his midriff.> Despite the surprise, the pony casually kicked and sent poor Yasin flying off. There was an audible grunt as he landed on his back several paces away."You too- um-" Thistle searched her memory furiously until a name popped up. "Bushel! Stop!"> She looked around the ponies and saw several white unicorns approaching in their shining gold armor. They'd taken their sweet time!"You! Guards! Take that stallion before someone gets hurt!"> Unfortunately, Yasin hadn't understood any of that and he was pushing himself upright, albeit with a hand on his belly and with a grimace of pain. There was murder in his eyes."[You'll stay where you are, Yasin, or I'll kick you again myself!]" she warned.> Now that initial surprise was over, the man shifted his angry look at her, and spat on the ground. She saw it glisten red. Surely the two idiots hadn't knocked each other's teeth out?!> "We'll take both into custody, ma'am," one of the guards said."What? I have it in hoof. I'll take Yasin back to the camp."> The statuesque stallion didn't budge, but he kept staring off into the distance even as he addressed her. "Sorry, ma'am. Brawling, public nuisance, endangerment. They have to both stand before a civic judge!""That's me in this town!"> For the first time the pegasus looked a little uncomfortable and his eyes darted to her momentarily. "Um. I don't think you can be impartial, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am.""Okay, then get Princess Twilight. She has enough authority, I assume?"> "Yes," the guard agreed. "We'll confine these two. There'll be a hearing in the evening, after they've had a chance to cool off.""Confine where?" she demanded.> Out of the corner of her eye she saw the crowd part as Cranky dragged one of the nomad donkeys by a rope around its neck. The beast was reluctant, but couldn't resist moving out of a combination of habit and Cranky's sheer, stubborn strength."Now what?!"> The old jack spat the rope out and stood on it with his hoof to keep it secure. He didn't look happy. "Mayor!" he said in his distinctive voice. "I demand you release this creature into my care.""Can it wait a minute?! I'm in the middle of something!"> She raised a hoof to point out the guards, the captive Apple, and the bruised nomad, who had gotten up into a kneeling position.
>>43274334> A dark stallion approached her, and she twirled around, on the verge of bucking someone. Too many things were happening at once. "Sorry, ma'am," Burnt Oak said. "I seen the whole thing. That nomad," he pointed at Yasin, "started the whole thing. I reckon the disagreement came about on account of the price of that rope Mr. Bushel was selling. It seemed as if the nomad didn't like payin' so much and decided to take a swing at ol' Bushel there."> A low growl escaped Thistle and she rounded on the confused nomad."[Is it true you refused to pay for what you wanted?]"> Yasin glared back at her, and for a moment it seemed he wouldn't answer. Eventually, he swallowed something and gave half of a jerky nod. "[Three is too much! I wanted to pay one!]""[And you decided to start a fight for it?]> He didn't have an answer to that.> "Excuse me, ma'am," Burnt Oak interjected. "I don't know the language y'all are speaking, but there might have been bad blood on both sides of this here transaction.""How could they have argued over the price if they don't speak each other's languages?"> At least the guards deferred to her authority to investigate the disturbance and weren't trying to throw their weight around like they might in Canterlot. Bushel looked defeated, or maybe he'd received some good hits and was still recovering. Yasin looked angry, but in no shape to fight anymore. That last buck in his belly must have really hurt, judging from the way he was still gripping it with his hand.> "It don't take language to show a number on a sign. I have to say, these creatures are clever with their claws and most of us marketplace ponies can haggle with them just fine. They hold up the number of claws they want to offer. That's enough, more often than not.""I see. What am I supposed to do here?"> She caught sight of Cranky, who was fidgeting impatiently."And what about this donkey?!"> Bright Oak flicked his hat up for a moment. "Ah, sorry for rambling yer head off, Mayor. The donkey came with the nomad. When the fighting started, the poor creature turned and hoofed it away. Mr. Doodle was kind enough to go after it and bring it back."> As if that was the license for him to speak, Cranky pointed a hoof at her. "You see how they're being treated. No doubt that beast wanted to load this donkey up with things he got at the market and make him carry them back home! I demand-""Shut up!" she snapped.> All the demands were getting on her nerves. On the one hand, she was relieved that no one seemed to be seriously hurt, except maybe Yasin, who was looking decidedly pale in his face. On the other, why couldn't these idiots just get along?!"Okay. Yasin obviously is in no shape to go home-"
>>43274338> "Ahem," the guard interjected, albeit with due deference. "He *is* under custody for a public disturbance, and for starting a fight, ma'am. Sorry, ma'am.""Quit *apologizing*! Do your job! By the way, where were you when this was all happening, hmm? Why did I have to break up this fight? I want more guards around the market, understood?"> The pool stallion flinched at her words, then hastily saluted with a wing. "Yes, ma'am!""Okay! He's obviously hurt," she jerked her head at Yasin. "Take him to Ponyville Hospital and have the doctors check him out. *Then* you can take him to jail. I'll go to the Princess' castle tonight and we'll have our little hearing, okay?"> "Yes, ma'am!""I'll explain it to him, so there's no more misunderstandings."> True to her word, she approached the poor nomad."[Are you hurt?]"> Yasin gave her a wide-eyed look, then shook his head, but it was a feebly and shaky attempt. "[No!]""[Don't lie. Listen, you *don't* start fights in my town, understand? Understand?!]"> She waited for his barest hint of a nod before going on:"[Second, if you don't like the price, you *haggle*! With words!]"> "[Don't know the words,]" Yasin muttered."[LEARN THEM!]" she roared, which made the man fall back on his rump with a startled gasp. "[Either learn the language, or ask someone in the camp to translate for you! If I so much as hear you've been rude to one of my ponies, I'll talk to Salki and you won't be allowed to leave the camp, understand?]"> Another nod, but this time it was more heartfelt in the face of her incandescent rage."[Good. Now, those ponies will take you to a place where other ponies will examine you. You will do exactly what they tell you. They have to make sure you aren't injured, which you are. I can see it. You can die from this kick, understand?]"> It almost didn't seem possible, but Yasin grew paler, and put his other hand on his belly too."[Once the ponies have done what they need to do, those ponies in gold metal will take you somewhere to cool off. You will go with them and do exactly what they tell you.]"> That last wasn't a question, but Yasin still said: "[Yes, Thistle.]""[In the evening you'll explain what happened here to the Princess, and she'll decide your punishment. Understand all that?!]"> "[Yes, Thistle.]"> She didn't bother with a goodbye and instead glared at Cranky."Take the donkey, but I expect you to bring it back to the nomad camp in the morning."> "But mayor-""In the morning!" she said sternly.> The jack grumbled to himself for a few moments, but he wilted under her intense stare and groaned. "All right! In the morning!" He continued to mutter as he took the rope in his mouth again and began leading the confused beast away.
>>43274340> She went to the guard. "All yours," she said. Then she faced the small crowd, which was still watching the spectacle. She fervently hoped no one understood nomad, but knew it was a slim chance. Ponies were interested in the newcomers and some, especially the merchants, have eagerly jumped at the chance to learn the new language. Her discussion with Yasin would be all over the town before she could return to her office."Sorry about the little disturbance we've had here!" she addressed the crowd. "It was a misunderstanding, and we'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Please, return to what you were doing. There's nothing more to see here."> She was about to leave herself, when she noticed the hat. It was stomped and squished, but one of those sturdy, Apple designs. She picked it up in a hoof and pushed her other hoof inside to un-flatten it. It popped right back into shape, and she hobbled on three legs to take it back to Bushel."Here," she told the stallion. "Sorry about the inconvenience."> He didn't look too happy to be flanked by two of the pegasi guards, but he inclined his head in respect and gratitude for the hat. He didn't say a word as they led him away, in the opposite direction than Yasin.> Gradually, the background noise in the marketplace returned, but the ponies were watching their mayor with new, wary respect. She caught more than one of her citizens in hushed conversation, eyes darting her way.> She didn't like their intense scrutiny and all the gossip that was obviously starting up right around her. Rangi, who had been standing quietly to one side, looked eager to leave. He was stepping from foot to foot, and his hands were clutched together so hard his knuckles were white."[Let's go.]"> He was only too eager to follow her back to the Town Hall. They were joined by Tadwell, who'd wisely kept out of the way through the incident. Now he fell in step with Thistle and watched her with worried, appraising eyes. "This will spark off more rumors, Mayor.""I know."> "The ponies are concerned about you. They said you changed while you were away.""I know."> "Well, at least now they believe it really has been two years for you. You look so different.""I know!"> "Sorry. I'll get Miss Drizzle to prepare a statement for the press. I'll have it on your desk before the end of the day.""Thank you."> The rest of their walk passed in silence as Thistle replayed the incident in her mind. Relationship between the nomads and the ponies was tense, but she'd always thought they were getting along, and getting to know one another.> If fights could break out so easily, things could turn very nasty, very quickly. Most nomads carried knives, and it had been sheer luck Yasin hadn't pulled his.
>>43274342> Her hoofstep faltered when she remembered that he still had his weapon. Was he hurt and cowed enough not to do something stupid?"Crap! We need to hurry."> The nomad was probably safe until he got seen to in the hospital, but better not risk it."I have to write a letter as soon as we're back."> She turned to Rangi, who had sped up to keep pace with her rapid canter, and didn't ask why."[I will give you a paper to carry. You will go the way they have taken Yasin. There is a big white house with windows higher up than you can reach. You will give this letter to the pony inside the big front door. Understand? If you can't find it, then you will give the letter to one of the guards in shiny yellow metal.]"> Rangi didn't ask why. He really was a good and obedient nomad. "[Yes, Thistle.]"> Luckily it wasn't far to the Town Hall.
>>43274343There we go, accumulated updates over the past few weeks. Life continues, but not as normal. Will Thistle ever really fit back in? Will her citizens look at her differently after such episodes? I guess we'll find out!Paste: https://ponepaste.org/11514
Slave thread you say?
hoppin dih dih dih
>>43275253Why do ponies in this kind of art purr instead of nicker?
>>43275772
>>43274346I stumbled on Thistles story on Friday and have done nothing but consume it until this very moment where I am now caught up and awaiting the next caravan of green to arriveThank you for consuming my weekend
>>43278779
>>43279344I want mooncakes!
https://tantabus.ai/images/81073
>>43228940>>43279344Does anyone have fics about slave Celestia and/or Luna?
>>43280104There are a couple, but I like Off Duty the most.https://ponepaste.org/445https://ponepaste.org/446https://ponepaste.org/447https://ponepaste.org/448
pampered!
>>43280297It looks interesting, but is it BDSM stuff?
>>43280425No
>>43281266Nice.
>>43274343> It didn't get any easier. Thistle kept thinking about Yasin and his volatile temper. One of the guards would push him the wrong way and the man would start another fight.> To make matters worse, Rangi wasn't back yet, so she couldn't even be sure her hasty letter had been delivered. Even if it had, what if the guards tried to take his knife off Yasin and he misunderstood?> So much could go wrong!> Two ponies shuffled into her office with hardly any warning. She barely had time to look up at the knock, already starting a sigh of relief that Rangi had returned, when she saw it wasn't him at all. The aide, Tadwell, gave her an apologetic wave from the reception desk.> The mare was a faded yellow with a faded ping and gray mane, a pony with whom she'd had so little interaction that it took genuine effort to recall the name. The stallion was completely unknown to her, tan and with a matching hat. There was something vaguely familiar about him, but she was sure she'd never met him before.> He looked like a musical pony, what with that banjo, but he wasn't one of her citizens. Maybe some kind of a minor celebrity?> It was best, then, to address the mare she knew first."Rosetta? Um- this isn't really the best-"> "I demand you do something, Mayor!"> The nasal voice, so used to complaining, was like a rasp across her already taut nerves. Thistle physically winced at the naggy energy. Self-absorbed, that was it. The mare didn't even see how her companion was giving her the stink eye."About what?"> Her hoof shot out to point straight at her companion. "Him!" she said in a low growl which sounded like some ancient curse.> Even before she could explain what the problem was, the stallion took his hat off and pressed it to his chest. "Mighty sorry, ma'am. We should'na come to bother ye with this."> "Shut up!" the mare exclaimed without even looking at him. "Won't you be quiet even now? Can't you shut up for one bucking minute?!"> Thistle's eyes had grown about as large as they would go, and she'd retreated back into her chair from the venomous anger in her voice. She had to physically make herself lean forward, and remind herself that this was *her* office, and *her* Town Hall!> Her blood began to instantly boil.> "I demand that you-" the mare began again, in the same tone as before, except this time she was interrupted by a loud bang of Thistle's hoof against the tabletop.> She glanced at the spot, half-worried she'd left an imprint in the veneer. The desk was solid, though, and she couldn't see any damage. It had served to create a momentary bubble of silence in the office."Demand?" Thistle asked. "You barge into my office and *demand*?!"> "Well...""Tell me why you're here."
>>43283405> This gave the mare a bit of her courage back, but she managed to restrain herself from pointing an accusatory hoof again. She even moderated her tone a little. "Mayor, I- *request* that you do something about him and his loudmouth family!"> At that plea, worded only slightly more politely than before, the stallion took a breath to argue, but Thistle shot him a glare and said:"I will get to you!"> His teeth clicked audibly together."Continue."> The mare was a little less sure and her ears twitched a few times. She was consciously trying to keep them up. "Well, it's like this, Mayor. I live in the River Row, you see. Two houses down from the bridge.""I know where you live!"> Undeterred, Rosetta continued: "Ever since Mr. Adante moved to Rainbow Falls last year - he's my neighbor, you see. Or was, rather. Well, he moved and he's renting out his house, which happens to be next to mine."> Thistle hated just how much active concentration it took to follow the disjointed story. She wanted to be done with the conversation. She wanted to go out and look for Rangi. Has anything happened to him?> For that matter, she wanted to go to Ponyville Hospital and make sure Yasin was alright!> Alas, it was not to be. Instead, she was listening to Rosetta get to the slowest point in the history of Equestria. The only way it could be slower was if the blasted mare was interrupted, so Thistle held her mouth through dint of great effort.> "Well, the previous family, they had a colt and a filly. They were really nice. I mean, sure the children shouted or laughed sometimes, but I could always go to Mr. Goldengrape and we could sort it out, you know?"> Rosetta looked nervous and Thistle realized her muzzle had scrunched up. She smoothed it and closed her eyes for a moment."Please, continue."> "Well, the family moved out. They wanted to be closer to school when their youngest started attending. After that, *he* moved in!" She cast a quick glare at the stallion, whose name Thistle still didn't know.> She wanted to ask, but Rosette was rushing now to get through her story: "It's always a party! That blasted banjo, and the guitar, and the fiddle! Every day there's strange ponies in the apartment and they're talking loudly, and yelling, and Celestia knows what! Sometimes until nearly midnight!"> Finally the poor put-upon stallion managed to get a word in edgewise: "Ya can't fault a pony fer bein' close to 'is family!"> "Close?!" Rosette spat. "Visiting a few times a month is close! Having tea and biscuits on the weekend is close! I don't know what you Apples do, but it's not normal! I can't even hear myself think half the time!"> Apple?! The second one in the same day? Thistle nearly groaned."What's your name?"> "Prairie Tune, ma'am."
>>43283406"And what are you doing in Ponyville? Come to gawk at the strangers?"> "No, ma'am," he replied stolidly. The calm tone and the stead gaze made her believe him, even without accounting for that legendary Apple honesty. "Came to help my cousin Applejack with the harvest this year. Took a room in Ponyville so's- well, so's I'm not a bother."> She revised her opinion. He wasn't telling her something. Something fishy was happening there, and she focused her best mayoral stare on the hapless pony."You expect me to believe that Applejack wouldn't put up her own family on the farm? Are you sure you're an Apple? Have you even *met* an Apple?"> He was getting flushed which, unfortunately for him, was extremely noticeable on his tan-colored face. "Well...""Out with it."> "If you must know, Mayor, me an' ma special gal wanted a lil' bit of privacy, y'see. We've barely been married a couple-a-months. If'n we took up cousin Applejack on her offer, we'd hardly have any time fer ourselves."> "If you want privacy, then why do you constantly have ponies over?!" Rosette all but shouted in exasperation.> Prairie Tune gave her a level look. "I said we wanted privacy, not that we were loners. Us Apples are a congenial bunch. It's just that me an' the missus would like the house to ourselves when the visitin's done."> Fresh marriage. It would make a kind of sense. The Apples were big on tradition and Thistle didn't doubt that the newlyweds only really discovered the fun they could have together after the wedding. It'd still be pretty fresh. They'd value every opportunity they could do it.> For that matter, she wouldn't at all be surprised if Mrs. Prairie Tune inexplicably felt nauseated on mornings recently.> They probably did it every night after their family visits went away.> The mere thought sent blood up to Thistle's face and she felt the warm tingle of expectation in her belly. After she'd sorted out Yasin, she'd take Rangi home for an early night.> At the moment, though, she had to resolve the little dispute."What do you want me to do about this?"> Rosetta took courage from what sounded like an invitation and drew herself up to her full height. "I demand you kick Mr. Tune out of that house! We've had enough late night parties! Other neighbors agree with me, they're just too polite to say anything!"> "Now wait just a darn minute here!" Prairie Tune immediately countered. "We paid rent, fair 'n' square! Nopony is kicking us out!"> "The Mayor can!"> "Look 'ere! Just 'cause we get a couple of ponies over every now and-"> "More like *every night*!"> "An' just 'cause we like to sing a song or two-"> "Croon that farm music until midnight each night!"> "Hey! Will ya let me finish!"> "I tried being nice! I asked politely, but you didn't listen!"
>>43283407"Shut up, the both of you!"> "When did you ask? I don't remember meetin' ya' until you dragged me 'ere today!"> "I spoke with your wife just the other day!"> *BANG*> Once again Thistle's hoof nearly made an indentation on the table. At least the ponies fell silent and looked at her in shock."Mrs. Rosette, if you'll let me handle this?"> The mare swallowed and gave a barely perceptible nod."Mr. Tune. I understand Apples. This town only exists because of the Apple family and their orchard. You're welcome to stay in Ponyville if you're helping with the harvest-"> He was already starting to grin triumphantly, and Rosetta had her mouth open to argue, so Thistle tapped her hoof on the table once more to keep their attention."*HOWEVER*," she said a little more forcefully, "there are laws about noise and disturbance! Mr. Tune, you can have visitors, but you're only allowed to play music until eleven at night, on weekends only. Understand?"> "Mrs. Mayor, with all due-""ELEVEN! WEEKENDS! UNDERSTAND?!"> She'd raised her voice despite her best effort not to. It was getting her nerves just how much Rosetta was gloating. She had to nip that in the bud."As for you, Mrs. Rosetta. I expect you to be neighborly. Maybe you discussed this with Mr. Tune's wife, maybe you didn't. Next time you have a grievance, you will talk with *both* of them. You *will* find a neighborly solution."> The mare didn't look convinced, so Thistle allowed her muzzle to scrunch up and she pointed a hoof at her. Both ponies stared in shocked amazement at the bulging muscle in her limb."Both of you! Understand?!"> Prairie Tune was pressing his hat against his barrel so hard he was mangling it. "Yessir, ma'am Mayor!" He almost saluted. "We'll work it out, don't y'all worry."> Thistle flicked her gaze at the mare, who flinched as if she'd cracked a whip. "Yes, Mayor.""Good. Now remember, Mr. Tune. Until eleven. If I hear about any music played after eleven, or on a work day, I *will* contact Adante and have him break your lease. You can live on the Apple farm and have your parties, or you can live in the town and have your privacy with your wife."> "Yes, ma'am. It ain't gonna be a problem. I swear.""What is it with you Apples today? I was just in the market where Mr. Bushel was fighting with one of the nomads."> "Bushel is also here to help with the harvest.""I figured that much. Any more of you?"> Prairie Tune shook his head, but then paused. "Well, I expect Braeburn will come for the last two weeks of summer, seein' as it's a very plentiful harvest this year. And there's the occasional Apple travelling through, who stops by for a drink and a bite to eat."> "Every day!" Rosetta snarked.> "That's hardly fair," Tune protested. "Every two or three days, at the most!"
>>43283410> It looked as if the two would start arguing all over again, so Thistle let out a small, barely audible growl.> The unexpected little noise immediately stilled the atmosphere in her office. The two petitioners glanced at one another and decided they wanted to be elsewhere.> "Actually, I should go and take my laundry down. It might rain later today," Rosetta said.> "Y-Yeah," Prairie Tune agreed. "An' I should get home. The missus must be worryin' about me by now.""Remember, sort it out between yourselves. If I have to get involved again..."> She didn't finish the threat, aware that there wasn't much she could do. In the nomad world, she would have had options, but in the civilized land of Equestria her hooves were pretty much tied, unless the two actually got into a fight.> The unspoken promise, backed by another look at her lean, muscular frame, were enough though. Each of them populated the silence with the most dire punishment, as evident by their flattened ears and pinprick eyes."Now get out of my office!"> There was a clatter of hooves as they fled. She sank back into her chair with a long sigh.> Where was that little idiot Rangi? Surely he hadn't gotten lost on his way to the Hospital?!"Tadwell! No more appointments!"> She heard his muffled agreement through the closed door.
>>43283414It must be all the paperwork making Thistle short-tempered, right? That's a known effect of bureaucracy!Paste: https://ponepaste.org/11514
>>43278034Wow, that's extremely flattering! Thank ya kindly for saying so, Anon!Looking back at it, it's gotten a lot longer than I anticipated (I still have a clear goal of where it's going, but man am I bad at taking the straight road), and there's a number of little problems I notice when I look through the old text. I bet you've spotted a few of the plot holes. Hard to fix when it's being posted live.There's a good chance I will (after I let it rest for a while), go and edit out these problems, organize it into proper chapters, overall polish the style and pacing, and drop it on something like FiMfiction. I've done it with a few other greens when I had the time.Regardless, I'm relatively happy with how it's turned out overall, but if I started it again, I'd make sure to have a better plan and do fewer detours to keep the pacing a little tighter.Glad it was a fun read for you, though!
oh no
oops
>>43287327 Love the little chest fluff
>>43288329shes poofing her floof to establish dominance(its not working)
>>43228940Bump from the brink
Up
>>43231594Very adorable!
>>43263473It's always funny when the most despicable art is drawn the most poorly.
>>43256989Foolish continuity. There would be no lack of people wanting to keep intelligent pony friends, also a myriad of animal/human rights organizations would rightfully demand they be given at least partial civil rights>Ponies eventually find themselves integrated with humans, interspecies relationships are shunned at first, but normalized overtime as both parties are willing and able to give proper consent.
Ponies love uppies.This is a FACT
>>43283414>They weren't having a lot of luckWould be funny if one of them tried to fuck Matilda.>at least every other dayMeanwhile Rainy Day is soon no more.>would inevitably be forced to give upForced? I think "admit defeat" would fit better.>little more slowly, and a lot louderKek.>thestral from Luna's personal guard kept visitingSomeone seems to be pounding pony pussy. I wonder how the other nomads think of this.>glint of Lunar Guard armorWhy is she wearing it?>until everything was quiet, then slipped into Hisein's tentSo not many knows.>could use to make Hisein squirm a littleTake advantage of it until it's too late.>could take Rangi on a tripI don't fully understand how Thistle views Rangi. Seems like more than an outlet for her needs, but not as a mate. Rangi is just happy to be dragged along, nothing more.>when I'm done with HiseinThis sounds threatening!>fell asleep in the campAt least that means she trusts them.>After all, she was giving him aThree holes to fuck.>That shut him up.That's a first.>I don't have anything you want!Let me guess. She wants to free the two slaves.>I don't want anythingOh well.>animal-fuckerSo he is fucking her.>There was nothing to do.There was a mare to do!>What's it to you?Gossip. Instead of freeing the two slaves...>we'll need to talk about them being your slavesAnd she just thrown away her rare opportunity moments ago.>than serving Hisein's every needThere is a mare for that now.>brush her teethAnd a visit to the dentist is in order too.>little claw at the tip of her wingBuilt in knife!>she quickly liedDid she?>I haven't! I'm not!Habits? No. But she did do a lot of things a normal pony would not even thing of.>*Hire*Heh. She corrected her pretty quick.>as your personal slaveShe would definitely like that. But without the title, but otherwise it's the same setup.>I'm working on that tooGreat!Cont.
>>43291533>Would Neoma and Hisein be up for it?What is wrong with her?>her muzzle a shade of pinkShe gets worked up really fast. Also she seems to bend both ways.>lot of force into her call I wonder if she has that authoritative voice which makes your hear stop for a moment.>What? I have it in hoof.The nomads have to obey the rules too. She can't swipe it under the rug.>We'll confine these twoWithout hearing any side if the story? Either could be a victim of the other. Why would they throw the victim in jail? Ponies are not british!>Cranky dragged one of the nomad donkeysHe is persistent for sure. Comes from being a donkey.> "I demand you release this creature into my careHe should trade something for it instead od demanding.>I wanted to pay oneInto the jail with this one for a week!>What am I supposed to do here?Nothing? What is there to be done?> The donkey came with the nomad.Ah so he Cranky did not jus drag this one to the market.>Shut up!She sure changed. She would have never acted like this a year prior.>The pool stallion flinched at her wordWhere were this authoritative mare before?>You can die from this kick, understand?She demonstrated this a while back.>Yes, Thistle.She can give orders!>In the morning!Finally acting like a leader!>you changedSo you are saying, she was even more of a pushover before?>not to do something stupidThe guards taking him away would be really dumb not to disarm him. They must know that the nomads carry weapons.>He really was a good and obedient nomad.Otherwise he won't get tail!>I demand you do somethingNot even addressing her, immediately starting with the demand. Something is surely not as she used to.>Can't you shut up for one bucking minute?!Oh wow, in front of the mayor?>Tell me why you're here.Odd way of taking control of the situation. I would have told them to fuck off, come back tomorrow and start over politely.>Something fishy was happening thereHe rejected her. Or something.>Applejack wouldn't put up her own family on the farm?Maybe if he is this noisy then no.>They'd value every opportunity they could do it.Yet they seem to host a party every day.>looked at her in shockThey are still in the room. They sure don't act like they respect their mayor.>You *will* find a neighborly solution.Since both of them came to this hearing, I think they tried.>Yessir, ma'am Mayor!Heh.>Now get out of my office!Heh.Thanks for the update!
>>43291245Shoo! You get away from those oats!
Bootleg/hassenfeld brothers ponies are cheap.
>>43290049L41
>>43294068Yes
Updated on ponepaste, can't post here because the dynamic IP I happen to have right now is perma banned. I'll check if it has rotated tomorrow or the weekend and try again.I guess people from my area like to badmouth US politics, or at least that's what the ban message says. Luckily my phone carrier has a different IP block, but I don't really want to fiddle-post the update through my phone ...
>>43296314Forget it.
>>43295734You can ask others to post it. Nobody is going to do it without asking because it is your credit so to speak.
>>43283414> It had taken some doing, but Thistle finally got Strawberry Sunrise out for tea and cupcakes. It was at the same time a casual meeting and a momentous occasion. She hadn't done it in *years*, at least subjectively.> From Strawberry's perspective, it had been last week.> Maybe that dissonance was why her heart was hammering so when she made her way to the table on the street outside of Sugarcube Corner. Her friend was already sitting.> Both their ears folded back when their eyes met, and for a moment Thistle didn't know what to do.> It was just a casual meeting to catch up on some gossip! She had to repeat that quietly to herself before she could take another step.> She worked up a grin and slid into the chair opposite her friend.> Just a couple of mares out for a drink and a chat! Rangi was home, leafing through a picture book she'd borrowed from Cheerilee. He had strict instructions to stay inside until she was back, and he knew where to get food and water if he was hungry or thirsty.> The other nomads had returned to their camp, and the market had wound down. The day had gone by with no incident and, more importantly, no fine she'd have to pay out of her own pocket.> She still thought Twilight had been unfair! Yasin had already been punished enough by that kick which had cracked his rib!> "Um, is something wrong, Mayor?"> Strawberry's voice brought her to the present. Thistle leaned back in the chair and shook her head."Nothing, nothing. Just a lot of things to do. You know, the mayor's office."> "It's just that you looked like you'd eaten an apple.""I like apples."> The blunt statement, delivered in complete deadpan seriousness got the other mare to titter in amusement. "I meant," she said, "like the face *I* would make if I ate an apple.""It was nothing. Anyway, what are you getting?"> The chair cushions had been sitting in the afternoon sun for hours and had absorbed a pleasant amount of warmth which now seeped into Thistle's back. She closed her eyes and turned her face toward the radiant heat in the sky.> In a minute it would make her sweat, but right at the moment it felt nice.> There was a rustle of papers as Strawberry examined the menu. Thistle flicked her ears to catch the little noises, but didn't open her eyes just yet.> "I think... mmm," the other mare began, a little whine of indecision entering her voice, "maybe ice cream? It's been so hot this summer!""Good idea. I'll have the same. It'll go nice with some mint tea."> "Iced tea for me."> Thistle didn't respond to that and silence stretched for long seconds. When she finally looked, her friend was observing her closely.> "Um," Strawberry began when she saw her looking, "I hope it's not a rude question, but you've changed, Mayor."
>>43298317"Hmm? How? And that's not really a question."> "I dunno. You're different. It's almost-""Almost what?"> Strawberry averted her eyes and hid her mouth behind the menu. "It's nothing. Forget I said anything.""Come on, you can tell me. We're still friends, aren't we?"> "I guess." The words came out after an alarming delay and Thistle sat up straighter.> Surely Strawberry wasn't reconsidering their relationship?> "It's like you're a different pony sometimes, Mayor. Like the other day in the market. Maybe you didn't see, but ponies were scared of you when you yelled. It sounded harsh. What did you say to that nomad?""Scared?! I'm not scary! I'm just me!"> Even as she said it, Thistle realized she'd leaned forward and her friend had pulled away. She was watching her with wide, unblinking eyes and slightly parted wings, as if she was close to taking off."Sorry," she said as calmly as she could and relaxed back into the chair. "I had to yell - the nomads don't always respond to nice words. I didn't mean to scare anypony."> "Well, I'm not sure you can help it. I mean-" Strawberry indicated Thistle with a foreleg."What?"> "Look at yourself, Mayor! You're like one of those athletes, or maybe a farmhand. You look strong!""Oh. Thank you!"> Strawberry Sunrise leaned her head to one side. "It wasn't really a compliment. Mayor- the way you walk, and how you stand. It makes me think of a griffin. I guess it's just a shock."> With every word Thistle's ears had been creeping lower. She was staring in shock at her friend and only realized they had company when Strawberry glanced at the waiter. "Iced mint tea and a scoop of strawberry ice cream for me, please.""Oh. Sorry. Yeah, just mint tea for me. Not iced."> "Will that be all?" the waiter asked. He was a unicorn, but not one Thistle recognized. Perhaps an out-of-towner, working to pay for his room while he gawked at the strangers?"Actually, can you get me a cupcake too? Any flavor you have."> The pony repeated their orders to them, then left. It took Thistle a moment to remember her unwelcome surprise."Are you afraid of me, Strawberry?"> Her friend didn't quite meet her gaze."You don't have to be afraid of me! I'm still the same pony!"> "Are you, though?" Strawberry blurted out. "I heard how you had Bushel thrown in jail just for defending himself against that nomad.""What?! I didn't have him thrown in jail!" Thistle said indignantly with a small snort. "The royal guards wanted to ask him some questions, nothing more. It wasn't my idea!"> "Think of what it looked like. There was a scuffle, you came and yelled, and then the guards took both the nomad and the pony away.""Well, it wasn't like that! Who's spreading these rumors?"
>>43298321> Strawberry Sunrise didn't answer that. Her eyes lingered on Thistle for a bit, then she said: "I also heard how you threatened Rosetta."> Her mouth was hanging open at the unwelcome news and Thistle had to concentrate to close it. The incident with Yasin was in a public place, so some rumor was to be expected, if not quite as strange as she'd just learned.> The thing with Rosetta and Prairie Tune had happened in her office! Surely she didn't have someone in the Town Hall who was leaking information? Ponies loved gossip, but surely even they would respect private meetings? For that matter, who could have been eavesdropping anyway?!> Unless Rosetta had spread the rumors herself!> "Um. Mayor?!" Sunrise almost squeaked."What?!"> Only when she focused did Thistle see how the other mare was stiff with fright, eyes wide and wings open."What?" she asked, in a gentler voice.> "Y-You were growling! At me!""No! No, not at you! Just annoyed. The thing with Rosetta was a *private* meeting, and I didn't threaten her!"> Strawberry didn't argue, but her gaze slid down to the table and she didn't relax back into her chair. Thistle took a deep breath and tried to calm the air."I'm sorry. I didn't mean to let my temper get the best of me. It's just- I've had to deal with a lot in the other world, okay? Now I finally made it home, and have to deal with more!"> "Maybe it's not just the temper, Mayor," Strawberry murmured."What do you mean?"> The other mare took a deep breath and let it out. "We're flitting around the cloud, Mayor. I'll just come out and say it, okay? Promise you won't get upset?""Okay. I promise."> "You look different, and you act different. You walk different. Like- like a carnivore! You speak in their language as if you'd known it since birth, and you yell at the nomads and wrestle them down with your bare hooves!"> Thistle was quiet, but she kept her eyes on Strawberry Sunrise.> "I'm sorry, but you're not the same pony you were three weeks ago! It's really jarring! I'm not the only one who thinks so!""Is that why everypony has been avoiding me? I have to take coffee alone when I get to the Town Hall in the morning! None of the clerks would join me!"> "I dunno. Maybe?""Was that why I had to ask three times to get you to agree to this?"> No answer seemed to be forthcoming and neither did Strawberry meet her gaze. She was apparently engrossed in the menu once more. At least she no longer looked like she was on the verge of flight."I see."> For a moment she wanted to stand up and leave. If these ponies abandoned their years of friendship with her so quickly, for such superficial reasons - because she had some muscles?! For Celestia's sake!
>>43298322> "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Strawberry squeaked. "I didn't mean to upset you! We can still be friends!"> To her own dismay and horror, Thistle realized that her muzzle had scrunched up and she was on the edge of baring her teeth at her friend.> She quickly shut her eyes and focused on her breathing. Was she really this quick to anger? And for what?! Strawberry hadn't said anything mean, and Thistle *had* asked."Look," she began and reached out a hoof across the table. "It's been hard. I told you. I was the only pony in that land and I had to do some awful things to survive. I won't pretend I didn't."> Strawberry was watching her in some kind of fascinated horror. "What kinds of things?" she whispered.> Thistle ignored the question and left her hoof on the table."It's not a nice world. There is fighting, and the people have nothing. They have to work every day to survive. Work, and hunt. There are enemies everywhere. You either have to be tough, or you die."> "O-Oh."> Strawberry looked down at Thistle's hoof, offered in friendship, then quickly snapped her eyes back up, trying very hard to pretend she hadn't seen. Her own forelegs were drawn in, close to her body and as far away from this strange mare sitting across the table as possible."I'm not proud of some of the things I had to do, but I'm proud that I made it through. *I* led the people back here! I found a way home even when their shaman said it wasn't possible! I can be proud of that! Because of what I did, the nomads can have a better life!"> "Maybe," Strawberry said, "but did you ever think they don't belong here?""What?!"> "Mayor, think about it! All the fights in the market, the way they treat donkeys. They eat meat! We see them sometimes! They always carry weapons! Even their language is ugly and guttural! Maybe they would have been better off in their own world?"> Thistle recoiled back. She'd never imagined her people would be anything less than welcoming, would feel anything less than compassion for these strangers from a hard life."What are you saying?"> "I'm not the only one," Strawberry said. "There are some of us. We think, m-maybe, it'd be best for the nomads to go back home.""The Princesses said they can stay!"> "Well, yeah, but it doesn't look like they like it here.""They will die if they go back home. They don't have any land, and there are enemies all around!"> Strawberry put a hoof on the table and half-rose from her chair. "That's just it, Mayor! You keep saying how dangerous it is, how many enemies they have. I have to ask: *why* do they have so many enemies?!"> The question came out of left field and left Thistle with her mouth open in shock once more.
>>43298323> "Exactly!" the other mare went on. "I bet they only have enemies because they *make* enemies! They're so... so *war-like*!""It's not like that at all!"> Her voice was fierce, but her heart wasn't in it. Thistle remembered how that first conflict with the Ruslans started. Hunting rights. Rather than meet and discuss them, the Borchi-Quin attacked whom they saw as interlopers. Ruslans responded in kind.> Even after the raids on one another not a single nomad had suggested trying to establish a treaty. Then, when Thistle had given them new weapons, the war had only escalated. Then there was the war with the Ulan-Zuk. That also started because her own nomads started it. A hare-brained scheme to get rid of Adilet because the terms of their agreement were onerous.> Not to mention that they went West on an expedition and ended up fighting with *those* people too!> Was Strawberry right? Were her own people to blame for the troubles which befell them?> "Mayor-"> The voice brought her back to the present and Thistle blinked a few times.> "Mayor, I know you understand. The nomads have had a chance to relax. We'll give them supplies and tools - maybe even bits - and send them back. They'll be better off than when they came here.""And then what? Condemn their children to a life in their harsh, unforgiving world?"> "It's where they belong!""What about me then? You say I've changed, should I go with them?!"> Strawberry Sunrise shook her head even before the question had fully left Thistle's mouth. "Of course not, Mayor. You're a pony. You belong here. Maybe- well.""What?"> "It doesn't matter. You're a pony. You belong in Equestria.""What were you about to say?"> Something told Thistle that it was bad, if Strawberry refused to acknowledge it. Maybe it would have saved what was left of their friendship if she pretended she hadn't heard anything and moved on. Like a painful tooth, however, she couldn't leave it alone."Tell me!"> It came out louder than she'd intended, and this time she couldn't wipe the angry scrunch from her muzzle, nor could she unpin her ears.> "Some ponies - not me, but a few of us...""Well?!"> Some ponies say maybe you should see a psychiatrist. Maybe go to one of those places up in Canterlot..."> There it was.> Just because she'd been through some hardship. Just because she knew the nomad language, and could deal with them on their level, they thought she was crazy."You'd put me into a mental hospital? You think I'm sick or something."> "Mayor, you have to admit you're not behaving like yourself!"> The waiter was on the way with their drinks and their food, but Thistle wasn't hungry or thirsty anymore. She fumbled in her saddlebag on the ground with a shaky hoof and plopped a few bits down on the table.
>>43298324"Thank you for meeting me here," she managed, calmly and politely.> She got to her hooves and paused before walking away. She tried to meet Strawberry Sunrise's eyes.> The other mare kept her gaze stubbornly turned away.> When Thistle glanced around, she saw the other ponies at neighboring tables were all watching them, silently. Eyes were wide with fear, forelegs drawn close, ears splayed.> Their conversation forgotten as they looked at the stranger among them.> Strawberry didn't call her back, so Thistle picked up her bag and left. Her hoofsteps echoed from the surrounding buildings in the absolute silence.> She shouldn't have spoken so loudly. She should have kept her temper. She should have explained. The ponies would have seen things from her perspective.> She didn't want to do any of those things. If they thought she was such a monster, they could at least have the grace to tell her directly! She wouldn't beg for their understanding, or their pity!
>>43298326There we go, new day, new IP. Sorry about the delay.Paste: https://ponepaste.org/11514
>>43298326>strict instructions to stay insideAt least he is an obedient one.>you looked like you'd eaten an appleHeh. Not everyone hates apples Strawberry!>but right at the moment it felt niceShe is in desperate need of a vacation where she has not to worry about anything.>but you've changedPonies slowly starting to realize she aged/spent 2 years on the other side of the portal.>I'm not scary!Tell that to the Ruslans.>nomads don't always respond to nice wordsThey most of the time don't even know the difference. The method of delivery matters more.>athletes, or maybe a farmhandI'm leaning towards the second. But she is not that ripped, she did not spent her every waking moment doing exhausting physical work. Sure she lost her pudgy pony look.>It wasn't really a compliment.Heh.>Any flavor you have.Time to start getting fat again!>Think of what it looked like.Odd.>how you threatened RosettaIf that was a threat, then pony society is really really really soft.>let my temper get the best of meShe did not have these small outbursts in nomadland. Or at least was not this noticeable by others.>Promise you won't get upset?I wonder if it's going to be something ridiculously simple thing which does not explain the why.>You look...Yep. It's just basic observation.>None of the clerks would join me!This way they just amplify their own fear and also her behavior.>I see.Guilty as charged.>I didn't mean to upset you!At least she confirmed her already growing suspicion.>What kinds of things?This is a question better not be answered.>Because of what I did, the nomads can have a better life!If we don't count the many many ones she caused the death of.>ever think they don't belong hereIs that even a question? Obviously they don't. But only time will tell if they can.>What are you saying?The obvious from an outsider's perspective.>it doesn't look like they like it hereDid anypony asked them?>*why* do they have so many enemiesGood question actually. But the answer is simple: their culture.>It's not like that at all!Denial.>Then, whenShe is slowly starting to realize.>It's where they belong!She is only looking at it from one side. I would say with proper guidance they can change but from irl examples of integration I'm 110% sure they can't shed every aspect which makes them unfit for complete coexistence with the ponies .>should I go with themAttacking her is not the right defense.>Maybe- well.Oh she slipped. Now this is not an argument about the nomads, this is an argument between the two personally.>maybe you should see a psychiatristThen that psychiatrist will seek to see a psychiatrist.Cont.
>>43298512>mental hospitalThere is a big gap between a psychiatrist and a mental hospital...>with a shaky hoofSo long for a relaxing "couple of mares out for a drink and a chat".>Eyes were wide with fearSome louder words and all start shaking in fear?>She should have kept her temper.She should have.>The ponies would have seen things from her perspectiveNope. They have not a single comparable experience. Except Luna and the ponies who went there.>could at least have the grace to tell her directlyShe just did.>She wouldn't beg for their understanding, or their pityShe just demands it.Thanks for the update!
bumpin to read
>>43298326Mayor Mare the civil servant is gone, long live Thistle the warlord!
>>43299612Cute maid. Would fuck.
>>43300345So this is why we have less flowers than usual this year!
Bump
>>43298326Thank you, awesome writefag! Great update!
>>43302970>AIslopPick up a pen.
>>43302970Cute gen!Fuck pens.
Please don't fuck pens, it's very painful.
>>43302986Reminds me of the pen in penis image.
>>43302972someone has to, itd be asking a lot otherwise
>>43304880That's a pretty short chain.
>>43298326> The single sheet of paper made an audible bang as it slammed down on the desk, propelled by Twilight Sparkle's magic.> "Here's another one!" the Princess said, muzzle in a serious scrunch. "Dear Princess Sparkle. I regret to inform you that your subjects in Ponyville do not feel safe. I have spoken with many ponies and they all share my opinion."> She pushed the paper aside and pulled another from the bag around her neck. "Blah blah blah... Last night's outburst by our Mayor left me deeply unsettled. Blah blah, what do you intend to do about this?"> Thistle watched the letter float down while another came out.> "Here, listen to this one: They start fights and it's only because of pure luck that one of them hasn't yet harmed a pony with the weapons they carry around!"> With each word, Thistle shrank a little further into her seat. She'd tried to rally, but there was something primal in the pony mind which shriveled when it faced an angry alicorn. She spared a quick glance at Twilight's flattened ears and frowning glare before quickly retreating to the safety of staring at the stack of letters.> "They are all like this! Dozens of them!" The scrunch faded for a moment and she heaved a sigh. "What were you thinking? You got into a shouting match in the middle of the town! The nomads might have been fine on their own, but ponies see their Mayor behaving like one of the barbarians and they get worried!""S-Sorry!"> It wasn't the most original, but it was the best she could do.> "That's not going to cut it! What are we going to do about the nomads!""Princess, they're not dangerous. You know that!"> Twilight vehemently shook her head. "I know no such thing! They're mostly fine, and some of them are capable of kindness and empathy, but they're far from 'not dangerous'. You of all ponies should know that, or have you become one of them so completely?!"> There really wasn't anything Thistle could say to that. She knew Twilight was right, but she'd also been hoping that Equestria's friendly and calming influence would work its magic on Salki's people. It still could, she was convinced of it!> All they needed to do was get through one generation. The children she would send to the Ponyville School will learn from their young peers! In a few years the nomad society would be transformed!> After a short silence, Thistle swallowed a lump and asked:"What are you going to do, Princess?"> "About the nomads? I don't know," Twilight admitted and hung her head in defeat. "I haven't decided yet. I've sent a letter to Princess Luna.""W-Why L-Luna?!"
>>43306224> In her worried state all Thistle could think was 'battle Princess'. Surely Twilight wasn't planning on declaring war on the nomads and wiping them out?! She nearly jumped out of the seat as she straightened up.> "Relax!" Whether the Princess guessed what she was thinking, or whether she was only reacting to the panic on Thistle's face, she softened her tone a little: "Relax. I've only asked her for advice. She has more experience than anypony, except perhaps you, in how to deal with them. Unlike you, she hasn't gone native! I also asked her to send her night guard - the ones who had gone with her to the nomad world - to come and keep an eye on things."> It was good news, comparatively, and Thistle's muscles turned to water as she slumped back down."We can reform them, I know it Princess. I just need more time!"> "Maybe," Twilight said. She walked around the office, examining paintings and scanning the few shelves of books Thistle kept there. Politics, History, Etiquette. No fiction, of course. "Maybe you can change them. If so, you can't have distractions.""What are you saying?"> Twilight sparkle opened her wings, which made Thistle's throat dry up immediately. When talking one on one, that was never a good sign from an alicorn. She was standing with her back to the window, but luckily it faced away from the sun. Had the Princess been outlined in sunlight, Thistle might have fallen to her knees in worship.> Another deep pony instinct.> "I'm relieving you of your duties as Mayor- um, *Mayor*.""B-B-But-"> "It's final!" Twilight said emphatically. "It's clear to me that you're being pulled in too many directions. Living among them has changed you. I doubt you would have kept your position for long anyway, the way you've been acting in public.""That's not fair!"> For a few seconds there was no reply as Twilight folded her wings and walked forward. "Maybe it's not," she admitted more softly. "You've seen some pretty horrible things in that world. I spoke with Tashi. She didn't spare the details."> She closed her eyes and a rustle of feathers betrayed a shudder running down her body. "I almost couldn't believe about their... their *circle hunt*."> The thing Strawberry Sunrise had said came back to Thistle's mind and she almost growled."Are you going to tell me to get psychiatric help too?!"> "No. I'll strongly recommend you do it, but I won't order you, Mayor.""It's *Thistle*!"> Twilight leaned her head to one side. "Curious. You think of yourself as 'Thistle'? I thought it was just their name for you.""I picked it. I became it when I had to do those horrible things!"
>>43306225> "It proves my point, doesn't it?" Twilight pointed out. "You've changed. I'll ask Princess Celestia to organize a new vote. Ponyville will have a new Mayor. If you want to, you can run for the office again next term. As Thistle."> Her life felt like it was slipping away. For so long, all she had thought about had been coming back home and returning to her old routine. The boring, safe desk job. The commute which was no more than a few minutes of walking. Donut and coffee each morning. Dying her mane.> Now that she had it, Thistle had tried to immerse herself back in it, she truly had. She was nearly through the 'in' pile, and she was making policy decisions again! She was seeking out her old friends. He was grocery shopping!> Had it all been a lie? Was Twilight right and she'd changed too much to ever come back to her pony life?> "Regardless," Twilight said when it became obvious that Thistle wouldn't argue, "you will have time to rehabilitate the nomads. You can move back into the tents if you like, or you can stay in your home. You own it, anyway, so it's your decision. You'll work with the guards, and with Luna's night watch until I'm convinced the nomads are safe.""So you'll forbid them to come into Ponyville?"> "No, but there will be rules. No more than two at a time, and they will be escorted by guards.""They're not going to like that. Salki will complain."> Twilight nodded with a determined grin on her muzzle. "Good. Let him. He can come to my castle and we'll discuss policy. Let's see if these people can learn diplomacy."> Thistle opened her mouth to argue, but the Princess wasn't done yet.> "One more thing!" she said. "No weapons. If they come out of the camp, they leave their weapons behind. The guards will assure their safety. I will *personally* guarantee that they will be safe among ponies.""They won't believe that, not after what happened to Yasin."> "Yasin started his fight! Besides, he was patched up in Ponyville Medical! Maybe a bit of pain has taught him to behave next time. It's how they learn, isn't it?""What do you mean?"> Twilight shook her head sadly. "I've seen how nomads discipline their children. They hit them on the rump! I've seen a woman hit her child with a thin stick! I stopped her and showed her what it feels like! She won't be doing that again!"> It was wise not to point out the inherent hypocrisy of using a spanking to teach that spanking was wrong."So what am I supposed to do? How will I make a living?"> That one gave Twilight pause. She looked at the ceiling in deep thought, then shrugged to herself. "I can extend a small stipend if you help me with research. You can also look for a new job."
>>43306227"What kind of research?" Thistle asked, but she was already vehemently opposed to the idea and it was just morbid curiosity.> "Friendship. You can study how a violent and backward society can embrace the values of friendship. If you write your findings every night, and bring me your notes every week, I will pay you some bits.""And if I refuse?"> "Then you will need to find other work. I'm sorry, May- Thistle, I don't have easy answers. I will speak with Princess Celestia about this. Maybe we can arrange a little something in light of your service as Ponyville's Mayor.""I don't want handouts!"> "Come on, now you're just being obstinate," Twilight pointed out.> Thistle *really* wanted to stick her tongue out at the Princess, but she didn't want to give her the satisfaction of proving her right. She averted her gaze and tried to keep her muzzle from scrunching.> "I know this is a lot to take in, Ma- Thistle," Twilight said. "I'm sorry. You have until the evening to clear out your personal things from the office."> With that final, devastating statement, the Princess turned around and left. The door closed with a gentle click, and there was silence.> Thistle could almost feel the vacuum of her clerks and aides outside the door, listening. No doubt they'd heard most of it. Soon it would be all over town.> Disgraced.> Her gaze landed on the letters on her table, and on the 'in' tray with its remaining problems.> She growled and swept her hoof. The plastic tray broke into two pieces as it smashed on the floor.> She watched the papers flip and twist until they all settled on the floor of her office. Then she put her head on the desk, covered it with her hooves, and tried hard not to scream.
>>43306229A very short update today because I had a bad week. Like fifty billion meetings, which I don't have to tell you is an excessive number of meetings. Didn't have any energy left over to write, so here's what little I was able to do, just to keep the ball rolling.Was a fun (and slightly scary) update, though.Paste: https://ponepaste.org/11514
>>43306911Office pony and cat!
Not again...
>>43306229>slammed down on the desk, propelled by Twilight Sparkle's magicTwilight being angry is not a good sign.>with the weapons they carry aroundAt this point enough time has passed, they could start disarming them.>Thistle shrank a little further into her seatWell, it's her fault.>something primal in the pony mind which shriveled when it faced an angry alicornProbably the same feeling the other ponies felt when Thistle firmly dealt with the fight.>they're not dangerousTwilight can see through this lie.>have you become one of them so completelyNow that Twilight is starting to doubt the judgement of Thistle, she knows doing nothing (seeing how events unfold) is not an option.>friendly and calming influence would work its magic on Salki's peopleA faster solution is needed.>All they needed to do was get through one generation. The children she would send to the Ponyville SchoolNot going to work like that. Children learn a lot from their parents.>In a few years the nomad society would be transformed!She is still too hopeful. She had these ideas how things will work out, and none of them went the way she imagined.>battle PrincessSpeaking of her, how are the nighguards?>except perhaps youShe may have experience, but she can't apply it. When was the last time she visited Salki or Draga? She should be spending half her time in the camp.>to come and keep an eye on thingsAn actual good idea.>I just need more time!And she needs to actually start doing something.>If so, you can't have distractions.Either she means Rangi OR (more likely) stepping down from the role of being a mayor.>Thistle might have fallen to her knees in worshipHeh.>relieving you of your duties as MayorExpected. But she needs some kind of authority still.>That's not fair!Is it not? She wasn't a mayor for 2 years.Cont.
>>43309407>I almost couldn't believe about their... their *circle hunt*.Seems like Tashi left out some details after all. Like killing or skinning animals.>It's *Thistle*!Now that she is not a mayor any more, she can stop using her old name. Also this signals that she changed a lot, only tried to pretend she is still the old Mayor.>It proves my point, doesn't it?Yep.>As Thistle.Heh.>Her life felt like it was slipping away.She has a bad habbit of thinking everything will go the way she imagines it.>For so long, all she had thoughtI have not read this part (as usual) when I made my comment to the previous sentence. Seems like I was spot on.>He was grocery shopping!She.>you will have time to rehabilitate the nomadsAnd maybe she will do something, not just observing events.>until I'm convinced the nomads are safeThat will take her whole lifetime.>No more than two at a time, and they will be escorted by guardsWhy wasn't this the first thing they did? The "No more than two at a time" may be a bit too restrictive. Since Janus has a "job". But it will work for a while.>Let's see if these people can learn diplomacy.From the examples so far, they are pretty bad at it.>They won't believe thatThen let them be confined in the camp, and only allow the ones out which put down their weapons. Janus will be probably do it without question, and them seeing he coming and going hassle free will convince the others.>Yasin started his fight!They don't care about that. All they see is one of theirs missing.>It's how they learn, isn't it?Heh.>You can also look for a new job.But isn't the point of not being the mayor is to have more free time? Why not just reduce her load as a mayor?>study how a violent and backward society can embrace the values of friendshipNot really her expertise.>you're just being obstinateWell, she got dicked by a jack that one time..>You have until the eveningThat's an absurdly short time frame. Who will take the role until a new mayor is found?>'in' trayNot her problem anymore!>tried hard not to screamDid she succeed?Thanks for the update!
