Deep down inside, he isn't sure what he wants.

All his life, he always did what made others happy. He never thought about putting himself over the ones he loves - he couldn't bare the thought. Most of the time it was small conveniences like holding a door open, offering his duster to stave off the cold, or taking his horse out to pick something up from the nearby town. With the same fervor, he throws himself in the swing of the reaper's scythe to safeguard them. It never seems to find its mark, a dance of death that has yet to hit its climax.

Make others happy. Maybe that's his calling. If someone he cares for wants something, tangible or not, he'll sure try and get it for them. Emphasis on the word try. With his mentality, he seldom stops to think about what he wants, or how his actions affect those he keeps. Do as he will, he acknowledges a simple truth: one will never be able to make everyone happy, no matter how hard they try.

But this isn't one of those times. The only factor in this exchange is the other party, Autumn. He knows this is her desire, and for good reason. Who wouldn't want a family? A child of their own to cherish and love? A simple yet noble life goal.

Speaking of which, a life goal is something he has yet to attain. He thought it was going to be taking care of Viola and his homestead, but being sent to this land squashed that ideal. He has no sense of direction or plan, it's all faced as it comes. Maybe he can learn a thing or two from this girl and her goal, perhaps the mundane aspects of life are usually the greatest. Hell, maybe doing this was part of the grand scheme since the very start.

Or not, and he's just thoughtlessly riding the tides once more. It's too late to debate this with himself, even with the half-hour it took for him and Autumn to arrive at the proper mindset for this kind of thing. Over with awkward fumbling, he holds the compact girl by the hips and gazes down at her. She lays on the edge of the bed with her butt hanging off, coincidentally the height of the bed is perfect to match his hip area.

Autumn's shirt is still drooping over her innocence to have it yet exposed to him. Not that it'll be a surprise, he's seen what's underneath. The games they played and the activities they shared sometimes steered off in an uncanny direction, such as the bucket incident. That isn't to say he's not tempted to see it again, her exposed self. Out of many uncertainties, having a cardinal urge soothed is definitely not one of them.

Now that he thinks of it, he hasn't relieved himself once since coming to Equestria, but for a good reason. He fears what a certain being informed him of, relative to his seed and his gift. Transference. Given the circumstances, he thinks he knows a way to hopefully make this a safer capstone for the both of them, without worrying about a baby Arch Angel.

His attention is snapped from his idle thinking when the girl reaches to slowly lift her baggy shirt. She brings it up high enough to expose her crotch, belly, and underboobs. Her breasts he's never seen but they always appeared modest under the oversized cloth. The teasing angle shows that he misjudged their size.

His eyes trail down her sleek figure to her v-line, finally arriving at her glistening innocence. Just the sight of her body is revving him up. She's pent up too, it seems. Under the candle light, a conglomerate of heat from her lips begins to trickle down towards the underside of her ass. He feels blood rushing to the proper department - it's his turn to show himself.

Taking one hand off of her rear to latch the waistline of his pants, he pulls down and lets his length pop out. Autumn is startled. He furrows his brows at her reaction at first, then his clouded mind realizes something he should of caught onto earlier; this is going to be a very uncomfortable interaction for her. Propped against each other, they both clearly note that his dick is literally the length of her entire abdomen. This small girl suddenly feels smaller. Unsure whether she's indifferent to this fact or incapable of demonstrating the proper emotion, he gives her an unsure pursing of his lips.

She turns her head to rest the side of her face on the bed, looking away from him while moving her legs to wrap around his back and lock him in. The gesture is rather contradictory - she wants him in, but she doesn't want to look. Her thighs clench at his hips and her body stiffens slightly, prepping for his entry...

... Here's to the future.

The tip of his length presses her lips, and as expected, it's a tough entry, his head fails to delve in. Just from the gauge, Autumn fidgets restlessly.

Deciding on an easement tactic, he leaves his tip at her entrance and releases her hips, her locked legs make up the slack. He takes his hands to her womanhood, his right index finger comes to touch her clit while his left hand moves right under it. With righty on button duty, it begins to rub her in a circle. Lefty uses two fingers to gently probe her entrance, giving her body a feel for being penetrated, something he reckons hasn't happened before unless countless assumptions come into play.

"Huh... uuh~" Her moans are rather coarse and artless but Crimson isn't bothered. It's akin to hearing her usual grunts and moans, only now mixed with a little more air. "Huh~"

While focused on pleasing her and getting her truly ready, he notes that she stopped looking away and is now focused harshly on him. His tending-to continues for about thirty seconds before his eyes glance quickly to hers, then back, then to hers again. She's... frowning?

"Muhn!"

"Woh!" Crimson nearly staggers onto her from the powerful pull with her legs. For her size, she's unnaturally strong. Due to the sudden jerking forward, his member slid across her length and propped itself on top of her belly. "... What?" he whispers out.

"Umoh!" she huffs as she reaffirms her hold around him, her breathing increasing in pace. Her face is flustered but only slightly noticeable on her already red skin.

"I know, I know, I'm just tryin' not to hurt you, is all. Just a little bit longer, okay?"

"Mu-mo!" she shakes her head in rejection. The burning inside needs to be soothed, she can't wait any longer. Crimson delivers another unsure glare, keeping it to see if she'll agree to a little more tending. Her resolve is unbroken.

"... Alright." He takes her hips into his hold again, adjusting his hips to realign. Again his tip presses her entrance, notably less tense than before. He almost wants to tell her 'I told you so', but the effort isn't worth it. Just to stay in the safe side, he gives her one last look in the eyes. She's frowning again.

Gsh-slick~

"Hh-- aah~" the girl's abdomen flexes into a four-pack in reaction to her slit forcibly pushed apart. The hold of her legs weakens and they nearly fall limp, though Crimson moves his elbows in to catch them with his forearms.

"What'd I tell ya'?" he remarks snidely.

Autumn doesn't try reciprocating, her mind is focused on being given in. She strengthens her legs again and holds the small of his back. She clenches her teeth and inhales deeply through her nostrils, flexing her thighs again to give him the green light.

Onward, then. The man tilts forward slightly to allow better leverage in his thrust. His tip disappears into her womanhood and continues sliding in.

"Uhk! Eh!"

No doubt it hurts, and her grunts of pain solidify it. Still, he keeps going until she gives him a sign to stop.

Hilt~

"Ecka!" Autumn's legs kick suddenly, causing Crimson to stop on a dime. But he realizes he didn't even need to, he's already as deep as he can go.

Looking down at his connection, he sees that about two-thirds of his length fills her, with no more room for the rest. The clashing of anatomy almost shocks him. Autumn is definitely not a human from back home, though he reckons he should have been aware of that already.

His eyes ogle her entrance forced to comform to his shape. His gaze trails up along her body, seeing a bulge in her belly that stops just above the button. He admires the underside of her breasts before tacking up to her expression. She looks exhausted already.

Even so, she tilts her hips left and right, gently jostling the rod that fills her. The sensation confuses her - having something foreign this deep inside. It's warm, firm, and it gently pulsates. Her vaginal walls tense every other second then relax, as if trying to match the rhythm of the meat's own pulsations. There's a stirring of emotions in her chest right now, and Crimson catches on to it.

It's clear that she's a little disappointed in herself that she isn't big enough to fit him properly, if only for a more romantic experience, but it's not stopping her from trying to make the most of it. After turning her hips to acclimate to the feeling of being overstretched, she releases her legs from his back and brings them in. She plants her feet under his armpits and begins pushing him away.

"Gk!" she twitches to the sensation of the intruding being slowly funneled out, her inner walls gape before throbbing back into shape. It's an inexplicable feeling that she wants happening again. To fill this desire, she stops pushing him once he's almost out and hugs him again, contradicting the motion by pulling back.

Crimson catches on to what she wants though he lets himself be controlled by her motions for the time being. Sliding back into her is a little easier this time, and even she agrees by moaning something closer to pleasure rather than angst.

Hilting again causes Autumn another surge of pain but clenches her teeth and blows past it. She unravels her legs from him again and... finds herself pleasantly surprised when Crimson starts to pull out on his own. Her legs remain suspended at his sides while the tide of pleasure flows from her love tunnel to her head. The man grips the back of her knees to hold her legs in place, and as he does, they go limp in his hold.

Her body is finally relaxing. Same as before, just as he nearly reveals his mushroom-tip from her insides, he pushes back in steadily. A grunt of satisfaction informs him that it's getting better, and hopefully good enough for what proceeds.

Learning from before, he doesn't hilt all the way - instead comes to a halt. He leaves himself inside and bends forward a little more, looming his trunk above her while still holding her legs. He pulls back two inches and pushes forward the same length in one continuous thrust.

"Moah!" Autumn's back arches in.

Again. A slight pull out, a slight thrust in.

"Moha!" Her hands come to her stomach and she claws at herself.

Shlck~

Shlck~

Shlck~

The short, brief thrusts slowly pick up in pace, just the right amount of pulling out and pushing in to yield passion. "Haah! Haah!" The conglomerate of pleasing and hurting has her eyes squinting, though as he continues plugging her, the clinched frown turns to a loopy smile.

The thrusts continue until they find a maxim, the perfect pace to be both rough and safe.

"Haaah, haaah!~"

Needing to focus on the right amount of length between thrusts leaves Crimson little room to think of anything else, but he certainly hones in on the emissions of lust coming from the cherry-nosed girl. They're becoming increasingly 'normal' as she gets higher and higher. The ape-ish phonemes relinquish their presence in replacement for huffy exhales, and because of this essence of normalcy, he finds stimulation in hearing her moans rather than indifference.

"Aaah! Aaaah! Maaah!~"

Primordial instincts grasp at his throat at hearing her cries. Due to focusing too intently on her voice, he starts pushing into her faster and harder. His dick generously takes its length in and out another inch, causing their connection to begin making a mess of the flooring under them.

Autumn feels his treatment squishing out her lubricant, warm and moist as it trickles from the underside of her butt cheeks and drip to the ground. Her squinting eyes find themselves gazing directly into the face of the one who fills her, seeing that his eyes are gawking at a certain region under her chin. "Uhmff, mmh!" She grits her teeth again and pulls her legs away from his hands. As his arms move away to allow her legs to retreat, she does a quick sit-up to clasp his wrists and bring them in. She forces his hands onto her breasts, huffing out a louder moan than any before due to flexing her abs in and constraining his cock briefly.

Crimson is tingled by the sudden flexing of her abs, quickly driving him closer to his limit. With an exhale, he graciously takes up her offer and cups her boobs with both hands, pushing down lightly and squeezing them so they squish out a bit between his fingers.

"Maah! Haaah!~" Autumn's nails dig into his wrists as her sight loses focus. The world is becoming a pink and foggy mess. The only object of focus is the man in front of her.

Equally, Crimson feels the stars twinkling in his balls. Streams of pleasure shoot up and down from his dick to his head at every thrust. With each push, the edge draws near. "Nnh," he grunts and he gives her breasts a firm squeeze. He leans forward further to fully eclipse the girl under him. He drags his hands upwards along her breasts, letting them pop out into the air while he still moves upward into her shirt, causing her to let go of his nail-tacked wrists. His hands come out from under the collar of her shirt, upwards until they clasp her cheeks. He holds both sides of her head and creases his fingers into her fiery-orange hair as he pumps into her.

"Aaha! Amaah! Ahaa! Aahaa!~" She reaches out and grips his red shirt at his chest, pulling it in and holding for dear life.

Shlck, shlck, shlck, shlck!~

Autumn's saliva and tears wet Crimson's hands.

Shlck, shlck, shlck, shlck!~

Her moans are ringing unremittingly.

Shlck, shlck, shlck, shlck!~

The stars are calling - he can't hold back the urge any longer. He forces his Arch to channel. His eyes briefly turn to gold. "Hngh!"

"AaHa-Aaaa!" Her insides clench tightly. His member stiffens to steel and stretches her walls, proceeded by a gush of hot seed. Another gush, another, then finalized by three more pumps that progressively weaken. Though her entire body is flustered, her belly feels even warmer. The shocks of pain are encompassed by the high of her climax.

Crimson lifts himself up a bit to gaze down at Autumn's front, still holding the sides of her face with his hands. Messy with tears, saliva, and stray hair, he smiles down at her.

With cardio winded, her glossy orbs gaze into his. In between muddled breaths, and a progressively forming frown, Autumn utters, "Ah... luff... yu."

"Please..."

Crimson's chest stiffens. That 'please,' he heard it in his head. Autumn didn't say it aloud, but... it was her who said it. A perfectly comprehensible speaking voice, whispered and broken.

"Ah... luff... yu."

"Crimson..."

"Ah..." a trembling twinkle forces itself out of the corner of her left eye and runs down her cheek onto his hand, "... luff..." her throat catches, suppressing the emergence of sadness, "... yu."

"Don't leave me..."

‎

‎

After Lippy came back inside to acquire Autumn, give her a bath and a snack, and put her to nap in her room, she presents herself at the doorframe to a very, very displeased Crimson. He stands leaning his back against the wall next to the nightstand, squinting at her while she returns a rather tactless smile.

"Sooo... how was it?~"

"You're gonna let me go now, right?" he practically demands as he comes off the wall and balls his hands into fists.

"That was the agreement, Crimsy! ... Listen, I can't thank you enough for doing this," she says as she comes closer to the man. "I know it wasn't an easy decision, but..." As she comes closer, she seems to hesitate drawing into grasping distance... though after a moment, she lets out a trembly sigh and smiles again. "... I can die happy."

She walks into threshold... though Crimson only glares at her. He continues this glare for a second longer before turning to face the wall, crouching down to give the back of the collar to her. Reaching into her mane, Lippy takes a small silver key into her hoof. She leaps onto her hindlegs and rests on his back to reach the lock, fumbling with it until it clicks open. Once it is undone, she removes the chain from the collar and tosses it to the ground. Crimson stands back up but continues facing the wall. Lippy trepidly stares up at his back, unknowing of his expression.

"... There you go," she says with hesitance. "Free to go, eheh..." A pit forms in her stomach as he continues to face the wall... motionless.

... Motionless.

SMACK!

The strike resonates in the room. Crimson spun around quickly and drove his fist into Lippy's left cheek, sending her to the ground like a sack of cement. With a tooth bouncing out of her mouth, her void-gazing eyes tremble. "Egh... eck... eh-- eheh..." The shines of her orbs become dim as her consciousness fades.

Crimson's pupils vibrate furiously. He rushes up to the mare and grasps her limp from by the neck, lifting her into the air with a cocked fisted ready to make a mess of her face.

Anxiety rises, his body temperature fries his insides. This doesn't feel good. None of this does. None of this fucking feels good at all.

"Fuck," he grumbles quietly. "Fuck," he repeats more audibly before falling onto his knees, setting the mare down peacefully. "... Fu-huuck." He drives a fist into the floor next to her, and a moment after, a tear as well. He clenches his teeth and holds himself on the ground, doing his best to steel his nerves. He's done much worse than this, throw a simple punch, but it hurts. He told himself he would, nay, he promised himself he would. If anything, just to get back at her for collaring him... but it doesn't feel good to him.

He mutters curses to himself a number of times before regaining his composure. With a deep breath in and a sniffle, he looks up towards the mare. He wipes his eyes with his forearm before he reaches out to take the tooth that he knocked out. He takes Lippy into his hold and drags her in, resting her head on his lap. He opens her mouth and looks for where the calcium belonged. He spots the vacant lot where her molar used to be and reaches to put it back in.

A smoking pain agitates his left cheek as he takes back the damage he gave to her, though admittedly, he held the punch back heavily. Subconsciously. Even then, Lippy is small and fragile enough to warrant this much suffering from such an average strike. Then again, what passes for average to him isn't a common concept.

Her tooth cements itself back into her mouth and he feels a pop in his own. He swashes around and turns his head to spit out his own tooth, carelessly bouncing it across the wooden floor.

With a sigh, he sits in silence with Lippy's unconscious form for a while, comfortable enough to sit here and listen to the rhythm of the rain outside.

‎

---

‎

Whisking back like a graciously sleeping princess, the mare moans in her comfort. She hears rain pelting the world outside, she hears the fireplace crackling its steady heat.

... Hmm... the fireplace.

With a puppy's yawn, Lippy rubs her eyes with her hooves and blinks them open, slow to take in her surroundings. She notes that she's sleeping on the two cushion couch in her living room, unsure of when or how she got here.

Her peaceful respite is skewed when she sees Crimson sitting across the living room from her at the three cushion couch. He dons his duster, his grey shirt, his slacks and belt, and his boots. The dead-pan look on his face startles her, ushering in the memory of earlier.

In a panic, she touches her cheek... but doesn't feel any pain. Her tongue glides in her mouth to find none of her molars missing. In fact, she sees a bruise on the man's face. Every bit of recognition pieces together the grand scheme of what had occurred. Her eyes dart to the glass display where her trophy set of clothing once was, seeing it replaced by a red shirt, grey pajama pants, and sandals. This outfit now stands presented in place of the duster attire. Even after what he did, adore fills her heart. "C-Crimson? Wh-- What are you...?"

"Reckon since I helped you out, you can do the same fer me."

"... You... n-need something from me?" Her panic visibly meshes into timid glee. "Oh why, of course! I-I'd love to help you! Anything!"

"Don't get too excited, I'm here to interrogate you. The whole reason I came here to begin with."

"Yes, officer! I-I'll be a good questionee! Ehehe!~"

"Them Black Spurs. What do you know about 'em?"

"... The who?"

Crimson's eyes widen and he shakes his head. "Erh, pardon. The Black Horseshoes."

"Oh! What do I know?" Her eyes fall to the ground and she furrows her brows. She looks back up to him and smirks wryly. "A lot. They're Equestria's shadow! I told you I spent half of my life with them, so if you have questions, I'll probably have an answer."

"Good. What type'a gang are they? What's their goal?"

"... Ooo. That's a hard one. Uuum... well, to answer your first question, they're not your typical gang! They have ranks, hierarchies, big cheeses, sure! Typical. But they work like shadows! Unlike the Wildmanes or the Sleeping Talons, they're super discreet and anyone outside of the gang hardly knows a thing about them! They mostly do stuff that's legal, but not because the law allows it. It's more like... they find grey spots that the law doesn't technically touch. Like trafficking ponies for instance! If a pony is considered property, they don't actually have rights! Like me, I didn't register my anonym when I graduated Cultural Academy, so Canterlot doesn't even know I exist! Probably the biggest mistake I made. They couldn't have sold me into slavery if I did."

"Why's the city wait so long to register you? Why not at birth?"

"Umm... I'm... not sure! You'd have to take that up with the Consortium!"

"Hmh," he huffs his dissatisfaction. Of course the government would be useless. Worse than useless. "Anyway, they're playin' behind curtains, we've got that much. But who runs their ops?"

"Several honchos do. I used to be close with one of them in the southern district, but I'm sure lots changed since I've been gone. Remember, I've been out of there ten years!"

"Any chance I can find this guy?"

"Ooo, I highly doubt it. He was pretty old so he either moved up in the chain of command or died. ... Um, Crimsy, if you don't mind me asking... why are you so interested in the Black Horseshoes all of a sudden? They're bad news."

"Not interested in them, more-so in humans. Everything you've let me in on tells me they're one of the biggest runners in that department."

"They are indeedy. The human market was started by them, actually! They're the sole reason many ponies have access to humans now! Since the breeding market has hit its highest, they're coming out like candy!"

"How much do you know about 'em?"

"Hehehe, I'd like to think a lot! I spent most of my life studying them whenever I wasn't wanted by a Horseshoe."

"... Right." Crimson leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. "So I'm hopin' you'll be able to sate my curiosities."

"I'll try my best!"

"First question: are humans native to Equestria?"

"Nope! From what I've gathered, humans have only been here for about five-hundred years!"

"Yeah? Happen to know where they came from if they're not native?"

"Mmm... that one has a few sources, but none of them confirmed. Some say humans came from the east, but others say that they were found near the oceans west! Maybe they were shipped here? There are even scholars that say the first humans were found here in Equestria, but that's simply absurd! The first recorded human wasn't even in Equestria! They were found in the outskirts of the Badlands!"

"Anything more concrete than that?"

"Unfortunately no. But I do know of an obscure hole in the wall that might know! Unfortunately it's... with the Black Horseshoes."

Crimson sighs and drops his gaze to the ground. Looks like he'll need to acquire a source of a source to find the information that he wants. Still, he won't let this venture go to waste. "Right. We'll get back to that in a second. This sets down my next question. Since you've been around a few humans, I reckon you know what they're behavior patterns are like."

"Oh, yeah, definitely!"

"How do the humans you've met compare to Autumn in terms of intelligence?"

"Autumn is definitely the smartest of the bunch! Okay, that might be a little biased, but I love her to death so I have to say it! She catches on to things I say really quickly, mostly through context! Like, if she doesn't know a word, she takes how it's used to guess what it means! Things like that."

"Other humans can't do that?"

"... Umm... maybe? I haven't had other humans for long enough to test that out with, but since Autumn can, I assume so! She just does it better than any other human I've seen, probably because she's lived with me since she was a few months old. One of these things where, if you grow up in a certain environment, blah, blah blah. The human brain works the same across all of them, so if Autumn can do something, they probably can too!"

"And Autumn knows everything that comes out of our mouths. It don't make sense that humans understand the language we speak but can't speak it themselves. Less yer case is that all of 'em are mute, but I know fer a fact that ain't it," he states gravely, recalling Autumn's... 'words.'

"That's because of a certain neurological disfunction in their brain!"

"... A what now?"

"Yup! One of the Black Horseshoes' scholars figured out that there's actually a problem in the human brain that doesn't allow speech! See, human and pony brains are very, very similar in structure, but the human cerebrum seems to be denser in certain regions! More specifically, the regions that handle speech cognition! It's honestly a miracle that they can learn other things so well. With how dim their main cortex is, you'd expect them to be... stupid! Hehah!"

"Know why their brains'r like this? Doesn't sound natural."

"That's what I said! I knew for a fact that their natural formation was being stunted but I never could figure out why! Other scholars I've met say maybe that's just the way they are, but I can't help but disagree."

"That 'hole in the wall' wouldn't happen to know?"

"... Mmmaybe. That archive is mostly for Equestrian history, not specifically humans."

"Mm. Now back to the Black Horseshoes. The guy you knew - where can I find 'em?"

"... Uuum..."

"Don't care if he's alive or not, more interested in the location. If I can find anythin' they run, that'll be good enough. I'll find my own from there."

"In thaat caaase... mmm... he used to run the club in the Slums. The Gloriosa, ehehe~ That wasn't where I was held up, but I know for a fact that was his roost. He might have moved up the latter and gave it to one of his lieutenants, but I wouldn't know."

"The Slums?"

"Yup, yup! The Slums! Ghetto in south Las Pegasus. The desert area where all of the poor creatures live. The Gloriosa is the only place there with pretty lights and stuff! You can't miss it! But, well... I guess you could. You kind of need to know someone to get inside. They won't let you just, ehe, walk in!" She does an exaggerated throwing up of her arms to emphasize how preposterous it would be to assume any different. "Sadly, I don't really know anyone from that roost, and even if I did, they can't know I'm alive. Sorry, Crimsy."

"I'll worry about that when I get there. Now, not sure if this is a question you'll be able to answer but I'm hopin' you can. How much do the Black Horseshoes know about me?"

"It's safe to assume: a lot. Black Horseshoes are literally everywhere. The ponies you'd least expect might be a part of the gang. They have no official appearance or style, unlike the Wildmanes, so if you'd like to be cautious, treat everyone like a stranger. Even ponies in the Canterlot Guard! Especially them!"

"The Guard," Crimson repeats in a muse, "... complicates the situation... I'll figure somethin' out. ... Say, uh... Lippy."

Her eyelids flutter at her name being called by his voice.

"... Why'd you join the Black Horseshoes if you knew they were shady to begin with?"

"Oo, now that's a loaded question for sure. The thing is, Crimsy, they weren't always scum. They used to be really, really good ponies. A lot of Equestria's expansion and innovation is due to them! If you thought the Royal Researches were some smart cookies, you'll be floored by the Brains the Black Horseshoes have! More over, they were super community-oriented and friendly. They'd help out local towns and villages, donate money to open new schools, house soup kitchens! The Black Horseshoes were the label of Equestria! Especially after the Great War, when the Consortium was in shambles, our country needed leaders. Because our government was too dumb to figure things out themselves, the small band of early farmers and smiths came together to form the Black Horseshoes, and they took it upon themselves to return Equestria to its former glory!"

Crimson listens intently, watching her speak with many-a gesture and flapping arms. Though rather focusing on her, his mind paints the mental image of the uncanny parallel. It dawns on him that the Black Horseshoes are not only similar in name, but in practice.

"When I was younger, a lot of this still held true. Their kindness was the entire reason I was able to join in the first place! Just as many things, they found out how intelligent humans actually were and hoped to explore their potential. They pioneered the domestication of humans before I spoke my first word. Once I finished school, I knew my calling was with them. ... It was with them. Many of the original members that were around either died or left not long after I joined. It seemed like they were having issues internally, maybe arguments between the honchos, if I had to guess. It took a few short years for the gang to become a shell of the former selves. And... an even shorter time for them to trap me into being their plaything."

"... Glad you were able to get out okay."

"Uaah, you're so kind, Crimsy!~ Got myself out of there and with Autumn no less!" Her downtrodden demeanor returns to its normal self, but not completely. Though she smiles, he can see it in her eyes. It still hurts. Regardless, she clears her throat and continues, "There's... one last thing you should know about the Black Horseshoes. Something super useful that will give you an edge." He dons her with undivided attention. "Their humans. Remember how I told you all humans have a natural attunement to magic?" He nods in response. "As you can guess, The Horseshoes' Brains like to tinker with magic a lot. It's one of their fortes. The biggest ring in the gang is human and magic splicing. If you end up getting deeper into the scene... be prepared to see some strange things. The vast majority of common folk have never seen a magically empowered human before, but there is a niche subcommunity of ponies that do own humans, especially in major cities like Canterlot, Detrot, or Fillydelphia. Fancy ponies with too much money. Those ponies own all kinds of humans, including the more... exotic ones. They're different. Different than what you'd see out in the wild. Other than laws prohibiting humans being outside, those ponies are also incredibly protective of their humans."

"How does this give me an edge?"

"Because, Crimsy! With the Black Horseshoes, you, as a tall, handsome, and rather unique human compared to wild humans, you'll fit in much better when EVERY human is rather unique!"

Crimson's eyes gleam in understanding. "Be able to hide in plain sight."

"Eeexactly! But use this information carefully. Try to keep it to yourself as much as possible. Things that are in the gang always stay in it, for good reason. Things will happen when everyone's ready for it. Last I heard, the laws restricting humans in public might be lifted soon. If something like that happens, humans of all kinds will be roaming around! Then you'll definitely be able to hide in plain sight!"

"Right. This is useful info, thanks Lippy."

"Of course, my lovely boy!-- Eeh!-- Eeeh... ehe..." Her mouth hangs open and her lips quiver, already anticipating being punched again. Crimson obviously doesn't look amused, but after a careful moment, she can tell he isn't going to get upset for a reactionary reply. She takes comfort in that fact and quickly relaxes.

"Speaking of that," he grips the collar that binds his neck, "how the hell do I get this shit off?"

"Oh! Right, the collar! L-Listen, I'm super, super sorry about it, I honestly thought I could take it off without it, but... ehehe... I wasn't lying to you about not having the key. It didn't have one when Lightheart was giving me boxes of old researcher equipment! If I had to guess, she might have it, or at least the know-how to get the collar off!"

With a tense sigh, the man rubs his forehead. He lets the idea sit. Lightheart will be able to give him the help he needs. Hopefully.

The muse doesn't leave his face. Now that he dons the clothes he first arrived in, his heart aches for the big question. "... Who sold you my clothes?"

"An old friend of mine did!"

"... Old friend?"

"Yup, yup! We don't really keep in touch, but she finds me when she needs me. Other than Lightheart, I think she's the only other pony that knows I'm alive. Despite being popular with the Black Horseshoes, I haven't seen any of their assassins knocking at my door, so I guess her knowing isn't something I'm worried about!"

"... H-Her name? Don't happen to know her name?"

"Sure do! -- Oh, I mean..." Her gaze nervously bounces left and right. "I-I'm not sure she'll appreciate me telling you her name--"

"Just tell me."

Lippy bites her lower lip in both trepidation and growing stimulation at being commanded so fiercely. "... Mmh-nh-- okay, okay. But don't tell anyone, Crimsy. Her name's Dahlia. Like the flower! She's a really introverted type."

"You, uh... don't happen to know where she might be?"

"No clue! Like I said, she doesn't really keep in touch. I used to know her when we were younger, back when I first joined the Horseshoes, but I guess she's off doing her own thing, just as she always does. It's been only business in these last years."

"She... ain't apart of the gang, is she?"

"Ooh, no! Not even close! She's a freelancer that only communicates with them if she needs to sell something she finds. She's notorious in the gang, almost like a shadow. You'd be surprised that nopony knows her name despite the repeated business. Maybe she does it on purpose? Secrecy and all that good stuff! That's why I was a bit hesitant to tell you, but... I guess you're looking to take on the gang anyway."

The man listens to what she speaks and takes it to heart, pondering the implications of the world around him. He hears the rainfall on the other side of the window but couldn't be given to see it. "... Say, why do you have them sheets over the glass? Secrets and all that?"

"The blankies? Oh no, they're for Autumn! She doesn't like the rain, and it sure does rain a lot out here! It makes her anxious and depressed, so I cover the windows!"

"Mm," he hums in acknowledgement. "... She asleep right now?"

"Like a foal!" Crimson keeps his eyes rested on the black drapes over the living room window. Lippy's jubilance droops to uncertainty at the weightiness of his silent pondering. Without notice, he rises from the couch and strides out of the living room, prompting her to get up and follow.

"She in here?" he asks as he arrives to the first door on the right of the hallway, the door adjacent to the room he was locked in.

"Last door," Lippy states.

He adheres and continues to the end of the hall, gripping the handle and pushing the door open softly. It squeaks annoyingly but not enough to wake the girl on the other side. Peeking in, he sees precious little Autumn tucked under her sheets in her bed. She naps soundly whilst surrounded by a plethora of stuffed animals and toys. The room is quite a chaotic mess, but probably organized exactly to her liking.

He walks steadily across the floor, trying to stifle the clack of his boots. At standing next to her bed, he notes that in the midst of the stuffed toys, she sleeps hugging one in specific. The pink bunny.

A weight on his chest causes him to squint bitterly. He leans down and gently plants a kiss on her head, thankfully getting no reaction in return. It's best that she stays asleep. Makes it easier on the both of them.

Standing back to full length, he cups his hands into fists and gives her one last stare. One last snapshot to burn permanently into his memory.

He turns and steps out of the room, passing by the heartfelt mare who watched his interaction. She follows him again into the room he was chained up in, where the man moves to the bed and takes the stuffed animal that was sitting idle on the pillow. It's small and squishy enough to fit perfectly inside his duster pocket without much intrusion. Making sure his coin purse is in his other pocket, he makes pace towards the front door.

He obviously notes Lippy following but he says no words to her. Not until she exclaims with a breath, "Hhey, Crimsy. It's still raining outside... we don't want the bunny to get wet now, do we? I've got a gift for you!" Attaining his silent curiosity, she grins sheepishly and runs off towards another room in the cabin that is not his nor Autumn's, the far left room in the hall. She returns shortly with garbs in hoof, stepping in front of him and offering these possessions. Crimson examines them, seeing a poncho-like hooded garb, surprisingly, a similar color to his duster coat, and a longer, silkier cloth that looks like a cloak. "You know how you asked me whether the Black Horseshoes knew you or not?"

Crimson nods.

"Well... if you're going into the deep end of the pond, I'd like to give you every chance possible to have an upper-hoof on them. Considering no one in the inner circle has ever seen you directly, you have some wiggle room. One of the best ways to take advantage of this is to become... not you! Eheh~"

Lifting his left brow, he takes both of the articles from her and gives them another look over. "... I'm listening."

"Great! So... here's what I was thinking..."

With the hooded garb donned and the robe to shroud everything under the chin, he glances at Lippy's look for her approval.

"Perfect! As long as they don't see anything under it, you'll be perfectly perfect!"

"Right. And you said it's past the train station, right?"

"Yes! Looks like you're ready! ... Oh! And this! I know for a fact this will be useful!"

Lippy trots off to the kitchen and opens up her preserving bin. She scans around the bottom until she finds what she's looking for. Taking into her hoof, she shuts the bin and returns to him, presenting a detail-less metal sphere about the size of baseball with a button in the center. "Take this!"

Crimson furrows his brows. He takes it from her hoof and holds it. It isn't cold, more at room temperature.

"Open it!"

He does as she asks, squeezing the middle button so it pops open. Inside he sees some sort of green... "... Moss?" he questions.

"Not just any moss! Super Moss! It's one of the Black Horseshoes' inventions. I was able to steal it when I escaped, it's what I lived off of for an entire month!"

"... This? You lived off this?"

"Indeed, indeed! See, this moss actually grows back at a really incredible speed, it's packed with crazy vitamins and nutrition, and it hydrates you too! ... The, um... the only downside is that it tastes absolutely horrible."

"..." Crimson reaches his finger to the moss, taking some out and sticking it in his mouth. Lippy visibly cringes at watching him take in such a large glob. The man swashes it in his mouth for two seconds... "... Eegh!" he recoils and throws his head left and right, his entire face scrunches at the insanely salty substance.

Lippy puts her hoof in front of her muzzle and giggles. "I warned you!"

Fighting back the urge to spit it out, the man forces the moss down his throat. He shivers at feeling it go down, the taste itself still lingers in his mouth. "Eh, yeah... you did." He looks at the missing chunk of moss inside the ball. Nothing appears to be happening. "... So when does this grow back?"

"It takes about a day. And make veeery sure to close the ball when you're done, if you leave it open, it'll grow out and make a huge mess!"

"You said this stuff was full'a nutrients?"

"It sure is! Give it about... five more seconds."

Five seconds? Crimson looks between her and the moss, then to the ground. ...

...

"Woh, sheesh," the man's stomach growls. He isn't sure what's going on inside of him, but it sure does feel warm and good. While his taste buds didn't appreciate it, his body sure does. He places his hand over his belly and smirks in disbelief. "Feels like I ate a horse. 'M stuffed."

"The power of Super Moss!"

He smiles at the green mush before closing the ball and slipping it in his right outer pocket. "Stuff really is crazy. How's this not the talk of the town?"

"Like I said - the taste. As great as it is to keep you big and healthy, it... kinda tastes like the worst thing ever. It wasn't very popular within the gang, so it never made it out."

"Hmh, sounds like idiocy to me, this can singlehandedly solve a lot of the world's problems. ... Well... anyway..."

Knowing exactly what he's prompting, Lippy sighs despondently but keeps up her smile. "... Keep the bunny safe for Autumn."

"And you keep her safe fer me."

"Until the day I die, Crimsy... until the day I die."

With nothing more to add, he storms out of the cabin and into the howling rain.

Next Chapter: Chapter 9: Wayward Anima Estimated time remaining: 15 Hours, 51 Minutes