fireflies [open]

I swallow the now thoroughly mushed strawberry and cock my head. I can feel my ears twitching, trying to pick up on a faint sound. Was that... strawberries? Someone was stepping on my fruit? Now that's just mean! Here I am, enjoying myself and gorging on something good for me for once, and some careless giant comes along and tramples the plants! I put on my angry face to prepare for the coming confrontation. (It isn't like I can let whoever it is get away with being a partypooper!) My angry face is pretty much just flattening my ears and frowning really, really hard. Most other unicorns don't take it as a serious display, but it's usually silly looking enough to distract them or put them in a better mood.

I turn around, all puffed up and ready to scold.... AND HE'S HUGE! I mean, everyone looks really tall from my point of view, but geez. It's obvious even to me that this particular Karkadunn stallion is abnormally large. Gotta admire how hairy he is, though. I'm at peak fluffy levels right now, but he's still got longer, thicker hair. I wonder if there's enough of it to make another me... Going to stop right there because that thought was going in a funky direction. The trio of horns protruding from his head aren't exactly anything to scoff at either. I'd almost bet my eyes that the longest of them is about as long as I am tall. Any hint of a chastising response died before it left my mouth. It's pretty hard to throw me off like he did; just any of the others that I've hung out with during my travels. I try to stay composed, but my body language is leaning toward the nervous end.

"Hey there, big guy..." I call out, swallowing. It's hard to find them this big, so please don't crush them." I was going for a joking tone, and I think I halfway accomplished it. Can't shake the feeling that it came out a tad whiny, though...

I'm so distracted by Mr. Big Bad that I don't even hear our next guest coming. I'm pretty sure she's approached with friendly intent but I can't stop myself. I jump, all four hooves briefly leaving the ground, and yip in surprise. The following squeal almost makes me repeat it, but I'm able to stop myself.

"H-hey there!" I say, grinning. Nice to meet someone with a sunny disposition! The presence of Mr. Big Bad fades to a big black blot on the edge of my mind. I lower my head, still smiling, and nudge a strawberry toward her. "Want some? The birds didn't manage to get these yet."

The pony jumped and Jyoti let out a laugh in amusement. She raised off her forehooves ever so slightly, mirth written on her face as he half-reared. She came down, head cocking this way and that as she proceed what happened. The pony was scared! Of who? The big guy? Honestly, why was everyone scared of looks? Of course, she was suicidally overconfident ever since the day she realized that the main person stopping her from doing things was her, but that’s besi--no wait, actually, that is perfectly the point.

”Oh, thanks!” Jyoti nickered as the pony offered a strawberry. She didn’t care if it was for her or the stallion; Jyoti was always for eating. She chomped the berry with all the grace of a toddler. She looked to the big stallion. Delicacy? She swallowed. ”Is that a euphemism for something?” Here, she showed suprising intelligence--or maybe it was just because she’d been around the block well enough to know cannibalism wasn’t well spoken of. Was it cannibalism? Maybe he justed liked non-horse food. Whatever. She still knew by the way he paused that he wasn’t talking about sugarcane.

She snorted as he sidled up beside them, stepping back a few feet to give herself some space. She liked to be in control of whatever situation she was in, thanks. ”What’re you, anyway? Half dragon? Stop actin’ like a dang wolf!” She looked to the pony. Did the pony agree? Jyoti agreed with herself. The big weird guy was creepy, and that was coming from Joyti! Of course, the other pony might not agree because she wasn’t stupid-brave like the cremello mare was.