Here we are with the first of three stories written in advance.
“STUMPED”
Written by Oxen120
There was a dead tree stump in the yard, behind the main building. It had been there for a long time, so Tabby claimed.
“Mr. Harvey has wanted this thing gone for a while so we can extend the warehouse,” explained Tabby. “I’ve been working at it whenever I’d the time, but... Bloody thing is stubborn, let’s just say.”
Michelle stayed silent for a moment, she’d interrupted Tabby before and had quite quickly learnt that wasn’t the best idea. So, she waited for her chance to speak. “And you’re telling me this because...?” she ventured.
Tabby rolled her eyes. “Didn’t you hear me?! I said this thing has given me grief for half-a-year now! I’ve pulled, pushed, kicked, called it’s mum a slut, but still! Nothing! But now...!” Tabby paused. A cheeky grin spread across her face as she placed a hand on Michelle’s shoulder. “Now, dear Michelle... There’s
two of us.”
Michelle’s smirk must’ve matched Tabby’s as the brunette caught on to the game plan. “Let’s do it!”
As Tabby worked to get the ropes into place; tying them around the tree stump and securing them with hooks hammered into the bark, Michelle sat herself down on the grass to apply the grim chalk to the bottom of her soles. Once Tabby was done tying the ropes, she joined Michelle, who (still determined to get onto Tabetha’s good side) offered to ‘chalk up’ her feet.
“Don’t forget to do your hands,” Tabby said. “The ropes might be tied to our harnesses, but you never know when we might need to pull this the old-fashioned way.”
“Oh, yeah, right, duh,” said Michelle, briefly pressing her fist against her head. “Shall I do your hands too or...?”
“Nah. I’m good.”
“Cool... Cool...”
Once they were chalked, Michelle could immediately feel the difference. Her feet stuck to the hard dirt ground almost like glue. She couldn’t resist the urge to drag her foot along the ground like a bull readying to charge. Michelle felt powerful, a feeling that made her giggle to herself. She then felt a hard slap on the back of her shin!
“OUCH!” Michelle yelped.
“Don’t do that, idiot!” Tabby scolded as she hooked Michelle to the stump. “That chalk is meant to last!”
“Sorry!”
“And stop apologizing so much!”
“Sorry-ulp,” Michelle caught herself. “Of course.”
“Right, you’re done. Hitch me up and we can start.”
Michelle obliged, getting to work on Tabby’s chains. As she did so, the pixie-cut ginger relayed her plan for perhaps the fourth time that day.
“Right, once we start pulling, we can’t stop! The only way we’re getting this stump out of the ground is if we apply constant force. Even stopping for a breather could spoil the momentum. You got your bottle filled?”
“Yes, Tabs,” Michelle sighed, feeling the weight of her water bottle attached to her belt.
“Don’t call me that,” Tabby retorted. “Secondly, we’ve already stretched so we don’t have to worry about muscle cramps. Thirdly, make sure to breathe while you pull. Don’t hold your breath, it’ll just tire you out faster. And lastly, it’s good to give yourself a Destination.”
“A Destination?”
Tabby pointed out at the space ahead. “Picture something important to you is just out of reach, and the only way you're going to reach it is if you walk to them, dragging your load along with you. It’s a massive boost to the motivation.” The ginger sighed. “I can already see the bottle of red wine calling my name.”
Michelle pondered for a moment. It was a trick she’d have to try, but she couldn’t really think of anything important enough to make her power through the pain. Michelle didn’t really have anything worth fighting for. Not anymore. She just gave Tabby a despondent, “I’ll try it.” If Tabby had noticed Michelle’s sudden change in demeanor, then she didn’t mention it.
“Okay, we’re ready,” Michelle said, tying the last knot.
“Finally,” sighed Tabby. She began the count-down once Michelle took her position next to her.
“Three...”
Michelle’s brow narrowed. She tried to imagine something, anything, ahead of her, something she loved, but her mind kept drawing a blank.
“Two...”
Tabby shifted her right foot, planting it firmly in the ground and curling her toes so that the tips of her toenails made contact with the dirt. Michelle tried to copy this... with little success.
“One...”
“Alright, let’s do this,” said Michelle.
“HEAVE!” Tabby barked!
Both girls shot forward, the ropes holding them back. Their powerful legs pushed and pumped like pistons of a steam engine. Much to Michelle’s surprise, their efforts showed results immediately as the tree stump began to move, slowly pushing the soil around it out of its way.
“IT’S MOVING!” Tabby cried.
“THE FUCKER’S FINALLY MOVING! FUCK YEAH, WE’RE DOING IT!”
The stump was moving... for about a few inches until it suddenly stopped at a tilted angle. Michelle and Tabby pulled for another minute or two.
“IT’S STUCK!” Michelle gagged. She was choking on her own saliva, and her brow, coated with sweat, felt sticky and uncomfortable.
“WE... RRRAAAAAAARRRRR! WE AREN’T GONNA SHIFT THIS THING!”
“DON’T YOU FUCKING GIVE UP ON ME NOW!”
“BUT I CAN’T... Ha... Ha... Ha... Fuck, I can’t...” Michelle began to slow.
“DON’T STOP PULLING, BITCH!” Tabby roared.
To her credit, Michelle never did stop pulling, but it wasn’t with much vigor as before. The stump, very slowly, began to settle back into its spot, despite Tabby’s best efforts. The hot summer sun burned into their skin.
Of course... Tabby was in such a rush to take advantage of this new opportunity to get rid of the stump that she’d forgotten to check whether it was even safe to do extended work outside today, or even get some kind of sun protection for either of them. That’s why they were running out of stamina so soon.
Michelle was just about to give up... When she thought she saw something ahead of her... No... Someone!
“
M... Mary?”
Little Mary stood in front of her, almost like a ghost. Michelle reached out for her sister, but she couldn’t reach her.
“
Michelle!” cried Mary as several shadowy figures took hold of her and dragged her away! “
Help me, Michelle! Please Michelle! Please!”
“
HANG ON, MARY! I’M COMING, SWEETIE!” Michelle screamed. "
AAAAAAARRRRRGHHHH!"
Tabby raised an eyebrow. “Who the fuck is Mary?
HOLY CRAP!” Tabby yelped as Mich shot forward, the rope letting out a deafening WHIP sound as it tightened! The stump creaked and groaned; inch-by-inch it slowly relinquished its grip on the soil.
Mich pulled! She pulled harder than when she was a rickshaw driver. She pulled harder than she had during any of Sargent Vine’s horrendous exercises. She pulled harder than she had during the tug-of-war against Ellie back at the market. Every muscle in her body felt as if they were on fire, but all that pain would be worth it if... she... could... just... reach....
“
MARY!”
Suddenly there was a loud crack and the stump rolled out of the ground, the girls stumbled and then collapsed on grass.
For a minute, both Michelle and Tabby sat there on the dry grass, catching their breath. Tabby soon sat up, daring to glance at their handy work behind her. The stump lay on its side, finally free from its soil prison.
“YES!” Tabby cheered; her fists shot up into the air. “FUCK YEAH! IN YOUR FACE, TREE! WHOSE AWESOME? I’M AWESOME! WHOSE AWESOME? I’M AWESOME! Oh, and you did decently too, kid,” she added. “But in all seriousness, Michelle. I couldn’t have done this without your help, so-Oh my Goddess, you’re crying.”
Michelle wailed, sobbing into the ground and clutching at her head. Everything that had happened; her rickshaw accident, the trial, her sentence as an Oxen, and all the strenuous work that came with it. All the while... She had no idea if Mary was even safe. Or if she’d ever see her again. She sobbed apologies to a sister that would, perhaps, never hear them, and she cursed herself for not being a better big sister.
All the while, Tabby stood over her, the rush of victory now replaced with an awkward feeling. At last, she sighed, letting the “cranky veteran stuck tutoring the newcomer” act drop slightly, kneeling down and pulling Michelle into an embrace.
“
Shhhhh...” Tabby comforted, gently stroking Michelle’s hair. “
Shhhh.... It’s okay, yeah? You were fantastic. I’m sure Mary would be proud to have such a strong wife like you.”
“
M-m-m-Mary’s my s-s-sister.”
“FUCK!” Tabby barked. Michelle filched, and Tabby immediately regretted the outburst. “Sorry, I’m not good at this whole... emotions thing.”
Michelle laughed... Well, it sounded more like a fish choking on a carrot, but at least she was smiling again, so it was a win in Tabby’s book.
“Now come on, Hercules,” said Tabby, rising back to her feet. (Michelle’s smile grew, silently approving of the new nickname.) “The job’s not over yet. We still need to get this miserable stump to the lumber plant. It’s just on the other side on the property, to the left. Are you up to it?”
“Yeah... Yeah, I think so...”
“There’s the Michelle I tolerate!” Tabby smiled, lightly punching Michelle’s shoulder. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re gonna fit in nicely here.”
Michelle smiled at Tabetha. It was yet another struggle to get the stump moving again, (during which Tabetha strained yet another barrage of colorful curse words), but soon they were dragging the stump which had caused the yard so much headache to its final resting place at the lumberyard. They passed a few other visiting ponygirls and warehouse dispatchers busy with their own tasks.
One of the dispatchers, a middle-aged man, looked up from his manifest. “Hold on... is that...”
“No way!” said another factory worker.
“Take a look at that, Amelia,” one woman said to her pulling partner as they brought a cart of steel beams (yes, really, these girls are jacked) into the dispatch yard. “They finally got rid of that tree!”
Amelia whistled, impressed. “That must’ve been a painful job. I’ve heard horror stories about that thing.”
“WAY TO GO, TABATHA!” cheered a smaller ox shunting empty carts ready to be loaded.
“Thank Michelle!” Tabby called back, gesturing to her partner. “This girl’s a beast!”
Michelle blushed as everyone began cheering for her. But she couldn’t enjoy it, at least in the moment... Her mind was focused on one thing and one thing only.
“
Don’t worry, Mary,” she grunted, pulling the stump along. “
I will find you. I promise I’ll find you...”
