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Grumbling under her breath, Misu rolled her shoulders to adjust the heavy wicker basket strapped to her back. Sweat dripped down her brow as her tail flicked in irritation behind her in a futile attempt to swat away the large amount of mosquitos and flies flying around her face and back.

Ugh, the plains! They were the worst! The hot, humid air felt heavy just to breathe in. The sun beating relentlessly down on her back, repeatedly getting poked and prodded by bits of wild tall grass and bushes with thorns. And the worst part is the bugs.

So. Many. Freaking. Bugs!! How did people live down here without constantly getting swarmed to death by the nasty little pests?

Three more deliveries, just three more deliveries, and then she could hightail it to the cold comfort of the mountains once again. At least, until her father called on her once again to make the long trek down the mountain to deliver the next round of precious baked goods and specialty-grown hearty cold-weather wheat that they harvested.

If she was being honest, Misu didn’t mind being her family’s delivery maid…most of the time. It allowed her to get out and explore from her normally mundane life back at home, meet new people, and try some new delicious food. More importantly, it allowed her the freedom to sing and practice her dance act in peace without her family complaining about the “ear-piercing screeching” coming from her cave or complaining that she was in the way why they were trying to work. Once, the herd’s guards had even been called on a noise complainant when she had stayed up into the wee morning hours to continue writing and practicing one of her new routines. They had told her she was disturbing the peace! HER!

Psh, “disturbing the peace.”! Unbelievable. They just didn’t know what true talent sounded like! They should have been grateful to be given the opportunity to see the great Tiramisu live before she had her big break!

Granted, she had been told more than once or twice on her trips down south in very colorful language to quiet down and kindly keep moving it along. But, that must have been purely a coincidence. Perhaps people down here were just more sour in their moods? She certainly was after having to deal with this freaking heat and these blasted bugs all day.

“Just got to make it to the lake by sundown and then you’ll be done for the day.” Misu muttered to herself. Pursing her lips she shook her head again to shoo off another wave of flies swarming around her head. Peering around her surroundings, she took note of the familiar landmarks that she could observe in the distance and gauge her general location. Hmm, it would be another two or three hours before she would make it to the lake. What could she do to pass the time and make this trek a bit easier….?

OH! Of course! The best thing in the world for cheering anyone up: A SONG!

Beaming a wide smile, she resumed her journey, this time with a bit more high-energy prep in her step. She could ignore the rest of the world and be lost in her daydreams of being a true celebrity performer, adored by fans everywhere, friends with the world, and finally having something to share with pride with her family that she had accomplished.

Inhaling a deep breath, Misu began to belt out the opening verse of her song.

“Stuff! Roll! Press! Smack!
Stuff! Roll! Press! Smack!
Sift the flour, let the eggs crack
Knead the dough on every hour
Then we start it all again~

Stuff! Roll! Press! Smack!
Stuff! Roll! Press! Smack!
Form the dough around the filling
Brush with egg and please no spilling
What a lovely gift they are

And there’s tradition in these breads
And we make every one with care
Then we bake them full of fondness – sweetness
Lofting through the air
And there is magic in these fry breads
You can feel it all around
Fry Bread where the magic is found~”

Was she completely off-key? Yes. Was she nasally? Yes. Was she obnoxiously loud? Most definitely. Was she happy now living in her ignorant, tone-deaf, blissful fantasy?

Yes, she definitely was. Regardless that everyone within the nearest mile was most likely rubbing their ears by now in confusion as to where that horrendous noise was coming from suddenly.

(WC: 646 Words *Not counting the song as I don't own it*)

Misu had never claimed to be the most observant mare in existence, nor possibly the smartest one if she was completely honest with herself. Especially when she was lost in her own thoughts she was notorious for being almost impossible to snap out of her own little world. So, it was without saying she didn’t notice the brightly colored flutter traveling besides her neither did she notice when she hit him like a grand-slam home run and knocked him into his full-size form!

Hey! HEY!

Mercifully, his shouting had gotten her attention enough to have her stop the horrendous noises she was playing off as singing. Matthius, and surely all living creatures within the next mile’s radius, were relieved that the psychological torture they had been enduring was finally at its end.

But who was shouting in the first place…?

Flicking her ears curiously, she peered around in front of her. She wasn’t walking into someone or something like she normally was when she was being screamed at…Nor did it look like she had committed any property damage this time. Sooooo….

Wait, what was that behind her?

Slowly, Misu spun herself around, peering owlishly at the bewildered but rightfully pissed-off Flutter in front of her. Okay Misu, let’s take a step back and assess the situation here. We are in the middle of nowhere with loads of treats and precious valuables to trade. There totally WASN’T anyone here before but now there is suddenly a very upset stallion in front of her. Sticks in his hair, dirt on his rump, angry glare directed right at her, horn at the ready to be used as a weapon with a single well-timed headbutt. That could only mean…

Blink.

Blink.

OH GODS THIS WAS A STICK UP! A CLASSIC TRADESMAN HIGHWAY ROBBERY!

Oh nononononono. What did the guards say to do? Stop, drop, and roll? No dammit, that was for fire. Ahhh….ahhhhhh! Be as loud as you could and make yourself seem bigger than you were to scare them off and seem like less of a target!

Or was that for bears? Whatever it was the plan she was going with!

“STAY AWAY FROM ME! I-I-I’LL LEAVE WISHING YOU NEVER MESSED WITH ME, BUB!” Misu shrieked as loud as she could in fear. As she screamed, she stumbled back, half heartedly trying to rear up to kick out her front legs at her would-be assailant. What she didn’t calculate in this plan was her long tail getting caught underneath her hooves. With one step she had successfully tied up her own back legs and with a loud thump of her own, she came crashing down a**-over-head right onto her haul. Bread, rolls, little cakes, candy, and all sorts of other knick knacks went flying out of her baskets in a grand explosion of baked goods.

“Owww…nailed it.”

(WC: 474)

Baffling was one way to put the mutual feeling shared by the two parties certainly.

One moment Misu was defending herself from her would-be assaulter in her mind in a stunningly brave example of self-defense. Next, she was a**-up, staring at the sky dazed and confused about what the heck had just happened.

In between the feeling of the growing pounding in her head from the impact and the cold squish of baked goods under her weight, Matthius's bewildered and frantic voice cut through the fog like a knife.

Was he seriously asking her if she was okay? Wasn’t he going to take advantage of her being in such a precarious position to run off into the night with whatever valuables had caught his eye in the first place?

Or…was there another story at play here? Was this perhaps just an honest mistake?

Kicking one of her back legs she worked to roll herself from her back onto her side. She let out a low, pained groan as she craned her head around to look over her shoulder to her back, watching the confection of icing, cake, jam, and who knows what else slowly roll down her back, turning her into a wild, sticky - albeit delicious - rainbow of mess.

“Oh gods it’s everywhere.” She muttered under her breath. Shaking her head to knock herself out of her current despair of how matted and stinky her fur was quickly going to become in the brutal heat of the sun Misu finally met eye contact with Matthius with small tears welling up in her eyes.

“I-I’m so sorry, I’ve been dying to finish my runs I didn’t realize that I was so far stuck with my heads in the clouds.” She confessed, her voice quacking with embarrassment.

“Are-” Oh lord, here come the tears. There was no holding them back now. They had finally broken the line and started streaming down her face. With a pitful, unladylike sniffle, she eyed him up and down, searching for any injuries. I mean my goodness she might have fallen flat on her arse but it seemed at the very least the worst thing that was wounded was her pride!

She had hit this poor man with her TAIL! A FLUTTER! Who knows what damage she could have done!?

“Are you okay, s-sir? Please tell me you’re okay. If no-not then I…” Her voice tapered off as her mind raced with anxiety.

If he wasn’t okay then what? She didn’t know first aid; she didn’t even know how to wrap a cut! She would have to find a doctor ASAP. But she didn’t even really know where she was at the moment let alone where the nearest medical professional could be. And then there was a matter of carrying him. What if he couldn’t shrink back down? She was bigger than him, but not by much, and given her current sore back she wasn’t sure if she could handle the weight of him for the next unknown amount of miles to the nearest village.

Knitting her brows she finally broke the pregnant silence. “P-please forgive me! I’ll find you medical care right away! I just…” Pursing her lips she lowered her gaze once more in another wave of embarrassment. “Don’t know where any are around here. Can you point the way and I’ll c-carry you?”