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(So this is sort of a continuation of Rosarian's Intimidated ! I couldn't help myself it's just too cute...if only this one is just as pleasant >.< Uh...rough topic warning ahead. We're getting into family history and stuff sadly. I do not expect anyone to read it if they're not comfortable doing so!)

The air is warm and gentle as two young ponies soar through it. Caramel Creppe is rather content to carry Peppa-Mint into the clouds. It's a very relaxing pastime, a source of escape from the world. They don't ever talk much during these flights which is also fine; best friends can have conversations without words.
Which is how Peppa knows something is bothering him. She herself was lost in happy memories of the surprise party held in her honor yesterday, but his face seems scrunched up in turmoil. It's rather unlike him! Thank goodness he has a terrible poker face. They could solve this problem whatever it is.
She taps his neck to get his attention. "Hey, what's up? What's the long face for, besides being a pony?" She giggles at that.

Caramel squishes his face in a childish attempt to figure out how to word things. "Your mom is pretty!"

Peppa blinks in surprise. Caramel didn't even laugh at her pun so this must be serious. "Yea, she is. Where'd you think I got my rugged good looks from?"

"I thought she was your sister at first! She looks young enough to be. But then again some mares age differently...and who were those other ladies? And the big scary pale dude?" Caramel wants to shut up...yet his curious brain demands to know everything. He never realized how different/strange his friend's living situation really was until he saw it himself.
It takes a few moments for him to realize that Peppa hasn't responded. In fact, she's gone uncharacteristically quiet. He sneaks a glance back at her.
Peppa catches him looking and she buries her face into his poofy mane with a tiny sob. She hates displaying outward signs of distress so hiding her face is the best alternative right now.
"O-oh no! Oh Peppa wait I'm sorry I'll take it back! Please don't cry!" Caramel panics and shoots downward. He's desperate to land! There's a nice sunny patch of grass so he taps down there. Peppa slides off his back as soon as his hooves brush the blades of green. She's gotten ahold of herself but she's still listless and morose.

Caramel sits with worry. He's so used to her being bubbly and outgoing. Seeing her all silent reminds him of the rough patch she went through a year or so ago.
"You can...tell me about it. I won't be freaked out or anything, promise!"

Peppa sits near him, facing away. "I probably should. You're a little soft to learn those answers though Caramel. Your mom might not want us hanging out anymore if she knew."

"Hey! I might be soft but I'm not a completely innocent little colt you know! I go to public school too after all." Caramel calms himself down quickly.

"I'm just sorta scared that you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. It's sorta dumb since I can't control any of it. Ha." Peppa wipes her eyes with the back of her foreleg. "But since you're my best friend I feel guilty for hiding my life from you. Ask me and I'll do my best okay? You tell me about your life all the time and you did help throw the best surprise of my entire life. It'll be like messed-up bonding."
She tries really hard to shake off the clawing bit of anxiety in her gut. Caramel was there and supported her through everything so far. Why not now? It is her basic existence after all. Nowhere near as bad as anything else.

"As long as you're not some psycho killer I'll always be your friend. Double promise." Caramel goes to nuzzle her shoulder before deciding against it. This is serious time!
"Why's your mom so pretty and young?"

"Because she had me young." Peppa replies simply. "She was roughly the same age as us when it happened."

Caramel swallows a gasp of shock. How? Why?! "That's scary! Is she okay?"

"I witnessed her suicide attempts twice when I was a baby. You tell me." Peppa snorts slightly. At the time it didn't bother her, but now that she's older those memories freak her out a lot. Now that she understands more things.
"Valentino stopped her both times though. Um...my mom was physically abused by her dad until middle school. That's when she got kidnapped and sold out to pedophiles. When she got too heavy with me to 'work' anymore the seller beat her badly and left her for dead. Somehow she passed out on the shelter steps and Valentino took her in." She sneaks a peek at Caramel.

His face radiates appropriate levels of freaked out. That's just far too horrible! He can't even imagine...abused, kidnapped, abused, pregnant. There are no words to express his levels of sorrow for Kandy Kayne .
"Is that why she gives you that haircut?"

"Uh huh. She thinks if I look boyish the same thing won't happen to me. It's one of the few times I'm certain she loves me." Peppa is playing with a nearby rock to keep her hooves occupied.
"Val is certain that it was her dad who sold her, and the kidnapping was their way of being unable to trace it back to him. I'm just glad that the monster who sold her out to others doesn't exist anymore."

"I hope prison treats him real bad." Caramel sputters.

"Pffft. Val killed him, duh! Don't you dare share that." Peppa glares at him blankly then turns back away. Her friend goes silent once more.
"My mommy is just...she's really broken Caramel. She doesn't hug anyone, she has a hard time bonding with others, and she spends a lot of time just staring at nothing. It's...it's really hard. It sucks! When I had bad dreams I couldn't sleep with her since it made her upset. She doesn't ever fully smile, it's always a dreamy half attempt. She'll stay awake for days on end just pacing and pacing and pacing. If I got hurt I couldn't go crying to her or she'll have a freaking breakdown in front of me. And you gotta be real specific when speaking with her, or that'll set her off too. Like one time someone asked me to buy some gum and I asked 'How much'? Well mom was nearby and she slipped into a trance and started listing prices. She wouldn't stop repeating her 'service' costs and we couldn't get her to snap out of it. What mother does that Caramel?!"

Caramel stares at the ground intently. This is far too much for him to take in. This just barely seems to be the tip of the iceberg! Which is scary to think about.

"A broken one, that's what. My mommy is broken and there's nothing we can do to make her better. NOTHING! I love her so much and she tries so hard but it doesn't do any good. The only upside has been her therapy and her emotionally numbing drugs. Sometimes...sometimes I wonder what my mommy would have really been like if things didn't happen. Like, I'd have a real daddy and a real mommy and they would take care of me instead of the other way around." She wipes away another flow of tears.
"I don't feel like covering her night terrors. So there's my pathetic sob story. Next question please."

"Peppa, that's-"

"Next question. Please." Peppa whispers.

"Hnng." Caramel goes back to dirt watching. It's a miracle he hasn't burned a hole into it yet. "Who were the other mares? The giggly ones."

Peppa seems to relax a bit so this must be a happier topic. "They're my group of nannies sorta! There's a whole lot more of them but they weren't on the ground floor. The leader of the giggles is Vivi! The red unicorn. She's gonna be a model! She used to be a ribbon dancer and doesn't mind practicing every so often. She's very elegant, it's pretty. Very expressive. Um...if something moves really fast she'll often lose her mind and hide behind something. Because bar raids or something? Dunno. But she's really cool! Sassy sometimes but cool. She's my biggest role model."

"She's really pretty too." Caramel offers helpfully.

"Uh huh!" Peppa jumps into the next group. "The other red unicorn, the chunky short one, has a large bun for a mane. That's Tili, and she's my unofficial gramma. She's only a few years older than my mom right now but she's soooo motherly and empathetic and sweet. She's pretty much adopted mommy and me too. Mostly mommy. She pushed her trauma so far into her head that she doesn't even remember it anymore so we're not sure what happened. But if you yell at her she'll cry. Or if you swing your hoof at her she'll flinch like you're gonna hit her. So whatever it was isn't good. Love her to pieces! Um...let's see...oh yea Cloud Gazer! She's the pink pegasus who wasn't very giggly. Her and Valentino work together pretty much. She's really great too. She'll remember everything you tell her! I love that she's working behind the scenes to keep stuff running. The last mare I can think of is Fanta-Size. Bright orange and yellow. She was the one the most in your face since she's super nosy."
Peppa giggles. At the moment it wasn't a funny situation; it was annoying and embarrassing when they teased about Caramel to his face.
"She worked at a 'group house', where you have to work hard to capture customers' attention since there were a lot of choices. She didn't get to eat if she didn't make enough a day which is why she's so attention-seeking. I like her a lot too, she's sorta like a sister. Lots of fun. All of the mares are really. You can go back someday if you want. I feel like the first intro didn't go too well."

"Whoa it's like a house full of moms and sisters! But I guess it doesn't replace your real mom huh." Caramel perks up when she does. It DOES sound sorta neat minus all the trauma and abuse. Like a bunch of broken Lego pieces gluing up the cracks.
"I'll come back if Valentino isn't there!"

Peppa sighs. "Ugh he's the beeeest and the woooorst. He pretty much raised me as a foal when mommy couldn't, and he's a great protector. It's hard to remember that he's a feared and respected black market leader sometimes, please don't repeat that. When I was little I used to love snuggling up on his fuzzy chest and feeling so safe and secure. You were there when I learned he wasn't my real dad-" Peppa's voice breaks slightly.
"After I got older it didn't seem right to disturb his short sleep for stupid things like bad dreams. Learning that didn't make it any better either. We never really talked about it but maybe we should. Sometimes I still slip up and call him dad...he always responds without hesitating. Things are a little awkward right now I guess. It doesn't make me love him any less. He saved mommy's life and in turn mine too. And he lets me do things like to to school! Or eat ice cream for dinner when Cloud Gazer isn't around."

"He sounds like a real dad to me." Caramel scratches an ear. Val will always be terrifying, no matter how much Peppa tries buttering him up! "I've been told family is anyone you open your heart to. You can choose even though it's not quite blood!"

"Yea! I must've hit the jackpot then." Peppa is pretty much back to her old self at this point. "You're my family, and all our other friends, and mommy, and Valentino and Tili, and all the rest. It's a lot but it's all I have."

Caramel beams, pleased to be included in the list. "Well you're my family too! In a not weird way! Can we go get milkshakes now?"

"Of course! All that emotional dumping works up an appetite." Both young ponies head back in the basic direction of town.

As they journey along Caramel keeps on catching her glancing at him. "Yea?"

"I just...thanks man. I love you and I wish I knew how to support you the same way you support me." Peppa shrugs. She feels so much lighter after that event. She also hopes she didn't place the weight onto his shoulders instead. "I don't want to share that burden with you if you don't want it."

"There's no one else I'd rather share with. Unless it's milkshakes!" Caramel replies gallantly. Then promptly almost trips over his own hooves. "I...uh...love you too! You're gonna flourish I just know it."

Peppa giggles at his rapidly-blushing face. Oh he's just so easily flustered! "Aw thank you Caramel! Don't make it weird."
Their hooves crunch on a familiar gravel road. She shoots him a look. "C'mon, let's race!"

Caramel can't even reply in time; she's already bolted off. His heart sinks a little at how small she really is. Yet it all makes sense now; young mothers don't really have perfectly sound foals. Her personality must be a mash of everyone she lives with. It's not as warm or friendly or close as his home is, but it's not necessarily bad either. Just different!
"Hey! Wait for me!"
------------------------------------------
Ah poor Peppa...you can't lose innocence if you never had it to begin with This was rather long and rambling but it does explain her small stature and social situation. Big family at home = big friend group. Poor dear didn't want to scar her friend for life with all the awful things that happened. Caramel is such a bby I love him to pieces.

Caramel belongs to RosarianArt

Description
(So this is sort of a continuation of Rosarian's Intimidated ! I couldn't help myself it's just too cute...if only this one is just as pleasant >.< Uh...rough topic warning ahead. We're getting into family history and stuff sadly. I do not expect anyone to read it if they're not comfortable doing so!)

The air is warm and gentle as two young ponies soar through it. Caramel Creppe is rather content to carry Peppa-Mint into the clouds. It's a very relaxing pastime, a source of escape from the world. They don't ever talk much during these flights which is also fine; best friends can have conversations without words.
Which is how Peppa knows something is bothering him. She herself was lost in happy memories of the surprise party held in her honor yesterday, but his face seems scrunched up in turmoil. It's rather unlike him! Thank goodness he has a terrible poker face. They could solve this problem whatever it is.
She taps his neck to get his attention. "Hey, what's up? What's the long face for, besides being a pony?" She giggles at that.

Caramel squishes his face in a childish attempt to figure out how to word things. "Your mom is pretty!"

Peppa blinks in surprise. Caramel didn't even laugh at her pun so this must be serious. "Yea, she is. Where'd you think I got my rugged good looks from?"

"I thought she was your sister at first! She looks young enough to be. But then again some mares age differently...and who were those other ladies? And the big scary pale dude?" Caramel wants to shut up...yet his curious brain demands to know everything. He never realized how different/strange his friend's living situation really was until he saw it himself.
It takes a few moments for him to realize that Peppa hasn't responded. In fact, she's gone uncharacteristically quiet. He sneaks a glance back at her.
Peppa catches him looking and she buries her face into his poofy mane with a tiny sob. She hates displaying outward signs of distress so hiding her face is the best alternative right now.
"O-oh no! Oh Peppa wait I'm sorry I'll take it back! Please don't cry!" Caramel panics and shoots downward. He's desperate to land! There's a nice sunny patch of grass so he taps down there. Peppa slides off his back as soon as his hooves brush the blades of green. She's gotten ahold of herself but she's still listless and morose.

Caramel sits with worry. He's so used to her being bubbly and outgoing. Seeing her all silent reminds him of the rough patch she went through a year or so ago.
"You can...tell me about it. I won't be freaked out or anything, promise!"

Peppa sits near him, facing away. "I probably should. You're a little soft to learn those answers though Caramel. Your mom might not want us hanging out anymore if she knew."

"Hey! I might be soft but I'm not a completely innocent little colt you know! I go to public school too after all." Caramel calms himself down quickly.

"I'm just sorta scared that you wouldn't want to be my friend anymore. It's sorta dumb since I can't control any of it. Ha." Peppa wipes her eyes with the back of her foreleg. "But since you're my best friend I feel guilty for hiding my life from you. Ask me and I'll do my best okay? You tell me about your life all the time and you did help throw the best surprise of my entire life. It'll be like messed-up bonding."
She tries really hard to shake off the clawing bit of anxiety in her gut. Caramel was there and supported her through everything so far. Why not now? It is her basic existence after all. Nowhere near as bad as anything else.

"As long as you're not some psycho killer I'll always be your friend. Double promise." Caramel goes to nuzzle her shoulder before deciding against it. This is serious time!
"Why's your mom so pretty and young?"

"Because she had me young." Peppa replies simply. "She was roughly the same age as us when it happened."

Caramel swallows a gasp of shock. How? Why?! "That's scary! Is she okay?"

"I witnessed her suicide attempts twice when I was a baby. You tell me." Peppa snorts slightly. At the time it didn't bother her, but now that she's older those memories freak her out a lot. Now that she understands more things.
"Valentino stopped her both times though. Um...my mom was physically abused by her dad until middle school. That's when she got kidnapped and sold out to pedophiles. When she got too heavy with me to 'work' anymore the seller beat her badly and left her for dead. Somehow she passed out on the shelter steps and Valentino took her in." She sneaks a peek at Caramel.

His face radiates appropriate levels of freaked out. That's just far too horrible! He can't even imagine...abused, kidnapped, abused, pregnant. There are no words to express his levels of sorrow for Kandy Kayne .
"Is that why she gives you that haircut?"

"Uh huh. She thinks if I look boyish the same thing won't happen to me. It's one of the few times I'm certain she loves me." Peppa is playing with a nearby rock to keep her hooves occupied.
"Val is certain that it was her dad who sold her, and the kidnapping was their way of being unable to trace it back to him. I'm just glad that the monster who sold her out to others doesn't exist anymore."

"I hope prison treats him real bad." Caramel sputters.

"Pffft. Val killed him, duh! Don't you dare share that." Peppa glares at him blankly then turns back away. Her friend goes silent once more.
"My mommy is just...she's really broken Caramel. She doesn't hug anyone, she has a hard time bonding with others, and she spends a lot of time just staring at nothing. It's...it's really hard. It sucks! When I had bad dreams I couldn't sleep with her since it made her upset. She doesn't ever fully smile, it's always a dreamy half attempt. She'll stay awake for days on end just pacing and pacing and pacing. If I got hurt I couldn't go crying to her or she'll have a freaking breakdown in front of me. And you gotta be real specific when speaking with her, or that'll set her off too. Like one time someone asked me to buy some gum and I asked 'How much'? Well mom was nearby and she slipped into a trance and started listing prices. She wouldn't stop repeating her 'service' costs and we couldn't get her to snap out of it. What mother does that Caramel?!"

Caramel stares at the ground intently. This is far too much for him to take in. This just barely seems to be the tip of the iceberg! Which is scary to think about.

"A broken one, that's what. My mommy is broken and there's nothing we can do to make her better. NOTHING! I love her so much and she tries so hard but it doesn't do any good. The only upside has been her therapy and her emotionally numbing drugs. Sometimes...sometimes I wonder what my mommy would have really been like if things didn't happen. Like, I'd have a real daddy and a real mommy and they would take care of me instead of the other way around." She wipes away another flow of tears.
"I don't feel like covering her night terrors. So there's my pathetic sob story. Next question please."

"Peppa, that's-"

"Next question. Please." Peppa whispers.

"Hnng." Caramel goes back to dirt watching. It's a miracle he hasn't burned a hole into it yet. "Who were the other mares? The giggly ones."

Peppa seems to relax a bit so this must be a happier topic. "They're my group of nannies sorta! There's a whole lot more of them but they weren't on the ground floor. The leader of the giggles is Vivi! The red unicorn. She's gonna be a model! She used to be a ribbon dancer and doesn't mind practicing every so often. She's very elegant, it's pretty. Very expressive. Um...if something moves really fast she'll often lose her mind and hide behind something. Because bar raids or something? Dunno. But she's really cool! Sassy sometimes but cool. She's my biggest role model."

"She's really pretty too." Caramel offers helpfully.

"Uh huh!" Peppa jumps into the next group. "The other red unicorn, the chunky short one, has a large bun for a mane. That's Tili, and she's my unofficial gramma. She's only a few years older than my mom right now but she's soooo motherly and empathetic and sweet. She's pretty much adopted mommy and me too. Mostly mommy. She pushed her trauma so far into her head that she doesn't even remember it anymore so we're not sure what happened. But if you yell at her she'll cry. Or if you swing your hoof at her she'll flinch like you're gonna hit her. So whatever it was isn't good. Love her to pieces! Um...let's see...oh yea Cloud Gazer! She's the pink pegasus who wasn't very giggly. Her and Valentino work together pretty much. She's really great too. She'll remember everything you tell her! I love that she's working behind the scenes to keep stuff running. The last mare I can think of is Fanta-Size. Bright orange and yellow. She was the one the most in your face since she's super nosy."
Peppa giggles. At the moment it wasn't a funny situation; it was annoying and embarrassing when they teased about Caramel to his face.
"She worked at a 'group house', where you have to work hard to capture customers' attention since there were a lot of choices. She didn't get to eat if she didn't make enough a day which is why she's so attention-seeking. I like her a lot too, she's sorta like a sister. Lots of fun. All of the mares are really. You can go back someday if you want. I feel like the first intro didn't go too well."

"Whoa it's like a house full of moms and sisters! But I guess it doesn't replace your real mom huh." Caramel perks up when she does. It DOES sound sorta neat minus all the trauma and abuse. Like a bunch of broken Lego pieces gluing up the cracks.
"I'll come back if Valentino isn't there!"

Peppa sighs. "Ugh he's the beeeest and the woooorst. He pretty much raised me as a foal when mommy couldn't, and he's a great protector. It's hard to remember that he's a feared and respected black market leader sometimes, please don't repeat that. When I was little I used to love snuggling up on his fuzzy chest and feeling so safe and secure. You were there when I learned he wasn't my real dad-" Peppa's voice breaks slightly.
"After I got older it didn't seem right to disturb his short sleep for stupid things like bad dreams. Learning that didn't make it any better either. We never really talked about it but maybe we should. Sometimes I still slip up and call him dad...he always responds without hesitating. Things are a little awkward right now I guess. It doesn't make me love him any less. He saved mommy's life and in turn mine too. And he lets me do things like to to school! Or eat ice cream for dinner when Cloud Gazer isn't around."

"He sounds like a real dad to me." Caramel scratches an ear. Val will always be terrifying, no matter how much Peppa tries buttering him up! "I've been told family is anyone you open your heart to. You can choose even though it's not quite blood!"

"Yea! I must've hit the jackpot then." Peppa is pretty much back to her old self at this point. "You're my family, and all our other friends, and mommy, and Valentino and Tili, and all the rest. It's a lot but it's all I have."

Caramel beams, pleased to be included in the list. "Well you're my family too! In a not weird way! Can we go get milkshakes now?"

"Of course! All that emotional dumping works up an appetite." Both young ponies head back in the basic direction of town.

As they journey along Caramel keeps on catching her glancing at him. "Yea?"

"I just...thanks man. I love you and I wish I knew how to support you the same way you support me." Peppa shrugs. She feels so much lighter after that event. She also hopes she didn't place the weight onto his shoulders instead. "I don't want to share that burden with you if you don't want it."

"There's no one else I'd rather share with. Unless it's milkshakes!" Caramel replies gallantly. Then promptly almost trips over his own hooves. "I...uh...love you too! You're gonna flourish I just know it."

Peppa giggles at his rapidly-blushing face. Oh he's just so easily flustered! "Aw thank you Caramel! Don't make it weird."
Their hooves crunch on a familiar gravel road. She shoots him a look. "C'mon, let's race!"

Caramel can't even reply in time; she's already bolted off. His heart sinks a little at how small she really is. Yet it all makes sense now; young mothers don't really have perfectly sound foals. Her personality must be a mash of everyone she lives with. It's not as warm or friendly or close as his home is, but it's not necessarily bad either. Just different!
"Hey! Wait for me!"
------------------------------------------
Ah poor Peppa...you can't lose innocence if you never had it to begin with This was rather long and rambling but it does explain her small stature and social situation. Big family at home = big friend group. Poor dear didn't want to scar her friend for life with all the awful things that happened. Caramel is such a bby I love him to pieces.

Caramel belongs to RosarianArt