AN: I have fallen in love with Centaurworld and while the birdtaur-centric episode wasn't one of my favourites, it did give me the inspiration for this oneshot. Also you cannot convince me that Ched wouldn't attempt to at least get some shipping merch of himself and Zulius based on all the jokes centered around them this season XD
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As the birdtaur's song faded, the last notes growing quiet, it became abundantly clear to Horse that Wammawink was… upset.
She was angry for sure, steam practically radiating off of her as she screamed in aggravation. Her eyes twitched like crazy, and her fists were clenched tight enough to make her veins pop out. She looked furious, but there was something else about her expression that made Horse pause, even when Mouthpiece tried to get her attention.
It was the sorrowful look in her eyes that made Horse stop. It was a look she had only seen a couple times on their journey, a sort of vulnerability that she rarely expressed unless she felt it was absolutely necessary. She was hurt by the rejection of the birdtaurs, hurt by the thought that so many centaurs either disliked her or outright hated her.
And yet she masked this sorrow with anger, even as the birdtaurs continued to joke about her. How awful she was, and how much she sucked-
How dare they.
How dare they judge her when they had no idea what she had been through, when they knew nothing about how much she had changed and grown. How dare they act like she was just a nuisance when she was so much more than that.
Wammawink was the glue that held them together, the one who was always willing to step up and protect her herd no matter what. She was the one who had pulled Horse back from the edge when all hope had been lost.
She had taught Horse how to love herself when she didn't know who she was anymore, and that everything would be okay.
Aggravation drove her actions as she stomped a hoof into the ground, startling Mouthpiece. Horse ignored his questions and the concerned looks being thrown her way, the curious and conspiring whispers about the main character acting in such a way.
Horse was popular, well known and well liked.
Time to put that popularity to good use.
"You're all wrong!" Horse shouted as she strode over the Wammawink, sending the stunned alpaca centaur a warm smile. "Wammawink does have a fan!"
She leaned against Wammawink and felt that warm, pink wool brush against her flank and neck. One of the centaur's arms wrapped around her shoulders, giving her a hug. A sign of gratefulness and support.
… And perhaps it was also a metaphorical middle finger to the birdtaurs.
It was a sense of love and confidence that encouraged her to speak. She shouted her declaration to the heavens, making sure everyone heard her. "And that's me! I'm her number one fan!"
"Horse!" Wammawink squealed as she hugged her a bit tighter. "You're such a sweetheart. You didn't have to say that-"
Oh, that was an absolute lie. Not only did Horse want to stand up for Wammawink, but it was also pretty amusing to watch her chest puff up in pride as her eyes sparkled with glee the moment, she processed what Horse had said.
Plus bothering the centaurs that had… creepily watched her and everyone else throughout their journey was an unintended bonus.
Quiet, uncertain murmurs broke out among the crowd as the collection of centaurs struggled with what to do with such a revelation. It was earth shattering, threatening to shake the foundations of the fandom. Already groups were beginning to break apart, opinions dividing life long friends and family.
However, it was one hushed, yet excited statement that truly caused pandemonium to break out.
"Oh my gosh! It's a rarepair!"
The crowd revolted, screams and shouts of rage breaking out intermixed with papers flying in the air. Frantic sketches of Horse and Wammawink were flung too and fro, heated arguments about shipping dynamics filled the air, and even a couple birdtaurs outright fainted.
"Wow." Horse blinked. "I don't know what I was expecting, but it definitely wasn't… that."
"Fandom drama can get very intense." Zulius said while casually sliding into the conversation. He snatched a piece of paper out of the air and winced at its contents. "Especiallyover shipping."
"The last time I saw something this crazy was when Wammawink freaked out over some story about merdudes ." Glendale added as she snatched all sorts of papers out of the air and hid them away. "She cried into that pillow-"
"Okay! Let's not bring that up again!" Wammawink interrupted while frantically trying to cover Glendale's mouth. As the pair struggled and flailed, much to Zulius and Horse's amusement, Durpleton was focused on something else.
Specifically, his sweet baby boy.
"Stabbleton," He scolded as he watched the lizard minotaur catch one of the papers and look it over, revealing a rough sketch of Wammawink and Horse hugging. "We always pay content creators for their hard work; we don't just take it."
"Yeah, unless there's a mouse involved." Ched scoffed as he grabbed his own bundle of papers and flicked through them. His eyes widened at the content, jaw dropping in shock.
This… this was…
"Alright, let's just… give them time to calm down and then we can talk to them about the war." Horse suggested, stepping back as a pair of brawling birdtaurs rolled in front of her. "But if they can fight like this, then they'll be perfect!"
"It's hard to believe we found the ultimate weapon, telling them that the Nowhere King ships Wammawink and Horse." Zulius snickered before cackling loudly at the shouts of outrage at his joke.
"There! See! It's perfect!"
"Weeeeeell, weaponizing fanbases and turning them against one another is fun and all, but…" Wammawink paused and turned to look at Horse. "Did you… actually mean that? Or were you just-"
"Of course, I was serious!" Horse quickly replied, whirling around to fix the alpaca centaur with an intense stare. "You stood up against the Nowhere King! And… and you've helped me so much with just being here and getting used to Centaur World."
Although I doubt, I'll ever be completely used to this place…
"So, yes! I'm your fan! Your number one fan, because you're awesome."
There were no words to describe the sounds Wammawink made, a mixture of some sort of squeal with a flustered noise perhaps being the closest, but she was quick to pull Horse in for a hug.
"You're the best, baby girl!"
"It might be a good idea to get going." Durpleton called out as he pressed his hands over the sides of Stabby's head. "Some of these arguments are getting really not okay for growing little boys!"
Horse was silent for a moment, allowing her to better hear what all the shouting was about, and she couldn't help but shudder at some of the bits she caught. "Yeah, that'd be a good idea. I can give my big speech after all the fighting calms down."
"If it ever does~" Zulius quipped while prancing through the horde of birdtaurs.
The rest of the herd was quick to follow him, each one doing their best to dodge groups that were fighting and duck under thrown objects. Glendale took the chance to grab a couple more items out of the air, gleefully giggling as she snagged as much free merchandise as she should. Soon enough, everyone was free of the moshpit that had formed.
Everyone except Ched, that is.
"Okay, yeah. I'll… catch up soon." Ched mumbled, no one around hearing him as he continued to read over the bits of story he had snagged. Everything was so fragmented and disjointed, but it was good. "Just gotta… find whoever made this and yell at them…"
He glanced off to the side, face angry yet flushed.
"... For not making more."
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AN: I still have a couple ideas I wanna write oneshots for, so you might see me popping up again here and there, but I hope you all enjoyed!
- ImmortalCoelacanth