"Ok Sugar, you should probably get something to eat now before we hit the road"
Great, so the older woman was going along with Cassie's renaming of Christina. It seemed like Sugar was her name until she finished work at six.
Sugar stood for a moment not sure what to do or where to go. Where was the meal she was supposed to be eating?
"She means the grass, you dumb horse" Cassie explained "the stuff on the ground right in front of you"
Sugar initially balked at the idea. She had suffered plenty of indignities since beginning this job but eating dirty grass straight from the ground? Was that even healthy? It was something horses ate without any problems and that is what she was currently stuck as she supposed. But still.
"Fine, go hungry then" Cassie shrugged.
"You really should eat something, Sugar. We might not be on grass again for a while" the mother spoke a little more sympathetically.
Hungry as she was, Sugar lowered her head to the ground and began to eat.
"Oh my God! She's eating grass!" Cassie giggled before being shushed by her mother.
The grass really didn't that taste bad. In fact it didn't taste of anything much at all, though the familiar smell was stronger than she was used to at such close proximity. The texture felt off for her still human tastes and it really didn't seem like something that was intended to be eaten. Nonetheless the thought was worse than the deed and Sugar filled herself up while she had the chance. She was then ridden to the nearby lake where she was allowed to drink from the somewhat murky water there. It certainly didn't taste like it would from a tap, but Sugar really didn't have much choice and just had to hope she didn't feel any ill effects when she was back in human form later.
Sugar was then taken out onto the roads where she frustrated many a driver, with cars roaring around her at speed when the road cleared enough for them pass. It was an unnerving experience and the concrete road wasn't as comfortable for her as the grass had been, particularly as she had begun to tire from carrying Cassie around on her back all day.
Of more pressing concern was how far she had ridden from the office. Sugar had no idea where she was, how to get back or what time it was, but it was getting dark and yet she was only being directed further away from where she should be.
"Shit! What time is it?" The mother asked eventually.
"Half seven" Cassie checked her watch with a smirk.
"Half seven?" The older woman repeated in a mild panic "Why didn't you say something? We were supposed to have your horse back by six and it will take at least an hour to ride back there. I'd better give Jenkins a call"
Sugar began to panic too. She wasn't sure what happened if she wasn't returned on time. Would she turn back into a human at midnight like in Cinderella? That would be pretty inconvenient when she was so far from her clothes, phone and wallet. Or would she be brought back the next day and her owner fined as if she were an overdue library book? That would be an even worse fate, especially as this was a Friday and the office didn't open again until Monday morning. She could potentially be stuck like this all weekend.
"Shit, no answer" the mother sighed as ahe put down her phone "This is going to cost me isn't it?"
"But it will be an even better birthday present for me" Cassie replied with no concern for anyone else's inconvenience "Sugar can stay at our stables and she can be my pet all weekend. Doesn't that sound fun, Sugar?"