i was originally gonna try to make a bunch of stuff for Oleander and post it together (this was gonna be one part) but 1) never did that 2) this honestly deserves it's own post if only so it's easy to skip for anyone who's upset by this kinda thing

One of my patreons requested more Oleander...so I decided to delve into his very sad childhood for a bit.

Content warning for child abuse, no graphic descriptions but even the most basic description of what happens could be..upsetting. I'm never here to write torture porn, but...well...here's the story:

Oleander's life until around age 16 was pretty much total misery, especially after his sister Diamond Tiara left home, unable to stand living there any longer. This left poor little Ollie on his own in a house where no one cared for him, leading to a lot of neglect. One way this manifested was in his hair, which was often unkempt and overgrown. Other kids would tease him at school, dubbing him "Princess Oleander", a cruel jab at his long, wavey, but obviously uncared for mane. After one particularly bad day, Oleander couldn't take it any longer and vowed to take matters into his own hooves. He cornered his father when he came home from a long day of work, demanding that he talk to Mother and arrange some form of hair treatment. He hoped the professional, confident voice he used when speaking to his business-minded father would help his request go down more smoothly.

Big mistake.

Sure, Filthy Rich seemed unfazed at first. Hell, he seemed more receptive than usual! Despite being tired from work, he smiled at Oleander and said, Why wait for mother? We stallions can handle this ourselves. I'll take you to get your mane styled, I know just the place, and just the stallion to handle it. Oleander was too young to recognize the glint of cruelty in his father's eyes as he spoke to him, and the poor little foal was even excited! He chatted to his father as they walked to the salon. His father was silent, but he was always that way. Oleander was finally going to get his hair cut, and his father was gonna take him to the fanciest place in town to do it. Wait till that stupid Heathcliff sees him! His haircut would make that patchy mane of his look like a JOKE.

Oleander's excitement meant he missed the warning signs leading up to the disaster. If he hadn't been blissfully envisioning his new hairstyle, maybe he would have noticed they weren't anywhere near downtown Ponyville, where all the hair salons were. He only started to realize something was terribly wrong when they got to the building and he read the illuminated sign above the door.

"Dr. Fauna's Pet Wellness Centre"

Oleander was confused, but he assured himself his father must just have an errand to run before his haircut. Sure, they didn't have any pets but...why else would they be there?

The lobby was empty, a secretary behind the desk opened her mouth to tell them they were just about to close but before she could, Filthy Rich interrupted her.

"I need a grooming appointment. It's an emergency."

Oleander shivered. The mare behind the counter looked confused and annoyed, but Filthy handed her a bag stuffed full of coins and her expression warmed slightly, the same way a microwave heats up yesterday's takeout.

"Alright, follow me."

The mare led the father and son to a small room in the back. The room had a small area that looked like a cross between a shower and a bathtub, along with imposing-looking equipment that looked like it belonged in a garden shed. The floor felt cold and unforgiving under Oleander's hooves and he began to shiver.

"So, who needs groomin'?"

The mare from the front desk's expression had lost some of its warmth as she was faced with the prospect of work. Filthy Rich gave her a sickly sweet smile and said.

"I can take it from here."

The mare looked confused and annoyed, but she shrugged and turned to leave.

"Whatever man. Your money."

Oleander turned to face his father. His chest was tight was fear and he felt as if he could barely breathe.

The door clicked and the mare returned to the front desk to finish the cheap romance novel she'd been reading. About half an hour later she heard the front door chime and, without looking up from the page, she shouted a half-hearted "Thanks for your business" towards the pair. If she heard the faint sounds of a little colt sniffling, she didn't pay it much attention.

YEAH so this is a little draft/concept art for one of Oleander's childhood traumas. I wrote this all in one go and it's unedited but I hope the basic idea is there. Basically, Oleander makes the mistake of talking to his dad the wrong way at the wrong time and Mr Rich decides to vent some pent-up frustrations on his "son". Just to put salt in the wound, Oleander faced even more bullying for the terrible buzzcut his dear daddy gave him. The kids assumed he tried to cut his own hair and failed....and no amount of arguing could convince them otherwise.

i promise I have more uplifting happy fluff on the way. If it makes u feel any better I'll tell you Oleander gets the happiest of endings with a found family who loves him. but there's a lot of trauma to unpack in this horse

oleander has the most slightly inconsistent design ever