Because Ponies Are the Size of Cats and They Love to Cuddle

by shortskirtsandexplosions

Photographs

"And what's the name of the little squirrely one with the pink surfer hair?"

Applejack giggles. "Hmmm... Scootaloo."

"Scootaloo?" I smile, gazing at the translucent projection of the scanned photos levitating ahead of us. "Now that's a name that deserves a hug."

"Reckon you could say that about the filly in general."

"Why's that?"

I feel Applejack's body deflate with a sigh. I continue rubbing her fuzzy belly through the hoodie as she lay with her head draped across my knee. "Let's just say that not everythang is all sunshine n'rainbows in ponyland."

I wince. "Sorry."

"Don't be, sugarcube. You learn somethin' new everyday."

"Did she have a rough... uhm... foalhood or something?"

"More or less. But the lil' darlin's happy now... and she's best friends with Apple Bloom."

"Your little sister."

"Yup. Brings warmth to my heart to see them scamperin' around and bein' all happy-like." Her freckled cheeks turn rosy. "Whatever may be behind Scootaloo, it don't rightly matter. Apple Bloom's doin' her best to make the girl smile everyday, and that's what matters."

"Bet you're really proud of her."

"Darn tootin'."

I flick my gloved hand, and the projection cycles through to another picture. We see stripes, stripes, blue eyes, and more stripes. "And... uh... just who's this pony when she's at home?"

"Heehee... that there's Zecora."

"She's a zebra."

"Ya noticed, didn't ya?"

"I... uh... I don't see any other zebras in these pictures."

"That's because t'ain't none. Zecora's the one and only."

"What, in all of Equestria?"

"No, ya lughead!" Applejack swats me with a lazy hoof. "In Ponyville!"

"Ohhhhhh..." I nod with a smirk. "Guess that makes sense."

"Yeah, she's a medicine doctor who hails all the way from... uh..."

"From where?"

"Darned if I know. 'Zebraland' or somethin'."

"That sounds very—"

"Lame, I know."

"She looks so serious." I continue rubbing Applejack's belly. "Lemme guess. Zebras never smile in photographs."

Applejack giggles.

"Well, am I right or am I right?"

"Yer silly, that's what. Zecora's just... got her own way of expressin' herself. But that's all fine and dandy. Everypony's different. Same thang with Maud."

"Maud?"

"Er... Maud Pie. Pinkie's sister and possibly a distant cousin of mine."

"Distant cousin? I thought you and Pinkie were—"

"Friends, I know. But there's reason to believe we may be related by blood. Don't matter none." Applejack squirmed against me, closing her eyes as her warm throat produced a gentle trilling sound. A pair of forelimbs curled comfortably to her chest. "Mmmm... Pinkie's an apple to the core. She's more than family to me."

"Something tells me, if you had your way, you'd make everypony a member of your family."

"Not too bad an idea from where I'm lookin'."

"I'm guessing all the people—er... ponies in peopleland—I mean... damn it!"

"Heh heh heh heh!" Applejack guffaws.

I roll my eyes and give her a loving scratch under her soft chin. "You know what I'm saying."

"Do I?"

"They all look up to you and stuff."

"Mmmm... reckon so. I've built quite the reputation of bein' loyal... dependable..." She pauses to yawn... then yawn some more. "Nyup... n'stuff..."

"Heh... funny..."

"What is?"

I flick through a photo taken of her with her rear hooves blurringly assaulting an apple tree. "I've heard so many stories of you tackling apple harvests single-hoofedly." I flick to an image of a smiling dragon posing next to a lavender unicorn. "Not to mention taking on monsters called 'timberwolves...'" I flick to a photo of Applejack doing push-ups with a blushing yellow pegasus draped over her back. There's a trophy positioned to the side labeled "Iron Pony." "And yet..." I say, "Whenever you come here, it's like you're a purring kitten."

Applejack blinks. She blows a few blonde bangs out of her face and squints. "A purring what-now?"

"I'm just saying—you're almost as dainty as they come."

"Are ya pullin' my tail?" She picks herself up on wobbly legs and sits up straight, glaring up at me. "I'll have ya know that I've fought changelings, tangled up chaos vines, and bucked diamond dogs back to the stone age! I ain't no pushover, sugarcube! Why, I'm one lean, mean, apple-buckin' machine! And the moment I ever see myself becomin' soft, why I'll—"

Her eyes widened and her tail started flicking rhythmically.

"I'll... I'll..."

"Hmmm?" I smirk at the pony on the receiving end of an ear-scratch. "You'll what?"

"I... I..." Her tired eyes flutter shut as she tilts her fuzzy head towards me so I can reach behind the lobe. "R-reckon I'll think about it later..."

I giggle, holding a hand over my chest.

"Hrmmph..." She snorts. Her tail thwaps like a gavel against the couch cushion. "I didn't tell ya to stop."

"Ahem." I reach back and scratch her ear and the back of her head while she coos breathily. "My bad..."

Comments

[Tatsurou]

This story is just too adorable...

[wzium]

Dammit. Now I want to scratch AJ's ear...

[Bemmo]

4385787
Only now?
Get in line

[RoboRed]

and bucked diamond dogs back to the stonge age!

I thing that might be a typo there. "Stonge" age?

Also, AJ ear scratches.

[Keebroo]

"Did she have a rough... uhm... foalhood or something?"

"More or less. But the lil' darlin's happy now...

This takes place in futuristic humanville. The future provokes foreshadowing from the present to be applied to said future. Scootaloo has a noteworthy past due to its rough nature. Then, she finds happiness, followed by dot dot dot. Confirmation that End of Ponies ends happily and somehow gets Harmony back to her old life, in some form. Thank you for this, it's being rammed into the head cannon as I type this. Melancholic happy endings make for the best grape shot.

[The Ponytrician]

the projection cycledsthrough to another picture

Typo detected.

[Sir Top Hat]

4388125 DUN DUN DUUUUUUUUUN

[Zytharros]

Ponywhipped.

[Majk]

Heh reading this while giving my dog ear scratches was kinda weird, i could have sworn he changed fur color for a second.

[Phil Lee]

On the count of three... Altogether now.... One, two, three... Daaaaaaaw!!!

[High Moon]

4385787 I don't know about you, but I want an ear scratch. It fells surprising how good getting an ear scratch or pet from people.

[The Watcher 509]

Ear scratches wikiwiki

[ShadyCanopy]

4407381
Didn't think I'd see y'all here. And me too!

[EverfreeSparkle]

So, the way the other people are making it sound is you summon a pony and they become yours... Sounds kind of dark.

[MrCakeandRice]

"Heh heh heh heh!" Applejack guffaws.

Beautiful. But guffaws? Over reaction. Almost as bad as Dumbledoor 'calmly' asking something

[Dustchu]

Ear Scratchies~ :D
Nice job once again!

[Kage no Brony]

4813653

Noooooooo...

People are just idiots.

This is a dimensional teleporter in the shape of a hoodie in beta test stages that allows the transport of ponies to the human world. The only downside is they're the size of cats. They can return at any time by pulling the strings on the side of the hood, or so it seems.

[MustacheMerlin]

6284833 From the way they make it sound, the pony shows up whenever you pull on the strings, no matter what they're in the middle of.

[Widow Peak]

"Hrmmph..." She snorts. Her tail thwaps like a gavel against the couch cushion. "I didn't tell ya to stop."

You frekkin' softie

[arancaytar]

"Darned if I know. 'Zebraland' or somethin'."

"That sounds very—"

"Lame, I know."

"I was gonna say 'racist'."

[SnowOriole]

"I'll... I'll..."

Eat my hat!