Sunset and Quickheart: Friends Forever

by DaiAtlas2016

Meeting Guests, a Brief Intermission, and Our First Day of Winter

I noticed as she carried me out, that Sunset's front yard was a lot bigger than I thought it was. Why did I think that? There were fillies and colts EVERYWHERE. I thought that the whole town was here! (Which in all actuality, it was only half!)

A couple of particular fillies caught my eye though. A cream colored unicorn with a pink mane, a unicorn whose color scheme reminded me very distinctly of the pet store owner's Colgate toothpaste, and a purple unicorn with a dark purple mane with a a pink stripe through it. I couldn't see her face because she had it buried in a book. They approached us.

"Hi, Sunset! Hope you're having a great birthday!", said Creamy (I had already made up names for these strangers.)

"Yeah! Happy Birthday, Sunset! Twilight!", Toothpaste said, elbowing the purple unicorn.

"Oh! Right! Happy Birthday!", Twilight, whom I dubbed "Book-Worm", replied, immediately getting back to her book.

Sunset smiled, "Thank you all! Look what Mom and Dad got me!", setting me on the ground, as I yipped and rolled on my back, trying to look as cute as possible.

And if there's one thing I've learned about being cute, it's that fillies love floppy ears! And I had REALLY floppy ears!

"Awwww! He's so cute! What's his name?", Toothpaste cooed, rubbing my belly.

Twilight looked up from her book and exclaimed, "More importantly, WHAT IS IT?"

Sunset laughed, "Oh, Twilight! He won't hurt you! He's a Pygmy Dragon! See! He's just like a puppy!"

I walked up cautiously to Twilight and licked her hoof, making her giggle.

"Well, whatever he is, he's a little cute...", Twilight smiled, putting her book down and scratching the furry scales my behind my ears.

"Time for cake, everyone!", Mrs. Shimmer called, Sunset picking me up and ran towards the house.

After everyone sat down in the dining room, Mrs. Shimmer took me to the kitchen, where she was nice enough to have put a slice of cake in my bowl, with tomatoes on top. I ate my snack and curled up for a nap, while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to Sunset and gave her presents.

After everyone had left, Sunset came and picked me up, as I yawned and stretched.

"Hey, Quickheart! Wanna go play?", she asked.

I perked my ears up and barked.

"Okay boy, let's go!"

We spent the rest of the day playing fetch, tag, and hide and seek. However, something about that hole next to the tree didn't seem right. Finally, my instinct took over, as I ran to the hole and started barking madly. Sunset tried to calm me down, and as much as I hated to, I started barking at her.

"What's wrong, Quickheart?", she asked, a little afraid.

"I think he's telling you to stay away from there.", Mr. Shimmer replied, pointing to the hole.

"Why?", Sunset inquired.

But as soon as she asked, a snake popped out, making her and Mr. Shimmer jump, while I held my ground and kept barking. Apparently, the snake got the message and went back down into the hole, biting my paw on the way! I yelped in pain, as Sunset screamed.

Mr. Shimmer picked me up and examined my paw, "He'll be okay, it wasn't poisonous, but it will hurt for a bit. Let's go get your mother to bandage him up."

After Mrs. Shimmer heard about what happened, she went ballistic, "Well I'm glad she has Quickheart now, who knows what would've happened if Sunset had been playing near there.....good boy!"

Sunset kept kicking her hooves together, extremely worried.

"There! As good as new!", Mrs. Shimmer smiled, handing me over to Sunset after she bandaged my paw

"Are you okay, boy?", she asked with worry.

I responded by wagging my tail and licking her face.

"Haha, good boy! I love you, Quickheart! Mom, Dad, can he sleep with me?", she grinned, looking to her parents.

"I don't see why not! He seems very intelligent, he's most likely housebroken.", Mrs. Shimmer smiled.

So I got to sleep with Sunset that night. And every night after, Mrs. Shimmer was right, I was housebroken, thanks to the old pet store owner......we had such marvelous times together......

Present Time.....

Celestia walked into the room, "Quickheart.....are you sure you don't want to watch something else....this only seems to be upsetting you more...", she asked, walking over to try and pet me.

I growled at her, she took Sunset away from me. And now she's trying to be nice with me, asking me if I wanted to watch a different picture, besides the rainy day portrait, animated by magic, hanging on the wall.

"Sister...what are you....ACHOO!.....doing?", Luna asked, she sneezed a lot whenever she was around me.

"I'm trying to cheer Quickheart up, but he doesn't seem to enjoy my company....", she sighed.

I barked angrily at her before turning away and closing my eyes.

"I think he needs to be alone....he's not too happy with you.", Luna decided, as they both left the room.

I pulled out a picture album of me and Sunset out from under my dog bed and whimpered. It was turned to the page with pictures from our first winter together, since Sunset's birthday was in the fall, it turned cold very quickly. I hated it, but it didn't matter that much, as long as I was with Sunset.......

Winter, 13 years ago.......

I was fast asleep at the foot of Sunset's bed. Mrs. Shimmer came and bought me a heavy blanket, since I was shivering the night before. This morning though, Sunset got out of bed early, I heard her hooves clip and clop over to the window.

"It snowed! Quickheart! It snowed! We're going to have so much fun! Let's go wake up Dad!", she exclaimed, running towards her parents' bedroom.

I yawned and stretched before following her, she was already on top of them, tugging on Mr. Shimmer's hoof.

"Come on, Dad! You said we could play in the snow!", Sunset exclaimed.

"Just 5 more minutes.....", he yawned.

Mrs. Shimmer sat up and patted her lap, I hopped up and curled up to her, licking her face.

She laughed while scratching behind my ears, as well as around my horns, "Are you ready for your first winter, boy?"

I gave a little yip and wagged my tail.

Mr Shimmer was getting out of bed as Sunset smiled, "Come on, Quickheart! Let's get ready!"

I yapped, jumping off of Mrs. Shimmer's lap and following her. She put little boots on my paws, a coat over my wings, a scarf on my neck, and a hat on my head. Mrs. Shimmer said I was adorable. We went out into the snow. It was colder than the pet store owner's fridge! And he kept penguin chicks in there!

I got several snowballs in my mouth somehow, buried in the snow, and got my tongue stuck to an icicle on the mailbox. But I loved every minute of it! As long as Sunset was there.

At the end of the day, Mrs. Shimmer put some hot cocoa and marshmallows in my bowl, while Mr. Shimmer and Sunset got mugs. I thought this was the only day it would snow.

But how wrong I was......