//------------------------------//
// A Day With Maud and Boulder 
// Story: For Boulder 
// by GamingWolf 
//------------------------------//

	Price eyed Pinkie Pie suspiciously as she stared at him with an enormous smile. She had been staring at him ever since she jumped in front of him while he sat watching the clouds drift by. Maybe she was waiting for him to say something first?
"Good afternoon, Pinkie," Price greeted her with an uncertain smile.
"Hiya, Price! I have somepony I would like you to meet!" she voiced in her usually loud, cheerful voice. She disappeared into the ground then reappeared behind a gray mare in a blue dress. "This is my older sister, who is the most awesomest, funnest, most down to earth pony ever! Price the Wolf meet Maud the Sister! Maud the Sister meet Price the Wolf!" she leaned close to her sister's ear to whisper, "He's an alien!" 
"Hello," Maud greeted Price monotonously. 
"Hi," Price smiled politely. 
"I hope you two get along! I have some more baking to do at Sugar Cube Corner, but as soon as I am done, we all can play together!" Pinkie spoke quickly then disappeared in a pink poof. 
Price noticed Maud reach into a pocket in her dress and pull out a small stone.
"This is Boulder. He is my pet rock and best friend. Say 'hello', Boulder," Maud spoke unenthusiastically. 
Price smiled politely again, "Hello, Boulder. My aren't you quite the meta- I beg pardon- igneous rock." 
Boulder was pleased that someone did not mistake him for metamorphic, as most ponies often did. Instead of being as close minded as he usually is, Boulder decided to keep an open mind about the gray wolf called Price. 
"Boulder says 'thank you'," Maud informed the wolf.
"Would Boulder mind if I pet him?" Price asked.
No, no Boulder would not mind if you pet him.
"Boulder says that you can pet him," Maud interpreted as she lowered Boulder from her ear. 
Price petted Boulder gently with the pad of his paw, "Can you talk to all rocks, Maud?"
"Only those that want to talk," was her flat response.
"Huh, so I guess it is the same with plants," Price stopped his petting of Boulder. 
"You can talk to plants?" 
"Yes, although only to the ones that want to. Trees are the most difficult to talk with because they take a long time to say anything and grasses have too many voices talking at once," Price explained. 
"We have a lot more in common than I thought," Maud droned. 
"Did you have any plans today?" 
"No."
"What about Boulder?"
Boulder would like to go sunbathing. 
"Boulder had wanted to go sunbathing," Maud said. 
"I know the perfect place to relax in the sun!" Price smiled, "I'll show you."
Boulder is intrigued. 
"Boulder can't wait," Maud said. 	
After slowing down his pace to match up with Maud, Price enjoyed the walk through the meadow. He breathed in the clean air and enjoyed the constant breeze. 
"What are the flowers saying?" Maud broke the silence. 
"They are singing," Price grinned and closed his eyes. "It is like listening to a chorus of a thousand angels. They are praising the sun and rejoicing in the perfect Spring weather." 
"Sounds wonderful." 
"It is. The only problem I have is when somepony is cutting grass. All the screams. . ." Price shook his head. 
"Sounds like a nightmare." 
Boulder sat on Maud's hoof enjoying the sun and breeze. Truth be told, anywhere with Maud was the perfect sunbathing spot for him. 
"What do you do for a living?"
"I am a geologist."
"I bet that. . . rocks," Price chuckled at his own pun.
"Yes." 
Boulder likes rock puns. Boulder's opinion of you has improved. 
"Here we are," Price announced. He stood on his hind legs on top of a large flat rock. 
"What an odd monolith," Maud remarked. She sniffed the rock. 
"Basalt?" Price guessed.
"Gabbro," Maud corrected him. "It is like a cousin to basalt."
"For some reason, I always feel sad when I come here." Price mused. 
Maud set Boulder down on the table-like monolith. "The perfect right angles mean that this is not a natural rock formation."
Boulder sat happily on the rock enjoying the new warmth on his bottom. Price certainly knew how to pick rocks to bask on.
"Who would put this here, though?" Price asked rhetorically. 
"No clue."
A long silence filled the air. Despite his initial reservations, Price was having a nice time talking with Maud and Boulder. The Pegasi sure made today a beautiful day. 
"Do you think Boulder might be hungry? And to that extent, are you hungry?"
Boulder hungers.
"Boulder says that he is hungry and as for me," Maud took a big bite out of the corner of the monolith, "This is suitable."
Price watched her with a shocked face. He quickly picked up his jaw and inquire, "Is Boulder a picky eater? Is he. . . cannibalistic?" 
Boulder will consume ALL in Boulder's way.
"Not particularly," she crunched. 
"What do you to usually do? I mean, to keep a. . . rambunctious companion such as Boulder under control, you must have games to play with him to keep him entertained, right?" 
"We play Camouflage. It's like hide-and-seek but way more intense," Maud spoke slightly enthusiastic. 
Boulder lost two ounces playing Camouflage when Maud could not find Boulder for a week. Truly, a dark time for Boulder. 
"Let's play that!" Price suggested happily. He sat down when his tail started wagging. 
"Okay. We both turn around and Boulder will go hide. We count to twenty then we look for him," Maud explained. 
"Simple enough," Price commented. 
Maud walked up beside him and stared at the horizon. Price turned around and faced the same way with her. Friendship Castle dotted the horizon and marked the location of Ponyville. 
"Twenty," Maud said aloud. 
To see Boulder missing terrified Price. He ran up to where he had last been. 
"He's gone!" he gasped incredulously. 
"Of course. That is the point of Camouflage," she replied acerbically. 
Rational thoughts, Price, he thought to himself, What do the surroundings say? I should have licked him when I had the chance would have made searching for him easier. Price began searching through the rocks the rectangle slab of rock rested on. Sniffing the rocks only yielded numerous scents of birds, a squirrel, voles, and a pregnant hare. 
"Boulder," Maud called out. 
"Maybe he sprouted wings and flew away?"
"Rocks can't grow wings," Maud said dismissively. 
Rocks can't suddenly disappear either, he thought. 
"Boulder is very good at this game. One time, I couldn't find him for a week," Maud regaled in detail. 
"Where did you end up finding him?"
"In one of my dresses."
"Is he hiding in your pocket?" Price asked cocking his head to the side.
Maud dug into her pocket and pulled out. . . Boulder!
Boulder likes Price the Clever. 
"Wow," Maud said indifferent, "That is the fastest time I have ever found Boulder." 
 How the Hell did he get in your pocket, to begin with?! Price wanted to exclaim, but he just smiled politely, "Wow, Boulder is great at this game. I was starting to worry we would never find him." 
Boulder suggests taking him in as a coltfriend so Boulder can play with him more! Boulder suggests you wrap your hoo    
Maud stuffed Boulder back into her pocket. "Boulder says that he likes you and thinks you are a great friend."	
"That is very sweet of Boulder. The feeling is mutual," Price said sincerely. He noticed the faintest of smiles tug the corners of Maud's mouth which made him smile broadly. "I had a lot of fun, Maud."
Before Maud could reply, Pinkie exploded in confetti and streamers between them. "Are you two best friends yet?!" 
Maud wiped the confetti and streamers off her face and mane, "The best, Pinkie."
Pinkie turned to Price with expectant big eyes and smile. "I would gladly consider Maud and Boulder close friends," Price said honestly. 
"That's great!" Pinkie exclaimed. She pulled Maud and Price close to her, "Because we all decided that you two should get married!"

. . .


"Wat?" Maud and Price said dumbfounded. 
Boulder approves.