//------------------------------// // Chapter the Second // Story: A Loving Dog's Owner // by FlutterPal //------------------------------// A Loving Dog's Owner A collab by FlutterPal, Cadence's Paladin, and I love you Dashie Edited by Cadance's Paladin and FlutterP Chapter Two Applejack walked along the outskirts of a muddy, wet dirt road. It was raining, but she still took a walk. The cool rain poured delicately on her neck, making her shiver with each drop. The orange filly had been taking a small walk ever since her conversation with Big Mac. All she wanted-all she needed was a friend! A puppy, to be exact. She could name it something, and play with it, and live with it! Her cries and sobs had attracted many ponies that still walked down the road. They asked, “Are you okay?” but each time Applejack had returned “Yes, I’m fine! Leave me alone!” She didn’t think that her big brother was right about money, and yet about the barn. They had tons of money! Why did they have to spend it on the barn? It just didn’t make sense! All of sudden after thinking about it, Applejack ran down the road, her tears loud and able to echo out to ponies far away. ******************************************************** The next day, it was clear and sunny out yet not too busy on the streets. Guess it was a work day. Those evil bosses. But at least some ponies were out, and one pair of them was Big Mac and Granny Smith. They trotted with purses full and seemingly ready for something, like the two were going to buy the best thing they could ever in Ponyville. They ran towards the local pet shop, with their decent amounts of money, and walked inside as the glass door jingled from a silver bell hanging just above the door. Macintosh looked around for a second only to be interrupted by the store worker. “Welcome to Pecker Pony Pets! Our name is weird, but our pets are great!” she stated with a very, very perky voice. The store worker had a pastel yellow coat, a swirly green and white mane, and that HUGE perky smile that pushed her cheeks to cover the bottoms of her neon green eyes. “What would you like today, sweeties?” the store pony asked. “We’ll be fine on our own, thank you,” Big Mac stated, hoping to get out of the store quickly. Granny Smith shoved the red stallion with her elbow. “Have some manners, Mac. We’re lookin’ fer a puppy,” she said. The perky pony pet store worker smiled even more and pointed to the part of the store labeled Puppies. They all trotted over there together. During the short time of walking, Granny mumbled “Young ponies these days,” about the store clerk and her perkiness. When they all stood in front of the hundreds of newborn puppies in cages just waiting to be adopted, they were greeted with a flurry of barks. “What kind of puppy would you like?” asked the worker. “The cutest one you’ve got in store!” Granny replied. The clerk sat their thinking. “I like all of them, though, so, I guess that you’d have to choose!” “Hmm, sounds ok to me,” Macintosh said. As they searched he shelves and rows of the cutest, newborn, fluffy puppies, none seemed just right. Big Mac tried to help and pointed out a few options. He pointed out a black puppy with white ‘socks’ on his paws, but Granny turned it down. There was a golden one that was extra fluffy with a white-tipped tail, but the old mare just turned it down. Another one was white all over and extra fluffy, but it seemed every dog was a turn down dog. The worker and Big Mac were getting tired. But Granny just didn't think any of those pups were right for her dearest grandaughter. “Miss, the shop will be closing in a few hours, and we can’t just sit here all day until you find the puppy your family wants.” The old mare gave a glare to the store worker and then went back to looking. Ten minutes later, Granny pointed out an option that just sparked up some brightness in her eyes. “How about this one?” she asked the red stallion looking at the puppy. The puppy itself was all brown except for some white places such as her rump, her chest, and part of her face. On the white of the rump was some brown spots, and Granny thought it was perfect. But Big Mac shook his head. Granny, confused, asked, “Well why not? This one looks excited for a new family.” The big stallion looked at Granny Smith, then the puppy. Knowing not to go any farther with the old mare, he asked the store clerk, “How much is this one?” He pointed out the brown and white puppy to her. “Hmm, that one? It’s 100 bits for the dog, 10 bits for the food,” said the pastel yellow pony. Granny gave a thank you nod before getting out a wallet filled with loads of bits and gave a jingle sound every time you moved it. She opened it, reached into the wallet, and moved her hoof around, counting to 100 as she picked up the bits with each count. Finally Granny pulled out the bits, smiled, and held it out to the store worker’s reach. The worker snatched it greedily and put it on the counter that was right next to her. “Alrighty!” she exclaimed, still in that perky voice. She ran into the place where the backs of the puppies’ cages were held. The green and white maned pony trotted to where the brown puppy’s cage sat, opened it, took the puppy out, and carried it to Big Mac and Granny Smith. The worker set the puppy on the ground carefully just before grabbing a big box and putting the dog in it. “Here you go!” she said. “Thank you,” replied Granny Smith. “Oh, and here’s 10 bits for the dog food.” ************************************************** ` Big Mac gently set the big box down right in front of the barn front door. He ran over to the kitchen where he knew Granny was cooking dinner. He watched the old mare make the soup he knew was for dinner that night. “What’s in this night’s supper?” he whispered. “Carrots and sweet peas!” replied Granny Smith. “Eyup,” said Macintosh. And there they sat, quietly waiting for the arrival of Applejack seeing her puppy at the front door.