Story the Third:
Accident
Little Strongheart's breath came in ragged gasps as she charged across the plains. Stupid. How could she have been so stupid. Ancestors take that foolish stallion.
Ancestors take him.
It was an accident. That was the only possible explanation. He couldn't have known when he gave her that hat. The same hat she had left at his feet as she ran away faster than she had ever run before.
Stupid. Stupid, stupid, stupid.
She was a buffalo. Young, yes, but she had already started to grow into the large build of the rest of her kin. She'd be a fool to think that a pony like him would ever think of her like that. Why would he choose her, with her stocky body and thick legs, when he could have his choice of any glamorous, thin pony he could find? A pony could never love a buffalo. She was only a... a distraction to him. No matter how fond he seemed of her, that was all she was to him. Something to occupy the time. No matter how... how earnest he looked when he was around her, no matter how happy he made her feel, there was no way their relationship would ever go farther than what it currently was.
It had only been one kiss. One kiss.
And three dinner dates.
And maybe six nighttime walks through the apple orchards.
And one night at the movies.
Okay, maybe it was six kisses. She'd stopped counting.
Why. Why did he have to try to give her that hat. That moron.
Strongheart's charge finally slowed down to a run. Then a walk. Then a standstill, as she dropped to her knees and and panted. She'd been running for at least an hour. Buffalo stamina was legendary; she could have kept running for hours more if she wanted to.
So why did she feel so tired?
"You idiot, Braeburn Apple," She said. "You idiot."
"Strongheaaaaart!"
Little Strongheart's eyes flew open when she heard that faint scream. It couldn't have been. There was no way. It must have been her imagination.
"Lil' Strongheart!"
It wasn't her imagination.
There he was. The same pony that she had been running from in the first place. Moving like the wind across the plains and headed straight for her. The hat he had tried to give her, his hat, on top of his head.
"No, no, no," Little Strongheart whispered. She shakily stood back up and ran again. So slow. She was so slow. Why weren't her legs working? "Stop chasing me! Go away!"
"Not an apple-pickin' chance!" Braeburn shouted. "Jus' wait!'
"No, no, NO!" Strongheart screamed. He was gaining on her. That shouldn't be possible.
He was barely a stone's throw away now. And still gaining.
"Ah jus' want t' talk!"
"Stop chasing me!"
"Stop runnin'!"
"NO!"
He'd caught up with her now. She tried to put on another burst of speed, but her legs refused to go any faster. Braeburn tackled her, sending them both tumbling to the ground. When they came to a stop, Braeburn had the young buffalo pinned to the ground.
"Why... did you... run?" He asked, panting heavily.
"Get... off me!" Strongheart said, trying to push back.
"Answer my question!"
"Because you're an idiot, Braeburn!" Strongheart shouted back. Tears were forming in her eyes. "An absolute... idiot."
Braeburn was silent. Finally, he stepped away from the crying buffalo, letting her stand up. She didn't try to run again. She just turned her back to him and cried softly. Braeburn took his hat off and placed it squarely on her head.
"There ya go. It looks good on..." He started to say, but Strongheart shook the hat off and let it fall to the ground. She kept her back to him. Braeburn picked the hat up and put it back on her head.
"Stop," Strongheart said forcefully. She threw the hat off again.
"Why? Ya don't like it?" Braeburn asked, picking the hat up again. He didn't try to put it on her head this time.
"It's not that," Strongheart said, finally turning around to face him. "You just... don't realize what giving it to me means."
"Lil' Strongheart, Ah..."
"I know your heart is in the right place, but... our cultures are very different. To you, the hat is a gift, but to the buffalo tribes, it... means something different."
"Strongheart..."
"I truly do enjoy the time we spend together, Braeburn. I... I care for you a great deal, but... it was an accident. I don't want you to be forced to..."
"Oh, for th' love o'..." Braeburn groaned. Deciding to let his actions speak, he stepped into Strongheart's personal space and firmly pressed his lips against hers. Little Strongheart's eyes widened in shock. First, he had chased her for an hour across the plains, tried to give her the hat again, twice, and now he was... kissing her.
A few seconds later, Braeburn ended the kiss, a warm smile on his face. Strongheart turned a very deep red. She opened her mouth a few times, trying to think of something to say, but she just couldn't. With a smile, Braeburn put his hat on Little Strongheart's head for the third time.
"Ah know what it means, and Ah mean it with all my heart," He said, nuzzling the buffalo affectionately. Little Strongheart finally blinked. She could hear her heart thudding in her chest.
"You... you... but... but how did you know?" She asked.
"Ah asked yer father what th' buffalo tradition for this sort of thing was," Braeburn answered. "And Ah got his blessing."
"I... I don't... I don't know what to say," Little Strongheart admitted. "You... you really are asking..."
"Yes Ah am."
Little Strongheart stepped back, staring at the stallion in disbelief. "You..."
Tears began to well up in her eyes. Warm tears this time. Her mouth started to quiver.
"You..."
She clamped her eyes shut and made her decision. Without a second's hesitation, she tackled the stallion to the ground, pressing her lips against his this time. "You absolute moron, Braeburn Apple," She said. "Yes. Yes, I will marry you."
A/N: I think I teared up a little bit.