As Gummy waddled along the cobbled path towards the market he couldn’t help but notice how busy it was underneath the full-faced blaring sun. He felt beads of sweat running down his hard scales and onto his snout and felt it was right to find a bit of shade. He found his cool solitude underneath a hanging plant pot on the side of the street and blinked as the temperature cooled his back and his feet, which were on the verge of burning from the sun-beat pavements heat.
After spending ten minutes underneath the pot he spotted one of Pinkie’s friends trotting down the road, probably on her way to the market. Gummy looked around for the orange mare’s pet Winona and noticed her wagging her tail and looking up at Applejack with her tongue out panting; obviously unphased by the heat. Gummy actually quite liked Winona, as she didn’t really judge him for what Mr Cake called his ‘antics’; mainly because she was just as bad. She kind of reminded him of Pinkie in the sense that she was simply like a non-stop furball of kinetic energy. Gummy decided to try and join the two but was cut off as soon as he stepped back onto the road by a large wooden cart being dragged along by a mule.
Now he was trying to follow a pony and a border collie who knew where they were going, were walking at speed and were being heeded by such things as ponies walking in the other direction, or wooden carts. Gummy found himself having to clumsily dodge wheels, hooves and a bucket of water somehow dropped from a high-up window. Eventually he managed to get into earshot of Applejack and for the first time realized that Applejack's little sister was there as well.
“Ah’m tellin’ ya’ sis!” Applebloom shouted excitedly, whilst hopping around her big sister “Ah could feed off this apple for a week!”
Applejack rolled her eyes but the trio disappeared into a crowd of busy ponies. Gummy could see that he was at the edge of the market square, and thought twice before deciding to plunge into the sea of stallions and mares. Once in the square, all he could see were legs, hooves and wheels and had lost all sense of direction.
Gummy started to blink ferociously. He wished that he was on Pinkie’s back, looking on as she greeted every pony she managed to lay her bright blue eyes on. He had a sudden urge to shut his eyes and hold his feet up to his ears and drown out all life around him but he fought back at the urge to repress his senses by convincing himself an alligator shouldn’t be afraid of ponies. I don’t need Pinkie, he thought, I’m an alligator and nopony can scare me!
Just as he had struck a blow against his claustrophobia he spotted a shiny red sphere fly through the air. Without consciousness, Gummy judged the trajectory of the ball and waddled to where it would drop. Without hesitation he looked up, opened up his jaws and let the ball plummet into his mouth. As soon as his bare gums touched the surface he realized it was not a ball he had caught and it was certainly larger than he’d previously estimated, he felt as though he had just caught Pinkie’s loose head.
“Mah apple! Mah apple!” he heard an onrushing filly shout. Applebloom skidded up to Gummy who held the huge apple in his pink mouth. Applebloom’s look of worry rapidly changed into relief and then gratitude for the baby gator. “You saved it! You saved mah apple!” she exclaimed before bumping Gummy onto her back, apple still in mouth, and trotting over to the apple stall.
In truth, Gummy thought the apple felt ripe and delicious, and had to restrain himself from attempting to take a bite even though his toothless gums would render this impossible and the fact his mouth was split so wide holding the apple, his jaw would struggle with a biting motion.
“Applejack! This here scaly friend o’ mine saved mah apple!” she exclaimed to Applejack who was serving a customer.
“Well that’s just great Applebloom ah...” once she had turned to Applebloom after she’d finished serving a hungry violet mare, she took a look at the petite reptile with the massive apple in its mouth and grinned. “Well if it ain’t little Gummy! Pinkie said all that catchin’ you do with that ball o’ yours would come in handy!”
When Winona caught sight of Gummy, the excited collie bounded up to where he sat on Applebloom’s back and gave him a big wet lick that almost took him off-balance.
“Careful Winona!” Applebloom said before placing Gummy on the wooden counter of their market stall. Gummy dropped the apple beside him. Applejack turned to Gummy and spoke in her cheerfully cultured, friendly tone.
“So where’s Pinkie Pie, Gummy?” Gummy looked straight on at Applejack with his big purple eyes. She gave a little chuckle “Well you certainly don’t give much away do ya’?”
For once Applejack was right to say Gummy didn’t show any emotions, because he put on his best poker face as soon as Pinkie was mentioned. He wondered if she would take him back to Sugarcube Corner and end his little journey out into Ponyville. I’ve had fun whilst I’ve been outside. He thought, and I’ve made a new friend in the young filly, she surely won’t forget that I saved her giant apple.
“Can you see Pinkie anywhere Applebloom?” Applejack asked the young filly.
Applebloom seemed to take a glance left and right before coming to a hasty conclusion. “Ah can’t see nuthin’!” she answered.
Applejack gave a concerned face. “Well if Pinkie ain’t around, what in tarnation is Gummy doing at the market?”
Suddenly, from the dense crowd of market-dwellers emerged a beautiful chalk-white unicorn with a curled purple mane and a three glistening diamonds upon her flank. Opalescence’s owner. The unicorn rushed up to the stall obviously in a terrible rush.
“Oh Applejack, I am in dire need of your assistance!” she bawled. Gummy looked over Rarity in search of her malicious mammal pet, but there seemed to be no sign of her or her sharp claws; to the relief of Gummy.
“Calm down sugarcube,” Applejack said “what’s all this rushin’ for?”
Rarity looked in quite a tad of distress as she rambled on about how she was hosting an fashion show for some famous designer at her boutique, but how she needed Opalescence to model some clothes designed for pets and the cat had fallen ill.
“Pets wit’ what-now?” Applejack duly questioned with a raised eyebrow.
Rarity looked a tad exasperated at her lack of empathy. “It’s a little pet-owner dress matching thing I’m doing, but that’s not the point! The point is poor Opal’s temperature has risen riiiight up and she can’t model anymore! Is there any chance I could persuade dear Winona to take her place? Please, please, pleeeease!?”
“Ah’ shoot ah’m afraid she can’t Rarity,” Gummy watched as the Unicorn’s face dropped in disappointment “It’s her birthday today an’ we’re all celebratin’ it at Apple Acres in half-an-hour or so. We’re truly sorry.”
Rarity looked exasperated to the point where she might have burst into tears. “Grrr!” she growled in frustration, “this is a disaster, a disaster!” She leaned upon the counter and covered her face. “Now my only choice is to run to Fluttershy’s and see if I can grab Angel! Oh but I simply don’t have enough time!” her muffled voice went on.
Applebloom took a look at Gummy and started jumping up and down. “Well, why don’t y’all let Gummy do it?” she asked.
Rarity looked up, and at last she noticed the scaly gator with his elephantine purple eyes. She didn’t look overwhelmingly relieved however, but more concerned. “Gummy?” Rarity asked no-one in particular “but what does he know about modelling?”
“No doubt no more than Winona or Angel know.” Applejack smiled.
“Yeah and Gummy would look great!” Applebloom added.
Winona gave a solitary bark to add her approval and Rarity seemed to convince herself a little more. Gummy blinked anxiously at Rarity’s change in expression.
“Hmm, well maybe if we gave you a hat and dulled the fabrics a little then you could get by.” Rarity told him “It’s just your lack of expression that worries me.” Then she gave a small look of thought and turned swiftly back to Applejack “But where in Equestria is Pinkie?”
Applejack gave a worried smile “Ah’m damned if ah’ know.” she replied.
“Then wherever did you find him?” Rarity questioned suspiciously.
“Well Applebloom flung her precious apple somewhere an’...”
“An’ Gummy caught it in his big wahd jaws didn’t ya’ Gummy?” Applebloom interrupted gleefully. Gummy blinked.
Rarity gave another pause for thought. “You don’t think Pinkie will mind if I borrow him for a while do you?” She asked with a nervous smile.
“Ah’ doubt it.” Applejack replied “Not if this fashion... thing means so much to you anyway.”
Rarity beamed at Applejack and then at Gummy. “Come on Gummy I’m going to dress you up and turn you into the most stunning reptile in all Equestria! Hop on!” she said smiling.
Gummy hesitated but after looking at the beautifully gleeful face of the chalky Unicorn he snapped his jaws around Rarity’s mane. Usually this would have sent Rarity into spasms of rage, but luckily she knew what generosity was and instead pleasantly corrected his position from her mane to her back. She said a pleased farewell to the Apple sisters and the two then trotted along the cobbled robe, heading for the boutique. Had Gummy known what was in store he might not have accepted Rarity’s ride, but at that point he was absent of worry and happy to be in such a nice pony’s presence. Even if she did own the most vile pet in all Equestria.