//------------------------------// // XV (FS/RD) - After The Best Pet Won // Story: Taming the Storm // by Wolfie 03 //------------------------------// End of April, 1005 A.D. So the awesome and amazing Rainbow Dash had just averted another crisis, saving all of Ponyville with a beat of her incredible wings. It had taken 110- no! 120% of her power and now she had to recover in ancient pegasi tradition. Finding the right balance of security and danger, the super Rainbow Dash laid out on a precarious limb and felt the wind blow through the land. She closed her super amazing eyes to help feel the flow of the wind currents and temperatures when suddenly! The incredibly amazing Rainbow Dash recieved a premonition! “Wait! What’s a premonition?” Curious purple orbs blinked up to their idol. “Uh, it’s a thing that lets you know the future.” Multicolored mane shifted with the brush of an uncertain hoof. “Oh. How does it tell you?” “Through dreams.” A frown formed on the other mare’s muzzle at the uncertain face of the filly in front of her.  “Except it’s all truuuuuueee…” Blue hooves wiggled in the air as the last word was drawn out. Seeing awe and curiosity back in the little girl’s gaze, the older pegasus continued. “Where was I? Oh yeah, my totally true dream about the future~... The vision started just like her amazing last adventure, soaring through the skies. A beast, uh, really fierce and huge, drew closer to the Dash but she was too fast! Taking the lead, the totally radical Rainbow Dash checked on her opponent but found he changed shape! He tried to get a tougher, stronger body to fight and beat the amazing Wonderbolt recruit but he couldn’t find any one body part that worked. Soon he had the wings of a large ferocious flying owl, the head of a large terrifying mammal with tall ears to hear my every move, the body of the world’s largest reptile, scaly hide as thick as boulders! And to top it off, he changed his tongue and mouth to be full of claws and spikes! “Woow…” Yep! It was at that moment that the amazing Rainbow Danger Dash knew she had to find the awesomest animal companion that could save the day and fight crime with the super speedster. And the best source for these kinds of pet -no, these kinds of super powered creatures, was at Lady Fluttershy’s. “So, you got a pet at Fluttershy’s?” The young voice broke in once more. “Who’s telling this story kid?” Hearing no comment, the adventurous mare continued. Traveling to the edge of the huge monstrous forest of Everfree, a feat that often took all of Lady Shy’s courage to live next to, the fastest pegasus of Equestria boldly went up and asked for the best wild beast Lady Shy had. But she had captured and tamed so many amazing and radical pe- creatures that there was only one way to know who was the best. A competition! But not just any lame competition. No, this was an extreme competition! A bunch of tests and obstacles, designed to measure the various parts needed to keep up with an awesomely heroic mare! All ending a death defying race through Ghastly Gorge! Dun dun duuun! “And the turtle beat them all?” “...” “Oh, uh, sorry…” Through Ghastly Gorge! Yes, that horrific gorge that none dared to fly through. The testing phase was super scientific and tough, demanding only the best of the best of the few proud best qualities to be Rainbow Dash’s p- crime fighting companion. After hours and hours of testing, only five creatures made it past to attempt the gorge at the end. But there was a twist, an extra challenge to the already extremely race! They had to keep up and cross the finish line with the extremely amazing and fast Rainbow Dash! The opponents? A large, vampire evil-doer eater bat who has a wingspan twice long as the amazing Dash! Then there was a huge camouflaged owl, it’s stare second only to Lady Fluttershy’s! A ginormous eagle, proud and ferocious, boasting of many other adventures with battle scars showing from beneath his feathers. The next was a super hawk, his wings trimmed by himself to be even faster, claws sharpened to a fine point. The last was a powerful, confident contender. A tortoise who wasn’t about to give up. “Wait, I thought this was a flying race?” “Scooooootssss…” “Sorry Rainbow Dash…” Wind gently swayed the grass around the two pegasi. Its soft whisper nearly overshadowed the resigned sigh that came from the older mare. A sky blue hoof reached out and ruffled the magenta mane of the filly. “It’s alright Scootaloo, just… Hold all questions until the very end ok?” “Ok…” This tortoise was still in the running, never giving up despite his disadvantages. Soon, the race was ready to begin. The testers lined up and set to go. The course was deadly. Howling winds. Sharp turns, stalagmites and stalactites, archways and cliffsides. A portion was filled with nasty vines and plant life, with HUGE ripping thorns on them, waiting to tear a mare limb from limb. Further along the way were the Quarray Eels, ginormous eels that live along the cliff side in large caves, waiting for their meals to fly or drop by. Their teeth the size of little fillies, their breath smelling of meat and death. Then there was an unstable part of the race, where avalanches occurred often. A true race track of dangerous levels. Pause for dramatic effect… Soon it was time. The racers were off, soaring through the air and determinedly racing across the ground. The amazing and super Rainbow Dash was of course in the lead. She had no trouble staying ahead of them all, taunting and challenging the other racers. The wind posed no problem to the super pegasus, and she was more than agile enough to pass through the maze of plants that came alive and reached for her! They tried to snag the incredible pegasus from the air, their thorns sharp and deadly, but she was too quick! The other contestants were showing their true limits, barely passing through the challenges. When the super awesome Rainbow Danger Dash got to the Eels, she had a fight on her hooves. They were hungry- starved, and more than willing to snap up a pony for a meal. They were fast too; fast enough to keep up with the supersonic speeds of Rainbow Dash! There she was, battling these eels hoof and nail. They tried to surround her, but the amazingly fast mare dropped down and totally avoided their frontal attack. But then they tried to catch her from behind, not that that worked either. It was a close call, but nothing Rainbow Adventure Dash hadn’t had before. Rushing out of their territory, the super and incredible Rainbow Extreme Dash used every bit of her wing power to escape their grasp. She quickly left behind the eels since they didn’t want to risk the other dangers of the Gorge. But it was too late, for their fighting had set off an avalanche! Boulders, larger than three ponies put together, fell from the sides, blocking the trail and adding even more things for the bold and brave Rainbow Dash to watch out for. She dodge then ducked, diving down then shooting right up, barely keeping ahead of the random and totally unpredictable falling debris. But soon it was too much for the mighty Rainbow Dash! She used too much of her energy fighting the eels and soon fell prey a ginormous boulder, the size of-of-.. of a five pony house! As much as she tried, her wing got caught beneath the rock, while her hooves were soon hit with other rocks and boulders. The awesomely dependable Rainbow Dash was trapped! I’m trapped! Doomed! Stuck in Ghastly Gorge - forever! I’ve got so much I wanted to do! Things I have to do! Things only I can do! Rainbow Dash searched the cliff walls. Eyes desperate and dilated. Her heart beat rapidly. Tears began to fill her gaze as her friends flashed by. The last pony to flicker before magenta orbs was a canary-yellow pegasus. While Dash stared at the mare, she felt her heart squeeze briefly. She flinched at the pain but that only seemed to cause it to double. Fluttershy… Guess there’s going to be a lot I’m not going to get to do. Things I wanted to say. Ways to help her. All gone, because I was being really reckless. Now who’s going to take care of her? Her and Scootaloo… I’m going to die here. All alone… “Rainbow Dash...? Rainbow Dash? Are you ok?” Troubled magenta eyes blinked in the warm sunlight. They floated down from where they stared at the sky, zeroing on the purple orbs looking up with concern filling them. “Oh, yeah… I’ll be ok. Alright, so story time.” So there she was, stuck beneath the boulders caused by her fight with the giant eels. The other contestants had barely made it through and were heading on. The air had been too clouded and full of boulders for them to see the trapped heroic mare. And they were solitary beasts. Trained to fight on their own, they hadn’t thought to look for the amazing pegasus, trapped beneath the rubble. All except for one. One who was dependable, understandable, capable, of saving others. One who was willing to go the extra mile to help those in need. One whose determination and tenacity would allow him to never give up, never surrender! The large tortoise was trailing from behind to make sure none were lost or injured in the race. One who always put others first… Even if that meant coming in last… … So willing to help others that she herself gets called a doormat… “Rainbow Dash…?” Err, right, so this super extraordinary guy found the exhausted and injured Rainbow Dash. Using only his strength and determination, he began to di- crush the boulders holding the Dash down. His strength, something he only used in emergencies, was more than enough to free the super Rainbow Dash. She was so impressed with how he knew exactly when to be awesome and when it wasn’t needed, she decided that he was the truly worthy beast to ride the skyways with her. She used connections she made while being extra amazing to help her new traveling companion Tank to be able to fly with her. Science Nerd Twilight used magic and science-y stuff to make this possible, a method too lame and unawesome for Rainbow Danger Dash, though it was still pretty awesome of Twilight to help make Tank fly. She even helped make her own cloud home solid enough for Tank to walk around on it without needing his flying apa-appap-... flying machine! “And that’s why I have Tank here as my companion.” Rainbow threw out a hoof to bring the shelled creature closer to her side. Scootaloo looked between the two in front of her with a tilt of her head. “So even though Tank isn’t as fast as any of the other contestants, he’s the best choice?” The filly wasn’t as excited as she was during the tale. The few ponies who were enjoying the shade and park benches were almost loud enough to cover the pegasi’s conversation. “Sometimes, you need to go slower to have sure hoofsteps to head to a brighter future.” Rainbow looked to the east, where she knew a tiny cottage waited. “Sure, going fast is great, but sometimes it’s ok to need to take your time.” She looked back at the girl in front of her who seemed both at ease and yet still confused at her idol’s words. Dash reached out and scuffed the magenta mane with a half smirk. “Like feeling better. You don’t have to feel better all at once, you can go as slow as you need. We’ll be there to help. Any other questions kid?” The sky blue mare smiled at the younger pegasus who looked back with a timid grin of her own. “No, that was a pretty cool story. Thanks Rainbow Dash!” Scootaloo set her scooter upright once more and took a step back. “I have to catch up to the other Crusaders. Will I see you later…?” Rainbow waved her free hoof and smirked assuredly. “You bet kid, I’ll see ya around. And remember, if you ever need help, the best most awesome duo in the skies will be there to help.” Scootaloo gave her hero one last smile before zipping away on her trusty wheels. Rainbow and Tank stayed by the tree she had first taken a nap in a week ago. Tank watched his owner, his very pleased smile never wavering, while Dash looked out to the skies. She was trying to think through her concerns before her friends arrived for their weekly Pet Play Date in the park. When the blue pegasus felt the gentle nudge from her side, she reached out without looking and rubbed the top of Tank’s shell. Silence. There was no sound, except for a muted buzzing in yellow furry ears. Teal eyes stared widely towards the dangerous gorge. Trying to pinpoint any streak of bright rainbow hues. She barely spared the other animals a look to check how they were doing, focusing entirely on the obvious lack of a sky blue pegasus. Fluttershy’s brows twitched into a frown for a nanosecond. Her wings, held tight to each side, shivered in anxiety. Slowly, a new sound broke through her vigilance. A low thud, rhythmic and slowly getting faster. The mare slowly tore her wide eyed gaze to look to her left. Seeing nothing at first, she inched her gaze downward to find a spot of white with long tall ears… Angel Bunny looked up to his owner with both forearms crossed in front of his chest. A single brow was raised at her distant gaze. Fluttershy, finally able to identify and focus on the creature beside her, lifted a paw in a soft gasp. “Oh, I’m sorry Angel Bunny. Did you need something?” The bunny nodded and played faint, raising a paw to his forehead and leaned backwards.  Teal orbs looked around the small cottage, finding other animals waiting and watching as well. They stood by their empty bowls, silent but staring. “O-oh my! I’m so sorry everyone. Wait just one moment, I’ll get everyone their food.” Fluttershy quickly stood from her watch by the front window and went to the kitchen. No sooner had she entered then there was a knock from the front door. “Angel Bunny, could you get the door?” The rabbit rolled his eyes at the request but didn’t dare upset the mare who was getting his next meal ready. He hopped over to the wooden frame. Giving a large bound upwards, he grabbed the doorknob and twisted his whole body to turn it. Once it started opening, he dropped down, and stared angrily to the pony waiting on the other side. Rainbow looked down and raised a brow at the bunny standing before her. Sweeping out a hoof, she pushed him aside and strode forward. “Fluttershy? You here?” The canary mare pauses in the kitchen, halfway standing up from the fridge where she was gathering the animals’ meal. Her ears stood up and tilted towards the door. Her tiny gasp of surprise was overshadowed by the natural sounds of the other animals in the house. Her body started to shake, though her eyes stayed wide in wonder. The care-taker swallowed slowly and turned to look towards the living room. “I-I’m right back here Rainbow Dash!” Fluttershy’s shout barely registered for normal pony levels but the sky blue pegasus was expecting something like that. The yellow mare waited with baited breath, gaze focused on the doorway where her crush soon stood. Is-is she ok? Why did she come to visit…? O-oh dear… “Is… something the matter Rainbow Dash?” She inched her way back towards the living room where the other animals waited. Though when Rainbow thrust Tank forward, the yellow pegasus paused once more. “Y-yeah. I think Tank might be a little lonely. Misses his friends… you know?” Sharp magenta orbs stared into nervous teal ones. “O-oh? Well, you can both stay for a little while if you’d like.” Fluttershy dropped her gaze, allowing her mane cover most of her face. “I was just about to get everyone lunch. Would… Would you like some as well?” The teal orb watched with surprise as the normally impatient and louder mare slowly nodded. While Rainbow walked back into the living room, Fluttershy stood up straighter from her hunched spot and stared at the figure with concern growing in her eyes. … Something isn’t right… Tank was so happy to go with her… Would he really miss everyone so much already...? Why is she being so quiet…? Fluttershy quickly filled everyone’s bowls with a crunchy munchy lunch. At each pleased noise, her face grew into a larger and larger smile. She gave her bunny a gentle rub on his head before focusing on the tortoise who was currently looking towards the rainbow maned mare. Who, the shier pegasus was surprised to find, was watching her every move with a distracted stare. Fluttershy’s brows twitched in thought. She moved slowly, not wanting to surprise either mare or pet. “Um, if you two would be so kind as to wait a moment? I’ll get your meal ready right now.” “Wait, uh, well, don’t forget your own lunch.” Rainbow blinked awake and reached out a hoof, stopping midway as she spoke. Fluttershy blinked back in interest. She broke out in a small grin at the concern she heard. “Of course.” The yellow pegasus tried to keep her pace even even as happiness coursed through her hooves. Rainbow Dash normally wouldn’t even think to make sure everyone else was getting their lunch, that she made a specific comment about HER lunch brought joy with a tiny tint of worry to Fluttershy’s heart. An anxious thought was that something was wrong, something was different and should be looked at more closely. Fluttershy bit her lip as the dark thought began to grow and cloud her mind. She quickly made a simple salad for the three of them and returned to the living room. Once they were ready, they ate mostly in silence, though Fluttershy tried to speak with Tank to see if something was the matter or not. “Tank, how have you been doing?” A slow blink and tiny microscopic dip of his scaly head was the response. “Oh really? That’s nice to hear. And how do you like your new home?” Magenta orbs focused on the pink maned mare while this question was asked, though Fluttershy didn’t notice as she waited for Tank’s answer. He dipped his head up and down with a wide grin, the entire action taking well over fifteen seconds to complete. “Really…? That’s good.” Fluttershy peeked towards the other pegasus through her mane and stopped when she saw the focused gaze. “...Rainbow…? Uhm, is everything ok?” The sky blue mare gave a start at being addressed and smirked. “Oh, well, yeah. Totally. Just, busy week you know? That competition, getting trapped, getting Tank…” Dash reached out and rubbed the top of the tortoise's shell playfully. “... Scootaloo was asking about how I got Tank and I just got to thinking about what happened… at the end… you know… Wing is working great now though.” Rainbow perked up as she got towards the end of her sentence. She gave her wings a demonstrative beat and shakily grinned to the other mare. The yellow mare gasped and put a hoof to her mouth in shock. She then rushed forward and embraced the brasher mare. “I understand… If you ever need to talk, please consider talking to me.” Fluttershy tried not to think about the feel of soft blue fur against her own and instead put as much care as she could into the hug. Rainbow flushed and patted the other mare’s back. “Uh, yeah, sure will… Thanks ‘Shy.” The two mares held the embrace before the speedster coughed lightly, putting a hoof to her muzzle while trying to break the hold. “Thanks again… But uh, you may want to make sure Tank isn’t getting too cold up in my cloud home.” Fluttershy paused with a tiny frown before leaning back down towards the tortoise. She peered into his eyes and smiled at his response. They both reached out and touched noses for a moment, tiny smiles in place at his answer. “He says it’s a very warm house, full of love and care that you put into it when he moved in.” The canary mare couldn’t help but watch with a warm grin at the blush that came over the other mare. Rainbow scratched at her head and smirked bashfully. “Anything else Rainbow Dash?” “Oh, uh, no. Guess not. I’ll- I’ll see you later. I’ll just go and check on Scootaloo.” While the sky blue mare stood and started for the door, the questioning croak from the green tortoise made Fluttershy glance back at him. Rainbow also looked at him with a smile, though her gaze was anxious. “Come on buddy, we could use a bit of flying practice on the way anyways.” Tank didn’t make any further sound and willed his flying contraption to life. He buzzed after his owner while the animal care-taker watched with her brows furrowed. What does he mean by ‘we just saw Scootaloo’? Is… Is Rainbow Dash lying about why she has to go? Why would she need to do that…? Oooh, I hope everything is alright… After that first check up, azure blue fur was often found at the cottage during school hours. Every morning, after the weather was set for the day and the children were in school, there was a soft knock at Fluttershy’s doorway. Each time was for a different reason involving the new pet. When the animal care-taker checked on the tortoise to see if the reason was valid, Tank would only have one concern. Lately, there was a quiet pensive time before Rainbow Dash fell asleep at night. He tried to get her to talk about it but to no avail. Fluttershy would ask Rainbow if there was something wrong but brushed off. By the time two weeks went by, the excuses merged into one generic statement. Tank was ‘lonely’. Fluttershy didn’t quite believe this reasoning and asked Tank for a way to resolve the issue. When he was pressed for a way to help them both, Tank asked the kind hearted mare for Rainbow Dash props. He wanted to boost the bold mare anyway he could, and wearing encouraging clothing and flags were what came to mind. Fluttershy thought the idea was positively adorable and quickly agreed. They both knew by this point how Dash was likely to react to the clothing and kept it a secret between them. When it was finished, Fluttershy wrapped the first set in a pleasant dark-green and pale sea-green wrapping. The second pile of Rainbow Dash themed slippers and robe (pony-sized) went into a closet hidden away from prying eyes. They were modeled to fit the yellow-pegasus, and made because it was just too cute of an idea. Fluttershy couldn’t prevent or remove the heavy blush that burned across her muzzle at the thought of wearing them when nopony was looking. Oh… Maybe I shouldn’t have made that extra one… but it’s so cute and I feel better just thinking about it being closer to me… I better get Tank his set quickly, he may need the support as well… The sweet natured mare reached for the package and started to trot to the door only to stop with ears laid flat against her head. Oh dear, what if Rainbow sees and gets upset at us…? Ooh, I just don’t know… Fluttershy tapped her forehooves together slowly. She bit her lip, gnawing at it as she thought. Her gaze shifted around the cottage until it came to a group of animals chatting together, bringing to mind a certain tortoise sitting among them not too long ago. But I made a promise. And poor Tank is so looking forward to getting his own tortoise sized Rainbow Dash things. I better get going. Fluttershy couldn’t help twitching her wings anxiously as she placed the package on her back and set out. Recently, Rainbow had been working with Scootaloo on a hill outside of Ponyville. They were trying to do more physical activities to help the young filly’s depression. It was suggested by a book on the subject from Golden Oaks Library. The two pegasi were standing side by side on top of the hill, outlining the plan for the day, while Tank watched from the sidelines. He looked on with rapt attention to the advice being given until he noticed the yellow figure coming up the side. Fluttershy tried not to startle the others (it would be startling to do so) but they fell silent anyways. Once the more timid mare was in speaking range, Dash tried to keep her voice neutral while her wings flicked briefly. “Hey Fluttershy. What’s with the package? Who- Who’s it for?” The quieter mare froze next to Tank, hoof halfway to the gift. “Oh, um, Tank wanted to help cheer you on…” Rainbow Dash lifted a brow in question. Fluttershy gently grimaced at the attention but continued to give the tortoise his requested clothing. All three ponies watched him slowly tear open the wrapping, everyone wearing a happy grin except the young filly who frowned confusedly. Scootaloo looked between the older mares and the pet a few times before shaking her head and settling into place on the ground. When blue colors with specific rainbow hues over top began to show through, it was Fluttershy’s turn to pull away while the other pegasi leaned forward with interest shining in their eyes. Tank gave a happy gurgle as he started to pull out individual slippers and cap, along with flags and foam boards proclaiming that Rainbow Dash was number one. The tortoise started to slowly put on his new clothing, to the deep embarrassment of Rainbow who scratched at her mane with a heavy blush. Fluttershy reached forward and helped the reptile to put on his apparel. Scootaloo took that moment to help pull out and look at each of the items in the package. Once everything was in a straight line, she looked towards the animal care-taker with wonder in her purple orbs. “Did you make all this stuff Fluttershy?” “Oh, um, yes… Hoofmade to fit Tank here.” Fluttershy reached out to lightly rub Tank’s shell before focusing on the filly. “Why? Would you like some as well?” Scootaloo peeked at Rainbow Dash who was staring at the clouds with a wide smirk, checking that she wasn’t focusing on them before nodding rapidly to the other mare’s question. Fluttershy grinned warmly at her before looking to Dash who was giving Tank a noogie. She paused mid-scuff and looked back to the yellow pony. “This is pretty neat Fluttershy. Thanks… Do you think… that you could make me some that look like Tank?” Rainbow couldn’t meet wide purple eyes that stared up at their idol in shock at the request, focusing instead on the canary mare in front of them. Fluttershy merely nodded with a tiny blush of her own. She then stood up and gave Tank her own stroke of affection, Scootaloo a brief full body hug and hesitated only a second before nuzzling Rainbow Dash while giving her a brief hug as well. The other pegasi were stupefied and could only watch with wide eyes as the kind-hearted mare started back home to get working on her latest project. Scootaloo looked down with a blush and scrunch of her muzzle, unsure about the physical contact. Rainbow however couldn’t look away from the retreating pink tail, following the slight bounce as the pegasus walked home. Her own muzzle burned with a red hue. Her mind was silent, only able to revisit how it felt to have Fluttershy’s fur and muzzle so close. Tank frowned at the utterly dumbfounded pegasus and nudged her left fore-leg with his head. Dash blinked before checking on the tortoise, shutting her mouth with a soft snap and taking a deep breath. She reached out and gave the pet a pat. Once that was taken care of, she looked towards the small pegasus with a warm smirk. “Alright squirt, time to get back to work.” -TTS- Blue hooves wrapped slowly around the green shell covered by a blue coat with a rainbow colored bolt cutie mark on its back. Green legs, ends covered by cloud slippers, reached out much slower and began to warp around the sky blue barrel. “Tank… I kept thinking and thinking about it… But I guess…. Cloud Kicker was right…” The hoarse whisper floated in the still air of the floating home. “I figure it was because she helped me find you, and is just nice, so that was why… but then, I-I-… I couldn’t help but imagine what she’d look like in a Rainbow Dash themed pajamas and…!” The rainbow mane dropped lower to cover the top of Tank’s shell. The night was a little chilly though it held no effect to the two friends in their mutual hug. Rainbow especially felt her face warm at her thoughts. With the two heads so close together, it was no issue for the tortoise to hear the soft murmur. “I think I do like ‘Shy like that… As a special somepony…” Dash flung herself backwards, pulling her pet along with her. She lifted one of her hooves to cover her eyes. “That’s what I felt so long ago. Why I had to… leave her back then. Because that would have changed everything. And I was too lame to accept it.” She let go of the tortoise to ground both hooves into her eyes, her muscles taut while her mouth turned into a deep scowl. Tank was left on her chest and stared at the pained figure with a tiny frown of his own. He started his slow journey to her fore-hooves. When he reached them, he gently pushed them aside, reminiscent to how he had brushed aside enough rocks to rescue his owner in a dangerous race. Rainbow felt the light touch and didn’t fight it, though she didn’t try to help either. Once both hooves were removed from their position, Tank reached over to stare into the cerise eyes. “... Hey buddy… You take all the time you need to huh? Yeah… Guess I took a lot of time too… But now I’ve reached the starting line. Let’s see if I can go the distance.” Dash’s voice started soft and strained, growing stronger with each sentence and moment of thought. At the end, she reached both hooves around and hugged the turtle once more with a half smirk. “Thanks little guy. Talking with you helped. Guess it’s not such a bad thing to talk to someone after all.” The pegasus sat up from her cloud bed and turned her attention to the bed covers under her flank. Holding Tank with one hoof, she reached out and pulled open the blanket, maneuvering just right to be able to cover them both for the night. “G’night Tank.” The only response was a soft, slow nuzzle from a scaly head. The motion brought forth a happy smile from the pony who clutched her friend closer.