Stay

by Wintergreen Diaries

Together

“Respect is earned, honor is deferred, and any decent pony should have both.” It was something that Pinkie had heard her father say once or twice growing up but never given much thought to until that afternoon. More often than not, Pinkie let others win when she played games to guarantee that they had a good time, but she quickly found that holding back led to swift defeat at Merry’s hooves. Friendly competition had led them through a gauntlet of games already, and despite playing no holds barred after getting absolutely dominated at their first game of Scramble, every match thereafter was a gamble. There had been an inordinate amount of draws, though overall they had basically traded one for one, but the numbers didn’t really matter much. Merry’s prowess in the ways of the game was worthy of respect, and he had been honorable in both victory and defeat. The shadows had lengthened under the canopy of the evening sky while they relaxed, chatting over a casual game of Oligopoly after having given up on Tic-Tac-Toe after nine cat’s games in a row.

“Yanno, you’re pretty good at these games, Merry,” Pinkie piped up, taking her roll and moving her game piece accordingly. “It’s really neat to meet somepony else that really enjoys them as much as I do.”

“I used to play them a lot with my family,” he explained, watching carefully to make sure Pinkie didn’t land on his property. “My father worked a lot when we were growing up, and was typically too tired to do much of anything on the weekdays. It made the times that we could all sit together and relax even more special, so they have kind of a special place in my heart.”

“That’s really neat,” Pinkie said, pausing long enough to stick out her tongue at the fine card she drew. “You’ve got an amazing selection in there. I think there’s even a game or two that I haven’t seen before! Did you play all those complicated ones with your family?”

“Nah, I don’t think we would have been able to get Chai on board,” he chuckled, shaking his head as he swiped the dice. “I didn’t get into the role playing stuff until later on. I grew up in Baltimare, and there was a gaming group that I got into when I was young. We started off playing simple stuff, but by the time we were teenagers, they wanted something with a little more action.” He took his turn and pulled a face at Pinkie, having landed on her property. It was late enough in the game that all it took was one or two poor rolls to end it.

“I haven’t really played any of those RPG games myself. Are they fun?” Pinkie asked, accepting the gratuitous stack of funny money.

“They’re loads of fun!” Merry said, brightening at the thought. “They can take a long time, but they’re more about the journey than the destination. Unfortunately, they aren’t for everyone,” he recognized with a rueful grin, watching as Pinkie deftly dodged the veritable minefield of penalty spaces. “I haven’t had the chance to play one in ages. I know I could probably badger Chai into playing, but what’s the point if she’s not having fun?”

“I know what you mean,” Pinkie sympathized. “Are there no ponies around here that would want to play?”

“Play a game that ain’t Poker?” he asked with a comically bad drawl. “Have you even met the ponies around here?”

“Hehe, good point.” It was true that she couldn’t really imagine any of the ponies around Dodge being all that interested in committing several hours to raiding fictional crypts. Her smile grew sympathetic as he fumbled the dice yet again and landed on one of her spaces, not only because she was on the verge of winning, but because she could tell by the way he talked about it that he missed being able to play with the ponies back home. “Well, we probably don’t have time tonight, but I wouldn’t mind giving it a try some other time,” Pinkie offered enthusiastically.

“Really?” he replied, brightening on the spot.

“Absolutely!” she laughed, swiping the cash from his outstretched hooves. “Learning a new game sounds funtastic! That, and I know that I’d be going crazy if I couldn’t leave the house,” she added, looking over at the cast on his hind leg. “How much longer do you have to wear that thing?”

“Bout a week and a half,” he pouted as his ever active tail dropped lifeless to the floor. “I normally heal up pretty quick, and it’s not like I can’t walk, buuut I have this eerie feeling that Chai is going to keep me bedridden for at least a few days. Ugh! Being cooped up is just the worst. It’s like being put in a cage.” There was a somber shift in his tone as he glanced away. “There’s nothing fun about that...”

“Gosh, I’ll bet…” Pinkie couldn’t put her hoof down on why, but there was something about Merry’s tone that made her wonder if he hadn’t experienced said entrapment before. An uncomfortable quiet fell over the two as she took her turn and passed the dice over to Merry. Whatever mood of merriment might have remained was nixed by an ill-fated die roll, and Pinkie found herself growing even more concerned as Merry reluctantly nudged his piece across the board and straight into jail.

“Sheesh, I think he hates being cooped up more than I do,” she thought to herself, having no doubt that her opponent’s demeanor had nothing to do with the game. “There’s gotta be something I can say to cheer him up…” Scooching over so that she was seated by his side, Pinkie pondered for a moment what she should say before cracking as encouraging a smile as her muzzle could manage. “Don’t worry, Merry. If being sentenced to boring ol’ bed is like being behind bars, well…” His eyes followed her hoof as she reached out, taking hold of her game piece and hopping it one space at a time until she had joined him in his fictional incarceration. “You can just call me your inmate,” she promised with a wink. “We’ll beat this cabin fever together.”

“Pinkie, that… you-” Merry stammered softly, beholding the mare with bewildered surprise. It was, perhaps, one of the most comforting things Merry had heard, and he didn’t quite know what to say. Tongue tied and quite frankly feeling more than a touch smitten, Merry made no effort to stay his hooves as they eagerly snatched Pinkie into a firm embrace, nor did the mare seem to mind. “You reeeally turned my frown upside down just now. Thank you…”

“Eheh, you’re welcome,” Pinkie replied with a bashful laugh. She found it confusing how much different Merry’s hugs felt when compared to other ponies, particularly on account of her increasing enjoyment of them and the rise of temperature that followed after. Not only that, but there was something about the way he was looking at her as she pulled away that made her heart do funny, funny things. Good funny, granted, but as they held each other’s gaze, Pinkie was forced again to wonder what the extent of her feelings were; normal friendship didn’t fill her cheeks with cinnamon. That was a subject for another time, though, as their moment was interrupted by a scattered bundle of feathers that crashed into the door, tumbled across the floor, and settled with a thud against the nightstand by the bed.

“Awww, Rumble, you went an’ messed it up!” Applebloom exclaimed, trotting in. “Now they ain’t gonna kiss!”

“Kiss?!” both of the older, theoretically more mature ponies chorused together.

“Uh huh?” Rumble confirmed, collecting himself and standing slowly on account of the spinning room.

“Are you kidding? We weren’t gonna k-k-kiss!” Pinkie Pie said frantically. “My father would do such a number on Merry’s face that he’d do an irrational number instead! Oooh, I don’t even want to think about that!”

“We just thought-”

“Irrational number!” Pinkie Pie shrieked, her chest heaving. “I won’t have anypony messing up Merry’s muzzle, so no more talk about the tongue tango, got it?!”

“Uh huh,” Applebloom replied with a nervous gulp.

“Good,” Pinkie chortled, instantly reverting out of crisis mode, “there’ll be plenty of time for that later.”

“Do you mean-”

“Aaanyways,” Pinkie interjected with a nervous chuckle, looking over to find Chai observing from the doorway. “How’d things go on your end?”

“They went very well,” Chai said, nodding her thanks as she stepped forward. “Your friend Applebloom was able to work wonders with my tea cart, and with Rumble’s help we were able to clear away most of the sand.”

“It ain’t a perfect job, but ah’m pretty sure it’s functional,” Applebloom elaborated. “It’ll get you by fer now, though, an’ ah’m sure it’d be alright if I came back another day t’ do some more maintenance.”

“It’s in far better shape than it was,” Chai reminded the filly, “and your fee was more than reasonable.”

“Shucks, here ah was bein’ all worried you’d think ah was scammin’ you,” the teenage filly replied, grateful for the praise.

“Not at all,” she murmured, shaking her head as she turned back towards Pinkie. “And you, perhaps, I owe the greatest thanks. Truly, thank you for coming here tonight. I do not have much, but I would very much like it if you all allowed me to treat you to a cup of tea before you go.”

“What kind of tea?” Applebloom asked.

“Almost any kind you can imagine, made from scratch,” Chai responded warmly.

“I’ll have some chai!” The mare looked over at Rumble and grinned.

“My, aren’t you the little charmer…” She had to stifle a laugh as Applebloom shot her coltfriend a sour look. “Come along, everyone. I’ll not send my guests away without proper thanks.” While most everypony filed out, Pinkie drew up beside Merry and offered her support.

“Thanks, Pinkie,” he said, grinning as he pressed up close to keep himself stable. “You’re in for a real treat. My sister makes the best tea in Equestria.” Together, the two made their way out to the living room where everypony else had all taken their seats. The only seat left was a rather plush and ironically named love seat, which had either been designed with one and a half ponies in mind or was meant to forcibly induce cuddling. While the latter didn’t happen, exactly, they did almost accidentally connect their muzzles due to their proximity to one another. Other than that embarrassing little incident, though, they kept to themselves, sipping on their tea and just enjoying their time together. Pinkie would have tarried longer, but she would already be late for supper, and she knew her father wouldn’t be terribly pleased that she would be showing up after dark by herself. After gleaning every last drop of tea from her cup, she reluctantly laid it aside and stood.

“Well, Applebloom, Rumble, it’s getting pretty late.”

“Awww, shucks, that means it’s time fer us to go, doesn’t it?”

“I’m afraid so,” Pinkie said ruefully. “Thanks for having us over, Chai. The tea was delicious, and I think it’s safe to say that we all had a pretty great time.”

“Uh huh!”

“You’re all more than welcome,” came the mare’s gracious reply, “though I feel that you’ve given me quite a bit more than I’ve been able to give you in return.”

“Silly Vanille!” Pinkie chortled. “It’s not a contest! Not this time, anyways. Rumble, why don’t you help Applebloom load her things into the cart? I’ll be out in a few minutes.”

“Okay! Bye, Miss Chai! See ya, Merry!”

“Yeah, goodbye! Thanks again!” Knowing they’d get a proper scolding from their siblings if they missed the train, the two younger ponies scampered out the door to gather their things while Pinkie helped Merry back to his room.

“Being a three-legged pony doesn’t seem like very much fun when it isn’t a game, huh?” she said, watching him wince as he eased himself into bed.

“Not really,” he chuckled with a carefree shrug. “Being cooped up is lame, but it’s not so bad when you have company. You made today really fun.”

“It’s what I do,” Pinkie said casually as she flashed Merry a wink. “Fun is serious business, and I seriously had fun today. Gummy had fun, too!”

“Gummy?” Merry repeated quietly.

“Oh! Right, sorry, he gets nervous around strangers,” Pinkie explained as her eyes drifted up towards her mane. “Gummy? C’mon on out! Don’t be shy, it’s okay.” Merry watched with growing perplexion as her mane began to stir, and his expression blanked entirely as a green snout and two purple reptilian eyes poked out from amongst the curls. They stared at each other for a moment before the unsure alligator withdrew again. “Hehe, he’s been a little clingy since I left. Give him time, he’ll warm up to you, I’m sure.”

“I’ll look forward to it,” Merry said, breaking into a grin again. “See you later, alligator.”

“Hey! What about me?” Pinkie laughed, prodding him playfully as Gummy poked his eyes up.

“Well, I guess you can bring her along, too,” he said, feigning resignation while Gummy blinked his amusement. They would have bantered long into the night were it not for the ponies that had been entrusted to Pinkie’s care, so with a few more parting words of thanks and laughter, she reluctantly took her leave. Waving goodbye to Chai, Pinkie and her cohorts made their way to central station with just a few minutes to spare. She stuck around to make sure that the train got off without a hitch, and as the lumbering locomotive chugged off into the night, she started for home with a yawn.

“What an absolutely jam-packed day,” she thought to herself, humming as she cantered along. It wasn’t like her to be tired so early in the evening, but her day had started well before sunrise for the final preparations for the big party. Nearly every pony had been greeted by her personally that day on top of her acting as a judge for some of the competitions and overseeing of the various activities. She was wearied, yes, but she was smiling, because all of her energy had been well spent, and she could still see the smiling faces of the townsfolk, right there alongside her close friends.

“I can hardly wait to climb in bed,” she mused, eager to crash. “I’m more beat than a poet with a bad case of stage fright.” Being on the farm meant working in the morning, just like everypony else, and she was going to need some rest. She had intended to do some brainstorming on Merry’s bizarre behavior, the parts not related to acting like a dog, but her mind couldn’t seem to focus, and she didn’t really think about much of anything her entire walk home. She did have just enough excitement left to manage an eager smile as her father opened the door, but that soon faded. She may have been tired, but it was evident that she had nothing on her father.

“Daddy?” she said hesitantly, looking at the bags under his eyes. “I… is something wrong?”

“... Come on inside, Pinkamena,” he replied, sounding every bit as drained as he looked. “We need to have a little talk.” Offering a somber nod, Pinkie followed her father over to the table and took a seat, watching her father intently as he did the same. Insomnia wasn’t often a problem for anypony on the farm, given how grueling their daily routine could be, but the deep bags under the older stallion’s eyes told a tale of sleepless nights spent in worry. Igneous remained quiet as he gathered his thoughts before finally asking, “Did something happen between you and Limestone before you left?”

“Not that I can think of,” Pinkie answered, thinking back to her last night in Dodge. “She seemed a little snappy at dinner, but other than that...”

“Snappy doesn’t even begin to cover it, Pinkamena,” he recounted, rubbing the spot between his eyes with a hoof. “We all know that Limestone has a temper, but she’s been out of control since the night you left. She spends all her time in the fields, which I wouldn’t mind if it weren’t for the fact that she won’t let Marble anywhere near her, and I’ve never had her talk back to me and your ma the way she has these last few days.”

“This doesn’t make any sense,” Pinkie said worriedly, wracking her brain to try and remember something, anything that might point to why Marble would be acting out. “I mean, yeah, I had been kind of a rain cloud the last week or two, but she had been really nice through all of that. Why would she get upset right when I got better?”

“That’s what I was hoping to find out, but it sounds like you’re in the dark as much as I am,” he replied with a long and heavy sigh. “I’ve tried to get her to open up, but most all I ever get is ‘I don’t want to talk about it,’ and being cross only makes her worse.”

“Let me-”

“Don’t.” Pinkie hadn’t even made it out of her seat before her father’s stern command froze her in place. “Don’t try talking to her tonight, not this late,” Igneous asked with a pleading look. “Marble has really been taking this whole thing hard. I don’t want her waking up to the sound of her sister’s fighting.” Her father’s request was difficult for Pinkie to accept, though as she opened her mouth to protest, she instead nodded her consent.

“... Okay, I won’t,” Pinkie agreed, “but tomorrow I want to try to cheer her up so we can all laugh together again.”

“That’s what I was hoping to hear,” her father said as walked over and pulled his daughter close. “It’s good to have you back, Pinkamena. Welcome home.”

“It’s not exactly the welcome I was expecting, but thanks, daddy,” she offered with a rueful chuckle. “Now, get yourself to bed,” she commanded her father playfully. “You look like you haven’t slept a wink.”

“Now, don’t you start too,” he said, laughing quietly. “My hair is already graying as it is.”

Parting ways, Pinkie bid her father goodnight and made her way up the stairs to her room, casting a forlorn glance at Limestone’s door as she passed. Sealing herself safely in her bedroom, Pinkie gratefully flopped into bed with yet another case of mental overload. There had already been plenty of things that she knew she needed to think about, and the list just seemed to keep growing by the day.

“I think I’m starting to understand why Twilight loves her checklists so much,” Pinkie thought to herself with a yawn. “Things are way more complicated when you think about more than having fun. It’s not all bad, though,” she conceded with a tired smile. Though there had been many clouds to block out the light, being there to help Rainbow Dash had really caused something to shift in Pinkie. It had brought her to the realization that there were serious matters where laughter wasn’t the best option, but that didn’t diminish the value of her encouragement, and bringing comfort to the hurting had proven to be a different kind of fun.

“And then there’s Merry…” She laughed quietly to herself as Gummy wriggled out of her mane and curled up on the pillow beside her with little strands of her pink mane still clinging to his scaly back. “He’s a different kind of fun, too.” Too fatigued to inhibit her thoughts, the young mare offered no resistance to the faint heat brushing her cheeks as she recalled his peculiar quirks with fondness, particularly the moment when he had licked her.

“I know it’s strange, but it made me really happy,” she thought with a bashful smile while her conscoiusness began to drift away. “I wonder how he got that way, though? I bet it’s something nice… something nice, just like… him.”

---

“Oh boy! Oh, boy oh boy oh boy!” Youthful exuberance propelled a young colt forward as fast as his legs could carry him down the crowded sidewalks of downtown Baltimare. Weaving between the traffic and leaping over any obstacles that would stand between him and his destination, Merry barreled onwards before finally skidding to a halt outside of the local pet shelter. Allowing himself only the briefest of respites, and even then not sitting completely still, he trotted slow circles around the clinic’s lawn just long enough for his ragged breaths to stabilize before darting towards the entrance. His hooves, tired as they were, couldn’t keep up with his enthusiasm, and with a tremendous crash the colt demonstrated perfectly why it pays to grip the handle before trying to enter through a door: it messes up your face if you don’t.

“Goodness gracious, what in Equestria was- Merry! Are you alright?” Feather asked worriedly, finding the colt splayed out in a daze upon the doorstep.

“Ouch, that smaaarts,” the colt groaned, coddling his aching snout with both hooves.

“For the last time, this isn’t a giant doggie door,” Feather laughed, shaking her head. It wasn’t the first time the colt had let excitement get the better of him, and despite what she had just said, she knew it probably wouldn’t be the last. “Come on inside so we can get some ice on that muzzle of yours,” the kindly mare said, helping the colt upright and leading him inside. Pouting about the delay but knowing that he probably shouldn’t return home with a swollen snout, Merry shuffled inside and followed Feather towards the makeshift lunch room.

“So, what’s got you all excited this time?” the mare asked, pulling some ice from the freezer and wrapping it in a clean cloth. “Is something special going on today?”

“Something super special!” he quipped, climbing onto the only cushioned seat and laying back, being familiar with the proper treatment of doorface. That didn’t make it any more enjoyable, though, and he winced a little as the cool of the ice challenged the heat of his throbbing nose.

“Oh? And what is this something special?” Feather inquired with a curious grin.

“I got a present for Maria!” he declared, beaming back.

“Did you? I’m sure she’ll love it,” she said sweetly. “It seems like the two of you have been getting along lately.” Whether by some latent talent or sheer relentlessness of effort, the feral canine that everypony, herself included, had written off as a lost cause had begun showing sparks of life around the young colt seated across from her. Since the first day that he had met Maria, he hadn’t missed a single one of his appointed visits, and Feather had lost track of the hours that Merry spent in the enclosed, claustrophobic confines of the kennel, but as of recently, it was rare to hear the predatory growl of the dog kept within. She had been sure that he would have lost interest, given up after the first few weeks of seemingly little change, but his perseverance had proven her wrong, and she couldn’t have been happier about it.

“She’s still needs her space sometimes, but that’s okay. My sister needs space sometimes, too,” he snickered. “Her coat’s been getting better since we switched her food, and she’s been eating more, too! She’s actually really soft when she lets me pet her, and she has the cutest little bark when she’s not being grouchy.” He paused for a moment and lifted the icepack as the cold became too strong before looking over to Feather with a pleading look. “How long do I have to do this?”

“Doctors recommend fifteen minutes.” Merry groaned. “Oh, don’t be so dramatic,” Feather giggled, ruffling the colt’s mane as she stood. “You seem to heal up pretty quickly, so why don’t you give it ten and we’ll call it even?”

“‘Kay~!” There wasn’t much to keep him entertained as the mare went back to work. Watching the clock didn’t seem to speed things along either, as per usual, so he made a game of imagining the throbbing along the ridge of his nose as the beats of a drum, and soon he was tapping his hooves to the beat. Mistakenly waiting the whole fifteen minutes after getting caught up in the concert, he tossed the ice pack in the sink, picked up his saddlebag, and cantered towards the back of the clinic. Carefully cracking open the door to the solitary kennel away from the rest, Merry poked his head in regarded Maria with a delighted grin.

“Hey there, Maria! Can I come in?” She responded with what would have been an indifferent snort, were it not for the fact that he could see her tail wagging behind her. It wasn’t constant yet, and not nearly as lively as the average dog, but every swish made the long hours he had spent listening to growling all worth it.

“Alrighty, don’t mind if I do!” Making sure the door behind him was closed, Merry pranced inside and undid the latch on Maria’s cage. “You can come out if you want to,” he encouraged her, “but it’s up to you.” Humming to himself as he let Maria make her choice, he moved a few steps back and set down his bag. After some digging, he withdrew a somewhat mangled sandwich and began munching away. The anticipation earlier in the day had diminished his appetite, and it was coming back with a vengeance. He had already wolfed down half of his meal before he noticed that Maria was in one of her more friendly moods, and had taken a seat right in front of him. He followed her eyes to the sandwich in his hooves and grinned.

“You want some?” he asked, tearing off a smallish chunk and holding it out. Sniffing and prodding at it with her nose, Maria quickly decided that it smelled better than what she was used to eating and carefully lapped up the morsel. “Hehe, tasty, right? Here, have another!” Merry would have liked to keep his food for himself, but seeing Maria enjoy herself was more important. Besides, feeling the tickle of her nose and the wetness of her tongue was a gift in and of itself, and left Merry feeling like he was the one getting the treat, because every touch was a victory to be cherished.

“You’re a good girl,” he murmured fondly, carefully reaching over and petting her gently. “And that’s why I got you something special!” Maria watched her colt with mounting interest as he sifted around his sack, but began to back away as he pulled out something she the exact opposite of special.

“I got a collar made for you!” he declared. “It’s got your name on the tag here, see? ‘Maria,’ it says it right here.” Maria looked anything other than impressed, and she gave a low growl as he held it out. “You don’t… like it?” She gave another short growl as she took another step back. “Oh…” Somewhere in the back of his mind, he felt like he could have guessed she’d feel that way, but he had been too excited to pay the nagging doubt any heed.

“Feather said that they’d let me take you outside if you wore a collar and leash,” he explained quietly, feeling deflated. “I thought it might be nice for you to be able to run around again, but I won’t make you wear it if you don’t want to. It’s really not so bad, though.” Bringing the collar up to his own neck, he set it to an appropriate setting and strapped it on. “See?” Though she hadn’t moved any closer, Maria had stopped growling and was watching the colt carefully as he adopted a pensive look. Shortly after, he withdrew a brand new leash from his saddlebag, clipped it onto the collar, and looked himself over.

“Still not convinced, huh?” he asked ruefully, looking over at Maria. Bafflement had never been so easily seen upon an animals face, and she cocked her head to one side at the stallion’s curious display that was only about to get more curious. “Maybe she doesn’t know what it’s for?” he reasoned in his head. “Well, if that’s the case, then I’ll just have to show her!”

There wasn’t a shred of shame in the colt’s heart as he bowed his head, arched his back, and left Maria confounded as he offered a short bark. Snatching up the leash in his mouth, he bounded a short ways before again adopting the playful canine stance, with his tail waving wildly and a grin stamped upon his muzzle. Neither growl nor bark came from Maria as she watched him roll over one way, then back the other. Wriggling over on his belly with his hind legs dragging behind him, Merry dropped the leash handled from his mouth and nudged it forward with his nose.

“Bark?” he asked, pawing at the leash. When Maria didn’t respond, he adopted as pitiful a whine as he could imitate, pouting as he nudged some of the slack towards her. Seconds stretched into minutes as nothing happened, and he let his chin rest on the concrete floor as his ears drooped and his eyes closed. “I guess it was too much to hope for,” he thought with a sigh. “I only wanted her to have a chance to see something outside of this crummy ol’ shed…”

Moping wasn’t something the colt often indulged, but having his good intentions turned on their head left him feeling pretty drained. With the exhilaration snatched from his sails, the dull ache that had been mostly forgotten filtered to the surface, prompting him to cover the tender bruise with his hooves, groaning quietly. It was perhaps the first time the colt had ever shown any real kind of sadness around his pet, and knew that it had been noticed as Maria gave an inquisitive bark.

“Sorry, Maria…” he murmured tiredly. “I’ll be fine. Just give me a few minutes, ‘kay?” Strangely, Maria didn’t think it was okay. He listened with passive interest as the dog padded over to him, though he suspected that she was just returning to her cage, as she usually did when she decided that she had been social enough for the day. Resigning himself to an unfortunately short visit on account of his unwitting blunder, he screwed his eyes shut tighter and fought back the tears that threatened to spill out. Had they been open, they would have seen something different in Maria, something powerful enough that she would lay aside her misgivings to repay just a small portion of the debt that she owed.

“Huh? What is she…” Encouraged by the pup’s prodding nose, his hooves fell away as he looked up and found the pup watching him with eyes full of concern. “M-Maria?” They stared at one another for a few moments before Maria leaned down and gently lapped at his bruise, answering all of the questions he hadn’t found the words to ask. Her tongue was scratchy and her breath was nothing short of atrocious, but the warmth of her lick was as comforting as his mother’s embrace, and it brought a different kind of tears to his eyes as he realized what he had to do. He had been trying to show kindness as a pony to a pet, but what Maria needed to feel comfortable wasn’t a pony, but another dog, and if acting like a canine made her feel safe enough to dry his tears, then he didn’t mind being the one in the collar.

“You’re such a good girl,” he whispered, grinning through the tears. “And I’ll be your good boy, okay? We can be great together.”

---

“Together…” Tender was the smile that lit a young stallion’s muzzle as he looked up at the stars with a tattered leash held to his chest. “Do you think that we could be great together... Pinkie?”

Comments

[Heartland Picker]

Pinkie would have tarried longer, but she would already be late for supper, and she knew her father wouldn’t be terribly pleased that she would be showing up after dark by herself.

Okay, this kinda bothers me, isn't she a full-grown mare?

Otherwise, good chapter. Keep moving!

[Wintergreen Diaries]

6341520 This isn't really a reflection on Pinkie's maturity or age, but rather her acknowledgement of the fact that her father is a touch over-protective and rather old fashioned.

[H3lios]

Is Maud going to show up at some point? Or hell even be mentioned?

[Lucky424]

“I haven’t really played any of those RPG games myself. Are they fun?” Pinkie asked, accepting the gratuitous stack of funny money.
“They’re loads of fun!” Merry said, brightening at the thought.

Ahem... Homer?

Rumble, why don’t help Applebloom

Rumble, why don’t you help Applebloom

Well... I guess that explains a lot. So, I reckon that means he gets Maria, but that also means he has to act like a dog most of the time.

[OminousBrony]

Apple Bloom still as possessive as ever when it comes to Rumble. And I love the Dialogue when Gummy entered the scene. Also, I have to wonder as well if Maud is gonna show up

[djthomp]

That was a subject for another time, though, as their moment was interrupted by a scattered bundle of feathers that crashed into the door, tumbled across the floor, and settled with a thud against the nightstand by the bed.
“Awww, Rumble, you went an’ messed it up!” Applebloom exclaimed, trotting in. “Now they ain’t gonna kiss!”

Dangit, Rumble!

“It’s in far better shape than it was,” Chai reminded the filly, “and your fee was more than reasonable.”
“Shucks, here ah was bein’ all worried you’d think ah was scammin’ you,” the teenage filly replied, grateful for the praise.

Rumble and Apple Bloom could form the perfect reconstruction racket. "Nice place ya got here, would be a shame if a teenage pegasus happened to it."

Except, you know, with actual destruction and reconstruction.

With the events so far, I can definitely believe that something is wrong with Limestone.

Hah, I just realized you are using [ hr ]s for scene breaks, they don't show up against a Medium Light text background color. Second story this week I've run into like this.

“You’re such a good girl,” he whispered, grinning through the tears. “And I’ll be your good boy, okay? We can be great together.”

I keep waiting for these Maria flashbacks to end in tears, you just know they're going to given how present day Merry doesn't have a pet dog.

[AliziaRoElier]

Haven't finished the chapter yet but I JUST had to stop, admire, and comment about... the pie joke you made.

Irrational number indeed. LOL.