AlwaysDressesInStyle's Ponyville CiderFest '23 Interactive App Stories

by AlwaysDressesInStyle

Dog Gone

Hook: Oh where, oh where, can her little dog be?

Story 195
Title: Dog Gone
Keyword: Ruff
Character: Diamond Rose
Hero/Chaos

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It’s lunchtime, and you’re walking home to grab a quick bite to eat and to let your dog out. Rex is a recent addition to your life, a toy poodle who showed up unexpectedly on your porch last week. He’s been your companion ever since. He’s very well-behaved for a stray, and he’s adorable. You can’t imagine how you used to get along without him.

You ponder lunch options as you walk. A simple sandwich seems like the best choice, since walking home and back eats up most of your break. You chuckle at the unintentional wordplay.

You’re almost home when you notice an advertisement on a streetlamp.

REWARD: LOST DOG!
Toy Poodle answering to the name Snookums
Contact Diamond Rose if found at 16 Gem Court

You look at the picture on the poster – it certainly looks like Rex. You grab the poster from the streetlamp and take it home with you.

Diamond Rose is the epitome of the stereotypical spoiled rich heiress. You’ve seen her trotting around with her family’s household staff in tow, normally loaded with boxes from her frequent shopping excursions. Now that you think about it, you’ve seen a tiny dog poking its head out of her saddlebags. Any dog well behaved enough to ride around in saddlebags without leaping out and running off must be incredibly well trained. Too well trained to be Rex… you hope. In addition to the training, her dog was probably a purebred, because a pony of her status couldn’t be seen having an animal that came from a shelter, perish the thought.

In other words, a dog like hers must have cost a small fortune.

You quicken your pace and upon arriving at your home, fling the door open in a rush. Rex greets you at the door, rolling over to expose his stomach. You reach down and rub his belly and he contentedly paws at empty air.

You let him out, all thoughts of eating on lunch forgotten. Rex dashes off and returns with a ball that he drops at your hooves. You play fetch with him until it’s time to go back to work. You don’t have the heart to check to see if Rex is actually Snookums.

The second half of your workday is exceedingly unproductive. Your mind’s not on your job. Instead you’re thinking about what you have to do when you get home, while simultaneously dreading it. The last few hours slip by too quickly. You walk home slower than you did on lunch, the spring gone from your step.

Rex greets you, as you’ve become accustomed to. He jumps on you, then flops onto his back so you can rub his tummy. With a heavy heart you hold up the poster and compare the photo to Rex. If Rex isn’t Snookums, they could be twins.

“Snookums?”

Rex responds to the name in a way he hasn’t reacted to ‘Rex’. He recognizes it and looks around, as if expecting to see somepony else. You sigh. This is the hardest decision you’ve ever had to make.

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[CHOICE]What should you do?

>Give the dog back to Diamond Rose. (Hero)

>Keep the pup. (Chaos)