Chapter 1: Winona Digs This
I lay beneath an apple tree, lazily watching the lights and patterns dance in front of me as a gentle wind blew, rustling the leaves and pleasantly stroking my fur.
Throughout my time on Applejack’s farm I’ve come to learn a lot of things. Agriculture was never really my strong point, but that didn’t keep me from trying. In my long, long life I’ve drifted from land to land. Nobody here has any concept of what a ‘dog’ is other than that is what they call me. There were similar creatures called ‘diamond dogs’, but diamond dogs were diamond dogs, I was just a ‘dog’. In the time I spend snoozing in the sun, for my bones often get tired, I would sometimes ponder this problem.
Was I the ‘dog’ and the ‘diamond dogs’ were a subset of what I was? Or were it the other way around?
Regardless, these musings come and go. I am in love with the simple pleasures of life. Running around, barking at that sheep. Playing around with the foals and Applebloom and pretending I didn’t know how to say anything more than ‘woof’. I don’t mind that they consider me some sort of lower form animal. In fact, I feel quite sorry for Angel, who lost his voice but yet is in the same circumstance as I.
Angel is quite immortal too, let me assure you.
Sometimes we chat, Angel using his customary sign language and I would use my barks, snaps and growls. He seems to find it amusing, or perhaps endearing that I insist on speaking my invented language. Angel says that there is a whole world in which there are creatures like myself that talk in my invented language. Angel is funny sometimes and I like that humorous side of him.
Among the other various ‘animals’ that share our special circumstance, I only know of two others. Elder Owl or as his owner likes to call him, ‘Owlowiscious’ and Thinker or as his owner likes to call him, ‘Gummy’. For some reason, Thinker insists we call him the same name that his owner had chosen for him. Owl doesn’t mind.
Owl and Gummy often join Angel and I to discuss the ongoings of the world. I’m an enthusiastic contributor. Gummy likes to stay silent and think. Angel will ‘speak’ his piece and Owl thinks he’s hilarious when he says ‘who’ all the time. Angel gets mad at Owl for that most meetings.
Despite our disparities, we often talk of many things that are interesting and unusual. Sometimes they pertain to our owners, sometimes we talk about the land and sometimes we reminisce about old tales. Though the topic of the meetings change from time to time, it always drifts back to the same things. I want to have fun, Owl wants to try something new, Angel wants to get it all done and Gummy needs some time to think.
Occasionally, other animals would drop by to say hello. As we held our meetings regularly, we’d sometimes see other pets such as ‘Opalescence’ and ‘Tank’, who were both quite pleased with their names. Though Tank is long-lived, he is not like the rest of us and neither is Opalescence. Tank likes to drop words of wisdom, often forgetting that we are several hundred times his age, and Opalescence likes to laze around. She rarely expresses her opinion about anything unless it directly concerns her.
I like to think that Opalescence secretly enjoys our company despite her outward indifference, Tank is quite an agreeable fellow, although he is sometimes slow on the uptake. However, we are often surprised at some of the words he speaks and the surprising philosophy behind the matters he brings to light.
I think our meetings have had a positive influence around here. We’d often talk about the troubles our owners get into and how we’d gently guide them to reason. Opalescence thinks she does a good job with hers, although Angel raises an eyebrow at that. Tank took his owner under his wings—so to speak—and it’s working quite well.
The meetings are not often as lighthearted as I’d like. Sometimes there are losses that drive us to share things with each other. Most of us have been through a lot. We may be long-lived but we are certainly not powerful. We can’t hold the ones we love the most forever and so we all live by an unspoken creed to live each day to the fullest.
We try to guide our owners subtly, just a little nudge here and there from me. A helping paw for a lost filly, a roundup of panicking animals, perhaps a fur coat to cry on. Angel takes his job very seriously, he refuses to play the same games we do, opting to make it obvious to his owner. I don’t disagree, but what fun is there without playing around a little? One word from me and I’d lose my little innocent paradise I’d carved out for myself.
Would they accept me for the creature I am? Would they still love me the same way I had loved them? I’d like to think that keeping things quiet would be for the best. Some of the ponies are a little off-put by Gummy’s demeanour, what would they think if they heard him talk? I contemplate turning back the clock sometimes, become a pup and start another new life. Sometimes I wish I were a pup again, the first time around I mean. Things were simpler back then. There had been… more of us back then…
The toll of time still affects us.
No more.
No less.
Still, I like to talk of the good times we’ve had. Every day is something new. I’m exploring and learning more and more about the world and I’m ecstatic that I can share life with the few friends I have. Perhaps a couple hundred years ago, I would have mourned had I not found my new friends. Perhaps if I hadn’t found these ponies… things might have turned out differently. Right now though, I’m happy and content. Frolicking around and playing around as if I were a little pup. I like the way I’ve turned out.
“Winona!” I hear a cheerful voice call out, I got up from my prone position and shook myself out of the dazed funk I’d sunk into.
Yes I think I like the way things have turned out. Back then, everyone needed me. Right now, only my friends do.
And that’s alright with me.
Author's Note
Not an amazing fic but hey, I like this idea. I'd even create a universe around this if I had the time.
Open to interpretation.
Next Chapter: THIS IS THE END.
As always, my hopefully enraptured readers, thanks for reading!
