To the Dogs

Chapter 2: Guardian
An eternity seemed to pass between the two of us, as we awkwardly stared back at one another. I remember looking into those massive, pumpkin eyes. It was as if a wild inferno was blazing within the beast's large skull. His focused gaze seemed enchanting, as it singed my very soul. I strained to push myself away from the dog, but something was wrong. I couldn't feel my back legs. Upon noticing the sudden lack of control, I began to panic.

"W-what did you do to my legs?", I asked him nervously.

The dog said nothing.

"What happened to my legs!?", I screamed.

The dog pointed his large, black nose to the dusty, wooden floor. "You had big fall.", he muttered softly.

I struggled to recollect what had happened before I lost consciousness. I remembered running, then slipping. Then there was the tree... Of course. Upon analyzing what had happened, I soon came to a terrifying realization. I was paralyzed from the flank down. Tears began to well up in my eyes. I knew that my life as a frontier pony was over.

"Why?", I asked my canine savior. "Why did you help me?"

The dog gave me a compassionate glance. "Much too cold outside for little pony.", he warmly whispered in my ear.

Through muffled sobs, I managed to choke out three genuine words. "I'm so... sorry."

"Don't worry, little pony.", he spoke. "All water under bridge now."

I reached my hoof up to scratch my head, as I found that it was covered in several layers of bandages. There must have been a lot of blood. To think, the dog that I had just tried to slaughter not hours ago had saved my life. Never before had I felt so ignoble.

"Thank you...", I wheezed. "I can never repay you for the service you have done for me."

The furry visitor shot me a reassuring smile in return. "What your name, little pony?", he sweetly asked.

"Ebony...", I told him. "Ebony Hack."

He pulled the covers over my exposed, wounded body. "My name Scrape.", he barked. "Scrape... the Diamond Dog."

It was at this moment, that I knew that I had found a new friend. Not just any friend, mind you, but a friend that comes along once in a lifetime. For the first time in so many moons, I didn't feel lonely at all.

"How feel you?", he asked me.

As painful as the gashes were, they could not mask the joy which was now alive within me. "I've seen better days.", I snickered at him.

Despite my positive inflection, he still seemed to show great concern for me. "Does little pony need anything?", he asked.

His caring and nurturing actions were so uplifting to me. So long had I yearned for the compassion of another. My bitter loneliness seemed to disappear more and more while I was in the presence of this heroic canine.

"You can stay here as long as you want.", I offered to him. "It's the least that I can do."

He then began to wag his tail energetically. "I will take good care of you, Mr. Pony."

I chuckled at the dog's kind remark. "Please... Call me Ebony."

I felt a large, warm paw grace my shoulder. "As you wish... Ebony."

Despite the tragedy which had just befallen onto me, I found myself unable to lament the great loss. I had found something which I had longed for my entire life...

A friend.

Many days and nights passed, and my injuries slowly began to mend. However, I was still unable to use my back legs. I felt as though I would never travel again. Fortunately, I had a new Watchdog to look out for me.

"Scrape...", I began. "How come you're all the way out here by yourself?"

My large companion then answered my question in a rather solemn tone. "My pack left me behind.", he uttered monotonously.

"How come?", I asked, my curiosity getting the better of me.

"It is long story.", he whimpered.

I could tell that there was something really troubling him. "Do you wanna talk about it?", I asked him.

There was a long and awkward silence which filled the room. It then became clear that he was hiding something very personal from me, something very painful. He seemed to be trying to form words to make a response, but didn't have the courage to tell me. I desperately wanted to help him cope with whatever it was, but I felt it wasn't really my place to push the question any further.

"I'm sorry Scrape...", I apologized. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

He then carefully hopped up into the bed beside me, and nuzzled me with his snout. I placed a hoof atop his head, stroking his thick, drab coat.

"I tell you later.", he sincerely whispered.

I knew in my heart from that moment on that we both needed each other. It was no mere accident that our paths intertwined that day. There was something dark lurking in this poor dog's past, and it was up to me to free him from it. I knew what I had to do.

This was my destiny.