The Winning Pony and the Templar

Outside the shop, Alula nudged her aunt’s side after catching a glimpse of somepony across the street.

“Aunt Swift, can I go play?”

Seeing Dinky walking by, the mare gave a nod and a smile.

“Go on. We’ll meet you at home.”

Alula nodded, and bolted. Coming a few feet behind the unicorn filly, she said, “Hey Dinks.”

Dinky twitched, as though drawn from her thoughts, and looked over her shoulder, a small smile across her muzzle.

“Alula! You came back…” she sniffed, rubbing a foreleg across her nose. Alula frowned, and walked up, laying a wing over the unicorns back,

“You okay?”

Dinky nodded slowly, but her halfhearted assertion was destroyed by her tear stain fur on her cheeks and her blood shot eyes.  Shaking her head, Alula gently wiped the tears away with a wing.

“Let me guess… Diamond and Silver right?”

Dinky nodded mutely, and gave a small sob.

“Oh Dinky…”

“They… called my mom a slut… Said she deserved to die…”

Alula’s nostrils flared and she she snarled, “They what?”

“Called her a slut, you heard the little useless eater,” a fillies voice sneered. Both pony turned, one cowering, the other glaring as their nemesis drew close. Behind her, a gray filly in glasses and a pearl necklace followed, though was decidedly the more unsure of the two.

Rolling her eyes, Alula nuzzled the filly next to her.

“Don’t listen to them. Their just jealous because daddy can’t buy them a personality.”

Chucklingly coldly, the purple and white mane’d filly sneered, “Oh yeah, like I’m real jealous of the cast aways of a

retard and a murdering sow.”

Behind her, Silver Spoons stammered, “Diamond-d-d, we shouldn’t….”

Wings now fully flared in aggression, Alula screeched, “What did you say!”

“You heard me you worthless shit stain!”

Walking forward, her teeth fully bared, Alula snarled, “You take that back…”

“Make me.”

Screeching in fury, Alula charged. Suddenly, a black and white blur streaked out from a alleyway, colliding with the Pegasus. Rolling in the dirt a moment, Chane easily pinned the filly under him, and shouted, “Enough!”

Glaring up at her new opponent, Alula growled, “Get… off…”

Shaking his head, Chane snapped back, “You stupid mare! Enough damage has been done on their account!” The zebra gave a sharp tilt of his head to the right. Looking over, Alula whimpered. A few feet away, Dinky lay quivering on the ground, her head covered by her hooves. After a moment, Alula realized she was sobbing quietly. Chane let the filly up, and in a flash, Alula was at the unicorns. Leaning her head down, she nudged the miserable filly, whispering softly and encouragingly.

Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes, and scoffed, “What a baby, right Silver? Come on, bump, bump, sugar…”

“No Diamond.”

The pink filly instantly stiiled, mouth  open in shock, she managed a slight “What?”

Looking down at the ground, Silver set her jaw firmly.

“I’m done. You’ve gone to far this time…” Silver Spoon looked up again, and her eyes flashed behind the glasses in front of them

“Go home Diamond. Your no friend of mine.” Not waiting for a response, Silver Spoon took a sidestep, then walked towards the other foals. For a moment, Diamond stood stock still. But within a matter of moments, her entire body began to shake, and she hissed, “You…. You bench! You bucking filly fooler, you get back here this instant!”

Silver spoon said nothing, just walked forward. Eyes tearing up, Diamond Tiara’s teeth ground a moment, then she screeched, “I… I wont forget this! You’ll regret this someday!”

Silver Spoon stopped, and looking over her shoulder, replied coldly, “No more then I regret the days spent with you.”

Cheeks burning with her fury, but unable to even begin to respond to the sudden betrayal, Diamond huffed, and sticking her nose in the air, stomped off. Sighing in annoyance, Silver Spoon continued towards Dinky, only to be blocked by Chane, who being a few inches taller, looked curiously down at the grey filly. Locking her gaze with his, Silver simply said, “I just want to apologize.”

For a moment, the zebra merely looked at Silver, then with a deep inhale, then exhale out of his nostrils, he stood aside. Smiling sadly, the foal gave a small nod of thanks, and continued over to Dinky and Alula. At this point, the Pegasus was just laying next to the unicorn, gently rubbing her back. Looking up, her eyes hardened.

“What do you want?”

Ignoring Alula, Silver Spoon lay down in front of Dinky, and said softly, “Dinky… please look at me.”

The unicorn merely sniffled, and for a moment, seemed to want to make herself as small as possible, as though expecting another blow. Silver spoon sighed, and looked down.

“I’m sorry for how I’ve treated you. I know I can’t make up for it, but…. What Diamond said was completely out of line…. And I’m sorry I didn’t do more now, or in the past when she called you and your mom and sister all those names.”

Alula snorted derisively.

“What about me?”

Looking at the pegasi a moment, Silver gave a small smile.

“Your right of course, Alula. We both made fun of you too, and I shouldn’t have done, or allowed it too happened. I hope you can accept my apology.”

Alula glared at the filly a moment, then gave a curt nod.

“Do… do you mean it Silver?” dinky squeaked, raising a hoof off her head.

“I do.”

Dinky sniffed, then with a sob, jumped up, and wrapped her forelegs around Silvers neck, and with a sniffle of her own, Alula joined them, wrapping her wings around them both. Chane stood there grimacing, the distinct impression now firmly entrenched in his mind that for the rest of his days, mares would never make any sense to him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Cloudkicker snickered as she licked the remnants of her bite of chili cheese hay fries, and nodded across the table to her companion.

“You sure you don’t want anything there Garret?”

Rolling his eyes, the human pulled a whet stone and a vial of oil out his pocket.

“Uh, no thanks Cloud. I’m not too sure the owner wouldn’t spit in my drink.”

Pulling out his basilong, he twirled it open over his thumb a moment, then whistling, began to sharpen it. At the bar, a rather muscled mare with a short mane and pierced ears said, “Hey, the only reason we’d let a chauvinist pig like you in here at all is because Cloudkicker vouched for you.”

Garret paused in his sharpening, and looked over at the mare, and grinned.

“Hey, how many chauvinist pigs does it take to clean an outhouse?”

The mare scratched the top of her head with a hoof, and after a moment said “Well, I don’t know…”

“We don’t. That’s woman’s work.”

Scowling, the mare slapped a towel onto the counter, and grumbling, left the two snickering patrons.

……………………………………………………………………………

Cloudkicker shook her head as they walked from the bar, Garret at her side.

“Geez Gar, you just go around, making friends and influencing pony’s, don’t you?”

The human shrugged.

“Hey, you’re the one who brought us to a filly fooler bar.”

“AS A JOKE! I didn’t think you’d stick around. Never mind your, albeit amusing, personality, your gender alone was making the ladies uncomfortable.”

“Don’t know why. I happen to be a lesbian trapped in a mans body, which is pretty convenient when one thinks about it.”

At this, Cloudkicker paused in midstride, then shaking her head, followed Garret. Looking up at the sky, and seeing the stars beginning to come out, she said “Well, nights still young. Don’t you have to get to work?”

“Nope. Wifes anniversary.”

Cloudkicker winced.

“Sorry… I should go home…”

Chuckling, Garret patted the mare on the back of her neck.

“Nonsense! My Kala would simply be incensed if I were to turn away such pleasant company from my business. Come dear Cloud, join me!”

………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Cloudkicker took a sip of booze as she watched her companion working the record player. Taking a record out from under the bar, he twirled it in his palm, saying, “This one was her favorite.”

Placing the record down, and after putting the needle in place, flipped a switch. From the speakers, a trombone let out a upbeat tone, followed by a saxophone, keeping. Stepping back, Garret nodded as the music continued. Twirling around across the floor, Garret grinned as he came to a stop, holding out his hand.

“Might I have this dance, Miss Kicker?”

The mare gaped, and shook her head. Grasping her foreleg firmly, Garret laughed as he dragged her up onto her hindlegs. Yelping in shock, then sputtering in indignation, the equine stumbled slightly, and still grinning, Garret placed one of her hooves on his shoulder. After wrapping a arm around her side and across her back, making the mare shiver slightly as it brushed against her wings, Garret gently held the other hoof up into the air slightly. Taking a couple of steps back, he twirled both of them around.

“Don’t worry, I’ll lead.”

Still stumbling slightly, Cloudkicker blushed, but took the human up on his challenge. Looking down at her, he grinned and swayed and stepped forwards and back, or from side to side, his partner quickly picking up the motions, and beginning to time her steps with his.

“See, your getting it.”

Grinnin back at him, at her standing height, the pony was still a few incher shorter then her human host. The instrumentals faded slightly, and a female humans voice sang

This can't be love, because I feel so well,

No sobs, no sorrows, no sighs.

This can't be love; I get no dizzy spells,

My head is not in the skies.

My heart does not stand still, just hear it beat.

This is too sweet to be love.

This can't be love, because I feel so well,

But still I love to look in your eyes.

At the interlude, Cloudkicker giggled.

“I think this might be the first time any pony’s danced to a human song.”

Garret laughed, twirling them around again.

“Is that right?”

The singers voice interrupted any response, and all the mare could do was nod.

My heart does not stand still, just hear it beat.

This is too sweet to be love.

This can't be love, because I feel so well,

At the word well, Garret dipped the mare, eliciting a squeal of laughter as one hindleg was lifted slightly in the air

But still I love to look in your eyes.

Still I love to look in your eyes.

Standing up again, Garret let Cloudkicker back onto all fours, or rather, three of her legs. Holding the left foreleg, he bowed slightly, and kissed the hoof gently, thanking his partner for a lovely evening.