Pound was crouched, a confident expression on his face.

Champ was mimicking his pose, his front half on the floor, letting out tiny growls and wagging his tail.

Pound hopped forward a few inches, making Champ jerk back and let out a bark.

He pounced, pulling Champ down to the ground, laughing as he wrestled with his dog.

Champ licked his face all over.

After a minute of fun Pound disengaged, standing up. He hugged Champ’s neck. “I love you, Champ!” he said tenderly, rubbing his hooves over Champ’s back. “You’re the best dog a colt could ask for.”

That got him another lick.

Standing up, he looked down at his dog with all the affection in the world. “It’s hard to believe it’s only been three months that we’ve been together. It feels like you’ve been with me forever.

“You started out as a broken dog no one wanted, but I knew there was a fighter inside you. Just look how far you’ve come... how far we’ve both come from the weaklings we were.”

Pound felt a bit of sadness as he recalled the reason he even had Champ in the first place. His former owner had left him behind because of his leg. He couldn’t imagine doing that. If Champ was hurt he’d stay by his dog’s side and care for him. That was what love meant.

He chuckled afterward. “You remember when we first met? I tried calling you over. ‘Here, boy!’ But you wouldn’t come. So I tried again. ‘Here, girl!’ ” He put a hoof to his mouth, laughing. “You didn’t like that very much.”

He sighed, his mirth fading. “Back then I didn’t know why you wouldn’t come to me. I got annoyed when you went to Fluttershy right away. Back then you were…” He thought for a moment. “Your name was Butch, right?”

That made Champ let out a whine.

Pound could see the sadness in Champ’s eyes, and he mentally kicked himself. Why did he bring that up?

He hugged Champ tightly. “Listen to me, boy! I love you with all my heart. You’re my super amazing dog, and I promise I’ll never abandon you. Never! You and me, we’re together for life! You got that?”

Champ let out another whine, but licked his face all the same.

Pound walked over to his closet. “Come on, boy! Let’s go for a run. The exercise will do you good. Maybe today you can finally catch that squirrel you’ve had your eye on.”

That made Champ growl, trotting over to him and sitting down. There had been a squirrel that seemed to be teasing him near the park. Despite his best efforts the creature always evaded his grasp.

Pound attached the leash, the two of them going downstairs. His parents had taken Pumpkin to a doctor’s appointment, but Pinkie was still around, sprucing up the store for the Monday rush. He told her where he was going, then headed out.

As Champ jogged around, sniffing at things, Pound felt a sense of melancholy. He hadn’t given much thought to the life Champ had before they were together, but he knew that his dog once had a loving relationship with someone else. How could they think they loved him if they abandoned him?

A part of him tried to justify it. Fluttershy had said the mare had come to her rather than a vet because she was poor and couldn’t afford proper medical care.

It wasn’t so much that she had left him behind that angered him so much. If his former owner thought she couldn’t take care of him anymore then leaving him with Fluttershy was the best move.

No, what bothered him was that she never came to check up on his condition. He supposed that maybe she didn’t want Champ to see her, because then he’d be expecting her to take him back, but she still could have let Fluttershy know.

A tear came down his eye. Didn’t she understand? The worse off ones were the ones who needed the most love and care. He thought of his mother, promising that she didn’t care whether he flew or not. It didn’t diminish the love she had for him. That, plus what Scootaloo told him, was all he needed to excel.

That was why he had chosen Champ in the first place. He understood the pain of feeling like everyone was passing him by. Even if he hadn’t made that promise to Fluttershy he wouldn’t act any different.

He couldn’t take away the past. All he could do was what he had been doing all along: helping Champ find a happier future with him.

***

Fluttershy hummed to herself as she watered the flowers around her yard.

“Hello!” came a voice in the distance, making the mare turn around.

She set the watering can down, seeing a yellow coated mare approaching her. She didn’t recognize the mare, but she waved regardless. “Hello,” she said genially, walking toward her.

As the two came face to face the mare said, “Oh, Fluttershy. Long time no see.”

“Um…” She quickly cast her mind around, but she was drawing a blank.

The mare continued on, “I’m so, so sorry I haven’t kept in touch. I never intended for it to be so long, but after I last left you on that rainy day I tripped and fell down a ravine. I hit my head on a rock on the way down, and I was lucky someone found me. According to my parents I was in a coma for a good long while.”

“Oh, I’m so sorry!” she said empathetically, though she still couldn’t remember who the mare was.

The mare subconsciously rubbed the back of her head. “Oh, I’m not too concerned about myself. I’m back on my hooves now and I’ve moved on, getting my life back on track.”

“That’s good to hear.”

“I know it’s been a lot longer than you expected, but I’ll be sure to compensate you for all your hard work.”

Fluttershy sucked on her cheek, her eyes moving around. “Um… I’m really sorry, but, uh…”

The mare’s cheery attitude vanished. “Oh, no! Did something happen?”

Straightening up she decided to be blunt. “Forgive me, but, uh, who are you?”

The mare looked confused for a moment, but then comprehension dawned on her. “Oh! Oh, right. The last I saw of you I was wearing a hood, so it’s not surprising you don’t recognize me, and I don’t remember if I ever told you my name. I had more pressing matters to deal with than niceties then, so why don’t we do things properly this time?”

She extended her hoof out. “I’m Lemon Zinger.”

Fluttershy met it. “Well, you already know who I am. Could you please refresh my memory on our last meeting?”

“Well, the last time, or rather the first time, you met me I was basically in a blind panic because I had an animal in need and I was too poor to afford a proper vet.”

Something about that stuck out in her mind. She had an image in her mind of a stormy, windy night where someone was pounding on her door, and a mare in considerable distress. Something about that memory made her feel very uncomfortable. She had this sense of foreboding that was confirmed with Lemon’s next words.

Lemon continued on, “My dog had had an accident and broke his leg. His name was Butch, a golden retriever. I’m sure that’s enough for you to remember now.”

Fluttershy let out a loud squeak, a strained smile on her face.

“Now that I’m all better I’ll be glad to take him back. ” She glanced around Fluttershy at the animals traipsing around. “Oh, where is my little Butch? I just can’t wait to see him.”

Fluttershy gulped, letting out barely audible awkward giggles. “Um… a-about that…”

Author's Notes:

Uh-oh. Drama incoming!