Post by Lancewing on Jul 24, 2014 15:22:17 GMT -5
Family Reunion
The sun shone high above the Meadowsweet Farm. At the mouth of a white gate was Corny, a pink colt with a rainbow-colored mane. His cutie mark was an ear of corn. Hanging from his mouth was a bit of wheat. He was waiting for his cousin to arrive. Teddy mentioned that there was a huge surprise, but he didn’t know what it was, but if he was so excited about it, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having the scamp around. Maybe…
...Teddy was arriving right then. And he happened to have someone in tow; someone who Corny hadn’t seen in a long time… “Flare?!” The instant he said that, that bit of wheat flew out of his mouth.
Flare looked at Corny. Granted, it wasn’t the same level of shock that the pink colt had, but it was still a surprise that she would be able to see her cousin again. “Hi Corny,” she greeted easily as the farmer picked her up in a huge embrace.
“I can’t believe it! I thought I’d never see ya again!”
Scout looked at the new pony curiously, but there was something about him that seemed friendly. Perhaps it was the way he picked Flare up in a huge hug, or the huge smile that graced his muzzle, but he felt that this pony could be trusted.
Once Corny released Flare, he noticed the German shepherd sitting next to her. “And who’s this?” Corny asked.
“This is Scout,” Flare said timidly.
“Well, sure looks like a nice dog, but why is he wearing that vest?”
“Um… I’ll explain it later…” Teddy said.
“Well, okay. I hope he likes being petted. Daisy, she’s my sister… she loves dogs.”
“Yeah… might not be a good idea to do that… a lot…”
“Why… Oh, I suppose you’ll explain later.”
“Yeah… Sorry…”
“No problem. Do ya suppose we should go inside?”
“I think that would be nice,” Teddy answered, “Just wait until the others see her.”
“Yeah… Ma and Pa’ll get a kick outta seeing you, Flare.”
“You mean they’re going to kick something?” Flare asked with an odd expression on her face.
“It was just an expression,” Corny laughed, “It means they’ll really enjoy seeing you.”
“Oh… Well… I’ll really enjoy seeing them, too.”
“Good,” Corny smiled. “We best not keep them waiting.”
“No we can’t,” Teddy said, “Where are they now?”
“Out in the corn field doing the harvest,” Corny responded with a widening grin. “Let’s go!”
The trio, and Scout, began making their way to the corn field. It had only been a few steps and Flare already started to look over her shoulder. She could have sworn that she saw someone, but Scout’s nuzzling her proved her otherwise. She gave Scout a gentle pat on the head. “Good boy,” she said.
“Are you okay, Flare?”
Flare looked up and saw Teddy looking at her with concern. She calmly answered, “I’m okay. Just got startled for a minute there.”
“Okay. Just let me know if something’s wrong.”
Flare nodded.
Corny looked at the two, not knowing what was going on. He thought about saying something, but he had the feeling that it was nothing to be worried about.
“I’ll explain later,” Teddy said as he and Flare walked on.
Yep, that was what he thought.
When they finally got to the corn field, they heard a rustling noise, but it obviously didn’t belong to a pony. Flare knew what it was, but its name escaped her tongue. Finally, a small pig walked out of the field.
“Hey Yorkie,” Corny said as he petted the pig.
“Oh, Yorkie,” Flare said. “How could I forget you?”
Both boys looked at Flare. “Well, you were away for a long while,” Teddy said.
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Corny said.
Flare tried to ignore them, and focus on the pet pig.
“Well… We should get going, huh?” Corny asked.
“Uh… Yeah,” Teddy sighed.
The three ponies and pig went on to Corny’s house.
*****
To say that Corny’s parents were surprised that Flare was standing before them was an understatement. Sure, they already knew she was back with her family, but to see her right in front of their eyes just astounded them.
Flare, in contrast, was staring at them unsure of what to say. In fact, she was starting to feel a little nervous.
Finally, Teddy came to her rescue, “So… Thanks for having us over, Uncle Barley.”
Uncle Barley scratched the back of his head, “Oh, well, you’re welcome, Teddy. Sorry ‘bout that, guess I just zoned out for a minute.”
“Yeah… Had that same reaction.”
“Well, I think I’d better get some supper on the table,” Aunt Artichoke said.
“I’ll help you,” Flare said.
“No, just make yourself at home.”
"Um… are you sure?"
"Yes. Just try and take a load off."
Flare did as she was told and sat down on one of the couches, and Teddy sat next to her. Scout was laying below the couch next to her. Corny sat in the chair across from them. "So how's Sweetheart?"
“She’s doing good,” Teddy replied.
"That's good. Are you two still...?"
“Uh, yeah.” Teddy looked down.
Corny smiled knowingly at his cousin as he replied, “Alright.”
“Are they still what?” Flare asked.
“Uh...Nothin’. So… Have you made any friends, Flare?” Corny said, trying to change the subject.
“I have,” Flare said.
“Oh? Who?”
“Sweetheart, Bright Eyes… Logan…”
“Logan? Is that a boy?”
“Ye- yeah…”
“Oh… Well, that’s nice.”
“I guess…”
Corny forced a smile. How do you talk to someone you haven’t seen in years and you thought you’d never see again? Especially when she’d been missing for all of those years?
“How have you been, Corny?” Flare asked.
“Oh. Um… I’ve been good. Harvesting corn, eating corn… living the corn farmer’s life.”
“Oh, yeah,” Flare giggled.
“Yeah… Gotta love corn.”
“I like cornbread.” Teddy pointed out.
“Glad to hear it.”
“You’re making me hungry.” Flare commented.
“Sorry,” both boys replied.
Flare giggled, “It’s okay.”
Teddy smiled and put a foreleg around his little sister.
“You know, Teddy, you seem different,” Corny said.
“Oh, you think so too?” Teddy replied.
“You mean, you noticed you’re different?”
“No, my friends have been pointing it out.”
“Ah… Sweetheart included?”
“Yeah.”
“She’d know.” Corny winked.
“And how would you know that?”
“I just do. She cares a whole lot for you.”
“I know.” Teddy smiled.
“But after Flare’s disappearance, you started acting like a real jerk. I guess you’re back to your nice self now that she’s safe.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“But why didn’t you get any worse during that time?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, if it weren’t for Sweetheart, you probably wouldn’t have held back.”
“Oh. I see. Well… I guess it’s because… Never mind.”
“Because what?” Corny asked. “I know it’s something.”
“Well…” Teddy looked at Flare before looking at Corny. “I guess it’s because she reminded me a lot of Flare.”
Flare looked at Teddy. “S-She did?”
Teddy ran his hoof through his Mohawk. “Well, yeah. She’s nice like you… And she really gets me.” Wow, I must sound like a sap right now.
“You have that right,” Corny agreed. “In an off-hoof way, Sweetheart kinda does remind me of Flare.”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds like you better hold on to her.” Corny grinned jokingly.
Teddy chuckled, “Believe me, I’m trying.”
“Well, as long as you’re trying.”
Teddy chuckled again, “Yeah…”
Uncle Barley poked his head in. “Time to eat, kids.”
“Okay Dad,” Corny said, shooting upwards and hurrying into the kitchen. The other two exchanged a glance before following their eager friend at a slower pace with Scout following close behind.
******
There wasn’t much to talk about at the dinner table. Aunt Artichoke and Uncle Barley were feeling the same awkwardness that Corny had felt when he sat down with his cousins. Little Daisy didn’t seem to mind though, as she was digging into her food.
Eventually, Teddy rolled his eyes and decided to rescue his relatives, "I see you got a new tractor, Uncle Barley."
Uncle Barley cleared his throat, "Yup."
“How’s it been workin’ for ya?”
“Definitely works better than the one we had before.”
"That's good..."
"Yeah..."
"Corny," Aunt Artichoke spoke up, "Did you tell Teddy about Yorkie?"
"That I'm entering him in the fair again? Guess I let it slip my mind..."
“Yeah,” Teddy said, narrowing in on Corny.
“I really did!”
Teddy smiled, "Eh, I figured you would."
"Then why-" Corny rubbed his head, "Forget it."
Everyone laughed, even Daisy.
*****
After dinner (or what Teddy and Flare knew as lunch) proceeded without much of note. Corny had suggested going to the lake for a swim following the meal of cornbread, and the suggestion was met with slight apprehension from Flare.
“Nothing’ll go wrong,” Corny assured her, "I've been to this lake hundreds of times."
“I don’t know. I haven’t been swimming in a long time.”
"It's like riding a bicycle, ya never forget."
“Come on, what could go wrong,” Teddy said.
"Drowning," Flare quickly suggested. “Or… getting all pruny…”
Teddy scratched his head, "Okay… but I still think you will have fun.". I mean, you get all pruny in the shower or tub too.”
“But you don’t drown in the shower or tub.”
Scout barked in agreement.
“Thanks,” Teddy said petting Scout’s head. He turned back to Flare. “Tell you what, why don’t you wade for a bit and see what you think then?”
Flare gulped, but gave a curt nod.
“Alright, then, all we need to do is get there. Let’s go, everybody.”
With that, three ponies, a service dog and a plucky pig trotted the short distance to the lake. Once they got there, Teddy darted toward the lake and jumped in, closely followed by Yorkie. “Come on in Flare!” He laughed. “The water is fine!”
Flare peered over Scout nervously at the bright blue water. Corny grinned and leaned next to her. “You know, Teddy was afraid of the water once.”
Flare’s eyes widened questioningly. “Oh?”
“Yeah. You see, I got trapped against a rock by a branch and couldn’t get loose. Even though I was the one in trouble, I had to encourage Teddy to jump in and save me.”
Flare thought for a few moments, then, "What if I get trapped by a rock?"
Corny motioned to the lake. “Okay, first off, do you see any rocks in there?”
Flare shook her head. “No…”
“And do you see any floating branches?”
“No…”
“Then how likely is it to have something like it here?”
“Not very,” Flare admitted sheepishly.
“Then come on, let’s dip in on the count of three.”
Corny and Flare linked hooves and looked into the lake before them.
“One… two… three.”
On three, the two slowly but surely dipped their hooves in. Flare was a bit shocked by the temperature; it wasn’t nearly as cold as she thought it’d be. Corny gave her an encouraging nod. “See? How’s that feel?”
“...Nice…”
“Yep. Imagine going all the way in.”
Flare thought about it, then jumped deeper into the water.
`“There we go.” Corny smiled.
Flare smiled back at Teddy and Corny, who soon followed her lead.
“Not bad, right?” Teddy asked.
“No, it isn’t.”
“Told ya,” Corny said, “Now…” Corny suddenly splashed some water in Teddy’s face.
“Wha- Hey!” Teddy splashed back at him.
Corny was about to splash back when Flare managed to jump between them, splashing them both. They both looked and saw Flare, laughing. After a moment, both boys were laughing.
*****
They played in the water for a couple of hours, before they finally got out. They shook the water off and Crony noted, “It’s gettin’ late, we should get back home.”
“Agreed,” they both said.
Without a second thought, all three ponies, Scout, and Yorkie started for Corny’s house. Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark. This resulted in the trio’s not being able to see the terrain before them. “Ah reckon I should’ve brought a flashlight with us,” Corny confessed.
“Ya think?” Teddy said, “and stop stepping on my tail.”
“I’m standing in front of you,” Corny pointed out.
Teddy’s eyes widened and he quickly whirled around to see what was behind him. It was pretty dark, but he could make out the figure of a small pig. “Yorkie…”
The pig snorted.
Teddy looked ahead and snorted. “Could this get any worse?”
Unfortunately, it did when it started raining.
“Never say that, Teddy,” Corny replied flatly, “Never say that.”
“Right…”
“So what are we going to do now?” Flare asked.
“I guess we try to find shelter and wait this storm out.”
“Why not just run?” Teddy suggested.
“Because there’s a chance we could get injured by stepping on something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, maybe a rock or a hole.”
Teddy nodded, “But where do we find shelter?”
“There’s this little cave a few yards away. Been there hundreds of times. We should be safe there, and my parents know about it, so they might come looking for us there.”
“Okay… Which direction?”
“Well… I think it’s on the...left…” Corny walked a ways to the left, into the darkness. Flare and Teddy looked at each other before Corny yelled, “Come on!”
They both went in the direction of Corny’s voice, and soon found the mouth of a cave. They entered and shook off, again. Teddy looked around the cave; it was still dark, but at least it was dry.
“Are you two okay?” Corny asked.
“Yeah, but I can’t see,” Teddy said.
“I know, at least it’s dry, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Wait,” Flare said, “Scout?”
A small yip reassured Flare that Scout was present.
“Is Yorkie here?” Teddy asked.
Again, a squeal confirmed that Yorkie was present.
“Well, everyone’s here,” Corny smiled.
Flare felt a little scared in the cave, what if there were bears? Or wolves? Or monsters? Corny wouldn’t lead them into danger, right?
******
Scout was pressed up against Flare as she laid on the cave floor. His warm fur made her feel safe. It also made her feel very sleepy... She even started to drift off a few times, but she quickly woke up each time.
Teddy came over by Flare and lay down by her. “Doing alright over here?”
Flare nodded.
“Good. The rain was timed badly, wasn’t it?”
Flare nodded again.
"Getting sleepy?"
Flare nodded, sleepily.
“Hang in there. They’ll come looking for us any minute now.”
"I know..." That statement was followed by a sneeze.
"You okay?"
“Yeah. Just a little cold.”
"Yeah, I know what you-" Suddenly, Teddy sneezed.
“Bless you.”
“Thanks,” Teddy smiled.
“Corny! Teddy! Flare!”
Corny walked toward the opening the cave after hearing those voices call their names. He peaked out and saw two ponies, the taller one holding a lantern. He managed to make out his father's face from the lantern light. "We're over here!" he shouted.
He could see his parents look in his direction and move towards them. When they finally came over, Corny's mom pulled Corny into a hug, "We were so worried about you!"
“Well, we’re safe. Just lost track of time and got stranded by the rain.”
"That's what we figured." Uncle Barley noted.
“So now what?” Teddy asked.
"We'll take y'all back to our place," Aunt Artichoke replied.
Teddy glanced back at Flare- who was fast asleep. He smiled and carefully managed to slip her onto his back without waking her. Then he followed Corny and his parents back to their house, with Yorkie and Scout following.
******
Teddy walked out of the bathroom after taking a fast shower. He walked down the dark hall way quietly until he reached the room he was sharing with Flare. He quietly opened the door and went inside. When he went to his bed, he nearly jumped out of his fur when he saw something moving beneath the blankets.
After summoning up enough courage, he pulled back the blanket- and saw Flare. She looked up at him with large eyes, "Teddy?"
Teddy sat down next to his sister, "Yeah?"
"Your bed's softer than mine."
Teddy tried hard not to burst into laughter, "Oh? Wanna swap? I like hard beds."
Flare frowned, "Who likes hard beds?
“Me. I just said it.”
"I know… but… why? They're hard."
“Just switch beds with me. I’ll work with it.”
"But-" Flare was about to object, but she let out a huge yawn- and fell asleep.
Teddy smiled, "Good night, Flare. Sleep well." Then he walked over to his bed and lay down. And soon, he followed his sister's lead, falling into a deep, weary slumber.
The sun shone high above the Meadowsweet Farm. At the mouth of a white gate was Corny, a pink colt with a rainbow-colored mane. His cutie mark was an ear of corn. Hanging from his mouth was a bit of wheat. He was waiting for his cousin to arrive. Teddy mentioned that there was a huge surprise, but he didn’t know what it was, but if he was so excited about it, then maybe it wouldn’t be so bad having the scamp around. Maybe…
...Teddy was arriving right then. And he happened to have someone in tow; someone who Corny hadn’t seen in a long time… “Flare?!” The instant he said that, that bit of wheat flew out of his mouth.
Flare looked at Corny. Granted, it wasn’t the same level of shock that the pink colt had, but it was still a surprise that she would be able to see her cousin again. “Hi Corny,” she greeted easily as the farmer picked her up in a huge embrace.
“I can’t believe it! I thought I’d never see ya again!”
Scout looked at the new pony curiously, but there was something about him that seemed friendly. Perhaps it was the way he picked Flare up in a huge hug, or the huge smile that graced his muzzle, but he felt that this pony could be trusted.
Once Corny released Flare, he noticed the German shepherd sitting next to her. “And who’s this?” Corny asked.
“This is Scout,” Flare said timidly.
“Well, sure looks like a nice dog, but why is he wearing that vest?”
“Um… I’ll explain it later…” Teddy said.
“Well, okay. I hope he likes being petted. Daisy, she’s my sister… she loves dogs.”
“Yeah… might not be a good idea to do that… a lot…”
“Why… Oh, I suppose you’ll explain later.”
“Yeah… Sorry…”
“No problem. Do ya suppose we should go inside?”
“I think that would be nice,” Teddy answered, “Just wait until the others see her.”
“Yeah… Ma and Pa’ll get a kick outta seeing you, Flare.”
“You mean they’re going to kick something?” Flare asked with an odd expression on her face.
“It was just an expression,” Corny laughed, “It means they’ll really enjoy seeing you.”
“Oh… Well… I’ll really enjoy seeing them, too.”
“Good,” Corny smiled. “We best not keep them waiting.”
“No we can’t,” Teddy said, “Where are they now?”
“Out in the corn field doing the harvest,” Corny responded with a widening grin. “Let’s go!”
The trio, and Scout, began making their way to the corn field. It had only been a few steps and Flare already started to look over her shoulder. She could have sworn that she saw someone, but Scout’s nuzzling her proved her otherwise. She gave Scout a gentle pat on the head. “Good boy,” she said.
“Are you okay, Flare?”
Flare looked up and saw Teddy looking at her with concern. She calmly answered, “I’m okay. Just got startled for a minute there.”
“Okay. Just let me know if something’s wrong.”
Flare nodded.
Corny looked at the two, not knowing what was going on. He thought about saying something, but he had the feeling that it was nothing to be worried about.
“I’ll explain later,” Teddy said as he and Flare walked on.
Yep, that was what he thought.
When they finally got to the corn field, they heard a rustling noise, but it obviously didn’t belong to a pony. Flare knew what it was, but its name escaped her tongue. Finally, a small pig walked out of the field.
“Hey Yorkie,” Corny said as he petted the pig.
“Oh, Yorkie,” Flare said. “How could I forget you?”
Both boys looked at Flare. “Well, you were away for a long while,” Teddy said.
“Yeah, don’t remind me,” Corny said.
Flare tried to ignore them, and focus on the pet pig.
“Well… We should get going, huh?” Corny asked.
“Uh… Yeah,” Teddy sighed.
The three ponies and pig went on to Corny’s house.
*****
To say that Corny’s parents were surprised that Flare was standing before them was an understatement. Sure, they already knew she was back with her family, but to see her right in front of their eyes just astounded them.
Flare, in contrast, was staring at them unsure of what to say. In fact, she was starting to feel a little nervous.
Finally, Teddy came to her rescue, “So… Thanks for having us over, Uncle Barley.”
Uncle Barley scratched the back of his head, “Oh, well, you’re welcome, Teddy. Sorry ‘bout that, guess I just zoned out for a minute.”
“Yeah… Had that same reaction.”
“Well, I think I’d better get some supper on the table,” Aunt Artichoke said.
“I’ll help you,” Flare said.
“No, just make yourself at home.”
"Um… are you sure?"
"Yes. Just try and take a load off."
Flare did as she was told and sat down on one of the couches, and Teddy sat next to her. Scout was laying below the couch next to her. Corny sat in the chair across from them. "So how's Sweetheart?"
“She’s doing good,” Teddy replied.
"That's good. Are you two still...?"
“Uh, yeah.” Teddy looked down.
Corny smiled knowingly at his cousin as he replied, “Alright.”
“Are they still what?” Flare asked.
“Uh...Nothin’. So… Have you made any friends, Flare?” Corny said, trying to change the subject.
“I have,” Flare said.
“Oh? Who?”
“Sweetheart, Bright Eyes… Logan…”
“Logan? Is that a boy?”
“Ye- yeah…”
“Oh… Well, that’s nice.”
“I guess…”
Corny forced a smile. How do you talk to someone you haven’t seen in years and you thought you’d never see again? Especially when she’d been missing for all of those years?
“How have you been, Corny?” Flare asked.
“Oh. Um… I’ve been good. Harvesting corn, eating corn… living the corn farmer’s life.”
“Oh, yeah,” Flare giggled.
“Yeah… Gotta love corn.”
“I like cornbread.” Teddy pointed out.
“Glad to hear it.”
“You’re making me hungry.” Flare commented.
“Sorry,” both boys replied.
Flare giggled, “It’s okay.”
Teddy smiled and put a foreleg around his little sister.
“You know, Teddy, you seem different,” Corny said.
“Oh, you think so too?” Teddy replied.
“You mean, you noticed you’re different?”
“No, my friends have been pointing it out.”
“Ah… Sweetheart included?”
“Yeah.”
“She’d know.” Corny winked.
“And how would you know that?”
“I just do. She cares a whole lot for you.”
“I know.” Teddy smiled.
“But after Flare’s disappearance, you started acting like a real jerk. I guess you’re back to your nice self now that she’s safe.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
“But why didn’t you get any worse during that time?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, if it weren’t for Sweetheart, you probably wouldn’t have held back.”
“Oh. I see. Well… I guess it’s because… Never mind.”
“Because what?” Corny asked. “I know it’s something.”
“Well…” Teddy looked at Flare before looking at Corny. “I guess it’s because she reminded me a lot of Flare.”
Flare looked at Teddy. “S-She did?”
Teddy ran his hoof through his Mohawk. “Well, yeah. She’s nice like you… And she really gets me.” Wow, I must sound like a sap right now.
“You have that right,” Corny agreed. “In an off-hoof way, Sweetheart kinda does remind me of Flare.”
“Exactly.”
“Sounds like you better hold on to her.” Corny grinned jokingly.
Teddy chuckled, “Believe me, I’m trying.”
“Well, as long as you’re trying.”
Teddy chuckled again, “Yeah…”
Uncle Barley poked his head in. “Time to eat, kids.”
“Okay Dad,” Corny said, shooting upwards and hurrying into the kitchen. The other two exchanged a glance before following their eager friend at a slower pace with Scout following close behind.
******
There wasn’t much to talk about at the dinner table. Aunt Artichoke and Uncle Barley were feeling the same awkwardness that Corny had felt when he sat down with his cousins. Little Daisy didn’t seem to mind though, as she was digging into her food.
Eventually, Teddy rolled his eyes and decided to rescue his relatives, "I see you got a new tractor, Uncle Barley."
Uncle Barley cleared his throat, "Yup."
“How’s it been workin’ for ya?”
“Definitely works better than the one we had before.”
"That's good..."
"Yeah..."
"Corny," Aunt Artichoke spoke up, "Did you tell Teddy about Yorkie?"
"That I'm entering him in the fair again? Guess I let it slip my mind..."
“Yeah,” Teddy said, narrowing in on Corny.
“I really did!”
Teddy smiled, "Eh, I figured you would."
"Then why-" Corny rubbed his head, "Forget it."
Everyone laughed, even Daisy.
*****
After dinner (or what Teddy and Flare knew as lunch) proceeded without much of note. Corny had suggested going to the lake for a swim following the meal of cornbread, and the suggestion was met with slight apprehension from Flare.
“Nothing’ll go wrong,” Corny assured her, "I've been to this lake hundreds of times."
“I don’t know. I haven’t been swimming in a long time.”
"It's like riding a bicycle, ya never forget."
“Come on, what could go wrong,” Teddy said.
"Drowning," Flare quickly suggested. “Or… getting all pruny…”
Teddy scratched his head, "Okay… but I still think you will have fun.". I mean, you get all pruny in the shower or tub too.”
“But you don’t drown in the shower or tub.”
Scout barked in agreement.
“Thanks,” Teddy said petting Scout’s head. He turned back to Flare. “Tell you what, why don’t you wade for a bit and see what you think then?”
Flare gulped, but gave a curt nod.
“Alright, then, all we need to do is get there. Let’s go, everybody.”
With that, three ponies, a service dog and a plucky pig trotted the short distance to the lake. Once they got there, Teddy darted toward the lake and jumped in, closely followed by Yorkie. “Come on in Flare!” He laughed. “The water is fine!”
Flare peered over Scout nervously at the bright blue water. Corny grinned and leaned next to her. “You know, Teddy was afraid of the water once.”
Flare’s eyes widened questioningly. “Oh?”
“Yeah. You see, I got trapped against a rock by a branch and couldn’t get loose. Even though I was the one in trouble, I had to encourage Teddy to jump in and save me.”
Flare thought for a few moments, then, "What if I get trapped by a rock?"
Corny motioned to the lake. “Okay, first off, do you see any rocks in there?”
Flare shook her head. “No…”
“And do you see any floating branches?”
“No…”
“Then how likely is it to have something like it here?”
“Not very,” Flare admitted sheepishly.
“Then come on, let’s dip in on the count of three.”
Corny and Flare linked hooves and looked into the lake before them.
“One… two… three.”
On three, the two slowly but surely dipped their hooves in. Flare was a bit shocked by the temperature; it wasn’t nearly as cold as she thought it’d be. Corny gave her an encouraging nod. “See? How’s that feel?”
“...Nice…”
“Yep. Imagine going all the way in.”
Flare thought about it, then jumped deeper into the water.
`“There we go.” Corny smiled.
Flare smiled back at Teddy and Corny, who soon followed her lead.
“Not bad, right?” Teddy asked.
“No, it isn’t.”
“Told ya,” Corny said, “Now…” Corny suddenly splashed some water in Teddy’s face.
“Wha- Hey!” Teddy splashed back at him.
Corny was about to splash back when Flare managed to jump between them, splashing them both. They both looked and saw Flare, laughing. After a moment, both boys were laughing.
*****
They played in the water for a couple of hours, before they finally got out. They shook the water off and Crony noted, “It’s gettin’ late, we should get back home.”
“Agreed,” they both said.
Without a second thought, all three ponies, Scout, and Yorkie started for Corny’s house. Unfortunately, it was starting to get dark. This resulted in the trio’s not being able to see the terrain before them. “Ah reckon I should’ve brought a flashlight with us,” Corny confessed.
“Ya think?” Teddy said, “and stop stepping on my tail.”
“I’m standing in front of you,” Corny pointed out.
Teddy’s eyes widened and he quickly whirled around to see what was behind him. It was pretty dark, but he could make out the figure of a small pig. “Yorkie…”
The pig snorted.
Teddy looked ahead and snorted. “Could this get any worse?”
Unfortunately, it did when it started raining.
“Never say that, Teddy,” Corny replied flatly, “Never say that.”
“Right…”
“So what are we going to do now?” Flare asked.
“I guess we try to find shelter and wait this storm out.”
“Why not just run?” Teddy suggested.
“Because there’s a chance we could get injured by stepping on something.”
“Like what?”
“I don’t know, maybe a rock or a hole.”
Teddy nodded, “But where do we find shelter?”
“There’s this little cave a few yards away. Been there hundreds of times. We should be safe there, and my parents know about it, so they might come looking for us there.”
“Okay… Which direction?”
“Well… I think it’s on the...left…” Corny walked a ways to the left, into the darkness. Flare and Teddy looked at each other before Corny yelled, “Come on!”
They both went in the direction of Corny’s voice, and soon found the mouth of a cave. They entered and shook off, again. Teddy looked around the cave; it was still dark, but at least it was dry.
“Are you two okay?” Corny asked.
“Yeah, but I can’t see,” Teddy said.
“I know, at least it’s dry, right?”
“Yeah…”
“Wait,” Flare said, “Scout?”
A small yip reassured Flare that Scout was present.
“Is Yorkie here?” Teddy asked.
Again, a squeal confirmed that Yorkie was present.
“Well, everyone’s here,” Corny smiled.
Flare felt a little scared in the cave, what if there were bears? Or wolves? Or monsters? Corny wouldn’t lead them into danger, right?
******
Scout was pressed up against Flare as she laid on the cave floor. His warm fur made her feel safe. It also made her feel very sleepy... She even started to drift off a few times, but she quickly woke up each time.
Teddy came over by Flare and lay down by her. “Doing alright over here?”
Flare nodded.
“Good. The rain was timed badly, wasn’t it?”
Flare nodded again.
"Getting sleepy?"
Flare nodded, sleepily.
“Hang in there. They’ll come looking for us any minute now.”
"I know..." That statement was followed by a sneeze.
"You okay?"
“Yeah. Just a little cold.”
"Yeah, I know what you-" Suddenly, Teddy sneezed.
“Bless you.”
“Thanks,” Teddy smiled.
“Corny! Teddy! Flare!”
Corny walked toward the opening the cave after hearing those voices call their names. He peaked out and saw two ponies, the taller one holding a lantern. He managed to make out his father's face from the lantern light. "We're over here!" he shouted.
He could see his parents look in his direction and move towards them. When they finally came over, Corny's mom pulled Corny into a hug, "We were so worried about you!"
“Well, we’re safe. Just lost track of time and got stranded by the rain.”
"That's what we figured." Uncle Barley noted.
“So now what?” Teddy asked.
"We'll take y'all back to our place," Aunt Artichoke replied.
Teddy glanced back at Flare- who was fast asleep. He smiled and carefully managed to slip her onto his back without waking her. Then he followed Corny and his parents back to their house, with Yorkie and Scout following.
******
Teddy walked out of the bathroom after taking a fast shower. He walked down the dark hall way quietly until he reached the room he was sharing with Flare. He quietly opened the door and went inside. When he went to his bed, he nearly jumped out of his fur when he saw something moving beneath the blankets.
After summoning up enough courage, he pulled back the blanket- and saw Flare. She looked up at him with large eyes, "Teddy?"
Teddy sat down next to his sister, "Yeah?"
"Your bed's softer than mine."
Teddy tried hard not to burst into laughter, "Oh? Wanna swap? I like hard beds."
Flare frowned, "Who likes hard beds?
“Me. I just said it.”
"I know… but… why? They're hard."
“Just switch beds with me. I’ll work with it.”
"But-" Flare was about to object, but she let out a huge yawn- and fell asleep.
Teddy smiled, "Good night, Flare. Sleep well." Then he walked over to his bed and lay down. And soon, he followed his sister's lead, falling into a deep, weary slumber.
