They were talking again. I strained my ears to listen for anything I could understand, but the doctors loved their long words, and every time an extended sound left their mouth I got confused. I even felt a headache coming on.

Not all the words were confusing. Short words, short sentences with only a little meaning, and one particular word: Screwy.

I whined. Not like a pony whines (I've met Rarey, she does some great whining), but when there's no animals around I tend to act a little dog-like. It's comfortable, easy to do, and I can pretend ponies aren't using long sentences that I don't understand and give me headaches anyway.

They were talking right outside my door. It was annoying when they did that because I couldn't stop hearing them. I jumped up on my bed and shoved my head under the pillow. When that didn't help, I started trying to dig a hole.

The talking stopped and yelling started. I liked yelling, it was exciting to hear ponies excited. I pulled my head out of the hole I'd dug in my bed and barked at them. Language was funny. I couldn't understand their words, but they seemed concerned and excited—and angry at me.

Tucking my ears back, I dropped to my belly on the bed and looked up at the ponies (doctors and nurses alike). The doctors seemed to want to use long words and complicated sentences again, but one of the younger nurses reached up and rubbed at my ear.

I crawled closer to Nice-nurse and tilted my head into her attention. A thudding sound behind me was, of course, my tail.

The doctors and nurses (except the nice one) were arguing still, but focusing on Nice-nurse kept me from getting a headache.

"Good girl. There you go, Screwy. Just relax," Nice-nurse said.

Simple words, little words, and it meant so much to me to be able to understand them. The meaning wasn't complicated, which helped. I gave a happy whine this time and crawled a little closer to her.

"Why don't —— bed and ——sleep on ——"

Now Nice-nurse was a little harder to understand, and she would have given me a headache if she weren't so good at scratching ears. She looked to the other doctors with a stern expression—I really liked her. Jumping to my paws—hooves, whatever—I licked the nice nurse's face and wagged my tail a lot.

Nice-nurse tried to push me away, but her laughter told me that she was enjoying it. So, I kept going until she stopped laughing. All the doctors and nurses were looking at her now, and she made some complex sounds that were too fast for me to follow.

Everypony (but Nice-nurse, of course) turned and left my room. Without all the talking going on nearby, I could actually just listen safely again. I barked at Nice-nurse in thanks, and she gave my chin a scratch. Did I mention she was "Nice-nurse" for a good reason?

She waited with me while the big ponies that weren't nurses or doctors dragged my bed out and brought something so much better in. The moment they put the round, soft thing where my bed was I jumped inside the hollow mountain.

"She likes it."

I did! This was the best. I could hide in here and even shove my rear against the hole and lay over it so no talking got in. This was the best, thing, ever!

"Hello?"

"Hi?!"

"You're awesome!"

"Hello!"

The words weren't a pony talking. My ears twitched as I tried to locate at least what direction they were coming from. Then there was a clunk and a clank, and somepony opened my door. If it had been Nice-nurse, I wouldn't have shoved past them.

Loping into the common area, I looked around at all the ponies milling about. Happy voices spoke words I couldn't track, but there was one voice I could.

"How are you? Nice to meet you! You give the best belly rubs!"

I'd met Winona before. She was a pretty awesome dog, and she barked really clear. "Hi Winona!" I barked, and launched into a jump and landed right beside her. "You visited again!"

"You know Applejack brings me around to say hello to everyone," Wynona barked with a little yappy-yap. "You look happy!"

"I am happy! They finally got me a bed that is good. Wanna see it?" I asked, and turned as if to walk back to my room.

I froze, however, as I noticed the nurse who'd opened my door looking very cross and trotting toward me. She didn't look happy to see me again.

"Run. I'll distract her," Winona said then bounded forward and started yelling at the top of her lungs. "HEY! LOOK AT ME! DON'T CHASE SCREWY! LOOK HERE!"

"What the hay——?" Winona's owner, Asomething, said. I didn't catch all of it, but that was pretty normal for her, and she wasn't looking at me so I figured I could make my break.

"Thanks!" I barked as I pounded the floor with my paws—hooves (ugh, it gets hard to think about it sometimes).

Not everypony was focused on Winona's awesome distraction—a big not-nurse-or-doctor saw me running for the front door and turned to face me. "——Screwy, just calm——"

"No!" I barked.

If he'd been the pointy not-nurse-or-doctor they sometimes had there, I wouldn't have had a chance. He braced for me, used his body to force me to thump into him if I wanted to get through the door, but he didn't account for sneaky-Screwy who could slide along the last bit of shiny floor on her belly.

Under the not-nurse-or-doctor, I braced my forepaws on the ground and kicked the door closed as hard as I could with both back legs. "Can't catch me!"

Being chased was almost as much fun as chasing. They didn't let me chase too often, and they tried not to have to chase me, but I liked being chased, so that didn't work. I ran and ran, and found lots of ponies to bark at.

All the ponies around seemed surprised to see me. I barked at as many as I could, but then I noticed Ranblue flying over me. Again I ran as fast as my paws would take me, barking at her the whole way. I guess it was easy to tell I was distracted by Ranblue because I smacked right into another pony.

"Sorry, ——" the pony said.

I shook my head, then kept shaking my whole body as I stood up and looked at the pony. He looked a little scrawny, and pointy. I barked at him. Not the kind of bark to get a message across, just an upset one.

"Wait, is—— Screwed Tight?"

The usual flow of meaningless sound was interrupted by two pure words. Perfect words. Words I felt I knew. I stared at the pony—stallion—while my mind raced free in my head.

"Got that end, Screwed?"

"Sure, Tight, give it a push and I'll get it together when everything lines up! " "Got it!"

"Great work!"

The feel of wood, tools, and even glue filled my world for a moment before I came-to. I looked at the stallion who'd said—said my name. "Sunburst," I barked, just before everything went completely dark.

I woke up again to see a pony ass right in front of me. The colors looked familiar, and while I struggled to recall where I'd seen it before. There was a lot of words flying around me—pony words. I shook my head to clear them out so I could think about the orange stallion wearing a dress.

Inevitably, just as I started to pin down where I'd seen him before, words started to infiltrate my head. I looked past the pony and saw two not-nurse-or-doctors (one of them was pointy!) gesturing at me and making loud pony words.

Stomping his hoof, looking every bit as brave as Winona had been, the stallion kept using the N O word on the not-nurse-or-doctors. I didn't know whether to bite, hug, or lick the stallion, so I chose to sniff his butt instead.

His dress, unlike most, had a hole that was almost perfect for sniffing. His tail was in it right now, but I stuck my nose under that and inhaled deep. I didn't recognize him. I only realized the pony-yelling had stopped when I floated into the air. "No! Stop!" I barked.

Pointy not-nurse-or-doctors were the worst. I floated along beside them while they marched back to the kennel. Halfway back, however, I floated around enough to see that the Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress was following. (I had decided, after a good long sniff, that he smelled nice.)

I smiled at Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress, and while he smiled back at first, he looked worried. That worried me, but I kept smiling in the hope he might again.

"Here—— home," the pointy not-nurse-not-doctor said.

He didn't put me down until we were all inside the kennel (even Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress) and the door was closed and locked. Pointy ponies were the worst. Then I realized something world-shattering: Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress was pointy!

I shook my head and looked at Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress. He still smelled nice (from where I stood anyway, I would have to circle around and investigate further when he was distracted), but being pointy worried me. I tilted my head to the side to hope that he might be less pointy that way, but there was still the pointy-thing sticking out of his head.

The not-nurse-not-doctor who wasn't pointy said something to Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress that I couldn't pick up.

"No—— Screwed Tight," Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress said.

The words rattled my world again, and I had to shake my head a few times before I could think straight. Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress was still talking, but now he didn't say those surprising words. I watched him talk to the not-nurse-or-doctors, then he talked to the nurses, then he talked to the doctors. It was so exciting to watch him talk at them—even if I couldn't understand more than a word or two—that I didn't even think to run away.

The doctors led Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress away to a room that wasn't a kennel, while one of the pointy not-nurse-not-doctors whistled to me. I liked it when they whistled—I knew what they wanted when they whistled. And, when they whistled, they didn't float me. (I really hate being floated.)

The point not-nurse-not-doctor led me to my kennel and I saw the best thing ever in there. I jumped inside and stuck my head into my water bowl. Gulping down water, I kept going until I felt not-thirsty and turned on the bowl of food beside it. Crunchy orange things covered with yummy stuff was on the menu, best day ever!

Eating my fill, I turned to my bed and walked inside the hole and started to curl up. A clunking at my door caught me by surprise. The door swung open and Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress was standing beside two doctors and two not-nurse-not-doctors. Everypony but Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress was smiling.

I shuffled to the back of my bed until Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress walked into the room on his own. My mind raced as to the meaning of the situation. He didn't look happy, but then everypony else did.

Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress reached out a hoof to my bed, and I reluctantly poked my head to let him pet me. But he didn't pet me! He just held his paw—hoof (ugh)—under my jaw and looked at me. I decided I needed to help, so leaned forward and pushed until his paw was under my throat. He scratched at my throat, at last! I was the cleverest ever! I'd trained Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress!

"Want —— me, Screwed Tight?" Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress asked.

Most of the words made sense. I wanted many things about Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress, first and foremost being to check he definitely did have a nice smell again. I nodded my head while he scratched.

"Never —— calm. ——" Nice-nurse said.

I leaned forward and pushed my way free of my bed and started licking Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress all over his face. He smelled good and tasted good!

Mentally, I upgraded him from Nice-smelling-stallion-in-a-dress to just Nice-stallion—which gives some indication about how many ponies I could call Nice-stallion exist.

His face turned red, but Nice-stallion didn't pull away from me like everypony else I'd licked did. I licked him a few more times (to make sure I had his taste right) and then sat back.

Nice-stallion talked, though the words didn't make any real sense. The tone he used was calming, and I couldn't help but like him more. The last words he spoke ended with an upward inflection—a question. Shrugging my shoulders a little, I barked. There was one thing I had learned here, and that was to agree with everypony.

It was a shock when Nice-stallion stood up, turned, and marched outside my kennel. The door closed, but I could hear voices from outside. Nice-stallion started off speaking softly, then he got louder. Nice-nurse even got loud too, but I had a sense that she wasn't being loud at Nice-stallion, but with him.

The noises of talking faded, and I was all alone in my kennel again. Turning around in place, I spotted somepony had left something by the door. Walking over, I bent my head down to identify the item.

Okay, I could identify it was—it was a ball. Leaning my head down, I opened my mouth to grab the ball when something stopped me. I closed my eyes, took a deep sniff, and smiled. Nice-stallion.

Everything changed for the better. He got me a present, and in my mind that made Nice-stallion into Best-stallion. I grabbed the ball in my mouth and shook it around, then chewed it a bit, then did both. It was the first time somepony had gotten me an actual toy (rather then me having to find one), and it made me feel great.

Bouncing around my kennel, I tossed the ball and grabbed it again over and over. Then I needed a rest. I must have only been laying down for a little bit of eye-resting when I heard hooves coming to my kennel door.

Lifting my head, I wagged my tail when the sounds stopped just outside. The sound of a key in the lock had me tilting my head—for a moment I couldn't think why they would be coming to my kennel before feeding time, but then the smell of my ball hit me. It smelled of me, of my kennel, but it also smelled of Best-stallion.

His voice cut through the sound of the door opening. "——Screwed Tight."

I shivered a little at the two words I picked out of whatever it was he said. Somehow, somewhere in my oft-confused head, I put those words together and it meant me. Not the me now, an old me.

"——take you," the pointy not-nurse-not-doctor said to me, not to somepony else while looking at me, actually to me.

When Best-stallion walked in, I wagged my tail even more—actually it was now more of a back-end-wag now. Jumping to my hooves, I ran over and licked his face again, only to feel something close around my neck. It was such a shock that I stepped back and tried to look at it, only to see a cord leading from it to Best-stallion.

I tilted my head to the side and looked at the cord. My brain wasn't the best at working these things out, but dog-concepts always filtered through. Collar. Leash. Owner. My head tilted back the other way as I looked at Best-stallion. He solved my mental confusion by tugging on the leash.

Not being trained to obey a leash, I did the first thing that came naturally. Turning around, I braced and pulled. Though Best-stallion was pointy, his pointy didn't seem strong enough to hold on to the leash. I rushed back to my bed, trailing the leash behind. Ignoring the yelling of the pointy not-nurse-not-doctor, I grabbed my ball in my mouth and turned back to the door of my kennel. Best-stallion looked at me with a smile in his face that made me feel good.

Prancing with each step, I made my way back to the door and pointedly ignored not-nurse-not-doctor.

"Good girl, Screwed Tight," Best-stallion said.

I didn't often get a full sentence in my head that I could understand all the meaning of, but this was one of them. When Best-stallion took the leash again, I tried to remember how dogs were supposed to act. Of course, I ignored everything my memories of dogs on leashes told me, and instead trotted along at Best-stallion's side.

We left my kennel, then the whole kennels, and I was shocked when Best-stallion led me toward the biggest kennel in town. There was smells everywhere and so many butts to sniff, but I was a good dog. Besides, I had my ball and didn't want to get other smells on it—not when I'd just gotten it smelling good.

Best-stallion banged on the door of the kennels and then turned to me. I liked how his face had a little tufty bit at the bottom of his chin. "——help us." His tone was upbeat, happy, but there was a hint of something sad to it. It made me think serious things were afoot—I kept on the look out for cats.

The strangest thing opened the door of the kennels. It was kinda purple all over, except the bits that looked just perfect for chewing. Plenty of dogs had things for chewing, so that didn't narrow down what it was. It began talking to Best-stallion, but there were some quantities about it that had all my attention: it had claws, it was smaller than me, and it made a lot of sounds that were annoying. The facts added up to just one thing…

"Cat!" I barked. "Cat! Cat! Cat!"

I pulled as hard as I could on the leash, but Best-stallion kept a good grip on it. The cat jumped back, but didn't run. Either the cat knew I was on a leash (they were really tricky) or it wasn't a cat.

"Not a cat?" I whined.

Figuring sideways would be better to look, I tilted my head and looked at the not-cat. I was so silly. Cats don't have wings! Clearly, it was a dog!

"Hi! Sorry, I thought you were a cat!" I barked.

"——go get—— help?" Best-stallion asked.

The other dog turned around and ran off—obviously to get their owner so Best-stallion could talk to them. I turned around and looked at Best-stallion. "Sorry, I thought he was a cat," I whined.

It was then I discovered the best thing about pointy ponies: Best-stallion held my leash with his pointy color, and reached up to rub my ears with a hoof. Is there something better than Best-stallion to call him? Bestest-stallion? I better save that for if he uses both hooves at the same time.

I relaxed so much that when the shrill voice shouted from inside the kennels, I folded my ears back and opened my eyes. Other-dog's owner seemed to be a pony with wings and pointy—something in the back of my head insisted that was special. She trotted up to Best-stallion and the two started talking really fast.

I whined, knowing a headache would hit me soon if I kept listening, but Best-stallion held my leash. I needed a good reason to leave, and looked around. Of course I was being silly. The best way for a dog to get away from two ponies when they were arguing was…

I squatted and let sweet relief flood through me—and all over the floor.

Best-stallion yelled. Other-dog's owner yelled. Even other-dog yelled. I trotted outside and made my way for a tree. Considering that other-dog was in the big kennel, I was surprised at the lack of smell on the tree. Feeling a little more relief still inside, I turned and made sure it was properly marked, then sat down on the other side of it. Then I laid down.

I woke up when Best-stallion rubbed at my ears again. Not moving my head, I thumped my tail on the ground to show how much I appreciated him.

Best-stallion talked a little, his tones soft and calm. I couldn't follow any of it, but getting a nice rub around the ears held back any possible headache from forming. He stopped talking, but kept petting me—best stallion or what?

I was almost asleep again when another pony walked toward us. She wasn't other-dog's owner, and she wasn't anypony I'd ever seen before.

"Hello Sunburst, who's this?" As she spoke I jerked my head up. Every sound, every word, was clear.

"Hi! I'm Screwy!" I barked.

Best-stallion said something, and finished with my name—my old-sounding name.

The nice mare-who-talks smiled wide. "Well. Hello Screwed Tight—"

"My name's Screwy," I barked.

"S-Sorry. Screwy. My name's Fluttershy. My friend, Twilight, said you think you're a dog, and thought I might be able to help. I can talk to all the animals,' mare-who-talks said. "Do you mind if I lay down too?"

She looked calmer than anypony or anydog I'd ever met. Mare-who-talks settled down and looked to Best-stallion. "Was there something in particular you wanted me to ask her?"

I tilted my head and looked up at Best-stallion. He looked back down at me and said something that sounded like a question.

"Do you remember Sunburst, Screwy? He remembers you from when he was a colt," mare-who-talks said.

I just shook my head.

Best-stallion said something else—another question.

"He says you aren't acting how you used to. What are you?" mare-who-talks asked.

"I'm a dog of course. How are you talking to me?" I barked.

Mare-who-talks smiled in the same way as a dog would smile and slowly empty their relief on the front step of a huge kennel, but then she broke into a genuine smile. "I can talk with all animals, it's my special talent."

"Huh. Cool. Want to run with me? I like running," I barked.

Mare-who-talks became nice-mare-who-talks the moment she reached out and rubbed my other ear. Running became the last thing on my mind, and my tail had never thumped so much before.

"Do you like Sunburst?"

I tried to focus on nice-mare-who-talks, but the rubbing at my ear was literally pushing any ability to talk completely away. I just lay there, smiling, thumping my tail from time to time.

"Do you like Sunburst?" This time nice-mare-who-talks stopped rubbing and I was able to reply.

"Who's Sunburst?" I whined.

The name felt familiar, but something wasn't right. It felt old like Screwed Tight felt old.

"Sunburst." Nice-mare-who-talks poked at Best-stallion. "He's Sunburst."

"Oh. He's Best-stallion to me, because he's so nice. I really like him."

"She said she really likes you. I think you're doing the right thing, Sunburst. Ponies shouldn't be locked up inside, even animals don't like that. Screwy is a dog, it's more than just what she thinks. Be kind to her and treat her how she wants to be, and you might be able to bring her back." Mare-who-talks-a-lot got a name change because though she is still really nice, she talks way too much, and I can understand all of it.

Lifting my paws—hooves—I covered my ears and managed to miss the rest of the words she said.

A little tap of a hoof at my snout got my attention, and I followed the yellow hoof to its owner. Carefully lifting my limbs down, I perked my ears toward mare-who-talks-a-lot.

She giggled. "Best-stallion said he would like to take care of you. Would you like that, Screwy?"

"Of course! He didn't become Best-stallion because he's the worst at everything. I like him!" I barked.

"Screwy says she is very happy to have you as her owner." Mare-who-talks-a-lot directed the words to Best-stallion, who made a lot of words back. "Well, of course she will think of you as her owner." I nodded to her words because they were true. "See?"

But Best-stallion still didn't look convinced. He came back at mare-who-talks-a-lot with so many words I instantly got a headache. Standing up, I heard the torrent of words stop, but it wasn't a good enough solution. I walked close to Best-stallion and flopped on top of him.

"Screwy! What are you doing?" mare-who-talks-a-lot asked.

"You both talk way too much. It hurts my head when there are too many words." Laying on top of a pointy pony generally resulted in them using their pointy to make me move, but Best-stallion didn't seem to. He actually turned a little red.

Leaning closer, I licked best stallion on the cheek to help him cool down. It didn't seem to work.

"I need to get back to my friends—it's almost time for their lunch. Screwy said she doesn't like it when you talk too much. She said it gives her a headache," mare-who-talks-a-lot said. "Did you need anything else?"

Best-stallion seemed to get the point and only said a few words that I think amounted to no. Mare-who-talks-a-lot took this as her cue and turn to trot away.

I settled my weight a little more firmly on Best-stallion. For a pointy, he seemed really nice and not at all prone to using his pointy stuff. Yawning, I slumped down and set my head on the ground.

Nopony had ever let me just sleep on them before. Move, they'd say, Get off! I could understand those kinds of concepts easily. Still, it was nice to just relax and sleep with somepony that actually liked me.

I woke slowly, yawned, and looked around. Memories of my day were sluggish in returning, but seeing Best-stallion asleep softened something inside me. I lay my head back down and waited for him to wake up too.

Later, nearly a whole minute or so, I couldn't take it anymore. I stood up as carefully as I could to not wake Best-stallion, carefully stepped away from him, and then walked around him. He wore some kind of clothing—a dress or something. When I circled behind him, I realized this was my best chance to have a good smell of what kind of stallion he was.

Short, sharp sniffs were the way to go. Then best-stalling jumped. I'd never seen a pointy pony fly before, but when I put my tail under his tail to smell him, Best-stallion did a good job of trying.

"What ——?" Best-stallion said, after he landed.

I tucked my ears back and crouched down on my belly. There was shock and anger in Best-stallion's voice. "I didn't mean to make you angry. I just wanted to smell you," I whined.

The angry look on Best-stallion's face changed to something neutral. He reached a hoof out to me and rubbed me on the head.

There was no better feeling in the world than knowing he wasn't mad with me. Wagging my tail like crazy, I leaned up into the petting. When he slowly took his hoof away, I tried to follow it.

Best-stallion used his pointy, but rather than pick me up, he took hold of the leash with it. I wagged my tail, ignored whatever it was he said to himself (that I couldn't understand anyway), and walked along at his side.

It was exciting to walk through town without anypony chasing me. I got to relax and sniff the air, bark at a cat, and because I did it beside Best-stallion I didn't have to worry about anything. He led the way to what seemed to be a kennel, but when we walked through it there was a long line of little kennels.

"Good girl, Screwy ——" Best-stallion said.

Being called a good girl was just about the best thing ever. I know I wagged my tail a lot, and even barked in excitement. Best-stallion led the way into one of the little kennels, and then into a small kennel box within it.

When Best-stallion started talking, I jumped up on the soft bed opposite him and whined. He asked a question I didn't understand, so I put my pawns—hooves—over my ears again.

Then the kennel moved!

I couldn't stop myself from barking. A kennel shouldn't move! "What's going on? Make it stop! Help!" I barked.

"Whoa! Calm down. Relax." The words Best-stallion said were simple, uncomplicated—they were Screwy words. I looked at him, focused on his calm features. "——relaxed."

I nodded, my tail not moving for fear the kennel would jerk around and eat it. But, the thing that stopped me from panicking was Best-stallion. He looked at me through his metal eyes—Metal eyes! I jumped across the gap between us and landed on top of him.

"Metal eyes!" I barked, and started to lick his face excitedly.

Best-stallion seemed angry at first, though he never said, No, so I continued. Then he started giggling and laughing. It was music to my ears to hear Best-stallion laugh. He tried to push me away, but that just made licking his face even more fun.

In the end, being a pointy (and not using his pointy) was Best-stallion's undoing. There was just no beating an earth p—dog—in a wrestling match. I was panting, sure, but I had licked him into submission enough that I was content to just lay beside Best-stallion while he got his own breath back.

One yawn led to more, and before I knew it I was sleeping again.

I dreamed of chasing a ball, playing tug-o-war, and being a very happy dog with a very happy owner. It wasn't a new dream, but one part of it was: Best-stallion. He was the pony throwing the ball, pulling on the rope, and petting me until I couldn't take another petting (technically impossible, but it was a dream).

Waking from such an awesome dream was a sad thing, until I realized Best-stallion was right beside me. Leaning close to him, I licked Best-stallion's shoulder. When he didn't react, I realized he was even more asleep than before.

No butt sniffing, that apparently wakes him too quickly, and causes shouting. I licked down his side and to his belly—he didn't wake. It was easy to relax and groom Best-stallion, he was a lot more calm when he was asleep. When I licked along the underside of his belly, he shifted a little. I thought he was awake, but Best-stallion rolled to his side and exposed his belly to me.

Not one to turn down such an offer, I kept going. With my eyes closed, I lapped along his belly until my nose bumped something new. Best-stallion must have been having a happy dream, I reasoned, and licked the new surprise.

I just started getting used to the strange taste and smell of the new part of Best-stallion when he jerked awake. One more lick and I heard him make a happy-stallion noise, another and he made a choked gasp.

"No."

I folded my ears back and pulled away from Best-stallion—he looked really hot again. He didn't look angry, or shocked, just some kind of confusion. It was kinda cute on him, but I really wanted to hear him make the happy-stallion sound again. Leaning forward, I tried to find that good-tasting-place (with a little time to think on it, I decided it was a good taste) again, but Best-stallion rolled until he hid the good-tasting-place under his belly.

He lay like that all the way until the moving kennel slowed down. Best-stallion jerked up to his hooves and jumped down from the bed we'd been sleeping together on. His pointy came to life and tugged at my leash.

Wagging my tail with enthusiasm and excitement, I walked after him, even trotted when we got out of the moving kennel. I turned—when he paused to talk to somepony—and barked at the moving kennel a few times, just to make sure it knew I meant business.

A tug at the leash reminded me I had an owner now. I turned back and trotted at Best-stallion's side. He kept quiet, which was good, and led me down a road toward what seemed to be a second sun.

As we got closer I saw it wasn't a sun, but it wasn't for lack of brightness. It was whole mess of kennels all made of bright rocks. I winced and half-closed my eyes and made a little whine.

"Sorry, Screwy." Best-stallion, despite his apology, led the way deeper into the pretend-sun-place.

Here and there was little rock kennels that seemed to be newer kennels—I didn't know how I knew, but I knew. It was to one of these that Best-stallion led me. He opened the door and took me inside, then closed the brightness out.

I let out a relaxed sign at being able to see again. Then I sneezed.

"Sorry——" And Best-stallion sounded sorry, too. His pointy started pointying, and things all around the room moved and seemed to find places to be.

I barked at a few of the things nearby to make sure they knew who was boss, then turned back to Best-stallion. He seemed to be a little confused, unsure. That wasn't right! I marched up to Best-stallion and licked his nose with as much enthusiasm as I could.

Best-stallion laughed at my lick, and his mood seemed to lift because of it. This is why everypony should have a dog like me! I barked at him, crouched down low on my forelegs and bounced into the air. After a repeat of my excited gesture, Best-stallion seemed to get the idea. He found a stick from somewhere and tossed it to the other side of the room.

A shudder of canine bliss ran through me as I lived out part of my happiest dream. I leapt at the stick, grabbed it in my mouth, and trotted exactly ten steps to get back to Best-stallion. Dropping the stick at his hooves, I barked at him.

Having a pointy pony as my owner was the best. He picked up the stick with his pointy and tossed it again. And again. And again! It was the best thing ever!

I figured Best-stallion would get tired of the game first, but he always waited for me to bring him back the stick—so much so that I started wearing myself out, from just one little romp across the room. I yawned and brought the stick back to Best-stallion for what I'd decided was the last time. Rather than put it on the floor, I held onto it.

"All done?" he asked.

I nodded to him, and then gasped in delight when he used his pointy to rub behind one of my ears. Pointy ponies are now, officially, the best.

When Best-stallion picked up some papers from beside the front door and looked at them, I heard him gasp in surprise. "——go!" He moved faster than I'd ever seen him, rushing out the door and closing it behind him.

I blinked in surprise at the empty spot where Best-stallion had been standing moments before, shrugged, and found a good chair to curl up against. Chasing sticks was tiring!

The sound of the door closing woke me back up. When I turned my head, I saw Best-stallion looking a little rough around the edges. He reminded me of a pony I knew once—Sunburst. I shook my head and thumped my tail on the floor at seeing him.

"Hey, Screwy." Best-stallion sounded exhausted.

I shoved my legs under myself and pushed up to my paws—hooves. Walking over to him, I contemplated what I'd need to do. The solution was obvious. I walked around him quickly, put my head down near the floor and shoved forward.

Best-stallion exclaimed in shock, but I ignored him and kept pushing until he was on my back. Then came a new problem: where did Best-stallion sleep? I disregarded the couch in front of the cold fire and the floor. At the end of the room was something that got my attention.

"You about got those stairs done, Screwed Tight?"

"Yeah. Gimme a few more minutes to get this banister on."

I shook my head at the rush of words that made sense to me-that-isn't-now-me. Banister and minutes were becoming more and more indistinct the more I thought of them, but stairs I knew. Putting paw—hoof—in front of the other, I carried Best-stallion up the stairs.

Soft sounds came from behind my ears—Best-stallion was asleep already. I investigated room after room until I found the big one with a bed in it. Proud of my own superior canine sleuthing, I carried Best-stallion to the bed and slowly flopped sideways.

Best-stallion woke up, but not enough to do more than crawl under the big blanket on the bed. It didn't take much thinking to work out that was going to be the best place to sleep. Sticking my snout under the blankets first, I shoved forward until I was completely on the bed.

I didn't think I was tired, but apparently I was.

It was a lot more comfortable in Best-stallion's bed than the one in my old kennel. It was soft, and warm, and soft, and smelled nice, and soft, and pokey. The pokey bit was new, and pulled me awake at the strangeness of it.

Under the blankets of the bed, my eyesight was useless. I sniffed and felt around, prodded a little, and eventually found out what had poked me.

Best-stallion was excited about something, and excited dogs liked to poke—and poke a lot. But still, he's Best-stallion for a reason, and his bed was soft, and he didn't get too pokey. Without a bad thing to actually think about him, I licked his pokey thing.

"Sweet Celestia. Screwed, that—that's amazing!"

I rocked my head, filling my mouth with the stallion. He tasted good and musky—like a stallion should. Working my tongue under his hard length, I coaxed him ever closer toward release.

"I can't hold back anymore. I—I—"

My reward, or his reward, came quite suddenly and literally.

The memory of a time before I was me didn't hurt so much. Rather than recoil from the images in my head, I used them as instructions. Opening my mouth, I took the end of his pokey.

Taste and feel told me it was just like the stallion of that other me's memory. Best-stallion's pokey was hot and musky, and best of all I could hear him making happy-stallion-noises. When I pushed further down his pokey, I felt a sudden tightness in him and then I got my breakfast.

Best-stallion made a lot of happy-stallion-noises, then startled gasps.

"What——doing?" Best-stallion asked.

He jerked away from me, dragging himself to the other side of the bed and staring at me.

Licking my lips clean of the last of breakfast, I smiled at Best-stallion and then made a happy bark. Wagging my tail was a bonus. When Best-stallion didn't immediately reply, I barked again and jumped off the bed.

A new desire made itself known. The rules of being inside dictated that I not just make a mess wherever, so I ran down the stairs and to the door—whining the whole way.

"What's wrong?" Best-stallion followed me, looking between me and the door. "Oh!" Thankfully, Best-stallion proved his name was completely the absolute truth by pointying the door open!

I bolted outside and found the closest garden that looked like a good place to mark anyway. Crouching over the flowerbed, relief was nearly instant.

"Good girl," Best-stallion said.

A bubbly happiness welled up, and I wagged my tail in delight. He really was the best stallion.

Each night Best-stallion would try to climb into bed without me, but I know that was just a silly game.

At first, I would sneak into his kennel after he was asleep and climb into the bed, but I kept waking him up. That was fine, though, because then we got to play all night!

So I found a better tactic. When he went to bed, and closed the door with his pointy, I would sit at it and whine. It wasn't real whining, I wasn't hurt or anything, but a few good whines and he would use his pointy to open the door for me. It wasn't as fun as playing all night, but it meant I could get him to make happy-stallion sounds in the morning.

I really liked hearing his happy-stallion sounds.

Best-stallion kept me fed, and always made sure my water was full. Then one day, when I kept whining at the door, he took me for a walk.

"Good girl," Best-stallion said.

I waited for him to clip my leash on, but the moment it was on I couldn't stop my tail from wagging. Wag, wag, wag so much! Best-stallion was taking me for a walk!

He opened the door but used his pointy to keep me from yanking the leash when I pulled on it.

"Heel, Screwy." Best-stallion yanked on the leash, but I didn't mind. He wanted me to walk beside him, so of course I did.

Trotting along, prancing even, it felt so good to be out of the kennel. And the smells—they were everywhere!

Sniffing was required. Everything we passed needed to be fully investigated. I know Best-stallion was a little sick of waiting for me each time, but he did wait, which is one of the many things that makes him Best-stallion.

We walked from our kennel all the way to where the buildings stopped and the cold-stuff started. I sniffed at it—the cold-stuff—but it didn't really smell of anything. Then I saw movement. From the corner of my eye I registered a shadow change, and spun my head to see what it was.

A little rabbit, white as the cold-stuff it was standing on, looked back at me.

"RABBIT!" I barked.

My paws—hooves—dug into the cold-stuff and I shot forward, only to be wrapped in pointy and lifted off the ground!

Turning my head, I saw it was Best-stallion's pointy doing it. I shook and trembled, panic over him lifting me with his pointy, like the not-nurse-or-doctors used to. I hated being pointied then, and I still hate it now. And it was twice as bad having Best-stallion do it.

Best-stallion put me down, giving me soft words that I couldn't understand. He lifted a hoof toward me, but I shied away for a moment—remembering the not-nurse-or-doctors.

"It's falling!"

The shout terrified me. My hooves locked to the ground while I turned to see who shouted. Banged Nail's magic wrapped around my body, tried to pull me away, but he wasn't in time.

Pain radiated from everywhere, all at once. Sharp pain. Aching pain. The load of heavy timber shifted, and the pain all focused in my head—and stopped.

A hoof stroked along my head, petting me while soft words were spoken. I didn't try to follow what was being said, but I could appreciate that the speaker meant them to reassure. And it worked. I lifted my head into the petting and made a soft whine.

"Good girl. Sorry," Best-stallion said.

I realized it was Best-stallion petting me a moment later. I looked up at him and saw his pointy, and the memories came back again. Trembling, I whined and moved a little closer to him. "Please don't use your pointy on me," I whined.

More soft words, but then I caught two in a bunch that made me happy all over.

"——won't——magic——" Best-stallion said.

I sat up immediately and licked Best-stallion's face. I didn't like his pointy, but if he promised not to use it on me, he could still be Best-stallion. As I licked, I tasted saltiness on his face. My brain, through the dim fog of what I could puzzle about that, told me that meant he'd been crying and really sorry. So I licked him a few more times for good measure.

"——go home?" I knew it was a question because Best-stallion ended it like one. He'd always tried to stop me from licking his face before, but he seemed extra patient of my silliness.

Finally, once I was sure there was no more saltiness on his face, I pulled back from Best-stallion and nodded. I shied when his pointy did something to his eye-covers, but he wasn't using it on me.

We walked slowly back home to our kennel. I didn't tug on the leash, and Best-stallion didn't try to command me to walk with him. I just wanted to forget everything about his pointy touching me.

It was the end of another day guarding Best-stallion's paper things. I knew how much they meant to him, so I didn't even let the little mice go near the shelves. His opening the front door woke me from my sleep, and I lifted my head to watch him coming inside.

Things weren't odd yet—this was perfectly normal.

Excitement poured into every part of me, and I shot to my paws—hooves—and galloped toward him at full speed.

Best-stallion put up with a lot of things I did, and getting bowled over and licked all over his face was one of them. He didn't brace against my charge, and he didn't try to shield himself with his pointy (see? Best-stallion or what?).

He laughed, with peals of happy sounds echoing around the kennel. Even with me on top of him, licking his face of all the amazing smells and tastes he'd encountered, he laughed.

His pointy started, and I was a little wary of it, but instead of touching me, he pulled something from his bags. The loop of little-rope lifted up in his magic and draped around his neck. Best-stallion looked at me, and said, "Hi, Screwy. Are you glad I'm home?"

The words were clear, perfect. I heard them without a headache, and they were in his voice. At first, I had no idea what to do. Besides, it was obvious I was happy he was home—my tail was wagging and everything!

"Not going to say anything, Screwy?" Best-stallion asked.

"No," I whined. "Nothing."

I climbed off him and walked back to my spot before the fire, even though the fire wasn't there. Turning around three times—as was customary—I curled up and flicked my tail over my nose.

"Well, you can listen, anyway. This thing I got lets me talk to you, and understand you, but it takes a lot of magic to do it. I just wanted to tell you I was sorry about using my magic on you." As he spoke, Best-stallion walked over to his chair and climbed up into it.

One by one, logs danced in the air in Best-stallion's pointy—magic—and deposited themselves in the fireplace. I watched when his pointy—magic—ignited one of the pieces of wood, and warmth began to spread from the fire.

"I should be able to use it a little bit each day. It recharges on its own. I hope you're——" The remainder of Best-stallion's words turned to gibberish, and I tucked my ears back to avoid a headache from them.

"Please stop. Your thingy isn't working," I whined.

Using his pointy—magic—Best-stallion lifted the thing off his neck and tucked it back in his bag. "Oh."

Best-stallion sounded so sad that his thing stopped working. I looked up at him with what I hoped was a comforting expression, and wagged my tail a few times.

The next day, and I greeted Best-stallion with my usual enthusiasm. Bouncing around him, I wanted to go for a walk so much I was probably even willing for him to carry me in his pointy—magic. Walking to the door, I whined at him wordlessly to make sure he knew what I wanted.

In reply, Best-stallion put the odd collar on again. "Do you want to go out?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Walk now!" It was a relief to be able to tell him what I wanted. He understood what I wanted to do most of the time, but there was always moments when he just got it wrong.

So I got my leash put on, and Best-stallion took me for a walk. Before leaving, he took his collar off and put it back in his bag. I felt both relief and excitement at the idea of his collar now, it was obvious what let him talk to me.

It was a long walk, which was good. We walked almost completely in a circle around all the big kennels, and stopped when Best-stallion pulled his collar out and put it on. "Is there something else you want to do, Screwy?"

Excitement buzzed through me. There wasn't a lot of things I actually wanted for, but I had my sights set on a real top-tier thing. "I want to chase a rabbit!" I barked.

Then Best-stallion walked me to the edge of all the kennels again, where there was cold-stuff. "Do you promise to come back?"

"Of course! You're Best-stallion!" I barked, excitement making my whole back-end wag now.

Best-stallion removed his collar and unclipped the leash.

Ready to explode, I bounced around a few times, licked Best-stallion's face, then turned and ran into the cold-stuff. As the cold-stuff got deeper, I had to change how I ran. Bouncing, I chased after birds and rabbits and anything that moved, not particularly caring that the only thing I could actually catch was sticks.

Barking at one tree that I knew kept moving, I heard Best-stallion calling out. I gave one more good bark at the tree then turned toward him. "I'm coming!" I barked.

I had to bound most of the way, but once I reached the shallow cold-stuff I was able to run properly. I galloped as fast as I could right up to Best-stallion and started licking him all over his face. Once I'd properly shown how excited I still was, I stopped and stood still for him, offering Best-stallion access to my collar.

"Good girl." I didn't need Best-stallion wearing his collar to be understand those words.

I barked in excitement. When he used his pointy to attach the leash, I stepped up beside him and sat down—waiting.

When Best-stallion stepped forward, I stood up and walked with him. I could remember seeing ponies walking their dogs like this, and it felt relaxing and good to let him lead. He didn't talk, and he didn't try to throw me off with odd turns. I might have even pranced a little.

When we got back to our kennel, I waited for Best-stallion to let me off the leash before diving into the bushes in the garden bed. Relief was brief, but needed, and when I was done I walked inside—Best-stallion had waited for me, though his ears were turning red again.

"G-Good girl," Best-stallion said.

I marched inside and aimed myself right for the water bowl Best-stallion had set out for me. The refreshing and cool drink turned my excitement into a heavy relaxation that made me yawn.

Best-stallion didn't say anything. He had made his way to his favorite chair and was sitting down in it to read a book.

I didn't jump up on it with him—I knew I shouldn't do that—instead opting to curl up at the base of his chair. Calmness filled my world, and I lowered my head to the floor and closed my eyes.

"We don't know how it's going to affect her, and we won't know the extent of it for at least a year. She seems cognizant of her situation now, but there was a lot of damage. She seems to be speaking a little less than normal, and doesn't engage ponies in dialogue unless directly spoken to. Isn't that right, Screwed Tight?"

My name pulled my attention to the stallion—a doctor. I blinked a few times, my brain sorting through the mass of information for what he'd been talking about to warrant a question, but had nothing. "S-Sorry, what was that?"

"I was just explaining to your friend what has happened, Screwed Tight." The doctor waved a hoof toward the other occupant of my room, a young stallion I could almost remember.

Glancing from the doctor to my "friend", I looked at him up and down—he was cute, or he would be if he didn't look sad. "Hi!" I said.

I woke up to the feeling of two weights on me. I looked, and saw that Best-stallion's back legs hung of the chair and on top of me. It wasn't exactly comfortable having dead weight laying over me, but it was Best-stallion, and that made it nice.

But, there was a nicer way to sleep. I looked up at Best-stallion—fast asleep on the chair—and grinned. Slipping out from under his legs without waking him was the first part, and I waited just a moment to make sure he hadn't woken before moving to phase two.

Putting one hoof up on the chair, I applied more and more weight until I could lift my other forehoof up. Best-stallion looked so calm and happy, and even while I slid myself up onto the chair beside him he murmured happy things.

He was warm and cozy, and now that I could snuggle against him I was warm and cozy too. I closed my eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

Best-stallion woke me up. He poked my belly in a way that made me want to giggle. I tilted my head up to see a panicked look on his face. I just licked his nose.

With his pointy doing something, Best-stallion kept poking me while his collar floated across and closed around his neck. "Why'd you get up here?"

"It looked comfortable and warm. You're poking my belly," I whined back, and licked his nose again for good measure.

"I know I'm poking your belly. I'm a stallion, this is—it's really embarrassing!"

"Why? It doesn't hurt, and we're alone." To emphasize my point, I rubbed my belly against Best-stallion's, which squeezed his pokey thing between us. His face looked adorable after I did that, though it was hard to work out if he was nervous or excited—or maybe both.

"That's beside the point, I'm—you're—we—"

"You're wasting your collar." I snuggled myself in a little more firmly, which meant pushing against him. "Get up if you want, but then I call dibs on your warm patch."

Best-stallion stared at me for a moment, then let out a sigh and climbed up. "I'm going to bed."

Normally I would have followed him, but I had a warm patch that needed taking care of first. Stretching out, I closed my eyes and dreamed of running through the cold-stuff and chasing rabbits.

I guess we both got more comfortable with each other. Best-stallion found out what food I liked the best, and I got used to more poking. But he took me for walks, and when I was on the leash I behaved so that he would let me off at the edge of the city.

We talked a little, and it became a game where he would try to get me to talk about my feelings while I would try to ask him things that made his ears turn red. It was a fun game, and we both had wins and losses.

My current win was being curled up in the bed with Best-stallion. He was soft in all the right places, but hard in others. His belly was to my back. I was so comfortable that I closed my eyes and drifted back off to sleep.

It was another of the bad dreams, though I didn't know it was a bad thing at the time. I guess I'm smarter now. I was in the hospital laying on my bed, when two pointy ponies—unicorns—came in.

I wanted to tell them that Sunburst was coming to visit today. But the me back then just wagged her tail and barked at the nice orderlies. One of them picked me up with his pointy—magic—and started carrying me out of the room.

About now old-me realized something was wrong. Sunburst wasn't here yet, and these ponies were taking her away—taking me away. I screamed at them, my cries a mix of angry barking and howling, but they changed their pointy—magic—so that they couldn't hear me (I could tell because my own voice came back at me from the inside of the pointy—magic).

The side door was their target. Their pointy—magic—still wrapped around me, the two orderlies floated me along and as the doors flapped closed, my dream showed me one image of Sunburst in the hospital, approaching my old kennel—room.

"You're okay. Screwy, you're okay. It's a bad dream." I understood the words because Best-stallion had put his collar on. He had his forelegs wrapped around me, hugging me close.

I stared in wide-eyed shock at the mess of ripped sheets and bedcover, and the single hole in the wall that looked paw—hoof—shaped. The hole seemed huge, as huge as the two orderlies had been when they dragged me out of the hospital.

"There. Just relax, Screwy. I'm here. I've got—" The magic of the collar must have stopped. His words still came, I just couldn't make sense of them anymore. I wanted to close my eyes and make all the pain go away, but if I closed my eyes, I might dream again.

Best-stallion's voice was constant, his muzzle right beside my ears. The past was the past, right now he was with me. And he was poking me in the back. And he had spent all his precious time with his collar just to make me feel better.

He was meant to be out today, too, but he didn't seem inclined to move. I breathed slow, determined to relax after the bad dream. Vaguely, I thought I could remember that a special pointy was supposed to make sure ponies have good dreams. Then I remembered—I'm just a dog.

"I need to use the bathroom," I whined.

Best-stallion couldn't understand what I said, but he stayed Best-stallion because he learned what I meant. He let go of me and jumped off the bed. We'd done this often enough that it wasn't a panic, just a rush.

I followed Best-stallion downstairs and out the door. Into the garden and relief was had. I breathed a sigh of relief and waled back inside and kicked the door closed behind me. The distinct sound of the lock being turned made me look back to see Best-stallion's pointy—magic—finish its work. I turned back to look at Best-stallion, only to see him pulling the scrubbing brush out from where I'd hidden it.

"Bath time, Screwy."

Being a good girl, and being a big girl, I knew he would normally use his pointy—magic—to pick me up and unceremoniously dump me in the water. We'd made a deal—a promise. I lowered my head with a wordless whine and followed him to the bathroom.

He'd used his pointy—magic—to fill the tub while I was outside. It was half full of water, which was probably enough to reach my back. Completely defeated, I stepped over the edge of the bath and inside.

"Good girl," he said. Then he said something I couldn't follow. It didn't seem important, there was no inflection that would indicate a question, and when he started using the soft brush, I almost melted in delight.

Okay, baths weren't completely terrible. The brushing was nice, and getting attention from Best-stallion was literally the best thing about it, but sooner or later he would put smelly stuff on me, and not the good kind of smelly stuff.

I wagged my tail at the repeated strokes of the brush. It was all going nice, and then my nose caught the smell of what he'd explained once was coat conditioner. The stuff smelled yuck, but I could feel him working it into the fur along my back, so it was too late.

"——fussy about the——but then you——such a good girl," Best-stallion said. His sentiment wasn't lost, but I really wished I didn't need to do this so often. But he was right, the brush was really good.

When Best-stallion finished going over me, he let some of the water out of the bath. It was a sign I needed to roll over. I sighed and turned in the tub, shoved my hooves in the air, and glared up at him. The soft expression Best-stallion wore completely ruined my moment.

As the brush came up and started scrubbing the fur at my neck, I craned my head back and relaxed. After that dream, I would take having smelly stuff rubbed into my fur by Best-stallion all day if it meant I got to stay near him. Along my body he worked—from neck to shoulders, from barrel to just before my sensitive bits.

I couldn't help myself. I tilted my head to watch Best-stallion blush as he cleaned me. It was the only time I could accept him using his pointy—magic—to touch me. Something about how magic felt—there—was really good.

When the cleaning went longer than normal, I watched Best-stallion's face to work out what he was thinking. He looked a little embarrassed, but also not all there—

"Sunburst, just a little more and I'll—" The shuddering bliss of orgasm tumbled over me. I was driven firmly to my release by the stallion on my back. In that short moment of female climax Sunburst's adorable inexperience and geekiness was forgotten and he was simply the stallion I adored.

He was also still going. Shivering as my orgasm was extended, I looked aside and back to watch the exact moment when Sunburst lost himself completely. There was something wonderful about the silly faces stallions pulled at that moment that made the experience even better for me.

My gasp broke Best-stallion from his daze. He'd been rubbing me so nicely I'd drifted off to a happy time—a very happy time. That old me and Best-stallion had been special friends, and part of me wanted that again. I looked up at him and gave him a little nod and a smile.

When he started again, I started wagging my tail and splashing the water a little. My happy sounds seemed to motivate him further, and before long I practically howling at how good it felt. Finally—just like in my little dream—he pushed me over the edge.

It was impossible to stop moving. I squirmed and twisted, whining and howling alternately as my body responded to Best-stallion's work. As I came down from the high his "special petting" had given me, I filed away that dream as maybe a good thing from my old self.

Stretching, I rolled over to rinse off my belly then stood up.

Best-stallion set to work with a towel to dry me off. He used his hooves, not his pointy—magic.

I tossed my shoulders and shimmied my butt around while he worked, and even let out an excited and wordless bark of pure delight. I could only hope that all baths would be this much fun in future—I might even stop hiding the brush.

Unable to shake my good feeling, I pranced out of the bathroom and down to the living room.

"——go work," Best-stallion said.

I turned to watch him coming down the stairs and felt a little of the excitement for the day fade. He had to go out. Snorting, I jumped up on his chair and curled up. The smell of Best-stallion wrapped around me, and I yawned.

I was asleep before he even got out the door.

Waking up was less fun than the dream I'd been having. Sunb—Best-stallion had been there again, and again we'd been having a lot of fun together. If this was how dreaming was going to be from now on, I was going to start enjoying sleeping a lot more.

I stretched in place and climbed off the chair. Looking around, I struggled to remember that Best-stallion had gone out. Snorting at the terrible place that left me, I walked over to my water bowl and started drinking.

The cool, crisp water helped chase the confusion from my mind. I remembered what happened before my nap and felt more bubbling happiness.

Without even another thought I walked upstairs and located the scrubbing brush in the bathroom. Best-stallion knew where all the good hiding spots were, so instead of one of those I just carried it downstairs and shoved it under his chair.

Just in time, too, because Best-stallion opened the door and walked inside. "Screwy?"

I raced up to him, wagging my tail so much my butt shook, and started licking him all over his face. Surprising as it was for him not to push me away, I was more shocked when he put the collar on despite having used it up earlier.

"Princess Cadance helped me reinforce the collar. It should last twice as long now," Best-stallion said.

"Can we go for a walk?" I asked wagging my tail even harder.

My answer was swift, the leash floating from its place on the coat rack and clipping to my collar. I braced for the panic his pointy—magic—should have brought, but it didn't come. Still wagging my tail, I followed Best-stallion outside.

He slipped off his own collar and we broke into a fast walk, then faster still. All the while I kept my head at his shoulder despite wanting to gallop away.

I wasn't completely stupid, I could see Best-stallion was tired from whatever he had to do for the princess, but he still took me out for a trot. We got all the way to the edge of the cold-stuff, and then he let me off the leash.

Bounding through the cold-stuff—snow—was a lot of fun. My sleep had left me with so much energy to burn, and burn it I did by chasing rabbits everywhere.

Panting, trudging through the snow after one bunny that somehow sensed I was too slow to catch them, I turned at the sound of Best-stallion. I could see him a long way away, just out of the cold-stuff—snow—waving a hoof.

Renewed energy coursed through me. Bracing all four legs together I began to pronk through the cold-stuff—snow. Stopping right in front of Best-stallion, I stretched my neck out to offer him my collar for the leash.

"Good girl, Screwy." Best-stallion said while he fitted the leash to my collar. He didn't jerk on the leash at first, which gave me time to shake all the snow off and step beside—beside Sunburst.

I trembled at the sensation of remembering his name and actually being able to think it. Missing my first step meant the leash tugged lightly on my collar—enough that Sunburst realized it.

Stopping, Sunburst turned to face me and clipped his collar on. "What's wrong, Screwy?"

Smiling at him, I cleared my throat. "Nothing, Sunburst."

"Come on. Let's just get home and talk about it there." Sunburst took off his collar and, when I stepped up and by his side, led the way home.

As soon as we got inside I licked Sunburst on the face, just once. Waiting for him to put the collar on again, I looked him up and down in appraisal. Like back when the earlier me was me, I liked what I saw.

"You remembered my name," Sunburst said.

I nodded. "And, you remember mine. When you bathed me earlier, I remembered things we did together."

Sunburst looked startled, but happy. "You're starting to remember that? Do you remember the—accident?"

Pain seared itself through my head. I whimpered and fell to the floor in a heap, then put my hooves over my head. Everything hurt. I wanted the pain to stop, for all the soreness to go away and just leave me alone—then it did. The pain eased, but I lost something with it.

Another hoof touched me—Sunburst. As tears of loss streamed down my face, as fragmented memories of who I was tumbled through my mind—untouchable and unusable—I leaned into Sunburst's hug.

For the second time that day Sunburst used his collar's time up comforting me. I wanted to yell at him, and tell him that he should save it so we can talk, but the soft reassurances were precious to me. Sunburst was there—beside me—and I wasn't under all that pain.

I wanted to forget it, to throw it all away again, but if I did that I wouldn't remember Sunburst's name, or that happy dream. I felt his forelegs struggle to lift me up, to spread me on his back so Sunburst could carry me. Knowing that he didn't just lift me with his pointy—magic—made me feel worse and better.

He cared about me that much.

No more than dead weight, I let him heft me onto the bed and roll me over to the comfortable bit. His weight climbing on the bed surprised me enough that I moved. Reaching out, I grabbed Sunburst and pulled him close.

With our bellies pressed together I nuzzled Sunburst's chin and neck. Little nibbles along his throat, licks down his chest, and nuzzling at his barrel and belly, I worked my way along his body.

Turning, I inverted myself in relation to Sunburst. With one hoof on his flank, I felt him startle when my mouth found his sheath.

"You don't have to—" Sunburst's voice choked off when I pushed my tongue into the opening of his sheath.

Pulling back from Prench-kissing his sheath, I looked down between us just in time to see his own mouth find my body. I moaned out loud—the least dog-like noise I'd made since the accident. "I want to."

Adjusting, I found his tip poking free from the folds of skin, and I hungered to have him. Licking his musky shaft, I opened my mouth just as his tongue found my own sensitive flesh.

I took all his growing shaft into my mouth and bathed it with my tongue. More of him pushed free of his body and into me by the second, and I welcomed it all.

Gentle kneading started between my legs, even while he kept licking at my vulva. Sunburst seemed to know exactly what he was doing, drowning my mind in sensation from my teats and sex until I had to swim or drown in bliss.

For as long as it took us to make love on the bed, I was a pony again. I reveled in my thoughts and feelings, and because of what I was doing, all of them revolved around Sunburst. He stretched into my mouth and poked at the back of my throat insistently.

When his tongue delved inside me—deep—I groaned around his length. Constantly I worked my tongue around him and over him, sliding my mouth up and down his length. We were in perfect harmony as we each climbed the pleasure mountains together. When he pressed his snout against my outer lips hard, and his tongue pressed as far into me as he could get without a mining helmet and ropes, I climaxed.

Wrapping strong legs around Sunburst's hips, I pulled him to me like I was drowning—which wasn't far from the truth. I was a greedy mare, hungry for more while my body sparked and jolted with pleasure. I wanted to taste Sunburst.

In my grip, his body tensed hard and I felt his rump start to shift, then his hips pumped and pushed all of him deep into my mouth. I didn't care about the rough treatment—he was a stallion after all. I clung to Sunburst as he shot into the same pleasure-peak as I was still atop. Together, neither willing to shift, we licked, sucked, nuzzled, and clung to each other until both our bodies were satisfied the breeding process was as successfully complete as it could be.

Sunburst muttered something, but with the collar long-since faded, I couldn't understand a word of it.

Lazy as only a mare post-coitus could be, I turned around until we were belly-to-belly. I looked into Sunburst's eyes and kissed him on the nose. Words were useless now, just as they were almost always useless. We had each other, though, which was enough.

As I relaxed into his embrace further, I felt sleep creeping over me with the gentlest and most insistent of tugs. There was no fighting the embrace of the bed, and with it I felt my canine side return. I let out a happy little whine as I nuzzled my way closer to Sunburst, then fell asleep.

I couldn't throw away the pony side of me, not if it meant losing my dreams and moments like we'd just shared.

My dreams were neither calm nor distressing. Remembered nights with Sunburst where we were curled together, having sex, or simply snuggling. But my canine side took hold toward the end, remaking us both as big hounds with him as my dog and me as his bitch. Both sides of me were content.

As sleep left me, it was the canine side that seemed most awake soonest. I nuzzled against Best-stallion's neck even as he poked me firmly in the belly. When he didn't immediately wake up, I started licking his face.

Finally Best-stallion made some sounds that didn't imply sleep still had a grip on him. He lifted his head to look at me, and I felt joy rise within me when he smiled. "—— Screwy."

I barked in excitement and wagged my tail, but there was something I wanted—something that all parts of me wanted. I jumped off the bed, turned so that my rear was to him, and cocked my tail expectantly.

When Best-stallion didn't jump on right away, I turned to look back at him.

Pulling the collar around his neck, Best-stallion cleared his throat. "Screwy, what are you doing?"

"Fuck me!" I barked.

"W-What?" Best-stallion looked confused and annoyed. I looked down his body and could see he was still hard and ready.

"You don't want to?"

"I—" Best-stallion followed my gaze to his lower belly, then gasped. "M-Maybe I do, or some part of me—"

"Then fuck me. I want you, Best-stallion." I wagged my butt in his direction, tail pulled to the side to reveal myself to him. His eyes seemed locked to me now, which was good, and I realized they were locked to my rear, which was even better. Struggling with the pony side of me, I dug out a word that might help. "Please?"

"This isn't you. Screwy, you backslid a—"

"This is me right now. Pony-me wants this too, but she had her turn last night. I want mine now, and I want it done right. You're my dog, Best-stallion, and I'm your bitch." I wagged my rump even more.

"That isn't how—It shouldn't mean—Are you sure?"

Rolling my eyes, I waved my rump again.

"Right. Okay. Do you want a warm-up or…" Best-stallion crawled across the bed and walked around behind me. "Huh. You look pretty ready."

He reached up to his collar and unbuckled it. The collar was tossed to the side and I got to see the eager stallion I remembered rear up and land on my back. Everything felt real—better. I kept my hooves braced to hold our combined weight while Best-stallion lined himself up.

I accepted a few misses on account of us both being rusty like this, but when he struck home I stretched my spine out and pushed back.

He didn't waste time. Best-stallion shoved forward, bucking and grinding himself deeper in me. His hips touched my rump only briefly before he was pulling back.

Best-stallion began to rut me like a good dog. Long strokes that set my body on fire with lust were a delight in every sense of the word. I made happy, appreciative sounds with each body-thudding return of his hips, so that as he sped up I was almost moaning constantly.

A pressure built along with the heat. I could feel my body wanting him and wanting everything he would give me. It seemed, as he became more erratic, that I wasn't going to reach my end, but then a hot rush of white-hot pleasure rushed into me—swelled me—and pushed me over the edge.

Teeth clamped to the ruff of my neck, and the rushing orgasm swelled larger still. Best-stallion took me like I was meant to be taken.

More of his heat rushed into me. Even through my orgasm I could feel him pulling back with his jaws and forelegs to shove his hips further forward. My legs—strong enough to hold the both of us—buckled under the bliss that suffused me.

I hit the floor with a thud I didn't feel. Too wrapped up in the feeling of my lover inside me, I had little aftershocks of pleasure each time he shifted inside me.

"I didn't expect—That was great." Best-stallion shifted again, and earned another moan from me. I didn't sound like a bitch should, but that didn't matter right now. That he'd had to release my neck was a shame, but I admit it was good to hear his praise.

"It was pretty good from down here, too." I turned my head to look up and back at Best-stallion. "But—" Pressure was building in a less fun way. I squirmed and tried to get up, actually shoving Best-stallion from me.

In my confused and panicked state, I ran to Best-stallion's bathroom. I looked around for a place to squat, and it dawned on me that this was a pony bathroom. My instincts said to squat, but I didn't want to make a mess for Best-stallion to clean up.

The pony toilet was a bit like a flower bed, I guess. Squatting over the trough that ponies would normally use, I arched my tail high and pushed down with my pelvic muscles. Relief was quick to be had, and left me with a conundrum. "Uh. What do I do?"

Best-stallion arrived in the doorway, a worried look on his face as he was fastening the collar around his neck again. "What did you—Oh! You used the toilet! Good girl!"

My ears perked up in surprise at the praise. I wagged my tail a little and jumped away from the toilet. Watching as Best-stallion stepped closer and pressed a plate on the floor, I watched water swirl and get rid of the mess. "This is really confusing. I remember ponies using these, but it's hard to put myself in their paws."

"Hooves. And it's okay. No mess to clean up." Best-stallion looked a little embarrassed, but not enough that it was showing too much. I could only tell because I knew him so well. "You—uh—had fun?"

I stared at Best-stallion for a moment, confused by what he meant.

"I-I mean sex! What we did in the bedroom. I tried to act a bit like a dog. You know I actually looked up a book on dogs, and it had some—ah—descriptions of mating habits. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea, but it just seemed right at the time and—"

I kissed Best-stallion on the lips to shut him up, and kept kissing him because it was nice.

Pulling back from the kiss only when I felt satisfied, I arched my tail in a show of victory and pranced out of the bathroom.

Heading downstairs, I stretched when I reached the fireplace. Sleeping was a thought, but what I really wanted to do was go outside for a bit of a run. So I walked to the front door, sat down, and looked hopefully toward the stairs.

Best-stallion slowly made his way down, his fur looking displaced and his mane a mess. I wanted to go outside and play, but there was an urge inside me that was more pony than dog. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, I ran to where I'd hidden the scrubbing brush, pulled it out with my teeth, and attacked him.

"What are you—" Best-stallion stopped when I started working the brush over his fur. While the canine side of my brain argued that he should be brushing me, the pony side told the canine side to shut up and remember how good sex was. Pony side was both sneaky and effective.

I kept up the brushing, finishing his coat and moving on to his mane. The brush wasn't as useful on his mane, but I didn't care. I was a mamma wolf with her pup, and he was going to put up with it!

Best-stallion took his collar back off and seemed to relax into a comfortable silence while I worked. So far, today had been the best day ever that I could remember. I brushed out the tangles in Best-stallion's mane and tail in short order, and only when I judged him done did I put down the brush.

His collar went back on, and Best-stallion turned to look at me. "What brought this on?"

"You were messy. Now you're not." I walked to his chair and climbed up into it.

It's strange how different it felt—and how normal it had become—to just speak to Sunburst. My life had turned around in the time it had taken him to get used to me and I him. Some things remained the same, however. No matter how much more pony I felt, there were still things I couldn't give up. My collar and leash, my speech, and sometimes our private times still remained my canine side.

I waited in his chair, before the fire, for Sunburst to come home from work. When I heard the door open, I wagged my tail and lifted my head from the chair. "Welcome back!" I barked.

Sunburst trotted inside and closed the door, then barely got his glasses off before I was licking his face. The world was brighter with him there, with us together. I nuzzled and snouted at his mouth, not engaging with a kiss until he reached for his collar.

The world stopped as Sunburst kissed me. It was one of the more pony things we did together, and it always helped me remember who I am. By the time our kiss broke, he had the collar on.

"Did you have a good day, Screwy?" Sunburst asked.

I nodded and nuzzled him some more. "Something knocked on the door, so I barked at them until they left. It was probably a rabbit." My pony side mostly held sway now, but I still couldn't help some of my dogisms (as Sunburst called them).

"How were the activities today?"

"I can't think properly when you're not here. It's like the pony part of me goes with you. I remembered how to flush the toilet today." My news earned a frown and then a hug from Sunburst. The hug was the best of the two reactions and I returned it as warmly as I could.

"You need to keep trying to remember, Screwy," Sunburst said.

"Y-You can call me Screwed Tight if you want. You keep calling me that in your dreams—and sometimes just after your dreams." I smiled as he blushed. Our morning activities had become habits, thought the best kind of habits.

Sunburst pulled back from the hug and looked at me with one of his more serious expressions. "I'll call you what you like, but you know I can't help my dreams."

The truth was it was nice to have him dreaming about me in ways that left him waking up panting and frantic to have sex. I could have put up with him calling me Screwed Tight if only for that. My old name for him still rang true. "Then keep calling me Screwy."

"Right then. Now, what was it I was going to do before you distracted me?" Sunburst lifted a hoof to tap his chin idly in what I'd learned was his pretend-thinking pose. He was actually being devious about something. "Oh! Now I remember."

A clicking sound at my neck made me giddy as a kite with excitement. I wagged my tail and barked loudly for the fun of it now he'd clipped my leash on.

Sunburst removed his collar and tucked it into his saddlebags. We didn't need words when we were walking, after all. He led me to the door, opened it, and we were outside in the warm evening air.

"Good girl. Heel."

My shoulder met Sunburst's hip, and we walked down the road together. My mind was focused on the task of keeping at the right pace, so much so that I broke into a gallop at his side without realizing he'd stretched into the faster pace.

I laughed with excitement, glad to just run beside Sunburst through the city. Our hooves resounded on the hard pavement as the edge neared. Closer and closer we got, and when I expected Sunburst to slow down, he instead unclipped the leash and kept going into the snow!

This was new. I'd been playing pony games with him for a while, but this was the first time Sunburst played doggy games with me. We bounced and bounded through the snow until it was so deep it would have been easier to dig under it.

Sunburst didn't once use a word. He grunted and made all manner of groans, but we left all the pony things behind us and just had simple canine fun. And when a rabbit showed up, we lost ourselves completely to the fun of chasing.

The rabbit got away, but it didn't matter. What was important was chasing it together. We didn't lie down in the snow and share a moment—we bounced around carefree and chased things together.

But we had to go back.

Walking side by side through the snow, I kept finding myself leaning over and nuzzling at Sunburst's neck. When we reached the edge of the city again, and the fallen leash on the ground, I leaned down and nosed at the item.

"You want that back on?" Sunburst asked.

I nodded. Of course I wanted my leash, silly stallion. My leash is what defines me in the city.

Sunburst clipped the leash to my collar and, almost immediately, I jumped to his side to heel. The touch of his magic to my ears didn't cause the kind of fear it used to, and I was able to lean into the rubbing and closed my eyes.

"You like that."

I nodded just enough so that I didn't pull away from the rubbing.

The rubbing stopped and I got a kiss on the cheek at the same time. I snapped my eyes open and looked at Sunburst.

"Come on. Let's head home." He stepped forward and my training took me with him.

Walking at Sunburst's side was even more affirming for me than the play we'd done. I had a collar on, a leash was attached, and he held that leash. The best part about it was the way he accepted it all. He accepted the fact that I needed this, and he accepted his part in my needs.

We trotted home without any detour, but it wasn't until I saw the bushes around it that I felt the urge to use them as dogs intended. Rushing forward from heel, I tugged on the leash until I got my back end over the soft dirt.

Relief was instant. I looked back at a blushing Sunburst and couldn't think for a second why he was embarrassed. When I was done, I kicked some dirt and walked for the door. Turning my head, I looked back at Sunburst.

"You couldn't have waited?" Sunburst used his magic to open the door and unclip my leash.

I ran inside while wagging my tail. It felt great to be alive, and be who and what I was (the answer to both was more complicated than I cared to investigate right now).

Knowing what was to come next, it was hard to decide between running to the kitchen and bouncing around Sunburst in excitement—so I tried to do both.

I stopped my excited bouncing when Sunburst put the collar around his throat. I kept my tail wagging, though, when he asked, "Is this really what you want?"

"What I want?" Having done so much dogging, I felt an odd blend of both my aspects—a mix of pony and dog. "I wanted to find a good stallion and settle down with him, I wanted to find a pony who would take care of me, I needed someone to save me from that horrible place, and I wanted to love and be loved." My words, I knew, were a mix of barking with a few pony words.

I looked at Sunburst, waiting for his reply.

When he didn't say anything, I felt I should add more. "I found all those things, Sunburst. I found the stallion I loved, I found the master I wanted, the savior I needed, and somepony who would love me as much as I loved them—even if it wasn't perhaps how we all expected."

"I never expected anything like this," Sunburst said. He straightened his glasses and reached the kitchen. I watched him settle in and start cooking. "I was overwhelmed at first—I probably still am—but it's a comfortable kind of overwhelmed.

"You know you were the first mare I'd ever been with?" Sunburst was using up the collar greatly, but he seemed perfectly okay with it. The truth was I felt empowered more by his use of the collar than he seemed to. When he wore it, I had a voice. "Still the most amazing."

The pony side of me judged that comment as worthy of a kiss, but the dog side of me liked the idea of a doggy-kiss better. Leaning over to Sunburst, I licked his cheek twice.

"I thought life would be exciting when I became Crystaller, and it is, but no matter how crazy things are at the castle, coming home to you makes it all feel a hundred times better." Sunburst tipped a tin of tomatoes and other things into one pot on the stove, while he put pasta into another.

My mouth salivated at the wonderful smells. I found myself resolving to try harder with my tasks, but I knew that when he left, a lot of me would leave with him.

Sunburst took the collar off after a few minutes of us not talking.

I backed up to give him room to work, and when he started dishing up the food my whole back-end started wagging along with my tail.

"You know we eat in front of the fire." He had to push past me with the two dishes held high in the air, so I couldn't pounce on them.

I followed over to the couch and rushed to park my rear on the floor beside his old recliner. This was the same way we'd eaten for weeks—it was routine.

Sunburst waited for me to hold still completely before he lowered my bowl to the floor. "There you go."

I dove my face toward the bowl and started eating the delicious food. With my canine self distracted with the process of getting the food out of the bowl and into my belly, my pony mind wandered. I remembered the terrible food of the hospital. It wasn't that it was bad, there just wasn't any love put into the preparation. Even my doggy side could appreciate that Sunburst made this food with his own magic, and he was eating the same thing from his own plate.

Of course, I beat him—as usual—and licked my bowl clean before I sat up again and watched Sunburst eat. He was about half done, and eating so slowly I wondered if he'd finish it before breakfast. The solution was I needed to help him!

"Don't even try it," Sunburst said.

Leaning forward, I set my jaw on the side of his recliner and looked up at him with the same expression I'd used to successfully convince him of almost anything. A sad little sigh accompanied my deployment of sad puppy-dog eyes.

Sunburst managed to get one more mouthful of food before he let out a sigh to end all sighs. It was a victory sigh—a victory for me. "Where's your bowl?"

That was my cue! I jerked my head back and leaned down. Biting at the rim of the bowl, I picked it up and put it on the side of the chair. I wagged my tail furiously as Sunburst slid some of his food off his plate and into my bowl. When he put my bowl back on the floor with his magic, I rushed it and attacked my second helping.

"You're going to do this every night, aren't you?" Sunburst asked.

I wagged my tail more at the sound of his voice than the question. Of course I'd try to get some of his food when he only filled my bowl up once. His magic found my ear again, and despite my eating I managed to tilt my head into the attention.

It didn't take long to finish my second helping and sit up again. The worst thing had happened, though. Sunburst had already finished. No more food meant it was reading time. I circled around to the front of the recliner and looked up at Sunburst.

"Do you want a book tonight?" he asked.

His words were clearer now, and with my hunger and doggy side slipping away I felt I was up to trying a reply. "Yeah." The word was small and soft, with none of the hardness of complication of other pony words. I liked yeah because it felt like something I'd use even if I weren't part dog.

"Let's try this one again." Sunburst used his magic to float a book from the shelf over to him. He opened it up to a little card inside it and set it on one side of the recliner.

As he started speaking, I leaned forward and rest my head on his legs. The words helped remind the pony side of me what I was supposed to be, and with them I had a little glimpse of what my life could have been.

I don't even remember when Sunburst swapped books. When I lifted my head, my brain filled with cotton wool from a light doze, he was reading something else. Inching my head forward, I sniffed at the book and found a scent I recognized.

A nice pony, pointy and flappy, came to mind. I remembered her as always being nice, and even using her magic to rub my ears. "Twilight." The word had bubbled up from my memory, though I think I screwed it up a little. It didn't sound exactly right.

"Twilight wrote this, yes. Twilight."

"Twilight." This time I was better. My Ts had a T sound, and the L actually sounded like L instead of F. I smiled and inhaled the scent from the book again. Paper (something I knew the smell of having lived in Sunburst's house for some time), ink, the soft fabric used to bind the book together, the harder cover, and two ponies. The first pony was Sunburst, but his smell was everywhere. The second pony was Twilight.

This was a nice book, I decided. It smelled of ponies I liked (one a lot), and Sunburst seemed interested in it. I rolled my eyes up from looking at the book and caught Sunburst looking at me rather than the pages.

"You're wagging your tail a lot more." Sunburst's magic found my ear and started rubbing it.

"Yeah," I said. I really liked the word.

"I think I'm done with reading for the night." He folder the book closed and started floating it to the bookshelf. "Would you like to have a little, uh, fun?" The tone in his voice betrayed his excitement and worry.

I wagged my tail more. "Yeah!" I said.

Jumping to my hooves and bounding toward the stairs, I was only partially aware that—as a mare—I was putting on a show for Sunburst. The dog side of me had no clue about that beyond shoving my butt in a male's face.

When I looked down from the top of the stairs, I saw Sunburst watching me with an air of hunger. He was a stallion—a dog—and I loved how intense he'd become. I let out a bark of excitement and continued through to our bedroom.

Jumping up on the bed, I rolled around on my back in excitement. Sex was a game ponies and dogs played, and Sunburst was really good at it! By the time I heard his hooves step into the room, I'd tangled myself up in the sheets enough that my head was trapped.

Sunburst's magic freed me of my self-imposed prison, and the first view I had of him in the room was from my back. I tilted my neck so I was looking under him, and smiled at what I saw. He came closer and closer, his body pressing to my neck and barrel. This wasn't a doggy game.

I opened my mouth and took the tip of his growing shaft between my lips.

His shaft wasn't fully hard yet, which was okay since it let me play a little more. Keeping my teeth back from his tender organ, I suckled it, slurped it, and worked my tongue over the end.

Soft, hungry sounds spilled from his throat—and I'd only just gotten started. When I pushed forward and sucked more of him into my mouth, Sunburst let out a whine just like I imagined a big powerful dog would. When I slid back to his tip, the whine became a begging sound.

Down and up. Down and up again. Sunburst wasn't soft anymore. I pulled off him completely and leaned past his hard shaft. There was more to a stallion than a dog. Stallions liked to do more than just shove their dick in things until they felt good. I pressed my tongue to his medial ring and licked to the base of his shaft, then back and to his balls.

I nuzzled from one orb to the other, giggling when I felt him twitch them in time with my attention. I bathed each of his testicles with my tongue before letting out a gasp when he returned the favor.

This was a feeling that was wholly pony. Dogs didn't hang about for foreplay—ponies did. I lost track of what I'd been doing as his tongue worked along my entrance again and again. Completely undoglike sounds left my lips, and I pulled my back legs forward a little to give him better access.

Losing track of time, I squirmed about on my back until I realized Sunburst was losing the hardness I'd worked hard to instill. I nuzzled at the base of his sheath and then licked that sensitive flesh. The results were instantaneous—Sunburst's licking of me became erratic.

Regaining a little of my faculties back, I angled my head and scooped his shaft into my mouth again. Sunburst shifted atop me and his tongue left my vulva.

I didn't care that he wasn't reciprocating. Pleasuring him was enough to keep my desire hot and burning. A musky taste hit my tongue as I worked him in and out of my mouth, musky and sharp.

With him pushing to the back of my throat, I had to keep timing my breathing just right, and worked my tongue along him constantly. The smell of happy stallion filled my nose as I focused on my task. It encouraged me to continue.

"Screwy—" Sunburst's voice caught in his throat as I thrust my mouth over him again. "If you don't slow down—If you don't—" I liked that my actions affected him so much he couldn't get his clever words out.

Wagging my tail in complete happiness, I kept up my slow sucking, my head bobbing, and tongue lashing. Sunburst seemed to become more and more impatient, or maybe just excited. I just knew he'd given up trying to talk and resorted to simple moans and gasps to communicate. I understood him perfectly.

Unlike a unicorn or pegasus, all I had apart from my mouth was my hooves. Hooves required a lot of care to play with sensitive bits, so I was as gentle as could be when I cupped each of his balls with my hooves and began to massage them.

Every moment I continued I felt him twitch more, squirm, and even hump a little. It was adorable to see him so lost in what pleasure I could give him, but at the same time I was hungry for him.

I sped up, working my throat to massage him and get as much of the fluids he was already leaking as I could. I wanted him, all of him, and when I felt his balls jerk upward and his muscles tense atop me I knew he was about to give it to me.

The flare at the end of his shaft—deep in my throat—spread wider still, and his medial ring began to throb with the intensity of his heartbeat as Sunburst jerked forward and pushed as deep into my throat as he could. When the hot rush of his seed hit my belly I trembled in joy—but not sexual release. This was Sunburst's moment, and I was enjoying myself plenty just giving him pleasure.

On and on he went until, finally, Sunburst started to slow down. Wanting to taste him properly, I pulled back and got the last two pulses of his seed into my mouth. Rich with elements of the crystal fruits he ate regularly, his semen wasn't exactly a great meal, but I loved the personal nature of having his taste and smell so close.

Reluctantly, I swallowed the last of him and drew him out of my mouth. It was bath time for Mr. Pokey.

"That's really sensitive, Screwy." Sunburst's tone was a little whiny still, and even shaky, but there was a lot of satisfaction in my stallion's words.

To show him how much he meant to me, I slowed down. His breathing slowed, and after some time he started making happy little sounds again, but when he started getting hard again I got more excited.

Bracing my legs on one side, I shifted my weight and pushed him.

"Hey! What are—? Oh…" His realization came when I got him on his back and pinned him there.

I nuzzled and licked at him to build his shaft back to full mast, then I stood up and turned around. His eyes—his face—was a mask of amazement. He looked at me like I was the smartest and most clever mare in all Equestria.

Sliding my belly along his, I moved forward until I felt him spring up from under my belly and stand proud behind me. Our snouts were a hoofwidth apart, so I kissed him.

Of all the things we'd done together, nothing sparked my memories as much as that kiss. I was drowning in his smell and taste, and now I had the feel of his body against mine and his lips on mine. Staring into Sunburst's eyes, I remembered every moment we shared.

I was the confident mare with a first-timer stallion inside her.

I was the happy mare celebrating Sunburst's first big test.

I lay motionless in the hospital while he read stories to me.

I felt his lips upon mine though I couldn't remember who he was.

I was with him in the Ponyville hospital taking me away from that place.

I was on his belly, kissing him as his shaft kissed my vulva.

Tears rolled down my cheeks—tears of joy—as I bore backwards onto him. I let out the happiest moan of my life as his medial ring sank into me. Pushing still, I didn't stop until he was in me all the way to the hilt. I leaned backwards from the kiss and braced my forelegs so I was actually sitting on him. Cowfilly.

"You're crying!" Sunburst said.

"I'm so happy." The words had come out so easily, but I knew it was the moment that let me speak that way.

Sunburst opened his mouth to say something, but I lifted my hips with my powerful back legs and squeezed so that his next words devolved into a moan. I loved it when he moaned like that.

I waited, measuring time by the throbbing of his shaft that was still within me. When Sunburst opened his mouth again, I slid down him and took all his shaft within again.

He managed to get a word out at last—after three more strokes. "Faster."

That was exactly what I wanted to hear. My hips—my whole body—was built for power and control. I rocked upwards in a slow arc, then plowed back down onto him. Then repeated it, and again, then built my rhythm—though it wasn't fast.

Every muscle in my body worked to keep the pace, the angle, and the tension just right. I was in charge and in control, but it wasn't just for my pleasure that I sought. Sunburst had thrown his head back several times, only to lean forward again to look up at me. His eyes spoke volumes—he thought I was a princess.

The power of being all a stallion wants was heady. I sampled this new feeling lightly, not sure if it was too much—I'd have to keep going.

Unconsciously my pace started speeding up. A repeated thudding came as our bodies met, and I trusted Sunburst to tell me if he was being hurt by my strength. The only sounds that came from his throat, however, were needy moans and happy whimpers.

The longer I went the more my body built toward the peak that was every mare's silly-face moment. I wanted to pull the silliest. Our bodies crashed together, over and over, and the electric energy—what I believed to be the magic of life itself—built inside me to the point where I couldn't have held back if I wanted to.

I began with grunts and groans as I struggled to hold back my impending orgasm, but it was when his body swelled inside me that I lost all my control. I neighed and pulled the silliest face in the world as my world shook and shimmied.

Sunburst's magic held me tight and pulled me down against him so his forelegs could hug me to his barrel. Our lips pressed together and at that moment he sent the first blast of a torrent of heat. I squealed into our kiss and tried to thrash out of his grip, but he held me tight and showed that the strength of a unicorn stallion was enough to keep his mare close.

Each blast of his seed deep inside me sent another shock of pleasure through me. All my memories of our times together didn't reveal another moment where I was so completely taken by our lovemaking. When at last he stopped pumping my body full of his seed, I could relax and come down from the dizzying high.

We fell sideways—or at least I did. Holding each to the other, we kept our lips locked together the whole time that our bodies came down. I felt a tingle at the edge of my mind—the canine side of me wanting more influence. "I love you," I said quickly.

Before he could even reply I felt that part of me that spoke words slip back into the darker parts of my mind. The canine part of me might have no need for words, but there was now enough not-canine to understand Sunburst's next words perfectly.

"I love you too," Sunburst said.

I trotted along at Sunburst's side. The leash wasn't needed, but I liked wearing my collar, and I liked him wearing his. "I don't want to know," I barked.

"Are you sure? The doctors told me." Sunburst's words made sense thanks to the collar.

"Nope. I don't even want to know if they're pony or dog."

"That's not how it works, Screwy," Sunburst said.

We couldn't walk shoulder-to-shoulder now, mostly because my belly was swollen. At first it had been a shock, but knowing I was having Sunburst's foal/pup had made every day just that little bit brighter.

"Sure it can." My tone was more playful than forceful. If I focused, I knew I'd be having a foal—probably a unicorn or earth pony—but when I relaxed and just let things go, I imagined a litter of the cutest puppies ever inside me.

"Are you sure you don't want to know?" Sunburst adjusted his glasses with a touch of his magic.

I nodded, my mind well made up on the matter. "I already know I'll love them no matter what."

A gleam of light (not that uncommon in the Crystal Empire) distracted me a moment, and I stared off into the distance. There was a layer of snow everywhere outside the barrier of magic that protected the city. "I saw a rabbit."

"Well, I'd better go catch it for you," Sunburst said. He really was Best Stallion.