Ears pinned, I bit my evil sister, as she barged in for my breakfast. We had just been fed breakfast, and every morning Emmy only wanted my hay, and never bothered to touch her. Kicking up the dusty dirt I trotted over to Apache’s pile. Emmy Pinned her ears and tried to kick me. Thank goodness boo was there. Boo was a light chestnut 15-year-old pony, and She accidentally bit boo instead of me, and boo, Oh he made sure she got her payback. That was the only time I was thankful that boo was in our pasture. 

Apache was the heard leader, and always got first pick on the biggest pile. I didn’t know why though. He was big but not scary!  The girls even called him a gentle giant! (I was called  a fat stinker pony) I could easily steal his pie if I wanted to, but we all knew not to, he was the heard leader after all. But he was so nice, that I just couldn’t help stealing from him. 

As I was enjoying my delicious hay, that Apache let me share, I heard a noise. I perked my head up, looking around the dusty pasture, at all the small little bushes. I saw nothing, so I put my head back in the hay. Then the bushes started rattling, I wondered if it was dangerous! I was going to run, but I knew I couldn’t, what if it ate me, and I left my herd? Then I’ll die! Sometimes I ran at things that didn’t end up being scary, but this, this had to be dangerous, I had a feeling everybody would run. I waited, but they all kept standing in the fly-invested dirt, just eating their hay. I decided it was fine, and munched again on the dry tasting hay.                

Then all of a sudden I heard a big Russell, and jumped! I banged into the back of a patchy, was kicked because he got startled, and fell on my face, And tripped as I found my feet and bolted off.  I felt the wind in my hair and kicked up my back legs, which just led me to trip again after I landed funny on a broken tree branch. But when I didn’t hear hoofbeats behind me, I slowed in turn to look, ears perked forward, ready to run if I need to. I stared, frozen. Instead of a monster, a bunny hopped out of the bush. 

Flies landed all over me, I hit my tail at them. I was enjoying myself. I slowed to a walk when my mouth became dry with thirst. As I slowly walked back to my pile and nibbled on the small strands of hay left in the dirt I heard again another noise. This time, a noise I knew so well – laughter. 

I lifted my nose and breathed in the lovely smell of cookies, the light breeze blew my way. I knew who was there. Treat lady! 

 “Did you see that?” “Calie just spooked at a bunny!” She said to her friends in a breath of giggles.

 I happily started walking over to her, excited to see my friend and get some treats. I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard the giggling sound. Ears pricked forward, I stared at her, trudging through the poo. I looked down at her hands. Oh oh, a halter. That didn’t sound good. (If you don’t know a halter, is something you put on a horse’s face, in this case, to lead her down to be ridden.)

I turned my head away as she got closer, but my feet were planted in the soft ground, I had to get that treat. 

“Cal cal, come here Hunny,” she told me in her gentle baby voice.

“Cluck, cluck, cluck.” 

“Come on.”

She swung the blue lead rope over me as I munched up the treat.

“You’re a good girl cally, good girl, oh you little stinker pony”

“My little princess!” She exclaimed

I loved when she told me I was good. A stinker pony… not so much.

“Haha, Calie!” She said as I buried my head into her shirt looking for more treats. I let her put the halter on, just to hear more good girls.

“Oh, you’re such a good girl Calie, yeah, good pony,” she told me, as she handed me more cookies. 

“Come on madie, let’s go. She is going to get fat if you give her any more treats,” her friend Becca said.

“She already is fat!” The other lady said. I knew her as Emery. She loved emy, which made me not like her.

“Well,” the treat lady’s mom answered back.

“Just one more,” she said, handing me a hand full of cookies. Yum, I would do anything for that delicious apple flavor. I decided this might not be so bad. 

“Coming,” she screamed, as she pulled the lead rope off my back. She gave me a little smack with the lead rope. I took a slow step forward, and though I didn’t want to, I followed her.