Chapter Text
"Beep! Beep! Beep!" Dirk's alarm went off with its usual shrill insistence. But today was anything but usual. Instead of groaning and hitting the snooze button, Dirk jolted upright and hopped right out of bed. Today was special. Today was his eighteenth birthday. Today he was finally getting a pony.
Dirk had wanted a pony for ages, and had been frustrated when he had been told he was too young. He begged and begged his foster parents to let him get one, but they had held strong, saying that he would just have to wait.
Well now he didn't have to wait anymore. He'd done all his research and understood how much care and responsibility it would take to keep a pony. He had looked into the different types of ponies, deciding he wanted a young black haired boy pony built strong for work rather than one meant for show and dressage. He had made a wishlist of all the tack and supplies he would need, going so far as to coordinate a black and orange color scheme. All that was left was to actually go to the stables and pick out his pony.
"Don't worry, Cal," Dirk said to his favorite puppet. "I'll be back to tell you all about it later." Cal was his best friend, and he knew Cal understood that Dirk wasn't replacing him. He would have brought Cal with him, but he wanted to make the very best impression possible, and for some reason people didn't seem to like the puppet very much.
Dirk kept his usual calm attitude in the car ride, but inside his heart was hammering away. What would his pony be like? Would his pony like him? Would they be easy to train and take care of? Dirk could hardly wait, and his hand was already on the car door handle as they pulled into Iron Gate Stables. It was the most well-regarded stables in the area, and Dirk had spent many hours on their website, looking longingly at the photos of the facilities and the classes the stables offered.
The car had barely rolled to a stop before Dirk had opened the door and was walking across the lawn. He had to keep himself from running, and he could imagine his foster parents exchanging exasperated looks in the car. They knew that Dirk was headstrong, and that it was best to just let him do his own thing.
As Dirk got near the stables office, a blonde woman came around the corner, riding atop a large grey pony with a long, silky black mane. She was the very picture of elegance, sitting side saddle on his shoulders in a purple and black dress.
"You must be Dirk," she said, looking down at him. She made a gesture with the reins and her pony knelt down onto his knees, making it easier for her to dismount. She pulled her riding boots out of the stirrup and stepped lightly on the ground. She rubbed at her pony's neck, and he made a nickering sound of pleasure. Dirk nodded in answer, his eyes glued to the grey pony, who was taller than the woman even on his knees.
"I'm the stablemaster, Rose," the woman said, and she pulled a bag of apple slices out of her jacket pocket. She removed her pony's bit and began to feed them to him. The pony eagerly ate them, gently picking them out of her open palm with his black lips. "And this is Equius," she continued fondly, running her fingers through his mane. "He was originally a draft pony, as you might guess from his size and strength, but I think he's made the transition to show pony quite smoothly. Isn't that right dear?" Equius whinnied softly and nuzzled against Rose's shoulder.
Dirk had to wonder how a pony with a broken horn and several broken teeth could ever win any shows, but he supposed in the hands of someone like Rose, anything was possible. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Rose," he said, wanting to speed this up and look at the available ponies as soon as possible. "I was hoping to adopt a pony today."
"Yes," Rose said with a smile, "I've heard you have been wanting a pony of your own for quite some time. I don't wish to delay you, so follow me to the stables and you can see which ponies are in need of owners."
She pulled the reins to lead Equius, who stood up and followed dutifully as Rose headed towards the stables, and Dirk once again had to keep himself from running ahead.
The stables had quite a selection of mares and stallions, and Dirk felt a little overwhelmed. Rose walked with him down the row, telling him a little about each pony.
"This pony needs lots of love. His previous owner was rather abusive. I wouldn't recommend him for a first timer, I'm afraid. His prosthetic legs require a lot of care."
"This is Roxy. She's quite playful, and beautiful as you can see. But she's been promised to a young woman who isn’t of age yet. I'm sure you'll meet her, she visits Roxy often."
"Here we have Jake, he's about your age. You would probably get along very well. I have to warn you though, you may have to fight it out with a troll girl who has had her eye on him."
Dirk stopped at Jake's stable. He was a very handsome pony with a short black mane and a tanned body. Dirk clicked his tongue against his teeth, beckoning Jake over. The young pony perked up and eagerly trotted over, nosing at Dirk's outstretched hand. He was almost exactly what Dirk had in mind, and he was tempted to claim him right here, competition or not. But he supposed there was no harm in seeing the rest of the ponies. He reluctantly turned away from Jake's curious gaze and went on to the next stall.
"And this is our final available pony. I have to caution you that he's a bit older, and very headstrong. He definitely makes you work for his obedience. Dave, come and meet Dirk." Dirk looked into the stall, his eyes falling on a tall cream pony with a short, fluffy blond mane. He looked like he was in his early thirties, and was sitting on a stool in the corner, one ankle crossed over his knee. He wasn’t even wearing a bridle, dressed instead in a tight red t-shirt and black boxer-briefs. Rose tsked. "Dave where did you get that stool? You know those are for humans," she scolded. Dave gave her a haughty look and went back to examining his fingernails.
"As you can see," Rose said with a shake of her head, "He's quite independent. Here," she said, and handed Dirk one of the apple slices from her pocket.
Dirk had half a mind to turn around and give the apple to Jake. But the way Dave was looking at him, with a supreme sort of appraisal intrigued him. Rose had said he was independent, which definitely struck a chord with Dirk. He wanted a challenge, to prove he would be able to master the most difficult of ponies.
"Is that for me?" Dave said, nodding his head at the apple slice Dirk was holding. His voice was smooth and attractive, even though Dirk hadn't been expecting to hear it.
Rose sighed. "Obviously, he's very vocal. He'll require a lot of training to keep him under control. Perhaps you'd like to take another look at Jake?" But Dirk stubbornly held the apple out to Dave. The blond pony stood up and trotted over, holding his hand out to receive the apple.
"Sup Equius, how's it goin'?" Dave asked Rose's pony as he waited. Equius snorted and shook his head from side to side disapprovingly.
Rose made a small noise of frustration and used her crop to whack Dave lightly on the shoulder. Dave rolled his eyes and dropped his hand, lowering his head instead to pick up the slice with his mouth. He looked up at Dirk with red eyes, his cheeks turning pink with embarrassment at his stooping position. His lips tickled gently at Dirk's palm, and in that moment Dirk knew this was the pony for him.