Sunrise

"Mai-Mai? Are we nearly there yet?"

Ah, a classic sentence you hear on a car-drive. All-too frequently.

"Mai-Mai, it's getting late, are you sure we're gonna make it on time?" The little girl in the back of the car asked, her face peeking round the driver's seat to look out the front window. 

"Hush, Lyna, of course we will. I doubt these ponies are going to be going anywhere before we get there, don't fret." Mai smiled slightly, changing gear as they made it closer down the road to their destination. 

The pair had driven from Pinecone Grange to try their luck with claiming one of the semi-feral Teddy Cobs that had travelled close by. They'd left at around lunch-time, and they were now getting there at around sundown. With a lot of time on their hands, they'd cycled through games like Eye-Spy, an imaginative game of 'No-Cards Uno' - essentially, they said what card they would 'put down' and Lyna would giggle as she put down anything to make Mai miss a turn - and karaoke. After a couple of hours of silence, a few missed turnings, and a bad Sat-Nav, they found their way to the wilderness they wanted. Bingo.

"Mai! Mai-Mai, look at them all!" Lyna shrieked from inside of the car. The child stared out of her window in awe, gaze stuck on the tons of woolly ponies. 
"I haven't been here in forever, there's so many new ones. See any you like?" Mai chuckled softly as she drove into a quieter spot where a few others had parked.
"How am I meant to choose?!" The girl exclaimed, eyes wide as she turned to Mai.

Mai had been an instructor at Pinecone for a little while now, in charge of training the newer ponies and taking them all to competitions. Lyna was her little sister, and together they were off to look for a pony to train together. Or- less together, and more Mai trains it, and Lyna gets to gush over how cute it is, and eventually take it to shows together. 

Luckily, the pair were only small, and with the adorable faces of the Teddies, they could never say no to them. After a lot of begging their parents, Lyna and Mai had set up a plan for hopefully getting their hands on a new member to their little herd. 

As they departed from the car, it took all of Lyna's patience to not just burst with excitement. She was fully aware that none of these may come home with her later on, but she truly did just love the sight of them. Their stocky legs and fluffy manes were charming, in a totally messy way. 

"Mai! Mai, look at that one! Can we try for that one?!" Lyna whispered excitedly, pointing and waving at a fluffy little mare - about twelve hands, with a sooty coat and a puffy tail. She looked fun, but not too difficult.
"Of course we can. Go and grab your bell, but be gentle." She didn't need any more encouragement.