Work Text:
Merrylegs stuck his head over the fence, or rather, short as he was, just under the upper wooden rail. I had not asked any advice from him. "When it comes to riding," he said, "Best teacher is a good-natured pony. We don't do so much jumping about, and then the rider will have a shorter way to fall, you know." He blew out a series of breaths, like laughter.
I turned myself side-on to him, not that he was likely to be intimidated—and I didn't expect at all to actually get him to feel more humble. But I lifted my head high, and my tail too, to show I was proud.
He said, with perhaps a little conciliation, "You're doing well with her, for beginners."
"Jo and I are learning together," I told the pony, with all the dignity I could muster. My sides were dusty from Jo and I tipping to the earth together, unintended, but neither of us had been hurt, and I knew she would groom me free of it. She helped me, as I helped her.