Trying to find entertainment in his own pasture typically was a rough task for Maks. The mares there were... pretty enough, truth be told, but none of them had that spark that Maksim was looking for. He was around them all the time, you see, and there wasn't that excitement of mystery about them anymore. They'd do in a pinch, but Maks wasn't in the mood for a pinch (ahem).
Sure, there were neighboring pastures.. one pasture, in particular, that he would not mind visiting housed a certain blue 'n' black argyle-patterned mare that he hadn't forgotten about in all this time...
...but, on this day, that just wasn't in the cards for him.
With his ever-present sidekick beside him, Maks was wandering long out of his way. The turns, twists, and paths he took wound miles behind him and his companion... and the only thing Maks knew for certain was that he and Pierrot were definitely not anywhere near their home pasture anymore.
Not that Pierrot had any problem at all with wandering away so far. He happily trotted along Maksim's side, a bounce punctuating each and every step he took. The little pony had no clue whatsoever where they were going, why they were going there, and what they'd do once they got wherever it was they were heading to.. but he didn't mind so much.
This was typical for his jester-like friend, after all. By now, Pierrot was simply used to it.
Their surroundings were unfamiliar to Pierrot -- the trees, grass, even the clouds in the sky seemed new and uncharted. And while this might have caused the more sheltered ponies he knew to feel some sort of discomfort, Pierrot on the other hand was rather excited by the prospect of something new. A new audience to prance, tumble and act for! What could be more thrilling than that?
And, as it would seem, Pierrot's new audience was closer than he anticipated...
As Maks lead the way, up and over the crest of a small grassy hill, he saw a little... sparkle in the sunshine. The rays of the sun were bouncing off of something beautiful, causing a dance of light to flash around in Maksim's eye sight.
He stopped immediately and tipped his head to quietly alert Pierrot to stop as well, before squinting in the sunlight to try and focus on what he was seeing.
"It's a pony," he said, in a matter-of-fact tone of voice to his mute companion. "A... beautiful pony." And this he said with a touch of awe in his speech.
Now Maksim's own pony gender-dar did need a little work (after all, he'd wrongly assumed his very male friend Pierrot to be a pretty little filly), but a pony like this? Bright pink pelt, covered in shimmering gold marks... a cascade of bright blonde curls.... oh yes, this pony was definitely a she.
And Maks was very much interested.
"Would you look at that," he muttered, this time more to himself than to the other pony beside him. "Let's go."
Coming up over the hill, Pierrot was still happily trotting. His legs worked harder than Maks' much longer strides did, but he came to the very top of the grassy knoll just in time to see Maksim go star struck.
However, Pierrot didn't need the announcement of another pony to see her. His eyes were locked on her from the moment he caught a glimpse of sunlight bouncing off her gorgeous pelt. If Maks had been star-struck, then Pierrot was totally.. completely... utterly enthralled.
Never had this little mute clown seen such a lovely creature. She was merely standing there, probably clueless to how the light played off her beautiful markings, and Pierrot was simply captivated. His breath caught in his throat, his eyes glazed over, his knees felt weak... and he wondered, inwardly, if this is what it felt like to feel love at first sight.
Maksim's declaration to head onward was unheard by Pierrot -- for the second the statement was out of the jester's mouth, Pierrot took off like a little rose-embellished shot. He was galloping down the hill faster than he thought his legs could carry him, making a beeline for the flat grass where she stood. It took everything in him, even as flexible and acrobatic as he was, to keep from tripping over his own hooves as he ran...
There was desperation to get to her in those movements.
Maks' head tilted.... and tilted... and tilted.... until his jingly hat threatened to tip right off his crown... as he watched his little companion go running. Never had he seen Pierrot move in such a way -- and Maks thought he'd seen the small gymnastic pony move in every way possible.
"What in the world..."
But he, too, took off down the hill. In a much more natural, casual kind of gait. It seemed to him that even though he technically spotted her first, Pierrot was definitely... staking his claim.
He skidded to a stop right in front of her. Hooves dug into the dirt, kicking it up a little around him, for as full of a stop as he slid into. His breathing was heavy, his eyes were wide, there may have been just the teensiest amount of drool dribbling from the corner of his muzzle... but the little clown was there. And so was she. And up close, she was even more pretty than Pierrot thought was possible.
For the first time since he'd been brought into this world, Pierrot wanted to speak. Oh, he wanted to so badly. To say hello, to tell her how beautiful she was, to ask her to come for a walk with him and Maks... He'd never, ever felt the want to speak. But now, he was desperate to.
The only trouble was, he wasn't quite sure how to do so.
So, instead, he did the only thing he did know how to do -- pantomime. And while Maks sauntered his way slowly down the hill, Pierrot nodded once to the female pony... and then stepped back to start his show.
One front leg bent, to bow to her in a slow languid motion, and then Pierrot used that leg to kick off into a full back flip. He landed perfectly on his hind legs, and his hind legs only, and he spun in several consecutive twirls on his back hooves before pushing himself off of the ground to mimic the twirling in the air twice.
When he landed, on all fours again, he sprung back into motion -- kicking into several pony-cartwheels and then flipping onto his front legs into an expert "handstand." But he didn't simply stand there on his front legs and, instead, took to walking in a loop all around the pink and gold mare...
...and by the time he came up along her flank, to stand on his front legs in front of her again, one pink rose... a pink rose that matched the lovely foliage adorning his own pelt... was held between his teeth. A slight-of-hoof trick that, no doubt, had been taught to Pierrot by Maks.
As he came down onto all four legs once more, he set the flower gently on the soft grass in front of the mare, and then slinked backwards in another bow. But while his head was tipped towards the ground, his eyes peeked upwards through the curls of his mane, to give the gorgeous filly a rather hopeful glance.
Wow. Staking his claim, indeed!
Once Maks reached the pair of ponies, Pierrot was just finishing his acrobatics. Impressive, even to Maksim, given how fluidly the little clown bounced around on short legs.
The jester grinned once he caught sight of the flower -- yes, of course such a smooth trick had been one of his own -- and he came to stride up next to his heavily panting companion.
"Good afternoon, love," he said in his most charismatic tone of voice to the unknown mare. Maksim mimicked Pierrot's bow, but with much more... natural flair... and let his jester hat fall onto the grass in front of him. Then, he barely nudged the hat with the tip of his hoof and it flipped right back up onto the top of his head as he raised it.
"So nice to meet you," he went on, with a bit of a wink. "I'm Maksim, it's a pleasure." Then, turning his head to peer down at Pierrot... whose gaze was still locked on the pretty pink mare... "And this.. is Pierrot."
Chuckling a bit, Maks took a few steps towards the mare in their midst, with a grin across his muzzle that it must have seemed impossible for a pony to be smiling so wide. Of course, inwardly, Maksim was telling himself You are the absolute BEST wing-pony ever! as he uttered a quiet, "I have to say, love, I do think he likes you...."
