Tony, by his own admission, was full of ponytude, but apart from that near-constant show of bravado, he was in fact a remarkably obedient pony. A significant number of volunteer ponyboys actually retired quite quickly, because they found they weren't quite as keen on being treated like obedient livestock as they had thought they were - to be free of human responsiblity is one thing; to be subjected to control by another human is something entirely different. By contrast, Tony was in fact just as happy following orders - at least, reasonable orders, such as Liz and Max gave - as...well, not to put to fine a point on it, as a natural born horse. So he obediently trotted, jogged, and walked around the track all day.
Circumstances being as they were, however, one particular aspect of Liz's orders proved difficult to follow. Or, rather, they were difficult to follow on the track - Tony had no watch and was never very good at telling time by the sun. In the barn, there was a clock, and as he practiced, he considered asking Max to install one, for just such an occasion. Still, he was a bit perplexed as to how he was going to know when to take his lunch break, or knock off for the day.
Fortune smiled, however. While he was doing a jogging lap, Bob and Roger came in sight, hauling some sacks of feed - Roger, as a breeding stud, would serve the ranch doing heavy lifting when he wasn't heavy lifting Tony, as it were. Without breaking stride, Tony waved his arms and called out.
"Hey! Bob!"
Bob and Roger glanced up, and both waved back. Before they could call out, Tony had raised one hand and was slapping at the top of his wrist, all without ceasing to jog. Bob and Roger looked at each other, confused, before Tony called again.
"What's the time?"
Understanding dawned, and Bob called back.
"11:10!"
Tony was still jogging and was quickly moving away from them again, but he flashed a thumbs up.
"Great! Can someone give me a signal for lunch in an hour or so?"
Bob and Roger flashed the thumbs up as well, and proceeded to get back to work.
Tony merrily proceeded with his training before, around an hour later, he saw Max come up to the edge of the track, waving his arms.
"TONY! LUNCH!"
Tony waved back, and shifted from a walk to a trot to get back faster. When he made it to his brother, Max was beaming at him.
"Good boy, Tony."
He reached out a hand, ruffling his mane affectionately as they walked back to the barn to get Tony fed.
"Aw, shucks, master..."
"No, really, you've been doing very well. Bob said you didn't even slow down when you asked for the time earlier. I'm proud of you."
Tony nods, blushing slightly.
"Oh, master, before I forget. Can we get some kind of big clock out by the track? Something I can keep time with while I'm practicing alone and I won't have to bother anyone."
Max chuckles, and Tony furrows his brow.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing, it's just...nothing. We'll get a clock, probably one as part of a racing scoreboard, to run practice meets with our herd. You're a very obedient pony, Tony. You're going to be a good influence on the rest of the herd, assuming you learn to keep the ponytude in check."
Tony nods enthusiastically.
"Oh, don't you worry Max. The ponytude is for when it's just you, me, and Roger. Maybe Liz and Bob, since they seem to get it. But not around the herd. Incidentally, how's it coming along?"
Tony and Max rounded the corner into the barn.
"Very good, actually. Our first horse - a real horse - is due to arrive later today, actually."
Tony's eyes went wide.
"You mean...?"
"Yep, as of tonight you and Roger will be sharing the barn with an actual born equine. Incidentally, brother dear: you get a bath tonight. No buts. I know you like the smell, but with you and Roger AND Falchion, it'll reek tomorrow morning if you don't."
Tony merely grinned.
"Falchion, huh?"
"Mmmhmm. From Bob's family stock. His ponyboy jockey is due to arrive tomorrow."
Tony practically bounced.
"Another pony??"
Max laughed.
"Easy, boy. You always knew you were gonna be the first pony of a big herd. This is just the first step."
Max gestured at the feeding area on the far end of the barn.
"Roger'll be here in a minute. He's still helping Bob get the new supplies in for Falchion's delivery. Communal meals are important, when we can manage them, so I want you and Roger to eat together as much as possible. And not just you two, I mean the whole herd; I'm thinking about big retractable troughs so we can feed as many as possible at once."
Tony nodded, thoughtful.
"Yeah, maybe two level ones - a top level for ponyboys, and a bottom one for horses, so we can all fit together."
Max raised his eyebrows, smiling.
"That's...a very good idea, Tony. See, you're a good alpha pony already!"
Tony snickered.
"Alpha Pony? Is that really a thing?"
Max shrugged.
"Sometimes, especially in large herds. Usually, it's the biggest breeder stud, replicating the stallion dynamic in wild horse herds. But Roger generally follows your lead, and you'll always be my first pony. I've got no trouble admitting that I fully intend to play favorites, and if we run that as if it's normal, the herd will pick up on that."
Tony wrinkled his nose - an impressive image on a pony muzzle.
"I dunno, should you really play favorites though? Like obviously I don't mind for me, but if I'm gonna be the head of the herd, I feel like I ought to speak up for them."
Max just ruffled his mane in response.
"You should worry less. You and Roger will be basically the only 'fresh' ponies we have for a while, and everyone else will be used to it. The whole herd are my livestock - you and Roger are also my pets."
Tony felt his heart melt, and couldn't resist nuzzling Max.
"Awww, master..."
"Easy there, boy. Come on, let's get you something to eat. Since Roger may be a bit, I'll get a feedbag ready just in case you've gotta get back out to the track before he gets here. In the meantime, take a seat on one of those hay bales."
Tony nodded and immediately took a seat. As Max got one of the specially-designed ponyboy feedbags and began filling it with ponyboy feed, he reflected on how utterly obedient his brother had become. It was more than the training, he reasoned. His brother was truly *willing* to be this obedient.
[He really was born for this, I guess.] Max thought.