The next few weeks were a whirlwind of activity as Tony Farms slowly got up and running. Falchion was joined the next day by Tobias, his ponyboy jockey. Over the next few days, four more horses and six more ponyboys were added to Max's herd. By then, Tony's gut had gone down enough that Liz started pushing him to his limits, but he was no longer doing it alone. He was the only Yearling of the racing ponies, however, and only Amaranth, the chestnut Arabian mare that Max had added to his flat race roster, would go to the horse Yearling meets. Although in the long term Tony would end up leading the Tony Farms team to meets, for his first year, he'd be utterly alone - at least until he could win and earn a bed, at which point Roger would join him.
"I gotta admit, I've gotten used to having the herd around," Tony said on one of his regular rides with Max. They'd both come to highly enjoy it when Tony still had the energy, and the new custom saddle that Bob had ordered fit like a glove.
"So soon?" Max asked, gently pulling with the reigns to steer Tony up the rise overlooking the hill. Tony often directed these rides, but he'd confessed to Max that he had a lot on his mind today, and appreciated Max steering him.
"Yeah. I know, I know, I've only known them for, what, three weeks? And that's just Falchion and Tobias, the others I've known less. But we train together, eat together, live together - I'm gonna miss them."
Max patted Tony's muzzle as they topped the rise, giving them a view of the entire ranch spread out beneath them.
"It's entirely natural, Tony. Humans and horses are both social creatures, so it's natural for ponyboys to be as well. And once you win a race, you'll have a bed, and to keep it you just have to make show more often than you don't."
Tony flicked his ear.
"It's a bit more complicated than 'place or show more often than I don't', isn't it? Liz said there's some formula the meet uses."
"I mean, yeah, but that's what it boils down to. Liz or I will tell you if you're in danger of losing your bed, so you don't have to think about it."
Tony neighed happily.
"Thanks. I'll miss the herd, and video games, but I don't think I'll ever miss human responsibility, haha."
Max tensed suddenly, and Tony could feel it.
"Master, what's wrong?"
"Tony...I have a favor to ask."
Tony twisted his head slightly to look up at his brother, who looked both pensive and embarassed.
"Er, you know you own me, right? What could you possibly need that you have to ask for a favor?"
Max looked away from his brother, gazing out at the ranch for a moment, then looked back down again.
"Tony, do you remember going to Europe on a family vacation when we were younger?"
Tony nodded, thoughtfully.
"Mmmhmm. In the original timeline, I was about 13 and you were 10, so I'm guessing here..."
"I was 11 going on 12, you had just turned 10, yeah. That was the first time I really fell in love with horses and ponies. Oh, I'd thought horses were cool for a while, that's why Mom and Dad scheduled the horse riding as many times as they could on the trip, which only helped increase my love of them...then we went to Royal Ascot, you remember?"
Tony nodded, smiling.
"I remember it both ways - the first horse race I ever saw, and the first pony race, at least in this timeline."
"Right...God, they were beautiful. Horses, ponies, the lot of them. Dad took you to show you the Royals, remember?"
"Yeah, I remember him showing them to me in their box, I thought it was cool."
"Right, but I wasn't there for that."
Tony furrowed his brow, but nodded, as Max clicked his tongue and they began walking back.
"Yeah, where were you? I know you and Mom were doing something else..."
"She took me to see the horses, of course. She'd called in a favor with a trainer friend of hers. You weren't that interested in horses, then, and she could only get two passes, so it was our little secret for years."
Tony chuckled.
"Well, I'll see plenty of horses now."
"Heh, right. Tony...that's where it all started for me. Where I fell in love with the sport, with the idea of having ponies and horses of my own some day."
Tony nodded, but said nothing. He could tell his master had something big to say; they were taking the long way home.
"Tony, I hate American pony racing."
Tony flicked his ear.
"Uh...ok. I'm confused. Didn't you just say you fell in love with it?"
"I did - in Europe. It's different over there. Remember when I said that penal ponies were unheard of in the EU?"
"Yeah, and that was before you made any changes."
"Right. So...Tony, the way I run the ranch would be 'unorthodox' in Britain or France, 'eccentric' in Spain, but here in the US it's thought of as bizarre, even wrong. Tony...Tony, our pony culture is fucked. Like, seriously fucked up. Penal breeders alone...it's just not right. You shouldn't treat ponyboys that way, you wouldn't treat *horses* that way, for God's sake..." Max shook himself back to control when he noticed that Tony had reached up a hand and was gently stroking his leg.
"Hey, it's ok, Max. I understand. And on behalf of my fellow ponies, especially your herd - we appreciate your care and love for us, you know?"
Max stroked his pony's mane.
"I know. Thanks. But that's...that's what I'm getting at. The way we run prison racers...Tony, if I ever take you to race overseas - which I very well might, Liz thinks you'd do well in the Arab circuit, and that's high praise - you need to know that they're nowhere near as violent as ours, even in Russia and China where they're majority penal ponies. But everyone here just acts like it's supposed to be this way..."
Tony could hear Max gripping the reigns in clenched fists, but his brother remained calm and didn't pull back.
"I thought about fixing it with the Chronivac. I've been gaming the options for weeks. Nothing works, not really. There's only one way to end the way things are - we've got to beat them, Tony. Tony Farms, our way of doing things, has to be shown to produce better racers. I need to break them, Tony. The whole damn, stinking system, I have to break their back and leave no doubt that my way is better."
Tony felt his pulse quicken.
"...In another life, brother, you'd make a fine general. I'd follow you into hell after a speech like that, at least."
Max chuckled.
"You'd make a fine warhorse...which is the favor I'm asking. Tony, you can say no. I have to stress that. You wanted to be a pony to escape human responsibility, human expectations...and now I'm asking you to take on the responsibility of leading the team I put together, of not just doing well your first year, but doing *spectacularly*. I want you to be our star pony, and I want your hoof to be the one that tramples this stupid system right into the ground. But Tony...brother, that's a lot to ask of anyone, and I refuse to order you to do it."
Tony trotted in silence for a long time. Max chewed his lip, nervously.
Finally, he spoke.
"Damn, I wish I'd known this when you were setting up my racing name."
Max frowned.
"What? Why?"
"I'd be Tony Bucephalus, then. A warhorse fit for a general out to conquer the world," Tony said, turning his head back to smile up at his brother and master. "I swear, Max, I'll do everything I can to make your dream a reality. We're going to do it, as a team, master and pony."
Max flushed, felt tears sting his eyes before he dashed them away.
"God, Tony, you're so melodramatic."
"Hey, it could be a middle name! Tony B. Pony!"
"Oy vey..."
But Max was smiling, and Tony was smiling. Tomorrow morning Tony would be loaded up in a horse trailer with only Amaranth for company, and together they would be hauled across multiple states to the Santa Anita Yearling Meet. The next stage of his adventure was about to begin.