Ponyville Tea with a side of friendship [PM to Join]

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose smiled happily to Douglas' advice on financials. "That's what my sire always told me, too! So yeah, I'm just putting aside as many bits as I can! And taking on little side jobs here and there... I've never been out sailing on the water, but my dam used to take me out onto airships for her parties, and it was lovely! I know just what you mean by majesty."

He smiled to Ginger Mint. "I never got to actually do any of the sailing, though! Those big sky yachts were way too expensive! That must have been so fun! But you shouldn't feel as if such dreams are bad ... I mean, yeah, I want to travel, and see the world, but I also want to ... " His violet cheeks darkened redly as he blushed. "You know, find that special somepony, who I can share it all with. It's not nearly as fun if you don't have somepony to share it with."

He rubbed at his chin again, still thinking on the 'travelling for work' idea, his eyes straying up towards that blank white poster-back on the wall... then he looks back to Ginger Mint.

"And it's not a problem taking advantage of serendipity, but my sire always said, "A pony makes their own luck!"

[Otsdarva]

Douglas let out a short laugh at the quote Bramble offered. "I'm startin' to like the guy the more ah hear of 'em!" Letting his laugh die down, Douglas had a strained swallow of his tea. "Also Bramble... Findin' that special somepony is no easy task. Ma' always said to 'Keep your options open.' I'm not goin' to drone on this, but on the matter of love I feel I should say that it is one of the most complicated of emotions. It can make you feel... I'd say on top of the highest mountain one minute and bottom of the deepest pit the next. I can only hope you find that somepony who truly cares about the pony inside your heart." Douglas put his teacup on the table as he gave a faint smile. He had felt the warm touch of another's love as well as the cold despair when he lost it.

Douglas decided it was best if he moved on with what he was saying before anypony could read too deep into his words and call him on it. "So you've both had some form of sailing experience? I'm right jealous. Still, it's nice to know I'm not the only one who would admire such a thing. I don't see too many of them sky yachts, I can only imagine how much different it must be to be aboard one of them." Douglas allowed his mind to continue to think about riding on an airship and it helped bring a geniune smile back to his face. "I think I'll try the water bound ships first though."

Giving a glance at the remaining cookies, Douglas fancied taking one more wouldn't hurt as he reached out for one. By now they were mostly cooled and while Douglas enjoyed a nice, warm, soft cookie it didn't matter that they had cooled, they still tasted great. "So then, opening a cafe of your own, huh? Better have these on the menu!" Douglas let out finally, looking over at Ginger. "I'd say that's actually ambitious. Sure it's not scaling a mountain, but you're more or less trying to make something out of nothing. You have to get permits, buy land, hire builders, the whole deal just to have a business to call your own. Then there's the whole marketing, and stocking, and managing... starting your own business is an amazin' feat."

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Ginger Mint looked down at her hooves and blushed. No matter how often relationships came up in conversations, she never really knew how to talk about it without getting at least a little bit self-conscious. It was a strange juxtaposition of thoughts, and yet it made a strange bit of sense too.

Maybe there's a majesty about relationships that is not too dissimilar from sailing ships, though maybe I'm just reading too much into it.

She didn't catch Bramble glance at the blank poster on the wall, her own hooves were much too interesting at the moment, but listening to Douglas talk about the ups and downs involved in love, the connection was just too perfect to keep quiet about.

"Its funny..." she started softly with a gentle smile, "Sailing has a majesty to it, a larger than life grandeur that connects little ponies like ourselves to something bigger. The sky and the wind, the pulse of the sea or the lift from the sun upon the earth... they all come together to make the rigging sing, and you can feel that song through your hooves when you work them.

Its easy to recognize such a work of art when observed from afar, but when you're in the middle of it, it becomes another part of who you are, and its easy to forget about that majesty. I think some ponies don't realize it until they've stepped ashore and look back..." Ginger Mint looked down at her hooves again as she tried to recall the words, and her voice dropped in tone as she recited an old saying, "Its a lucky pony indeed who realizes what they have, while they have it."

Ginger Mint wasn't quite sure if they'd caught her metaphor or not, but listening to Douglas talk about all the challenges involved in opening a new business shook the melancholy right out of her.

"Well, I'm not quite sure if I really want to open my own cafe or not yet..." her sheepish grin re-appeared on her face, "I've still got so much to learn... I mean, I know its a whole lot more than just picking out the right furniture, but I think if I just dove in right now it might all be a little over my head."

Relationships. She was only halfway through her point when she realized she was still speaking metaphorically. The thought made her blush again and look towards her hooves. It was like picking two random puzzle pieces out of a box and having them fit together on the first try.

She smiled. She laughed, and not a sheepish laugh either, but a genuine chuckle, just long enough to shake her head back and fourth a couple of times to get ahold of herself. She wanted to facehoof at how silly it seemed, but her last few attempts were still fresh in her mind and she thought better of it.

"Oh my... that... that actually reminds me of something my father once told me. He was talking about making life long commitments, and maybe it applies to any kind of destiny. 'When you love somepony, you've got to love 'em for who they are. But you've got to do more than that, you've got to be prepared to love 'em for who they're going to be.'

Ginger Mint rolled her head a bit and chuckled softly, Which, of course, I though was a strange thing for him to say considering I wasn't seeing anypony at the time. Celestia smile upon him, as wise as he is, he can have such terrible timing sometimes..."

"I still don't really know what I'd be getting into, starting my own business, but maybe its also a little bit foalish to think that I could be perfectly prepared. I bet that even after a whole lifetime, there will still be things left to learn about something, or somepony."

As Ginger Mint bent down to pick up one of the rapidly disappearing cookies, she stopped to breathe in the smell. "But I think you're right. I'll definitely put these on the menu."

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble laughs softly. "Oh, everypony loves mah sire," Bramble said, slipping into a slight drawl as he thinks of the tough stallion who raised him. "He's a hero in th' Borderlands, an' a scoundrel all the high-fallutin' mares sigh after in Canterlot." His vision of his sire might be a *bit* inflated, but that's to be expected. "He always was loyal to mah dam, though. An' raised me rightly, he did. Taught me how tae get by in th' wilds, e'en before ah had mah plant magic. Taught me bout th' world around me, an' how ah fit inter it. Just as if ah din' have a horn and was an earth pony, he taught me how mah place is tae be part of things."

He laughs, and his voice slips back through the neutral, slowly moving to a more high-class Canterlot speech pattern as he then is encouraged to talk about the sky yachts, obviously torn between the two worlds of his parents. "But yes, my goodness, the yachts are gorgeous. It's a thing of beauty just to see them floating by, but when you're actually upon them, ahhh... the wind in your mane, the earth flowing by so far below. The captain and crew were so noble, with their fine uniforms, and they seemed so professional. And I always envied the pegasus crewmembers who flew spotter alongside the yachts. Sometimes I wondered what it was like to feel the wind in your feathers... but ultimately, I prefer to have my hooves on the ground. To not feel the earth ley lines sets a shiver, but the parties are to die for. Everypony who's *everypony* has to be on some of those yacht parties, and there's so many possibilities. So many subjects to listen in on - travel, business, scholarly research, the latest races, the latest fashions... I was just a young colt, of course, so my job was to stand around politely at my dam's side, but there were so many things to listen to."

He listens to Ginger's description, then, and nods with little canterlot high-class noises. "Oh, quite so, quite so, Miss Mint. Ah find that every pony finds that way to fit into the world around them in their own way... land, sea, sky, magic, to each pony their own place, as suits them." He smiles softly. "It actually rather relates back to what you were saying about your brother, which started this whole conversation in the first place. It's what makes you feel like you belong."

He laughed softly. "But if you'd like somepony to help you pick out the right furniture, I'm told I'm a dab hoof at it. Flower arranging, furniture arranging, designing the look and feel of a place... I'm not the best, but I'd be absolutely tickled to be able to help you out."

[Otsdarva]

Douglas nodded silently as Ginger spoke of the connection between love and sailing, letting her get everything out before replying. Her occasional blush made Douglas chuckle. Still he understood what she meant. "Indeed, it's a Majesty alright." Her sudden change back to opening a cafe allowed him to have a clear mind for the time. "Your father has quite a bit of knowledge. It seems we were all blessed to have family capable of sharing great wisdom with us, even if it doesn't always apply to what we're currently facing."

Douglas pulled back a small bit when Bramble began talking with a drawl. He sure didn't see that coming. Still, he could feel it was all in jest and let himself laugh at the attempt. When Bramble's tone changed to a more upper-class voice he began to talk about riding on the sky yachts, describing the sights of the event and the grand feeling of it all. It was amusing to see his view on how differed his upbringing was. "Ah, the whole 'foals are meant to seen and not heard', huh? Yeah, I know what that's like."

Douglas watched the conversation slide back to Ginger as she reflected upon opening a business. "Well, it's not like everypony whose ever had a business was prepared when they first opened. Should it happen I'm sure you'll do fine, shoot you got Bramble here to design the place and I can easily move around whatever you need. So what if it takes awhile to get going, that's just the way things work. Don't worry about it for now and just see where you end up!"

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Ginger Mint relaxed her posture and smiled as Bramble Rose went on at length about his father and the sky yachts. She enjoyed listening to stories as much as she enjoyed telling them, and she'd certainly noticed how reluctant he'd been to talk about himself. For her, it was just one of those little victories in life.

"I guess sometimes you just have to add a little extra spice to a story to make up for the irreplaceable experience of being there."

Something about his tone while he was talking about standing around during the yacht parties struck a dissonant chord with Ginger Mint. Something felt out of place, but while she was usually very confidant about her intuitions, she wasn't sure if she was imagining things or not.

Was it something he said about flight and feathers, or maybe it was the other way around. Was it the crew? Something isn't adding up...

Douglas' complement about her father was unexpected and it took her a couple of seconds to understand just what he was referring to.

"Wha... Oh! Eh-hehe," she couldn't help but chuckle at her own silliness, "I'll have to make sure I pass along your complements the next time I see him. I guess its a little bit too easy for me to simply pass him off as just a meddling parent."

Feeling a little self conscious, Ginger Mint stretched her neck and tilted her head a bit, pleasantly surprised that she didn't cramp up this time. Something was still bothering her but she just couldn't put her hoof on it.

"Our families all sound like they're plenty different. Different places, different walks of life, but I guess some lessons can apply to all kinds of situations you don't expect."

She was trying to make a point, but she just couldn't shake the feeling that she was missing the mark for some reason. So rather than ramble on like a madpony, like she knew she would do if she didn't stop herself, she sat back and listened for a bit. It was Douglas's comments about etiquette for foals that finally uncovered what had been bothering her. Bramble had mentioned it too, but she didn't understand the significance of the saying.

"Ah, the whole 'foals are meant to seen and not heard', huh? Yeah, I know what that's like."

Even though Bramble and Douglas seemed like perfectly nice ponies and even though they didn't have any reason to hold a grudge, she didn't want to sound rude by broaching the subject bluntly. Instead she decided to try a more roundabout way.

"Now, I've not been to too many big fancy parties myself, so maybe I'm looking at this the wrong way..." She said matter of factly, "The gala was probably the only event I've ever been to that's similar to a party on a private yacht, but I didn't see any foals at all when I was there. I remember... well, that is, when I was a filly..."

She felt herself blushing again. Was she about to try comparing apples to oranges? The memories from her youth brought a smile to her face though.

"When I was a filly, going to parties meant running about and playing outside while the grown-ups stayed inside talking about whatever boring things grown-ups like to talk about. So... I guess I'm not really sure what thats like myself."

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble blinked a little at Ginger, and thought about that a bit.

"I had parties like that, too ... but never with my dam. My Sire always said..." And with this, Bramble shifts into that western drawl again, naturally and unforced, his voice dropping a little deeper. "Foal's ain't sposed t'be controlled. They're sposed ter run 'round an' get in a pinch, be a right nuisance!" Bramble laughs, and shifts easily back to the high-class Canterlot drawl, his voice pitched to a higher, feminine tone, offended and shocked. "I don't see how you can view ... *troublemaking* ... as a positive activity for a young foal!" Bramble shifts back to the deep drawl. "A foal don't make trouble as a youngster, they'll never have th' chance t'do it safely 'gain! Know what a pony's like if'n they never let loose at all?" Then he shifts up to the feminine canterlot high-class voice. "I'll have you know that I never made trouble as a filly! I was raised to be a proper lady!" His voice shifts back to the Western Drawl. "And then y'all married me... see what sort of trouble *that* can lead inter?"

Bramble laughs softly, shaking his head. "My sire," he said, his voice returning to normal, "Used to sneak me out to go visiting and go to parties ... or to visit my dam's sister. See, Mom and her sister weren't really talking much, cause of paw... Auntie Gemini had said some pretty mean things to my dam, about how my sire was 'polluting the family' with his lower class attitude. My dam took it badly, but my sire just laughed at it. When Auntie Gemini had a mule for a daughter ... well ... she pretty much exiled herself off to her country estate, and never talked to anyone. My sire didn't hold much to that, so he made sure to visit often, on account of 'family should talk,' and that's when me and Bluebelle would run off and have adventures... Bluebelle being my cousin. Hanging out with Bluebelle always *felt* like a party!"

He pauses, and blinks, realizing he was just giving away *way* too much family history. He blushed, ducked his head. "oh, dear... I'm sorry. I don't know what's got me so talkative today!"

[Otsdarva]

Douglas let out a laugh when Ginger admited that she had never had to go to one of those adult parties when she was a foal. Taking a quick sip of his drink, Douglas cleared his throat before speaking. "Well aren't you lucky? I got dragged to a few of them when I was little. There just wasn't anypony they could leave me with so I was always kept at my mother's side whenever they did go out. Foal parties are so much nicer, you get to be loud, eat all you can and do stupid things!" Leaning back in his chair, Douglas thought back to his youth. Those were some fun times when he was allowed to stay out late to play. "Never play limbo with a Cactus." He stated out of nowhere, finishing whatever reminicing he was having.

Douglas soon turned his attention to Bramble as he continued to switch between the speaking mannerisms of his family. It was uncanny, if even a little funny watching the primp and preen pony go back and forth so easily between the two mindsets. "I must say, my parents weren't as overbearing as your mother seemed to be. Neither was my father so relaxed. There was a time for work, a time for play and as long as I wasn't causin' a ruckus durnin work they hardly kept a leash on me. I believe the most I got was a 'don't go too far from the camp' an' that was it." Douglas took up another cookie and began to munch on it as he thought back on his parents. As much as he liked traveling, he had to admit, he missed them dearly.

"That's not to say they didn't care, I've easily worried them both sick on a few occasions." Douglas pointed out, laughing heartily. "I must have taken 10 years off the both of 'em! This one time I went out 'explorin' with a few of the other foals. We got lost around this ridge and couldn't find our way back. Course we didn't know we were lost, too busy havin' fun. We must've played in that ridge till we had nothing left, did everythin' from tag, hide n' seek, rodeo pony, even tussled and fought. There was this one filly that would always come with us, I tell ya, she was the roughest foal in the whole trade group. I always found it so embarassin' when she'd beat me. She'd pin me down and wouldn't let me up till I cried 'Uncle.' Pity I lost touch with the ol' gang." Douglas let himself fall into silence as he thought about his old friends and what had become of them.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Luck. Ginger Mint was never very good at judging how lucky she was, even though she knew for a fact that sometimes ponies benefitted from random chance, every time she tried looking at her own circumstances, she couldn't help but think of ways her life could have been better or worse. When Douglas asked if she was lucky, even though it was no doubt rhetorically, she couldn't come up with an answer.

"Lucky?... eh~hehehe, I guess I'll have to take your word on it." She puffed her mane out of her face with a comical pout, only to have the lock of hair immediately fall back into place. Then, in a light hearted voice, "And here I thought, I was exceptionally average. Ehehee~, shows you what I know."

She stuck her tongue out for a moment and as Douglas recounted his precious experience with cacti, she tried not to think about all the different ways she might be able to brew them into a drink. She didn't do a very good job though, and as Bramble Rose started imitating his parents, she had cacti dancing around in her eyes. When he started the western drawl, they started wearing cowpony hats, and when he imitated the canterlotian accent, they started wearing frilly dresses.

Why does that make any sense? Pull yourself together Ginger Mint, just because he's got a desert pony accent and the desert heat drives ponies to argue in the storybooks, doesn't mean they would have settled their differences over a nice cool, delicious, invigorating glass of cactus blossom tea.

Ginger Mint shook the image out of her mind with a chuckle about the same time Bramble was shaking his head too. Bramble Rose's next story, however, took her by complete surprise. She'd lived in Canterlot for a time, and she knew how strange some of the customs could be, especially for a pony from a diverse port town like Fillydelphia, but she hadn't imagined that they might get that strange. She didn't even think to hide her shock when her eyes went wide and her mouth dropped open, and then Bramble's apology was like a match on a pile of tinder.

"No no no, you're fine! I don't mind."She glanced over at Douglas for a moment, "You don't mind, do you."

It wasn't really a question. Maybe it was presumptuous, but she felt like she knew the answer anyway. "Its just that I wasn't expecting something like that. I've never quite understood that Canterlot attitude..."

Ginger Mint paused for a split second as she realized what she'd just said. And once again she found herself regretting allowing herself to get worked up.

"... That is, what I meant was... that I never really understood the attitude that some ponies in Canterlot get. I don't think that all of Canterlot is like that, I mean its a fantastic place, and just like Princess Celestia, its a symbol of what we can achieve... And Luna. Luna too..."

She was pretty sure that her face was getting redder by the syllable. The longer she spoke, the more worked up she was getting and at the same time, digging herself that much deeper into a hole. Even after meeting her in person, she still had trouble thinking of Luna as an equal to Celestia, the Princess she'd known about and admired since she was a filly.

"Err, well, sure Luna made some mistakes, but who hasn't? She... she could still be... or at least, she ought to be a symbol for what we can overcome. I mean, the things about ourselves that we can change."

She was on a roll, in the same way that a boulder goes rolling down a mountainside, crashing through trees -and really anything in its path- as it tumbles. Just stop while you're ahead... Just. Stop... Or not.

She puffed herself up as much as she could, considering that her legs felt like jelly. Whether that was on account of the race or from being flustered, she didn't know. "I mean, everypony makes mistakes right? Even if your Aunt got caught up in some picky details that I'm still not sure I really understand, it sounds like family was still important to her, even if maybe she didn't quite understand it either. She still let you visit right? My father once told me about how his grandmother got in a fight with her twin sister once and it took ages before the two sides of the family got back together again... And it sounds like you and Bluebelle and she got along just fine, so I mean..."

She stopped. She'd backed herself into a corner with, apparently, every bit of skill she had at her disposal. All she could do was furrow her brow and say, "I... I guess I'm not sure what I mean."

Then, like a true champion, Douglas bailed her out with his own insights into overbearing parents and his experiences camping, playing and running off to get into trouble. It certainly sounded a little bit more like her own experiences growing up, although in her case, getting lost would have been something completely unheard of. Even as a filly, she knew every nook and cranny like the back of her hoof.

"Did... How did you find your way back? Did your folks come looking for you?" When Douglas didn't immediately respond, she figured he was just being playful and so she kept going. "I don't remember this myself, because I was too young at the time, but my mother tells me I once gave her a real fright during, surprisingly enough, a party with her friends. I didn't want to be there, though I don't remember why, and so I just decided to walk home myself. Of course, home was eight miles away, and I had no real idea of where I was, let alone how to get back."

She paused for a moment, her eyes glancing up and back as she tried to recall an old memory, "Actually, now that I think about it, your friend...er, rival... she sounds kind of like my mother in a way. She might have been sweet at home and with friends, but when she was racing or competing, watch out! She wasn't the kind of pony to go easy on anypony...'how would anypony know what they're capable of if they don't try your best?' She'd always say."

Douglas was still silent, and it didn't take even a fraction of Ginger Mint's perception to pick up on it. "But I guess, tusslin' isn't quite the same thing is it?"

She'd been so caught up in her own story that she had almost missed it, but once she started thinking back a bit, she remembered the last thing Douglas said. Pity I lost touch with the ol' gang."

Maybe it was all that talk about her mother, but she felt like she should try tackling this head on. "I know what you mean about wanting to keep in touch. I've had a terrible time keeping up with my brother ever since he left home." Then, leaning forward, she took on a somewhat conspiratorial tone for a moment, "speaking of which, if you should ever happen across a cool green earth pony with a kite for a cutie mark and a pair of beat up flight goggles during your travels, say hi for me, ok?"

She exhaled. An entire mountain of tension breaking away from her shoulders as she did. For whatever reason, she felt herself getting back into her groove, and she wasn't worried about what to say next. The words just flowed naturally.

"Really, it has been a challenge, but not completely impossible. I guess I have the advantage that he flies home to visit every now and again, but when he's away, we try to set up some way of sending letters. Whether its by carrier pigeon or just setting up a mailbox somewhere for him to pick up letters..."She switches back to her conspiratorial tone with a genuine chuckle, "Sometimes, when he's not quite sure where he's going, we have to set up two, and write all our letters in duplicate!"

"It is a lot of work, thats for sure, and sometimes all the day to day stuff just gets in the way, but who knows? Maybe there's a way to get back in touch, even if it isn't the way you remember it?"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble smiled a bit to Douglas. He wasn't sure what LImbo was, but ... "Oh, well, it wasn't like that all the time. But they did fight a lot. But they loved each other. Dad could be pretty strict at times, when he saw it was important. Wilderness can be pretty dangerous, and if you don't listen up when he says listen up, well ... I didn't understand when I was a foal, but I understand now. For my sire, you only give orders and be strict when it's important - that way, it stands out. And for him, that's when life is in danger. For my dam, her opinion was that if you are *always* doing the right thing, then you don't have to worry about making mistakes in judgement ... but she had her areas of exception. She loved painting, and her books, and she could lose complete track of the time when she was studying or pursuing her art, and she could be pretty irresponsible when it came to that. And for her, that was all right. That was her outlet. She once said to me, "Always be a proper gentlepony ... unless it's just that important to stand out." And for her, what was important was pursuing your dreams."

And then he was listening to Ginger, and still thinking about what Douglas had said, about travelling through work. He glanced up at the back of the poster again, ideas starting to bubble. But ... there seemed so much that could go wrong with that idea. All sorts of dangers presented themselves in his mind.

"Oh, well, my ... my aunt took it worse than most," Bramble mumbled, trying to excuse his family. "And they would have accepted her even so ... but she just didn't ... couldn't take how she thought ... " He wasn't sure just what to say. It was an awfully embarassing situation. In the end, he just shut up and kept listening.

He loved what she was saying about change. And working hard. It resonated, somewhere inside, and crystalized. "Yeah..." he said, softly, his eyes lighting up. He could change! He could become that suave, world-travelling, sophisticated gentlepony, strong and adventerous. Didn't matter that the REA had turned him down because he couldn't meet the height requirements! Didn't matter what ponies had called him in school! And if he was scared, well ... he'd been in drama for 7 years! He could act like he wasn't scared! He looked up at that reversed poster again, eyes alight. Yeah, he remembered something Glitzen had been talking about ... the Ponywalk Fashion Tour?

"YEAH!" he cried out, suddenly. "Yeah, I can do it! I can try, at least! Just like you both say! How do I know if I don't try? I don't have to save up, I don't have to wait till it's perfect... I can just ... travel! And if I don't have the bits, I can find another way, like for work! And I can keep my eyes open for your brother, and you can look for your old gang, and why *can't* we do it?!" He jumped up to his hooves, ready to race off for the horizon right that moment!

And then he winced, and tensed up, and sank carefully back down onto his cushion. "Ahhh... ow... or... maybe wait a couple days first..." he groaned. "No one told me racing hurt so much!"

[Otsdarva]

Douglas sat back in his chair for a moment, taking in the interchanging speech that continued throughout the group. He felt, at peace to just sit down and enjoy talking as much as they had. It had been quite a while since it's happened, he wondered if he could always look forward to this kind of activity should he finally settle down in Hoofington and stop moving around so much. He could feel how animated each of them became as they talked, from slight facial movements to full flailing limbs.

They touched on several topics from simple stuff like work, cutie marks, and hobbies to the serious matters like what they want to do with their lives and the social stigma certain ponies imposed on themselves. "Not at all Bramble, it's fine." Douglas said in agreement with Ginger about his varied family bloodlines. As far as Douglas was concerned it didn't matter what you born as, so long as you could help when needed and were kindhearted you would be welcome in his company.

"Did... How did you find your way back? Did your folks come looking for you?"

"How did we get back? Oh, well that was easy. Once the sun started to drop below the horizon we started one last game of hide and seek and our parents literally searched the area just as we were hiding. Whoo boy, was I happy I wasn't the one they found first. They grilled that poor colt for minutes about where we were hiding and he didn't know because he hadn't started looking for us! Soon enough we 'ad half the parents searching the ridge fur us and we were all too afraid of the whoopin' we'd get to come out of our hidin' places. They did find us all though, and of course they paddled us good fur doing that to 'em." Douglas laughed, remembering how hard it was to sit after that night.

"A Green pony kite, and goggles" Douglas rambled, making a mental note of the features he figured would be most important. "I'll be sure to do that. That reminds me that I should go visit my parents sometime." Douglas couldn't help but think of them with all this family talk when suddenly Bramble straightened up in his chair with a holler! It took Douglas a moment to realize what topic Bramble was on, but as soon as he remembered he erupted into a fit of laughs at the sudden enthusiasm showed by the Unicorn. "Darn tootin'! That's the spirit." Watching Bramble nearly take off without a moment's notice only to sink back into his seat caused Douglas to burst out into a bigger fit of laughs! "I'd of told ya had I knew ya before the start. Even I'm feeling the strain deep within!"

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Strained relationships were nothing new to Ginger Mint. Folks not getting along the way they feel they ought to was always a common enough theme at work. She'd overhear friends relating their woes to friends, and on occasion when things weren't too busy, she'd strike up a conversation with some unhappy character or another and give them somepony to talk to, but the trouble with Bramble's aunt felt like something that went a whole lot deeper than forgetting an anniversary or missing out on a party.

Bramble said going to visit felt like a party, so it couldn't have been that bad... but he's holding something back too, something he doesn't want to talk about...

She wasn't quite sure how deeply she should try to pry. She certainly wanted to help, but it felt like she was playing with fire just talking about it. With a better plan not forthcoming, she figured it was better to be safe than sorry.

"Well, I sure hope things turn out for your Aunt," She was picking her words carefully this time, "Being all by yourself isn't easy, and its not the kind of thing I would like anypony to be unhappy for."

That was about as far as Ginger Mint felt comfortable going into it. She knew Bramble wasn't telling the whole story, and for all she knew, his Aunt was currently living a perfectly happy life at that very moment.

Can't go around assuming things like that, it'd be a recipe for disaster. One cup uncertainty, two cups surprises, blend in a tablespoon of pride and boil for as long as it takes to explode...

Thankfully, Douglas' story kept her mind from worrying about it too much. It all seemed so strange to her. For every bit that seemed familiar, there was something else that felt out of place. It wasn't as if it was some outlandish tale that strained the imagination. There was enough to relate to, and that made the unfamiliar pieces that much more confusing.

"Well, I know I would certainly be in a whole lot of trouble if my parents called out and I didn't come galloping. They must have had some kind of special sense to know when 'I didn't hear you,' was the truth or not. I'd get scolded and maybe sent to my room, but I don't think I ever got... um... whooped was it you said?"

She nodded politely in thanks as Douglas agreed to say hello for her, and she was just about to ask him whether or not his parents had settled down when Bramble caught a sparkle in his eyes and a gust in his sails. She didn't dare try to interrupt the moment, she just relaxed and smiled. If she'd had a notebook and a quill, she might have kept a tally of each little victory, but she had to settle for just making a mental note.

"No one told me racing hurt so much!"

Douglas might have been full of good cheer about the whole ordeal, and while his laughter was contagious, it wasn't contagious enough to get past her aching everything. With a mock frown, she flopped her head down on the table with a sigh.

"Oooh, no kidding... I mean, four stars! That race would have taken its toll on anypony. When did it become a tradition to add an obstacle course in with the Running of the Leaves anyway?

Her grousing was only half hearted though, and while she was aching now, she was expecting to look back on the event with fond memories.

"Funny thing about doing the big, tough challenges. They wear you out, and right afterwards you'll swear, 'never again!' and then after a little while you feel better and you start to think, 'yeah, I could go for one more.'"

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose laughed softly at Douglas' story, shaking his head. "I bet you were as sore as I am right now... except you *didn't* want to sit!" He wondered what it would have been like, growing up with all those different kids, running wild and growing up strong. Getting in trouble, getting punished, not being a good little colt.

But then ... he wouldn't get to experience some of this as an adult. Learning about this sort of thing. Meeting these ponies. Perhaps it wasn't all so bad. Would he be sitting here wondering what it would be like to grow up in Canterlot, if he'd had Douglas' life?

And he smiled over to Ginger Mint. "Doesn't have to take that long," he said with a little half-laugh. "It hurts, but it feels... good. Like I *earned* those aches and pains. It makes me feel proud." He let out a soft groan. "But I'll feel a lot better when it's done, even so."

[Otsdarva]

"Never in my life had I ever begged more for a cold bath." Douglas replied with a laugh, enjoying thinking of the old times. "And yes, it's a whoopin'. Mama took me to her knee and made my flank redder than my coat! I s'pose different cultures have different parenting. It kept me outta trouble though. 'Cause pain will give you a memory of what not to do." Douglas shuffled in his seat, thinking about what Ginger said. Odds are he was the only pony there who knew what it was like to get a spanking. Surely, he could have only imagined the trouble he would have gotten into if he wasn't always fearing that chance of gettin' whooped.

And with that, they were back on the race. It was interesting how easy they could just go around in circles without a care. "Aye, it's quite the endurance test. I wonder if it was simply one bad coincidence after the next that caused all those crazy things to happen in the race." Douglas said, giving his back a quick scratch. "And yeah, aches and pains are actually nice if you feel you earned them. Just getting up in the morning gives you this weird energy rush. Besides, the more you do them, the less sore you'll get and the more you can push it."

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

A cold bath. Douglas' words made Ginger Mint shiver a little bit just thinking about it, and she gently picked her head back up off the table. She wasn't usually one to judge anypony on account of having strange habits, and maybe it was the way the wind whistled around the now empty branches outside, or perhaps it was her memory of how chilly her room had been when she woke up earlier that morning, but cooling off on a hot summer day was the feeling farthest from her mind. She figured that cold water was something ponies dove into on a dare, or to prove how tough they were.

"Well, I don't know about a cold bath..." she paused with a single shake of her head, "but I think you've got it exactly right about the bath part. Standing up, sitting down... nothing really helps sore legs like taking the weight off in a big tub of water, maybe even with bubbles in it. A swimming pool would work too, if they haven't been closed for the season that is."

"...Well, I guess there may be some things that are a little bit like it. I've been told that 'the spa treatment,' is probably the most soothing thing for aching hooves. Supposedly they even have baths that are made out of mud, which I know sounds a bit strange but if you think about it, its probably really nice. I remember playing in the mud when I was just a little filly and I didn't mind one bit."

It takes a few moments for the dreamy far away look in Ginger Mint's eyes to fade away. "But I guess I couldn't say for sure, thats just what some of the other fillies said back in school, and you can never quite tell when somepony is pulling your tail like that."

Aches and pains. They suddenly they seemed very silly indeed, and perhaps in spite of them Ginger Mint was in a great mood. So when Bramble started talking about how he felt like he earned his aches and pains and Douglas agreed with him, she very nearly stifled a genuine giggle. Of course she felt a little bit mortified immediately afterwards and was compelled to qualify her little outburst so that he didn't think she was giggling at him.

"Oh, sorry... well, its just that..." she paused for a moment to collect herself, straightening up and taking on just the faintest hint of a bad noble accent, "I can't imagine why anypony would pay good bits for aches and pains, I mean, its hardly a trophy you can show off. Not unless you want to make a few enemies in the process that is. Why, if you ask me, the Whitetail Wood owes me for the whole transaction, and I'll be quite happy to go and collect the next time I get sent off on some errand to procure maple syrup for breakfast."

Ginger Mint was grinning widely as she spoke, and had to pause a few times to breathe so that her words didn't flow out as one long unbroken chain of syllables.

"Besides, I distinctly recall asking for a dull twinge, and I really can't be held accountable if the Whitetail Wood decided to go the extra mile."

She stopped, took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

"Sorry, that was too much, wasn't it? ...I suppose I could say that was probably the most fun I've had in a race. Back in school I always felt like I was just running because my mom said I had to go out for sports, even though part of me realized the importance of getting some exercise. But if it really was a bunch of coincidences this time around, I guess we should all feel lucky that nopony got hurt... and worse than they did..."

She finished off that last sentence slowly as she rubbed one of the welts left on her side by the rampaging hornets.

[Bramble Rose]

Bramble Rose let out a soft 'oh'! "Oh, yes," he said sincerely, "I'd much recommend the spa here! The sisters running it are *very* good. I visit it often!" He visited it more often than he'd like, but sometimes it seemed like poison joke was in season around here. Or that little brat would toss those balloons at him...

Then he chuckled softly as Ginger Mint started joking about the bruises as prizes, and then chuckled some more as she went on with the joke, making it more and more silly. His chuckles turned into helpless giggles, and he ducked his head, trying to stop but finding the jokes perfectly delivered, tickling at his funnybone. Even when it started to get more serious, he couldn't help but continue the helpless giggles, though his hooves came up to cover his mouth, trying to muffle them.

[Otsdarva]

Douglas listened to the others talk about moving their little party to a spa of all places. Maybe a soak in a tub would do a world of good, surely it beat the quick showers Douglas currently relied upon. "Maybe a little dip would be nice." Douglas wasn't exactly feeling sore, more fitting would be that his muscles were just strained and tense after the race. That is to say he was still feeling the effects of the race, but his physique had easily helped keep the strain to a minimum.

Bramble's giggle fit was certainly something pleasant to watch. He wasn't sure, but Douglas felt the unicorn had been a little hard on himself a few times today and it was nice to see him laugh so boundlessly. That isn't to say that Douglas wasn't having a little chuckle at her exaggerated accent as well. He almost felt compelled to tell a joke of his own although he wasn't all to sure if either pony would be able to handle his rather crude joke. "Shoot, starting to wish ah had a clean joke to share as well." It certainly wasn't something he heard from a gentlepony, no sir, it was one he heard while half fired up in a saloon and it was probably best the joke stayed within the hallowed walls of a saloon.

[Ginger Mint]

hi hi

Ginger Mint looked at the plate in front of her, just one cookie left.

The conversation had already gone full circle, off to fantastic and far away places; to danger, adventure and excitement; daring plans for the future, and old friends and family from the distant past; and then back again to the here and now where it started. Even though it was the same as before, she couldn't help but see it from a fresh perspective, noticing all those little things she never realized she was missing in the first place.

It felt like coming home again.

Even if she was the one who started it, she couldn't help but start giggling along with Bramble and chuckling along with Douglas. It wasn't until she felt like she'd gotten it all out of her system that she stretched her forelegs out as far as they would go -which was not very far given the circumstances- and feigned a yawn.

"Y~yep, it looks like my work here is done," she said just before pretending to take one last drink from her already empty teacup, "You'll just have to brush up on your jokes for the next time we run into each other, Douglas."

Ginger Mint slowly exhaled and started to stand up, but stopped herself halfway. "I suppose I'd better run this tray back to Sugarcube Corner before they all start wondering if I took off with it for good, but maybe I will have to try the spa out here in Ponyville sometime. Hopefully they don't charge as much as the ones in Fillydelphia."

The last cookie was still sitting on the tray, and something inside told her that it simply wouldn't do. So with the back of one hoof, she pressed down on the corner, and with the tip of her other, she broke it into three roughly even shaped pieces and slid two of them across the table.

"Gentlecolts, it has been a pleasure to meet the both of you. With any luck, it won't be for the last time."

And with that, she scooped her part up and very carefully stood back on all fours.