Blueblood

"Of the words that shiver down my spine, the strongest are these... you are mine."  Onyx had to end with a whisper on that kiss to her cheek, for much the same reason the kiss was restricted to that area!  Matters would broaden soon enough, but the pair of them needed to get out of the public view!  

Thankfully, her treehouse was not far, and she managed to lead Sugar there without incident, barging through the door with somewhat less than poetic elegance.  It... would be considerably later in the day before either were out and about again!

The Apple, as they said, never falls far from the tree.  "They" in this case being almost every single member of the Apple family that came before Ambrosia.  While she was no farmer, not by inclination, her bred-in work ethic had found its outlet at last!  Not that great wizardry was in her future, but greatness of some kind was sure to come to the determined and the beautiful!

Right now, though, Ambrosia was just happy to have lifted the rock.  Sighing with relief, she pulled a corner of the blanket draping her bed to wipe her brow, not with magic yet.  As much homework as she had done, it wasn't quite second nature to her to use magic for everything just yet... "Tired, but good!"  Ambrosia managed a smile, refreshed from the cooling of the sweat of her brow... along with the tea that had gone cold in her cup.  A refreshing sip and she was feeling right as rain!

Which was especially interesting, as she had seemingly neglected to put the rock *down*....

There are few perfect moments that a pony experiences in their life, and this, for Onyx, was one of them.  It felt like embers of warmth kindled sometime before in her heart finally blazed to life, driving away the last of a gloomy fog that had settled over her soul.  Were Sugar Moonlight able to see her aura, it would be glowing brighter than ever before.

Even poets could be lost for words, or feel that silence was the best punctuation to a scene.  Onyx would feel this way... but that compliment from her marefriend deserved reciprocation.  "I feel a little guilty then, because I seem to have stolen away the most beautiful thing about Maretime Bay while I roamed."  She held her position, letting Sugar nuzzle into her neck, before leaning down to whisper, "But if that's how you really feel... perhaps we should be headed back home~"

As Pathfinder brought out each increasingly unlikely item in an attempt to locate legal tender in her saddlebag, Sky Sailing couldn't help himself from accompanying each of them with an appropriate little musical sting... though he did stumble on a couple of the notes when she brought out that fanfic.  It was just as well; 'Bow-chicka-bow-wow' did not sound good on an upright piano...

Blushing profusely, he nodded in agreement at Windy's characterization of the rings, "I've always admired adventure stories, but I hardly ever see myself in them... after all, what do I need to go through ancient dungeons for, when I have right now more than I could ever ask for?"  He gave the loving glance of a newlywed over at his wife, while his daughter just laughed at the silly pony. 

"Clown, clown!  Heehehehee!"  With all the candor of the extremely young, Glimmer did not mince words on how seriously most folks were taking Pathfinder's antics... aside from, you know, the bombs.  She was a little too young to understand that.

Sensing that the sugar rush his little filly was going through had just about peaked, Sky started into a slower-tempoed cover of his hit song 'Fireflies' to start winding her down, whispering to Candy, "I'm not the pony to ask; I'm just a blue-collar colt from a factory town that made it big.  The whole city's kinda crazy to me, you know?"

"Okay, Bu-bye Auntie Twilight!  I'll practice hard!"  Ambrosia waved good-bye to her new teacher, feeling immensely pleased and proud to have taken her first steps on her journey of learning magic.  Did Zappers feel this good when Blue-mama took him flying for the first time?  Probably; every pony had something that made them special, and true happiness was felt in pursuing that to its fullest potential.  Lucky Ambrosia had two things like that, her magic and her cuteness!  She was going to be the most adorable little magician ever!

~***~

"Hnrrggghhhh...."

Two weeks later, Ambrosia was feeling neither cute, nor powerful.  Sweat wasn't cute at all, her ringlets were downright floppy now, but the rock was just so heavy!  

"Nghaaaaahhh...."

Why couldn't she just decorate it, make it all sparkly and pretty?  Then it might actually be worth holding up!

"Mmmmm-cha!"

With one final burst of effort, panting, Ambrosia was able to hold the weighted magic stone about two inches up in the air.  One half-inch higher than last week!  "Ha.... huh... how's that?"

"Rasha... RaSha..."  Spoiled echoed his words softly, attempting to replicate the distinction.  Care in one's speech was a mark of refinement, and she would like to be able to converse at least partially in Niilaavin's native tongue.  At least, for such things as pony speech had no specific terms for.  It also helped distract her from the implications of what those words actually were.  She was a socially aware mare, sharply aware, and knew that closeness that breached family lines like that, without involving the whole family, were trouble.  It would be one thing if both Filthy and Diamond Tiara were as good a friend to the sphinx as spoiled; that would just make him an honorary 'uncle'.  But this?  This was verging on outright courtship, of a married mare!

"Tyr... yes that one is easier."  She admitted, noting the presence of those on the docks.  Were they far enough away from Ponyville that none would recognize her?  It depended; enthusiasts for the hobby would travel far to fish.  "So is that where the whole riddle thing came from?  More verbosity misinterpreted, rather than a love of games as such?"  Closer to the public, she wanted to steer the conversation away from danger, for now.  Riddles were a safe bet, even if for anypony else she'd find them slightly tiresome.

Oh, that smile... even the sharpness of the great sphinx's teeth only added a dangerous edge that sharpened his attractiveness.  "There is a very short list of living beings who I would even allow to talk my ears off, and of that list you may well be the only one to whose every word I would listen."  With such flattering compliments as Niilaavin was giving her, Spoiled only felt it right to return some of her own.  This sort of exchange... how long had it been since she had felt something like this?  She could only think back to when she and Filthy were courting, and even then her mood had been tinged with a cynical, materially-minded grift.  And maybe that's where it had all gone wrong, at the beginning...

Hearing Niilaavin explain the word Rasha... the word's definition a somewhat different picture than the metaphors he used.  And that little phrase in his native tongue... what was it about that which sent shivers up her spine?  She had always been a cat person, she supposed... "I would say, that almost sounds like the word 'friend' in Equestrian, but that might perhaps be too weak a term.  One does not share a den with mere friends unless certain benefits are involved, and it sounds as if a Rasha would offer those."  This was getting close to dangerous territory now, and so close to the lake too, but Spoiled was... not exactly caring anymore.  She couldn't explain it, it was as if her emotions had completely obscured her plans for the future.  For perhaps the first time in her life, she was living in the present moment, and not the prelude to the future.

Some years ago, Gloomy Sonnet would actually wonder if the trees really did look out for each other, or if each of them were locked in a silent, slow, and deadly battle for water, earth and sunlight.  And maybe, in the future, when her mood was down, she might return to those thoughts once more.  But right now?  In the light of the glade, as the sun sparkled over Sugar Moonlight's mane and coat, Onyx believed the best of the world, returning her marefriend's nuzzle.

"Hm, yes, fate..."  The unicorn mare wasn't sure how long they would be alone, but in this one, perfect moment, she honestly was starting to not care.  Or even notice the world around her, for that matter.  All that mattered was the beautiful earth pony in front of her, just within kissing range.  Those glamourous lips called for her own, and she moved in to answer, simultaneously lifting the long edge of her scarf up to drape around the back of Sugar's neck...

Ambrosia beamed at Twilight, her little filly brain totally disregarding any suspicion of duplicity or mixed emotions.  "Nuh-uh, I feel fine!"  This would be an early sign of what would become clear in later years; Ambrosia would never be able to summon all that much power at once, but would be able to sustain that amount of power indefinitely.  Probably came from taking after AJ's side of the family, for all that she was a unicorn.

Then, as if to make a proud moment even prouder, Applejack herself came in to admire her hornwork.  "Yup, I did it!"  Little Amby, of course, had no idea what the runes meant, but knew what sort of answer was likely to get the best response.  "It says... I love you!"  That was... not all that far from what it literally said.  Loving ponies did that sort of thing to each other.

"My strength truly is worthy of carrying you..."

Did males know how powerful their words could be?  Spoiled had to wonder, given how few times she could count on a deliberate compliment from a stallion landing well, compared to how their offhand remarks (or lack thereof) affected her.  Maybe they were creatures of instinct more that thought.  Maybe everypony was, and there was nothing really wrong in letting herself be carried off by them just as much as the Sphinx was carrying her.  And Niil had such a pleasant voice too, she felt she could listen to him talk on just about anything.

"Hm?  Well, in general, I would much prefer to discuss the origins of your blood than mine.  My background is a humble one, and I've little desire to relive my younger years.  In specific... that word you used, Rasha?  I don't recall you ever explaining what it means."  She thought she knew, though; could guess its definition and meaning.  And while their talks were still private...

Wait, wait, what was she thinking?  Was it the altitude of thin air?  Her better self, the one concerned with fidelity, propriety, and actually maintaining her political career thrashed against her impulsive, adventurous soul-half, maintaining her suppressive lid once more... but there were cracks in the pottery now.  Cracks that Niil could exploit... or accidentally smash with an offhand comment.

Ambrosia could indeed not understand much of what was written in Twilight's little lesson plan.  But some of those Runic symbols looked pretty!  Thinking back to when she had written her name up on the wall, the little filly decided to see if she could make the symbols she saw appear up on the wall.  Less familiar than normal letters, the illusion of writing looked clumsy upon the wall, but soon enough she was able to reproduce one, two, then three of the letters at once!  More or less chosen at random, so only Twilight knew what they were spelling.

And, well, she would know, actually, as by the time she got back, Amby had gotten up to six of them at once, in sparkly gel-pen colors too!  "Lookie Auntie Twilight!"  She said proudly, beaming as the alicorn entered.

Hearing Sugar speak of her nightmare caused Gloomy to draw closer to her, eventually pressing right up against her side for comfort, tail intertwined.  "I promise I will not, as long as my mind remains whole, you will have pride of place within it.  Memory, the key to persistence through time, the only way a relationship could grow... like these trees."  The last line was poetry of a kind, even though it didn't rhyme.  Perhaps soon Gloomy Sonnet would be writing in a new meter.

For all that, though, Onyx didn't feel like lingering in the gloom for long, and she directed them to a spot past the orchard, a glade where the sun shone brighter than usual.  This was where the flowers grew, those that needed the sunlight normally taken up by the canopy.  Sugar would even be able to see Izzy's tree house from here; not exactly a surprise that the unicorn was occupying one of the brighter pieces of real estate.  "Hm, nopony else here?  I would have thought that we'd meet someone on a picnic."

The antics of Pathfinder were so attention-grabbing that even a performer like Sky Sailing had to put his ivory-tickling feathers on autopilot to track the pegasus.  Just to make sure that she wasn't about to do anything wild like knock over a shelf or something!  And while no such destructive whim was acted upon, he did observe her put Windy in a bit of an awkward spot.  Both feeling for his wife's position, and honestly too secure in her love to feel all that jealous, he gave a little nod when she silently asked permission to give Candy Corn a kiss, just as a friend, you know?  The poor shopkeeper was obviously flustered by that, and Sky couldn't help but be amused.  One's first kiss always seemed to have that effect.

For himself, he reserved a wry smile for when Pathfinder gave him a wave.  "You're not exactly wrong about them being cute together, but one of those mares is my wife, just so you know."  He lifted a wing to show the gold band that marked him as a taken stallion; Windy wore a similar on on her own.  His other wing stretched out to catch hold of Glimmer as she followed Aunt Candy with the caramel apples, his music given a pause as he and his daughter enjoyed their treats.

Of course her mothers would be proud!  Orange-mama was always proud of her filly, since she was the cutest in the world, after all.  And blue-mama would think her new skills were 'Awesome!'  No higher praise could be imagined!  Besides the Princess of Magic saying she was doing great, of course.  Which she just did!  Huzzah!

"Alright!"  Amby called back to Twilight as she departed, too engrossed in the picture book now to notice any other.  Such pretty pictures, with princesses moving about, showing off what they could do.  Ooh, this one was lighting up a dark cave, full of crystals!  Could she do that?  Maybe she could...  

Ambrosia Apple sat back, face screwed up in concentration as she pulled her curls away from her horn.  Concentrating once more on summoning up the energy she felt inside, she drew it up to the tippy-top of her horn, picturing a ball of light.  It sparked, fizzling, then... took shape.  It was hard to see it in the daylight, but she was sure of it!  A glowing orb!  Giggling with delight, she dismissed it, feeling a rush of shivers down her spine as she did so.  Boy, what a rush... wait, what was that sticking out of Twilight's bag?

So, young Sphinxes fancied themselves frontiersmen?  That was something that Spoiled Rich could understand as an earth pony; they were the tribe that stood on the vanguard of Equestrian expansion these days, going out into the desert and drylands to make the land arable and fit for habitation.  Not a lifestyle that made for a materially comfortable existence, but there was something to be said for getting in on the ground floor of a place.  Indeed, that may well be the method by which the Apple Clan had become so influential in so many corners of the fruit market...

She shook her head.  Incipient envy would do nothing to help her relax.  "Well, it is good to speak with one who empathizes.  I would hate to monopolize your attentions, but I don't suppose you'll have to make more than one or two examples of nosey nooks."  The thought was a happy one, but not near so thrilling as the ride she was about to be taken on!

Calling out with a much louder, "Whoop!"  than she'd thought would happen, Spoiled tightened her grip around the harness as she was taken down on a dive, eyes streaming as she strained to see her sphinx friend show his stuff.  And what stuff it was!  Having been out on lake parties before, Spoiled had a somewhat better estimation of the mass involved in boats, and to see Niilaavin lift one clear from the water, and soar so high... it impressed her, genuinely impressed her.  Her heart pounded, and she drew in heavy breaths of thinner air.  Whether it was the sudden movement or just the altitude, she was feeling lightheaded, a bit like she had just taken a three-martini lunch-

 “Are you pleased by the strength of my wings? A mated flight they can achieve.”

She didn't know what the term 'mated flight' meant exactly, but she could guess.  And oh did that guess push her mind to dangerous places.  Given the security of her straps, probably a more dangerous place than even her body was right now.  A strong young male was showing off to impress her, and that had an effect on a mare, stoking thoughts and desires she hadn't thought to feel quite in that way after so long in her current marriage... especially given the current state of her and Filthy's relationship.

In this time and place, she was in a vulnerable place, finally starting to consider possibilities she'd shut off from her mind.  Not that she expected to be in any way to act upon them, but... but a mare could fantasize, and she was going to let herself do so now.  "Why... yes, yes I'd say so."  The mayor replied, visibly blushing as he body tried to warm itself against the chill air.  "But perhaps you'd better return that poor pony's property?  I don't think the Prince would appreciate having to compensate its owner."

Soul of the Queens of old?  Spoiled very much liked the sound of that, and had the freedom of movement allowed to a mare held down on the back of a flying cat permitted, would have given a suitably imperious gesture of acknowledgement and gratitude.  "I will say I have always felt that I was meant for more than... wherever I was.  Whether it is moving to a better place, or making the place I am better, I am never satisfied with my status quo."  She sighed, her admission coming as a revelation to herself as much as to Niilaavin.  "And to those who are at peace with their lot... it must be a very irritating thing to be so disturbed.  And while I appreciate the presence of a fellow striver, to make all my neighbors as dissatisfied as myself seems... impolitic."  As a mare in her middle age, Spoiled Rich knew fairly well that she was in all likelihood never going to have the time to move to a new place and become as influential and important there as she was in Ponyville, hence her focus on increasing the prestige of her town in general and her family specifically.  But given that her progeny no longer shared her push to be somewhere better than she was, her whole energy was now devoted to local politics.  And there was only so much a mayor could do...

She tried to chase away these thoughts with an appreciation of the view, which was incredible.  The visual trick of perspective, by which large things at ground level seemed so small by air, suited her ultimate view of them.  Ponyville was the world to its inhabitants, but one saw so much more from up here.  As one with a higher view, this might explain her friction with her fellow Earth Ponies.  In her mind also, she found herself storing away a little more patience for pegasi.  If they had this view regularly, it would be natural for them to seem 'flighty' to the ground-bound.

"It is beautiful..."  She said, and truly, though it was not endlessly fascinating, at least not compared to the sphinx she was riding.  Airships one got used to fairly quickly, as the less its power and mechanisms intruded on your flight experience, the better it was engineered.  But Niil's muscle power was on full display, and gradually the awareness of the bodily power, the masculine energy keeping them aloft took up more and more of Spoiled's attention.  And that wasn't including the sphinx's conversation, which more and more she found she enjoyed.  "Ah, the freedom from petty cares... and less petty ones.  Journalism is a plague; I'm quite sympathetic to his Highness' views on the matter.  You do make me wish I had a sphinx of my own around the place..."  Taking one more look at the ground, judging the worth of its view, she made a decision, perhaps a more reckless one than she'd taken in years.  "Actually... I'd rather see what you are capable of than a mere view of the land.  Show me the power of a Sphinx's wings!"

The low and sultry promise Sugar gave Onyx caused her dark grey face to redden deeply, and she had to clear her throat to remain inconspicuous.  "Right, right then... I'll, uh, show you the orchards first!"  Hoping she didn't seem in too much of a hurry, she left a tip for Alphabittle on the table before scooting off and out the door.

After a bit of quick trotting in the open air, the unicorn found herself a little calmer, sighing deeply with a smile.  "Once cooled by the forest breeze, one has a mood to see some trees."  Sugar might or might not have eyes for the scenery as she followed Gloomy, but the orchards were well worth a glance, even away from a mare one was seriously crushing on.  Unlike Earth Pony agriculture, there was no disciplined ordering of rows of plants; rather, much like the housing in Bridlewood, it was more than existing trees seemed to have been magically changed to fruit bearing ones.  An enormous chestnut, for instance, was currently heavy with apples of a bluish-purple color, alongside the nuts it naturally bore.

"When you see what was done when we used to have magic, that makes the loss feel all the more tragic."  Gloomy reflected, transferring her familiar thoughts to the newcomer.  "In one sense ignorance was bliss, if you didn't know what you would miss.  But as we all found in that thrilling hour, it was in knowledge remembered we found the true power."  Unsure if her thoughts were coming through in rhyme, Onyx switched back to prose.  "If friendship and magic are so connected, then memory must play a large part.  If I forgot about you, we wouldn't be friends anymore; I would need to remember who you were to me to continue a relationship."

Ambrosia tilted her head, as she tried to fit Twilight's lesson inside her developing brain.  So, magic in trees... is the magic of Equestria... that was inside all ponies?  That... made sense.  Apple trees were what gave her family their magic, right?  The fruits were certainly magically good, so everything made perfect sense, actually!  "Tree magic, yeah!"  She raised her hooves in the air, proud that she 'got it'!

That little burst of confidence fueled her to get back to practicing her magic, screwing up her face again to light her horn.  Focus, focus... pretty pictures... on the paper... hold, tug.... lift....  Slowly, the page began to move.  Not so very high up, but enough to shift to the left, little more, little more... it over balanced, revealing the new picture as Amby's concentration dissipated into a shower of sparks, reflected in her shining eyes.  "I... I did it Auntie Twilight!"

Sugar Moonlight was probably not going to set a new stereotype for earth ponies... but if the next hornless visitor to Bridlewood started cracking remarks like that, the reputation was probably going to stick.  Although... Onyx wasn't sure if it had just been her own mood, or the effect of magic loss, but she had never seen relationships blossom between unicorns as quickly as the one between her and Sugar had.  It was interesting to think about....

"Sounds like a good idea.  Hopefully an adventurous visitor arrives soon."  The unicorn nodded, finishing her tea with a satisfied sigh.  "Ah... that's a lot better.  Well, the stuff's in the house, breakfast is in us, and it looks like you've got a job here!  That leaves you the rest of today and the weekend with me... was there anything you wanted to do or see?"

Most of the customers so far weren't paying much attention to Sky Sailing, which was fine.  He was there to help see chocolate, the chocolate was not there to attract audience members.  He did, however, transition from general ragtime noodling to actual songs; the Charlie Horse and the Chocolate Factory soundtrack seemed appropriate enough, and he sang softly along with the tune of the opening number,

"Who can take a sunrise,

Sprinkle it with dew?

Cover it with chocolate

And a miracle or two?

The Candy Mare can!

The candy mare can because she mixes it with love

And makes the world taste good..."

Maybe that would be a good radio ad idea, if Candy was thinking that would be a good idea.  Though, if Sky had known who had just trotted into the store, maybe he wouldn't have sung the lyrics.  Pathfinder was the sort of mare who, having no experience in musical theater, would take this song as some sort of secret signal to a chocolate-making cult aiming to flood all of Los Pegasus with hot cocoa or something.  But, everypony had to experience their first encounter with a crazy adventurer sometime!  

At least Glimmer was happy, listening to her dad play music and her mom feeding her candy.  She'd crash later, but for now she was a happy, giggly little filly!  More than a few customers were pausing in their browsing to coo over the cute little one, too.

The mention of her being granted 'devourment privileges' was stirring warm and gushy feelings all up in the unicorn mare, and only her training as a poet and public performer kept her from stammering as she replied, "Well, in that case, I hope to have a good dinner ready for you tonight~"

"Hey, get a room you two!"  the other customer called out half-jokingly, reminding Onyx sharply that they were not alone in the tea shop.

"Eep!"  She cried out in sudden realization and embarrassment, sinking her head muzzle deep into her own scarf as her already flushed face deepened its ruby tones.  "Your words are making my heart race; perhaps we should seek a more private space?"  

In the hopes of cooling herself down, she took in more tea, which was still a little too hot to calm her, darn it.  "Well, ah, there's rumors about hidden ruins deep in the woods here.  I don't know how much remains, but if traces of the old Equestria could be anywhere, maybe we should start close to home?"  Gloomy hoped the more sober subject would steer the flirty mare in front of her away from anything that would cause further exposure in public.  This just wasn't the sort of place one could do that sort of thing!

"Hmph!  It's good to see someone who appreciates a mare with standards!"  The tone which Spoiled spoke had rather more emphasis than she intended.  Indeed, what she considered proper standards for a mare of her ambitions was a bone of contention, and was at the root of why they weren't stopping at home.  She was in a mood of dissatisfaction, and all the instinct's driving Niil's own slips of the tongue must be sitting up and taking notice.  A matriarch was in a place to be swayed, if he would be so bold to venture his suggestions, and brave and overcome her objections.

Not that Mayor Rich knew of what passions she was calling forth to dally with, as she began to slide down the back of his neck towards his harness.  "I suppose it would be a long work.  Not only with the transformation, but a long while before any of the transformed were more than ponies piloting a sphinx's body.  I hope you are a patient cat in that respect."  Having reached the harness, she wrapped a cloak around herself before strapping in.  "I've only been up in the clouds once, but I remember the chill."  Settling in and making herself comfortable, she called out with mock imperiousness, "You may alight when ready."

Ambrosia blinked, that phrase turning little gears in her head.  She screwed up her face and stuck out her tongue in effort of recollection, before her eyes lit up with remembrance.  "Oooohhhh!  That's the tree the Elements grew on, like apples!"  Of course that's how Applejack would explain it to her little filly.  Details of appearance weren't covered, so she wouldn't have noticed any discrepancy between her mama's tales and the illustration.  "But... didn't you find the elements in a Castle?  How are they growing on the tree?  You can't put an apple back on a tree after it's fallen off."