Sugar-frosted Sonnet in the cool woodland clearing (Private, Icy)

[Blueblood]

Gloomy wondered, briefly, as she saw the forest treeline approach from the dusty road between Bridlewood and Maretime Bay, if any of the unicorns would recognize her.  Granted, she didn't think she looked all that different, though it had been a while since she'd last used a mirror.  But she certainly felt different; warmer, fuzzier, altogether lighter on her hooves.  Her head was held higher, her hooves walked with more of a clippy-clop, and her expression wore a more serene smile than its more melancholic default.

Then she looked over towards Sugar Moonlight, and realized that they wouldn't be paying attention to anyone but her.  The sparkle-maned earth pony a remarkable mare, in more than just her looks, as it had taken but one day for her to reach out to a friend-seeking unicorn in the rain, sending both of their lives on a new trajectory.  She could only hope that Bridlewood would give her at least as warm a reception as Gloomy Sonnet had received at Maretime Bay.  Which wasn't, like, a ticker tape parade or anything, but had some friendly faces and no overly hostile ones.  Best one could expect so soon after unification, really.

 

"If we just follow the mushrooms' glow, the path takes us to home in tow."  Gloomy pointed out the luminiscent fungi as they came under the shade of the trees.  Unicorns didn't have electricity, so had to make do with what nature provided for public lighting.  Honestly, though, she kind of preferred it to the brighter lights of Maretime Bay.  Night didn't feel like... night with so many lightbulbs on.

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

 

The travel from Maretime Bay to where Sugar was going to be starting her new life was... What's the word she's looking for... Nervous, exciting, filled with anticipation? A mixture of all of the above? There was a single word for all of that wasn't there? Sugar shrugged. The words that described her feelings on the top back failed in comparison to the endless ones that she could speak about how happy she was now with the mare that was next to her. If somepony would have told her a few months ago that she would be leaving Maretime Bay to move in with a unicorn, she would have rolled her eyes at Sunny and probably just ignored it. I'm fact, she was fairly sure that somewhere in her crazy proclamations back in the day Sunny might have actually said something like that. 

 

Now she had a real friend! Not to say that any of the ponies in Maretime Bay weren't her friends, but at the same time none of them were in much of a hurry to give her a job when she left Canterlogic. Thankful her home there was a family home, so there was no mortgage or anything on it. It was hers and would stay that way. She would be more than happy to rent it out to somepony though, on the condition that they get to stay there when they were in town. She had no idea how often that would be herself. They still have to get situated here in Bridlewood.

 

When Gloomy pointed out the bioluminescent mushrooms and told her to follow them and it would lead them home, she nodded with a smile. "I can't wait to finally see it! This is my first time outside of Maretime Bay after all. I have to say, the travel was a lot less scary than I thought it would be. Having you at my side the whole way probably had a lot to do with it," she spoke happily. 

[Blueblood]

"If you roam far from home, it is best not to do it alone."  Having had to travel alone from Bridlewood to Maretime Bay, Gloomy could confirm from experience that traveling with a partner and friend was better than traveling alone.  Even still, as they passed under the shade of the trees, the mare couldn't help but feel that slightly bit more comfortable and relieved to be back within the glens and glades.  Having to travel so much open territory left her feeling... exposed.

 

"I live fairly close to the middle of town, close to Alphabittle's tea shop."  Gloomy dropped the rhymes as she took the lead, guiding Sugar as the forest path turned into a village road.  "We may pass a few who stare, some who'll talk if they dare.  None, I hope shall fear, but... my dear...."  She blushed, as her attempt to rhyme let a term of affection slip so easily.  But a pony can bond with another very quickly over the course of travel, as Sunny and Izzy found out.

 

Unlike when Sunny or Izzy arrived in Bridlewood, though, there was a considerably greater amount of general frolicking going on, little colts and fillies happily playing in the dappled leaf-filtered sunshine, unicorns going about their business with a smile and glow generally.  The removal of magic had affected their tribe's morale more than any of the other's, and it's return, consequently, cheered them up all the more.

True to Gloomy's word, her arrival did provoke stares, though she'd be able to tell that at least a few were from how pretty she looked rather than just the fact she was an earth pony.  One colt, just at that age when mares became super fascinating, was open-mouthed, dropping his magically-levitated apple halfway through a bite.  A filly next to him elbowed him.  "Bing Bong!"  She said, though more jokingly than superstitiously.  It was more or less what they had started saying now whenever anything went awry with their magic.

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

 

Having not seen Bridlewood before magic had been restored, Sugar was somewhat oblivious to how much of an effect the restoration of magic truly had. Sure Gloomy told her the stories about what it was like before, and they had spoke a lot about it on the way back... But there was a big difference in hearing about something and living it. Still, Sugar could see that everypony seemed to be much happier while she let Gloomy take the lead. She was the one that knew where they were going after all. 

 

Also add Gloomy had mentioned, her arrival was attracting a decent amount of attention. Seeing the mostly shocked reactions made her blush a bit, and the reaction from the colt with the apple and another filly next to him made her blush a bit more. She did hide a small chuckle when the filly said bing bong. She also imagined that a bit of the shock would be pointed at Gloomy. From what Gloomy had told her about before she left, she probably looked like a completely different pony, and the term of endearment didn't go unnoticed either. 

 

"Well, if any of them do decide to say hi, my sparkle will be high as the sky. But if they don't, that's okay to... Because all I really need is you," she smiled giving Gloomy a nuzzle as they got closer to her house. She hoped that she enjoyed her little rhyme. She found herself sleeping into that more and more the longer she'd been around Gloomy, and honestly, she found out challenging and fun. It'd be a while before she was sad good at rhyming as Gloomy was though.

[Blueblood]

While Sugar Moonlight definitely overshadowed Gloomy in terms of first impression attention, those who had regularly attended her poetry nights at Alphabittle's would have noticed more subtler changes in her attitude, a more muted and delayed version of the changes they had all undergone.  Mostly, it was the fact that she no longer stood out as the obvious melancholic exception.  Heck, even her grey coat seemed not drab, but some obscure shade of a hidden, esoteric band of the rainbow.  Somewhere between the blues and the greens... though maybe that was a trick of the light.

Smiling gently, she returned the nuzzle Sugar gave her as they turned the corner to her treehouse.  "It's nice to know that at this time, and you are cute when you try to rhyme."  She didn't mean that patronizingly, but it was clear she was unpracticed.  "You may keep going or stop, it's fine; I only do so to keep in line.  Piling up couplets is only the start, which ones to keep is the real art.  Or, to speak more plainly, in order to write good poems, one must write many poems."  She laughed a little opening the door.  It was telling that she had never thought to keep it locked, not that many in Bridlewood had much to steal. 

 

The whole room kept the homespun, one step away from nature vibe that the town exuded.  Illumination from windows or mushrooms, furnishings not so much carved from wood as looking like natural outgrowths of the tree itself.  Gloomy's house wasn't very bright, even in the middle of the day; opening all the curtains only changed that a little bit.  "Do watch your step, we can begin unpacking now."

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

While Sugar was used to having the spotlight on her for the most part, she had to admit that it felt a little weird being the center of attention among ponies that most of whom she didn't know. In fact, the only pony here that she knew right now was the pony that she was moving in with, and following to her house. She was happy though that Gloomy liked her rhyme and even blushed a bit when she said it was cute. She knew that it was genuine from the smile on her face, and nodded when she said that the trick to good poetry was lots of poetry. It was something that she could feel like she would learn easily enough. After all, she had a perfect teacher for it. "I think I'll try once in a while, practicing with lots of trial. To push the limits but never shove, to make smile the one I've grown love," she said, blushing immediately at the way the words came out. She was pretty sure the blush was running up into her ears at this point, making them match the red in her mane.

 

Only a moment later, Gloomy opened the door to her abode. She was a bit surprised that it was unlocked, but also not. Ponies, by their nature, were generally soft-hearted when they didn't have war mongering leaders spreading hate and fear among them to the point where they treated the other races like dirt and made them angry at them. It led to the question of what had actually started the entire feud between the races to begin with. Maybe in their quest to fully restore magic back to how it was, and unicorns could be the grand wizards of old again like they used to be, they could figure that out. Knowing how history was with these things though, it was either one of two things; Something incredibly petty, or something that was so devastating that there was no possible way to recover from it. Regardless though, the point was that most ponies weren't thieves. So leaving a door unlocked was not truly that surprising.

 

When they made their way inside, the lighting was the first thing that she noticed. Even with the curtains open, there was only so much sunlight coming down from the canopy of the forest. That meant most of the light inside was coming from bio-luminescent mushrooms that were casting a light blue hue through the room. As she moved in, the first thing that she noticed was that there was just enough light in the room for the glitter in her mane and tail absolutely shine. The reflections off of the grains could be seen all around her. She briefly wondered if this was similar to what it looked like when a unicorn was looking at a pony's sparkle. "This is beautiful! And way more in touch with nature than any earth pony home that I've been to! And you were right back at my place. It's definitely cozier, but that just means we get to be closer for longer," she said flicking Gloomy teasingly with her tail. 

 

Thankfully though, she had heeded Gloomy's warning and didn't pack super heavily. Just some of her essentials, mostly her grooming products, the jewelry box that she and her grandmother had made, and a few other important things to her. She didn't really have clothes, she never had an interest in covering up her coat. Though she wouldn't object to modeling for some fashion designers at some point. Most of what she kept were her family pictures, which she gently started to unpack. "Where would you like me to start placing things?" Sugar asked. This was still Gloomy's house so she wanted to respect that fact by asking for permission on where to put things, rather than just doing so haphazardly and risk moving, or worse, damaging something that was important to the mare.

[Blueblood]

Blushing slightly at the implications of being 'closer for longer, Gloomy returned the tail flick as she looked for places where Sugar could place her things.  It had been a while since she had reorganized her place, and truth be told she hadn't planned on having anypony else move in for a while.  Her horn lit up as she cleared some space on the bedside 'table', an outgrowth next to the one she placed her mattress on.  "Most ponies sleep close to the sky, I've never known why.  From waking to breakfast is a stumbling walk, and down stairs I'd fear to stalk."  Which more or less meant that bedroom and kitchen were on the floor. 

The loft, where she next climbed up to, was where she did most of the work, judging by the piles of papers and notebooks she was shifting around.  "Up here I have space to spare, most of your things can then go there."  A cozy little storage nook for any precious items, and some extra space made in the closet later, and that should be enough room for Sugar to move in. 

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

When Sugar heard Gloomy tell her that the bedroom and the kitchen were both on the same floor, she nodded. Her house was the same way. Like Gloomy had also said, one wrong step and morning breakfast could be a morning trip to the hospital. She watched as Gloomy made some space for her to place her things. The first think that she placed on the shelf was the jewelry box that her and her grandma made, surrounding it with the family photos that she had. She hoped to as more of those with her and Gloomy together.

 

As the two of them made their way up to the loft, Gloomy said that most of her things could do there. She actually only had a couple boxes to put there and started putting things along the shelves and prolonging the experience. She took extra time to tease Gloomy by showing off her long, lean, fluffy, and sparkly body. She even kept the fake unicorn horn that Canterlogic made. Maybe after a bit they could modify it to let her float things like the other unicorns. While that might not be likely, it was still interesting to think about, and magic was unpredictable so there was no trying what could actually happen. Honesty she was just hoping that she wouldn't become a burden being the only pony in Bridlewood without magic. 

 

When she finally finished unpacking, she let herself flop lightly over Gloomy's back with a giggle. She relished the feeling of warmth from being next to her. "All done! Wanna go get some breakfast? Those fried apples I smelled on the way here sound amazing. Not as amazing as you though," she giggled nibbling Gloomy's ear playfully.

[Blueblood]

Not having brought much with her to Maretime Bay, Gloomy had practically nothing to unpack, leaving her idly watching Sugar Moonlight do so.  And it had to be said, that mare was never boring to watch!  Whether or not she continued to model, she would always know how good she looked and how to emphasize that in how she moved.  Sugar would even be forgiven for a bit of vanity on her part, as long as Gloomy got to see her move on the regular.  
 

She had to brace her knees a bit to take the burden of Sugar's weight, but hardly minded, feeling the warm soft body so close to her own.  She could get used to this... And now she was getting a chance to!  "Will your legs be able to take you there, or will you ride me without a care?"  She asked, giving into Sugar's spirit of playfulness as her ears flicked.

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

Sugar smiled as her playful antics were reciprocated. It didn't go unnoticed they the little show that she put on had caught Gloomy's attention. Of cause the flop and the ear bite has as well because it was kind of hard to ignore the weight of another pony laying on them. When she spoke up asking if she could walk or if she would ride on her back there, she giggled a bit. "As much as I think it would be cute and wholesome, and totally fun to do that, I don't want to give off the impression to others that I'm to lazy to walk. That wouldn't do me any favors in the job hunt here," she smiled, her stomach rumbling against Gloomy's back. "But if you waaant toooo, I won't stooop youuuuu," she added sing songily with a giggle. 

[Blueblood]

"Well, I do want you to make a good impression, at least on my boss, so... gonna have to ask you to wait until late to ride me."  Gloomy did relish the feeling of Sugar's belly sliding off her back, delighting her in a sample of pleasant friction.  "Best place to get breakfast in town is Alphabittle's tea shop.  Best drinks, good scones... and there's not a whole lot of restaurants out here.  Most of them are just run out of somepony's home kitchen, opened after we started getting visitors."  Indeed, Bridlewood was like a rural town that suddenly had a train station, and neither the hosts nor the guests brought in from outside knew quite what to do with each other.  Well, besides Alphabittle, who's tea and novelty shop now had a small lodging business for visitors, not to mention a pony-powered arcade for entertainment.  

"It's not far from where I live... do you play games or puzzles much?  He's probably going to challenge you if you do."

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

Sugar giggled a bit and nodded as she slid off of Gloomy's back. "And ride you later I will," she said in a sultry whisper in her ear. She didn't want to get too flirty at the moment as they had a little bit to do today. Still out didn't take long to unpack and Sugar nodded when she heard Gloomy say that Alphabittle's tea shop was the best place for breakfast. She added that for the most part, Bridlewood was a bit behind in catching up with things. Most of the "restaurants" here we're ponies opening up their homes to travelers. While it was a nice gesture for the most part, it wasn't very accommodating. 

 

Sugar understood that. Looking at all the trees and the lack of land in the area, restaurants would be difficult here. At least until they could rediscover the magic that would let them carve out the trees without killing them. Making new buildings would be impossible, so that was literally the only option that Bridlewood had at the moment.

 

When Gloomy asked about games, saying that her boss would likely challenge her to something, she shrugged. "Honestly, I can't say that I have. At least, not since I was a filly. I've never really had anyone else to play with for the most part, so usually I spent my time reading, or sometimes standing in front of a mirror and trying to act out a scene from a book. I've never let anyone what watch though... Modeling in front of ponies is a lot easier than acting. I just have to walk with a bit of sass and attitude for modeling. Acting involves speaking and emotions, and I'm so certain I'm terrible at it that I've been afraid to even show it," she admitted. "But, I might be willing to learn some games. Who knows, maybe I'll have beginners luck, as they call it."

[Blueblood]

Gloomy shivered a bit at the sultry whisper.  She had no doubt by now that things were most likely headed... there between the two of them, they'd just grown a bit too close over the journey for anything else to be the case.  But, that was for later, as her stomach reminded her with its grumbles, breakfast now.

The smell of tea and scones, mixed with jasmine and beeswax, hung about Alphabittle's Tea and Puzzle shop, and it smelled like a second home.  "I think a lot of us were the same, growing up.  Extroversion was something we had to work up to, and I wonder if that's why Alphabittle set up this shop.  Grew up lonely, and wanted to always make sure he had ponies to play with.  Even the bets he took on were just extra enticements at first.  Don't expect to wager anything these days, though."  She took a deep breath, and smiled as she pushed open the door, showing the shop proprietor himself engaged in a puzzle-solving contest with another unicorn.  "He's got playmates enough now..."

 

It was but a few seconds before Alphabittle slapped a finished cube back on the table.  "Hah, no free cookie today, chum, try again tomorrow!"  He good-naturedly chortled before looking up at the door.  "Gloomy!  You're looking... oddly sparkling today.  Anything to do with your new friend here?"  He gave her a knowing smile, causing Gloomy Sonnet to blush a bit.
"A friend indeed I did find, a mare as pretty as she is kind.  Sugar Moonlight is her name, modeling her source of fame."  She hoped Sugar didn't mind the introduction, she had to think of a rhyme real quick!

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

Sugar Moonlight saw the shiver and smiled, but found herself following Gloomy to Crystal Tea Room. She heard the grumble of Gloomy's stomach, and her own followed as they got closer and they could smell the tea and the scones. So far everything here has smelled wonderful and excitedly different they the smell of the sea water that was constantly in Maretime Bay. There was the smell of apples, leaves, and various flowers that came from the undergrowth as well, but those faded as soon as they got into the building. 

 

Gloomy explained that many of them were the same growing up and that extroversion was something that was new to all of them. Alphabittle it made her wonder if Alphabittle maybe see something that they hadn't coming. She didn't think anypony saw any of this coming. She then mentioned something about bets and how she shouldn't expect to make a wager these days. She raised an eyebrow trying to piece things together as the stepped in. 

 

The loud assertive tone of the large unicorn echoed through the tea shop. She immediate recognized him though. He was one of the ones that had come to Maretime Bay on the day that Sprout attacked the lighthouse... He was one of the ones that saw the earth ponies at their worst. She wouldn't doubt if her feelings were tarnished a bit from them. Hell, her own feelings were tarnished a bit. The unicorn was quick to call to Gloomy and then point to her, making her stop cold.

 

Gloomy introduced herself for her and that was a relief because everything seemed to stop. It took a couple moments for her to process everything and then blushed a bit herself. "Thank you," she smiled at Gloomy, looking back to Alphabittle.

 

"We met just over a week ago. It was, unironically a Gloomy day. It was a cool day and the was a storm that was starting to roll in off of the bay, and it was honestly a perfect day for chili! I was in the market picking up supplies when she came through the gates. When I saw her, I had to go and greet her. She seemed a bit lonely after waking all the way there alone, so I went and said hi. I had to make another stop because, as I needed one final ingredient for the chili, but I invited her over to my place so that she didn't have to stay at an inn. I also made sure to make enough tea and chili to share. From there, one thing went to another and now we're here," she smiled.

[Blueblood]

Alpha wasn't exactly one to pass judgment; attempting to fleece the first guest Bridlewood had in a long time and run her out of town when he saw she was an earth pony like Sugar Moonlight left him in the kind of glass house in which one should not throw stones.  Dice might even have been tricky, but he wouldn't turn down a game of backgammon if offered...

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Moonlight."  The stallion beamed at the pair of them.  "Looks like you did find that friend you were looking for, Gloomy.  I knew you would!"

"Indeed... a bit more than a friend she is to me... but for now we'd like some scones and tea."  Gloomy nodded, gently blushing as she took a seat at the counter.  She hadn't planned until just then to introduce themselves as being... that close, but this wasn't a big town.  Surely they were going to find out anyway, so best get ahead of things.

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

The warm welcome was definitely a relief to Sugar, and the fact that he didn't seem to harbor any ill feelings towards her made it all the better. She herself hadn't participated in the fiasco that was at the lighthouse but had managed to watch everything happen from afar. She was particularly frightened when the entire thing came down with Sunny and the unicorn she later learned was named Izzy inside. Her smile grew a bit warmer when she heard Gloomy say that they were a bit more than just friends, confirming that she had felt the vibes between them as well. She wasn't sure if they were moving too fast or not, but it wasn't like they had anything else to go off of. This was new territory for both of them, and Sugar had already agreed to move in with the mare and she was definitely excited for that!  She was also ready for any adventures that they might get to go on together. After all, she was hoping to help restore the unicorns to the level of magic they had in the olden times. She'd never been one to believe in them before, but given light to the new events, they made an alarming amount of sense. 

 

"Scones and tea will give us glee, It matters not what flavor they be. It can be a treat both sweet or tart, but only if made from the heart," she smiled looking to Gloomy as they found a spot to sit down. "This place is nice. I can see why you like it here so much. Got a nice little stage over there, and the arcade that's here looks fun. I believe you said that's new though. You'll have to teach me how to play some of these games," Sugar said with a smile.

[Blueblood]

Alphabittle chuckled at hearing Sugar ape Gloomy's rhyming habits.  "Well, she already seems to be rubbing off on you.  I think you'll do alright together... anyway, I'll put on  a pot of your favorite, Gloomy; Blackcurrant and Strawberry.  Blueberry scones alright?"  The unicorn mare nodded, and the stallion went to the back to get the treats ready.  

 

Gloomy sat back a bit, still somewhat amazed she'd gone so far to reveal their status, but now that she'd said it out loud... it was an increasingly comfortable reality to inhabit.  Didn't hurt that the beautiful mare in question was right in front of her.  "Yeah... I wonder... I'll probably rest from the journey tonight, but I'll be on that stage tomorrow night.  Though being with you is simply bliss... there's a part of my work I truly miss."  She hoped Sugar would understand; perhaps after a long enough break from modeling, she too would crave taking the stage again.

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

The mention of a blueberry scone made Sugar's stomach grumble a bit more. A blueberry scone actually sounded delicious. She wondered if it was anything like a blueberry muffin. She wasn't too sure of the black current. She knew that it was a berry of some sort, but that was all that she knew. The fruit was very hard to get in Maretime Bay, so anything made from it was even rarer. Still, if it was Gloomy's favorite tea, it couldn't be too bad and strawberries made everything better. She gave Alphabittle a nod. "Might want to make those double orders, some blueberry scones sound amazing," she smiled as she sat down with Gloomy. 

 

Gloomy then went on to talk about the trip after she commented on the establishment. She said that while she would rest for tonight after the journey back, she would be back on the stage tomorrow evening. "Well, then I'll have to make sure that I'm here to watch you work your magic.," she said with a giggle. She then felt a weird wave of energy pass through the area, and afterwards, her hooves started getting tingly. She lifted them up and then raised an eyebrow as she noticed them glowing green. "Uuuummm... Gloomy... do you have any idea what this is?" she asked before setting her hoof on the table. When she did, the green energy poofed into a cloud and then a soft, transparent red crystal sat in the center of the table. "Uhhh..." she said looking at Gloomy with shock. 

[Blueblood]

Hearing that Sugar Moonlight planned to be there at her next performance wasn't at all surprising.  Gloomy honestly felt more reassured than nervous; for all her somewhat subdued personality, the stage had become natural ground to her from long practice, and she'd be very surprised if the same wasn't true for Sugar.  "I'm glad you will be there to hear, but to call it magic is a bit much here-"  She began modestly, before feeling a rush of tingling energy that seemed to go from hooves to horn, and made the teapot steam and sing a full minute before Alphabittle expected it.  

 

He was surprised, but not near as much as the earth pony at the counter, who was now holding a soft crystal up to the light.  The other customer, who had been playing against Alpha in a puzzle box contest, took one look and had his instincts take over.  "Bing Bong!" He called out, before placing a hoof over his mouth, in a bit of embarrassment, as if he'd just let a curse word slip in front of a filly.  Gloomy just sighed at that, facehoofing.  "I guess... we're not done with surprises yet.  But still, that's rather nice magic to get..."

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

To say that Sugar was shocked by what had just transpired would be the understatement of a lifetime. Literally out of nowhere came a burst, a tingly feeling, glowing hooves, and then poof, a crystal. She suddenly felt like all of the attention was on her, and while she was used to that being a model... This felt different, she felt different. She didn't know what this could do... What if it was dangerous? If it just randomly happened... Is it controllable? She didn't want to accidently hurt somepony with it... The other pony that was next to them said something that they blurted out seemingly out of habit before covering their mouth. 

 

"I... I have... Magic? Bu.... B.b.b.but how? Even Sunny said it was only the unicorns and pegasi they had magic... And... That's how it was when we left Maretime Bay... You... Don't think this is anything we should have to worry about... Do you? What if I can't control it?" Sugar asked, almost more panicked that she had magic now than happy. She wasn't a unicorn or Pegasus, and add sick she didn't instinctively know how to use it...

[Blueblood]

"I... don't know..."  Gloomy was just as flabbergasted as Sugar, though still a bit too sanguine to be panicky.  "I mean, there's a lot of strange stuff going on..."

"Hah!  Saved it!"  Alphabittle, apparently not having yet noticed the little episode, came back with the tea, his mane looking as if it had just been steam-cleaned.  "Ooh, what's this?"  As a collector of crystals, the older stallion had quite an eye for them, and picked up the red one from the table, squinting at it.  "Hmm... never seen any quite like this before..."  He tapped it on the table, noting that it seemed to bend a little, before setting like plaster.  "And I've never seen one do that before!  Hm, did you just bring this in for me to take a look at?  Or is this your idea of leaving a generous tip?"

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

The fact the Gloomy had no answers on what could be going on, oh at least reassure her that the magic wasn't dangerous, didn't help soothe Sugar's concerns. She didn't seem to be as panicked about it as she was, which helped as bit. She took a deep breath as Alphabittle then noticed the crystal and asked about it. He said they he'd never seen a crystal like that before. He tapped it on the table and bent a bit... Which was weird. When he asked if it was for him to take a look or if it was a tip, Sugar hesitated a bit. 

 

"About that... Um apparently I just made that. I have no idea what kind of crystal it is. I was just talking with Gloomy, felt a rush of energy, felt a tingle in my hooves, and they started glowing green..." She started before feeling the similar sensation again. She lifted her glowing hoof up. "Just like that .. and then when I put it to the counter like this," she continued, setting her hoof to the counter as spoken, there was another poof, and then another crystal. This one was a mix of fire red, yellow, and bright blue. "It did that! I don't know what's happening... Or if it might be dangerous..."

[Blueblood]

Alphabittle could sense Sugar's nervousness, but being a unicorn, he was more comfortable ancestrally with magic manifestations.  "Well, if there's one thing I know about, it's crystals!  I can take a look at these for you, and figure out what's what with them.  And I have to say, as owner and operator of the Crystal Room Tea Shop, there's certainly a spot open on my staff for a mare who can hoof-make her own crystals!"  He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring pat on the back, before taking up the multicolored crystal too.  "Fascinating..."

 

Seeing her dear friend so distressed, Gloomy had to try her own hoof at reassurance.  "I don't see how it could hurt, as long as you are aware and alert.  When it manifests you will know, because you can see and feel the glow."

[IceStorm]

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~

 

 

 

The fact that mostly everypony else in the tea shop had remained calm helped Sugar start to calm down a bit herself. Alphabittle have her a pat on her shoulder and told her that if there was one thing that he knew, it was crystals. He also told her that as the owner of The Crystal Tea Room, he could always use a pony that could make her own crystals. Well, at least her magic got her a job... It still felt weird to call it her magic though. She also heard Gloomy tell her as long as she was alert and aware, that nothing sucks really change. That she could feel it coming and her hooves flower before hoof, so she'd have a warning.

 

"I suppose that's true... And... If I have magic now... That means whenever we start looking for the old magic and get the lost spells, I can pull my own wait instead of relying on a unicorn or pegasi to handle everything magic related," she smiled, looking over to Alphabittle. "I will need a little bit more in the way of details as to what I would be required to do, but I tentatively accept your job proposal, as long as you don't mind a few... Growing pains," she said with a sheepish smile. She still felt a bit nervous, but those nerves were slowing turning to excitement to what this new start could truly offer.

[Blueblood]

"You were already a great help before, this is just a little more."  Gloomy reassured Sugar with a smile, which would have been a rare sight for Alphabittle, though her marefriend had seen quite a lot of the expressions she inspired in the unicorn already.  

 

For his part, the stallion was glad to see his old employee so happy, and felt assured in his mind that he'd done the right thing in sending her out to find a friend.  "Oh, that's all right, everypony needs some time to fit in.  Heck, Gloomy here had a lot of stage fright at first!  Could barely mumble into the microphone.  But I don't give up on anything that easy, whether it be ponies or puzzles!"