//------------------------------// // Seafoam Beach // Story: Bleached Blondes Beach Bond // by Cryosite //------------------------------// Intense was the only way to describe it. Back home in Ponyville, lakes quietly and humbly lay still, adding some pretty blue to the scene or offering a cooling dip if you were so inclined. Things only got loud around lakes because of ponies come to play and splash. The ocean was not so patient. It splashed constantly. The roar of the surf rose and fell but never stopped. It was big too. It didn’t just add a little blue if you looked at the right spot. It was everywhere. It went as far as she could see to the East and the West, and all the way South into forever. There were ponies everywhere on Seafoam Beach: far away to the West where they looked like tiny ants, close up and kicking up sand as they ran by, frolicked among the waves, or chattered away in conversation on beach towels. Yet for all the pony noise, the ocean still dominated the soundscape around Apple Bloom. “So what do you think?” Apple Bloom flicked an ear towards her girlfriend beside her. “It’s more than I expected. How do ponies get used to being around this all the time?” All the blue of the ocean and the sky above it kept her gaze transfixed, like a song had been stuck in the back of her head that she couldn’t quite remember but now was finally getting to listen to it. She imagined it would be something Sweetie Belle would sing about. At the edge of her vision, Diamond Tiara just shook her head and mane. “I dunno. I guess you just do after a while? Hey, c’mere.” She finally tore her gaze away from the expanse of blue and waves to see what Diamond Tiara wanted. Her girlfriend was seated on their beach blanket, rummaging through her saddlebag. “What’s up?” “Let's put some sunblock on before we go play. It’s really bright out here.” Diamond Tiara lifted a small white bottle out, the label displaying a rather pink-looking Princess Celestia with a cheery sun behind her. “Nah, I’m good. Unlike you, I ain't bothered by a little sun.” She grinned as Diamond Tiara rolled her eyes at her. “I’ll help you out though. I wanna get out there and play.” Diamond Tiara tossed the bottle to Apple Bloom and she caught it easily in her mouth. As her girlfriend settled comfortably onto the blanket, she bit down and squirted some onto her front hooves, then dropped the bottle to the blanket. She stared at the thin, nearly clear liquid on her hooves and raised an eyebrow. “How’s this stuff supposed to keep the sun off of you when it’s so clear? It’s all runny, too.” “I think it soaks into your skin. Maybe it’s sort of like a potion?” Shrugging her shoulders, Apple Bloom quickly set to the admittedly pleasant task of getting her hooves on Diamond Tiara’s back and shoulders. The sunblock reminded her of massage oil they sometimes used, letting her hooves glide more easily and without tugging at her coat. Before long, she had Diamond Tiara making appreciative noises with each breath, and it was tempting to linger on some of her favorite spots. Having her beautiful girlfriend on her back with her belly exposed was one of the few sights on the beach that could drown out the mighty ocean nearby. This wasn’t supposed to be a massage, and turning it into one would keep them away from the surf for too long. Still, she had a lot of fun caressing Diamond Tiara’s face, cheeks, and behind her ears, leaving a subtle glistening look in the bright sun. When Apple Bloom’s hooves failed to produce more caresses, Diamond Tiara opened her eyes, then gracefully rolled upright, stretched out her neck, and pecked Apple Bloom on the lips. “I don’t want you to get sunburned. Let me do you now.” Apple Bloom fidgeted in place a bit, pouting. “I said I’ll be fine. C’mon, let's go play.” Diamond Tiara’s sleek and slightly slick forelegs wrapped around her, trapping her in place. “There aren’t any trees to get shade under. Let’s get you comfy.” “My suit’ll get in the way.” She squirmed a little within Diamond Tiara’s slippery embrace, her skin tingling a bit with the contact. “Your little bikini isn’t getting in the way of anything. I don’t even know why you insisted on wearing it.” “Where else am I going to wear it?” Apple Bloom put her hooves on her hips and thrust out her chest some, drawing attention to the tiny bit of polka-dotted cloth across it and disappearing under her arms to tie in the middle of her back. “Fine, fine. I concede. You look adorable. Now please get your adorable butt to the middle of the blanket so I can do this?” “Alright, you win. But I ain’t undressing in front of everypony.” She slid out of Diamond Tiara’s embrace and stretched out on her belly, looking over her shoulder back at her girlfriend. She smirked a bit as Diamond stared, unmoving for several seconds. She flicked her tail to the side, offering a better view of polka-dotted rump. Once she became animate again, Diamond Tiara started at her back hooves nearest her, and Apple Bloom turned her attention back to the expanse of blue, just waiting to welcome her. Diamond Tiara’s hooves worked up and down almost in time with the waves, steadily rising higher along her legs like an incoming tide of caresses. A slight tug at her bikini bottom caused her to snap her attention back at Diamond Tiara. “Hey, no taking the suit off.” “I’m not taking it off, just moving it out of the way for a little bit. Relax, Apple Bloom.” “You’re tryin’ to be indecent.” “I’m trying to get this on you so we can go play. Can you please just relax? Nopony is going to think we’re indecent for putting sunblock on at the beach.” “Fine.” Apple Bloom closed her eyes. She was sure ponies were staring at their behavior, but if she didn’t see them staring it wouldn’t be so bad, maybe. When she felt Diamond Tiara tug her bikini top down to hang loose around her barrel, she bit back a complaint and only grunted. Diamond Tiara’s hooves worked briskly, then pulled her suit back in place. A nudge prompted her to roll over, and once again she found herself enduring the process with tightly closed eyes, while imagining ponies whispering to each other and pointing at her, masked by the roar of the ocean and her self-imposed blindness. She opened her eyes at the feel of Diamond Tiara’s hooves on her face. Their lips met in a chaste kiss once she finished. “Now was that so bad?” “I guess not.” Apple Bloom wiggled around a little, adjusted her bikini back into exactly the right spot, then got to her feet. “I still feel kinda oily. I thought you said this was supposed to soak in or somethin’?” Diamond Tiara picked the bottle up in one hoof, looked it over, then tapped an icon down near the bottom of the backside label. It was a stylized water droplet circled and crossed out in red. “It’s waterproof. Oil and water don’t mix, so maybe that’s why. Whatever. I know you’re eager to get into those waves, let's go.” “You don’t have to ask me twice.” Apple Bloom scrambled after Diamond Tiara. Running in the deep, soft sand proved harder than it looked, but the pair’s enthusiasm was like that of young fillies half their age, and they were soon to their goal. The wet sand was more compact and easier to run on. Instead of kicking up sand, they sent seafoam, the namesake of the beach, flying instead. They chased after the receding water, only for it to turn back upon them with a curled breaker at shoulder level. They shrieked at the sudden dousing of salty water, giggled, and splashed each other like foals again, all thoughts of dignity and propriety washed away. They waded out to deeper water, leaving solid ground behind to swim. The clear-as-glass water and bright sun let them see to the bottom, and all the neat seaweed, rocks, and tiny bright-colored fish that darted away at their approach. Overhead, pegasi wearing striking red and white vests lazily glided around in circles, keeping an eye out for anyone in trouble, which served to embolden not only Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom, but scores of other ponies enjoying the freedom of the deep water. On a playful whim, Apple Bloom swam close to Diamond Tiara, grabbed her shoulders and dunked her under the surface. Almost as if she expected such treachery, Diamond Tiara was quick to grab hold of Apple Bloom and pull her under with her. Their lips met in an unplanned kiss. As their tongues twined, Apple Bloom briefly thought of stories of how sirens would drag sailors beneath the waves and kiss them like this until they drowned. Suddenly those stories made a lot more sense, as this was surprisingly pleasant. Though the saltwater overpowered the more familiar taste of Diamond Tiara, she found it easy to ignore the urge to draw breath. Of course, neither of them were a siren. They surfaced long before any danger of drowning crept upon them and gasped for breath. Apple Bloom  giggled and splashed at Diamond Tiara some more. They drifted through the water, playing the game with no rules that all children discover when in water. Chase, splash, dunk, and chase some more. Their antics brought them near other swimmers, who joined in their fun. A few pegasi added a new part to the game: grab somepony, pull them into the sky, then drop them shrieking to splash everypony nearby. Some of their impromptu playmates would tire out and head back to shore, only to be replaced by others soon enough. A unicorn knew a water-walking spell, and the three of them skated on the surface, tripped over waves, and continued to chase, splash, and dunk each other. Fatigue crept upon them slowly, and their swimming and splashing suffered for it. It was time for them to take their turn swimming back to shore before they tired out too much to make the trip back. They waved goodbye to the pair of ponies that formed their current playgroup and lazily paddled back to land. They flopped side by side onto the blanket, having tapped into the last bit of their stamina reserves searching for their spot in the largely crowded expanse of sand and ponies. They turned to regard each other with content smiles, shared another kiss, then closed their eyes, letting the sun dry them as they rested. Hunger roused Apple Bloom from sleep. She looked around her, wiping crusted salt from her eye as she tried to get her bearings. The roar of the ocean and the sound of ponies around them clued her in, but the dark of evening made the surrounding view alien. The darkness was broken up by bits of light from unicorns with lit horns and ponies wearing enchanted glowgems to light their way. The colored lights danced like will-o’-the-wisps all over the beach and served to create dancing shadows and silhouettes of ponies all around. Off to the north, the ambient glow of the city up on top of the cliff kept a general state of twilight to the beach. She felt more than heard another rumbling in her stomach. She turned to find Diamond Tiara still asleep beside her, so she nudged her cheek with her muzzle. Failing to rouse her with that, she went for her ear to nibble until she stirred. Much more accustomed to waking up in strange places, Diamond Tiara yawned, then fumbled for her saddle bag without hesitation. “Seems we overslept. I think I packed a glowgem—yeah, here we go.” She tapped the crystal with her hooves until it came to life, bathing them in its soft green light. “I’m starved. How ‘bout you?” “Yeah, let's go find dinner.” Diamond Tiara slung her glowgem’s cord over her neck to dangle it against her chest. As the two got to their feet, Apple Bloom fidgeted with her bikini, trying to brush the salt and dried-on sand away with little success. “Lets hit up our room first. We can take our blanket and stuff back too. I need to get out of this suit.” “You were pretty adamant about leaving it on earlier.” “Yeah, well, it’s fine for the beach and swimming, but not something you wear in town.” She nosed Diamond Tiara’s saddlebags closed, then helped settle them in place on her rump. “Besides, we’re both all salty and sandy.” “I don’t think anypony would care if we look like we spent the day in the ocean, but I’d rather get cleaned up too.” They rolled up the somewhat stiff blanket together and draped it over Apple Bloom’s back. Together they trotted to the wide ramp cut into the cliff that turned into the street leading to their hotel. Hotel Shining lived up to its name at night. The designers had tried to recreate the aesthetic of the Crystal Empire, complete with large, “Crystal Heart” glowgems suspended in the corners near the ceiling. Polished bronze armored statues along the faceted walls of the lobby gave a sense of approaching the Crystal Court, leading to a reception desk instead of a throne. The carpeting and tapestries done in midnight blue with white trim completed the look. What the lobby lacked in size it made up for in ambition. In the brighter, clear white light of the lobby, Apple Bloom noticed something a bit off about her girlfriend. As she set hoof on the first stair leading to their room, looking up at Diamond Tiara ahead of her, she figured it out. “You’re darker. You kinda look like Twilight.” Diamond Tiara paused, looked down at her raised hoof, and nodded. “You’re right.” She glanced back at Apple Bloom and smiled. “And you look a bit like your big sister.” Apple Bloom frowned a bit as she resumed climbing the staircase, encouraging Diamond to do so as well. “Yeah, well I plan to get cleaned up once we get in the room. AJ would probably be stuffing her face already.” — Inside their room continued the motif of the Crystal Palace, looking like a fair approximation of one of their guest suites. The blue and white theme continued, though the “faceting” of the walls was limited to the corners of the room, probably to save space. “So, uh, what do we do with the blanket? It don’t seem right to just drop it on the floor.” Apple Bloom’s interest in the decor of the room was more practical than appraising. “There’s a laundry chute over there. I’m sure they deal with beach blankets all the time.” Diamond Tiara walked over to it, pulled it open from the wall and peered inside. “Seems big enough.” “That is mighty convenient. Would be a shame to spend all our vacation time cleaning up sand every time we enjoyed the beach.” After dropping the blanket in, she tugged a bit at her bikini top, raising a brow upon discovering it somewhat welded to her coat with sea salt. “Probably should drop this in too, if I can get it off of me.” “Try getting in the shower with it on. Should come off easier wet.” “Good idea. I’ll try to hurry.” Apple Bloom entered the small bathroom, got in the shower stall, and experimented with the knobs until the water was to her liking. Diamond Tiara stepped into the bathroom after her and nudged at her hip with her muzzle. “Doesn’t look like enough room in there for the both of us. Guess I’ll just sit and watch until my turn. Unless you think that would be indecent.” “Nah, it’s fine when it’s just the two of us. I know you’re rarin’ to get me undressed as usual. I’d let you help if there was room.” After rinsing her mane until it hung down her neck, Apple Bloom leaned her shoulder against the wall of the shower, then slid her bikini bottoms down, while looking back at Diamond Tiara’s face. Instead of the expected look of heated interest, Diamond Tiara raised a hoof to her muzzle and stifled a giggle. “Huh? What’s so funny?” She glanced back at herself to find a bright yellow section, standing out against the darker orange fur surrounding it. It matched perfectly the shape of her recently removed bikini. Startled, Apple Bloom put her flank under the spray, quickly pulled her top over her head, then looked down at her chest. Another section of yellow, her original color, forming a bright band across her oddly orange chest. Some frantic scrubbing, sudsing, and more scrubbing later, and her clean, sand and salt-free coat remained orange. She made a low-pitched whine in the back of her throat and dashed out of the shower stall, dripping water in her wake as she reared up onto the counter to look at herself more closely in the mirror. “I look ridiculous!” Diamond Tiara’s reflection looked on with concern, but left her view as she slipped into the shower stall to rinse herself from the sand and salt. “It’s not so bad. I’m sure it will fade over time anyway. Hmmm. Seems my underside is still pink. I think I like the two-tone effect.” “Of course you’re fine with it. You don’t have these ridiculous patches in your coat.” Apple Bloom dashed out of the bathroom and raided her luggage. She tossed clothing item after item behind her, briefly considering several tops, skirts, and sundresses. “I thought your sunblock was supposed to protect us from this sort of thing?” “Well, we’re not sunburned. I don’t hurt anywhere, you?” Diamond Tiara turned off the water but remained in the bathroom out of view. “I feel fine, I just don’t look fine.” Diamond Tiara entered the room with a towel wrapped around her head, holding a familiar white bottle, peering at it with a scowl. “Well, that explains it. This is suntan oil, not sunblock.” “What? You had us wearing suntan oil the whole time? No wonder we got so dark!” “Hey now, I didn’t do it on purpose.” Diamond Tiara ducked to avoid a skirt flying through the air in her general direction. “This ‘accident’ sure worked out well for you, you look gorgeous as usual.” Apple Bloom held up a gauzy blouse to her chest and saw the contrasting band across her chest even through both layers of the fabric. “How could you mix them up? I thought it felt oily when I was putting it on you.” The yellow stripe became even more visible as the thin cloth absorbed water from her damp coat and turned transparent. She flung it away from her, though it just fluttered in the air and landed near the bed. “First of all, thank you. Second of all, I never put this stuff on myself or anypony else before. When Silver Spoon and I would go on a cruise or something, Randolph would always take care of things like this. And for the record, I still think you’re beautiful. C’mere.” Diamond Tiara approached Apple Bloom from behind and dropped a fluffy white towel onto her. “You’re getting those wet. Let’s get you dry first.” Apple Bloom ceased flailing and accepted the toweling. “I look terrible. I need to fix this somehow.” After being dried off, she darted out of the towel and snatched up a floral-patterned sundress, held it to her chest a moment and glanced back to Diamond Tiara who gave her an approving nod. She then pulled it on over her head and wriggled until it was situated on her body. “How about this? Does it cover my flanks enough?” She turned in place to give Diamond Tiara every angle. Diamond smiled and shook her head. “Actually it kind of draws even more attention to your yellow and orange backside, right to your—” “Aaargh! I can’t have that! They’ll think I’m some kind of hussy or something!” She struggled to get the dress off as if it was burning her. “Well, did you bring any panties to maybe cover up?” Apple Bloom blushed and tossed her dress behind her over her shoulder. “J-just the cloudsilk ones you like. I’m not wearing those outside period.” “I think those would draw even more attention. Pants maybe?” “Way too hot out. I’d end up a soggy, sweaty mess in seconds. Ugh. Most of my clothes look weird against this orange. What about this? It’s long enough, right?” Apple Bloom modeled another, longer dress. “The back is low. Maybe if we keep your mane over it, that will cover the—” “I am not going to risk my mane staying in place to cover my back. One little breeze and I’ll die of embarrassment!” Apple Bloom’s stomach rumbled, and she looked guiltily towards Diamond Tiara. “Hey, we could stay in. I could order room service.” “What about tomorrow? We can’t see much of the city from inside our hotel room all day. I don’t want to ruin our vacation like that. If we stay in, we might as well go home and stay in, y’know?” Diamond Tiara folded one hoof under her chin. “Die of embarrassment—hey, that’s it!” “Whatever you’re thinking right now, I don’t like it.” “You haven’t even heard it yet. We could dye your coat back to yellow.” Apple Bloom opened her mouth to object, but held her tongue. She thought about it. Then nodded. “OK. We can do that tonight, right?” “Yeah. Stay here, I’ll go shopping. It’ll all be alright soon.” She leaned in to kiss her girlfriend, then left Apple Bloom alone in a room that looked like a tornado had spent the day playing inside. “I noticed you cleaned up the mess.” “Yeah, we should probably tip the laundry staff well. I dumped all the clothes I got wet down the chute.” Diamond Tiara worked her plastic-gloved hooves through Apple Bloom’s wet fur, sitting just outside the shower stall while Apple Bloom sat inside. “Hold still.” Apple Bloom munched on a carrot stick, dripping dark brown peanut sauce back into the container near the shower drain. “Can’t help it. There isn’t much room in here, and I’m starving. Thanks for getting us dinner while you were out, by the way.” “Save some for me. I’m still hungry too.” “You didn’t eat any on the way back?” “No, I wanted to enjoy it with you.” “Oh. Well, here. Have some, I’ll feed you since your hooves are full.” Apple Bloom shoved the container out of her way, then rolled onto her back to better face Diamond Tiara and reached up awkwardly to offer her a large piece of bell pepper. Diamond Tiara’s eyes widened and she reached out futilely with one hoof. “Hey, watch out you’re going to—” They both stared for a moment at the overturned bottle, as the contents dumped out and ran across Apple Bloom’s red tail. Diamond Tiara reacted first, reaching over Apple Bloom towards the shower controls only for Apple Bloom to block her with her own outstretched hoof. “You’ll get the food wet! Just—just don’t worry about it.” “Maybe we can rinse it off fast enough—” “It’s already done. Lets just enjoy dinner.” Apple Bloom reached for one of the larger paper containers, balanced it on her chest, and looked up into Diamond Tiara’s eyes. “Noodles?” Diamond Tiara nodded, and gingerly slipped the gloves off her hooves, setting them into the sink behind her. Her gaze traveled up and down Apple Bloom’s body, then licked her lips. “Looks delicious. Are we going to eat here in the shower?” “Yeah. I’m pretty comfy, I guess, and I’d have to rinse this stuff off if I wanted to get out.” The two fell silent while Diamond Tiara took on the task of feeding both of them; Apple Bloom held the containers and served as their table. “So what are these sticks for?” Apple Bloom held one straight, smooth, and slightly tapered piece of wood up to show Diamond Tiara. “Way too big to be toothpicks.” “They’re called ‘chopsticks.’ They’re utensils. A lot of unicorns and griffons around here like to eat with them.” “That’s weird.” Apple Bloom turned the chopstick around in her hoof and examined it more closely. “They’re less fancy than forks and spoons. Guess they’re pretty cheap. Don’t they have a whole lotta silver around here to make silverware with though?” “I think it’s some kind of tradition.” Diamond Tiara impaled a piece of squash on the end of her fork, then fed it to Apple Bloom. Apple Bloom tried to wind a noodle around the chopstick, but it kept slipping off the end. “Oh. how do you use them? Would be easier to stab things with them if they were sharp, but I don’t see how they work for little stuff like rice and noodles.” “You use two of them at once, and kind of pinch stuff with them.” Diamond Tiara smiled while watching her play with their food, getting a piece of noodle wound up on her fork easily before popping it into her mouth. She tried holding one in each hoof, but gave up after dropping a piece of broccoli several times. “I guess that’s why griffons and unicorns like’m.” “Yeah.” — Apple Bloom sat still in the empty shower stall. All evidence of their dinner cleared away and disposed of. “You may as well do my mane too, so it matches my tail.” “Alright.” Diamond Tiara worked her hooves into Apple Bloom’s scalp, then drew them along lock after lock of hair, from root to tip. “Almost done. Bottle says to let it set for a maximum of fifteen minutes. Any longer won’t have any more effect. So everything will match if we just do that.” Apple Bloom flipped a page in her magazine, Trendz, and nodded. “I can’t wait to get out of this shower stall.” — “Wow. You look like a different pony.” Apple Bloom stared at the mirror. She didn’t recognize the mare standing beside Diamond Tiara. Her coat was no longer orange, but it wasn’t her usual yellow either. It was paler, more whitish. Like really dry straw. Her mane and tail, wet and hanging limp from their recent rinse, were only a few shades darker. Only her golden orange eyes seemed to have much color at all, and they stood out shockingly against her otherwise pale countenance. She frowned as she took in the strange view. Diamond Tiara bit her lip and reached out to hold a few strands of Apple Bloom’s mane in her hoof. “I think this is pretty close to your sister’s color. Maybe we could darken your coat ba—” Apple Bloom felt her eyes begin to burn. She ground her teeth. One single word echoed in her head like the crashing waves outside. No. “I can’t do this.” “We can fix—” She stomped one hoof on the counter beside the sink. “No more! Just—Aaaah!” Apple Bloom ran to the door of their hotel room and flung it open. “I’m not my sister!” The pounding of her hooves against the floor matched the pounding in her chest and drowned out Diamond Tiara’s voice until it grew too distant to be heard at all.