//------------------------------// // Mainstreet Squares // Story: Bleached Blondes Beach Bond // by Cryosite //------------------------------// Apple Bloom pointed a hoof towards the Eastern archway, indicating the, now closed, cafe she and Coffee Biscrisp had colas at. “… and a little past that was where the musicians were playing and ponies were dancing, decked out in glowgems.” Diamond Tiara stood beside her and watched with open interest as Apple Bloom pointed out what she had seen the night before. “So this is Cadance Square. If we go that way we’ll get to see the statue for Celestia?” She took several steps in that direction, scanning side to side to take in the rows of storefronts, cafes, benches, and heavy traffic of ponies meandering around them. “We could loop back around and continue West to see the rest after, right?” As she looked around, Apple Bloom kept finding her gaze drawn to Diamond Tiara’s yellow and white striped mane and tail. “Looks so different now.” “It was dark when you saw it last night.” Diamond Tiara looked back towards her and smiled, her gaze obviously wandering over Apple Bloom’s similarly unfamiliar countenance. “When we passed through this square in our taxi yesterday morning, we were too excited to see the ocean to pay heed to it.” “Yeah, was more of a wide spot in the road than something to look at. Speaking of princess statues, Cadance should be around here somewhere. Let's go find her.” At night or now in the daylight, the most attention-grabbing feature of the square was the mirror-polished silver statue of Princess Cadance. At night she reflected the colors of lights around her, but now she mostly seemed bright pink. Some kind of enchantment kept her from being a vision hazard in the bright sunlight. She stood, life-sized, at ground level, and was sculpted to seem to be peering ahead while walking, as if she too were part of the bustle of the busy market, the princess who walks among her people every day. Only a small garden littered with pink, yellow, and purple flowers, with a knee-high decorative fence around her hooves and trailing behind her broke that illusion. “We could go see Celestia next, but that way is mostly schools and government buildings. City Hall and the courthouse are that way.” Apple Bloom gazed around to take in more details of the square while weighing options for their route. Bordering the square was a faceted crystal wall that reached chest-height. They formed into four arches: the exits at each side of the square. Underhoof, the ground was paved with diamond-patterned brickwork, done in pink bricks trimmed with gold paint. Beyond the low wall, more garden and trees gave off an impression of being in a clearing in the woods. Not quite like being isolated from the endless frozen wastelands in a crystal pocket paradise, but it felt like a good effort in this hot environment. Apple Bloom found herself nodding her approval of the square’s style. “Not much shopping that way though.” She drew Diamond Tiara’s attention away from the statue. “I think we can save Celestia for last, maybe see her tomorrow before we head home?” “That sounds like a good idea. So we go West then?” She turned fully towards Apple Bloom, facing the opposite direction as Cadance. “We have four statues this way, and lots of shopping to try out.” As they started a slow circuit of the square, browsing temporary stands and stalls tucked against the bordering wall, Diamond Tiara continued. “I saw some kind of market on the boardwalk we crossed getting to the beach. At the base of the cliffs. We could work our way back East along it and wind up near our hotel by the end of the day that way.” “I’m a little soured on the beach still, but I suppose I could tolerate it later today.” Apple Bloom looked closely over rows and rows of little bottles, each promising things like beauty, love, bedroom potency, and other fantastic things. Impossible to achieve with potions in most cases as she well knew, and dangerous in some cases if they were real. She snorted in derision at the display and turned her attention back to Diamond Tiara.  “More of a breeze today and it seems cloudier. There weren’t a single speck of white in the whole sky yesterday.” “Not to mention lots of shady places to cool off under here on Mainstreet.” Diamond Tiara nodded towards a bench where an elderly couple watched after their pre-teen grandfoals gawking at Cadance. “Lots of convenient seating all around too. No hurry in this city, unlike Manehattan or Canterlot.” They walked through the West arch, and took in the sight of Mainstreet. A row of carefully landscaped trees broke the center of the pedestrian boulevard. Permanent shopfronts lined both sides as far as the eye could see. Poniquins wearing white wedding dresses, sharp-looking tuxedos, and other formalwear gazed back at them from many a shop window. Almost as common were cakes decorated in whites, pinks, and lavenders. Interspersed among them were the occasional shop dedicated to toys for foals. Very little on display was of interest to the pair, leaving them both awkwardly quiet as they walked past storefront after storefront. Diamond Tiara broke the silence first. “I have a pretty good idea of what to look for that Silver Spoon would like. We both know how easy Sweetie Belle is to shop for. Have any ideas for Scootaloo?” Apple Bloom sighed in relief internally that their conversation didn’t find influence from their surroundings. “I think we should get everypony some glowgems. Scootaloo would love a bunch of them in different colors. I think Granny, AJ, and Mac would probably like some too. They can be mighty useful at night.” As they passed a toy store, she did briefly consider something for her nieces and nephew. Nothing visible from the window stood out to her though. “Other than that, I’ll keep an eye out.” “Glowgems do seem like a pretty safe, general-purpose gift.” Diamond Tiara’s expression of disinterest at the offerings of the toy store seemed to mirror her own. “Though I was thinking of something a little extra special for Silver Spoon. Some of her distant relatives live around here. Getting something made by them would be nice. Gifts that say, “Silver Cove” feel more appropriate than this generic stuff here.” “You’re right about that.” They continued on, ignoring several more shops. “Oh, and Mac’s friend Feather Bangs was from around here too. We should get something for him also.” A store claiming to have wedding cakes baked by Princess Cadance herself caught their eye. They stared at each other for a moment, then burst into laughter. Diamond Tiara wiped a tear from her eye and shook her head at the audacious cakery. “You know there are going to be a lot of tourist traps here. We need to keep an eye out for fakes and cheap knockoffs.” “You’re right. Kinda hard to spot them when we don’t know the real things though.” Apple Bloom looked again at the cakery, snickering. “Well, some of them anyway.” As they walked, Apple Bloom noticed the brickwork underhoof was more of a checkerboard pattern, with pink bricks alternating with blue bricks. Gone was the gold-painted trim on each brick too. “I know a way we can do a little recon. Get some advice from the locals on how to avoid fakes, and anything else useful to find out.” Diamond Tiara drew her attention, breaking another period of silence. “I thought more on that idea I mentioned last night.” “Oh yeah?” “You got some helpful tips from Coffee Biscrisp last night. You were having fun right up until the end, right? So how about we do that. We split up, meet ponies, see what we can learn, and try to drum up some fun.” Apple Bloom stopped, and tilted her head. “That kinda defeats the main purpose of us enjoying this vacation together.” Diamond Tiara stopped with her. “We’ll still be together. We’ll keep in eyesight of each other and keep an eye out on each other. When one of us is talking to somepony, the other keeps an eye out for her. If things look like they might be going bad, we can step in to the rescue.” She raised a hoof and indicated the area around them. “You notice how nopony is showing any interest in us right now? ‘Cause we’re clearly together. That tells them we’re not available. So let's make it look like we’re available, and ponies will flock to us like they did last night to you.” “I dunno.” Apple Bloom frowned and chewed over Diamond Tiara’s suggestion in her head a few times. “I’m thinkin’ of how that could go wrong. Get a bunch of ponies upset that they’re bein’ lied to.” “It’s not lying. It’s being more sociable and approachable.” She drew close to Apple Bloom and bumped shoulders with her. “Think of it more like we’re playing pretend. I think you’ll find a lot of ponies around us are doing the same.” She pulled away and resumed walking, and Apple Bloom matched her pace. “If they get the wrong ideas about us, we’re going to be gone in a few days, and they’ll forget all about us.” Diamond Tiara glanced sidelong at Apple Bloom, her point of focus flicking upward briefly before turning to face forward again. “We don’t even look like us, and the ponies they think they met will literally disappear before you know it.” “Maybe I’m still dwellin’ on the downsides. It’ll sorta be like playin’ at spies? I guess that worked out alright in the end for my brother and sister-in-law.” Apple Bloom smiled a bit as she remembered that day. “We should come up with fake names too.” “I guess so?” Apple Bloom grinned as she warmed to the idea more. “I’ll be Shimmering Spectacles, a librarian with a myst—wait, we already used that one and I don’t have the glasses with me. Uh—” “Maybe you should keep it simple. Easier to remember that way.” After a few further steps without response, Diamond Tiara offered her own suggestion. “How about Pear Blossom?” “But I have an apple cutie mark. Ain't got nothin’ to do with pears.” “It doesn’t have anything to do with blooms either.” “True. I guess that’s why ponies often change their names when they get their marks, like you and Mrs. Cake.” “And many don’t” Diamond Tiara peered into the window of a storefront offering balloons, paints, cards, glittery shiny things, and colorful odds and ends. “I think we can name a lot more examples like that.” They continued past that shop without giving it a second look. “Alright, Pear Blossom it is. I’ll be a wanderi—” “I think just stick to the name for now,” Diamond Tiara interrupted her. “I don’t think we’ll be spending a lot of time relating our intricate backstories to ponies we meet. Just avoid stuff too specific, like naming Sweet Apple Acres or the Apple name, and it should be fine.” “So, what about you? The Rich family is pretty well known too.” “Hmmm. I’ll think of something.” “Alright, Apple Bloom—” “Pear Blossom.” Diamond Tiara stared at Apple Bloom for a moment. “Whatever. Pear Blossom. Hang out here and enjoy the show. I’m going to get closer and see if I can get any leads. If you see me talking to anypony, try to watch and listen without being too obvious. I’ll return here after.” “I’ll try, but it’s pretty hard to even pretend to find a mime interestin’. Not too sure how much you can get out of’m neither.” Apple Bloom sat on a bench and followed Diamond Tiara with her gaze. A mime was “performing” between two trees, while ponies mostly walked around and ignored him. He was so short Apple Bloom at first mistook him for a colt. His face was painted up in white, with black triangles above and below his weary eyes. He had on a tight-fitting, long-sleeved, black shirt with a single rose pinned to his chest. Diamond Tiara went to one of the two trees and sat down, wearing a broad grin and looking enthused. When the mime noticed her, he seemed encouraged and visibly put more effort into his act. If he suspected that his audience was putting on a better show than his, he didn't seem to let it affect his performance. Just as Apple Bloom was about to slide off the bench and tell her girlfriend this was a boring waste of time, a pegasus stallion landed and sat next to Diamond Tiara, seeming to watch the mime’s show. While she couldn’t hear them, she could see their mouths moving, and Diamond Tiara leaning in close to hear him over the bustle of the city around them. She nodded at him several times, appeared to giggle, and overall looked to be having a great conversation. The pegasus seemed to move his hooves around as he talked, spread his wings, then trailed his primaries over Diamond Tiara’s back as he closed them. Apple Bloom raised an eyebrow at that, but Diamond Tiara just seemed to playfully punch his shoulder and giggle some more. Almost as suddenly as he appeared, he took off back into the sky, and was soon out of sight over the rooftops. Diamond Tiara abandoned the mime’s performance—who put on an overly dramatic show of despair that bordered on mildly entertaining to watch—and returned to Apple Bloom’s observation bench. “OK, what was that all about?” “A demonstration. Now you see how it is done.” She sat next to Apple Bloom, beaming her a confident grin. “I could see alright, but I didn’t hear a word from either of you. Too far away and too much noise. So what did you learn from him?” Diamond Tiara’s grin faded. “Well, he’s a firefighter.” She tilted her head to the side and tapped her chin. “He helps put out forest fires and stuff in a pretty big area around here. He used to be from Fillydelphia but moved here permanently after coming to help the local team fight a big fire a few years ago.” “Uh, that sounds nice and all. I’m glad you made yourself a friend, but what does that have to do with what we’re trying to do?” In the corner of her vision, Apple Bloom noticed the black and white shape of the mime doing his best to draw attention to himself. She ignored him rightly. Diamond Tiara was much easier and more enjoyable to pay attention to. “Like I said, it was a demonstration. Keep an eye out for opportunities to look available for ponies who seem interested in you. Be interested back when they approach. Don’t try to shut down the conversation right away, and don’t say no.” “If I hadn’t said no last night, I woulda had to introduce you to Coffee Biscrisp personally, and sorted out one awkward mess.” She leaned in close to Diamond Tiara and lowered her voice to a fierce whisper. “I ain’t too keen on lifting my tail for anypony and everypony who so much as glances at my flank. If that’s your plan I think I am gonna shut it down right now.” Diamond Tiara playfully ran her hoof through Apple Bloom’s mane. “That’s not what I mean at all. Look, you don’t have to say yes. Just don’t say no. Delay things.” She turned her gaze upwards and scanned the sky for a moment, then continued in a whisper as well. “That guy wanted to take me to some private spot on the beach and get under my tail. Instead of getting offended or saying no, I delayed it. I told him it was too hot and too early in the day, but maybe he could show me around town until it got cooler. Maybe find some place with dancing.” “So, you led him on? He sure didn’t seem too keen to stick around.” “That part was a little odd.” She adopted her familiar thoughtful scowl. “He seemed to lose interest when I mentioned dancing. Whatever. “It’s not the same as leading them on. Most of them aren’t going to be around any longer than we are, and nopony is looking for a serious, long-term relationship. Just because they’re looking for some quick fun doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to have the kind of fun we want to have. If they really don’t want our sort of fun, they can say no like he did. If they do want to have fun, we can still say no to the sex afterwards. You don’t suddenly owe someone your bits just because they had a few dances with you or something.” Apple Bloom chewed the thought over like a piece of straw, then nodded. “Yeah, you’re right about that. I dunno. It just seems more honest though to be up front that tail ain’t on the menu.” “If you keep them interested and talking longer, you can find more stuff out, and they might wind up having more fun with us than they would if they had their way.” Diamond Tiara leaned in to kiss Apple Bloom softly. “Besides, it’s harmless teasing. It’s fun to play in the chase.” She slid off the bench, then looked back towards Apple Bloom while flicking her yellow and white tail suggestively. “Even if we know they can’t catch us, it’ll be fun for them to try.” “I dunno how well I’ll do, but I’ll give it a try I guess.” Apple Bloom slid off the bench and sidled up beside Diamond Tiara, then the two continued on Westward, tails intertwined. Luna Square was just as big as Cadance Square had been, but the arches leading into it were wrought iron and spade-tipped like something out of a stereotypical horror story. Missing was the decrepit mansion or stormy weather. The bright, sunny morning dispelled all but the barest of hints of spooky. Diamond Tiara walked through first, with Apple Bloom trailing a few ponies behind her, keeping her pink and yellow form generally in view. Like most of the ponies ahead of her and to her sides, when Apple Bloom entered the square, she looked for the statue of Luna. Standing shoulders over head taller than most ponies in the square, she wasn’t difficult to find. Like Cadance’s before, Luna’s statue was made of tightly-fitted silver plates, this time with a magical blue sheen to cut down on the glare. This precaution was less important in Luna’s case, however, as she was standing in the permanent shade of a huge oak tree. To her side, Apple Bloom could hear Diamond Tiara’s voice. She turned to see yet another pegasus stallion had approached her. She walked past the pair towards a trinket stand she noticed on the other side, that would let her remain in earshot, and give her a chance to get a good look in passing. This stallion was wearing an outlandish getup of glittering pink clothes with some kind of exotic feline print in black, which stood out in stark contrast to his dark blue-gray coat. Tight fitting to his body, he was clearly showing off his muscle tone. To finish his look, he had a short bowl cut with a silly topknot peeking over the back of his scalp. His tail was done in a matching, though larger style to match the topknot. “Hey there, cutie, what’s your name?” Apple Bloom bit her lips to keep back a response of her own, leaving it to Diamond Tiara to handle him. Her response was to giggle like a school filly. “Dia—dem. Silver Diadem.” “Oh, a Silver? Forgive my behavior, m’lady.” He made a short bow, then looked up at Diamond Tiara. “Allow me to purchase you a cold beverage in apology for my forwardness?” “No need to be formal, good sir.” Diamond Tiara giggled some more, then made a playful “rise” gesture with one hoof. “I am pretty thirsty. How about a strawberry soda, …?” “Oh, call me Night Rocker. And sure thing!” He extended one wing to point off to the side. “This place over here is pretty good. Good quality syrups from …” He and Diamond Tiara faded out of earshot as they walked away. Apple Bloom lost track of their conversation, but watched them approach a small shop. She found herself a bench in view of the entrance and sat to wait. Before long, the pair re-emerged. Diamond spotted her and subtly guided their progress to a bench next to Apple Bloom’s. “… but they keep saying I’m not on the list.” Night Rocker made an irritated gesture with his wings as they walked, though he seemed mindful of his surroundings and avoided being a hazard to nearby ponies. “I think they’re afraid if there’s too many stallions inside, it’ll lead to fights and rowdiness or something. Gotta keep that bro to ho ratio, y’know?” “Oooh. That does sound logical.” Diamond Tiara stopped short of their apparent destination, risked a glance towards Apple Bloom, and rolled her eyes while out of his view for the moment it took him to notice she’d stopped. She then turned back to him, smile back in place as he turned to find her. “I’d like to see the place too.” “So yeah, be back here at ten?” He pointed a hoof towards Luna’s statue. “I’m gonna go find my bros and see if they’ve had much luck. Oh, and if you wanna bring any friends, that’d be totally cool.” Apple Bloom widened her eyes a bit at that last comment. Maybe I wasn’t inconspicuous enough? He didn’t seem to pay her any attention though, and took off into the sky. Diamond Tiara watched him disappear from view over the surrounding rooftops, then climbed onto the bench beside Apple Bloom. “So do you think you’re ready to give it a try?” “Not really, but I gotta start somehow, right?” “That’s the spirit.” Diamond Tiara drank from the cup she held in both forehooves. “That looks pretty good.” Apple Bloom got to her hooves. “I think I’m gonna get a drink of my own before I, uh, go huntin’.” “Fine. I’ll wait here for you, then we’ll look around for potential targets.” Apple Bloom wandered over to an outdoors juice stand with an eye-catching dark blue sign. Comets spelled out, “Lime Light’s” with their tails beneath a tall glass of green juice. The stand looked pretty popular, if the line was anything to judge by. She took her place at the back of the queue and tried to wrap her head around what she and Diamond Tiara were trying to accomplish here. “Whoah, hey there, little lady.” Apple Bloom startled at the loud, deep exclamation near her, and looked up at the hulking stallion in front of her. He reminded her a lot of Bulk Biceps, but dark gray instead of white. And a unicorn. “You wanna cutsies?” “Pardon?” “You can, like, go in front of me, dude.” Her first reaction was to decline as she was in no hurry. Then she realized, this was happening right now. Diamond Tiara had suggested she not say no to anything. This seemed harmless, as long as she tried not to fret about where it might lead. Just go with it. “Thank you, sir. Much obliged.” “Oh sweet. You sound just like one of those southern bells. From, like, Ahploozan or something.” “It’s Appleoosa, actually.” and stop. No need to explain further. Let him do as much of the talking as possible. She put on a smile, without needing to force it. Actually, this is kind of fun. “I heard about that place. Sounds totally gnarly. Maybe too dry though. I don’t think I could catch a wave there.” “Well, they do have plenty of sand though.” OK, maybe fun was a bit premature. He chattered on as the line in front of them dwindled. Apple Bloom tried her best to pay attention, but he seemed pretty content to go on and on in exhaustive detail about different kinds of waves and how to surf on them, territory disputes with the griffons for “primo” surf spots, and trying to keep all the tourists from taking the best spots too. When she got to the front of the line, she skimmed over the menu and ordered the first thing that caught her eye. “One medium pear juice, please.” “Make mine a plum smoothie. Large.” He floated enough bits with his magic for both their drinks to the merchant before Apple Bloom could retrieve her bit purse. “Thanks again.” Apple Bloom beamed a smile at him, then accepted her drink moments later from the salespony. She slurped at her straw as they waited for his drink to be served. “No problemo, little lady. Here, let me get that for you.” His magical aura surrounded her cup, and she let go. Once his order was served, he held his own drink the same way, keeping both cups in front of them in comfortable drinking range. As they walked, she could sip her drink without having to adopt a three-legged gait. Diamond Tiara is right, it is real convenient to have so many unicorns around. Having a drink to occupy her mouth let her listen to him rattle on without having to offer much in the way of replies. As they approached an arch to leave Luna Square, she looked around and noticed this one followed a taxi-road, meaning it was a North or South exit, instead of her preferred West. “Hey, uh, where are we, err, you headed?” “Huh? I’m headed back to the beach. Gotta volleyball game lined up with these dudes from Feather-side. You should come watch. It’s gonna be killer when we stomp them into the sand and get to borrow some of their turf for the day.” He ground his forehooves together and chuckled in obvious glee at the prospect. “Oh. Well, I was hoping to buy some gifts for my friends and family back home.” Don’t say no. And, that is the truth. “Oh, bummer. Game starts soon, but you wanna hit those shops in the morning or else they’ll be picked clean.” He looked down at his hooves, then adopted what she started to label his “thinking” expression. She could almost imagine steam rising from his head from the effort. “Hey, you might get lucky and find what you want quick this time of day, right? So come find me on the beach if you get done soon, and you might catch the end of the game. I’ll show you how to handle those waves afterwards if you can make it.” He offered a wide grin with his big, perfect teeth. Uhh, don’t try to shut things down or escape. Delay and keep the conversation going. “Maybe you could come with me and help me find the good stuff? I don’t want to end up gettin’ some glittered up piece of trash. My sister would give me no end of it.” “Awww man, yeah that would be a major drag. But I gotta be with my buds and defend our turf though. Hmmm.” Steam. She was almost sure she could see steam. “Oh, I know. You were looking for some jewelry, right? Make sure you get some from the Silver family. They’re like, super proud of their quality and stuff. No way they’d sell you some junk. They have this mark they use that looks like this.” He lit up his horn and formed a glowing pair of letters in the air, “SV.” “That is really helpful. I’ll be sure to look for that. I guess this is goodbye then?” “Yeah, looks that way. See you around though.” Apple Bloom watched him walk away for a moment, then called out, “Good luck and stomp those guys good and hard!” He waved with one hoof without looking back. “You’ll hear it from across town when we do!” Apple Bloom continued to watch until his hulking form disappeared into the flow of ponies heading South for their own versions of fun in the sand and sun. She slurped down the last of her juice, then found a nearby litter bin, and tossed her cup in. A voice in her ear startled her. “That seemed to go really well.” Apple Bloom whipped her head to face Diamond Tiara, then exhaled slowly. “Yeah, and you’re right. That is pretty fun, and he seemed to enjoy himself too. If I was on speakin’ terms with the beach right now, I might even find myself learnin’ how to surf.” “That could make for a fun day.” Diamond Tiara giggled a little and bumped rumps with her. “Let's go shopping.” They made it to Twilight Square, found her statue—the smallest of the three at just regular pony-size—and gawked at the confusing decor. Where the previous two squares had held a strong central theme, this one reminded Apple Bloom of the story her sister had told her about how she and her friends had tried to make Twilight’s new castle feel more like home. Everywhere she looked was a different color. Balloons and butterflies, diamonds holding up rainbow streamers, and uncomfortably familiar apples tipping fence posts. She felt bad for her friend, Twilight, but it was honestly a bit uncomfortable to linger. Her sister’s story suddenly made a whole lot more sense. They continued their search for gifts. They’d found a small jewelry shop as they exited the West gates and continued on down Mainstreet. It bore a sign indicating that they sold Silver Family wares. “We ain’t in Silver Square yet. What do you think?” Apple Bloom nodded to the sign in the window. “Wouldn’t hurt to look.” Diamond Tiara strode into the shop and disappeared inside. Apple Bloom hesitated for several moments, shrugged, then entered too. Inside, wood and glass cases covered nearly every square hoof of visible space from ceiling to floor, with black velvet lining to let the intricate pieces of worked silver show off at their best. In addition to the black and silver to be seen in every direction, the color of pretty gems cut and set into the silver made for a beautiful view. Where the walls of the shop were visible and not covered with some kind of shelving or vertical display case, purple peeked through. Apple Bloom was looking intently at a necklace. It featured a thin chain and a heavy-looking pendant featuring six long, narrow teardrop-shaped amethysts arranged in a star. On either side of the pendant there were three silver stars dangling from the chain. The maker was obviously inspired by Princess Twilight Sparkle’s cutie mark, but the extra star bugged her. “I think that would look great on you.” Apple Bloom didn’t immediately look at the source of the male voice beside her, and instead glanced through the glass display in front of her to see the back of Diamond Tiara’s head. A flick of her pink ear let Apple Bloom know that she could hear the exchange. “Maybe, but I don’t think it fits my budget.” I don’t really want this, but I’m not supposed to say no. Don’t dwell on consequences, even if this is a more expensive gift than a cup of juice. “I think it would fit in mine. Want me to get the attendant to let you try it on?” She glanced towards him. A pegasus stallion. He looked somewhat familiar, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen him. He was a dark, coal-gray, and in the low light of the shop he looked a little sinister. “I dunno where I’d wear the thing. It would be a shame for you to buy me something that’d end up inside a jewelry box forever.” “You could wear it at my place. Would be well worth the bits in my opinion.” He smile was more of a leer. Wow. OK, so that really is what he’s after. “I—uh—Dancing.” “Dancing?” He tilted his head slightly. “Yeah. Dancing gets me in the mood. Gotta dance first.” Real smooth. Ugh. “I’m, like, not very good at dancing. Besides, I think the pendant might break that thin chain if you were to bounce it around much anyway.” He glanced around, fluffed his wings repeatedly, and shifted his weight from hoof to hoof. His gaze kept going up to the ceiling and lingering, before darting back to her. All of a sudden he looked a lot less sinister and more like a colt that was caught with his hoof in the cookie jar. “Something made by the Silvers would break from just a little bit of dancing?” Apple Bloom turned to fully face the stallion. “That thing is just a cheap knockoff. If you’re looking for a real Silver piece, it would be three times as much, and enchanted in some way.” He glanced towards the shopkeeper, who seemed to be frowning and narrowing his eyes. “Listen, we should get out of here. We could go to my place. Or, uh, Silver Square.” The shopkeeper, an elderly unicorn, offered his own suggestion. “I think you should get out of here, Smoke Trail. Calling my wares knockoffs?!” As the stallion, Smoke Trail apparently, fled the shop, Apple Bloom smirked and trotted along in his wake, then caught up to him outside. Behind her she noticed a bit of pink and yellow in the corner of her eye as Diamond Tiara exited a few seconds after her. “What’s the matter? Is he going to call the guards or something?” “Oh, no. No. He couldn’t afford to bring the attention of the guards to his shop. We’re safe. I’m just, like, hungry. Yeah. I skipped breakfast. Hey, maybe we could grab a bite to eat then head back to my place? I know this spot down on the West end of the Boardwalk that nobody really knows about.” His gaze continued to dart around, and linger skyward as if searching the few clouds above for something. “Lunch sounds good. Tell me more about the place.” Apple Bloom risked a quick glance at DT while Smoke Trail was again looking upwards. DT was listening in closely, though not making much effort to conceal her eavesdropping. “Yeah, buddy of mine named Girard owns the place. Not too many customers get that far down the Boardwalk though, so most miss out on how good a cook he is.” He stretched one wing out as if to try to feel Apple Bloom’s back, but with her directly in front of him, it was impossible for the gesture to look accidental. He looked at his wing, then at Apple Bloom, and gave a weak little chuckle and folded it back to his side. He mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath, and scanned the heavens. Another furtive glance to DT, confirmed she had heard. She made a “go on” gesture with her hooves, while grinning with mirth at the pegasus’ antics. “Lunch does sound pretty good. Maybe afterwards you’ll feel more steady, and I can teach you how to dance? I’m a pretty good tutor and even helped this one colt earn his cutie mark in dancin’. I’m sure you just need some encouragement.” “What? I already have my cutie mark, see?” He turned in place to show off his flank, and displayed a blue waterdrop nestled against a drop-shaped lick of flame, the pair creating a trail of smoke disappearing near his tail. “Well, pegasi are natural dancers. I have a friend back home who is so much fun to dance with, ‘cause she has all that balance and can do cool moves with her wings.” “Forgive me, but I’m a little claustrophobic, and thinking of a packed-in dance floor has me feeling kind of closed in. I need to get up in the air. Maybe see you around?” He didn’t wait for a reply, and on his way up he briefly met Diamond Tiara’s gaze, who smiled and waved up at him. Once again, Apple Bloom found herself surrounded by black and silver, accented with colored gems all around. Instead of wood and glass cases filling up every available space and leaving little room to walk around in, this building felt more open. The walls were done in clean, crisp white with glossy black trim. The jewelry was mounted to the wall in thick, black frames like they were paintings, while the middle of the room was empty. Plush padded chairs and couches ringed the empty space in the middle, giving a feel of a lounge rather than a store. This store advertised itself as run by the Silver family, not just carrying their products. When a unicorn stallion stepped out from behind a curtained off section to the side to greet them, Apple Bloom had no doubt he was authentic. From his slicked-back purple mane, pale gray coat, sharply tailored purple suit-jacket and black tie, and his bored but polite expression all assured her this was the real deal. Diamond Tiara stepped forward to greet him. Apple Bloom contented herself to watch. “Hello, good sir. I’m looking to purchase a gift for my friend, Silver Spoon. Something of a distant cousin of yours, I think.” “Silver Spoon was it? Hmmm. One moment.” He lit his horn, and with a flash and a soft popping sound, a large, clear gem appeared next to him, held in his magic. Glowing green letters appeared in the air above the gem, flickering by at an unreadable pace. His eyes darted side to side, reflecting the blur of words. After a few moments, the words froze in place for a few seconds, then disappeared. “Ah. Branch family founded by Coal Brazier and Silver Trim. Currently resident in Ponyville. Not bonded.” He continued gazing into his crystal while speaking, and after a few more green words flashed in and out of view, he continued. “You would be Diamond Tiara, of the Rich family. Customers in good standing for three generations,  starting with Plain Rich, and continuing with Stinkin’ Rich, and current active account with Filthy Rich.” He looked up from his gem at Diamond Tiara directly. “We don’t have an account set up with you yet, Miss Tiara, but I could set up an appointment to do so.” Diamond Tiara widened her eyes for a moment at being recognized, but recovered before giving any further indication. “I’m just here to make a purchase. I hadn’t planned on spending all day with accounts and the like. I’m here on vacation.” The stallion frowned, and Apple Bloom could almost feel the ice in his words. “The Silver Family does not operate like some bulk-sale retail store. If you cannot be bothered to come to us with a serious business commission, then you’d be better off browsing through the commoners’ shops elsewhere.” Diamond Tiara matched the stallion’s ice with fire in her tone. She took a few steps towards him, her eyes narrowing. “Did you just belittle my father’s business empire? I’ll have you know he brings in more bits in a year than your entire family has ever had!” “I have no doubts about the material wealth of the Rich family, Miss Tiara, but a mere commoner wouldn’t understand the true wealth of reputation and honor involved.” Apple Bloom glanced between the two ponies, then rushed to get between them before it came to blows. “Hey now, Mr. Silver whatever your name is, we’re tryin’ to get a gift for someone in your family. Doesn’t that mean somethin’ to you?” Diamond Tiara stepped back and didn’t try to get past her girlfriend. She looked about to speak, but was cut off by the stallion. “I would hardly call an unbonded member of a branch family with no standing or status as someone of worth. Once again, something a commoner like you would never understand, miss—” He raised his gem, glanced at Apple Bloom’s cutie mark, then flicked through another stream of glowing green words and symbols. His eyes widened as the magic display stilled, and he turned his attention fully to Apple Bloom. He stood stiff and transformed before their eyes into the very model of professionalism, all evidence of his ire vanished. “Lady Apple Bloom. Founder of the CMC Organization for the Guidance and Counseling of Cutie Mark Matters, personal friend to Princess Twilight Sparkle, personal friend to Princess Luna, youngest current member of House Apple of Ponyville, 4th descendant of Count Apple Seed of the Everfree County. “Welcome to Silver Cove, Lady Apple Bloom. On behalf of House Silver and Baron Silver Ingot, I am Silver Platter. My apologies at the circumstances of this welcome, but your visit was not announced.” Apple Bloom sighed and her gaze fell to her hooves. She muttered under her breath, “Horseapples. Busted.” She took a deep breath and raised her gaze level to his and nodded. “We’re on vacation, not on official business. I’d appreciate if you didn’t make a big fuss ‘bout this.” “Understood, My Lady. Please allow our House to offer hospitality? We will attempt to make it discreet as you wish.” Diamond Tiara took her place at Apple Bloom’s side, still scowling at the unicorn. Apple Bloom gave her a quick nuzzle behind the ear, and she pressed close to Apple Bloom’s side. “If it’ll keep you from organizin’ some sort of parade or somethin’, fine. House Apple accepts the hospitality of House Silver. I mean it, no fuss, you hear?” “Of course, My Lady. Would dinner be lacking enough in “fuss” to be to your liking? The Sky Room has been the pride of both the Silver and Feather Houses for generations.” “They’d get pushy soon enough too, wouldn’t they? Yeah, that’ll work. Make sure you let the Feathers know to make no fuss neither. We’ll accept your dinner invite, and call hospitality satisfied for the both of you, alright?” “As you wish, My Lady. I would like to offer a gift from my own personal collection, as an apology for the offense I inflicted upon your consort.” His horn lit up, and another flash and pop of a summon revealed a beautiful silver tea set floating in the air between them. “She’s my girlfriend, not a consort.” She turned to Diamond Tiara who warily stepped forward to inspect the set. Appraising the floating set of silver dishes visibly brightened Diamond Tiara’s mood and she nodded. “Silver Spoon would just love this.” “Alright, we’ll take it. How much, Mister Platter?” Silver Platter flinched, then coughed into his hoof. “Apple Bloom! He said it was a gift.” Diamond Tiara scolded her, but Apple Bloom recognized the playful twinkle in her eye and tone in her voice. “Aw horseapples. I’ll get the hang of this social etiquette stuff one of these days.” Apple Bloom turned her gaze from Diamond Tiara back to Silver Platter. “I guess I insulted you right back. Beg your pardon for that. Now it feels a bit lopsided to accept your apology gift. You want it back?” “I would never accept such a thing. A gift is a gift, and it would dishonor me to have it remain in my collection.” “Figures. Make you a deal then. I know you’re keen on braggin’ to your buddies up in Los Pegasus about how you got to play host to the Apple Family, and you ain't gonna get to rub it into their snoots if we keep this visit a secret. I’ll get with Granny Smith and my brother and sister when I get back home and see if we can plan some sorta official visit. They ain’t too keen on all this political stuff, but we can maybe work out some proper reason for me to come here on business. How soon and how nice of business that turns out to be we’ll see. “I plan to relax and enjoy the rest of my vacation, and if I end up irate before we leave, you won’t find me too pleasant when I return.” “Very good, Lady Apple Bloom. Very good. You have my personal word your vacation will lack irritants from House Silver. I will negotiate on your behalf with House Feather. As for the tea set, I will have it delivered to the Rich estate, care of Filthy Rich. Would that be agreeable?” Diamond Tiara simply nodded. Apple Bloom spat in her hoof then extended it to Silver Platter. “Sounds like we have ourself an understanding then.” As usual when dealing with his type, his expression turned squeamish, but he recognized the ancient custom and followed suit. They shook on it. “Girard’s Open Book” sat on the Western end of the Boardwalk, tucked between the shops to either side of it like a lonely tome on a curio shelf. The entire store face was made to look like the cover of a book, with the title serving as the store’s sign. The entrance was on the side of the small building, giving the impression of going past the cover to walk into where pages ought to be. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara entered the dimly-lit, smoky restaurant that seemed crowded with four tiny tables inside. Only one was occupied, and the griffon seated at it was tall and gangly, seeming to be all limbs and hardly any torso. He called out when the pair entered. “Girard! Two seaweed salads.” A voice replied from somewhere further inside past a door emitting billowing clouds of steam. “What? We got customers out there or are you just getting my hopes up again?” “For real, dude!” The griffon turned to them and smiled. “Take your pick of seats. Like, literally anywhere.” Apple Bloom scanned the corners and shrugged. The interior of the place was decorated with a jumbled mess of fishing nets, a surfboard with what appeared to be a large bite taken out of it, numerous seashells, bits of oddly shaped driftwood, a large ship’s anchor, and old photographs tucked into cracks and crevices. She glanced at Diamond Tiara. Diamond Tiara just shrugged back, then wandered towards one seemingly at random. “We’d actually like to see the menu. I wasn’t really in the mood for salad.” Apple Bloom followed and sat with her, then looked more closely at the photographs peeking out from the walls nearby. All featured a griffon she guessed to be Girard, sometimes alone, sometimes with other griffons or ponies. “Suit yourself, dudes. Ponies only order the salad here though.” He searched around, peeking in the doorway eventually. “Girard! Where you keep the menus at? Wait, I see’m.” He returned and half-heartedly dropped two menus on the table. With notably more care, he set a glass of water in front of each of them, then wandered back over to his seat, picked up a newspaper and became engrossed. They shared a look. Apple Bloom picked up her menu first, followed by Diamond Tiara, both silently indicating to each other their resolve to continue. The menu was a single sheet of stiffened and wax-covered paper. Most of the items on it she recognized as various kinds of fish and other sea creatures. At the top of the page, the special was described as, “the freshest crab legs in Silver Cove.” At the bottom of the page, a lone item, “seaweed salad” fell under the heading of “pony friendly.” Motion drew their attention to the steaming doorway, and another griffon emerged from within and approached their table. Like any good cook should be, he was rather round. Long term constant exposure to steam and cooking grease left his coat and feathers dull looking. His beak was parted in a smile, and his eyes were lively. Apple Bloom recognized him as the griffon from the photographs, though several years older in person. He placed a bowl piled with something shiny, leafy, and dark green in front of each of them, then reached for their menus. “Welcome to Girard’s Open Book, I’m Girard. Thanks for not judging a book by its cover. I’ll get these out of your way.” Apple Bloom handed hers to him with a giggle. Again Diamond Tiara met her eyes, and she nodded to her again. Diamond Tiara held onto her menu briefly, drawing Girard’s attention out of his apparent routine. “We’d like one special each.” He blinked. “You sure? Well, salad’s on the house I guess. Be a few minutes if you’re sure.” Apple Bloom looked up at him. “We’re sure.” Girard lingered a moment longer, as if expecting them to change their mind, shrugged, and left their table. He dropped their menus on one of the empty tables, then left the room by the front door instead of back into the kitchen like they expected. Seeing their confused reactions, the gangly griffon still present chuckled. “As advertised, freshest crab in Silver Cove. So fresh he’s still gotta go catch it.” “Wow. That’s. I don’t know what that is.” Diamond Tiara blinked, and Apple Bloom could just see her trying to figure out how the business model worked. Apple Bloom poked at her salad, then popped one of the limp leaves into her mouth and thoughtfully chewed. Finding it to her liking she swallowed. “Somethin’s been bugging me, and I think I figured out what it is.” Diamond Tiara looked up from her salad and raised an eyebrow, still chewing. “Hmm?” “We’ve been invited to at least five parties between us, several dates, dinners, and even a night cruise on a ship. I think we can figure out how to go together to some of those, but we sure can’t go to all of’m. What are we gonna do ‘bout all this? She daintily finished her bite, then sipped her water before responding. “Well, I think we both know what we’re doing for dinner. Kinda obligated.” “Yeah.” Apple Bloom sighed and fiddled with her glass, watching the ice cubes inside float. “As much fun as a night cruise out on the ocean sounds, dinner would conflict with that. Besides, I think we both know what that “captain” intended, and it would be hard to say no and escape any angry reactions when stuck on the ocean.” “That’s true. Not sayin’ it’s a good idea to go, but he’ll be disappointed when you don’t show up. So will a lot of other ponies. Unless we got our hooves on some of that time travel magic or somethin’. I can’t help but think we’re gonna be the cause of a lot of mischief tonight, and we’ve been stirrin’ it and brewin’ it up all mornin’.” “Too bad Twilight isn’t here. The way she twitches whenever somepony brings up time magic to fix something never stops being funny.” Diamond Tiara giggled into her hoof. “Yeah.” Apple Bloom had her own giggle at her distant friend’s expense, then frowned. “Don’t change the subject though. I’m serious. How are we gonna fix this mess?” “We don’t.” “Pardon?” Diamond Tiara gazed at her over the top of her water glass. “Look. We met a lot of ponies today. You’re focused on the few that might be a little disappointed tonight because of us. How many ponies had fun because of us? How many did we part ways with leaving them with smiles?” Apple Bloom poked and prodded at her salad, then relented. “I guess a lot, but—” “—but that makes the mischief worthwhile. We made more ponies day better than we interfered with. “Of the ones you fear will be disappointed, how many do you think are probably grinning right now as we speak? Remember that pegasus that suggested this place to us? He might be disappointed neither of us will be warming his bed, but he tried us both separate times. Pretty sure we weren’t the only ones he had his “heart” set on. If he’s disappointed tonight, it’s not our fault or concern.” Diamond Tiara lifted a forkful of seaweed and pointed it at Apple Bloom. “I think you’re putting too much stock into the disappointment side of it.” She turned her fork back to herself and ate the green morsel. “You’re right on that one.” Apple Bloom readied her own bite of salad. The lemony dressing really brought out an interesting flavor in the simple leaves. “Speaking of him, I have actually been in the mood to dance.” “Yeah, me too. That one other pegasus, Night Rocker, seemed pretty safe. Nice public place, dancing, and he didn’t seem to expect anything more.” Apple Bloom swallowed her bite. “That sounds like our choice for the night, even if it means blowing off the others. I guess that part can’t be helped. I just wish there was some wa—” “Guenther! I got a feisty one, help me soften her up a bit!” Girard’s voice called suddenly from outside. “I don’t wanna risk harming our delicate customers with it thrashin’ and snappin’ about inside.” “Aw yeah, this’ll be totally thrashin’!” Their mostly quiet fellow occupant leapt from his perch with wings spread excitedly, and dashed outside, leaving his newspaper to flutter to rest on the floor in his wake. Apple Bloom and Diamond Tiara stared at each other. Outside they heard a few squawks from both griffons. A loud bang against the front of the shack rattled the walls and knocked dust from above and a few photographs from the wall. Neither spoke a word. It grew quiet outside, then Girard, looking drenched, came in. He was followed soon after by Guenther who seemed to be walking with a slight limp. Between them they carried a huge crab nearly half as big as either of them. They both held it firmly in a talon, right behind a claw each, leaving it to wriggle the rest of its spindly legs around wildly in the air in impotent fury. “I’ll stew up the main body and treat you to gumbo to make up for it, how’s that sound?” “That’d be hella sweet, dude.” The two of them disappeared into the kitchen, leaving the two ponies stunned and wordless. — Apple Bloom stared down at her plate. In front of her were half a dozen long, spindly, pink-orange objects with obvious segmented sections. One of them, thicker than the others, ended in an intimidating claw that she had seen snapping at the air not long ago. While the steam rising from the dish smelled of butter and a delicious mix of herbs, underneath it all was a pungent ocean stench that she was having trouble telling herself was the smell of something that she ought to put in her mouth. She poked it with a hoof. She knew it wouldn’t snap at her, but it seemed like the right kind of precaution to take. She looked over at Diamond Tiara, who seemed just as unsure about her own portion. “So, uh, do we just pick it up and bite into it? Like corn on the cob maybe? It’s hard and kinda spiney.” Guenther approached the their tableside and grinned. “Nah, dudes, you gotta crack it open to get to the sweet meat inside. Think of it like walnuts.” Walnuts, huh? Maybe chestnuts would be closer, but that does make this feel alright. She picked up one and held it between her hooves and squeezed, not accomplishing much. Diamond Tiara watched her, frowning at her lack of success. “Nah nah. Wait, lemme get you somethin’.” He left their side, then returned and placed a flat stone near each of them. They were mostly smooth, except for a notch carved in the center. “Made these myself, but I never thought they’d be used by ponies. Put it there, then hit it. Like I said, treat it like a walnut. Gotta crack it, dude.” She glanced over at Diamond Tiara again, who motioned for her to try it out first. She set one leg on the notch as instructed, raised her other hoof high, then brought it down hard. She grimaced and shut her eyes as it made a resounding cracking sound and rattling table. Tentatively she opened her eyes to assess the damage and found a distinct lack of splattered mess. Instead the leg seemed mostly unharmed, except for a bit of deformation where she’d hit it, with some visible cracks formed in one segment. Guenther made an up and down motion with a balled-up talon. “Right on! Now you can just pry it open and scoop the meat right out. Easy, yeah?” “Yeah, that ain’t so hard after all.” She picked up a little fork next to her plate and started poking around, holding the leg in the notch still with her left hoof. Before long she’d managed to get a stringy clump of white on the end of her fork. A sharp crack from the other side of the table let her know Diamond Tiara was trying it out, so she took the opportunity to delay just a little longer. When Diamond Tiara had a morsel on the end of her fork, they shared another look. “Here we go.” “Yeah.” Apple Bloom brought the fork to her mouth and popped it in. She chewed it slowly and let the taste flood her mouth. Butter, herbs, salt, and a sweet/oily solidness. She didn’t know what she had expected, but delicious wouldn’t have been her first guess by a long shot. She looked wide-eyed over at Diamond Tiara. She was also thoughtfully chewing, with her own surprised and pleased expression. After finishing her bite and swallowing, she finally commented. “Maybe we can find a way to have this delivered back home to have now and then.” Apple Bloom giggled, then smashed her hoof down on another segment. “I bet we could talk to Fluttershy about it.”