//------------------------------// // One time // Story: With this ring... // by Rose Quill //------------------------------// I lounged in the chaise as the sun went down over the water. My glasses were tinted all the way to a deep crimson, but they didn’t dull the beauty of the sight. My hand was twined with a lanky young man on the chaise next to me on the veranda of the stilt cabin we had rented. The red and golden light of the sunset glittered across the water of the bay that made up the bulk of Hello Tropics’ many attractions. It held a lot of special memories for me, both from my childhood and the strange chance meeting with this lovable goofball next to me. I glanced at our hands, seeing the light glint off the rings on my left hand, one gemstone and one carved with my cutie mark on it. I was strangely content at this moment. “Penny for your thoughts?” Light whispered into my ear. “It’s weird,” I said, leaning down and nestling my head back against his shoulder. He had on the usual attire for the resort, a loose button up shirt and swim trunks. I was wearing a one piece swimsuit and a sarong, shifting colors of dark blue and warm yellow. It blended perfectly with both of our skin tones, and it also seemed to mark another turning point in my life, subconsciously copying our parents in wearing something that either matched or wove our two colors into each other. “For years now, I felt restless and unsure of where I belonged. Now not only do I have a standing offer at Aunt Sparky’s school, I also seem to be attached to this odd hunk of a man who I thought once upon a time was attracted to my sister.” I glanced up into his sky-blue eyes. “It’s weird to me to be so content right now.” His eyes crinkled slightly as he smiled. “I think I know what you mean,” he said, shifting slightly to wrap both arms around me. I don’t know why I felt so safe in his embrace. “I remember how much you panicked near the end of the vacation when we met. But just like I said, things turned out pretty well in their own time.” I sighed happily. “Yeah,” I whispered. “You were right. Don’t get used to me saying that, though.” “Yes, Professor Sky,” he snickered. I laughed along with him. “I like the way that sounds,” I whispered, more to myself than anything. He wisely decided to remain silent, studying the building. “I’m surprised they managed to build this in less than a year,” he commented. “Just setting the pilings alone would have been a massive undertaking. And making sure that the building was always above tide levels, even during rainstorms. The engineering of this is amazing! I guess I shouldn’t be surprised, though. I mean, Oxy helped with some of it and she’s a genius with that kind of stuff.” I patted him on the shoulder. “Your Aunt Dagi designed it after her house,” I reminded him. “So any design errors or the like would have been worked out before she presented it to the resort for them to build four more. Besides, would you really have wanted King’s Island? That’s kind of Mom and Mother’s thing, you know.” “Well, we do have some nice memories there,” he said. “But this seems more like us. A bit more authentic, if that makes any sense.” “I know what you mean,” I said, standing up from the oversized chaise, pulling him up as well. “A link to our roots while branching out a bit on our own.” He slid his hands down and pulled me closer, his easy smile making me feel lighter than air as I remembered he was mine, now and forever. Just like I was his. I reached up and linked my hands at the wrists around his neck. “So,” he said, voice soft. “Any ideas on what to do while we’re here?” “I have a few,” I replied with a shift of my brows, turning my contented smile into one that hinted at mischief. “Maybe even one or two you’ll enjoy, Mr. Shimmer.” He held his hands up in mock surrender. “Do go gentle on me,” he laughed. Laughing, I pulled him close and kissed him hard,all the restraint from the last day or two bleeding out into it. As he held me, I slid his shirt down his shoulders, letting it fall to the deck. I reached down with one hand to undo the knot that held my sarong on. “Middy,” he said, between kisses. “Slow down, we’ve got…” His voice trailed off into a cry of surprise as my shove sent him down into the bay, following a moment later. “Hey!” he sputtered as he surfaced. “That was crazy, this isn’t the lagoon!” I stroked over to him as we both bobbed in the water. I looped my arms around his neck, tapping a bit of magic to keep floating. He didn’t seem to notice. I shook my head as I looked into his eyes. “One, magic,” I said. “I just managed to marry you, Sunlight Shimmer, you really think I’d damage you this quickly like that? Shame.” He blushed a little. “Two,” I continued, leaning into him, the awareness of his emotions that our close proximity brought being an interesting sensation. “You told me once that almost every good memory of this place involved the water. That it called to you, or the like.” I pulled his face close to mine as his hands stopped trying to help tread water and captured my hips again. “I just want you to start having some with both your loves,” I whispered, cheek grazing his in a nuzzle. “Besides, a moonlit swim with your bride might be enjoyable. You really want to pass that up?” He shook his head, his eyes closing as he returned the nuzzle. So many of our little gestures were mixes of both human and pony cultures. Touching foreheads, human. Nose rubbing, pony. Everything had an equivalent and with as much time as I had spent as a pony in my life I was surprised how many he was familiar with. “Maybe next time, though,” he whispered into my ear before he nibbled on the earlobe. “You could suggest a swim instead of shoving me into the water? Just once?” I shivered at the contact, but I wasn’t easily distracted. “Maybe one time couldn’t hurt,” I teased, tracing a line down his chest. “One time.”