//------------------------------// // A Ruby in the Wine // Story: Winner // by SouthernCross //------------------------------// Kiss-and-run had been an effective tactic this time, but if fillies were anything like young females in the Tribe, it wouldn't work for long and would only quickly make them angry. None the less, he had managed to escape while the two bullies were distracted, and was almost home. His parents had managed to acquire a fairly large building near the back of the business district. The first floor and cellar had been refurbished for use as a winery and had recently been stocked with the finest wine from the Ninganarra Vineyards. The second floor had been made into the family of three’s home, though his parents’ room was little more than a nest and a few artefacts from the Tribe while his own room was done in a more Equestrian style. The winery and the remaining rooms where decorated in a combination of the two styles. Personally, he would rather sleep in his parents’ nest, but they’d insisted he learn to live like a pony. As he came within sight of the building, he noticed his mother landing in the front yard. She had a slender beak that tickled him every time she preened him, and her feathery crest was styled in a fashion similar to a mane. Her feathers shimmered slightly in the light, displaying the great amount of care she put into her hygiene. She wore a pair of large saddlebags as well as a sack draped across her back. No doubt they contained tonight’s dinner. As her amber eyes fell on him, he noticed her chest plumage puff out slightly as she smiled at him. “How was your first day in school, Kitten?” his mother asked in the non-rhotic accent native to the Southern Continent. The colt dashed up to her and gave her a hug, enjoying the feel of her soft chest plumage as he buried his snout into it before smiling up at her. “Eh, not bad,” he replied before stepping back to give his mother room. “Would have gone better if everyone wasn’t so intent on making friends.” The colt mimed gagging to illustrate just what he thought of that. The gryphoness’ shoulders slumped at the sight and she sighed. “Oh, Skywinder, what am I going to do with you?” she wondered out loud. “We moved here so you could learn to live like your own kind. The whole Tribe agreed it was for the best… and you saw how much they hated to see us leave!” “I know, Mum.” Skywinder looked down sadly. “I just… Ninganarra is my home.” He glanced up at his adoptive mother thoughtfully. “And you’re my mum, no matter what blood I have.” His mother smiled broadly and hugged Skywinder close, tickling him slightly with her feathers. “And you will always be my little kitten.” She looked him in the eye and growled, “And as your mum, I want you to make friends!” With a growl Skywinder twisted himself in her grip and kissed her on the cheek and replied, “I’ll try… but only when I’m ready.” Skywinder’s mother pushed open the door to the store, and the two stepped inside. At the counter was his father, his trademark hat perched atop his head and a smile on his beak as he chatted with the only other life form in the store; a pink mare with a reddish-pink mane and grapes for a cutie mark. Clearly, she quite enjoyed her wine since the saddlebag on the floor next to her already had four bottles inside, and the one on the counter was half empty. A quick glance at the label confirmed the nearly empty bottle to be of some of the store’s best stock. The large patriarch turned towards his family and smiled warmly. “Here they are now, Berry Punch; my wife Windancer and my son Skywinder.” He waltzed out from behind the counter and swept his wife up in an embrace before patting the little pegasus on the head. Skywinder watched the mare twist on the bar stool to look at him and his mother with slightly unfocused eyes. After a moment she grinned and looked back at the colt’s father before remarking, “Well, he’s certainly grown to be a handsome colt.” She laughed. “At this rate he’s going to be the most eligible bachelor in Ponyville!” The colt’s face immediately twisted into an expression of horror. This went unnoticed as his parents began to chat with the inebriated mare. The colt took the moment to flee upstairs as the words bounced around in his skull. He understood what it meant; mares and fillies all wanting his attention, to spend time and play with him, and even try to be his life-partner. He wanted nothing to do with being the centre of attention, everyone focusing on him, at all. All he wanted was to be left alone. He was so tired of standing out. With a blink he realised he had somehow managed to lose two hours just stringing those thoughts together. He gazed around the living room, with its combination of cushions and decorative spears, and wondered just how in the Rainbow Serpent’s scaly snout that had happened. “HI!” an excited, high-pitched voice announced from behind the colt, sending him into a fit of flailing legs and fluttering wings as he sprung to his hooves and spun around to face the intruder. “I’m Ruby Pinch!” declared the pink coated interloper with a two-toned light and dark pink mane. “GAH!” He jumped in surprise, his small wings buzzed in fright, his legs flailed in the air as he sailed through the air and onto his back beside the cushion he had been seated on. His chest heaved as he tried to regain his breath while he cast his gaze at the intruding filly. “You’re the new colt at school, right? You’re funny!” The filly chirped, the words flowing from her soft lips like the clear waters of a spring. She cast her delicate snout around as the adorable, shining jewels that served as her eyes observed the artefacts of his Tribe that served as decorations for the room and giggled sweetly. “Mommy said she’ll be a while yet, and your mommy said I should come up and say hello!” she happily informed the befuddled colt. Her attention focused on a long, hollow tube decorated with wavy lines and dots of white and red., “”Ooh!” she exclaimed as she skipped over to the object. “What’s this? An instrument?” She reached a curious hoof towards the tube. In a blur Skywinder was on his hooves and batted the filly’s hoof away from the instrument. “Don’t touch it! Those from outside the Tribe aren’t allowed to touch these; it will anger the Dream Spirits within and bring misfortune on the entire Tribe!” he warned darkly, glaring at the offending pink filly. Pink ears flopped flat against the filly's head as she lowered her head sadly, tears forming in the corners of her eyes as she sniffled, “I'm sorry... please don't be mad at me!” She gazed at him with a tearful puppy dog stare. With a grunt and a pair of rolled eyes, the colt's shoulders slumped and he muttered, “Fine, I forgive you.” “YAY!” She squealed, barely restraining the urge to hug the colt. “It is an instrument, right.? Can you play a song for me? Please?” The filly grinned at him demurely, looking at him with her large eyes. He heaved a heavy sigh and grumbled a bit. “Alright, just stop looking at me like that.” Setting himself on a cushion, he brought the instrument to his lips and inhaled through his nose, puffed his cheeks out and pressed the instrument to his snout so his nostrils peeked over the top and the beeswax around the rim of the instrument created a seal. While he breathed in through his nostrils, he expelled air through his mouth while working his cheeks and tongue. A haunting drone emerged from the end of the tube that both enthralled and terrified the filly; it was punctuated by wails, shrieks and howls that seemed to be possessed of the very spirit of the Great South Land she had heard of so many times. Her eyes remained transfixed on the colt as he continued to play for ten minutes without stopping, seemingly not needing to breath to hold the tune, but she knew that couldn't be the case; the scope of the amount of practice to learn whatever technique he was using to pull off his trick settled within her mind like a phoenix coming to roost - Seemingly unspectacular, yet astounding when brought into focus. As Skywinder brought his performance to a close; his ears perked up at the sound of hooves beating on the wooden floor and the sharp cracks of clapping talons. A blush spread across his face as he noticed Berry Punch and his parents had apparently entered the room while he was playing and heard the whole thing. “I don't know what that was, but it was amazing!” the inebriated mare declared, her filly smiling beside her. His fathered beamed with pride, offering the colt a smile. “You have been improving greatly over the last few months.” The griffon had only taught the youth how to play the instrument a little over two years previously. Most cubs took at least another year to reach the level Skywinder had achieved. To the colt’s relief Berry Punch chose that moment to glance at a nearby clock and jumped to her hooves with a start. “Oh dear! I should really be getting little Ruby home.” She glanced at Skywinder’s parents and grinned. “Thank you for letting us stay so late, Galestrider, Windancer. I really hope we haven’t imposed at all.” “Not at all.” Windancer, Skywinder’s mother, replied merrily. “You’re our first guests here in Ponyville, and I’m sure we’d all be glad to count you and your daughter as our friends!” Ruby Pinch pulled a mortified Skywinder into a hug and chirped happily, “Yay! I like making new friends!” He had been hoping the strange sounding instrument would scare the girl away, not make her latch onto him like an angry Hoop Snake with its own tail while chasing some mischievous kangaroo. He really hoped she wasn’t going to be that way. Hoop Snakes could roll for hours like that. Mercifully, she released him from his torment and exited his home alongside her mother. Shortly after, the family sat down to dinner, the gryphons enjoying some meat from animals the colt’s mother had caught in the Everfree forest while he dined on a roughly set out salad. Despite having raised the colt for years, his mother still struggled to make a good salad. He didn’t mind, though; it tasted good and filled his belly. He couldn’t ask for more then that. After they had finished their meals and their discussions of their days, Windancer availed herself of the facilities to prepare for bed while Galestrider sat with his son with a cheerful but serious expression on his face. After a moment the older male said, “I’m not sure you noticed, my boy, but when you played the didgeridoo, the Dream Spirits Moved.” That statement was enough to snap the colt’s attention to his father. “What?” he asked in shock. “But they only Move when the Rainbow Snake wills it… and He only does that when it’s really important, right?” Gale nodded meaningfully. “Yes, not since The Uncreator tried to ravage the Southern Continent has the Rainbow Serpent made the Dream Spirits Move.” He paused before looking the colt in the eyes. ”Yet when we found you at the base of Uluru with the remains of Dust Dingoes all around, we knew the Rainbow Serpent had taken an interest in you.” Skywinder gulped before looking his father in the eye. “Is something bad going to happen?” The gryphon looked at his son for a long while before replying, “Perhaps. Or maybe not. the Rainbow Serpent has always been a mischievous sort. He and The Uncreator are supposed born of the same source, after all.” The colt blinked and asked, “So… what did they do, anyway?” “They’re spirits; none can truly understand them,” Gale replied with a shrug. “All I know is it involved that pretty young filly that seemed so taken with you.” A grin slowly worked its way onto his face, and he brushed a fake tear from his eye. “My little colt is growing up so fast.” “DAAAAD!!!”