//------------------------------//
// Chapter 12 
// Story: Set In Stone 
// by kudzuhaiku 
//------------------------------//

	Three fillies walked down the lane, a pegasus in tow. He trailed along behind them, stopping, taking time to smell the flowers and look at little details. This frustrated the fillies, because they were in a hurry. There was a dancing cutie mark at stake. 

Sandow, for his part, was content to stroll along slowly. Since the owlbear fight, life had changed a bit. And the revelations about his family. His grief was occasional now, a passing spell, something that only bothered him every once in a while, and Sandow had concluded that there was still too much life left to live. Too much to see. Too much to do. Like spend time with fillies. Life would go on, with him or with out him, so he had chosen to go along with life and see where it led. 

“Hurry up Sandow.” Scootaloo urged, leading the way. 

“He has a busted wing.” Applebloom said, frowning at Scootaloo. 

“A wing. Not a broken leg. We’re not flying.” Scootaloo said impatiently. 

“Just what is tapdancin’ anyhoo?” Applebloom asked. 

“You tap your shoes,” said Sweetie Belle, “and make music with your hooves.” 

“Oh.” Said Applebloom. 

“I can do that.” Sandow said, gazing off into the trees along side the road. 

“You can tapdance?” Scootaloo said. 

“I don’t know about that.” Sandow said. “My sire called it clatter cantering. A combat trick when you are on the ground. Distract your enemy with your hooves, forcing them to look down. Plus, a light step and quick movement keeps a pegasus alive in combat. I suppose it is still dancing though.” Sandow’s drawl was starting to blossom. He paused and did a little shuffle step in the dirt. “My sire said I was light on my hooves.” 

Sweetie Belle nodded. “You are.” 

Eventually, they stood on the edge of Ponyville, it was late afternoon, and many ponies were out to enjoy the spring sunshine. 

“Winter wrap up winter wrap up…” A pony sang as they trotted by. 

“That song is too durn catchy.” Applebloom said. “One pony starts and then the whole town stops to join in.” Applebloom shot a look of annoyance at Sweetie Belle, who had begun to hum to herself. “Cause tomorrow spring is here.” Sweetie Belle finished. 

“Hey Scootaloo, ya remember when we had that sleepover and you dreamed you were eating marshmallows and you woke up and you were chewing on Sweetie Belle?” Applebloom asked with a wicked smile. 

Sweetie Belle immediately blushed. “Oh that’s fighting dirty ‘Bloom.” 

Scootaloo froze, blushing. ‘What’d I do to deserve that?” 

“Nothin’, but Sweetie needed a reminder.” Applebloom said. 

“You and your sass.” Scootaloo replied, continuing forward. 

Sandow chuckled and followed after the fillies, his thoughts drifting, the sounds around him fading into the background. He still marveled at the wealth in the town, even after learning that some ponies that lived here were considered poor. And had to work hard to keep what they had. Clearly, the definition of poor had changed at some point. Ponies seemed to have a lot more free time. Sandow remembered working from sunup to sundown, and there was always work to do. Now, ponies worked a few hours a day, and spent the rest of the day doing other things. Buying stuff. Sitting around. Being idle. Having fun. Taking dance lessons. It was a strange time to be alive, Sandow thought to himself. Of course, there had always been those ponies that wanted a life of leisure and took it at others expense. Thieves. Claim jumpers. Foalnappers. Sandow had seen it all. It seemed now that a life of leisure was possible without having it at the expense of others. Ponies made a living now doing all kinds of things. Like making candy. Giving dance lessons. Planning parties. Making frilly dresses. The last one baffled Sandow. Wearing clothes? Ponies didn’t need clothing. Minotaurs wore clothing and had their strange nudity taboo. 

Sandow realised he didn’t know what poverty was anymore. He looked around him, trying to take it all in, and failed. The world was confusing and strange now. He wasn’t so sure that it was better. Did ponies even realise how good they had it now? Did they appreciate what they had? Was there gratitude? Did they take all they had for granted? All of them walking around, with nothing better to do, most of them in perfect health, some of them even rather fat, with so much food that some ponies threw it away. 

Sandow suddenly felt very small and confused. A strange sense of disorientation struck him, and he lacked the words to describe what he was feeling. 

“Sandow?” a voice said. “We’re here.” 

Sandow looked down at Applebloom and collected himself. 

“You okay Sandow? You did hit yer head pretty hard. That tree has a dent in it. We looked.” Applebloom said, concerned. 

“I’m fine.” Sandow said. “The town is just a lot to take in still.” 

Applebloom nodded, looking unsure. 

There was a wagon in front of them, the sort of house wagon that you could sleep inside if you had a mind to. It was a gaudy shade of purple. There was a sign on the side. Sandow studied it intently, trying to make out the letters. He couldn’t read it, but he tried anyway. 

“Flickershine’s school of dance.” Applebloom said helpfully. 

Sandow nodded. 

A unicorn stood by the wagon. She was a pale frosty shade of blue, with a two tone lavender and maroon mane. She was looking at them. 

“We want lessons.” Sweetie Belle said. 

“All of us.” Scootaloo added. 

“Well, three of us.” Applebloom finished. 

The unicorn nodded. “My name is Flickershine,” she said, “and I would be happy to teach you. For bits. I ask five bits a lesson, just like the sign says.”  

The fillies nodded. “In my bag.” Scootaloo said. “We have forty five bits. Our life savings. We want more lessons though I think, and hope to trade.” 

Flickershine nodded. “We can work out a trade for useful things. I could always use a comfortable place to stay, a bathtub, and food.” 

“I think we can do that.” Applebloom said, nodding. 

“I think I can teach you.” Flickershine said. 

“Rarity has an extra room. She told me you might want a place to stay.” Sweetie Belle said. “And she has an enormous bathtub.” 

Flickershine smiled warmly. 

“You have a strange cutie mark.” Scootaloo said, looking at Flickershine’s cutie mark. It was a horseshoe and a music note, merged together, with note heads protruding from the ends of the shoe. 

“I dance. That’s my talent.” Flickershine said. 

“I’m Applebloom.” Applebloom said, introducing herself. “And that’s Scootaloo,” she said, pointing at Scootaloo, “and that’s Sweetie Belle,” she said, pointing at Sweetie Belle. 

“And who is tall and lanky here?” Flickershine asked. 

“My great great great great great and maybe a dozen or so more greats grandfather.” Applebloom said, causing Sandow to stammer. 

“Looks good for his age.” Flickershine said, smiling. 

“There is a really funny story about it.” Applebloom said. 

“I’ll trade a dance lesson to the three of you for that story.” Flickershine said. 

Sandow stood there, still stammering. 

“And he picked a fight with an owlbear. Kicked it right in the acorns and got his cutie mark. Honest.” Applebloom said. 

Flickershine raised her eyebrow. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo nodded. 

“He got a cutie mark for kicking something in the twig and berries. I wonder if I should try that.” Scootaloo said thoughtfully. “I wonder if Rumble would forgive me?” She added, mostly to herself. 

“Are you fillies putting me on?” Flickershine asked. “Cause the first story was kind of cute, but now I’m getting suspicious.” 

“My sister is the Element of Honesty, and saviour of Equestria. Wanna come meet her?” Applebloom said, wide eyed. 

Flickershine sighed. “Everywhere I go, I meet strange ponies. This is why I live on the road.”