//------------------------------// // chapter 8 // Story: Life In Lace // by Harasha the Gryphon //------------------------------// The sun of Celestia was setting to the west; in an hour or two it would set completely. Orchid Seed and Amethyst Shard walked up the sidewalk, their hooves sparkling in the sunlight. Amethyst turned his eyes to the sky. “I’m surprised that whole spa trip turned out as well as it did; even the hooficure turned out better than I thought it would be. I wouldn’t do it every day to be sure, but I’d definitely be up for that spice bath a bit more often.” Amethyst sighed. “I’m glad you had fun, Amethyst,” Orchid said with a smile. “So Orchid, what do you think the girls will want to do at the party?” Amethyst asked as he shot a quizzical look toward Orchid. “Oh just normal girly stuff. Like make overs, truth or dare...” Orchid smiled and waved her hoof in the air. Amethyst and Orchid arrived home, and Amethyst unlocked the front door to his house. The pair proceeded to enter as they continued talking. “Girly stuff..if this had been a few hours ago I wouldn’t even consider such a thing. But honestly, after that whole spa trip, I’m willing to at least try it once.” Amethyst smiled with his eyes closed. “That’s great!” Orchid replied as she and Amethyst giggled a bit. “So who’s going to--” Amethyst sputtered to a stop. He and Orchid had just entered Amethyst’s house and sitting on the couch was Misty. Amethyst’s eyes bulged upon seeing him. The color drained from his face the more he took in the sight of Misty reading through a dirty magazine. Misty looked up and visibly jumped at the sight of Orchid. “Orchid!” Misty said as his eyes darted around the room. He got off the couch and walked over to her. “Misty, I thought you were supposed to be at some convention somewhere,” Orchid said coldly. Amethyst watched as Orchid’s tail started to flick and her ears pulled back on her head. “They sent me home early… what are you doing here, and who’s the girl?” Misty said while motioning to Amethyst. Orchid’s eyes narrowed into an angry glare. “She’s a friend of mine, why does it matter?” “I’m just wondering if--” Misty paused for a second. “--Why does she look exactly like Amethyst?” “Listen Misty,” Amethyst timidly started to say. However Misty raised his eyebrows in response to Amethyst’s small squeak. “Let me guess, Amethyst went into that old castle, unearthed some magical doohickey, and somehow made a completely female clone of himself. And of course being exactly the same person, Amethyst and mare Amethyst hit it off and mare Amethyst is Amethyst‘s new marefriend.” Misty smirked. Orchid promptly rolled her eyes and replied, “And what makes you think that Amethyst is dating this mare? Even if she was a female copy of Amethyst he wouldn’t do that.” Without a moment’s hesitation, Misty interrupted and continued talking. “The signs are everywhere Orchid: the skimpy dress….” Misty motioned to the dress. “...The perfume...all the signs are here that these two are dating.” “Ugggh!” Orchid fired back with an intense glare. “Misty you’re always so sexist. Just because a mare wants to wear a short skirt doesn’t mean she automatically wants a stallion to like her.” “But it’s such a skimpy outfit--why else would a mare even have a dress like that?” Misty said with a suggestive grin. “Because she likes how short skirts make her feel. Seriously do you know anything about the mares you ‘conquer’?” Orchid replied with a roll of her eyes. “All right, let’s clear this whole mess up right now. Where’s Amethyst? Let’s just let him explain it.” Misty crossed his hooves. “He’s right here.” Orchid said as she motioned to Amethyst. Amethyst looked towards the ground as Orchid motioned over to him, the look of shyness was evident on his face. Misty scratched his head and raised his eyebrows at Orchid’s gesture “Umm so Amethyst turned himself invisible too?” Orchid promptly face-hoofed at Misty’s remark. “Misty, you’re as thick-headed as ever.” A glare formed on Misty’s face as he set his magazine down.“Will somepony kindly explain to me what the buck is going on here?” Amethyst couldn’t take the tension in the room anymore. He felt his legs quake. Misty and Orchid stared at each other intensely. Then Amethyst squinched his eyes together and he blurted out, “Misty I’m Amethyst; I’ve been transformed into a mare.” A shocked look developed on Misty’s face. “Ummm, what?” “I found a magic figurine in King Clovis’ castle and...it changed me into a mare.” Amethyst continued with a slight blush and shuffle of his left forehoof. Silence descended over the three ponies as the weight of the matter started to sink in for Misty. Misty’s eyes were wide as dinner plates, and his mouth hung from his jaw as well. Orchid merely stood there, a neutral expression gracing her face. “When did this happen?” Misty asked, his face still aghast with shock. “Just after you left,” Amethyst answered as he shuffled his hoof again. There was a long pause.. “Wow Amethyst, that’s a lot to take in. You being a mare is kinda strange but to be honest I think it’s kinda cool.” Misty said with a smile. “Kinda cool?” Amethyst raised an eyebrow in both suspicion and incredulity. “Sure dude, I mean how often does a stallion get the chance to see a sexy mare first thing every morning? A mare that basically will do anything he wants to because he is the mare.” “Err...yeah,” Amethyst mumbled back. “So Amethyst, what’s it feel like to wear a dress?” Misty asked with a growing smile. “Oook, I can see where this is going.” Orchid said as she rolled her eyes again. “I’m gonna leave before Misty says something particularly rude and offensive, because I don’t want to hear it.” Fitting actions to her words, Orchid abruptly did a one-hundred-eighty degree turn and left the room. After she left, Amethyst noticed that Misty had begun to develop a somewhat lusty look on his face. The expression made Amethyst shrink in his stance even more than he was already. “So anyways, the dress, what‘s it feel like when you wear it?” Misty asked, his lusty look only growing more prominent. “Well when I wore it, I felt pretty hot in more ways than one…” Amethyst blushed as he tried to avoid eye contact with Misty. “Awesome. So, Amethyst, mind if I ask a few more questions?” Misty smirked. “Not really...fire away,” Amethyst replied as he started to look more in Misty’s direction. “So...did you test out the new-ahem-recreation areas yet?” Misty said with a wink. Amethyst blushed hard and shrunk a bit from the question, “Errr yeah once or twice.” Amethyst looked back over at Misty and noticed that his lusty smile had given way to a neutral look. At seeing that Amethyst started to calm down a bit and looked back at Misty. “So how long do you figure you’ll be like this?” Misty asked again, his voice carrying a no-nonsense feel to it. Amethyst felt himself get a lot more comfortable looking in Misty’s direction. “At the rate I’m going in deciphering how the figurine’s magic works, I figure I should be able to devise a counter relic in a week or two.” “Cool. I figure since you were with Orchid she must have seen you like this early on,” Misty noted. Amethyst nodded in response. Soon after Amethyst noticed Misty looking at his hooves, a look of confusion also developing on his face. “Err, Shard.” Misty paused. “You got your hooves done. Why?” “Orchid’s been showing me how mares live their lives since she found me like this. She took me to the spa today and I...got a hooficure.” Amethyst said with a slight giggle. “So you’re learning how a mare behaves, from Orchid?” Misty cocked an eyebrow. “Yeah...” Amethyst replied nervously. Misty sighed and put his hoof to his forehead.  “Shard, Orchid Seed is most certainly not your average mare. She’s a nice mare to be sure but she’s...umm how do I put this?” Misty raised his hoof and looked up to his left. A few seconds later, Misty resumed his normal stance. “...Boring, You can’t go assuming that all mares are like Orchid. There are cool mares in Equestria.” He jumped a little bit, as if a lightbulb had just gone off in his head. “Hey Shard, since you’re open to the whole ‘learning how mares tick’ thing maybe I could get you in touch with a friend of mine who knows a lot about cool mares.” Misty put on a trusting smile. “Umm, sure I guess it could be ok,” Amethyst replied in an uncertain tone. “Cool,” Misty said with a huge grin on his face. “We can go see her tomorrow morning. So, care for some hayburgers? I got some on the way home.” “You bet I am!” Amethyst smiled from cheek to cheek. “Same old Amethyst, always up for some hayburgers,” Misty chuckled. ----------------------------------------------------------------- “So Misty, who is this mare we’re going to see today?” Amethyst asked. A quizzical look graced Amethyst’s face. A day had passed since Amethyst came home to find Misty there. Misty and Amethyst were walking down a street in the town of Maple Mountain; the sun was approaching noon and the skies were crystal clear. There was a spring in Misty’s step today, the joy on his face was evident to Amethyst.“A good friend of mine. She works with me on the weather team. She’s like the coolest mare I know.” “Don’t you have to do weather work today?” Amethyst asked. “Nah, I only have to work on cloudy days. And as you can see, it’s as sunny as ever,” Misty replied. Amethyst looked to his right and noticed a small, wispy cloud drifting off in the distance. “But what about that cloud over there?” Amethyst said motioning to the cloud. “Errr, hold on a second.” Misty took to the air. He flew towards the cloud and with a swift kick of his hind legs disposed of it. “The captain always appreciates it when off-duty pegasi do some weather control.” Amethyst nodded and the two continued onward. As they walked, Amethyst took note of a distinct change of scenery. The graffiti-slathered walls of the buildings they now passed stood in contrast to the clean walls of the town beforehand. The former part of town had ponies of all descriptions visiting high-end stores, while this section of the town had considerably less hoof traffic and most were just heading to unseen locations or just standing around. As the pair walked down the street, Amethyst took note of a small group of gryphons sitting outside of a small restaurant. Amethyst noticed that Misty was tensing up at the sight of them. Amethyst instead decided to keep his cool, making no change in his stance as they walked by the restaurant. Soon the two ponies were well clear and on their way to another street. Several minutes later, the two ponies found themselves at a cabin several blocks away. The building was in shambles: its roof was missing shingles, and the lawn was extremely uneven. Amethyst’s ears twitched at a vague sound coming from inside. “Here we are, Amethyst, the home of the coolest mare I know,” Misty announced with a wave of his hoof. With a nod Misty lead Amethyst onward to the house of this mare. When they got to the front door, Misty knocked, only to receive no answer. The noise that Amethyst heard from before became more prominent as they waited. Sounds like rock music, Amethyst thought. Misty banged on the door harder and once again received no response. The pegasus sighed and looked around the porch. He set his eyes on a foam statue of a mare sitting on the porch. The statue leaned back on her hind legs as she held a guitar. The pedestal of the statute read “Rock On”. Misty reached his hoof under the statue’s pedestal and produced a metal key. He walked over to the door and used this key to unlock the door. With a turn of the handle, Misty opened the door wide open. Instantly, their ears were assaulted by very loud electric guitar music. The interior of the cabin was similar to that of Amethyst’s cabin. The living room was right out in the front. The kitchen and basement entrance were not present in this cabin. Crumpled up hayburger wrappers and wrinkled clothes littered the floor. A raised rectangular platform could be seen at the end of the room, and two large speakers stood on either side of it. Atop the platform was also a yellow pegasus mare playing a red guitar, the living embodiment of the statue outside. Her spiky red mane rustled as she nodded her head to the beat of the music. Amethyst took notice that she also had several piercings on her face and several small earrings. Her cutie mark of a red music note stood prominently on her flank as she continued to play her electric guitar. Misty and Amethyst just stood there and watched the mare play her heart out on her electric guitar. Amethyst’s ears winced at the extreme volume of the music this mare was playing. The solo continued for about five minutes before the mare leapt into the air and scooted along the platform as a final riff echoed throughout the room. She opened her blue eyes to see Misty and Amethyst standing in front of her. She quickly got back on her four legs and set her guitar down. “Hey Misty, what’s up?” the mare said as she extended her front hoof for a brohoof. Misty promptly hoofed her back. “I thought you were at that big summit?” she asked Misty with a cocked eyebrow. “They kicked me out early. Apparently, Spitfire doesn’t like me hitting on her,” Misty said with a grumble. Amethyst couldn’t help but mentally face hoof. “Seems she couldn’t handle the good old Misty charm,” the mare said with a smirk on her face. “Yeah,” Misty chuckled. The mare got up into Misty’s face, a huge smile on her lips as she put her snout within mere inches of Misty’s.“Sooo, what did you think of the song?” she asked. “Awesome as ever, Sunny,” Misty said with a nervous smile. After hearing that, the mare leaned back a bit. “So Misty, what’s up?” she asked. “This is Lavender Star,” Misty said, using the name Amethyst had told him to use. Amethyst shyly waved at the mare. The mare looked over at Amethyst, then waved back. “Hey there Lavender. I’m Sunny Skies.” “So Misty is this your latest hook-up?” Sunny asked Misty with a smirk. “She‘s got a nice plot.” Amethyst and Misty both blushed pretty hard at the implication. “No no Sunny,” Misty said nervously. “She’s a sister of my friend Amethyst.” “Amethyst‘s sister? Wow good looks must run in his family!” Sunny replied with a lusty grin. “Anyways Sunny, Lavender here doesn’t have any idea how to have any fun. She lives in Canterlot, and she’s looking to have some fun while she’s here. I figure you’re the most fun and awesome mare around. Maybe you could show her a little something?” Misty asked with a smirk. “You’re looking for some fun Lavender?” Sunny asked. “Well you’ve come to the right place. I’ll show you how to have lots of fun.” “Err, ok then,” Amethyst said, as he stared towards the ground nervously. “Splendid!” Sunny smirked a bit “Let’s get going and you can come along too Misty. After all, the more the merrier!” “Sure ok,” Misty said nervously. “Where are we going?” “We’re going shopping. But not boring old dress shopping...we’re going fun shopping!” Sunny said with a confident look on her face. ----------------------------------------------------------------- Sunny, Misty and Amethyst stood outside of a store with a sign that read “The Beachside Shack”. The three of them were on a wooden pier next to a beach. Most of the buildings out here were made of wood, and several benches sat in front of them. The pier was in pristine condition, and potted plants and flowers were all over the place. The area was bustling with ponies, most of them were unicorns in upscale clothing. The rest of the ponies were just regular ponies of other races, most lacking any real clothing at all. “Here we are, the most awesome store in the whole town,” Sunny announced with a motion toward the location in front of them. Amethyst watched Misty turn his head and look around the area. “Sunny I thought you hated the tourist areas, so why are we here?” Sunny closed her eyes in disgust and stuck her tongue out. “I hate most of those upscale places. But the Beachside Shack isn’t one of them. Sure the owner doesn’t get a lot of tourist money, but he carries the most awesome clothes in the whole city,” “So how exactly is going shopping here going to be fun?” Amethyst asked with a sceptical eye. “Where we’re going later today, you’re gonna need a killer bathing suit.” Sunny put her hoof to her chin as if she were in deep thought. “Also, I could use a new board.” “But what am I doing here?” Misty asked in exacerbated confusion. “Just sit back and act confused about why we girls like to shop,” Sunny said with a smug look on her face. “Oh wait, it’s not an act, is it?” The answer only made the confusion grow on Misty’s face. “Come on Lavender, we have a great day ahead of us!” Sunny said as she pulled a somewhat freaked-out Amethyst into the shop. Sunny opened the door and an attached bell rang. Amethyst looked around the shop in awe at the sheer volume of stuff available for sale. Wooden walls and floors surrounded Amethyst, while the ceiling had yellow thatching for its roof. A window graced the far side of the building with a good view of the beach outside. Amethyst glanced around at the ponies in the store as they sorted through racks of various bathing suits. “Just pick anything you like Lavender. I’m gonna go and buy a new surfboard,” Sunny said as she walked away. “Well here goes nothing, Misty,” Amethyst said with a blush as he walked further into the store. As Amethyst walked, he took note of the merchandise that was available. All around him, Amethyst saw various colors of swimwear. He blushed at the sight of the bikini bottom pieces. Some the bottom pieces also had special bra like attachments to accentuate the teats of a mare. He also saw trunks made specifically for stallions, to hide any potential embarrassments. Amethyst focused on the mares’ swimsuits because that’s what Sunny wanted him to get. The store carried swimwear in just about every color Amethyst could imagine. Not all of the swimwear there were bottom pieces though, Amethyst saw a few mare’s bathing vests along with the occasional full body suit. Amethyst browsed through the swimsuits looking for just the perfect one, then his eyes fixed on a lime green bottom that showed off the teats very well. Hmm that one looks nice, and from what I know about color science green will compliment my purple fur, Amethyst thought as he grabbed the bathing suit with his magic. “May as well try it on to see how it looks,” Amethyst said as he searched for a dressing room. Sure enough, he spoted a blue mare coming out of a dressing booth to his left. He promptly went over to the dressing room and entered it. He slipped on the one-piece suit and quickly discovered that it was painfully tight on his backside. “Crud, too small, why can’t I ever get these sizes right?” Amethyst muttered as he took the bikini back off again. Amethyst thought back to the last time he went shopping with Orchid. He remembered that Orchid’s friend measured him for size. Sadly, Amethyst had completely forgotten what size he was since then. “Seems like I’ll have to just keep on trying out suits until I figure out what size I am,” Amethyst said to himself with a sigh. Amethyst exited the dressing room and went back into the store. As he was walking he passed several mare’s trying on various swimsuits. Amethyst blushed as he observed the predominantly female clientele shop around. Soon enough, Amethyst found himself at another rack of swimsuits. May as well start here. Several minutes went by, as Amethyst tried on bathing suit after bathing suit only to have them be either too big or too small. Ten suits later, Amethyst found himself looking at an X-13 sized pink bottom with a matching bathing vest. “I’m going to try this one, even though I hate pink.” Amethyst remarked as he levitated the bathing suit back to the dressing room. Within moments upon entering the dressing room, Amethyst had taken the suit off the hanger and put it on. “Finally, a suit that fits.” Amethyst sighed as he realized the suit didn’t pinch or sag. “Now that I know what my body size is, should I go looking for another suit, or should I quit while I’m ahead?” Amethyst pondered to himself. With a shrug, he walked out of the stall wearing his new suit. He searched the store until he came upon Misty. Misty turned to look at Amethyst and remarked, “Nice suit Shar--err Star. It looks great on ya!” He also smiled. “Umm thanks,” Amethyst replied with a slight shuffle of a hoof. “Hey there!” Sunny’s voice rang out. Misty and Amethyst turned to see Sunny standing there with a new pair of sunglasses and a red surfboard. “Nice choice Lavender, you’ve got a decent fashion sense,” Sunny complimented with a slight hoof bump. “Thanks, I tried my best,” Amethyst said as he looked down a bit. After that, Amethyst made his way to a wooden desk at the side of the store. There was a short line of mares waiting there to be checked out. Behind the counter sat a stallion with a brown mane, mustache and a pair of sunglasses. As Amethyst approached the counter he noticed that the stallion also had a hawiian shirt on. “Nice choice miss, that suit looks great on you. five bits please” the stallion said. Amethyst nodded and levitated a large bit from his mane and put it on the counter “ here, a ten bit piece” The stallion nodded and took the bit behind the counter and promptly put five gold coins in front of Amethyst. The stallion smiled, “here’s your change madam.” Amethyst took the bits and put them in his mane. “Good hunting madam.” the stallion winked. Amethyst walked away from the stallion as quickly as he could. Soon after he found himself standing next to Sunny and Misty. “Well guys, let’s head to the beach. The day is still young and the stallions are hot.” Sunny gave a large grin. ---------------------------------------------- Waves crashed on the shore of the beach. The day remained clear. Ponies of all descriptions were having fun playing on the beach. Everyone there was having a good time...except for Amethyst. Misty looked on at Amethyst as he just stood on the beach with a sour look on his face. The pink two-piece bathing suit Amethyst wore stood out prominently on his wet body. Misty sat on a beach towel, soaking in the rays of the sun. He took a sip of some pink punch as he looked around the beach. Misty could see the other side of the lake from where he sat. While the ponies on the other shore were hard to discern, Misty could make out the dots of several pegasi flying over the center of the lake. They provided a moderately strong breeze to help cool the beachgoers off and generated decent sized waves for anypony who wanted to surf. Misty couldn’t help but focus on Amethyst’s wet, feminine plot as the stallion-turned-mare walked up to Misty. “Why are we here Misty?” Amethyst asked with a slight roll of his eyes. “I hate beaches; my family used to vacation in Los Pegasus, and I always hated it when we went to a beach,” Amethyst continued, disdain evident in his voice and on his face. “I don’t know Shard,” Misty said with a tilt of his head. “This is all Sunny’s idea, not mine. Besides, I thought you liked being by the sea?” “I like sailing, Misty; I enjoy the thrill of adventuring on the high seas, not sitting on a boiling hot beach, my fur soaking wet from a shower, and being hit on by every stallion that lays eyes on me. I might have hated beach trips with my parents, but this is a completely new low for me. At least when I was a stallion I didn’t have to wear this ridiculous outfit!” Amethyst huffed and crossed his forelegs into a pout. “Come on, Lavender,” the voice of Sunny called out as she swooped in from the skies. She wore a prominent white bikini bottom and a pair of sunglasses. “There’s a volleyball game in a few minutes and my team needs another player,” Sunny said as she started dragging Amethyst by the tail. Amethyst teleported a very short distance to escape Sunny “No thanks, Sunny,” Amethyst said. “Aww come on, please Lavender, don’t be such a Canterlot tightwad. Come and have fun with us!” Sunny said with a look of pleading on her face Misty knew full well how Amethyst would reply to that remark; he shielded himself behind a magazine, knowing that Sunny was totally in for it. “I am NOT a tightwad!” Amethyst exclaimed. “I hate those snooty Canterlot scumbags almost as much as I hate Mythic Fire. So, to prove I’m not one of them, I’ll play volleyball!” “All right then, atta girl!” Sunny said as she slapped Amethyst’s back. Sunny put her hoof behind Amethyst’s neck and led him away. I gotta see this, Misty thought as he followed the mares. They all walked down the beach until they arrived at a makeshift volleyball net. Several ponies had gathered around and were waiting with anticipation. Three mares of various races stood on one side of the net while a single mare stood on the other side of the net. Misty took a seat next to an attractive young pegasus mare with green fur and a black mane. Maybe I can get another girl into my bed tonight if I play my cards right! Misty thought as he glanced over at this pegasus. As soon as Misty thought that, an orange pegasus stallion sat down next to the mare. Misty frowned as he watched the two of them nuzzle each other. Rats, she’s taken already. Oh well might as well enjoy the show. Misty turned his attention back to the volleyball game. Sunny and Amethyst had both joined the lone mare while Misty had been preoccupied. The game got underway. The mares on the opposing team spiked the ball at Amethyst and he flinched as the ball landed next to him. “What’s the matter with you? Put your head in the game! You wanna win, don’t you?” Sunny said as she harshly glared at Amethyst. “Sorry, I lost focus for a moment,” Amethyst said as a frown spread across his face. Sunny’s team had control of the ball next. When the opposing team tried to spike the ball at Amethyst again, he reacted and hit the ball into the air, only to have it drop right next to Sunny. She glared at Amethyst and he flinched at the scorn of Sunny’s glare. Misty clasped his forelegs to his mouth and shouted. “Come on Lavender, I know you got it in you! You’ve done all kinds of awesome stuff. Just imagine that you’re in a temple or something.” Misty smiled as he saw Amethyst’s ears perk up at his words. Soon enough Amethyst’s face was brimming with confidence. Misty watched as the three mares on the other side of the net grinned and nodded to each other. Soon enough the opposing team had spiked the ball at Amethyst again. Without missing a beat, Amethyst intercepted the spike midair and passed the ball to Sunny. Soon after, Amethyst started playing flawlessly. He intercepted numerous spike attempts and scored several points on the opposing team. Misty couldn’t keep the joy off his face as he saw the entire crowd rooting for Amethyst. Words of cheer echoed from the crowd as Amethyst scored goal after goal on the opposing team. Amethyst was about to make another spike on the opposing team when a stallion called out from the audience: “You got a great ass!” The catcall was more than enough to break Amethyst’s concentration. He ended up spiking the ball right into the head of a unicorn mare on the other team. The ball hit her square in the forehead and her horn popped it. The enthusiasm from the crowd died down. Misty was stunned when he heard the catcall and was shocked to see Amethyst’s face. Sunny looked pretty upset, her face was burning up and she stamped her hoof on the ground. “Lavender you idiot! Now the other team gets a point.” “Is the game over?” Amethyst was looking at the ground, a look of shame rapidly building on his face. “No, Spinner can repair the ball. See?” Sunny said as she motioned to the unicorn. The unicorn named Spinner had cast a spell on the ball, knitting the pieces back together and filling them with air. “How often does that happen?” Amethyst asked with a quizzical look on his face. “Not often during a game, but all the time when she practices at home,” Sunny replied. Misty looked over at the frowning mare. She had purple fur similar to Amethyst’s, but her mane was light blue instead of black. Her cutie mark was a multi-colored spinning wheel and her eyes were green. Amethyst walked over to Spinner and said, “Sorry for spiking the ball into your head.” “It’s ok, that rude stallion distracted you. I just wish I could get better but the ball keeps popping whenever I practice at home.” Spinner replied with a frown. “I can help with that,” Amethyst smiled as he lit his horn with magic. An aura formed on Amethyst’s horn and slowly trickled into the ball. Soon enough the aura dissipated. Amethyst smiled as he looked over at Spinner. “Try to pop it.” Spinner reluctantly pushed her horn into the beach ball and it didn’t pop. She pushed harder and harder and the ball didn’t give in to the pressure. Spinner looked impressed at seeing the ball not pop, “Wow, what did you do to it?” “I enchanted it to be impenetrable by sharp points. That charm will last for a few years before it’ll need recharging,” Amethyst said with a cheerful grin. Spinner looked at Amethyst. “Thanks Lavender. Don’t think this means I’ll go easy on you.” “Wouldn’t have it any other way,” Amethyst said as he returned to his position on the other side of the field. The game promptly resumed. Once again, Amethyst’s scores quickly dominated the game again, and before too long, the game was over. Amethyst had scored 15 points, his team had won. With a cheer, Amethyst smiled and bowed to the crowd. With a smile on his face, he took a moment to shake the hoof of the pegasus mare that was in charge of the opposing team. The crowd soon dispersed and Sunny, Misty and Amethyst started walking along the beach together. Sunny was bouncing up and down with glee.“Wow Lavender, I’ve never seen a mare from Canterlot play like that!” Amethyst blushed somewhat at hearing Sunny talk. “Thanks Sunny,” he said. “You know, I think you’re more than awesome enough for this,” Sunny said as she held up her red surfboard. Amethyst looked at it for a few seconds before nodding. “All right,” he said. “I’m willing to try it.” “Awesome, let’s go!” Sunny said as she led Amethyst down the beach. Misty just stood there, his eyes focusing on the swaying of Amethyst’s large plot. Gosh I never realized how hot Shard is in that body. He’s got his sister’s butt and that, coupled with an awesome attitude makes him the sexiest mare I’ve ever seen. I bet Amethyst is having the time of his life in that beautiful body. I‘d certainly be happy if I had attention like that. As Misty continued to watch a stallion came up to Amethyst and started saying something, Misty couldn’t make it out. He watched as Amethyst shrank from the stallion and promptly began walking away. The stallion turned his steps in Misty’s direction. Misty waited for him to arrive. “I see you’re admiring the plot on that lovely catch over there,” the stallion said to him. “Err yeah…” Misty said with a blush. “I Wouldn’t bother with that one; she’s certainly not open to lovin’ from awesome stallions like us,” he continued with a shake of his head. Misty grinned as he realized he could impress this stranger with a single phrase: “She’s my roommate.” The other stallion’s jaw dropped at hearing that “Whoa, you two are roomies?” A grin formed on his face.  “That’s gotta be awesome!” “Yeah, it is. He--” Misty caught himself making the error and corrected himself. “--She’s a great friend.” Misty had a nervous look on his face. Fortunately the other stallion didn’t notice. “You strike me as a stallion who gets his way in bed,” the stallion said with a knowing grin. Misty couldn’t help but grin as he thought back on a few of his previous marefriends. “Yeah, you could say that...” Misty said with pride. “So what was it like havin’ her in your bed? I bet she’s just as gnarly in the sack as she is in real life!” the stallion replied with a wink. Misty recoiled at the assertion and replied “What?! No, no we’re just friends!” A look of shock crossed the other stallion’s face. “You’re not workin’ hard enough man. Look at her--she pulls away from the guys. Take it from me, brother, when a mare is that uptight about flirting, then she’s just yearning for a stallion to make her a mare--if you catch my drift. You’re her roommate, don’t just give up and stay in the friend zone! Assert yourself. Make yourself the stallion you know she craves!” The stallion bumped Misty’s shoulder and with a smirk said, “Go get ‘er tiger!” before walking away. Misty felt himself growing extremely angry as the stallion’s remarks resonated through his mind. The nerve of that bastard! That’s my friend Amethyst. Why in the name of Celestia would I want to have him as my girlfriend, we’re the same gender for crying out loud! Ok sure we’re not the same gender currently, and that stallion doesn’t know any better, but still! It’s Amethyst, he‘s the best friend I‘ve ever had, not some trophy to acquire… Misty paused in his thoughts as a realization hit him. Wow, being a mare must be a nightmare for Amethyst. It must be totally tearing him apart to have others think of him as nothing more than a sex object. Guess being female is a lot more complicated than a sexy ass to look at in the morning, Misty thought. “Hey everypony, the mare from the volleyball game is riding that wave out there,” a random mare shouted. Misty promptly turned to look out on the lake. Sure enough, there was Amethyst, riding on a surfboard on top of a modestly-sized wave. “Be careful Shard,” Misty said under his breath. Misty frowned with concern as he watched Amethyst ride the growing wave. Amethyst was very wobbly--Misty knew enough about surfing to know that Amethyst would likely fall off his board any minute now. Sure enough, the entire beach watched as Amethyst fell off his board and went into the water. Shard! Sweet Celestia I hope he’s alright, Misty thought as he chewed the edge of his hooves a bit. He sighed in relief when a soaked Amethyst reappeared on the beach in a teleportation field. Without a moment’s hesitation, Misty rushed over to Amethyst. “Sweet Celestia, Shard, are you ok?” Amethyst breathed heavily, his mane dripping wet and matted all over the ground. “Don’t worry about me Misty. I’ve come a lot closer to drowning than that before.” “Wow Lavender, that was totally radical!” Sunny called out as she rushed to Amethyst’s side. Amethyst sat up to address Sunny. “Thanks Sunny. Mind if I sit down for a bit?” Amethyst promptly flopped back on the ground without waiting for an answer. “All right then, let’s go greet your new admirers,” Sunny said as she motioned to a group of leery-eyed stallions. Amethyst never even bothered to get up this time. He just sat there flat on his back. “No thanks. I just wanna get myself some nice cold cider, maybe a nap while I’m at it.” “Come on Lavender, there’s so much fun to be had, especially with attractive stallions like them,” Sunny said as she winked at the group. “Sunny, we should just go,” Misty said with a concerned look on his face. Sunny’s eyes went wide. “What? Why? We’re having such a good time!” Misty motioned over to Amethyst. “Lavender’s all tuckered out from doing awesome stuff. Why don’t we go to the next place you wanted us to go?” Sunny looked pretty disappointed by this answer. “Tch fine, if you insist, Misty.” “Thanks Misty.” Amethyst whispered to Misty. Misty smiled, “Anything for my best friend,” he said. Sunny pouted and made an iconic duckface. “Spoilsport.”