//------------------------------// // Day 37: For doors to be useless // Story: A mare and her dog // by cammera //------------------------------// "You are doing good, but..." she squinted for a moment "...were you ever in a relationship with an unicorn?" she asked cautiously. "One or two, when I when I was adolescent" nodded Applejack, still trying to trigger her magic without the effort of tensing the muscles. "Big in horn-sucking, were you?" she squinted harder. She blushed softly, "All of them burned my tongue, so no" "That or you spent half your life in a toxic dump" she squinted harder "Your magic is strange" "Good strange or bad strange?" Applejack gritted her teeth "Maybe the forest thing?" "Just strange, like a sock too big for its feet. It never quite accommodates to you" she squinted at her throat "Yes, there also seems to be magic from unicorns and... pegasi?" "Ah, tha-" Applejack shat up, her teeth clicking faintly. "Hmm?" asked Nanda distractedly, poking her spine "The pegasi magic is mostly here, it must be searching wings- No, don't get up, you keep trying to make the magic flow" Applejack considered lying for a moment, but decided to just shut her mouth. "Maybe it's simply your bloodline, or something from your travels. You still should check with a medic or arcanist from time to time" she fell silent for a moment "I think this is enough for today, get up" -ยบ- "Nanda?" asked Applejack a few hours later "Can I make a kinda personal question?" "I don't promise to answer" Applejack took a moment to formulate the question, "Do you have any grand-grandsons?" "Probably," she shrugged "I gave teat to my daughters, loaned them some money if they really needed it, helped them with a few babies decades later... but family just seems to loose importance too quickly for me, and I say it without pride nor shame" Applejack couldn't help but notice her slightly downcast glance, but kept quiet. For all she knew it could mean that the zebra was in a trip down memory lane. "My offspring is probably too big to keep a track of by now, anyway, with me having had five daughters" she said after a moment, blinking the memories or emotions away "Did you ever think in having any?" "Dunno. Maybe? If I meet the right guy?" "Just make sure to meet the actually right one before three fake right ones" Nanda grunted, then added "Free tip: if he complains about his mother or father all the time, stay away" "I already know those ones," she shook her head in disgust "Only once, never again" "Clever girl" they walked in silence for a moment, "Artists are usually bad, too" "Why?" "Well, not all of them, but the accursed ones are insufferable. They always have a big project that is ruined by some small detail. That happens to be your fault, usually" she rolled her eyes "If an artist complains about people not understanding him, get away" "Will do" She nodded, then watched around "Wait, have you seen Winona?" Nanda turned around, seeing only rocky landscape. "A few minutes ago, there was-" "Those birds, yes" Applejack whistled. They both watched the road behind them, and had nearly started walking when Winona appeared from behind a bend in the path, some feathers stuck in her fur. "You care for the dog more than some care for people," remarked Nanda. "Its only fair" Applejack shrugged and gave Winona a path in the head, then walked again.