Long Path was surprised by the unexpected visit from Griffonia’s highest ranking soldier. While they had more than a passing acquaintance, General Mara Windshear was not in the habit of making personal visits to House Path. The golden eagle/tiger griffon was an imposing figure standing in front of Path’s desk, flanked by her aides.
Path was not flustered by the display of power, having had many years’ experience dealing with the top political and military echelons by now “What can I do for you, General Windshear?”
“His Majesty, King Glimfeather, commands your presence at the court, Lord Path,” she replied curtly.
Path’s eyebrows raised in surprise. It was unusual for Argent to make commands like that, and even more so to send such a high-ranking messenger. “May I ask what is so important that the king would send his top officer to fetch me?”
“Dragons,” she replied succinctly.
“That could be bad,” Path admitted. “However, I would have thought that the Griffonian military was capable of dealing with an invasion force. Do you really require the help of House Path?”
“No, we don’t. There are only four of them, some obviously too young to be fighters, although one does not underestimate dragon-kind. The reason that your presence is required is that they are asking about you.”
Path’s jaw dropped in startlement. “Oh.” He turned to Goldenquill who had had been patiently waiting by the doorway after ushering in the general. “'Quill, please find Free, Twilight, and Rose, and ask them to join us immediately.”
“At once, milord,” Goldenquill replied with a small bow before departing.
Windshear frowned. “His Majesty only sent for you.”
Path smiled benignly at her. “Argent knows that for matters like this, he would expect Herd Path to turn up. I may be Lord of this House, but we four act as one.”
Windshear scowled some more, annoyed at the familiarity that Path had with the king’s name, but also aware of the good relationship that the kingdom’s ruler had with the pony lord. She forced herself to wait patiently until the others arrived. Fortunately they did not hold up things any further, apparently having been informed of the nature of the call by Goldenquill.
Due to the urgency of the call, Path decided to put on his magitek wings which he kept handy in his office. He finished buckling them on as the last of the four arrived. “Let’s go,” he told General Windshear, heading for the balcony doors.
The group took off from his office’s balcony and made quick time to the king’s castle. The guards flanking the huge doorway admitted them to the throne room without a word, evidently expecting them. Despite the size of the room, it was impossible to miss the cause of their summons.
Four dragons – two adults and two youths – were waiting, some more patiently than others. The sheer size of the adults made Path wonder how they managed to get into the throne room despite the size of the doorway, although their more serpentine build seemed to be a clue. They were obviously of a breed slightly different from the ones that he was more familiar with back in Equestria. He watched them move with both grace and power as their attention turn to him and his company, in turn watched closely by the retinue of griffon warriors half-filling the room.
The herd first paid their respects to King Glimfeather who thanked them for coming so promptly. Path then turned to the dragons, focusing on the larger adult who seemed to be in charge, a ruby-scaled female. “I am Long Path, Lord of the House of Path, and this is my wife, Lady Roseclaw. This is Princess Twilight Sparkle of House Path, and her husband, Lord Free Agent of House Path. I believe that you wanted to meet us?”
The dragon bobbed her head respectfully. “I am Elan Firestone, envoy from the Dragon Lands for my clan. This is my mate, Kiroc Blueshard, and our son, Alac. Also, this is Shaikhan-Gal, daughter of our Matriarch, Incendia.”
“A pleasure to meet you. May I ask why you wanted us here?”
“We have heard rumors of griffons, ponies, and changelings interacting with each other, both here and in Equestria. This is unprecedented and nigh unbelievable, but the tales are myriad and many center upon you. We have been tasked to ascertain the truth of these rumors, and how they might affect the Dragon Lands.”
“And Shaikhan-Gal…?” Path asked with an inclination of his head towards the young golden female.
“Her mother wishes that she broaden her horizons. If she is ever to succeed the Matriarch one day, her education is important.”
The young dragoness spoke up a little sullenly. “If Alac wasn’t with you, I wouldn’t give a curse about this so-called educational visit to this barbaric country,” she said in the draconic tongue.
“I think you might be pleasantly surprised by what you might learn here, Cinder,” Path told her in the same language. It was not one of his most fluent, but he had never stopped loving learning languages.
Cinder was startled to realize that Path not only understood her, but could also translate her name, and she began to blush in embarrassment at being caught out.
Firestone face had a hint of a smile. “As I said, she is here to learn, but so are we.” She turned to King Glimfeather. “Your Majesty, our peoples have clashed in the past, but times have changed. Dragons are a long-lived race and we are loathe to change in a hurry, but the wiser among us know that the world won’t wait for us. The Matriarch desires that we investigate what paths are open to us that will stop us from sliding into irrelevancy while retaining our traditional values. From what we have heard, the Griffonian House of Path seems to be an ideal means to do this, and so we wish to petition you to open formal relationships with the Western Dragon Lands.”
Glimfeather nodded gravely. “You have come at a good time in our history, Elan Firestone. Griffonia is opening up to other nations in ways that we never have before. If your heart is truly in your cause, then we may indeed become allies. Your petition is accepted.” He indicated the griff patiently waiting to his left. “This is Ambassador Far Scream. He will be responsible for negotiations between our peoples. Those can begin tomorrow, though. For tonight, I invite you to banquet with us to celebrate.”
Firestone bowed. “We are honored, Your Majesty.” She turned back to Path. “Now that our petition is accepted, I would ask if there might be a place in your school for dragons?”
Path grinned. “House Path is always open to any suitable candidate, irrespective of political relationships or race. We would be delighted to add dragons to the list of species that have come to learn our ways.”
“Excellent. Alac and Shaikhan-Gal shall be your new students, should you accept.”
“What?!” screeched Cinder. “This was supposed to be a short field trip, not banishment to this… place!” The tone she used on the last word conveyed volumes regarding what she thought of Griffonia so far.
Firestone scowled. “Your attitude is unbecoming of the daughter of the Matriarch. It is your mother’s wish that you enroll at House Path’s school and learn to be a warrior-scholar, both for your benefit and the benefit of our tribe. Alac will do the same, so you will not lack for company of another dragon.”
Cinder folded her arms, hunched her shoulders and looked away sullenly. “You tricked me into coming here, but you can’t make me like it.”
Twilight stepped over to the sulking dragon girl and said, “Trust me when I say that if you let yourself open up to the experience, you can not only enjoy it, but you can make good friends, and your life will be so much better for it.”
“Hmmph! What would a mere pony know?” Cinder said contemptuously.
“Shaikhan-Gal! Do not shame us in front of the king and his lords!” Firestone reprimanded.
Twilight merely smiled and said to Cinder’s guardians, “I would like to show her what mere ponies can be. May I borrow her for a few minutes?”
“You have our permission, Princess Sparkle.”
“Thank you.” She turned back Cinder as her horn lit up. A moment later, both disappeared in a soft bang of teleportation.
Path smiled and said, “While we’re waiting for them to return, shall we discuss your son’s enrollment?”
# # #
Twilight and Cinder reappeared at high altitude above the city. The young dragoness squawked and flared her wings to stop herself from falling.
“How did you do that?!” she demanded when she recovered.
Twilight calmly kept level with Cinder and replied, “Magical teleportation. Very useful for travelling fast to either get to places quickly or get out of trouble. Not bad for a mere pony, hey?”
“Did you expect me to be impressed with a mere magic trick?”
“Just this? No, but I’ve only just begun. Look down at the city. What do you see?”
“Lots of buildings, lots of griffons, some ponies… so what? I come from a nomadic tribe that lives in yurts that can be transported. I like it that way.”
“The point is that the griffons have built themselves a civilization from cooperation, but in the past few years after opening up relationships with Equestria, that city has grown greatly. Again, mere ponies have done this.” She neglected to mention that enslaved ponies had helped build much of the city in the first place. There was a time and a place to learn that, and it wasn’t here and now.
“So you like to work a lot; still not impressed.”
“Okay. Would you pick a fight with a griffon warrior?”
“I’m too young to be a warrior yet.”
“If I am judging your age correctly, and I do know a lot about dragons, I would say that you are significantly physically older than my son, Blue Streak, although perhaps psychologically much the same. He is already a warrior-scholar, and has fought in bouts with griffons many times. The average griffon is significantly larger than the average pony too, so how do you think mere ponies fare against them?”
“Ha! You probably teleport away!” Cinder scoffed.
“My son can’t teleport. Neither can the majority of ponies who fought wars with the griffons in the past. Guess who won though?”
“You’re going to tell me that ponies defeated griffons?”
“Every time. However, our greatest achievement wasn’t winning wars, but making them our friends. You know who managed to do that? Lord Path! While we helped and supported him, it was Path who had the vision and the drive to open up relationships with the griffons. A mere pony. We are strong in all the ways that matter, even those that you hold the most dear. You are different from us in many ways, but it’s the ways that we are the same that we embrace. That’s the way of House Path, and that is the word that has been spreading over Equus these past years. That is what has led your Matriarch to look into relationships with us. She understands that ponies are not so mere as you think. She understands that we ponies might change her world, and she does not wish her kind to be left behind.”
Cinder was silent, not able to think of a suitable retort.
“Follow me,” Twilight said as she angled her wings in the direction of House Path.
Dragon and alicorn flew swiftly until they were above the House’s grounds. At that moment, there happened to be a sports event occurring, with the students playing a ball game that had been adapted to be played by multiple species.
“There are some of your future classmates. Besides griffons, there are ponies of all types, thestrals, zebras, deer, and others. In a few short years, House Path has already grown to be a much respected and powerful institute of learning as well as training for some of the best young warriors on Equus. In a few more years, we expect to achieve even more. It’s been an exciting and wonderful time, and you can share in this too. So do you think you might be able to learn from mere ponies?”
Cinder pouted. “I suppose so,” she mumbled. “My mom could still beat you in a real fight though.”
Twilight caught the snarking though, and she grinned. “Remind me to show you someday the mountain that I leveled in my fight with Tirek.” No need to tell her that she was amped up with the power of three other alicorns that day.
Cinder gulped. Right. Don’t piss off the princess. “Can we go back now?”
“Are you prepared to give this a fair go?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Everyone always has a choice. Seeing as your mother is determined that you learn something from us, you can choose to defy her, choose to obey but do nothing to cooperate, or choose to dive in and try to make the best of it. I recommend the latter.”
Cinder sighed. “Okay, I’ll do it. Don’t expect me to like it, but I’ll try.”
“That’s good enough for now,” Twilight said with satisfaction. She powered up her horn, and a moment later they had rejoined the others.
“Shaikhan-Gal has decided to give House Path a try,” Twilight announced happily.
The young dragoness rolled her eyes and sighed. “Just call me Cinder. If I have to fit in here, you might as well start with my name.”
Path said, “Welcome, Cinder.”
Free grinned and put a friendly wing about Cinder. “If you’re feeling a bit down over the next few days, come see me. I’m in charge of morale, and I like to see our students happy.”
Cinder looked askance at the overly cheerful griffon. “Okay,” she said placatingly.
“First things first,” Roseclaw said, brushing Free’s wing off Cinder. “I will settle you and Alac into dorm rooms, after which we will arrange your study schedules. You will begin tomorrow.”
Both Alac and Cinder groaned at that.
Path concealed a smile before turning to Firestone and Blueshard. “While Roseclaw is dealing with the new students, I would like to invite you to look over the House Path facilities before you need to return here.”
“We would like that,” Firestone replied.
Path then faced King Glimfeather. “By your leave, Your Majesty?”
Argent nodded and said, “You are dismissed, Lord Path.”
The herd bowed and started to leave the throne room. The dragons followed suit, the sinuous bodies of the adults smoothly but barely squeezing through the doorway, and soon they were outside. Path activated his magitek wings and took off, to the surprise of the dragons who had taken it to be some sort of ceremonial outfit. Nevertheless they quickly took off after him and they all made their way back to the House.
# # #
A little over a week later, Cinder flew up to meet Alac at the top of the ridge overlooking the House’s estate. She settled down beside him without a word, just observing the students below engaged in various activities.
Alac put up with the silence only briefly before asking, “So why did you want to meet me?”
“When do you think our parents will stop this stupid joke and let us come home?” she replied.
“Are you still complaining about that? This isn’t a joke. We’re supposed to be learning stuff here, especially you. I admit that I wasn’t happy with the idea at first either, but they’ve got some pretty interesting things going on here, and I’m kind of liking it.”
“Are you kidding me? What’s so great about this? How is any of this going to make me a clan leader someday? All I need to learn is back in the Dragon Lands!”
Alac rolled his eyes. “Have you even paid any attention to the lessons we’ve learned this week? The world is changing, and dragons have got to learn how to change with it. The Matriarch knows this, and she also knows that it’s us young dragons who need to learn how.”
Cinder sighed in resignation, remembering what Twilight had said to her. “It wouldn’t be so bad if things were more exciting around here.”
“You’re looking for excitement? Why aren’t you going to this afternoon’s tournament?”
“What tournament?”
Alac gave her a look of disbelief. “The exhibition tournament which is why we have this afternoon free, dummy! Aren’t you paying attention to anything?”
“Oh, that,” Cinder replied, although she barely recalled hearing it mentioned. “What’s so interesting about that tournament?”
“Some of the more advanced students will be having duels with some of the professional fighters. The students get to show or test their skills, and get more practice. The pros get to prove that they’re worthy fighters. Apparently the House Path students have been getting a reputation for toughness, so there’s a good deal of friendly rivalry between them.”
“Sounds vaguely interesting,” Cinder said in a semi-bored tone, when in actuality she was quite excited at the prospect of seeing some good fights. She was hardly going to admit it to Alac though. “When do they start?”
“Very soon,” Alac replied, getting to his feet. “In fact I was going to leave without you if you weren’t interested. Come on, we have to hustle if we’re going to get a decent place to watch from.”
Cinder let Alac lead the way, matching his fast pace. They encountered some resistance from the griffs controlling entry because they were dragons, but displaying their House Path student cards near magically cleared the way. They were directed to a section of the arena seating where other students were already gathered, and they found themselves suitable places to sit.
“Hey, Goldie – down in front!” came a voice from immediately behind Cinder.
The dragoness turned around and scowled at the pegasus who had spoken. “My name is Cinder, not Goldie.”
“Whatever! Just get your wings out of the view.”
Cinder growled but tightly furled her leathery wings close to her body, and then turned her attention back to the arena. If the fights had not been about to start, she might have let the smart-flank know just what she thought of him.
Cinder had forgotten about the pegasus by the time several matches had been fought, so caught up in the excitement that she barely noticed when a blue earth pony trotted out onto the arena floor. Up until then, the fights had all been griffon versus griffon. This looked like it was going to be the first pony fight. Cinder fully expected another pony to be matched up against the first, but was startled when two large griffons flew down into the arena.
The master of ceremonies started making his announcement to the crowd. “Today we have a treat for you. In the first of three exhibition matches with Blue Streak, he has accepted Starscream and Badaxe's challenge to a duel. I hope you are as excited as I am. Will we see the young pony make them eat dirt, or will our doughty warriors finally teach this upstart colt a lesson? Are you ready for this?”
The crowd yelled in excitement, but Cinder started laughing uproariously.
“What’s so funny?” the pegasus asked her with a look of puzzled annoyance.
“Funny? Look at him! He’s half the size of those griffons, and you expect me to take this comedy act seriously?”
The pegasus started chuckling. “You haven’t been here long, have you? That’s Blue Streak, Master Warfist’s favorite student.”
“Who’s Warfist?”
The pegasus looked at her as if she had grown two extra heads. “Seriously? Haven’t you had any combat classes with him yet?”
“Next week, I think? So what?”
“Heh! You’re in for a shock. The point is: the fight isn’t a joke. Those griffs are in for a real fight.”
“Ha! He won’t last a minute.”
“I’ll make a bet with you that he not only lasts, but he’ll win.”
“I’ll take that bet. What’s the stakes?”
“If he wins, you have to ask him out on a date.”
Cinder blinked in surprise before she started smirking. “I’ll not only ask him out on a date, but if he wins all three of these matches they mentioned, I’ll pay for it all out of my hoard!”
Their talk had attracted the attention of the other students around them, and there was quite a stir when she said that. A dragon parting with even a small portion of her hoard meant she was very serious.
“Umm, Cinder,” Alac said, poking her with a claw to try to get her attention. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” While Cinder was talking with the pegasus, he had been watching the combatants. They had taken up positions at the sides of the arena about equidistant from each other, and he saw how appraisingly they had been assessing their opponents. Those griffs were taking the fight very seriously.
Cinder ignored Alac though, and continued saying, “However, if the pony loses, you have to ask him for a date while I’m there watching. Once for each time he loses.”
The pegasus colt gave her a funny look before laughing. “Okay, that’s weird, but I’ll accept that bet, and everyone here is our witness. The same goes for you, too - three wins, three dates! Now turn around; the match is about to start!”
The duel drum boomed out at that moment, and the griffons shot towards their foe. The pony waited for them until they were two thirds of the way before taking off. Before Cinder could blink, Blue Streak had circled behind one of the griffs and launched into a flying kick. The professional duelist was not so easily fooled though, and a wing flick sent the pony flying away… straight into the other griff’s flank.
“Ooh! That’s gotta smart,” the pegasus said. “Blue tricked the first griff into catapulting him into the second griff.”
Cinder’s eyes were practically bulging out of their sockets in shock. “What the…? How can anypony move so fast? That’s impossible!”
The pegasus tore his eyes from the fight long enough to give her a gloating glance. “That’s Blue’s special talent. Nopony in history has ever moved as fast as him. When he first started doing these exhibition matches, he lost a few, but under Master Warfist’s guidance, his combat skills have grown so much that no challenger has beaten him in over a year. The pros keep lining up to challenge him though because any griff who manages to beat Blue is going to be a big shot in the leagues for a long time.”
“He’s just a colt!” Cinder feebly protested.
“He’s a colt who has fought in the Crystal Kingdom War. Goldie, you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life betting against him.”
With growing horror, Cinder was beginning to agree with him. She watched as the fight continued, but even when the griffons worked in tandem, the best that they managed was the occasional glancing blow that Blue Streak barely noticed. He, on the other hoof, kept dancing around the slower griffons, darting through their defenses before they could react, and pulling back out of reach again. It became evident that he was toying with them, but eventually he stopped playing and backed far away while both were off balance. He lined them up and took off like a shot before dropping and skidding through their legs, throwing them both to the ground. Before they could get to their feet, Blue returned to tap them on their heads, symbolically ‘killing’ them. The duel drum signaled the end of the bout, and the crowd erupted in cheers while the vanquished griffons got to their feet, chagrined by their loss. They paused to congratulate Blue before exiting the arena.
Alac said, “Careful, Cinder – you’re drooling.”
Cinder snapped her jaws shut, but she was still overwhelmed by the fight. “That was… impressive,” she admitted.
“One date down, two to go,” the pegasus could not help but rub it in.
“He hasn’t won those fights yet!” she protested.
She might as well have not bothered. The second bout was against a single griffon, but one with even greater skill in unarmed combat, and with very fast reflexes. It did not matter to Blue though – no one could match his speed and reaction time. The third bout was against a visiting minotaur wrestler. Ironically this bout lasted longest because even though he was knocked down frequently, the tough bull kept bouncing back up with a roar or a laugh, or a roaring laugh. He was enjoying himself, and the crowd was entertained too. Eventually the minotaur was actually knocked out, and the match was finally over.
Cinder tried making a quick exit from the arena, but the pegasus’ outstretched wing blocked her way.
“You can ask for the first of those dates right now,” he said with a smug grin.
She looked about and saw that all the other students who had been within earshot all looking at her with smiles on their faces. She sighed as she realized that she had no way out, and she surrendered to the inevitable. She turned around and headed towards the edge of the arena where Blue Streak was moving toward an exit. Before he could disappear down the tunnel, she called out to him.
“Blue Streak! Could I talk to you for a moment?”
Blue turned towards her voice and smiled in recognition. “Hey, you’re one of the new dragon students, aren’t you? Alac, is it?”
The misidentification annoyed Cinder, but she was keenly aware of the many eyes upon her. “No, that’s the male student. My name is Cinder.”
Blue caught the emphasis on the ‘male’ and he grinned. “What can I do for you, Cinder?”
Gritting her teeth, she took a deep breath and said, “I was wondering if you’d like to go on a date with me?”
Blue looked amused. “A dragoness wants a date with a pony? Now why would you want that?”
“Let’s just say that I was overwhelmed by your battle skills.”
“Lost a bet, then?” he said with a smirk.
Cinder cringed but refused to acknowledge his correct guess. “Well, how about it? My treat.”
Blue’s smirk just got broader. “Well, if you put it like that, how can I refuse? Sure, I’ll go on a date with you. When would you like to do that?”
Cinder thought the sooner the better to get it over with. “How about tonight?”
Blue shook his head. “It’s Friday – can’t miss the usual social night.”
“What social night?” Cinder asked with a puzzled look.
Blue was surprised. “You’ve been here over a week, so you were here for last Friday. That social.”
“Oh. I… wasn’t there.” The last thing that she wanted then was to rub shoulders with so many ponies and griffons, so she had gone off to the woods to hunt up some small prey instead.
“So you don’t know what you missed? Tell you what – you turn up there tonight and I’ll tell you when and where we’ll go on the date so you can pay off your bet.”
Cinder was trapped, so she nodded. “Okay,” she replied with a total lack of enthusiasm.
Blue chuckled and waved. “Seeya!”
Cinder watched him trot off so confident and energetic. She sighed. ‘At least I’m not stuck dating a wimp.’ She turned around to see Alac laughing his head off. She glared at him and said, “It’s your fault this happened. If you hadn’t brought me here, I would never have seen that damn pony!”
Alac managed to contain his laughter long enough to reply. “Stop being so sulky and pay attention to what’s happening, or else it’s going to happen again. Maybe if you learn something tonight, the date might be enjoyable. And the two more after that!” He started chuckling again.
Cinder growled and left just as quickly as she could.
# # #
After the organization and quiet discipline of the normal student meal times, the Friday night social was something of a shock to Cinder. She just stopped and stared in disbelief as students, teachers, and nobles seemed to be interacting with a total blatant disregard for proper status and dignity. Her eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets when she recognized King Glimfeather joking with the pegasus student who had made the bet with her. She wondered if he was telling the griffon monarch about the bet, and she decided to try to avoid him to spare herself some humiliation. She spotted Alac chatting with a group of ponies, and wondered if she should join him, but before she could do so, she was approached by another familiar face.
“I heard that you aren’t interested in my art classes,” Free said with a disappointed expression.
Cinder bowed her head and said, “I’m afraid I’m not the artistic type, Lord Free.”
“Whoa! Hasn’t anyone told you that there’s no rank at these events? It’s just Free, okay? And anyway, how do you know if you’re not artistic if you don’t at least give it a try?”
Cinder shrugged. “I never felt the inclination.”
“Tell you what – try a couple of my classes and see what it’s like before you give up on it.”
Cinder dithered, not really wanting to, but neither wanting to insult one of the lords of House Path. Before she could work up a response though, Blue Streak walked up.
“Hi, Dad! I see you found my date.”
“Hard to miss, Streak. I was just trying to persuade her to try my art class.”
Cinder stared in shock. “Dad?!” she blurted out.
Blue grinned. “Yeah, one of them anyway. I have two moms also. House Path adopted me.”
Cinder felt dizzy. She was not only dating a warrior, but a future lord of House Path?
Free poked her in the shoulder with a claw and it elicited no reaction. “I think you broke her, son.”
Blue chuckled. “Just wait until we go out on the date!”
“I’ll leave you two to enjoy the evening,” Free replied with a broad grin. “I’m sure it’ll be interesting.”
Blue put a hoof on Cinder’s shoulder and urged her in the direction of a mixed group of ponies and griffons who were chatting animatedly. “Come on, Goldie, I want you to meet some friends of mine.”
Cinder snapped out of her daze, irritated at the nickname. “The name is Cinder, not Goldie!”
“Better tell everyone else that then. You’ve been so reclusive, nopony and nogriff knows much about you. Time to change that.”
“But I don’t want to!” she whined.
“Too bad. Now try to make a good impression,” Blue replied as he firmly pushed her into the group. “Hey, guys – meet Cinder, my date for tomorrow night.”
Cinder was surprised by the welcome that they all gave her, and she managed a smile in response.
One griffon hen asked, “Where are you going to take her?”
“I’ve made a booking at The Warrior’s Feast.”
“Ooh, that’s not cheap.”
“She’s paying,” Blue said smugly.
They all looked surprised. “A dragon paying for both of the meals? What’s the catch?”
Cinder spoke up hastily, “It’s a reward for his magnificent victories in the arena today.”
Blue looked at her with a broad grin, but allowed her to get away with the face-saving lie.
While the others were still doubtful, they did not know enough about dragons to dispute her reason. They started asking questions about her and where she came from, and Cinder was glad to put the subject of the date aside.
It was with great surprise when dinner was announced and Cinder realized that she had been getting quite involved with the conversation. She was startled once again when everyone took up whatever table position that they felt like, and she spotted King Argent seated between two youngsters – a pony and a griffon – and having quite an animated conversation with them. She could not reconcile this with her world view, and wandered in a daze until she found the buffet table with carnivore fare. Her rumbling stomach finally brought her attention back, and she loaded up a plate. As she headed for the tables, she started smiling as she considered the pile of meat on her plate. She wondered how her pony date would react to her gorging on that? There weren’t any seating spots near him though, so she decided it could wait for the date. In fact, that could be even better, and with a bit of luck, he might not want the other two dates she was obligated to ask for if she played it right. She set to eating her meal with a growing sense of wicked anticipation.
# # #
When Cinder went to bed that evening, she lay awake for a while pondering the social event. After a lifetime of dealing with strict status protocols, she thought that it would be much the same in Griffonia, and the griffons that she had initially met had done little to change that opinion. Tonight her expectations had been shattered as nobles mingled with commoners, teachers chatted and laughed with students, and royalty played with foals. What bizarre circumstances had she been dropped into? Someday she was destined to be Matriarch of her tribe and as such had to be strongly aware of the laws and customs of her people, but she had been forced to stay here and told to learn about this madness!
So why did she find herself liking it?
Cinder sighed and tried to calm her whirling thoughts. It didn’t help that Blue Streak’s grinning face kept popping into her mind, but she countered it with thoughts of the stunt that she planned to pull. With a satisfied smile, she finally dropped off to sleep.
# # #
Blue Streak had told Cinder to wait for him at the front door of the House mansion. Now that she knew that he lived there with his family, it wasn’t such a surprise, but she still found it a bit daunting that she would be dating the son of the four Lords and Ladies of the House. Her political awareness made her realize that she couldn’t afford to offend the family, but her plan should not cause that problem.
Blue turned up right on time, and he was wearing something that Cinder had seen on a few griffons before.
“What’s that all about?” she asked.
“It’s my status cape. It’s a bit of a silly showy thing, I admit, but since we’re going to a fairly fancy restaurant, I thought I’d dress up for a change.”
“Does that mean I should have dressed up somehow too?” Cinder asked doubtfully. Aside from jewelry of various kinds, dragons did not usually dress up at all.
“Don’t worry about it, Goldie. There’s no dress code, and you look spectacular enough as it is.”
“The name’s Cinder, not Goldie,” she growled through her teeth.
Blue just grinned maddeningly before he replied, “We’d better get going. Our reservation is in ten minutes.”
“What?! How are we getting there in time? I don’t even know where it is other than in the city, but even if I did know, I could fly there in five minutes, but I’m not carrying you!”
“It’s a hundred yards south of the arena gate. Painted red and blue. Got crossed battle axes painted on the roof. Can’t miss it. I’ll wait for you there.”
“You’ll wait for me? What do you… mean…?” Cinder found herself staring in shock at a rapidly disappearing Blue Streak hurtling up the road towards the city. “By the shell – that’s impossible,” she whispered before shaking herself and hastily taking off in pursuit.
Finding the restaurant was as easy as Blue had said it would be, and sure enough the young stallion was there waiting for her, not even breathing hard or showing the slightest sign of sweating.
“I’ve let them know we’re here already, so shall we get seated?”
He even had the time to spare for that before she got there? Sweet heavens, could he get any more astounding? And smug. Definitely smug. She hoped she could wipe that smile off his face soon.
They entered the restaurant and were immediately led to their table. The waiter, a rather gaudy parrot/puma griffon, passed a menu to Cinder, but merely asked Blue, “Will you be having the usual, Blue Streak?”
“You know me, Gaylord; I can’t pass it up.”
“Very good. Would madam want some time to consider her order?” he asked Cinder.
Cinder had already spotted what she wanted though. “Sirloin steak, your largest cut please.”
“And how would you like it cooked?”
“Rare. Barely heated to body temperature.”
“A popular choice. Any sides with that?”
“Any sapphire seasoned fries?”
“Alas, we have no jewel foods or condiments as we don’t generally have dragon customers,” Gaylord replied with genuine regret. “May I suggest our chili fries instead? They are a favorite of many of our clients.”
“Those will do,” Cinder conceded.
Gaylord retrieved Cinder’s menu. “I will have the drinks waiter attend you soon.” He then headed to the kitchen to place their orders.
Cinder said, “Gaylord, hey? You come here often enough to know the staff by name, and to have a meal that you always order. I didn’t realize that you had that much money to spare.”
Blue shrugged. “I don’t actually, but this restaurant is one of my parents’ faves, so I get to eat here often.”
“I see. You’re full of surprises, like the way you ran here in a few minutes.”
“Kind of slow for me. I have to dodge too much traffic to make really good time.”
Cinder wanted to bash her head on the table. Slow?! He had to be yanking her tail. “So how fast can you go without traffic? What’s your top speed?”
“I don’t know – I haven’t reached it yet, but I’ve been measured at Mach 1.3 so far.”
“What in the heavens does Mach mean?”
“Oh. Mach One is the speed of sound. Once you break the sound barrier, you often measure speed as a multiple of the speed of sound for convenience,” Blue replied in a matter-of-fact tone.
Cinder stared at him for a long moment before bursting into laughter. “Good one, Blue Streak. You had me going there for a while.”
Blue just gave her one of those infuriating knowing smiles. “So, besides making bad bets, what else have you been doing since you came here?”
Cinder’s mood soured instantly. “Trying to figure out a way to get back home, actually.”
“Oh, come on! I saw you enjoying yourself at times last night. It can’t all be that bad.”
“You try dealing with being dumped in a strange land hundreds of miles from your family and friends.”
Blue’s expression got serious. “At least you have a family to go home to eventually. My birth parents were killed when I was a young colt. I had only an aunt who fed me and gave me a place to sleep, but wasn’t really a parent. That’s what it was like for me for years until Lord Path and his family took me in and adopted me. That’s what House Path is like, Cinder. You can feel at home here too if you try.”
Cinder was chagrined to be essentially chided by a pony who had not seemed to be able to take anything particularly seriously until now. She did not know how to respond to that, and there was an uncomfortable silence for a while until the drinks waiter turned up to take their orders.
After the waiter departed, Blue eventually spoke up. “You’ve got two more dates with me, so how about I use them to show you how to enjoy your stay here?”
She frowned and asked, “How did you know that I was going to ask you for two more dates?”
Blue’s smirk returned. “Half the school knows by now that you bet against me and what the stakes were.”
Cinder groaned. Her ploy to discourage him had better work.
Blue chuckled before noticing their server returning with a covered tray. “Looks like your meal is coming. That’s the advantage of having your steak rare – it doesn’t take long.”
Cinder was dismayed; he was acting too casual about it. Gaylord placed the tray on the table and removed the lid. He then placed a plate with a huge steak on it in front of Cinder, plus a bowl of seasoned fries. She licked her lips in anticipation before thanking Gaylord who gave her a smile and small bow before leaving.
“Don’t wait for me,” Blue commented.
Cinder had no intention of doing so. Eschewing the cutlery, she picked up the steak in her talons and ripped off a chunk of meat. She deliberately made a production of chewing the steak, letting some of its bloody juices dribble down her chin. ‘Let’s see the grass-eater deal with this!’ she thought to herself smugly.
Blue just rolled his eyes at the display before his own meal turned up. Gaylord uncovered the tray and served up a large plate of food.
“Thanks, Gaylord,” Blue said. “It looks great as always.”
Cinder stopped eating as she stared in surprise at the tenderloin steak with mushroom gravy that was served with roasted vegetables. Her dropped even further as Blue cut off a chunk, put it in his mouth, and chewed with a blissful expression. “But… ponies can’t eat meat!” she protested.
Blue waved his fork in disagreement until he swallowed his mouthful. “Correction – ponies can eat meat. It’s just that most don’t and are too repulsed to even try. As long as there isn’t too much fat, it’s perfectly acceptable for us. Papa Path and I have it quite often.”
Cinder was too stunned by that revelation to reply. She had been counting on disgusting him with her blatant carnivorous display, but instead of being so turned off by the bloody meal that he’d call off the date and perhaps the others, he was relishing a steak of his own! Was nothing normal about this pony? She put down her steak and sighed.
“By the way,” Blue continued, and pointed with his fork, “If you look around, you’ll see several griffons eating their steaks just like you. Did you really think I was going to get turned off by a dragoness doing the same?”
Cinder looked around and finally noticed that he was right. How blind and stupid she had been! She had been too focused on her ‘clever’ plan that she didn’t even see what was right under her muzzle. She sighed again. “Round one to you, Blue Streak.”
Blue chuckled. “Finish your steak, Goldie. After all, you’re paying for it.”
Cinder glumly did just that, too dispirited to even correct his use of that nickname. Just two little bright spots remained – the steak was delicious, and at least she wasn’t eating it with some grass-eating wimp.
# # #
The meal had been completed with only a little more conversation exchanged, and the duo stepped out into the street with full stomachs. Cinder had winced a bit when paying for the meals, but while they had not been cheap, she consoled herself with the thought that at least Blue had not insisted on one of the really expensive high-class restaurants. For a member of one of the most influential Griffonian Houses, he had decidedly middle-class tastes.
“I think this qualifies as completing the first date, so I’ll let you escape,” Blue Streak said cheerfully. “However, I’m going to pick you up at nine tomorrow morning for the second.”
“Wait… what?” Cinder asked in confusion. She had not even considered the second date as yet.
“See all the tents down the road?” Blue indicated with his hoof.
There were brightly colored tents lining the street as far as she could see. “Yes?”
“Tomorrow is Kilkarn Street Festival, and we’re going to spend the day there.”
“All day?” she asked with dread.
Blue’s smile just grew wider. “I’m going to show you how to enjoy this city even if it kills me.”
“I could save you that effort,” she offered helpfully.
“And miss out on all the fun? Pass. Catch you tomorrow. Don’t be late!”
With that, Blue Streak dashed off.
Cinder groaned. How could he run like that with such a full stomach? With no small effort, she launched herself into the air to take a more leisurely trip back to her dormitory. She didn’t feel like doing anything else except sleeping off the huge meal that she had just eaten.
# # #
Cinder was annoyed with herself. She had started the day with deciding what she would do on the date while she ate her breakfast. Blue Streak had arrived promptly, and they had ridden a cart into the city. Cinder had expected him to run and she to fly like yesterday, but apparently riding a cider cart was considered one way to make a fitting entrance at this festival, and the large mug of non-alcoholic cider that they each got to drink along the way was enjoyable. It probably helped to contribute to why she was annoyed. Her ploy was to make the experience as frustrating and unpleasant as possible for Blue, but she was rapidly distracted from that goal. She was enjoying herself, damn it!
Until now, she had been content with the nomadic tribal lifestyle of her clan. Today though, the festival was opening her eyes to all the different ways to celebrate and enjoy life. The colors and the music buoyed her up. The games of skill excited her, and stage shows enthralled her. Exotic snack foods tantalized her taste buds, and wild rides almost made her throw it all up again. She totally forgot her intention to be miserable, and when the festival finally closed and they headed back to the House, she quietly walked alongside Blue with a happy smile on her face.
Eventually Blue broke the silence. “So, what’s the score, Cinder?”
“Hmm? Score?”
“Yeah, you said I won the date yesterday. What about today?”
Cinder snorted in amusement. “Let’s call it a tie.”
Blue grinned. “Works for me.”
“So what have you in mind for the third date?”
Blue shrugged. “We’ve got classes for the next few days. I’ll think of something by Friday and let you know. Try to endure until then.”
Cinder rolled her eyes and stuck her tongue out at him. “You think I can’t?”
“No, I think you can. I just don’t want you dying of frustration of not being on a date with me for so long,” he replied with a smirk.
“WHAT?! You smug hatchling! I’ll show you who’s frustrated!” she said as she lunged at him.
Of course Blue easily dodged, but he stayed tantalizingly almost within reach. Cinder continued to chase him down the road while he playfully skipped away, chuckling all the while.
Cinder was exhausted by the time they reached the House dormitory and collapsed onto her bed. She thought about the day that she had spent with the infuriating pony, and a tiny smile curled the corner of her mouth.
“I was wrong, Blue Streak,” she murmured. “Looks like I was today’s winner after all. I look forward to seeing what you have in mind for the tie-breaker.”
# # #
Cinder was so determined to prove to Blue that she could ‘endure’ the week that she actually stopped sulking and started paying more attention to classes. It helped that the last one on the first day was unarmed combat taught by an old griffon named Warfist. She vaguely recalled the pegasus at the stadium mentioning him as Blue’s teacher, although the colt had not brought up the subject at either of their dates. Not exactly the stuff of date talk, she assumed, although this encounter might be something to share with him on their next date. Blue was not in this class, which she found curious until she recalled the part about being his special student. Probably had private lessons. Well, he wasn’t the only one to have combat training from a master. Maybe she could show the old griff a thing or two.
# # #
Cinder collapsed on her bunk with a groan.
“Note to self,” she mumbled. “Dear idiot – never ever do something that stupid again. Your battered and bruised self, Shaikhan-Gal.”
Cinder groaned again, thinking of the ‘encouragement’ that Warfist had assigned her.
“Shards! Blue Streak is going to laugh his arse off if I’m too wrecked to make it to our date.” She tried to get up off the bed to have a shower, but her body refused to cooperate. “I hate that old catbird,” she murmured into her pillow before succumbing to fatigue.
# # #
Fortunately for Cinder, she did manage to recover after a good night’s sleep, although she still ached a bit in the morning. She had missed dinner the previous night, so she ate an enormous breakfast to compensate. She was going to need the energy!
Between Warfist’s assignments and the new studies, Cinder was kept so preoccupied that the week flew by, and before she knew it, it was Friday evening and the usual informal social was happening. She hadn’t had much opportunity to do much more than exchange greetings with Blue for most of the week. He sought her out deliberately this time though.
“Hi, Cinder. You haven’t made any plans for tomorrow, have you?”
“No. I figured you would want that third date. What have you planned?”
“A picnic.”
“A what?” That word was not in her vocabulary.
“You know – pack food in a basket, walk out into the countryside, share the food with the ants, and talk.”
“Oh. Sounds dull. I kind of thought you’d come up with something to top the festival.”
Blue grinned. “Depends on what you expect to get out of it. I heard you had your first lesson with Master Warfist. I bet you didn’t expect that, did you?”
Cinder shuddered. “Point taken. Okay, I’ll give this picnic thing of yours a try. Not like I have a choice.”
“Come on, Goldie, do you think I’d let you down by now? I’ve managed to surprise you on both occasions so far.”
“Stop calling me Goldie!” she growled, rising to the bait as always.
“Stop making the dates sound like such a bad thing, and I will,” he shot back with a smirk.
Cinder snorted, and then gave him her biggest grin, one full of sharp teeth. “I’m smiling – see!”
Blue chuckled. “Close enough. Have a good sleep-in. I’ll pick you up about eleven tomorrow.”
# # #
Cinder was glad to be able to sleep in and rest up from the training regimen that Warfist had assigned her. Thus she was feeling pretty fit and ready for the date when Blue turned up. She was surprised to see him carrying two large saddle packs though. He shrugged off one of them and pointed at it with a hoof.
“You get to carry that one. It has all the food and drink.”
“What’s in the other?” Cinder asked as she grabbed it and slung it over her back.
“That’s a surprise for later.”
Cinder shrugged. “Okay. Lead on.”
Although she suspected that Blue would take off at his normal headlong pace, he surprised her by matching her walking gait, leading the way across the grounds of the mansion.
“You told me that you did some hunting in the forest on our grounds, but have you had the opportunity to explore anywhere else?” Blue asked.
“Not really. A bit of scouting of the area is about all I’ve had the time to do.”
“Great! Then this will be even better. I’ll take you up to the gorge.”
They left the carefully tended gardens and lawn surrounding the mansion and crossed an open field after traversing a boundary fence. Blue kept them heading towards the low ranges on the far side of the fields, which is where Cinder presumed the gorge was.
“Are these fields part of House Path?” she asked.
“Yep. The House owns all the land between the mansion and the foothills of the ranges, plus the forest to the east. The forest to the west belongs to another House, so that’s where the boundary is.”
“What are these fields for?”
“That steak you had last week has to come from somewhere. Like the other Houses, we have herds of non-sapient animals that are grown for food.”
“Oh, right. We’re nomadic hunters, so herding is a bit strange to me. Actually it seems a bit odd for griffons also.”
“I know what you mean, but there are still herders among the griffons, although there are a lot of earth ponies who do that job these days.”
“Are we going to walk all the way across these fields?”
“I thought you just said that your tribe was nomadic?”
“We are, but everything is designed to be carried while flying. We don’t walk that much.”
“Considering that you’re training as a warrior, you’ll have to toughen up a bit, so consider this a bit of voluntary training,” Blue said with a grin.
Cinder scowled. “I’m still waiting for the fun to begin.”
“Sometimes you have to make an effort before the pay-off.”
Cinder just grumbled under her breath, but kept marching on regardless.
Eventually they reached the foothills and encountered a small river. Blue started following it uphill, and the going got more difficult. There was no path, so they had to climb over boulders and push through vegetation quite frequently. The effort required kept Cinder from noticing the walls of rock rising on either side until they started casting a shadow over them.
“Is this the gorge you mentioned?” Cinder asked.
“Yep. We have just a little further to go.”
Ten minutes later, the rock walls opened out and Cinder found herself walking out onto a small meadow on one side of the stream. On the far side of the meadow, the rock walls closed in again and ended the gorge with a steep cliff over which the river poured in a waterfall. The sun reflecting off the light-colored rock gave strong indirect lighting that made the meadow bright but cooler than the countryside that they had tramped through. Between the light, water, and temperature that stayed fairly consistent throughout the year, the gorged virtually exploded with lush vegetation highlighted by a myriad of flowers.
“We’re here,” Blue announced. “I hope you find the location suitable.”
Cinder was almost speechless as she gazed in awe. “I… approve. I admit that I would not have thought you would be so… attuned to natural beauty.”
“Why? Because I’m a warrior? One of my dads is an artist; don’t you think I could learn a thing or two from him also? He found this place and took the family here. It’s kind of special to us.”
“Then thank you. I feel privileged.”
“No worries. I think you’ve earned a meal. Let’s see what the cooks have packed for us, hey?”
Blue spread out a blanket first before they unpacked the contents of the picnic basket. The House staff had done a fine job of preparing a selection of food and drink suitable for the two of them, and both had a big appetite after the hike. It didn’t take long for them to consume everything, and they both laid back on the blanket with contented sighs.
“So, this is a picnic,” Cinder said. “I’m disappointed.”
Blue looked at her in puzzlement. “Why?”
“You promised me ants, and I didn’t see a single one.”
Blue chuckled. “Nobody’s perfect. I did promise you something else though, and that was some excitement afterwards. Ready for that yet?”
“Just give me a few minutes. After the hectic week, I’d like to enjoy a bit of doing absolutely nothing for a while but listening to the waterfall and the birds while lazing in the sunshine.”
“I can agree with that,” Blue said as he folded his forelegs behind his head, crossed his hind legs, and gazed up at the sky. There was a long moment of quiet before he spoke up again. “Cinder, why do you so dislike being here? At the House, I mean – not this spot.”
Cinder considered her words. “I suppose it’s not that I’m here, but that I’m not back home. I feel so out of place here. These lands are so different from my mine, and the customs are strange. Almost everything that your family does as normal goes against what I learned back in the Dragon Lands. But the worst thing was that I wasn’t given a choice. I had to leave behind my family and friends and stay with griffons and ponies, with not another dragon around except Alac.”
“Yeah, that’s a bit harsh.”
“My turn. Why have you been going so out of your way to make such great effort to make me enjoy these dates – dates that you weren’t under any obligation to accept in the first place?”
“Some of it is because I thought it would be fun. Some of it is because one of my moms is the Princess of Friendship, and I thought you could use a friend.”
“You seem to look up to your parents a lot.”
“They’re the best thing that happened to me after my birth parents died. One day I hope to be a great warrior like Warfist, but I’m going to take with me lessons that all my parents have taught me. Papa Path tries to teach me to see all sides of a problem. Mama Roseclaw teaches me honor and diplomacy. Papa Free teaches me to see the beauty in things. And of course Mama Twilight leads by example in making friends whenever she can. When I have to fight, I fight for them and what they represent.”
“That is awesome, Blue Streak. I mean it. You are blessed.”
“I know, and I want you to know that you can feel like you belong here among us also. Give House Path a chance, and I swear your life will be as fulfilling.”
“I can try.”
“That’s all I can ask. Now, how about a change of pace?”
“What did you have in mind? Something to do with what’s in your pack?”
“Yep,” Blue said as he got to his hooves and walked over to his backpack. He opened it and started pulling out its contents.
Cinder quickly recognized the apparatus. “Are those artificial wings like your father wore when he met us the first day?”
“Tek-wings, and yeah they are, except these are mine. I’ve taken you on a ground journey to get here, so how about we take to the skies for a while?”
Cinder grinned. “I would love to stretch my wings, and my feet thank you.”
“Great!” Blue said as he started shrugging on the harness. “You can help me tighten the straps so I don’t add to the excitement by plummeting from the skies.”
Blue Streak was soon securely fastened into his flight harness, and a mental command spread the wings.
“Ready?” Cinder asked.
“Lead the way!” Blue replied with a grin.
With a small roar, Cinder leaped into the air and thrust hard with her wings, rapidly gaining altitude. Looking back, she saw Blue virtually copy her motions, and quickly follow. He was not quite as fast nor as graceful, but the fact that an earth pony flew at all was amazing to Cinder, and she was fascinated. They climbed further into the sky, rapidly leaving the gorge below, and then they leveled out.
“What do you want to do?” Cinder asked.
Blue’s smile grew, and without a word of warning, he dove at her and tapped her tail. “Tag! You’re it!”
Cinder blinked in surprise before she grinned and took off after him. What followed was half an hour of diving and dodging, climbing and hiding in clouds, and laughter – laughing with all the joy and love of life of two youths despite their differences.
Eventually Blue brought them back to earth. “The mana pack was being depleted very quickly by what I was making the wings do. I don’t want to run out of power up there.”
“I would catch you… probably,” Cinder said with a smirk.
Blue chuckled. “It’s good for a few more minutes. Gather your empty pack and I’ll grab mine. We’ll fly out to the beginning of the fields and I’ll go on by hoof from there.”
Cinder groaned. “More walking.”
“Nope; not for you anyway. You can fly and try to keep up with me.”
“Ha! Just because you’re faster than me when I’m in unfamiliar territory and trying to make altitude, doesn’t mean that you’re going to show me up on those level open fields.”
“Have you forgotten how fast I said I can go?”
“I dismissed that as boasting right away.”
Blue grinned a little evilly. “Well then, you’re going to get your chance to rub it in my muzzle, aren’t you?”
Cinder matched his grin with a really toothy one. “And I’ll love doing it.”
“Let’s get going then!”
They took off and rapidly retraced their course up the gorge until they reached the bottom of the foothills where the plains opened up. They landed and Blue stowed his wings in the pack which he then started securing firmly to his back.
“Want me to carry those for you? Don’t want to slow you down,” Cinder said snarkily.
Blue shook his head. “You might as well head off while I finish strapping this on. You’re going to need the head-start.”
“Still boasting. Okay, I’m not above rubbing it in a bit. See you back at the House!”
Cinder took off, but didn’t waste time and energy by gaining too much altitude. Instead she concentrated on speed, and she was quickly zooming over the fields. She took a moment to glance back and saw that Blue still had not started, and she grinned. She did not slack off one bit though. The second time that she glanced back, Blue had started galloping after her, but she was now halfway back to the way to the House. No way was he going to beat her there!
She was concentrating on her goal when a boom of thunder and a shockwave made her tumble in the air. By the time she recovered control, Blue Streak was well ahead of her, and moving at a pace she could not hope to match. She chased after him at her best speed, and finally landed beside him at the door of the mansion where they had started that day.
“What was that thunderclap?” she demanded.
“It’s called a sonic boom. That’s what happens when I exceed the speed of sound. The shockwave could hurt you if I ran too close to you.”
“You weren’t boasting at all, were you? How can you do that?!”
“It’s my special talent.” He lifted up one foreleg. “These custom shoes help me get enough traction to break the sound barrier. I had them in my pack with the wings.”
“I’ve underestimated you again, Blue Streak.”
“Could you just call me Blue, or even Streak, but not both. You sound like my moms when you use my full name.”
“As long as you never call me Goldie again.”
“Deal. Well, I hope you enjoyed the third date, Cinder?”
“I did. I really did. So when do you want to go on the fourth?”
Blue gave her a quizzical look. “I thought that you only had to ask for three?”
“Is there any reason why I have to stop at just three?” she responded.
“None that I can think of.”
“Then meet me here tomorrow at the same time, and I’ll try to show you as much fun as you showed me today.”
Blue’s smile grew wide. “You’re on!”
Cinder dropped her pack, gave him a wink, and took off.
Blue watched her leave and chuckled. “Well, how about that?” he murmured as he bent to grab the pack to take it inside.
# # #
Cinder lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Why had she asked for a fourth date? Why hadn’t she just asked if he wanted to hang out as friends? She couldn’t like a pony that much, could she? After a long moment of confused feelings, there was inevitably one other question she had to ask herself – could a pony like a dragon that much?
# # #
Moira Skytalon slammed her plate down on the dining hall table, startling her friends. They stared at the griffoness in a mixture of concern and annoyance.
“What’s got your tail in a twist this time, Moira?” one asked.
“What else? That she-dragon just won’t leave Blue Streak alone. What’s a reptile doing monopolizing a pony’s affections anyway?” Moira sulked, ignoring the food that she had just brought over from the food counter. She stared back that way at the blue earth pony and dragoness who were getting their food, laughing about something.
Gail Redfeather snorted a bit contemptuously. “I don’t know why you’re so obsessed with the pony anyway. Stop worrying about Cinder and start paying attention to the griffs who keep asking you for a date.”
“Why should I pay any attention to them? I don’t need them, but think of the status I’d gain if I could hook the son of Lord Path.”
“You don’t like the idea of a pony and a dragon being an item, but you have no problem with a griff and a pony?”
“Lord Path married Lady Roseclaw and had a child, so it’s obvious we two species belong together. Who ever heard of a dragon-pony relationship?”
“And that’s your problem, not the dragon,” Gail replied. “House Path is all about working with other races, while all you’re interested in is building status. Those two obviously don’t care about their difference in species. It’s evident after a few months together that they’re more than just friends, but you can’t accept that.”
“I can be a better partner than her! Lady Roseclaw is Lord Path’s strong right talon. Blue Streak should have the same. I come from one of the highest ranked Noble Houses in Griffonia; we would make a great pairing!” She scowled as she watched the two heading towards a table with their food, and she got up to her feet.
“Let it go, Moira,” another griffoness urged.
“No! Fortune favors the bold! I’m going over there and asking him for a date.” She started to march determinedly towards the couple.
Gail called out, “Moira! Don’t be an idiot!” However, she was ignored, and the griffoness sighed in resignation. “Everygriff take cover – this isn’t going to be pretty.”
Blue and Cinder had just put their food on a free table when Moira marched up to them.
“Blue Streak! I, Moira Skytalon, wish to have a date with you! We’re both high nobles and would make a fine couple!”
Gail faceclawed. “It’s going to be worse than I thought,” she groaned.
Blue just stared at Moira, stunned by her bold and totally unexpected statement.
Cinder glared balefully at the upstart griffoness. “Back off, catbird. He’s not interested.”
Moira ignored the dragoness and advanced on Blue. “Come on, Blue Streak, I’ll make it worth your while.” She reached up and pulled his face to hers to nuzzle him.
Cinder growled and pulled Moira away from Blue. She then enfolded Blue in her forearms, one clawed appendage roughly cupping his stallionhood. “I said back off! He’s my treasure!”
Blue blushed fiercely. While their relationship had grown a lot over the past few weeks, neither had admitted to more than a strong friendship up until now, and while he could empathize with her urges, having them displayed so blatantly in front of the lunchtime crowd was more than a little embarrassing. “Quit groping me in public, will you?” he hissed urgently, but Cinder didn’t appear to notice.
“He doesn’t belong to you!” snarled Moira. “Let him choose a real potential mate, just like his dad.”
“He already has me, hoard thief!”
“He’s not gold or gems to add to your collection, lizard!”
“He’s not a status-seeking spoiled noble brat like you!”
Blue just looked back and forth between the bickering rivals. He had two females fighting over him? What the heck?!
“I can offer him more than you can. We would make an awesome couple and bring great honor to our Houses!” Moira proclaimed.
“I am the heir to Matriarchy, and we would bring great glory with our union!” Cinder shouted.
Blue’s mind was beginning to lock up. These two were getting deadly serious about what they wanted of him, but he hadn’t even started thinking that far ahead yet.
“Let him go so he can choose,” the griffoness said, tugging on Blue’s foreleg.
“No! He’s MINE!” Cinder bellowed, tightening her grip on the pony.
Blue’s eyes bulged as the air was forced from his lungs. “Can’t… breathe…” he gasped.
Cinder finally noticed what she was doing to him and released her grasp, but Moira’s tugging made him fall away from both of them. He lay panting on the floor, mortified by all the attention caused by the ruckus. All conversation had ceased as everyone watched dumbstruck by the confrontation.
By this time though, neither of the rival females was paying any attention to those around them. Moira let out a screech of challenge, and Cinder roared in defiance. Then, before anyone could blink, they lunged at each other. Talons and claws raked at each other. They grappled and chairs went flying. Blue hastily crawled out of the way just before they crashed into a table, smashing it in half. Cinder threw Moira off, but the griffoness checked her momentum with her wings and lunged back at her. The crowd started cheering on their favorites as the fight progressed.
Inevitably the commotion drew the attention of the faculty, and Free Agent was one of the first to arrive on the scene. He spotted Blue staring at the battling females and went up to him.
“Why is Cinder fighting with that she-griff, Blue?”
Without taking his eyes from the battle, Blue replied in an incredulous tone, “They’re fighting over me!”
Free Looked at Blue with pleased surprise. “Really? That’s awesome!”
Blue was surprised enough to tear his eyes away from the fight. “Awesome? You’re cool with them fighting over me? I thought you’d want to try to break it up.”
Free chuckled. “If there’s one thing that I learned early, it’s that you never get involved in a cat-fight. It’s a great way to get maimed.”
“Okay, but what’s so awesome about it?”
“Oh, come on, Blue – I’ve known how Cinder and you really feel about each other for a while now, but neither of you have been willing to admit it out loud to each other. This finally brings it out into the open.”
Blue knew it was impossible to hide emotions from his changeling dad, and yet he still was surprised that Free knew what he had not been able to even admit to himself. Despite the many nights he’d been unable to get to sleep due to his state of arousal after a date with Cinder, he had been unable to convince himself that a dragoness could feel that way about him too. Only some less-than-satisfying self-relief had let him finally relax enough to find slumber. Now Free was telling him that Cinder felt the same way? *{see Author's Note}
The battle spilled out the doorway and into the grounds. That only gave the duo more room to maneuver, and both took to the air. They circled each other and then charged at their opponent, coming together with a crash, feathers and claws flying. They parted and grappled again several times until Cinder got some altitude on Moira. With an unholy screech, she dived on the griffoness, unleashing a torrent of dragonfire. Moira barely dodged, getting away with only a few singed feathers, and they grappled again.
“Aren’t you going to do anything about this?” Blue asked a little desperately. They had all followed the combatants outside to continue to watch them.
Free shrugged. “I could get us some popcorn while we watch.”
“Seriously, Dad?”
Just then Path arrived with Roseclaw, and he went up to Free and asked, “What’s going on?”
Free replied, “Apparently that griffoness challenged Cinder for Blue. Cinder’s possessive dragon instincts kicked in, and the griff’s stubborn fighting instincts did too. They are currently fighting for dominance, and it’s dangerous to intervene.”
Blue blinked in surprise at Free’s serious and concisely accurate assessment of the situation. Despite the changeling’s lighthearted responses earlier, apparently he had not been taking it quite that lightly after all.
“So, Cinder has finally admitted her feelings for Blue, has she?” Roseclaw asked.
“It would seem so, and quite spectacularly,” Free replied.
Blue stared at them with shock. Did all his parents know what he hadn’t?
Path said, “While that’s good, we can’t have them fighting like that. Any ideas about how to break it up without either them or us getting hurt?”
“That’s the tricky bit,” Free admitted as Moira had her tail tuft burned off after failing to completely dodge another stream of dragonfire.
They grappled again, and after a few long moments, Cinder suddenly had Moira’s limbs captured and helpless. “I HAVE YOU NOW, TREASURE-STEALER!” Cinder bellowed. She drew a deep breath in preparation for breathing fire on the terrified griffoness.
A griffon burst out of the crowd and slammed into them. Warfist reached out with his forelegs, grasping the head of each of the combatants in one of them, and slammed them together. Stunned, Cinder released her grip and both started dropping to the ground, their wings hardly slowing their fall.
Blue gasped and raced out onto the grounds and under Cinder. He reared up on his hind legs and caught the dragoness, breaking her fall. They were brought to the ground by her momentum, but they were both unscathed. Meanwhile, Moira fell into a hedge, saving her from a more painful meeting with the lawn.
“There, the dumb-arse colt picked one of them,” Warfist declared. “‘Encouragement’ in ten minutes for all you slackers here who let this get out of control!”
There was a groan from everyone present as the crowd broke up.
Path walked over to the three remaining. Cinder and Moira were both recovering their wits after the mutual head-butt, and he glared at them. “You two – my office now!”
“Yes, sir,” they both said meekly.
“Can I come with Cinder, Dad?” Blue asked.
Path considered it for a moment, and then nodded. He then headed off to the office, with Free, Roseclaw, and Warfist falling in with him. As Cinder, Blue, and Moira followed, they encountered Twilight in the hallway. After a quick, quiet word to her from Path, she fell in with them. The trio was told to wait outside the office while the others went inside and closed the door behind them. While they waited nervously, Blue reached out and put an arm around Cinder. She leaned into the hug and they quietly enjoyed being together, ignoring the angry looks from the griffoness.
After a few minutes, the office door opened and Twilight stepped out. “Moira Skytalon – please come inside.”
The griffoness got up and followed the alicorn inside, and the door closed once more.
Blue took the opportunity of the moment of privacy to ask, “Why didn’t you tell me how you felt about me?”
Cinder snorted deprecatingly. “Why would you want a dragon marefriend?”
Blue grimaced. “Funny – all this time I’ve been wondering how a dragoness could possibly want a coltfriend.”
She stared at him with surprise and not a little hope. “Really? You think we could have a future together?”
Blue felt a little bit of his usual self-confidence returning now that their feelings were out in the open. “Why not? Stranger things have happened in my family. Besides, haven’t you already claimed me?” he asked with a smirk.
Cinder blushed in embarrassment. “I… I’m sorry about that.”
“I’m not. I think I like being treasured by you.”
Cinder smiled shyly. “I think you’re the most valuable item in my hoard.”
Blue matched her smile. “And nobody will steal me from my dragon,” he said and leaned in to kiss her.
Cinder met his lips with hers, and they kissed fervently. Eventually they parted and gazed at each other lovingly.
They were still doing so when the office door was flung open, and a weeping Moira ran out and disappeared down the hallway.
Twilight came out again and said, “Cinder, please come in now.”
Blue said, “Mama – can I come in with Cinder?”
Twilight nodded. “This involves you both, so it would be a good idea.”
Cinder and Blue followed Twilight into the office, and the alicorn seated herself beside the four others.
Path was seated behind his desk, with Roseclaw and Warfist to his left, and Free and Twilight to his right. He looked gravely at Cinder. “We have just expelled Moira Skytalon from the House Path school.”
Cinder slumped in resignation. “I see. I’ll start packing.”
“No! You can’t send her away!” Blue protested.
Path shook his head. “No, you’re not expelled, Cinder. I’m telling you this though to impress upon you the seriousness of the situation. Whenever a candidate comes to the school, they are assessed for suitability. Not every candidate meets the requirements of House Path. Griffons especially need to let go of their desire to seek status above all. However, Moira managed to get past our weeding-out process, but she was already on our watch list for her poor attitude. The fight was just the final straw, although admittedly that was more like a bale of straw. Moira was expelled because she could not live up to the ideals of House Path. You, however, gained admittance under different circumstances. Nevertheless you are still required to live up to our ideals. For your part in the fight, you will be receiving a severe punishment. Master Warfist will be seeing to most of that. We will expect you to curb your dragon instincts better in future. However, it is our assessment that you are otherwise adapting well to our customs, and you still have a great future at House Path.”
Both Cinder and Blue heaved a sigh of relief.
Free added with a grin, “Besides, I don’t think our wives would forgive us if we broke you two up now that you’ve finally admitted your feelings for each other.”
Blue and Cinder blushed fiercely, even as they hugged each happily.
Twilight did her best to look stern as she spoke up. “Now, my young stallion and dragoness, I believe you’re late for your classes.”
“Yes, ma’am!” they both cried as they jumped to their feet and hooves.
Warfist said, “Report to me straight after classes, Cinder.”
“Yes, sir!” Cinder replied, and she and Blue hastily exited the office.
“Ah, young love!” Free declared happily when the pair had left.
“With some more discipline, she will help balance out his recklessness,” Roseclaw agreed with satisfaction. “She will make a fine mate for our son one day.”
# # #
Cinder wearily landed at the front door of the House Path mansion and she pressed the doorbell. Soon it was answered by Goldenquill who smiled in recognition.
“Can I come in and see Blue?” Cinder asked.
“Master Blue Streak said that he hoped to see you this evening, Miss Cinder. Please come in.” He stood aside to allow Cinder inside before continuing, “I believe you know where his room is.”
“Thanks, Goldenquill.” Cinder headed to Blue’s room where they had planned several of their outings. This time though, she had something else in mind. She tapped on his door and entered when he replied. She smiled shyly. “Hi, Blue.”
“Hey, Cinder,” Blue replied from where he was seated behind a desk. “I was wondering when Warfist would be finished with you.”
She snorted. “He’s barely started, but we’re done for the night. I’m tired, but I wanted to see you again before I head back to the dorm.”
“I’m glad you did,” he said, coming over to her and giving her a kiss.
She kissed him back happily.
He stepped back with a smile on his muzzle. “Don’t go back to the dorm tonight.”
“Where am I going to sleep?” she replied coyly.
Blue inclined his head towards his large bed. “This has always been way too big for me alone. It’s been seeming a bit too empty also lately. Care to help fix that?”
Cinder smiled. “I’ll give it a try, my Treasure.”
The next morning, Blue joined the family for breakfast, walking with a bit of a limp. Free hid a grin behind his mug of coffee when he noticed. Twilight frowned in concern.
“Is something wrong, hon?” the alicorn asked.
Blue groaned as he sat himself down at the table. “I think I strained a muscle yesterday.”
“How did that happen?” Roseclaw asked.
Just then, Cinder entered the room, also walking a little oddly. “Um, good morning,” she said with a little trepidation as Blue waved her over to sit next to him.
Roseclaw’s brow rose a little before she said, “Never mind. I think I can guess.”
Twilight’s eyes widened and her mouth went into a silent ‘Oh’.
Path smiled and asked, “Can we expect you for breakfast on a frequent basis from now on?”
Cinder looked down with a blush coloring her cheeks. “I really hope so, sir.”
“Then welcome to House Path, my dear.”