The Gems of Creation: Part 2

by BSting

2-8: Who Matters Most

The occupation of the storm creatures on hippogriff soil kept them pacified for the time being. Venturing across the shores a ways from Mt. Aris and enveloped in thick mist, known by locals as Basalt Beach, was a party that stood upon a wide spectrum of matters. Cobalt Coral, banished from her seafaring home, and her partner, Cornfield, were adamantly against Lord Whirlwind’s peace-faring facade. The princess of the hippogriffs, Skystar, rebelling against her mother’s wishes by travelling without royal supervision, shared a mutual sentiment of their cause. Coral’s brother, Calm Breeze, on the other hoof swore an undying allegiance with the tyrant, promising up and down that his intentions were peaceful, despite the air between them. Finally, there was Silver Night, a true neutral member that in no way cared about what happened so long as her purse was fuller for it.

Exchanging arguments to the end, the group came across a giant stone disc precariously blocking something on the cliff wall. Coral confidently strolled to one side and rolled away the barrier with a grunt, revealing an inconspicuous cavern behind it. As Cornfield marveled on what his friend was hiding, Silver shared her fantasies openly with the group.

“Mmmmm... I wonder if they’re any gems inside?” the brazen black thief wondered aloud.

“Follow me inside, and you’ll see,” Coral responded, enshrouding herself into the depths of mystery behind the darkness. “Touch anything without my permission, however, and I’ll bury you in the sand personally.”

“Ouch! That’s no way to make friends!” scolded the princess as the blackened thief gulped, swallowing down her greed out of pure fear.

Deeper into the unknown, the edges of their ears picked up faint echoes of water dripping from rocks above. Inside the dark wettish tunnel led our party to a sturdy makeshift wooden plane, resembling a door. Upon entry with a creak, Coral presented her company with her personal abode, a humble home with a flimsily crafted table and set of “borrowed” chairs. There was a pantry on the wall with her stove beneath it, several books on the lonely shelf righted itself in a corner, rounding out with a comfortable looking queen-sized bed. When Coral adjusted the lights of the lanterns hanging along the walls, many jewels and gems illuminated off the guest’s easily delighted expressions. These precious valuables were secured inside plain glass cases, which decorated the room, easily showcasing her fantastic exploits of treasure hunting.

“Feel free to look around,” The purple gem hunter stated, lacking any humility like a queen showing off her kingdom. “If you have any questions about my booty, I’ll give you a tour.”

The white-maned thief carefully observed, salivating at the thought of what price each individual treasure could fetch in a black market. It would have been enough for her to snatch and grab if her backside didn’t radiate a painful reminder not to steal.

As the purple hippogriff sustained an accomplished smirk during her guests’ marveled reactions, she realized her bags were still at the boat on the shore. One being a sack full of even more sparkly gems to add to the collection. “Whoops!” Coral exclaimed, “I’ll be right back.” As she led herself out, she directed a claw to the only one she trusts the most. “Cornfield, you’re in charge!”

Upon hearing this command, Cornfield swiftly protested on the matter. “WHAT?! But! Coral I-” His whines fell on deaf ears, as she’s already gone in hurried steps filling the cavern walls. He snorted in frustration. “Again, Coral? How am I supposed to keep your brother, a princess, and a thief in check?”

Calm Breeze eyed the glittering collection closely over Silver’s shoulder, ignoring the remarks of the irritated green stallion. “All these gems, relics, and jewelry... Did she steal all of these? Or were they excavated?”

“Why don’t you ask her yourself?” The colt fired back, without dignifying him any eye contact. “She’s YOUR sister!”

“I just don’t know about all this…” The light-blue hybrid drew himself uninvitedly close to his aggressor. “If everything was as Queen Novo said. Does that... make her...”

Suddenly, Cornfield got up close and personal, in more ways than one, going so far as muzzle to beak with the shady associate of Whirlwind. “You know what doesn’t make any sense to me? After all this time, you thought Coral was dead. Here she is, alive and well. All you want to do after everything you’ve been through, is defend the new leader of a tribe that tried to eradicate your kind, force you to cower in the ocean, and because why? Because he spared you? Which could only mean you would rather prioritize your own status among the hippogriffs than that of your long lost sister?!” The enraged colt stepped back, sparing Calm some breathing room, but favored his aggressive disposition against those allegied with Whirlwind. “What kind of brother are you?!”

Despite leveling any pony’s stature with his towering physique, he despaired in the confrontation, failing to remotely meet this pony’s small height through a platform of reason. “I told you! I didn’t know she was alive! I know the Storm Creatures and their kind did terrible things, but Lord Whirlwind doesn’t seem like the type of animal to be as brutish as he was. He saved me from the king when I was meant to be a slave. That’s all I know!” His confidence in his words giving him strength, he dared to defend his brotherly honor. “I don’t want my sister to be some sort of villain fueled with only thoughts of vengeance.”

His voice raised, the colt tried belittling his opponent’s disposition further. “OOOOOOOOOOOOH! OK! I thought I was mistaken here. Got it! So the previous ruler kidnapped you but then this hotshot comes in and goes, ‘Oh sorry about that, he gets cranky when somepony resists his conquest’.” His tone mocked the know-it-all nature of his boss before following-up with a last-ditch resort to an accusation that Calm would lead a betrayal. “Oh, NO PROBLEM! Let me repay the favor by helping you get close to the queen and finish the job your ruler started after all! IT’S THE LEAST I COULD DO!”

Calm had had every intention of bursting forward, grab Cornfield by his throat, and make him sympathize with his argument. Nothing would stop him from doing so. If the colt had just listened perhaps even he’d understand his disposition, but Calm lacked the knowledge of persuading his side of the conflict.

Right when his sharp-looking claws raised above the ground, ripe for enacting those adverse violent tendencies, Skystar utilized whatever political power she had to delegate between them. Calm lowered his aggressive stance when the princess physically separated them both at a range. “I hate to butt in, but you have to realize it’s not that easy, right, Calm?” she tread lightly as she could, observing a murderous intent underneath the hippogriff. “I understand if you want to make peace with those around you and even make new friends, but many hippogriffs are still very afraid of the Storm Creatures. There are many that don’t want to go back into the water, including me! I went, like, totally insane decorating things with shells!”

Despite her ever soothing and cheerful voice, Calm felt the walls closing in, not getting any ground to stand for himself as he grasped his head with another sudden migraine coming on. “Shut up, shut up. SHUT UP!” The princess gasped as she was angrily pushed aside with Cornfield as the prime target. “Is it SO WRONG to think that my sister is probably, maybe, overreacting by going for these ancient gemstones in the first place, and having you egging her on?! Our father was a soldier, in charge of guarding the temple that housed the entrance to where the gem lied! He knew of their importance! What would HE say if he learned his daughter was a thief and stole with reckless abandon!”

“He’d probably say ‘At least, she doesn’t blow smoke up ape asses all day long.’” A familiar voice seethed.

“And I’m sure he would rather they fall in the claws of a hippo-!!!” Cornfield stopped himself in a gasp after realizing who was at the door. Slamming her goodie bag on the floor, she only harbored the grudge at her brother, livid that he could ever speak ill of her behind her back after everything she’s been through. Menacingly, she approached him without reserve now, Calm barely got a word out before he received the same treatment for all those that’d stand in her way; the back of her merciless claws straight across the cheek. Silver and Skystar both let sounds of shock and surprise out, backing away from the deep seated conflict.

“First of all, how DARE you bring up our father, the hippogriff that died to protect you from the monkeys you now serve, into this,” her beak dripped with scathing venom as she spoke. “Second, what gives you the right to judge me?!”

His talons covering his bruise, Calm backed away with his tail between his legs. “But look at all the things here. Things you stole! I knew you to be headstrong, but I didn’t think you would resort to this. I thought you hated stealing!”

“You thought thieving was my FIRST choice?! It was my ONLY choice. Some like Silver may do it for the thrill, but I did it to LIVE!” As she puffed her chest in and out in heavy breaths, her anger eventually disintegrated and softened the blows. “Live long enough that I’d see you again...”

Cornfield, amongst the crowd of three, took to Coral’s side, confidently reaffirming his position.

“But, I just think you are on the wrong side of history here, doing something that you weren’t meant to do?” her brother pushed his undying resolve further. “Did Cornfield see Whirlwind with a crook? Maybe, but he’s the only one who saw the act of killing him. Maybe he’s lying to all of us due to the prejudice you planted in his head.”

“At this point, Calm,” she took a deep breath before preparing her unrelenting bombshell. “I trust him more than I do you. Right now, he’s more family than you are.”

Calm sharply flinched as he grabbed his chest, reaching for the heart that’s wounded by her words. Then, he stared straight into the pupils of Cornfield’s judging eyes. The colt demanded his resolve, “So Calm, you calling me a liar?”.

“Yes! Wait, I mean, no, but...” Before he could work out an answer, he clutched his skull with his claws, and started yelling as if trying to stop his aching brain from exploding inside-out.

“What’s happening?” Cornfield asked, looking to Coral for answers.

“I think the logic is getting to be too much for- " Suddenly, with her eagle eye being trained after many heists, she spotted a pink scar on the top of his head, barely concealed underneath his feathery mane as he writhed on the floor. “Is that... Did... When did you get that?” she asked her brother as she tried to reach for and examine his scalp. Instinctively, Calm slapped her claws away before violently flooring her. She roughly slammed against her back, knocking the wind out of her, as he bolted out of the cave, wailing in pain.

Concerned for his partner, Cornfield offered his hoof to her. “What was that all about?!”

Latching onto his foreleg for support, she lifted herself up while eyeing the door. “I... I swear he wasn’t like this. Something or some creature changed him to be the way he is now... Either mentally or physically.”

“Then... Something must have happened to give him that scar!”

“Something... But I don’t know what...” First, Mount Aris was under the false pretense of peace achieved with barbaric apes, providing them an ideal position to stage world conquest once more. Now, her own brother not only was on their side as well, but suffering a complete maniacal breakdown. Coral was mentally spent as she pulled out a chair from the table to sit, then folded her forelegs on the surface of her wooden support and pillowed her head into a one sided glance. In her state, she automatically locked her gaze on the gem collection, soothing her a bit. However, Skystar attempted to circle around the table and catch the attention of her most distraught subject, hoping she could help shoulder these emotions. Silver became mesmerized by the valuable prizes Coral’s got; as other kinds of matters were beyond her interests.

“I know you aren’t a bad hippogriff,” assured the princess gracefully, “Much like I know that Silver isn’t a bad pony.”

“I wonder,” stated Cornfield as he began producing one theory. “Could Calm actually be afraid and didn’t want to go against Whirlwind for fear of what power he truly possesses?”

“Or he might actually believe in his words,” Coral surmised, “And is too afraid of the truth...”

To engage in a heart-to-heart, Skystar sat across from her mother‘s defector to discern the truth in the air of mystery around her. “I am curious, though. Why did my mom banish you from Seaquestria in the first place?”

Coral had debated sharing her corrupt history with the sole hippogriff that stood by her side, in fear of losing that when she needed it most. Yet her gaze centered on Cornfield, his poise visibly acknowledged the most earnest respect for her. That alone summoned enough courage to finally bring him and the future heir to the throne up to speed. “... I was among the hippogriffs that survived and retreated to the ocean, at first. Yet after a month, some of them speculated that the Storm King had left and, if they could get the word out, organize other nations to decree war and liberate us. Unfortunately, your mother arbitrarily prevented anyone from leaving, content that hiding away sheltered our species as the storm creatures reigned unchallenged. When I saw how desperate everyone was to claim back Mt. Aris, I took action and attempted to steal the pearl.”

Shedding light on the situation prompted the princess to offer rebuttal, but Coral softly denied the chance as she raised her talons to await the conclusion. “It was both my first heist, and my first sting of getting caught. The queen banished me, as an example for anyone who thought about defying her orders, while I forced myself to live and survive in Kludgetown.”

“You... You were trying to help the hippogriffs?” Skystar asked as she hung her head, questioning what could bring the queen into carelessly resorting to such severe actions. “... Mom... Why?”

“Huh... I guess that’s why, considering Twilight and her best friends’ powers, you spurred your mother to fight, but she refused aid,” Cornfield joined in their conversation. “So you realized that if she wasn’t gonna do anything, you’d step up as princess, alongside with the Sky Pirates.”

“I heard about that,” spoke the Heart of Nature’s bearer as she gave a big smile to Her Majesty. “You are hailed as a hero in our realm. I couldn’t be prouder. I hope to go bigger for not just Mt. Aris, but the entire world. I want to be the girl that creatures from all over will come to for ending strife.”

“Oooooooooooooh!” Silver let out a squeal like a giddy school filly. “Where’d you find this one?” She placed her hoof on the glass case which held a fine jewel brooch embedded with cryptic and archaic markings and shaped like it was meant to be placed into something.

Curious what in Equestria the dark-furred mare sought, she pulled herself away from the table to discover Silver’s type in materialistic possessions. Once she identified the brooch, with some consideration, decidedly unhitched the simple lock with her talon and opened the display case. Graciously, she transferred the trinket to its new owner; Silver, whose irises sparkled from the reflection of the centerstone. “I haven’t figured out the mystery to that yet,” claimed the adventurous hippogriff. “Perhaps you can?”

The unicorn glanced at Coral. Unsure if she was serious or if it led to an excuse for a cruel joke. “Uh... C-can I keep it?

She put her claw to her beak, then shrugged with a smile. “You might as well. I got bigger fish to fry with The Gems of Creation. If you ever do find out what it’s for, you just let me know if you find vast wealth because of it.” She winked at Silver as the thief started bursting with enthusiasm, she used her magic, obtaining the treasure in her bag.

“Thanks!” Perhaps for the unicorn, this bird wasn’t so bad after all. Neurotic with certain mental issues, but worthwhile.

Cornfield saw fit in upholding their prior discussion as Coral made her way back around the table, joining her other guests. “So Novo banished you for taking the pearl?” he asked.

“Exactly. And after that, during my stay in Kludgetown, it was either life as a slave or life as a thief. Not knowing what those ugly creatures would do to a sweet young thing like me...” She shoved her rump in his face, giving it a shake, further emphasizing the value that those inhabitants would place on it. “... I opted to steal until I was eventually told to either pound sand out of town forever or have my limbs cut off. And the rest is history!”

“But after the Friendship Festival Incident, Queen Novo realized she was wrong not to entrust the pearl after all! Surely she could understand your real value here, because you and many others were right all along in the end!”

“Maybe, but having an all-powerful gem that could change the world in the claws of a former thief doesn’t inspire confidence.”

“What matters is we have an argument to support the cause!” Putting his hooves boldly on the table, Cornfield raised his upper body in a bid to spur confidence with his words. “Even if Queen Novo doesn’t agree, I’ll bet there are other hippogriffs that would sympathize with our cause against the Storm Army!”

“You bet there is! I’m one of them!” cheered Skystar, although she had already motioned to take leave and head back home. “I’ll see if I can’t get my mother to change her mind.”

Turning to the young foreigner, he shared a taste of hometown goodness with Coral. “We have a saying in Equestria: friendship is magic!”

“Ha,” Coral laughed rather sarcastically. “How unbelievably corny.”

“Funny, coming from a colt with no friends and scares off all the girls,” Silver said, way too eager in pouring salt on the wound.

“Well... Not ALL of them...”

“Whatever! I bet he’s still a virgin!”

“Shut the BUCK up, Silver!” Cornfield angrily demanded, only to see the bratty thief stick her tongue out with smug satisfaction.

“Uh, we have ROYALTY in the household,” reminded Coral. “Can we not?”

“It’s ok,” assured Skystar before she beckoned Cornfield over with a “come hither” gesture using her claw. “Can you come with me outside, please?”

Royally dragged out of his spat with Silver, he found himself limboing with uncertainty. “Uh, sure,” he obliged, walking with Skystar into the blinding outdoor sun.

“Just don’t take pictures of her, Cornfield!” his partner coyly shouted within her realm.

“Who’s side are you on!?” Skystar giggled at Cornfield’s annoyance, unaware of the darker implications behind her snide remark.

The evening sun glared its light on the two, washing away darkness which pervaded the cave as their pupils properly optimized visibility from the sudden illumination. The roaring waves bashed the beach mercilessly under the beautiful orange sky, creating a romantic scene for those who would appreciate it. As soon as the princess was sure-hoofed in the rocky environment, she spread her wings to take off and hovered about the cliffs, actively scouting for something ambiguous.

Cornfield noticed her scanning beyond his line of sight, and busted the concerning ice wide open. “Uh, so what’s up, Skystar?”

“I just think Coral needs cheering up,” she upped the volume so that the colt could pick up on it. “That incident with her brother hurt her feelings pretty bad...”

“Yeah, I’ve never seen her that angry before.” His mind drifted like the water receding to the sea in contemplative thought. “I wonder what happened to her brother?”

Skystar merely replied in an unfaithful sign of body language, walking along the beach and keeping her watchful eyes zoned on the cliffs. Cornfield unironically stalked behind, anticipating what might be on the hippogriff’s agenda. “I have no idea. But with the Storm Army, it’s never good. My mother always said that we must embrace moments of peace, even with former enemies as it shall be worth the friends we save,” she searched around the cracks dressing the cliff surface, holding out that the item would show up eventually. “She learned this lesson from Twilight herself, but I just don’t know if she placed them in good faith. That’s why I was out here on the beach all alone. I couldn’t stand assuming a rightful position by Lord Whirlwind. He just looked so…” She shuddered at the thought of him. “CREEPY.”

“For a creature who’s distrustful of others, she sure can be surprisingly diplomatic.”

“I know my mom wants to do everything to protect her subjects, but she acts before she thinks. She wants to live in comfort, rather than confrontation.” Then, she spotted something on the cliffs and pointed with no lack of enthusiasm. “OOH! There’s some!”

Cornfield cocked his head, trying to get a better angle. “There’s what?”

Nothing short of a hummingbird, she came into a point where she gingerly plucked a delicate bundle of blue flowers from overgrowth flowing inside a crack, then swooped down and delivered it to him with care. “These blue hibiscus flowers are the perfect present for her!”

With flowers stuffing his hooves in lieu of an explanation, he became increasingly puzzled before revealing his hopelessness. “These...?”

“Yup! Just give those to her, and she’s right as rain! Guaranteed!”

“And how do you figure that?” The colt raised an eyebrow skeptically.

“Just promise me you’ll give them to her. She needs somepony right now, and you seem to be it!” Giving a mischievous wink, she assured “it’s just one small thing”.

“Ok. Only if you say so!” He didn’t want to argue how these natives came off as indigenous as they were. “Shall we go back?”

“Ah... I can’t, I’m afraid. My mom is probably worried sick over me. I wish I could stay and see Coral’s reaction, but...” She confidently puts a claw where his heart laid. “You can just tell me later!”

“...Alright then. See you, I think.”

“Bye! I’ll come visit you three tomorrow!” Giving off a courteous wave, she blasted off into the southern skies once more with a cloud of beach sand billowing behind her. Cornfield watched until she was but a speck among the horizon approaching her home. Then graced by her exit, he returned from whence he came, the testimony surging him with warmth that he actually played a very significant role in Coral’s life. To have that knowledge in somepony’s eyes for anypony he so desired uplifted him psychologically, and granted a sense of security never to be found in him otherwise. The path laid before him was much less adverse than he thought knowing that, however frantic things ascertained.

Stepping hoof deep inside Coral’s cranny did he receive her unabiding acknowledgement. There laid a steaming meal home cooked as she implemented the finishing touches on the next plate. The remaining masterpiece stood onto the counter top awaiting its final stage. “There you are. Where’s the princess?”

“She took leave,” answered the colt, albeit not looking straight into her eyes. “She said her mother would worry.”

“Ah. Makes sense.” The dismal of his attention shined significance upon the special romantic flowers arranged within his hooves. The hippogriff fluttered sheepishly, “A-Ah… Those are blue hibiscus flowers?”

Clearing his throat, he shelled out this attractive flora that she would partake. “Yes. They are for you, Coral,” he sweetly replied as he finally connected his sight with hers.

Coral’s beak hung wide, careful not to trip over her tongue and disrupt this romantic gesture. Her cheeks converted its purple feathery hue into a deep red, blushing profusely. Then, she entertained the thought that, just maybe, he was enacting a routine. “Ah, C-Cornfield. You know that, traditionally, hippogriffs give blue hibiscus flowers to one they wish to be betrothed to, right?”

Realizing that, it was the young colt’s turn for his face to become red and flustered, shivering a bit with the awareness he was incidentally bargaining for much. “O-oh... really...?”

“I think I know the answer, but...” She nervously ran her claws through her mane. “Who suggested I should be given these?”

“Ah... Star… Cloud or something... I… kinda forgot her name already… Haha.” An awkward chuckle breathed his mouth, knowing nothing of hippogriff romances.

“Skystar. Figures that she’d stick her beak into our affairs...” She seemed rather annoyed, wondering what saucy novels the teenage chick became inspired by. Once the atmosphere settled and she gave it more thought, a grin along with a slight chuckle was directed at him. “...Whatever! It’s perfect!” She happily took them in her claws and inhaled their oh-so-sweet scent into her nostrils.

“I didn’t think you were the ‘chocolates and flowers’ kind of girl,” said Silver, spectating the exchange from the display cases.

“I’m usually not.” Coral quickly corrected the thief with a flashing glance. “I’m a ‘diamonds are forever’ kinda girl...” Yet, without hindrance she focused on Cornfield. “But... After meeting my brother, it made me a little more thankful for those that truly stood by my side...”

“What should we do about your brother?” her partner asked bluntly but sensitively.

“I don’t know... I’m hoping that, tomorrow, we meet up with him and try again to talk this out. We were both a little emotional, what with our reunion...”

“Yeah... I guess so…”

Coral united with her colt companion, making him garner a sense of the beauty the flowers radiated, fulfilling its harmonic purpose. “Blue is both the color of the sky and the sea, where hippogriffs call home. It symbolizes the partnership that one covenants with another.” His eyes locked into hers, realizing how blessed he was radiating her softer side as she opened her heart completely to him. “You could have, at any point, gave up and walked away, saying that it was too hard or not worth the aggravation. However, you never did.” She leaned in closer, practically exchanging the same breath with him. “Do you plan to keep being beside me, even when things are at their worst?”

Cornfield already knew what came next. Despite Skystar accelerating him beyond his comfort zone, Coral’s resonance with each other swirled his relationship unto a mental microscope. Although it began with treachery, lies, and manipulation, it all mounted to trust, care, and loyalty towards one another. Though they were from two different worlds with very different backgrounds, they became paramount to a testament of love.

“...I do...” he whispered softly, without hesitation.

“Do you remember the lesson I gave you back at the temple of The Heart of Nature?” Coral tested him.

Reflecting on the trials they had undertaken, leading all the way to acquiring the Heart of Nature. Memories of his then first kiss flashed before him. “Yes.”

“How about a refresher?” Tossing the flowers behind her, their purpose fulfilled, she took his body in her into claws and pulled him closer. She cupped the back of his head to force his mouth closer to hers as she enveloped her beak over his lips, pushing into the kiss and replacing her history of loneliness with love. The Heart of Nature burned brightly, shining like it never did before, as the cave enveloped in a brilliant green glow.

Silver was literally floored, both amazed and disgusted that Cornfield finally succeeded in his personal mission. She had no idea how Coral could stoop so low for the sake of a verified pervert as she fainted into disbelief.

Meanwhile, Cornfield utterly taken by her advances, eased into her kiss. Admittedly, her beak presented a hurdle to settle his mouth, letting their tongues do a bit more of the talking, but he still embraced the passion that the hippogriff provided for him.

Breaching the tender intimacy, she shucked off the kiss then hugged him close, unrelenting in her grasp. “I’m... very happy right now, Cornfield... You opened me up and led me down a more promising road. One where I won’t travel alone.” Her eyes lit up when these self-enlightening words hatched an idea in her head. Suddenly, she reached out to Silver with her signature vine abilities.

Silver was so stunned that the vines shot her way unnoticed until it was futile to resist. Instinctively she curled up panicking from their encroaching, but they lacked the painful thorns that struck her last time. Instead, they cultivated into buds that popped wide open as flowers. Rapidly, the air was drenched around the black bandit with glittery sweet scented pollen supplied by the white blossoms, frosting her in serene calmness. The unicorn thief was no match for the magical drowsiness that overwhelmed her eyelids, as her body slowly slumped on the floor, falling fast asleep without so much a whimper.

The resulting impact caused by love had Coral beaming, unable to refrain from squealing in excitement. “Look! Look, Cornfield! I did it! I finally am able to produce flowers!” She retracted her claws and tightened them into a fist raised high victoriously like she just won a championship. “Suck it, Zecora! I completed your training!”

Laughing a bit from his friend’s abrasive cheer, Cornfield smiled on. Yet his mind piqued about her evolution, “Are there going to be any more abilities you’ll learn going forward?”

Cutting the celebration short, she peered deep into her claws, wondering without any knowledge of her slumbering powers. “Hmm...I’m not sure. I only know what Zecora’s ancestor knew...” Releasing Cornfield, she talked about the next phase of their adventure. “Tomorrow, we go for The Mind of Water. But, before we do, I’ll need to take a look at the notes again to see what I’ll gain from it.” She got up and headed for her stove to sit on it. “In the meantime, let’s eat!”

“Yay!” Cornfield hopped up, ready to rival the fullness of her heart with his tummy. “I’m starved! What’s for dinner?”

With the pan on the burner, her culinary art resumed while gleefully beaming at her close compatriot. “The kelp wraps are already on the table, as well as a pitcher of coconut water. I’m finishing up the tropical sauce that goes with it. I had Silver gather ingredients while you were with Skystar.” Checking on the unfortunate said mare, who laid about sawing logs and even drooling a little. “Too bad she decided to retire early!”

“Sounds tasty and... awfully islander style.” He pulled up a chair and hopped on, waiting patiently on a lovely supper for two.

Once the sauce was sufficiently infused with the ingredients, she sauntered over to the table, pan in claws and quite masterfully applied the succulent glaze upon the wraps. “Dig in. That’s my mother’s recipe.” As she returned the pan on the stove and snuffed out the heat, she kept sighing with her mind on current affairs. “I... kinda wish my brother was here to taste it.”

Taking a hearty bite of the exotic cuisine, the colt attempted shifting concern where he felt due. “Well, we still gotta find out what’s wrong with him.”

Sitting herself across the horizon of Cornfield’s seat, she began devouring the succulent delicacy. “Hopefully, we can convince him to stop following that damn dirty ape. But, The Mind of Water is our highest priority.” Casually nipping off another worthwhile bite of the recipe, she remarked about her rather fine cooking. “Good thing the rice still held itself up while I was gone. I haven’t had a full meal in a while.”

Cornfield swallowed a chunk of wrap, complimenting the chef before continuing. “I-I think we may need to do more than ‘convince’ your brother. I have this feeling that something or somepony is manipulating him.”

“I’m getting that feeling, too... But, how?” As she pondered on the possibilities, her plate became practically barren with crumbs. “Never thought I had family matters like this.” She raised her head up and pointed towards him. “Hey, you know what? Here I am, worrying you about my problems, when I never knew about your family. Do you have any siblings?”

“No, not really. I’ve always been an only foal.”

“Ah. And your parents?”

A thoughtful pause lapsed in their conversation. “They... live with each other so far.”

A feminine giggle emanated from her. “Imagine their surprise to see you on this little adventure of ours. We should send them a postcard of Mt. Aris.”

“Ha... Yeeeeeaaaaahhh…”

She cocked her head slightly from that distant response. “Everything all right between you and your folks?”

He perked up at her concerned, caring voice. “Oh! No! Nothing like that!...” After a few more bites, he urged to switch topics to prevent waltzing into restricted territory. “...Say Coral, remember when we first met? I wonder what you thought of by your first impressions of me? Other than the... you know…”

Caught off-guard, she coughed and tried clearing her throat as well as her mind deliberately. “Well... If it’s any consolation, I did find you to be good-looking, even if you were... Ah...” She brushed her claws through her mane nervously, searching anywhere for the words to do him justice and close that chapter forever. “...Desperate.”

In spite of her gingerly put implications, Cornfield felt his heart burn with a touch of humiliation, mitigated by their reinforced bond. “Ah ha... Well... I just hope you realized that pony was more deserving of a chance.”

“Cornfield, we’ve all done things in our lives that we’re never exactly proud of, but I’m sorry I tried using you at first. Rest assured, I’m a much better hippogriff than when we met.” Inadvertently caught in an intimate confession, she gazed down at the scars grafted upon her table, sustained after many scathing frustrations of her traumatic past. “The day I heard you cry, all alone in your hut, it made me feel... Like a bitch.”

During her heartfelt admission of guilt, he glanced at his plate which reflected himself in its ceramic sheen, then back at his friend. “...But now that we’ve come this far, that’s all been remedied. Isn’t it?”

“Oh yes, absolutely!” she cheered up as she gushed more about the past. “Gosh, could you imagine where I would be without you? ...Probably dead. Caballeron would have obtained the Heart of Nature. Electric would have killed me. Many other things…” She cooled herself from the hypothetical rhetorics and tuned back into the present, propping her head on the table with a foreleg and staring longingly into his eyes. “And you... I noticed that you have grown. Matured. Something happened to bring out that inner stallion.”

“I have?” The colt certainly didn’t feel like he did.

“Yes, Cornfield. You have. Though there have been times where you showed a little coltishness here and there, you are more willing to put yourself before others in harm’s way. You’ve been nothing but strong and trustworthy.”

“Wow…” Cornfield swelled in pride, realizing not only had he come a long way, but even had been endowed with the trust of his partner. “Thanks, Coral. Now that you mention it, however, I’m curious as to who our next opponent will be?” He scratched his chin with the ridge of his hoof in brainstorming. “Or maybe things will hopefully be much less stressful for a while? I’d rather solve than fight for the Mind of Water, you know?”

“That’s if we beat Whirlwind to the punch. Luckily, he has no way to get in the temple without The Heart. So, now it’s our turn to be on the offensive! Also, thanks to my dad’s duty of patrolling the outside of the temple in his days, I know where to go!”

A relief to know they had a means of navigating the sacred grounds.Without Whirlwind bearing down on them, they could relish in the scenery while venturing for the Mind of Water. “That’s great!” he exclaimed.

“Really, it was The Mind’s existence that deepened my appreciation to learn more about The Gems of Creation. Never knew the legend until I started, though.”

“So what’s the plan? Where is the Mind of Water? Do we have to go through Queen Novo? The village? Or is there some hidden way?”

“Ah, about that...” Using her experience, she drew the plans up in her head to conduct their next course of action. “The temple lies sleeping inside an underwater cavern, deep below the submerged city of Seaquestria. So, how long can you hold your breath?”

Cornfield couldn’t tell if that last question was serious or not. “...You know equines have never been notable divers, right?” He mulled over other alternatives before remembering a peculiar bit of his partner’s backstory. “What about the pearl? You almost stole it, didn’t you?”

“Ah, yeah, ALMOST. Now I learned that Novo broke the thing and gave the shattered shards to all her subjects.” A little frustrated, she pounded on the table firmly. “So, where the hay is my necklace?” There was a pause before she huffed disappointingly. “It’s good we made friends with Skystar. Perhaps she can spare a few shards or let us borrow hers?”

“Have you ever been a ‘Seapony’ before?”

“If I hadn’t, I wouldn’t need to steal the pearl. I tried to escape from my underwater prison, remember?” She leaned back in her seat, reflecting on the experiences she had as a refugee. “Life as a seapony wasn’t glamorous. Our time underwater isn’t exactly what you would call ‘thrilling’. We were trapped, stripped of our freedom. At least I got my wish, even if it meant banishment.”

The naive colt wondered how one grows fins and gills seemingly out of nowhere. Worry began eating at him while he asked for clarification with a gulp. “So, this transformation process. Is it… painful?”

“HA! No. You just need to remember to surface before you transform. Going from lungs to gills and visa versa ain’t quite as easy as it sounds. It’s a tingling feeling, like your anatomy is being rearranged. It’s actually magically painless.”

“Ah, good! Then I bet Skystar would help us out. She seems to be very sweet.”

“I just wonder what goes on in that birdbrain of hers. Perhaps you haven’t noticed but, well, being isolated in the ocean can really play with your mind. Still, she knew what she was doing when she gave you those hibiscus flowers.” Then, with a bit of playful naughtiness, she leaned in with a flutter in her eyelashes. “So, when you are exploring MY depths one day, you can thank her.” A naughty wink and a smile put a nice bow on her flirting.

That notion which undoubtedly signaled his clearance to land those long restrained innermost desires brought an overwhelming sensation of brilliant emotions. The very proposal made the blood drain from his face and drop into his lower half with beads of sweat dripping down. He strained just to let out a few syllables.

Seeing his satisfying reaction, she broke off her sexy flirting and failed to stifle her laughter. “Ha! Oh, my gosh! You are still so much fun to tease. That face is golden!”

“....Ah....hehe…” That was all he could muster before he shook himself out of it. Cornfield took a moment to breath and thought, “Wow! I did not expect that! Is this how it’s supposed to feel?”

She got out of her seat and swaggered gracefully onward to his side of the table. “Welcome to the world of being a strong gentlecolt. Instead of pictures, you’ll soon be playing with the real deal if you keep this up.” She delivered him a gentle peck on the cheek, as he considered what they should do with their sound asleep thief, who twitched her hindleg in dreamland.

“Ah... So what do you think of Silver Night?”

Weighing their options, Coral gently took her up and settled her on top of herself. “I’m thinking I’ll take her back to the boat’s cabin. I’m sure my bed can take a pony and a hippogriff sleeping on it. Not so much two, though.”

“I mean... Do you still think she’s on our side?”

“Ah. Well, Skystar seemed to take a liking to her. She’s harmless, even if I need to tan her rump if she acts out of line like that again...”

Cornfield couldn’t help but giggle at the poor mare’s expense. “She doesn’t seem to be the sharpest knife in the kitchen, if you know what I mean.”

“Yeah, but... Without her to help, we’d still be in Baltimare, or worse. She’s earned a break.”

Time passed and, having silently escorted their tag-along, Coral returned to help clean up the cave. Concluding a long and emotional day, she hastily slipped into her comfy bed and made room for the only other pony worthy of gracing her mattress.

“No need to scoot over, babe!”

“Heh. Saucy.” When he flopped on the bed alongside her, Coral tucked her and her loving stallion in when he was good and comfy. Then, from behind him, she put her claws on his stomach and pulled him closer, resting her head above his on the pillow. “Comfy?”

“Yeah... This is nice…” He snuggled himself in her warm covers, letting the feel of her feathers drift him to sleep that much faster.

“Good night, Cornfield...” the hippogriff lovingly cooed near his ear.

“Goodnight, Coral. Sweet dreams.” With a deep yawn, his mind had drifted. After so many years of living alone, he had finally found a home in the warm embrace of a friend. Little did he know, at the time, that it would be a mare of a different nature.

Author's Note:

If you made it this far, thank you so much for all of the support by reading this. I hope that we've made an entertaining tale for you.