Pomme De Terramar

“It's not that she ain't listenin', it's that I can't talk to her, because I don't know what to say!” Apple Bloom rolled over onto her stomach and peeked over the lip of the lookout into the watering hole below. One of the straps of her denim overalls fell down and she pushed it back up her shoulder. “You even listenin' to me down there?”

Terramar shot up out of the water beneath with a powerful stroke of his tailfin, briefly catching her hands in his flippers. Planting a wet kiss on her cheek, he arched backwards into a dive and splashed down again, the fountain of water reaching the top of the rise.

She jerked backwards, touching her damp face. “Oi! That wasn't an answer!”

“I know!” he called up, grinning. “But you sounded like you needed that.”

“We ain't finished settlin' what kind of benefits you get, mister!” she hollered back, but she smiled, too. He wasn't as rattled as Applejack thought.

“Why am I the only one to get them?” he asked, paddling in circles on his back. His seafoam green mane drifted limply around his face. “You're supposed to have benefits, too, right?”

Apple Bloom snorted as she used a free corner of the picnic blanket to dry her hands. She made sure not to knock over the cider bottle or disturb the plate of yet another bunch of cherry snacks that only Terramar had bothered eating. Turned out Applejack had put the last batch aside for the two of them. “I can wait. I'm a patient sort of gal, as it turns out.”

His laugh bubbled up, and he clutched his middle as he rolled about in the water. “Patient? Miss 'I Want Mah Cutie Mark So Bad I Got Two Dozen Of Them In One Go?' Patient?”

“You don't want your photographs, you jus' keep on talkin',” she threatened. She'd changed her mind about bringing them tonight, and even now they pressed flat against her belly, safe behind a slice of cardboard in the middle pocket of her overalls. Once they'd figured out Cherry Tapper, she'd see what he wanted next.

Terramar had chosen a watering hole for their Together Time tonight. It wasn't quite a part of Ponyville, being outside the town limits, and closer to some of the tall hills that surrounded the area. Several streams ran down those hills and into this lake, which drained off to meet other rivers running through town. A nice, lonely location for an evening swim. The edge of Sweet Apple Acres, and the old Pear Family holdings were a little away, but enough trees of the Whitetail Woods grew here to make a small forest around the lake.

Apple Bloom had stayed out of the water, mostly because she hadn't brought her bathing suit. Skinny-dipping, in her mind, counted as a benefit. She liked watching Terramar swim, though. His seapony form was several kinds of adorable.

Curling in on himself, then swirling around with a flick of his fins, he cut a smooth circle through the water. “Does Applejack really need to know anything? Maybe it's your problem to solve, not hers.”

She wrinkled her muzzle. “Can't be a Friendship Problem. The Map said we were done. Our cutie marks buzzed and everything!”

“I don't remember every lesson I've had on the Tree of Harmony or the Friendship Map, but from what I do know, this doesn't classify as a Friendship Problem.” He slowed his swimming and floated in place, flicking his fins. “Because most importantly, she's not having trouble with a friend.”

“You didn't have trouble with a friend, either,” she pointed out. “It was family, like she's dealin' with.”

He flicked water up at her. “She hasn't said her aunt's giving her trouble. In fact, I don't think she's having trouble at all. She doesn't want to run away to the big city, or make anypony change their minds about her. Cherry's just living a really hedonistic life. She doesn't need saving.”

Apple Bloom goggled. “How do you know what 'hedonistic' means?”

“I go to a school with dragons, you know,” Terramar explained, “I learn things.” He tilted his head. “She really got to you, didn't she?”

She heaved a sigh and cupped her chin on a palm, kicking her hooves up behind her. “Yup. She's got thighs like a cider press; squeezed the juice right out of me. But that ain't all. When we finally had time to talk, though, she seemed really interested in what was out there. She ain't ever heard of your kind, and it made me feel kinda bad in the middle of feelin' so good...”

“Well, you'd never heard of hippogriffs either before we returned,” he said, grinning at her. “So she's you, but a few years behind on interspecies relations, and a few years ahead on other kinds of relations. She's not unhappy, just bored. And that's on her.”

Apple Bloom made a face again. “Y'aint ever bored when you're doin' what your cutie mark is telling you. If her destiny's failin' her, maybe there's something wrong with how she's interpretin' her mark.” She pushed herself upright, hooves thumping on the dirt. “Maybe she's got a cutie mark problem!”

“What is her cutie mark?” he asked, splashing around some more.

She opened her mouth, then stopped. “I don't know. Never really got a good look at it. I was, uh, occupied.” Apple Bloom had assumed Cherry Tapper's mark was cherry-related, but what if it meant something other than 'working on a cherry farm'? Had she missed a problem right under her nose because the problem had fucked her silly?

Terramar peered up at her. “You aren't going to run off and round up Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, are you?” he said, plaintively. His tail broke the surface of the water and slapped down, sending a sharp smack across the clearing.

“Of course not!” Apple Bloom said, leaning out further on the small rise. “It's Together Time for us now. Tomorrow, though, I'm gonna have to talk to them and figure out if we should go back to Dodge Junction.”

“Okay, cool.” Terramar gestured at the grass outside of the swimming hole where his clothes lay. “One more dive, and then I'm getting out. See you down here?”

Nodding, Apple Bloom rolled back over and sat up. As she folded the blanket and put the remaining food back in the picnic basket, another splash sounded behind her. He'd be dressed by the time she joined him. Then the real purpose of Together Time could begin.

She ambled down the hill, basket slung in the crook of her elbow and held close to her body. Hoo boy. Would that be a minefield or what? Cherry could easily tell her fellow Crusaders what they'd done together. Even figuring out her mark could break something in the Cherry clan ranks, if it meant she wasn't destined for farming cherry trees.

Thankfully, that could wait until tomorrow. She needed some comfort right now, like the anticipation of gathering Terramar in close and simply being with him. No pet names for each other, nor secret in-jokes, not even deep, dark secrets that their other friends didn't know, nothing of that sort. Nearly every week, though, they found time to sit and let the world go by without them for a while. Sometimes that time got cut short, but at least they tried.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were right; they were each other's favourite.

Apple Bloom rounded a bush and sure enough, Terramar had changed back to his hippogriff form and was already dressed. His solid black T-shirt and denim shorts almost stood opposite to her white tee and overalls. “Y'all set?”

“Almost.” He shook his wings out, fluffing his feathers. For a second, he puffed up, looking twice his size, then subsided as everything settled down. “Uh, is it okay if we go for a walk? I've got something to show you.”

She glanced around at the small clearing. Nothing stood out as a surprise. “Sure?” she said. “Which way?”

“Uh, that hill, over there.” He pointed up the route of one of the streams. Some of the rolling hills that surrounded Ponyville towered enough to be called mountains, but most were average-sized, with a few cliffs jutting out here and there. White caps dotted some hilltops, and the snow runoff helped keep the streams flowing. “Not too far up,” he added.

She flicked her tail, enjoying the warmth of the setting sun on her back instead of her arm. “Bit of a hike, huh? Really working my legs tonight.” Grinning at him, she bumped her hip against his, nudging him to the side with her strength. “If I get tired hooves, will you fly me up there?”

Terramar rolled his eyes. “You could work all morning, tutor Howl and Shear all afternoon, and go for a jog after supper, and you'd still be able to climb a mountain faster than I could fly it. You're that sturdy.” He opened his wings in another stretch, then closed them again and stayed on the ground as he led her along a bare path between the elm trees.

“Nice that you think so,” she said, following. Her tail twitched at the compliment, and she grinned, putting an extra roll in her hips. Wasn't often she strutted, all sexy-like and sultry, especially not in overalls.

The path curved up the hill, thankfully not too steep a walk. Terramar skipped along it with quick little flaps of his wings. Nervous energy, she supposed. Whatever was going on, he seemed excited. She lengthened her stride and caught up with him in a few leaps. “Don't get too far ahead of me, huh?”

“Don't need to, we're almost there,” he said, sidling up to a turn that would take them onto the southern side of the hill, facing away from Ponyville. The ledge here was rocky, curving out around the corner into a short cliff. “This isn't as cool as it would be on Mount Aris, but it's one of the better crags in the Ponyville hills, so it was a great spot to make this.” He gestured for Apple Bloom to follow him, then ducked around the corner.

She moved cautiously, edging along with her hand pressed against the rock wall. When she'd made the turn, she stopped and stared at the end of the cliff. A knee-high circle of sticks, leaves, and twine sat on the rock. Quite a few pale white feathers lay scattered around its floor. “Is that a nest?” She knew it was, but the question escaped her before she realized she'd said it. Holy Hannah, it was big! She could stretch out in that thing and not have her hooves or head touch the edges.

Terramar nodded, his crest perked high in pride. “Yeah, it's not a great first try, but I wanted to do something special.” He considered it, and his crest drooped. “Uh, I don't know why it was the first thing I thought of, but I did. I had to ask Dad how to make one. Harder than it looks.”

Apple Bloom raised her eyebrows. “I'd hope it's softer than it looks.”

He blushed. “Oh, yeah! It's fine once you're inside.” His expression changed. “Um, are you mad? Confused? Flattered? I don't know the look on your face right now.”

Neither did she. Oh, hell, was she worrying him? “Tell me why,” she coaxed, closing the distance between them, and doing her best not to loom over his smaller frame. “I ain't mad at all, but I could use some — whaddya call it — context?”

Terramar crouched down next to it, putting his claws on the rim. “I owe you. Well, I owe all the Crusaders, but you didn't make the choice for me when both your friends did. You saw me caught between my two homes and you brought both of them back to me. Now I'm here in Equestria, away from both my homes, so I've brought you a piece of one of them to share. You wanted to see if we could be friends with benefits.” He looked up at her and gestured to it. “I thought we could have the benefits of a love nest.”

“Oooh,” Apple Bloom perked. Well, now. This was awful pleasant. Maybe she wouldn't have to scrabble around in her mind, scoopin' those lusty red thoughts back into her cart, after all. Stepping away from the wall, she dropped to one knee beside Terramar. “Is it okay to get in?”

“Yeah, it's solid, I tried it out,” he assured her. “When you're inside, it's like the whole world's shut out, except for the sky.” He glanced up. “Not many Pegasi fly over this way, so nogriff will get curious and try to make themselves at home.”

“I'd boot their feathered butts right back out.” She smirked. “Except yours. It can join me.” Straddling the edge of the nest, feeling the flex and bounce of the twigs beneath her rump, she swung herself in and sat down.

With its blanketed floor, the inside looked a bit like the basket in Twilight's hot air balloon. Apple Bloom pressed her elbow to the side of the nest, testing its strength, and like wicker, it resisted with a soft crackle. Nest-building was beyond her, but she'd rebuilt a clubhouse and knew good construction. Confident it would support her, she leaned against the edge, her overalls protecting her from any sharp twigs. “Quite somethin'.”

Terramar slipped over the rim to crouch beside her, his crest quivering again. “Thanks. Hippogriffs don't build them much anymore. They don't last and need much more repair work than houses. Plus, you know, when it rains, we get wet if they're out in the open.” He knelt beside her, gaze flicking over the nest as if checking his own work. Reaching out, he straightened a twig and smoothed a rough patch back into shape.

“It's real nice.” Aww, he was adorable. “Just what we need for Together Time. And speakin' of which.” Apple Bloom patted her lap. “C'mere and sit, hon. My turn to spoil you.”

He obediently sat, her thighs cushioning his weight, and she breathed a long, low sigh. She raised her chin so the tips of his wings brushed her throat rather than her face. Her arms wrapped around his waist, tugging him this way and that in her lap, until he sat right where he fit most comfortably.

His body sank deeper against hers, and his own relieved sigh loosened a knot in her chest. The long day, with all her hard work, had left her tired, but oh so satisfied. Terramar rested just there in her lap, and she had him all wrapped up. “Mmmmmmmm. There we go. Feel good?”

“If you're done slinging me around like a sack of apples,” he grunted.

She tucked his tail to the side, grinning. “I like to make sure you're comfy.” His breath caught in his throat, like it did every other time she'd done that. He lolled his head back onto her shoulder, and she nuzzled his feathery cheek. “Pretty bird that you are.”

They cuddled together in the nest, Celestia's sun shining on them through the hills across the way. The days were growing longer, as summer approached, and some hours of daylight still remained. School curfew for the students wasn't until Luna's moon rose, so they had time. Apple Bloom slowly curled a leg over one of his, as she usually did, her hoof brushing his feathery fetlocks. Terramar responded by kneading his talons up and down the forearm wrapped around his chest. This was their Together Time.

Perhaps their last innocent one.

Apple Bloom winced as that thought intruded, and she shifted her weight, getting a flare of pins and needles up one calf. “Mmmmf.”

The motion made Terramar stir, and he sighed. “We should talk about it.”

“Yup,” she agreed.

“Why did you ask me now?” he asked. “I mean, I can think of one reason, but what did she say that made you think of me?”

Apple Bloom buried her face in his shoulder and groaned. “Cherry was teasin' me about tellin' you what we were doing together. Then she got into details of what you and I could do together. For a pony who ain't ever seen a hippogriff, she's got a real good imagination.” She lifted her head. As embarrassing as it was, she had to admit the rest. “And, well, it worked. Thinkin' of you had ... an effect.”

Terramar made a soft noise in response, and he moved slightly in her lap. “We've done this often, and you've never been, um, affected before. I'd know, right?”

“Wasn't thinkin' of you just sittin' in my lap,” she told him, tucking his rump in tighter against her hips. She was so used to this position, she doubted she'd ever be aroused by it. “But I was so far gone, I couldn't help it. And then I got home, and Sweetie & Scoots started sniffin' around, so I said I was thinking of you and I. Next thing I know, there's a list, you're knockin' at the door with naked pictures of my cousin, and boom.”

He chuckled. “That sort of sums it up, doesn't it? But what should we do now?”

Apple Bloom sighed deeper, her body moving his. “Dunno. I mean, I like you an awful lot, and the fact we can do all this and not get mixed up in crazy feelings, it means somethin'. Even if you did build this fancy little love nest for me.” She pressed a soft kiss to his cheek. “Mmm. Still, the thought of doin' more sorta feels right. Not a lot of ponies, or other species, are gonna be interested in what I got.” She kissed him again, finding comfort in the action. Her lips weren't getting through his feathers to the skin beneath, but it didn't matter.

“You've said that once or twice,” he said, “and I've told you before, you can't worry about it. Ponies will get to know you, and if you trust them, you'll tell them when it's important.” He half-turned in her lap, flicking his wings out of the way. “And some creatures can find out by accident, and still care about you enough that they love you for what you have. Know what that's like?”

“Kinda do,” she said. She took a deeper breath. “Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo already figured that it ain't put you off any, but that's not the same as likin' it.”

Terramar tilted his head back. The setting sun glowed on his pale white feathers, turning them golden as he lay in her arms. “Sometimes it is.” He breathed deeply and nestled into her some more, his tail curled around her hip. “You know what my dad would say?”

She blinked. “Uhh, somethin' about the glory of bein' a hippogriff? I dunno.”

He puffed out a laugh and lay back again against her chest once again. “If he saw us like this, he'd say, 'She's a fine lady, Terramar. You're both very lucky to have each other', and he'd be right. I've made a lot of friends in Equestria, but I'm close with only a few, and really happy to be this close with you.” He made a low noise in his throat as she planted another kiss on his cheek. “Mmm. That's nice.”

“Yeah?” Apple Bloom's heart warmed. “So, is this how a hippogriff impresses a gal, then? Because, I gotta tell ya, it's working.” Sure enough, it was. Being handy at the whole buildin' game was a little bit of a turn-on.

“Only to impress a gal who's seen and done so much in her life already,” he admitted. “I mean, compared to what I've barely accomplished.”

“You've done lots already,” she said, smoothing her palm down the front of his T-shirt. If she slipped her fingers beneath it, she could stroke his soft feathers. Could also startle him. She settled for patting him and tracing his breastbone with her fingertips. “You're really brave to leave your home and join us here, in some strange land. I don't know if I could do that. My sister couldn't.”

“You're not your sister,” he replied, nestling his cheek against the soft fabric of her shirt. “You could outshine her, if you wanted.” His beak brushed her muzzle, not quite a kiss, but still a gesture of affection. She nuzzled him in return.

“Hey,” she murmured, “you're sayin' a lot of the right things here, and I'm real appreciative, but here's one thing you oughta see before we start makin' a rustle here.” Wriggling to put some space between them, she reached into her front pocket. She slipped the envelope from its cardboard shield and handed it to him. “You said you wanted better shots. I gave you some choices.”

She'd put in two of her in-bed pictures, all demurely splayed out. They were nice little nudes, almost like Cherry's, a fair exchange for her cousin's offering. And one shot of her nude in front of her mirror, showing off the thick muscles of her thighs.

Terramar hesitated as she placed the envelope in his talons. “Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” Apple Bloom cuddled into his back. “Probably the only time I'll ever do this for somepony, so take 'em while you can.” She watched over his shoulder, ignoring the curl of anticipation in her stomach.

He opened it, and the photographs tumbled out into his lap, Terramar tensing as if the bodily weight of her image had landed there instead. Her mirror shot, with her arms tucked beneath her breasts and her hips canted forward to show off her sheath. Stretched out in her bed, winking up at him with her cock on display. And her on her side, facing the camera, with the reflection of her rump and the rise of her hip in the mirror behind. She had her cock in hand, and her expression veered towards 'lusty'.

Terramar's own expression and sigh of appreciation made her grin. “Better?” she asked, pressing her muzzle to the softness beneath his ear.

“Much,” he said, his cheeks tinging red against his white feathers. “Apple Bloom, you didn't have to.”

“But I wanted to, Terramar,” she whispered in his ear. Her hips rolled up against his, and she started to purr, pleased at his response. Then he turned over the last picture to reveal another, half stuck to the back.

Looking down, Apple Bloom breathed a soft whine of dismay as she saw the one picture she hadn't meant to put in. Her with her legs so wide apart, fingers pressed beneath her straining cock. The one with her head tossed back, with pre-cum pearling down her length, making her look every inch the debauched dickmare that lived only in a filthy two-bit novel. The mare that only came out when her apple cart got tipped over.

Her hippogriff responded with his own breathy noise, and she felt him shift in her lap, a wiggle she hadn't ever felt from him before. Apple Bloom hesitated, half-afraid she was mistaken, then she took a peek down. Sure enough, he must have really liked that look of her, given the thickness straining against the buttons of his fly. Her breath caught at the soft thrill in her chest, and she squeezed him to her. “Oh, hon ...”

“Mmmmf,” he murmured, squirming in her lap. “Mmm, Apple Bloom?”

“Yeah?” she coaxed, daringly rubbing his thigh. Another couple inches to the left and she'd grasp him through the denim. “Feel like havin' a little benefit now?”

He nodded.

“Okay.” She hummed as she stroked him, her other hand cradling his chest. “Then, I officially declare our Together Time done for the evening. Agreed?”

“Agreed.” He chirped, actually chirped, a small trill in his voice.

Apple Bloom rested her forehead on the back of his neck, nuzzling his mane aside. Good. Together Time was through and she could finally acknowledge the warmth spreading through her. Since the moment she'd dared hop into the nest, she'd hoped for this, even though she hadn't dared assume.

“Want me to relieve some of that ache?” she asked, her ears heating up. Oh Celestia, she sounded like her cousin there. “Or should I keep it going? Cherry taught me a trick or two, and I can make it ache so good.” Might as well own it. Yeah, the ache in her own thighs was feelin' mighty good right now, with him nestled in there.

Terramar hesitated. “How?” he said.

“See that pic?” Apple Bloom whispered as she massaged his chest. “Could do that for you, if you want, get that pretty griff cock of yours drooling. It don't hurt, but throbs nice and full.” She whuffled a puff of hot air into his ear, churning her hips beneath him. “Tried it myself. Feels niiiice.”

He gasped as her movements rocked him in her lap. “Ohhhh, please. Please, yes.”

Ooh, she hadn't meant to make him beg already. “Okay, hon,” she soothed, squeezing his leg, “jes' hold still.” Her fingers snagged his waistband, undoing the top button, then worked their way down. When she'd slipped the last one free from its loop, she spread his shorts open and trailed her fingers up the length of his cock through his underwear. He raised his hips, seeking more contact, but she pressed him back down into her lap, tutting. “Nuh-uh. Don't lift off me yet.” She bumped up against his rump again teasingly.

His whine gratified a perverse pleasure inside her, and so Apple Bloom slipped her palm inside his underwear, only to withdraw it right away, already hot and sticky. “Oh, hon, you're leakin' already,” she breathed, rubbing her slick fingers together. Eagerly, she peeled his waistband down to reveal the curved head and the dark pink length of his hard cock. Sure enough, his tip glistened and even as she watched, a drop trickled down his underside. “Mmm, that's hot.”

“Really?” he asked, blushing. “Apple Bloom, what....”

“Shush, I'm admirin',” she said, nuzzling her cheek into his shoulder. Such a hippogriff cock, with a nice head on it. She skirted it this time, reaching for the base of his shaft. Her hand slipped beneath his tucked waistband, and she smiled at his groan as she fumbled lower, finding the nice, firm spot behind his sac, like Cherry had demonstrated.

Apple Bloom applied a little bit of pressure there, Terramar's groan deepening, and she circled her fingers nice and slow. His erection bobbed as she kneaded, and another clear drop beaded at his tip. “See, just like this,” she coaxed, pressing a bit harder into the softness of his coat, feeling the root of his cock roll against her fingertips. She couldn't curl her fingers from this position to get her knuckles on him as Cherry had done to her, but it didn't matter. His cock could not be any stiffer, and she added some more pressure as she rubbed up and down.

Her fingers were invisible inside his underwear as she massaged his perineum, but the results were clear. His cock twitched helplessly, her steady, firm kneading working him into a state. Drops trickled from his tip, and as she rested her wrist on the join of his thigh and pressed a tad lower, a tremor rolled through him and the trickle swelled into a pulse.

“Uhhnnh!” Terramar grunted, lifting his hips. She hauled him back down again, savouring the moans her pretty hippogriff made. “Ahh!”

“Toldja, you gotta sit still,” Apple Bloom admonished softly, adjusting the pressure of her fingers behind his sac. Another push there and he quivered, moaning, finally submitting to the slow, firm rhythm. She'd found the spot now, and it was several more slow, deep circles before his swollen cockhead began dripping steadily. “Ohhh, there we go, lookit you,” she cooed. “Achin' nice and sweet, yeah?”

He trembled in her arms as she fondled him there, and a rush rolled through Apple Bloom. She'd never held somepony tight like this, never had her hocks hooked over their thighs to spread them open while she worked them over. Her own cock rose from its sheath, pinned inside her overalls, between their bodies, and she moaned at the surge. Help her, her inner hellion was loose.

Terramar felt it. Of course he felt it, but he barely lifted his head to moan back at her, since he was completely at her mercy. He lay limp against her, hips slowly rocking with her kneading of his perineum. Apple Bloom probed lightly, then pressed deeper into an already tender spot. His shuddering breath caressed her cheek, and she watched as more pre-cum slipped down his shaft.

She kept him going for a while, because the pace was nice and slow, and he moaned prettily every time she worked right up behind his balls. His squirming had slowed soon after his surrender, but once in a while, he would tremble when she dug particularly deep, his dark pink cock long shaded into purple from her attentions. Pre-cum would pearl at his tip, then drip down in a long strand of silver as her fingers coaxed the next soft pulse.

“I could keep doin' this,” she murmured, admiring her handiwork. Oh, his cock drooled as nicely as she'd expected, even for her first time. “Because it looks so good.” Pausing, she gazed down at his tilted head, then dipped down to kiss his beak, twisting herself a little to get the angle right. “Such a pretty bird, aren'tcha?” she murmured against him.

“Mmmf.”

“Yeah, y'are.” Apple Bloom grinned. She couldn't help it. Horny as she was, Terramar still did something squidgy to her heart. Could never lose that affection they'd had for so long. “Suppose I could keep on milkin' you like one of my cows. What do you think?” She flexed her fingertips rhythmically, and Terramar's lazy, languid nod made her smile.

“Guess you don't mind the ache,” she said. “Mine's gettin' up there, though, and I know you know it. I see those eyes glancin' over at my front.” The flat tip of her erection had nestled right into her navel, and she breathed out slowly, the stretch of her overalls holding her shaft against her belly. “Curious, yeah?” She pressed up against the root of his cock again and luxuriated in the feel of the shift beneath her fingers, the soft spot that gave beneath her touch. A little lower, a little firmer pressure, a little deeper push, and Terramar's cock pulsed again, another thick bead forming at his tip. His groan sounded like chocolate-dipped apple slices for her ears, and Apple Bloom felt she'd teased long enough. “Mmm. Curious enough to turn over for me and open that beak, mister?”

Terramar opened an eye that he'd squeezed shut in pleasure. “You want me to suck your cock, Apple Bloom?” he mumbled. “I'd like that.” He stretched slowly, sighing as she fondled him some more and traced circles over his hip. “Mmm, I'd like you to fuck me, too, if it feels half as good as this.”

“Do me nice,” she promised, still grinning, “and I'll fuck you slow and gentle after, yeah? I got lube in my basket an' stuff.”

He tilted his head and opened his other eye. “Me, too. And I cleaned up in my dorm before coming out tonight, so I'm verrrry ready for you.” Rolling over, he slithered down her body, a loose pile of feathers and fur. As he went, he slipped his wings through the back slits of his T-shirt in an elegant flick. Topless, and with his cock still hanging out of his open shorts, he stretched out to rest his arms on her legs, crossing his hands beneath his chin.

In response to his stripping, Apple Bloom slowly unhooked her shoulder straps, popping one button, then the other, and tossing them back over her shoulders. Swaying her upper body a little, she teasingly rolled down the front panel of her overalls, her eyelids fluttering as she revealed the head of her golden cock. The cool evening air caressed the glistening tip as much as Terramar's smoldering look, and she felt the dampness in her navel from where she'd dripped pre-cum of her own.

Once she'd bunched the top half down below her lap, and she'd hiked up her white T-shirt over her breasts to show them off, she reached down to fondle his ears. “Mmmkay, open nice and wide, babe.”

The stroking of her thumbs up the insides of his ears sent him cutely cross-eyed. “Hmmm?”

She loved it when she broke his train of thought like that. Apple Bloom nudged the tip of her horse cock against his beak, and coaxed his head a little higher. “Open,” she purred, “open up like a good boy for your reward.” Cradling his head, she watched him part his beak for her, and then ... ohhhhhh. She thrust up softly into his mouth, withdrawing again as his muffled moan vibrated her length, then pushed back in, nice and slow.

“I like it light like this,” Apple Bloom panted, pressing her cock up against the silken swirl of his tongue, “Oh, do that, yeah, just like that, hon.” Her head tilted back as the soft noise he made with her cock in his mouth surged a pool of arousal nice and hot in her belly. “Yeah,” she repeated, “just like that. So pretty, mmm!” Her voice wavered as that teasing tongue of his did something that sent ripples through that pool.

Her hips thrust up over and over into his mouth, his ears held firmly, and Apple Bloom grunting audibly with every pump. His claws scraped softly along the back of her thighs, kneading her through the denim. Terramar moaned around her, cute and breathy, his head bobbing in her grasp as she fucked his face in slow, careful strokes. Oh, Celestia, that feels nice. Looked real nice, too, with him bein' so soft and pliant in her lap.

She ached to do the same for him, to stretch out, take him in her own mouth, and lap him until he latched onto her ears to stave off his comin'. But she'd primed him so much already, she worried that one good lick would set him off.

Apple Bloom sighed as she slipped her cock out of his beak. Not because she was finished, no, not by a bushel. She could sink into that pretty mouth for ages at a time. “Lovely, that,” she told him, plumping his cheeks in her palms and ruffling him adoringly. “You did that very nice and I'll want that pretty mouth again at some point. But now, as soon as I get these overalls all the way off, you're mine.”

Clearing his throat, Terramar laughed and wriggled as she twitched a leg beneath him. “Okay, I'll move.” He slipped free of her grasp, hooking his claws into the cuffs of her overalls, and began to tug.

Laughing as well, Apple Bloom spread her arms out over the edge of the nest, and raised her legs. One leg at a time, Terramar pulled her overalls off, and draped them over the rim of the nest. She tossed her T-shirt over them seconds later, and by the time she'd turned to rummage in the picnic basket for the vial of lube she'd brought, Terramar had shed the rest of his clothes.

The two of them lay down on their sides, facing each other. As they moved below the rim of the nest, the force and noise of the wind cut off, and the late evening forest noises dropped a notch. Apple Bloom noticed it all, but her attention strayed from her surroundings when Terramar nuzzled her breast.

“You like it?” he asked, plucking the vial from her hand and setting it aside.

She nodded. “Mmhmm.” Her breath escaped in a sigh as she rolled onto her back and he followed, slipping her nipple into his mouth. “I like that, too,” she purred, closing her eyes and working her fingers into the scruff of his mane. Her breath hitched as he nursed, and she held him against her breast, encouraging his attentions. “Keep doin' that, right there.”

He obeyed, his talented hippogriff tongue flicking over her stiff nipple, kneading her other breast and cupping it closer to lavish the same treatment on it. She shivered and moaned, that pool of arousal in her belly trickling through her groin now. Her legs parted, her muscles clenched, and she was so hard, aching something fierce.

“Apple Bloom?”

The vibration around her tit made her open her eyes again. Blue and pink sky shone above, the few clouds overhead edged with gold from the setting sun. Her surroundings smelt lightly of their mingled musk. And her cock jutted from her hips, straining fully upright and nearly throbbing with need.

Terramar reached over her body, his chin nestled on her breasts, and he scooped up the vial. “If I didn't know better, I'd think you want me,” he said, almost laughing. His talons worked the stopper loose and he eyed her cock as he poured lube into his palm. “Let's get you ready.”

Bless him, he sat up and started at her sheath, oiling her up slowly to her medial ring. “Not too sensitive?” he asked, kissing her tip again and making her cock twitch, “because you look like you're ready to cum, too.”

“Ain't too bad at all,” she admitted, reaching down to gently cup his own shaft, which had softened slightly, and she stroked him back to a nice firmness. His lubing up reached the rim of her cock, and even though a tremor ran through her lower back, she didn't feel ready to burst. “The thought of you bouncin' on me is awful stimulatin', though.”

Terramar set the vial down after paying some of the same attention to himself, then swung a leg over her, straddling her lower belly. His tail fluttered over her tip as he raised it, and he slowly wiggled his ass back against her cock, letting even more excess lube drip beneath his raised tail. He gazed down at her, looking awful lusty. “Like this?” he asked, rocking back and forth slowly on top of her, then slithering his rump down her length to grind himself against the lip of her sheath.

The wet noise of his behind bumping her base made Apple Bloom rise up against him. Her flat, hard belly melded against his as she wrapped him up, and she rolled Terramar over onto his back. Pressing him down nice and flat, she reared up above him. One of her knees pushed one thigh aside, then the other did the same, lifting his legs up over her own thighs to spread him. His thick, swollen cock lay against his belly, the rivulets of cum she'd coaxed from him still visible down his length.

She cupped his flanks and nuzzled the head of her own cock against his ass. “More like this,” she whispered, rocking her hips lightly to open him up. “Just like — Ahhhhn!”

Her tip pushed inside him easily because they were both so slick, far easier than she'd imagined, and Terramar threw his head back. She fought the urge to drive into him fast and deep, because right now, she could see how he loved it. Slow and steady, it had to be, but oh, cider, he was nice and tight, already pulling her in. Before she could blink, she'd disappeared in him up to her ring. Her hips churned, her body torn between stopping and surging, and Terramar bucked on her.

“Unf! Fuck, Apple Bloom!” His body lifted in her lap, begging for more, opening up to her. “Oh, corals, yes, you're big,” he yipped, reaching out to grab her wrists as she held him up. His shoulders rolled back against the floor of the nest, and he arched. “More, please, mmmfff!”

Apple Bloom squeezed his flanks, entranced by his wanton writhing. She eased backwards briefly, the rise of her medial ring slipping out of him, which caused another yelp. “Like that?” she panted, slowly withdrawing the swell of her shaft, “or should I push back in?”

“In,” Terramar moaned, “Do that again!”

She twitched her hips forward, spurred on, and watched his expression as her ring passed through him again.

“Uhhnnnhhh!” He clutched at her, quivering, and his cock twitched in time with the clench of his inner muscles around her. “Keep, hmmmf, going...”

Inch by tentative inch, and goaded by his moans, she sank the rest of the way into him. As soon as her hips met his rump, Apple Bloom curled down over him. She kissed him in sharp, short pecks, rocking against him and feeling his cock twitch helplessly between their bodies. “Mmmf,” she breathed, lifting her head a tad. “Tight little griff, ain't you? Let's see what we can do about that.”

She didn't know why she said it, but Terramar surged up against her in response, and she gasped as her hips pumped into him. Oh, mercy, had she finally caught a rhythm she could keep? Another thrust made Terramar groan, then another, and she was moving in long, slow strokes, mounting him from the front. One hand cupped the back of his neck, the other wrapped around one hip, and Apple Bloom cradled her friend against her chest as she fucked him. “Ahhn,” she moaned against his feathered neck, “Ahhh, ahhhh, fuuuuuck.”

Terramar made the same noise up against her cheek, crooning at her as his legs curled around her thick thighs. His little squawks and pleas for her to keep going sent another pulse through that long curl of arousal she'd been cultivating all evening. She picked up the pace a tad, the renewed slap of her hips against his rump making him arch against her breasts, his trapped cock grinding between their furry bellies.

“Keep doin ... ahh ... mmm ... ahh ... uhhnhh! Unnh ... uhnh ... ahhh ... ahhh...” Terramar panted, almost in time with the smack of her thrusts. She'd long been grinding against a sweet spot inside him, and she'd known by the look on his face when she'd been on point. Those little stuttering moans were sweet and she'd relished in causing them. “Gon ... gonna ... gonna ... ahh ... cum ... yeah .... yeahh .... yeaahh ... Ahhh! Ahhhhnn!”

He writhed beneath her, Apple Bloom feeling the throb against her stomach. His cock flexed, down in his root, and Terramar finally let go, coming in a long-denied release. The sweaty, ruffled fur of her belly absorbed the deluge of his hot cum. Her navel dripped at the first gush, was sodden by the second, and just plain soaked as the third and fourth loads spurted into it.

Even as he moaned against her neck, Apple Bloom pressed herself tighter against him. “Oh, that's it, so good,” she coaxed, wanton and encouraging. She'd teased him so hard so it was only right she make him feel good about how much he'd cum. “Give it up for me, babe, mmm, let it alllll go.” His pulses surged, then eased, and his soft whine of release let her know when he was fully spent.

She wasn't too far behind herself, and so she sat up straight, her sopping wet belly sliding away from his to show how mussed they both were. His spent cock lay there, still drooling, and that fired Apple Bloom up even more. “Oooh, look at that, such a pretty mess,” she growled, thrusting into him steadily. “Mmmf. My turn next, yeah?” The pool swirling low in her groin was about to overflow, no way to hold back, and she wanted to peak inside him more than anything else right now. “You're gonna love it when I come inside you, Terramar. Ready for me?”

“Y-yeah,” he panted, his softening cock jouncing as she rode his ass. “Please, Apple Bloom ... come on, ahhh ...”

“Say it for me,” she suggested. “Ask me proper, and I'll finish nice and deep.” She couldn't stop talking so dirty, her thoughts tilting this way and that. All she knew was, if he begged her, she'd blow inside him. “Especially because I know you'll mean it,” she added, her tone dropping nearly to a rumble in her chest.

Terramar gasped. “Uhnnhh, come in me!” he begged, “Oh, pearls, let me feel you come inside me!” His chest heaved, his matted coat glistening with his own cum.

Apple Bloom gathered him in her arms as she got up on her knees, hauling him off the floor of the nest. She thrust upwards, his thighs still wrapped around her waist. He moaned, rocking softly on her cock, seated on her as she did it again, then again. “Ahhhn!” she panted, bouncing him up and down in her lap. The swell of her orgasm crested inside her, surging over the top, and Apple Bloom cried out as she flexed her thighs, pumping load after load of her cum into her little hippogriff. “Ahhhn! Ahhhhn! Ohhhhh, fuck, Terra-aaaahnnn!”

The rush petered out, but she took a while to finally stop spurting inside him. When she was finally empty, Apple Bloom buried her head in his feathers, catching her breath. “Mmmm.” Slowly, she lowered him onto his back again, cradling him all the way down. She kissed him once, twice, three times, then sighed deeply. Her hips pressed up against his rump, even though she was softening and slipping out of him. “Ohhhh, you all right, hon?”

Terramar looked slightly dazed, but he nuzzled up at her and kissed her jaw. “Soo good,” he slurred. “Mmmf.... y'came a lot.” He yelped as she finally slid free from him. “Ohhh!”

“Yeah, I did,” she agreed, blushing. “So did you. Sorry about that end, there. Didn't mean to pick you up like that. Didn't even know I could.”

“S'okay,” he assured her, still grinning goofily. “Was hot. Your first spread-eagle, yeah?” He giggled.

Apple Bloom snorted despite herself, and worried her nose against his collarbone, where she knew he was ticklish. He squirmed and giggled more beneath her. “Hush, you. No bad jokes after cummin' like that on mah belly.” That had actually been hotter than she'd imagined, too, but she could feel her coat matting as his cum dried on her, and she groaned. “Cuddle me all you want now, but we'll have to clean up before we go home again. Your dorm curfew's closin' in.”

“We've got time, still,” he murmured, caressing her as she stretched out beside him. “Let me hold you for a bit.” He pulled her as close as he could, propping his head up on his free arm. “You okay, too?”

“Yeah,” she assured him. She might be sweaty, covered in a few fluids, and finding herself a little sore in the morning, but she felt better than she had with Cherry. Looked like a little close contact made all the difference. “Especially liked all them pretty sex noises I had you makin'.” Ignoring his embarrassed chirp, she leaned closer and nuzzled his beak. “So, are the benefits to your own likin'?”

“Mmhmm.” He stroked her mane and kissed her back. “Thanks for offering them. Even though you were sort of bullied into it by your wanton cousin that I will never have to meet.” Slinging a leg over her hip, he nestled against her.

“Amen to that,” she agreed. No way would her Cherry cousin ever get her hands on her own pretty hippogriff. Any mess he got into would be one of her makin', and hers alone.

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-

“Explain this 'oh, so brilliant' plan to me again?”

Scootaloo pushed the last table out of the way and came back around to flop into a seat beside the grumpy griffon. “Princess Luna says it used to be called 'showing the flag', Gallus. But we like to think of it as 'showing our friends'!” She slung an arm around his shoulders and gestured expansively around the saloon.

At the bar, Princess Skystar and Terramar perched on stools, their plumage on full display. Dodge Junction Ponies gathered around and chatted with them, as a couple of Cherry clan ponies served up drinks for everyone.

Sweetie Belle and Smolder had entered a darts tournament, doing their best to be equal parts approachable and intimidating. Smolder had started off her first game by planting the darts point-first on her hip scales for easy reach, so she'd gone with 'intimidating'.

“It's hard to be afraid of someone when you know them well enough,” Scootaloo explained. “Well, except maybe when a yak's about to smash. But a lot of ponies in Equestria haven't met griffons, or know the hippogriffs are back, or even what a Changeling is. Apple Bloom thought a couple of trips like this would be a good way to spread the news.”

Apple Bloom pumped her fist from the other side of the table. “Not every pony's got the same experiences as us, I get that,” she said. “So why not bring some of those experiences to them, make 'em a little less scary?” Sure, the march from Dodge Junction's train station to the local bar was a tad showy, but how else did you muster three hippogriffs, a griffon, a dragon, and three Cutie Mark Crusaders? Style was mandatory, according to both Sweetie and Scootaloo.

“We also need to talk to a distant cousin of hers and check out her cutie mark,” Scoots continued, enthused. “There might be a Cutie Mark problem right in our midst!”

Gallus drank from his stein and looked around her at Apple Bloom. “Should I make an early prediction about how this will all go, and you can apologize to me later for dragging me into this?” he asked. “Because I see this going great until Smolder mentally or physically breaks someone, and then it'll be a horrid failure. We'll sit around and sulk, worrying about what everypony here thinks of us. Then some great disaster will happen, meaning we'll all have to work together and learn friendship through life-saving.” He downed another gulp of whatever it was he was drinking. “Fade out on everyone laughing together, the end.”

The two ponies at the table regarded him warily.

“He's awful cynical,” Apple Bloom told Scootaloo. “How were you his wingpony for so long?”

“Once you learn to interpret griffon sarcasm, it gets a lot easier.” Scootaloo shrugged. Her wings buzzed as she looked over at the doorway to the saloon. “Hey, isn't that your Cherry lady?”

Apple Bloom's head swung around, ears perked, but she subsided again as she saw the big, red hairdo and the lush body come through the swinging doors. “Almost. That's her aunt, Cherry Jubilee.” Not to mention the pony that nearly rousted her and Cherry Tapper the last time. Still, the Cherries owed Apple Bloom, and this was how she'd collect. Families like hers and theirs hated debt, monetary or favour-based, and kept track of both with equal fervour.

“Miss Jubilee,” she greeted, standing up. Not that she had to, but Cherry Jubilee had taken her sister in at a low point, and not held her sudden departure against her or the rest of her friends. Debt like that could never be repaid, and it was best not spoken aloud. “Thanks ever so much for helpin' with the arrangements.”

“Oh, my pleasure, Apple Bloom,” gushed Cherry Jubilee. “It's the least I can do after you and your sister helped us so recently.” Translated: Thank Celestia you called in that marker quickly, or I'd have agonized for moons about what you might ask of us in return.

Apple Bloom curtsied briefly, her jean shorts and plaid shirt not quite belle of the ball style, but it was the small things that mattered. “Mighty appreciative, ma'am. Things are goin' well so far, and I hope you'll take the chance to mingle, too, an' meet some of the friends we've made over the years.” She glanced around, and took a deep breath. “Also, and forgive me for askin', but is Miss Tapper around? We need to examine her cutie mark.”

Cherry Jubilee's snort ruffled the decorations over the bar. “You an' every other pony in town. That gal jumps so many fences, I swear she should enter the rodeo circuit. Well, don't ask me where she's at. Hotel's up the street, so pick a floor and start knockin'.”

Sweetie Belle came over from the dartboards, having seen the conversation. “Ma'am? I'm Sweetie Belle. You met my older sister Rarity once.” Looking adorable in her pale yellow sundress, Sweetie dropped into an elegant curtsey of her own. Rarity had trained her well. “Do you know what the three of us do?” She gestured to Scootaloo and Apple Bloom.

“Oh, of course, I remember your sister Rarity. Such a lovely mare.” Cherry bobbed her head at Sweetie Belle. “And you follow along in her hoofsteps with your charm, don't you? As for what y'all do, I don't think I quite rightly know.”

Apple Bloom stealthily closed a hand over an impatient Gallus's beak before he could say something that would get them all in trouble. Griffons weren't used to the byplay of language like this. She endured the hind paw kicking her in the shin below the table with barely a wince as Scootaloo piped up. “We help ponies who struggle with both their marks and who they are. Your niece might be in that situation. It's not bad, but it is stressful for everypony because of it, and we'd like to help.”

“As I said, I don't know where that scamp of a niece of mine has scurried off to now.” Cherry Jubilee heaved a sigh. “Wish I did. Don't mind the bed-hoppin' so much as the not knowin' where or when she'll wander back in again. If you can find her, and Celestia help you if you can help her, I'd be mighty grateful.” She nodded at the three of them, her gaze passing over a half-concealed Gallus, and looking towards the bar. “Suppose I'll go and meet your feathered friends over there. Y'say one of them's a Princess?”

“Yes'm, Princess Skystar's the daughter of Queen Novo of the hippogriffs. They're looking to come back to the land after years underwater. Might be open to the cherry trade, if you ask nicely enough.” Apple Bloom sighed as Cherry Jubilee turned away, and she let go of Gallus's beak. “Sarcasm ain't the first language they speak around here!” she hissed at him.

“No kidding!” he snapped back, gingerly examining his upper bill. “Could you get to the heart of the matter any slower?”

“Bein' flowery and all, especially to ponies you're exchagin' debt with, it goes a long way!” Apple Bloom insisted. “Look, this is all part of my plan. Cherry Tapper's got an interest in other species, and so I brought a whack of hippogriffs and company with me. How can she resist? She pops in to meet y'all, we chat, and maybe get her to let us help figure out her destiny.”

Gallus raised a claw. “That's some plan, all right. I rescind my previous cynical statement.”

Apple Bloom warmed. “Aww, thank you, Gallus!” She affectionately scrubbed him on the shoulder.

“Instead,” he continued, leaning away from her, “I predict we'll learn that your cousin's already been here, cut Silverstream from the herd with sexy, yet ruthless efficiency, and taken her somewhere secluded to rut her excitable little brains out.” He paused to drink, slamming the silver lid back down on his stein. Their incredulous stares made him ruffle his neck feathers defensively. “What?”

“That's a suspiciously specific prediction,” Scootaloo said, eyes narrowed. “Did you see something we didn't?” She peered around the saloon, searching for their third hippogriff.

“You mean, did I see Silverstream trot off happily with a mare? No, but look around you. Does anyone see her at the moment? More importantly, does anyone hear her?”

Fair point. If you couldn't see Silverstream in a crowd, chances were good you'd at least hear the hippogriff's enthusiasm for whatever you put in front of her. Things were too darn quiet.

“Maybe she's visitin' the outhouse,” Apple Bloom suggested, but her heart was barely in it. Oh, cider shortfalls, how did she not spot her cousin's arrival? And why ... how ... just .... Fifty questions jumbled together in her mind and she couldn't decide which one she needed answers to first.

“Want me to go for a quick flight?” Gallus offered. “Small town like this, I can spot Silverstream's feathers from fifty feet up.”

“No need,” Apple Bloom said, skirting the end of the table and heading for the door. “I know right where they'll end up. Distract Cherry Jubilee, if you can. I've got this!” Ducking under the swinging doors to the saloon, she raced out into Dodge Junction on her own personal Crusade.

The hotel was where it'd been the last time she'd stayed there, and as Apple Bloom trotted nearer, she slowed her pace. Cherry Tapper knew when somepony hunted her. No sense in lettin' her pick up on the vibrations. Her hooves set down with less speed and more strut, and, for the first time in her life, Apple Bloom sashayed into a building.

As it turned out, her target was waiting for her, where they'd first come together.

Cherry Tapper sat halfway up the grand old staircase, leaning forward with her arms resting on her knees. Still a dark mirror, even down to the black jeans instead of blue, and the red and black plaid knotted beneath her breasts. How did she do that? “Heya, cuz. Lookin' good,” she said. “Quick on the uptake, too.”

Apple Bloom paused at the foot of the stairs, one hoof on the worn-out fancy carpet as she gazed up at her cousin. She looked the same as she had a month earlier; same fluffed tail, same hard, curvy body, even the same amused, intrigued expression. Still, something seemed off. “I brought some friends of mine to visit,” she said carefully. “Thought you'd like to meet 'em.”

“I saw.” Cherry grinned. “That hippogriff gal is sweet as anything, ain't she? Almost want to take her out to the swimmin' hole and push her out on a swing.”

“We can do that, if you want,” Apple Bloom said, moving up one step. “Can I come up?”

“Sure you can. Appreciate it if you would.” Cherry Tapper got up as well, turning around to swish her tail. “You remember how to follow, yeah?”

Apple Bloom swallowed. “Yup.” Watching Cherry's assets climb a staircase was something special, and she climbed after her cousin, eyes fixed on the roll of hips and the switch of her tail. “Silverstream enjoyin' herself?”

“Dunno,” Cherry called back over her shoulder. “She forgot something in her hotel room and I offered to walk her back here. She gets turned around easily, don't she? Figured you'd notice her missing and come scamperin' to save her virtue. Not that I'd do that to somepony I just met, right?” She paused on the second landing, putting her back against the wall, and lounged casually. Lifting a hand out of her pocket, she crooked a finger with a small grin.

The familiar motion, combined with the smile that actually reached her eyes, sent Apple Bloom flying up the last few steps, and into her cousin's arms. Except, instead of a kiss scorching their lips, each mare wrapped the other up in a tight hug and held on.

“You,” Apple Bloom breathed, pressing her chin against Cherry's collarbone, “you are worryin' your aunt somethin' fierce.”

“I know,” Cherry responded, rubbing her nose against her cousin's ear. “She keeps worryin' after me. I ain't her daughter, though, and I got enough goin' on without her shadowin' my hoofsteps. But help me, I can't stop seein' ponies who need some right & proper doin' to get their heads on straight.” She sighed.

Apple Bloom twitched her ear and stepped back from her cousin's embrace. “That's, uh, kind of the other reason I'm here. I've got some other friends, and the three of us help with cutie marks. We think your destiny might not be on a cherry farm, and we'd like to talk about it. If we're right, we can all deal with your aunt together. You don't have to do this alone.”

“That'd be nice,” Cherry admitted. She reached out and cupped Apple Bloom's face in her hands. “As long as somepony can tell me what I'm good for in this life.”

“We haven't failed yet,” Apple Bloom assured her, squeezing her cousin's arms. “And even if the solution ain't the usual sort, we at least come up with somethin'.”

Cherry nodded, letting her go. “I'd be happy to let you three examine my flank all you want, if that's what it takes,” she said, smiling a little. “Strictly formal and friendly-like, of course. Just tell me, did you at least get your pretty hippogriff boy taken care of?”

Nodding, Apple Bloom clasped her hands in front of her. “Oh, yeah. Really. He, uh, built a nest and everything. Little love nest.” She gestured. “On a cliff. Sweetest thing you ever saw. We're still friends, trying to figure out how the benefits work. You can meet him, if you like,” she offered, sensing she was babbling. “You, uh, scooped up his sister.”

Cherry Tapper laughed. “Did I? Woo, that'd be something, wouldn't it? Pair of cousins like us shaggin' a brother and sister team?” She winked at Apple Bloom. “I'm kiddin', of course. She's cute and all, but I cain't figure out any way I'm gonna French-kiss that beak of hers.”

“Come back with us for a while,” Apple Bloom said quietly. “Be good, don't cause trouble tonight, and I'll tell you how it works.” She heard a rustle behind them, and she turned to see Silverstream coming down the stairs. “Oh, hey, there you are!”

Silverstream waved a small bag in the air, even as she tugged on her blue and white halter top. “Sorry, but Skystar forgot Shelly and Sheldon, so I volunteered to come get them for her! Oooh, you know this lady?” she asked, gesturing at Cherry Tapper.

Apple Bloom nodded. “Yeah, she's kin. An' she's coming back to the saloon with us to make friends with everyone.”

“WOO!” cheered Silversteam, bouncing down the last few steps. “This is so much fun!” She whirled around the edge of the bannister and continued trotting downstairs.

Cherry Tapper smirked at Apple Bloom. “Oh, I'll be extra good tonight, because if I am, you're gonna show, rather than tell me.” Cinching Apple Bloom's arm against her own, she hauled her cousin after Silverstream. “And I know just which one of those pretty griffs is my first choice for practice ....”

-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-~-
FIN
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