Ink Blot rang the doorbell to the Manehattan loft apartment that belonged to the Cider family.

Sparkling Cider answered the door.

“Oh, good morning Ink Blot!” She said in a chipper voice. “What brings you to our door?”

“Hi, Sparkling, I don’t mean to bother you this early in the morning,” she replied clutching her note book to her chest. “I was just wondering-”

“Who’s at the door, Sparkling?” Ivory called from inside the apartment.

“It’s Inky,” Sparkling called back to her. “Oh come in dear,” she said turning back to Ink Blot and pulling her in. “Ivory and I were about to have some brunch.”

“Thank you,” Ink Blot replied stepping into the loft.

“Are you hungry? We were just trying out some of my new jellies with bagels, I’m doing some experimental cooking.”

“No, thanks,”

“How ya doing Inky?” Ivory said stepping out of the dining area into the entryway. She was chewing on a bagel. She look like she had just finished exercising or just washed her mane as she was wiping off dampness with a towel.

“Fine,” she replied. “I don’t mean to intrude girls but I’m looking for my sister Cashmere. You remember her from last night? Her bandmates said she disappeared after the show and she didn’t come home.”

“Hmmmm…” Sparkling Cider thought putting her thumb and forefinger to her chin.

“I don’t know,” Ivory pondered. “We only saw the first few songs of the show last night and then left early.”

“Oh,” Ink Blot sighed forlorn.

“Yeah we haven’t seen her since she was on stage last night. But I remember seeing Mulled in the crowd. He doesn't come home till late most nights. He must have seen the end of the show, maybe he knows a bit more about where she went.” Sparkling added.

“Oh, ok,” Ink Blot said with a little more hope in her voice.

“He usually likes to chill on the terrace this time of day.” Ivory said with her mouth full before she swallowed down her last bit of bagel.

“Well it is the best place to start looking.” Sparkling Cider shrugged leading her two friends towards the family’s rooftop garden.

When the three arrived at they found Mulled Cider, Sparkling Cider’s older brother, sitting on one of the sofas and to everyone’s surprise Cashmere was there with him.

Mulled sat at one end of sofa in his turtleneck and beret, quietly reading a book. Cashmere took up the rest of the sofa, lying on her back with her head resting in his lap looking up at the awning above them. Her legs dangled over the opposite arm of the sofa, in her lap was her guitar. She reclined there strumming away, the notes of the unplugged guitar playing quietly. Mulled semi consciously nodded his head to the music as he read.

The three mares looked at the two and back each other in silent surprise.

“Oh,” Ink Blot finally said breaking the silence. “Here you are Cashmere. Everyone was wondering where you went.”

“Hey sis!” Cashmere chimed happily, glancing up at the new ponies on the terrace.

Mulled also looked up from his book at the three mares and gave a relaxed “Yo” and went back to reading.

“What are you doing here?” Sparkle finally spoke in a puzzled tone.

“Experiencing the new day with a different fervor!” Cashmere sighed with a smile.

Mulled nodded as he turned a page in his book.

“So where did you go after the concert last night?” Ink Blot nervously asked.

“Well Mulled was moved by the lyrics in one of my songs that he hung around after the gig to introduce himself and talk to me about it.”

“Quite,” Mulled said closing his book and reached for his cigarette case on the side table next to him.

Cashmere propped her guitar on the side of the sofa and sat up right next to him. Mulled put two clove cigarettes in his mouth, lit them both with a match, and then handed one to Cashmere.

“He then brought me back here where we shared some of his poetry and we talked some more about… things.”

Cashmere took a drag on her clove and blew out a cloud of smoke followed by a little puff air making the smoke to swirl and dance above her. Mulled watching then puffed out a couple of smoke rings to join hers in the air.

“So does that mean you two are now, like dating?” Ink Blot asked meekly.

“Nah,” Mullen said waving his hand. “We’re not going to let the labels and hangups of society identify us and condense what we are to a single word.”

“Yeah,” Cashmere formulated out loud. “We are two beings who have found that juxtaposing our lives together has allowed us to experience things at a higher level physically, intellectually, and emotionally.”

Mulled snapped his fingers of his free hand a couple of times showing appreciation at her statement.

“Oh,” Ink Blot said in a confused tone. “Neat…”

Ivory and Sparkling Cider looked at each other confused.

“Uh…” Sparkling sputtered. “You lost me on that last bit there, Cashmere.”

“Are you two having sex or what!?” Ivory finally blurted out.

Ink Blot and Sparkling Cider both let out a gasp.

“Bwahahahahahah!” A young voice burst out laughing.

“Apple Spritzer!” Sparkling shouted at laughing that was coming behind a large planter in the corner. “What have we told you about hiding all around the place and eavesdropping in on other ponies’ conversations!? And Ivory!?”

“What?” Ivory responded shrugging her shoulders, trying to sound innocent.

“How can you be so… crass!?”

“If you want a straightforward answer, you need to ask straightforward question. I want to know if they started sleeping together.”

“We are,” Cashmere replied without missing a beat, both her and Mulled not showing the slightest bit of guilt.

*WHAM*

“YOU ARE!?” Sparkling Cider gasped.

“Yeeeah,” Mulled said in a chill tone. He place his arm around her shoulder as he took another puff.

Ivory started stifling her laughter.

“Hey what was that sound just then?” Cashmere asked. “It sounding like of something heavy just fell over.”

“That was Ink Blot.” Apple Spritzer said having recovered from her laughter and stepping out from her hiding space. She walked over to where Ink Blot was now flat on her back on the patio floor, her face in shock.

“I think you killed her,” Spritzer said crouching down and poking at her with a twig.

“Oh my goodness! Is she alright!?” Sparkling Cider gasped leaning over her. “Stop, poking her like that that Spritzer. You’re not helping”

“That’s my bad,” Cashmere said standing up and walking over to them. “Ink Blot can lose it sometimes when something shocking blindsides her like that.”

Spritzer moved aside as Cashmere kneeled down to feel her sister’s pulse.

“We should give her some air and maybe some strong black coffee.”

“Look at her face,” Spritzer exclaimed. “I thought that pervy nosebleed thing only happens in comics…”