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Gazing to the Ocean of the Sky

by David Silver

Chapter 8: 8 - Equality

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"Welcome home, Twilight," came an unfamiliar voice. Emerging from around a corner and from a hallway came a new pony. A unicorn, decided Cherry from the pointy horn she had without any sky flippers in sight. She had an attractive color scheme that would do just fine in the water, but she was clearly a dry pony with four hooves. Unlike Cherry, her cutie mark was not obvious what it meant.

Twilight smiled on hearing the voice. "Ah, Starlight! Since you're here, come here and meet a new friend."

"A new friend?" She trotted closer and her eyes wandered over Cherry curiously. "Well hello there." She offered a hoof towards Cherry. "I'm Starlight Glimmer, and you are?"

Starlight offered a hoof, quivering with the effort of holding herself upright with one hoof. They touched hoof to hoof and shook a little.

"I'm Cherry." Cherry looked between the two rapidly. If they lived together, did they? Were they? "Are you two related?"

Twilight quickly shook her head. "As many similarities as you may find, we're student and teacher, not siblings." Twilight sat on her haunches. "You look uncomfortable, Cherry, let's get you situated."

Starlight flicked her head at the mer-pony. "Where did you find her, Twilight? She's certainly not from closeby." Starlight frowned a little with thought. "She looks like she's half-fish."

"Not entirely wrong!" Twilight was grinning. "Excellent guess."

Cherry blinked owlishly. "What? I'm not a fish! Fish don't have hooves or hair or a cutie mark." She flopped over and waved her powerful tail at Starlight. "You ever see a fish with a furry tail before?"

Starlight tilted her head slowly before she nodded. "You're more like half-dolphin or seal."

Those were a bit closer and Cherry nodded even as she snorted. "I'm all hippocampus, not half-anythings, if you're alright with that." She flopped and floundered a moment getting aligned with the pool before she flopped back into it, spilling water across the crystal surface of the entry foyer as she retreated to the relative safety of the shallow water.

Twilight put a hoof on Starlight's shoulder. "We should always endeavor to be understanding of foreign cultures, which includes not attempting to make them fit our preconceptions."

Starlight shrank a little at the chastising, as mild as it was. "Cherry, I'm sorry if I offended you. I didn't mean to. In fact, you're quite a spectacular po--Are you a pony?"

Cherry blinked at Starlight rapidly. "Of course I'm a pony." She took a little breath, trying to calm herself. "We're getting off on the wrong side of the tail. Hi, I'm Cherry." She offered a hoof as if meeting Starlight for the first time.

Starlight advanced and accepted the gestured with a soft clop. "A pleasure to meet you, Cherry. I'm Starlight, and you have a lovely mane." She reached and gave a single brush through those locks.

Twilight smiled and nodded as she moved past the both of them. "I have to get Cherry's room set up for her. Can I trust the two of you to get along?"

Cherry blinked and looked around. Spike was nowhere in sight. "Where'd Spike go? Wasn't he just here?"

Starlight waved dismissively. "He has a habit of rushing off to his room when he gets home, especially after a long day's work. I wouldn't take it personally. Don't worry Twilight, we'll be fine." Her horn shone softly as a chair moved beside her and she hopped up onto its cushioned top and settled facing Cherry.

With Twilight and Spike gone, Cherry was left with the one pony she knew the least. "So... Do you like mechanical things?" She smiled hopefully even if she doubted she would be so lucky as to be left with such a pony.

"Mechanical things?" Starlight tilted her head. "Like watches?"

"What's a watch?"

Starlight held up a hoof before she hopped down and trotted away. She wasn't long before she came back with a shiny metal thing dangling in her magic. "This is a watch. It tells us what time it is, even when we can't see the sun or the moon." She brought it close to Cherry. "It's not waterproof though, so try not to get it wet."

Cherry was barely listening by the time the warning came. She could hear the soft tick tick tick and see some tiny gears moving. The hands smoothly rotating captivating her, thinking of how many other gears inside there must be, so small, so precise... "Can I open it?"

Starlight suddenly yanked the watch away. "Oh no! It's not even my watch. Twilight would be very cross at the both of us if I let you do that. Looking's alright through, but no opening." As she finished she lowered the watch back down into easy viewing distance.

Cherry pouted a little. Besides the belt she currently wore, all the mechanics she found were forbidden from being explored. How was she ever going to get better?!

"Don't look like that." Starlight sat beside the pool. "Tell you what... Since Twilight's going to be busy for a little while, how about you and me go get something from the market, just for you. If you're going to be visiting for a while, you deserve something to make you feel at home."

Cherry's funk shattered at the offer. With an eager smile she thrust against the side of the pool, nose-to-nose with Starlight. "Do you mean it?! Yes! Please, yes! I want to pry apart something complicated so badly!"

Starlight blinked softly. "Why are you so eager to destroy mechanical things?"

"Destroy? Oh no!" Cherry shook her head rapidly. "I want to learn how they work. Their outsides are made to be pretty, and they are, but they cover up all the little gears and things. I want to see them working, and how they all fit together." She brought her hooves together. "I want to get better at it all, but that means I have to see it working."

Starlight gestured into the castle as she rose to her hooves. "I'm sure Twilight has a few books on the topic, if you'd like to read about it."

That offer had some temptation, but... "Can we still get something from the market?"

Her pool lifted suddenly and powerfully as Starlight turned and trotted out of the door with Cherry floating behind. Cherry gaped with astonishment. Twilight needed help to get her up, and here was this other unicorn doing it without a word. "Wow! You're strong! Wait, is strong even the right word for the things you do with your horn?"

"It's a perfectly fine adjective." Starlight looked over her shoulder. "Are you comfortable up there?" When Cherry nodded, she continued ahead, trotting at a brisk pace away from the castle and down towards the town of Ponyville. "Fortunately, it's not too late in the day, so we should be able to find something for you. I'm going to guess you don't have any bits?"

"Bits? Are those like husks?" She produced a several small but perfect examples of little shells that glittered softly. "I guess dry ponies don't use the same thing to trade with?"

Starlight tilted her head back at the shells. "Well, tell you what, you give me some of those pretty little shells of yours, and I'll trade you some bits so you can buy something. That's fair, right?"

That sounded fair to Cherry and she extended her hoof down from the pool. Two of her collection were gathered with magic to be replaced with flat golden discs of gold with ornate pictures on them. She studied these new artifacts curiously, turning them this way and that. "So dry ponies trade with these?" She tapped at one then tapped at her belt. "Is this metal? By the sea! You dry ponies do everything with metal!"

Starlight smiled a little. "We do use a lot of metal, and crystal, wood, rubber, glass..." She trailed off as she ran out of building materials in immediate recalling. "Oh, and stone and bricks! Welcome to Ponyville market." She waved a hoof grandly.

Cherry looked up from her bit to take in the vista of the market. There were smiling ponies in booths and each booth seemed to have a particular theme. She didn't recognize a lot of what they seemed to be selling at all, but she was a little hungry all of a sudden. Something smelled good enough to eat. "Do they sell food here? I don't see any."

Starlight frowned a little. "Well, yes, a lot of things actually." She thrust a hoof at each stand as she counted them off. "Apples, carrots, cherries, cabbages, milk--"

"I don't know what any of those are." Cherry tilted her head a little. "Can I try some?" Dry pony food! It was exciting and a little scary to consider. Would it be as dry as they were?

Starlight trotted with Cherry floating behind her and approached one stand. "Good afternoon, Applejack."

"Howdy." The earth pony smiled at Starlight from beneath her stetson. "What kin ah do fer ya?" Her eyes raised to the floating pool and the blue pony held in it. "Not t' pry or nuthin', but what's up wit' her?"

"Hello!" called down Cherry, waving a hoof eagerly.

"Pleased to meetcha." Applejack nodded to the new pony, then raised a brow at Starlight in silent invitation to explain.

Starlight turned halfway between the two. "Cherry, this is Applejack, one of Twilight's closest friends. Applejack, this is Cherry, a hippocampu from the sea."

"Hippocampus," quickly corrected Cherry as she pushed up against the edge to see Applejack better. "I'm staying with Twilight for a little while." She thrust a hoof at Applejack's basket of apples. "May I try one?"

Applejack quirked a smile. "'Fraid it don't quite work like that. Once ya try an apple, it's kinda yers ta keep." Despite that, she grabbed an apple without breaking the skin and with a flick of her neck, sent it sailing up to Cherry. "So yer just gonna have to enjoy the whole thing."

Cherry caught the incoming apple in her mouth and bit down easily with her sharp teeth. It was sweet, and tangy. It wasn't nearly as dry as she feared. As wet as fruit from the ocean? Of course not, but it did have some delightful juice. "I like it." Oh! She produced one of her new bits and held it down towards Applejack. "Here."

Applejack blinked at the offer. "Huh, ah'm surprised a sea pony would even know what a bit is, let alone have any."

As she reached for the offered bit, Starlight offered an explanation, "I traded her for some of her money. Sea ponies apparently trade little shells." Starlight produced one of the shells she'd gotten. "Isn't it lovely?"

Applejack smiled gently. "They are. They ain't no bits, but they're nice. Ah hope ya enjoy your stay, and the apple. One bit gets ya three, by the way." Two more applies were sent sailing up to the delighted mer-pony.

"Thanks!" Cherry didn't bite into the new ones, letting them bob in the water. "Do you know if anypony around here sells watches or anything like that?" The offer of mechanical toys had been tempting before, but that watch dwarfed them all. Whereas the train was a grand display of huge parts, the watch was a symphony of tiny precision. She couldn't even decide which awed her more.

Applejack tapped at her chin a moment before pointing. "Quills and Sofas were sellin' some wall clocks. Closest ah can figure."

Starlight seemed pleased with the suggestion. "To Quills and Sofas! Thanks, Applejack. See you later."

Author's Notes:

I did the update for this story first for a change, and you get a (relatively) longer chapter for it. Enjoy! I think Cherry did.

She's new at dry commerce though, typos are inevitable.

Next Chapter: 9 - Neither Quill nor Sofa Estimated time remaining: 5 Hours, 39 Minutes
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