#blacklin

  It took a few moments for Minuette to untangle herself from the other mare and get back to her feet. When she did, though, she was greeted by the sight of a very distraught Lyra. The teal colored mare looked at her with bloodshot topaz eyes, tears streaking down her cheeks and breath coming in ragged gasps. Her mane was a mess from running and Minuette could actually feel magic still radiating from the other's horn.

  She pulled the younger mare into a tight embrace and started stroking Lyra's mane lightly as the other mare returned the embrace.

 "Shhh, take deep breaths, lil' sis," she says softly. "What's got you worked up so badly? What happened?"

  Lyra took a few deep breaths and sniffed, wiping her nose with the back of her foreleg as she pushed away from Minuette. She sat back on her haunches and glanced back towards the direction she had been running from.

 "It's Blacklin," she says softly, breathing finally calming down. "That dumbass gave the topazes I'd been leaving him to Spike. Didn't even give it all a second thought." She huffed and looks back at Minuette, her bloodshot eyes hard despite the tears that still formed in them. "He knows what gems left for him means! Roseluck knows what that means! Yet both played the fool when I confronted him about it! What do I have to do to get through to that idiot? I could kiss him on the beak and he still wouldn't get how I feel!" Her voice growing shrill as she continued talking.

   The confession was surprising, yet in a way, it wasn’t. A small sigh escaped Minuette’s throat as she sat back on her own haunches, briefly looking at the ground before returning her attention to Lyra. The question of when her sister had developed feelings for Blacklin came to mind and why hadn’t she seen it?

  She gave a short laugh, covered by a cough. Maybe it was only recently that Lyra herself had realized them. She never showed more interest in him besides friends until now. But topazes? Flowers? When. . 

  ‘Oh that sneaky witch.’ Berry, of course. She had known her friend was playing matchmaker. She had seen her do it many times before, but this time had been different and now she knew why.

  A small sigh escaped her lips as she stood up.

 "He's slow on the uptake with these things, Lyra," she says finally. "You know that. You also know that he didn't really mean to cause any harm. Get another gem, approach him again and really let him know how you feel. That'll go better, yeah? Definitely more than trying to play secret admirer, right?"

  Lyra took a deep breath once more and nodded slowly, though her eyes remained hard. It was if behind them was the hint of betrayal. It caused Minuette to give another soft sigh. The fool of a gryphon really had fucked up this time and it was going to take a lot of work to get things on track again.

  That hint thankfully didn’t last long. Those topaz eyes began to flicker back and forth in thought. Lyra wiped the remaining tears away with the back of her hoof and stood up.

 "Yeah, of course simple gems wouldn't get his attention," she says, almost feverishly. "I have to go bigger than that. Something that'd really leave an impact!" She gives Minuette a tight hug and started to run off towards the library.

 "Thanks, Minnie!" She shouts over her shoulder. "I know what to do now!"

 Minuette could only stare at her sister as she ran off, her head tilting to one side in confusion. The older mare now afraid as to what her sibling had in mind and half torn to follow after her or to continue on her way to where Blacklin was.

  In the end, it was the desire to play damage control that won out. Her own feelings not withstanding, she knew how her sister could get when angered and that fool of a gryphon had awoken the sleeping beast in his ignorance. She just hoped that the damage wasn’t too bad or beyond repair.

  She sighed and dusted herself off, looking sadly at the trampled flower on the ground before her. It must have fallen off when Lyra ran into her. The poor cornflower was now beyond saving. A shame, she thought Blacklin would have loved it. If not him, than Roseluck could have appreciated it.

  There was no time to mourn, however. One last deep breath taken and she hurried to the flower shop.

  The scene that greeted her when she arrived was a far calmer one than she had been expecting. Blacklin sat next to the counter, wings up around his face holding an ice pack to both his cheeks. Roseluck stood nearby, Lyra's saddle bag on her back. Both looked at Minuette as she entered in confusion.

   Minuette gave both a small smile before fully entering. She made her over to Blacklin, giving the gryphon a comforting and affectionate nuzzle before sitting next to him. He leaned against her, old habits apparently taking over for a brief moment. Once he realized what he was doing, he quickly sat back up in a neutral position, already red cheeks deepening in hue. Roseluck blinked and tilted her head in understandable confusion.

  "I had a run in with Lyra on my here," she says softly, looking at both gryphon and mare. "I've known her for a long time and I've never seen her as hurt as she looked."

 Blacklin winced at her words and his head started to turn, but the second wince told her that his cheeks were still pretty tender from whatever it was that Lyra had done. Minuette sighed and once more nuzzled him lightly before pushing him playfully with a hoof.

 "Those gems you gave Spike were from her, you know." she goes on. “Meant a lot to her too. She didn’t say it, but you could tell. How you couldn’t tell is beyond me and I’m sure there’s a reason behind it but a little bit more thought on your parts certainly wouldn’t have hurt.”

  She shrugged a bit and smiled once more, looking between Blacklin and Roseluck. Both were looking down a bit and Blacklin looked as if he'd been hit in the gut. The look he had, it told her that he knew just much he'd fucked up with those gems.

   She took the sapphire she had brought with her and looked it over. What to say and how to present to him had swirled in her mind as she had ran to the shop along with fixing the damage Lyra had done. Seeing things calmer than she had feared had helped calm her mind and settle herself. Despite the awkwardness of it all, she felt she had to move forward with her own courtship.

 "You know, my mother told me once when I was still a filly that the reason gems are used in a unicorn courtship is to show the one whose herd we wished to join that we are willing to, as her great grandmother had said once, 'dirty our hooves like an earth pony' for them," she says softly. "How flowers got involved, I have no idea."

  She tossed the sapphire up in the air with her magic and caught it in her hoof,  holding it for a few moments before offering it Blacklin.

  "I don’t know if you still have the feelings for me you used to all those years ago or if I’m anywhere near important as Rose or Pinkie are to you, but I still want you to have this.” She looks up at the gryphon, an almost sad smile on her face now. “Consider it from both me and Lyra, because as angry as she may have been, she hasn’t given up on you. Even now, she’s being foolhardy and looking for something big to give you.”

   She turned her attention to Roseluck, the sad smile becoming apologetic. “I know this has got to be insanely confusing to you,” she says. “Black and I, well we have a history together too from when he first moved here. I’ll let him explain it to you if he hasn’t already. I’m sorry for not bringing it up with you earlier like I should have. Just, I ask that you make this doofus hang on to the gem this time and not give it away.”

  Her smile had become playful at the last part, a way to ease some of the tension that had begun to form. The sudden and soft laughter from Roseluck at her jest letting her know it had worked. The earth mare nodding before looking at Blacklin to see what his next move would be.

 Blacklin reaches out and gingerly accepts the gem from her, looking it over slowly. He didn’t speak, simply inclining his head slightly. An unspoken acknowledgement. For what, she wasn’t sure, but she chose to believe that it was an understanding and acceptance of her explanation and courtship.

  “We have a lot to talk about,” Roseluck says after a few moments of silence had hung in the air. “Both he and I as well as you and I, Minuette. I trust you but there are just somethings I want to hear directly from you. But not now.” 

  She went silent for a bit, glancing towards the door then at Blacklin before once more settling her eyes on Minuette. “Do you know. . .”

  "When things changed for Lyra?" she finishes, getting a nod in response.  "No, sorry. I actually only found out about when she told me what happened."

  Her eyes fall to the saddlebag on Roseluck's back. "I can take that back to her for you. I know where she ran off to after we talked. Probably better that I do it than you right now anyways."

  There was a bit of hesitation from Roseluck, but she relents and nods, slipping the bag off and nudging it over to Minuette. The unicorn mare nods and smiles, picking it up with her magic and settling it on her back.

  “Thanks.” She nuzzled Blacklin once more before standing up and stretching out, adjusting Lyra’s bag once more. She then walked over to Roseluck and nuzzled her affectionately as well before starting towards the door, giggling a bit at the blush that had begun to spread across the earth mare’s cheeks.

  “I’ll get out of your mane now so you can talk kinda in private.” She smiled. “And sorry for making an awkward situation even more awkward.”

  Before I start, I suppose it'll help if I mention something about myself that I never had before. Actually, it's something that very few really know about me, even Roseluck didn't know this for the longest time. Heck, I didn't even know this about myself until my first night in Ponyville.

  I don't handle being alone very well at night. Well, to be more exact, I don't handle being by myself in a building very well. It's something I never actually experienced before. Growing up, I never had the house to myself for any extended period of time. Even after I left home, I stayed at inns or hotels and there's always lots of others there. Same for once Vale took me in. He was always around at night and during the day, I was rarely home.

  So once I moved to Ponyville, I found myself alone for the first time in my life. Completely and utterly alone. It was a new experience, one that I didn't like. There was a silence I never knew could be there. All alone with just my thoughts. It’s uncomfortable if you’re not used to it. 

  Needless to say, my first week and some days after I first moved were filled with many a lonely night.

  I met Minuette proper a few days after Pinkie's welcoming party. She was one of the few who tried to say hello to me when Scootaloo was dragging me around to meet her mother. I always felt that it was a shame that we didn't get a chance to talk during the party, yet at the same time it was probably a good thing.

  Like Lyra and Bon Bon, Minuette turned out to be a Canterlot native as well. The funny thing to learn about her was that she had moved to Ponyville the year after Lyra had done so and that Lyra had done so the year after Bon Bon had. It was like some kind of moving conga line. As a side note, Minuette moved to Ponyville the month before I arrived in Canterlot. Wild.

  When I asked her why she'd moved, her reply surprised me.

  "I moved so I could be with my friends and family."

  I don't think I'd heard anyone use that as an explanation for moving before (usually it was the opposite when it came to family), but knowing her the way I do now, I can understand it. Especially given that Lyra’s her sister (which was a shock and surprise to learn as well!).

 Minuette's talent might be singing and timing, but I personally that it's being able to perceive others well. It's the only reason I can think of to why she's such good friends with Berry Punch. It's hard to imagine what it's like living with someone who seems perpetually drunk and hitting on anything that moves (okay, I suppose the last part would be like living with Evening). Obviously there has to be something there that others aren't seeing.

  She was the first one, the only one actually, to catch on that there was something wrong with me. She was the one who approached me each day to see how I was doing when I passed by her in town. And this is despite my best efforts to keep any signs that I was having trouble sleeping hidden. She saw right through it all.

  When I finally told her what was going, she offered to help. That's how our friendship started. She would spend evenings with me, often until I fell asleep. Thanks to her, adjusting to living by myself for the first time was easier than it could have been. That alone makes her special to me.

  Well, that and because eventually things did happen between us. First time I've ever mentioned that to anyone. She was the only one to somehow breakhrough the “Fleetfoot blinders” I had been wearing during that period of time. 

  It's funny now that I really think about it, actually. As close of friends as we are and were, no one ever once said anything about it. We never got teased like Rose and I did. I suppose it probably was because we never did anything to draw attention to it. Any time she spent with me was in the evening hours when there were few ponies out and about, same for when she went home, it was often in the early morning. When we passed each other in town, we never talked for more than a few moments (cause we often had talked before going our separate ways earlier). Just a check up on how we both were doing.

  She sighed and shook her head, looking down at the items before her: A chain of silver, clear and tempered crystal that had been hollowed out, and a few strands of her own mane. It had been almost as hard to gather them as it had been to get the topaz (save for the mane strands, of course). Silver chains were easy to get, but the crystal vial had taken her two days to get a hold of.

  A small smile played on her lips. Time and money that would be well spent, so she believed. She never thought that she would end up courting anyone, especially after the fallout from Princess Cadance's wedding. Yet here she was now, taking  a chance.

  The gems had been kept and now it was time to move to the next step: filling the vial with her magic.

  It wasn't the easiest of steps, any unicorn would tell you that. It took a lot of concentration, intense focus and the use of something personal. This is what the strands of her mane had been for. They were something of her's to focus the magic on.

  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, gathering up the aether around the few strands of hair and slipping them into the vial. Once they were inside, she increased the amount of aether she'd been using, causing the hair to melt and become one with the magical energy.

  The next step was important. The resulting mixture needing to be condensed and frozen, solidifying and fusing with the crystal container’s insides. Each second of concentration caused stain on her body and it was all she could do to keep her breathing steady. One misstep and the gathered magic would backfire and explode, causing not only harm to herself (again) but to her home and likely the nearby houses as well. There was a reason many unicorns did this step of the ritual in a secluded area outside. 

    Only once the magic had solidified and stabilized did she finally allow herself to fully relax. Sweat dripped from her forehead and flanks and she smiled softly to herself, picking up the carefully threaded top.

 "Finally, this should be perfect!"

  She screwed the top on and slipped the vial into her saddle bag before checking the time.  Early afternoon, good. She had plenty of time to catch the gryphon and present him with her gift.

  Her body shuddered with nervousness as she adjusted her mane in the mirror. There were no guarantees that would accept the small necklace, she knew that. When he learned that the topazes had been from her, he may very well shun them. Oh, he'd do so gently, she knew that. If there was anything that she had learned about the gryphon over the last three years it was that he never intentionally meant to hurt anyone. He was just tactless at times. Idiotic at others.

 Satisfied with her mane, she smiled once more. That was all part of his charm she guessed. In a way, the gryphon seemed like an overgrown child. That might be why he got along so well with Apple Bloom and her friends when they met.

  After double checking to make sure the vial was secure inside her saddlebag, she picked it up and settled it securely on her back. There was no point in delaying things any longer. Besides, if she waited she might start to question herself again and that was something she didn't want.

  Now the main problem normally would be tracking Blacklin down, but that was something she already took care of. Thanks to Roseluck, she knew what the gryphon's schedule for the day would be. It was just a matter of finding the right spot to, well, ambush him at.

  She went over his route in her head as she slowly walked through town. There were the normal stops he had planned: Flower shop, Sugarcube, Carrot's Top and the Apple's fruit stall at the market. There were also a few unusual stops he was making too: one to Filthy Rich's place and another to Vinyl's club outside of town.

  That last part was confusing to the unicorn. He normally avoided clubs, even during their down times. If Roseluck hadn't said that he was going there at the request of Pinkie, she might not had believed it.

  With everything in mind, going to The Carrot's Top was her best option. In addition to Berry already knowing what was going on, there'd be the least amount of ponies there. Unlike the market for certain.

  She nodded to herself, plan in mind, and started towards the bar. She didn't get far, however, before running across Spike. Something the teen dragon was holding caught her attention and forced her to stop. Time seemed to slow down for the unicorn as she watched Spike move what seemed like a small gem and plop it into his mouth, chomping down happily on it.

  No, it wasn’t just any gem, it was a yellow gem. A topaz. There were two more in his hands and Lyra desperately wanted to brush it off as mere coincidence. A treat the young dragon had gotten from Rarity most likely. It was the easiest explanation and the one she wanted to deeply believe.

  He tossed up another topaz into the air and Lyra found herself following the gem's trajectory in spite of herself. A hint of blue caaught her eye and her chest grew tight. No, it couldn't be. There was no way, right? She was just seeing things. That had to be the answer.

 One step was taken, then a second and third and soon she ran over to the dragon, fixing him with almost a death glare.

 "Where did you get those gems!" Her shaky voice far more harsh and demanding than she had intended.

  Spike gave a yelp of surprise and ended up taking a few steps backwards, the gem he had tossed bouncing off his muzzle and falling to the ground.

 "Lyra? I got them from Blacklin, why?" he asks. "He said he had been finding them and didn't have a use for them."

  The tightness her chest grew and her whole body started to shake, stomach bottoming out. Her teeth began to grind and breathing became harsh. No use? He had no use for them? Even if he didn't catch on who they were from, he should have realized what they meant. No use indeed!

  She spun on her back legs and ran towards The Carrot's Top. Anger and sadness began to rule over her mind, vision blurring and turning red. To be dragged along like that was unforgivable. As she began to approach the bar, she came to a quick halt. 

  No, he wouldn't be there. Not yet. The time wasn't right. This was the time he'd be at the Flower Shoppe. If luck was on her side, that is where that bastard of a gryphon would be now.

 Spinning once more on her heels, she changed direction yet again and ran towards the flower shop. She was more than aware of the looks her mad dash was garnering and she didn't care. The gryphon had done more than enough to deserve her quickly building wrath. He had screwed up big time.

  As she approached the Flower Shoppe, Lyra spotted the cart Blacklin used for most his deliveries. It had been set up just to the side of the building, out of the way of anyone wishing to enter. Her eyes narrow and she uses her magic to force open the door before barreling inside.

  She's greeted by the sight of Blacklin and Roseluck in front of the counter, both earth mare and gryphon looking at her in confusion and mild fear from the door being nearly taken off its hinges.

 "Lyra?" Blacklin started. She didn't let him finish.

   Every once of rage that had been built up exploded at that moment. Her left hoof shot out and slapped the gryphon with every bit of her physical strength. At that same time, her magic lashed out and clocked him upside from the other side. If she hadn't been so angry, she would have found it to be comical. Blacklin barely had time to react the physical slap before getting hit by the magical one.

 "What in the name of Tartarus do you think you're doing?!" she shoutted, almost pressing her nose to his beak. "Just giving those gems to Spike like that? Are you completely idiotic or just plain stupid? Don't you know what those are for?"

   She placed her hooves on the gryphon's shoulder and pulled herself up to nearly standing on her hind legs, causing the saddle bag to slide off.

 "Those were courting gems you featherhead! Didn't that cross your mind? You hang on to them like that for all those days and getting my hopes up only to discard them to Spike without a second thought?! How can you be so heartless!?"

    By now tears had started to well up in her eyes and it was all she could do to keep from breaking down right there in front of them.

 "What do you think-" Roseluck starts.

 "SHUT UP!" Lyra's teary glare turned to the earth mare. "You're no better now! You should have realized what those gems were! You should have said something to him!"

  She pushed off the gryphon and takes a few steps back. "You're both damn fools! Complete and utter idiots!"

   After the day he had, Blacklin was finding simple solitude in his own room. As he glanced around it, a small smile plays on his beak. Over the three years he'd been in Ponyville, that one room had changed so much.

   It had gone from a simple, near bare room with just his bed and writing desk to having countless pictures on the walls, memorabilia from Canterlot Castle, signed pictures from Spitfire and Firefly, framed music sheet from the Royal Canterlot Orchestra (which he had finally gotten the pleasure of seeing when he went with Roseluck and Pinkie to take Princess Luna up on her offer a year ago).

   He remembered the periods of loneliness he had felt during the first year. Sure he'd made quick friends when he moved: Lyra, Firefly, Scootaloo, Applejack, Berry Punch and Minuette; but he had to admit a bit of homesickness had set in at first. That was why he was grateful for the friends he'd made, Minuette and Lyra especially (not to discount the insanity that the CMC would often bring along). Those two stopped by some nights, along with Roseluck after they'd become friends, and their company had done wonders to ease that feeling away over the years.

   Still, it was never a dull moment, especially when the orb activated, even if the messages conveyed were sometimes horribly embarrassing. Even if the messages to others would end up causing him trouble at times!

   He reached over and touched it gently, causing it to flicker and then shift turning into an almost three-dimensional window. Once more, the gryphon recognized the scarred features of his friend Viola.

   The unicorn mare could be seen pacing and muttering to herself. Her cheeks still held a blush that had been there during her last communication. It would not be surprising if she had been like this since then.

   Finally she seemed to realize that her recording was going and she looks straight at Blacklin and glares.

   "Gah! First Pinkie Pie and now you!" she exclaimed. "Y'all need to stop making assumptions about me already!"

   She muttered a bit more and then takes a breath, looking back towards Blacklin.

   "I'm going to turn this back at you," she stated matter-of-factly. "You've mentioned 'the herd' before and I want some clarification on courting and how that works." There's a short pause before she gave a sly grin. ". . .and if the lot of you are so bent on getting nosy, I shall ask if you and Applejack ever cleared the air from earlier."

   Her outburst caused the gryphon some confusion until he realized that she had probably meant to have it sent, or at least have it received, earlier than it did.

   The questions asked left a slightly bitter taste in his mouth. He thought he had gone over this topic before in the past, but he could only guess that either Viola never saw it, had forgotten about it, or had been left confused by it.  Those were the only things that made sense to him anyways.

   He sighed a bit and then shruged. It wouldn't hurt to try to clarify things a little. Though, it was probably best to answer that last question first.

   "I'm guessing that you want to know about what's happened since she and I decided to take a wait and see approach," he said, receiving a nod in response.

    "That's what I thought." He gave another soft sigh and settled in on his bed, thinking over how exactly to respond. "It's been a month or so since then. We've had a lot of time to think it over since then and really, it hasn't come back up since."

   He gave another shrug. It wasn't the best of answers and he knew that, but it was the truth. Since they had that talk, both he and Applejack hadn't really brought it up. Of course, that may have been due to his own work picking up and the added work of making sure that Moonlight didn't over strain herself.

   On top of that, Applejack had started spending more and more time with Rarity lately. He didn't want to jump to any conclusions, but the unsaid thought was there. Honestly, it was cute to watch. There was no jealousy, no bitterness. If that's where things were headed for AJ, he was happy for her and wished her the best.

   "She's been doing her own thing since then," he says aloud.

   He noted the look of disbelief on Viola's face and he responds with a sheepish smile. "Look, it's not my place to talk about what may be going on in her personal life, okay?" He clarified.

   He took a deep breath and looked up at the ceiling. Now he had to tackle the bigger question.

   "About the herd thing," the gryphon says slowly, "that's a bit complicated to go on about. I'll try to do my best to explain it, but forgive me if it comes out odd.

   "I stated before, I think, that Equestrian ponies are pretty much polygamous," he begins. "Mainly because of the skewed gender ratios. I think last count had it near three to one, mare to stallion."

   He slid off the bed and began to pace.

   "A 'herd', as you can guess, is what a stallion's set of mates is called.  A herd usually will consist of three to five mares, but I've heard stories of some stallions in places like Manehatten having a herd with up to eight to ten mares in it." He shakes his head. "I don't know how anyone could handle something like that personally. Three or four would be my limit at best.

   "Now this isn't all ways the case, there are exceptions to the case like myself and Big Mac, but a herd will usually consist of just one race of pony. You know, like all pegasi or all unicorn.

   "Now, because of this, it isn't unusual for siblings or cousins to end up as part of the same herd. Especially if they happen to be close and have the same taste in stallions."

   He stopped pacing and laughs before looking back at Viola.

   "So it wouldn't be odd, by pony standards anyways, if say one of Pinkie's sisters were to join my 'herd'."

   He gave another soft laugh and continued on.

   "Each herd often has an 'alpha mare'. The best way to describe it would be that they're the first mare of the herd. Sort of the main mare a stallion wants to be with. They're the one who gives the okay about any other mares who want to join a stallion's herd."

   A smile crossed Blacklin's beak. He could already see the question forming up in Viola's mind through the glint in her eyes.

   "And how does a mare show they want to join a herd, you might ask?" he went on. "Well, some take the very direct approach and flat out ask. Some join with the alpha mare. Others have, well, the best way to describe it would be a 'mating ritual'."

   He chuckled softly.

   "Now, I've never seen any, but I've heard stories of some," he explained. "Each race kinda has their own ritual that they use.

   "Pegasi are like gryphons in a way. You've seen the feathers that I've given to Roseluck and Pinkie and the significance of those. Pegasi are the same way. They'll present the stallion with one of their feathers, sometimes it's plucked form their wings and sometimes it's one that's fallen out. Another thing that they'll do is to present a stallion with a personalized cloud."

   He notes Viola chuckling a bit and smiled. It was a bit odd, he admitted, but would be interesting to see at some point. Personally, he pictured Dash trying to make this giant cloud statue of herself to give to a stallion when he had heard that part.

   "And unicorns have their own, rather interesting, ritual." He hopped back on his bed as he continued on. "Unicorns will give a gem that matches the color of their eyes to the stallion they like. After so many gems have been accepted, they will do something that I never thought was even possible: create a vial that will contain their magic. Honestly, if I hadn't seen such a vial with my own eyes, I never would have believed it.

   "I don't know how they pull it off, but I'd love to see it some day."

   Once more he noted the look in Viola's eyes. The question that was forming was an easy one to guess: He'd mentioned Pegasi and Unicorn ponies so far, but had been absent about Earth ponies. The truth of the matter was that he didn't know about their rituals.

   "Kinda funny given that my two marefriends are earth ponies, but I really don't know much about their own ritual," he admits. "I hazarded a few guesses before but those were things that ended up being true for all races, not just them.

   "You see, a common ritual between all three races is to give the stallion a bouquet of flowers that match the color of the stallion’s coat. Granted, that's not always the case. Sometimes there isn't a flower that'll match their coat. I don't know what they do in that case."

   He tilted his head in thought and tapped his beak, going over all he had just said.; wondering if there was anything he'd missed. Rituals themselves, what a herd was considered, alpha mares. . .  He blinked a few times and snapped his talons.

   "Ah! Almost forgot something! I mentioned alpha mares earlier, but there was something about them that I had forgotten about. You see, while it's usually the first mare to be a stallion's partner, that's not always the case. There are times when it'll change. An alpha mare is the one who means the most to a stallion. There have been a few times when two mares mean equally as much to stallion, but that's incredibly rare."

   He smiled at Viola. "I'm sorry about all the teasing you've gotten about your relationship with your version of myself," he says. "I do know exactly how that feels. You'll recall that Roseluck and I received the same kind of treatment from our friends at first as well. While, yeah, we ended up together in the end, it may not happen for you and him."

   His smile grew larger. "Though, it's pretty easy to see that you're a close friend to him. If he's like me and he's offering to teach you to fight or simply just really opening up, it means he trusts you deeply, even if he doesn't say it out loud. You're a friend and we're loyal to those we care about."

    The pegasus mare looked up at Blacklin, eyes narrowing slightly. Her tail swished behind her and a soft huff escaped her throat.

   It was a harshness that Blacklin didn't expect. Did the past really haunt her so much that any questions about it caused her to lash out? Maybe that wasn't it. Perhaps the more correct answer was that he may have sounded like he was questioning if she truly belonged or was skilled enough for the responsibility. It hadn’t been his intention, but it wasn’t hard to understand how she could view it that way.

   The best course of action, then, was to clarify his statement.

   "What I mean is how did you end up with Nightingale," he amended. " You said you had been under Nightingale's care for the last three years, how did that come about?"

   "She is my second," the bat pony stated, cutting off any harsh comment that could be made from Dust. The statement caught the pegasus off guard and she was visibly shaken from it. Enough so that Blacklin mentally questioned if that was the truth or if she was placating a hurt ego.

   "Ma'am," she started, but is cut off once more by Nightingale.

   "If I may," the bat pony says. "I met Lightning Dust during her try outs at the Wonderbolt Academy. Quite a display she put on there as well."

   The pegasus blushed, seemingly unsure if that was a compliment or backhanded insult.

   "Talented in flying, but far too great an ego," Nightingale continued. "Similar to a certain rainbow maned recruit there as well. Far be it for me to question Captain Spitfire, but it's my opinion that it was a mistake to pair them up. I understand a bit to her reasoning, however."

   She gave a slight shrug, a silent confession that it was not her place to say. Her gaze turned to Twilight briefly before turning back to Blacklin, cerulean eyes half lidded, giving her an almost bored expression.

   "Given your connections, I am certain that you know what happened," she went on. "And the end result of it all was that Lightning Dust was dismissed from the Academy."

   She glanced at Dust and smiles slightly.

   "However, she did impress me," she then stated. "And that is not something easy to do. I saw potential in this young one. Potential that could come out if her rashness and ego could be tempered."

   The slight smile grew into a wistful one as Nightingale slipped into memories.

   "It was a challenge," she added. "Lightning Dust still has a strong rebellious streak in her and it has taken much patience over these last three years to reign it in check. An incident with a group of hippogriffs near Neighlons did wonders to humble her though."

   Dust's cheeks grew a deep red and neither she nor Nightingale elaborated on the incident. In Blacklin thoughts, it was more than likely that Dust was too ashamed of what had happened and that Nightingale was not looking to embarrass her, for lack of a better word, student.

   "Needless to say that it was a lesson well learned," the bat pony concluded. "That was about a year ago. Since then she has done well in following orders and respecting authority. If she can help it, she no longer risks the well fare of others in pursuit of personal glory."

   Her voice contained a hint of pride as she finished. "I personally requested that she be a part of the Ponyville squad. I want to show those she wronged the most that she has learned and is apologetic for her actions three years ago."

   "Well, it seems that she's already gotten forgiveness from one," Blacklin stated, looking at Twilight. To his surprise, the unicorn mare shook her head.

   "I appreciate Nightingale's efforts," she said slowly, "but I am not completely ready to forgive reckless actions like that. The danger to me and my friends was too great to simply wash away. I'm sorry."

   "Yeah, and I wouldn't doubt that Dash and Applejack won't be the same way," Gilda adds. "They're both pretty stubborn."

   Blacklin nodded in understanding. He suspected that Rarity wouldn't be so quick to forgive either. Fluttershy and Pinkie on the other hand. . . Well, Pinkie easily forgave  and Fluttershy tended to as well.

   The one he was most unsure about was Firefly. Chances were that she could forgive the pegasus, especially if she was given assurances by Nightingale. However, would Nightingale's endorsement be enough to sway the former Wonderbolt captain? He supposed that only time will tell.

   As for himself, well he was satisfied with Nightingale's explanation. Sure there were things that seemed out of place or at least seemed like they were only half-truths. Nothing that he wished to press on, however. Besides, matters of a more important nature had come to mind.

   The hour had become late and thoughts of heading home entered his mind. While those thoughts began to fill his head, a realization that Moonlight had gone from simple houseguest to full on housemate struck.

   He gave a small bow to those gathered and presented them with a rueful smile.

   "This has been interesting to learn," he said, "but you'll have to forgive me. Think it's time for me to be getting home. A lot to think about now." He glanced at his sister and motions for her to follow. "And a lot to talk to my sister about," he added.

   Moonlight tilted her head in confusion, but followed after Blacklin, out of curiosity more than anything.

   Once they had left the library, Blacklin turned to the hippogriff. "We have to sort out living conditions for you," he stated. "I mean, I was okay with you staying for a month, but permanently? I dunno. . ."

   Moonlight blinked and then laughed.

   "Oh, that all?" She said flippantly, "It'll only be a few months more at tops. Things have already been settled. Princess Celestia is having a contractor from Canterlot come in a few days to start work on what'll be our barracks. Once that's done, Gilda and I will be out of your feathers and you can get back to your private time with your mares."

   The gryphon felt his cheeks grow hot with her insinuation and he was about to protest when they were interrupted by a small buzzing from his orb. Never had he been more happy for an interruption than at that moment.

   Once tapped, the orb flared open in its normal window, revealing a very excited looking Viola.

   "Oh, Blacklin!" she exclaimed. "I just found out something interesting about the native you! The you from my world." She nearly seemed to bounce in pure giddiness at sharing her news.

   "Apparently he knows combat skills thanks to his grandfather- an earth pony, right?" Her excitement tempered slightly as her head tilted to the side, a few strands of her brown hair falling into her eyes. "Is. . this the same for you? Care to elaborate?"

   There's a pause while she waited for an answer, but before one can be given she perks up once more.

   "Oh dear, I almost forgot," she added, excitement completely tempered away now. "Is he the reason your sister went into the military as well? I'm sure she learned much from him."

   Blacklin's body completely tensed up at hearing this news. There was truth in what his friend had said. On his mother's side, their grandfather was indeed an Earth Pony. A former member of both the Equestrian Royal Guard (until he had met their grandmother) and then briefly a member of His Royal Majesty's Guard (until their mother had been born).

   Had he learned anything from his grandfather before running away? A little, yes. Enough that if it came to it he could defend himself at the very least. it wasn't something he readily let known though. Fighting was not something he ever wanted to do.

   "Seems there's a lot in common between her version of you and yourself," Moonlight noted, tapping her beak lightly. She smiled and inclined her head to Viola. "Yes, a lot of that's true, Miss Viola," she said. "Our grandfather was military in both Equestria and the Griffon Kingdom."

   She looked at Blacklin and shook her head a bit. "But he's not why I joined the military. Like I told the doufus when I finally found him in Shetlearn almost a year ago... Was it a year ago? Might have been a bit longer. Anyways, like I told him then, I joined the military and specifically went into the Border Patrol in an effort to track his behind down."

   She gave an embarrassed smile. "Though, I won't deny that my grandfather is part of why I was able to get that position in the first place and why I busted my butt off once I got in."

   "You know, now that I look at you two, I'm kinda glad that you've never met face to face," she added. The look of confusion on both Viola's face and Blacklin's causing her to laugh. "Well, you get along so well that I fear you'd end up as part of Black's herd. Best watch yourself over there so you don't get completely swept up by your version of my brother!"