While Gravel had nightmares about onions that evening in my Equestria dreamscape two other ponies were having a much more pleasant dream.

Applebloom followed her mentor, Princess Luna as they entered Stone Mane's dream fabric. Due to events in the waking world Applebloom's astronomy lessons and instructions in Dream Realm were still rather irregular. This also meant her visits to see Stone Mane in his dream fabric were sporadic and in her mind not nearly frequent enough.


As had been established in previous lessons Stone Mane was lying on a little cloud floating about a 1,000ft above the streets of his dream version of Baltimare. Spotting their arrival the earth pony sat up on his haunches and starting waving his front legs.


"Over here!" Called out the colt. He stepped back a bit and made room for his two visitors as they landed on the cloud. Once Luna had landed the nutmeg brown pony bowed to her.


"Good evening you Highness! Thank you for continuing my instructions." He paused and looked over at Applebloom. "And thank you for bringing Applebloom here tonight."


A faint bit of peach blush spread across the filly's cheeks as the colt looked at her but she remained silent as Luna.


"Good evening to you as well Stone Mane. It's a pleasure that my pupil was able to make this journey as well to see you. I hope things have been well for you?"


The colt nodded his head. "Yes your Highness!" He looked over at the filly and blushed a little himself. "Um, hi Applebloom. Uh, I sent you a package. Um, did you get it?"


The buttercream yellow filly looked at the colt and shook her head causing red bow to flop back and forth. "Nope! Not yet! Whatcha send me?"


"Uh, um, well it's a surprise, so uh, I don't want to spoil the surprise. I uh hope you like it!" For some reason he suddenly found himself stammering.


After a few more minutes of casual conversation Princess Luna began the evening lesson. For the next couple of hours the foals lesson dealt with objects in Stone Mane's dream fabric. For the colt the emphasis was being able dispelling objects. For Applebloom the princess had the filly focus on maintaining objects in Stone Mane's dream fabric even when colt tried to make them vanish.


Satisfied with her students progress for the evening Luna called an end to the lessons. With formal instructions behind the princess let the two foals have some time together. For awhile this was cloud tag as the foals cavorted through dream skies above Baltimare.


Finally Applebloom and Stone Mane came to a rest on a small cloud a short distances away from the princess. The afternoon was progressing and the sun beginning to set. For several minutes nopony said a word. Applebloom broke the silence.


"Sure is pretty. Isn't it?"


"Yeah. It is." Said the colt.


Applebloom scuffed a front hoof on the cloud several times. "Um, Stone Mane. Uh, I um, wanna ta say something ta ya. I. I wanna apologize fer surprising ya when I kissed ya last time I was here."


The colt startled at this comment. After a moment he muttered a reply. "Uh! Oh! Um! It, it really wasn't a bad thing. It. It was actually kind of nice. It, it just surprised me." He looked over at the filly. "I, I, guess I, uh kinda surprised you as well when I kissed you at the train station as well. So uh sorry for that."


The filly's face turned beet red. "Oh! Well uh its a nothing, and it was a very nice of ya ta do that."


Colt stared down at his hooves and examined them intently. "Oh, uh good. Good." The two foals sat there as the awkward silence dragged on. Finally the colt spoke up.



"Uh. So I guess it wasn't the kissing that was the problem, but, um, the fact the we ah, didn't expect it."


"Yeah." The filly slowly nodded her head. "Um, I guess if one is gonna kiss another pony ya should ask them a first befer ya do it."


The two foals suddenly looked away in opposite directions. A very pregnant silence followed. Finally Stone Mane. "So um, Applebloom." The filly quickly looked back at the colt. Slowly the colt turned and looked at her. "So, so. May. May I kiss you?"


To be continued.