Still Learning Something New Every Day

Zephyr plopped on her bluish-green haunches, head tilted to one side with her jaw agape, clearly dumbfounded. Her orchid-purple eyes stared up widely at the fresh, crisp stalks of bamboo that stared back at her through recently washed windows. Using a hood to clamp her mouth shut again, she shook her head, clearing her mind, and shifted her stare up to the sign that hung above the doorway to the shop. 'Teas, Tonics and Tinctures' it read; the name was as cute as the architecture itself. And judging by the ambiance she could see from her squat, it was even greater inside (especially since it had bamboo! Hah! What a rare find!).

Licking her lips, the Pegasus raised back onto all fours, then used her wings to dust herself off before refolding them and stepping through the threshold. The moment she was completely indoors, her senses came alive. Her ears perked up, listening to the charming running of water through artificial streams, and the chiming of ceramic cups clinking on delicate saucers. The pony's nose filled with the sweet, yet bitter, scent of a variety of tonics and teas, making for a complex but pleasant blend. The decor was a lot to take in, with its bamboo sprouts being the main attraction.

Before long, her head was spinning from the overload of sensations, making her take the nearest seat from her. Fortunately, it and its table was unoccupied. While she took a moment to regain her bearings, a waitress came over with a cheerful smile and placed a menu before her. Zephyr returned the gesture with a nod and looked down at the laminated parchment, upon which a variety of drinks and specials was listed. At first, nothing seemed abnormal; the tea leaves they used were simple and common. But as she looked further down, the ingredients became more complex..

"Wait wait- whaaaaat?" Zephyr planted her nose against the plastic. "You can actually use flower petals in these?!" She gasped. "Oh my. How wonderful! But I do hope they keep them growing, and not just harvest the petals.."

A little grey filly wandered into the shop as Zeph was receiving her menu. Kiwi, as usual, had ventured away from the group during another field trip from the orphanage. She shook herself, having been dowsed as a prank by one of the other fillies for knocking dust into her hair. The little Pegasus sighed, looking around while humming a song, her voice sounding like a chiming of bells. One of the made looked down at her, slightly disgusted by the small pony covered in dirt from the outside road and began to usher the filly outside.

"But but but, I don't want to go back there! Please can you let me stay?" Kiwi begged.

So..many choices. Which one would she choose? Oh my! These all sound so delicious! She thought, stroking her chin with a hoof. I'm surprised to find so many different herbs and petals mixed with each one. Too bad they haven't experimented with the orchid yet.. For a moment, she glanced behind herself and to her rump. Once blank when she was but a foal, it now had a beautiful orchid flower marked upon it, whose leaves were transformed into feathers, which matched those upon her glorious wings. I suppose I could suggest it to the owners. But, gosh.. I don't want to seem so imposing..

As her internal struggle continued, her ears twisted, rotating to the sound of.. was that singing? Surely enough, when she turned her attention towards the source, a little fill of gray and..dirt. She quirked a brow, wondering why the wee thing was so filthy, not that she, herself managed to stay perfectly clean often (she did work in a garden each day). It made her smile and chuckle lightly at the thought of her own hooves being stained, and how her parents would probably fall into comas seeing such a grotesque display.

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"But but but, I don't want to go back there! Please can you let me stay?"

The Pegasus bit her lower lip while frowning. Why was the young one being harassed? Inflating her chest with a huff, Zephyr raised to her hooves and calmly approached the filly and the worker whom was trying to be rid of the dear. "Oh, there you are!" Zephyr announced with a wide grin. "I've been waiting for you all day! Please, come join me, won't you?" Her head turned to the employee. "There's nothing wrong with a little dirt. I'll personally clean up any mess she leaves- this dirt looks fertile enough to produce a strong, thriving crop. After our tea, that is."

A wing stretched out to wrap around the filly, whom she eould escort back to her table. Upon reaching it, she'd be released and allowed to take her own seat.

Kiwi was in shock when the pretty mare escorted her to the table and defended her. She went along with it though, if that meant she could skive off not going back to the boring field trip. She sat down in the chair, thanking Luna that she could in fact reach the table top just as well. Kiwi gave her a big grin, revealing a few teeth that were missing from loosing them in the process of growing up. Kiwi looked at the mare, now, and opened her mouth.

"Hey, thanks for that. That was awesome. Can you do it again? How'd you get to be so pretty? Can I ever be pretty like you. What is your name? Do you like flowers?" she said in one big breath, taking another from all the talking.

The sense of relief that the filly gave off made her body and soul warm. She always enjoyed seeing others smiling, especially if it was directly related to her own doing. The smile that was presented made her chuckle a bit, then sigh. A memory, once buried in her subconscious, had floated to the surface. Reluctantly she relived a moment in time where she was locked in her room, not permitted to leave under any circumstances. Her parents were hosting one of their fancy events with the high society Pegasus in Cloudsdale, and as usual, demanded perfection. Thus, Zephyr, having been going through her own teething phase, would have damaged her parents' reputation with her imperfection.

The feeling of loneliness, shame and dread that she felt that evening, suffocated the young mare. Knowing well how deep she could fall to it, she shook her head, forcing her focus back to the present. Hopefully, the little filly didn't notice her distant stare- her little episodes were rare, but embarrassing nonetheless.

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Hey, thanks for that. That was awesome. Can you do it again? How'd you get to be so pretty? Can I ever be pretty like you. What is your name? Do you like flowers?

Zephyr blinked. Several times. Boy, this filly sure was energetic. She liked that.

"Anytime! It was my pleasure, truly!" The Pegasus meant it too. There was no reason to push the little darling away just because of a little dirt. "I'd be more than glad to stand up for you whenever I can. You seem like a nice lil' filly." It didn't hurt that they were of the same species. Though she admired all the races, her fellow Pegasus would always come first.

She blushed at the mentioning of her appearance. Funny, many other ponies had said the same. Having always reacted in the same manner, one would think she'd grown immune to the flush. "Why thank you. You're a pretty thing too- even with that bit of dirt on you." Zephyr chuckled. "My dear, you already are! But if you would like some secrets of mine, I'd be happy to share." She reached across the table and gently went to poke the filly's snout, to brush off a little spec of dirt. "Believe it or not, that dirt of yours can be transformed into a fabulous facial."

The last questions made her laugh merrily. "My name is Zephyr Botanica. And of course I love flowers! I have a whole garden of them, in fact. You're more than welcome to visit it. And what would your name be?" Zephyr was a bit nervous that her name would be recognized by the filly, her being a Pegasus and all, her her folks still holding high standards amongst their kind. If she did, hopefully she wouldn't express any discomfort towards her, many-a-pony disliked her family for having so many riches.

Kiwi finished taking her breath while listening to the older mare answer her many questions. She was glad to be in the presence of such a nice pony, and a pegasus at that. To her young mind, she looked like the type of mare out of a story book, pretty and nice, and as it seemed, hearing the family name, a lot of money. That meant that fairy tales did come true. Kiwi sat up straighter, trying to be the polite little pony her parents would have wanted. "Boy, I am glad I met you. That makes pretty ponies from storybooks true. The other colts and fillies won't believe this when I tell them! And nice to meet you, Miss Botanica. My mama and papa called me Kiui Mynta, but everyone just calls me Kiwi."

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"Boy, I am glad I met you. That makes pretty ponies from storybooks true. The other colts and fillies won't believe this when I tell them! And nice to meet you, Miss Botanica. My mama and papa called me Kiui Mynta, but everyone just calls me Kiwi."

The pink flush returned to her cheeks, which was quite visible against her blue-green coat. Beyond flattered, the Pegasus giggled gently while tucking her chin towards her chest, eyelids drawing shut to expose their thick, curled lashes.

"The pleasure is all mine, little Kiwi." Her eyes reopened, their purple hue shinier than ever. "I dare say, that is the sweetest name I've heard for an equally sweet filly."

Her head tilted to one side. Had she just used the past tense in referring to her folks? Zephyr pondered a moment, rolling the possibility over. It wasn't unheard of for ponies her age to be orphaned, though in this particular village, it did seem rare. Everywhere she ventured, there were families blossoming, the mares, colts and foals quite close to one another. Inwardly she frowned. Hopefully, such wasn't the case for Kiwi, though in the depth of her soul, she had a feeling it was.

Fortunately, the waitress from before had returned, feeling she had given the two enough time to make their decision. Zephyr was relieved at the distraction and politely smiled at the mare, then quickly glanced at the menu. "I'll have the Sakura Breeze. Heated, please." Though, the frosted version was tempted. Looking back across the table to the filly, she asked, "And how about you, my dear? "

Clearly, Kiwi had been having a rather rough day, simply judging by her appearance. With such being so, Zephyr considered bringing her to the spa next for a nice cleanup and some relaxation.

"I'll have chocolate milk!" answered the filly, grinning her childish grin. "Thank you for being so nice, Miss Bontanica. I can't wait to drink chocolate milk. I haven't had it in ages, 'cuz the teachers say I get too hyper when I drink it." That statement made Kiwi flush with embarrassment, though her talkative nature made her rattle on. "The teachers say "Kiwi, you don't know when to shut the hell up, do you?"" She then looked down, feeling bad for saying a no-no word.

Chocolate milk? Chocolate..milk..

Zephyr tilted her head to one side, perplexed. She had never heard of such a concoction. Having been born and bred into high society, her liquids usually consisted of herbal teas, the most sparkling water from fresh Equestrian streams or glaciers, or whatever else her parents found suitable for their sensitive pallets. Normally, the Pegasus added milk to her teas, requiring it for its sweetness- not to mention the rich nutrients it had for her bones and complexion. As for chocolate? That was an amazing 'food' she was but recently introduced to. Mixing the two together? Why, such genius!

For a moment, she considered changing her order, but thought back about what sort of herbs her specified tea had. Those floral petals..just how would they enhance the flavor? She just had to know!

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Thank you for being so nice, Miss Bontanica. I can't wait to drink chocolate milk. I haven't had it in ages, 'cuz the teachers say I get too hyper when I drink it."

She smiled politely. "But of course, my dear!" Chuckling once more, the pony nodded at Kiwi in understanding. Sugar was quite the potent condiment. Even back in her youth, her parents had been weary of giving her too much of it in her tea. Like just about everything else in the world, being hyperactive was frowned upon. Or even jittery.

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"The teachers say "Kiwi, you don't know when to shut the hell up, do you?"

Now this was disturbing. Zephyr's brow furrowed with irritation. "My word! How dare they use such vulgar language! And especially towards the foals they're supposed to not only be treating with the highest regard, but being role models for!" Her chest gave a squeeze as her blood pressure raised. "I do believe I'll have to have a word with those ponies. That is simply unacceptable."

She paused, reconsidering. Was it really her place to make such a stand? "That is, of course, if you permit it. I don't want you to be put in an awkward situation, dearest Kiwi."

The Pegasus quietly got up from her seat and rounded the table on over to the filly. A wing was extended and hopefully wrapped around her softly, to comfort the pony. "You're such a sweet thing." A hoof went to Kiwi's chin to lift it. "I admire your recognition of using a distasteful word. But do not feel so bad, my dear. You only repeated what was wrongfully said to you. And there are times when all ponies make the mistake of speaking as such, though it doesn't fully excuse them."