StrongCopper

Accidental Allegro The uncertainty was still there. Something in Allegro's gut was telling him that what Sunny was suggesting was a terrible idea for some reason but... well, seeing her get all excited about it and the fact that she was clearly more experienced in dealings with the herd then he was... maybe she had a point? A sigh escaped him alongside a flick of his tail before he finally submitted to her judgement. "Alright." Taking a deep breath, he offered her a small smile. "So... who is Pipp?"

Accidental Allegro The look on Allegro's face suggested that he still wasn't a big fan of this idea. Something about what Sunny was suggesting didn't seem right to him and the urge to awkwardly shuffle around a little won out in the end. "I mean... if evil alicorns are so common can't we just... you know... find one? I mean if they're going to be trying to take the world over or something anyway, is provoking them to act sooner rather then later a terrible idea?" For some strange reason the mental image of finding a sleeping pony with wings and a horn that looked like Sunny, but with a completely black coat that they needed to awaken via poking them with a stick came to mind. Shaking his head slightly to get that image out, he decided to instead ask "So... let's say we go through with this idea and you dress yourself up. Are you... just planning on walking down the street, laughing evilly and announcing for all to hear that you intend to take over the world?"

Kabra'za was more then happy to take a small detour in order to hook himself back up to his wagon in order to pull it to more secure pastures... even if that pasture was simply Crystal's yard. Muziki however asked a rather interesting question through, which caused him to chuckle softly. "A parking ticket is a means in which local law enforcement helps inflate their paychecks via making others pay bits. It is of vital importance to them and thus, the duty of finding and handing out tickets is generally reserved for those with eagle eyed vigilance and a dedication to duty that borders on callousness. Empathy, after all, is a weakness in their eyes because it means they might not give someone a ticket." Looking at Muziki again once he finally parked the wagon, he offered the filly a grin. "Of course I keep a mask ya salamu. Some traditions need to be preserved after all..." before he paused as he glanced at Crystal and his grin turned into something more akin to a smirk. "Would the two of you be interested in seeing something cool?" Not really giving either of them time to answer (assuming that at least Muziki would be curious in that child like manner), he made a small show of gesturing towards his shadow... before he calmly took a step to the right while his shadow stepped to the left, disconnecting from his body completely as the two walked a few strides away from each other. Once a respectful distance, Kabra'za calmly removed his hat... and like a disc he threw it towards where his shadow was. Said shadow seemed to reach up to grab at the shadow of the hat as it flew by... and the hat stopped dead in midair, as if being held there. Waiting a moment to make it clear that this wasn't a trick, the hat moved slightly as the shadow drew its hoof back and threw the hat back to Kabra'za, who happily caught it and returned it to his head. A smile on his face, both him and shadow walked back towards each other before reconnecting as if they had never parted. "Ta da."

Kabra'za politely tipped his hat towards Crystal and her offer. "I may take you up on that. Through I should relocate my wagon there before we go get something to eat. I don't need to start my visit to the Crystal Empire with a-" Kabra'za had been about to say a rather naughty word in his native tongue, but remembered just in the nick of time that there was an impressionable young child that understood the mother tongue nearby. "-... annoying parking ticket." Clearing his throat a little, he recovered a bit as he tilted his head in confusion. "I'm sorry... Princess Cadence? I am not familiar with that name."

For his part, Kabra'za did notice the somewhat ignored tear that rolled down Crystal's face. However, for the time being he didn't draw attention to it. After all, there was a filly present and they were in a public place. Some conversations were best kept private. Instead he offered a smile and suggested "As long as it isn't dried, packed with preservatives and warm in the belly, it might as well be mungu as far as I could care." He did pause for just a moment to think through. "...I should relocate my wagon somewhere first through. Don't want to get into trouble for parking it in the wrong area again." Law enforcement in regards to parking could be incredibly ironhoofed and petty when they wanted to be. Glancing between Crystal and Muziki, he decided to ask the latter "Are you and your family also staying in a wagon? It would be a boon to have a guide show me where I need to go to avoid dealing with parking tickets." in turn, he glanced at Crystal before adding "Granted, if you have an idea of where I should go, having a friendly local offer aid would be a pleasant change of pace."

A wide grin appeared on Kabra'za's face as his choice of attire and headwear was clearly complimented. "Asanteni nyote wawili." before he cleared his throat as he remembered that one of those he was speaking to likely didn't know what he just said. "For those speaking equestrian, that means 'Thank you, both of you.' As for where I originally got my hat..." he paused, thinking about it for a moment before shrugging. "I actually don't recall off the top of my head. Been a number of places and I've worn it so long, it feels like just an extension of myself." Blinking slightly at whom he guessed was Muziki, he couldn't help but tilt his head slightly. "...Considering I walked all the way here, I would personally prefer something a bit warmer. Had enough icy cold food for the time being." Turning to look at Crystal, he couldn't help but look somewhat interested as he asked "And why do you feel the need to focus your excess energy towards those you haven't met? Wouldn't that energy be better used to better yourself or towards helping out your friends?" He didn't intend to be rude or anything of the sort, he just found the mind, how it developed and the things it came up with rather fascinating.

Somewhat damp from the snow he had brushed off, Kabra'za had been intent on finding somewhere for his wagon to be set up... and maybe finding a warm, fresh meal instead of dealing with the preservatives that his remaining supplies were filled with. However, the sound of a variant of his native tongue caused his ears to flick and his head to turn towards the station again... Witnessing other zebra here of all places surprised him greatly. By contrast, the energy radiating off of the now named Crystal Rain was only mildly surprising, but with a deep breath he calmly moved his wagon to the side of the road where he could safely unharness himself from it and walk over to join the conversation that he had been invited into. Offering the zebra mare a smile and a small tip of his head, he answered "Kama nisingeweza, huu ungekuwa wakati mgumu sana kugundua ukweli huo." Turning to Crystal, his top hat jingled with bird bones as he introduced himself as "Doctor Kabra'za. Were you waiting for someone in particular, Miss Rain?" he asked politely, gesturing towards the station in general.

Kabra'za's trip to the Crystal Empire was naturally tilting him towards disliking it. While others freely took advantage of the train in order to bypass the frozen lands around the recently returned empire, Kabra'za didn't have that same luxury if he wanted to have a roof over his head or his stuff. So he traveled with his wagon instead. Not only was this a somewhat longer trip, but it involved having to deal with ice and snow. Kabra'za found he didn't like ice and snow. He had a number of means of negating the coldness so he didn't suffer any ill effects of freezing, otherwise he wouldn't have bothered to make the trip at all, but there were challenges outside of it that he hadn't considered... such as ice locking up his wheels. Or having to dig his wagon out of the snow first thing in the morning. But still, he made it! Walking past the train station with a small glare in his eyes, he calmly reached up to brush the loose snow off of his top hat, rattling the bird bones a little in the process. Even as snow was brushed off of his back as his shadow seemed to be shaking itself off independently of its master.

The idea that the magic crazed leech didn't know about Sirens... it did provide a bit of a balm to Allegro's wounded pride. However, he could tell that Sunny was trying to appease him... or at least cheer him up. "Look, I'm not really upset that she missed me. It's more..." He paused, trying to word it right. "...Imagine that somepony was throwing a party and they were inviting everyone to it. Now, you don't really like the host and big gatherings like that aren't your thing... but either due to going out of their way or simply not knowing you exist, they don't invite you. Everyone else gets an invite and you don't... even if you didn't care about going in the first place. It just feels like a personal slight, you know?" Though as irrational as Allegro knew he was being in the moment, he had followed and listened to what Sunny suggested... and suddenly he didn't feel like the insane one of their friendship anymore. "Sunny, please don't take this the wrong way but... I don't think masked villainy is the way to go here." Despite his poor grasp on social situations, for some reason the idea of telling Sunny that he didn't think she would be able to play the role properly seemed like a bad idea. "I mean, you have other friends right? The first sign of you going evil, they would naturally leap in to try and redeem or defeat you. Things could get complicated really quickly if they did..." Aware that he hadn't put down the idea for good, he decided to push on as he added "At any rate... isn't staging something like a rescue or a villain attack in order to make me look good kind of... dishonest?"

Allegro... was captivated. Sunny had always been able to take and hold his attention under normal circumstances, but watching as wings and a horn seemed to manifest around her like that... it was the most beautiful thing he had ever been witness too since meeting Sunny herself. He had so many questions he wanted to ask her, including if it was rude if he asked if he could touch her wings... but right now there were other things that needed to be addressed. First and foremost: "When did this whole 'magic stealing' thing happen with the evil alicorn?" He asked, clearly trying to think about it. "I mean, was this before I met you the first time? Because if it happened recently and I missed it..." He just... started to frown. "...That's actually kind of upsetting." He blinked as he considered how that might be taken. "Look, I'm happy not to have some power mad, old horny winged mare stealing my magic or anything. It's just... It would have been nice to have been included! Be acknowledged as worth taking the magic from instead of just being skipped over. I feel insulted!" It was a weird thing to get hung up over and it was clear that Allegro knew that, but it was simply what it was. Grumbling a little about how siren magic was just as good, if not better then pony magic and Opaline was a tasteless hag, Allegro refocused on the second topic of discussion. "...You want to make me a hero? How?" He paused, before brightening up "Is that hag Opaline still around? Because I would love the chance to show her why she was an idiot to ignore me!"

Allegro had never really been in a situation like this before. It wasn't like he had much in the way of practice with having crushes or talking to a mare that he had feelings for about said feelings. Upfront, blunt and honest was all he really had because he didn't trust anything else to work correctly. But it seemed like he needed to employ such things for other subjects as well. "Sunny, the only thing you just said that I have context or understanding of is your father and the kind of stallion he was. What is an alicorn?" He needed a moment, clearly floundering as he tried to come up with the correct words to help her understand his point of view. "...I think you're viewing me as someone who was apart of the herd. Somepony who was in the background or hanging around the Bay, talking to ponies and watching events happen even if I wasn't apart of those things. I wasn't through. Being able to interact with ponies or enter the city without ponies panicking at the sight of me is a very recent development. The only event in Maretime Bay I really noticed from where I could see things before then was the day that the lighthouse got wrecked and the rebuilding process. Anything smaller or more inland was practically unknown to me." Hoping that at least gave her a better understanding of where he was coming from, he couldn't help but tilt his head as he pondered her question. "What did you have in mind?"

It was almost physically possible to hear the sound of the record skipping in Allegro mind. As he suddenly delved deep into the files of his memories in order to try and uncover a face to go with the name 'Izzy'. It was an older one, connected with the ship in which he had originally met Sunny... possibly. He had to admit that of the various ponies he had encountered that day, Sunny had kind of blotted them out. Much like how the sun overshadowed the stars. Taking a deep breath, he was quick to speak up. "No... No I wasn't talking about her." There was a part of him that considered seeing how long Sunny would dance around the oblivious, listing off various names until she was literally the only one left... but he decided against it. Today was a day to be bold after all. Walking over to Sunny as she fiddled with paper and pens, he reached out and pressed his hoof against her side in order to get her attention. "I was talking about you Sunny. To me, you are the beautiful mare that lives in the lighthouse." Was he getting the name of the Brighthouse wrong? Yes... but considering he came from a sailing family it could hopefully be overlooked and forgiven. Hopefully Sunny wouldn't be able to do some mental gymnastics to misunderstand what he had said through.

Allegro... didn't know how long he found himself leaning against Sunny for. The moment she nudged him he just... he didn't flop, but it was as if he was drawn to her warmth like a lizard on a sunny rock and didn't want to pull away again. His eyes were closed and he just... enjoyed this moment. This moment of warmth and acceptance and... he didn't know what other words would even come close to explaining what he was feeling with proper justice. Still, all moments must pass in time. He took a deep breath and pulled away, before offering her a small, shy little smile. "T-Thank you. You have no idea... no idea at all about how terrified I was that you wouldn't accept who I was." Another deep breath was required, but he seemed a little more at ease as he offered "I'm sorry... I've been rather selfish during this conversation. Just been about me, me me..." He chuckled softly as he glanced away, still feeling the warmth from where his body had been in contact with hers. "...I would love to hear more about the beautiful, kind mare that lives in the lighthouse. Because I don't really know that much about you."

For a moment, Allegro paused as something... happened. A sensation that he had never felt before and yet... felt strangely natural to him as well. Almost to the point of being instinctive, if it wasn't for the fact that he had complete control over if he acted on it or not. As his head turned towards his friend, despite the lingering rage within himself he could feel the anger coming off of Sunny in a manner that had nothing to do with the fact that her mane seemed to pick up a shade of red. It was as if he could literally feel the volatile emotion that was churning beneath coat and understood that it was directed towards those earth ponies that had driven him from his home and burned it... ...And that all it would take is a little bit of effort on his part to stroke that anger into a righteous fury, securing himself an ally that would aid him without question to punish those who had wronged him. It wouldn't take much; A few normal, well placed words would do it. Through if he wanted to be absolutely sure he could weave a small song that would tug on the right threads. Not only would he have her unquestioning support, there was something telling him that her anger would by itself serve as a great source of personal power for him as well. All he needed to do was reach out and- Sunny's touch as her hoof was placed on him snapped him out of... whatever mindset he had just been in. He blinked several times, forgetting the last time he had done so even as he shook his head to refocus himself on the here and now. He didn't know what in the eternal darkness of the depths that was but... no. After all the kindness and compassion that Sunny had shown to him, returning it by betraying her trust and using her as a pawn or... some kind of emotional power source? No. No he refused to consider the idea further. "S-Sorry but..." He started, trying to find the words to try and describe what had just happened in a way that wouldn't make Sunny freak out. He didn't really understand it himself and... well, he couldn't really think of a good way of saying that some kind of innate instinct had tried to get him to mess with her emotions and mind, either in a magical or mundane fashion for his own personal gain. She had accepted him... and he didn't want her to think he was some kind of monster. Not now. "S-Sorry. My thoughts kind of got away from me for a moment there." It wasn't a lie, but there was a part of him that couldn't help but feel like it wasn't exactly the truth either. "I... honestly don't know if I have to stay by the sea or bodies of water. Physically, I mean. But I want to stay by the sea because if I leave, then my mother wouldn't know where in Equestia I've disappeared to and won't be able to find me." He considered what he had mentioned to Sunny so far, before his eyes went wide. "Right, didn't mention what Mum has been up to this whole time. When Dad went missing, she went out to look for him. She would come back to check on me, but the more I was able to look after myself, the further out and more indepth she could search. It's been a while since I last saw her, but she'll be back." The look on Allegro's face was that of somepony who was clinging to an idea so tightly because the alternative simply wasn't thinkable to them... or more precisely, any thought to the contrary was kept as suppressed as possible, because entertaining it anywhere outside of nightmares might risk it actually being something that might happen. "...She'll be back." was muttered more to himself, as if he was trying to buff up his resolve.

Allegro couldn't help but offer Sunny a small, understanding but bashful smile... even as he felt himself warm up as she gave him a hug. The physical sensation of touching him would have been... weird. Fish like scales, but much warmer to the touch then a fish with some patches of fur that were cooler then a normal pony would be. He also seemed to be somewhat damp. When he talked, he made a point of not looking directly at her; His breath stank of fish and he didn't want to breath that into her face. "If that is true, then you came from wonderful parents." He answered as he shyly gave her a hug in return. It had been... so long. Still, he reluctantly pulled back as she asked her follow up question, reaching up to rub at the back of his head. "...Not exactly. I've only really been able to do the whole illusion thing since... well..." he fumbled with his wording for a moment, before shrugging and finishing "...Well, since magic returned. Mum told me that Sirens were able to use magic at some point in the past, but then..." He paused this time because of the awkward truth of the matter but Sunny was clearly interested in answers "...There is a few different stories about the why or the how, but fundamentally they all share the same root of 'Once everyone had magic and it was great, then some stupid ponies ruined it for everyone else and now there isn't any magic anymore'. Story flavors range from earnest accident to someone having a tamper tantrum because they couldn't have all the magic so they broke it and now no one gets it, but everyone agrees that it was something one or more ponies did." Letting that sink in for a moment, Allegro continued with the actual answer "So generally, I stayed at home. My family used to have a house that was out on the outskirts of the city, by the beach. Close enough that dad could go into the city to do things, but isolated and far enough out that ponies rarely bothered to go out that far and risk running into me or mum." It was... hard to pin point when the change happened. When Allegro had started talking about his childhood home, he had sounded and looked happy... but quickly that happiness faded as the pain of loss entered his eyes... and a dark, icy fury crept into the edges of his voice. "...Then, about two years after dad went missing, some ponies from the city came to the house and forced their way inside. They saw me because I hadn't been expecting them and... I remember their surprise turning into yells as they not only chased me out of my childhood home for being a 'monster', but burned it down to make sure I didn't come back." He... needed a moment to calm down. What happened back then was not Sunny's fault and while he wasn't sure if he was going to rant or cry, he didn't want to do it in front of her right now. Slipping off the couch in order to just... physically move around as he took deep breaths, finishing the answer off as he tried to keep the spite in his voice to a minimum "Since then, I've been spending the last few years living in a number of caves along the shoreline, often in hard to reach places for 'normal' ponies." He may have spat the word 'normal', but while he might have stamped his hooves against the ground a bit heavier then normal as he started to pace a bit, he was clearly trying to calm down.