crystal palace Dancing to a Cadence (Closed)

[Novaburst]

"Glad to meet you Foxtrot. Sorry I didn't reply earlier, had a lot on my mind."  This was the truth because Rune had been worried about the presence of the Frostwolves, which he had been assured by Cadence wasn't going to be a problem for him any longer. He'd smile at Cadence's comment about the Frost Biters not being a problem for him in the future, or in the past. "You make Los Pegasus sound good, Eden."  said Rune. "I'll have to visit there when I am not busy with a project."  He'd say turning towards Eden. He'd then turn towards Shining Armor and say.  

 

"Depends,  do you consider a couple of mirrors that are made to allow faster contact than Dragonfire Mail or similar messages as particularly ambitious?"  Rune said. "Was working on it as a way to make communication easier for ponies. Basically, it would be an instant form of communication. Haven't been able to think up the specifics yet, but with the Frostbiters gone, I should be able to."  He'd turn back towards Cadence. "Yes, it is lonely in the Artic Wilderness. I've been considering moving to the Crystal Empire."   Rune paused, but then said to all of them.  "The food certainly smells good. It's bound to be delicious!"  He'd say smiling a little. He'd finally have managed to get the juice set back down once he had drained it of enough liquid. The smell of the bread and the food made Rune want to eat it right away but he was trying to restrain himself. 

 

 

[Windwright]

Eden Glow was being brought up to be a very respectable colt, so he didn't quite stare at the older unicorn while he blinked in confusion. It was good to hear that the broccolis had cheese on them, he didn't mind them that way. Hmm. Maybe the old unicorn just thought he'd heard Eden? It looked like he couldn't magic the glass, but that was okay, Eden wasn't very good at that either yet. He could JUST about hold a book up!  Without thinking too much, he answered Princess Cadance's question though.

 

"Sister's Palace is pretty." he said, as someone who wasn't allowed in the front door, but was allowed to walk on the Strip going the long way from school. He took a drink of juice while he went back to listening to the grown ups.

[Blueblood]

A grin spread itself across Shining Armor's face at the memory of wedding planning with Cadence.  Although, it was mostly a happy memory in retrospect; while the wedding was ultimately everything he'd ever dreamed (complete with the nightmares too, courtesy of Chrysalis), he had to admit that there were moments, late in the night, when the weight of logistical planning made the prospect of eloping very tempting indeed.

 

But, that was then, this was now.  "Heh, we'll definitely have to carve out a free weekend when we can."  He assented to his wife's recommendation, though inwardly, he wasn't sanguine about it happening soon.  Heck, carving out a bare afternoon today had involved an inordinate amount of planning.  Still, if one wanted to make, and keep, new friends, the effort would have to be made.  Anyhow, if the good company at dinner was any indication, the effort would be worth it.

 

Speaking of company and conversation, Rune had brought up an interesting idea.  Shining, being part of an academic family, was reasonably well-read on magical theory.  Being also a trained soldier, however, he was also disposed to practical solutions that any pony under his command could utilize, unicorn or not.  "So, something like shore signals, then?  You set those up at the edge of visible distance, and you can run a message from Stalliongrad down to Roam in a matter of hours.  Not instant, but it works in absence of, say, Spike."  He chuckled, pausing as a whiff of something good came in through the kitchen.

 

"Ah, I think the food is ready!"  Little Flurry Heart gave a little baby cheer in response, more to her father's tone than his words, in all probability.  Still, the Crystal Chefs were fantastic at their work, making everything look, smell, and taste as good as one could wish.

[Dubstep]

Foxtrot smiled and tilted his head. "Hotel? Oh gosh no, I mean there's great hotels there don't get me wrong, but I wouldn't dream of making you two stay at a hotel during your visit." the stallion shook his head. He knew that they could easily afford it, but that wasn't the point! "We've got a guest room at the house that we rarely use with plenty of room in it! You'd be more than welcome to stay there!"

Eventually the Princess' other guest managed a reply, that was good! "Oh it's alright. We all get lost in thought from time to time." There wasn't really much conversation to be had there, but it was at least nice to know they weren't just ignored. With that concern out of the way, the wafting smell of wonderful smelling food practically demanded attention. Oooh he'd be heading back to the hotel with a full belly tonight, that was for sure!

[Bellosh]

 

"Thank you for the offer," Princess Cadence politely explained to Foxtrot; "But we couldn't bear to make you go through any trouble for our sake." In truth, the thought of staying at a home of somepony she barely knew seemed rather odd to the alicorn mare. She might have relented were it any other place, but Las Pegasus? The city of a dozen resort hotels? She and Shiny would be fools to not live it up in the most fabulous suite possible.

 

Cadence acknowledged Eden's own thoughts on the matter. "Sister's Palace, huh? I uhh... guess we'll look into it." The princess would have wished Eden had more to say about the Sister's Palace, though...

 

...But that kitchen smell! Dinner was here!!! With much hustle and bustle, the servers got to placing plates of zesty fettuccine on the table. "Time to eat up, everypony!"

[Novaburst]

"I cannot wait to try the food, it smells and probably will be delicious."  said Rune, watching as they served him. His stomach rumbled a bit, but he knew he could make himself wait until the food was on the table. Still from the smell alone, he knew he'd like the meal. At least it would be something wonderful. Eating with royalty was rare. It was times like these that he could get out and socialize that lifted Rune's spirits for the lonely times he spent at his home in the Frozen North. "You know, I'm truly considering moving into a more civilized area. As much as I hate to abandon it, it would be a mercy on these old bones if I were to do so," said Rune. 

 

 

[Windwright]

Food! He wasn't able to follow everything the grownups were saying, but he was able to smell the food the whole time. It was kind of making his head hurt waiting. But now the food is here! And Eden's horn sparks and pulses while he pulls the plate closer to the edge of the table so it's easier to reach. He listens to the grownups while he ea-Wooooah. This was good! He didn't get to have this kind of sketti often, but he could probably learn how to make it. He would have to, this was too good! Broccolis and all!

[Blueblood]

For his part, Shining Armor was more amenable to the idea of accepting the hospitality of acquaintances; for himself, anyway.  He rather enjoyed the inherent adventure of not quite knowing what you would get, but being a good husband, he was sensible enough to not subject his wife to the same on one of the few opportunities they had to really treat themselves.  "Quite so.  We might not be much of a burden, but our security retinue... heh, that'd be a little much to drop on you."  He chuckled, but only half in jest.  Given that they had been subject to at least two changeling kidnapping attempts, there was no way the Crystal guards were going to let their beloved heads of state anywhere anymore without a suitable accompaniment.

 

Speaking of accommodation, seemed that Rune was thinking about coming in from the cold.  "Well, the Empire would be glad to have you.  I'm sure you'd get along quite well with our resident scholars, especially our Crystaller, Sunrise.  He'd certainly be happy to pick your brains, as well as Twilie, actually, whenever she comes up to visit."  Twirling his fork with his magic, he took a bite of pasta and broccoli, closing his eyes to savor the taste.  Hm, exactly the right al dente texture; not easy to do when cooking in so large a volume.  He opened his eyes to see Eden eating with obvious enjoyment, and cracked a smile.   "Well!  I see it meets your expectations?"

[Dubstep]

Ah, well that was a little disappointing, it wasn't quite a no though! "Ah, well the offer will certainly still be open if you change your mind! At the very least you'll have to let me treat. If you decide for a hotel instead, Sister's Palace is a top notch choice." Foxtrot said with a smile. Before he could really elaborate any further on the nature of the hotel, the food finally arrived! And whoo boy did it smell even better as it got closer! Foxtrot himself took his time enjoying the meal...While Eden on the other hoof. The stallion chuckled softly and glanced over at his younger brother. "You'll have to get me this recipe ahaha."

[Bellosh]

 

It looked like tonight's dinner was agreeing with everypony! That was enough to make Princess Cadence beam. "I'll have the chef write the recipe down for you before you leave tonight," the alicorn told Foxtrot. "We can even bag up some of the leftover breadsticks for you and Eden to eat later, if you'd like."

 

Cadence then turned her attention towards little Flurry Heart, sitting over by Shining Armor. Leaning over for a better look, the pink princess cooed; "Oooh, is mama and papa's lil' fluffy-munchkin eating her din-din?" It would be up to the father tonight to ensure their daughter ate her food... hopefully without much difficulty.....

[Novaburst]

"The meal was good. Thank you for preparing something like this," said Rune, having finished his plate full of the food, and waving off anyone who tried to put more onto it. While it was partially true that he was still hungry, Rune didn't want to be a burden on the hospitality of the individuals near him.  "Picking my brains huh? I might allow that," admitted Rune with a chuckle. "Would be the first time other than my nephew, that I've ever had anyone learn from me, magic wise."  Rune added, in response to Shining. He'd then say. "Thank you both, Shining Armor and Cadance, but I must be going... I don't want to overstay my welcome, and I do have to figure out where I'm going to move eventually. The Crystal Empire does certainly look better than my original home," said Rune. "Tell your chef the food was exquisite." 

 

 

 

 

[Windwright]

Eden nodded enthusiastically toward Shining Armor, his horn sparking a little in his excitement and making a trail of stars. He definitely liked the food, and something else about dinner just felt right. The grownups were back to talking to one another though, and it looked like the prince was watching the baby eat. That was interesting too, but there was something else. Something kept pulling his eyes up, and he didn't know what it was. It's not like the ceiling was interesting. Well, more interesting than the floors anyway. And it wasn't that they were feeding the foal, because he wasn't looking at her exactly.

 

It was like that time in Fillydelphia when Eden got lost. He didn't know where he was or why, but he just felt like he needed to stay where he was and things would work out. And they did, his parents found him and let him live with Foxy after. But this wasn't the same. He didn't feel lost, but he felt like he was doing the right thing by waiting and watching. He just didn't know what he was watching yet.

[Blueblood]

Shining Armor nodded at Foxtrot's request for the recipe.  "I'll be sure you get it, then!"  He smiled too, at Rune's positive response to perhaps moving into the Empire; they could always use more skilled citizens.  Right at this moment, however, his attention was completely captured by a task requiring no small amount of skill itself, not to mention a double dose of courage: getting his daughter to eat.

 

It wasn't that Flurry Heart was a particularly ill-behaved filly, quite the contrary!  It was just that she had a certain peculiar genius for introducing complications into the already not-quite-straightforward art of parenting.  At least the random bursts of alicorn-level magic were over, thank the Crystaller!  At the moment, it was a relatively simple dilemma; Flurry had taken the first spoonful of food from her father with glee, but now gripped the spoon with hooves, mouth, and magic alike.  Baby or not, that's no small amount of force for an alicorn.  "No, Flurry," Shining cooed, his face bearing the patient smile of fathers everywhere, "You have to let go of the spoon before you get more food!"  A small part of him wondered if he hadn't just touched a fundamental philosophical truth there, while the rest of him concentrated on tugging the spoon away as gently and firmly as possible.

 

"Num, num!"  Flurry's own coos sounded muffled around the spoon as she sucked on it.  Suddenly, her eyes opened wide, along with her mouth.  "Ah..."  Shining removed the spoon, patting his daughter's head, but his smile soon turned to a look of concern.  "Ah..."  The little pink and purple princess' eye began to twitch.  "AH..."

 

Instantly shifted to full-panic mode, Shining Armor cried out.  "TAKE COV-"

 

"CHOOOOH!"

 

The stallion had called out his warning just one second too late for everyone at the table to duck.  Perhaps the reflexes of a dancer or one experienced in dodging timberwolves might give one an edge, but it would be close.  Fortunately, he did manage to get his shield up in time.  Unfortunately, the absolutely astonishing amount of goop that his daughter's head could hold did not stick to his magical protection barrier, oh no!  It hit the shield like a grenade and exploded in a cloud of green all over the table, raining down over the gathered diners in little droplets.

 

Surveying the destruction, Shining Armor was stuck between two reactions: "Oh, Celestia, no..." and "That's my girl!"  It was... impressive, to say the least.  "Um, sorry everyone.  She seems to have invented the Royal Crystal Sneeze..."

[Dubstep]

Honestly, Foxtrot couldn't have hoped for a better day after taking this job. He got to spread one of the things he loved the most, got to meet the rulers of the Crystal Empire, and a great meal to top it off! Not to mention the fact that it seemed like Eden was enjoying himself too, that was always a top priority. There was little that could ruin it! As the stallion continued enjoying his meal however, a noise caused his ear to twitch. Now, being an older brother and having dealt with small children in the past as well, it was an obviously familiar sound. The total slimy devastation that a baby's sneeze could wreak was bad enough. But an alicorn baby? Well he wasn't sure, he was never around one! But he wouldn't take aaaany chances.

 

It was a kneejerk reaction, but in short order Foxtrot dove beneath the table and gently yanked Eden underneath with him, just in time for the sound of gooey horror to splatter up above. After a few moments to let the 'panic' subside, okay to let the goop subside really, Foxtrot peeked out from under the table to observe ground zero. "I wasn't aware that the Crystal Empire was known for its hurricanes, ahaha!"

[Bellosh]

 

Shining Armor's warning was not enough to save his princess. Cadence had saw fit several moments prior to get up and try to coax Flurry Heart into letting the spoon out of her mouth. That meant the pink alicorn was at ground zero when that epic sneeze became imminent. One would think that simply ducking out of the way would have been enough to safeguard Cadence. However, her plan backfired... because Shiny's shield caused a whole load of goop to splat right back at the Crystal Princess!

 

For a few seconds, all Cadence could do was stand frozen in place, bewildered at all the goop covering herself, her baby, and nearly everything else in sight. So much for their guests taking any leftovers home from their table. Finally, the alicorn managed to shakily croak out a one-liner; ".....I think it's now bath time for the baby... and myself....."

[Novaburst]

"And I am going to need new clothes," said Rune Writer, as he looked at them. Sure they were only covered with droplets of snot, but the snot had covered a lot of the areas of the clothing he had been wearing. It was the last time he wore fancy clothes to the Crystal Empire, so long as that baby still had uncontrollable sneezes. Rune groaned as he looked at both Shining and Cadance. "Does this happen often?"  If it did, Rune knew what his next project was going to be, developing some sort of medicine or drug that could perhaps suppress the sneezes of the cute Alicorn Filly, Flurry Heart. Her sneezes were a natural disaster waiting to happen. 

 

 

 

[Windwright]

A line of sparks followed Eden under the table like a faint galactic arm. He barely registered that he'd been moved, because the new vantage point showed him something out the window he hadn't seen before. Out there, in the dim sky, was pure colour. Not just the sunset, he'd seen lots of those in Neighvada, but ribbons of pink and lines of gold and waves of blue and green. Something about those lights pulled at him, and he couldn't stop staring even when his own horn started copying them.

 

He steps out under the princess's chair and walked to the window with a ribbon of cyan light trailing from his horn and wavering in the air like a heatless flame. He stands at the window, his eyes locked on the sky, trembling with open excitement. How hadn't he known he was missing that light? How hadn't he seen that something so pretty was his... his... his...

 

There was no dramatic flash, or audible puff of magic. There was just an Aurora streaming out of his horn and draping over him like a blanket. When it fades, it does so everywhere except his flanks, leaving him with the indelible mark of his destiny.

[Blueblood]

"Eheheheh... Sorry, dear."  Shining Armor knew, with that deep knowledge that only a husband can obtain, that Cadence was going to have words with him later about this.  Hopefully, by the time the mommy-daughter bath was over, she would be in a mood to laugh as well as talk.  He himself could already see the funny side of this, of course, but good manners kept him from guffawing in front of all the guests.

 

"Pthbthbth... hahaha, da funny!"  Flurry, of course, had no such socialized restrictions, laughing freely as an innocent baby filly.  And, thankfully, at least one of the guests was taking it in good humor as well!  "Well, the Crystal Heart can only do so much, Foxtrot."  He permitted himself to smile as he extricated his now-shiny foal from her high chair.  Faust only knew what would happen if they tried to use the great artifact to restrain little Flurry Heart; if it didn't shatter again, it may well supercharge that sneeze into covering the whole Empire with alicorn snot!  Wouldn't that be a letter to write home...

 

"No, it doesn't happen very often-"  Shining broke off in the middle as his ears caught the familiar little gleam of magic, surrounding a foal in self-realization.  Quickly turning around, he was in time to see Eden's flanks gleam with the light of the Aurora.  "Wow, talk about a memorable evening!"

[Dubstep]

Foxtrot watched curiously as Eden just sort of wandered out from under the table almost in a trance. This wasn't the first time he had done this, a time or two back in Fillydelphia and a few times in Las Pegasus, the colt would just trail off at night and stare up at the sky lost in thought. His parents thought it odd and, while it was, it was harmless. And so any time his brother drifted off to space, he'd wait it out while he came back down to earth. But something felt different this time. He couldn't really place it though.

Glancing out the window that the colt was staring at, Foxtrot saw the beautiful aurora dancing in the evening sky. No wonder Eden was so entranced, it really was a beautiful sight! But...it was more than that still, wasn't it? The stallion's eyes drifted back over to his brother as the younger unicorn's horn started to mimic the shining, shimmering, splendid lights. 'He sure has a talent for that.' Foxtrot thought at just the right time, as no more than a moment later, the magic of Eden's horn flowed out like a curtain of light over his form before fading...and leaving his cutie mark!

With an excited gasp, Foxtrot scrambled out from under the table and over to Eden and pulled him up into a hug. "Duuuuude!" he hollered excitedly. "Oh man, Eden, this is great! Oh my gosh, mom and dad are gonna be so excited!"

[Bellosh]

 

Shining Armor acknowledged the error of his ways despite the improbability of his shield spell causing more harm than good. No worries though; Princess Cadence would find a path to revenge one day. Perhaps Flurry Heart could be weaponized for such a purpose. Or maybe Cadence will take the lazy route by making Shiny change the baby's diapers for a week. Either form of retribution would suffice.

 

...But what was this? There was Eden... conjuring an aurora localized entirely within their dining room! When the light show stopped, there was a new cutie mark on what had been a blank flank. "Uh-ohhhh, everypony!" Cadence's newfound joyful mood made her forget all about her snot-covered coat she needed to clean; "Looks like we have an emeeeeergency cute-ceañera to celebrateeeeee!!! Quick Shiny, where's the camera.....?!"

 

--------

 

When ponies in the future looked at the group photo showing Eden with his new cutie mark and they noticed the Crystal Princess and her baby covered in something horrifically gross, boy would Eden have a story to tell. Possibly it'd take longer than a few words to tell it all!

[Novaburst]

Runewriter sighed as he looked at the aurora that the young child had made. While it distracted him from the snot, Rune Writer knew he was going to need a bath. No, make that several baths in his hot tub when he got back to his home in the Frozen North.  "I've enjoyed the meal, but I simply must be going," said Rune Writer. With that Rune Writer made his exit from the place as he had other things to do. So in a flash of light, he teleported away to his home.