Neoniie

A trip to the capital of Equestria itself, Canterlot. It seemed almost unbelievable for the colt, even though he was currently standing on the Canterlot platform of the Equestrian Railroad. He'd practically had to beg his parents to take him to the famed city, and only after extensive persuasion had they agreed to it. Since his move from Fillydelphia, the earth pony hadn't actually done much large-scale travelling. His family didn't really have the time and excess wealth to allow for travel whenever they wanted, but with his recent increase in effort with his schoolwork, they had decided that a break wouldn't be too much trouble. Neon had been ecstatic and nearly cantered onto the wrong train in his excitement. Luckily his parents had pulled him back before he'd been sent off to Ponyville, but it hadn't deterred his bouncy demeanour in the slightest.

Very cautiously, his parents had cautioned him to be careful and not wander too far off. They had a quick stop to make before settling in at their hotel room for the day. Of course, with neon being as rambunctious as he was, staying put wasn't very likely. Eventually getting antsy enough, the colt scribbled down a note to his parents and taped it to a nearby lamppost. Satisfied that his parents would find it, the colt trotted off through the streets, eager to enjoy the sights of the city. If anypony were to be curious enough to read the note, they would find written, in fairly hasty script:

Mom and Dad,

Don't worry, I've just gone exploring. I'll meet you back at the hotel. If you're wondering, I went this way: --->

From,

Neon

I'm more inclined to a go with the flow sort of RP and in Canterlot with an open door for innocents to come in with their problems that Nighthoof tries to solve!

Sounds like a great idea! I'll whip up a starting post that explains Neon actual getting to Canterlot and whatnot and then wait for interested RPers and Timid to drop in.

For the parameters, Manehatten I think makes sense as the location for both of them and I'm perfectly fine with it being left open too if others want to get involved.

As for plotting, I'm usually more inclined to react to things as they happen as opposed to having a strict plot guideline to follow. If you want some plot points set in advance for us to work toward I'm fine with that though. I can be pretty flexible with that sort of thing.

I think I'm more of a loose premise person myself as well. And I'm not entirely sure what plotiness to go with, so I'll just leave it to develop as we go. I'm also fine with leaving it open, so we can go with that as well. I guess the only question left is who should start it off. I'm impartial really, so whichever option's fine with me.

The mare was clearly one of the more nervous ponies that Chocolate Tail had met. Not that he had met many timid ponies in his life, since the world of business was generally one of boldness and outspoken debate rather than conservation and careful approaches. Though, then again, there were times when a subtler hoof was needed to keep the odds in one's favour, so he must have dealt with the more reserved ponies before as well. Regardless of his experiences with certain personality types, this poor pegasus was clearly quite distressed at the moment. He really couldn’t think of much else to do but try to get the mare into a more familiar atmosphere, which in this case meant talking about something less foreign to her.

Assuming that if Argenta was going to be patching up any injuries on the mare, it would also probably be best to take her mind off of that as well, the stallion was mostly sure that engaging the pegasus in some discussion would be best. He searched for a topic to begin on and remembered her mentioning her hometown. "Well, it's good to hear that nopony was causing any trouble. You mentioned that Stalliongrad was your hometown, yes? In that case, I'm not surprised the crowd gave you a bit of a scare. It's not usually quite this busy in the Torga District. It's probably the spirit of some holiday that has everypony so busy." Internally, he wasn't actually very inquisitive on the subject, he just hoped his approach had been the right one.

Ooh, lovely some replies already!

Well, maybe a tale with neon stargazer and timid? Could turn into a Nighthoof RP with Timid being dragged into it as his sidekick!

Oh my goodness, the possible antics. Neon is definitely the type to accidentally drag somepony into his crazy schemes, especially if they're more of the timid type. I really love this idea. So, the only questions here are location and Open/Closed. Oh, and super plotted or just a go-with-the-flow sort of thing.

I have a character I haven't really done anything with yet, Vivid Flair, who is herself a sort of superhero type, if a more adult, competent example. There might be great potential for the two of them to meet amidst some heroics.

Ah, I remember this character coming out of Firebolt's proposed superhero idea a while back. It seems fitting that they would meet regardless of that lack of traction with that idea. Another great idea that I'm really quite partial to now. Again, the only real questions I have are parameters and whether you were thinking of a more highly structured plot vs. a loose premise.

Quantum Flux nearly drank all of her remaining apple juice in one gulp in her haste to answer the Princess. She'd been hoping for this chance since arriving and her anticipation had been fairly high throughout her idling during the event thus far. As soon as she opened her mouth the begin, the unicorn's mind suddenly went blank. Luckily for the mare, the blue-grey stallion who had also been addressed by the alicorn spoke up first. Privately relieved that she hadn't just blurted out whatever first came to mind in an awkward ramble, Flux made good use of the time it took to tell Stalwart's tale to pull herself together once more. Truthfully, the part of the mare that wasn't all jittery with nervousness was quite sardonic about her lack of co-ordination today. In the name of Celestia, you can't let this be such a problem. Keep focused on the goal.

Once the pegasus had completed his request, the unicorn stepped forward slightly to voice her own sort of request. "I...uh...yes, I do believe you could give me a hoof. Not with an actual problem per se, but nonetheless." She paused briefly before continuing, trying to keep herself from cantering off-topic. "You see, most of the books I've encountered regarding the CRPR have been vague at best. They do give one a fair idea of its actual purpose, but its operations itself are fairly mysterious to me. You did mention that there are groups who go out into Equestria every once in a while as envoys of sorts to the royalty of Canterlot, to my understanding that is. The main question in all of this is what exactly they would deal with in these visits. Obviously not small, everyday problems, but larger ones that would affect Equestria at large, I assume?"

Alright, so like a couple of the other latest threads in here, I have a pair of characters who could use some extra threads.

The first is a Kelpie by the name of Jack O'Lantern. He's a trickster type and good for all manner of lightheartedness and such. The main limitation is that he'd need to be in a thread near water, which makes the actual thread-getting with him a touch difficult. For reference, he lives in the Nimbusgait Lakes, but can end up pretty much anywhere with water nearby.

The second is a Caped Colt-sader! Well, at least he likes to think he is. Little Neon Stargazer took on the superhero identity of Nighthoof and is ardent in his journey to help everypony he can. the only problem is that he’s not a very good superhero and generally makes a fool of himself whenever he tries to save somepony (with a few exceptions that drive him onward). Despite his extracurricular activities, Neon is a regular old schoolcolt, so he can be in anything of a non-heroic nature as well. Again, pretty much any idea here folks!

And, if any of my other characters catch your fancy, don't hesitate to float an idea about your OC and one of them as well. The more threads the merrier!

As loathe as the unicorn was to halt the hunt for clues about both the painting and Seeker's strange reaction, she had to admit that it was likely a good idea. She had been so intently focused on the mystery at hoof and her previous studies in the scientific barnch of the Archives that she hadn't noticed the grogginess that lack of sleep had inflicted on her. Though she often did stay up long into the night on the testing of one principle or another, Flux did need sleep every once in a while, just like any other pony. Of course, tonight just happened to be one that followed a particularly grueling all-nighter, so she couldn't truthfully say that the break wouldn't benefit her. So, she stepped back from the painting with a nod, being sure to keep an eye on it in case the culprit of the painting theft returned while they were unawares.

"I'm sure some bending of the rules wouldn't be problematic in this case," she agreed, having already technically bent the rules to actually make it down to the Archives in the first place. However, no sooner had Flux spoken than the grey unicorn asked his question. It wasn't so much as question as an unwelcome reminder, but with both Pinstripe and Seeker semming worried, the mare found herself struggling for an answer. Panic and worry wouldn't help them in their current situation and it probably would just make things more difficult for them. So, she tried to be as reassuring as possible, though discussion of emotional matters were not exactly her forte and she was fairly concerned herself. "We all need to keep level heads if this is going to work. There's always an answer and always an outcome, it's just a matter of time."

Firefly found herself to be more exerted by her stunt practice than usual. Her finale was the last in a string of exercises that she had been performing for most of the lit part of the day. The Shadowbolts were to be holding an exhibition of sorts within a couple of weeks and she, as a starter, had to be in tip-top form. Nearly 0.6 seconds slower than last time, she calculated, mostly on guesswork since she couldn't bring out all the proper equipment for a real measurement on this particular day. The staff at Cloudsdale Stadium usually let her help herself to the stadium and its amenities whenever other ponies weren't in need of it, but today had been busy for them. So, the pegasus had made do with what she could.

After making a few rough outlines for further training later on, the mare was content to just stretch her wings and catch her breath for a while. She doubted that anypony would be out in the forest this close to sundown and hopefully she would be in the air again before any of the Everfrees famous dangers made themselves known to her. She wandered vaguely as she unfurled and gave her wings a couple of easy flaps to make sure nothing had been pulled during her practice. To her satisfaction, everything seemed to be in order. that fact, combined with the success of her latest stunts, the pegasus was fairly pleased with her progress that day.

However, while she was pondering this, the pink mare hadn't noticed how far she'd veered from the clearing with a clear view of the sky in which she had landed. The Everfree tended to be very dense in some areas while surprisingly sparse in others. Unfortunately for Firefly, she seemed to have found herself in one of the more closely packed areas. A takeoff from this position would be much more risky than it would be worth. Not really sure which direction she needed to take to return to the clearing, the pegasus squared her shoulders and kept walking onward, confident that she would find a way out eventually.

The continually sinking sun didn't particularly boost her confidence, but the pegasus trotted onward, trying not to make too much fuss about the hisses and growls that were beginning to come alive in the darker edges of the forest. Just as she heard the snap of a twig behind her and turned to see what had made the sound, the pegasus took a step forward and right over the edge of a steep dip in the terrain. Since she wasn't looking in the direction she'd been headed the mare wasn't able to catch herself as she began to tumble and instead fell head over hooves into the darkness below.

Dazzle hated being late to an event. She wasn't exatcly the sort of mare who dotted her 'I's and crossed her 'T's with consistency, but she'd always felt as though tardiness made a bad impression. In most other cases, the unicorn would have merely shrugged it off and allowed it to be merely an unfortunate thing of the past, but tonight was not the time to make a bad impression. Almost certainly, the judges and fellow contestants would be attending this little pre-event get-together, which made it just as much a time to gauge one's competition as a time for relaxation and socialization. So, when she arrived almost 20 minutes past the official start of the Art Show, the mare was less than pleased.

She stepped in quietly, slipping in amongst the guests easily. She didn't want to make a big display of her entrance, though it might have been useful to her, impression-wise. Fashionably late, Dazzle, she chanted, the reassurance working to calm her slight nervousness. Hopefully the gown (which had been the cause of her tardiness in the first place) was worth the hassle that it had cost. It was a purple dress, colouredin such a way that her mane flowed almost seemlessly into the colour. It seemed to emphasize all the right points on the mare and certainly impressed its wearer thus far. Unfortunately, Dazzle had not yet met with her stylist, which meant she could not gauge whether the creations of that pony would match her as well as this, or hopefully better, but it would have to do for tonight.

In her wandering through the party, the mare found herself in a room with only a couple other ponies. It was quite the artistic display with that foreign flair that Dazzle so often enjoyed in her music. She decided that it was as good a time as any to begin the actual social aspect that a party entailed. "Might I have heard mention of Manehatten? My apologies for interupting, but I can't very well pass up mention of my hometown." She turned specifically to the purple unicorn to her right. "It is quite the marvel, isn't it." Then, after barely a few seconds had passed, she added to the group at large, "Oh, how could I have forgotten! My name is Dazzle Dreams, pleased to meet you."

Sorry this took so long to get rolling, but I've started up our topic here.

Let's do this!

The clouds seemed to part themselves over the treetops of the Everfree Forest. In the strange self-caring wood, this was not an odd occurrence. In fact, it was almost common place. The rest of Equestria and the Everfree Forest were like parallel opposites. Phenomenon that were considered normal in one could be a practical miracle in the other. For this reason, the true reason for the movement of these particular clouds would have been stranger in the forest than a pony would think. If one looked a bit closer, they would find that the mover of the clouds was a pink pegasus. Though she flew alone, she wore the dark purple uniform of the Shadowbolts. She continued to part the cloud layer, creating smaller and more manageable chunks of cloud. Once there were a considerable number of these smaller pieces of cloud, the pegasus began to move them into a linear course.

The mare was extremely focused, not at all deterred in her task by the flight goggles that she had affixed over her violet eyes. Darkness had begun to settle over the forest, which meant she had to speed up her set-up to compensate. In all her time there, she had noticed that the forest seemed to become darker more quickly than the rest of Equestria. She had just accepted it as another quirk of the forest, but it did admittedly make her work that much more difficult. Once the clouds were in the order she had mentally mapped out earlier, the pegasus circled back to the beginning to begin the payoff for her work.

Flying back slightly to get a sufficient kick-off, the mare took a deep breath and focused herself on the task ahead. With a furious flapping of wings, she was off and already whizzing past the first cloud. She ground her teeth, having already missed the first cloud. Her initial speed hadn't been enough, but she was confident that it would reach the point she needed by the second cloud. Sure enough, this pass made little crackles of energy appear in the heart of the cloud. With a proud grin, the mare raced past the other clouds, the effect replicated in each of them.

With a final circle back, the mare gathered the clouds into one mass of lightning and fluff. Hovering before the massive sphere of cloud, the mare hurtled toward it and travelled through the cloud itself, trails of lightning latching onto her coat. As she emerged, lightning at her hooves, she did a quick pair of loops in the air. Once the lightning was exhausted, the mare stopped a hovered a moment, allowing the clouds to separate and go where they will. Short of breath, but fairly pleased with herself, Firefly landed on the mossy undergrowth of the Everfree Forest for a well-deserved break.

By the time Flux had decided on precisely the correct form of address for the princess and phrasing of her query, she found that another pony had already begun that line of questioning. Internally, the mare grumbled at herself in annoyance. This odd paralysis seemed to be affecting her greatly in regards to Princess Cadance. In any other case, she would have merely swallowed her annoyance and allowed her social awkwardness to take its course. Or, better yet, merely remove herself from the equation entirely and stick her muzzle back in another dusty old tome. However, it was getting in the way of her objective in attending this event: knowledge of the CRPR. Therefore, she could not allow herself to become a shirking violet now, even if this was a member of the Royal Family.

As Cadance answered the golden colt, the white mare busied herself with levitating a nearby glass and filling it carefully with apple juice. While she poured carefully, an ear was kept at attention to ensure she wouldn't miss anything the princess said in reply. It appeared to be fairly basic information, much of which Flux recalled having read earlier in one book or another. Even so, the last detail of the princess' personal involvement was certainly new information for her. Once she was satisfied with the quantity of juice in the glass, the unicorn trotted back toward the princess, intent on getting a more detailed understanding of the CRPR. However, again somepony else was already making the aquaintance of the alicorn. The life of a princess must be quite the busy one, if this is what they must deal with on a regular basis, she thought. So, Flux stood in the viscinity of the two nobleponies and merely sipped her drink in silence, thinking about the information she had already gathered.

The chocolate stallion inclined his head at her statement, conceeding to her words easily. "A good philosophy, in my eyes. After all, a pony trying to be somepony they're not is always a recipie for disaster." This thoughts circled back to his own words about being guarded at this point. In all honesty, he had struggled to find the right words for the sensation himself. Perhaps guarded wasn't quite the word for it, but the ponies he had encountered seemed to hide their true thoughts behind a facade. It was as though they were all an high alert, just waiting for the ice to crack beneath them. To be fair, Equestria had been a much more meancing place as of late, what with that whole Changeling debacle in the heart of Canterlot. Additionally, not everypony was quite as scrupulous as they probably ought to be. Taking those two facts in account, Chocolate Tail couldn't really blame them for not wanting to freely give away their life stories to complete strangers. "Also, I must confess that your father sounds like quite the interesting stallion, from the way you tell it. If he's much like you, I would have to say that it's not just the way you tell it that makes me thing so."

Before he could elaborate on this, a pegasus with a light pink coat managed to crash land straight in the path of the two ponies. Chocolate Tail reared back, both taken by surprise and in an attempt to not trample the poor mare. He hadn't been entirely sure how or why the mare had ended up at their hooves, but she certainly seemed frightened. Of what or whom, the unicorn couldn't even begin to guess, but he couldn't just leave the mare cowering before them. He bent his forelegs slightly, lowering his head as he did so. He was a business pony and certainly one with the most tender of personalities, but he tried his best regardless. "Hello," he began, giving his most reassuring of smiles. "Are you alright?"

I'm not entirely sure my scribbles can count as art, but I'm fairly hand with my linearts (or at least enough to be presentable).

So, Agent Neoniie reporting for Secret Project-based duty, sir!

Right-o, my good readers, I have returned for some update stuff!

Firstly, I am absolutely the worst author ever. I should have spent so muchmore time on this story, but I haven't due to various circumstances. However, I do declare that Chapter 4 is almost halfway complete and wil absolutely without a doubt be ready for the weekend if I have to brave the depths of Tartarus to do it.

My main update here is that the amazing Ginger Mint has created a stunning cover for my little piece here. If you click here you can give it a look.

So, in summary, wonderful cover and absolutely certain update by the weekend and an increase in productivity!

- Your author, Neoniie

Oops, the new string of threads must have slipped under my nose! Rest assured, I'll be having Dazzle making her entrance in one of them quite soon, now that I know they're here!

The princess' announcement drew Flux's eyes away from the earth pony who had backed into her. The unicorn blinked twice, not having noticed the presence of the alicorn until she had spoken. As she stared, wide-eyed at the princess, the white mare's thoughts were analyzing exactly what had just transpired in the ballroom. Changelings? she wondered, having immediately latched onto that particular word. Those creatures that attacked Canterlot, if I recall, were called Changelings. The scientist had missed the event entirely, much to the chagrin of her family and mentor. She had been so close to a breakthrough in her latest series of tests that she had dismissed the notion of attending the wedding ceremony without a second thought. Luckily, the Changelings didn't seem particularly focused on the outskirts of Canterlot, where Flux resided, and so she'd not encountered them herself. Nonetheless, the idea of such creatures had interested her immensely. Another thing to read about, she noted.

Putting two and two together, she assumed that the earth pony, who had recently introduced herself as Sweet Surprise, had been in a panic about the Changelings. Understandable, if a bit jumpy, she conceded. "No need to apologize, the fault is not yours. My name is Quantum Flux, pleased to meet-" Before the unicorn could finish, the chocolate mare had trotted off in the direction of Princess Cadance. Only slightly irritated, Flux trotted after her. She was slightly apprehensive about being in the presence of a Canterlot Royal, but she insisted on pulling herself together. If anypony would know about the CRPR, it would be one of the princesses. Taking a deep breath, she hovered behind Sweet Surprise as she spoke to Cadance, shuffling back and forth and trying to organize what she would say to address the Princess.

Again, another grand idea! I must admit, the contrast of the characters alone interests me quite a bit as well...

Wonderful! I'm not too picky on what plot we decide to use, but I do have at least one idea. I'll PM it to you, just to save the thread from my possible rambling craziness when it comes to plot hashing-out.

The sandy pegasus grinned, glad that her proposal had been accepted. Mirage had been prefectly prepared for the mare to go on her way afterward. After all, the pegasus had managed to derail her from whatever she had been doing earlier and wouldn't have been shocked by Lady wanting to return to that objective. However, it seemed that the earth pony was in no particular rush and took her up on her offer with a fair amount of conviction. Mirage herself had finished her Weathermare duties for the time being and was also unattached to any particular task at the momet. "Great!" she exclaimed, "I know just the place." With that, she was trotting off at a fair pace, excitement evident in her gait.

Being a new resident of the dusty desert town, the mare wasn't entirely certain where everything in Appleloosa was located. She knew the locations of imporant places, like the sheriff's place and the weatherponies' base, but more casual destinations were certainly not second nature to her. However, she had happened across the perfect place earlier that day when she'd gotten turned around on her way to that Weather Station. The Lonestar wasn't particularly fancy or large, but it seemed like as good a place as any. Mirage trotted into the place with confidence, waiting to ensure Lady had followed her before sitting.

((OOC: Ooh, this should be fun. ^_^))

Name : Dazzle Dreams

Gender : Female

Gender preference : Either or.

Location : Manehatten

Age : Mare

Species : Unicorn

Species preference : Again, no real preference here.

Cutie-Mark : A microphone stand.

How would you describe yourself, physically?

I'm fairly fit, a showmare must keep her figure, after all. I have light green eyes and a similarly light pink coat. My mane is a lovely lilac and kept in proper condition. I'm a little taller than the average mare, but only a little.

How would you describe your personality?

I tend to be very hospitable and elegant, as one would expect from any singer worth their salt. As such, I'm much more bold on the stage and in the company of others than I am alone. However, my natural personality is more reserved, less flashy than when I need to keep up appearances. Not by much, since my stage persona is only an enhancement of already-present traits, but it will be more timid in private.

What things in life are important to you?

Music. Music is my life and soul, if I were to be a bit dramatic. Even so, my music is a very important part of my life as it is both my passion and my livelihood. I suppose I'm lucky, since not everypony gets to work at their passion, but I digress. In addition to music, I do value integrity and a lack of superficiality in others. Perhaps I've been exposed to too much of the opposite in the music business, but I find those to be the most important of traits.

What's your idea of the ideal first date?

Hmm...this one's tricky. Fancy or not, I'd probably prefer a more relaxed atmosphere. Certainly not anywhere crowded or particularly loud. Just a way to get to know them, probably over dinner or at a performance of some kind

What are you looking for?

Somepony who is stable and can appreciate the finer things, but isn't afraid of change or getting down 'n dirty, so to speak. Life can be full of surprises and being unable to adapt to that isn't the best thing, I suppose. Oh, and a good ear wouldn't hurt.

Anything else you think we should know?

As a performance artist, I may have to travel to other cities for performances. This said, I may need a few more days advance notice than are usually given on these matchups to be sure I can make it.

The light pink unicorn found herself surprisingly enjoying the much more relaxed turn that the conversation had taken. Their earlier topics and manner of discussion had been much more formal, as she would expect from conversing with a member of the Royal Guard. However, the more relaxed feeling of the talk between the hostess and her guests was not unpleasant in comparison. Though Dazzle did enjoy the finer things in life, she was far from unable to hold a more normal conversation. After all, it was a showmare's job to know her audience.

She did notice the cynicism with which Dunder spoke of the Canterlot ponies. From what the unicorn knew, it wasn't an uncommon perception or an uncommon truth amongst most of Equestria. However, Dazzle had little interaction with the nobility of the Shining City, so she couldn't really vouch one way or the other. Instead, she sipped her drink lightly at listened with interest, knowing that listening could be just as important as contributing in a conversation. Slick's mention of a show in Marelem did prompt a response from her, though, and she couldn't help but find it to be an interesting idea. "I would love to. After all, I haven't really heard much of the zebra's music before. I'm sure it would be quite the experience. And, with Canterlot ponies, I doubt finding a venue would be much trouble. I'll have to look into it, but I'm certain I can work something out." She smiled, returning to her drink after she spoke.

Quantum Flux had been absorbed deeply into her own thoughts once again when Dagger spoke. It was unexpected for the white unicorn, pulling her out of her reverie and focusing her on the black unicorn once more. Again, the writing process was something oddly mysterious to the mare and so she did listen as Ink Soul spoke. It may not have been an area of particular interest for her, but the unicorn was a seeker of information and wouldn't just pass up a possible chance at learning, even though she didn't foresee a use for it. She had found that a bit of knowledge of some more obscure topics might be of help someday, even writing was a craft that could be of help to her.

Success was something hard-sought among writers, she found, so Ink Soul seemed to be more fortunate than most. It was the stallion's talent, but a competitive market was not always easily traversed, even by those with true talent. However, the scientist found herself oddly interested in reading whatever published works the stallion had. She made a mental note to search for some on her next library trip. His discovery of the emerald pebble caught her attention as well. "An eye indeed," she commented, having seen the shimmer herself as he lifted it. "It seems your eye is not just for good influences for your writing. Speaking of, you mentioned a cafe of your father's? Would that be here in Canterlot, by any chance?" The unicorn found herself being oddly chatty for a mare on a mission. However, she found her interest piqued by discovering a bit about each of her companions. My interest is obviously a fickle thing, she noted dryly.

It was always a rarity that Quantum Flux would want to leave her laboratory and her research. Even more unusual was her willing arrival at any sort of high class event or even common get-together. The unicorn was a mare of solitude and knowledge and found such things to be rather frivolous wastes of time when there were discoveries to be made. However, based on word of mouth (though it was really only repeated instistances by Torvus) and the scattered posters she had been about the city, this was an occasion where knowledge would be found. So, quite against norm, the white unicorn made her way up to Canterlot Castle for the CRPR Open House.

She shuffled her hooves slightly outside the ballroom that she had been told would house the event. Flux wasn't one to get cold feet, but she was second guessing this particular decision. Though not given to nervousness, this was the royal house of Canterlot that she was dealing with. With authority over the entire kingdom of Equestria and ponies of great magical power as well, nopony could really blame the unicorn for hesitating. However, it was only a fleeting concern and as it passed, the unicorn stepped onto the threshold of the ballroom.

She surveyed it carefully, trying to pick out exactly what she should be doing her in her quest for knowledge. She knew only very basically what the CRPR was responsible for and actually did in Equestria, and only that though careful study of the limited texts on the subject. Logically, she assumed it would be best to speak with the pony in charge. Flux trotted in hesitantly, more wandering than purposefully moving forward. She caught glimpses of several ponies, but none were familiar to her. The unicorn didn'tlet that bother her much, however, and she continued to scan the room for somepony who might know who she should tak to.

While she wasn't keeping her eyes forward, an earth pony bumped into her. Startled, Flux looked down at her in surprise. The mare had a fairly worried look which seemed out of place in the crowd. More confused than actually annoyed or inconvenienced, she began, "Oh, my apologies. I wasn't looking where I was headed. Are you alright?"

The white unicorn couldn't help but agree with Stormsong. The medicine may not have been quite as foul initially, but the aftertaste lingered and seemed to intensify the longer it remained. Though she wouldn't usually do so, she pulled a face again, almost as though trying to pull herself away from the taste altogether. She would have considered it undignified in any other situation, but the taste truly was terrible. Holly seemed to be having a rougher time with it than the other three, which made Flux's brow furrow slightly in thought. The pink unicorn had been in the most intense parts of the fire and obviously was affected much more strongly by it than the others. In fact, the scientific unicorn was probably the least scatched of the group. So, it made a fair amount of sense that she would have a more difficult time with their recovery.

On the subject of recovery, Flux hoped that hers would not take too long. Smoke inhalation wasn't exactly pleasant and even with the medicine provided by the doctor, it would make her work more difficult. A lesser point of concern was what exactly she would say if her father happened across them. He usually took night shifts, so the chances were minimal, but even so, she wasn't looking forward to the possibility. She just sat in thought as the staff worked and the others who'd battled the fire suffered through the less-than-pleasant taste of the pills. When the nurse returned, Flux trotted toward her to reduce the distance between herself and the small cup. Her magic still wasn't in the best of shape and Flux didn't want to push the last reserves she had too far. Once she was close enough, she used a very minimal magical field to bring it back with her to her bed and drink it slowly. It soothe both the ache of the smoke and the aftertase of the medicine, but in its own way, it had a sudden cold streak as well. However, it was perferrable to the other two sensations, so the unicorn couldn't complain.

She did chuckle slightly at Holly's exclamation, finding some lightheartedness at the moment to be much appreciated. After all, they had narrowly escaped serious injury or worse, the morose atmosphere had only really made the situation seem more dire. "I can't help but agree," she said, "those pills are certainly not sugarcubes."

I've got a pegasus who tends to hang around the Everfree Forest. Perhaps she and North Star could meet. Their personalities are definitely different enough to make for some interesting possibilities.