Solaria

Cadence watched idly as a few new ponies trotted in, most likely seeking the same thing she had: the fudge sale. As Rose had begun speaking with Polaris again, the mare found herself watching the arrivals curiously. The stallion was smartly dressed, and the filly seemed slightly confused, if not nervous. Before she could even say anything, however, the gentlecolt introduced himself as Dr. Spin Tale and admitted that he had attempted to attend the CRPR Open House, a comment that brightened Cadence's neutral expression considerably.

"Really?" she said with enthusiasm. "It turned out much better than I had hoped, actually. We had a few... hiccups... but overall the get-together ended pretty smoothly."

She had either forgotten that her cousin was nearly right at her side, or more likely didn't mind that he was hearing her talk in the "common tongue." It was something she'd had to practice since fillyhood, speaking properly, but she enjoyed the ease that everypony else spoke with, how full of emotion the words were. Also, it was a little harder to get ponies to understand you when using the Royal Canterlot Voice.

"I actually might have one of those pamphlets with me still," the princess added, rummaging around in her saddlebag and tugging various odds and ends around the sack to try and find it. "It has most of the information I discussed, just with less presentation and snacks."

A small wrapped chocolate? No. Monogrammed hoofkerchief? Not quite. Cadence sifted through several more documents and odd objects, the most interesting being a spare tarnished hoofguard from Celestia knows when, before she found the pamphlet neatly folded and buried in the farthest corner of her bag. She kept a wing slightly extended over the contents this entire time, her rose muzzle darkening to crimson as she noticed just how many things she'd accumulated in her saddlebag. Where had all this come from? Not that it really mattered. She turned and hoofed it to Dr. Tale.

"Here you go!" she said brightly. "Did you have any particular questions for the CRPR? We're always open to feedback, and I'd love to know what you think or what we could do better." Her eyes fell again on the young filly edging toward the doorway. "Is that your friend back there?" the royal mare added with a warm smile.

Cadence watched Martini go through a bit of an internal struggle, her dealings in empathy causing her to read the minute facial expressions most ponies didn't notice, although she did it more than she probably should. It was a little hard to turn off once learned. She would do her best to be friendly and laid-back, however, as she'd gotten this reaction before: ponies who wondered just how far they could relax around royalty. Cadence wasn't her aunts, and though she recognized that a certain formality had to be upheld at times, this wasn't one of them.

"Of course," the mare said airily with a smirk, taking another sip from her wine glass as it tinkled with sound from the contact with her husband's. "A young princess and the future poster boy of the REA? By high school standards, it was bound to happen! We all know that the social hierarchy of students directly translates into one's standing post-schooling..."

In truth, she had always appreciated how sincere and dedicated Shining had been, even at that confused age. It had impressed the more naive Cadence, and somewhat played upon her fantastical ideal of how a perfect stallion should be. After all, she'd only had stories and books to go from before she'd actually attended school. As she finished the last of her delicious wine, she turned back to their barsmare companion.

"Martini, if you don't mind I'd like something with a little fire to it. You said your family served fruity drinks, right? I think I'll ask to be impressed," she teased lightly. "I'd like to really get the night started, since my husband seems oh so hesitant."

Cadence's smile somewhat froze on her face when she saw her regal and beautiful Aunt Luna canter into the shop. Her ethereal mane flowed in a wash of her own natural aura, something the pink alicorn couldn't hope to achieve for a long time yet, and her armored accessories were polished to a gleam. Very discreetly, Cadence summoned her magic to smooth her own hair just a bit more into perfect position. It wouldn't do to be anything less than regal in her aunt's presence.

"It may actually be just a few moments," the princess said in an aside to the cab driver, indicating the other royal mare before turning her attention to Madam Bistro. "I'm afraid it might be. I perfectly understand if you would like to hurry ahead so you don't miss your train, I won't keep you if you have somewhere you need to go."

She waited politely for the other ponies to finish their introductions before moving forward herself, inclining her head toward her aunt then straightening with a smile.

"Princess Luna, a pleasant surprise to see you here!" she said warmly, opting to stay formal as they weren't alone and removed in the castle, and she thought Luna might prefer it. "Did you also receive news of the amazing artifact that Pigpen managed to procure recently? It's quite a find," she added, opening the chest and levitating Princess Platinum's crown into the air for the Princess of the Night to inspect.

Cadence gave a gentle pat to the filly's shoulder as she offered to add her own magic to the mix, leaning down a little to converse with the smaller pony once more. After all, the situation was relatively volatile as it was.

"Don't worry, I'm sure Heart Healer has it well under control. If she needs help though, why don't you use your magic to help me stabilize them? That way we can be doubly sure that we'll bump them back up to where they need to be. If not, there might be a lot more tears than anypony here wants to deal with..."

As she looked on to the impromptu counseling session, a thought began to form in the back of the princess's mind. Didn't she offer something to Ice Storm at the end of the CRPR Open House? She wracked her memory trying to recall it, as whatever it was had seemed to make the mare happy at the time. If nothing else, it gave her something to do while she waited for the empathic unicorn to do her work on the distressed Ice.

Once LoC is done, I'm probably going to just hand in my brony card. The fandom just doesn't seem as good as before and I quit watching MLP:FiM after the episode with Derpy speaking. The quality of the show plummeted imo, and I have other things to do than watch ponies. Along with leaving the fandom, I'm also going to be leaving this site, for obvious reasons.

The ride was fun while it lasted. Thank you all for bringing me along, but now I must hop off.

*waves*

Have fun.

Ice Storm's response only further solidified Cadence's beliefs, and she inwardly shook her head. She might be able to promote love and feelings associated with it, but this seemed to be far beyond her reach. She wouldn't even know where to begin to start helping the unicorn. Thankfully, trained professionals like Heart Healer would likely have an easier time with it. At least she hoped so...

"Well, I hope she does accept. If you can help her in any way maybe we can finally get to the root of the problems and start mending the trouble between Canterlot and our friend here," the alicorn said to Heart. "You must have had several horrible experiences here to get this way, and I'm sorry on behalf on everypony here," she added, turning back to Ice.

She wondered where the little filly from before had gotten off to, but then again this situation was rather important. One of her new friends might just resign herself to dejection and misery, and she wouldn't let it happen while she was around.

"Well, you know me Prince Blueblood," Cadence answered the her cousin in a somewhat flat, falsely-cheery tone. "I always have to be a rebel and walk around Canterlot..." She mentally slapped herself and wiped her face clean of anything but a perky smile and continued. "After all, sunshine and fresh air are wonderful for maintaining a coat with my coloration. I wouldn't want to look anything less than presentable at any given time, considering our aesthetic duties to our subjects. I'll admit I'm envious of your ability to do so effortlessly."

Confident that she'd been complimentary and polite enough to allow Polaris to take over the conversation with her stately unicorn relative, the alicorn stepped back a little and flicked an ear while listening to Rose's quiet question. As long as she'd known him, the Duke had been skilled at verbal discourse; she nodded slowly.

"I guess so. His position definitely requires that he be rather skilled like he is, and I can't really hope to compare in that department. I mean I can be polite and witty, but his vocabulary just exceeds mine by a fair amount. Better him than me though," she added, speaking the last part in a whisper. "It seems like my cousin is a little miffed today."

Neat, thanks Phil

Added more filling with a bit of caramel, couldn't find the chocolate.

Cadence waited patiently for her new traveling companion to be fully prepared for leaving, watching the rest of the events in the shop with a bemused expression. Saddlesore, she thought his name was, seemed to be a very irritated and opinionated pony, but she kept her mouth shut on the subject. After all, it seemed to be giving the elder stallion something to do while keeping him company.

A few of the others were arguing over missing items or something or another, but what really caught her attention was when Pigpen spoke to his flies to hail a cab. The alicorn had subtly avoided going anywhere near the insects while wandering around the shop, but now she watched curiously as they enticed a cab driver into the store just by stealing his hat. A small snicker escaped her lips before the stallion turned his attention to her and she instantly forced her expression into one of resigned dignity.

"Thank you driver!" she said happily. "I'm sure we won't be too much longer."

Just popping back up to say that I've come back from Boston with a successful procedure done and a stent well fit! I'm a leetle achy at the moment, but that should go away after a bit of rest for a few days. Otherwise, I'll be integrating myself back into the RPing scene.

Yay! I'm glad you're okay Buggy.

Summerfall was admiring Opal's dress until it was directly commented on, and she brought her attention back to the other mare.

"Yeah, I just finished for the day actually," she explained. "Nothing different up there, so just enjoying some peace and quiet. And this is the new mk3! Keeps me nice and warm, but you know..." she wiggled a few tiny frost crystals from her feathers, "they still haven't figured out how to keep our wings warm. Science can only go so far, eh?"

Without ceremony she shrugged out of the suit and tugged her mane free, ruffling it heartily until it settled into a pleasing teased look. Organized chaos. The pegasus liked it. After re-adjusting her goggles on her forehead and grabbing hold of the discarded workwear, Summer draped a hoof over Opal's back and began leading her inside.

"Just some new place that opened a little while back. It's not huge yet, but the music is great and they've kept the drinks cheap to attract customers." She giggled. "It worked on me anyway, so I wouldn't worry too much about what you're wearing instead of how much fun we're going to have!"

Without further ado she stepped inside and was immediately enveloping by a pulsing beat, the music surrounding and attempting to batter Summerfall's form with pure force of sound. It was out of luck, however. This is what she lived for. With strobing lights reflecting brightly off the shining surfaces of her goggles, the mare turned to her friend once more.

"Do you want to get a drink first, or food? Or did you want to get right to partying?!" she shouted, despite being mere feet from the other pony.

Progress. m'love?

Yes? It's finished O_O

Cadence chuckled as Rose tried her fudge then proceeded to write off the royal life. It was certainly one of the less common attitudes, normally she was surrounded by ponies full of envy and delusions of luxurious, lazy grandeur. In truth it was constant work, simply work surrounded by coats of arms and squabbling nobles rather than the hustle and bustle of a town. Ponies never seemed to realize the gem of a gift that was the amount of privacy they were allowed. Well, most of them. This mare seemed to have a handle on what she liked in life.

"I wish I could do that sometimes," the princess admitted, falling prey to a few nibbles of her daisy fudge in between sentences. "To be honest, taking small runs for exercise while I was on a visit to Stalliongrad was some of the most fun I've had in a while. It's so chilly, so you have to keep moving and then you can come inside to a nice hot chocolate in front of a roaring fire! You should visit someday if you haven't already."

Polaris's sideways remark didn't pass by the pink mare's attention, and she made a playful face at the duke.

"Yes, far be it indeed!" she quipped, smiling innocently. "A certain princess might have to get in touch with a certain doctor if such dictations or opinions were enacted," she teased gently.

The next customer to trot in, however, nearly dropped her jaw. Was that her cousin?! Duke Polaris she could understand, as despite his regal manner he was most assuredly out to enjoy Canterlot during his time at home. He was also a rather amiable pony. Blueblood though... she just had no idea.

"Prince Blueblood," she said quietly and in demure tones, inclining her head into a bow. "So nice to see you after all this time. I'm here because my friend Sweet Surprise," she indicated the pony, "is having a two for one fudge sale, and I noticed it as I was walking through Canterlot. A little daisy delicacy sounded quite nice about this time of day."

She moved to stand in front of the rest of her order, mostly hiding it from view behind her back. After all, she was only fudging the truth a tiny bit. Little was a very relative term, and she didn't want to offend his sensibilities concerning royalty and sweets.

Royal nomination for Duchess as best roleplayer. So much imagery in those posts.

*Counter prods*

Cadence lifted a subtle eyebrow as she sipped at her wine, as she was watching Shining Armor watch his admirer in Martini Paradise. It was an effort of will that she didn't sputter or choke on the delicious vintage, considering all the playfully needling remarks that sprung to her mind. On the outside, she was still perfectly resigned, enjoying her drink. Such self-control.

"It's a pleasure Martini!" the princess beamed, following her husband's introduction. "If you're getting him to drink wine," she gave a tiny jerk of her head in Shining's direction, "you know you're a skilled barsmare indeed! I mean, the wine itself is amazing but credit is always due to the one who picks it out."

She set her partially-drained glass on the countertop while listening to the music for a moment, mulling over the flavors again and again. Sometimes it bothered her, the tiniest bit, when she caught other mares eyeing her husband as Martini had been. She would always immediately dismiss such thoughts, as they were married and had been through so much. After all, hadn't she been taken in by his looks the first time she'd laid eyes on the unicorn stallion as well? It was only fair that others get to admire the prize that was her Shining Armor. Shaking her head slightly to clear away the little dark cloud hovering within it, she returned her gaze to their companion.

"So! How did you come to be in this business anyway?" she queried. "I don't think I've ever seen a dull, quiet barpony in my life. Where do you all get your energy and friendly.. spunkyness?" the mare asked, for lack of a better word.

Cadence listened politely as Savory explained her passion for cooking, starting from before she was born! That was rather impressive to the mare, as she'd never heard anything of the sort, and she stood rather transfixed for the rest of the story. A passion from before a pony even existed in the outside world... She'd have to think about that later as a stallion trotted up and introduced himself to the princess and the restauranteer, mentioning that he was a city courier.

"A pleasure to meet you as well," Cadence replied. "Perhaps we can talk later," she added as the two other ponies began speaking with each other about a previous get-together.

A call of her name stopped the royal mare once more, however, and she turned to find that another female pony was moving forward this time.

"May I help you?" Cadence asked kindly, mildly confused by what the other pony was saying. "I'm sorry, should I have scheduled something with town hall before coming? I wasn't aware if there were any special procedures," she admitted, an embarrassed smile on her lips as she spied the tied scroll cutie mark on her companion's flank. "I'm assuming you work for Ponyville, after all."

Cadence nodded encouragingly at Timid as he seemed to take her help and advice, and gave a small smile to Polaris's subtle gratitude. In a moment they had switched places, with the duke speaking with the colt and the princess coming face to face with the new mare. This time she was ready, and she inclined her head slightly.

"My apologies for not greeting you right away, Rose. I didn't want to interrupt Polaris, so I hope you'll excuse my rudeness. It's a pleasure to meet you!" She trotted forward to peer at the strawberry fudge, raising an approving eyebrow. "Now cherry I can't really get excited about, but strawberry is something different entirely," she laughed. "Would you like to try some of the daisy fudge I'm taking with me? It's really rather good!"

After taking a small glance to make sure the two male ponies were still talking, Cadence lowered her voice to a whisper.

"After all, I don't think Polaris needs many more sweets today. His doctor really will come after him!" she snickered. "All I have to do is avoid the royal cook with mine, and that's easy enough if you toss an apple in the opposite hallway if you must pass the kitchen." The alicorn sighed with a mild smile, picturing the amusing scene in her mind's eye. "So! I hope it's alright that I called you Rose... If you prefer Ms. Madder I'd be happy to refer to you that way. And if I may be so bold what brought you out today? Just candy?"

Cadence blushed lightly at the stallion's compliment to her eyes, but accepted it gracefully. The figure truly was a small work of art, even being as modest as she could be about her own likeness.

"Thank you as well. And I would love to see more of your handiwork on the train ride if you're willing to share it." She turned to Madam Bistro. "Oh it doesn't bother me, really," she admitted. "I'd prefer something like this to an uneventful day trotting around the castle with no pony to talk to. My aunts can deal with paperwork for hours on end, but I get a little bored," she also added in a whisper.

After checking and making sure that Princess Platinum's crown was secure in a chest and locked tightly, she glanced around for anything else that needed doing. Otherwise, the trip to the train station was better made sooner than later...

((Well I messaged Circe and haven't received a response, I'm guessing this thread is inactive for now. Let me know if anything happens otherwise here and Cadence is needed.))

Roleplay Type: Mane

Name: Destiny

Sex: Female

Age: Mature Mare

Species: Unicorn

Eye colour: Pale Silver

Coat colour: Byzantium

Mane/Tail/Markings colour & Style: Her long mane and tail are a flowing amethyst held in a simple yet elegant style, usually with her mane tied back to keep it from her face.

Physique: Tall and slim, with a soft form

Cutie Mark:

Origin/Residence: Originally from the Badlands, her permanent residence is in Stalliongrad.

Occupation: REA Mage and Dedicated Student of the Arcane

Motivation: To further her abilities and discover the truth about her family

Likes: (optional) Everfree Forest, Snow, Magic, Old Tomes, Legends, Harp Music

Dislikes: (optional) Disbelief without foundation, Blind hatred, Change for the sake of change

Character Summary: Destiny was born and raised in the wintry northern reaches of Stalliongrad to a pegasus father and unicorn mother. Her father Leoras and her mother Solstice Glimmer were both rather doting parents, but the pegasus was often called away for military duty as an active member of the REA.

While alone in their cozy home, Solstice would read stories of ancient legends to her daughter, such as the terrible black wyrm of the Badlands forests, or the deep sea monster that was vanquished by a mighty earth pony of the Gallopocus Islands. Leoras, on his time off, much preferred to teach his daughter practical skills that were better learned in pony than in books. As soon as Destiny was able to conjure rudimentary magical force, he would take her outside and train her in various concentration and endurance exercises. "Discipline is everything," he would say, testing the filly's limits in every way he knew how.

As best she could, the young unicorn strived to make her father proud. As her will was tempered like iron by the pegasus and her mind molded gently by her mother, Destiny found that her developing focus allowed her to acutely control her flows of magic, much more so than her mother despite the differences in their age. Spells came more and more easily to her, and didn't exhaust her nearly as quickly as they once did.

Days passed blissfully for her, the wide-eyed innocence of her youth transitioning into a calm, collected personality that hungered for information. She could become heated at times when passionate about a subject, but overall was very agreeable to be around. Solstice taught her manners and polite conversation, which paralleled military conduct taught by Leoras. Destiny knew her mind was her strength, and forging her personality to best support that was her best course of action.

As her knowledge grew, so did her ability to stand on even ground with her father during their training. After a few more months she had become adept enough that she could focus on multiple things with her arcane manipulation, and impeded Leoras's wing movements while simultaneously affecting the environment to her advantage. For the first time she bested the pegasus and the parent couldn't be prouder of his daughter's progress, especially when her intricate cutie mark shined into being on her flanks, further cementing her achievement. He suggested that her talents could be utilized to great extent by the Royal Equestrian Army, and she agreed enthusiastically.

The unicorn settled rather easily into the next stage of her life, filling her days with magical exercises, reading, and lore studies when she wasn't actively assisting in REA duties. Her repertoire continued to expand, and she came to be known as a bit of a recluse despite her friendly disposition and willingness to help others when problems arose. It wasn't that she shunned company, simply that she was so absorbed in polishing every aspect of her life into the flawless gem she knew it could be. Her parents had seen great potential, and the mare was determined not to waste it.

One day while actually around other military ponies, however, Destiny caught an joking off-hoof comment about a pony from the Badlands becoming so handy to have around. When she questioned the stallion and learned that he was speaking of her, she immediately headed home to question her parents, who were unexplainably silent on the subject.

"We were poor and desolate at the time," Solstice Glimmer murmured.

"I was making a living as an armorsmith for a small nearby village," her father added.

The way they answered the question, and avoided any searching queries put Destiny's sharp mind on high alert, and as soon as she was able she made the journey to the foreboding wooded reaches. The villagers told the unicorn of a dark and evil dragon that lived deep within the wood, who was suitably given a wide berth.

The wyrm from Mother's story! she thought, striking into the forest alone.

After much searching she managed to find an abandoned, run-down cottage adjacent to a long-dormant forge. She had found several clearings that had been full of broken trees and charred ash, only reinforcing her belief that was in the right place. Near a crude firepit centered in the middle of the cottage, she uncovered a rusted REA helm and blade, with the letters "Leo" etched near the hilt. On the closest wall, there was an inscribed message in the wood, likely cut by the same blade she'd just found.

I survived the solitude. I passed your test, Mother and Father. One day, I'll discover why.

Destiny sat for a long time, all of her doubts banished by the simple name on the blade, her father's nickname. Had the stallion she'd been so proud to serve Equestria alongside kept many more dark secrets? And what of her mother? This message blatantly referenced that she had a sibling, yet she remembered nothing about living in the Badlands. Upon returning home, her parents were nowhere to be found for her questions.

Now Destiny largely passes her days as before, albeit with a slightly sobered and determined attitude. With the REA seeking her father for abandonment, she figures it can't be long before he's found, one way or the other. And then she'll have her answers.

No eye of a newt or cinnamon?

I would have used coriander and thyme... With a side of black magic.

My stamp worked. I should abuse this.

Cadence waved a non-chalant, yet mildly embarrassed hoof at Gold Wish before inclining her head in return to the bow.

"It's no trouble! We're in a park after all. It's not like the world just stops because a princess happens to be around right? Although that would be pretty useful..."

She nodded her head as Heart Healer expressed her thanks, turning back to the remaining pair of ponies while giving a sideways smile at the filly, silently conveying that she would speak more with her in a moment. After all, tensions were just getting worse rather than better.

"Maybe Heart Healer finding us here really was the best thing to happen," the princess said slowly, not wanting to be offensive. "It sounds like you have a lot of deep problems with Canterlot in general, and it's affecting your self-esteem," she added to Ice Storm. "I'm not meaning to be rude, I'm just saying perhaps she would be the best pony to help you."