SteelEagle

Twilight was pleased with the work he had done so far. She had so commonly seen creatures come to her with ideas not fully tested, thoughts not fully formed. He knew what he had, knew the backstory, knew the dilemma, and knew how to appeal to her for aid. Ice Storm had been sent to the area around Griffonstone as part of a deal Twilight had made with the Aquelian government: Bases for Bases. New Equestrian bases near Griffonstone and Eagg Water Bay, griffon bases near Corralwood Cove and Seaddle. She was happy to hear that Ice Storm was doing that job well, even if the additional duties she had taken upon herself were not fully adored. This Emperor fellow was a bunch of hot air and had been since his time in Beakbreak City, though his turn to banditry was a bit much. As was his attempt to get some of the tribesponnies of the Basin on his side. The So-Called Tenochtitlan Emperor was nothing of the sort, but if the goods being offered were enough to get some gullible tribes to send their warriors to aid the bandit lord it could prove a problem. Even then however her powers were limited. Griffonstone was not an Equestrian city- it was Aquelian and the griffon government's seeming disinterest in its well being did not translate into her having the official power to do as she pleased there. The Tenochtitlan 'Emperor' was another story. The vast majority of goods and trade that the area had came from Equestria and could not be replaced by anything of the sort from Griffonstone. "I see. First off, you have my congratulations. You have certainly accomplished a lot and I believe you will have a bright future in the region. There is plenty of work to be done and plenty of local griffons who would be willing to work, and you seem like somedragon with a good sense of how to run it all. If you wanted my encouragement, you have that," she starts as her eyes closed, lost in thought for a few moments. "And something will need to be done about the Tenochtitlan. I can inform Tenochtitlan tribes that the flow of goods will stop if they continue to work with this bandit lord." She sighed. "However, as for Norton Breakbeak, I may not have the power you think I do. Griffonstone is part of another nation, and they full well know what is happening there. They simply do not care, but their lack of empathy does not translate into political power for me to enforce my will in their borders. Therefore, beyond officially notifying the Aquelian government that this Norton Breakbeak is considered a bandit in Equestria and is involved in the illegal transfer of goods and interference with approved trade, i cannot directly do anything," she finishes before allowing her mood to brighten. "That does not mean I do not have resources available, however. I have a griffon who knows the city well. He can very likely help your operations in and around the city, both in terms of securing passage of goods and discovering likely smuggling routes that this Breakbeak is using. He also should have some...connections," she said, giving the dragon the information on Gallus. Indeed, the student didn't care at all about griffonstone but he wasn't bold enough to resist a request- or a demand- of the pony who had given him his future. "I can also give you more indirect resources and aid, both to help you through these troubles and to help you build this city into something grand."

Ambrosia was really trying to impress her- or well, just wanting to show off for herself. It was hard not to use magic on everything and anything once you learned what you could do, but even the most eager student could only go so far before their body failed them. Twilight noticed the struggle but did not comment on it. "Very good, Ambrosia. Just make sure to still use your hooves for it once in a while or Applejack will go crazy," she said, doing her best googly eyes and a giggle before continuing. She thought about it for a while and considered that it was more possible than not that Applejack would indeed go crazy if her daughter never picked up an apple again. Yep, the loony bin for the Applemare. The walk continued along the paths as the filly told Twilight her dream. It made sense. Few ponies had a love of dresses and fashion that could rival rarity and nopony who could claim it could likewise claim to match her undeniable talent and skill. And Ambrosia? Well, she certainly qualified for the former, at least as far a fillies her age went. Twilight had to stifle a giggle. A little unicorn filly who wants dresses and to be a model for Rarity. If Applejack wasn't careful, rumors would spread! Though to be honest, they already did...jokingly. "Oh? That does seem like a lot of fun. Though they have very restrictive diets. No candy for a model!" She said as she rounded a bend and started leading Ambrosia into a field.

She checked her son for any unusual bumps and bruises. She checked him again She moved his mane around, she checked his eyes, you would swear she had heard that he had been dropped off of a mountain. It was all too much for Topaz, who slowly but surely melted away with 'Zappers' and 'Zappy' being useful pieces of information for later. Applejack for her part was soon content with the fact that there was nothing too wrong. "I think so," she replied to Ambrosia as she picked him up. Well, mostly fine. The question he asked made her question her abilities though. Despite all of the physical evidence being, fine, he sure did ask a weird question. She cocked her eyebrow. "Uhh, no. Yer a pegasus," she made sure his wing feathers were all in place. "Though if ya were a zebra, Rainbow'd have a lot of questions for me, Ah'm sure. You'd still be the most handsome zebra ever, though," she laughed before making sure he was going to be fine as she transported him like a precious little foal to the cart. She nodded for Ambrosia to head into the cart before she hitched herself to it. "Who wants ta have some real lunch?" She asked, trying to move on from this horrifying, terrible, no-good injury. They'd had some snacks, but growing ponies needed real meals!

Muziki was delighted at hearing she was going to win a prize! Wow, her! A winner! She didn't think she would be a winner when she walked into the shop, but now she was a winner! What did she win? Were there prizes for being the mostest politest customer? What did the Equestrians give as prizes? She hoped it was delicious candies or a song and dance or maybe even a popcorn. She didn't know why they called it popcorn. Did the popcorns grow in popcorn fields? She did not know. But she knew it tasted good with the butter! And maybe she could get some today. Why, if she got a prize today she would be a very happy filly and she would have to tell everycreature about her excellent fortunes! And then, as she contemplated this, she seemingly won her prize. Her delicious prize, the candy corn! For free! For her, the winner! "Mimi ndiye mshindi! Muziki mshindi!" She said excitedly, beaming and jumping up and down in excitement as she took the candied corn. She'd have to share it with her momma and poppa later, so they could also win with her by having their tastes exploded with the joy of candied corn. She didn't know where they grew the candied corn but it had to have been a magicalplace full of joy because of how it made her feel. It made her feel special, like a winner, because she had won the candy corn! She got ahold of herself after a few moments, trying to remember just what treats she had come in here for. She put the candy corn with a hungry lick of her lips in her open tiny cloth saddlebag and re-arranged her hat just a tiny bit so it didn't fall off. She then pulled out her small bits bag. it had once been a bigger bits bag, but as her saddlebag could tell from the various chotschkies in it, Las Pegasus businessponies had found a good mark in Muziki. She turned to the shop-mare with a trusting smile. "I'm Muziki. I'm here with momma and poppa doing a performance at one of your casinos! This city is very bright," she said with a giggle. "I want good treats, and umm, I have this much!" She said, revealing her last twelve bits.

Hygiene was always a complicated subject, especially when it concerned developing fillies and colts, as well as the myriad differences inherent in the various pony species. 'Wingpits' were known more academically speaking as the auxiliary joint, and it could indeed produce a foul smell after exertion. It was easy enough to control and manage as various small feathers could be preened to reduce any lingering odors. And baths. Spells too! Actually, the more she thought about it, the more it seemed there were too many methods of dealing with something so simple. Almost as if younger ponies cared a tremendous amount about...appearances... She had to stifle her laugh as they breached the surface and started walking along the beautiful country trails of Sweet Apple Acres. It was often pleasant enough to visit the orchard just for the sweet sounds and smells of the Apple family at work. Tree bucking in the distance, the flap of wedded wings and the hearty laugh of loves well shared. A microcosm of the joy that friendship could bring, all of it enriched by the wonder and beauty of nature, and the cherished history that seemed driven on every blade of grass. "So Ambrosia, have you given any thought as to what you want to do when you grow up?" She said as she idly picked an apple off the dirt and dropped it in a basket with her magic.

That was certainly interesting. Twilight was certain that the way everypony developed was unique in their own way and she knew for a fact beyond any doubt that ponies learned and used magically different. Indeed, this reminded her of how Rainbow Dash excelled when it came to learning. Her mind picked up environmental, background information in an amazingly efficient and aggressive manner that she could not do anywhere near as well consciously. Perhaps there as a similarity there? It wouldn't be a shock if her magic worked better unconsciously. That was how Earth Pony magi worked best, after all, and despite being a unicorn her blood ran as Apple as any other. Still, it was fantastic progress. Twilight got up, stretching her legs and wings. "I'm proud of you! You're doing great," she said as she moved on from the falling rock. "I bet your family is excited for you. Have you teleported your brother into a lake yet?" She said, laughing as if remembering a wonderful memory. Which she was. "Well, I wouldn't do that. Unless he stinks. Does he stink?" She asked playfully before her horn lit up and the cellar door opened. "Do you want to go for a walk? It is a very nice day out there, isn't it?"

Gallus walked alongside Silverstream, his wing jutted out semi-protectively. It was a reflexive Griffon move done subconsciously when you were feeling protective of another. Usually protective of a potential mate. It was done to show all the griffons around that the griff next to you was being protected by you, and that you two were mates. That was the biological, perhaps even social cause behind it. That was what Twilight had said, before she started going into the exact causes behind it. She seemed excited. He had seemed excited to sneak out of her lecture. Meanwhile, Yona had just said that griffon liked sea-griffon a lot, and that seemed to be pretty accurate too. And many less words. And very true. He liked Silverstream and to his young griffon heart, feeling ablaze for the first time in his life as he walked next to her, it felt like a lot. It had been some time since their vacation to her home island...home ocean...homeland? That had proven to be quite the trip. Quite the memory. Quite the...experience. And after how it all ended, after what they had said to one another, he knew it was one he would never forget. Just like the cute hippogriff who was alongside him, he was sure it would never be forgot. Of course, the world didn't stop just because teenagers got their first crushes now, did it? School demanded their time and attention, and as they gathered up new experiences their responsibilities their stress grew. With the mid terms finished it was a good time to get some stress relief. He wasn't sure he would necessarily trust Professor Rarity with stress relief as she seemed high-strung, but maybe that made her an expert on how to live with your heart in your throat at all times. And so they were on their way to the spa for a session at the sauna. "Think they call it a 'sesh on the sun', or is that too...Coaltifornia?" He pondered, his half-jutted wing whisping by Silver with every step.

It was easy to see that Ambrosia had worked very hard on maintaining what she could do. Once a young unicorn realized what they were capable of, it was easy enough to have them maintain a steady work ethic for some time. Early on, magic education came with easily identifiable benefits. You learned the basics quickly and saw immediate results in a variety of fields. The imagination could scarcely keep up with the reality for some time. Eventually there was a decided downturn in the ready results and most unicorns started moving onto other, more important daily tasks as magic became a part of their normal instead of a delightful intruder upon it. Twilight was very excited to see just how Ambrosia would come to use magic in her daily life on a farm that so often seemed to work tirelessly on the merits of the old Earth pony ways. It was less a clash of cultures than it was an integration of ideals and skills, not that she expected much drama to come from it. Perhaps when she had first come to know Applejack this would have proven a decisively interesting question but as it stood Twilight understood better than many that very little would come between Applejack and seeing Ambrosia happy and successful, regardless of what that meant. "It sounds like it. Have you been reading your books?" Twilight said as she looked at the rock, which Ambrosia had not yet put down. Interesting! Well, in the ways a rock could be interesting. Did she know she still had it up? Perhaps she had spent so much magical energy that the relatively small drain required to keep a light spell such as this going was not being noticed. Very exciting if she was already able to treat levitation like a light cast- that would be signs of rapid progress on the basics. Of course, there were problems as well- magical leaking could drain her if she was using magic unawares at this age. "Amby, it seems you have started to really improve your levitation!" She said, gesturing to the rock. And hopefully not setting herself up to be rocked in the face by it.

Sunny took time to flatten the fake wings so she could show off her hoof-work, with each fake feather drawn in such a way as to try and make the whole look better than the parts. At this distance and once exposed, much easier to see the flaws in her work. "These ones are fake. The ones I sprout without meaning too are brighter and less...physical, I guess? Hard to put my hoof on it. Impossible, actually, heh," she asked as she unfurled the fake ones once more. "At least these ones I can have on demand! More reliable that way, right?" She asked as she watched Egret start to freak out about the town's lack of bars. Come to think of it, she didn't know of too many bars in Bridlewood- more of a tea and cube place it felt like. Only the Heights had a real 'bar scene' in Equestria. "It's true. I mean we have breweries and places like that but I don't think I've seen too many ponies asking for an active bar scene. I also haven't looked- its always possible there is some hole in the wall. But I guess that means your place should be a hit, right?" She pondered the likely business success awaiting Egret while Allegro begged some time to get his costume ready. She was excited to see that, but found herself having to talk about the sea. "Oh, there are shipwrecks. Too many. The seas here can take a wild turn and do so quickly. My mom studied it for years. Still, at least we don't have a lot of shipwrecks due to fog or ponies missing the docks for the rocks," she replied as she allowed herself to look anywhere other than where Allegro was supposed to come out from. And when she did, she did a double-take! That looked...almost real! He looked like a real monster! "Oh wow!" Sunny said as she trotted over to investigate him further. "You look great! You're gonna knock everypony dead tomorrow! Where'd you get that?"

Pathfinder was more than a little happy to see that the married cult couple cutely carried on their shared fiction together. It was important to all successful unions, even those clearly made to further the aims of an evil cult that used music to brainwash their enemies (Pathfinder knew she was safe! Her brain worked differently since the three hundred and eighty hospital visits!). All relationships had myths and stories to tell, laid out not in print but in looks and smiles, thoughts, feelings, and the small chuckles that escaped their lips. It was super cute! Almost as cute as the little filly that Pathfinder couldn't help but make funny faces at after she got the adventurer's attention by calling her a clown. "Aww, you all just such a cute little cult family! I could eat you all up- gobble gobble!- but not in the literal pony-eating way, like the tatzelwurm. In the friendly way, like the sazzlewurm," she said as she pulled the parents in for a nice wing hug before letting them go. For now. She was about to leave when Ice Storm showed up! Yaaaaaay Ice Storm. She liked Ice Storm. Ice Storm was a lot of fun at parties and at adventures and at adventuring parties! Sometimes she forgot that she was in a pretty safe role and acted a twinge too seriously, but that was a fault shared by many in their field. And so she made sure to wing hug the EPIC Agent and more. "Good to see ya too, Big Ice! I thought I might bump or fly or knock into you while I was in town. Or below town, like really really below town. How's the redacted redacted comin' along?" She winked as she flapped her wings. "I'm doing good. I even have that rope, by the way. Not even enchanted! Scrubs. You get captured and tortured and they don't even put their all into it? A waste of my time, that was. Still got something of theirs, anyway," she winked. "Oh! And I got soooo much candy! Look at this candy!" She shoved the bag in Storm's direction. "Sooo much. I'm gonna sugar crash like nopony's business after I wreck some cultist plan in a few minutes. You should really really check it all out, totally good deals here. And less cult activity than I thought! Still some, but less. Score!" She said excitedly before switching out her pith helmet for a pith helmet with a spike on it. "Anyway, I gotta go, gotta fly, gotta do the deed," she said as she waved enthusiastically at all the great ponies of the shop before launching herself out of the window. ************************** Muziki watched the very fast pegasus booming out of the shop with the same curious amusement that she held for pretty much everything for the half-cloud city she found herself in. She still didn't know enough about the Equestria and the pony-folks who lived there to know why some clouds were okay to step on and others were not, but she trusted the Equestrians well enough to just ask their older souls the question when needed. It was a good thing she was so trusting in a city she had never been in before because otherwise she would be in a lot of trouble! Her parents had been asked to perform some traditional Unyasi songs and dances for one of the smaller casinos as part of a cultural showcase. It paid well enough and more importantly got the family a few days in a new city! Going from the smaller villages and savannas of Unyasi to Manehattan, Ponyville, and Las Pegasus was a lot to take in! Muziki was up to the challenge and tried to learn as best she could from every place she visited or lived. What was she trying to learn in Las Pegasus? Hard to say. There was too much to do and while her parents met with the casino owner to hash out some details, she was given some bits and some directions from casino workers on places to visit. She had spent a lot of bits on what could gracefully be called tourist trap tchotchkies. A small bag of little souvenirs clanked and clacked on her flank as her eyes looked around for something else to do. There was a lot to do. In fact she was on her way to some sort of puppet show when she saw a candy shop! It was then she realized that she needed candy. Yep, she needed that. More than puppets, at least for now. So she trotted in place, reversed, found the line, and then sat down on her haunches politely waiting for the line to move with her. Every time it moved, she would get up and move and then sit right back down politely. She held her bits bag with the string in her mouth and when she was the first in line she took a few moments before she reached up and knocked on the door, putting her bits bag on the ground. She opened the door gently. "May I, umm, may I enter here, please?" The filly asked excitedly, the loose green fabric and blue bardic hat tipping in before her.

Twilight watched Ambrosia work herself hard once more, more than a little surprised even now about how far she was willing to push. She was by no small measure a departure from the normal Apple family values when it came to snout to ground work, but that didn't translate to magic it seemed. More than happy was this little filly to explore all that she could and comitt herself to training long past the point of comfort. Well, to some extent. She still didn't show any great desire to study the way Twilight had hoped, but that would come with time. Little fillies tended to adapt to that slowly. Beyond that, she had other elements to analyze. Ambrosia was not going to become a magical powerhouse, that much was clear. While preliminary data was just that, it was rare for some of the fundamentals to be wrong and they told Twilight that the young Apple was possessed of somewhat below average magical power. Not anything that would really come back to harm her, of course. Fact was that unlike a pegasus whose flight capabilities could develop clear strengths and weaknesses that would be felt in day to day life, most unicorns rarely needed to use magic anywhere near their maximum. What she did show was a great aptitude at maintaining her levels. While certainly some of that was aided by her ring, it was an excellent sign for her future. "That was very good, Ambrosia," Twilight said as she sketched some more in her notebook while sipping some tea. "You can relax. You're working ver hard! How do you feel?"

Sunny was very happy, very excited, very happycited to see that somepony else knew about Princess Luna and the myth of the Nightmare Moon, flapping her made-up wings with unintended excitement very briefly. The overwhelming majority of ponies didn't know about Luna, let alone the Nightmare. Ancient Equestria was still more myth than history to the majority of ponies. Twilight Sparkle herself and her friends were the majority of the events that remained. Those around them, even Celestia and Luna, were ethereal even now. If you asked a thousand ponies you would be lucky to find three who could name either of them, let alone the Nightmare. "Well, if a little old granny I don't think she'd think I'd be the Nightmare. Just evil Sunny. Maybe some bad smoothies," Sunny thought, "I'm not a brewery, though, so sadly I don't think I can help you Egret. But I'm sure i can see around for you," she offered Egret while the quartet commiserated finally. Jazz seemed to indicate that she had not joined in the singing at least at first, which intrigued Sunny to no end. Allegro's unique ability? He was a unique stallion already. What other tricks did he have up his fetlocks and behind the ears? "Oh, a unique ability? You'll have to show us more later, Allegro," Sunny smiled as she considered his actual mission for the day more. He needed a bell- a real bell, real ocean. She wasn't sure why it was needed now when day would be easier, but who was she to judge the timing of other creatures? Plus, the beach could use some haunting melodies this year. The Spooky Season needed ambience! "Good thing we have the proper ambience, then. Somepony needs to do it," she winked. "We'll see about that bell. Or a bell, at least," she said as she went to go sit on a rock, stretching out her legs. Speaking of Jazz, Sunny nodded. It was all true. She hung around Mane Melody often enough that she was somewhat sure that Jazz knew nearly as much as Pipp about what was happening with Sunny on any given day. It didn't hurt that she was easy to get along with! "A stroll along a spooky beach on a spooky night who heard spooky melodies and needed to investigate it? Geez Jazz, are you trying to become a character in one of those cheesy horror films?" She asked in mock horror, hooves to mouth to mask her impishness. "Well, I guess I'm no better. I was preparing to loom menacingly over the beach, I guess," she shrugged her shoulders before gazing out over the water. "And the water, too. Can you menace the ocean? Maybe the fish..."

"Haha, well, cults are known for brazeninity! And Cazook is pretty brazen, all things considered. No big deal though, they're villains and villains lose, right?" She giggled excitedly before her eyes sparkling when the candymaker candymare candied up her history. "Oooh, an ancient family reciple handed down from generation to generation like the lost tomes of deliciousness, tempered by experience and training. I like it lots and lots!" She nodded, lots and lots. She started reaching into her saddlebag for the bits needed for the purchase. She pulled out a used smoke bomb- "No,"- a torch, rope, and a singed tourniquet- "Nope!"- a half-dozen bloody arrowheads -"Not useful here!" - a glowing ceremonial dagger and two crystal eyes that snapped open to look around- "I didn't mean to bring you,"- a dented pith helmet and a clutch of explosives- "Not yet,"- seventy-five pages of an erotic self-insert fanfiction with Daring Do - "Not finished!"- and finally some bits. A number of bits more than was needed, but she wasn't sure which as she splayed it all on the counter. "There we are!" She said happily as she swept all the other items off into her saddlebag. After she did so she then tossed all the treats into the bag, too. As she readied to leave, however, she had to address the musical pegasus in the room- due to the lack of elephants, primarily. "Awwww, thats super cute! Wait, your wedding bands, when they are linked together do you unlock a door or does something explode or do you gain super powers or do you see through each other's eyes or do you learn the secret code words or do you see the past or do you see the future or do you exchange the lies for truth or do you switch bodies or do you switch minds or do you gain access to the hidden vaults or is like a cult thing?"

Applejack responded quickly to the vulgarity allowance. "Yeah, but yer not an Apple. No offense, but we expect a bit of higher conduct outta our youngins, and her little sailor mouth has gotten a bit out of hand for show. Talks mostly normal when she is here but out in town its like she is showing it off," she snorted, "plus, yer a real adult. She went off once on her own and look what happened. Still too dang impulsive to be makin' all these heady decisions and actin' like she's some grizzled adventurer," she sighed. "Ah know Ah'm bein' unfair. Still can't help the way Ah feel, though," Applejack said as she walked slowly, all four of her legs walking in what could only be called a constrained rhythm with small steps inside the frame of her base. And even that seemed a tall order for her, as her chest heaved with effort from time to time as she fought down any further visible sign of distress. The farm itself was abuzz with activity. The family were all out and about doing their duty, but a few extra cracks against trees and voices could be heard. Farmhooves that had been hired to pick up the slack- something more to eat at Applejack. It was a comfort that it took eight farmhooves to pick up her slack, but it was a cold one. "So, here's tha rub," she said as she approached a copse of trees that were untouched. Buckets were situated next to all of them and a cart sat in the middle, arched towards a road. "By Doctor's Orders, Ah'm not supposed ta be doin' much of anythin'. Ain't listening like Ah should, but nonetheless Ah know what Ah sure as rain could use help with," she said as she found a place to sit and did so, wincing briefly before making herself comfortable, "yer gonna be buckin' an' collectin' apples. Buck 'em off tha tree, collect them in buckets, and then fill tha cart with buckets an' take them back ta tha barn next ta tha house. It's a light harvest so yer gonna be doin' this only a few times 'till Ah'll be needin' yer help with something else, but Ah reckon this'll take you a while," she said as she tried to make herself more uncomfortable. "when you buck, start conservative and then ramp up until you're gettin' it good. Ah'll be here with ya for a while. Better here than anywhere else, right?"

Twilight felt a little chagrined, having not even remembered the door in her excitement to get back to the time-tested value of education with a new student. As if to punish her cosmically, Applejack had entered and was one very proud mother. If she knew the vulgarity that was currently written on her walls in magical runes that would take time and dedication to remove then that outrageously large smile would vanish. More than that though, Twilight doubted that Ambrosia would even pause in reflection. She likely didn't know many vulgar words if any and would be proud nonetheless. It was more to save Applejack from embarrassment when Twilight decided to not fully reveal the contents of the message. "Very close to it, actually," Twilight laughed, not being too dishonest, "with a few small differences. Still, very impressive work! Something to be proud of, for sure," Twilight said as she started examining the words. "Princess!" Came a voice from outside the room, followed by armored steps heading down. That door. That door was still open. "Ah really should have closed that," Applejack whispered to her daughter playfully. "What was I, raised in a barn?" "Your Majesty," the unicorn stallion guard said as he bowed, coming back up a moment later. "You are needed in- why does the wall have a obs-" he started before a magical piece of tape appeared over his mouth. "I'm needed?" Twilight asked quickly, to get his mind on task and everyone's attention off of hints of wrongdoing, her eyes piercing him briefly until he got the message. The tape vanished. He nodded and whispered to her. After a few moments, Twilight's eyes bugged out before a small frown formed. "Oh really? That's...interesting. I'll have to see this," she turned back to Ambrosia, abolishing the frown and replacing it with a smile. "I'm sorry, but it appears as though I must go. Princess work never ends! Make sure to keep on practicing what I taught you and reading the book. I'll be back to train with you some more, okay?" She said as she magically ruffled the filly's mane. "Goodbye for now, Ambrosia! Applejack, I'll see you soon," Twilight said before she magically reorganized the room to be set for the filly and trotted up the stairs and away...for now.

Twilight's eyes twitched as she had to fight the urge to laugh. There was something inherently awful and funny about a filly or colt unknowingly spelling something that was...somewhat coarse, lets say. It would only become a problem if you let on that it was something not to be said in polite company. "Wow! That's really good, Ambrosia. Really...good!" She said, trying to not let the smile seem to be anything more than proud. "How did you...oh, I see!" She said with a laugh, her lesson plan out and about. Must have fallen out of her saddlebag. Thank the Stars that she didn't understand it! Twilight took the book in her magic and tucked it away. "How did it feel? Do you feel any horn strain?" She asked as she got closer to the runes, wondering how to remove it without it coming across as rude to the filly. "Howdy!" Applejack bellowed down into the room, her head poking in from the opened door. Twilight may not have been born and raised in a born like Applejack was, but only one of them had the manners to show it! Didn't that silly filly know that if you kept your doors opened that all sorts of critters could get your crops. And critters getting your crops was a sure way to get your hide tanned by your granny. "Shouldn't be leaving these doors wide open-" Applejack said as she trotted down before seeing the runic writing on the weall with a magical glow that sure as shine wasn't Twilight's! "Amby, was this you? Is this you? You did this?" She said, her smile and excitement growing. "What's it say?"

Rarity took his time listening to the story and history that this Ice Storm was giving her. Well, no world was perfect, it seemed. he counted his blessings that despite the overwhelming horror of what had happened to the ground and the changes that all of Equestria had been forced to endure that at the very least thay saw no need to stoop to needing such ruffians as thie 'STAR'. That was a bit unkind, he had to admit. There were many reasons why a pony might feel the need to react to being threatened, or feeling threatened, in such a manner and it seemed like all Ice Storms everywhere were in one way or another obsessed with security and its many forms. But for a stallion who lived in a land of near perpetual peace, it just came across odd. The wonders of many realities! "Well, I can't say anything of the sort was ever needed here. Equestria has been at peace...forever, essentially. The Royal Guards were only implemented soon after the event. Before that, the other nations were friendly with us. I think when Celestia burned down the Changeling Hives a few millennia ago, everycreature else got the message. Doesn't much matter now- those nations fell below, as did the overwhelming majority of their citizens. I haven't seen any Yaks, and the Kirins are..." Rarity trailed off as the ship gained in altitude to avoid a sonic current that sent the ship shuddering, a few glasses smashing to the ground. Rarity took it all in stride. You got used to that. "In any case, your other half here was starting down her path even before the event," he said as he finished his drink, idly inspecting the glass. "Not sure about your Princess Luna, but our vanished entirely into the dreamscape after the event took place. A bit dramatic, but I suppose she felt needed there. Our Ice Storm didn't take too kindly to her former lover having vanished. Not that she wasn't a bad seed before- she once accidentally froze an entire city while testing a spell. Didn't spend a day in the dungeons for it thanks to Luna, either. She is more of a...hassle than a threat, normally," Rarity finished. It wasn't untrue, really. It was hard to call Ice Storm evil. She was more so just...quarrelsome. And powerful. Powerfully quarrelsome. "As for your other needs, I may need to make some adjustments but I believe we can keep you stocked. Anything else you need?"

The book that she would find was embossed in purple and gold lettering, called 'prospective lesson plans' with an apple on the cover. It was intended as a long-term guide for what she planned to do with Ambrosia, even if at the moment it was little more than random notes and ideas. Little of it had been given truly deep thought as she had not been able to truly spend time with Ambrosia and understand just where she was. Much of it, almost all of it, would be hard for her to understand even in a year or two. But there were a number of drawings and symbols, elements of basic magical runic language that allowed spells to be taught cross-cultures and language. Something she could mimic, if not fully understand. Twilight was a gone for a full fifteen minutes. She had to talk about some rather important subjects- first off how cute and well behaved Ambrosi was. Perhaps the most important subject two mares could ever discuss, if Ambrosia had any input. Then it became dramatically more boring. Twilight hadn't the time lately to make small talk with her friends and as history wouyld detail she did love that small talk as her reign's demands increased. How the orchard was doing; how the marriage was going; Zap's problems and successes in school, and just when Applejack was planning to get her flank back into athletics. It was easy enough to get lost when you were talking to a friend and only a sound from the training room, muffled as it was, made Twilight's ears twitch. "I should get back to it. We'll talk soon, okay?" Twilight offered as she turned and walked back down into the training room. "I'm back Ambrosia! Have you been enjoying the st-"

Twilight watched the filly with growing excitement as she managed to finally turn the page, though it was nothing compared to the joy the filly gave off when it was done. It was one of the many thousands of activities that a unicorn learned to take for granted as they grew up and became more comfortable with the daily use of their magic. Once you started flipping pages or opening door with your magic, you never really stopped. It would become easy, then second nature, then completely unconscious- like breathing, really. The first time you did it, it was as if the hole world was opening up for you. And in a way, it was. "Yes you did! You did great, Ambrosia. I'm sure your mothers will be very proud," she said as a large sound punctuated the work that was ongoing above. "Continue to read the book for a bit. It may give you some ideas on simple spells to try!" Twilight said excitedly, hoping the subconscious imprinting would start to work its magic. She got up. "I am going to speak with Applejack for a bit. Tell me what you've learned when I get back, okay?" She said after delivering a short head nuzzle, turning away after a second and trotting up the stairs- not seeing her tail nudge a book out of her saddlebag that was perhaps a bit much for the young reader...

Luckily, nopony was freaked out by the ominous alicorn shadow that peered over the beach like a commanding evil. Which was fortunate, because Sunny was likely not very good at the commanding evil thing. She could barely comprehend how to be commanding good and she wanted to be that to a great degree. At least the horn and wings of her costume weren't spazzing out on her and ethereal in any sense. Having them physically certainly made all the difference in how comfortable she could feel with it. As she walked the path down however she found herself distracted. So distracted that she didn't even notice that she nearly ran into a new mare- hard to do since the unicorn was so visually striking! Almost as striking as the strike that she almost landed on Sunny. Mare needed to relax. "Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought there. This getup is for Nightmare Night. I'm going as Nightmare Moon, an old Equestrian legend!" She said as she tried to strike an intimidating pose. The judges would have to give their score later. "I'm Sunny, nice to meet you, miss...?" She asked as she continued to walk and talk towards the sound of the singing she had heard earlier. It didn't take her long to round the corner and see the culprit(s) behind the most lovely racket. Jazz was there alongside Allegro; fitting, both having musical names. She hadn't expected to run into anypony out here and now she had run into three, a veritable crowd that threatened to overwhelm nopony while allowing her just the slightest bit of embarrassment considering that she was trying out her costume for the very first time. That was a matter for another minute, however, as she needed to get to the bottom of what brought her all the way down. "Hey there Jazz, Allegro. Didn't expect to see you two out and about over here tonight! Then again, guess you can say the same about me. I'm guessing you were responsible for that singing that drew me down here, right?'"

The first mare she dealt with made a good point about lines. It was a good point for normal times, the simple times, the boring times. Pathfinder didn't like lines. They slowed you down and she was all about that action, but even then she knew that at least seventy times out of a hundred it was a good idea to wait impatiently in line. But this was not one of the boring times. This was a good time with explosions and adventure and eyepatches and she had to think of a greater good! "Thank you," Pathfinder said happily as the mare delivered candy candy candy to her to her. "And I'd wait in the line but ya know, assassins and cults being after me. Didn't want to cause a scene during your graaaaaaaaaaand opening!" She said as she hovered up and shimmied her front legs up before finishing with a flourish. She then hovered back down and pulled Wind Dancer in with a wing and whispered conspiratorially. "Unless you wanted breakfast and a show, of course!" As she held Wind Dancer, more and better information was received about the prices and they were pretty good! It could be that her mind was warped from the prices of a CEO's lifestyle in Stalliongrad but they seemed really low. Happy news for her in any case! "Oooh, not bad at all! Unless they're poison," she ate some, "not poison, as expected. They're really good and cheap too!" A few more bites and then she pulled the Yinzer herself into her embrace with a wing. "Where'd you learn to cook like this? Pretty tasty! Family secret?" She pondered for a second as she looked at the two. "You two would be cute together. Now kiss," she giggled impishly as she brought them together with her wings before letting them go. "I'll take two large bags of that," she pointed at some candy, "that," she pointed at another candy, "that, that, that, and that. Oh, and a large popcorn," she said as she flew on over to the counter. It gave her time to appreciate the music. It was well sung and gave a pep to her step, a peppy prepper step if you would, though her mind couldn't help but find the real meaning. On the face of it, it was just a classic tale of a candy mare making a pony happy. But if you looked close-lier, and then even more close-lier, you could deciper the real meaning. Celestia was often associated with the sunrise, and sprinkling with dew could have many meanings. In modern parlance it was associated positively, but ancient equestrians associated it with Luna- the condensation and cooling of night remaining in the sunlight, slowly evaporating to nothingness. A parable for Luna's sad descent. This state of affairs was often covered up with well-meaning by Celestia who had tried to reach her sister- covered with chocolate, a miracle for two. In this reading of the tale, Celestia was described as a well-meaning but short-sighted foal. 'The Candy Mare', unable to sense the troubles and who failed to make it right before her sister's descent. Her inability to cope with her actions led to her covering the land with her love, trying to envelop and find what she had once had and lost. Equestria became her opiate and her peaceful reign in turn the opiate of the masses. A subtle enough song on its own since it worked well for a candy shop if you didn't know to look close-lier. Laden with even more meaning when you realized that the Cult of Cazok's stated aim at bringing forth the Mountain Kraken with the gemstones of Unicornia was to revert the land to its pre-Equestria, divided state. In that vein, these cult members disguised as musicians were laying out the case that the Alicorn leaders who founded Equestria were incompetents who had lulled their charges into a false sense of safety. The mountain Kraken would relieve them of this fantasy and reveal the truth: The Candy Mare was hollowed out in the sun, melted, and both would evaporate like dew on a summer's blazing afternoon. Clear as day. "Haha, good song there! Good choice! I'll keep my eye on you!" She waved excitedly over to the musician-cultists. She was sure they would fight later, but not now. Now was candy-buying time.

"That's right. By the time we found them, the Elements of Harmony were stone, in the Castle of the Two Sisters. This story in particular is about the Tree of Harmony, where they first came to be. It was a very magical tree that came into being so very long ago, and the Elements are a reflection of the magic used to grow it. Magic that you have yourself- that we all have," Twilight said before stopping herself. She didn't want to get too lectury or excited about history just yet. There was much that Ambrosia would have to learn on her own or else her education would be stunted. "Ambrosia, try to flip the pages using your magic," she said as she tried to focus on her task. It was hard to not want to go ahead and just allow this adorable filly to spend the time moseying on down the elongated paths of Twilight's memories, but she still had much to do. "The pages are enchanted and so they shouldn't rip or tear so you don't need to try to be too gentle, so feel free to try hard. Can you do it?"

Sunny had spent time on her costume. Too much. Entirely too much. So much that a certain point if somepony had understood just how much times he had spent they would probably have her get help. And not help with the costume, either- not that she needed it, having her spent her time constructively if not well. She had to read and reread what sources she could. The history of ancient Equestria was faint enough when it came to basic details. She had access to a lot of the glitz but not a lot of substance. Nightmare Night's origin was forgotten, never to be remembered. What she did know is it was tied in some manner to a mythical creature known as Nightmare Moon, some sort of spirit or entity that lived on the moon. She had one picture of this entity alongside the Sun Princess; enough for her to base a costume around! So she had worked on it for far too long. The lack of good information left a space that she was trying her best to fill, and by try her best she meant obsess over what it probably looked like. Still, she thought she looked good. She had a cool helmet and some nice dark wings. She would bring the darkness and the fear! And the fun! Mostly the fun. The night will last for a thousand moons! The party she was preparing for wasn't until tomorrow, but she was in her heart already prepared and had to go burn off energy. Some nervous, most not, all of it excited. In her full regalia she found herself walking at night bot far from the beach when she hears a beautiful harmony. Curiosity killed many things in other worlds but in Equestria it was almost always awarded. And so she walked towards the beach to catch a peak from the town above, the Moonlight behind her casting a dark, armored alicorn shadow towards the beach and it's occupants below...

Pathfinder was hungry. Well, not super hungry, more like snack-associated hungry, the hunger that sat on your taste buds and that your stomach tried desperately to fight off. It didn't need, didn't want, the intrusion of anything too fatty or sugary, which was a problem since it was exactly that style of treat that the taste buds wanted. Well, Pathfinder didn't need, didn't want a courts summons. She didn't want, didn't need, a wing monitoring device and she didn't want, didn't need to be chased by hired goons (guards) when she broke it. But all of that happened so she was going to have to get some chocolate. It was the right thing to do. Luckily, she was in the right place for it. Las Pegasus never skimped on anything and everything a mare might want and treats certainly fit the bill. It wasn't what attracted her to it this week, of course. The once in a generation alignment of the stars combined with the Cult of Cazok's efforts was supposed to help unshackle the mountain kraken and reveal the ten gemstones of Unicornia's final resting spot, and that sounded right up her alley! And not far from that position was Las Pegasus. And inside Las Pegasus was a hungry mare. See? The science all came together. Avoiding a few assassination attempts- cultists rarely made for good assassins in her experience, too much culting and not enough assassining- only made her more hungry. Of course she was banned from a lot of places. Older places with older memories. They were wrong to do so of course, but such was such. As fate would have it though, there was a new place in town! Sweet! 'Kandy Kaleidoscope' was the sort of shop that some unicorn altimage would use as a front to conduct evil experiments, so Pathfinder was already happy with it. It would be cool to run into fronts again. There wasn't nearly as much tomfoolery as she would have hoped for in Stalliongrad. One of many reasons she was stretching her wings out again. If it wasn't a front though she could be happy. And so were a lot of other ponies, by the looks of it. A big line for a grand opening! She didn't have time for the line at the moment. Lines allowed for assassins to take their time and while it would be cool to duke it out in public she was also not so certain that the cultists weren't gonna resort to something bigger soon. That was what sloppy assassins did and they were sloppy enough already! And so she flew over the top of the crowd, gliding over them as she squeezed herself in through the door. "Hi! Hello! Hi!" She said to nopony in particular as she barrel rolled her way into the store and took a deep sniff. "Ooh! That smells good!" She straightened out and glided to the ends of the store, parking herself next to everything and nothing all at once as she bounced around. "Oooh, and it doesn't even smell like poison! Hey is that reggae time? I like the reggae time. No, ragtime. Ragtime! It fits the mood a lot. Good stuff! Oh, is that a taffy? Taffy is good! Oh hi you're pretty! You look like Snowfall a little. Oh, wow, look at that! Is that- ooh, popcorn!" She sniffed the popcorn. "That's good. I bet it costs one thousand bits, right?"

She watched Ambrosia's eyes, aware that in some ways these books would need to be a constant companion of hers for the filly to truly start to take in the lessons as she learned to read. She was still young, and perhaps reading was a bit much for her. But with the wonderful illustrations it would leave an imprint, and as she started to read the books would only ever provide more for her to dive into her, more to entice her. It didn't hurt at all that the illustrations were top notch! And not just from the aspect of the magical elements to it. Even if you removed the magic they were amazing illustrations. Some of them had to take creative liberties. Only a few ponies ever saw the Tree of Harmony and despite doing their best to relay the exact dimensions it would be impossible to get it right if you hadn't seen it. "That is the Tree of Harmony. I'm certain your mothers told you about it?" She asked hopefully, her eyes taking in the somewhat larger tree that existed in the illustrations. It was perhaps a quarter again as big as it was and the branches were somewhat longer, without the hanging foci that gave the tree a distinct character. Instead there appeared some crystalized leaves. It was a good replication otherwise, all things considered.