SteelEagle

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.

"It sure is," Twilight said as she inched the book closer to the foal. "Magical in more ways than one. Not only are the illustrations animated and magical, but you'll love the stories. Plus, they will help you learn magic. Isn't that just...super cool?" Twilight asked, thinking herself, indeed, very super cool. Why, she just might be the coolest Princess who ever lived. Book Princess? A title used as a joke or a slight but one she would readily embrace. Maybe she was more the dork in the family. But as Princess, she could just deny that all day and night, though the Dork Princess also had a nice comedic ring to it.

As she allowed Ambrosia to play around with the book and give in to what seemed to be her innate curiosity, Twilight allowed herself to eat a little. A lot. She was an Alicorn and her appetites were as wide and deep as any other on the planet. But mostly she sat in thought. She had a lot of lessons in mind, but she would be the first to admit that it was hard trying to feel out a pony who was so new, who lived so differently to the majority of students she dealt with. She relished the challenge and loved the time she was spending, but the truth was much of this would have to be directed by Ambrosia's feelings. Twilight just hoped she was up to the task.

Twilight thought for a second before responding. "A dork? A dork is somepony who is...eccentric, lovable, a bit quirky, and maybe a little bit silly," she said with a laugh. She wasn't sure that Ambrosia would understand all those words but the smile on Twilight's face would steal any negativity from that phrase. Maybe she wasn't the best at raising foals but she certainly knew that all the quirks and oddities her brother had, all the things that made him a dork, only ever made him special and the sort of stallion she was proud to have as a brother.

As Ambrosia verified her interest in Princess stories, Twilight allowed herself to feel a pinch of pride in her plan. She had spent considerable time and effort in developing new educational material for the fillies and colts of the land, and knew well that to entertain and excite in the action of teaching would go no small length in ensuring the lessons were well-heeled. To that end, she had been commissioning new copies of older books, as well as brand new stories for the foals of Equestria. Many of the tales were as old as time, but were rewritten in small ways to better appeal or to add new elements (while remaining generally as accurate as before). Many were also magically illustrated, but all of them came with questions and lessons for unicorns to ask themselves and learn. It was like sneaking spinach in mashed potatoes! "Well, I'm flattered. I actually have a brand new book- 'The Lost Tales of Solstice Heights'," Twilight said, leaving off the fact it was followed by, 'foal's first book edition!'.

She slid it over, the sparkling, magical cover detailing the beautiful heights while the Princesses of Equestria took their time popping up in one location or another, giving hints as to the stories inside. It was comical to some extent- Twilight had a magnifying close to her face, head down, following the tracks that were leading to a bored looking dragon. "I think you will enjoy it! Well, almost as much as you seem to like apples!"

Apple Bloom found herself completely unsurprised by her description of the caribou father. She hadn't taken Tempest for a mare that would settle in kind with some manner of weaker specimen of any species. This here was a mare that worshipped strength, even if she often didn't see the many ways it was shaded over the ways and means of Equestria. 'Course it wasn't that hard to piece together there was a bit of something behind her words.  If he was that impressive, and Tempest so enamored with that way of life, why return? Even if she had to hide from him, if she liked it so much why not stay in that area? That was why she didn't like those costumes. Weird things happened when ponies were presented with weird choices. At least her foolin' had to do with something respectable, like drinking too much.

"Sorry it didn't work out tha way you'da liked it. For what it's worth, Ah'm happy ta have yer flank back here 'mongst us civilized folk. Don't reckon you'd be doin' yerself any good, cavorting up there while carryin' some calves about yerself. An' that's even before tha deception. Don't think they'd be takin' too kindly ta that, like ya said. That and I could use yer muscles around here," she said as she opened the door to the bright, crisp morning, with the warm sun only starting to heat up the cool earth in fits and starts. Perfect time to get your work started.

The subject switched, after Tempest went and used some fancy caribou words that Apple Bloom caught well, to how and why she was carrying pups. The younger mare blushed as she led Tempest into the orchard. "Ah wish Ah knew," she started barely above a whisper. "Truth be told Ah don't remember anything about him. I was beyond drunk. Super drunk. It was right after we saved a town from a tornado, when yer ship was off on patrol an you were away," she continued as the sound of weak, faint bucking and the occasional grunt was heard. Apple Bloom's ears twitched and she followed. 

"Turned out there were some diamond dogs there too. Whole dang place was buying me drinks. It isn't tha first time Ah've had somethin' ta drink an' Ah'm from good Apple breed- we can handle our liquor, Ah'm told- but nopony's ready for that much that quickly and for so long. Ah don't remember that night much. Woke up...a total mess. Knew it was a Diamond Dog 'cause of tha...err, bite marks, heh. An' tha bartender, but he was new ta tha area and didn't know tha fella," she said as she picked up the pace, trying to locate the sound of bucking as it grew closer. "An later on found out Ah had a bun in tha oven. Buns in tha oven, as it were," she said with a smile, thgough it started to bleed out into a frown when she saw what was making the sound.

Applejack was trying her best to buck a tree but could barely stand on two legs, let alone three, and when she made contact it was with fillyish strength at most.
"Ah, that's a croc...Applejack, ya ain't supposed ta be doing that. For lands sake," Apple Bloom said as she trotted over to her sister, making a move to take her basket.

Applejack tried waving her off like a fly but it was no use. The younger mare was too fast. Her mood seemed sour. "Shut yer trap an' give me mah dang-. Oh, Tempest. Good," she smiled warmly, her attitude taking a turn for the better. "Yer coming with me. Let Apple Bloom consider her stinkin' mouth. Ah should wash it out with soap, ya hear?" Applejack said as she stared daggers at her younger sister.

Apple Bloom returned it with a roll of the eyes. "Ugh. Just watch her, okay?" She said as she leaned in to Tempest, allowing her worry to seep through, "she ain't in tha right mind, okay?" She ended before taking all the baskets, leaving the two older mares there.

"Amby is a pretty nickname," Twilight said with as much flowery warmth as was possible. It was easy when you were around somepony so cute to be so easily pleasant that she found herself having to remind herself that she was, indeed, the immortal monarch of the land. And it was a good thing she could still feel as breezy with a filly like Ambrosia, wasn't it? She had always worried that as she grew into her role there would be a detachment from the small things, but it appeared that for now one very small thing was keeping her well and truly tethered to the natural warmth of Equestrian ponyfolk. "My brother used to call me Twiley. Still does, that dork. Is Zap Apple a dork?" she said with an easy laugh as she started bringing out some books. Some were for her. Easy picnic reading, the history of failed linguistics translations and their effect on ancient pony international relations. 
She believed that wouldn't fit Ambrosia's tastes as easily, however, and had brought other material. A few educational books were slowly piled next to her. "Amby, do you like to read? What sort of stories do you like to read? Stories about Princesses, perhaps?"

Twilight took the knife once it was placed down and started her own cuts through the fruits, helping craft a nice display for the pair. Apple slices and other nicely cute fruit soon found their way on their plates, and in a few more minutes the whole affair would find itself well and truly prepared. She did understand the filly's hesitancy, of course, and was rather happy to see the nervousness. It meant she was taking the lessons on safety her mother was teaching her to heart. Thoughts of safety training and other simple matters could rest for now, because Twilight's mind was on food. And as an alicorn, she needed lot of it. Too much. But for now, the ever present hunger pains would be laid low by this meal- most importantly because she got to share it with somepony, and that seemed to set her at ease in any circumstance.

"Feel free to take as much as you want, Ambrosia. Oh, do you have a nickname? What do you prefer?" Twilight asked as she took a few apple slices for herself. As she allowed herself to enjoy the picnic, however, she was mindful of what was to come next. It was a matter of what she was expecting from today so quickly after the first meeting, the first session, between student and teacher. Some students wanted to continue diving through while others wanted to take their time nibbling at the surface elements, allowing the feeling of success to embolden them before throwing themselves at the higher level of tasks set before them. These approaches were valid in their own way. It would be up to Ambrosia to choose her path.

Twilight nodded. No doubt Applejack had put a premium on the safety of her child, and doubly so when it came to knives. You had to be careful. That and scissors.
"And she would be right. Most knives are very dangerous, especially when you are just learning how to use them. But this knife is different," she said as she brought it up in her magic and started showing all angles of it. As she did, it seemed to shimmer and dim and glow as her magic moved over it, looking increasingly ethereal.

"It is called a Shades Knife, named for Hollow Shades, where it was made. In other places it is simply called a training knife. The key is that it can't hurt you or I. It is enchanted- if it gets to close to a living creature, it starts to liquify. See?" She said as she started to move it closer to one of her outstretched hooves. She then pushed it towards the hoof and as the blade made contact it started to liquify. She continued the motion going through the hoof and the blade moved along in rivulets like rainwater along her, trailing the hilt until it reached the end. Then it came back together and after a short, tiny bright shimmer it solidified again.

"Still, I wouldn't want you to use it unless someone is there to monitor it. Luckily, I'm here to monitor it," she said with a smile before placing the apple and the knife next to the filly. It was an important activity. The small manipulations involved of slicing and carving an apple helped a unicorn learn how to be mindful and accurate with object manipulation. Easy enough to get something done, but something she could always work to improve on. "I'm sure your mom will be okay. If you want to, anyway."

Twilight hadn't expected anything short of the enthusiastic response she had been given and worked to set everything up. She enjoyed taking personal time with all of the ponies of this great land and she would not be lying if she said that went double for those that were close to her. And that would track with Ambrosia, one of the most special little fillies born to special parents, and somepony who Twilight would be happy to see grow and mature over the years. But for now, in this moment, apples and picnic food.

Gooey butter cake, vegetarian muffulettas, pasta salad with spring vegetables, grapes, apples, and Prench onion flatbread made for a nice spread along with the odds and ends. Several small plates were scattered around the two as Twilight considered just how much she should feed the little filly. Magical usage could take a great deal out of a developing filly but there was a real danger in trying to eat too much too quickly afterwards. The physical hunger pains a unicorn felt were often considered 'false readings' sent by an untrained unicorn's mind as it tried to understand the energy depletion it felt. It was hard to satisfy the conditions it set forth, which meant many young unicorns spent their post-training periods rolling around with stomach aches as their body tried to digest far too much food too quickly. She'd have to monitor, but mostly she'd have to eat!

As Twilight started taking the cake apart, setting up the muffulettas on plates, and dolling out some pasta salad, she levitated an apple and a magical, shimmering dinner knife to the filly. "Here, Ambrosia. Take the knife and try to cut the Apple into nice slices. Hold both in your magic and give it a go, okay?" Twilight asked as she monitored with a smile.

With her job done, Applejack waved and hovered away and back towards the castle. She had plenty of work to do and not enough time to do it as far as she was concerned. Hopefully those two would get the job done right and fast because as far as one pegasus mare was concerned, this whole situation was as close as it could get to a true disaster as it could possibly get.

Rarity, for his part, as just happy to get going. He nodded towards his crew who went to their stations and in due time the vessel was on the move. With that, he paid what attention he could to the ice Storm from another universe. Timeline. Dimension? Reality? Rarity didn't know. Rarity didn't much care, either. If it meant everycreature got settled in their proper place by the end of this then he didn't care as much about the journey there. Well, that was a lie. A spicy, exciting adventure would suit him just fine.

He looked at Ice Storm and smiled wearily. "Well, that is very hard to say for certain. Like many of your- well, her- ilk, it is hard to pin down her position at any given time. If we could?" Rarity laughed a jaunty laugh as he led Ice Storm below deck. "We could save a lot of trouble that way. I'd rather not deal with any sky pirates or ice-based revolutionaries on our way to the old regent, thank you very much!" He finished. It was breezy below deck with only three rooms. Rarity's quarters were small but at least private. The main hall- well, it had a more official title but Rarity rather preferred the term main hall and it was his vessel, no matter how small- took up the majority of the space while the small crew quarters allowed the crew someplace to lay their weary head whenever they weren't responding to his flights of fancy.

"It should take us a few days. Don't worry about supplies, we'll be more than capable of keeping you well-fed and rested. Would you care for a drink?"

It was a common trait for dragons to smile with their teeth barred. Unconscious social construct to display dominance. His closed smile told her that she was well-used to Equestrian social constructs, and at the very least would be making a concerted effort to remain as non-threatening as possible. She took her seat and poured him some tea before pouring herself one. "It is not an issue at all, Ridge. There is always some matter that comes up- I apologize for taking so long to respond to your request," she said as she poured in her obsidian sugar and allowed her tea to settle. She understood that she could never fully satisfy her own desire to make sure every request was met in a timely manner since her list of responsibilities only ever grew. Didn't change how she felt, in any case.

"Hmm...assume I do not know, Ridge. I'd rather much hear your perception of these events, as they concern you," she responded as she settled herself in. "Oh, would you like anything to eat?" She asked almost out of hoof as she wondered what his perception would be. She knew a great deal about that region but had not done much to pry into the events of the city herself. The only creature she knew well who had a direct interest, or should have, was Gallus, but he seemed less than pleased whenever the subject came up. As such, while she kept abreast of events and believed she knew what was being discussed, she was far more interested in what it was that Ridge himself would direct the conversation towards.

Twilight wrote down what Ambrosia said, though she wasn't sure there was much to really take from it just yet. The fact that there was a tingle from the point of her skeletal structure that a wing would have been linked to was interesting. Not wholly unusual; unicorn children to at least one pegasi parent could experience such tingles early in life. A pony's body was thrumming with magic and seeking means of expression, the magic would take some time to learn that the structure that it was adapted from was no longer valid. Those tingles would go away in time. Twilight wrote it down anyway and also watched Ambrosia as she fine-tuned her writing. Once you got the beam write and learned the basics of manipulating it, a unicorn would find  that writing using her magic would be much easier than doing it by hoof. It was something she found impressive about earth ponies and pegasi alike; something that was so incredibly easy over time for a unicorn had to worked at by others diligently. Perseverance was a treasure all on its own.

Twilight waited a few more seconds as she allowed Ambrosia to work on her spell a little bit more while Twilight finished scribbling something in her notebook before putting it away. She then folded her front hooves under her and levitated over the gift basket, placing it in between them. "Are you hungry at all, Ambrosia?" Twilight said as she opened up the basket some, allowing an apple to to be levitated up and in between them. "I know I am. Being a Princess is hard work and you've been a good filly all day, first with your mom and now here. Do you want to have a little picnic, just the two of us?" She asked as she brought out some plates and tea cups, silverware and some books.

Apple Bloom was about to say that she needed to relax and maybe show some affection sooner rather than later, because otherwise she was going to freak out with her calves and be one of those obnoxious moms who hovered around her kids all day long, but she allowed the thought to die before words could form. She didn't want Tempest to die, did she? "I mean, 'course ya can stay. Ah mean if Applejack allowed you in ain't like Ah could say no. She owns tha property now full-up," Apple Bloom started before her thoughts grew darker, sadder. She wasn't here when Applejack got injured, but she sure as hay could see it wasn't the same Applejack as before. "Not gonna lie Tempest, Ah don't think Applejack could be whoopin' much of anythin' at tha moment, let alone you," she chuckled nervously before trying to wipe the topic from her mind. 

She continued to drink the water and then dip her hooves in it. Seemed like her four hooves were on fire lately and some nice, cool water helped soothe her. You couldn't do that with a cup, hence the bowl, and best to do it now before her hooves got all grimy with the day. She watched Tempest lap hers up and allowed her mind to wander. "So, a caribou? Ah reckon that makes  a bit of sense for ya. Didn't think you somepony who'd go for a nice office colt or somesuch. 'Course Ah didn't expect y'all to shack up with some caribou warrior, but love finds a way," she said, drawing out the word love to allow the hidden meanings to be laid bare. "They should be pretty big. Ah think caribou can get a mite bigger than most stallions, so hopefully y'all can handle 'em. What's tha father like?" Apple Bloom asked as she finished with her water.

She dried off her hooves and worked her flank off to pick up a basket, her pregnancy nearly scraping the floor. She then pulled a bandana from a coat rack near the door and started tying it around her mane, a nice substitute for her bow. As she did this, she tried to understand why a mare would need a costume like that. Of course, it didn't take that long for Apple Bloom to put two plus two together. "Oh...wait, y'all were dressed up like a caribou- one of Masquerade's costumes?" Apple Bloom shivered, "they give me the creeps, but Ah guess yer testimonial means they work super good. That'll help me sleep easier, haha. Ah'll not tell anypony. Won't be tha first thing, nor tha last, so locked up and sealed it'll be. Wanna help me with some apple buckin'?"

Twilight's schedule was always turbulent. There were the many day to day affairs that took up her time and effort and slowly but surely ate away at her time, but there were so many more tasks ahead of her. Canterlot was the center of Equestria's political universe, and very arguably the world's. Meetings with diplomats and calls for her to mediate disputes ranging from the squabbles between small farming settlements to border disputes between disparate caribou clans in the now 'peaceful' Whitescar called upon her talents in fields that she was only now starting to devote herself to. And as her schedule ticked over to yet another meeting, she did have to admit it was more interesting than most. She was to meet with a dragon named Ridge, the CEO of a major mining concern operating from Griffonstone. The fact it was a younger dragon doing it was was very exciting. Dragon business owners, let alone dragons operating in civilized society, were nearly unheard of. 

Well, if one considered Griffonstone civilized society.

Griffonstone had seen better days, many indeed in its long and glorious history but it had seen worse. There was an uneasy sense that the city was looking forward. To what? Hard to say. Twilight had her suspicions but that didn't mean that she wasn't excited to see how it all came together. Of course, she wasn't sure how much she could trust the plans of a mine owner, but that was the reason she had decided to hold this meeting. It was a city outside of her borders but she had an interest in the peace and prosperity of all creatures. "Welcome, Ridge I am pleased to meet you finally. Would you like something to drink?" Twilight said as she got off of her throne to meet him on the throne room floor. Set up for them was a small table- well, as small as one could be for a dragon and a Princess- 
 

"You did do that, and it will be the first of many. For now, try to use that spell a few more times, see if you can feel the way your horn is directing the magic within you," Twilight replied as she looked at the fading letters. Indeed, they would fade fast at first. The beam a little filly could send off was in no way capable of leaving a lasting aetheric impact unless it decided to convert the matter at destination, but that would be another type of beam entirely. You normally didn't see that outside of foals who were having magical tantrums...coming in the form of semi-violent explosions! While Ambrosia did her best to work on her magical letters, Twilight studied her aetheric flow. Like most fillies it would no doubt be only barely functioning. As she used her magic more and in more directed ways that would change, especially with her ring. Magic would become easier to cast and infinitely easier to manipulate.

Twilight settles herself in, looking at the magic around her with an even, pleased smile. "Have you been working alongside Applejack more often lately, Ambrosia? When you do help her out, do you ever feel a tingle in your tail or your hooves? One that doesn't seem natural?" She asked as she opened a book and set herself up comfortably next to the filly. It would take time to fully understand all the ways in which a unicorn born to parents of the two different species would interact in the magical fields. A unicorn born magically to parents of the same gender and different species was not entirely unheard of, mind you, but each creature was unique in their own way and the rarity of the conditions intrigued Twilight to no end. 

She smiled. "Oh, I think both of y'all like where we're goin' next, sweetheart," Applejack said as she beamed down at her daughter and leaned in. "Gonna go to the toy store! Get in the cart and be good, alright?" She said before nuzzling and standing back up. She knew better than most that two little ponies in a toy store was a recipe for trouble. She knew better than to pretend she wasn't gonna be buying something for them, but she still had to prepare High Bar's birthday party and only a few days to do it. Besides, they had been good. She turned back to the playground just in time to see Zap Apple get pumped by a tetherball, and engaged mom mode as she started galloping towards him.

Topaz was a little let down when Zap Apple dodged the ball instead of it knocking him on his stupid blank stank flank. Play or get lost, loser. Buuuut karma, or something worse, was on his side. The ball came back around and knocked him in the head. 1-0, Topaz. "Head in the clouds, Apples?" Topaz asked mockingly before he looked up and saw his large orange mom galloping towards them. Topaz took the initiative and held the tetherball still while looking concerned. "Zap Apple, are you okay?" He asked as he spoke louder, looking like a concerned little colt as Applejack approached.

Applejack reached Zap Apple and bent down, checking his head. Zap Apple was a rough and tumble colt and she had no doubt that he would be okay but her maternal instincts were too strong. She parted his mane and looked for any bruising. "Are you okay, Zappy? How many hooves am I holding up? Spell your name," she said as wanted to make sure he was fine.


Topaz could barely hide his smirk. Zappy...?

Apple Bloom was not intimidated or concerned about the way that Tempest conducted herself. She had spent long enough around the mare to get used to it, and to know how to react. For example, she ducked out of the way of the horn blast and when it was passed her popped back into position without any loss of curiosity or positivity. "Correction. You could have, but I'm way too fast," she winked as she pulled back to give Tempest her space. If there was one thing a pregnant mare needed it was her space. Well, that was probably not in the top fifty but it fit the moment and that was enough for her.

She also didn't give much mind to the cursing. If her Granny was still around she was sure there would be a bar of soap coming in from any direction at any second, but that wasn't happening. Didn't mean she had much of mind to follow it, however. She didn't much like a bunch of cursing with or without the ever present threat of an elderly lecture. Not that Tempest was that far off. "Well, Ah guess we're two peas in a pod, right? You'll be fine here. Ah'm assumin' ya didn't just sneak yer way in, got Applejack's approval?" She asked as she made her way into the kitchen with great energy and median speed. She didn't do high speed anymore.

Low speed, hig drag was the way to go. "Ah wouldn't go ahead and drink coffee. It won't be good for 'em and it'll make you feel all jittery," she said as she dug out of the fridge some nice chilled water. She poured herself a bowl and drank some, but also swam her hoof around in it. "Helps me cool off. So, what happened with you? Last time Ah saw you, we were takin' yer ship back ta Equestria and y'all was headin' off ta tha North. Meet a nice Stalliongrad stallion?" She said, waggling her brows and ignoring her own story.