SteelEagle

"Well, perhaps not. After all, there is nothing out there right now," Twilight said as she walked away from the window, closing the curtains with her magic as she allowed the little pony to get comfortable. She started walking down a hallway with no windows, sconces on the wall lighting as they walked. "You saw through the veil, the void, because you will become an Alicorn. My Alicorn. You have been chosen by me, yes, but by the way you have lived your life you have made it clear what your destiny is," they continued to walk. Twilight shook her head and laughed.

"Sorry, I am not one for ceremonies. Celestia had this whole song and routine. Sorry. You get reduced to the size of a filly and a long walk down a short hallway," she said playfully as she reached the end. Her hoof lingered on the door.

"You are Ice Storm, Alicorn of Protection. The power I have vested in you is great, and so is your task. You will protect Equestria from the threats that I am concerned I would go too far against. More than that, you will come to understand what protection *actually* means. It isn't always being a shield or a sword to be used against those who would do Equestria harm. It is just as often, if not more so, coming to understand that Harmony in Order is the method to creating the magic of Friendship that is the bedrock of our safety. You will be given tremendous power, tremendous gifts, and tremendous potential. And it starts when I open this door. You will be transported back to Equestria, but you will find your history changed. What has changed...will be up to you, in many cases. You have already chosen..." she considered her words, "a...unique...circumstance. This is a new beginning to an old story. I am excited to see the choices you make, Ice Storm. Are you ready?"

"Well, sometimes life forces a compromise on you. I am a Mustang at heart, but a songstress by trade and that trade takes me far and away from her. I've done it often enough and long enough that while I could never truly say goodbye to this place, I also don't feel as though I need to live here to really...feel it. When a place embeds itself in your bones, it travels with you. Home is where the heart is," she said as they continued their lazy gait towards their destination. Rara had spent much of her life traveling Equestria; she could live and do so comfortably just about anywhere, and felt at ease. Homesickness was a trauma long since defeated, especially once she understood that home was only as far away as you allowed it to be. Home was often the ponies you associated with it, the breezes and the songs, the cultures and the taste of the air. She often returned, but she carried those memories and those ties with her across the world. Mustangia never left her behind, and she likewise carried it with her no matter what.

"Stallion?" She offered, followed by a small pause as they drew closer in. "Oh, yes. Well, maybe, perhaps not. I've had a few stallions in the past and I think I don't enjoy the taste very much. I've sent that meal back to the kitchen," she added with a dry chortle as she looked out over the shops and restaurants. It was strange seeting what seemed like the main street of a mid-sized upscale village and farmer's town rolled into one, and then surrounded by Mustangia open ground and a train but such was the standard of many such train stops across the Strand. "Oooh, how about some soup and heavy grains? That'd fill me right up. What about you?"

Preserved in ice by the passage of eons and ages past the knowledge of any living creature, the streets had long since lost any attempted semblance of what they used to be. There was no light and no life to be found. Any attempt at living in the endless dark devoid of activity had been abandoned by even the hardiest creatures long ago, leaving the oddly preserved pathways alone. It was a tomb of ice and worse than that, its inhabitants were forgotten entirely. Not for them was even the acknowledgement of existence. They suffered, died, and were now rendered completely existence-less as even memory failed to place them. The only two creatures in all of Twilight's Kingdom and beyond that could confirm any of them had ever lived were two adventurous pegasi who found themselves half-blindedly stumbling through the occasional skeleton.

Of course, the existence of such open skeletons rather than any preserved bodies gave them some clues. They did not die in a sudden cataclysmic snowfall. They were not buried in ice and snow professionally. Whatever had happened to them, they had died, rotted away, with their bones left to mark where they lay. Unusual, considering how thick the packed snow and ice around them. It was all incredibly unnatural and clearly...magical. None of that stopped it from being terribly cold, mind you. She huddled close to Dunderino for warmth, not that they had much choice. At times the path was wide enough for them to walk side by side, but often it tightened up and they had to walk single file and squeeze by.

As they did so, she noticed something. Pathfinder was often accused of being scatterbrained, but that was probably because parts of her brain were scattered around her skull due to concussions. No, she was as sharp as a whistle and three times as loud when needed, and she only needed one-half sharpness to note that the skeletons were all unicorns. Their horns still seemed solid, only a few seemed chipped. Even the smaller skeletons with the less developed horns still had them. "Guess we're in the thick of horned territory now, Dundie. I haven't seen anything but them so far."

His mother's name sounded beautiful. She couldn't really tell what language it was, though she could only assume it was some siren language. It certainly had a musical quality to it and music seemed to mean a lot to sirens, based on her admittedly near zero knowledge on the subject. She would like to believe she could stop herself fromreading too much into sany and all small tidbits she could gleam, but even by the time that thought was formed her curiosity had shot ahead and started forming a strong alliance with deep love of ancient Equestria to connect dots that didn't exist. 

While her mind raced excitedly trying to learn, her heart bled for him. She knew better than most the heartache and sorrow that came with your parent(s) no longer being in your life. It was kind of strange how similar it was, at least in some ways. She hadn't given herself over to sorrow for many years regarding her father. Indeed, she had redoubled her efforts to follow in his hooftseps, and the actualization of theory into history that had happened recently had laid to rest any lingering pangs of sadness that had dug into her over the years. She was at peace, but she knew that was because of what they had endeavored to learn. He was gone, but they had grown together with what she had learned, she was sure of that. 

Of course, for Allegro it went a step further. While Sunny had been ostracized for years on account oif her radical beliefs, she always knew in the back of her mind that it was her own actions that made it so. She lived with the knowledge that if she could only 'shape up and trot right' that she could find her place in society free of conflict, just like every other stallion and mare. Allegro was robbed of even that sense of societal normalcy. She couldn't really place the name North Star that much. Her father wasn't as consumed by the sea as often as other Bay-Side ponies were. Her mother? She studied the ocean and if she had spent time with her then she would likely have a better chance of knowing the name. But she could recall a famed captain of some kind. That meant Allegro came from good stock. She didn't know his mother very well, but she knew that her love shone through him.

"We really are the products of our parents, aren't we?" She answered with a smile and then a hug, gently patting him on his back. "So you've been hiding your true self this whole time? Where do you live?"

Moonlight beamed. Her life had gone in many different directions and had taken on new, better forms as she had gotten older, but she had always remained studious (ignore the speech patterns!) and attenttive to studies and teacher alike. "Sometimes friends fight, even longtime ones! Good friends always work through their differences, even if it takes a little help," she said with a tremendous amount of pep, her tail wagging energetically. She was totally with it today. "Two creatures don't have to love the same things, or agree on those things, in order to have respect and care for one another," she said, having memorized a lesson she had read recently. She turned to Silverstream and winked, whispering, "chapter eight, lesson 17," she then tittered and looked back to Fluttershy. Question answered, question about to be asked. "Are you, like, gonna be okay teach? You can totally take a rest."

Applejack was more than willing to give her students all the credit in the world and then some. More than that, she was a mare who understood not everycreature was built for the sun's dawn rays as uniquely as she was. Even MORE than that, she knew that this fella here had a sleep disorder and she wasn't about to put his snout to the stone for not being as bright and bush tailed as even the sleepiest of his fellow students. What she was a little less than happy with was an answer that told her that she wasn't going to be trying today. She knew how boring school could be. For Celestia's sake, she hadn't been the best student herself and if he had his heart set on other tasks, so be it. But she couldn't get behind not giving an honest effort, even if it was half-hearted. "Uhh, sure. That is pretty on the nose in, uhh, general. But that ain't tha answer ta tha question, sugarcube. Mind taking a second ta ponder it?" She asked as she started slowly approaching him.

Gallus didn't know what sort of scholastically inclined pearls of wisdom his down-to-dirt professor was about to lay on the desk of the maroon pegasus, but he did know that Remington wasn't in the mood to engage much. And if he didn't want any help directly- fair enough- he could at least do what he did best when he wasn't around Silvie: Deflect. "I think-" he said, bending his head and leaning in towards his teacher, getting Applejack's attention as she neared Remington, "-that you try and understand it from their point of view, and...uhh that's all I got. There's more to it," he said, leaning back now that Applejack was focused on him. It had worked: She nodded towards him. "Yer doin' good, Gallus. An' you ain't wrong, either. It always behooves-" she waited a second to try and ruminate on whether or not that was offensive to those without hooves,
"-you ta look at it from your friend's point of view. That helps understand the why, but what happens when the what is still something that hurts you?" She asked to the room, before  her head lowered to the red pegasus on her right expectantly.

Sunny felt a little silly. She was so enraptured by all the ways that Sunny operated that something as simple as a popcorn maker didn't register. Frankly, even a karaoke machine felt tame! "Haha, I guess it wouldn't have made much sense. I don't think you need a karaoke machine to start a song for us, anyway. I may be a hoot, but you're a holler," she said with an easy laugh before observing the popcorn machine. What color to pick? She didn't know what flavors they correlated to necessarily. Red, was that cheery? Licorice? What did cherry popcorn even taste like? Yellow just seemed like it wouldf be akin to normal popcorn. But blue? She couldn't even try to guess. If it was blueberry popcorn she'd lose her mind. She loved blueberries almost too much. "I don't know which is which, but I'll take the plunge with blue!"

Sunny beamed brightly, almost as brightly as the Bridlewood Lumens she was planning on bringing to the Brighthouse, and almost as energy conscious as well. She did like to believe that given the opportunity she could make other ponies come to see the benefits of socially conscious choices, but she would admit it felt good to know Zipp thought that Pipp would see the 'light'. "Good! Maybe she can write a song about protecting the environment, featuring...20-BLs," she said, putting the package in the cart. Speaking of Pipp, Zipp learned the one truth of shopping: Every size but yours was available in almost every price but the one you wanted to pay. "Hmm...she would probably like the longer one, since she likes to move as she performs. Or she can perform like the ponies of yesteryear," she said, pantomiming a microphone stand and gently sidling from side to side as she sang. After a few moments, she giggled. "Or, maybe that would be a little more relaxing for her."

As Rara strolled, her sweater gently moving with the short breeze that blew from time to time, her hooves gently flying over the path that wound its way through the estate and towards the station. She carried a well-worn faux-leather saddlebag over her shoulder, containing a bit satchel and a small notebook. Her eyes exuded a mixture of curiosity and eagerness, absorbing the sights and sounds of the landscape around her in equality with how it took in Applejack. She occasionally paused to admire a particularly vibrant flower or to observe the playful antics of a pair of squirrels darting among the few trees that lined the edge of the estate. She was in no great rush; the company was beyond pleasant.
"Stars above, a sparkling dance;
In night's enchanting, wide expanse.
Mustang life, serene and true;
With skies of endless azure hue," she whispered for just the two of them as she looked over her Mustangia paradise. "I always think of Cerbat's poetry whenever I return home. I love Manehattan, don't get me wrong, but I feel like I could never truly say goodbye to this place."

Approaching the train station, they would see a copse of a few businesses tending to the needs of the travelers and the well-to do estate she owned. It looked much like the main street of a western town, if somewhat more service focused and less busy as no train was in.

Gallus had to admit, the entire Hippogriff community coming together to sing sounded special. Before he went to Equestria he would have told you that the idea of a bunch of creatures coming together to sing songs was cheesy, corny, and the antithesis of cool. And now that he had experienced it in the first-griff, he knew that it was cheesy, corny, and not cool at all, and he loved it. Though he also didn't really know what she meant by tribute. He could only guess that she was about to ruthlessly collect the voices of the less fortunate Hippogriffs to power whher own royal voice. Now that he set it up that way, he'd be a little let down if it didn't turn out that way. As she took off Gallus followed, gliding energetically behind her.
"I think it could be fun. I'll make sure to get my pipes ready. Just promise not to get too emotionally charged by my singing voice. I'm told by reliable sources that it is pretty damn good. But I have to ask, what do you mean by tribute?"

He kept his breathing under control but he felt his feathers splay out. In some griffons it was a sign of confidence, baring your chest and feeling it puff out. Or it was a sign you were slowly cooking. He didn't know which one was more accurate. He was hot yeah, but being around Silverstream made him feel a bit lighter. A bit more energetic. A smile found its way easier to his face and he felt like he was more open with her, more like the Gallus he knew on the inside. Which, if this sauna went for too long, he was sure would be cut through with a knife and served. White meat sold well in Hesperia. "Well, I can see why she might be worried about my tailfin. I think I banged it around Seaquestria enough to bruise it. I half-expected my flank to be black and blue by the end of it. That would have been awkward to explain to your parents," he said with a playful waggle of the eyes, looking to steal a glance at her. 

This time he found himself staring into her beautiful violet eyes. He wasn't sure there were a better, more soulful pair in the world and if there were he wasn't in the mind of hunting it down. Not when it was hard enough to get lost already. "Anyone tell you recently that your eyes are really beautiful?"

Moonlight's perpetually sunny face took on a darker, gloomier shade when the prospect came up. "Oh, him?" She said, her facer still trying to keep the cheer but her tone hiding the indignation and slight shame not well in the slightest. "Well, I guess he has better things to do than, like, give me the time of day. Well," she scoffed, "Well! Like, whatever, his loss. I have lots of other totally rad suitors. Or he'll come around. Think he'll totally come around?" She asked, trying to feign only mild interest but comimg off more accurate to how she felt- an unhealthy mix of angry, hopeful, and deeply confused. 

Fluttershy offered a distraction from her own emotions. The Professor looked a bit bedraggled. There was the open rumor that her and Discord were pretty close and she could guess as to what a messy mane like hers could mean- but more likely considering she ran an animal sanctuary she was just being kept busy by all the obligations inherent. When she was finished speaking, Moonlight shot her hoof up. For all her flippant feminine charm and energetic expressive flirting, she was a very well engaged student and made sure no Professor would consider her deficient. It helped that they knew more about her than most and had been such good help.

Gallus looked over at Remington and cocked his eyebrow, worried about the poor dude. What in the wing was wrong with him? Remington could sometimes be a bit awkward in the morning because of his condition. Sleep happened when and where rather than a good, set time. But this seemed to be a lot more than. Gallus wasn't gonna press in the class but he'd have to take flight with him later and pick his brain. He needed to-

"Alright then!" Applejack interjected into his thoughts as she started her lesson for the day. "We all have good, close friends. And we all still sometimes have some trouble with'm. Nopony's flawless, after all. Even close friends can disagree. Close friends can still look at tha same problem an' come ta different answers and when that happens, close friends can start fightin'. Ah'm sure everycreature here can relate, right?" She asked, looking out over everypony. "An' that ain't a big deal. You know all this. But what happens if tha problem starts when it came from an honest ta goodness effort to help somecreature else?" She looks around, settling on..."Remington, whatcha thinkin'?"

Applejack had waited quite a while for the food to be fixed, but finally it was. The teenage filly behind the counter couldn't help but roll her eyes somewhat fiercely when she returned, smile wide on her face, she stomached the filly's attitude as best she could. She quickly returned to her seat and took a breath. Her foals were having fun in the ball pit with some other little filly. It would be okay if she just ate a little while in peace, right? Ain't nothing wrong with that...

She looked at the colt and tossing the ball at him seemed like the best use for him. In her experience colts were generally stinkier than they needed to be, crasser than they needed to be, and more rough than they needed to be. She didn't have to deal with that last part very often- that's what the hired help was for, after all- but this little eatery smelled and sounded in all the ways to confirm her thoughts. So when Ambrosia caught the ball and defended her brother, all that High could do was roll her eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. I thought he was paying my attention. Good sticking up for your brother. Hey-" she turned to say a very half-hearted sorry to the colt, but he was long gone. "...in any case...two mommas must be good. Less belching I hope. Its why I like my mom more," she leaned in conspiratorially even as Ambrosia still held the ball, "...which one do YOU like more? Momma-momma or momma-dadda?" She asked with a grin that spoke to her love of gossip- and no small amount of mocking such a rural way of referring to one's parents.

Before she could have her answer though, she was pulled into the ball pit by her tail, a quick shot of pain causing her to yelp as she was submerged in the ball pit in what was clearly the most vicious assassination attempt in the history of all colt-filly relations! She was lost in the ball sea, thrashing and kicking before she regained herself and her head popped up at the top of the pit, not far from where she had once been sitting- starring daggers at the EVIL colt who had touched her beautiful tail!

Ice Storm felt like she was letting a lot off her chest. To Twilight it came off far more as the mare trying to convince herself that Twilight had chosen correctly than anything else. Ice Storm was the right mare for the job. Much of her STAR and EPIC training had shown Twilight that, though the core of it was her being who she was. She was the right mare before the Faire, even if she didn't know she was, and she was the right mare now, at the end of...some things. But not Ice Storm, and never Equestria. At the end of it all, Twilight put her hoof up as if to gently quiet the significantly smaller pony.

"Ice, you don't have to justify the reasons why you are the best choice. Your history is well known to me. And you. And to anycreature else overhearing this," Twilight laughed as she walked over to the mare turned filly and picked her up, placing her on the Alicorn's back. "Relax. We have a lot to talk, but the past is the past, the future bright no matter what you choose. You are perfect for this- but for now, think on yourself, for now, and what it means to you," she said gently as she spoke, starting to walk towards a window that went overlooking a void. As they approached, the view became solidified, that of their beloved homeland.

"Look out there, Ice Storm, and tell me what you see when you see Equestria. And I mean...look less with your eyes, more with your magic."

Of course Professor Rarity would suggest taking the temperature right past what you would consider comfortable. She was one of the definitions of an artist if you chose the definition of 'suffering needlessly for your art'. That mare was as smart as she was creative and came up with all sorts of wild stuff that he didn't understand. He didn't know why she would want it quite this hot but as he was finding it, mares, chicks, girls of any kind were absolutely weird.

He flexed out his feathers and smiled. "Yeah, go ahead. I think I'm being served at the cafe later so best get to the basting, right?" He said with an easy smirk before laying out some more. "But really, whatever you feel is best. I've never been to a place like this. I don't think there is a spa in Griffonstone. Remember when Yona tried to describe a Yak spa?" He laughed. He also started to sweat. "Ahh, anyway. How's home? Been a bit. I hope your family isn't having Gallus withdrawal. It is a serious illness, you know, especially with that awful and terrible royal life that they have been forced to live in our absence!"
 

Her ears pared back a bit when she realized she was off-base. She was so excited to discover one of the old, supposedly extinct species discussed by Twilight Sparkle that she had allowed her imagination to run incredibly wild incredibly quickly. She felt a little bit foalish but was quick to hide it, not wanting to make Allegro feel any more awkward than he already must have. "Ohh...oh! Sorry. I'm really- I didn't mean anything by it! It's just that back in ancient Equestria, there existed a species that could shapeshift and take the form of all sorts of creatures. They vanished eons ago, but I thought..." she looked down and blushed, "oh, that was stupid. Umm, okay. I'll reset, hahaha," she said, rubbing the back of her neck before she took a deep breath and started walking around and looking at hime some more.

Sirens were mentioned only rarely in the ancient texts that she knew of, and even then in mostly vague terms. There was a lot about them she could only infer, at best, with regard to 'Pillars of Equestria' and something called the Dazzlings. A lot of it didn't make sense, even to Sunny, and the mentions of the Sirens were rare enough that she wasn't even sure if they were still around in Equestria in Twilight's reign, let alone now. She didn't know really what to expect, so any fear she could have had was left in the dustbin of history where such biases best deserved to die.

"A siren and a pony, huh? That's so cool. Forbidden love! Where did she live? Where was he from? What was his name? What was her name? Where did this all happen? When did it happen?" She asked as she started trotting around excitedly, locking the door and getting a notebook out with eyes half-past hungry,

"Well, they-" Pathfinder said as she hovered in place and turned to Dunnie, keeping her flight so they didn't have to stop, "-say that this was a small southern port city, with an ancient route that headed west to ancient Hesperia. That is what the dig site purports to be, anyway. The truth is that this was a big city at one point. This part of the city was buried under snow and doesn't appear in any map. The part they think is the port was just a transportation hub- a pegasi transportation hub, not a sea port. And below the waves, the frozen ice waters, is supposed to be something a lot more. Boom!" She said, pressing her hooves to her head and then throwing them out. "The find of a lifetime," she said as she searched for the door. She didn't bother looking around the room too much. Not enough danger, and truth be told she reckoned there would be time enough to investigate the homes of those that 'nature' preserved and time forgot.

After a few moments she found it and pushed and pushed. The door opened with considerable, if not less than she had expected, force and Pathfinder spilled out of the home and into what appeared to be very narrow streets. Narrow, because it was all covered in snow but not the way one might expect. The snow certainly covered the 'sky' and spilled out everywhere, choking the street and pushing through houses. But it was clear that this was not natural snowfall by the very fact that there existed any way to move at all, with the paths ahead as dark as dark could be but preserved nonetheless. It should not have been so. The snow had buried this part of the city utterly eons ago, so what made it that the streets themselves were not entirely closed off?

Pathfinder thought she knew the answer, and the cheery adventurer was equally disquieted as she was excited by it all. She fumbled in her saddlebag and pulled out a stick tube, twisting and smacking it against the ice-wall before slapping it on her pith helmet for a sickly green glow. She handed the magical stick to Dunderina the Dunderful. "Unless you have something better to investigate spooky cool ghost towns...?"

"Yeah, but come on. If I'm gonna be your assistance private eye I should get something. Okay, you have the goggles...I get to have a magnifying glass and a pipe. Deal?" She said as she trotted alongside Zipp into the hardware store. Hardhat's Hardware was one of the most well-stocked hardware stores in town but the owner had not done the best job of adapting to all the unicorns and pegasi coming to town. That had left ample room for a new store in town and while Fly Filly's Fetchings was absurdly named, it was one of the few places in town to find a few items. For Sunny, that would mean bridlewood lumen lightbulbs. "Sounds good. Oh, look at these!" She said, as she trotted towards the selection. "They have the 20-BLs! Ohh, they are forty percent more efficient. But the 35-BLs are only thirty...but Pipp really likes it bright. Whatcha think Zipp? I don't want to, err, crimp on your sister's style but I think moving the Crystal Brighthouse in a more energy efficient direction would be good for both light pollution and the environment. Think she'll mind?"
 

Allegro's determination was palpable, his voice wavering but carrying a resolute tone. And then he began to sing – a wordless melody that resonated with the depths of his being. It was as if the very essence of his soul was pouring out through his voice, weaving a tale of masks discarded and the desire to be seen for who he truly was.The magic in his voice seemed to shimmer and swirl, and Sunny felt a tingle in the air, like a current of energy passing through the room. She didn't know if there were words or if he was speaking in a language she could not hear, all she knew was that the intent was clear.

As his form shifted, Sunny's eyes widened further. The illusion that had concealed Allegro's true nature faded away, revealing his unique appearance. The patches of scaled skin and the lingering scent of saltwater seemed to tell a story of his aquatic heritage. Her gaze met his, those yellow eyes now holding a mix of apprehension and hope. Sunny felt her own heart beat once, twice, and then stopped for but a moment, a rush of emotions flooding through her. She blinked in awe, momentarily speechless as she took in the sight before her. The kitchen seemed to fade into the background, her focus solely on Allegro and the courage it took for him to reveal this side of himself. She put the drink down, and then gulped it down- no spit take, as she felt had almost happened.

She stepped over and started looking him over, her eyes glistening with...excitement. "This is...amazing. You're a..." she searched for the words..."a...CHANGELING!" She said, eyes sparkling wide and not at all aware that she was quite wrong.

At first Sunny was worried, dropping her cup on the table and getting up to help him as he seemed to choke a bit on the water. Luckily, he seemed to immediately move past. She knew she was funny, but not so funny as to almost choke somepony out! She'd need to tell Pipp. She was sure Izzy would want to put her up on an open mic night and she didn't think she was ready for that. "Well, I'm happy to hear that Jazz was there. She is a very kind pony. I am sure she was a great help, though I wish there was something we could do for the future. We really don't want you to feel driven from your home in the future, right?" She said, her mind already trying to work on ideas. There had to be better places to hold such a concert, right? Maybe a compromise? She didn't know. She'd need to think on it.

Drink.
Her thoughts were turned towards something else as he started to nervously and anxiously tell her that he had something to show her. She didn't know who or what was making him feel so nervous, but she was confident that she would be able to support him. He seemed to think she might not- and even asked her to promise to hear him out. "Allegro, you can tell me anything. I promise I won't tell anyone, freak out, or throw plates at you. You can talk to me about anything!" She said positively as she started taking another drink.

Muziki was getting ready to barrel out the door to explain to her mama in all the ways she had been a big candy winner and felt super special because winning was fun, but so many ponies had so many questions! And offers. Questions and offers and all sorts of things for Muziki. She was not just a candy winner: She was a friendship winner! That was a sweeter win for sure. "Oh, mama and pa would very like the Crystal Empire! Yes! That is good idea. I will be sure to tell them Crystal Princess, Flurry Heart. She makes very good ugali and you will like it! Seeing you later!" She said as she waved back, before turning her attention to the Kirin. He had been very inquisitory and very sweet, and now he wanted to know all about the zebras!

She didn't have the time, though. Mama was calling! But she couldn't say no to such a beautiful creature, and besides, he seemed very nice and sweet. Plus he wrote, and reading ponish was good! As Muziki trundled up to her mother he was close by. Her mother, a fit mare used to the trials and travels of the plain as readily as her demanding routines as part of their shows, gave the newcomer a wary smile. Mostly because he was just following her daughter. "Mama, ni sawa. Anataka tu kuzungumza juu ya kushinda pipi! Oh...oh! Anataka kujua kuhusu Pundamilia!" Muziki said excitedly as she bounced on top of her mother's back, sitting down on it. The older mare rolled her eyes and smiled as she started walking. 
"Sawa, lakini ninatembea. Baba yako na mimi tumeandaa chakula cha jioni na ningechukia kula injera zote."
Muziki was faux terrified, falling backward. "Lakini basi nitakufa njaa! Hakuna tena Muziki!" She giggled as her mom lightly chuckled. While laid down, she looked at the kirin.

"I speak ponish! Do you speak ponish?"

*Muziki has left the shop- she will continue talking with River Wisp as long as he wants, but they are walking away*

As they walked, they passed by another customer who in turn paid them little heed.

*********************************************************************************

Her every movement was indeed calculated to exact the response she wanted from those around her, yes.
Her every breath, every look, every beat of her  heart divined to drive one to the desires in their own, yes.
Her every scent, every hair on her pelt, her peddy, her eyes- yes, she as sculpted for desire.
Her every thought and action designed to entangle and weave, yes.
For all that and many more sins though, Heart Stopper still wanted some chocolates. 

She was stuck in this lousy Equestrian city as part of some ridiculous 'Maretonian Unity Summit' as part of the Kastroti delegation, as if the militaristic birdbrains of Acreoneighos or the dirt-thumpers of Hippostion deserved even a speck of Kastroti attention. It had achieved little though she was sure a very fine press release would be put out by Princess Traitor Sparkle and other childish figures, so she spent her time when the comedy special that was the summit was not in session scoping out this 'party city' for potential additions to her various social clubs, harems, and associated activities. Equestrians really didn't know how to party but at least when they got liquored up at the clubs they allowed a little bit of their wild side. She already had noted several dozen ponies (and a few others) she planned to whisk away once she had sufficiently detached them from their meager bonds here. She had better uses for them then whatever pathetic, non-Kastroti life they had before. 

She had worked up quite the hunger. She needed a little bit more than what her diet normally called for- she had a nagging headache caused by the summit's offer of 'cloud infused natural rainwater', such peganonsense- and she had bits to spend. A lot of bits, of course. The wealth of Heart island flowed to her bank and her bank alone when it was all said and done. After all, every relationship was her call, every family one of her own making. Their wealth was really only her wealth- and she made sure the peasantry knew who to thank and who to blame in measure equal and terrible alike. And she had decided that yes, she needed some chocolates.

And so she walked the city, testing and tasting and flirting and bantering. She had to dismiss (for now) a growing assortment of admirers once in a while, and even found herself more positively encouraging some young unicorn couples who seemed to be starting fresh and new in this city of dreams. It was not far from where she had just cajoled two young mares into expressing their feelings and running off in their passions (let their coltfriends figure it out) that she saw 'The Kandy Kaleidoscope'. As she watched the two mares dual-teleport away just before their coltfriends rounded the corner, she settled on that as a most wonderful place to settle her stomach's stern case for sweets.

She entered the shop, brushing past with a trailing tail a few others before gracefully and confidently strutting in. "Who owns this...fine establishment?" She asked regally, her bearing proud but showing no unfriendliness. Indeed, she was well versed in Equestrian customs and bore a friendly, warm smile and twinkling blue eyes. She was beyond a natural beauty, as if  carved in stone, drawn in the mind model of perfect form and function, while the end of every sentence seemed to end with an unspoken promise. "I would like to judge just how old-fashioned your candy truly is, after all. A bold claim indeed, my fine...?" 

Sunny laughed. "Well, I can't claim to like metal music too much myself. Way too loud! Izzy likes it though. Of course, Izzy likes so many things that my previous 'ask a unicorn' notebook has been completely filled. I just ordered two more. Gotta catalogue everything, even when the answer is 'really, really loud and really, really hard to understand'," Sunny laughed as she wandered into the kitchen, starting to pour herself some water. She wasn't a fan of that sort of in your face style music. She liked more of the poppy sound, which she guessed was at least partially influenced by living with a popstar. Maybe she would be sent to the royal dungeons if she started listening to some heavy metal and ruined the vibe of the house. Izzy couldn't get into similar trouble- she could use her horn to escape, now that they knew the tennis ball trick didn't work. Beware pegasi! "Want something to drink, Allegro?" She asked as sgot out another glass. Best to be prepared!

"I'm glad you decided to come visit instead of destroying the show. We've had one too many of those sorts of concerts lately," she smiled as she poured some water in the cup, before taking both and sitting down. "Here ya go," she said leaning back. "Everypony else who lives here is out and about. I know Izzy wanted to drag them out to the metal concert. Whether they all went, I just know they're out. I know, kind of a letdown to not have the full ensemble greeting you. I suppose you'll have to make do with the sunny disposition you came to me for!" She winked before sitting back, "sorry to hear that the concert is upsetting you, though. Did you try speaking with the event organizers? Maybe they could have had the event indoors."

Coloratura was happy to have her moment of weakness and close-call with deep embarrassment behind her. She didn't do it very well. She so very often found herself in command of the situation and of herself. On the stage she commanded attention and she had learned to rule the ebbs and flows of others alongside her. In the media and in her life she approached her duties and friendships with engagement and energy, always happy, always pleased, and always aware of where she was and how she was coming across. She didn't know how she was coming across now and she sure as sun didn't feel like she was in command of the situation. 
But guess what? That was okay. Once she had reoriented herself she just made peace with the fact that her feelings were tilting her into the part of the fool a bit much and as long as she didn't start becoming a poor friend and worse host, it would turn out okay.

Her confidence was high as she trotted out of her bathroom and in quick order discovered Applejack, ready herself for a nice night on the town. She had chosen a very flattering top, a nice warm denim number that was a ready companion in the cold nights that could sometimes imperil one on a Mustangia night. Rara would admit that she was a little shocked that the piece even fit Applejack, but she chalked it up to Applejack's considerably stockier form filling out the sections that Rara's longer barrel and limbs slid into naturally. "Well, that does look good on you. You look like a proper Mustang now, Apples," Rara said with an easy laugh as she bounded by the mare and picked up her own ensemble for the night, a light blue and white sweater that was certainly more showy than Applejack's. It still contained a wonderfully firm layer against the skin, but she did not spare her desire for something fetching in pursuit of something functional.  

She threw it on quickly, and soon looked at Applejack with sparkling joy. "Well, these two mares are ready for a night out on the town! Or, well, whatever you wish to call that collection of businesses next to the train station," she said as she started her trot downstairs. Once there she spoke loud and clearly, ensuring nopony would miss it. "Okay everypony, after you're done with any last cleanup tasks you're done for the evening! Get some shuteye," she said as she looked back at Apples, "we work hard, and now we play hard! And eat hard. Especially that."

Rainbow Dash didn't know what to say. How could you even try to put into words what just happened? She figured it couldn't be that hard, ponies had lived long enough for all manner of descriptions to be invented for it. A lot of terms floated in and out of her mind, but they all failed to capture the true magnitude of being the object of an Alicorn's love and passion. She doubted that contained within the language of Equestria was a single word developed to ever describe that singular phenomenon. And if it did exist she certainly did not know it, and as time passed she found words failing, thoughts overwhelmed, and her body broken in the manner that only an Alicorn could accomplish.

When they were done Twilight decided to pay some attention to their comfort and used her magic to set the scene post-facto, turning the cave they were housed into a delightfully comfortable environment. As Rainbow's wiggling brain matter started to come together opnce more she couldn't help but think that this would have been good to have done beforehoof! Then again, neither one of them had done a lot of thinking before or during the activity, and even now she didn't have a lot of thoughts hammering around herself. "Yeah, that was...a-amazing," she said weakly, her voice still crackling in its shock as she found herself tightly clinging to the wings around her. "I've...I've....never like this," she ended, her legs still twitching as she tried to think what this all meant for her, for Twilight, for them.