tacobob

Smolder glanced away from her notebook to enjoy the beauty of an mostly empty lobby. Normally the area would be crowded with students and staff during school hours, but with class out of session, things were rather calm. An occasional student could be seen darting towards the exit. A young filly carefully sketched an image of a rather unique bust of Starswill the Bearded that stood near the entrance. And one of her fellow 'original class' students lead a rather hyper blue coated filly further down the hallway. After the craziness of the last few months, it was nice to have some peace, but knowing how things went, Smolder knew events would start to get 'interesting' again. While dragons lacked organized education, most learned the most basics from a parent before being punted from the nest. This was more of an necessity than an gateway to further education. Dragons should at least be smart enough so they wouldn't be taken advantage of by the other creatures out there. Some ventured out to better themselves, but most preferred the solitude, going out only when the call to join the migration was called. "Completely understandable." Since moving to Ponyville, Smolder gained an appreciation for non-dragon things. From the assortment of fine Equestrian teas, Sudoku and even what mascara looks best on orange scales. She was brave enough to experience such things, but not enough to share her unique hobbies with her friends. At least not yet. "The food is good...I've learned to enjoy some unique little meals that normally I would have never tried in the dragon-lands." Cherry tarts with clotted cream. Lemon bars. Mmm. "There are a few after school after-school activities or programs...Some are extensions of popular classes...As if you like say....building a particular thing, here's a special class to learn more...Some of the older students like myself for example gain extra credit by teaching the first year students...Some simply tutor those who need a little extra help, but I do an defensive flying class of sorts. We also have game night, which we're supposed to be doing...I think tomorrow...And if there's something you enjoy personally and believe others might like it as well.", she lead the young pony to an large bulletin board covered in an assortment of advertisements. "Pin it up here.". There were papers asking everything from models to try out 'exciting new masterpieces of fashion' to a card game that took place every Saturday night. There was something for every creature. Once Valen got a good look at the board, they moved on. "As for the classes, don't think you'll just be sitting around all day holding hooves and singing pretty little friendship songs...Nope..The teachers here usually will teach something useful like for example, Miss Applejack might teach you how to fix a fence or show you how to maintain an apple tree, but she'll then slip in an lesson about honestly....Or Miss Fluttershy, who you will absolutely really like, will bring in something adorable and just by watching say a pack of puppies playing together, you'll learn kindness..Ugh.", she groaned, "It's hard to explain, but they do a good job integrating lessons with real life...And it's just not some pony droning on while pointing to an chalkboard." Well, it was when they first opened the school. Principal Twilight had been so obsessed with gaining an special school certification, she followed a strict set of learning rules that were probably outdated when Princess Celestia was a foal. Once this idea was scrapped, the teachers were free to have a little fun with their students. As the pair moved on, a crashing sound came from one of the rooms. "Oh oh.", the dragon groaned, "Let's take a trip to the library....I wonder what that sound came from....."

"Yes, he flew in with a horde of mindless beasts and attacked Canterlot." Pocket could never understand how quickly Equestria was taken over. Some of the most powerful spell-casters in the world lived here and to be humbled so quickly. "I believe he was some sort of elevated yeti monster, probably enhanced by his magic staff. One of my old friends was at a concert the day the attack happened, and he referred to the 'king' as a crazy goat monster. But whatever he was, our local heroes put an stop to his plans and his army.." The unicorn could still not believe sweet little, shy Twilight Sparkle was now a hero. And a princess. And ran a school. A wrote books. And did a million other exciting things. The unicorn smiled as their sever arrived and started work on their tea. A second sever brought a small tray of snacks. There was some strawberry tarts along with a few pieces of lemon cake. Yum! "Thankfully some of these so-called sky temples had other ways of entrance besides flying to the top...I'm aware of flight spells, which are still beyond my reach...And I can cast a walk-on-cloud spell, which is a tricky transmutation spell, which I simply cast on my horse-shoes..And I guess we would need something for you..If we needed the spell. Which I'm hoping we will not.". Pocket's eyes fell upon the book the Diamond Dog kept on the table. "Tenochtitlan Basin....Looks like you know where our first stop will be." There was a reason writer A.K. Yearling used the 'TB' as a setting in more than a few of her books. It had everything an adventure needed! Ancient temples of all sizes. Unique monsters of all kinds. And all kinds of bizarre places to get lost it. Once the tea was ready, the unicorn added a little bit of honey and milk to his cup. "We could meet at the train station....I'll need to stop at home first and gather some suitable supplies...And also make sure my sister waters the plants and looks after my pet." He would also need to send a note to his mare-friend, Moony to make sure she knows he would be away. He really hated how busy she was as of lately. Of course she would be a distraction....Her beauty was supreme....And he would just cover the area in little pink and purple heavy light hearts...And being as clever she is, the mare would probably figure out and find the Diamond Dog's artifact in record time. And where would the fun be in that? Just the thought of the unicorn caused a few hearts to appear from his horn.

Ho-Boy. This was one of Applejack’s cousins. Which considering where she was, the young dragon just needed to be next to say ten random ponies, and there was a really good chance at least two of them would be related to the farmer. She also needed to be careful how she acted and what she said in front of this squirt. If she wasn’t the most gracious of hosts, everything she said and did would go right to the cow-pony and then the rest of the professors. Smolder would need to dial back the sass for this one. He also really wanted to know more about her and her ‘kind’. For some reason, she didn’t like how that sounded. “Well, most ponies haven’t either.”, she gave the pony a wink in response to the colt’s remark on not spending time with dragons before. “Let’s get inside.” There were just too many waterfalls and fountains outside! Ponies loved them! And while she found the sound of falling water to be somewhat relaxing, for the most part, it just made her need to use the little fledgling’s room. Smolder lead the young pony into a long hallway with high ceilings. Whoever built the school spared no expenses as there was beauty everywhere. From the marble floors and pillars, to the impressive busts of famous ponies from Equestrian history. Her eyes quickly fell upon her notebook. She welcomed to the student-to-be into the school. Let him into lobby. Going to skip the welcoming joke. Might offend. Oh. Questions! "One thing I get to ask..", she quickly stashed her notepad back into one of her pockets, "What made you want to attend this school, over say, the private schools you have over in Manehattan?"

Smolder glanced into a nearby mirror for the sixth time. Scales were shiny. Her letter-jacket was crisp and unwrinkled. Horns were nice and pointy. Teeth. Nice and white. Breath? Ugh. Could be better. She pulled out a small packet of mints from her pocket and tossed one in her mouth. Gallus was right. She needed one. Badly. How she HATED when he was right. And he would KNOW she took his advice later on. Maybe if she was lucky, this new kid was actually a dragon eating monster and would quickly gobble her up the second the door was open. Then she would not need to see the 'look' the scruffy griffon would give her when he knew she took his advice. After letting out a sigh, she returned to her mirror. "Welcome to the School Of Friendship!", she spoke into the mirror. This was not her. She sounded stiff and her smile way to fake. Oh, how did she manage to get forced into this? She knew all of the original students had to serve on 'welcoming committee' at least once, and it was now her turn to step up and to welcome a new student into the fold. Normally, there would be a group of students, and a couple of 'greeters', but for some reason, it was just going to be an 'one on one' tour. How odd. "Yo....Welcome to the school...of higher friend-u-cation!" she sneered back. Nope. Not good at all. She knew she was a very cool dragon, but if you try to fake it, you end up being chilly. And chilly is never cool! And now she was getting a little on the worried side. Overthinking things. She would just open the door and welcome the new student.. The dragon pulled out her clipboard. Valen Orange. Was his full name Valencia Orange? Oh, how ponies had such odd names. She remembered this orange from one of Professor Applejack's field-trips. Valencia was an sweet orange that was perfect for juice. Since pony names usually reflected the personality or skills of a pony, this would be a sweet sort of fella. Her eyes fell back onto her notes. He was kind of young. Did not even have one of those butt marks, which mean he had to be really young. The last time they let a lil' kid wander around the school, she nearly got rid of magic throughout Equestria. He was also from the 'Manehattan Academy for Foals, Colts, and Fillies'. This was a well respected private school. One thing bothered her. They sent babies to school? What sort of classes did they take? How to properly say 'Goo-goo'? The art and science of the pacifier? Annoying your siblings. Oh, how Smolder would have aced that class! After a knock could be heard, Smolder quickly scurried over and slowly opened the door. There was a little pony behind the door with an orange, yellowish type coat and an well kept, teal mane. This was the part Smolder needed to be careful. Since dragons were still very new to pony society, they could be seen as rather intimidating to your regular Joe-Pony. She needed to look friendly. Smile, but not show off the fangs. Speak with a direct tone, but try not to sound menacing. And also watch out with the sneezes. One does not want to be welcomed with third-degree burns. "Welcome to the 'School Of Friendship'" That sounded friendly enough. "I'm Smolder. I'll be your guide for this little tour." Yep. Smile. Good. Not too deep. You're welcoming, not eating him! "If you follow me, I'll show you around the place.." She kept the door open to allow the pony to enter.

"Yeah, I wasn't too keen on the idea of eating old worms and maggots...", she let out a shudder, "Although during my tour at the SBLOUNSKCHED! Candy Factory in Coltafornia, they mentioned that they use a very tiny bug to make red food coloring for certain candies, so there's probably a good chance you might have nibbled on a bug or two and not known it." Thrilly was a silly kitty. They were in probably what was the fanciest hotel in all of Equestria and she was talking about insects! Yeash! And even worse, she now had that dumb song in her head. ' 'I've got nobody to hug,I'm such an ugly bug.' "The Sisters are really sweet and their dancing is really popular...They do two shows...On in the early day and a later one only the older folk are allowed to see..Not sure what's so special about the other one..", the cat smiled as her new friend mentioned a desire to see the dancers, "Our show will be going through Equestria pretty soon...The circus managed to hire the very Ponyacci to get out clowns into shape and work out a few new routines...Our strong-guy managed to convince the higher ups to get his girl-friend to join his show...My brother and I finished working on a few routines of our own...One is really scary, but I think we got it down...Will have to send you and your friends and family tickets when we're near you.." She -liked- the hotel they were in. She just didn't understand the need for it to be so fancy. Most guests didn't hang around the place for too long, and most were happy to sleep, wake up and leave to go to wherever they were supposed to go. "If you wan to save money, you're free to stay at the hotel here..There are two beds in my room and I'm not too keen to sleep by myself..", there was a slight bit of red under her eyes, "My brother was supposed to come with me to Canterlot, but things happened....eh-heh. Hope I don't sound weird." After she pushed open the door and was met with both light and a bit of extra 'oomph' from the air-conditioner, Thrilly started to make her way towards one of the beds, oblivious to whatever might be in the room with them. "I probably should dress a little better for this place..It's not fancy, but I probably should wear something nicer than what I'm wearing now..", she muttered as she quickly removed her simple red wraps and placed them on the bed. "Erm.", she gaped. Something should have been within her claws. "I think my necklace must have fallen...maybe under the bed.", she scooted down and glanced under her bed. Not even a single bit of dust! Did she leave her necklace at the train? That would not be possible! Her grandmother had given her it to her...It was a silver necklace with a cute little bell. The cat could not lose an item as important as it! She had left it in her room before she left for the regional flight meeting. So there was no way she left it at the train. It had to be here! "I'm missing a necklace..If you see something silver-y on the floor with an bell attached...Just say...", There was a light panic in her voice. Would there be even more once the cat spotted whatever was quickly rushing around her room?

Well, if he wanted to join. The train is full of passengers in different cars, so he could always wander in from another cabin. Probably wanted to see what the fuss was..

I enjoyed this episode. It had one of those idiot plots, where if the characters would just stop and talk about things, it would have gone smoother..But considering how high emotions were..The tree being dead..They probably didn't want to even consider pausing and talking it out. Things had to be done now! I had a really really long day at work today, so an episode as horribly cute as this one fit the spot for me. Especially when they show the Young Six with family. Especially with Yona and her mother. Which shows Yaks can be very gentle. Or Gallus who looked like he was about to make a very long speech to Gruff on why he should go..Only for Gruff to sign the permission slip and stuff it on his beak. Ha. Siverstream is also now best artist. and also Changeling babies are cute..But weird..Still cute.

In this episode, the Young Six respond to a magical summons from the Tree of Harmony, only to learn it has been destroyed, and it is up to them to figure out the best way to memorialize it. This thread is dedicated to discussing the episode before, during, and afterwards. As the thread is now open it may indeed contain spoilers. I ask that potential spoilers talked about or shown before the episode airs stay within the spoiler tags please, after the episode you no longer have to use the spoiler tags, but warning, if you haven't seen the episode yet after it airs, this thread no doubt will have all sorts of spoilers in reviews, images, etc. So tread at your own risk

Oh, don't worry, I'm sure they got the right clothes for the part! And the RP is still early enough that a new player can join, eh?

A weapon? The unicorn sighed. Nobody ever wants to look for art, or lost literature, or even one of a kind magical gems? It’s always axes or swords. Items that were better left in the past. As a society, they should have all moved past the need to hurt their neighbors. But this one at least had a non-lethal use. Generally when found, these weapons tended to be simply hung on the wall or deposited at a local history museum. They would gladly take the donation, but for the most part the ‘gift’ would be left in a crate in the museum’s basement. “Reminds me of the Staff of Sacanas that idiot 'Storm King' used..", After he was defeated and shattered into a million pieces, the magical artifact disappeared, most likely into Canterlot Castle's vaults, or even returned to is original owner, if one still existed. "Just with less features.." He paused to order an pot of Pur'erh. Just enough for the pony and dog to enjoy two cups a piece. Almost felt like the dog could read his mind. Or the small advert at the end of the table that SCREAMED 'Enjoy New Pur'Erh' Tea with a rather sassy looking cat shaking her tail. "Thank you.." "The problem with Pegasus artifacts that they're generally located in places only Pegasus ponies could get to....Crypts located in the very tops of climbable mountains...Cloud vaults...From what I know of Chaac or Chac Xib Chaac, that he is the spirit of rain. Respected by both Pegasus ponies and earth pony farmers of ancient times...He was usually depicted as a Pegasus pony with scales...Almost like a dragon-pony hybrid...", he tried to dig up whatever information he could think of, but it was not much. "Our first step is to locate the nearest earth pony temple of Chac, which is probably going to be very hard to do.." Pocket Change did like a challenge!

The black griffon took a quick gander outside. Let's see. There was snow. Snow. Snow and also snow. Snow on hills. Snow on mountains. Even snow on more snow. This was more than enough snow to see, so she returned to her seat and drawing pad. "Well, I guess we'll find out.", the griffon kept her eyes on her pad as she spoke, "I hope to check out the impressive, ancient griffon statues they have through the 'empire' and then maybe learn why they are there.", she added, "Did the Crystal Empire start out as an griffon territory, or if they were integrated into pony society? Also, if they have anything to do with a small griffon settlement nearby....Heard they all lived in this rather tall watchtower and were tasked to watch for the return of the Crystal Kingdom. So I'm guessing probably, but it will be fun to do a little bit of art appreciation combined with solving a mystery and then later taking a flight of Crystal beverages....Crystal Wine....Crystal Cider...Crystal Brandy....and so forth.." She would still need to make time for the race. Zelda was ready for the cold weather! Not only did she pack for such weather, she wore a heavy jacket with matching pants, boots and gloves. Since it interfered with her sketching, the black bird had taken off the gloves and had put them aside. She also kept an hat and beak-warmer in her carry-on bag. Hopefully it wouldn't get -that- cold, but a gal needed to be prepared. She looked up at Daze, "You just need to think more positive...I see you starting off slow...Like any wise racer....You build up your strength and them woosh!", she raised her hands up, "You zoom past your tired competitors and win the trophy...Or medal....And even end up on Cap’n Sucrose Cereal Boxes. Like my dad said, to be a winner, you gotta think like an....wagh!", she let out a squawk as their cabin started to violently shake. A few items from the overhead compartments started to spill onto the floor.

While Golden Daze worked on signing photos, banners, trading cards, pamphlets and other items, Thrilly tried her very best to pass the time. She enjoyed watching a few flyers who were giving quick ‘mini-shows’ for their special fans. There was also a really cool lady bug who amused the feline as she bounced up and down on an dandelion that had grown through a crack in the sidewalk. She was later slightly surprised when a few ponies who finished up with her now favorite flyer even asked the little cat for her signature as well. Apparently they had recognized the aerial acrobatic from one of her shows. Due to her recent ‘spectator injury’, she was unable to perform a quick trick for a filly, but was happy to pose for a few pictures. After exhausting all of her options, Thrilly decided to curl up into a little ball and take another quick catnap under a nearby tree. This lasted until the Pegasus pony had finished up her last signing. She was already at the mare's side the moment she had put down her quill. "Well, some bigger animals really like fish, but if you're talking about people....Erm.", She pondered this, "There's griffons, hippogriffs...We have an dancer named the 'Sisters Three' who is a Chimera. Miss Medusa, who is the tiger...erm...part...She likes fish...While her sister, Cleo...The goat bit likes pony food, and Snakespeare who is the snake usually just eats eggs or bugs. Yuck." Thrilly had heard the trio all shared the same stomach. While she enjoyed the sister's company, she did not like to watch them eat. Once the pair found themselves at the rather fancy hotel, the cat lead Daze through a hallway that lead them to an elevator. Once inside, she responded to the mare question. "Our traveling circus is owned by Mister Whinny, who owns both the Whinnyland theme park in Coltafornia and a series of hotels all over Equestria, including this one. And since we all work for the same company, my fellow cirkies get into his parks and hotels for free...Just not on black-out days...And they limit your days of stay and at what hotel you can visit.." This was starting to be a rather long ride. "Since I had no plans to hang around my room, I asked for the most basic of rooms, but I ended up with this..." The door opened to reveal another hallway, which was far fancier than the previous. Wondrous paintings hung from the walls and marble statues could be seen, along with a few fountains. A young mare entertained a group of well dressed unicorns with her harp. These were the 'Celestia Suites'. "Yeah, it's a bit much.", the cat grinned as they walked. This went on for a few moments until the cat came to a sudden stop. "Here we are..", she pulled out an solid gold, gem covered key from her sash and started to unlock her door...

This all made sense now. He was not a common Equestrian Diamond Dog. With the exception of poor Eutony, the upright standing dogs were better left at the kennel. He was an rather handsome fellow with well brushed fur and an stylish coat. Just hearing him speak, the pony knew this fellow was also well educated. "Yes, the university always takes its requests very seriously, and since school is currently out for the holidays, things have been rather slow.", he did not feel the need to mention that his mare-friend, Moony had also been out of town for TWO DREADFUL WEEKS. Equestria had also been going through the longest period of harmony in recent years. Creatures from all walks of life were now considered allies of his kind. It was now common to see griffons, dragons, yaks and other races in his beloved city. Attending the schools. drinking at the pubs and being good sports and all. With friends like these at your side, who in their right mind would even think about invading or even causing trouble in Equestria? Hogo-Sha presented a book the unicorn was rather familiar with. An copy of an Lore of Equestria book. They made a zillion of these, from what laid below the sands of Las Pegasus to volumes on hidden lairs in Canterlot. "Of course, Everything from The Marentine Codex to the Ring of Destiny have been found...So if this isn't in the books, what do you seek?", his eyes quickly fell upon an menu. There was a really good selection of teas here. What should he get? "I'm a skilled duelist and I have a roster of defensive, non-fatal spells at my disposal. So you won't need to worry about protecting me...Still as partners we will need to keep an eye on each other's backs." While he doubted they would run into any walking mummies or Daring Do villains, there were always vultures to deal with. Folk that watched others work hard for their discoveries, only to swoop in and try to rob the archaeologists when finished with their work. "I also have a good magical item detection spell, that I can adjust to fit the magical properties of what you're looking for, so we don't get alerted for common enchanted items." Pocket could only imagine what boring little whozits and whatzits that were enchanted by equally bored unicorn enchanters. Toothbrushes that glowed so its users could brush 'a' brush in the dark. Cloaks that played your very own 'theme song'. Still, the Diamond Dog had a magical talent? Was that even possible? "Also, have you ordered yet?" Pocket was a recent convert to the wonders of Abyssinia tea. He would need to get a cup of Pur'erh. He heard it tasted like pure mana!

Also.

So last season...Great episodes...

In this first part, Princess Celestia and Princess Luna decide to retire and hand off the ruling of Equestria to Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Meanwhile, the ancient villain Grogar bands together a legion of villains to conquer Equestria, but King Sombra has plans of his own. In this second part, Twilight Sparkle and the rest of the Mane Six struggle to come to terms with the destruction of the Tree and Elements of Harmony, and King Sombra sets his sights on conquering all of Equestria. This thread is dedicated to discussing the episode before, during, and afterwards. As the thread is now open it may indeed contain spoilers. I ask that potential spoilers talked about or shown before the episode airs stay within the spoiler tags please, after the episode you no longer have to use the spoiler tags, but warning, if you haven't seen the episode yet after it airs, this thread no doubt will have all sorts of spoilers in reviews, images, etc. So tread at your own risk

She could not help but feel like a small glass jar. One would just open it up to see that the cat was slightly jelly of what Golden Daze could do. She could fly! Faster than anything else in the air. At least that’s what she had heard Pegasus ponies could do. And Thrilly had an fellow cat species that could do the same, but not as swift. Her griffon cousins. How did they earn their birdie-bits? Was there an Abyssinian-ancestor that couldn't help but notice a rather cute and sassy looking bird at the end of the bar just giving him the 'look'? Or were griffons made via magic? Whatever made them, they could fly! Still, Thrilly and her family of aerial acrobatics could at least try their very best to come as close as they could to flying. As her mind shifted around such theories, a voice called out. The mare wanted to HANG OUT? Did Thrilly find herself a friend? She would no longer have to roam the streets of Canterlot alone. She would now have a guide! "Alright!", the cat squeaked out. "You betcha I'll come with you...You're alright, Golden Daze!" This sudden outburst alerted more than a few spectators that had originally been satisfied with having their things autographed by other racers. What sort of creature was making all that noise? Curious, more than a few ponies made their way towards Golden Daze's line, including a few that broke off from the winner's line. Not only was this Golden Daze a true sport and sticking around even if she did not win the race, she was apparently helping a sad little cat creature! What a hero! The line for Golden quickly doubled, and this did not seem to bother Thrilly one bit. Once things settled down, the cat made her way towards the pony, "I was thinking of maybe trying out the little restaurant they have in my hotel....Since they get a lot of non-pony guests, they have n assortment of fish to try at the buffet....We're talking salmon, tuna, trout, cod and mackerel!", there was a heavy 'purr' to her words as she spoke. "I'm staying at the Canterlot Hotel!" Golden Daze would probably know that this was one of the fancier hotels in the capitol.

It had seemed like forever that Pocket Change had been on an adventure or at least away from his stuffy old office! He had been busy pulling double-duty both at a private Canterlot college as an professor's assistant along with his duties with the Spellbound Magic Guild. His job at the school was rather fun and kept him on his hooves. He would help his former teacher, now professor with all manner of duties, from grading papers to putting together materials needed for lectures.. Not to mention tutoring a few students when needed. During his break, he had received a letter from an old friend that he was needed....By a Diamond Dog? Really? The unicorn knew about such creatures, and they usually fell rather short in the intelligence department. Some were downright cruel. However, he did think well of an friend of his sisters...An rather pretty little pup named Eutony. And while she was sweet and rather friendly, the poor girl was as thick as clotted cream, that had been left out by some clot, and now the clots were so clotted, so she couldn't unclot them with an magic de-clotter. He would need to meet this dog at teahouse. Really? Such an odd place to meet such an odd creature. But Pocket was intrigued. Maybe he was the bodyguard of an rich heiress that needed him to find a valuable thingamabob that she would pay him a king's fortune? Guess there was only one way to find out. The stallion slowly entered the small parlor. So far, there were mostly ponies...A rather sweet little white griffoness...And another pony. Was he late? Or too early? Pocket's ears quickly perked up as he heard a voice...And saw what he thought was a wolf? No, he was a Diamond Dog! "Mister Hogo-Sha?", the polite pony nodded his head, "I'm Pocket Change from the University. I was told you sought out help..."

“There’s always nicknames, although others usually have to give it to you..”, Thrilly added as they walked, “You could be the Mighty White Knight Of Flight....Or the one with the greed for speed.. Or the one who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee....” Maybe someone else owned that name. As she pondered this, more ponies of all ages flocked to get an signature from their favorite flyer. Hopefully there would be plenty for her new friend. “The lass with sass who can go fas...t...”, she added with a giggle. Ponies had one thing that absolutely blew the acrobat’s fuzzy little mind. When they found their special talent, hobby or something they really liked, an simple little icon of said thing would magically appear on both sides of their backside. Nobody else had this. Why? She wondered. You would think this ability would make its away to other equines, but nope. Horses did not have these marks, nor did hippogriffs...What made them so special? "Problem with having a special name.", she whispered, "People expect you to live up to it...", she nodded her head, "And I understand what you mean about confidence...I sure as heck wouldn't go climbing up a very long ladder only to throw myself off and wait for my brother to catch me....Only to be thrown further into the air...Without having confidence..." She waited patiently for an autograph..And when it came, she held it in her hands, "Thanks Miss Golden.." she took a good look at it before she moved out of line, "Hope to see you race one day.." Knowing others were waiting as well, she smiled at the pony before she slowly started to walk away....

As she waited for the pony to change out of her work-clothes, the cat tried her best to wipe away the now dried tears from her eyes. “A week?”, her ears drooped down a little lower, “I’ll be back with the show by then.”, while her mood did sour for a moment, it was restored nearly to ‘pre-crash’ levels once she got a good look at at the crowd of spectators and flyers all buzzing about. She had seen ponies from a distance pretty much all of her life, but was still pretty impressed by the four legged creatures, especially those who could fly and could stand on clouds. “Eh.”, she shrugged her shoulders when the Pegasus pony mentioned the smell, “Don’t forget, I work at the circus...And along with the usual animal er, scents, we have performers from nearly all over...And with aromas that range from incredibly pleasant to downright nasty.” She still remembered the day she got into trouble and her parents made her help the staff clean up after the elephants! That was a smell you could never forget! As she tried to keep her eyes away from the shower stalls, she focused on the walls. Posters. There were a few that mentioned the 'Wonderbolts'. She had seen those ponies before during her group's Canterlot visit back then. The stunt flyers all wore matching skintight uniforms and performed amazing stunts in the air that left the young cat in awe. "Golden Daze..", she was always curious about pony names. Like any other creature out there, a pony's parents usually have a name before birth, but for ponies, these names usually reflected the later personality and even talents a pony would have. Her parents gave her a name that she would be trained into. "My full name is Thrilly A. Scrapperclaws, and when I perform, it's The Amazing Miss Thrill-A!" Normally, when her stage-name was mentioned, she would break into some acrobatic little trick, but there wasn't a lot of room to move around in the locker room, and her knee was still pretty tender. "Yep, it's pretty dangerous, even with a net." Even if one missed their mark and fell, there was still a good chance you could break your neck if you did not hit the net properly. This alone kept the young feline from falling during shows. She frowned a bit deeper when the mare mentioned her father was too busy to take her to the circus.. "I know how that feels....My parents are always busy coming up with all kinds of crazy routines for my brother and I to learn...Usually to outdo another traveling show.. If Madame Knickknack's Pandemonium Hippodrome comes up with the quadruple somersault, we'll have to do an quintuple somersault...They always want to push the envelope...Do better than before, which I guess...", she sighed. Once they moved on, the cat glanced up to still see a few flyers doing tricks to amuse each other. She quickly followed Daze towards the little area they had roped off for autographs....

The cat silently nodded her head while she tried her very best to wipe away the tears with her one, free hand. For such cute little creatures, Pegasus ponies sure hit like a ton of bricks! As she slowly made her way up, her eyes fell upon herself. There was a nasty bruise on her right knee. She could only image how many bumps she got on her backside. Ouch! If her mother was here, she probably would have broken out a potion of Iodine and poured it directly on her knee by now. How she hated that gunk! It usually hurt more than the bruise itself. "T-that's okay.", the cat stammered as her knee made it perfectly clear that it did not like pressure being put upon it that it normally would handle. "Really?", she gasped after the mare mentioned there would be other events. But would those events be the 'Annual Regionals'? Could she find an equal amount of excitement and wonder during those shows? What if they only provided her with thrills, spills and chills? She already saw plenty of that back at her circus. The sudden change of plans nearly caused the cat to tumble back, but she kept her balance. She needed to head over to the locker room? After a quick glance away from her own little problems, she realized her 'attacker' was probably one of the athletes! Well, that was one way to meet a racer. Thankfully it was just a light and fluffy mare. Some of those stallions looked like they could crash through a solid wall and keep going. The pair slowly made their way into a small building lined with lockers and the sound of showers in an adjoining room. And since ponies rarely wore clothing, this locker was coed. "I'm Thrilly by the way...", the young creature quickly scooped up the provided aid. A bit of bandage and a salve would work. "I'm a flying trapeze artist...An aerialist..." This probably did not impress an creature who could actually fly. After a quick dab of gunky lotion that smelled like bad yogurt onto her wounded knee, the fuzzy creature quickly wrapped the injured bits with the provided bandage. Since time was of an essence, Thrilly quickly finished up and was ready to move to the autograph session. She considered dropping her shorts and asking her host if there were any further bruises on her derrière, but that would probably be a little too much. Besides, they had hot tubs at the hotel. After testing her knee out, she was ready to move on!

“Canterlot! Sweet babies I’m here!”, a little brown Abyssinian-Cat let out a holler the moment the most famous of castles could be seen through her train window. “I’ve been here before, but I was just too little to explore alone.”, she placed an hand towards her neck and then raised it towards her own head to illustrate the size and or age she had been during her last visit, “But now I’m just slightly larger than before, which now permits me to go off on my own and experience the wonders of the greatest city in the world!”, she grinned rather proudly at her seat-mate, who was an middle aged stallion that had been trying his very best to read his newspaper. “That’s lovely to hear...”, he forced an smile onto his face. He had admired her enthusiasm, but the little cat had not shut up during the whole trip! “I...And when I mean ‘I’, it was my family and my friends and my fellow 'Cirkys' got to meet Princess Celestia when we last performed here....And wow...." she gasped, "She was so beautiful....And her hair was super pretty and it was always moving....even when she was standing still! Like magic!", she bounced. By now, the stallion considered just stuffing the paper into his ears. Would that help? "Uh-huh.", he groaned. "Wonder if I'll get to meet her.....oooh.", oblivious just how rude it was to do so, she snatched a page from the newspaper. This was the front page of the EVENTS section. "This sounds like fun. Do you think this sounds like fun?", she turned the paper to the pony who quickly snatched it back. "Both excitement and wonder! I would be happy with just only one of those things, but they're providing both! And also snacks. I like snacks." With great relief to her seat-mate, the train came to an complete stop. An announcement could be heard from one of the little speakers located near the corner of their cabin: This is the Canterlot Train Depot! If you’re exiting, please gather your belongings, watch your head and step, and take small foals by the hooves! The cat snatched up her bags and bounded out of the train for future excitement and wonder! After a quick stop at her hotel and a cat-nap, the fuzzy little creature made her way to the Arena. "Wow.", she gasped. This was not like any stadium she had ever seen before! There were seats on the side of a mountain! Were they put there, or were they carved into the mountain itself? And the actual arena was just some clouds. Made sense as this was a flying competition...But wait....The meet was over? She missed the whole thing! Tears started to form in her eyes...She overslept! Oh no! She would not get to enjoy the excitement! She would not get to be part of the wonder! Oh how this day could get even worse? The Pegasus pony managed to crash right into the poor-cat who tumbled onto her backside. "That's okay..I'm used to falling on my tail....", the brown cat groaned. There was a slight bruise on her knee. "Can't believe I missed the show...", she let out a painful squeak as she tried to get up.