IceStorm

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer couldn't help but blush quite a bit from the praise that she was receiving as a bit of a bashful smile came into her face. She loved praise just as much as anypony else, but it still has it's effects on her. Plus, whole it was true that she probably more than affected the lives of a lot of ponies at this point, but it still felt like she should be doing more. "I have helped a lot of ponies, but I still don't feel like it's been enough. I'm just happy everypony gives me a chance to help them and make them smile," she said as her last piece of pie was set in front of her, and then was promtly gone. "Hey! Let's go hot the gift shop before we head to the arena! We should have a little bit of time, and the gift shop here always had some interesting things! Last time I was up here, they had a neat lamp that was a carousel made from clouds! I can't wait to see what kind of stuff they have now!" Wind Dancer smiled as she left some bits on the table as well. "At least let me get the tip," she smiled happily before realizing something... "Oh, I just realized, we've done a lot of stuff that I suggested today... Is there something that you were wanting to do before the jousting matches? I don't wanna make anyone feel like we're only doing stuff I wanna do," she said with a smile.

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ Aloe quickly shook her head a Twilight's offer to bring she excitement back to Ponyville. "No no! I'm sure that's quite unnecessary! Besides, were talking about going on a bit of an adventure anyways once we get everything lined up. I'm also looking on expanding some of my skill-sets for such an occasion!" She said with a smile. One that widened when the princess said that the wards were gone and wouldn't interfere with anything. She seemed to share their sentiment that they're is no such thing as overprotection when the foal is still unborn. When Twilight instructed them to stand next to Albedo, Aloe moved over to her without hesitation. Rose had done the same, and while she could see that she was trying to hide it, she'd never seen Rose so excited before. Of course, she couldn't blame her. She was excited as well. This was their little one, and no pony in Equestria could take that from them. She knew that between the two of them, she was as safe as she could be. She gently stood next to Albedo and awaited further instructions.

~~~Ice Storm~~~ For the second time in as many days, Ice Storm would let Luna clear the air. She wasn't surprised that most ponies, or creatures in this case, out this far from Equestria didn't know that they retired. So it would make sense for them to believe that this was Luna's mission with herself and the others being Luna's bodyguards. There was a time not too long ago where that was the case, but this was not the case any longer. Still, Ice Storm would look to the princess of the night for guidance whenever she needed it. There was a piece of her that still trusted her judgment over Twilight's. That likely had come from personally serving as one of her guards when she was in Canterlot right after she cemented the creation of Star. She was a bit concered about Luna's initial statement before engaging with okami, however. The comment about making herself feel useful didn't set well with her. She knew the princess had been pretty much bored out of her mind since retiring. It was one of the reasons that she'd inquired about joining STAR to begin with. That said, there was a bit of a strategic sense to that as well. The fact that Luna was an Alicorn meant that she was ever so slightly stronger than she was herself. Thanks to her spheres and her training with the Princess, she knew that she could at least draw with her on several occasions but she never did win a training exercise. Hearing Myth said that the Okami didn't seem hostile, at least not to them, but that she wouldn't trust them added to that thought. It was puzzling though when she said that the aura of magic surrounding them didn't seem to match the island that they were odd. Interesing... probably someone sent to keep an eye on us then... she thought to herself. She couldn't really say that she blamed them for such an action. She herself would employ similar tactics whenever a powerful pony of importance came into Equestria. A unit of STAR would be on them and tailing them almost immediately, often times without ever approaching them. To see the Neighponese government using such tactics at least made her feel a bit better knowing that she wasn't the only pony that was using the practice. Upon hearing the rest of the conversation though, apparently this wasn't the first Okami that Luna had met, and at least one of these other wolves seemed to have met them as well. She also heard Luna introduce her, telling them about their skill level and how Luna trusted had trusted herself with her life. "Greetings, Shiranui of Polohama. It is a pleasure, although would be more so were it being that we were meeting under better circumstances. Unfortunately we came to this island to follow a lead and get some information on a sorceress that we believe is conducting a scheme that, with some of the artifacts that she's stolen, might not only threaten Equestria, but all of the known land. It's also believed that she feeds on the souls of the living in order to prolong her lifespan. However, I have no verifiable proof of that. Just heresay from a few of my operatives. That is why we are here. To find any plausible proof of what she might be planning and how she sustains her longevity," Ice Storm explained. ~~~Niradaña~~~ Hearing Myth said that the Okami weren't from the island threw Nira off for a moment. How could she possibly know that these creatures weren't native to the island that they were on? A question that was answered without her having to ask, as she commented that the magical signatures in their auras were different from the magical signatures on the island. Nira could immediately see why Shiroi took a vested interest in this one. Knowing how paranoid she is, she's probably already trying to draw up plans to change just about everything. Hopefully that wouldn't be her problem for too much longer. Even if she was permanently assigned to this brigade, she would be able to do vastly more than what she had done in the palace. Still, the fact that these two creatures weren't native to this island, and this island was remote, could only mean one thing. They were sent here by somepony specifically to meet with them. That didn't sit well with her. So far their intentions didn't seem to be hostile, but you could bet that she would be sleeping with one eye open tonight. A longma didn't survive as an imperial field medic without having good awareness and survival skills after all, and this smelled like a trap. She would have to wait until they were alone and well out of earshot of the okami in order for her to state her suspicions. Okami had naturally high perception and could hear the smallest of details so she couldn't try to say anything right now. One thing that did make her feel a bit better though, was the fact that these Okami seemed to make the same mistake that she did when she first met this group of ponies. They instantly presumed that Luna was the pony that was leading the expedition. The news of her retirement hadn't really made it's way out here yet, so she wasn't surprised by that fact, but it still made her feel better that she wasn't the only one to have done it. When she listened to Commander Storm speak on the issue again, she started to scan the island once more before turning to Myth. "Do you see any other unusual magic signatures in the area?"

The past few months have been... eventful, to say the least for Wind Dancer. She had hit the point in her term where her shows were now postponed due to maternity leave. She hated not being able to perform, but there was simply no way that she could in this state. The last performance that she had done just over a month ago was pushing it to the max. She had hurt so much and was so tired from that show that she nearly collapsed back stage. It was then then that Golden Bit decided to cancel her remaining shows until after the little one was born and she was ready to continue performing. Her slot would still be there when it got back. As it was, Windy was now entering her third trimester of her pregnancy, which meant that this was the home stretch! However, she had heard from her friends that the last trimester was also the absolute worst part of the term, and so far... they were definitely right. She'd been sick waking up just about every morning, and today wasn't any exception. Sky had already made his way to the store for her, and he should be returning soon. Otherwise, just getting out of bed was a chore as her body ached all over, especially her head. She was pretty sure that a headache like this could kill an ox. Thankfully Warmheart made sure that she had some pregnancy safe pain relievers that she could use, but they didn't seem to do much for them any more. She was really just getting used to it at this point. Just as she started entering the living room, she saw Sky land on the balcony with a basket. She heard him call out that he was back, and she had to hold back a wince as it was a bit louder than she would have liked it to be. He probably figured that he was still in bed though, and honestly, it wasn't really that loud, but her headache made it seem much louder. "Thanks Sweetie. It means a lot that you're helping me through this," she smiled as she felt her stomach gurgle. She honestly couldn't tell at this point if she was hungry, or if it was just acting up.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~ Wind Dancer listened as Nor'Eastern spoke and said his piece on the matter. Hearing him talk about how they're was a real temptation when your see something outside of your skill range to say that it couldn't be done. But that was still vastly different than just not being able to do it. He also added that a mediocre job often times is worse than not attempting at all. Often times it can preclude a real solution. He's dealt with enough busted pipes from engineers that thought they were better than what they were. Only the best would have gotten her where she was now, and that was more important than anything else. "That is true. After all, part of the procedure I had to go through was to rebreak everything because it all healed incorrectly," Wind commented. "But like I said, what's been done is done. We can't go back and change it. Just, like I said there's a lesson here for everyone, and no one is ever a lost cause," she said looking to the other group of ponies. "Now, who was wanting autographs!?" Wind asked with a smile to the others trying to put the slightly sour note behind them. Doctor Anatomy watched and listened as they spoke. "It may have been wrong for me to say, but it was my honest opinion on the matter. In all my years as a doctor I had never seen a pony recover from that much wing damage. There have been a lot of improvements in medicine, but I'll be the first to admit that I don't think that I could have gotten any where close to what this doctor had gotten. I for one, am glad to have been proven wrong. I've long since retired, but I will make sure that all doctors here in Cloudsdale hear your story, and not make the same mistake I did. I for one would love an autograph," the doctor said holding it an old brochure with her picture on it. "This is... The first ad from the Mareage. It was the first show you were headlining," the doctor added. Wind Dancer nodded and she signed the brochure with her name. She was half tempted to add in 'the one that got away', but that would have been a bad taste and she didn't really want to punish the doctor anymore than he probably already had been. "It's amazing how fast we can come when the sky is the limit, and you can that in your teaching seminar to," she says before she motioned for sky to come over to add the group began to form around them. Almost all the fillies from the show were watching autographs now that their parents told them who they were. Morning on the other good wasn't as forgiving as Wind Dancer was. How could she be? This doctor is who caused Windy's hardships. Technically... It was Windy's crash that started everything, but he was the doctor that said no, and didn't even consult anypony else for other options. Above all, he wanted to cut it off! And now he was here thinking he could make everything better with a few words now that Windy had made a name for herself!? Morning Dew didn't say anything, but the look on her face said everything that needed to be said. "Easy there sugar cube," Water said. "Windy's right, and so is Nor'. If he wasn't actually capable of fixing her, and he tried, that could have actually damaged her wing beyond repair. Besides, we're forgetting something important here. The only reason we're even mad is because Windy found a doctor and a group of friends to help her blossom into what she is. None of this would have happened without that. We should be made and upset about a pony that said no, but relishing the fact that we are even able to have this discussion right now," Water said as he watched their daughter and future son in law started signing autographs.

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ Aloe would return the hug that the princess had given her as she asked how Ponyville was, and if it was still holding together. "For the most part. Though it might start getting a bit boring here now that monsters aren't attacking us all the time," she said teasing Twilight a bit. It wasn't really much of a secret that for as long as they could remember Ponyville, had almost always been ground zero for most anything wierd that happened in Equestria. Most just believed that it was because of the six ponies that lived there that were the element bearers. Creatures of great power would be pulled in by great power to challenge it. It was just how the world worked. She also listened with a bit of surprise as she heard Rose speak. This was the first time that she ever heard Rose actually sound worried, and if she was being honest, this was kinda the one thing that would be worth worrying about right now. Aloe would give Rose a gentle, reassuring nuzzle, and then a lick. "With the two of us as her parents, there's no possible way that she won't grow up to be a happy child. Besides," she said touching her stomach. "She still has her sisters coming," she told her with a smile. "As for the wards, I don't think there's any measure that's too much to keep our little ones safe. I would fight Tirek himself if I had to in order to make sure that our little ones were safe," she said with a proud smile. She would look to the egg and then back to Twilight. She could see the princess looking at it, and it took all of her willpower to not give into her motherly instinct and try to guard it from the princess. The egg was why the princess was here after all! So she could give it her blessing! She just hoped that the princess would be careful and that the procedure wasn't anything too strenuous.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer was relieved a bit when the mare didn't seem too concerned about the prices. It wasn't like she didn't have the bits the cover it herself after all, and she would have hated for this pony to spend most of her vacation fund on her lunch! That would have been one poor way to show somepony friendship that was for sure. She added that while being a cloud machine technician might not be the most paying job in Equestria, but it definitely wasn't bad and allowed her to take vacations like this one and still have enough of a budget left over. "Oh, that is good! You probably should be one of the higher paid jobs in Equestria though honestly. If it wasn't for ponies like you who make our daily infrastructure, then ponies like me wouldn't be able to do what we do. That's kinda the reason I give most of my bits away. All I'm doing is dancing and having fun making other ponies smile. I don't need a giant lump of bits for that," she smiled. When she watched Cloudy start eating the pie, or rather, taking a bite and then inhaling the pie much as she did, she couldn't help but giggle a bit herself. When she commented on it, she smiled back. "Right!? I told you! The pie here is amazing! Normally I'm a cake pony, but this pie takes the cake!" she said giggling at her own joke. She watched her lick up the rest of the crumbs and smirked back to Cloudy. "Should I make that two extra slices of pie?" she asked her playfully, looking back at the clock to check the time. They still had about an hour or two before the jousting matches started. They would want to get their tickets soon, but they still had time for more pie, and maybe a trip through the gift shop. She might have only just met her, but she wanted to make Cloudy's time here in LP a trip to remember, and for all the right reasons.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~ Wind Dancer could only laugh a bit herself at the comment that Scarlett made about most ponies thinking that they were part bird. It wasn't the first time that she'd heard that recently, and she doubted that it would be the last. There were definitely some similarities between the two that gave the claim some validity anyway. The hollow bones being one of them, as well as some of the random sounds that they can make. She knew for a fact that they could very much trill like a bird, and she could very easily remember making those sounds herself. She felt herself blush a bit from that memory. When she heard Nor'easter tell her that it had taken him months to work up the nerve to ask Scarlett out, she smiled and nodded back to him. "Honestly, I had to feel the waters a bit myself. I had opened myself up to a couple ponies before, but later found out that they were your typical ponies that you find in the Las Pegasus streets. They were there for me up until I got them where they needed to go, and then I wasn't worth their time anymore. I took things quite a bit slower with Sky until I knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he wasn't that kind of pony. After that, it was a matter of finding the right moment. Of course, you give to creators time to plan something and we both end up planning the same idea," she said, pausing as she heard her father speak up. This made her turn her head around to see the group of ponies that was heading towards them, and among them, was a face that she could have done without seeing again. "I came, to pay my respects. Doctor's don't work for free, but that still doesn't excuse how I acted. I know that there's nothing I can say that will make things right. Especially when my refusal to help you was the source of most of your pain. All I can do is apologize for my shortsightedness of the past. Whatever doctor had performed the work on your wing, is truly a master at their craft. I'm not going to lie, with as much damage that had been done to your wing, when I saw you on my table, I thought you were a lost cause, and you'd never regain full use of that wing again even if I did everything in my power to fix it. I was honestly just trying to save you and your family from a lifetime of heartache," The doctor spoke. "Well, as you can see, my daughter is now as spry as a daisy, and her wing looks beautiful, and is well on her way to starting a beautiful family. Perhaps she wasn't the lost cause that you thought she was, just because we couldn't all of the expensive treatments and therapies," Morning spoke. "Regardless..." Wind interjected. "Look, Doctor Grey, I appreciate the apology. What happened all those years ago... I've put it behind me. I did that when I first got here this morning. At one point I'm not going to lie, I really wanted to lay into you, and call you every vile name I could think of, but honestly, what's that going to change? Nothing. I just hope that my successes can be a reminder to you that no pony is ever worth giving up on. Even if the odds are one in a million of recovering. That single pony lying on that gurney could be that one, as long as you have enough fight to try," Wind Dancer commented, watching as the other ponies that followed were waiting for them to finish.

~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice Storm would nod both to Myth and to Luna when they spoke. When Luna mentioned that this encounter, at least for herself was a thousand years in the making, Ice Storm would give comment. "Well, if we have any luck, we shouldn't find the sorceress herself here. Aside from the stone itself, I don't have enough evidence to arrest her. If she has the stone, it would be hard for us to do so if she's already figured out how to use it. Right now I aim to find out if she's working alone, or if there is a higher source of power that she answers to that might be behind this. There's almost always a bigger fish lurking behind the reef," Ice Storm cautioned. They seemed to be on the same page as to the others as far as the locals go until Nira spoke up a bit. she commented that while she wasn't from this island, she was from Ryushima, which was right next to it. The strait was small enough that something could have easily flown over, though swimming it could be a feat. No doubt there were dangerous marine predators in these waters. "Alright, ramp's down. Be wary of everything you see, and do not engage the wildlife. We don't want to create needless hostilities," she said as she started making her way down the ramp. As she came to the bottom of the ramp, she spotted something in the treeline that appeared to be watching them. It almost looked to be wolf-like in nature. It reminded her of what the timberwolves looked like in the Everfree Forest, but this wolf was most definitely not made out of wood. It did however have a potent aura of aether that she didn't need Myth's vision to see. It seemed to flow through her main, much like the way that the princess' had. Icy would hold up a hoof and point the wolf out to Nira. "That one is watching us... should we be concerned?" she asked. ~~~Niradaña~~~ Nira would blush a bit herself as she heard Myth start to give her praise before she would pause and affirmed the acknowledgement that she would be a good addition to the team. She also noticed that the Alicorn of the Night was set to accompany them on this mission. She had briefly encountered her before at Kyomo, but instead of coming ashore she chose to remain aboard. Nira herself couldn't help but feel a bit responsible for that. After all, she had made the mistake of assuming that it was the Alicorn that had arranged the meeting with the shogun, so she presumed that she was the one in charge. She would have never guessed that a Unicorn would have out-ranked an Alicorn in any stretch, but here they were. That mere fact alone, told Nira that she would never want to get on Ice's bad side. The mare spoke of having the power to change naval warfare as they knew it. Given the airship that they were just on, and she was the one in charge of this agency, she didn't think the unicorn was bluffing. There was also a very strong sense of aether coming from the necklace that she was wearing. She had no idea what the amulet did, but she imagined that she would find out at some point on this mission. She would refrain from asking about it right now. When they started moving down the ramp, they were stopped at the bottom. Commander Storm pointed at a creature in the distance, and asked her about it. "It's an Okami, and she seems to have taken a vested interest in us. That can be either really good or really bad. Of an Okami sees something they like, they will get very protective of it and try to help them. If it's something that they don't like, or fear might cause harm to it, they can be very, very dangerous. It is also possible that she might deem us not worth her time. Either way, I'm sure she will let us know her intentions quite quickly," she replied.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~ Wind Dancer would smile back to Scarlett as commented on how adorable her dance was with the little ones, and couldn't help but brighten said smile when she talked about how amazing the second part was. She gave her another hug following her saying that she and Sky worked so well together. She spoke up when she heard Sky's father ask how long that they had been working with each other. "Oh, pretty much since the first day we met! I met sky when he knocked a leaf out of a tree and brought him back to my place, cause a Las Pegasus park is... not the safest place to fall asleep in, and that morning he rode the wind that I was making while I was practicing and bumped into me. After that we started sharing music with each other and the first time that he showed me the work that he did, I started dancing to it. It was then that we got the idea to do a collab, and from there everything else just took off sooo a few years at least!" she finished still wearing her smile. Morning Dew would squeeze her daughter and then beckon for Sky over as well. "Well I for one think you both are the perfect couple. IT was like you two were molded for each other. A brilliant musician and a beautiful dancer entertaining the world and becoming the most wonderful family in Equestria. Kinda doesn't have a nice ring to it doesn't it?" she said turning to Scarlett. Water smiled and looked at the scene and was about to say something else as he spotted a small group of ponies approaching them. No doubt they were some fans that were looking to get an autograph, or new fans looking to meet the star dancer and musician for the second first time. Among the group was an older stallion with a grey coat and what looked like a chart for a cutie mark. It was the doctor that had given up on Wind Dancer after her crash. "Well, look what the cat dragged in," he spoke in a very curt tone. "Here to see what the successes of a real doctor looks like?"

Today was going to be an interesting day for sure. She completely understood having a foal bless, but most foals had that done after they were born. The more she thought about it though, the foal was technically born just not hatched. She wasn't sure if laying the egg counted the same as giving birth to a foal, but it sure as Celestia felt like it when it came out. Knowing that she had two more eggs and live birth still coming, she could say that she was both looking forward to it and dreading it at the same time. She knew that was going to be quite a painful experience. Still, she wouldn't trade it for anything. Being down here under the water and watching everything start to take shape. She knew that before long they would be living down here. From what she heard from Rose as she explained everything they would have to for a while until the guppy developed the lungs that it would need to survive on land. That was entirely what she wanted though. She just wasn't expecting it to be happening so soon. She was expecting construction of their home to take a bit longer, and it seemed that the actual dwelling might take a bit longer still, but the area that the foal would be born in was safe enough. It would at least already be larger than most of the other creatures in the lake so it wouldn't have too much danger around it. She looked to the pedestal that the egg was on and she saw all of the protective runes that Rose had put on the pillar, the floor leading up to the pillar, the pillars that were acting as the supports. She was fairly certain that this very spot had more sanctions and protective barriers on it than the princess's own palace. It wasn't without reason though, and Aloe leaned against the mare as the floated under the water. When she heard Rose speak, she gave her a nuzzle. "Of course I would be here for this. I helped make the egg too you know," she teases lightly. "I jest, but I wouldn't miss this for anything. The Two former princesses could be at my spa right now, and I would still be here waiting for Princess Twilight to arrive... actually if they princesses were at my spa right now I probably would have tried to talk them into coming to the blessing as well. You know, extra blessings for good measure," Aloe said with a giggle.

It took them the better part of a day in order to find the island that they were looking for. The island that Kyomo was on was much larger than the maps had made it look, and it took her longer than expected to go around. She could have tried to go over it, but that level of incline in such a short distance would cause a lot of strain on the ship and she wasn't sure that it would actually hold together. Not to mention that some of those mountains were pretty tall. Sure, her airships fly above the clouds but some of these mountains went well above the cloudline. Safer to go around. Still, she wanted to take the most direct route possible so that did take them over some of the farm lands. The more time they wasted gaining evidence, the more that power that Hou gained. A part of her wondered what the pony was actually up to, and what her ultimate goal was. Most ponies have a reason for doing the things that they do. Sometimes those are misguided, and many innocents pay the price for that. However, some of them are redeemable. One thing that she knew... she couldn't allow the pony to harvest souls any more. The island had been spotted by Mythic Vision, to the north east of the main island, lying in between the main island and the one named Ryushima. It seemed to be a decent size, but was nothing compared to the two main islands. In fact, she noted that it wasn't actually on any map that she had of Neighpon. That was an inspiring sign all of itself. Something that wasn't actually mapped would be a perfect hiding spot for somepony that didn't want to be easily found. Though now that she thought about it, was that really the case for her? Ice Storm knew exactly where Hou was, or at least had a relatively firm grasp of her location. She didn't know the range of the mare's teleport spell, but she knew that she was spotted in Saddle Arabia, but that had been a few weeks ago. Still without magic, that time frame would have put Hou at least five days out if she was using a non-magical means to get home. There was a bit of a lurch in the ship when she felt it set down. She took the time to move in front of the shore party while they were awaiting for the ramps to be lowered. "Alright everypony, stay sharp. For all we know, we are on an uncharted mystical island in the Neighpon region. I have no idea what to expect going ashore, and I have no knowledge to tell you what flora is hazardous, nor which animals in the forests here are dangerous. I would presume normal woodland animals and predators, but this island is teeming with magic. There could be animals here that have magical abilities in their own right. We need to be wary of that fact going forward. Thinking on it, I am actually very glad that the Shogun assigned such a decorated healer to the group," she said, addressing the shore party. She wasn't going to sugar coat it. This was going to be a very different experience. ~~~Niradaña~~~ While this wasn't Nira's first time on a ship, it was her first time on an airship. She noticed that there were a lot of similarities between the two of them, but the feeling was very much different. She could feel that the ship was moving, but unlike with the waves of the water there was no yolk and sway. Aside from some turbulence from the wind that would gust, there wasn't anything. She could definitely see how something like this could trigger a sense of motion sickness in a pony that had a very limited type of vision. Especially if there was magic that was helping the ship stay aloft. Still, she was happy that the temporary remedy that they found seemed to be working. The other thing that seemed to be working it's way into a positive direction, was Nira's assessment of the ponies that she was now working with. Most of them seemed to have a level head on their shoulders. The commander reminded her a little bit of Shiroi in the sense that she doesn't seem like the kind of mare that's afraid to do what needs to be done precisely when it needs to happen, but with a completely different mindset on how to go about doing it. She's only been on this ship for a day at the most, but she could already tell how relaxed the crew itself was working around her, and just in general despite the precarious nature of the mission that they were on. This commander was a pony that had earned the respect and the trust of the ponies around her. Not a pony that just demanded it, and expected everypony to stay in line. The entire crew would weigh in on decisions and try to plot the best possible outcome with what resources that they had. When she heard Commander Storm speak up, Nira would interject when she was finished. "Commander Storm, if I may, I am from the island that is just to the northeast across the strait. If the inhabitants of the island are anything like what is on Ryushima, there were be yokai and other spiritually blessed animals. Most of them can be tricksters, but some of them are genuine, and most of the plant-life should be not only safe, but possibly beneficial as well," she stated before getting a nod from the commander. She couldn't help but get a bit flustered when the commander brought up her credentials. "Bah, I'm just a simple healer that has a bit of magic to help. Nothing more. It's just nice that I'm actually getting to do what I've been trained to do again," she added.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Windy was happy when she saw the scribbles and saw that she was planning on being there at the time she suggested. Not that she couldn't get her in if she was late, but she's need to know she was there first. As it was now, the slices of pie were brought out and almost as instantly as they were placed on the table Windy's pieces were gone. Some would wonder if she was even able to taste the pie at the rate she inhaled it. When Windy heard Cloudy say that she kind forgot to look at the prices of everything here, and was asking how much this lunch was going to cost. "Well, the salad was fourteen bits, and the jambalaya was twelve, and the pie is four bits a slice, but I can pay for that since I was the one that ordered that much of it..." Wind giggled and blushed a bit. "Honestly this is one of the more reasonably priced restaurants up in the cloud district. Like I said earlier, most up here like being elitists, and because of that, they think that their time is worth more than it is," she smiled, squirming a bit and unable to hold back the temptation. "Bright! I'll take another slice of pie please!!"

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ There wasn't a whole lot for Aloe to contribute to the current conversation, and she wasn't much of a sailor pony either. She decided to take more of Scarlett's advice and move to a part of the deck where she with be out of the way and she watched over the balcony. This was her first time on a ship of any kind and she wanted to take in the experience. Sure they were going over the Everfree Forest, but from above the forest didn't look that bad. In fact, it actually looked quite regal. It always amazed her how in nature the more beautiful things were, the deadlier they were. Herbs were the same way. The ones that were the prettiest often times had deadly side effects of not handled properly. She wondered what kind of animals they would be able to see through the canopy. ~~~Venture Heart~~~ Venture Heart was relieved when the life saver thingy was plopped back onto the deck. She was glad that her entrance hadn't left the vessel without such an important tool. She heard this new pegasus speak and commented that working with water was a lot like flying. She brought up a lot of good points about it. She compared it to dealing with earth in a sense as well, saying that it was better to make the water a friend than an enemy. It was also very true that water was impossible to fight against, as were most forces of nature. However, she said that water could fight with them. "I'd have to agree. I've been in a fair share of my own sticky situations regarding water. You have to let it do it's thing, and usually it opens a way out, as long as you're a good swimmer and can hold your breath for a good amount of time. You also can't panic. Believe or not water knows when your panicking and will take advantage of it," Venture added. "That and most Pegasi have some sort of natural connection with the elements that make up weather, and water is a big part of that. In fact... Thinking about it... Everything other than hot is controlled by water levels..." she finished.

~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~ Morning Dew sat back in the arena as she and her husband watched everything start getting set up. They were genuinely excited as this was the first time that they themselves were actually getting to see Windy perform. Even if most of it was impromptu, it would set the stage for some of the performances that they would see later. Morning was already rocking back and forth in her seat like she was a filly in a candy store. "Now, now honey... calm down before you wear a groove into the bleachers," Water Wing said stifling a laugh. He shared his wife's excitement, but he was able to keep himself a bit more contained than she could. But that's always how she's been though. She was the ecstatic eccentric one of the family, and Water knew without a doubt that Morning was where Windy got her never-let-die outlook on life. And he couldn't be more proud of her that she was able to pull through this. Sure it might have taken a bit of outside help, but Windy always knew that she was destined for greatness. There was one thing that she was wrong about though. She was already great, she had already found it right here. However, becoming a big time celebrity in Las Pegasus was definitely a major boon. The two of them watched as all the fillies and colts from earlier started moving to the center of the arena and they listened as Windy spoke. She started off by thanking everypony that was staying and went on to explaining the path that they had taken to get here. There were quite a few grimaces from the older ponies in the audience as she brought up the memories of that terrible storm, Morning Dew and Water Wing included. She went on further to thank everypony for their support along the way and then pointed them out as she thanked them as well. "Same old Windy. Never forgetting where her roots are," Water Wing said. "She definitely gets that from you," Morning said as she leaned against Water. She would then listen as Wind continued. Apparently she was going to be debuting a new piece today as well. This news renewed the excitement that Morning had and she was practically stomping her hooves in excitement now. "Oh my gosh! She's showing us something she hasn't even performed in Las Pegasus yet!!! Oh this is so exciting!" she proclaimed as Windy finished speaking. With a nod, the two performers started and Morning Dew and Water Wing watched as all of the little performers had fun doing their own little dance. A few of them started watching Windy and were mimicking what she was doing, and soon just about everypony was doing the same variation of dance, most wanting to be just like Windy. They even included the little quacks that Windy was letting out. The sight it self was so precious and Morning could feel it being etched into her soul. This would be a moment that she would remember always. She couldn't help but snap a picture or two for the scrapbook of Windy getting swarmed by the little ones when the song was finished. When that song finished though, Morning's anticipation grew. Wind Dancer had gotten back onto the intercom and was instructing all of the fillies and colts to return to their parents and gave the warning that most performers give about them being professionals and to not try anything they were about to see at home, at least not without extreme supervision. She then went over to talk to Sky about something and she watched then as Wind took her spot in the center of the arena. The music started, and morning was instantly left speechless. "This is Sky's music?" she said quietly to her husband, who hushed her immediately. Normally she might have been peeved about that, but in this instance, she understood and just enjoyed the show. She watched as Windy moved with practiced Elegance, and she could also watch as the winds seemed to follow her. She knew that Wind Dancer always had the ability to control wind, and it was part of what caused her accident to begin with... but her ability to control it had reached elite levels. If she had this kind of control when she was a filly, then she might have actually succeeded. Still, no sense in dreading that day anymore. Windy was well, well beyond that. At the final stretch of the eights, Morning could actually feel the wind rushing next to her. She wanted to reach her hoof out and touch it, but with as fast as it was moving she wasn't sure if that was a good idea or not, or if it would disrupt the image that Windy was going for. Then quite suddenly almost without warning, she and her husband were hit by a massive wall of wind, much like the rest of the crowd. Morning found herself holding on rather tightly from the bleachers as the wind died back down and they could see Windy... combining breakdancing with figure skating? That was certainly new. Then something else caught her attention... most of those moves... were being done with Windy's left wing as it's focal point. That meant that it was supporting most of the weight, even in the sky that was a lot of stress on that joint. "Look, look, look!" she said in an excited whisper. "She's on her wing! That doctor that worked on her must have been one of the best in Equestria to allow her to put her full weight into it like that!" "Well, our little girl did say that Golden Bit spared no expense for making sure that she was able to get back in the air and give the ponies an amazing show. I can safely say that her goals were accomplished," Water replied as he wiped a bit of his own liquid pride away from his eyes. He draped his wing over Morning Dew and the couple remained like that for the rest of the performance and watched as their daughter did a few laps around giving high-hooves to the audience before watching Scarlett jump up and catch her in a hug. After seeing that, Morning Dew couldn't resist either and Water Wing knew that if he wanted his wing back he'd clear it from Morning as she too practically pounced her daughter. "Oh Windy! I'm so very proud of you," she said, letting the tears of happiness flow freely. ~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Hearing the crowd was always, always the one thing that made Windy continue her performances. Hearing all the cheers and the happiness that her show had brought somepony was the entire reason why she did this. She took a brief bow before she started going around the arena once more to pick up the ponies that she had missed before, and she was caught off guard a bit as both her mother and mother-to-be pancaked her in a hug. One that she caught both of them in and laughed a bit before landing back down so that she wouldn't crash with all three of them, four technically. She also noticed that the crowd had gathered a bit more as well, as other ponies decided to come and check out the music and saw the performance so they stayed. She blushed a bit when she heard her mom tell her how proud she was. "Mom..." she replied nuzzling into her, and doing the same with Scarlett. "So, what did you think? Come on, be honest," she told them.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer smiled at her eagerness as she finished up her salad. She let out a small, yet not so quiet burp before blushing a bit and giggling. "Whew... Pardon me..." she started. "Tomorrow we usually start setting up around four. Though that's usually just making sure the water jets are functioning properly. Last thing i need is a jet shooting off at the wrong angle and catching me in passing. I'm usually in my green room getting dressed around then until about four thirty." "After that I mingle with the guests and the VIPs that come in, and then from there about five to six thirty I'm out with the little ones in the area singing autographs and doing little dances with them and generally doing anything I can to make them smile before the show. Usually if I have VIP spots open, I'll let a family with little ones fill those spots to let them get a front row experience at no additional charge. If you want the absolute full experience, you'll probably want to be here around three thirty. That way your here before we get anything started." At this point Bright Skies came back over to them. "Are you both doing okay? Can I get you any refills?" she asked politely. "Definitely, I'll also take four slices of your strawberry silk pie. Two for me and two for my friend here," she added with a smile. She was contemplating ordering a second salad instead, but she couldn't come here and not get pie. That would be sacraligious!

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer was relieved a bit when she started see the excitement building in Cloudy as she thought more about what she was looking for. She couldn't tell exactly what she was thinking, but it seemed that they were promising. She took a few more bites of her salad, feeling the crisp cool vegetables and the hurricane dressing crunch between her teeth. She herself started thinking about the jousts later. Wondered if anypony she knew would be participating. She also started to wonder if they would let her and Cloudy go a round. That would be fun, but she wasn't sure that she had that much pull here. It never hurt to ask thought right? Worst thing that can happen is they say no. She then heard Cloudy say that her ideas sounded great. "Amazing! I'll be looking forward to that! I'll have to show you the reservoir at some point then as well, since that's where that particular performance will take place, at the end of the festival. I actually live in a cloud home above that reservoir," she said with a smile. When she heard Cloudy continue, saying she was excited for tomorrow's show now that she'd been talking it up, she giggled a bit. "Yeah, tomorrows routine is the one I started my career with, and is a Las Pegasus favorite. It's the only one on my rotation of performances I do that doesn't change because of the special place it holds in my heart. And since you're getting a back stage pass, you don't have to worry about waiting in line if you show up later than you intended. Trust me, this show will be standing room only. Oh, and be prepared to get wet. I always save something special for the front rows and the VIP sections," she said with a wink.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer squeaked happily when she heard Sky say that they did have a recording of the song with them, but that he could also do the piano intro live as well. "Yay! You're the best!" she said with a smile before she took off to get herself into the position that she needed to be in to start. Normally this would be the third song in the set so she would already be posed for it. She was standing in the center of the stage with her head down, and both her wing wrapped around in front of her. As she heard the music begin fading in from the recording, the ponies along the front rows would feel a gentle breeze pick up. When the piano started, she moved her left wing in a circular motion until it made it's way a full cycle and remained extended and angled down as the echo of the part triggered the same effect with her right. Her right wing though remained up when the cord hit. Through the space of the note her head would slowly rise. As it did, so did the force of the wind. Bits of the cloud under her were getting pulled up into the vortex surrounding her, giving of a swirling effect. It was almost as if they were wisps of smoke in how they swirled. She had it specifically timed by this point to here she was at her peak when the next segment came in. When it did, she tilted her body and shifted through the wind, letting the ballet part in her shine as she twirled clockwise in a circle out of the vortex. With another set of ballet pirouettes she passed through what was left of the vortex, changing the direction to counter-clockwise as she passed through it. Thanks to the clouds, the ponies would be able to see the central swirling vortex combined with a similarly swirling figure-eight. As the piano intro continued, so did the pirouettes as they started taking on more of a gliding effect as she started skating across the cloud tops to and another layer of swirling clouds to the figure-eights. This would end with four of the figures one in side of another with the largest of them extending almost directly to the stands. In fact if somepony in the first row reached out with their hoof or wing they could probably feel the wind flowing even harder than the breeze that they were getting from it. She would pause for effect as the more synthy part of the song started fading in while the strings still soared above. As it started getting louder, the winds would start pushing Wind Dancer higher into the air. After the fifth time, the winds began pushing her more, turning her in it's grasp as she continued to climb. After the seventh she stopped climbing and then, after a few more spins when the heavy synth chords started. At each chord pop, Wind dancer would pop one of her wings out to send of gust of wind out through the vortex. Her limbs moved out in snaps as well, making her almost seem robotic, but still flowing. Ever snap transitioned into another, and when the reverse cymbal started to sound she began going into a very tight and fast twirl, making a quick strong horizontal vortex that seemed to pull from the top of the other one. In fact, it looked like the same vortex had made a ninety-degree turn. At the first mention of "Hello Seaddle" she let out a small micro-burst that would hit the stands in the west side of the arena as she skated towards the east in a wide sweeping arc. Instantly though, they could tell that this wasn't normal figure-stile skating. Wind Dancer was skating through the skies and essentially break-dancing as she was doing so. Even through the sky, and the assortment of limb transitions ponies would be able to tell that there was one transition point. As Wind Dancer twirled she would start with her front left hoof, spin onto her left wing inverting herself completely before transitioning to her right wing, back to her right front hoof, to her left hind hoof and ending the twirl on her right hind hoof. She would repeat this sequence a few times, changing the order of the limbs would be moving in all while maintaining perfect control of her flight and drifting back to the center of the arena as "Hello Seaddle" sounded for the second time. Even more impressive still, Wind Dancer was still building her winds as she started looping around the other direction with some hoof kicks and some heavy sway in her flank and wings. The way that she was moving a pony would be able to tell there would be other things that she would be moving around, al while her hoofwork was getting faster and faster as she moved back to the center for her favorite part of the routine. She got back to the center in time for a very fast quad-axial before she dropped through the swirling vortex. All of the wind that she had been generating was completely dispersed throughout the entire arena in a massive downburst. She was pretty sure she saw a few hats go flying. When the bits of rolling clouds had cleared from the down she would be seen sweeping back across the surface of the cloud, and doing so on her wing tip, specifically the wing tip of her left wing. She left most of her body flow to the beat above as she glided, but her wing tip stayed strong and firm as she coasted back around to the center of the arena once more and came to a stop. A more melodic line started playing and she started moving the top half of her body in beat with the slower melody while her flank and hindlegs were still in time with the faster background before the music instantly slowed down and made a few sweeping motions with her forehooves and wings before pointing them back towards Sky. It was clear that this portion of the song was meant to be a synth solo and Sky's time to shine on the keyboard were he to have the right equipment for the song and this not be a recording. Windy also knew it to be a designed breather for her before going into the next part of the routine. When the synth solo ended, Windy was back on the move, this time every movement ended with a clap as they built the energy back up. And it wasn't normal clapping. Sometimes it would be a wing clap, a hoof to wing clap, or a front to rear hoof clap, depending on the pose that she was in. She was hoping to get the crowd clapping along before going back into the break-dance mode at the minor bass drop. This time she stayed in one spot as the winds build up around her again and at the next mention of "Hello Seaddle" she burst from the ground like a rocket creating another microburst that pulled all the wind and air into an updraft. She broke out of the burst and made a few rings over the crowd high-hoofing anypony in her line that had their hooves up before making her way back towards the center as the final recording of "Hello Seaddle" played, and she slowly drifted to the ground as the music faded into the original position that she started the routine in. Her heart was pounding. She could only hope that everypony here enjoyed it, but most importantly, her parents and her soon to be parents enjoyed it.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer couldn't help but giggle back at Sky when he called her Ducky, only responding in kind. "Quack!" she said, making her best impression. He didn't have anything to say either so she nodded as well when he said that they should get this started. The tune that Sky chose to use with this was one that she was only vaguely familiar with. She was happy that she told everypony that this one as going to be made up on the spot, cause she didn't think that they timing was going to be very good on her part, but that wasn't the point here. As the music started she began to waddle to and fro. Despite having wings of her own she had no qualms about making chicken wings with her forehooves and twirling and dancing with a few fillies that were doing the same, adding her own "Quack! Quack! Quack!" between lines. Pretty soon all the fillies and colts were mimicking the same dance moves and they were all dancing together. As much as she wanted to she knew that she couldn't let herself go in this song. She did however make just enough wind in between each dancer to make a tiny interlocking swirling effect on the cloud around them. The winds weren't strong at all, barely above a stiff breeze as the group of children and herself twirled and danced and quacked. The words themselves seemed rather silly at first, which was the nature of the dance. However, she did kind of piece a few things together from just they way that they were arranged. She couldn't help but smirk back at Sky, blowing him a kiss from one of her twirls. Trust her husband-to-be to incorporate the two of them into the smallest things. Of course she loved that about him. It was a further reminder that no matter how busy they were ever going to get, there was only one thing that ever truly mattered. Though she and their families knew that was about to be two things for the both of them. At this particular moment though, the only thing she was surrounded by was the adorable laughs and cheers of the young ponies around her having an amazing time. She was a little sad when she heard the last note and she came to a stop. She knew that she had to though otherwise she would keep the little ponies here all day dancing with them. Considering that this was a surprise performance, they probably had their own celebrations to get to. As the music faded she smiled. "Thank you fillies and gentlecolts. This has been quite fun and I would love to do more with the little ones, but now I must ask for all the little ponies to returned to their parents in the stands. This next part of the performance is for professionals only and some of the moves of this routine are very dangerous. Please for your own safety, please do not try to do anything that you're about to see at home," she told the crowd before moving over to Sky. "Do you have enough here to be able to do that? Will we need the recording that we made? I really want to be able to do this for them... It would be the perfect homecoming..." she commented, waiting for an answer.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind listened once again as Cloudy spoke. She appears to be contemplating. She couldn't help but smile a bit when she said that she hoped that the temperature would be the only hot thing she would experience tonight. She did order it mild, so that would definitely help. She enjoyed the idea of just making the clouds from raw water with good old fashioned Pegasus magic. She then started thinking out loud about some of the clouds that could be used patting the table as an example of the variety of cloud formulas that can be used. The idea of a dense fog was exactly what she was looking for. "I think a dense fog will be perfect! That's kind of what I make in the first act of my show tomorrow night before I shape it into a hurricane onto the water in front of the volcano outside of the Mareage! I only need the clouds to hold their shape long enough to show the shape of the winds that I'm controlling. The wind is the show after all, but ponies can't see it without something in the sky to show it to them," Windy started again before noticing the mare seemed to be in thought again. Windy would wait for a reply to see what the thoughts were on her new friend.

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ Aloe watch and listened to the newcomer as she spoke. Honestly, her entrance didn't inspire much faith into her. She seemed to be an experienced adventurer though, and considering Copper wasn't coming with them that would fill that gap in skill-sets. Another pegasus had joined in as well. She called herself Finnie. She was a pegasus though judging by the amount of water on her, she was a swimmer and not a flyer. She wasn't sure how that would help things, but that wasn't her place to judge or say. After all, she herself was a spa pony and most would say she had no business here either. She simply waited for Rose's answer on the matter. ~~~Venture Heart~~~ Venture Heart would nod as she heard the mare in charge summarize everything. The plan seemed simple enough, and she didn't find many flaws in it. She took one oh the syringes and placed it in her bag before the captain addressed her. "Well, I will admit, most of my survival skills are ground based, but I can navigate with the best of them. I have a unique sense of direction and know pretty much exactly where I am at all times. I just need to be able to see the skies. Outside of that, I'm pretty good at tieing knots so I can help secure rigging if needed," she said before another new one graced then with their presence. Venture couldn't help but snicker a bit as this mare made pretty much the same impression she did with her landing. She held her wings up to shield herself from the water that was shaken off of the mare and she smiled back. "Well! That is quite the entrance, I'll say. Reminds me of the entrance I literally just happened to have myself just a few moments ago. Speaking of which... You didn't happen to see one of those life saver thingies on your way up did you? On kinda got flung overboard when it got stuck on my head," she asked the mare.

~~~Ice Storm~~~Niradaña~~~ It didn't take long for the group of ponies to get to the exit of the palace. Ice Storm did note that Nira made it a point to walk on the opposite side of Shiroi. It was clear that those two really didn't like reach other right now. Of course with how things kind of imploded that was wondering be expected. As the approached the other group, Ice Storm smiled to them and nodded in greeting. "We have been given permission to move our investigation to the islands. We will look for any information that we can find on the island that contains the most saturation of magic. Though thinking about it, of there's an island that radiates absolutely no magic at all, that might be with investigating as well. One final matter of note, the Shogun has assigned his personal healer to assist in our operations. We are to make her feel welcomed within our vessel and our mission," she explained. She's knew that she didn't have to worry to much about that from this group though. Nira gave a courteous nod off her own after the introduction was gone. "That is correct. I do not remember if I gave it earlier, but my name is Niradaña, but most call me Nira. I look forward to working with all of you... And finally getting or of the palace for once..." she spoke. "Trust me, you won't find a better healer than me in Neighpon," Nira added. Ice nodded back to Nira. "Right then, let's get back to the ship so we can get you settled in. We should have plenty of supplies for you I'm the med bay," she replied.

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ Aloe nodded in response when she heard Rose asked her to help find some conetail instead. She wasn't entirely sure what she was looking for, but that would easily be fixed when Rose found some of it. Them aloe would know what she's looking for and wouldn't have to ask about it. She herself began thinking about how fast hey life was changing. Just a couple months ago she was just continuing to run the spa without so much of a rest. Then Rose came into the spa, and everything changed. She was about to become a mother, the two had become quite close and we're doing almost everything together. Her thoughts were pulled back though as she heard Rose ask a very peculiar question, especially given her situation. Did she want to be a mother? She heard Rose explain the intrinsic nature of what it was like for her, being a changling queen an and if she didn't tend to her needs as such she'd get quiet irate and basically become a different pony, but also added that she know ponies often had a choice in those things. She thought hard about her answer, and then started speaking. "Motherhood for a pony is complicated. At the very core of every mare, yes. We want to be mothers. The gift of life and the bond that forms with that life before it even steps hoof into the world is irreplaceable. Most of the more mares my age put become a mother of because we often feel that we aren't ready. Most of the time we can barely handle taking care of ourselves, and we want to make sure our little ones have the most perfect worry free environment they can. Having the right stallion or the right book or potion for the mare on mare couples helps to," she said with a giggle. "As for myself, with this being my first o one... So I think I'm ready to be a mother? Honestly, no, but I'm going to make sure that I can do what I can for them and make sure that I and always here for them when they need me, and I can make myself be ready." "As for why I want to be a mom... Well... It's the same reason ponies seek others out to begin with. Love, compassion, companionship, and the knowing that you created the life that is running around you. That the glorious filly or colt running around came from inside you. I've been told that there's no feeling like it. I still don't know o if I'm ready for it or not, but I'm ready for us to find out together. Besides, were kinda past the point where we could go back. Not that I would even if we could. This is the path we walk now, so this is the road we will take. I know I for one... Couldn't be happier," Aloe replied.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer smiled at the enthusiasm that Cloudy now had. She was excited, and was already thinking of ideas. That was the kind of pony that she was happy to see. Her excitement faded a bit when she presumed that she already had a formula and just needed her to put it in a machine. She also couldn't hold back a giggle when she took a bit of the jambalaya only to find out that it was much too hot. She took a large gulp of water before saying she should let it cool. Wind took another bite of her salad before replying. "Yeah, and jambalaya is usually decently spicy to," she started off. "And actually I don't have any formula or anything for the clouds I use. I'm fact most of them are condensed from vapor and mist that I make of the surface of the reservoir or the pond that surrounds the volcano that the Mareage has. I could do so much more if the clouds were already made. I would need some that can hold shape for the designs, but I also need some clouds that can hold like a bellowing shape while dispersing. You'll see why tomorrow," she giggled taking another bite.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer nodded to Sky Sailing when he said two songs seemed to be perfect. He added that most of these families probably had their own plans to celebrate the day for their little ones so they didn't want to hog all of their time. "That makes sense. I hope we have enough to where we can get to the downburst part of the routine. I'm super excited to be able to show Mom and Dad how strong my wings have gotten!" Wind Dancer smiled before she watched Sky present her with a duck bill. "Sky that's perfect!" she said with a giggle before she put it on trying to mimic the quack that she heard. She giggled a bit more before taking one of the crystal headset pieces from one of the announcers. "I would like to give everypony here a warm thank you for staying. Before we begin though, there are a few words that I would like to say. The path to get where Sky and I both are today, wasn't an easy one. I'm sure everypony here that's old enough to remember when that rogue storm tore through Cloudsdale so many years ago. I know I sure do. Things could have ended up way differently than they did, We would like to thank each any everypony here for helping shape us, and letting us grow back into our roles at our own pace. None know this better than our parents," she continued pointing to where they were sitting. "That is why I felt that we had to do something at little special for today. Sky and myself will be performing two songs today. For the first song, I would like to invite all participants out to the center of the arena for the Lucky Ducky Dance. I won't lie, this one is probably going to be made up on the spot, but feel free just to do whatever comes natural. I know that I'm planning on being a Lucky Ducky for it," she said pausing for a moment. "However, once the first dance concludes, I would ask that all fillies and colts return to their parents, as Sky and myself debut a new part of our Las Pegasus act that hasn't been performed before. A moment so special, that it deserved to be shared with the ponies that help make it special. And that's all of you. The Ponies of Cloudsdale! Where no matter how hard the winds push us down, we get back up again! Just like my parents who raised me, and just like the parents here now that raised all of these amazing little ones who are the bright and shining futures of Equestria. And the most important thing to remember for anypony going forward, and is a lesson that took me far too long to learn myself. There's always a top to every storm, and where that top is we can rise above it, to new heights and beyond!" she said with a warm smile before looking back to Sky to see if he had anything to add before they started.