IceStorm

~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice Storm shrugged when Blizzard asked about seeing any ponies of note. It wasn't like they themselves weren't ponies of note anymore. A Royal Guard Captain, and a former Royal Guard Captain that is now the Commander and Chief of an entire branch of the Equestrian military. Still, she smiled when he said that he'd been reluctant to leave the Captain's Quarters to much outside of duty. That old habits die hard. "I can kinda say the same, but for different reasons. Not so much that I want wanting to go out, but putting missions before personal interests. I recently just got back from Neighpon investigating a few things over there. That investigation could prove to be the basis of an alliance," she started. When he mentioned something about his robes keeping him a comfortable temperature, Ice smiled. "The robes are nice, but I usually just stick to my tried and true method," she said, creating a thin layer of hardened ice plates over her body. "Though I could see other ponies getting use out of those for similar issues. If you are the test for it, then I'd consider it a success," she said as they made their way into the noodle shop. She smiled and nodded to Blizzard as he asked to pay for her meal. "I'll let you pay for the first bowl... I never only eat one..." She said with a smile as they were seated. She did notice that blizzard positioned himself back to the wall, but didn't comment as she did the same. It was a common trait in ponies that have served in the guard of any stretch of time or have had traumatic experiences. The most dangerous threat is the one you can't see coming. The waiter came over as she looked up from the menu. "I'll take the strawberry mango tea, and three bowls of your miso and spinach ramen, with water chestnuts and extra sprouts," she ordered with a somewhat apologetic smile.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar smiled as they waited in line. A million thoughts were running through her mind right now. Would the other ponies here in Maretime Bay understand her desires to leave? Would she be seen as a traitor? She knew a good number of ponies were having trouble adjusting. Honestly, that was kind of another reason she was looking to move now. Between the Canterlogic factory, and now Posey and her gang trying to bring back the old ways... She didn't feel Maretime Bay was going to be a good place for a new experimenting couple. Definitely not so when one of those was a unicorn. Her thoughts were brought back when she heard Sunny greet the two of them and was a bit surprised when Sunny knew Gloomy's name, and Gloomy saying that she remembered Sunny. She then lightly tapped the side of her head. "That's right..." she started. "I was gonna ask how you two knew each other already but I forgot that you've actually been to Bridlewood. As for the two of us," Sugar smiled, giving Gloomy another nuzzle. "We're doing quite well. That's actually why were here. I would like a strawberry mango smoothie, whatever Gloomy here wants, and then every empty box that you have in the back," she said, adding more of a sheepish smile at the end of the last bit.

~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice Storm didn't even get a chance to react as the door flung open and a white blur came out before smacking into her and sending the two of them careening down the stairs. The contents of her saddle bags were strone everywhere and nothing was saved from the ejections as armor, personal items, and unfortunately for her, her overnight items were put on full display before smacking into the pillar. Ice felt her eyes spinning as she tried to regain hey senses from the escapade. It appeared the other pony was doing the same as Ice heard a very familiar voice ask if anypony got the number of that carriage. With a few shakes of her head, her vision finally cleared before looking to rarity with an initial bit of shock as she sat a stream of red running down her chest and leg before breathing a sigh of relief as she realized it was just what was left of her snow cone and that Rarity wasn't actually hurt, or at least not that she could tell at the moment. "Not a carriage, but definitely a pony that wasn't expecting to go for a ride down the stairs," Ice said, laughing a small bit hoping to lighten the situation a bit. After the training that she had been through with both Tempest, and Luna this little tumble was nothing. She couldn't help but blush a bit though as she looked behind Rarity and saw the mess that her saddle bags had made. "That being said, it's good to see you Rarity. It has been quite a very long time since we last spoke. I still have the two dresses that you made for me. Wear them regularly to! Though as distracted as you were... Something tells me that fashion wasn't what was on your mind... Anything that I can help with?" She asked.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ The implications of Gloomy's words seemed to hit her not to long after Sugar was having the same thoughts. At this point they might as well just be intentionally flirtatious... Although for Sugar... It was kind of already heading that way. Still, Sugar knew it they didn't get out of the door and to the market now, this was going to go to a place that... She very much wanted it to go, but would make all other plans moot. Them Gloomy brought up a point that she hasn't considered herself. With all three races getting along again now, it came with a whole new slew of expectations that came with it. Specifically, how others should be treated. Most of these made sense, but there was also the unwritten expectation that everypony is supposed to be completely happy with everything. She never thought about the fact that some ponies might not be happy with how things are now. She definitely knew that Posey wasn't happy. Now that she thought about it... The complaint box at Sheriff Hitch's office was starting to get full. She also listened as Gloomy told her that everypony in Bridlewood was expecting her to be happier than she had been. "I can see how that would make things a bit more difficult. Thinking about it now, that actually makes a lot of sense, and might be part of what might be bugging some of the others, but I'm sure everypony will help each other through this new time, and everything will be better for it. Sometimes we just have to take a chance," Sugar smiled, giving Gloomy a quick, friendly peck on her cheek. "Hopefully I can help with the making you happier part," she said with another middle before pulling in front of her to lead the way. She did put a little bit of sway in her step, but not nearly as much as she had when they were alone. They were in public now, and that wouldn't be in good taste. Sunny's stand actually wasn't that day from Sugar's house. It was only a few blocks away, and they were able to get there relatively quickly. It was still relatively early in the day so she didn't seem to be too busy, and a few others seemed to be out and about as well. There did appear to be one pony in front of them so Sugar patiently waited with Gloomy for their turn in line.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar couldn't help but giggle as her mind went other places when she heard Gloomy talk about sampling other earth ponies. She knew exactly what she meant by it, but it didn't stop her from imagining things. Though if she was honest, the thoughts made her feel.... Kinda jealous. They had only just met yesterday, so it would hardly be fair to say that Gloomy was her unicorn friend and everypony what could go find their own. That feeling was nagging at her a little bit though, especially as flirty as they were and the prospect of those flirts turning into more later. She gave her head a small shake to clear her thoughts and smiled once again. She gave Gloomy a soft nuzzle. "I'm glad you enjoyed it. As for other ponies here, and where we should try first... We should probably head to Sunny's smoothie stall. She always has boxes from her fruit shipments, so if anypony is gonna have enough for a move it works be her. Plus Sunny is one of the nicest ponies here in Maretime Bay. Oh, and steer clear of Posey... She hasn't really taken a liking to the new ways and thinks that things were better off before... I'm not sure how she can think like that but... Hey, I guess it just takes longer for some ponies to break old habits than others," she smiled, before grabbing her neck bag and opening the front door, waiting for Gloomy to follow, or lead. She definitely didn't mind the view from behind. One thing's for sure. Gloomy had definitely awakened a side of her that she didn't know she had.

~~~Ice Storm~~~ The past couple years have been quite interesting for Ice Storm to say the least. From several EPIC operations that ended up less than ideal... an invasion that had led to the capture of the princesses from a force that they were woefully unprepared for, and then she got the two gifts that completely changed her life. The deed to the land of the Casino that she now ran in addition to the franchise of her frozen desert stores, and then the Opalus Spheres. The magical artifacts that had apparently been made specifically for her using her own magic. She wasn't entirely sure how they were amplifying her magic, but she knew that's what it was doing. Squall had told her precisely what they did, and she knew that it was working when she tried to open her shop the next day and even making a simple snow cone because of how minuscule amount of magic that it took compared to normal. She had tried using the same amount that she always had, and she made a small drift of snow several times instead of just a simple cone. It worked out because she could still use the excess snow, but it did make quite a mess at the time. She still remembered talking to Twilight tame and learn how to control the power of her newfound magic once again. That wasn't the only thing though. Sweet Celestia no it wasn't. She was still the Stewardess and apprentice of Princess Luna as well, and for a while she started working with her in refining more of her cold skills. After that most recent invasion she had taken it upon herself to create a secret organization. An organization that actually partially led to the creation of her casino in Las Pegasus to use as the front and to fund the operation. She knew that it wasn't going to be easy and sought Luna for advice. For a while Luna was the only other pony in Equestria that knew what she was up to that wasn't also a part of STAR, or at least so she thought. She had started building a flying dreadnought, and right before she was scheduled the final tests and the air test for it, Princess Twilight had randomly popped onto the bridge one day and commented on it. After a bit, mostly, once the Shadow of Ice was fully operational, Twilight made STAR a full fledged branch of the Equestrian Military, which meant that she now had government funding, but she was still doing things her way. Giving a home to the ponies that Equestrian Society had failed. In doing so, she'd met four amazing ponies that had come into her life and she now loved more than anything else. The relationship with the ponies that she had met at this point she valued as her most prized possessions. Raven Shadow Fire, Mythic Vision, Feather Blitz, and Niradana were all ponies that she'd come to love and adore. Granted, Nira and Feather were relationships that blossomed a bit more after Myth showed up, but that's not to say that she wasn't thankful for them. Especially Nira. She was more than thankful that she was able to get her out of the toxic situation in Neighpon. A healer that can't use her abilities to help those that need it was a bit... overly strict. She could understand making sure that a healer like that was always on call. Especially with what her special ability was. She'd personally never seen it in action, but that's a good thing. That means that nopony has ever almost died on her watch. With any luck, it will continue to stay that way. That's not to say that the world wasn't still full of surprises. Between Luna retiring from being the Princess that she confided in for advice in regards to running STAR to becoming a member of STAR herself. She definitely wasn't expecting that. Something else that was completely unexpected was the letter that she had gotten from Twilight a few days ago. It was a summons to the castle, and it was for something incredibly important. The way the letter was worded, it was something that she, and only she could accomplish, but Twilight couldn't send any of the sensitive details in the letter. She was certain that Twilight had communication channels in the STAR network, but chose to send the letter instead. She had packed everything that she needed for an extended stay here in Canterlot just in case it was something that needed prolonged attention. If she was being honest, she wasn't really sure what she was getting herself into. But she knew that Twilight wouldn't call her for something menial, especially worded the way it was. It specifically said that it was only something that she could do. She sighed, putting the letter back in her sack as she stepped off the train. She couldn't help but smile a bit before stopping by her shop that was here in Canterlot. It was on the way to the castle so she stopped in and grabbed a snow cone to go. She gave a quick wave to the manager and the ponies that she had working there with a smile. After a few minutes she made her way to the castle. Normally she would just go in, as she had a key to the door being one of the commanding officers of the Equestrian Military and Former Lunar Guard... but the letter specifically instructed her to knock on the door and the guards would know what to do. So without any further adieu, she lifted her hoof and knocked on the main entrance to the Canterlot Castle.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar smiled when Gloomy said that their breakfast was good. Most of the meal however continued ina rather awkward silence as it appeared both of the mares were not used to eating with company. Gloomy was the first to speak, saying that she hoped that get company wasn't to fill because she didn't talk much during a meal. Sugar smile. "I'm the same way. Even when we had festivals and get togethers as a city, I still ate alone usually. It wasn't that I didn't have friends, but there were a lot of things internally that I didn't see eye to eye with in regards to others. And seeing how they ostricized Sunny because she had a different opinion... I just kinda kept quiet and to myself," she admitted as she finished her meal. Once she did, she placed her dishes in the sink and started running water for them to soak in. She would take care of those after they went to the market. Besides, breakfast food had a tendancy to stick to everything quite easily. This was especially true for flanks apparently. "Alright, whenever you're ready, we should start heading to the market. That was we can get what we need for the move and I can day my goodbyes and all," she smiled.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ Wind Dancer could only roll her eyes at Sky before smirking and giving him a little bump with her flank. Now that they were officially married, she imagined that she had a wild night in store for her for the private consummation party that would be for the two of them. Though that did remind her that they would need to confirm that their parents were watching Glimmer tonight. The couldn't really engage in those kinds of activities with a little one present. Sure she wouldn't know what any of that stuff was, but sure enough every time they got warmed up Glimmer would start crying for something. That wasn't going to be important for a few hours though, but she couldn't say that she wasn't looking forward to it. It was about that time that Sky's mom came over to them with Candy and Golden Bit. "Candy! Golden! Great to see you two! Glad you were able to make it out Candy! Hopefully it wasn't too short notice, I know it can take some time to get mail from here to Ponyville," she said with a smile before Scarlett mentioned it being almost time for the dances, and that Sky and Windy were up first. Wind Dancer smiled and gave a nod as Sky confirmed and mentioned them doing a special thing for the dance tonight. She didn't have much else to add, so she followed him out onto the dance floor, leaning in and giving him a kiss before they got started. "Thank you," she said in a whisper in his ear "For making me the happiest mare alive, and making this the happiest moment in my life," she smiled, leaning her head against his shoulders while they danced to the song that they sang. ~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice Storm chuckled before giving the night alicorn a nod. "Running the casino, being the commanding of a paramilitary operation that turned into a fully funded and functioning branch of the Equestrian Military, both of which are way more hectic that a standard security detail. This makes me feel like I'm at the palace on patrol again," she responded. She gave another snirk when Luna mentioned to not mention the cake to Celestia. That they didn't need her crashing weddings for cake before Luna said that she was bowing out, not wanting to up stage the newlyweds. "I'll catch up with you when I get home," she finished. After Luna teleported out, Ice sighed. So far everything seemed to be working just as planned, and there wasn't much a need for her security services at the moment. She hoped that things would stay that way for now as she settled down at the table and she started eating her salad. There wasn't a lot for her to do at the moment other than just enjoy the harmony in front of her. It gave her a sense of pride to know that she was part of what was responsible for allowing ponies to be like this. To be happy, carefree, and the only worry that they have is where and when their next show is coming. Not that Wind and Sky weren't friends, but it did feel a tad bit lonely here for her since Myth and Raven both were busy in the lab. They were close to perfecting the prosthetic horns. She just knew it. Still, she wished that they would take a break now and then to enjoy some of the smaller things in life. "Soon girls, this will be us soon." ~~~Golden Bit~~~ Golden Bit listened as Candy started regailing her with her own family's story after she finished explaining hers. After hearing Candy explain what happened with her and her mom, and that her dad was essentially a playcolt that would make ponies single parents... it honestly wasn't much better than what Golden Hoof was doing honestly. Though technically it was still better. True the mother may not have always been able to optimumly support the child, but there was a child, and that family was just that. It was family, and it stayed together. She felt her heart warm a bit when Candy talked about Pop Corn taking her in along with her mom. She actually said that was the reason that she had originally came to Las Pegasus to begin with. To try to find her actual father, but she found Windy instead and it just made her world all the better for it. Golden smiled, before hearing what Scarlett added about family. Sometimes you have to look for it, and other times it's with you the whole time. "Yeah, Wind Dancer's always had a way of making ponies smile, and winning over their feelings. I can still remember the first time I saw her dancing. It was right here in this very park actually. It's kind of fitting that both of her life changing events happened in this one park. Well, two of her three life changing events, but definitely both of her good ones. She was doing a small skit to a short Betthooven song, and she was one of the most graceful dancers I'd ever seen. I sat and watched her for at least a good hour, watching her go through different songs, but I could very clearly tell that she was in pain, but she was pressing on, and I could also tell that she wasn't getting more than a few feet off the ground. For a pegasi, that was a bit uncommon, especially since she was still generating wind. I walked up to her and started talking with her. We talked for a while and she was by far one of the nicest ponies I had met in Las Pegasus at that point. She wasn't trying to haggle, or do much. She was just doing what she loved to do, even if she couldn't do it as well as she would have liked to. After I found out what happened to her, I knew that I had to make things right for her. So I made sure that we got the best doctors available, and I completely covered all of the costs to repair the damage to her wing that kept her from being able to properly use it. Now, the mare is like the daughter I never had, and it makes me happy to be able to watch how far she's come in such a short time after. You truly have an amazing friend that will go to the ends of Equestria for you, so as long as you treat her right," Golden smiled, looking back to Candy. She then found herself going silent as the dancing started, finding herself content to sit back, relax, and just watch for now.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar nodded at Gloomy's statement about her attitude. "Indeed it is! It caught me off guard and I want sure how to react at first," she smiled, moving over so that Gloomy would have some space. It became quickly apparent that the kitchen didn't have as much space as she thought. She and Gloomy seemed to constantly be bumping flanks together, though the more it went on, the less it felt like accidental contact and more intentionally flirtatious. She knew that some of her last bumps were, and she giggled a bit. "Maybe if we engaged in this kind of behavior in public it would be, but here in the privacy of our house it's perfectly fine," she said, wiggling her flank a bit. "Although if we continue this much further, I'm afraid actions will need to be taken that will put our other plans on hold. Of course, I wouldn't mind, but would delay the move," she smirked. It didn't take long after that until their breakfast was ready. With two ponies in the kitchen, the prep went by much quicker and she sat a bottle of both strawberry and maple syrup on the table for the pancakes. "One plate of cheesy eggs and hay bacon, and a double stack of pancakes," she smiled sitting in the chair next to Gloomy, rather than across from her. Ever since last night, well, since they met, really. She found herself wanting more and more to be as close to the mare as possible. It made her heart flutter a bit thinking about it. She'd certainly never felt like this about anypony here in Maretime Bay before.

~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice listened as Blizzard spoke, explaining the situation a bit more. That between maternity leave, illnesses, and injuries everything had kinda taken it's toll, and that the letter about them rooming together was before everything got bad. "Well," she says as they walked. "While the captains quarters all small, it might be best for us to stay together anyway and share the space anyway. It makes the most logical sense because with two of us acting out of that office now, were going to bed that extra space for preparations, especially if anything were to go down while I'm here. I'll take the top drawer then, and you can have the second one. We'll pick up your things later since we're already on the way out," she added, picking up on his blush. "Besides, awkward sleeping positions are common practice in the fields," she smirked, walking into the room as it was unlocked. Much like she was expecting, the room was fairly spacious. A large dresser was on the far wall with a vanity mirror above it, and a standing mirror in the corner. The bed was at least a queen size, and sat on the wall opposite of the dresser. She moved over to the dresser, and without a second thought started putting things away, making no effort to hide her overnight protective items, and supplies to deal with issues in kind. She finished up and she heard her stomach growl a bit at the mention of noodles again. "I'll probably get the chicken lo mein myself or the Miso soup lo mein. Maybe both... I could eat both," she giggled, stepping back into the hall andb leading them outside. The sun was exceptionally bright today, and Ice actually had to hold up a hoof to shield her eyes. "I think somepony forgot to tell Twilight that Canterlot was on a mountain, not in a dessert," she said, letting her eyes adjust. It didn't take long for them to make it to the noodle bar either.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar smiled and continued to prepare the eggs as planned as she heard Gloomy say that they would work. Sugar wasn't normally a very talkative mare in the mornings herself, but in her defense, she also had never woken up with another pony before. Everything was kind of new for her. Even moreso was the offer for Gloomy to help her cook. She was actually caught off guard by the comment before pointing back a bit in her life before realizing something. "Sorry," she said breaking the awkward silence. "That was... Actually the first time that anypony has ever offered to help me with... Well, anything. That wasn't mom, Dad, or gram gram anyway. I would be honored. If you could help with the pancakes, I will be forever grateful," she smiled

~~~Ice Storm~~~ Ice gave a bit of a sarcastic look to Blitz when he said that a lot has changed in the the recent months in response to incompetence. "I don't know. I mean, I don't know how long Fire Walker has been running on a staff like this. A depleted staff is bad for security, and if that staff has not been adequately trained... Then that opens up an entire slew of issues making it not only potentially dangerous for those who stay in the castle, but those on guard as well," Ice said with a sigh. "At least it looks like none of them are fresh, and she has the most experienced on the throne room. Though me personally, I would have split them up. Having that experience both by the throne and in Twilight's wing would be invaluable," she stated. With the rounds posted, the next suggestion was to go get food. That was probably wise, as she hadn't eaten since she'd gotten to Canterlot. "That sounds like a plan to me! I'm starving! Though since we're already here, we should probably at the very least drop my stuff off at the visiting officers quarters instead of going out, and then coming back, and then putting everything away to start the shift. This way we can eat, take our time, and then hit the patrols. Hopefully that noodle restaurant is still open. Since being in Las Pegasus I've fallen in love with Neighponese style noodles," she says with a smile. "Though it is a bit odd. The letter I got from Twilight says I'd be rooming with you for the duration. Or rather that I would be sharing the bunk with the acting captain. I'm okay either way... would actually save us time if that's the case since my stuff is already here," she smiled.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar nodded as she began to crack the eggs into the bowl. Two eggs were always about her limit as well when she has other stuff to go with it. If she's just making sandwiches, she'll make four. Enough for two eggs per sandwich. She paused when she heard Gloomy ask how she usually prepared then. "Yeah, I'm kind of the same way with hard boiled eggs. Though if you take the yolk and shred it up over like a salad or something is not as bad. If nothing else, it's full of nutrients for the garden. Hard boiled egg whites are tasty," she smiled. "As far as how I usually make them, I almost always make them scrambled with lots of cheese. Usually I'm making sandwiches, and scrambled eggs hold together better on bread," she added, mixing the batter up for the pancakes.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar smirked with a wink as soon as she saw Gloomy's reaction to get word choice. Of course she knew what the mare had originally meant, but she wanted to continue the same sort of fun that they were having yesterday. The flirty fun just felt natural, and made it feel like they had been friends forever. She nodded when Gloomy said that as long as she still has coffee, all of the above sounded good. She nodded and went to work in the kitchen once more. While she might have been a model by trade, cooking was something that she enjoyed. The way that you could take individual items and mix them together in unimagined ways to make something truly amazing always intrigued and baffled her. She loves experimenting with new flavors. Sometimes they worked, and other times... Well, Hitch's critters would get a free lunch. She wasn't going to be experimenting today. Just some simple cheesy eggs, hay bacon, and some pancakes. "Well... I was going to make hashbrowns. I am apparently out of potatoes. Oh well. Those take a while to prepare properly anyway. You can't simply shred the potatoes and run with it. They have to be frozen a specific way for them to cook properly. Otherwise you end up with just super buttery fried shredded potatoes. Which are also pretty delicious themselves honestly," she smiled as she started cracking eggs. "How many eggs would you like?"

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar nodded when she heard Gloomy compare what she was saying about broccoli to mushrooms. That they tended to be dry and spongy when raw, but quite delectable when they were cooked. She poured their two cups of coffee, and there was still enough for a couple more. She watched as Gloomy took her first sip, confirming that the drink packed every bit the punch that she had said it did. "Yeah, it does that. Myself personally, I've gotten a bit of a tolerance to it. Because of that, it takes me like two or three cups to get the same effect that you have now. Which is still cheaper than almost an entire twelve cup pot of a dark roast!" Sugar smiled, taking a sip of her own coffee. She heard Gloomy mention something once again, the caffeine returning her rhymes to her. Talking about bulk and weight before adding to a gate. "That is true! but then again, gates are always meant to be opened at some point," she giggled, taking another sip. "What are you thinking for breakfast? I've got eggs, hay-bacon, I could probably make some hashbrowns... anything you fancy really."

(My apologies on the delays on this.) ~~~Wind Dancer~~~Morning Dew~~~Water Wing~~~ Wind Dancer nodded happily, leaning into Sky as they walked to the table heads and greeting those who attended. "Most definitely. I suppose that's pretty easy to do though when you have the connections that we have now. I mean, Ice Storm over there is literally the commander of an entire branch of the Equestrian Military. If she couldn't run a wedding, I would be questioning her actual ability to protect Equestria as a whole. She definitely fits the bill though. Possibly one of the most caring business owners I've ever met, second to Goldy of course." "And all of them are second to you," came the voice of a very proud mint green mare that soon found her daughter and her new son locked in her hooves. She wiped some tears out of her eyes with a wing feather. "Two of the most humble and down to earth celebrities that I've ever seen. And we're all pegasi so that's sayin' somethin'," she said with a giggle, poking her elbow into her daughter. "Mooooom..." Wind replied, sounding more like she did as a filly as she blushed a bit. Her blush turned into a giggle as she leaned back into Sky. "It's true though. For most pegasi, the Sky is the limit. Just now in your case that statement is a little bit more literal," Water Wing interacted. "Seriously...? Dad jokes, during the wedding?" "Technically the reception now sweetheart," he replied, getting an eyeroll from Windy. Windy just shook her head before looking back over to Sky and Nuzzling him. She watched everypony start making their way in to be seated and smiled at the turn out. She had to admit, the crowd around the park was quite intimidated. She'd put on many shows with crowds like this before, but this one just felt... different. But she had Sky here with her, and that was all that mattered. When he mentioned the dance floor, she smiled. "I'm certain that they will have it quite clean. Dancing is one of the most important parts of the reception," she said, giving Sky's ear a teasing lick. "Besides, Singing and dancing are what we do best," she said in a low sultry whisper. ~~~Ice Storm~~~ "Twilight is either completely calm and relaxed, or will probably be here any moment. There will be no in between. She does at the very least know that there was supposed to be a celebrity wedding today. Though to be fair, most of Equestria knew that these two were getting married today. It is two of the most iconic performers getting married after all. That would be like if Songbird Serenade hooked up with Colouratura. It's gonna make headlines. And seeing that she knew that you were going to be the one performing the ceremony over a couple of performers that make most of their art in the night sky... I'm sure an intelligent mare like Twilight can put two and two together. Although... for as intelligent as she is, she is a bit lacking in the deductive reasoning department. I mean... she spent an entire week trying to prevent a magical doomsday that she created when she sent herself back in time to stop a magical doomsday that didn't exist," Ice laughed, paying attention to seating arrangements. She smiled as Golden Bit and Candy had made their way inside a long with just a couple more ponies. It looked like they had room for about twelve other ponies. Ice reached up to the ear piece she was wearing. "Alright, we have room for about twelve more. Go ahead and let them in. Prioritize families over individuals," she smiled. ~~~Golden Bit~~~ Golden Bit gave a nod to Scarlet as she started to head in to the reception area, starting to make her way over with Candy herself. When Candy asked about her relationship status with the founder of Bittsburgh, she winced. "Oh do I ever wish I could say yes to that question. Unfortunately, my family lineage is a little bit more tarnished than that. Part of the reason why I'm still single at my age. You see that pony over there," she said pointing towards Ice Storm. "My brother, Golden Hoof, was responsible for destroying her family, leaving her to be abandoned. Some would say that she'd turned out the better for it, but she's not the only one he's affected. Lily leaf, Violet Song, Roseheart, Spring Sun... just to name a few among many others," she said pointing to each individual pony that she'd named. "My brother unfortunately was impotent, and instead of adopting and trying to better Equestria, he decided that he was going to make it everypony else's problem, turn families into dukes and dutchesses at the cost of abandoning their offspring. Not all of them were so lucky as to turn out okay, and eventually it caught up with him," Golden replied, hanging her head a bit. "Honestly, he should consider himself lucky. Had I found out what he had done and what he had been doing while he was alive... I don't know what I would have done to him myself, but I was already running the Mareage and it was, and still is, one of the most profitable casino and resorts in Las Pegasus. But even that almost wasn't enough to help the families that were destroyed recover. I have made it my personal mission to seek atonement to everypony that was hurt by my brother's actions. My Atonement to Miss Ice Storm there, the very land that her casino now rests on. Sure it was technically Swift Squall that bought the deed for her, but I was the one that was holding the land for it," she stated. She wasn't going to let her know that she had some insight on what was happening before it happened with the Fire and Ice Casino and Resort, but she very explicitly remembered the meeting between Ice Storm and Tempest Shadow. She knew that she was planning something big and she had already watched Ice's Empire of frozen treats, as well as her power level grow. She wouldn't have been surprised if it had been Ice that took out Golden Hoof, but she knew personally that wasn't the case. As it was, today was not the day for such events and waited until they were allowed into the reception area and seated, as well as giving Candy a chance to respond before she would continue.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ When Sugar heard Gloomy's response, somewhat reminding herself that she wasn't dreaming and that this was actually happening. Sugar smiled. "Yup, this is all happening. I know it kinda feels like a dream come true, because it still kinda does for me. A dream I didn't know I was having at first, but walking up this morning I've felt happier than I've been in a while," she smiled. She then started making her way towards the kitchen. She heard Gloomy start talking about how she generally preferred a darker roast, specifically because they don't pack as much of a punch. She could see it. But she personally didn't care for the bitterness that came with... What was essentially burning coffee beans. Gloomy further added that she was a pony that didn't mind bitter things, or at least she had less of a sensitivity to them. Sugar couldn't help but giggle when she brought up broccoli. "Yeah, I can't really say the same. My mom would almost be begging me to eat it. It wasn't ever a flavor issue I had with broccoli though. I love the flavor, but all of the little gritty bits that break off when you bite into it..." she shuddered, pulling a filter out and putting it and the coffee into her pot before pushing a few buttons. "Now, cook it up and put it in something that breaks up that texture? Like put it in some cheddar cheese? I can destroy a pot of broccoli and cheese soup without a second thought," Sugar laughed. "Alright..." she said, mainly to herself, but out loud. "So... I need to get a few boxes, say a few goodbyes and then rent a cart. I don't think I'll have to many boxes, but I would still not rather have to carry them all the way there if we can avoid it," she said, thinking.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ The thought of the two of them falling asleep together again was one that Sugar definitely didn't mind. However, if they were going to be making any headway into her moving to Bridlewood, then they would have to wake up sooner rather than later. "Not really, but much as I would love to lay here all day... all of my knickknacks aren't going to pack themselves. I mean, I don't really have that much to begin with, just the pictures and memories of my family. Plus there are still a few ponies here in Maretime Bay that I would like to say goodbye to before I leave. Mainly my mom and dad and let them know that I'm going to be okay," she said with a smile, her ears folding back as she felt Gloomy nuzzle her head in return. Then everything hit her. Everything was going to be changing for her so suddenly, but she imagined it probably still couldn't compare to her new friend. Imagine, going to sleep the night before and suddenly you wake up to your horn shooting off! Sure there's the initial excitement of getting magic back, but at the same time, she thought back to the zap that she had gotten from her yesterday. She knew that the pony had no real intentions of hurting her, but it was clear that she had no real way of controlling said magic above basic levitation, and she had to imagine that it was the same way for most of the ponies. To go from not having something to possibly fearing what it could do... Sugar shuddered. Of course she would never wish for things to go back the way they were, but she did want her new friend to not have to worry about such things. That was why she needed to help her, and maybe the other unicorns figure out how to control the other aspects of their magic together. These thoughts ignited a fire inside of her, and one that she wasn't going to let die. She was going to help her friend, she was going to help everypony. She didn't know how, but she'd figure it out along the way. Reluctantly she pushed her way out of the bed, careful not to poke or prod any potentially sensitive or squishy areas of her new friend. It was the first time that she'd woken up with somepony else in her bed after all. Once she stood up, she leaned forward and stretched herself out, feeling her back pop in a few places while unintentionally giving the mare in her bed quite the show before righting herself up. "That being said, I know you like tea, do you like coffee? I have a nice blond roast that is positively delicious and packs way more of punch than most of the dark roasts I've found," she said with a smile.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ The night had given way to morning, though when that happened Sugar couldn't tell. The mare found herself feeling warmer than she had felt in a while, and she almost thought she might have woken up with a fever. They was until she felt the warmth move slightly. Only then did she remember the events of last night and remember that she wasn't alone, but in fact snuggled in with her new best friend. After everything that happened the night before and how well they got along... There was no way they could be anything but! Well, maybe more... But only time would tell. The thought made her heart flutter a bit. Slowly, Sugar's eyes fluttered along with her heart, looking into the neck and chest fluff of the pony that she was snuggling with and moved in closer, holding Gloomy and giving her a nuzzle. "Moor...ning..." she said through a yawn. "That was... The best night of sleep I've had ina while... I guess having somepony to snuggle with does wonders for that," she smiled, not really wanting to leave the bed yet. She was content to just snuggle at the moment.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar smiled warmly as the other mare took her seat next to her. Hey smile broadened a bit as she felt Gloomy lean against her and she felt just how warm and soft she was. She could also feel just got exhausted the poor mare actually was. She was already starting to doze off and the sight was extremely cute. Taking a risk to presume that Gloomy didn't normal sleep in her scarf and beret, Sugar very carefully removed them with her hooves. She folded the scarf gently, and then placed both it and the beret on her end table before leaning back onto the bed, letting Gloomy lay back with her before placing her hooves around her shoulder and snuggling into the other mare, putting her head under hers as she to started to doze off. Sure she forgot to pull back the blankets, but that didn't matter to get right now. Gloomy's warmth would get her through the night. "Nighty... Niiiiight....." She said, her soft tone fading into light snores.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar couldn't help but smile when Gloomy brought up the fact that her grandmother had told her that beds were for two things and neither of them were talking or thinking. "Well, your grandmother was right there. Though there are some ponies that say their best ideas come from their dreams," she said, smirking a bit. "But something tells me that's not what you had in mind for the night." she finished with a somewhat sultry tone. As they entered Sugar's bedroom, the first thing that Gloomy would notice is that despite her sparkling appearance, much like the rest of her house, her bedroom was simple. She had a vanity over in the corner and the walls were a strawberry red. Her bed was decent sized, especially for a pony her sized. She wasn't kidding when she said it would fit two. It rested on a wooden frame that was next to a small end table that held a lamp and an alarm clock. Then there was a small shelf that ran along the center of both of her walls along side her bed. On them were all sorts of pictures of herself as a filly. Her mane had a lot less sparkle in it as she hasn't started using the glitter products yet, but otherwise her style hasn't changed a lot over the years. She also had pictures of her parents, Starry Moonlight and Solar Eclipse. Starry was almost a pale mix between a very light grey and a pastel blue, and her mane and tail were a deep midnight blue. Solar Eclipse was brilliant white, but more often than not in the photos had at least one grease mark on his coat somewhere, making him almost look like a dalmatian pony. On the other shelf sat the box that Sugar had shown to Gloomy earlier and there was an older pink mare with a silvery white mane in almost all of these pictures, and there were multiple where Sugar and this Pony we're together, albeit Sugar was very clearly still a young filly or an older foal. "Welp, this is where I sleep. It's not much, but it's home," she smiled before sitting on the bed and patting next to her for Gloomy to join.

~~~Wind Dancer~~~ The way that everything was going at the moment made Wind Dancer giggle a bit, especially when she heard Sky mention that here they were getting married in the daylight, even if it was shaded at the moment. "It does kinda seem like that's how things go sometimes. But hey, this just proves that the day can't hold the night back forever," she said before hearing Luna announce the reception. Sky seemed to note as well that ponies seem to be moving towards the celebration and they were joined by both Nor'Easter and her mom. "What he said!" Morning said, motioning to Nor'easter giving his very affirmative response. "You two really have a knack for spoiling your parents you know. That was one of the most beautiful weddings I've ever been to!" Midnight added, following the newlyweds over to where the reception was going to be taking place, already seeing Ice Storm standing at the gated part of the park that was set up specifically for the even. Ponies had already started lining up, and everything was starting to get arranged as they heard Icy tell the patrons that as soon as the family was admitted and seated, then the rest would be able to enter, and that the two head seats at the table were reserved specifically for the bride and the groom. She took her spot next to Sky after giving all of her parents a hug and waited for the ponies to come in. ~~~Ice Storm~~~ As soon as the 'I Do's' were spoken, and Luna announced the reception, Ice Storm gave a small nod to the group of ponies next to her before she made her way to where the gated entrance to the reception was. It seemed that there were already some ponies that were starting to make their way over there with a smile. With a relaxed, but loud and projected voice, Ice Storm would address the crowd forming up. "All right everypony! If I could get everypony to line up over here, Looping as needed, I will begin allowing admittance to everypony as soon as the family of the Bride and Groom have been seated. The two seats at the head table are reserved specifically for Wind Dancer and Sky Sailing. Please have your invitations at the ready to be admitted. At the request of Wind Dancer and Sky Sailing, once all invitation holders have been seated, We will allow non-invited guests, within good faith, to the reception until we are out of seats. At that point the park itself will re-open, but this section of the park will remain closed. Since there is alcohol here for the reception, I would like to remind everypony to drink responsibly," Ice said with a smile, standing aside and letting the newlyweds in. ~~~Golden Bit~~~ Golden Bit couldn't help but give a chuckle when she heard Scarlett comment about the reception starting and making sure that they kept a corner piece of the cake for her, before realizing that the cake was round. "Most of the time it is anyway. I have hosted a few weddings in my day at the Mareage where the bride and groom did something different. Even their cake is a bit different. It's still the three layer wedding cake, but as you can see, the Topper is the tree, and it has the two of them inside." she said with a smile. "That said I've held you back from your family long enough. I'll catch up with you once I've made my way inside," Golden said turning back to Candy. "Shall we then? I'm presuming you're going to stay for the reception as well," she presumed.

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar gave Gloomy a smile and a nod when she said sometimes the only thing they could do was to try something different and see where it went. That she wouldn't have thought about it herself before she had been here and found Sugar. "Indeed, and now that we have found each other, there's no road that we'll ever have to travel down alone, at least for the foreseeable future," she smiled back, watching Gloomy yawn and mention they the days trip was finally starting to take it's toll on her. "Well then, how about we continue our conversation in the bedroom then. That way if we fall asleep, we're already in the bed," she said with a warm smile. Of course they're was the added benefit of being in bed that meant that they could snuggle, but she was a bit too bashful to come out and say it. Considering all the comments they already made, it seemed silly, but now that it was too the point where something, anything could happen, a wave of nervousness hit her like a flood. Sugar lived by herself... What if she snored? She wouldn't know... What if Gloomy also snored? What if the return of magic also came with overnight magical mishaps? She wasn't about to voice any of her concerns. She was happy to share the bed, but she just hoped that she would continue to make good impressions instead on potentially one really bad one.

~~~Aloe Blossom~~~ Aloe would clop her hooves together a bit when she heard Spoiled say that she would be stepping things up a bit today. She did kick herself a bit mentally for not being able to recognize the extra tension that Mayor Rich was holding onto, but at the same time, Lotus had always been better at identifying things like that. She was the better masseur of the two of them. Aloe was always the one that was better at turning things into shampoos, conditioners, skin and coat treatments, and now a bit more of the alchemical side as well after practicing and working with Rose. She also couldn't help but giggle and roll her eyes a bit as Rose still seemed to be caught up on the fact that they were truly identical twins with inverted colors. Her smile turned into a small wince as she felt the foal inside her give a swift kick to her insides before shaking it off. When she heard Mayor Rich talk about how she felt her family drifting apart. Aloe looked to her sympathetically. "I must confess that I myself am not a good pony to take familial advice from. After Lotus left and had been gone for as long as she was I kinda locked myself behind my emotions and buried myself here trying to make everypony else as happy as possible, week little regard for my own. It wasn't until I met Rose that things started getting better and I started opening up again," she said, leading the now disrobed mayor to the working area of the spa. "If there is one thing that I do know that tends to be universal amongst all families though, is that it's better to be honest about everything up front than it is trying to beat around the bush at things. No pony can fix anything if they don't know what they are fixing," she concluded. "That being said, what would you like to do first today?"

~~~Sugar Moonlight~~~ Sugar felt a little conflicted when Gloomy mentioned that she didn't envy her. That Gloomy would have rather been sad all the time like they were them scared all the time. While she was glad that they had somewhat similar feelings on the matter, she was conflicted because well, she couldn't get off of the thought that she never really lost anything. Or rather if she had, she had been born so long after the loss that she never knew it. Though ina sense, more that she thought about it... Earth ponies did lose something. They lost their freedom. Their freedom to roam, travel, and seek new heights on the ground that they... We're effectively brainwashed into believing that everything was out to kill them, so leaving Maretime Bay was all but forbidden. It was never actually forbidden to do so, but there were enough perceived dangers out there that it might as well been. At hearing the the proposed question, about happiness being somepony can choose, and if they don't them do they deserve to be happy. "Well, I would say that everypony deserves a chance to be happy, but at the same time a pony that's never known happiness has no idea what they are looking for or how to find it. So it can be hard to look at somepony that's thinking outside of the box and trying to do something different. I mean, we had Sunny here challenging every social norm that we had here constantly, and before I though she was just being annoying, but now that everyone is together again. And we've gotten a chance to see what we were missing, I couldn't be happier! Plus then you wouldn't be here now, and I'd be missing out on happiness that I would have never known about before," Sugar smiled.