Blueblood

The trouble with descending to the level you thought other ponies were is that, often enough, you ended up a good deal below where they actually were. All that talk of 'momma-momma' and 'momma-dadda' left poor Amby a little confused, but she got the general gist. High Bar was asking her to pick a favorite parent! Now, of course, the right and proper answer was that she loved them both equally.... but just as each parent would secretly have a favorite foal, each foal would secretly have a favorite parent. Or, in Ambrosia's case, not-so-secretly. Leaning in with obvious conspiratorial intent, she pointed at the orange mare now digging into her hayburger. "That momma." She whispered in a low, hoarse voice, before suddenly seeing her interlocutor disappear beneath a splash of colorful spheres! Unaware of her brother's meanie maneuver, she giggled, thinking this to just be the playfulness of her new friend, as she dived in after her with a gleeful, "Wheeee!"

Queen Haven shot Flick a look flatter than The House of Pancakes. "We just agreed not to censor ourselves... and then you suggest we forbid ourselves from saying certain words?" To the Queen, it seemed to betray a certain... lack of forethought behind Flick Ray's words. Perhaps that was what he meant by 'authentic conversation', but Haven was beginning to understand now why so few ponies actually wished to have them on-air. You could talk yourself into some quite embarrassing holes, that while in private would be laughed off with a joke, could in public be used as a stick against you, even just for mockery.

Shining Armor smiled as his daughter laid out her order. It was rather considerate of the filly to highlight the skills of everypony involved in the shop; it showed she had a true royal instinct. After all, it was a fact of life that a purchase from a Princess was seen as a kind of patronage, a stamp of approval that could be worn as a badge of honor. In such cases, it was good to not play favorites among the staff, even unintentionally, as that could potentially cause strife within the shop. He remembered Cadence telling him about the time she'd learned that the hard way... Speaking of Cadence, he wasn't actually sure if she would like chocolate-coated candy corn, but it was unique from this shop, so that might make up for it. As for him? "Oh, you can add a small bag of lemon drops to that as well. If you have them, I know they're not very popular these days. But with all this sour candy that's coming out lately, you'd think they'd be due for a comeback, don't you think?" Turning to Golden once again, he nodded in a thank you. "I'm sure Flurry will be thrilled to see her up close; she's just started her wing training for flight class, and I think she's inherited a large affinity for the sky from her mother." Not that Cadence flew all that much these days, but she had ascended from a pegasus, and that never really leaves one.

Awesome! Most discussion happens on our Discord, which you can find here: https://discord.gg/AdAsYc8h RP is still mostly forum-based. If you want to dive right in, you can get started right away in our Free-for-All Board, which doesn't require any profiles or applications: https://www.canterlot.com/forum/427-free-for-all-roleplay/ If you want to get involved with the moderated RP boards, you can write up a character application here: https://www.canterlot.com/forum/416-character-applications/ If you do so, we have a standard format for character profiles: We ask for this so players can know who your OC is, or how you interpret canon characters. If you need help with any of this, shoot me a PM!

Hello there! Good to meet you. I'm one of the friendly neighborhood admins here. You come in to find folks to socialize and talk ponies with, or do you want to get into RP here?

"O-kay, mama!" Amby was always happy to help her mama, whether it be showing off with magic, counting apples, fetching books, or just being the cutest little salesfilly ever. And the big kitty was so nice too, giving her the first tip! She could hardly remember even being scared of him. Sure, he might have teeth even bigger than those of the Timberwolf in Little Red Riding Apple, but they were only used for smiling, not gobbling up little ponies! Well, maybe only the naughty ones, which she wasn't, so why be afraid? Maybe Diamond should be worried, though. She didn't understand a lot of what was going on, but it looked like Mayor Rich's not-so-little filly was making her sad. Which was an awful thing to do to a mama! Spoiled would have agreed, if Ambrosia had said so out loud. As it was, all she could do was sigh and tell Applejack. "Rebellion I could deal with, even shouting is communicating. This... feels more like secession." Not wanting to discuss the matter further, she took her apple out. "In any case, thank you, and have a good day." Turning back to Niilaavin, she took a bite out of her apple, musing as they went along. "I cannot take the whole day off, but a little time at the lake should help clear my head. Bringing troubles to the office never solves them, it just adds to the ones that are already there..." And with that they were off, leaving Applejack and Ambrosia to greet the next customers!

While still somewhat concerned about how they were all treating Allegro, it seemed that keeping him around would be more awkward and painful for him than departing; at least they were on assuredly friendly terms now! "I remember myself my first performance night; it's perfectly normal to get stage fright. But if we may be so bold to say, I'll be sure to see you sing someday!" She was more poet that musician, but that seemed to the unicorn to be as good a way of ending their conversation in general. And, though she was too polite to say so, it was a little relieving to be able to speak with Sugar about the things they were going on about with as few bystanders as possible. "An open door to an open bed you leave? What a tangling of red strings we weave..." Onyx wasn't sure where this was going to end up. Bridlewood hadn't been in the sort of shape she felt comfortable deriving relationship norms for a while now, so maybe this was just how ponies used to do it back in the day? Or was that just earth ponies? Either way, they did have a concert to get to, she was pretty certain! Cover the end of the date once you've had it, one thing at a time, that was it. "If the bands up there are soon to be showing, its certainly time that we were going!"

Flashcards! Amby's eyes lit up at Niilaavin's little show, recognizing the technique. Twilight would use it to teach her basic runes during her magic lessons, and at the filly's current age, her mind was supple and growing enough to comprehend multiple alphabets and symbologies all at once! With each dropped apple, she repeated the number, fixing the glyphs in her head, "Chick, chick-chick, sea-chick..." Her pronunciation could still use some work, though; she couldn't quite imitate the feline voicebox. "Sissy-sah!" She called out in triumph, placing the last of the apples and stepping back to see the sphinx crunch and chew the lot. She was beaming at the praise from both him and her mama, she was a clever little filly, for sure. She even remembered her manners! "Thank-you, Mistah Neel-ah-veen!" Mayor Rich, meanwhile, was trying to put as brave a face as she could at a situation that was becoming unexpectedly painful for her. It was slightly ridiculous, really, when one thought about it; why should seeing a daughter work so well with her mother, and enjoying some mutual praise and loving between, hurt so much? *You know why.* The deep dark voice whispered from the depths of her mind, the same voice keeping her awake on her now-lonely nights. *You had your chance for this, and now its gone. Diamond's not coming back home to you, not anymore.* Setting her lips to hide her gritted teeth, she wrestled both corners into a smile as she responded to Applejack's attempted encouragements and condolences. "I do like to think I'm doing well in this role, its just... During the election, we were closer than we'd been for a long time, but shortly after, it all just seemed to fall apart, and I just don't understand..." Oh no, no no no no, this was bad, her mask was slipping. She needed to get out of here, before she did something dreadfully embarrassing. Seizing on Niilaavin's offer like a lifeline, she nodded. "Yes, I'd appreciate that. A large house does get very lonely. And with the nights so warm and balmy... I may join you in the gardens to sleep. You couldn't exactly fit up the stairs into my room, after all."

Ah, yes, the quaint taboos of the back woods. Queen Haven would have to admit, the conversational quirks of unicorns was one of the major remaining obstacles to integration. Having random words suddenly become unspeakable mid-conversation was bound to create no small amount of friction at the negotiating table. "Your conscientiousness does you credit, I'm sure. And while then Royal Family is quite willing to make concessions in regards to, say, certain condiments being left off the menu, there are things which are simply unreasonable to demand. I tend to defer to my daughter in these matters; there are certain 'jinxies' she respects in her livestreams, but others that she will openly challenge. You cannot have a working relationship between pegasi and unicorns if neither can say the words 'wing' or 'magic'." Her eyes narrowed as she sought out the recording technician in the shadows. "And that sentence is to remain uncensored, By Royal Order."

Sky nodded, letting Windy vent what he knew troubled her mind on many occasions. "It is unfortunate; I've only been famous long enough to see what fame's done to other ponies... though, in all fairness to them, while having fame and fortune make most ponies shy about meeting you, there's another sort that's not shy at all about meeting you. Unfortunately, they tend not to be the sort you want to meet." Countess Coloratura's Svengallop was only the most famous example of such, there were other stories Sky heard from the artists he'd hosted in his recording studio. Part of the reason he ran it was so singers and songwriters could publish without going through an industry that, in his opinion, held too many... unharmonious ponies. "Ice Storm was at the Spire when it fell? I didn't know that." Admittedly, Sky had never pumped that veteran for any of her war stories; it wasn't the sort of subject a pacifist like him enjoyed dwelling on. Still, if he was going to write a memorial song, he supposed he should find somepony to speak on that...

"Storybook romance, hm?" Kahz gave a little smile, inwardly trying to remember any of the storybooks he'd read. Growing up as a grub in the hive, of course his mother didn't read to him. Chrysalis not exactly being the fairy-tale reading sort, perhaps because she so fitted the 'Evil Queen' trope one saw in them. "Lot of ponies will tell you that they're not realistic, but I don't know. I think they're real in a way most realistic fiction is not. Like, you can easily find novels about somepony who takes love for themselves and grasps for all its worth, because that's an interesting story. But you can't write a fairy tale where the pony who does that lives happily ever after, because all those who's relationships actually work out don't treat it like that. There's always a bit of serendipity there, you know?" It was just possible that Yù didn't, actually. Kahz well knew there were lifestyles that didn't let you intersect all that often with happy families... Nuzzling in for a reassurance, he asserted "I don't see myself ever getting bored, at least of you." A wedding, though... that was definitely a thought. A stage bug like Kahz could definitely appreciate the need and desire for the pageantry of it all... "Well, if I go on tour again, I'd like to have you with me. I mean, we might not collab like Wind Dancer and Sky Sailing, but there's many a rock star's career that could have been extended a few decades for having a bespoke therapist!" He laughed, taking a sip of tea before getting control of his face again. "And you know, this is the wedding capital of Equestria? Short notice hitchings their specialty. Any night you want, we pop over to the jewelers, dressers, and venue. You might laugh, but if I go through one more near-death experience, I swear I'll make you my wife before the week is out!"

Apple math might not have been respected by Fancy academics, mostly because it wasn't easy to translate into their special hieroglyphics. And as for sphinx math... actually, the academics probably would respect that. A numbering system born in hieroglyphics and based on standard points and subtraction from them was just the sort of intellectual puzzle that sort loved. But if you wanted to teach a little filly how to think practically, Apple math was the best math! Counting along with her mother, Ambrosia lifted apples one by one with her magic, gently depositing each inside of Niilavin's maw. "... nine... ten... eweven... twelve!" She giggled to see them snapped up and swallowed down, the distance afforded to her through using her magic relieving her of any fear of being eaten. Well, that and momma would buck open the middle of anyone who tried! Spoiled, meanwhile, was taking the rare risk of eye wrinkles as she smiled at Niil's attempt at covering the bill. "And here I thought it was the sphinx females who were in charge of bringing home food. Or have you truly gone native, Niilaavin?" Her eyes sparkled with the easy humor of a mare joking among friends, common enough in Ponyville, only remarkable for it being seen on the Mayor's face in particular. She hadn't exactly lived the sort of life filled with truly meaningful joy like that, and such a lifestyle had its consequences. Thus, while Applejack had a large and growing family to boast about, all coming together under the greater Apple clan, Spoiled had... a distant husband, and an absent daughter. "Yes, Diamond has decided to complete her education abroad. Filthy is accompanying her to help her settle in, and look into expanding the business." Her tone was easy and polite enough, but the humor and happiness had drained from her eyes. Not a good sign when a pony was talking about family.

"Waffles for you? Alright, I'll take the scones myself, then we can trade bites!" They often did so at restaurants, just so they could try more than one dish at a time. On at least one occasion, they'd liked what the other ordered so much as to swap plates! Calling the waitress over to put in their order, Sky followed Windy's gaze to the memorial, and his expression sobered a little bit. "Hm, are we important figures? I mean, I know we're kind of celebrities but it still seems so weird to me..." He didn't see a celebrity in the mirror every morning, just a stallion who'd grown up and married the mare down the street, playing for the tossed coins of passers by. That he played on stage rather than the sidewalk, and the audience had seats rather than standing around, didn't seem to change the essence of it to him. "Still, you're right, we should stop by... I wonder, hm..." His eyes got that faraway look they got when his mind wandered back to mental closets of sheet music and lyric notes, possibly ranging on the subject of a memorial song. He wasn't certain how well the locals would take to a couple of outsiders trying to write their story for them, though...

Spoiled Rich would never have gone out of her way to say it, but as the years had gone by, she had come to understand what all the fuss about friendship was about. All the time and effort she'd put into social climbing, building prestige, and attaining power... she valued none of the prizes she had won quite so much as these morning walks with Niilaavin. Seeing her value a relationship that much might have heartened a certain purple pony princess, but the fact that this realization had come after everything that happened with Spoiled's family would probably provoke a lecture from that overpromoted academic, and the Mayor would never be in a receptive mood for that sort of thing. Niil understood that, she was sure. He respected his rasha and what she was due, unlike most ponies here. And it lowered his dignity not one iota to give it, as he stood and strode regally as ever, dressed in gold and finery of a sort that Spoiled wished that Filthy would. Affectations of being merely a middle-class shopkeeper were declasse in her opinion. He ought to consider himself a prominent pillar and patron, one worthy of a wife like her. But no, instead it was a giant cat taking the Mayor on her rounds as she inspected her domain with pride, distributing largesse to local businesses and clients. Speaking of... it might be a bit demeaning to call the Apple clan a 'client', they were a power bloc in their own right without whose support she would not hold the office she did. But it would in either case do her position no harm to take her breakfasts from the fruits of their labors. As they approached the booth, she saw Applejack with her daughter, provoking both a smile and a pang of jealousy from the older mare. Now there was filial piety of a sort that you didn't see everywhere (and especially in her own household!) Ambrosia knew how hard her momma worked on her behalf, and was here to support her in a way that spoke well of her ability to head the family enterprise in the future! If only Diamond- No, don't let sour thoughts spoil a good morning. Giving a friendly nod of greeting to Applejack, she turned all her attention to little Ambrosia, aiming to be a good first customer for the filly. Of course, to the filly herself, the Mayor wasn't her first customer. "Big Kitty!" She called out on seeing Niilaavin, forelegs held up in greeting as if she was going to hug the whole sphinx with her tiny little limbs. Upon hearing her momma ask for her to help out the kitty, she nodded excitedly. "OK, mama! What kinda apples you want?" She listened intently with all the obedient dutifulness of a young filly... along with the partial language comprehension found in one so young. "Is... a dozen lots? Like a bushel?" Spoiled, sighing internally, stepped up to provide a translation. "I would like two of the Granny Smith apples, the tart and juicy ones." She tossed the bits on the counter. "And just keep giving Niilaavin apples until your mother says to stop." She'd made sure there were enough bits to cover the cost of fourteen apples total, before stepping back to see the little one set to work, listening in to the conversation. She'd been aware of the mess that Applebloom had gotten herself into (no less than what that brat deserved after all she'd done to get into Spoiled's mane, but she knew better than to say that in front of the rest of the Apples). But had they taken on another lodger? AJ's reply seemed to indicate such...

Hearing High Bar talk about chipping her horn caused the big-hearted Ambrosia to wince in empathy. "Owwie!" She exclaimed, almost as if she had felt the pain herself. But, her mind quickly slotted back to what was the more important topic for her, family. "You have a daddy? I have two mommies, but the blue one acts like a daddy lotsa times. Sometimes momma even calls her that!" The walls in the Apple house were wood, and not always the best insulated... Speaking of family, her floundering brother brought out a pang of sororal sympathy, though she felt he was being unfair. "She's not bad, you just need to be nicer!" She did love her brother, but it was obvious to all and sundry that he just didn't know how to deal with fillies. Not that most colts did in her opinion. Still, she did have to speak up on his behalf, her horn lighting up to catch the ball before it bopped Zappers on the head, "Momma says its not nice to throw stuff at other ponies they're not ready to catch."

The Queen tapped her chin. "I'm not sure, at this point, if it would be wise to call them out. You understand, the recent rejoining of the tribes was as much of a shakeup to the others as it was to us; I should hate to embarrass ponies in the process of sorting things out. I will say though, in many cases the relevant leaders are less in formal government than they are in business. Less, perhaps, for the money they make than for the social pull and credit their particular services and goods have earned them. They're quite well known in their communities, and I daresay you'll be knowing their faces and names in Zephyr Heights soon enough." One in particular, in fact, had been invited on a little... well, don't call it a 'date.' Not yet, and certainly not on air. "As for what we've talked about... well, it's early days yet. Mostly, its been sorting out misconceptions about bathing habits and cannibalistic tendencies. Turns out, none of the three tribes eat other ponies, and everypony understands more or less the importance of good hygiene." There was a spark of humor in her eyes at this remark, though it was going to be hard to catch over the radio.

Whenever there was an apple-selling stall being set up in town, there would be a cute little filly there to endearingly call out to all and sundry to "Buy Some Apples!" For many a year this hallowed role had been filled by Applejack's little sister Applebloom, whose adorably beribboned head had peeked over the sales counter to give the truly irresistible pitch. But such could only be a temporary post, and it was soon time to cede her position (despite a quickly rejected offer to serve as a 'booth babe', AJ not wanting her sister to engage in any more of that nonsense after the trouble she got into, thanks very much!) Fortunately, a new family member was ready and willing to step up to the counter. "Buy some appuls, 'cause momma's Apples is the best Apples!" The bonneted bonce of Ambrosia Apple was now just peeking over the counter, shining like the morning sun, framed by reddish curls of hair and garnished with a gleaming smile. She was just old enough to know how cute she was, and therefore, how to weaponize it. It would be up to her momma to teach her to use these awesome powers for good...

As the pony atop the pile, Onyx was the first to dismount, brushing sand off of herself as she blushed at her marefriend's words. "Hehe, we also usually don't invite a third... I don't know what I'd think of a herd." She had not meant the words to come out, but sometimes the urge to rhyme would make the truth come out like a glass of wine (not a rhyme, but it would scan in a song.) She could sense, however, that such conversation was definitely causing embarrassment to Allegro, so held off anything further. "Anyway... I'm happy to call it even Jazz. And if you're sure, Allegro..." Again, she hadn't a desire to push the hybrid away, it was just... she couldn't think of a way to include him that he stood a chance of actually enjoying. Sometimes you just had to accept that, even if you wanted to make a friend, you couldn't drag them along on whatever you happened to be doing at the time. "Do you... do any shows yourself?" She called out after him, on a whim.

Sky chuckled at the memory as he nuzzled his wife back. "I suppose that would be my advice to Princess Cadence, if I were an advisor to the Princess of Love. Plant more trees!" Fruits of love may bloom on the branches, but unless you're a changeling, a pony's stomach needed the regular kind. Pointing out the first cafe they found, Windy directed the two of them over to the umbrella-laden tables of a cafe just opening up for the lunch hour. "I wonder what specials they have..." Sky spoke half to himself, as he bent over to look at the menu posted on the window outside. There was a lot of, well, berry-based cuisine, by the looks of it. Berry scones, waffles with berry syrup, cakes of dried berries, cakes of fried berries, all washed down with berry tea. "You know, I think that crystal berries might be a really popular food here." Sky managed to say with a straight face. "That means they must be berry good."

Well, I can definitely tell you take a casual attitude towards things. Anyhow, welcome! Friendly neighborhood admin here, mostly playing, well, Blueblood, but given how little he was in the show, he's practically my OC with how much I've played him...

Bluebelle blinked a little at her wife's reaction, but she supposed it made sense, with everything she'd gone through to get here. Stress was pushing her to default responses, nesting, territorial. It got that way with Pegasi sometimes, best to let her work through it. Post-prandial could be a right b---- sometimes. Blue and Icy followed Dunnie in, and the princess lit up her horn with a light glow so her friend could see her son a little more clearly. Her beautiful, beautiful son... She hadn't expected Pax to be an earth pony; either horns or wings from one of his parents was the most likely birth-gift, and Blue had secretly cherished a mad little hope that he might somehow be born with both. Perhaps this was a jesting response from a humorous universe, but she seriously loved him all the same. "There he is, Icy." She said, in a soft voice, gently running a hoof over his little mane. "He'll grow into a strong stallion one day."

Onyx was relieved to see the smile, her coat seeming to glow a little brighter in its shade teal jade, losing a bit of grey that had shadowed it from the Time of Separation. "If the music will not bring you joy, we will not force you with us, boy. But I will say this before the end, it was nice to make another friend." She would hold out her hoof for Allegro to shake, as she felt Sugar lean against her. Smiling at feeling her warmth, she instinctively put a hoof around her marefriend's neck in a hug. Which was cute, except that she was left standing on only two hooves, causing her to overbalance! "Whoa-whoa-whao-OOF!" She has swayed for a moment, before careening over an crashing into Jazz, leaving a pile of three mares on the beach. "Oops, hehe...." Stars, she felt so clumsy. At least the sand was making for a soft landing.

Given what the friction of high-velocity frozen water could do to a pony's hide if a direct hit was taken, Sky could only imagine what would happen if it was all small stone shards instead... and frankly he'd rather not imagine that. "We'll definitely have to arrange for a groundsclearing before any show... I don't think they'll mind that too much, honestly, as long as you sweep them up into a neat enough pile. They're basically as common as fallen leaves are in autumn. Hm, crystal shards like fallen leaves, rap gentle taps upon the eaves...." He trailed off, his mind wandering back inside himself with some lyrics notes, before Windy's mentioned hunger prodded him out of his own head again. "Oh, um... just look for a place with tables, I guess. Just order the daily special, whatever it is. It'll be an adventure!"

The lack of ear plugs was unfortunate, but Allegro seemed to be calming down, though not willing to stick around, it sounded like. "I wouldn't mind your company, either of you." Onyx spoke to both Allegro and Jazz. "One really can't be private in a public venue, and it would be nice to get to know old friends and new." A Rhyming thruplet, and she wasn't even trying that time! That did perk her up a bit, her ears back up and pointed, giving her beret a jaunty angle. "It's up to you whether to stay of course, if you'd rather leave we will not force. But the old saying holds true, its worth to try things that are new. Even if you decide to never recur, it's good at least to know for sure." She smiled back up at Sugar Moonlight, knowing what a willingness to go out of one's comfort zone could bring. That said... if the first mare she'd met had treated her badly, or with suspicion, she wasn't sure if she would have ever tried a second time. A bit of a pickle to think through, that. Almsot everything Allegro would hear from this concert would be filtered through the initial pain...

Onyx was a little nonplussed to be the center of Allegro's full attention, but she rallied as best she could. The unicorns of Bridlewood had been no stranger to bouts of extreme negative emotion, and already a strong line of understanding therapists were filtering out into the earth pony and pegasi communities. She herself wasn't so highly trained, but she knew a panic attack when she saw one. "Breathe, deep, slow... Don't worry...." She moved to brace his back, looking up at Sugar. "You have some earplugs? I know we would want them if we were standing close to the... what do you call them, amplifiers?" It was a measure of her concern that she wasn't rhyming right now. Once the stallion was in a less anxious state of mind, Onyx would step back, looking apologetically up at Jazz. "Thank you for the kindness you do not lack; and I'm sorry that we'll be likely standing in the back."