Elderflower

Hey hey hey! Like others have said, roleplay is a great way to develop your writing skills! I hope you consider joining us roleplayers and have as much fun as I've been having since I joined. And I'm looking forward to seeing some of your art! Soooo... Welcome!! Welcome welcome to Canterlot!

Hi hi hi!! Welcome to Canterlot! I hope you have a lot of fun and make a lot of friends and enjoy this place a bunch! It's a swell place to be~

I haven't drawn a gryph since the 11th grade. This will be interesting and possibly horrendous to behold. If it comes out looking like an abomination, I promise you will get a pony freebie. xD

RariLuna! RariLuna! :3c

Edited my post to include two new guests. :3c

Eee! Thanks~ :3c

Elderflower let out a nervous yelp as she was shepherded through the massive doors of Canterlot Castle. The crowd pouring in was just as huge as the one that had gathered for the recent coronation, and El was no more comfortable here than she was back then. She simply wasn’t used to these massive throngs, despite being a Canterlot native. The last few years of her life revolved around traveling alone to find the best plants to breed for her teas, then constructing and running the Elder Tree Teahouse. The biggest “crowd” she was used to was the afternoon rush that came into her shop. Truth be told, she would have skipped out on the ball entirely – not out of a lack of support for the Royal Equestrian Army, but simply because she knew she’d be uncomfortable in such a massive gathering of ponies. Her parents, however, had other plans for her. Just like they coerced her to go to the coronation, they had harassed her until she agreed to attend tonight’s celebration. So here she was, spiffed up (the result of her mother’s deft hoof for beauty) and completely at a loss for what to do next. She would admit, though, that the music drifting in from the dance area was catchy, and seeing the foyer lit up by glowing arcane energy was absolutely enchanting. El allowed herself to relax a little, pushing a small wisp of pink mane out of her eyes with a hoof. Despite being a little bitter that she was forced into coming here tonight, she did enjoy getting a bit of a beauty treatment from her mother from time to time. For tonight’s event, El’s mane had been woven into a loose but elaborate braid that hung down to her knees. Little crystal drops that looked like dew and elderflowers preserved in beeswax dotted the hairstyle. Her tail was in its usual bun-loop, though the hair that hung down was braided like her mane (and adorned with crystal drops and elderflowers to match as well). Her dress was a somewhat simple affair – golden silks in a flowing, breezy style with a cream band wrapping around the neckline and then running down her left side to the bottom hemline of the skirt. It felt nice to be dressed up! It didn’t happen often. And with the beeswax-dipped flowers, she didn’t even need perfume. The wax itself had a divine, floral-honey aroma. The scent, actually, was reassuring. It reminded the wisp of a mare of her garden and her teahouse, something that was guaranteed to soothe her spirits. She was actually beginning to really relax when a boisterous and loud-mouthed old mare moved out of the crowd to find a friend and accidentally bumped into her. In turn, El was shoved forwards and found herself colliding with something solid and warm. The mare that bumped into her charged off without so much as an apology, and El backed up, fixing her hair nervously with a hoof, her cheeks blushing violently. [colour=#ffa07a]“S-sorry about that,”[/colour] she said quietly to the stallion. A look of horror struck her as she realized she had messed up his bowtie. Eep! [colour=#ffa07a]“Sorry! I can fix that,”[/colour] she apologized again, her horn glowing a pale gold as she fixed the stallion’s bowtie with her magic. When it was straight again, she gave a little nod as if to say “Perfect!” and offered the stranger a small smile. [colour=#ffa07a]“Well, this is certainly an interesting way to meet somepony new. My name is Elderflower. And you are?”[/colour] Despite her nerves, El hadn’t lost her touch as a conversationalist. It came with running your own teahouse! She gets great practice with her customers.

...I am shocked, hurt, and ready to leave Canterlot forever. How dare you speak such cruel words against bows! They're lovely! They're spectacular! They're perfect and you should feel ashamed! :3c :3c Thanks Bellybutton~ *Throws a million bows at*

Luna nodded to the butler and eventually drifted towards the Lapis lounge, flanked by her guards who were still marvelling at the crystal structure, though they now had their slack-jawed awe under control. She could still catch the twinkling of wonder in their eyes, however. As the Princess of the Night made her way into the Lapis Lounge, she had her breath stolen once more by the luxuriant beauty of the place. Firelight warmed the room and cast gentle orange glows around the surface of the blue crystal, looking almost like liquid fire was contained within. It would almost have been too much, having a fire at this time of year, but the heat was cut by a clear, cool breeze that slipped in through open windows and grazed the flanks of the ponies gathered within, stirring manes and tales and bringing the temperature down to a comfortable level. Luna’s gaze narrowed on Cadence as soon as she entered the room, her wings hanging so heavily they had to be held aloft by hoofservants. The cheer that she had felt upon entering the Crystal Empire was immediately replaced with a mixture of the concern she was feeling before and stern disappointment. How could Cadence have allowed herself to reach this point? She was the Princess ruling over the newly awakened Crystal Empire, which was finally free from the grip of evil, of malice. Her subjects needed a figurehead they could look up to and admire, one that would let them know the hatred and pain that King Sombra had inflicted upon them would never return again. Instead, they had an exhausted alicorn who could not even hold herself up without assistance from her hoofservants. What sort of message would this convey to the crystal ponies? [colour=#6699ff]“Cadence,”[/colour] the Princess of the Night began, her mouth set in a frown. Immediately, however, she trailed off and felt a pit growing in her stomach. Though she was correct in her assessment of the situation, she could not bring herself to criticize her niece so harshly. She had seen her nightmares, and then her consequent disappearance from the dreamscape. She knew Cadence was suffering. But most importantly, Luna was still all too aware of her own past misdeeds – actions which held much greater consequence than simply letting oneself fall victim to sleep deprivation. This was not a time to criticize, but a time to guide and assist the young Princess. [colour=#6699ff]“Cadence,”[/colour] she repeated, her voice much gentler as she nodded to her personal guard and to the hoofservants to leave. It was time for a personal conversation between an aunt and her niece. She approached the slight mare, loaning her body for the Princess of Love to lean on once her hoofservants stepped away. With gentle, baby blue magic she cushioned Cadence’s wings to her side and guided her towards the nearest couch, keeping her pace slow to help her exhausted body stay upright. [colour=#6699ff]“I have seen your nightmares in the dreamscape and they have been…troubling at best. And now these past few nights I have found your presence lacking there. I have even been monitoring dreams during the day, hoping to find you there briefly – but you have been scarce in my domain. I came here as quickly as I could, for I am very worried. Tell me, Cadence, what has been causing you so much stress that you cannot sleep? A Princess needs her rest – it is all too easy to run oneself into the ground without it.”[/colour] When she finished speaking, they had reached the couch. Moving slowly, making sure Cadence remained balanced against her side, Luna lowered the two of them to the couch and then settled in, stretching one of her dark wings over her niece. Whatever it was that was bothering Cadence, she would support her. She would provide for her the comfort that she had often yearned for when she was suffering so much over one thousand years ago. This was a time for gentleness and warmth, and even though Luna’s domain is darkness and cool, silver light, she was determined to bring Cadence warmth to rival the light of day.

Birdy kept tapping out a rhythm until her new friends hopped up on stage with her, and as soon as Dissy had the piano cracked open and ready to go the coffee-coloured mare reared. [colour=#daa520]“Alright, fillies and gentle colts,”[/colour] she said in a low, smoky voice, [colour=#daa520]“Now that everyone’s here let me share a little lesson I learned when I was just a little filly.”[/colour] She winked a golden-brown eye at the audience before turning back to Timbre and Dissy with a devil’s grin, her mouth still pressed to the microphone. [colour=#daa520]“I don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing,”[/colour] she purred, then kicked a hoof into the air to give the other jazz ponies the hint – let’s kick it off with a classic! [colour=#daa520]“It makes no difference/ if it’s sweet or hot,/just give that rhythm/ everything you’ve got./ It don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that swing./ It don’t mean a thing all you gotta do is sing.”[/colour] It was no trouble to slip into the song once things got going. For the most part, Birdy found her energy and eagerness driving her to lead the music. Once they were through with It Don’t Mean a Thing, she slow things down – played a little Black Coffee. Once she had been satisfied vocally though, she started switching things up - sometimes leading the others into vocal pieces where she could shine, sometimes stepping away from the mic to let the crowd hear what the pianist and the contrabass (plus scat!) hot shots could do. Birdy felt like she was on fire – something that always happened with hot jazz, and she was a veritable fireball on stage! Whether she was singing or not, the vocalist was swaying and bopping her body, moving along with the rhythm of the music all the while maintaining a mad grin. While she was up there, more than once she glanced down to where the Mustache was speaking with the mare that Dissy had claimed they needed to put a show on for. She winked at the two of them from time to time as if to say [colour=#daa520]“How’s this for a show? Should we turn it up?”[/colour]. And then, just like that, she would be prancing over to the piano to belt out a few lines of scat. She’d prance right up until she was next to the pianist, rising up on two hooves to press up against her and dance with the purple mare while she played (careful to let her lead the movements and not to bump her shoulders or legs, lest she mess the gal up)! And then, after a few brief moments with Dissy she’d dance her way over to Timbre – though considering how much of a grip he needed to keep on his instrument she was even more careful not to jostle him. Instead she shoved her head close to his, still singing scat (and urging him to join in of course)! Nothing quite like harmonized scat to kick up the energy! Birdy was in a mad dash across the stage like that the whole time they were up there! Singing, dancing, prancing, just going absolutely wild! One had to wonder where she found all that energy! Finally, though, she reached a point where her chest was heaving, her muscles burning, and she was burning so hot she was sweating! They had been on the stage for quite a long time (exactly how long she wasn’t sure), and it seemed like a good point to cut things off – for her anyways. So, panting, Birdy grabbed her mic and pulled it into her chest. [colour=#daa520]“Well, jazz cats, that’s it for now!”[/colour] she said right into the mic as she hugged it, [colour=#daa520]“This little Birdy’s gotta stop her singing for tonight.”[/colour] If the others wanted to keep on playing, they could go right ahead – but Birdy was pooped! She pranced to the end of the stage and leaped down, choosing against using the stairs simply because it seemed like a waste of time. She stuck her landing with a flourish, tossed her mane from her eyes, and immediately trotted up to Mustache and the weirdly-familiar-stranger. [colour=#daa520]“Hey there, kittens!”[/colour] she called as she approached, nodding to the barkeep for another shot of whiskey – her throat was parched! [colour=#daa520]“How’d ya find the show? Hot enough for ya? Do I have t’redeem myself?”[/colour] She laughed, then extended a hoof to the stranger before giving either of them a real chance to respond, “Heya stranger, the name’s Riff Run – but friends call me Birdy. I hope the lovely Mustache here has been good company while we put off our little show!”

:3c My pleasure~

Added you to the list, Dio. Trekker is done:

Thaaaaanks, and you're welcome! :3c

While I was waiting on more specific information from Swirly, I finished Wind Walker for Tacobob. It's a little out of order, but here she is! One down, three to go c:

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Sugar Star Sex: Female Age: Young Mare Species: Pegasus Eye colour: Tickle me Pink Coat: Sugar’s coat is thick, healthy, and soft to the touch. Its hue is a warm sunglow gold. Mane/Tail: Straight and voluminous vanilla yellow with streaks of very pale cream. Star usually keeps her mane in a loose fishtail braid or ponytail to keep it from her eyes. Physique: Very athletic and toned but still quite feminine. Residence: The REA barracks in Canterlot. Occupation: Specialist in the Royal Equestrian Army. Cutie Mark: A shooting star with a pink tail that takes the shape of a wing. As a filly, Sugar Star and her mother were both very confident about the filly’s cutie mark being related to one of her many talents: beauty, baking, dance, or pageantry. When she was young, Star was an absolute whiz in these subjects. She didn’t start off that way, however. She was very much her daddy’s little filly, and she loved to roughhouse and play with him outdoors. But her mother saw that her Star had natural good looks and grace (much like herself) and decided to see if she’d be interested in something she herself had dabbled in when she was a youngster. At first, Star wasn’t interested; pageants, dancing, makeup, and dresses? No way! She laughed her mother off and then flew right outdoors to race other fillies and colts her age. Eventually, though, because she loved her mother and wanted to make her smile, Sugar Star donned a pageant gown – just to try it on. She loved it. In fact, she adored it. Her mother was happy, she was happy, and her father could only laugh at the whole situation. For a few years, Sugar Star indulged in pageants and performing. She was quite good, and gave a lot of lovely young fillies a race for their bits! And most importantly, she was happy. Well, happy but for one concern – all the fillies and colts her age were getting their cutie marks, and even though she felt certain she would get hers during a dance recital or a shopping spree with her mum, her flank remained bare. It happened during a dance recital. Sugar’s dance class was performing its last number, wowing the crowd as per usual and wearing huge smiles while they did it. Their costumes and set design for this show were particularly good, and the parents in attendance were going wild with their cameras! One parent, however, got a little too excited, and backed right up into the table holding the five-tier cake that had been custom ordered to celebrate the last dance recital of the year. The small commotion that was caused by the cake artist and the parent drew Star’s eye for a moment, but everything settled down quickly. The filly just so happened to turn her gaze back to the cake when she noticed that one of the table’s legs was shaking. It was all about to come down! Sugar Star, knowing how important that cake was to the artist and to all of the dance students and their parents, leapt from the stage with a lunge and a few flaps of her wings, then made the aerial dash towards the back of the auditorium. Things, however, were not that simple. Decorations and strings of lights made the space between the stage and the cake very difficult to maneuver through, and Star made a show of great agility in navigating through the obstacles. There were many confused “Ooooo’s” and “Aaahhh’s” as parents who weren’t sure if this was all part of the show watched the filly darting through the décor. More clear than any voice present, though, was her mother’s distinctive “AAAHHH!” of confusion and worry! Finally, Star made it through the decorations and had a clear path to the cake! She dove, flying swiftly, and made it just in time. Well, just in time for the cake to topple onto her. She didn’t quite make it in time to save the cake, and she was sorely disappointed. The cake artist was in tears! But when her mother came and helped her scrape away clumps of moist cake and sugary frosting, what she found beneath the mess made up for her failures that day: she had earned her cutie mark! Finally it all made sense! Sugar Star had always admired her father’s heroic work in the REA, but when she got swept up in her mother’s frou frou lifestyle she had forgotten all about that! From that day on, Sugar knew without a doubt that she wanted to dedicate her life to making Equestria and the world a better place, and it would be her wings that carried her towards her dream! History: Sugar Star was born to two pegasi in Canterlot: high-ranking stallion in the Royal Equestrian Army and a doting housewife and nurse. Though she loved rough housing and playing with her father, Star had a stint where she indulged in a more feminine lifestyle with her mother that distracted her from her fascination and admiration for her father’s military work. Once her cutie mark appeared, however, Sugar Star devoted herself to training and preparing to join the REA. The only feminine art she didn’t brush aside was dance. That helped her in the long run, too, since it gave her a looseness and fluidity while flying that really enhanced her agility! Alongside dance classes, she spent her time as a filly going to flight camps, speed camps, camps that focused on fancy wingwork – you name it, she enrolled in it! She pushed herself for years, until she was finally old enough to join the Royal Equestrian Army and follow in her father’s hoofsteps. She knows that in some ways she disappointed both her father and her mother. A military lifestyle meant she had less time to share with her mother bonding over ribbons and makeup, and though her father was glad to spend more time with his daughter, he knew better than most the difficulties of being in the REA. It wasn’t that he believed she didn’t have the stuff - he simply preferred the idea of his daughter living a happy, carefree life with more opportunities for him to spoil her. Since she joined the REA as a private, Sugar Star has worked her way up to the Specialist rank. Though it’s been a tough journey so far, she’s relished every moment of it, knowing that all of her toil brings her closer to her father in many ways. Getting to follow in her father’s hoofsteps and do him proud while protecting Equestria and its citizens has kept her happy as a clam. She wants to continue to climb ranks within the REA in her life and continue to push herself as a nimble flyer. It’s a pretty simple goal, but it’s one that’s very dear to her heart! Character Summary: Sugar Star isn’t exactly a tough nut to crack: she’s bubbly, sweet, has a bit of a playful/mischievous streak, and thinks the world is full of friends waiting to be made. Both on and off duty she is full of smiles and kindness and is always eager to help everypony to the best of her abilities. And if there’s nothing she can do, or if she is the cause of somepony’s hurt, well...consider her heartbroken. But not a crybaby - never a crybaby! She grew out of that pretty quickly in basic, and nowadays she only sheds a tear when somepony around her is really hurting (she saves tears over her own problems for the privacy of her room). Her empathetic nature doesn’t allow her to just brush off another’s pain, but instead drives her towards feeling it. It’s the main reason she was so eager to join the REA and she continues to dedicate herself to it. She wants to do some real good in her life! As a soldier Sugar is very professional and capable. She’s good at what she does, knows how to take control of a situation, and knows how to tackle a problem. She knows when to follow orders and when to ask questions, she’s resourceful, decisive, and possesses a good heaping helping of leadership skills (when a situation calls for them, anyways). And of course she’s got the athleticism to match as well: agility in the skies and on the ground, great hoof-to-hoof skills, and proficiency with swords and knives. The only quality she’s really lacking is confidence. Fearlessness? No problem - she can work past her emotions in order to perform her duties. But confidence? That’s a whole other can of worms. Sugar’s ultimate goal with anything in her life is to help others as much as she can. Any kind of failure hits her hard and has a terrible snowball effect. If she feels she has failed at one little thing she starts second-guessing herself like crazy. She’s very hard on herself, and the worst part about it all is that she’s prone to just bottling all of that uncertainty up. Another very important side of Sugar Star is the fanfilly in her. She’s always had a love for graphic novels and comics, which was a major influence on her love of hero stories and heroism in general! She sees her father as a kind of superhero and is terribly proud of him because of that. She’s actually quite a huge geek and always compares the ponies she meets to the character types found in her favourite romance and coming-of-age comics! Of course, most ponies end up being compared to Sailor Mare characters since it’s her #1 favourite comic series of all time! Sugar Star herself is a lot like the female leads in these stories. She has no real experience with romance, she can be very timid and bashful despite being almost painfully friendly, and she blushes at just about everything! Unlike most of those characters, though, she’s outgoing and definitely not a doormat. She is, after all, a soldier - meaning she’s one tough cookie! Some of her talents outside of flight and combat include dancing, baking/cooking, makeup and hairstyling, and knitting!

Luna stared out the window of the train, watching as fierce winds laden with heavy snowflakes whirled around outside. It seemed as though the weather outdoors was reflecting her mood, although that might be hyperbole. The princess sighed and pulled her gaze away from the storm, looking idly around her personal train car for some sort of distraction. It shouldn’t be long before the train arrived in the Crystal Empire and she could see Cadence, but she was feeling quite restless all the same. The Princess of Love had been having troubling nightmares lately, and her aunt, the Guardian of Dreams, felt that she should approach her about it. She could have spoken to the new ruler of the Crystal Empire within the dreamscape, but Luna felt as though this was an opportunity not just to help Cadence, but also to spend some quality time with her as well. The Princess couldn’t settle on what to distract herself with. Her restlessness was tempting her to leap from the car and fly the rest of the way to the Crystal Empire, but she knew better than to hop right into to wailing blizzards of the north – that would be dangerous even for a princess who lived with two hooves in the æther. Unable to decide on what to do, Luna turned back to the window and was met with quite a shock! Just as the scenery turned from violent wintry storms to a balmy summer paradise, a strange jolt of arcane energy seemed to rustle her heart. She had just passed through the magical barrier that protected the Crystal Empire, and what impressive magic it was! It had been some time since Luna had felt such an unfamiliar and powerful surge of energy. Before long, the train slowed to a stop and Luna stepped out of her car, nodding to the two members of the Lunar Guard who had accompanied her. Already, she found herself smiling at the radiant beauty of the crystal ponies and crystal structures surrounding her, and this was merely the train station! With eagerness in her stride, the lunar Princess began to trot forward through the gate, aiming to reach the castle as quickly as possible. That goal was proving to be a difficult one to meet without temptation. As soon as Luna reached the sprawling crystal metropolis, she felt sorely tempted to move leisurely and take in the sights. Everything here twinkled and sparkled! The atmosphere was unlike anything she had ever seen, and the ponies whose gazes she was drawing with her presence (and the presence of her rather eye-catching guards) were equally as stunning as their city. Nonetheless, despite temptation, Luna kept her teal eyes trained on road signs and swiftly made way to the castle. Once there, she resisted the urge to gape and gawk at the massive, glittering spires. Such remarkable beauty! And surely the craftsmanship that had gone into it was even more remarkable than the structure itself. Luna cast a glance backwards, then, and smiled as she noticed the slack-jawed expressions on the faces of her guards. It was so unusual to see such normally stern faces so swept up in the beauty of the Crystal Empire, but their expressions were reflecting their Princess’s own reaction perfectly. Soon enough, she was upon the castle entrance, which was flanked by guards. She dipped her head respectfully and then approached one of them, making sure to show manners and graciousness as opposed to simply charging in and throwing around her obvious authority (which was announced by her regalia, her size, her combination of horn and wings, and the ethereal quality of her undulating mane and tail). [colour=#6699ff]“Good afternoon, sir,”[/colour] she said politely, dipping her head to the blue crystalline stallion, [colour=#6699ff]“I am Princess Luna, the aunt of your Princess Cadence. She was not expecting me, but could you please inform her of my arrival? If you don’t mind, I shall wait here in the foyer.”[/colour] The guard nodded, and after allowing the Princess and her guard to step into the foyer he followed after and went off in the direction Cadence was to be found, no doubt. Luna’s spirits, which were much higher than they were back in the blizzard, were still steadily rising as she took in the outstanding beauty of the crystal castle. Colour and light came to life here in a way that Luna had never seen anywhere else in Equestria. The light that came from the sun bounced off of every surface and painted every inch of the world inside the castle that wasn’t made of crystal with the pale, reflected hues of the tall walls and decorations. What a wondrous kingdom Cadence lives in!

El was just enjoying her first sip of rich, spicy tea when a clamour at the door grabbed her attention. It seemed as though her stubborn attitude had paid off! The mare who entered seemed to be a victim of the damp weather, and after swallowing the delicious, hot tea the wispy unicorn placed the mug she was using on the counter and then trotted to the storefront to greet the stranger. [colour=#9966ff]"Hello? My goodness, the weather outside is atrocious! I wouldn't have been caught in it if my husband could remember to do some basic shopping now and then." ​[/colour][colour=#ffa07a]“Hello there,”[/colour] El replied, bowing her head forward in greeting before offering the mare a generous smile, [colour=#ffa07a]“The weather is certainly foul today, but the brunt of the storm isn’t supposed to hit until the clouds pass over Canterlot, thankfully.”[/colour] [colour=#9966ff]"Oh my! You're a cute little thing! Is this your shop? It's simply lovely!"[/colour]​Elderflower blushed slightly and nodded, but before she could make a proper answer, the energetic mare was speaking again. My! She certainly moved fast! [colour=#9966ff]"I'm Velvet, of the Sparkle family! It's quite a pleasure to meet you! What is that smell? It's heavenly!"[/colour]​[colour=#ffa07a]“It’s lovely to meet you, Velvet!” [/colour]the pink-maned mare finally said in reply, beaming, [colour=#ffa07a]“This is my shop, The Elder Tree Teahouse – and my name is Elderflower. That smell would be a fresh pot of my homemade masala chai tea. Would you care for a cup? It’s quite tasty, and certain to warm you up on a day like today. There are other things on my menu, however, if you would prefer something less heady.”[/colour] El grabbed one of the nearest table menus with her magic, then, and floated the small card embraced by pale golden light towards Velvet so she might have a look. The mare looked Velvet up and down, then, noticing that she and her things were quite wet – no surprise, considering the nasty weather out there! [colour=#ffa07a]“And if you’d like, I could fetch you a towel for your mane, and for anything in your bags that might be damp so you could lay them out. I wouldn’t want you to catch cold-”[/colour] Something struck her, then, and for a moment she considered the name, the purple hues, and the shape of Velvet’s bangs (which were still fairly telling, despite being damp). [colour=#ffa07a]“You don’t happen to mean of the Sparkle family as in…the newly crowned Princess Twilight Sparkle, do you?”[/colour] It simply couldn’t be true! Well, it could – apparently the new Princess had grown up here in Canterlot, at least that was what a few of her customers had said. Still, it simply seemed unreal, the idea of meeting a relative to royalty. El had gotten one brief, clear view of Princess Twilight Sparkle during her public coronation in Canterlot (for everypony in the gilded city had been granted a day off) and from that brief memory the tea-loving unicorn could certainly see there being a family tie with Velvet here!

Once Lume had gotten past the smitten and busybody qualities of the pale stallion, he found himself surprisingly pleased at having a little company. Perhaps he was a little more socially deprived than he cared to admit, travelling on his own so much. [colour=#800000]“I see. Rather impressive, I suppose I understand why you are smitten.”[/colour] he said with a nod once the stranger had explained this “Applejack’s” role in protecting Equestria. Appearances were quite deceiving! The mare look like your typical country bumpkin, not a savior of ponykind. Well, that was his fault for judging the mare by her appearance. He should know better than most not to do that, considering the amount of ponies who met him and felt nothing but fear at his dark, towering physical presence. [colour=#800000]“Pocket Change, is it?”[/colour] Lume said, extending a hoof to shake, [colour=#800000]“Nice to meet you, and there’s no need to worry about rambling. I do not mind – it certainly passes the time. As for my career – I’m an artist. A sculptor, more specifically. I use lightning in a controlled environment to create large pieces of sand glass. There’s a little more to it, but I’d rather not bore you with the details. I’m currently traveling, seeking inspiration – it gets a little tiresome, being cooped up in my studio all the time.”[/colour] The pegasus found himself with a lopsided grin then, [colour=#800000]“And it seems this was my turn to ramble at you. Has your work brought you anywhere interesting?”[/colour]

When Luna was comfortably settled at her station for the evening, she offered up a nod that suggested the line could move forward. The backdrop for the photos this evening had a simple elegance to it, one that was befitting of an atmosphere that aimed for a casual meeting with the Princess of the Night. Well, as casual as one could get at the REA Ball. There was a false wall behind the plush, red square of carpet that she was standing upon, one that mimicked the grand and decorated hall they were standing in. The artist who had put this together, however, went for a style that held more painterly qualities than a simple recreation of the reality of the place. In the photos, the slight whimsy of the painter’s style would make it appear as though one had met their Princess in a dream, or a world steeped with arcane mysticism. The photos would be quite lovely! Luna smiled when she saw the familiar face of one of her Lunar Guard – a very good first visitor for the night. Seeing Night Watcher helped calm the butterflies somewhat, as she felt much more at ease addressing her as opposed to a more unfamiliar face. [colour=#6699ff]“Good evening, Staff Sergeant Night Watcher,”[/colour] she said, her smile growing as her gaze lingered on the shiny new commemorative badge she wore, [colour=#6699ff]“It’s a little odd, seeing you out of armour – but you look quite sharp tonight. Would you care for a photo?”[/colour] Once she had finished speaking, however, Luna’s eye was caught by something quite peculiar. By sheer luck, she managed to catch Cadence’s entrance into the foyer. Something seemed off, however, for the Princess of Love was considerably unadorned and had taken great pains to enter unnoticed. Luna wasn’t sure how successfully an alicorn and beloved Princess could hide herself in a crowd, but she was concerned for Cadence. Why wasn’t she dressed? That alone would make her stand out here, where members of the REA and their loved ones were dressed in their finest. On top of that, this night was put together to celebrate the Royal Equestrian Amy – which meant Shining Armour. Shouldn’t she be dressed and at his side? [colour=#6699ff]“My apologies, Night Watcher,”[/colour] she said quietly, bowing her head to the staff sergeant. She then turned to Colonel Ironwing and leaned in close for a private word. This was not something she wanted to be made public. Thankfully, the volume of chatter and music drifting in from the dance were loud enough that she felt she would not be overheard. [colour=#6699ff]“I’m not certain if you spotted it, but I think Cadence may have just entered the foyer and she seems...severely underdressed. I am concerned, but if I leave my post it would draw too much attention. If there is anything you could do to help me, I would be exceedingly grateful, Colonel.”[/colour] Luna righted herself once more, keeping here expression serene as she smiled at Night Watcher. She felt bad, to ask this of Colonel Ironwing. This night’s pomp was all thanks to him, and she would be happier having him enjoy it without a hitch. All the same, however, she was concerned for the young Princess Cadence and felt a little helpless being attached to her post. If the Colonel could help her, she would make sure her gratitude was made known to him. [colour=#6699ff]“Now, where were we?”[/colour] she asked the Staff Sergeant.

[colour=#4b0082] "The sheer majestic splendor of this beauteous garden...! I am unworthy!"​[/colour]Luna had gone from a light touch of self-indulgence and pride to a complete and utter loss for words. She had hoped to dazzle Rarity, yes, but she certainly did not except the unicorn to fall to the ground in such an excessive display of…gratitude? Humility? Prostration? She wasn't really sure, to be honest! The Princess of the Night could do little more than stare down at the mare who could not seem to stop kissing her shoes. For one so concerned with appearances, this was quite a surprising display! [colour=#6699ff]“You are quite welcome, Rarity, but I would not have chosen you if you were unworthy…”[/colour] The Princess tried to speak over the fashionista’s display, but she found herself trailing off. Something in her throat was overtaking decorum and bubbling up, up, and out until - [colour=#6699ff]“Heh.”[/colour] The seal had been broken. It started small and quiet, but Luna’s giggling quickly grew into full-stomached laughter. It was very unbefitting of a princess, such a silly display, but she simply couldn’t help herself! There was something about seeing a fashionista and lady such as Rarity flung to the ground in an overdramatic display that Luna couldn’t help but laugh at. And laugh she did! She laughed and laughed until her vision blurred with tears and the muscles in her stomach ached, until she was no longer even aware of what Rarity was doing. Finally, though, something clicked and Luna became a little more aware of what exactly was happening. And yet, instead of feeling dread at her own shocking display, the Princess of the Night felt…light. Cheerful, even! She finally calmed down, getting her giggling under control, and then straightened her posture once again. It was obvious just how much she had relaxed, however, and no matter what she did she couldn’t quell her smile into something more quiet and princess-like. She finally took a step back from Rarity, lifting a long leg to cover another small giggle with her silver-shoed hoof (the shoe now quite smudged from Rarity’s kisses!). [colour=#6699ff]“I do apologize,”[/colour] she finally said, placing her hoof on the ground again as she collected herself, [colour=#6699ff]“How unbecoming of me!”[/colour] Luna wanted to continue their discussion along and discuss the matter of payment, but there was a growing concern that what she would say might just send the unicorn into another fit (and consequently put her into another fit). She considered for a moment whether or not she should just end their conversation for now, but quickly decided that she was being silly. The Princess herself was beginning to overreact and make a melodrama of the situation! With another small chuckle at herself, this time, Luna smiled down at Rarity. [colour=#6699ff]“Shall we move on, then? Perhaps we should step outside into the main garden to enjoy the breeze a little better.”[/colour] The Princess took the initiative to step outside without waiting for the unicorn’s response, then, for she felt that getting into the more open area of the gardens would at least help to calm down her giggling attitude! Perhaps then the two could proceed normally!

Of course! :3c Just let me know when you figure it out~

Nope! There's just this.

I'll try to include pets. If they don't show up in the pic it's because they turned out looking like abominations~