Canterlot An Ice Storm's Coming

[Bellosh]

“...And that’s how Immie ended up capable of photosynthesis for two hours.” Friendly storytelling was always a fun activity for Moondancer, especially when her stories involved amusing tales of magical mishaps suffered by her old magic school counselor. Moony’s private audience this morning? Presteza, or Pressy to her friends: one of the white unicorn’s newer friends. After an… interesting trip to the old royal castle in the Everfree Forest, Moondancer convinced Pressy to join her magic guild, Spell Bound. Whenever Pressy was in town now, she’d be free to crash at the refurbished guild hall for their plucky group of magic enthusiasts.

Currently, Moondancer and Presteza stood in the Canterlot rail station, swapping stories to entertain themselves. The two young mares were there waiting for another friend of Moony’s; her old buddy Ice Storm. A few days ago, the moon-flanked unicorn received news that Icy was heading back into town, and of course, they made arrangements to spend today together. What Ice Storm didn’t get a chance to know beforehoof however was that Presteza was also in town, meeting up with her mother. As if by magic, both of Moondancer’s friends were going to be in Canterlot today, so Moony thought it a good idea to have the other two unicorns meet each other.

This was why Pressy got dragged to the train station with Moondancer. It should only be a minute now before Ice Storm’s train from Ponyville headed into the station. In the meantime, Moondancer kept the silly conversation going; “So Pressy, what do you think would happen if you got accidently turned into a flower?”

[IceStorm]

The train was starting to become a common place for Ice Storm. More so, the train that went from Ponyville and Canterlot. So much so of this that the conductors and the engineers knew her fairly well, and she didn't even have to ask for her ticket. She would just give them the bits and they would give her the ticket, usually accompanied with a bit of chat. Today's ticket booth chat consisted of the cooler weather that had been moving through Ponyville and that it was a welcome relief to most. Ice most definitely agreed with this, considering she was partial to cold weather to begin with. She sat patiently in the forward area of her car and waited through the moderately long ride.

Today's reason for going to Canterlot, however, was a good one. First, she would be spending the day with her old academy friend, Moondancer, and be able to share her the good news that she would be moving back to Canterlot, and the reason for this development. Of course, while she was there in Canterlot, she decided that she would look for at a few buildings that were for sale in the less classy part of Canterlot for her to re-open her Frozen Delights store here. She honestly wouldn't mind leaving both branches open if she could find somepony willing to take it over in Ponyville. After all, the last thing she wanted to do was close down a store in a town that seemed to welcome it so.

The train then began to pull into the station in Canterlot and she picked up her two saddle bags, which held enough essentials for one overnight stay, and of course, her trusted bottle of snowcone syrup! A pony couldn't possibly leave home without some way of cheering up a random pony that needs a smile. That would just be mean! As she got off the train, she spotted the familiar unicorn conversing with another. She did not recognize this unicorn, and assumed that it was likely another friend or perhaps Moony was just striking up a random conversation like she was prone to do. Ice Chuckled before heading over to the two. As she approached she got a better look at the unicorn that Moony was talking to. She seemed to have a tan straw had that rested on top of a snow white mane that appeared to fade to a greyish black at the very tip of her pony tail. Her tail itself had the same coloration, and Ice found it quite pleasant. Her coat was a golden yellow that took on more of a tannish hue. Her cutie mark was that of a paint brush, with a strand of magical essence swirling around and connecting at both tips. She smiled to the both of them and politely waited for the conversation was finished to speak up, as to interrupt would just be rude.

[Pretzelparty]

Presteza's reasons for joining Moondancer's guild was rather surprising to even Presteza herself, Despite having hardly relied much on her magic and her family's magic based lineage she had recently been growing interested in it and it's many facets and relation to certain ponies' talents. It was possible that in her recent bonding time with her mother, Duchess and visiting Magic scholar for Celestia's school for talented unicorns that the old magic itch was finally taking hold in her head.

Speaking of her mother She had only just finished waving goodbye to her as her train took off back to the next fancy gathering she had to attend. It was around that time that Moondancer had found her and began her story. The cream colored mare listened intently to her friend's amusing tale... all the way to the very end.

“...And that’s how Immie ended up capable of photosynthesis for two hours.”

It took all the mare had to keep from busting out laughing at Moondancer's tale... seems it wasn't enough though because after a snort she doubled over into a fit of laughter, "Oh, Sweet Celestia! Are ya serious?!" The mare giggled uproariously, her voice echoing over the platform after a while before she took notice of the many looks from the rest of the ponies gather there. Blushing a bit she calmed herself down and then looked to Moondancer. It was great seeing her again, their adventure in the ancient castle was some of the greatest fun the young noblepony had had in her life. It helped tgat her magic guild members were actually really kind to their newest member despite her occasionally brash nature.

“So Pressy, what do you think would happen if you got accidently turned into a flower?”

Almost immediately the mare shuddered at the thought, her nose giving a twitch at the notion as well, "Well... I think the first thing would be is hope ta Celestia that my horn and nose aren't still there... There'd prolly be a whole lotta sneezin' and then all kinda random magic..." the mare laughed wryly before smirking as a certain memory popped into her head,"That actually reminds me 'o when I first discovered my little magic 'quirk' I wound up travelin' ta the park with my family and one sneeze later while playin' with my dad ... and suddenly 'e's buried under a whole buncha flower-- oh!"

It seemed while she was wrapped up in her conversation with Moondancer she had failed to notice one pony having approached them, and it wasn't just anypony. It was just the pony they were waiting for; Ice storm! Stepping forward a bit the mare extended a hoof in greeting for a hoofshake, "Nice ta meet ya, Ice storm! I'm the newest member o' Spellbound and Moony's newest friend, Presteza!" Looking over the Blue unicorn she couldn't help but notice her style. Those Bracelets around her hooves were really (no pun intended) cool! She looked pretty strong too, like she was the type of mare who traveled a lot and as a result built up a bit of muscle as a result; Much like the very painter who was talking to her. She'd only just met this pony and she already thought that she was going to make a great new friend.

[Bellosh]

Presteza might not have been keeping careful track of her surroundings, but Moondancer was. And Moony spotted Ice Storm approaching while Pressy kept on chatting about her bad encounters with flowers, meaning that the painter didn’t realize for a few moments that she was being ignored. Just as the jacket-adorned unicorn realized that their guest was here, Moondancer commenced one of her usual greeting rituals. “HEEEEEEY ICY!!!” Moondancer ensnared her dear friend with a bearhug; “Long time no see, girl! You know that, tehehehe, writing each other ain’t enough, right?”

Pulling back from the embrace, Moondancer stayed by Ice Storm’s side as she extended a foreleg towards Presteza; “Oh, I brought one of my new buddies to meet you today! Why don’t the two of you introduce each other?” Pressy came up to bat first with her introduction, and Moony guessed that the painter had an excellent first impression of the other mare. So far, so good!

[IceStorm]

The reaction that she got from Moony when she started to approach the two mares was one that she should have, in all honesty, been expecting. Shoot, if she had been waiting for Moony at the Ponyville train station she probably would have done the same. However, for some reason the bear-hug embrace did catch Icy off guard as she almost lost her balance when the other mare pulled her in. She couldn't help but let out a serious of giggles as the mare clutched her and spoke of how the whole writing thing just wasn't enough. "I wholeheartedly agree. It's unfortunate that the last few times I was here in Canterlot we couldn't really do much of anything, but that's how things fall sometimes. Today though, today is just for us to relax and catch up on things," she smiled as the other mare came forward and introduced herself as Presteza. She seemed very excited to meet her, and the fact that she already knew her name meant that she must have heard quite a lot from Moondancer about her prior to her arriving to the station.

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Ms. Presteza. I unfortunately am not currently a member of Moony's magic guild yet. It's not that I haven't wanted to join, I just really haven't had a lot of time to get away from Ponyville that much anymore with my shop there. I actually made extra time to come here today and spend time with ponies here. Of course, I was also planning on coming to Canterlot today anyway, as I'm currently looking to relocating back to Canterlot. I'm looking for somepony that's skilled enough in creating frozen treats at my store as well though. I have no intention of shutting that place down and making a bunch of fillies and colts upset," she smiled to the two mares. "So, with that in mind, how much as Moony told you about me yet? I'm full of all sorts of surprises you know," she giggled looking back to Moony, wondering what activities she had planned for them today.

[Pretzelparty]

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well Ms. Presteza. I unfortunately am not currently a member of Moony's magic guild yet. It's not that I haven't wanted to join, I just really haven't had a lot of time to get away from Ponyville that much anymore with my shop there. I actually made extra time to come here today and spend time with ponies here. Of course, I was also planning on coming to Canterlot today anyway, as I'm currently looking to relocating back to Canterlot. I'm looking for somepony that's skilled enough in creating frozen treats at my store as well though. I have no intention of shutting that place down and making a bunch of fillies and colts upset," she smiled to the two mares. "So, with that in mind, how much as Moony told you about me yet? I'm full of all sorts of surprises you know,"

The mare chuckled to herself,"Oh, C'mon... if we're gonna be friends ya can't be callin' me 'Miss' All o' the time!" Levitating her hat off og her head, the cream colored unicorn placed the straw accessory on the head of the bright blue mare next to Moondancer. "Consider that a gift ta commemorate the start of a new friendship! Now let's start this again, I'm Presteza and my friends -includin' you- Call me Pressy." She extend her hoof again to miss Ice storm with a playful smile before continuing on.

"Anyway, Moony told me about yer snowcone business already! I really wanna try one... r' two... r' three sometime! She also told me how good ya are with Ice magic. My Mum sometimes taught some students with elemental magic maybe ya might've worked under her sometime... darn it I'm ramblin' on about me again!" the mare chuckled slightly awkwardly before clearing her throat and approaching Moon,"So yea, ya said ya were movin' ta canterlot from Ponyville... I'm sure yer gonna love it 'ere... so long as ya steer clear o' some o' the snobbier types that always hold their noses up in the air so much ya wonder how on Equestria they see where they're goin'." As if on Cue, a mare and stallion assuming just such an appearance walked by wearing polo shirts and having the distinct look of snobbishness on them that even Presteza's own coltfriend would do a double take at,"Anyway, so where's our first stop taday?"

[Bellosh]

Moondancer’s jaw dropped when Ice Storm revealed the big news; that she was moving back to Canterlot! If Icy had such a bad time living here all those years ago, what would make her want to move back now? It looked to Moony that she had some questioning to handle later on. And the young mare was certain that her dear friend planned to dish up all the answers very shortly.

As Moondancer’s mind returned to the here and now, she caught Presteza advising Ice Storm to avoid the snobbish types that called Canterlot home. Moony knew of Icy’s... strong dislike of such upper crust ponies very well, and did not wish for the subject to be brought up any further so as to maintain the positive tone of their get-together. “Oh Icy’s lived in Canterlot before, she knows who the cool ponies to hang out with are!” Moony interjected preemptively to Pressy, getting in between the two other unicorns to change the discussion; “Come on gals, let’s get out of this train station!”

Leading the way, Moondancer naturally got asked by Presteza about where she was taking the group; “To Clover Corner of course! Remember Icy, that place with the outdoor cafe next to the park next to our old magic school? It’ll be awesome! Anywho Pressy, I’ll tell you more about Celestia’s School while we’re walking on over.....”

OOC: We can do a timeskip over to Clover Corner now.

[IceStorm]

When the cream colored unicorn took her hat off and placed it on her, before telling her that she didn't need to be so formal, Ice let out a small laugh. She reached out and returned the hoofshake that her new friend was offering her. "Haha, fair enough Pressy. And I actually have all the supplies I need for snow cones with me, so whenever you'd like one, or two, or three, just let me know," she giggled. As the mare started to say that as long as she stayed away from the upper crust here, she should be fine. Ice gave a small nod and couldn't help but let out a small giggle when Moondancer said that she had lived her before and knew all of the cool ponies are to hang out with. "Well, yeah, I mean, I am as cool as they come," Ice giggled, making a pun at her own name. "But I agree, we really should make our way out of the train station. I have we have a lot of things to catch up on, and some of which aren't really privy for everypony's ears. More of a friends only type information," she smiled to the two mares as Moondancer suggested the old café that they used to get lunch at during school. "Of course I remember that place! How could I forget!? It's like right next to the park where I spent most of my Fillyhood. They always had a decent selection of treats and weren't too terribly over-priced. At least for Canterlot anyway," she giggled.

The three mares then made their way to the café, she listened as Moondancer spoke of some of the things that they had done in the magic school and she couldn't help but giggle herself at some of the events that they spoke of. Before too long though, they had made there way to the outdoor café and thankfully it was rather empty. This made Ice even happier about the news that she would ultimately be speaking of. After all, She knew that Moondancer of all ponies would be very suspicious of her sudden change of heart towards a city that she was all too eager to get away from not all that long ago. Ice found the three of them a nice table and approached and sat on one of the provided chairs. "Hey, I didn't mean to freeze Mrs. Quartz in a shell of Ice! I slipped and the spell just went off!" she giggled as they were finishing up a conversation.

[Lux]

As much as she loved learning new things and improving her magic, Fire Heart also loved equally the time she had when not attending lectures, working on projects, or cramming for exams. It was the time she could get to seeing the world beyond the classroom and campus, one that she grew up in as a filly. Before she could enjoy her time though, a growling in her subject like some fearsome beast interrupted her thoughts and plans.

"Oops," she said in an embarrassed tone as she tried to make it like it wasn't her, "Guess it's lunch time. Can't enjoy the city on an empty stomach. Now where to go?"

Canterlot had its share of restaurants from the quick fast food place to the highest luxury ones. She had her favorites that she frequented, but in this case with a stomach that seemed to grow more insistent time was of the essence. Her mind quickly thought about all the places nearby her school, opting to go there than the usual cafeteria.

"Oh, I got it now, Clover Corner! That should do the trick."

Her stomach growled hearing the name and as if to say "let's get going."

"Alright pipe down. I'm going."

As she drew closer to the restaurant she saw two familiar ponies. One was Moondancer, a pony that once went to the same school, and Ice Storm whom she met one snowy winter night.

"Oh my gosh," she said galloping towards the group, "Hi moondancer. Long time no see, eh? And hello again Ice Storm."

Fire noticed there was a third unicorn, a yellow mare niot wanting to make her feel left out she said, "Oh, hi there too. I'm Fire Heart what's your name? Oh are you three just sitting down for lunch? Can I join you?"

[Pretzelparty]

"Hey, I didn't mean to freeze Mrs. Quartz in a shell of Ice! I slipped and the spell just went off!" she giggled as they were finishing up a conversation.

The mare laughed loudly,"Wow... Maybe I should've tried goin' ta the school after all! Than I'd have as many funny stories as you two!" She said in between fits of laughter as the trio made it to the designated Cafe: The Clover Corner. The shop was very well arranged and already her friends had chosen their place at a table that was a set up outside. On the table were some very neat menus that had a list a very delicious looking foods. Almost immediately the mare's eye's were glued to the deserts Menu.

"Ooooh! They've got Creme Brulee here! I 'aven't had that in months! You three wanna share one?", hold on a second ... three? Looking up one again she blinked as she noticed another mare galloping towards them and saying hello to her friends and eventually to her.

"Oh my gosh," she said galloping towards the group, "Hi moondancer. Long time no see, eh? And hello again Ice Storm."Fire noticed there was a third unicorn, a yellow mare niot wanting to make her feel left out she said, "Oh, hi there too. I'm Fire Heart what's your name? Oh are you three just sitting down for lunch? Can I join you?"

"Oh, Fireheart! Moony told me a bit about you..." Suddenly the mare looked around to make sure nopony else was listening in and then whispered to the newcomer. "Is that story about you shooting fire from yer horn when ya sneeze true?" ,After asking that the mare back up and smiled,"Anyway, I'm Presteza and I'm cool with ya sittin' with us."

[IceStorm]

Ice giggled. "Oh believe me, we haven't cracked the surface of some of the funny things we've done during school, and some of the things that had backfired and done things that we hadn't expected. Sometimes in a good way," Ice smiled. "Alright, so with my Ice manipulation, I found that I could create a layer of ice over my body that would move with me when I moved. You can imagine the use that I got out of a spell like that considering that well, I'm an Ice Pony. Warm weather and I don't get along too well, so I found I could use this to keep cool on some of the hotter days. Well it was a few summers ago, I was heading out of the academy and I had this spell on, and I wasn't paying attention, and I missed the top step of the academy. I tumbled all the way down the steps and while there were cracks in the Ice, the fall didn't even leave a bruise, but all of the ice fell off when I stood up," she laughed.

Just then, out of the corner of her eye, she spotted another friend heading in their direction. She was going to wave at her, but wasn't sure if the mare was busy or not. Thankfully, Fire Heart came over to their table on her own, which meant that she wasn't busy at all! She greeted both her and Moondancer before asking about Pressy, whom promptly introduced herself. "Hey Fire! Sure, I have no problems with you joining us. I'll even cover lunch for ya!" Ice smiled as Pressy asked about Fire shooting fire from her horn. "Ha, well. I don't know about her, but it's happened to me a couple times. I got in so much trouble too because I shot a patch of Ice on the ground and ponies slipped on it and slid like ten feet before toppling over. It was... actually kinda humorous and was probably why I got yelled at afterwards because everypony thought I did it on purpose," she laughed a bit before blushing.

[Bellosh]

"Oh my gosh, hi Moondancer. Long time no see, eh? And hello again Ice Storm."

The trip on over to Clover Cafe was immensely satisfying, as the herd of unicorn mares used that time to regale each other with all sorts of crazy stories. Well actually, it was Ice Storm and Presteza that did most of the talking, since they were the ones getting acquainted with each other. Moondancer mainly piqued in whenever a minor detail required correction, or if she felt a point needed to be pressed further.

All in all, only more fun could be had when Ice Storm’s “polar opposite” made an appearance; “Hiya Fire! Sorry I haven’t been volunteering around the school lately, or at the magic guild too. I had a bunch of midterms and reports gang up on me again. You know how it goes in university. I’ll be in again starting next week though, so be prepared.”

"Anyway, I'm Presteza and I'm cool with ya sittin' with us."

“Or you can call her Pressy too, like I do.” Moondancer immediately chimed in for Fire Heart, figuring that a friendship between the two unicorns was a foregone conclusion; “Pressy’s the newest member of Spellbound, by the way. She’ll drop by the HQ every now and then, whenever she’s in town. I probably should show you our hangout later today Pressy,” Moony turned to the orange unicorn; “Before I forget..... Oh yeah, I'd also split a Creme Brulee with you.”

There was one more thing Moondancer wanted to ask before she dug into Ice Storm’s reason for moving back to Canterlot. Turning towards Presteza one more time, the moon-flanked mare asked of her; “Hey Pressy, what’s that pal of yours Fresco up to? I haven’t seen him at all since before Icy arrived.” As far as Moondancer knew, she hadn’t told anyone here about Presteza’s faithful companion yet.

[Lux]

Fire Heart's eyes went wide as the unicorn named Presteza mentioned something about sneezing and having fire appear. It was a really awkward thing to say for a pony that didn't know the red unicorn, and she could only guess that it was Moondancer that told her this. Even more awkward was the fact that as absurd as the story sounded, it was true.

"Oh, you heard about that huh? Yeah, that really happened. Having my talent isn't wihtout its ... issues. Anyway nice to meet you Prestezna."

The three were very welcoming of the fourth unicorn in the bunch to join, even Ice Storm offering to pay.

"Hey Fire! Sure, I have no problems with you joining us. I'll even cover lunch for ya!" Ice smiled as Pressy asked about Fire shooting fire from her horn. "Ha, well. I don't know about her, but it's happened to me a couple times. I got in so much trouble too because I shot a patch of Ice on the ground and ponies slipped on it and slid like ten feet before toppling over. It was... actually kinda humorous and was probably why I got yelled at afterwards because everypony thought I did it on purpose," she laughed a bit before blushing.

"I can just picture that now," Fire said with a giggle, "Yeah, I think both of us know what it is like when our powers don't behave like they should. I'm happy to see you back in Canterlot Come to see your hometown when it's not under a snowstorm?"

“Hiya Fire! Sorry I haven’t been volunteering around the school lately, or at the magic guild too. I had a bunch of midterms and reports gang up on me again. You know how it goes in university. I’ll be in again starting next week though, so be prepared.”

"Oh well I definitely know what it's like to have tests gang up on you. A week ago I had a project on the history of Equestria after Princess Luna's banishment, a test on poetry, and an exam on levitation control. That last one was a doozy! That's why I haven't been much to the Spellbound Headquarters either. So, what's everypony having here?"

[Pretzelparty]

Ice giggled. "Oh believe me, we haven't cracked the surface of some of the funny things we've done during school, and some of the things that had backfired and done things that we hadn't expected. Sometimes in a good way," Ice smiled. "Alright, so with my Ice manipulation, I found that I could create a layer of ice over my body that would move with me when I moved. You can imagine the use that I got out of a spell like that considering that well, I'm an Ice Pony. Warm weather and I don't get along too well, so I found I could use this to keep cool on some of the hotter days. Well it was a few summers ago, I was heading out of the academy and I had this spell on, and I wasn't paying attention, and I missed the top step of the academy. I tumbled all the way down the steps and while there were cracks in the Ice, the fall didn't even leave a bruise, but all of the ice fell off when I stood up," she laughed.

Ice smiled as Pressy asked about Fire shooting fire from her horn. "Ha, well. I don't know about her, but it's happened to me a couple times. I got in so much trouble too because I shot a patch of Ice on the ground and ponies slipped on it and slid like ten feet before toppling over. It was... actually kinda humorous and was probably why I got yelled at afterwards because everypony thought I did it on purpose,"

"Oh, you heard about that huh? Yeah, that really happened. Having my talent isn't without its ... issues. Anyway nice to meet you Prestezna."

So, what's everypony having here?"

The freckled pony looked flatly at fireheart for a moment before putting a slightly forced smile speaking,"It's Presteza." This was starting to get annoying. Ponies seemed to keep getting Presteza's name wrong, honestly at this point she was starting to wonder if this could have been some super elaborate joke. She knew not many ponies were very well aquainted with old Equestrian language based named but couldn't ponies just pronounce a simple name? After taking a deep breath to calm herself down the silver maned pony nodded towards Moondancer told Fireheart her preferred nickname,"Like Moony said, ya can Call me pressy. All my good friends do!"

Hearing Both her friends admit that they shared a similar problem as her, oddly enough cheered her up. Maybe She really should have attended the magic school, it would have been nice to be someplace where her little magical quirk wasn't so uncommon and embarassing. "Seems We've all got some issue with magical control!" she said in her usual cheerful register. Having finished looking through her menu she set it back on the table,"I've seemed ta have some sorta affinity fer wind magic. I seem to summon up powerful gusts whenever I sneeze and my magic messes up... I've honestly started wonderin' if the magic strand thingy on my mark is supposed ta symbolize that." To show what she meant, Presteza shifted a bit on her chair to let the others see her mark more easily.

"If that is wot it means, I should look inta it and see if I get some sorta cool wind magic like you guys do!" she said with a playful, half-joking-half-serious smile. From below the the table there was a loud thunderous growl and after an awkward pause the freckled painter cleared her throat with a slight blush and said,"So... um anypony else 'ungry?"

I probably should show you our hangout later today Pressy,” Moony turned to the orange unicorn; “Before I forget..... Oh yeah, I'd also split a Creme Brulee with you.”

“Hey Pressy, what’s that pal of yours Fresco up to? I haven’t seen him at all since before Icy arrived.”

A headquarters? like one of those things that famous ponies in literature had where they stored all the cool gadgets and artifacts? That's. so. COOL! Moon was darn right she was gonna show her later, there was no way that Pressy was gonna leave town without seein' it! Still trying to keep herself in a cool and calm demeanor the mare nodded to Moony once she admitted to wanting to split dessert with her,"Awesome."

The cream colored artist smiled mischievously as she heard Moondancer's question about her little traveling companion,"Well... See fer yerself!" Lifting up the flap on her saddlebag, Presteza whistled softly and quickly a little red flash fluttered out of her bag made a fancy show of flying around the little group and then calmly fluttered over to Moondancer and perched on her horn hanging upside down. Once the little fruitbat made himself comfy on Moondancer's horn he stretched out a wing and waved at the ginger maned unicorn. With a chuckle, Presteza rolled her eyes at the little creature once he finished his little air show,"Sorry, 'e's been a li'l show-off lately!" After squeaking in Presteza's direction she chuckled,"Don' worry, Mate. I'll order some apple slices fer ya"

[IceStorm]

Icy listened as Moondancer extended the invitation to Fire Heart much ash she had and introduced her to Pressy, stating that she could call her as such as they both do. Ice nodded to the statement both as she heard Fire answer Pressy's previous question about having her magic backfire stating that she thought that her and Icy both knew what it was like to have something go an opposite direction of the way they planned or perhaps having something happen that was totally unplanned at all. To be honest though, that was kind of where all the fun came from, and was often times how somepony could discover new things about their magic. Of course it normally came at the cost of somepony else, the exception being when Icy found out about her Ice sheet armor.

Ice smiled though when she fire asked if she came to see what her home town was like when she wasn't in a snowstorm. "Well, I wouldn't know that anyway because other than what happened between me any my parents so long ago, I don't remember anything about Fillydelphia. I will admit though, everything amazing that's ever happened to me has been a direct result of a snow storm. It's almost as if the land itself knows my strengths better than I do and caters to it," Ice smiled as Moon asked Pressy about someone named Fresco. She wasn't sure what Moony was talking about, but figured she'd find out soon enough.

And find out she did! When Pressy opened her her saddle bag out came a little red flying creature that ultimately stopped and rested on Moon's horn upside down. It was a small fruit bat! Ice couldn't help but giggle at the little show he put on. "Well he can be a show off as much as he wants! He's a cutie!" she giggled as she remembered Pressy mentioned that they all seemed to have some sort of magic control issues, and that she thought that hers might be tied to the weird strand that was in her cutie mark. "Well, perhaps we can swing by the academy on the way back to where ever we're deciding to go and we can ask about it. Moony and I are both former students, I'm sure they wouldn't mind us using the library," she smiled.

[Lux]

Fire Heart couldn't help but look at the cuite mark that Pressy had, especially that blueish wispy design added to it. Cutie marks were a strange thing. Some of them were blatantly obvious like a music note or a cupcake while others were not literal but symbolizing something else. Fire's mark was somewhere in the middle as the flame part related to her fire magic but the heart related not to love but emotions.

"Well I see you have a brush meaning you paint. As for that wispy thing, it could be the gusts you feel. Still I don't know how those would relate to painting, unless of course you were somehow able to paint what you thought subconsciously without giving it much effort."

If there was one thing she liked it was solving puzzles. Before though she could delve any deeper, Fire was greeted by an unusual character, a fruit bat that was obviously Pressy's pet.

"Wow, I've never seen a fruit bat before, at least not this up close.How did you meet this one?"

Ice Storm then commented about going to the library after they were done eating, something that brought the red unicorn back to the task at hoof.

"Of course! We can all go to the library in my school! There are lots of books there on magic. Hopefully we'll find one about cutie marks."

[Bellosh]

".....So, what's everypony having here?"

Ah; how some things never change. Benevolent by all stretches of the imagination, Moondancer still took great enjoyment in how Fire Heart chugged through her rigorous curriculum. She’d been hearing lots of noise lately about how the faculty expected too much from their student body. But wasn’t that the whole purpose of the school’s existence? To take in the most gifted unicorns and refine their talents in arcane magic? But Moony didn’t want her mind wandering to unwanted places right now; “Oh, I’m going to order an Itailian Salad. I swear this place makes the best in all of Canterlot. If anypony doesn’t believe me, I’ll bet 20 bits that I’m right!” Lesson for the wise: never bet against a girl when she has a winning grin on her face.

".....Sorry, 'e's been a li'l show-off lately!

Was there anyone in existence who could resist the charms of a fruit bat hanging off a unicorn’s horn? Moondancer sure as heck couldn’t. “Nice to see ya’ too, big guy,” she sweetly waved back to Fresco, giving the (weirdly appetizing) animal her trademark wink. It made Moondancer wonder however if she should get a pet of her own. Granted, the dorms of Canterlot University were no place to keep an animal for all the obvious reasons. Yet that did not stop Moony for pining for a cute companion to call her own. After all, did it make sense for a mare to find a coltfriend before finding a pet?

".....I've honestly started wonderin' if the magic strand thingy on my mark is supposed ta symbolize that. If that is wot it means, I should look inta it and see if I get some sorta cool wind magic like you guys do!"

With a puzzle on her hooves, Moondancer leaned in close to get a very good look at Presteza’s cutie mark. Intensely staring at it, she didn’t form a hypothesis until after Fire Heart explained her theory. “Personally, the streak looks more like a wavy paint stroke to me. Or at least, one that kinda reminds me of how the Boss’s mane flows with magic. Maybe your cutie mark’s saying that art is magic too, or something. But they never taught us that anything like that was possible in school though...”

"Of course! We can all go to the library in my school! There are lots of books there on magic. Hopefully we'll find one about cutie marks."

It’d be a piece of cake getting into the library at Celestia’s School. Finding a book on cutie mark mechanics would be something else entirely. “Thing is,” Moondancer advised; “Yeah that library’s got a ton of books. But I’ve spent way too much time at CU to realize how much the school library is geared towards spellcasting. You’re not going to find much there if you’re not interested in figuring out how to use your horn better. In this situation, I’d just walk over to the Castle and ask my Boss for permission to dig through her own book collection. Celestia’s got all the best books on anything, you know.”

“How’s it going, fillies? Are you all ready to order yet, or do you need more time?” That’d be a waitress; Moondancer always liked how the waiters at Clover Cafe acted so casually compared to every other outdoor cafe in Canterlot. And they certainly did not care if a mare ordered her lunch while having a fruit bat hanging underneath her horn.....

[Pretzelparty]

"Wow, I've never seen a fruit bat before, at least not this up close.How did you meet this one?"

The cream colored unicorn smiled at Fireheart, she really loved telling this story. "Well, Fresco was intraduced ta me by one o' my friends in Ponyville, Fluttershy! She was running an animal adoption center and on thin lead ta another soon I was travelin' companions with this li'l fruitsucker!" she said with a playful verbal jab at the little bat's expense. In response to the young unicorn's words, Fresco stuck his little tongue out her and made himself comfy once more on Moondancer's horn.

“Oh, I’m going to order an Itailian Salad. I swear this place makes the best in all of Canterlot. If anypony doesn’t believe me, I’ll bet 20 bits that I’m right!”\

“Personally, the streak looks more like a wavy paint stroke to me. Or at least, one that kinda reminds me of how the Boss’s mane flows with magic. Maybe your cutie mark’s saying that art is magic too, or something. But they never taught us that anything like that was possible in school though...”

"That's wot i'm gettin, ya big copycat!" yelped the painter at her friend playfully, obviously not really meaning that last bit. After making her playful little statement, Pressy relaxed a bit in her chair and glanced back at her mark once more as Moony made her observations. Almost as soon as Moondancer finished her first sentence, Pressy replied,"Well about the streak, Moony..." the mare stood from her chair and turned around to give her friend a better look," It can't be a brushstroke, because the part where it's thickest isn't at the end of the brush and it doesn't match the paint that's already on the tip of the brush on it. In fact it's coming out in a swirling spiral on top of the brush's ferrule." she said while pointing her hoof to the mark in question.

When her reddish maned friend compared the magical stroke on Presteza's flank to the magic that flowed through a certain princess's mane. Her hypothesis that the young painter's mark couple imply that art could be magic sounded... oddly familiar. That's right! Back in Trottingham Presteza remembered spending a lot of time with her fart teacher and close friend, a mysterious lover of all types of art by the name of Atelier. Putting her hoof to her chin the mare thought and soon she levitated a small pencil from one of her bags and popped in her mouth before taking out a small piece of paper. IN a flash, the paper had a simple looking sketch of a little filly standing beside a mare in a cloak as well as a large sunhat. Pointing her hoof to the taller figure in the picture she looked to her friends (moondancer in particular),"My art Teacher used ta tell me that Art -was- a type of magic... I thought she just meant that in like a figurative sense, y'know?" the mare looked somewhat troubled as her thoughts drifted back to her life in Trottingham before she began her travels,"She said in a way it was somethin' that not many could... could..." suddenly the mare put a hoof to her head as she felt the onset of a minor headache.

After a few moment, the mare blinked in rapid succession before going wide eyed,"I-I... I can't remember wot she said..." for most ponies a slip of the memory wasn't something to get worked up about. For this mare in particular it was a huge deal. The silver maned Artist had prided herself on many things about herself but one of those things at the fore front was her memory that allowed her to recall not only sights and sounds, but also smells the most minute of details in her past. She never forgot about where she'd come from and her life in Trottingham, especially all the warm happy moments like the ones she spent with her art teacher. How on Equestria could she have forgotten something about what her closest friend as a filly had said?!

Thankfully, before she could dwell on it any further and worry herself to the grave she noticed a growing conversation about the nature of her talents. Seeing how much her new friends were trying to assist her was something to her nerves. The original pile-up of worry and fear that her memory might be going was now only a niggling little thought in the back of her mind. The color returning to her cheeks as a relaxed smile spread over her face.

"Well I see you have a brush meaning you paint. As for that wispy thing, it could be the gusts you feel. Still I don't know how those would relate to painting, unless of course you were somehow able to paint what you thought subconsciously without giving it much effort."

"Well, perhaps we can swing by the academy on the way back to where ever we're deciding to go and we can ask about it. Moony and I are both former students, I'm sure they wouldn't mind us using the library," she smiled.

"Of course! We can all go to the library in my school! There are lots of books there on magic. Hopefully we'll find one about cutie marks."

“Thing is, Yeah that library’s got a ton of books. But I’ve spent way too much time at CU to realize how much the school library is geared towards spellcasting. You’re not going to find much there if you’re not interested in figuring out how to use your horn better. In this situation, I’d just walk over to the Castle and ask my Boss for permission to dig through her own book collection. Celestia’s got all the best books on anything, you know.”

This in depth discussion took on a slightly humorous tone when one thought about how in the end these three mares were trying to decipher the deeper meaning to a mark on the backside of a friend. TO some it could seem borderline embarrassing and really this mare was starting to feel that hint of embarrassment. Moondancer's suggestion made the most sense. Even Presteza who's interest in magic was tertiary at best had paid attention to her mother's briefings on what kind of material had been kept in the library at the magic university, in fact sometimes she had been given some information from those very books when her family was trying to help her with her own magical shortcomings.

Normally the idea that they might be able to get a chance to speak with one of Presteza's favorite princesses would have made the painter leap from her chair in excitement, but for some reason she didn't feel as peppy as usual. Soon enough she got the chance to speak up,"Do you think, Princess Celestia would really let us look though her own collection for the sake of... a barely known painter?" she said with a light, half chuckle. For the moment Presteza's voice seemed a bit different, she had a more refined tone for the time being and the way she enunciated was reminiscent of a certain visiting scholar at the school. She had a tendency to drift back to her own habits when she was worried about something deep down...

“How’s it going, fillies? Are you all ready to order yet, or do you need more time?”

Suddenly the mare perked up at the prospect of satiating one ponykind's simplest desires; hunger. Grinning at the waitress she spoke up,"So far two of us have an idea of wot we're gettin'... I'm not sure about Icy or fire though... so could we have a few minutes?"

[IceStorm]

Everypony seemed to be in agreement with Ice Storm that going to the academy would be the easiest way to find the information that Pressy was looking for. That was, until Moondancer said that she'd spent enough time in that library to know that the only books that they really kept there were books that dealt with teaching a unicorn about how using their horn better, not really for trying to identify one's cutie mark. She did mention that Celestia had many books in her personal archive and that perhaps she could ask her boss for permission to let them see them. Pressy responded to this by asking if Princess Celestia would really look through her own collection of books for the sake of a barely known painter. Wait a minute... Of that's implying what I think it's implying, then we might have a very, very odd coincidence here, she thought to herself. If Celestia was Moondancer's boss, she wondering if perhaps in some roundabout way that Luna was now hers. She shook the thought. Of course not! After all, it's not like the princesses would go around talking about every single pony that they hired for something. Surely there were many others that were in the same situation that she was in.

That being said Ice remembered back to the mentioning of Spellbound right before the waitress came over to them. Pressy asked for a few more minutes in case Ice or Fire Heart needed some time. To be honest she hadn't even looked at the menu yet. She gave it a quick glance. If it was a café like any other, it would have her favorite lunch without issues. "Yay, they have tropical fruit salad, and it comes in a large portion! Hopefully that actually means large..." she said to herself. A large tropical fruit salad and a strawberry soda sounded really good right about now. Having her order figured out, she turned to Moondancer while she waited for the waitress to come back. "Well, if her magic is going off whenever she sneezes, or just like the rest of our are at this point, perhaps looking in to the base of how these are tied together would give us some insight on the cutie mark or perhaps where to go from there. Plus, like Pressy said, it doesn't really look like a paint stroke, so the chance that it has something to do with magic in general is still on the table. Not to mention if art would also be considered a type of magic, then there should be books there about this as well. While we might not get the exact answer that we're looking for there right away, it would definitely be a good place to start looking for anything that we could find on the matter," she stated.

"Of course something else, you mentioned that you were part of a magic guild. I believe you said it was called Spellbound. Wouldn't the headquarters have a library in it for reasons just like this? Also I do believe that it's high time that I've looked into joining that guild. Especially since I'm now moving back to Canterlot. I Should be able to attend any meetings regularly," Ice added as the waitress came back over for them. "I would like a large tropical fruit salad, and a strawberry soda. And place whatever my friends here wants on my tab as well. I'll take care of it all," she smiled brightly.

[Lux]

The debate as what part of Pressy's cutie mark meant and where to find the answer continued in the cafe. Pressy though took an approach about the design to not mean a brush stroke but perhaps something magical about it.

"All I have to say is that if magic wasn't related to art there wouldn't be that design around the brush. But then again cutie marks could not exactly be related to what they show."

She then got the shock of her life, hearing that Moondancer worked for Celestia!

"Wait, Moon, you work for Celestia? I didn't know. Last time that we met you were working at Princess Celestia's School helping practice for tests. Congratulations!"

She had to admit she did feel a little jealous with the turn of events as Fire Heart wondered what it would be like working for the Princesses. Even though she still had much to learn about her magic, she always aimed high in her goals. But something else there made Fire think when she noticed that the yellow unicorn looked like she was having a headache while trying to remember something a past teacher said about art relating to magic.

"Are you ok? You looked like trying to remember things gave you a headache? This doesn't happen every time, does it?"

"Of course something else, you mentioned that you were part of a magic guild. I believe you said it was called Spellbound. Wouldn't the headquarters have a library in it for reasons just like this? Also I do believe that it's high time that I've looked into joining that guild. Especially since I'm now moving back to Canterlot. I Should be able to attend any meetings regularly,"

"Hmmm... last time I was there things were just getting started. We barely had a book to practice with let alone and entire library. Do you know if things expanded there Moon?"

Fire didn't want to delay her friends from eating and her stomach was slowly but more persistently becoming more restless especially with the talk of what other ponies were eating.

"You know, that tropical fruit salad sounds great. I'll have that and a birch soda. Thanks for putting up the bill Ice. I take it your flavored ice business is doing well."

[Bellosh]

"Do you think, Princess Celestia would really let us look though her own collection for the sake of... a barely known painter?"

As the conversation went on, Moondancer thought that Presteza had been acting a little weird. First there was the slip-up with the painter’s memory; totally uncharacteristic for somepony who took pride in remembering the most trivial of details from her trips. Then with Pressy’s latest question, her voice slipped into a received pronunciation. Which itself was weird when one thought about it; wasn’t it always the posh pony with their meticulously-practiced accent who was more likely to slip into something more folksy?

Moondancer wasn’t one to pass on a moment to make light of a sudden voice change. “Of course the Boss would allow you to check out her collection,” she first assured, before starting to speak in a cheesy cringe-worthy of received pronunciation; “You just ensure you always address Her Majesty in a refined tone like this, and she’ll think you as somepony important and proper enough to be privileged with access to her private archives.” Moony emotionlessly paused for several moments to add some awkwardness... until she broke out in giggles, devoid of all poshness; “Seriously though, I’m sure Celestia appreciates it when somepony is brave enough to ask permission to enter her library. She’s a lot more laid back than she lets on; believe me.”

"Wait, Moon, you work for Celestia? I didn't know. Last time that we met you were working at Princess Celestia's School helping practice for tests. Congratulations!"

Moondancer blushed; "In a way, I've always worked for her. And I still help out at the School when I can. When I do now however, I report to Celestia herself instead of Immie like I used to do. It's.... kinda complicated; I'll explain it better some other time."

"Hmmm... last time I was there things were just getting started. We barely had a book to practice with let alone and entire library. Do you know if things expanded there Moon?"

Fire Heart stepped in to answer a Spellbound question for Ice Storm, but Moony needed to provide a bit more details; “Thanks to Pocket Change and I, but mostly Pocket, our book collection has significantly increased since the last time you dropped by HQ. Pocket does find the strangest books, and just maybe we’ve got something about cutie marks.

“But for your sake Icy, we can visit the Guild HQ right after we eat. I’ve got a nice shiny badge I gotta give you, and you’ll be in Spellbound!” Out of nowhere, Moondancer produced a small gold sun with images of a crescent moon and three stars; the Spellbound Badge!

".....I'll take care of it all."

After Moondancer ordered her salad (and potato skins to go), she turned back to Ice Storm. "You've always been an awesome pal," she thanked her, knowing better than trying to persuade her from not taking up everypony's bill; "Just make sure you let me pay up next time, okie dokie?" After providing a customary wink, a sudden excitement developed in the young mare's facial features; "So Icy, didn't you tell me you had a special reason for coming to Canterlot today?"

[Pretzelparty]

“Of course the Boss would allow you to check out her collection, You just ensure you always address Her Majesty in a refined tone like this, and she’ll think you as somepony important and proper enough to be privileged with access to her private archives.”

“Seriously though, I’m sure Celestia appreciates it when somepony is brave enough to ask permission to enter her library. She’s a lot more laid back than she lets on; believe me.”

Presteza paused for a moment once Moondancer started her horrifically stereotypical posh accent, received pronunciation and occasional non-rhotic word. The freckled painter just stared at the moon flanked magic student and in almost perfect unison the two broke out giggling, most of the cream colored pony's worry's washed away in the jovial mood. After a few more moments of chuckles the painter finally spoke up again,"Oh yea I know all about her bein' laid back... I met her in line for a special sale in Ponyville where I got ta kiss Applejack and she wound up gettin' kissed by Applejack's big brother... I never thought I'd get ta see the princess blush!"

"All I have to say is that if magic wasn't related to art there wouldn't be that design around the brush. But then again cutie marks could not exactly be related to what they show."

"Well... my Mum always said my family had very deep roots in magic. Hay, Our manor back in Trottingham was owned by a lesser known but very great mage in the past." Said the mare as she looked to Fire heart. Presteza's mother was one equestria's greatest mages; Silver Belle the, "Duchess in Trottingham". Her opinions and research into the studies of magic were well respected enough that she was often called in to give lectures to the students, moondancer being one of those would often be there to listen.

[IceStorm]

When Moondancer said that she was sure that the princess wouldn't mind if somepony asked to see her collection in the library, she smiled. She added that she was a lot more laid back that most ponies are lead to believe. "I can actually say the same about Luna as well. I could actually say a lot about her actually," Ice smiled. It seemed like both of the princesses received a reputation that they didn't rightfully deserve. At the very least, at least Celestia's reputation wasn't a damaged one like Luna's. Thankfully many ponies have started to relent on her somewhat. Rather, she hadn't heard anything negative flowing around about her anymore so that was a good thing. Fire Heart mentioned though that the last time that she was at the headquarters, it was still being set up, which is what lead to Moondancer's statement.

When Ice mentioned though that she would take of the ticket, Moony spoke up as expected and commented on how great of a pal she was. "Oh it's nothing really. Besides, my shop is doing really well in Ponyville so I have plenty of bits to spare. Of course, this is why I'm going to leave it open and franchise it out. My mother and I reunited not to long ago and she's actually looking for a place in Hoofington that I can turn into a third shop. It was actually a bit of lucky timing. Mother was actually in Ponyville on a business trip or for some reason, I don't really remember what it was, but she was at the train station when I got off the train from Fillydeplhia after going to look for her originally. It was one of the best days I'd had in a long time and I'm sure that Luna will be happy to hear that we've reunited, and for the better rather than for worse," she said as Moondancer asked what the special reason was for her returning to Canterlot was.

"Oh, yeah I suppose I should probably go ahead and say that now that we're all together. I'll start by saying speaking of Luna she's actually the main reason I'm coming back. A few months ago towards the middle of the winter season, I had attended a Gala here in Canterlot. It wasn't the Grand Galloping Gala, but was still a gala. Well, that night, I didn't have a hotel room because normally when I stay here in Canterlot, I stay in the park, so that I can sleep under the stars. I had spent that night star gazing and fell asleep not realizing that there was going to be a giant blizzard that night. When I woke up, I was surrounded by snow with more snow still falling. It was so thick that any sense of direction was gone. Thankfully I knew my way around the park well enough that I could get to the exit, or so I thought. Somewhere along the way I got turned around and ended up heading towards the castle, and Luna already had the door open for me when I got there. Apparently she saw me coming through the blizzard. I still have no idea how considering I had to make a pair of Ice goggle blinders just so that I could see in front of me and keep the snow out of my eyes. Fire Heart should remember the blizzard as well, as she was there that night as well."

"Moving on though, Luna brought both of us into the castle and let us spend the night there. I was a bit hesitant about it at first. Moondancer knows why, but we accepted and we played a few games, and Luna had the kitchen make us some tea and biscuits. The reason for my moving back to Canterlot though, actually stems from what happened later that night after we started turning in for the night. Naturally, I couldn't just not say anything to the princess about my issue, but she then lead me over to a closet. She had been speaking about how they treated their stewardesses very well at the castle and asked if I would like to meet the newest one. When she opened the door, it was a full body mirror, so she essentially introduced me to myself. So since then I've been working for her. Although I haven't gotten any actual assignments yet, I'm sure they're coming in the future. But yeah, I'm one of Princess Luna's stewardesses now," she said to the group.

[Lux]

"In a way, I've always worked for her. And I still help out at the School when I can. When I do now however, I report to Celestia herself instead of Immie like I used to do. It's.... kinda complicated; I'll explain it better some other time."

"Oh I think I understand what you mean," Fire Heart said after listening to Moondancer's explanation of her new job, "You help oversee some of the school like Immie rather than work for her now. Kind of like a promotion, right? Well then I'm really happy for you Moon!"

In reality though Fire began to feel uneasy being around her friends. They all appeared to have way more interesting creative talents than her, and now Moondancer announced her cool job with Princess Celestia. Oh the red unicorn would give her fire magic to have a job like that, working side by side one of the rulers of Equestria, helping to ensure that the place she lived in was safe and that ponies were happy there. Although she loved her friends, Fire Heart deep down began to feel jealousy boil inside her, and she knew what would happen if it got too out of control.

The story of Presteza meeting Princess Celestia in line at some event only added a little to her jealousy, but Fire felt happy that the painter pony was able to meet a Princess and learn something about her.

"Wow, you got to meet Princess Celestia? That's neat! And you said that you were in a line to kiss a pony while buying something? I guess that even Princesses blush for wakrawd situations. You said though that your mother knew magic and that your house used to be owned by a mage. Who was this mage? Maybe I learned about this pony in class. We learn not only about casting spells but also the history of magical studies after all."

For a brief moment Fire Heart felt that her tension would subside, that everything would be back to normals with talking to these three unicorns and nothing else about Princesses or events that would make her feel like her life was uneventful. Ice Storm chimed in about her family, smiling when she heard the blue unicorn reunited with her mom. It seemed like only yesterday that Fire Heart was with her and Princess Luna, trying to help her patch things up with her mother after what sounded like a terrible experience.

"Oh I'm so glad that you're doing well and that you found your mom and everything's alright with her. And I'm sure Princess Luna is happy that you've got back together. I know I am. And I'm also happy you're making more stores. You said one is in Ponyville and one will be in Hoofington, but where is the second store at? If it's in Canterlot I'd be happy to visit it."

Ice Storm then began to make an announcement, something that Fire Heart knew was to be more important than even her announcement of her family and job. What it could be the older filly couldn't even guess. The blue unicorn spoke about that wintery night where she and Fire Heart almost met a cold end had it not been for chance and a certain Princess of the Night.

"Oh yes I do remember that. I almost froze to death that night! Being that fire magic is my talent there is a side effect that the cold bothers me. Not something like ice cream but lots of cold like winter. I tried getting back to my school that night after visiting my parents who live in Canterlot. Guess it was a dumb mistake and I almost paid for it had it not been for collapsing right at the castle door! But it was a great time, wasn't it Ice?"

Then came the bomb shell announcement, one that Fire Heart wouldn't imagine in a thousand years! The filly played back the events of that night trying to see if there were any signs as to what was to take place wondering if there was anything she did or didn't do or should have done to change her fate that night. But the fact remained she couldn't go back in time. But for the moment though her brain was in denial, thinking that maybe Ice said something else and Fire heard it wrong.

"Did you just say that you are now one of Princess Luna's stewardesses?"

Although she didn't recognize it, little whips of smoke were streaming from her horn like a smoldering end of a stick in a fire as her feelings began to slowly but progressively simmer.

[Bellosh]

“.........Wh-wha-WHAAAAAAAAAAAT???????” Ice Storm had a position lined up as a stewardess for Princess Luna all this time? And she never mentioned any of this until now? Come to think of it, Moony wasn’t too surprised at the lateness of this particular revelation. Icy had never been a pony who liked bragging about herself, who did everything in her power to avoid the image of an elitist at all costs. To expose the news now probably meant that Icy was just about ready to move back to Canterlot-

Wait, just one moment. Now that the subject was back on the table, Moondancer didn’t recall her friend mentioning where exactly she’d be moving to in Canterlot. Moony’s mind brimming with potential questions, her shock transformed into sheer giddiness, expressed by pumping her hooves in the air. “So Icy, you got your new house all picked out and you’re ready to move in so we can visit each other again and have more cool times an- annnd… EEEEEEIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEHEHEHEHEHEEEEEEEEEEE!” Moondancer’s self-control failed spectacularly, her hype exploding over such new prospects!