Canterlot Spellbound Open House Extravaganza & Princess Twilight Honoring Ceremony (Open)

[Bellosh]

"I will accept your terms Lady Moondancer. I don't believe there is a need to negotiate the terms any further. Thank you for the opportunity, and I will attempt to live up to your expectations. Until we meet again, farewell."

“Awesome!” Moondancer cheered ; “You’re now officially a member of Spellbound! Now I can give you this lovely baby so you can proof your membership to everypony else. Enjoy the rest of the night!” The young magical mare levitated an exquisitely simple badge over to Asteria; a badge shaped and colored in the manner of the Magic Guild’s emblem:

"Anyway, I was wondering if you'd be interested in a Teleportation dancing partner." *flash* "I used to abuse this spell quite a bit with my friends who knew it and we would have a ball making fun poses in between re-appearances. Don't tell the other teachers... it could be oh so scandalous." *flash* "What do you say, Moondancer... care to let an old mare relive some of her glory days?"

Moondancer saw flashes of herself in Duchess Belle as she replicated the younger unicorn’s appriation feat from eariler in the evening. Who ever could have known the beneath the veneer of a respectable professor of noble blood hid a naughty girl just as big of a funseeker as Moony herself? Well, the old duchess needn’t worry; Moondancer kept all secrets safe and sound.

Once Silver Belle asked Moondancer once more to join her in a magic dance, the young mare’s amused grin took on a more apprehensive flavor. “Weeeeeell, how does a teleport dance with a partner even work? Is it like regular partner dancing where you... you know..... do this?” As Moony awkwardly explained, she took one of Belle’s hoof in her own, while wrapping her other foreleg around the Duchess’s back. “Won’t doing this be almost impossible without a synchronized rout-”

"Dancer!!!! I'm here! I decided to join after all. I don't know if I'll add much to Spellbound, but I'm looking forward to doing my best all the same!"

Busy with figuring out a dance position, Moondancer couldn’t really hug Dazzle Dawn back. But oddly enough, the moon-flanked girl welcomed this quirky interuption. “Thanks for showing up Dazzle!” Moony jubilantly responded; “It means a whole lot having one of my best friends drop by. Anywho, why don’t you round up the girls,“ Moony glanced at Icy, Pressy, and Fire; “And tell them that Mrs. Belle and I are doing a teleport dance together? This may very well end in either a smashing success or a train wreck. Both are equally fun to watch though... right?”

[SunlightHeart]

After he introduced himself, Asteria gave him a bow. It was strange, but not as off putting as he expected a situation like this to be.

"I see your point. Rather, I experienced it. Anyway, those shades only cost me a few bits, but I'll be sure to start with something simple and sturdy next time. Perhaps pebbles." It had been a bit foolish of him to try using a technique that he'd just heard of and not to mention the fact that he barely had a functioning understanding of how to adjust his magic. Gigavolt chuckled quietly to himself, looking down at the white fur of his hoof, he was reminded of how he got the odd patch of white fur despite the fact that his coat was a light shade of blue: Jumping head first into new things. Honestly, he didn't know if it was a good trait or a bad one.

At the mention of Talonopolis, and her expeditions why her little bow didn't really phase him made more sense. Someone well traveled likely had many little quirks that they'd picked up during their travels. Now he was quite curious about her profession. Was she a researcher of some sort or just an adventure seeker? Before his mind could go further down that path, Asteria started talking about how she always traveled light and tried to carry the least amount of gear possible. Then she mentioned applying it to her body and mastering her form. That little bit confused him and he fully intended on asking her what she meant. The mare beat him to the punch by lifting a little of her cloak and showing him one of her lean, well sculpted legs. So that's what she meant, he thought examining her leg.

"I see, minimalism is more than just a way to make your travels easier, it's a way of life for you." He couldn't help but be impressed. Most ponies lacked the kind of dedication to a single concept that she demonstrate. "I have to say that I envy you a little bit. I don't really have the option to travel light when I leave Canterlot for research. So, I don't get to enjoy my outings as much as I should. Not to mention the fact that I'm rarely alone when I do leave." Gigavolt shrugged and levitated one of the guild's application forms and a pen over to himself began filling it out.

[Mojo]

Hoofcourt smiled as Pocket Change seemed to become preoccupied with a certain mare that he knew.

"I understand, sonny," the elderly unicorn said with a smile, "I was young once too, y'know. I remember my first love, I even married her. She gave me many happy years until she passed away."

Hoofcourt turned his head a bit, feeling a twinge of sadness as he remembered his late wife, but his gloomy mood quickly brightened when an old colleague approached him and spoke.

"Gray Lexis! So good to see you again!" Hoofcourt neighed happily. "It's been a long time, how have you been? So this is Spellbound. You have quite a unique assortment of guests gathered here. Some of these ponies look quite young and eager. Tell me Gray, what exactly are your plans for this organization?"

[Gerrard]

Asteria quickly tucked her badge away, the odd courier not the type to flaunt anything unless it served some purpose. She intended to use it in specific spots but was mainly interested in the exchange of magic techniques. When the badge was secured beneath her cloak, Asteria drifted her eyes back to the unicorn she was teaching an impromptu lesson to.

Gigavolt had the full attention of Asteria, the focused black mare only letting her hearing interact with the world around her. When he mentioned that the glasses were only a few bits, Asteria actually shook her head as she pulled an obsidian marble out from beneath her cloak and presented it to him. While cost was also important, the most important thing was having a proper object to practice with. "When I practice, I try to focus on having the best tool. While it is important to conserve money, avoid sacrificing quality whenever possible," she explained while holding the marble firmly in the grip of magic that was basically invisible.

"Magic wants to expand outward in a perfect spherical pattern. This makes spheres the easiest objects to directly manipulate. With a bit of practice, the orb is easy to control, but even that can be practiced further. There is always a way to improve, " she explained calmly, as she asserted that even the simplest of manipulation could be expanded in difficulty exponentially.She levitated the marble with her magic across the warehouse, weaving the orb between Hoofcourt and Pocket Change until it was near the exit of the building. It was a substantially far, much farther than anyone would reasonably be able to hold onto an object. While it may have seemed impressive, it was just a practical way to make using less magic helpful.

With a quick flick of her magic, she presented the object back to Gigavolt. "Would you like to try Sir Gigavolt? Just keep in mind that our magical output and reach decreases the further away from our body we manipulate objects," she explained calmly, seeming to have an extensive grasp on the fundamentals of magic that most ponies seemed to gleam over casually.

[Lux]

Fire Heart in the midst of enjoying her treat heard the sound of Moondancer calling out to her and her other friends. Perhaps the mare wanted to introduce them to the other. Looking over to where the hostess was, she could see Moondancer beckoning her and saying something about a dance. This perked Fire's interest as her mother was once a famous dancer and Fire knew to cut a rug as well.

"Oooo! You're going to teleport dance? Cool! I never seen this before so I can't wait!"

Finding her spot in fort of the others the older filly waited to see what she knew would be an awesome sight!

[tacobob]

"Oh.", the stallion's couldn't help but smile as the older stallion mentioned his very first love, who he married. This smile quickly vanished as the retired professor also mentioned that she has passed on. "Oh.", he added rather meekly. Still, while it was heartbreaking to hear that he had lost his sweetheart, but he could at least remember all the good times they had shared together. Did they any children together? The unicorn was curious, but decided against asking Hoofcourt as he noticed there was still more than a hint of sadness in the old pony's eyes. Thankfully, Spellbound founder and respected adventurer slash explorer slash bibliophile, Gray Lexis arrived to chase away the awkwardness of the sudden silence.

Once the older stallion was finished greeting his old friend, the much younger pony nodded his head politely, "It is good to see you Mister Lexis. I was just telling the good professor how good it was having yet another Master join our humble ranks. This all will give our guild some much needed clout.", realizing it would be for the best that he continued to socialize, Pocket Change quickly added, "I'll leave you two to chat. I need to see If Moondancer needs anything. Again, thank you both for coming." Once the other two had their say, the white unicorn moved on.

As much as he wanted to hang around with his most beloved 'honey-bunny-lovey-tail', Pocket had noticed Moon was already busy chatting with several ponies at once. Besides, he could always spend time with her anytime their schedules permitted.

There was also Miss Presteza and her mother, but again, they too were surrounded by those who wanted to chat.

So the unicorn decided he would have some of his own punch and see how things went after that. They were all still in the very early into the night and there were more things on the itinerary that soon would be up.

[SunlightHeart]

Gigavolt looked at the marble for a bit longer, digesting what Asteria had said to him. He remembered these lessons, but they were so glance over when he was learning to control his magic that the finer points the mare was bringing up were almost lost concepts to him. Luckily, meeting her had sparked his mind into retrieving those obscure teachings and using her instruction to visualize how he should do it.

Stubbornness was one of Gigavolt's traits, he hated to be defeated, no matter how much he denied it, the truth was that it was difficult for him to let a failed challenge rest. He closed his eyes and nodded. "Of course, this is much to practical for me to give up before I have at least enough of an understand to practice on my own," he replied enthusiastically.

Drawing in a deep breath, he calmed himself and focused on his goal. Surround the marble in a thin sphere layer of magic, then guide it until he was at the end of his ropes then bring it back.

The thin veil of Gigavolt's magic crept across the surface of the marble, quickly encapsulating it. Soon, he was holding the sphere all on his on. He could already feel the urge to let the magic holding the marble expand outward into the easily recognizable telekinetic field he'd seen so many times, but he fought the urge and redoubled his focus. The unicorn watched as he moved the small orb passed himself as if losing eye contact would ruin the spell. Gigavolt.

He had moved it several feet away from himself, and was now feeling the burn proper. It felt like this was taking forever, like he was moving a piano for miles; but in reality he'd barely moved the marble a tenth of the distance that Asteria had and he'd only been at it for a little while. Gigavolt bit his lip in concentration, he'd gotten it a bit less than a fourth the distance Asteria had managed, but he never expected to even come close to her feat for a long time. It was strange how mentally exhausting it was to put up less energy for a task. He chalked it up to going against everything he'd been taught. Returning the marble to the mare, he presented it. Though it wobbled in mid air, he held on to it for as long as he could before it finally dropped to the floor.

[Hippo]

Yeehaw! It's a fancy schmancy magic show gatherin'! Applejack thought to herself as she got off the train in Canterlot and walked towards what she believed to be the right time and place. The Spellbound Magic guildhall was lit up and seemed to be bustling already with several unicorn ponies showing off their magic skills. For sure, it would be full of capable wielders of magic, but she wondered how it compared to Celestia's School of Gifted Unicorns. Was the guild just a society of CSGU dropouts? Applejack couldn't be sure. But she figured her reference to come at all would have been enough to convince her that these ponies were not a crutch to society. She was more excited to see the tricks and spells performed in the guildhall, provided they were not cast on her, of course. Despite Applejack's resistance to magic in times of her life, her friendship with Twilight Sparkle guided her to an appreciation for magic, especially when they used illusion to perform the only magic that could beat the Trixie with her omnipotent alicorn amulet. Magic that and earth pony could help perform? That was the best kind of magic! Although, in all seriousness, Applejack knew she was way out of her league.

She stepped into the guildhall, and though she was excited for the moment, she felt bashful in the presence of so many unicorns. As far as Applejack could tell, she was the only earth pony in the entire hall. Oh wait, there's an earth pony! Probably here just to spectate like me, she figured. She stepped up to the crowd and decided to politely interrupt everyone's mingle. "Hay, ya'll. Who here is the leader of this magical shindig?"

​

[Zeig]

 

After such a long time on the road, it was almost disconcerting being back in Canterlot.

 

The grayish-blue unicorn slowly made his way down the streets of Canterlot at a languid pace, shuttered eyes staring straight ahead and ignoring every pony he passed by. He didn't even pay attention to the sparkling towers and pristine shops lining the streets, despite that strange feeling of simultaneous familiarity and unfamiliarity. Canterlot was a beast of its own that he could never seem to pin down, as if some magical anomaly constantly shifted and shaped the city just enough to throw him off, whenever he traveled…well. Traveled home.

 

And if he thought of regaining his ground at the Guild Hall, he was sorely mistaken.

 

Nocturne Wisp, for all his deadpanned glares and stares that some ponies often joked were his default expressions, couldn't help the slight raise of his eyebrows as he stepped into the opulent building. He even contemplated stepping back outside to make sure he'd gotten the right warehouse, before a banner caught his eye, confirming that he was indeed standing in the new Guild Hall for Spellbound. Hn. Nocturne Wisp didn't remember much of his first visit - Pocket Change had given him a tour when the guild had been newly formed, pride and accomplishment radiating from his features - but he did remember being decidedly unimpressed at the shabby warehouse, more fit for storage than anything else.

 

Well. Apparently Moondancer and Pocket Change had remedied that very quickly. This time around, Nocturne couldn't deny his eyes shifting and swiveling around to take in the sight of the newly renovated Guild Hall, looking like a proper organization than something akin to a yard sale run from a pony's front lawn.

 

And right away, Nocturne could tell he was not the only one impressed. Several unicorns - and perhaps an equal number of non-unicorns? - were swarming around the place, chattering excitedly to one another. Maybe it was the promise of Princess Twilight Sparkle that had turned up such a crowd, though Nocturne couldn't spot the purple Alicorn. Or rather, couldn't spot a particularly large clump of ponies that would have surely swarmed around the Princess like flies on day-old bread. Perhaps she was a no-show? That would be disappointing.

 

There was however, at the very least, one pony that Nocturne Wisp could be certain of showing, and in a matter of seconds, his eyes alighted on the white unicorn with all the singular intensity of a Timberwolf.

 

The dark unicorn wasted no further time, silently making his way over towards the refreshment table and slipping next to Pocket Change's side like a second shadow, a completely natural movement for Nocturne when it came to the white unicorn. "Nice turnout," he said in lieu of greeting, softly but firmly, though a slight smirk crossed over his features as Nocturne turned slightly towards the other. "Better than my first visit here, that's for sure."

[Bellosh]

"Hay, ya'll. Who here is the leader of this magical shindig?"

Moondancer dropped whatever she was doing when the new guest showed up, apologizing to her friends and Mrs. Belle; “Looks like the routine will have to wait a little bit longer girls; I’ll be back soon!”

This recent pony was unquestionably among the most unexpected of all who’d show up at a magic guild open house. Not only was the mare an earth pony, but one who carried herself in every way as a country farmer type, right down to the accent. As somepony brought up in Canterlot, surrounded mainly by others like her during magic school and other aetherology-related functions, Moony did not expect at all for a country pony to be interested in the great spellbinding mysteries of the arcane.

“I’m the hostess of this Open House Extravaganza,” Moondancer exuberantly greeted the country pony, “Welcome to Spellbound!” In a merry mood to show off her stuff, Moony saw a chance to impress this unlikely guest; “Hey, mind if I try out something cool with your hat, Miss.....?”

[Pretzelparty]

Presteza

“Well,” Java began in a musical note, “I am in fact! Though my knowledge of Arcane Sciences is a little below average and nearing an asymptote of zero... so... it's nearly non-existing.”

“Sad, no? But fully understandable. I am an Engineer you see! Not just that, but also a scholar in Science and Technology! About a month or so ago I have been thinking of joining a different paradigm. A combination of Earth pony engineering, and unicorn arcane science! So I need help. And that's what brought me here!”

“Please just call me Java! I don't like being referred too with formalities... "

Presteza's eyes went wide with excitement as she heard Java mention his chosen profession, "That's so awesome! I used to know an engineer back in Dodge Junction! 'e was a sorta grumpy guy named Rusty Contraption and 'e made all kinds o' crazy stuff! Aw sorry I'm gettin' a bit off topic, anyway a mix o' magic and technology sounds really cool!. if ya want somepony who knows a lot about 'unicorn arcane science' ya can ask my ... mum..." The mare chuckled somewhat awkwardly as she remembered that Java and her mother's first meeting went less than exemplary. From what she recalled Belle and Java had gotten in a minor argument along with her mother's friend in regard to the service of the establishment they were dining in.

"uh, speakin' o' my Mum. I'm sorry yer first meetin' with her didn't go too well... she's a lot nicer once ya get ta know her." she laughed a bit before looking to her mother who seemed to be having fun speaking to her former student, Moondancer.

After looking back to her new friend the mare levitated her saddlebag off her back and opened it up to show her art supplies to the coffee scented stallion, "Anyway, As ya can see I'm an artist myself. The future most awesome artist in Equestrian history." Said the freckled painter proudly, her lips curled into a semi smug smile. Since Presteza had joined Spellbound she had been learning several interesting new tricks that stemmed from her talent as an artist. She was actually hoping to ask Moondancer if she could show off some of the stuff she'd been practicing.

Silver Belle

“Weeeeeell, how does a teleport dance with a partner even work? Is it like regular partner dancing where you... you know..... do this?” As Moony awkwardly explained, she took one of Belle’s hoof in her own, while wrapping her other foreleg around the Duchess’s back.

“Won’t doing this be almost impossible without a synchronized rout-”

How splendid! It seems that Moondancer was indeed up for such a routine. Belle knew there was something about this student she liked, it seemed they both had a slight fun seeking side. What the noblepony didn't see coming was the sudden dancing form that she was brought into by the student of aetherology. After a quick blush the silver pony chuckled and lead the younger mare into a couple steps of a waltz to tease her a bit in turn, "Well. It more or less is a synchronized routine... we basically decide on a pose beforehoof and teleport to our designated spots at the same time. We repeat the process as needed and make the poses more flashy with each spell."

Soon there was the sound of a new (and slightly folksy sounding voice) form the entrance. Almost immediately Belle's daughter perked up at the sound of a certain farm pony's voice. Since Moondancer still needed to be on top of introductions to the guests she had to leave her conversation with belle on pause.

"Hay, ya'll. Who here is the leader of this magical shindig?"

“Looks like the routine will have to wait a little bit longer girls; I’ll be back soon!”

“I’m the hostess of this Open House Extravaganza,” Moondancer exuberantly greeted the country pony, “Welcome to Spellbound!” In a merry mood to show off her stuff, Moony saw a chance to impress this unlikely guest; “Hey, mind if I try out something cool with your hat, Miss.....?”

"APPLEJACK! I didn't know you'd be showin' up here!"

Presteza looked to Javasun,"Sorry Java, I see a friend o' mine over there. Wanna come over and meet her?" before the stallion could answer she eagerly trotted towards the orange mare in the cowpony hat with her friend in tow. Once the two arrived in front of Presteza's friend she spoke to Java, "Java, This is my good friend Applejack." The freckled mare gestured with her hoof to the fellow hat wearing mare at the gathering, "Applejack, These are my friends Moondancer, and Javasun."

[Hippo]

Applejack was well met by an enthusiastic unicorn who claimed to be the lead role in the extravaganza. Her first priority was to inform the hostess on what she brought to the occasion. But as soon as the warm greeting could come, and without immediate suspicion on what an Earth Pony was doing in a magic hall, she asked Applejack if she could do something to her hat, presumably for amusement, Applejack figured. "Uh, mah hat?" Applejack grabbed her hat in the form of protection, and straightened it out a little around the front bill. Her hat was precious to her, more than anything else that wasn't a family member. The origin of the hat is unknown to most everypony, but whatever the story, it was obvious it wasn't something Applejack would be willing to sacrifice early on. "I don know. What'er you gonna do to it?"

At Applejack's five o'clock, Presteza made a surprising meet with Applejack, and even introduce the earth pony that Applejack had seen from across the room when she entered. Although stunning, it was not really that surprising to see Presteza in a place like this. "Pressy! I figured a tough magic wrangler like yerself would be here. It's so good to see you! And howdy, Javasun."

Applejack turned to Moondancer. She had a small gasp. "So you're Moondancer! Twilight's told me so much about you." Applejack stepped up to her and looked around and then whispered to Moondancer something in her ear softly so no one else could hear. When Applejack pulled away, she had a bit lip smile.

​

[tacobob]

As the stallion scooped up helping of his non-alcoholic, but still very good party punch, Pocket Change watched as his fellow guild members, and members to be, as they interacted with each other. He was curious when Princess Twilight was going to pop in. He knew the poor girl had gone through a good deal of drama not that long ago and did not mind if she was going to be 'fashionably late'. He did catch sight of one of her companions, the rather curvaceous and sturdy Applejack. He assumed the mare was waiting for her friend, and while he wanted to make his way over to the famous mare, a unicorn he had not seen in a bit had slowly made his way into the hall.

"Nocturne!". Pocket was being polite. No silly nicknames. No comments on how he was still 'stealing' the light grey unicorn's 'mane-style. The stallion was very happy to see his old friend. After scooping up a second cup of punch, the elated unicorn made his way through the crowd. " Oh yeah. We managed to turn this place around in no time."

A plastic Nightmare Night 'flagon' floated towards the magic anomaly researcher, "Don't mind the mug. Gold and gem covered flagons were just out of our current budget, but we did a heck of a job turning this place into something resembling an actual guildhall. Nearly everything we installed was an antique, from the wooden walls of an recently torn down elementary school, to my grandparents old table, which you might recognize as the one we used to use for our weekly gaming sessions. Pocket did catch the smug look on his face, which he did not take offense. Getting an emotion out of his old friend was rather difficult to do at times, so it was welcome. "As for for the turnout, that was all Moony's doing..", he glanced towards the mare and let out a heavy sigh. "We're actually an official couple. Can't believe it. Gal of my dreams."

Several little bubble-hearts of assorted sizes and colors drifted from his horn, "Ah..", he shook his head and turned back to his Nocturne, "So, how have you been doing? Were you able to accomplish what you had set out for your trip? And how's Dazzle Dawn?"

[moonshineTheleocat]

"uh, speakin' o' my Mum. I'm sorry yer first meetin' with her didn't go too well... she's a lot nicer once ya get ta know her."

“Sure...” Java began, his eye brows going flat almost immediately after she mentioned her mother. It wasn't that the pony specifically had a problem with the lovely dame, it was more on the lines of if she had a beef with him after their first impressions of each other. In fact, Java would be more than willing to try and get to know her... but the fear of her suddenly becoming hostile was still there. Even though the mare had in fact shone a more surprising mischievous nature.

"Anyway, As ya can see I'm an artist myself. The future most awesome artist in Equestrian history."

“I can tell,” Java chuckled after looking down to the art supplies. “I recall it being mentioned back in Donut Joes. I might not seem all there... and daft north north-west when there is a breeze to the south... but I keep track of things around me.” He then smiled and tilted his head back with a grin. “Actually... I kinda hope to see a few ponies I know make it to the big times. The snobby artists back in the galleries had already banned me.” He then scoffed and rolled his eyes, “I am apparently a terrible critic. Though true, my only training in art is actually conceptual drawings and technical drawings. Which, I agree is not art. Just... mechanical.”

"APPLEJACK! I didn't know you'd be showin' up here!"

Then suddenly his ear drums had been blown to smitherines. The mare next to him having blown them out till all that was left was an agonizing ringing tone, and the occasional few words pushing through.

“Apple... jack.... meet... her,” was all the pony could pick up. That was till he was now suddenly dragged across the ground by the surprisingly strong mare. The pony did feel heavy for his smaller work horse frame, but reguardless he was moved.

Then finally when he came to a stop, he slowly picked himself off the ground. His ears finally stopping their ringing.

“Oh, Applejack?” The pony asked with a curious expression. He then grinned and extended a hoof. “I don't believe we met properly, but I helped out on the plant team. Then things went through the winder faster than a streaking eagle. Got turned into a popcicle by ice water and had to sit a good bit of time out to recover.”

[Gerrard]

Asteria watched as Gigavolt did his best to emulate her magical techniques. He struggled to minimize his magic use and had problems moving it far away. If she wasn't fully aware of what he was doing, the pained expression on his face would have been alarming. But she patiently watched him in silence, carefully scooping up the marble in her crimson magic as he dropped it. "That was an acceptable first outing Sir Gigavolt. With additional training and practice, you could potentially improve. Please allow me to offer you a gift," she politely remarked in her usual disinterested tone as her long black horn let off the faintest of crimson glimmers while she hid the marble. As quickly as the marble vanished, it was seemingly replaced with another strange sphere.

The orb was equal in size to the previous one, its form covered in a tiny rainbow of colors. She carefully presented it to him and looked around the room in an almost suspicious manner as if it were some powerful artifact. "This rubber ball should be easy to track and manipulate. I have taken multiple steps to ensure its shape and it should be an exceptional training instrument. I hope my lessons will be helpful in your future efforts. If you need additional assistance beyond this gathering, you may contact me at my courier office in Canterlot," she politely remarked as her eyes drifted around the room for additional people to teach, learn from, or otherwise interact with her new associates.

[RarityDash]

“Thanks for showing up Dazzle! It means a whole lot having one of my best friends drop by. Anywho, why don’t you round up the girls, And tell them that Mrs. Belle and I are doing a teleport dance together? This may very well end in either a smashing success or a train wreck. Both are equally fun to watch though... right?”

"Ooh, a teleport dance? That sounds amazing!" Dazzle said with wide eyed enthusiasm. She looked at Mrs. Belle. She was sure she had seen her before somewhere, perhaps at school, but didn't really remember. She was really pretty though for an older mare. She looked nice.

She looked then toward the others in the room. "Hey everypony, Dancer and this pretty mare are going to do an awesome magic dance! We should all watch!" she called out in a loud, excitable voice.

That was when Dancer excused herself. "Or, well, she is going to soon!" she corrected herself, equally loudly, rubbing the back of her head and grinning.

​

"Gray Lexis! So good to see you again!It's been a long time, how have you been? So this is Spellbound. You have quite a unique assortment of guests gathered here. Some of these ponies look quite young and eager. Tell me Gray, what exactly are your plans for this organization?"

Gray laughed and nodded to the old stallion. "Ah, it's been a life. I can't say I've regretted it much, leaving the university. I've seen the world!," he said with some excitement. Some had called it a breakdown, but Gray couldn't see how his decision to abandon lecturing to ungrateful upstarts at Canterlot University to explore the world with his own eyes was anything but sane.

Hoofcourt spoke like he assumed Gray was the leader of the organization. This wasn't necessarily true, though he was, at least perhaps prior to this day, perhaps the most senior member, and one of the ones there since the beginning. Even if he wasn't a leader in any official capacity though, he did consider himself something of a guide for the ponies here and hoped to lead and shape them in ways. He nodded at old Hoofcourt and kept a smile about him.

"I'd like to make from this miss-matched bunch something unquestionably great. I hope to forge legends. I want there to be a thousand years from now, tales passed from pony to pony of the great feats accomplished by the the guild Spellbound, just as today we still tell all the old tales of Starswirl," Gray said resolutely. "Greatness is there for us if we want to grab it, I think. I mean, you're pretty near proof to that. I just need to get all these young ones thinking clearly. Once they realize they can actually make it theirs, I think we can do our part to leave a mark on the world."

​

[Zeig]

 

It was hardly noticeable, detectable only if pony was looking at and paying direct attention to him. But that didn't mean Nocturne liked it any better, especially when his tail gave a second funny little spasm, a light shiver that could easily be mistaken for a deliberate flick of the tail as the white unicorn by his side stared out into the crowd, seemingly awed and breathless at the turnout of other ponies.

 

Nocturne knew better though. Had known better for a long time, and it still didn't erase the slight dip in his brow and minuscule downturn of his lips as the dark unicorn scowled lightly into his flagon, as if it were personally responsible for…this.

 

Not that…this…was anything new. For all his smarts, Nocturne wasn't even sure what…this…was, exactly. He and Moondancer went far back, back to those first days of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. The white unicorn hadn't been anything more than a classmate at first, and had never become anything more than a good friend through all their years. Nocturne couldn't even remember if he had been particularly interested in anything else, persé, but that hadn't changed the feelings of protectiveness - and some possessiveness - that had arisen once Pocket Change arrived on the scene.

 

She had been his first, the same way Pocket Change was his.

 

This neutral sort of possessiveness over both friends had been a source of inner conflict for a while, one that had - thankfully - not spilled over to affect his relationships with either of the two unicorns. If it had, he probably wouldn't have been scowling into his flagon next to Pocket Change at the moment, because as smart as Nocturne was, he knew, instinctively, that they would have chosen each other before choosing him. No question. Still, it had never exactly died down either, leading to these moments - usually after he had not seen either of them in a long time - where he altered between irritation at the obvious affection in Pocket Change's voice, and irritation at the obvious affection in Pocket Change's voice.

 

Nocturne Wisp's scowl only deepened at the disgustingly loving hearts that spontaneously sprouted out of Pocket's horn to float gaily in the air, and he didn't even bat an eyelash as he let out a flare of magic from his own, pale blue and completely harmless fire overtaking the hearts and snuffing them out before disappearing like a wisp in the air. "Fine," he answered shortly, but stepped forward to knock his levitated flagon against Pocket's own, lest the white unicorn's attention stray back towards Moondancer and the crowd surrounding her. "She's fine," he repeated lowly, silver gaze scanning around the room, "at least she was last I saw her. Haven't been back to my apartment yet."

 

Abruptly, Nocturne realized what he had let slip, causing his ears to fall back on his head slightly. "N-Not that I was in any rush to get here or anything," the dark unicorn snapped, before Pocket Change could try and claim any different. "I just - I got in on the late train. Made more sense to stop by here first." Ergh. Nocturne glanced away for a moment, struggling to regain control of himself, and turned back to start discussing his research, when an achingly familiar voice suddenly split through the room, causing the unicorn's ears to fall back onto his head - for a completely different reason.

 

"Speaking of," Nocturne muttered under his breath for only Pocket Change to hear, but couldn't help his eyes zeroing intently in on Dazzle Dawn, only now noticing her thanks to locating her voice. The light blue unicorn was looking…good, he noted with some surprise. Like always, he supposed, though time and memory had a tendency to warp reality. Bright and playful colors, loud colors, easily overturning and outriding his own dark and muted palette. Clearly, his roommate was excitable as ever, something Nocturne wasn't really looking forward to once he returned back to their shared apartment. Nor being confined to a working space in the nearby vicinity of said loud and bright pony, talking and chattering and smiling that stupidly wide and innocent smile up at him.

 

No. Not at all.

[Bellosh]

"I don know. What'er you gonna do to it?"

It appeared the apple pony was really protective of her hat. That wouldn’t be a problem though; “Oh, I just wanted to teleport it onto my own head. It’s a piece of cake, really!” To assure the hat-wearing mare that nothing could possibly go wrong, Moondancer swiftly abused her magic one more time to warp next to the earth pony’s side, positioning herself to casually recline on the other’s when the Moony rematerialized. “See? Completely safe!” Not quite 100% accurate, for mishaps were known to happen if a spellcaster grew too careless.

Moondancer however didn’t get a chance to press the issue further, as Presteza came over right there and then. Moony figured out that Applejack was one of Twilight Sparkle’s friends, and got off her just in time for AJ to whisper something vital into Moony’s ear. For several seconds, the moon-flanked girl gave off a downcast expression, her ears folded. Whatever transpired between the two mares, it wasn’t something the Open House hostess did not want to learn.

But the night was young, and Moondancer needed to get on with the show. Pulling herself together, she gave Applejack a brief nod before grinning widely; “So uhhh, there’s still a little bit more time before the ceremony begins! My offer to do a hat trick still stands, Applejack.....”

[Mojo]

Professor Hoofcourt Magic listened intently to the words of his old friend.

"Now Gray Lexis," the elderly unicorn stallion began to speak, "though the goals of this group are quite noble, the mere pursuit of fame and glory is NOT what true magic is all about. Even from my humble beginnings, I've always said that the fine art of magic was all about helping others. I've never sought fame for myself, it was thrust upon me by other ponies. My first feat of magic was a rescue operation. I was a foal back then, and one of my classmates had fallen into a deep well. While the teacher ran off to find help, all I could hear was the screams of that poor filly foal splashing around in the bottom of that well. I realized she would likely drown if action wasn't taken quickly, so I summoned all of the magical power my young body had to teleport her out! Of course, I spent the next three days in the hospital from magic exhaustion, but I saved that filly's life. That's when my schoolmates started calling my 'Starswirl', and the nickname stuck, even after I became a Professor at Canterlot University. The point is, I didn't seek fame or legend statis. A job well done always speaks for itself. There's an old saying I've tried to live my life by, and it's this. If a pony tends to 'toot their own bugle' too much, it drowns out the rest of the music in the band. Do you understand me?"

[starswirlthebearded]

Trekker

It had been many moons since the adventuring mare had set hoof through the doors of this old warehouse. Truth be told, she rarely was able to make previous meetings. Being halfway across Equestria didn't make scheduled meetings easy at all. Still she had made some good friends like Pressy, Moondancer and of course Pocket Change. Like any good magical mare she used her magic to open the door and cantered in, not really realizing how late she really was. As the doors closed behind her she looked upon the newly refinished warehouse. Is this really the same warehouse that I had previously visited. The mare pondered to herself, looking at some of the old faces and new. She also wondered if Princess Twilight would arrive. She had heard many stories of her magical talent while studying at Celestia's School. Before she could even consider that she saw another whom she heard much about... Professor Hoofcourt 'Starswirl' Magic. However before she could introduce herself to the legendary stallion she had to first look for her friends.

A quick survey of the room told Trekker that Moondancer and Pressy were talking to an earth mare, whom she was sure she saw before... was it at the Winter Wrap Up in Ponyville? They hadn't met, but she remembered she was a team leader... As she cantered up to the gathering she greeted her friends "Hey Pressy and Moon. It's been a while." She smiled looking down at Chrome who was obviously happy at seeing them. His ears went down and his tail started moving to and fro. Without even missing a beat he ran up to Pressy and nuzzled the mare with his muzzle and then looked over at Moon who appeared to be doing some magic so he stayed with Pressy until an opportunity to greet her presented itself. "It appears Chrome missed you as well." Trekker smiled. "So how have you two been? Been back to the Everfree since our visit?"

Razor Gears

Shortly after Trekker had entered one of the founding members had decided to make an appearance. It wasn't often that he could come as it usually hinged on something happening in Canterlot that he had to attend. Unfortunately for him, all his conventions and symposiums had not occurred around meetings in some time. He had however considered moving to Canterlot due to more opportunity to do magical research. He had gained quite a few friends at Canterlot Hospital who showed great interest in his research and talents as a doctor... However, that aside, he had made an exception for this one, as it was apparently a large open house extravaganza. He honestly did not care much for meeting Princess Twilight Sparkle who had reportedly agreed to become honorary guildmaster, but he did look forward to seeing those he had met previously, especially that old coot Grey Lexis. He smiled at the thought of another verbal sparring match with the old stallion. As much as they disagreed, he was probably the one who he had connected most with at the first meeting.

Dr Gears spotted him rather easily with another elder stallion. He cantered up to them and introduced himself to the new stallion and greeted his old 'friend.' "Grey Lexis! I see you haven't gotten yourself into any trouble in your search to find greatness since our last meeting." The young doctor sarcastically greeted the old stallion. He immediately shook his head "Oh, forgive me! Where are my manners." As he looked at the other stallion, who was clearly older than Grey. "I am Dr Razor Gears of Manehattan Hospital, one of the founding members of this guild like my friend Grey Lexis here. I do not believe I have had the honor of making your acquaintance." The doctor smiled as he greeted the elder stallion.

((OOC: I'll be bringing in Celestia later on, probably my next post or the post after))

[Hippo]

Applejack was in a pretty good mood, all things considering. Although she wasn't a unicorn, she did respect unicorn magic for its usefulness. Which for her, made it a little ironic that the subject was Winter Wrap Up for a couple ponies. When Java spoke, he mentioned her being the leader of the plant team, and the situations this past winter that almost ended in complete failure. Applejack would stand proud of her team regardless. "Yeah, it was mighty embaressing, having to take a leave of absence during the freak storm we had during the cleanup." She played it coy, as she refered to her being unconscious during the clean up as a minor inconvenience. "But it all worked out in the end, right?" Applejack chuckled towards Javasun, as the earth pony reminded her of What happened earlier in the year.

Along with Javasun, another pony, this one green, approached the group and spoke of returning to the Everfree. Applejack herself returned to the Everfree almost daily in a sense. But she wouldn't tout it.

Moondancer seemed slightly troubled, but Applejack couldn't blame her. And in response, Applejack decided to give Moondancer a chance on her hat. Moondancer's teleportation next to Applejack was impressive enough. Twilight Sparkle was the only other unicorn Applejack knew that could pull it off regularly. But with the stories Applejack had heard from Twilight about Moondancer, she realized this was probably a pony she could trust. And the hat was destroyed? Well, let's just say Applejack has been practicing her wrangling skills. "Alright, magical girl, I'll let you try a trick with mah hat. Jus' be careful! It means a lot to me."

​

[RarityDash]

Dazzle was unsure what to do with her anzious energy for a while, it seeming like they weren't very much closer to Dancer's dancing. She gave a small sigh and looked around. That's when she saw him! it was Nocturne Wisp, her roommate. He always seemed so moody and kind of over serious, but Dazzle could tell he was a good guy. Just like Arcana before, it was just a matter of showing them brightness and trying to bring about a sunny smile! Cheefully she skipped through the turn toward him.

"Wispy!" she shouted as she leaped toward him and pulled him into a hug. "I didn't know you were coming here too? We could have gone together! Please tell me you're gonna join too? That would be just awesome and I'm sure Dancer would just love it!"

She jumped back after a moment and looked to the pony he was speaking to. It took her a moment to recognize him at first, since she had heard about him far more than she had actually met him. Eventually it struck her that the charming stallion in front of her was none other than Pocket Change, Dancer's coltfriend. She smiled at him. "Hiya, Change! How's it going? Did Dancer tell you I was joining Spellbound too? Because I am!" she said with cheerfully energy.

​

Gray adjusted his glasses and stroked his moustache as he listened to Hoofcourt speak. it was about the lecture he'd expect from the wizened old sage. For as long as he had known Hoofcourt Magic, he had never very often seen him falter from his steady course. He could admire it for sure.

"That I think, Hoofcourt is the thread that separates our core philosophies. You have so much more faith in things as they are. It's in why you still get called in to give lectures to throngs of students who could never comprehend all you've accomplished while I go gallivanting about trying to uncover the mysteries of this world. "

"I do see it though. I know that much good is done just in the course of life, by ponies just doing their jobs or just doing what is right. I don't question that, nor do I believe that anypony should act only to bring glory onto himself," Gray continued, respectfully. "I just believe we can do more. We can do more to remind ponies to aspire, to reach for their dreams and try and accomplish something great rather than just hoofing the line. We just see it too often in this day and age, ponies who read about the greats and the legends in their textbook and instantly decide it's all beyond them. That's the attitude I'd like to see Spellbound try to correct."

It was about then that a certain Dr. Razor Gears happened to approach the two of them. Gray smiled. "Speaking of such difficult attitudes..." he coughed. "A pleasure to see you again as well, Dr. Gears."

He nodded toward Hoofcourt after Razor gave his introduction. "I'm sure a learned young buck like you would know of this stallion, at least by reputation," he said to the young doctor. "The one and only Hoofcourt Magic, self styled Starswirl for the modern age!"

​

[tacobob]

Pocket Change watched as his old friend roasted his candy-balloon-heart-things and shook his head sadly, “I assume by your tone, aura, movements, and tiny little daggers I can almost see in your pupils, that your trip did not go as you had intended.” This sounded a bit more like the usual snarky and sarcastic stallion that Nocturne had known in the past. His recent hook-up with Moondancer had instilled the unicorn with a near unlimited sense of glee. The unicorn had a rather lengthy crush on the white coated mare throughout most of his high school days, but he was far too intimidated by her smarts, beauty and magical expertise to even ask her out. Instead, he generally ended up with pretty, but rather vapid girls. His last mare-friend, Sun Catcher was a by far his best, but she was still had some rather alarmingly annoying personality traits that Pocket had managed to ignore. Moondancer was one positive mare, but she was far more grounded than any of the mares he had dated before.

The stallion paused to notice as Trekker trekked into view. The two had been on a couple of interesting little adventures together, one that involved Pinkie Pie and an entire army of very angry insects, but even this memory could not block out what was really going on,"Seriously Wisp, is there anything we can disc...", he stopped as the previously before mentioned Dazzle Dawn made herself noticeable to the pair. "Actually, Moony did give me a list, which I just sort of scanned rather briefly. Had a zillion things on my mind at the time and knew she would have invited only the best and brightest.", he slowly rubbed the back of his head with a free hoof, "The turnout we've had so far has completely blown my mind. Just hope Princess Twilight shows up on time."

[Zeig]

 

Nocturne Wisp didn't so much as blink when Pocket Change spoke up again, unsurprised that his friend had misunderstood the reason for his tone and, as he called them, "tiny little daggers". The unicorn didn't bother addressing the mistake however, content to let Pocket Change believe what he would as he shook his head lightly, annoyance fading back into light irritation. "The Everfree Forest is as forgiving as ever," he said in response, eyes trained on the blue unicorn flitting back and forth in the distance. "Lucky enough to get as many samples as I did without losing a leg and a hoof for them."

 

And very thankful for that he was, even though Nocturne knew that there were some magical rewards that were easily worth a few limbs.

Such morbid thoughts weren't exactly knew to Nocturne, having thought similar things during his tenuous research that often slipped through his grasp like smoke in the wind. Magical anomalies had the tendency to be as easy to decipher as it was to eat glass, and more often than not, the dark colored unicorn had had to slink away in defeat from some magical mismatch or another. Still, the thrill of not only discovering an anomaly, but figuring it out, finding what made it tick and why it existed in the first place - well. Nocturne didn't take pleasure from too many things in Equestria, but he could confidently say that his research was well worth giving up a few things for.

 

Luckily - in a relative way - the unicorn was abruptly knocked out of his thoughts by the realization that Dazzle Dawn was heading straight towards him, like a ray of sunshine beaming relentlessly searing through a sea of clouds. Nocturne didn't even have time to let out anything more than a short bark of exclamation before he was enveloped in her hug, with an easy-going movement that was probably completely natural for her. Probably because she went around hugging every pony-feathered stallion in sight, Nocturne thought as one foreleg automatically shot forward to wrap around Dazzle's waist and balance against her leap. The thought almost brought a scowl to Nocturne's face, but it was mostly occupied by the sudden rush of blood under his fur at Dazzle's first touch.

 

Really. Nocturne wasn't sure how he could still get this surprised and flustered after how much time he had spent sharing space with the other unicorn. If only she would stop doing that.

 

At least he had gotten used to it enough not to question her intentions every time she leapt at him, leaving Nocturne to quickly pull away his leg as if burned and instead place a hoof against one of Dazzle's shoulders, unsure if he was attempting to push her away or pull her against him and out of the throng of ponies. "D-Don't," he groused, but ended with a sigh, knowing that any attempt to get her to stop touching him would only end in failure, like it had the last six hundred times or so. "Yes, yes, I'm joining Spellbound. Celestia knows Change begged me enough." Nocturne shot a glance at the white unicorn, daring him to say anything as his blush receded by a fraction, finally lowering to an acceptable level once Dazzle Dawn released him.

 

The blue unicorn was quick to shift attentions however, and Nocturne also brought his pale stare back towards Pocket Change - though, he was just as quick to whip it back towards Dazzle, eyes narrowing as he caught her - yes, that! She was doing it again!

 

"Stop that," he hissed, speaking in a low tone like he was afraid of being overheard. "Be more aware of your surroundings."

[Slazer]

Shortly after greeting Moondancer, Lane had been drawn to the vast collection of books lining the walls and plucked one from the shelves to peruse while waiting for another opportunity to see what this Spellbound guild was all about. The book, a nifty thing about transfiguration magic, proved much more interesting than he thought it would and the student in Lane couldn't help but be absorbed in the words. After what felt like just minutes, he looked up- and promptly dropped the tome on the floor with an inaudible 'thud'. Inaudible not because of the book but because the sizable hall was suddenly filled with ponies making all kinds of conversation. Dear Celestia, look at all them all! Are these all perspective guild members? There had to have been nearly a dozen newcomers since he looked away.

After getting over the sheer number of ponies who'd arrived, and carefully re-shelving the book he dropped, Lane's mind kicked back into gear and he started taking a closer look at the faces. The fact that so many had expressed interest in Spellbound was definitely a good mark in Lane's book for the guild at large- he was most certainly joining now, with so many prospective partners to be seen- and he was distinctly interested in the number of CSGU students and faculty who had shown up; he swore he even saw a retired professor here, and made a note to speak to him at some point. He recalled that Moondancer had pointed one of the students out to him, a Fire Heart if he remembered right, when she'd greeted him, but he'd gotten... ahem, distracted by the books before he could speak to her.

The scholarly unicorn blushed lightly in embarrassment; he really needed to get his head out of the sand if he was going to cooperate in a guild like this. Well, now's as good a time to start as any, I suppose. Lane recalled what the filly had looked like in his glimpse of her, red coat with a vibrant orange mane, and picked her out among the crowd: she seemed to be waiting for something, probably the teleport dance Moondancer and another pony were working on, and didn't seem to be speaking to anyone. Gathering his confidence, Lane maneuvered through the chatting ponies and approached Fire Heart with a smile, "Good evening, miss... Fire Heart, right? How are you today?" He greeted her rather formally, as he was wont to do, and he watched her subtly to see how she reacted.