The Mystery of the Starstone (Cancelled due to lack of interest)

[Zealot]

The Duke takes a sip of his wine and looks up as Java mentions that he'd gone on a wild goose chase through the Prench wilderness. He chuckles at that saying, "Oh, hardly a wild goose chase. Radiance, our griffon ambassador. She gives us some good information from time to time. Don't ask me how she gets it of course, and almost always it'll singe you for the trouble," he chuckles, his eyes darting up to his mane once more. "It's always good though. Probably not worth keeping her around, but hey." He shrugs at that, moving on to Java's other questions. "While it's true I don't seem like the one for these kind of excursions, I have been in dangerous situations before. Count Fervant and I are good friends, in fact I was his ward. He taught me how to handle myself."

 

There's a pause as the Duke spares a glance across the room to the purple unicorn and the blue mare, then his eyes fall on the Countess Frostfall and he sighs. "History? We don't know anything of the Starstone," he says quickly before turning back. "As for Prance. Well, I do know a fair bit of Prench history. We were once an independent state formed by four ancient houses. They formed the four Prench duchies. Trotousse, Whittany, Canterpange and Pastoix. For a while, they ruled by an Open Elective. They elected a ruler from the entire nobility by consent, however after some time factions emerged and there was a civil war. The Duke of Canterpange won, managing to calm the tensions using diplomacy. Soon, he united the disparate factions and changed the succession law so that only a noble who held the title of the duchy of Canterpange could inherit. Prance was ruled as a Feudal Monarchy until it's incorporation into the realm of greater Equestria after the inheriting line of Cantpet ran out. Prance was left without a ruler, thus was incorporated into Equestria and a distant relative of the old Cantpet line was installed on the throne of the duchy of Canterpange. One that had ties with the royal blood of Equestria." Enji pauses there to sip his wine. "There's a fair amount of debate about how much Equestria has done for Prance, and I think being absorbed into Equestria was a mistake. There's argument for and against of course, and I'd rather not get into it. Besides, at the moment it's all friendly debate, not too much tension over it yet."

 

There was a slight twitch as the duke noticed Thrifty Flower standing next to him. "Duke Enjou," she says with a bit of a sneer. "You and I need to talk."

 

The Duke sighs a little and nods, smiling apologetically at Java. "I am sorry, umm, feast business. Would you excuse me?" he asks, not moving until Java has had time to respond.

 

Fair Belle smiles at the compliment and looks around. "Well, I can't take all the credit. The staff did a great job too. Still, thanks," she says with a smile and takes a wine glass carefully in her magic as it is offered. She floats it over and takes a small sip, smiling at Dunder as she does so, only to look a little alarmed as he drinks the whole thing in one gulp. "Quicker songs? Well, yes, there will be a little dancing just before the feast. Most of the quicker songs are for after the feasting though. Still, I am in charge of... oh what do they call it? The playlist?" she asks with a grin. "I can always ask them to turn up the beat."

 

The unicorn blushes a little when she is told she is more lovely as Princess Cadence and giggles slightly, shuffling on her hooves. "Oh my... Well, it does sound nice. Exotic."

 

She trails off as a blueish pegasus mare wearing a purple dress walks carefully down the stairs and into the entrance hall. Her dress is elegant, long and flowing, quite pretty. Perhaps it isn't as intricate as most gowns worn at court, but it is still quite beautiful. She is also wearing a silver necklace. The mare is accompanied by a small black unicorn stallion. He is wearing some simple finery, well made and well fitting though nothing particularly stands out about it. If one of the guests had a sharp eye, they might see his hooves, and possibly his legs, are marred with old scars which has left most of the fur on his legs unable to regrow itself. 

 

Fair Belle looks up and smiles, "Ahh, okay. So that's Lilac Orchid down, with Creeping Dread. Bless him. Where's... ahh. I guess I'll need to go and kick her out of her room. Well, that's nearly everyone. Count Fervant and his ward still needs to arrive and the iron pike mercenaries. Though I hope they don't show up," she says with a hint of annoyance. "Unfortunately Enji knows them though and they'd be upset if they weren't invited. I just hope they'll behave."

 

The two newcomers, Lilac Orchid and Creeping Dread make their way down the steps and join the two unknown unicorns. The two mares embrace each other then start chatting happily while the two stallions nod at each other and seem to form some semblance of a conversation.

 

Over in the rotunda, Radiant Charm seems to once again take a break from the conversation and watches each of the ponies carefully, perhaps a little too obviously excluding herself from conversation for the moment.

 

Prince Genant gulps awkwardly and nods at each of the mares as they greet him. "Hi, thank you," he says to each of them, giving them all a giddy smile. "It's... it's great to meet all of you too," he says, blushing at Starlit Shimmer's compliments. "I well, err, I, umm, well," he stammers, then takes a deep breath, seeming to compose himself for a moment then nodding to Amorous Rose. "I'd love to join you... umm, if that's okay..." he trails off, edging into the circle.

 

The grey earth pony sidles in next to the Prince and smiles at the group. "Dim Light, a pleasure to meet you all," he introduces himself, catching Starlit Shimmer's eye. He smiles at her, turning to Amorous Rose as she asks about the Starstone.

 

The Prince looks as her with wide eyes, clearly not expecting to be asked anything. "Oh, umm, the Starstone?" he asks, blinking rapidly. "Well, umm, the, err, the Starstone. My father told me, a little and I heard it's... well, umm, err, hah. Disputed," he says quickly, looking about nervously. "But, umm. I did see it when the duke. He presented it to my father. It's... Well, it umm. It looks like, err, well. Pure white diamond, and it glows, with, umm, white. I don't know how. They didn't say it was magical." He trails off again, looking to Dim Light who gives him an encouraging smile. 

[Zeig]

It seemed that the Prince wasn't simply a case of the immediate anxieties, then. His continued stutters and stammers only seemed to prove his inability to hold a proper conversation after all.

Quite a pity.

At least his companion was of a different sort, causing Starlit Shimmer's gaze to fall more fully on Dim Light. The Earth Pony seemed much more relaxed and at ease with the going-ons than the Prince himself, seemingly more used to occasions that required a semi-public spotlight. Perhaps he was even the Prince's bodyguard? Not the type that decked themselves out in full armor and gear…but it was the unassuming ones, after all, that carried the most surprise. Hopefully, the Prince would have a few of those himself - otherwise, Shimmer was quite content to remain dully unimpressed with his Royal Highness.

"Mmm, sounds like a jewel among gems," the cream Unicorn murmured slyly as the Prince trailed off from his explanation, moving just a touch closer to his, and by extension Dim Light's, side, "But surely there must be something magical about this stone, wouldn't you think? A gem without flaw that glows pure white - plucked right out from fantasy."

Despite herself - and the wealth of jewels littering her penthouse in Stalliongrad - Shimmer couldn't help but imagine what such a gem would look like adorning her own body. Perhaps centered in a necklace dripping with diamonds, white light drawing any and all attention onto herself. It did make quite an imagined visual, enough to cause a brief spike of envy to flare through the Unicorn. Of course, such imaginations were folly if the fabled Starstone turned out to be some faux to begin with. Shimmer didn't think any social pony would cause such a commotion if he or she didn't have the means to back up said claims…but what did she know of Prench workings?

More than some, if she had her way by the end of the evening.

"That being said," Shimmer began almost brusquely, though still with that hint of breathy softness that could make a mare appear simpering and helplessly awed, "perhaps we may converse and make our way inside at the same time? I've yet to even greet the good Duke this evening and thank him for the invitation - very remiss of me," she confided with a mock whisper, though in truth she doubted the Duke was keeping tabs on each and every one of his guests to notice a lapse in manners. Half of the Equestrian high socialites and then some had undoubtedly been invited to attend, after all.

…Too bad the Duke hadn't overlooked the and then some.

[Dunder]

Dunder listened to what the Duke had to say about Equestria. Dunder himself liked Equestria, but if his own homeland had been assimilated, he didn't think he'd be fond of it either. But that was a matter for another time. After all, Prance seemed to have retained it's autonomy in every besides answering to the princess. One step closer to all ponykind being united, perhaps. But Dunder was snapped out of his thoughts as the Duke and the mare left. He looked back into Fair Belle's eyes.

He chuckled when she mentioned the playlist. "Oh, yes. After the feasting though, I'll probably be too sluggish to bust my moves. Maybe that'd give you a better chance to keep up." He said and chuckled, grinning confidently. He made her blush/ That was a good sign, just one step closer to the courting being finished.

He did look up when the new mare trotted down the steps. Blue with wings and a purple dress. And accompanied by a pony that looked a few steps too close to the grave. Polar opposites. Beauty and the beast. Creeping Dread? The name fit. Dunder made a mental not of him.

Dunder didn't know if it was in his DNA, or if it was just because he wasn't a noble. But keeping track of all the relationships of these nobles was getting cumbersome. All names, faces, colors he'd never seen before.

"Iron Pike Mercenaries? They sound like bad news. Well, point them out when they come. If they come. I'll be more than happy to help out. We'll be more than happy to help out." Dunder said and pulled Java close with a wing. "I think I'll be spending the good part of the night with you anyway, Belle. You are quite the interesting mare."

[moonshineTheleocat]

The stallion… frowned as his ears relaxed a bit nearly laying on the side. When he asked about the stallions history. He meant to know a bit more about… well the bucking Duke! Not the starstone, which the pony can already make an effective guess that they know just about as much of the stone as Voronoi did himself! Which amounts to, it’s a shinny gemstone that’s called starstone!

 

And most certainly not the history of Prance, nor the way it’s politics are managed! He’s already taken the liberty to do just that on his way from Canterlot. The most he needed to fill in the blanks were current noble names… which were hard to come up with. As… it seemed that this family had just fallen off the face of the world. Once again, his family barely remembered the lot.

 

Regardless… the stallion managed to bite back his irritation about Engie suddenly going off on a tangent. Or… was he avoiding something? No… course it wasn’t. Now Voronoi was just trying to find an excuse to let the strange misunderstanding slide.

 

Voronoi gave the other a polite nod as he take his leave… for some other pressing matters. Once again leaving him on his own as he glanced down to his wine. Through the reflection of the glass… he could easily see that Dunder had no need of his assistance to prevent himself looking like the Crazy uncle that ponies lock in the attic, and decided it was time to set himself adrift for some other company. Maybe he could find an interesting pony? Or perhaps a scholar… there were a few that seemed to look the part.

 

But whom? The stallion continued to stare into his wine like it held the secrets to the universe. So many options…

[PyroBlaze]

Well, that had been quite the enticing description of the gem that was going to be shown later. Made her almost want to go and just take it before it was even unveiled. Unfortunately, for something like that, she would have to hang onto it for a while before she could likely sell it to anyone, and she didn't want to betray the Duke's hospitality besides. Speaking of which, she still wasn't sure why he had decided to invite what he only knew as a shop owner from Manehatten. Oh well, she was here now.

 

The white mare remained silent as the others in the group spoke, her eyes drawn to inspect the Prince and his companion. Though he was royalty, the prince was definitely not comfortable in this setting. He was probably far enough down the line that it was unlikely he would ever get the throne. She actually felt a bit sorry for him for that, though she didn't say anything about that. Dim Light, however, appeared much more comfortable in this situation and was much more confident than the prince. Granted, he likely was out in the world more than the prince was, so that could be playing a big role in their attitudes.

 

"That sounds wonderful." Marusha said after Starlit's suggestion that they headed inside. "I would love to see the inside of this wonderful building." She said, giving a friendly smile in the Prince's direction. "Would you care to join us, your highness?"

[Solaria]

Rose contented herself with waiting patiently as each had their turn at conversation, though she did garner small amusement from watching the subtle cues each of her companions gave off while speaking. Always a game, this socializing, and it was clear that some were much better than others. Though she preferred the hide-and-go-seek games she had played with her children as foals, at least this was more entertaining than standing about comparing fashion.

 

True to form, Starlit Shimmer suggested that they head into the party proper. Her reasoning was sound, it would be in poor taste not to meet with their gracious host, but the mare had an inkling that a bigger public spotlight might serve as good motivation for the heiress. Dipping her head in consent, the earth pony employed a rather subtle technique she'd perfected in what seemed a previous life.

 

While moving in the direction of the indoors, her posture gave the near-illusion that she was simply sidling to the side so as to wait for the more important guests to take lead. Hopefully it would serve to allow the nervous prince a graceful segue into moving forward, as the motion tended to subconsciously kick-start others into moving without even breaking from conversation. Surely Starlit Shimmer would notice, and quite possibly the newly-introduced Dim Light, but it mattered not.

 

Rose came to a halt near the railing, about a half-step closer to the main party than the rest of the group. Taking the moment to allow for a pregnant pause and hopefully the start of an exodus from the rotunda, she leaned forward to inhale deeply of the vibrant flowering plants that waved through the gardens. A nearly intoxicating scent, one that spoke well of the Duke's groundspony's skill. While part of her longed to search for a white rose to place in her mane, her expression was light and expectant as she turned to their royal companion.

 

"Shall we, your Highness?"

[Zealot]

The duke meanders away, bidding Voronoi a momentary farewell as he left him alone in the hall. Indeed, he had seemed a little evasive. Heck, talking all about Prance's history had definitely been a major tangent to the conversation. Perhaps it was just a misunderstanding, perhaps not. Still, if Voronoi didn't know where Prance had come from, he did now. Not that the information was going to be useful any time soon. Or would it? 

 

At any rate, glancing about the room there were plenty of ponies to talk to. Countess Frostfall was again instantly recognisable, the countess of Whittany seemed to have edged away from the other two mares who were conversing. In fact, she seemed to be heading for the hordourves' table to grab something to eat. 

 

The other two mares in the room, the blue pegasus and unicorn respectively, were both chatting away happily. They seemed quite young and apparently good friends. Next to them, the two unicorn stallions exchanged few words. The purple coloured unicorn seemed to be the more active of the pair. 'Creeping Dread' as Dunder will know him as thanks to Fair Belle, seemed to get weaker and weaker as time went by. It was almost like he was melting away. Quite odd.

 

Meanwhile, Fair Belle smiles at Dunder's comment, chuckling happily. "Oh? I have been to plenty of feasts and I know all the court dances quite well," she says. "But perhaps, I would certainly like to see you try," she challenges. The mare gives him a mischievous look at that, glancing around the hall once more and taking note of a green stallion who seems to be halted at the top of the staircase, talking to someone just out of sight. "Ahh," she comments, taking a mental note before her brain once again switches back to the subject of the conversation. "Oh, yes. They are... well... bad news, as you put it. Unfortunately we can't really say no if they decide to. They're led by the infamous, Hérisson de guerre. He's... well, an heir to some barony or another, I forget which one," she admits. "He's made a bit of a name for himself as a duellist, a mercenary, and a brute. I doubt I'll have to point him out to you, he's not the pony I'm worried about though..." she trails off, glancing around to the leaving duke.

 

Back in the rotunda, the prince waits as the other ponies discuss the Starstone. He doesn't really seem to be listening as such, more staring at each of the speakers while they take their turn. In fact, all his body language just screams 'i want to leave'. Not exactly a princely figure. So when three mares each say that it would be best to go inside, the prince is left with a bit of a blank. 

 

After a moment, Dim Light nudges him again and the prince seems to realise what he's just done.

 

"What?" he asks. "Oh... yes yes... if you like," he says quickly. Genant takes note of the gap that Rose has left for him and he shuffles to the side, taking the lead and starting to head inside.

 

His companion pauses, as the prince shuffles forward to give the nervous stallion a bit of space then follows a little after. Dim Light definitely seemed to be a bit more comfortable in the presence of the guests than the prince. Perhaps he was simply more worldly. He files in behind the prince and starts to walk away, though there was plenty of space to walk beside either pony.

 

Radiant Charm trails after, waiting for the rest of the ponies to follow before she does so herself. The griffoness kept her expression well guarded, though one might see that she took note of Rose's manoeuvre. She kept quiet though, glancing from one pony to the other as they talked. 

[Zeig]

Nothing else for it, then.

The Prince, it seemed, had nothing else to say on the matter of the Starstone, which was a disappointment...although, given his inability to carry on a polite conversation, Shimmer supposed she should be thankful, in a way. At least her suggestion was met with acquiescence as the group on the rotunda slowly began making its way indoors, Prince and companion leading the way after Amorous Rose fell to one side. For her part, Shimmer let the royal proceed in front of her, though she had no qualms sticking closer to Dim Light's side than was strictly necessary, almost as if the Pegasus were her escort for the evening.

And considering that he was, really, the only stallion within the group that held any sort of presence...well.

Her lingering dissatisfaction of royal impression, however, was momentarily swept under the rug as the party made its way indoors, her carefully schooled briefly dropping to give way to appreciation. Not that the lavish building was nothing she'd never seen before, but it was always a treat to see genuine architecture of different cultures. Everything seemed to glisten and sparkle like so many little stars in the sky, opulence near dripping from everything in the entrance hall, and it was all Shimmer could do to keep in a sigh of pleasure at her surroundings.

"I believe I could use a bit of a 'fresher upper'," the cream colored Unicorn announced rather gaily, eyes lingering on the ponies meandering about the room. "It's been a pleasure, Your Highness. Good sir and Lady." A few dips of the head all around, from the prince to griffon to noble, before Shimmer felt it sufficient enough to make her way further into the entrance hallway, magically grabbing a wine glass from a passing server.

Not that she needed liquid courage of any form, no. It was more for the look.

Targets in sight, she lingered around the edges of the group before a break in conversation gave her the opening she needed, trotting up towards the blue Pegasus' side. "I am, so sorry for interrupting," Shimmer stated modestly, head dipped a bit low in apparent embarrassment, "but you simply must tell me - who designed your dress? The colors are simply beautiful." Brief nods and eye contact were given to the other mare and stallions in the small group, but Shimmer really had eyes for the pretty gown the Pegasus was wearing. And her necklace!

Simply stunning. If all else failed this evening, Shimmer was going home with the name of a new fashion designer and jewelry maker.

[Zeig]

Clothing designer, jewelry designer, and make-up artist. 

 

The rest of her night was complete.

 

And honestly, it seemed to be such, which was positively disheartening. The Duke seemed to have no interest in unveiling his fabled Starstone, despite the obvious interest the crowd at large had for it, and the only other interesting pony Shimmer had felt a need to speak intimately with - the Prince - had turned out to be a bore. Such a shame. There were bound to be other ponies worth noting, surely, but with the dwindling interest in showing off the Starstone, the cream colored Unicorn honestly felt those few others were not even worth the efforts she'd gone to present herself tonight.

 

She almost felt betrayed.

 

Still, at least she had made a few connections, enough to be able to informally call upon them without seeming utterly desperate or scrambling, and that was good enough for the relatively quiet evening. With one last farewell to the pony couple she had been conversing with, Starlit Shimmer began making her way out of the opulent building, bypassing the gardens to her left as he walked back down the pathway with a sedated and unhurried trot. Just as she was expecting, her carriage driver was waiting a bit of the way past the main gates, and with no preamble Shimmer made her way towards him, smiling slightly as he unhitched himself to pull open the carriage door.

"Thank you, Matteo," Shimmer said graciously, folding herself into the space before beginning to pull out the pins keeping her mane perfectly in place. Waves of shimmering blonde hair fell out in tumbles, causing a sigh of relief to escape the Unicorn. They worked wonders, those pins did, but there was nothing quite like the sensation of letting her hair fall freely. "To the villa, if you please. I've had enough of parties for tonight." 

 

If her carriage drive was surprised, he didn't show it. Instead, he simply nodded and closed the door behind him, and soon the familiar rumble of carriage wheels moving beneath her hooves had the pair making their way back into the main city, the gleaming lights of the Duke's opulent estate slowly disappearing into the shadows behind them.

 

[[ Exit ]]