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#Post#: 166--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Honey Dew Date: December 24, 2013, 7:18 am
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Honey giggled quietly at what Richtor said about her, and gently
shook her head as she nuzzled him. "You sound just like my
father when he would talk to my mother," she told him quietly,
the smile on her face showing that she appreciated it. "I guess
I can begin to see now why she enjoys that side of him so much."
She then fell silent as she listened to what he said about some
of the castle and how it was usually kept lit up. Slowly, her
eyes wandered the castle around her, trying for a moment to
figure out how it would look during the day, before banishing
that line of thought entirely, the image she came up with being
much too bright. She rather appreciated the fact that they'd
chosen to visit during the night.
The moment the door opened and the ball room was beyond, Honey's
jaw immediately dropped at the sight. It was so grand, just like
the rest of the castle, but the moonlight that washed over all
of it... It was so breathtaking. She only wished her mother was
there so she could see it for herself. For a few moments, she
just looked around the ball room, trying to imagine what it
would be like full of dancing ponies and wonderful music.
Then, she looked up. She gasped at the sight, eyes wide as she
just... stared. The way the moonlight caught in the chandeliers
and made all of the crystals was an impressive enough sight to
behold as it were, but the mural was even more-so. By this
point, it was safe to say Honey had completely dropped her mask,
and was holding back nothing she felt. So, when Richtor draped a
hoof over her neck, Honey smiled warmly to him and stared at him
for a moment. "It's beautiful, Richtor... What do you say, would
you have this d--" she began, but was interrupted as another
voice called out from nearby.
Honey turned her head to look at the pony who'd spoke, only to
have a look of shock and awe cross her face when she gazed upon
the pony: Princess Celestia. Immediately, Honey turned bowed to
her, katana able to be seen easily from this position. "Yes,
Your Majesty. It is one of the most awe-inspiring sights I have
ever had the pleasure to behold." She stood up after that,
gazing upon the Princess for a few moments before realizing how
rude that was and pulling herself back into reality, her
previous awe now being tucked away behind her familiar mask of
neutrality.
"I am honored you chose to grace us with your presence, Princess
Celestia. I was not expecting your company tonight... Although
this is a pleasant surprise. May I be so bold as to ask why you
chose to greet us?"
#Post#: 176--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Richtor Keyes Date: December 24, 2013, 1:04 pm
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Richtor seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Honey Dew's response to
the lavishing beauty of the ballroom... And the more the
stallion saw, the more he smiled. For a moment, Richtor had
wondered why Honey Dew was so entrenched and conditioned to
being... well... platonic, for the most part. It was difficult
to get Honey Dew to open up in the first place, but once she
did, she almost became an entirely different mare. Like right
now, for example, she was full of joy and wonder, receptive to
all of the beautiful, awe-inspiring things around her as she
wore that ever-elusive, but now ever-present smile. If only she
could be like this all the time, Richtor thought to himself...
Still, he thought he was making good progress in breaking her
out of her shell, at least around him. Regardless of her
seemingly default, platonic nature, Richtor would have enjoyed
her company anyways.
And then everything just seemed to halt for a moment... Honey
Dew didn't even need to finish the last word of that question
for Richtor to determine what she was fixing to ask, but the
voice that caught her attention had caught his, too. The unicorn
glanced over his shoulder to identify the owner of the voice,
only to freeze for a few moments as Celestia herself was only
standing just mere breadths away. It took Richtor a bit longer
than Honey to recuperate... He had expected to run into a couple
guards, perhaps, but not the Princess of the Sun herself!
Richtor blinked, unsure of what to do or how to address her...
He had spoken at length with Luna before, but the conversation
was very casual. "G-good evening!" the unicorn eventually
managed to squeeze out, bowing his head in proper respect. It
seemed that Honey Dew was taken by complete surprise as well,
and Richtor noticed that much of her previously stated emotions
were cut off, falling once more to that neutral, platonic mode.
Ah well... He would try again later, if given the chance.
"How are you doing tonight, Miss Celestia?" he added on after
Honey Dew addressed her first. "I must wholeheartedly agree...
This is one of the places I often think about when I play
somewhere... Once you perform in this room, you simply can't
forget it... And that was a few years ago. In fact, if I
remember correctly, you were there for a part of it, I think.
You must forgive me, I've slept since then." Richtor chuckled to
himself, now a bit more comfortable with the situation now that
he was over the initial shock of it all.
#Post#: 185--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Princess Celestia Date: December 24, 2013, 8:07 pm
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Celestia allowed the bowing and initial displays of respect to
be shown at first, her knowing from experience that trying to
prevent such behavior when she felt it not necessary usually
didn't stick with her ponies until after she'd let them get the
first few words and gestures out of their systems. "Well, I felt
it would have been rude to happen across you two then simply
pretend you weren't there." she replied to the noticeably armed
mare, still smiling as her eyes momentarily found the weapon
before moving on, "Especially when I could hear both of your
opinions on the ballroom's decor. Positive reviews are common,
but its always pleasant being able to hear them first hoof."
"I'm doing well," now at least, "thank you, but please, there's
no need to be so formal. Technically I am on my 'off hours', so
feel free to loosen up a bit. Both of you." She added with a
light chuckle, listening to the stallion of the two go on to
express his opinion, mentioning how he has played in that very
ballroom in the past and has had it stick with him ever since.
"It certainly can have that affect on ponies, both for the
performer and their audience. I try to attend at least part of
every performance here when my schedule allows, but I must admit
my memory can sometimes blur these days." He seemed to be
relaxing, though the mare was being rather... neutral. Celestia
wasn't sure if that was her usual attitude or if she was putting
on a front because of her presence. "Perhaps if I heard your
name I can recall the day? And your's as well, Miss...?"
#Post#: 192--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Richtor Keyes Date: December 25, 2013, 5:37 am
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When Princess Celestia requested for the pair to 'loosen up',
Richtor's posture almost immediately began to relax, his smile
growing even wider as he took a deep breath... In fact, the
unicorn didn't even know just how surprised he was by Celestia's
sudden appearance until that moment. He chuckled to himself
again, suddenly being reminded of Princess Luna and just how
nervous he was to even be around the Alicorn, much less behave
'normally' as she had once put it... To Richtor, Celestia looked
a bit more intimidating, probably because of her slightly larger
size compared to the Princess of the Night. And while it was
nearly impossible for the unicorn to feel nervous, he was also
amused that it took two of the most powerful sisters in
Equestria to accomplish it. "That's a bit hard, Miss Celestia,
but I'll try," he finally remarked, turning once more to look at
the stage-like platform near one end of the room. "It's not very
often I see royalty, much less in the same room, or even
conversing with for that matter."
"My name is Richtor Keyes... I played the piano at the concert,
although I'm not quite certain if you were present when I had
played. It was close to the very end." Richtor eyed the Alicorn,
resting his cobalt eyes upon her own as he almost gazed passed
her, looking lost within his own little world. He was
reminiscing, recalling the first time he had ever been inside
this room... Granted, back then, he was forced to come here...
But in the end, he was glad. This was the very same room that
jump-started his dreams when he watched Frederic Horseshoepin
play for the first time. In fact, Frederic was also present
during the concert. Fifth seat on the left in the very front row
when they had all the chairs set up... Just one of those odd
little details he would not easily forget. "This room holds a
second important memory for me, too... This is where I got my
cutie mark. Right after I played..." The unicorn shakes himself
out of his little trip to the past and moves a couple steps to
stand closer to Honey Dew, trying to bait out that smile of hers
again. And then all of the sudden, an idea popped into his head.
He knew how to bait out that smile for sure, but he was going to
wait for a few moments.
#Post#: 207--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Honey Dew Date: December 25, 2013, 8:22 pm
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Honey only nodded in acknowledgement of Celestia's reasoning for
approaching them. There was probably some other reason why she
did, but for now Honey wasn't going to question it. Especially
since she noticed Celestia's gaze found Honey's blade for a
moment. Honey didn't shy under that look, but she couldn't help
what their ruler--and possible goddess--thought about the weapon
she wore. Or, even, if she knew what it was, and what Honey was.
Then, Celestia requested that they both loosen up. Honey's gaze
faltered for but a moment, her mask threatening to crack with a
light frown, evne though it didn't. Loosening up around the
Princess would take a lot of work. She was their ruler, after
all, and Honey was just a regular pony. But it was what she
wanted, so who was she to deny Celestia's wishes? Besides,
Richtor worded it better than she could have, so she only nodded
alongside what he said in agreement.
She continued to stand quietly by while Richtor began talking
about his previous experiences inside of the ballroom, not
really having much to add to the conversation. Her gaze wandered
around the room, taking in its splendor until Richtor mentioned
it was where he'd gotten his cutie mark. He'd been able to play
in this place from that young an age...? She was envious of him
for a moment before remembering his promise to try his hardest
to get her a performance here, then after it was obvious he was
finished speaking, Honey spoke up, her voice just as neutral as
her expression.
"I am Samareai Honey Dew, Prin--Miss... Celestia..." This was
going to be harder than she thought. "I play the violin, but I
have not yet had my name as... circulated as Richtor has. Unlike
him, however, I am a simple pony from Ponyville. I am hoping to
be changing that in the near future, so be expecting to see a
performance from both Richtor and me in here soon, Your Majesty.
Hopefully it will be one that you do not feel takes away from
your time." She paused for a moment before allowing herself to
brighten visibly. "Actually, Miss Celestia... I have something
that I've been curious about for some time. I would like to know
what music was like back when you and Princess Luna were both
younger. Would you happen to have anything Richtor and I could
listen to to get some kind of idea? Assuming that would be
something you wouldd be willing to do...?"
#Post#: 211--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Princess Celestia Date: December 25, 2013, 10:52 pm
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Richtor Keyes... Celestia echoed in her mind, letting the name
roll about within her head in the hopes of having it stick as
she listened to the stallion. The moments he spent almost
looking through her and off to some distance beyond wasn't
missed, the princess recognising it for what it was. Memories.
Strong. Good ones, she hoped, coming back to the pony in a way
she hoped her's would now that she had a name, event and vague
time frame of a "few years ago" to work off of. Listening to the
next few details given by Keyes, the princess tried to put it
all together. Piano... Played towards the end... Cutie mark...
Richtor... Hmm... The name was ringing bells now, and... "I
think..." she began, eyes narrowing slightly in thought as some
memories started to click, "I may remember the concert you were
a part of... If I am right, then I was only present for its
first half before being pulled away. I returned later that night
after it was over to meet with some of the performers and guests
that had attended, though, and I do recall hearing a certain
name pop up frequently with many of them, especially one
stallion who continuously sang praises of how it was the
highlight of it all. You were still on stage when you got your
cutie mark, weren't you?"
Turning her head to address Honey, Celestia again had a word,
this time a title of some kind, take a delve into her memory.
Samareai. It sounded... possibly familiar, but whatever ideas
she was having at the moment were fuzzy at best. This title did
sound as if it may connect with the weapon the mare carried
however, like a knight and his lance, which only made Celestia
become that much more curious over her. At the mention of where
she came from, Celestia smiled a little wider, mind briefly
visiting the town as she wondered how Twilight Sparkle and her
friends were doing, the princess having been thinking about
visiting next time she had some time. "I look forward to hearing
you play." the alicorn said at the mention of the pair
performing in the ballroom, attempting to assure the mare that
she didn't believe shed be wasting her time by attending.
At Honey's continuing on to question her on what music was like
when she was younger, Celestia was... unsure as to when would be
a good time frame to use when answering... Celestia's youth
spanned a wide number of years, and she wasn't sure if the music
of certain time periods would be very... appealing to the ponies
of today. "Asking the tough questions tonight, Hm?" She replied
jokingly, eyes then turning upwards to again see the mural above
them as she hummed and tried to narrow down something for the
mare. "There is a musical group out today that I feel play with
a style that reminds me of what I personally preferred in my
younger years. Perhaps a bit more... modern, but still close to
what was popular back then. Have either of you heard of The
Neighin' Jennies?"
#Post#: 222--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Richtor Keyes Date: December 26, 2013, 6:24 pm
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Richtor nodded a bit sheepishly in response to Celestia's
question, now thinking about just how stressful, yet meaningful
that concert was to him. The unicorn hadn't given her an exact
date or the event name for a very good reason, somewhat fearful
of what either she or Honey Dew would say if they did the math.
Despite being beyond his teen years and into his early, early
twenties, it wasn't that long ago that the pianist had earned
his mark. For the longest time, his lack of a cutie mark proved
to be one of the greatest frustrations for the stallion, and one
that was often challenged by both older and younger ponies who
felt they had the right to harass him... As Princess Celestia
trailed off, presumably attempting to recall the event in
question, Richtor decided to spur her memory a bit despite his
possible loss of ground with Honey Dew. "It would be five years
ago within a couple more months. It was the yearly school
sanctioned Senior Recital, although it's more known by the
population as a simple Annual Music Festival. And... Well...
Yeah. That's where I earned my mark, as much as I thought I'd
never get the thing." If they were to think about it, that would
mean that Richtor had only just achieved his cutie mark when he
was around seventeen or eighteen, way, way later than all of his
peers. Richtor twists his face as he started to remember all the
name-calling, but he quickly dismissed the idea. None of that
mattered now, and at least now he was happy. Nothing much could
be said about the others who were promptly picked up into
Canterlot's posh lifestyle... "I was still on stage, yes," the
pianist replied, hanging his head a bit. "Nopony thought I could
do it. And they were almost right. I nearly let my arrogance and
stubbornness get the best of me... And go figure, as soon as I
let go of that and actually do what I was good at, I finally got
my mark."
The stallion fell silent as Honey Dew began to speak, sounding
as platonic as ever... Richtor couldn't help but crack a smile,
taking it somewhat as a challenge to bring her fun-loving side
back out in front. He was surprised, however, when she seemed to
brighten up on her own... Honey's question intrigued Richtor as
well, although he was uncertain exactly what she wanted to do
with the answer... Perhaps use it to find or compose something
similar to play? The unicorn nods in response to Celestia's
answer... "I've only very recently heard of them. Perhaps the
best word I could describe them with would be... Pure?" Thinking
that it would be a great time to bring his own question up, the
stallion waited until both Honey and Celestia were through
speaking to issue it forth. "I have a question as well, Miss
Celestia, if it's okay..," Richtor starts, trying to figure out
how to word it as he goes. "You see, Honey Dew is hooves down
the best violinist I've heard in all my years in Canterlot, and
I'm fairly confident in my piano-playing abilities... I had
planned to put forth a request to Princess Luna to put in a word
for me, but since you're standing right here..." He glanced over
to Honey Dew, wrapping a hoof over her shoulder once more. "What
do we need to do in order to secure a spot to perform a duet at
the next Grand Galloping Gala? If given the chance, we would
play our hearts out for that kind of opportunity..."
#Post#: 227--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Princess Celestia Date: December 27, 2013, 2:48 am
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With an "ah, yes" being chimed in as Richtor added more details
to help her memory along, Celestia nodded along as he spoke, the
recital now striking more chords as her recollection of the
event became much clearer. The connection between age and cutie
mark had been quickly made by the Princess, but Richtor's fears
were, with her at least, unwarranted, Celestia simply continuing
to wear her pleasant expression as she enjoyed the conversation
with no comment being made over such a detail from her end,
smile only gaining strength as he reached the end of his
retelling of how he'd overcome his own arrogance and earned his
mark.
Moving on and agreeing with Richtor's opinion over the musical
group shed mentioned, Celestia nodded at his guiding towards
asking his own question. "Of course," being her response to his
query as to if it was okay to ask, the princess raised a brow
slightly upon hearing what he had to ask. "The Galla?" She
echoed, a bland taste being left in her mouth at the word's
utterance as she perfectly masked her... less than enthusiastic
thoughts over the subject behind her continued look of
friendliness, "Hmm... Well, as I'm sure you know, the plans and
scheduling of talent for the Galla are made many months in
advance with layers upon layers of screening being required to
make sure those both sought after and interested in performing
are up to the guests expectations. A personal recommendation
from either myself or my sister can go a long way in pushing
names towards the tops of lists, and avoiding some of the hassle
leading up to the party, but in order to make such a
recommendation I need to be sure about who I'm recommending." Or
I will never... ever... ever hear the end of it...
"First step in this would be hearing what you both are capable
of with an audition. Feeling up to it?"
#Post#: 265--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Honey Dew Date: December 29, 2013, 12:02 am
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The moment Princess Celestia had mentioned the Neighin' Jennies,
Honey's entire face lit up in recognization. She loved that
band. The instruments they played, the harmonization they did
with their voices, and most of all, just how... relaxing their
music was. Their music was an inspiration to Honey, and it made
her even happier that the Princess herself had heard of and
enjoyed the group as well. Relaxing slightly, Honey allowed a
little smile to play on her lips, her eyes warm as she listened
to Richtor and Celestia speak.
She raised a brow at Richtor when he was so bold enough as to
ask Celestia herself about securing a spot in the Grand
Galloping Gala, a bit of hesitation coming forth as she wondered
how the Princess would take a forward question like that. It
was... better than expected, it seemed, but at Celestia's
mention of needing to hear their skill, Honey glanced down,
wishing sincerely that she'd thought at all to bring her violin
with her. "Would if I could, Your Majesty," Honey said after a
sigh, turning her gaze back up to the Princess. "I did not think
I would be needing my violin tonight, so I left it back in the
safety of my room. I am regretting that decision now, however,
and it would probably be silly of me to think there would be a
violin somewhere easily accessible here in the castle... Much
less a five-stringed one."
She paused for a moment before shaking her head slightly.
"Perhaps another day? Besides that, we should turn away from
businesslike discussion such as this. You and I came here on a
date, Richtor," she reminded him, gently nuzzling him at the
same time before turning her attention back to Celestia.
"Though, I am... Unsure of what conversation to pursue with you
that does not revolve around castle life, or kingdom-ruling, or
the questions you most likely get every day. I have heard so
much about you through textbooks and stories from other ponies,
but... I do not know you at all, Your M--... Miss Celestia.
What is it you enjoy doing when you are not on the throne?
Richtor, do you have any better questions for her that I am
unable to think of currently?"
#Post#: 445--------------------------------------------------
Re: Glory Bound Redux
By: Richtor Keyes Date: January 6, 2014, 10:01 pm
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Richtor nodded somewhat nonchalantly as Celestia spoke about all
the intricacies of the Gala, as well as her own stance about the
recommendation. He knew it wasn't going to be easy, but a
recommendation from either or even both of the Royal Sisters
could carry them a very long way... The stallion had tried once
before to gain access to the Gala under a solo piano
performance, so he knew a little bit about the process...
Despite his efforts, Richtor didn't get very far. He was good,
even for his young age, but to put him upon the same stage as
the likes of Octavia, Horsechopin, or Nandermane would be
utterly silly. As Celestia continued on, Richtor fully expected
for the Alicorn to simply point them in the right direction...
So when the Princess requested an audition, the stallion was
taken by complete surprise and suddenly froze in place. Despite
the numerous, numerous auditions he's been through, performing
an audition for the Princess of the Sun herself was a huge thing
for Richtor to wrap his mind around. Just the thought in of
itself was enough for the stallion to stand slack-jaw in some
strange mix of eagerness and nervousness... That is until Honey
Dew nuzzled him softly, snapping his attention back to where it
should be.
"I... Uh... Yes. Yes, another day would be most favorable, Miss
Celestia. It would give us some time to prepare something that
would really make an impression." Richtor returned Honey Dew's
kind gesture with one of his own, partly out of sentiment and
partly out of thanks for snapping him out of his little daze.
"Well... No, I can't really think of anything to ask, persey...
Perhaps one... ([s]Do you like bananas?[/s]) Would you like to
accompany us for a little bit? I'm sure that there are many more
things than what meets the eye in this castle."
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