URI:
   DIR Return Create A Forum - Home
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Roleplaying is Magic
  HTML https://rpismagic.createaforum.com
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       *****************************************************
   DIR Return to: Canterlot
       *****************************************************
       #Post#: 2628--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Honey Dew Date: May 12, 2014, 9:57 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       When Richtor draped one of his hooves around her back, Honey
       reached one of her own hooves up to grasp his hoof, pulling it a
       little further up to her shoulders, as well as pulling his hold
       a little tighter on her. She was admittedly a little surprised
       by how nice this felt, almost like she was being sheltered
       beside him. Not that she really needed protection in that way,
       but it was a comforting gesture, one she'd never really put much
       weight and belief in when she'd seen it in the past. It seemed
       almost awkward to her, but now... She rolled her eyes a little
       bit with a small smile when Richtor presented her with yet
       another flower. It was a bit silly, maybe, but he at least meant
       well. So, deciding to humor him, Honey took the flower from him
       with a small nuzzle of thanks before levitating it back to her
       tail to tuck it there at the base, interested in testing a
       hypothesis of hers.
       As Richtor followed that up with mentioning he was interested in
       history, and that they could visit the maze 'next time', Honey
       nodded once in agreement as she turned her gaze over to
       Celestia, who then began to start walking. Almost reluctantly,
       Honey released her hold on Richtor's hoof and slipped out from
       underneath it so she could follow behind, the flower at the base
       of her tail now in clear view for Richtor--at least until he
       caught up to her again, whenever that might be. Though she
       glanced back to Richtor every so often, Honey's attention mostly
       remained with Celestia, wondering briefly why the princess
       hadn't visited the statues for some time. She supposed that,
       with how long Celestia had been alive, that she could only visit
       it so many times before it got stale, so it wasn't all that
       surprising...
       She also noted when Celestia recommended tackling the maze when
       they had hours to waste, offering yet another nod to her before
       glancing to some of the things already on display--though not
       really slowing down much. It was impressive, but she could
       really get a good look at them later. For now, they didn't have
       much time left with Celestia. At her questions, Honey was the
       first to shake her head and respond with, "I'm afraid my...
       history, with history, is lacking. I know important events that
       have occurred in the past, but... My knowledge is more limited
       to the Samareai and the history surrounding them."
       #Post#: 2707--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Richtor Keyes Date: May 17, 2014, 4:50 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Richtor, still captivated by the beautiful garden scenery,
       stalled for a few moments longer while Princess Celestia turned
       upon a nearby path and Honey Dew broke her gentle grasp to
       follow. It almost took the stallion to be left behind before he
       finally realized that the pair was moving steadily away down the
       road, but with a few quick springs in his step, Richtor soon
       found himself traveling behind the pair once more. The very
       first thing he noticed, of course, was the bright violet flower
       that hung itself within Honey Dew's tail, close to its base. Oh,
       now that's just mean, the stallion thought, having a hard time
       averting his gaze to a more... proper location. In fact, the
       only times his eyes seemed to remove themselves was when Honey
       Dew glanced over her shoulder, in which Richtor would offer a
       rather shy smile. At least the mare made use of Richtor's second
       flower, which was honestly more than he expected. Who gifts a
       flower after gifting a flower, anyways? The stallion shook his
       head... But at least he was getting a good view, despite his
       moral compass screaming at him to look elswhere...
       "I know some history, yes," Richtor finally answered, speaking
       up a little bit as he moved to walk alongside Honey Dew once
       more. "Studying music for as long as I have, learning about a
       musical score's composer may be just about as important as
       learning the score itself. And as intertwined as the arts and
       history are, I ended up learning quite a few things by proxy."
       #Post#: 2823--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Princess Celestia Date: May 25, 2014, 10:26 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Wonderful," Celestia responded with a glance back towards the
       pair following her, "perhaps it won't just be me talking your
       ears off tonight then. Maybe we will find a statue that has or
       was inspired by a piece done by a composer you are familiar
       with, Richtor?" It wasn't much of a walk, so they would know
       soon enough if this would be true, but in the mean time, and to
       prevent silence from finding a way to take hold of the walk,
       Celestia turned her head so as to look to Honey.
       "Oh, Honey, I've been meaning to ask for the past few minutes
       now. Does your mother happen to live in Canterlot or plan to be
       visiting soon? If so, do you think she would be interested in
       visiting me here in the castle? I must admit that you managed to
       pique my curiosity earlier when you shared your reason for
       carrying your sword with you. I would enjoy hearing more about
       these 'Samareai' if both you and she would indulge me, though
       there's no rush and I encourage that my invitation only be
       accepted when and if its convenient."
       She finished just as they reached the statue garden, the few
       closest ones being some of the more commonly known sculptures
       that one could easily find pictures and history of in most books
       that spoke of or at least mentioned the garden itself. Drawings
       and photographs were unable to capture the exquisite detail that
       was on display however, as each and every individual work of art
       was so masterfully done that they all looked more like real
       beings that had been frozen in time and washed of their color
       than they did chiseled cubes of stone.
       Leading them a little ways further, Celestia decided to start
       they're tour of the garden with a more interesting example of
       what there was to see, a statue of an oddly shaped beast growing
       larger as they approached it. It had four limbs which it used to
       stand, though its front pair was much larger and muscular than
       its back and ended in hands instead of the hooves used by its
       rear legs. It's torso mirrored this uneven build with its upper
       torso bearing a larger and powerful chest that spread wide
       across the body while its midsection narrowed down into a
       smaller back end that looked almost atrophied by comparison as
       well as easily reminding anypony of a goat. The minute and
       amazing detail etched across the entire statue gave enough clue
       so as to make the safe assumption that the creature depicted
       wore a coat that grew gradually heavier and thicker as It spread
       from the weaker half to the powerful one, this being missing on
       its chest as well as its face, though... It's face was difficult
       to get a clear look at...
       Despite its being trapped in a single pose, one of strength as
       though it was facing an approaching adversary, and truly was
       lifeless in the most literal sense as it could be, the face of
       the statue was... fuzzy. Blurry. Looking directly at it caused
       the viewer to feel an odd sensation in their eyes, like they
       were vibrating ever so slightly in their sockets, and no matter
       how hard somepony tried to ignore this strange feeling and
       attempt to properly examine the facial features of the statue,
       they just wouldn't quite... register. Like their brains were
       trying their darndest to understand, but just couldn't put the
       pieces together and decipher the information that the eyes were
       feeding them, this resulting in the face of the creature to
       look... smeared. What few features could be made out about the
       head however were the two curved horns it had jutting out from
       the top of its skull, again reminding one of a goat, and that,
       like its chest, their appeared to be little to no hair present.
       "Now then," Celestia spoke up, her taking up a position near the
       side of the statue that was halfway to being twice as tall as
       she was, "have either of you ever heard of Gigatrax, The Prince
       of Unreality?" She asked, her focus shifting between the mare
       and stallion with her, "Richtor, perhaps you've heard of a
       certain composer named Legato Da Capo that wrote a rather famous
       piece titled 'Cloven Sentries' which was inspired by Gigatrax's
       personal guard?"
       #Post#: 3361--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Honey Dew Date: September 6, 2014, 9:20 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Having caught Richtor exactly how she'd wanted to catch
       him--staring involuntarily at the flower, or perhaps just her
       flank in general--Honey giggled quietly to herself in amusement,
       winking playfully back to him before looking back to Celestia
       when she was addressed. She blinked when the reason why was
       mentioned, then nodded eagerly when it was her turn to respond.
       "That would be fantastic, Your Majesty," Honey replied, already
       thinking on how she'd broach the topic with her mother who she
       knew would immediately be against the idea. "I had actually been
       contemplating asking you something along the same lines, if I
       may be honest--I simply presumed you'd have your hooves full
       with other more important matters, so I chose not to ask. I will
       be returning to Ponyville tomorrow... Perhaps we can aim to meet
       a month from now? When we arrive then, we could speak with any
       assistants of yours to figure out a specific date, if
       necessary."
       She fell silent after that, hoping her suggestion would be
       adequate. Once more, she nestled up against the stallion beside
       her as they walked, taking comfort in the heat his body exuded.
       She stayed like this all the way up to the statue Celestia
       stopped to show them, her gaze slowly making its way up to its
       face. She looked at it for a moment before blinking a few times,
       the sensation of slight vibration in her eyes throwing her off a
       bit. She returned her gaze to its face again, only to do the
       same thing. She actually frowned after that, a little displeased
       that whatever the statue was could really make her do that.
       Gigatrax. Prince of Unreality. Cloven Sentries. Sounded like
       some story a sleep deprived foal wrote up. But it wasn't, it
       seemed. She listened to Richtor and Celestia, hoping to find out
       a little bit more about this strange beast and the story behind
       it.
       #Post#: 3445--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Richtor Keyes Date: September 10, 2014, 9:00 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "Oh... my..."
       Richtor stopped short as his eyes met flush with the abomination
       one might simply call a lifeless statue. Although his eyes
       traced every detail of each crevice within the sculpture's
       figure, the stallion couldn't help but feel that it was alive
       somehow... His first thought was to question why the Royal
       Sisters chose to keep such an unorthodox creation within their
       gardens. His second, a moment of admiration towards the artist
       who so painstakingly captured every angle of the beast's visage,
       right down to the very feeling of dread inspired by just gazing
       upon it. Richtor blinked, trying to get a good look at its face
       while leaning into his companion for comfort. The longer he
       looked, however, the stronger the urge to cast his gaze
       elsewhere. Eventually, the stallion's eyes dropped to his
       hooves, and then to the mare beside him.
       "I'm familiar with the composer, as well as his works," Richtor
       replied quietly, nestling a bit closer to Honey Dew as he drew
       his gaze up towards Celestia. "Deep, dark, and foreboding,
       Legato succeeds in instilling a sense of terrible power within
       his muse, most of them being orchestral arrangements. Thundering
       timpanis, the march of war drums, heavy brass and strings
       accompanied with the frantic frills of woodwinds and other
       various percussion... It's difficulty intimidates even the most
       professional symphonies, and even fewer succeed in playing his
       works properly." The stallion goes silent for a moment, daring
       to look upon the sculpture once more. "I also heard that Legato
       went mad writing his last Opus, a tribute to Gigatrix itself.
       But that's been neither confirmed, nor denied."
       Richtor shifted a bit, his gaze falling once more before
       returning itself to Celestia. "As far as the 'Prince of
       Unreality' itself goes, I'm afraid I know nothing more than
       tales and legends. Given his perceived power, I always thought
       it more of a fairy-tale, rather than solid history. Did... Did
       this thing even exist to begin with? With strange beings such as
       Discord, I suppose I wouldn't find it too far-fetched... Even
       the sculpture itself is unsettling-- while I admire the art and
       effort put into such a project," he added, hoping to save
       himself from looking ungrateful. The stallion moved to drape a
       hoof around the mare beside him, humming a soft tune: an excerpt
       from the very same melody that Celestia had just previously
       mentioned.
       #Post#: 3458--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Princess Celestia Date: September 11, 2014, 9:42 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Celestia had seen many different ponies run the gamut of
       reactions when it came to the statues in her gardens such as
       this one of Gigatrax, Honey and Richtor's falling well within
       the range of what to expect. While Honey didn't appear too
       bothered by the statues unusual appearance and odd effect on the
       eyes, Richtor seemed to be reacting more strongly and looked to
       be becoming rather uncomfortable as they talked. She couldn't
       blame him, sometimes even she would get the willies when
       thinking about some of the statues kept further away from the
       more public areas of the garden used for tours, but she was
       starting to wonder if she may have chosen too extreme an example
       when looking for something interesting for them to see...
       "I assure you, he was much less grim in person," Celestia
       replied to Richtor's description of Legato's work, keeping up
       her gentle smile though the mention of how the stallion had
       heard of Legato supposedly going mad caused her to slightly
       quirk her mouth to the side for a moment, "I can say for a fact
       that Legato did not in fact go mad, thank goodness, though I can
       understand how such an idea managed to circulate. Legato was
       highly eccentric and suffered from mood swings which more often
       than not would lead to arguments between him and others over how
       difficult his music was to play. This of course would lead to
       ponies who didn't know him very well developing a poor opinion
       of him, and I can only assume that it helped build the
       foundation for the idea of him going insane.
       "In reality Legato only failed to finish his final masterpiece
       due to his age, not his mental health. He made strong progress
       and was close to completing it as the final years of his life
       were dedicated towards it, but his age managed to catch up to
       him in the end and it was ultimately left unfinished. Since then
       a few highly talented ponies have made attempts to finish it
       themselves, but usually said attempts end with them pulling
       their hair out in frustration. Having had the opportunity to
       look over it myself before I can see why."
       Celestia looked back over at the statue during a pause, avoiding
       its face as she already knew full well what it would do and
       wasn't any more of a fan of the sensation it caused in her eyes
       than Honey or Richtor were. Her left ear flicked slightly as she
       believed she heard something nearby that first registered as
       faint voices under the ambient sound of the night, Celestia
       first giving a very brief flick of her gaze towards the blurry
       face of Gigatrax with a very slight but suspicious narrowing of
       her eyes before dismissing such a silly thought. Looking past
       the statue, the Princess figured others must have been wandering
       about the gardens somewhere nearby and were discussing something
       amongst themselves. Returning her attention back to the pair of
       ponies accompanying her, Celestia moved on to the subject of
       Gigatrax himself.
       "As for the Prince. Yes, unfortunately, he was indeed real. A
       long, long time ago he had his own lands, ambitions, followers
       and plans. I'm not surprised you haven't heard any reliable
       confirmation of this fact. It's far from common knowledge these
       days, and you would most likely never hear the truth if you
       didn't spend many hours researching what is now rather obscure
       information. That's part of the reason we keep this garden and
       all the statues you find decorating it, though. To make sure
       such things are never fully forgotten or have their true history
       be lost in fairy tales.
       "I would go into detail about the pony who carved out this
       statue, but they wished to remain anonymous. Was a nice and
       amazingly talented pony who created several of the other statues
       you can find here however. Perhaps I can find something a bit
       more light hearted..." Celestia's ear flicked again, eyes going
       back in the direction of the voices she was hearing earlier
       though this time they were more clear. Sounded like arguing.
       Arguing Celestia recognized.
       The Princess ducked her head slightly behind the statue, its
       size making it easy to hide behind for the most part though her
       wavy tail and mane were kind making it difficult on their own,
       as she suddenly looked kinda worried...
       "Ugh... I should have known it wouldn't be that easy..."
       Celestia told herself in a hushed tone, debating whether tossing
       her crown like a frisby to distract the approaching ponies would
       be viewed as too inappropriate for a mare of her station.
       #Post#: 3464--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Honey Dew Date: September 12, 2014, 7:19 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Legato's works were apparently all much too difficult for
       anypony to reproduce. Honey wondered briefly how he had gone
       about getting ponies to play it properly in the first place,
       then went on to think to herself that she could do it... but
       then came to realize that it would take being able to read music
       to do it properly, which she had recently revealed to Richtor
       that she couldn't do. Offering a simple, quiet 'Hm.' to herself,
       she listened as the conversation went on to the statue of the
       creature they had stopped in front of, ears pinning back
       slightly.
       Nothing really known about him, apparently, and the truth was
       even more obscure. That didn't really tell her much about him,
       though... Who was he? What did he do? What were his ambitions
       and plans? Was he something that she, as a Samareai, would have
       had to step in and try to deal with? Did the Samareai have
       anything to do with his not being around anymore? She didn't
       recall ever learning anything like that, but she was fairly keen
       to the idea of the unseen and reclusive clan keeping what she
       perceived was likely a tyrant away from his goals from behind
       the scenes. Even if it probably never happened.
       Her pinned ears soon perked up as she heard what it was that
       Celestia had: a group of arguing ponies approaching their
       present location, though they were still some distance away. She
       also noticed how Celestia's mood seemed to drop the moment she
       heard these other ponies, resulting in her quickly scanning her
       area for a route of escape. Not much to really fall back on,
       but... "This way, Your Majesty," she said before darting
       silently off toward one of the larger statues nearby with a base
       large enough for all three of them to duck behind. Assuming
       Celestia made her way over to where Honey had run off to, she
       waited quietly for the voices of the ponies to come and go
       before looking over to the princess. "Not ready to go to bed
       yet, Celestia?" Honey teased her princess, offering her a
       slight, light-hearted half-smile before continuing. "I can only
       imagine you're cutting it closer and closer, not being where
       you're... 'supposed' to be, I presume. So... Before your royal
       guard comes looking for you, or you have to head off for sleep,
       or something else abrupt, I want to thank you for helping make
       this night one I'll remember for the rest of my life."
       Not wanting to think Richtor was being left out, she glanced
       over to him and affectionally nuzzled him as she whispered, "And
       you as well. This wouldn't be anything without you," then
       returned her attention to Celestia. "While I still have the
       chance... Would we have any opportunity to pay our respects to
       Princes Luna as well? I would like to honor her and share my
       thanks for her beautiful nights, but I would understand if you
       were to say that she can't be disturbed... Also, I don't wish to
       seem like I'm trying to suggest we separate; I would gladly
       continue to get to know you more if I could, Celestia."
       #Post#: 3531--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Richtor Keyes Date: September 19, 2014, 11:59 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Richtor couldn't help but simply stare in wonder as Celestia
       proceeded to dispel years of piling rumors against Legato with
       only a couple minutes of short, precise elaboration. At first he
       didn't quite understand how the Princess could divulge such
       information as matter-of-fact, but then he remembered that both
       Celestia and Luna were alive much longer than most ponies would
       initially realize, even with their solid history for the past
       millennium. The stallion mused to himself, curious to how such
       rumors could have been circulated without intervention. Then
       again, any information or records about Legato himself were
       sketchy at best, and most were unsourced by the original
       authors. The only thing Richtor could recall reading that may
       have been accurate was part of an autobiography that managed to
       stand the test of time, but even that had been lifted and
       altered from its original source. It came as a relief to know
       that Legato wasn't truly mad, although that led Richtor to
       wonder just exactly what kind of pony he was. What he would give
       to chance a meeting with the composer...
       "I suppose many of the greatest minds this world has to offer
       were dismissed as insanity for those who never quite understood
       the genius behind their work," Richtor recanted, now shifting
       his cobalt gaze from the Princess back to the statue. "It
       sometimes takes years, even centuries to truly appreciate and
       understand those who were ahead of their time... I suppose I can
       understand why, although it's unfortunate such a realization
       would happen long after their passing. I've had the rare
       opportunity to listen to some of Legato's works played live by
       the Canterlot Symphony when I was younger, its beauty and
       complexity lost on me until I took up composing and performing
       as my muse. Perhaps one of these days I may be able to take a
       look upon his final transcription myself, and while a lofty
       goal, perhaps take a crack at completing it..."
       The pianist pondered to himself on how it would be like to gaze
       upon such a masterpiece, but his thoughts were soon scattered as
       Celestia continued with her brief description of Gigatrix
       himself, prompting a closer look at the ominous statue. His gaze
       settled on its face once more, or lack-thereof, perhaps, as his
       mind attempted to decipher the cause behind its uneasy
       appearance. The best explanation Richtor could come up with was
       that the artist may have imbued the statue with some form of
       magic; an enchantment, perhaps, able to disrupt the onlooker's
       senses. Usually, such a thing would be easily identifiable by
       basic magical knowledge, but the only feeling that Richtor was
       left with was one of dread... He wondered why the aforementioned
       artist would create such a thing, but as Princess Celestia had
       stated earlier, statues like this existed to make sure their
       existence, or truth, were never forgotten down the course of
       history.
       It was only when Richtor managed to pry his gaze away from the
       statue that he suddenly became aware of the arguing voices from
       somewhere nearby... As well as a sudden lack of Princess
       Celestia and Honey Dew as they seemed to vanish. He glanced
       around for a quick moment, barely catching Honey Dew's tail as
       it zipped behind one of the larger statues nearby. Richtor
       quickly followed suit, curious to why they wished to make
       themselves hidden, though his mind didn't have to venture far
       for the answer. The stallion took his position beside the
       violet-eyed mare, holding back a chuckle as she began to tease
       the Princess, only to blush lightly as the mare turned her
       attention to him for a moment. He reciprocated in kind, nodding
       thoughtfully to her statements. "I would like to extend my
       thanks as well, Celestia. Your presence has made this night all
       the more special. I'm certainly glad that you stumbled upon us
       when you did."
       Richtor's ears suddenly perked up at the mention of Princess
       Luna... A chance to see her again would certainly be more than
       welcome. He knew that Luna was a bit more active with the local
       populace compared to her sister, but it had been quite some time
       since he had seen her even perched on the balcony of the castle,
       a place where he could only presume would be Luna's favorite
       spot to watch the night go by... The stallion simply smiled
       again, not having much else to input that Honey Dew had already
       said.
       #Post#: 3537--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Princess Celestia Date: September 19, 2014, 9:03 pm
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       "... How dare you even pretend that this isn't just your greed
       shining through? The entire section of forest you've been
       plundering is very clearly under my ownership, and yet you still
       went ahead and allowed them to tear into it like a pack of
       timber wolves desperate for a meal!"
       "Hardly! That sliver of the forest has been up in the air for
       years with the truth behind its ownership being incredibly vague
       as its been, more than likely intentionally, buried beneath
       volumes of fine print and flowery wording designed to side step
       facts and mislead! Hay, even if it is, somehow, yours you've
       clearly given up when it come to tending it for the safety and
       value of your tenants! How often have you had to deal with
       ponies complaining about their safety and need to hire extra
       security when traveling?"
       "What I do with my land is my own business! It's not up to you
       to decide what happens in acres clearly labeled as mine! Only
       the blind could fail to see the evidence that's been provided!
       Admit it, this isn't about safety, you just wanted to make a
       quick bit and didn't predict that I would pick up on it so soon!
       I demand I be compensated for your illegal profit!"
       "We'll see. Once the Princess takes care of this you may just
       end up the one paying me for this silly waste of a trip. I'll
       accept and fine wine and cheeses in the basket you send as an
       apology as well."
       Land Barons...
       Celestia had few options at the moment for avoiding detection,
       the window of opportunity presented by Honey for repositioning
       herself being taken without a word as she just... really...
       desperately was not in the mood for listening to all of that at
       the moment. Behind new cover, Celestia chanced a small peek out
       from around the edge of the statue to try and spot the incoming
       ponies, her narrowing down their approach from the sound she was
       picking up but unfortunately finding a couple partially secluded
       and separate paths being likely candidates. Unfortunately for
       Honey the voices failed to go so soon, the ponies most likely
       having nothing else to do that night other than argue and look
       for somepony of authority to complain to in their wish to prove
       each other wrong. Celestia checked on her tail and mane to make
       sure they weren't sticking out in a way that would risk
       immediate recognition and discovery then turned her attention
       back to the pair of ponies hiding with her as she wore a smile
       that did a fantastic job at hiding her nervousness over being
       dragged into a who knows how long exchange between angry ponies
       arguing over inches.
       "Losing my chance to go to bed is what's more at risk I think,"
       she replied to the teasing, voice hushed a bit so as not to give
       away their position as she could hear the others getting closer,
       "and it was a pleasure to meet you both. I'm glad to have spent
       the time to get to know the two of you, and I apologize for
       having to duck out like this but I'm afraid it's looking like
       I'm starting to push my luck tonight and will need to disappear
       soon." She gave another quick look out from around the statue,
       now being able to see the approaching ponies still going back
       and forth by claiming each was lying to the other and trying to
       figure out how to get out of this without being dragged into
       something that really was not urgent enough to not be able to
       wait until tomorrow. She'd need to escape somehow... getting
       away on hoof would be too risky... flying too noticeable with
       her pure white coat being against the dark sky of the night...
       magic seemed her only true out, but it may draw attention if she
       were to try and teleport without a distraction...
       Celestia turned back to the ponies again at the mention of
       Honey's desire to meet her sister, "This hour may be a bit
       tricky for meeting with my sister," she replied honestly as she
       thought on Luna's possible schedule for the night based on what
       matters and issues had been waiting for her attention, "but not
       entirely impossible.She should be holding her nightly court
       right about now so chances are she's in the throne room meeting
       ponies, so if you wish to see her you may want to linger about
       and wait for her to finish listening to those seeking her help.
       Bare in mind of course that it's all going to depend on how many
       ponies she will need to see before getting a break, but lately
       it hasn't been too bad so I'd encourage at least checking in."
       "Surely this can wait?" A mare, one Celestia recognized
       instantly as her assistant still trying to deal with the two
       arguing ponies in her stead, spoke up during a rare and short
       lived pause between them. Celestia knew she'd need to make this
       up to her somehow but was currently too distracted to think of
       anything glorious enough to accurately express her gratitude.
       "Wandering around the castle all night and fighting isn't going
       to solve anything, and as I've already told the both of you
       Princess Celestia has turned in for the night and can not meet
       with you until tomorrow. The most that can be done for either of
       you right now is for me to again offer you both guest rooms to
       stay in until morning. Or, as I've also mentioned, you could
       seek Princess Luna instead? She is the Princess of the Night
       after all, and..." the mare trailed off, spotting the tiniest of
       hints of a wavy mane slipping out from behind a statue nearby
       and immediately sharing in the worry her Princess was
       experiencing. Celestia managed to catch her eye for a split
       second during another peek, both ponies sharing similar looks of
       concern before having her again disappear behind the statue.
       "And what?" one of the barons asked, sounding as impatient as
       ever and earning a hesitant look from the mare as she tried to
       figure out what she could do. Er...
       "And... uh... And what the hay is THAT!?" she suddenly shrieked,
       pointing in the opposite direction of the statue her Princess
       was hiding behind and causing both of the barons to divert their
       attention, one wearing a look of confused surprise while the
       other just looked annoyed. Even a couple guards poked their
       heads out of a few windows of the castle to check on the shout
       as Celestia, noting this to be very strange behavior for her
       assistant, risked another quick look, quickly picking up on what
       she was doing for her and taking the opportunity to make her
       exit.
       "Again, it was a pleasure to spend time with you both, I want to
       again apologize for needing to run off like this. I hope I can
       meet you both again soon. Maybe even at the Gala, hm? Have
       yourselves a good night, and say hello to my sister for me if
       you are able to meet her!" After this farewell Celestia's horn
       began to glow, though Honey and Richtor would not have had much
       time to see it as almost right away Celestia vanished in a light
       pop of soft light, leaving no trace of the eldest Equestrian
       princess behind.
       "What was that noise?" one of the barons wondered, looking back
       in the opposite direction that the Princess' assistant had been
       pointing.
       "I didn't hear anything," she immediately responded, "though I
       guess whatever I saw was nothing. Heh. So anyw-uh-Sir?"
       The same baron, apparently wishing to investigate strange sounds
       and sights without shouting and directing all attention towards
       it, had left the small group to trot towards a statue in the
       gardens, him feeling like something was up but soon being
       disappointed when his sudden side hop to catch whomever may have
       been on the other side revealed only a couple of regular ponies
       who seemed to just be checking out the gardens for themselves.
       "Hmph... Sightseers..." grumbled the baron as he left to return
       to his arguing, "Anyway, this isn't a matter for Princess Luna!
       I've already told you, Princess Celestia was the one who handled
       this fool's attempts to swindle me in the past, so she is the
       one who will be able to immediately see through his lies and
       grant me what I deserve."
       "What you deserve is time in prison! Last I time we had a
       problem she found you to be the one at fault if you would
       remember things correctly!"
       "Due to your meddling and forging of evidence only!"
       "I never!"
       "You have!"
       "Have not!"
       "Have too!"
       Maybe a nice vacation in the Crystal Empire... Pen may enjoy a
       vacation for putting up with all of this...
       #Post#: 3548--------------------------------------------------
       Re: Glory Bound Redux
       By: Honey Dew Date: September 20, 2014, 10:51 am
       ---------------------------------------------------------
       Though a little disheartened when Celestia admitted that meeting
       with Luna at that hour would likely be difficult, Honey gave a
       single nod of acknowledgement. There was a chance, but... Well,
       it was getting a little late, and she did still have the date
       with Richtor she needed to finish up. She had no doubt that
       they'd at least be able to meet with her once the Gala came, or
       when they auditioned, but... She'd probably ask Richtor and see
       what he thought. Honey's contemplating was cut short when
       Celestia's assistant cried out, causing her to instinctively
       look up in alarm as her ears perked. She glanced out from behind
       the statue to see what was going on, only to relax when she
       realized there was nothing actually going on, even though she
       was a bit confused as to why she did that.
       Dismissing that, Honey disappeared back behind the statue and
       looked over to Celestia as she spoke. Disappointment followed
       when Celestia said it was time for her to head out, though she
       knew it was going to happen sooner or later. She didn't even
       have time to open her mouth to respond however, as Celestia
       disappeared immediately after saying her farewell. Honey stared
       at the now-empty spot for a moment before turning back to
       Richtor. Hearing hoofsteps now approaching them, Honey's face
       gained a stony expression once more as she looked over to the
       side of the statue the steps were coming from, not really
       looking forward to dealing with the belligerent pony that had
       forced Celestia to flee.
       To her relief though, the pony just turned right back around
       upon seeing Richtor and Honey, apparently not questioning at all
       why they were behind the statue. Offering a quiet grumble, Honey
       looked back to Richtor and stepped closer to him, her voice
       quiet so only he could hear her. "I am so very glad you aren't a
       childish noble, Richtor. They could certainly learn a few things
       from you..." She followed this with a gentle nuzzle to the side
       of his face. "Anyway... What do you think we should do? Should
       we go see if we can go meet with Princess Luna, or do you want
       to take that dance I never got around to asking you~?"
       *****************************************************
   DIR Previous Page
   DIR Next Page