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#Post#: 199--------------------------------------------------
Clear Horizons
By: Clairvoyant Date: December 25, 2013, 10:45 am
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"Okay, Clair. Pick the next card carefully," Thyme said to the
small colt sitting in her lap. She took one of his hooves and
pressed it against each of the cards she held in her hoof.
"Which one is it?"
The blind colt, head against his adoptive mother's chest, smiled
as he considered his choices. He ran his hoof along the cards
again, settling on one two from the last one. Thyme shook her
head and smiled, saying gently, "Sorry, you can't play that one.
Pick another." His face took on a look of concentration as he
thought longer before settling his hoof on another. Thyme
played the card with a smile. "Ooh, good choice. Sorry, Star,
looks like you won't be going just yet." Starlight, sitting
next to Clairvoyant and Thyme around the table with the family,
gave out a huffed breath and rolled her eyes in a semblance of
annoyance. "Fine," she growled out with a smile. "I'll get you
for this later, Clair." She reached out and tousled her adopted
brother's mane with one hoof to make sure he knew she didn't
mean it, since he couldn't see her smile himself. He took her
hoof and pressed it against his cheek affectionately before
releasing it, smile growing.
They played through the rest of the hoof in this manner,
Clairvoyant choosing all the cards Thyme and he played. They
ended up clearing their hoof of cards first, to the exasperated
playful groaning of the rest of the family, who congratulated
him enthusiastically while he blushed and pressed his face
against Thyme.
While the rest counted up the points he had inflicted on them,
he reached out to the table and gave it a rapid series of taps
and rubs, clacking and scraping out a familiar message. Almost
in unison, everypony around the table chimed in with an offer to
take him, a simple bathroom trip. Clairvoyant surveyed the
table with his ears before tapping the table again. Clarity
smiled triumphantly and stood from her seat, bouncing around the
table to get to her twin brother.
On the trip around, she was accosted by Far Horizons, one of the
pair of oldest twins, a pegasus mare whose white coat and grey
mane contrasted with Clairvoyant's almost perfectly. She
whispered something in Clarity's ear, and Clarity grinned and
nodded before going back to her seat while the other stood from
hers and walked serenely over to Clairvoyant and Thyme. "It's
okay if it's me instead, right, Clairy?" He picked up his head
and nodded to her and Thyme wheeled her chair back slightly to
allow him to climb off of her lap after tracing a heart shape
with his hooves on her chest. Horizons stepped up to him and
let him do the same with her before turning them toward the
hallway and wrapping her wing around him. He pressed his face
against her side as they walked, smiling broadly.
"...And you didn't guide him at all in those card choices,
Thyme?" Jazz asked after the two had left the room. She
listened as everypony else listed their point totals and notated
them down.
Thyme smiled and leaned back in her wheelchair, shaking her
head. "I didn't. He won all by himself."
"Again." Clarity laughs, her voice ringing like a bell. "How
often does he win? 5 times more than anypony else?"
"8," Snapdragon declares, voice serious. "Clairvoyant wins
about 8 times for each time anypony else wins. And that's not 8
per each of us winning once, that's 8 per any of us winning
once." He shakes his head, then takes Horizons's cards and
counts them up as well. "That can't just be coincidence."
Thyme simply shrugs and smiles, passing her cards down to
Woodwind for his turn to shuffle and deal.
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#Post#: 200--------------------------------------------------
Re: Clear Horizons
By: Clairvoyant Date: December 25, 2013, 10:46 am
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From the hallway came a calling out of notes in semblance of a
trumpet, a vocal fanfare. All heads turned towards the source,
everypony's faces lighting up while Snapdragon, expression still
serious, stood and walked to the entryway. "Their Royal
Highness Princess Clear Horizons approaches. Would all unexempt
please stand and bow before them." Far Horizons strode into the
room, Clairvoyant perched on her back and grinning. The family
stood and everypony bowed, stifling giggles. Clarity didn't
even bother trying, laughing out loud with no attempt to quiet
down.
The "princess" nodded and cleared her throat. "Thy adoration
doth please us much. As such, we shall allow thee to come and
express thine affection for us," her front head announced
generously. The gathered citizens all walked and rolled forward
to embrace the "princess", hugging both Horizons and the colt
atop her back. They both returned the hugs, Clairvoyant tracing
hearts on their foreheads as they embraced him.
With the Royal Hugtime over, Clear Horizons cleared her throat
and spoke once more in her regal voice, head raised high in the
air. "And now, it is time for thy princess's treat. We shall
be served the Royal Ice Cream, and-" Far Horizons stops
speaking as Clairvoyant interrupts with tapping motions on her
back. She glances back toward him and looks play-confused.
"What, you mean we have to share with them?" she whispered, so
quietly that only everypony in the room could hear her.
Clairvoyant nodded and tapped and rubbed again. "Yeah, but
we're-" He interrupted her again, the rest of the family aside
from Snapdragon rolling their eyes and quietly laughing amongst
themselves while the princess argued with herself.
"Very well," Far Horizons said when they finished their
discussion. "There shall be ice cream for all, and all shall
enjoy it!" This was followed by a cheer from all the children
in the family, proceeded as well by everypony turning their
heads hopefully towards the parents, Horizons turning Clair's
head towards them as his sightless gaze wandered.
Jazz giggled, leaning forward in a mock bow, Thyme following
suit beside her. "Your wish is our command, your Majesty." She
said, attempting, and failing, to keep a straight face, bursting
out into another fit of giggles as she finished the sentence.
Clear Horizons's faces lit up at their parents' acceptance, and
she gave a little jump of excitement. "Then on, to the royal
banquet hall! Thou wilt be our guests of honor!" she said as
the family moved to the dining room.
Jazz made another overdramatic bow before leading the way
inside. The family gathered around table, smiles on their
faces. Jazz stood near the princess, fighting to keep her
laughter in check. "What flavor would Your Majesty like?"
The Princess had a short whispered and tapped conversation with
themself as the rest of the family looked on, stifling their own
laughter. Far Horizons lifted her head up regally before
declaring, "We would like a bowl of vanilla ice cream topped
with delightful caramel syrup. So let it be written. So let it
be done!"
Jazz, managing to get her giggling under control, bowed once
again. "It shall be done!" She announced, spinning around and
making for the kitchen and stifling still more giggles.
While Jazz was off getting their ice cream, Clarity approached
the princess and asked, "May I have the princess's blessing to
bestow her hoof with a brush of my lips?"
"Why yes, you may kiss the royal hoof, our faithful subject!"
Horizons grabbed Clairvoyant's hoof and stuck it toward his twin
sister, and she planted a sloppy kiss on it, followed by one for
Horizons's.
Woodwind trotted forward alongside Clarity, chuckling silently
at her question before tapping out his own, holding his ocarina
out as he does.
The princess's main head turned back to the smaller one perched
on her back, and he nodded with a grin on his face. "Indeed!
Thy princess doth crave entertainment!" The smaller head leaned
forward to tap out a message to the larger, and she grinned and
nodded as well. "And you there, Duke Snapdragon! Wouldst thou
indulge thy princess with a dance?"
Woodwind turned his head to look expectantly at Snapdragon, who
stood and performed a deep bow, face as neutral as ever. "As you
command, my liege." He stepped forward as his older brother
raised his instrument to his lips.
The music started and Snapdragon began to dance, hooves moving
in a merry jig, his expression unchanging.
The princess clapped her hooves in time with the music, joined
by the rest of the family. A few measures in, Clarity jumped
forward to join her little brother in the dance, her own face
beaming with unbridled joy and merriment, her movements clumsy
and unrefined but unambiguously exuberant. Shortly afterward,
Songbird stepped up next to Woodwind and started singing, adding
words to the music.
"When marigolds dance and the willow trees sway,
Nopony else needs to ask if we stay!
Give me a joke, give me a chance,
and give me a partner to share in my dance!"
Clarity joined in the singing while she danced, taking
Snapdragon's hooves and swinging him around. Not literally,
which would be quite easy for her, but dancing swings.
"Shoehorns and muffins and gallons of cider,
wires and fluff in the shape of a spider,
throw it all into a cheerful short song,
and give it a moment to all go wrong!"
The entire family joined in on the last line, and all the kids
stopped singing except the two playing the part of the princess
and hurled themselves to the ground in the most comical manner
possible, Woodwind being careful not to damage his instrument in
the process. After a moment of silence, they all burst into
giggling fits and stood, looking to the princess for approval.
She gave it, the grey and white Unipegasus laughing right along
with them, especially the grey portion.
Jazz stood in the doorway, the enjoyment of her family bringing
a wide smile to her face. As the music died down she trotted in,
one large bowl of caramel covered ice cream surrounded by six
smaller bowls and a mug of hot chocolate in tow. She set the
large bowl before the princess, bowing to her again before
serving the rest and taking a seat next to her wife, wrapping a
hoof around her shoulders and pulling her as close as the space
between them allowed.
The princess nodded and smiled at Jazz. "Thy offering doth
please us immensely." Then their expressions grew hard. "Now,
we command silence!" the front head said. The family looked in
mild (and in some cases completely feigned) surprise at the
forcefulness of the statement. "The princess will have the
first bite," she chimed, smiles once again overtaking their
faces.
The larger head turned back towards the smaller, and they
conversed in whispers and code. "You've been working on this,
right, Clair?"
<Of course. Don't worry!>
"Because I don't want a repeat of last time."
<Come on, the fire didn't take THAT long to put out.>
"Clair..."
<And I'm sure the library will fix the hole in the roof in no
time!>
"Clair."
<Yes, yes, I've got it. Don't worry.> Horizons nodded and
pressed a spoon against Clair's hoof, which he grabbed with his
levitation.
The spoon floated over the ice cream and downward, biting into
the soft treat as Horizons held the bowl in place. Then it
shakily lifted back into the air and moved toward Horizons's
face. "A little higher, Clairy," she said with a giggle as it
impacted her on the chin. He nodded, face tense with
concentration. It moved higher, then toward her again.
"Agh! Our eye!" Horizons shouted as the ice cream entered the
wrong orifice of her face. Clairvoyant dropped the spoon back
into the bowl with a clatter, rubbing his sister's shoulders
apologetically. "Windy! Thy princess doth require a paper
towel!" Horizons said, laughing and hugging Clairvoyant
encouragingly. "Don't worry about it. I'll help you." He
nodded and wiped the tears that were forming in his eyes.
Woodwind nodded energetically after seeing that Horizons was
okay. He dashed off toward the kitchen and soon returned with
the requested item. He tapped out a quick message. <Your paper
towel, Highness!> He bowed his head, presenting the paper towel
to the princess.
"Many royal thanks, Windy," Horizons said as she grabbed the
paper towel away from him with her wing and used it to dab at
her eye, smile still large on her face. "Let's try this again,
shall we, Clairy? Don't worry, I'll help you this time."
Clairvoyant nodded, and he took the offered spoon with his
telekinesis again. It scooped up more ice cream, then rose to
Horizons's nose. She gently tapped it from above with her hoof,
and it lowered to mouth level. She smiled wider and gently
nudged it toward her mouth. It moved forward into her open maw,
and she bit down on it , licking the spoon clean before
releasing it. "Thy princess is well-pleased! Thou mayest
feast!"
Several more laughs went up around the table as the family
eagerly dug into the cold treat. Soon, Starlight raised a hoof,
pausing from her eating to speak. "Mmm. This calls for a toast!"
She cried, lifting her bowl in the air, eliciting a chorus of
"Hear Hear"s.
Everypony lifted their own bowl before them. "To the princess,
and her awesome ice cream idea!" Starlight yelled, laughing as a
cry of agreement went up around the table and they all lowered
their bowls to continue eating.
The princess also resumed their consumption of the meal, but the
smaller grey head seemed somewhat less enthusiastic about it
now.
Horizons looked back at her little brother, turning her head to
the side. "You okay Clair?" she asked, using her hoof to guide
the spoon to her mouth once again.
<Yeah, it's just...> His coding is slower than usual. <I've
been working so hard on that, and I still...> Tears started to
come to his eyes. <I'm sorry, Rise, I just...>
Horizons leaned her head in to nuzzle Clairvoyant on the cheek.
"It's okay Clair, you'll get it." she said, smiling. She looke
down at their bowl of ice cream, still half full. "How about we
finish this up and then we go flying? A princess needs her
exercize so she doesn't get fat from too much ice cream."
Clairvoyant nuzzled back and smiled, wiping his tears off on her
coat. <Yeah. That would be great!> he replied with a sniff.
He resumed feeding them with renewed vigor, spilling some ice
cream on himself twice because of his enthusiasm. He himself
had no sense of taste, so the only enjoyment he got from the ice
cream was the cool on his mouth and the smooth texture. Clarity
laughed as he did so and went to get another paper towel, her
own ice cream having been finished very shortly after the feast
was opened to them.
Jazz stood after everypony had finished, giving Thyme a peck on
the cheek. She walked around the table to stand before Clear
Horizons once again, lowering her head respectfully. "Would the
princess like anything else?" She asked, letting out a small
giggle.
Clairvoyant buried his face in his sister's neck and tapped out
a message to her. Horizons tilted her head back toward him in
surprise. "You sure?" she whispered, a smile on her face,
answered by a blush and a nod against her. She smiled and
nuzzled him as best she could given his perch, and leaned
towards Jazz. "Her highness would like some chocolate for her
flight." An unusual request for one with no taste, but for the
other reason...
Jazz looked up at her son, seated on his sister's back. "Of
course she can." She turned, gathering the dishes from the table
and trotting back to the kitchen, soon returning with a
chocolate bar, which she hoofed to the grey head.
Clairvoyant took the chocolate with a sheepish little smile,
then leaned over and gave Jazz a hug. He tapped out a thank you
and traced a heart on her chest, then righted himself on
Horizons's back. "Thy princess doth find this most
satisfactory! Now it would please her further if her entourage
would escort her to her takeoff platform!"
Jazz hugged back, giving Clairvoyant a squeeze of her own. She
walked over to her wife as the rest of the family stood and she
leaned down to allow Thyme to climb onto her back. Once she was
settled, Jazz followed after the princess, heading up the stairs
to the "takeoff platform".
The family took up their positions at the top of the stairs on
either side of the double-width window. "Ready, Clair?"
Horizons asked, and he nodded, holding tight to his sister and
his precious treat. "Thy princess shall return anon!" Far
Horizons declared, and Starlight opened the window for them as
the pegasus galloped towards it and leaped out, Clairvoyant
shaking with silent laughter as they took off.
The rest of the family gathered around the window as the pair
soared upwards, smiles on their faces as they watched their
princess rise.
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#Post#: 201--------------------------------------------------
Re: Clear Horizons
By: Clairvoyant Date: December 25, 2013, 10:47 am
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Horizons flapped her wings, lifting herself and her little
brother higher into the night sky. Below them, the lights of the
city spread out, glittering like jewels in the night. She slowed
her flight, looking back at Clairvoyant to make sure he had a
secure grip. "So, where to first this time?" she asked him with
a wide grin.
Clairvoyant laughed silently the entire time as his sister
carried him into the sky. <Ooh, we should see the library! I
wonder if they've fixed the hole in the roof yet!> he tapped to
her, needing to start over several times throughout the code due
to his grip needing to be secure on her.
Horizons laughed along with him. "We'll just have to see," she
said, orienting herself and picking up speed, leaving their
house behind.
She talked as she flew, describing the city below them to
Clairvoyant. Occasionally, she folded her wings in close to her
sides and swooped downward to get a closer look.
His face never lost its grin as they flew, and the only thing
that kept him from laughing was his attention to his sister's
words as they toured the city, trying to construct what it
looked like in his head. Of course, not even that could prevent
what would be his euphoric shrieks and giggles if he still had
his voice as they dove and rose back up. He asked questions of
his own, adding color to the scene in his mind.
Horizons coasted along toward home, nearly an hour and a full
loop of the city later. By now, she was starting to grow tired,
having to beat her wings harder to stay aloft. She glanced back
at Clairvoyant, still holding the uneaten chocolate bar. "Ready
for the finale, Clair?" she asked, rising higher into the sky in
preparation.
He nodded enthusiastically, entirely too excited for words even
were he able to speak. Horizons reached a respectable height
and then dove into a vertical spiral, looping once, then twice,
larger, and a third as well. At the apex of her third loop, she
turned a barrel roll, tossing her passenger higher into the air.
He trembled with silent laughter all the while from the moment
they start to when he left her back.
He fell through the sky, still laughing, body relaxed, enjoying
the feeling of free-falling and the security of knowing he had
absolutely nothing to worry about. His descent was stopped as
his older sister finished her final loop, catching him in her
hooves as she turned right-side up again. He wrapped his legs
around her again, rubbing his face into her coat and laughing.
His horn glowed and the chocolate bar unwrapped. He broke off a
quarter of it and passed the rest to his ride, nibbling at his
small portion.
Horizons nuzzled Clairvoyant as she flew toward their rapidly
approaching house, a wide, happy smile on her face. She held him
tighter as he ate the chocolate, hugging him closer to her body.
He returned the affection as his heartbeat slowed, the caffeine
in the chocolate draining the energy from his body. Though he
gained no enjoyment from the eating of the chocolate, it
delivered him straight from ecstatic over-excitement to blissful
slumber rather quickly, his favorite way to end a day that he
enjoyed as much as this one. He began tracing a heart on her
chest as he drifted off to sleep still a short way off from the
house, but it ended up being just an open-ended dual arch
upward, a shape as bottomless as the love he felt for his
sister.
"Love you too, Clair," Horizons said softly as she slowed her
flight, gently descending until she was just above the lawn.
With a few final flaps she set down, being careful not to
disturb her wonderful, delicate cargo. She leaned down, lifting
him onto her back once again and walking back to the house.
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