Post by Solar Solstice on Aug 18, 2013 21:40:30 GMT -5
OOC Date: June 15 and August 14, 2013
Characters: Rainbow Dash, Firefly
Setting: Rainbow pays her old friend Firefly a visit and learns some startling facts about her
It's about half an hour past sunset, which is quite late given the long summer days. As the wind from the valleys surges across the mountainside, buffeting the undercarriage of the city with the remnants of ocean scent from far away, the bright activity of the night burbles into being. Rainbow Dash, too, is about, restlessly exploring the nightscape of Canterlot as she prolongs one of her regular flyovers, feeling too anxious to reutnr home just yet. Her travels take her right to the palace throne room, prompted by an idle thought: what's her old friend Firefly up to lately? She pitches upward and onto the balcony, greeting the guards there and walking inside.
Firefly is at her station as Night Court and her Princess Luna required of her. Sitting just before the throne at the top of the steps leading to it is her station, a small tray of lemon cakes and lemon tea at her side. Night Court owas often dull and quiet. No wonder Luna was never thrilled about it. Still, it affords her a time to work on her magic, or rather, learn how to even trigger or use it in some cases. Slipping here just meant the repair Unicorn team has more work to do before Morning. They never complained though. Job security for them. More bits for them. Win-win. An ear perks, Sounds of flight are known to those that fly. Silent guards mean there is no disturbance or cause for alarm. She looks up from a small whispy disc of shadows at her hooves to see what it was.
Sure enough, the most famous pegasus in Equestria (or so Rainbow Dash likes to think) strides into the throne room casually, as if she was a resident finally home. She looks onwards towards the throne room, smiling as she sees Firefly and her ubiquitous lemon treats. "Yo, Firefly!" she greets excitedly, waving her hoof and almost lifting up off the ground before she remembers her manners. Trotting over towards the throne, she gives a playfully dramatic bow to the Squire. "Praise and honour to Princess Luna's biggest henchmare!" she declares glibly.
Firefly laughs at the greeting, waving a wing and dismissing the disc of black mist. "Well, that is certainly a new way to say hello. A lot wittier than the usual fare." grinning and sitting up. "So what brings the most colorful of aerial antics to the Palace, and after dark too." looking outside for a moment. She doesn't say anything about Dash's entrance, mainly as the Elements literally were welcome at any time for any reason. Looking back to Rainbow she grins. "Need more space to hang you medal on?"
Rainbow_Dash blinks, suddenly noticing the mist as it fades. Huh. "Nah, I got plenty of room in my place for medals, past and future," she states proudly, prancing up to Firefly until she's right at the foot of the throne. "I like to go out night flying sometimes, when I feel like it. Just a thing I'm into, I guess. You're, uh...you're doing spooky royal stuff, right?"
Firefly chuckles and shakes her head. "Nothing royal or important really, just waiting for the next pony to come in and whine about the loud parties at Pinkie's place." and nods. "I know that feeling, I love flying at night, mostly in rain storms, dancing with the lightning." laughing. "For the moment, I am still trying to learn Luna's third boon." opening a wing, revealing three black feathers trailing amidst her pink ones. "Luna's own feathers, each set has a power. I have learned to use one, and learning the second, and have no clue on the third."
"Hey, I helped installed that sound-proofing to the Sugarcube myself, you know!" Rainbow Dash asserts. "Yeah, I totally hear you about night-flying. The wind is totally different, totally...not so predictable, you know?" She exhales in mute resignation as her attempt at poetic description falters in comparison. When Firefly mentions the 'boons' her ears perk up and she finds her eyes drawn towards Firefly's supernatural pinions. "I heard about those things, yeah. So, I gotta ask..." She leans forward, looking at Firefly with a gaze of notable conspiracy. "Is it true that Luna took a part of your soul from you?"
Firefly pauses at that question, and closes her wing. "To be more accurate Dash, she installed within me a part of hers." looing back to the Element of Loyalty. "Put simply, it was the only way she could save my life at the time. We are soulbound, yes, to the point we share senses and awareness. Well, normally... Luna can if she wishes, turn that bit off, but rarely does she ever do so. It is this link that lets her know where I am anywhere, anytime, and grants her the ability to remotely summon me to her side with a teleport spell." then grins. "But it has its perks, I am connected to her power, her strength and mind, I can sense her as much as she me. So it balances out."
"Whoa, whoa," Rainbow Dash emits, her head reeling back as she looks at Firefly with a weird, slightly amazed, slightly frightened gaze. "You mean, that wasn't just a bunch of horseapples? Oh wow..." She rests her temple on a hoof for a second as she absorbs the implications. "So, that means you...and her...and both of you...and I thought Virga was weird!"
Firefly says "My mate IS unusual as well, but fret not, Celestia and Luna have separated the Wendigo blood from him. Virga is still quite formidable. We often fight to see who's stronger...." laughing. "Turns out, the winner would be whomever took the other by surprise." then stands up, opening her wings. "Yes, her and I. Her power has made me stronger, my wings are larger than I remember, as am I slightly larger. I could actually take one of your rainbooms now, without getting all broken up. My Shockwave was comparable to your 'Rainbow Nuke' before this...I have not tried it since this happened, and Luna has forbidden it except by direct command." then looks outside. "What I lost, were 3 magical boons from Princesses in my old homeland. I am a Storm Pegasus, already powerful with weather, I was gifted with strogner weather control yet, an ability to shoot lightning from beneath my wings, and the ability to aim it from the skies at whim, as often as needed."
Rainbow_Dash peers over Firefly, definitely seeing the differences now that they've been mentioned. For a moment she experiences a sort of distance developing between the two of them, the cosmic power swirling about within Firefly almost palpable. The cyan pegasus feels the edges of her wings shiver, as if the air has gained an uncanny quality of quintessence, seeping in through breech in the fabric separating the world from the highest heavens and shaking the foundations of the world. She swallows, for an instant daring not to breath lest she profane the sacred celestial aether, and in the same period she walks the paths of her distant ancestors, huddled in the mountaintops and calling upon deities long forgotten by the march of time and the tireless correction of proper religion. "That's far out," she utters, cursing herself for her boldness.
Firefly says "Well, it was fun being the best storm pegasus alive, and I am still wicked with weather, I can still summon and aim lighting, just not as much a day, it really tires me out doing it....and I can't do the wing lightning thing anymore," nodding. "But what I gained, is awesome indeed. Of Luna's 3 gifts, I can use two. I can shift into a mist form and travel that way, cool but mostly useless....I can shift my eyes to see life-magic, handy in finding Changelings, and when I do that, my wings turn into a black flame...with no heat. Its really cool, but again, that aspect is useless. I can still fly with them at least. The third., I have no clue how to trigger much less use."
Rainbow_Dash boggles over this information, her mind having, in the intervening moments, reconciled the revelations with her perception of the world and, for now, quelling the primal fears that haunted her so acutely for that one dark moment. Mist form? Life magic? This sounds like something out of Twilight's magic histories! "So you're like some kind of...er...you know, that pet that wizards had in old Equestria... I mean, not that I'm comparing you to a pet, or anything!" Guilty-grin.
Firefly says "More like a living weapon. I am Luna's Squire, more now than ever before. But I can see the reference, yes." nodding. "BUt it can be fun to shift and stare at a pony, they get real quite and real polite real fast." grinning. "Oh, silly me, would you like a cupcake or some tea?" waving a wing to the trays. "I always have some around at night."
Rainbow_Dash is notably quiet and polite as she noddles in awe. "Cupcake? Thanks, but you know I'm not into lemon so much," she comments. "Tea's nice, though!" She moves closer and settles on a cushion next to the throne, a little anxiolus from being at the centre of political power in Equestria. It's like whenever she goes to vote! "So, uh...you just hear ponies complain here?"
Firefly is sitting in front of the throne, not on it. She never sits on it, despite running Night Court. She pours some tea and sets the teapot aside. "MOre or less, yes. I have Luna's authority in all matters in her absense, pretty much on anything. Complaints are one of the things few come here for at night, the prefer Celestias Court to LUna's. So it is usually quiet and I can practice on things."
"Things?" Rainbow Dash says, blowing a little on her tea to cool it. "Like...your new powers and stuff? Isn't that...it's kinda weird doing that in here, isn't it?" She looks around, feeling all the statues and stained glass windows staring down at her. She can hardly think about her next meal with all that attention!
Firefly laughs. "Yeah, magic isn't my thing, Lightning is. Even with Luna teachng me, using magic is hard." then looks around. "Oh, the room is destroyed about twice a week. Everything in it is restored or replaced equally so, as Celestia and Luna tend to smach it all playing 'tag'. eating a small lemon cookie. "They seem to love doing that.'
Rainbow_Dash blinks. "Uh...right?" She finds the notion of the Princesses, gemmed and garlanded, playing foal's games in the throne room to be rather silly, yet...they /were/ the Princesses, so technically they could do whatever they wanted in their own castle. *But that's just weird* "Wait, is that related to those stories I keep hearing of you and Princess Luna sparring a lot?"
Firefly says "They are not stories." grinning. "We train a lot, yes...and it gets violent. We.....moved training away from public sight as it scared many ponies. I can however verify the Road to canterlot tastes awful." laughing. "And that's how the sisters play tag, its more of a reflex skill honing than a game. But, that it why we have Unicorn repair teams. Some do glass, others masonry, and I've put some holes in the walls myself."
Rainbow_Dash's mind is filled with images of fire and thunder shaking half the city thanks to these 'sessions'. "You know...you should just make some kind of special place for training. I mean, it beats having to fix this place up every time." She takes a sip of the tea now that it's reached the requisite coolness. Hey, pretty classy! That's to be expected, though. "Like, maybe start bringing other ponies who wanna learn how to fight, and...hey, wait a second..." Something is happening: Rainbow is getting an idea! Uh oh.
<OOC> You say, "And that's how she thought of jousting clubs X3"
<OOC> Firefly grins
Firefly says "The 'tag' played here is done here because of magic shields. NOthing is seen or heard from outside of the palace, and that's really the Princesses' thing. I tend to train either in Everfree or Tartyrus, depending on my mood. That and Luna takes me along on of her missions, so I get plenty of workout time in." laughing."
Rainbow_Dash barely hears what Firefly is saying, as she's just gotten a hold of a fantastic idea. "What about...a club, for fighting! A fight club! No...a /jousting/ club! It'll be the awesomemest thing ever!" She grins so wide that the corners of her mouth feel strained. "Oh! Uh...sorry 'bout that, Fire, heh, just got a bit, you know, excited." Guilty-grin. "So...training, uh..." She taps her temple: what was she gonna say? "Right. I was wondering if maybe I could show up to one of these, uh, sessions some time?"
Firefly says "They are not closed, anypony can come and watch. I am certain there shall be something going on when Milady Luna feels better." then tilts her head. "What is this thing...jousting?"
"You've never heard of it?" Rainbow Dash says, gawking. "It's, like, traditional and stuff! I thought you knew 'traditional'!" She's so agitated that her wings flare out for a second. "Uh...well...it's the kind of combat they did 'til recently, when you had knights and stuff try to stab each other with lances. Mostly it was the Crystal Empire that did a lot of it, and we did it, too. Heck, we have knights today, so I duno why you missed out on that."
Firefly says "I am not from this land, to KNOW any of its traditions, and there is nothing in Luna's books about it that I have read so far."
"That's weird," Rainbow Dash comments. "I'm pretty sure that they had jousting even way back when. Uhh..." She takes a hasty sip of her tea, a little nervous all of a sudden for reasons she can't articulate. "You know, I really wish you'd get out of the Palace more so we can hang out some more. I mean, it's been a long while."
Firefly says "They may have, I have not read but a small fraction of the gajollion books Luna has at the old palace." laughing. "And I rarely visit the university library in Ccanterlot....well, I tend to smack uptight rude ponies across the city."
Rainbow_Dash chuckles. "Yeah, I can see that happening a lot in your case!" she quips. She herself had been wont to avoid libraries until quite recently, and even then she learned the etiquette very quickly. Firefly, though, in her mind is just, well, fiery. "Tell you what, how about you and I go see a jousting match some time? The Crystal Empire's started doing them for exhibition, I think."
Firefly laughs and nods. "That should be interesting at least. I have yet to visit the territories of Princess Cadence, and any sport that means stompiong the belunabus out of somepony has to be fun.
"What else can it be?" Rainbow Dash says, smirking. "Anyway, I think I can save us a spot if-" Hoofsteps, loud and echoic, sound out from the very end of the hall as a petitioner approaches. Her fur is deep as the darkest forest, her slitted yellow eyes and bat-like wings adding something eerie and disturbing to her countenance. She marches straight for the throne, right past the guards towards where the other two pegasi seat. "Ah, so you are...the Squire?" she asks, looking upon Firefly curiously. "So, it is true." -- Rainbow Dash gawks; somehow she thinks she knows this strange pony. "Wait...you're-!"
Firefly gets to her hooves and flares her wings, which burst into a silent eerie black heatless flame, her own eyes shifting into green dragonic slitted ones, nodding to the petitioner. "That would be correct." waiting to see how the new arrival reacts to Rainbow.
The 'new arrival' rears back a little at Firefly's display, but she doesn't seem afraid. Awe, rather, is her disposition. "I see that Her Majesty has done the soul-sharing magick, as the stories say. Then, my Lady, I am honoured to be before you as Umbral Celerity, of House Starfall." Umbral bows deeply and reverently to Firefly; she doesn't seem to acknowledge Rainbow just yet, which is all the well because Rainbow is still quivering in her fetlocks. She /definitely/ knew Umbral from before, and the remembrance of their previous meeting troubled her.
Firefly flaps and folds her wings as they shift back to normal, her eyes also shifting to normal. "Welcome to Canterlot on behalf of my lady Luna." nodding in respect to Umbral. "And what does the lady Umbral of House Starfall seek of me this night?" looking to Dash a moment. "I seem to have the impression thou know the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash?"
Umbral glances aside towards Rainbow, who is gesticulating wildly with her forearms and head in a 'big no!' sort of way. "We have an acquaintance, is all," she states truthfully. "As for my business here... I wish to surrender my Letters Patent to the Night Court, seeing as it has now gone into abeyance with the full restoration of the Diarchy." She procures a scroll, very ancient-looking, from her saddlebag and places it at Firefly's feet. "I had been charged to speak on behalf of the Loyal Children in Cloudsdale to the Gerousia, but there is to be new representation in the form of...Gerontes."
<OOC> You say, "http://equestriamuck.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=logs&action=display&thread=550 Umbral appeared at the very end"
Firefly's ears angle slightly as she looks down at the scroll, a thick dark violet mist curls around it and lifts it up, letting it rest on one of Firefly's outstretched hooves. "I shall relinquish this to the Princess Luna as soon as possible." then angles her head slightly. "So they are replacing thee with this....Gerontes? Who...or what...is that?"
"It's the guys in Cloudsdale who vote on laws and stuff," Rainbow Dash blurts out all of a sudden. "They...uh..." She swallows, realizing. "I'll shut up now." -- Umbral nods. "What she says is correct, and now I must take my leave. Lady Dash?" She looks at the dejected mare and then speaks in a strange language. <<The wind weaves>>. -- Rainbow looks up, stunned. <<But the Winged fly true>>, she repeats instinctively, in that same language. -- Umbral grins a little before bowing to Firefly again and quickly making her leave, her long shadow disappearing around the corner.
Firefly looks to Rainbow curiously. "Now I know there is something to this." tucking the scroll away for later. "Care to enlighten me on the situation, and perchance to say how you know such an ancient tongue?"
"It's a Cloudsdale thing," Rainbow Dash states vaguely, swallowing her now-cool tea nervously. "Something I picked up." She makes a show of looking at her watch. "Look, I, uh, I gotta be somewhere, so I gotta jet and stuff, yeah. Later?"
Firefly says "If it makes you unsettled in explaining it, no worries, I merely shan't ask if of thee. LUna will know and can likely teach me the language in a moment...not the first time she's dumped stuff into my memory."
Rainbow_Dash manages a smirk despite herself. "Firefly, your weirdness is just...weird, you know?" With that, she gives a mock salute before trotting to the nearest balcony. "I'll see you around, and I'll try to bring you to jousting!" With that, she takes off, breathing a sigh of relief. That was close! Any longer, and Firefly might've started asking about her family and stuff...
Firefly grins a bit as Dash turns to take off. "Jousting will be fun.....Oh, and Rainbow?.....<<But the Winged fly true>>." angling an ear with a grin, sitting back down and sipping some tea, refilling her cup to reheat it.
<OOC> Firefly laughs and wondered is Dash would be curious how Fire knew that phrase.
<OOC> You say, "She read Luna's books? X3"
<OOC> Firefly says, "She'll just have to ask next time she sees her."
<OOC> You say, "RD probably just thinks Firefly was teasing n.n"
<OOC> Firefly laughs.
Characters: Rainbow Dash, Firefly
Setting: Rainbow pays her old friend Firefly a visit and learns some startling facts about her
It's about half an hour past sunset, which is quite late given the long summer days. As the wind from the valleys surges across the mountainside, buffeting the undercarriage of the city with the remnants of ocean scent from far away, the bright activity of the night burbles into being. Rainbow Dash, too, is about, restlessly exploring the nightscape of Canterlot as she prolongs one of her regular flyovers, feeling too anxious to reutnr home just yet. Her travels take her right to the palace throne room, prompted by an idle thought: what's her old friend Firefly up to lately? She pitches upward and onto the balcony, greeting the guards there and walking inside.
Firefly is at her station as Night Court and her Princess Luna required of her. Sitting just before the throne at the top of the steps leading to it is her station, a small tray of lemon cakes and lemon tea at her side. Night Court owas often dull and quiet. No wonder Luna was never thrilled about it. Still, it affords her a time to work on her magic, or rather, learn how to even trigger or use it in some cases. Slipping here just meant the repair Unicorn team has more work to do before Morning. They never complained though. Job security for them. More bits for them. Win-win. An ear perks, Sounds of flight are known to those that fly. Silent guards mean there is no disturbance or cause for alarm. She looks up from a small whispy disc of shadows at her hooves to see what it was.
Sure enough, the most famous pegasus in Equestria (or so Rainbow Dash likes to think) strides into the throne room casually, as if she was a resident finally home. She looks onwards towards the throne room, smiling as she sees Firefly and her ubiquitous lemon treats. "Yo, Firefly!" she greets excitedly, waving her hoof and almost lifting up off the ground before she remembers her manners. Trotting over towards the throne, she gives a playfully dramatic bow to the Squire. "Praise and honour to Princess Luna's biggest henchmare!" she declares glibly.
Firefly laughs at the greeting, waving a wing and dismissing the disc of black mist. "Well, that is certainly a new way to say hello. A lot wittier than the usual fare." grinning and sitting up. "So what brings the most colorful of aerial antics to the Palace, and after dark too." looking outside for a moment. She doesn't say anything about Dash's entrance, mainly as the Elements literally were welcome at any time for any reason. Looking back to Rainbow she grins. "Need more space to hang you medal on?"
Rainbow_Dash blinks, suddenly noticing the mist as it fades. Huh. "Nah, I got plenty of room in my place for medals, past and future," she states proudly, prancing up to Firefly until she's right at the foot of the throne. "I like to go out night flying sometimes, when I feel like it. Just a thing I'm into, I guess. You're, uh...you're doing spooky royal stuff, right?"
Firefly chuckles and shakes her head. "Nothing royal or important really, just waiting for the next pony to come in and whine about the loud parties at Pinkie's place." and nods. "I know that feeling, I love flying at night, mostly in rain storms, dancing with the lightning." laughing. "For the moment, I am still trying to learn Luna's third boon." opening a wing, revealing three black feathers trailing amidst her pink ones. "Luna's own feathers, each set has a power. I have learned to use one, and learning the second, and have no clue on the third."
"Hey, I helped installed that sound-proofing to the Sugarcube myself, you know!" Rainbow Dash asserts. "Yeah, I totally hear you about night-flying. The wind is totally different, totally...not so predictable, you know?" She exhales in mute resignation as her attempt at poetic description falters in comparison. When Firefly mentions the 'boons' her ears perk up and she finds her eyes drawn towards Firefly's supernatural pinions. "I heard about those things, yeah. So, I gotta ask..." She leans forward, looking at Firefly with a gaze of notable conspiracy. "Is it true that Luna took a part of your soul from you?"
Firefly pauses at that question, and closes her wing. "To be more accurate Dash, she installed within me a part of hers." looing back to the Element of Loyalty. "Put simply, it was the only way she could save my life at the time. We are soulbound, yes, to the point we share senses and awareness. Well, normally... Luna can if she wishes, turn that bit off, but rarely does she ever do so. It is this link that lets her know where I am anywhere, anytime, and grants her the ability to remotely summon me to her side with a teleport spell." then grins. "But it has its perks, I am connected to her power, her strength and mind, I can sense her as much as she me. So it balances out."
"Whoa, whoa," Rainbow Dash emits, her head reeling back as she looks at Firefly with a weird, slightly amazed, slightly frightened gaze. "You mean, that wasn't just a bunch of horseapples? Oh wow..." She rests her temple on a hoof for a second as she absorbs the implications. "So, that means you...and her...and both of you...and I thought Virga was weird!"
Firefly says "My mate IS unusual as well, but fret not, Celestia and Luna have separated the Wendigo blood from him. Virga is still quite formidable. We often fight to see who's stronger...." laughing. "Turns out, the winner would be whomever took the other by surprise." then stands up, opening her wings. "Yes, her and I. Her power has made me stronger, my wings are larger than I remember, as am I slightly larger. I could actually take one of your rainbooms now, without getting all broken up. My Shockwave was comparable to your 'Rainbow Nuke' before this...I have not tried it since this happened, and Luna has forbidden it except by direct command." then looks outside. "What I lost, were 3 magical boons from Princesses in my old homeland. I am a Storm Pegasus, already powerful with weather, I was gifted with strogner weather control yet, an ability to shoot lightning from beneath my wings, and the ability to aim it from the skies at whim, as often as needed."
Rainbow_Dash peers over Firefly, definitely seeing the differences now that they've been mentioned. For a moment she experiences a sort of distance developing between the two of them, the cosmic power swirling about within Firefly almost palpable. The cyan pegasus feels the edges of her wings shiver, as if the air has gained an uncanny quality of quintessence, seeping in through breech in the fabric separating the world from the highest heavens and shaking the foundations of the world. She swallows, for an instant daring not to breath lest she profane the sacred celestial aether, and in the same period she walks the paths of her distant ancestors, huddled in the mountaintops and calling upon deities long forgotten by the march of time and the tireless correction of proper religion. "That's far out," she utters, cursing herself for her boldness.
Firefly says "Well, it was fun being the best storm pegasus alive, and I am still wicked with weather, I can still summon and aim lighting, just not as much a day, it really tires me out doing it....and I can't do the wing lightning thing anymore," nodding. "But what I gained, is awesome indeed. Of Luna's 3 gifts, I can use two. I can shift into a mist form and travel that way, cool but mostly useless....I can shift my eyes to see life-magic, handy in finding Changelings, and when I do that, my wings turn into a black flame...with no heat. Its really cool, but again, that aspect is useless. I can still fly with them at least. The third., I have no clue how to trigger much less use."
Rainbow_Dash boggles over this information, her mind having, in the intervening moments, reconciled the revelations with her perception of the world and, for now, quelling the primal fears that haunted her so acutely for that one dark moment. Mist form? Life magic? This sounds like something out of Twilight's magic histories! "So you're like some kind of...er...you know, that pet that wizards had in old Equestria... I mean, not that I'm comparing you to a pet, or anything!" Guilty-grin.
Firefly says "More like a living weapon. I am Luna's Squire, more now than ever before. But I can see the reference, yes." nodding. "BUt it can be fun to shift and stare at a pony, they get real quite and real polite real fast." grinning. "Oh, silly me, would you like a cupcake or some tea?" waving a wing to the trays. "I always have some around at night."
Rainbow_Dash is notably quiet and polite as she noddles in awe. "Cupcake? Thanks, but you know I'm not into lemon so much," she comments. "Tea's nice, though!" She moves closer and settles on a cushion next to the throne, a little anxiolus from being at the centre of political power in Equestria. It's like whenever she goes to vote! "So, uh...you just hear ponies complain here?"
Firefly is sitting in front of the throne, not on it. She never sits on it, despite running Night Court. She pours some tea and sets the teapot aside. "MOre or less, yes. I have Luna's authority in all matters in her absense, pretty much on anything. Complaints are one of the things few come here for at night, the prefer Celestias Court to LUna's. So it is usually quiet and I can practice on things."
"Things?" Rainbow Dash says, blowing a little on her tea to cool it. "Like...your new powers and stuff? Isn't that...it's kinda weird doing that in here, isn't it?" She looks around, feeling all the statues and stained glass windows staring down at her. She can hardly think about her next meal with all that attention!
Firefly laughs. "Yeah, magic isn't my thing, Lightning is. Even with Luna teachng me, using magic is hard." then looks around. "Oh, the room is destroyed about twice a week. Everything in it is restored or replaced equally so, as Celestia and Luna tend to smach it all playing 'tag'. eating a small lemon cookie. "They seem to love doing that.'
Rainbow_Dash blinks. "Uh...right?" She finds the notion of the Princesses, gemmed and garlanded, playing foal's games in the throne room to be rather silly, yet...they /were/ the Princesses, so technically they could do whatever they wanted in their own castle. *But that's just weird* "Wait, is that related to those stories I keep hearing of you and Princess Luna sparring a lot?"
Firefly says "They are not stories." grinning. "We train a lot, yes...and it gets violent. We.....moved training away from public sight as it scared many ponies. I can however verify the Road to canterlot tastes awful." laughing. "And that's how the sisters play tag, its more of a reflex skill honing than a game. But, that it why we have Unicorn repair teams. Some do glass, others masonry, and I've put some holes in the walls myself."
Rainbow_Dash's mind is filled with images of fire and thunder shaking half the city thanks to these 'sessions'. "You know...you should just make some kind of special place for training. I mean, it beats having to fix this place up every time." She takes a sip of the tea now that it's reached the requisite coolness. Hey, pretty classy! That's to be expected, though. "Like, maybe start bringing other ponies who wanna learn how to fight, and...hey, wait a second..." Something is happening: Rainbow is getting an idea! Uh oh.
<OOC> You say, "And that's how she thought of jousting clubs X3"
<OOC> Firefly grins
Firefly says "The 'tag' played here is done here because of magic shields. NOthing is seen or heard from outside of the palace, and that's really the Princesses' thing. I tend to train either in Everfree or Tartyrus, depending on my mood. That and Luna takes me along on of her missions, so I get plenty of workout time in." laughing."
Rainbow_Dash barely hears what Firefly is saying, as she's just gotten a hold of a fantastic idea. "What about...a club, for fighting! A fight club! No...a /jousting/ club! It'll be the awesomemest thing ever!" She grins so wide that the corners of her mouth feel strained. "Oh! Uh...sorry 'bout that, Fire, heh, just got a bit, you know, excited." Guilty-grin. "So...training, uh..." She taps her temple: what was she gonna say? "Right. I was wondering if maybe I could show up to one of these, uh, sessions some time?"
Firefly says "They are not closed, anypony can come and watch. I am certain there shall be something going on when Milady Luna feels better." then tilts her head. "What is this thing...jousting?"
"You've never heard of it?" Rainbow Dash says, gawking. "It's, like, traditional and stuff! I thought you knew 'traditional'!" She's so agitated that her wings flare out for a second. "Uh...well...it's the kind of combat they did 'til recently, when you had knights and stuff try to stab each other with lances. Mostly it was the Crystal Empire that did a lot of it, and we did it, too. Heck, we have knights today, so I duno why you missed out on that."
Firefly says "I am not from this land, to KNOW any of its traditions, and there is nothing in Luna's books about it that I have read so far."
"That's weird," Rainbow Dash comments. "I'm pretty sure that they had jousting even way back when. Uhh..." She takes a hasty sip of her tea, a little nervous all of a sudden for reasons she can't articulate. "You know, I really wish you'd get out of the Palace more so we can hang out some more. I mean, it's been a long while."
Firefly says "They may have, I have not read but a small fraction of the gajollion books Luna has at the old palace." laughing. "And I rarely visit the university library in Ccanterlot....well, I tend to smack uptight rude ponies across the city."
Rainbow_Dash chuckles. "Yeah, I can see that happening a lot in your case!" she quips. She herself had been wont to avoid libraries until quite recently, and even then she learned the etiquette very quickly. Firefly, though, in her mind is just, well, fiery. "Tell you what, how about you and I go see a jousting match some time? The Crystal Empire's started doing them for exhibition, I think."
Firefly laughs and nods. "That should be interesting at least. I have yet to visit the territories of Princess Cadence, and any sport that means stompiong the belunabus out of somepony has to be fun.
"What else can it be?" Rainbow Dash says, smirking. "Anyway, I think I can save us a spot if-" Hoofsteps, loud and echoic, sound out from the very end of the hall as a petitioner approaches. Her fur is deep as the darkest forest, her slitted yellow eyes and bat-like wings adding something eerie and disturbing to her countenance. She marches straight for the throne, right past the guards towards where the other two pegasi seat. "Ah, so you are...the Squire?" she asks, looking upon Firefly curiously. "So, it is true." -- Rainbow Dash gawks; somehow she thinks she knows this strange pony. "Wait...you're-!"
Firefly gets to her hooves and flares her wings, which burst into a silent eerie black heatless flame, her own eyes shifting into green dragonic slitted ones, nodding to the petitioner. "That would be correct." waiting to see how the new arrival reacts to Rainbow.
The 'new arrival' rears back a little at Firefly's display, but she doesn't seem afraid. Awe, rather, is her disposition. "I see that Her Majesty has done the soul-sharing magick, as the stories say. Then, my Lady, I am honoured to be before you as Umbral Celerity, of House Starfall." Umbral bows deeply and reverently to Firefly; she doesn't seem to acknowledge Rainbow just yet, which is all the well because Rainbow is still quivering in her fetlocks. She /definitely/ knew Umbral from before, and the remembrance of their previous meeting troubled her.
Firefly flaps and folds her wings as they shift back to normal, her eyes also shifting to normal. "Welcome to Canterlot on behalf of my lady Luna." nodding in respect to Umbral. "And what does the lady Umbral of House Starfall seek of me this night?" looking to Dash a moment. "I seem to have the impression thou know the Element of Loyalty, Rainbow Dash?"
Umbral glances aside towards Rainbow, who is gesticulating wildly with her forearms and head in a 'big no!' sort of way. "We have an acquaintance, is all," she states truthfully. "As for my business here... I wish to surrender my Letters Patent to the Night Court, seeing as it has now gone into abeyance with the full restoration of the Diarchy." She procures a scroll, very ancient-looking, from her saddlebag and places it at Firefly's feet. "I had been charged to speak on behalf of the Loyal Children in Cloudsdale to the Gerousia, but there is to be new representation in the form of...Gerontes."
<OOC> You say, "http://equestriamuck.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=logs&action=display&thread=550 Umbral appeared at the very end"
Firefly's ears angle slightly as she looks down at the scroll, a thick dark violet mist curls around it and lifts it up, letting it rest on one of Firefly's outstretched hooves. "I shall relinquish this to the Princess Luna as soon as possible." then angles her head slightly. "So they are replacing thee with this....Gerontes? Who...or what...is that?"
"It's the guys in Cloudsdale who vote on laws and stuff," Rainbow Dash blurts out all of a sudden. "They...uh..." She swallows, realizing. "I'll shut up now." -- Umbral nods. "What she says is correct, and now I must take my leave. Lady Dash?" She looks at the dejected mare and then speaks in a strange language. <<The wind weaves>>. -- Rainbow looks up, stunned. <<But the Winged fly true>>, she repeats instinctively, in that same language. -- Umbral grins a little before bowing to Firefly again and quickly making her leave, her long shadow disappearing around the corner.
Firefly looks to Rainbow curiously. "Now I know there is something to this." tucking the scroll away for later. "Care to enlighten me on the situation, and perchance to say how you know such an ancient tongue?"
"It's a Cloudsdale thing," Rainbow Dash states vaguely, swallowing her now-cool tea nervously. "Something I picked up." She makes a show of looking at her watch. "Look, I, uh, I gotta be somewhere, so I gotta jet and stuff, yeah. Later?"
Firefly says "If it makes you unsettled in explaining it, no worries, I merely shan't ask if of thee. LUna will know and can likely teach me the language in a moment...not the first time she's dumped stuff into my memory."
Rainbow_Dash manages a smirk despite herself. "Firefly, your weirdness is just...weird, you know?" With that, she gives a mock salute before trotting to the nearest balcony. "I'll see you around, and I'll try to bring you to jousting!" With that, she takes off, breathing a sigh of relief. That was close! Any longer, and Firefly might've started asking about her family and stuff...
Firefly grins a bit as Dash turns to take off. "Jousting will be fun.....Oh, and Rainbow?.....<<But the Winged fly true>>." angling an ear with a grin, sitting back down and sipping some tea, refilling her cup to reheat it.
<OOC> Firefly laughs and wondered is Dash would be curious how Fire knew that phrase.
<OOC> You say, "She read Luna's books? X3"
<OOC> Firefly says, "She'll just have to ask next time she sees her."
<OOC> You say, "RD probably just thinks Firefly was teasing n.n"
<OOC> Firefly laughs.