NationStates

Art Show

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Warble considered for a very long moment. "... Good enough! I will give you the password now!"

He beckoned her down and leaned in close to her ear.

"... The Rainboots," he whispered, before pulling away and giving a firm nod. "The! The!"

The pink pony rolled her eyes with a smile and nodded. "Alright Warble, I'll make sure she gets there," she said, in a giggly voice. She motioned for Domenica to follow her through the crowd. "Hi there, my name is Toola Roola," she said. "Your other human friend here told me that she was an artist too. Are you an artist too?"


Magic School

Philomena warbled and cocked her head at Sandy, though it was unclear if she was responding to his words or his tone. She took flight again and ruffled herself, dropping a long, beautiful feather of orange and crimson gradients on his shoulder before perching elsewhere in the room.

"Aww," Inkwell remarked brightly. "She gives those to ponies she likes." She wandered to the far corner where Philomena had perched to tend to her.

Celestia returned a look to the magician, kind but still. "It didn't have a name," she answered. "Because back then, they did not think of themselves as a collective nation. Each of their original cities had names, but out of a desire to press forward, they were seldom spoken anymore after the migration. I remember them, but I don't speak them out of respect for that — unless asked, of course, but nopony ever does. Most ponies now aren't interested in that time. They regard it as dark, primitive, and take identity from the rejection of it. In their minds, history begins when that time ended, not before."

She frowned sadly at this, and looked around at the various pictures around her.

"It's sad, I know," she admitted. "Our ancestors were people too, even if they made mistakes. Especially because they made mistakes. And I know how frustrating it is when ponies forget how amazing somepony was all because of passing time..." The Princess shifted a look towards Inkwell. "... but Equestrians have a tendency to be forward-focused. It's gotten them this far, after all. I've tried not to judge them for that."

Seeming intent on changing the subject away from gloom, the Princess smiled and pulled something towards her from a display, gently showing it to Sandy (while keeping it out of his grasp): a shard of broken mirror.

"The unicorns were trying to figure out dimensional travel even before they found me," she explained. "It wasn't perfected until much later. I was older by that time, but still young and silly in my own right, and so an accomplice to the... less than innocent behavior, that we engaged in once it was up and ready."

Her smile shifted into a mixture of wistfulness and amusement as she turned the mirror sharp in her own sight.

"We stole a lot of things," she admitted, choosing not to sugarcoat it. "The magic culture back then wasn't as considerate back then as it is now, so we saw no harm in it so long as we did not disturb the inhabitants of that dimension. If there was intelligent life we were in and out, careful not to be noticed, and grabbed whatever looked interesting within reach. We were ravenously curious, and incorporated much of what was useful into our world." She looked directly at him. "I took the plans for the locomotive off the desk myself. I would not do that today. Even if..." The glass shard returned to its spot. "... even if things hadn't started to go wrong. That is too long a story to tell now, but we learned that our exploring was causing more harm to space and time than it was worth. We destroyed the mirror. Only the prototype still exists, because it was comparatively useless. Princess Twilight found a way to utilize it recently, and I trust her to be wiser with it than us."

Canterlot, Equestria
Magic School

Giovenith wrote:Philomena warbled and cocked her head at Sandy, [...then] took flight again and ruffled herself, dropping a long, beautiful feather of orange and crimson gradients on his shoulder[...]

Sandy picked the feather up with a smile, delighted. Lacking a better place to put it, he slid it behind one ear. I'll have to get a cap to wear this in.

Giovenith wrote:Celestia [...said, "]Each of their original cities had names, but [...] they were seldom spoken anymore after the migration. I remember them, but I don't speak them out of respect for that — unless asked, of course, but nopony ever does. [...] but Equestrians have a tendency to be forward-focused. It's gotten them this far, after all."

"We call it 'progress'," Sandy said with a nod and a smile.

"I think I know the name of one of these forgotten cities, and I'd like to confirm it. Since I am no pony, I will ask for their names." His face brightened with the smile of a man all too pleased with himself. Best straight line since Odysseus set up Polyphemus.

Giovenith wrote:"We stole a lot of things," she admitted, choosing not to sugarcoat it. "[...]If there was intelligent life we [...] grabbed whatever looked interesting within reach [...] I took the plans for the locomotive off the desk myself. I would not do that today. [...W]e learned that our exploring was causing more harm to space and time than it was worth. We destroyed the mirror. Only the prototype still exists[...]. Princess Twilight found a way to utilize it recently, and I trust her to be wiser with it than us."

Sandy's jaw hung open as he sat stunned by the goddess' confession, but as She went on, he collected his jaw and his wits, and began to shake his end. By the end, he was downcast, but raised his eyes to Hers. I've been furious at gods, baffled and mystified by them, but never before have I been disappointed in one. "You should make it up to them, though. I doubt they'd appreciate it if they knew: inventions are often what inventors and their, uh, societies are most proud of. They'd probably appreciate something back, turning theft into sharing... skulduggery into cooperation.

"Or... their cultures would, if, ummm, too much time as passed there to do something for them personally. A spell or two, if they work magic, or just advice. More than once in my society's history would we have been much better off with good counsel, a cooler head, or just a different perspective.

"And even though your portal seems to have had a real winner of a – It sounds like it was flawed, and the prototype seems to be just a door to one place and one time. But there are other ways to travel between dimensions. You could go with somebody else. If need be, I'll take care of it. Regardless, there are ways, so you should do it." Sandy's tone was neither begging nor demanding, but simply sad. That Celestia had fallen so short of Her own teachings was just crushing.

Art Show

"Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm..." Warble considered for a very long moment. "... Good enough! I will give you the password now!"

He beckoned her down and leaned in close to her ear.

The Filipina let out a short sigh of relief as Warble said that it was good enough. She thought that she had offended him or that her critique was too literal or perhaps too narrow. She was glad that she got through. Barely, in her opinion. When he beckoned her down, she did so, and let him lean closely to her ear.

"... The Rainboots," he whispered, before pulling away and giving a firm nod. "The! The!"

Domenica nodded back at him and repeated softly, "The Rainboots. Got it." And then she stood up and smiled at him. She'll find it easy to remember the password. Rainboots. How simple.

The pink pony rolled her eyes with a smile and nodded. "Alright Warble, I'll make sure she gets there," she said, in a giggly voice. She motioned for Domenica to follow her through the crowd. "Hi there, my name is Toola Roola," she said. "Your other human friend here told me that she was an artist too. Are you an artist too?"

Domenica nodded at her and followed after her. As she did, she said, "I'm Domenica." When she heard of other humans being around, she just nodded. But at the question of being an artist, she shrugged at herself, chuckling nervously, then saying, "I guess? I am a writer. I don't really do a lot of drawing. But I do draw, just not a lot. But I do think that writing is also an art."

The Princess nodded along with him, though her smile slowly fell as she seemed to reflect on the answers he requested. One might suppose that even when something was never expressly forbidden, brushing off centuries of dusty silence and apathy to reach into that particular chest was still something that took a moment of care, like any other forgotten treasure. Her magic reached out to pull a small piece of paper over.

"Sandy, though I know it must feel silly, I do ask that you practice the same discretion as me when it comes to these names," she said. "I respect your pursuit for knowledge and want to aid it, but I also respect the wishes of the founders. It was very painful for them to leave everything behind, and they worked hard to bury the mistakes of the past for their descendants." With that said, she etched onto the paper with a quill pen while speaking the names. "It was Caer Gloriana for the unicorns, Cynisca for the pegasi, and Groundtown for the Earth ponies."

The Princess rolled it up and handed it to the historian. His sadness at her other confession, that of the dimensional thievery, did not go unrecognized. There was no offense in her reaction though. Rather, she folded her ears and gave her own sad, understanding smile as she gave his shoulder a supportive nuzzle.

"I understand, Sandy," she said, in a knowing tone that indicated that this had not been the first time she'd addressed the subject. It was not dismissive or annoyed, but reassuring, the kind of conciliatory tone that wordlessly cleared the air with agreement. "I know that you must be disappointed. It is difficult sometimes, on my part, to put into perspective why I've done things the way I have and when; it's one of the drawbacks of having lived a long time yet having limited time to speak. I don't expect you to see that as a justification, but I do hope that you will continue to make time to talk with us, to listen and share perspectives. And if you are willing, you are more than welcome to help us continue moving forward with the right things."

The unexpected rumbling of an hour being struck on a grand clock somewhere deep in the castle pulled the Princess away from Sandy. She looked towards a smaller clock on one of the many shelves, and was soon rejoined at her side by Inkwell. The Princess sighed with disappointment of her own, but acceptance.

"I'm sorry Sandy, but that's all the time I have for you right now," she apologized. "I'm sorry this couldn't go further. Oh, but here..."

Another flick of magic paper and quill pen, and Princess Celestia had written up yet another new spell for the wizard, handing it to him.

"This will allow you to send letters to me," she explained. "Enchant a fire, burn your letter in it, and it will materialize in front of me. I will be able to send letters to you in turn. This is how many of my personal students keep in touch with me. Come, I'll guide you back to the show so that you can meet with your friends again."

And so they did, at least until shortly behind the double doors that lead to the ballroom, the Princess and the Professor hanging behind so as not to be spotted and hounded by any of their subjects. They nodded to him in parting.

"Until we speak again, Doctor."


"I completely think so too!" Toola Roola cheered, rearing happily. "Oh my gosh, you haven't lived until you've heard the slam poetry down at the Blue Door..."

Seeming to remember something, the pink mare shook her head as if to wave off a distraction. Her expression became somewhat stern.

"Since you're not among the rest, I figure it's probably best to tell you," she said. She pointed a hoof at Domenica... pointedly! "That grey stallion you're hanging out with? Willow Streaks? He is not a good influence. He's very negative, he can't handle other opinions, and he has been nothing but mean to me in the past. I don't want to tell you who to hang out with, but it was only fair that I warn you." She gave a firm nod. "Don't trust him. If you need any help getting him off your back, I'll be right here!"

It was in nodding at this that Toola managed to turn her head to catch sight of Sandy at the top of the stairway. Looking back and forth between him and Domenica, she gestured between them, encouraging him to come forward and pick up his friend.

Magic School
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"It was very painful for them to leave everything behind, and they worked hard to bury the mistakes of the past for their descendants. […] It was Caer Gloriana for the unicorns, Cynisca for the pegasi, and Groundtown for the Earth ponies."

As Celestia pronounced the names, the last puzzle piece snapped into place. So... an abrupt migration, a powerful winter storm – which may have occurred before or after Willow discovered a buried mistake, and which apparently involved this 'Pansy' – the building of the Cloudsdale weather factory, and the accepted history of a visit from a delegation asking Celestia to be their goddess-princess.

Far be it from a mortal to outshine Celestia's sunny radiance, but Sandy's smile gave it more than the old college try. "Thank you. That means a great deal to me.

"I will respect... your wishes and Equestria's founders' wishes, but..." He paused, and his smile faded. "They were not entirely successful. I heard the name Cynisca from one of your subjects – living subjects -- and..." His expression twisted into a wistful frown; he sighed, too. "The mistakes of the past-- buried mistakes seem to find ways of striking from beyond the grave."

Giovenith wrote:"And if you are willing, you are more than welcome to help us continue moving forward with the right things."

Sandy sat blinking and uncomprehending at Celestia's offer. Half of Earth's pantheons would have struck him dead for the merest suggestion that they might err, and the other half would have ignored him, pointedly or politely. "I--" was all he said before being interrupted by a clock bonging the hour.

Giovenith wrote:"This will allow you to send letters to me," she explained. "Enchant a fire, burn your letter in it, and it will materialize in front of me. [...] This is how many of my personal students keep in touch with me."

I'm being invited to correspond with a goddess?? Starting to scan the page, he said. "I don't know what to say, this is—" His eyes returned to the start of the spell and he reread it closely, eyebrows pressed together as he interpreted Equestrian magical terminology. Finally, he looked up at Her. "This is no small gift. Thank you. I'm not sure I'm entirely deserving, but I'm not fool enough to reject a divine gift." Oh, boy! Somebody's gonna have to do some 'splaining on high, or there's gonna be nine sisters wanting to know who's this cutie I'm writing letters to.

He managed a weak smile. "Though... the Olympians are, ummm, known for their jealously, especially of their mortal favorites."

Art Show
Sandy stood at the top of the stairs as the double doors closed silently behind him. "Now where did they go?" Stroking his chin, he scanned the crowd. Even Amanda and Giovenith would have trouble hiding in this group. He took a few steps, deciding that some of the installations might be blocking his view, and...

Giovenith wrote:It was in nodding at this that Toola managed to turn her head to catch sight of Sandy at the top of the stairway. Looking back and forth between him and Domenica, she gestured between them, encouraging him to come forward and pick up his friend.

Sandy's head rocked back as the pink Earth mare beckoned him. She didn't look familiar and neither did the... Latina? she was indicating. More contact with humans than I expected!

Sandy quick-walked to them, smiling all the way, and addressed the unknown woman with cheer. "This is a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to meet any other humans here! I'm Sandy Bela; I'm here with a few other humans. What's your name? Are you part of a group too?"

"I completely think so too!" Toola Roola cheered, rearing happily. "Oh my gosh, you haven't lived until you've heard the slam poetry down at the Blue Door..."


Domenica chuckled at seeing and hearing her be so cheerful. It made her smile, and she thought of her well. She must be one nice pony...

Seeming to remember something, the pink mare shook her head as if to wave off a distraction. Her expression became somewhat stern.


However, when she noticed her shake her head then form a stern expression, she silenced herself, thinking that she may have done something to offend her, perhaps by chuckling along. Or was it because she was thinking of something? Someone?

"Since you're not among the rest, I figure it's probably best to tell you," she said. She pointed a hoof at Domenica... pointedly! "That grey stallion you're hanging out with? Willow Streaks? He is not a good influence. He's very negative, he can't handle other opinions, and he has been nothing but mean to me in the past. I don't want to tell you who to hang out with, but it was only fair that I warn you." She gave a firm nod. "Don't trust him. If you need any help getting him off your back, I'll be right here!"


The Filipina blinked at her and almost stepped back from her when she was pointed at! What? Willow Streaks? Not a good influence? She raised a brow at her, but let it down, listening to her well, nodding along to show her that she understood what she said, that she was hearing her, and that she was understanding this as a warning that the stallion who just met her was, according to Toola, a negative pony; someone who can't take other's opinions, and someone who has hurt her, this pony pointing at her, sometime before. But she seemed honest about it, and respectful too, telling her indeed that she really can't decide who Domenica is in the company of. She gave her a small nod at the end of her warning, thinking about what she really said, hoping to talk to her more about it later when...

It was in nodding at this that Toola managed to turn her head to catch sight of Sandy at the top of the stairway. Looking back and forth between him and Domenica, she gestured between them, encouraging him to come forward and pick up his friend.

---

Sandy's head rocked back as the pink Earth mare beckoned him. She didn't look familiar and neither did the... Latina? she was indicating. More contact with humans than I expected!

Sandy quick-walked to them, smiling all the way, and addressed the unknown woman with cheer. "This is a pleasant surprise! I didn't expect to meet any other humans here! I'm Sandy Bela; I'm here with a few other humans. What's your name? Are you part of a group too?"

The Filipina smiled at her, waved, and approached him, extending her right hand out. She said to him happily, "I'm Domenica Castañares. I'm from the Philippines. I...came alone. I was with my mother but I somehow got here." She then chuckled nervously and hoped he would accept her hand and shake it. She studied his face and his appearance, seeing him as interesting and quite nice.

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Solisian Union wrote:The Filipina smiled at her, waved, and approached him, extending her right hand out. She said to him happily, "I'm Domenica Castañares. I'm from the Philippines. I...came alone. I was with my mother but I somehow got here."

Sandy gave her hand a firm shake. "Glad to meet you, Domenica! The Philippines! I know where they are! That's a long way from here. I'm American, which, uh, may mean something to you", followed by a distinct pause as the rest of what she said sank in.

Then, Sandy's expression changed to concern. "But..." His tone shifted to match his face. "You were in the Philippines, and then--" He snapped his fingers. "--you were here? That's not... ummmm... expected." How much damage did Celestia and the Equestrians do to other timestreams? Is this what she meant, that they bent spacetime so badly that people from other timestreams get swept into Equestria now??

"Hi, I'm Toola Roola," Toola greeted brightly, leaning in to give Sandy a friendly flick of her front hoof in greeting. She then gestured to herself with a satisfied smile. "Blue chip in the making. Domenica were just talking about where your other friends went..." She gave a beaming smile to her new Filipina friend. "... word is they headed over to Joe's Donuts." Her expression soured. "Streaks caused a scene, but they seemed okay."

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"Hi, I'm Toola Roola," Toola greeted brightly, leaning in to give Sandy a friendly flick of her front hoof in greeting.

Blinking in confusion at the sudden change in topic, Sandy turned to her, then his smile crept back onto his face as she came into clear focus. "Good to meet you too. Sorry, I should have said hi to you too, but Domenica's story was..." He shook his head. "Anyway..."

Giovenith wrote:"... word is they headed over to Joe's Donuts. [...] Streaks caused a scene, but they seemed okay."

"Oh, thank-- Wha...? Willow did what?"

"Oh my gosh, it was crazy!" Toola made circular motions around her head with her front hooves. "Everypony was looking at the Princess, and it was chill, and all of a sudden he just starts screaming and screaming! I wasn't there, but everypony else told me about it, and I heard him screaming when the Princess took him outside and cured him with her miracles! Of course the Princess had everything under control." She nodded soundly, confident. "I could have saved him though. I almost did, even if I don't like him very much. It's the right thing to do, after all."

Toola seemed to consider this for a moment, before sighing, as if conceding some point.

"I guess I could try to bring him some of my aromatherapy balls and crystals later, since it is the right thing to do. Not that he'll accept it," she said, and then motioned for Sandy to lean in closer. "But honestly, and don't take this the wrong way, Streaks has always been one of 'those types' of artists — you know, those types. I'm not saying he's not really hurt, and I hope he's not, but just, don't be surprised if you find out he's being overdramatic. He pulls stunts like this all the time, you know. We could go ask the Princess what she thinks though, that's always the best thing to do."

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"Everypony was looking at the Princess, and it was chill, and all of a sudden he just starts screaming and screaming! I wasn't there, but [...] I heard him screaming when the Princess took him outside and cured him with her miracles!

"Cured him with miracles!" Sandy, alarmed, couldn't help but echo it. Her direct action meant it was beyond their own magic, at least to judge by what I've heard... He started to think about the implications, then forced himself to refocus on what she was saying.

Giovenith wrote:["]Of course the Princess had everything under control." She nodded soundly, confident. "[... ...]We could go ask the Princess what she thinks though, that's always the best thing to do."

Sandy stood frozen, intent on what Toola Roola's words, rubbing his jawline as he tried to make sense of her story. Not a direct account of the first part, but 'cured him with Her miracles' as he screamed, but without visible cause... Internal injury? Acute illness? Do... Equestrians get appendicitis? Something like it?

After standing silently for a few seconds, Sandy nodded as he spoke, mostly to himself. "Yes, yes, we should talk to Her, but if he wanted to eat afterwards, he's definintely better... The crisis has passed. OK." He looked her in the face, tone definite. "Yeah, we should, but we don't need to chase her down immediately."

"Oh, don't be silly!" Toola insisted, already nudging the humans along to begin searching for the alicorn. "If you want to get anything done in life, you have to seize it in the moment!" She grinned and waved a hoof in front of her firmly, in a way that might have suggested a fist if she had hands. "And never let it go! I wrote all about it in my upcoming self-help book, and it is a best seller." She nodded, and then held up a hoof again to recite: "The Law of Attraction: You must believe it is already so, and so it shall be so, because positive molecules attract other positive molecules. It's science!"

This pony seemed pretty sure of herself for somepony who was spouting some less than grounded talking points. But though there was undoubtedly confidence to her words and tone, there didn't seem to be much smugness in her demeanor. Rather, she had a sunny smile and her eyes shone with that sort of impenetrably serene sincerity that was common to children who still hadn't recognized the fallibility of the elders and world around them. This was a grown mare, however. Somepony old, and apparently driven, enough to have wound up at a high status art event. That cocktail of apparent innocence, competence, and ambition could really only be seen one of two ways: endearing, or terrifying.

"You've also got to trust in the Princesses in general," Toola went on, beaming up at Sandy. "That's what's gotten me this far in life, always asking myself, what would make the Princesses proud? I was talking to another one of you, Giovenith, and I told her the same thing, but obviously she didn't really know about the Princesses, so I decided that I'm going to teach her how to live the best life you can! I can help you too, if you want, since I'll be around. I mean, it would just be irresponsible to leave you all alone with Willow Streaks' bad attitude muddying everything..." She made a grossed out expression.

They located Princess Cadance and her two guards near the edge of the room, where the Princess was in the midst of politely nodding along to some description another artist was giving before she noticed the approach of Sandy, Domenica, and Toola Roola. She smiled at them in acknowledgement, then waited politely for the artist to finish before turning to them.

Toola Roola bowed with a smile. "Princess Mi Amore Cadenza, I'm sorry to have bothered you again," she said. "But these two hyoo-muns weren't here to see what happened with their friends. I knew it would be best to let you guide them."

"That's quite alright," Cadance dismissed the apology kindly, folding her ears somewhat awkwardly as she ushered Toola to stand upright. "And just Cadance is fine. Thank you, Toola, I can take them from here."

Toola nodded and respectfully trotted away, giving a brief nuzzle to Dom and friendly wave goodbye to Sandy. "I'll see you soon!" she promised. "Real soon!"

Cadance waited until the pink artist was out of earshot before turning to the human magician. "I hope the visit with my foster aunt went well," she said, gently. "She told me before about how you were coming. You'll want to know about your wife and friends though, of course. You seem like a good husband." She said this with a deep appreciation, likely owing to her circle of influence. "None of them are hurt, at least not in an immediate way. I could tell that Willow Streaks and your wife were in trouble though..." Here, she frowned. "... you must forgive me for overstepping my bounds with her, I didn't think that it would be any harm to check her wellbeing with magic since it's done so naturally here, and it seemed like an emergency at the time. It can be hard to understand what sorts of interactions different species are comfortable with. They were all alright when they left though, and I gave them invitations to seek medical help in my city. Oh, but, you must have a lot of questions..."

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:[Toola Roola] had a sunny smile and her eyes shone with that sort of impenetrably serene sincerity that was common to children who still hadn't recognized the fallibility of the elders and world around them. [...] "You've also got to trust in the Princesses in general, [...]That's what's gotten me this far in life, always asking myself, what would make the Princesses proud?"

Smiling politely, Sandy listened to her prattle. Back home, I'd say she sounds like a fundamentalist, a kook, or both, but here... He nodded in conclusion to his own thoughts, though it might seem as though he was agreeing with one of the pink mare's points. 'Fundamentalism' works, just as it did – better than it did! – when our gods' temples stood.

Giovenith wrote:I was talking to another one of you, Giovenith, and [...] I decided that I'm going to teach her how to live the best life you can! [...] I mean, it would just be irresponsible to leave you all alone with Willow Streaks' bad attitude muddying everything..."

"Oh, you met Gio--", but there was no stopping Toola Roola when she was on a righteous roll. Nor did her mention of Willow and his 'attitude' pass without notice: is she who Warble mentioned as Willow's 'bitter muse of rage'?

Giovenith wrote:"I hope the visit with my foster aunt went well," she said, gently.

Sandy's eyebrow crept up a moment before his smile grew. A second generation immortal! Another piece fits into the puzzle. "Yes, it went unexpectedly well, thank you!"

Giovenith wrote:"None of them are hurt, at least not in an immediate way. I could tell that Willow Streaks and your wife were [in] trouble though..."

Sandy had begun to nod along as Cadance spoke, but he jerked backwards at Amanda's mention. "Wait!" He pointed at her emphatically, trying to get her to stop.

Giovenith wrote:"... you must forgive me for overstepping my bounds with her, I didn't think that it would be any harm to check her wellbeing with magic since it's done so naturally here, and it seemed like an emergency at the time. It can be hard to understand what sorts of interactions different species are comfortable with."

Letting his hand fall, Sandy grimaced in pain: eyes pressed shut, face pinched, turning his head away and down. Of all the mistakes a goddess could make around Amanda, Cadance had to make the worst!

He faced the Princess again. "No, that wouldn't have gone well... but I can't forgi-- It's not my forgiveness you need to seek, but hers. It would take a while to explain why; perhaps over a light meal would do." He smiled hopefully. One unexpected meeting with a goddess today, so why not make it two?

"Ah, but... but I have only one question-- one request: please start from the beginning. Toola Roola said something happened to Willow, but it seems there was more."

Cadance nodded politely and then took a moment to gather some thoughts.

"It actually starts a very long time even before all of this," she began, giving a concerned frown. She took two steps back in order to alight her horn and create a projection with her magic in between them: a miniature city of glimmering spires, with many tiny cheerful ponies trotting through the streets. "Thousands of years ago before I was born, the Princess Amore ruled over the city in the arctic north, the Crystal Empire. It was a magnificent and magical place, and it's said that the love and hope of the citizens there is reflected across all of Equestria."

The Princess smiled at the happy pony projections in the city briefly, before her expression turned dark.

"It was peaceful for a long time, until he came."

The light projection flickered and twisted. Small black spears shot up in and all-around the beautiful spires, consuming the miniature city in a malevolent light cast by fires of magical green, purple, and black. The projection shifted to focus on a dark pony silhouette.

"He wasn't a true pony," Cadance explained, wincing at the shape. "We learned, later, that he was the manifestation of a much more ancient, evil creature — the Umbrum. Creatures of fear, hatred, and shadows..." The silhouette twisted, transforming into a swirling mass of darkness, with a curved set of holes reflecting a menacing, laughing expression. "... we don't know where they came from, but they managed to sneak one of their own into the Empire in the form of a unicorn stallion, Sombra. He murdered the Princess..."

The swirling shadows reeled over and fell upon the silhouette of a tall pony, shattering it into pieces with an unnatural screaming sound.

"... and enslaved the ponies there, controlling them through evil magic that ravaged their minds and used their worst fears against them..."

The scene shifted, displaying the shadows towering down on and twisting painful-looking silhouettes of terrified ponies.

"... and declared himself King, holding the city and its ponies hostage in his own personal Tartarus," Cadance continued. "He planned to use the energy of their suffering to push outwards and destroy the rest of Equestria. But one magician girl was able to escape the city before it fell, and she fled to Canterlot to reach Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. They came as fast as they could, and vanquished Sombra, turning him back to pure shadow..."

Two more silhouettes appeared high above the small, twisted kingdom, and from them shot down a terrifyingly bright light that consumed the entire vision.

"... but he would not fall so easily. He placed a curse on the city, and dragged it back with him into the dark space between space and time — the Crystal Empire, and all of the innocent ponies inside, vanished into thin air. The Princesses and all of the magicians tried their hardest to locate it, but the Empire remained lost for a thousand years. That is, until recently..."

The light cleared away and the city returned once more.

"... by then, Celestia had found me, and prepared me for the day that I would need to take Princess Amore's place," said the Princess, slightly uplifted now. "Twilight, her friends, my husband, and I managed to banish Sombra once and for all, and restored the city. It still stands now, finally free and at peace."

The projection vanished, and the Princess' smile fell again, as she looked to Sandy.

"But many of the Crystal ponies are still deeply effected by what happened," she explained. "The Umbrum magic is like a virus, it magnifies the worst feelings inside of a victim beyond reason, and even once it's cured it can leave scars inside. They can never fully forget the terror and pain that kind of evil magic forced them to feel. Part of my job as the new Princess of the Crystal Empire is guide and heal them from the Umbrum's touch, so I know what it looks like when one has been... hurt deeply.

"Your friend Willow Streaks, when he approached me, he started screaming in pain, and I could see it was because something inside of him was reacting badly to my presence — more specifically, like a virus to antibiotic. I could tell that the same touch that tormented my subjects was inside of him, and so I had to act, fast. I brought him aside, and used my powers to purify him from the dark magic still left inside. I checked Amanda too, which is the thing she didn't appreciate. I do apologize, but you should understand, that that sort of power will eat somepony from the inside out if left unpurged. Willow Streaks is safe from that now, but he will need help to deal with the aftereffects. I could feel that even though she hadn't been infected, your wife was feeling pain too though, so I gave them tickets to fully sponsored therapy in my city."

Cadance blinked at him, questioningly.

"They must have left after that," she said. "The only question left now, though, is how did Willow come into contact with that dark magic? He's not a Crystal pony, and he wouldn't have been anywhere near the last battle with Sombra." She shook her head sadly. "I don't know. But I do hope he'll tell us if he chooses to come to the city."

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Sandy studied Cadance's projection carefully, hand on his chin, index finger tapping his lips. His eyes flicked up to her intermittently, as things she said caught his attention. So, some thousands of years of documented history, at least to the extent that the Princesses' memories are accurate.

Giovenith wrote:"The only question left now, though, is how did Willow come into contact with that dark magic? He's not a Crystal pony, and he wouldn't have been anywhere near the last battle with Sombra." She shook her head sadly. "I don't know. But I do hope he'll tell us if he chooses to come to the city."

"I... may know..." Sandy made a cautious conversational gesture, slowly lowering his hand and extending it in Cadance's direction. "But I-- There are some things I don't understand, and others I'm not... sure of."

For several seconds, the babble of the art show was the only sound, as Sandy stared through where the projection had been, before looking back to Cadance.

"It would seem from your description of Celestia and Luna as 'Princesses', and the filly fleeing to Equestria that Sombra takes over the Crystal Empire some substantial time after the start of their rule here. Aaand... you describe the Crystal Empire as being 'lost for a thousand years'. Is that a literal thousand years? Roughly how long between their-- between the start of their reign and the fall of the Crystal Empire? Years? Decades? Millennia? I think millennia is the appropriate time scale, but..." He trailed off: the rest of the statement was obvious.

"Literally speaking, it was probably more around in the thousand four hundreds to six hundreds," the Princess answered, ushering him to walk along with her so as to not draw too much curiosity from the surrounding ponies. "It was a very significant amount of time after my aunts took over, though. They first came to Equestria only a few years after the founding, so even if they haven't always served their current role, they were present from pretty much the beginning..."

Something occurred to Cadance, and she smiled reassuringly at the human.

"I'm only twenty-seven, for the record," she said. "Actually twenty-seven, not just physically. I'm pretty much fully grown in the..." She paused, struggling to find the right word. "... sorry, 'power sense,' I suppose. If your friend, Giovenith, is a toddler, I guess you could call me an older teenager. So while I am a fully-functioning Princess, I still wasn't there for much of the important stuff. But..." She seemed to wrack her mind again. "... without being too precise, I'd say Equestria first got started around five thousand years ago, maybe a few thousand more. You obviously know that these things can be hard to define, but that's about when the founders came from the old country."

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"Literally speaking, it was probably more around in the thousand four hundreds to six hundreds," the Princess answered, ushering him to walk along with her so as to not draw too much curiosity from the surrounding ponies.

Sandy nodded along and followed as Cadance walked and talked, reorganizing the pieces of Equestria's history in his mind.

Giovenith wrote:"If your friend, Giovenith, is a toddler, I guess you could call me an older teenager."

Sandy flashed a lopsided grin. "The analogy is clear, but I would hesitate to call her a toddler."

Giovenith wrote:She seemed to wrack her mind again. "... without being too precise, I'd say Equestria first got started around five thousand years ago, maybe a few thousand more. You obviously know that these things can be hard to define, but that's about when the founders came from the old country."

Sandy faltered as he did the mental arithmetic: Equestria was likely older than Minoa and Egypt, and possibly predated Earth's Bronze Age, but the Crystal Empire fell around the same time as Rome. But he neglected to mention that an archeologist could probably nail down Equestria's founding date to within a few decades. Give him a rock, and an instrument to test it on, and he will date the world.

Realizing that Cadance had slowed for him, Sandy resumed his previous pace and expression, but lowered his voice. "What Willow... Whatever Willow ran into was a little before the founding of Equestria. I'm... unsure how he managed that journey, but he met Pansy, apparently the same one who spoke to your aunts.

"That's over thirty-five hundred years before Sombra." He waved to a group of ponies who couldn't help staring at alicorn and her two human companions, managing to look relaxed, despite his growing dread. "Are you certain that what you cured Willow of is the same thing? Because, if so, the implications are-- I know what my..." He made small circles with his hand as he thought of the right euphemism. "...'patrons' tossed into Tartaros, and Celestia's descriptions make me suspect there are similar things here. Things that old are not easily, um, dealt with."

The Princess smiled kindly but didn't comment further on the topic of Giovenith. The smile faded when Sandy shared his theory about Willow Streaks, though it was not surprised, and more a firm understanding.

"It would definitely be something to behold if that is what happened," she said. "But not completely a shock. Everypony knows about Twilight and her friends, but Equestria has and has had many ponies who have done remarkable things. If what you say is the case though, oh..." Her expression was concerned. "... that must have been very hard for him. Those were frightening times, and I can't imagine what he might have witnessed."

When Sandy questioned Cadance on the validity of her assumption about the Umbrum, she visibly took a moment to consider this in her head before slowly shaking.

"With all due respect, Sandy," she said. "I went without sleep or food for seven straight days to use all of my power as a shield to protect the city against Sombra's spirit, and I have been working directly with his victims for a few years now. Before all of that, Princess Celestia taught me the intricacies of their dark magic..." She said this with a grim but serious expression. It was, in a sense, the way a physician might describe being taught in the ways of poison. "... so I think that I know better than anypony their effect when I see it. They were not easy to defeat and we don't know much about where they came from, or how long they've been around. Probably only Willow himself knows the true answers to all these questions though." Something occurred to her, and she looked at him questioningly. "Do you know the full story of the founding?"

Domenica nodded at Sandy as they shook hands. She let go of his hand and said, "Yeah, I'm from the Philippines, particularly from Mindanao. And I'm happy to meet you. Yeah, I know about Americans; I actually published some books over there. Maybe you might know Penguin Random House; I'm a writer and editor for them."

She got a little concerned with how things were going between the pony and Sandy just as she realized that she had confused Warble, the eccentric pony who asked for her opinion about a certain piece of art, for Willow. She never met Willow. So she guessed that Toola was talking about Warble, not Willow. Or maybe she really was talking about Willow. Maybe Warble wasn't Warble? She shook her head and just kept to herself, listening to them as they spoke to each other.

She did notice him being surprised by how she got here. She too was surprised to see that an American was brought into this place. But she let that be, instead focused on listening and on understanding instead of doing anything else for now.

Joe's Donuts, huh? She thought that was quite like how things were in the United States. She smiled a little to herself when she recalled Dunkin Donuts, Mister Donut, and Krispy Kreme.

That line of thought got snatched out of the hands of her mind when she paid more attention to Toola making circular motions with her hooves and...passionately expressing herself about the Princess and the pony screaming and screaming. She seemed to consider the sentences but later shrugged it off and just continued to listen. She admired the way Toola spoke and hoped that Toola would, though passionate, temper her expression. It also made her curious about this Willow pony.

She got nudged along and didn't protest against it, still silently listening. She got a bit interested when Toola started talking about her upcoming self-help book. In her opinion, she thought self-help books were interesting instruments for personal development, but based on her experience editing some of them for her employers and also for those outside of the house, she knew that those instruments would need not be the only ones to guide people through their own personal developments. She thought that the use of these instruments on their own and without thorough examination through thought and establishment of purpose was harmful instead of beneficial. And all that she kept to herself, choosing instead to consider Toola's words later.

Hopefully, Toola would really use empirical information in a reasonable manner. Just hopefully. And that made her wonder; what kind of publishing houses were in Equestria? Was there self-publishing?

At least it seemed to make Domenica smile slightly at noticing her confidence. Toola was exuding it. But as an experienced writer and editor, she recalled how confident individuals could crash or suffer brief or lengthy periods of doubt. It was normal and natural; everyone always encounters shortcomings as well as dirt that stained or ruined their conviction.

Hearing about a human named Giovenith seemed...interesting. That made her wonder how it would be pronounced. She heard Toola saying the name, but doubted if that was how it was really said. Hopefully, she could meet other humans; if she met Sandy, then she could meet Giovenith when the time was right. After all, the pony was pushing them along.

They finally reached the Princess. Perhaps this was the one that Toola was talking about? Seeing her brought impression out of Domenica, who automatically bowed her head to the princess for a moment before raising her head. Then she would fall back to listening again.

She appreciated the gentle nuzzle that Toola gave her and waved her goodbye, a smile on her face, and she knew it to be genuine because she liked Toola's confidence. She just hoped it would not be struck too hard when she would have to meet whatever came at her.

She listened yet again, but this time to the words of the princess, just after Toola excused herself. So Sandy does have a wife. She seemed to grow a bit more interested, a determined look coming to her face as she noticed Willow was being discussed about.

Then she realized how much more interesting this world was. The magical projection. The city. The thousands of years. The creatures. The one the Princess winced at. The enslavement of ponies; noticing that, a frown appeared on her face. She knew how the history of her own country, the Philippines, went about under the reign of the Spaniards, the administration of the Americans, and the brief but brutal occupation of the Japanese.

And she thought of the dictatorship of Marcos. The way politics came about after he fled the country also came to her mind when she listened to the princess speak about Sombra declaring himself king.

She kept listening, and she always kept silent. Amanda; a new name. That must be the wife of Sandy.

And listening worked. The explanation that the Princess gave had merit, and she actually had to hold back a gentle giggle when she came to the point of the Princess using an analogy of teenagers and toddlers.

But that made her more interested; Giovenith being a toddler? She wondered how she'd be if she grew. Not literally, of course.

But all this was very very curious to her. And that sense of curious interest showed in the way Domenica paid attention to them, especially when the Princess began to speak. It was automatic for Domenica to twirl out one of her pens, it being the one that she always used for writing. She gripped her pen lightly, and she got herself to write quickly on pages of her notebook. She kept the ink that came out of her pen thin and seemed to be happy writing down what she was getting from them.

When finally the Princess asked if Sandy knew about the full story of the founding, Domenica stopped writing and closed up her notebook. She put it away but not her pen. She gently took out the rest of her pens and asked the Princess, "Um...if I may ask, I'd like to ask you for your opinion on the pens I have; would some of them be of dark magic or not?"

Art Show
Canterlot, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:[Cadance's] expression was concerned. "... that must have been very hard for him. Those were frightening times, and I can't imagine what he might have witnessed."

Sandy's face slid into a wry expression as he shook his head. "He wouldn't say."

Giovenith wrote:"I went without sleep or food for seven straight days to use all of my power as a shield to protect the city against Sombra's spirit[...]. Before all of that, Princess Celestia taught me the intricacies of their dark magic[...] They were not easy to defeat and we don't know much about where they came from, or how long they've been around. [...]

For the second time in an hour, Sandy stood slack-jawed as a goddess spoke. Self-denial for a week would let mortals dip into deep wells for white magic; for a goddess? Whose well was She drawing from? Whoever runs the show here? Or was that purely descriptive of Her exhaustion? He forced his mouth to move, and after a second spent babbling, he got out, "Celestia?? How did--?" Something's missing from this story.

Giovenith wrote:"Do you know the full story of the founding?"

"No, I..." Sandy slowly became aware of Hearing a new tune, one he'd never Heard before; a melody close by, and potent enough to cut through Cadance's own divine song. "I uh..."

Solisian Union wrote:It was automatic for Domenica to twirl out one of her pens, it being the one that she always used for writing.

Shifting his gaze while trying to frame an answer, he Saw motion in the corner of his eye, stole a glance, then forced himself to focus on the Princess. "That is, I heard a simple version in the weather factory, but Willow... after a little coaxing, he admitted that something else had happened. Something, to judge by his tone, was bad.

"So, that version is at least, uh, incomplete. And Celestia told me the ending, that she and Luna were invited to guide the nascent Equestrian state." With a vigorous shake of his head, he concluded, "No, I don't know. Of the living, I think only Willow knows."

The new tune grew louder in his Hearing, and Sandy gave up trying to keep his eyes on the Princess. He turned to see what Domenica had taken out.

Solisian Union wrote:She gently took out the rest of her pens and asked the Princess, "Um...if I may ask, I'd like to ask you for your opinion on the pens I have; would some of them be of dark magic or not?"

"Wow!" Sandy ran his eyes over the pens; and his Sight confirmed what he Heard: the pens sang variations on the same theme, each a different melody, but with surprising harmonies between them. They were the work of a single, skilled hand, and one with access to a lot of ousia.

His gaze shifted to Domenica's face "But you don't...?" He stopped himself. No, she didn't know. Either she was Blind, or she suspected a Veil. But Veiling magic on things like that? Somebody would have to be exceptionally good; Giovenith's sort of good. A lifetime of mortal effort... but not her work. He suppressed a series of questions; better to wait for Cadance's opinion first.

Cadance returned Sandy's wry expression with a patient but knowing one. "He doesn't seem like the type to." When Domenica offered the pen, she gave a calm, patient smile as she took the human's pen-holding hand into her hoof to observe it. She shook her head. "No, not at all. Your magic is beautiful. Powerful, and beautiful. You have a very good heart, I can tell."

Cadance took a moment to make reassuring eye contact with Domenica, in a way that would fill the young woman with a sense of comfort and safety. Soon she turned to other matters though, stealing a glance at a nearby clock in the ceiling before looking to Sandy.

"I'll have to move on soon," she admitted. "But I can still make this quick..."

And so she told him the old story. Of how ponykind had begun back in the lost Old Country, bound together by necessity but resenting one another regardless — a particular part stood out though, the way she explained it...

"... the food could only be grown by the Earth ponies..."

Only by the Earth ponies. Not "it was solely produced by," but could only be grown by. Strange, considering that farming surely couldn't have been the difficult to figure out, especially for races that wanted as little to do with each other as possible, right?

Of how the mysterious blizzard came and drove the ancestors into suffering and starvation, of how they tried to convene and failed, and how this triggered the search for new land. How the land was discovered simultaneously by the founders and fought over once again, how this brought the blizzard back, and the subsequent revelation of the windigos, the genocidal winter spirits of hatred and conflict. How the three subordinates' kindness toward one another banished the spirits, and how this spark lead to the compromise that created Equestria.

"... it didn't start off the way it is today, obviously," said the Princess. "It took a while to establish the home territories, set up new laws and cooperation, and to fully acclimate the land to our abilities out its original aimlessness, but we are there today. But, like you said, there's probably a lot that most ponies don't remember anymore... probably you'll have to ask your friend about that, when he opens up. In fact..."

There was a burst of teal magic, and a small satchel popped into existence. The Princess floated it to Sandy.

"... this is a pocket of some of my magic," she explained. "If he really is the closed off type, he might appreciate it. It brings out all the loving feelings already inside of ponies, and others. He'll be needing it regardless on his journey. Try not to open it until you're ready, don't want any getting wasted."

Princess Cadance took another moment to look up and down at Domenica, and smiled approvingly.

"And trust this one," the alicorn told Sandy, gesturing the Filipina writer. "If you're really here to learn new things, you don't get much of a better partner than one who creates and records knowledge. She'll take care of you." She gave another smile to the writer.

"Princess..." one of the guards spoke up politely, drawing the Princess' attention. She looked behind, seeing the various ponies that had impatiently lined up, wanting to talk to her and slightly miffed at the hyoo-muns for hogging all of her time.

Cadance nodded, turned back to the two, and spoke quickly and quietly: "I'll have to get back to work now. You should probably check back up on your friends anyway — word around here is that they went to Donut Joe's. Before I do though, is there anything else you need?"

Amanda, Giovenith, Willow — whom, to Domenica's surprise, she would find looked identical to Sallow, simply with better groomed hair and a more reserved air — and family had just exited the donut shop when Sandy and Domenica arrived, the latter of whom received quizzical looks from the three fellow residents. There was little time to question, however, as it happened that they had lost track of time and they needed to hurry on to the next train out. It wasn't the most urgent circumstance in the world, but nobody was in the mood to wait around another hour shooting the breeze.

Willow took a moment to exchange parting words and hugs with his parents before boarding the train with the others. The two older pegasi waved from the station as the engine started to chug along and Canterlot was slowly pulled behind them. Interestingly, it must have been a time of day when most ponies were wrapped up in other engagements, because they car they had been assigned to was void of passengers except for them.

"So, you've come back from playing with the scholars," Willow engaged Sandy while settling in his seat next to Giovenith. "And you've brought along a new friend too. What's your name, how'd you get here?" He directed the questions at Domenica, tilting his head thoughtfully. "Let me guess: You were randomly dropped here and you're not sure how?"

Giovenith, a young woman of strikingly contrasted white hair and purple eyes, smiled at Domenica but allowed her pony companion to do the talking. The newcomer deserved to be made to feel safe, but at the same time, Giovenith couldn't find the energy to roll out her once-usual welcoming mat. She felt as though her spirit had been running for years and was finally stumbling over itself, wheezing. Still, that was hardly Domenica's fault.

"I have some money if you want to buy a snack," she told her with a smile.

Train from Canterlot to Ponyville, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"So, you've come back from playing with the scholars," Willow engaged Sandy while settling in his seat [...] "And you've brought along a new friend too. What's your name, how'd you get here?" He directed the questions at Domenica[...] "Let me guess: You were randomly dropped here and you're not sure how?" [...] "I have some money if you want to buy a snack," [Giovenith] told her with a smile.

After everybody was seated, an uncomfortable silence began to fill the empty car. Amanda poked her husband in the side and whispered, "Sandy? Manners?"

"Uhhh... right! Domenica, this is Willow and Giovenith, and on my other side is Amanda, my wife." Sandy gestured at each in turn. "Guys, this is Domenica Castañares." He pronounced Domenica's family name like a native speaker, but that took an assist by his babblefish.

Amanda leaned forward to get a better view of Domenica, and smiling added, "Pleased to meet you, Domenica."

She held that position as Sandy turned back to answer the micropegasoi artist. "I, uh, wouldn't go so far as to say that I... 'played' with the scholars. I... only met two of them, the university president and her assistant, or perhaps the university president and her boss – I'm still confused about what that relationship is – and I'd say it was more of an interview than any discussion, though it wasn't, uh... It was perhaps the most unusual meeting I'd had with any senior faculty anywhere, including Alexandria!

"I did get to talk to some of the students" – a smile brightened his face – "but they were just a bunch of kiddies. Cute kids, though. Shame I'm not trained in kiddie ed; teaching a bunch of sorcerers-to-be could be fun.

Sandy's expression momentarily darkened before resuming its cheerfulness. "But I heard you had an interesting day! And I'm not the only one who found a friend." He flashed a smile at Giovenith, before returning his gaze to Willow, not that he expected Willow would say much about the subject.

Willow tilted his head as Sandy described his meeting with the school staff, observing his expression and piecing together what he was trying to imply. Unlike Sterling, he wasn't really familiar with the set up of the magic school staff, but he knew enough to get an idea of what Sandy had encountered.

"And was this boss very tall at all?" he asked, smile turning from casual to bright and knowing.

Giovenith managed a smile and nodded. "Oh, yeah, Toola Roola? She was really nice to me, and said she wants to hang out some more. I think that we have a lot in common." She paused for a moment, seeming to weigh something in her mind. "She uh, told me a bit about you, Willow..."

He snapped his attention to her, narrowing his eyes slightly. "Yeah, well, I guess you can tell me all about that in a second."

"Do you not like her?" she asked, expression falling. She didn't want two people she liked to hate each other.

"We've run into a disagreement more than once," he sniffed, folding his ears in irritation before turning back Domenica. "So, Dom, were you there with Sandy to meet the staff?"

Train from Canterlot to Ponyville, Equestria

Giovenith wrote:"And was this boss very tall at all?" [Willow] asked, smile turning from casual to bright and knowing.

Sandy's grin spread across his face as Willow got the hint. "Yes, a little taller than I am."

"Wait..." Amanda shifted her gaze to Sandy, puzzled, before brightening and nodding once. "Oh! How is She in person?"

Sandy glanced at his wife, then brought his hand to his chin and let his head and gaze fall while he thought about it. "Friendly, but that seems to follow around here. Supportive... surprisingly so, since I'm... human and, um, tied to another pantheon. Perhaps there's a bit of penance in there, since She admitted to stealing specific technologies from at least one human culture... and 'causing harm to space and time'... which might mean..." He trailed off into silence.

After a second, he looked up, smiled at everybody, and started fresh. "But none of that has anything to do with me. She-- Relations with the Olympians must be so complex, so fraught, that while She rents part of Tartaros from Hades – yes, same place, same dog – She wanted to know who I was because I've got Pegasus on loan... knowing that I was at best one of their 'servants'. Maybe She wondered if I was an important cultist of Poseidon, and had His ear. But--" He shook his head and went quiet: there was no way of knowing what had been on Celestia's mind.

Giovenith wrote:Giovenith managed a smile and nodded. "Oh, yeah, Toola Roola? She was really nice to me, and said she wants to hang out some more. I think that we have a lot in common." She paused for a moment, seeming to weigh something in her mind. "She uh, told me a bit about you, Willow..."
[...]
"We've run into a disagreement more than once," he sniffed, folding his ears in irritation[.]

Sandy's eyes played ping-pong between the two of them as they spoke, but his expression remained guarded. There's too much between Willow and Toola Roola to touch without knowing more, but... the little we got suggests 'oil and water' would be appropriate. "She seems to mean well, and honestly does want to help... even if I have my doubts that everything she says, um, works quite the way she thinks."

"But!" Sandy's tempo and tone picked up as he remembered something. "Speaking of wanting to help, Princess Cadance gave me a, uh, gift for you, Willow!" Still smiling, he slid his briefcase out from beneath the low bench he was sitting on, flipped it into his lap, and opened the latches with a pair of Snap!s.

Sandy pulled out the satchel Cadance gave him, and held it out for Willow and Giovenith to see. "She said it's full of Her magic, to help you, but She didn't say-- I think I'm supposed to give it to the people at the spa, who will know what to do with it." He held it out for a few seconds, smiling at the roommates across from him, then let his gaze come to rest on it.

"Hmm..." Without explanation, he held it to his ear, frowned, and turned to Amanda. "Would you...?"

With a sigh, she took it and held it up over her head, trying not to look too bored. Sandy stepped into the aisle, transformed into Pegasus, and lowered his huge head so one ear rested on it. Instantly, his equine face lit with a blissful expression, and he closed his eyes and just Listened. After several seconds that way, he let his spell collapse, and sat back down, the radiant look still on his face. "Pure divine magic, just as She said." He seemed to be speaking to Willow, but his eyes were so defocused that he might be dreaming. "It sings Her song, a lullaby of maternal friendship."

Sandy pressed his eyes shut, blinked hard a few times, then retrieved the satchel and put it away, finally sliding the briefcase back where it had been... but he took the opportunity to take out Amanda's travel mug. With a few elaborate hand-passes, he cast a spell over it, then handed it to Amanda. "Something for your trouble."

She took the mug, drank a sip, and rocked her head back, then took a longer drink, smiling contentedly. Those with sensitive noses might notice the faintest aroma of cream of turkey soup.