Willow frowned, initially critical of Sandy's ponderings. He wanted to point out that Equestria didn't work like Earth, they didn't have new gods ousting old gods, no cult of conquest and acquisition. There was ancient magic and mysteries they didn't understand, sure, but not the kind of brutal hidden histories that humans had barely buried in their backyards.
But then he caught himself, realizing that he didn't really know. He doubted it, but he didn't know. After all, he hadn't known anything about Pansy and his distant ancestors before. There might still be things he didn't know or understand now. Either way, it didn't seem like a job for him and his friends... this was Princess Twilight's castle, so it was probably her and her friends' problem.
"Well, thank you again for your help, Miss Glimmer," said Willow, nodding to Starlight. "And sorry for taking up so much of your time as of late. I'm sure you've got better things to do, serving the Princess."
"The Princess wants me to focus on being more pro-social," the lavender unicorn gave a somewhat more wry smile. "More authentic."
"I can relate."
Manehatten, Equestria
Equestria's equivalent of Manhatten likely wasn't impressive to either Sandy or Willow, the former being a big city dweller himself and the latter travelling there all the time for work related reasons. Willow, for his part, was still hung up on where exactly it was they were supposed to go...
"It seemed to me like our marks were circling in the middle part of the tiny city, right?" he asked Sandy as they made their way through the hustle and bustle of the busy streets. There were no cars, but there were many small horsey bodies moving at an intense gallop, plus several large carriages mostly pulled by larger stallions. "I think it might good to start-"
A pony near-slammed into Willow and yet trotted on their way without slowing down, throwing a few curses at him to be more careful. He pricked his ears and breathed in deeply with noticable rage, his feathers bristling somewhat, before slowly exhaling and letting it go.
"I think we'd have an easier time in the air," he calmly declared.
The skies were busy in their own right, and just as rude, but at least other ponies were easier to dodge when there were no roads to keep to. Willow took the lead, explaining his plan to start with central park. "It's in the heart of the city, and I guess if it feels right..."
They soon landed in the famous, well-kept grass, near a large twisting oak tree. As to be expected, it was much nicer than the rest of the city, more peaceful and serene. Willow rarely got the chance to come here when he visited, which he felt was a shame, especially during the autumn. It could be a nice inspiration. He visibly lightened somewhat, taking in all the trees and the little river.
"You know, you may have caught onto this already," he said to Sandy, taking on a more casual, conversational tone. "But for the pegasi who grow up in the sky, coming to the earth can be kind of an overwhelming experience. The colors and the smell, mostly. I didn't actually see a tree in person until I was like... six, eight maybe?" He knocked the tree they were next to with a hoof. "I thought they were really fucking creepy at first. I mean think about it, it's alive, yet not alive, it moves, yet doesn't move... I didn't really 'get' plants for a while. It's a bit hard to wrap your mind around when you only experience ponies and a few animals as 'real' living things up to that point. But now I really like nature."
He breathed a deep breath with a smile and was silent for a moment.
"Whelp!" he finally said. "We better get looking for that mini quest we're suppo-"
Several assorted fruits suddenly landed on Willow's dome, thwap-ing him one by one with a jarring force. There was an apple, a pear, and a few oranges — clearly not all springing from the tree they stood by in question. He let out a loud yelp and groan, rubbing his head at the unexpected onslaught.
"Sorry!" called a voice from up in the branches. "I didn't see anypony down there, could you toss those back up please?"
"What the hell?" Willow reached down, picking up a pear. He looked up at the branches and narrowed his eyes.
There was a loud rustling of branches, and down on a lower branch better in sight, suddenly dropped the familiar bright form of Toola Roola. A bright orange construction hat was strapped to her head, a harness attaching her to a cord from higher up in the tree, and she was wearing a crisp white t-shirt that read, "@#$@! CORP. PROJECTS!!"
Willow gasped. "You!"
"Oh, hi Streaks," the mare greeted, monotone. She didn't seem thrilled herself. But then a realization seemed to hit her and her expression perked. "Did Gio send you to help me with my protest?" she asked, with a slight tinge of excitement.
