Canterlot. The capital city of Equestria and home to her most brilliant minds. It’s architectural majesty is unparalleled by any other city in the land, with twisting spires of marble, gold, ivory, and other precious materials. The inhabitants of this city are just as equally gilded in fine materials and jewelry to show off their sophistication, even the poorest of the citizens were dressed in fine clothing of the latest fashion. Everyone lived quietly here, wealthy or not.
Well, most of them.
A golden blur shot through the streets of the towering mountainside city, weaving in and out among and above her fellow ponies on the streets below. Loose articles of clothing such as top hats, silken scarves, and feathered jewelry were sucked into the vacuum of wind created by the speeding pegasus, earning her some shocked looks and glares from many residents out for their mid-morning strolls.
“Sorry!” she would call out whenever she would narrowly avoid a collision with other airborne pegasi, which was much more often than acceptable.
In her wake was left a crowd of disheveled ponies picking up whatever they had dropped from this unruly ‘ruffian’.
Within several minutes of her haphazard flight, the golden-maned mare arrived at her destination; The Canterlot Airship Port. Zeppelins and airships were docked everywhere upon the cliff-side structure, tethered by cables as thick as a Royal Guard’s leg. Nearly every kind of aircraft from military-grade transports to cruise liners the size of manors to strange crafts engineered in faraway lands. Merchants, travelers, and the occasional guard were seen there; milling about, bartering, meeting with friends and admiring the airships.
The copper mare shifted her saddlebags - which were stuffed with a few snacks and some bits - and began searching.
“Where is that ship?” she wondered to herself as she flew between other beings such as pegasi and griffons. A ticket to the airship named the ‘Halitarius’ sat snugly in one of her saddlebags, giving her the privilege to attend a return cruise to the griffon homeland. After all, even with their ability to fly and walk on clouds, a pegasus can’t traverse the distance of an entire ocean. Besides, she was a traveler, and the prospect of relaxing whilst on an adventure sounded like a good deal.
When she caught sight of the Halitarius, she instantly recognized the zeppelin. It used to be a royal’s airship, but whoever had owned her in the past had decided to sell her to the current captain several years ago, no one knew why though.
The sides of the zeppelin had intricate designs of gold which shimmered in the sunlight, with her name woven into the decorative markings on the side of the under-hanging cabins. The cabin decks themselves were much larger than the average airship, allowing more passenger and cargo space. After all, she was a luxury cruise ship.
A ramp was extended from the belly of the zeppelin, bridging her with the port. Two muscular stallions wearing dark suits with tinted shades stood at the bottom of the ramp, guarding the entrance to prevent any would-be stowaways. Good security is always necessary when someone is paranoid about their property.
When the pegasus mare approached, they barred the ramp from her.
“Ticket and name, please,” one of the pair droned as the other, a unicorn, levitated a passenger list from his suit coat. The copper mare gingerly plucked the ticket from her saddlebags, and placed it gently on the stallion’s outstretched hoof. He replied with a gruff, “Thank you ma’am,” before snipped the ticket, returning it to her. He then asked, “name?”
The mare smiled, “Amber. Just Amber.”
The stallion with the list scanned it, nodding to acknowledge she was listed, and the guards stepped out of her way. “Thank you miss, your cabin number is on your ticket. The luggage you had shipped in earlier is waiting in your room. Enjoy your flight!”
The earth-pony guard flashed her a smile, prompting a smile back from Amber. She smiled, thanking them, and winked at the earth-pony before happily trotting up the carpeted ramp.
The interior of the Halitarius was as elegant as her outer hull, perhaps even more so. Simple, yet elegant light fixtures hung on the walls, which were a clean, white color. The wooden floors were polished to an incredibly shiny state, so well that you could see your own reflection in the dark wood. A soft red carpet stretched down the center of the hall. The walls were lined with an elegant golden trim, furthering the feeling of the fact that this airship was as fancy, or fancier than most hotels. After all, the Halitarius did once belong to royalty.
Staff shuttled baggage carts into people’s rooms, zooming in and around the corridors while appearing calm and unrushed. They hefted overstuffed suitcases as though they weighed nothing, as well as showing lost patrons to their rooms and assisting them with whatever they needed.
Amber gazed down the hallway and read room numbers to figure out where her own cabin was. Following the doors down to her room, she took a turn around the corner and passed two crew members who were lugging a bag the size of a fully grown pony in the opposite direction.
After several more minutes of searching, Amber finally located her cabin. Even for a standard room, it was still extremely lush and comfortable.
The gold trim of the hallway flowed into the room, still bordering the walls, but that was where most similarities with the hallway ended. The walls were a light, sky-blue color and the room had a plush carpet which her hooves sank into. The light fixture on the ceiling resembled the symbol for Celestia, primary co-ruler of Equestria, and almost illuminated the room as well as her sun did.
The bed was anchored to the floor as a precaution to prevent it from sliding around the room if the ship experienced extreme turbulence. Fresh sheets and blankets were draped over the fluffy-looking mattress and pillows, creating an inviting feel for any tired creature which might lay eyes upon it. The rest of the furniture was made out of the same dark wood as the floor of the hallway and kept a simple, modern feeling throughout.
Amber’s luggage was sitting off to the side of the door, leaning up against small closet lined with coat hangers. Across from the bed was a second door which opened into a bathroom with standard commodities; a bathtub, a toilet, and a sink complete with fancy soaps and a full-body mirror. A rectangular window in the wall across from the doorway gave an amazing view of the sky rushing past outside.
Amber dropped her saddlebags at the foot of the bed, and noted the room key on the nightstand. She trotted into the bathroom and nosed the light switch on, flooding the bleach-cleaned room with light. She stepped before the mirror and stared at the image it reflected of her: a young, slender pegasus mare who had an unusual coat of copper which shimmered in the light. Her wind-blown mane and tail were a golden blonde, semi-longish and somewhat unkempt. Her violet eyes stared into herself, admiring her sleek, streamlined shape perfect for high speeds.
She struck a pose as though she was about to bolt across the starting line for a race. Upon doing so, her eyes wandered to her cutie mark, the symbol which defined her for who she was: A white feather dancing in the wind. To most other ponies it signified flight, but to her it signified speed and freedom. From what she had heard from other ponies wherever she travelled, they believed that she belonged in the Wonderbolts: High-speed aerial stuntponies, performing daring tricks and shows for the public’s enjoyment.
She didn’t want to join their fancy group though. All she looked for in life were opportunities to make others smile and laugh alongside her and spread what she could only describe as a ‘golden feeling’ among everypony. After all, what was life without experiencing true happiness? She had made it her goal in life to be friends with whoever wanted to be, to be there for them. That’s what friends are for, right?
Exiting the bathroom and feeling playful, she made a flying leap onto the bed. A squeak of surprise was made as she sank into the depths of the overly-plush mattress as the sheets folded up on her. She scrambled to free herself, but the blankets and covers wrapped around her and refused to let go. Realizing how tangled she was, she laughed at her predicament and attempted to roll off the bed in a ball of blankets.
After flapping and kicking for a minute, she managed to wriggle her way out from the bedding. She stood up, looking at the mess of fabrics on the floor, and decided that she might sleep on the couch.
~0~
Wispy white clouds drifted past the windows of Halitarius’s viewing deck. The sight amazed the earth-bound folk with how close they were to the ceiling of their world. But then again, they weren’t like the sky-born pegasi who had grown accustomed to life among the clouds.
Halitarius’s viewing deck in itself was a marvel to behold to both pegasi and earth-bound ponies alike. An absolutely tremendous glass window occupied the forward-facing wall of the room, and wrapped around to the sides to offer a panoramic view of the open sky. Fanciful decorations adorned the room as well from intricately designed pottery, to simple lights lining the walls.
Exotic vines and flowers sprang from flower beds placed in quarters around the center of the room, even a few tropical birds lived in the artificial habitat. Fake vines painted gold trailed their artificial tendrils up the walls, enhancing the feel that this deck was a hanging garden like the ones in the floating city of Cloudsdale.
Amber sat in solitude at a café table off to the side yet still encompassed by the massive window. Sipping a glass of cider, she stared off at the clouds, lost in thoughts as to what the land of the griffons was like. A dozen or so other ponies were in the room with her, but most were of the earth-bound variety enjoying the view. They chatted with their friends and admired the tropical plants, as well as gaping at the expanse of sky that sat before them. They all were reveling in the experience of such a luxurious flight, but she paid them no attention as flight was a common thing for the copper pegasus.
A light tap on her shoulder jolted her from her thoughts and she swung her head to see a crimson-colored stallion standing behind her with a glass of cider balanced on one wing. His spiky white mane contrasted with the scarlet of his coat
He smiled charmingly at her. “Mind if I join you?” he asked, a slight country accent flavouring his rich voice. Amber swore she could feel the tips of her ears begin to glow red.
“No, not at all, please,” she replied, the stallion flashed her that sparkling smile again. He tilted the wing with the glass of cider, flawlessly managing to slide the drink onto the table next to her own.
“You looked kinda lonely, so I thought I might come over and get to know you,” he said, pulling up a chair. He winked at her before sipping his his cider.
Amber stifled a laugh at how this pony acted, and said, “Well, I don’t mind meeting new people.”
Several awkward minutes passed between them, occasionally punctuated by one sipping their chilled drink. Without warning, the stallion suddenly smacked himself in the face. “Oh geez! I’m sorry, where are my manners?” He shook his head, then held out a hoof. “I’m Red,” he introduced. Amber looked quizzically at him, accepting his hoofshake.
“Well,” she said, “I can see you’re red. What about it?”
He shook his head, “No, my name is Red!” he explained, his face turning an interesting shade of maroon.
Amber hid a laugh with a hoof, managing to reply, “Well, my name is Amber. Not too different from Red. Well, the name’s description.” She smiled at him, and he beamed back.
The pair sat there for some time, sipping their drinks until Red broke the silence.
“So, uh, Amber. Where are you from?” he asked, keeping his eyes trained on her.
Amber put her glass down, and said, “Cloudsdale. Although, my family moved to Canterlot when I was little, but when I got older I started traveling. What about you?”
Red looked out the window. “Well, I guess you could say that I’m from Maregan. It’s a small town, out around Salt Lick City. It’s a dull place, so my brother and I moved to Ponyville, to stay more connected with some friends.”
Amber raised an eyebrow, “Ponyville? Geez, Maregan must have been really boring for you to think Ponyville is exciting. Although, there has been some weird stuff going on around there recently.” He nodded in agreement.
Several minutes of them chatting about the airship and travel passed until Amber asked, “Do you think that we’d be allowed to fly out there?” she gestured out the window, pointing at the clouds. “I’ve heard that ocean-made clouds smell amazing and are much more comfortable than the ones inland.”
Red began to nod, his eyes glazing over. “They are, but ya' know,” he began, “It’s never a good idea to fly in thick cloud cover with an airship this huge nearby. I did something like that once and I’ll leave it at ‘I’m glad that my brother is a unicorn.’” He subconsciously rubbed his neck. “Besides, the captain of this ship has his policies, and he’s an earth-bound.” He muttered something under his breath, but Amber didn’t quite hear it.
Red stood quickly and excused himself, looking troubled, “I’m sorry to cut this conversation short but I have some things I need to attend to. Although, ah’ll be at this fancy dinner-thing tonight in the main hall,” he winked at her, and called over his shoulder as he cantered away. “I hope to see you there, Amber!” She caught a quick grin from him and looked quizzically after him as he walked away.
When he was gone, she whispered to herself, “Well, he’s an interesting one.”
Nearly every pony onboard the Halitarius was present for the first-night dinner party, including the crew. The chefs prepared exotic dishes behind the front lines while waiters and waitresses caught all of the guests orders, the ship’s security watching over the entire scene. Engineers and cabin ponies were enjoying themselves below deck. The first night of the voyage was usually the only one where guests weren’t complaining about something. An engineer would go check on things every now and then in fear of something actually happening to the engines for the first time in forever, for the universe is a jerk sometimes.
The guests themselves were dressed in fine attire; silk suits, gem-studded dresses, lavish jewelry, top hats and the occasional monocle. They all appeared to resemble a flock of peacocks, chattering amongst their fellows around the tables and enjoying themselves as stragglers filtered into the room and began searching for a table to sit at.
Amber was among the late crowd, as she had accidentally gotten ensnared by her bed’s soft blankets. Again. She was clad in a simple dress, designed to snugly fit her slim body, but allowed her enough freedom for flight. A golden necklace inlaid with an amethyst the same color as her eyes was set about her neck, with matching earrings clipped into place as well. Her mane was swept back in a clean, simple, yet elegant manner in keeping with her overall appearance. Nearly every stallion in the room did a double take as she walked in, pulling at their suit collars as though the room had suddenly become as hot as a high noon summer in Las Pegasus.
Amber gazed around the room, concern draped across her face. ‘Now, where is he?’ She wondered as she slowly began to make her way around the maze of tables and food. Spying the white-maned stallion from earlier seated near the elevated stage, she changed direction and headed over to him.
“Hello again,” she said, causing the crimson stallion to turn around. He smiled and motioned for her to sit in the seat next to him.
“I’m so glad that you decided to come,” he said, still smiling.
Amber nodded, returning the smile, “Well, I’m not giving up a dinner with a new acquaintance. Besides, you seem like you don’t know many other people onboard either,” she admitted, gesturing to their empty table.
He gazed about questioningly and said, “Yeah, not many ponies here like the fact that I choose to fly at top speed up and down the corridors.”
Amber snickered and replied, “I bet that I can beat you in a race down the hall after this.”
“Oh really? I don’t think so.” They both laughed. A waiter chose that moment to come by to collect their orders for dinner.
Red put a fore hoof on the table after the waiter left, leaning back and looking casual while the other hoof was placed in one of the pockets of his suit coat. “So Amber,” he began, “your talent is flight, correct? Your Cutie Mark is a feather after all.”
Amber nodded and replied, “Well, yeah, I’m really good at it too. Some ponies have even suggested I should go try out to be a Wonderbolt.”
“Have you?”
“No, it just doesn’t appeal to me that much. Don’t get me wrong, the Wonderbolts are amazing, but I wouldn’t want all the publicity. Too many cameras and reporters.” Amber leaned forward, scooting her cushion slightly closer to the table. “What about you Red? What’s your talent?” she asked, glimpsing a black cross for his Cutie Mark. The stallion sighed, and leaned close to her.
“Listen, promise not to freak out?” he asked her. She nodded, and he motioned to whisper into her ear.
“I’m a monster hunter.”
A moment passed.
Then another.
Amber turned to look at her new friend, expecting to see a sarcastic grin. Instead, a look of dead seriousness was chiseled into his features.
“Really?” she asked, excitement tugging at the curiosity in her mind. Red nodded, and leaned back in his chair again. She leaned forward to him, ears perked up in interest. “What’s it like?” she asked, “How do you catch them? What kind of creatures do you capture? Have you ever nearly died? Do you have your equipment with you? Can I see it?” More questions would’ve poured out if Red hadn’t started chuckling. Confusion spread across Amber’s face, and she asked, “What’s so funny?”
“Well,” he began, “you have so many questions that I probably wouldn’t be able to answer them all. The other thing was your face; the look on it was priceless!” He started to chuckle again, but managed to control himself this time. Amber giggled a little, but stopped herself as well.
“I guess I can’t help it. I’m a curious mare when it comes to outdoorsy stuff.”
That moment, their meal arrived. Amber had ordered apple scones with a quinoa and blueberry salad, while Red had ordered himself an entire apple pie. The mare who brought in the food flashed him a strange look when he wasn’t looking, but Amber had noticed it. It seemed to be a combination of bewilderment, disgust and concern. Red merely dug into the pie, not giving a buck.
Amber took a bite from her scones, appley goodness melting in her mouth as she savored the first bite. “Mmm,” she hummed in approval, taking another bite. Red seemed to be enjoying his dinner as well. He also seemed to be eyeing up Amber’s scones at the same time.
“This is some of the best food I’ve had in awhile,” he said, slowly inching a hoof towards Amber’s plate. She nodded in agreement, chewing another bite as she smacked his hoof away. A devious grin spread across Red’s face and they both chuckled a bit.
Red sighed a little, his pie almost entirely devoured. Glancing back at Amber, and said, “Well, I guess I should answer some of your questions.” Amber tuned her ears to Red’s voice as she continued munching on her meal, enjoying both at once.
“As a monster hunter, it’s my job to document and even capture a wide variety of magical beasts that could prove to be harmful to ponies untrained in self-defense or combat of any kind. I myself am extremely well-trained, not to brag or anything, so the risk is relatively low for me. Monster hunters can get into a world of pain if they aren’t ready to face off against anything. In fact, once I was on a commission with a few other monster hunters, and we… 'bumped' into our target. Let’s just say that I got an extra cut of the reward for saving my two comrades’ lives."
“Do you work for anypony, or do you just work freelance?"
"I’m usually employed by some of the administrators and professors for Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to bring in live specimens and accompany them as a kind of bodyguard when they go out into the field. I like working for them, not just because they realize how dangerous of a job it is but, also because of the fact that they can also give me extremely useful information about whatever they want brought in. Oh, and the fact that sometimes some of the classes make me almond cookies for when I bring them their commission. Y’know, kinda like a bonus or a tip of sorts. I’ve been working for the School for most of my career. What else would you like to know?”
Amber thought for a moment, finding a question marked as first on her mental list. “What kind of creatures do you hunt?” Red put a hoof to his chin thoughtfully, staring up at the ceiling.
“Hmm… Let’s see… Chupacabras, Manticores, Cockatrices, an Ursa Major once for some notes, Tetravipers, Spinners, Hellwasps, Parasprites, and pretty much anything else.”
“Is there anything you won’t try to go after?” Amber asked between bites.
Red leaned forward, really close to Amber. “Well, there is one thing that absolutely scares me out of my wits, worse than an Ursa Major…” he began. She raised an eyebrow in interest, wondering what could be so terrifying that the crimson stallion refused to track it down. He leaned in to Amber’s left ear and whispered, “Mares.”
She giggled at Red, who was feigning terror across the table, amused by his bad attempt at a joke. “Well, I do know some mares who would have probably smacked you in the face for that but, that just makes that joke all the more amusing,” she said, grinning.
A blue pony dressed in a white tuxedo cantered up onto the stage and tapped a microphone to test if it was working. The lights began to dim and a spotlight from somewhere trained itself on him.
“Fillies and gentlecolts, may I have your attention please.” The room started to quiet down, reaching absolute silence after a hoofful of seconds. “Welcome to the opening night of your vacation-cruise aboard the Halitarius. We hope that you have enjoyed yourselves for these first few hours today as things are only going to get even better! In fact, the recreational deck is opening tomorrow morning at seven after its recent renovations, such as the addition of a mini-golf course, a bowling alley, and even a pool!” A few delighted gasps and murmurs were heard out in the darkness of the crowd.
“We have the spas and gym on the third deck, so you can work out for a bit and then have a relaxing spa treatment to unwind. And, of course, we have the sky room, which I’m sure most of you have already seen.” He paused for a moment, then continued, “anyway, you are sure to find something that’ll keep you occupied as we travel over the ocean and tour a bit of the Griffon homelands!” He flashed a grin which somehow actually seemed to sparkle, perhaps a trick of the light. “In fact, we have a treat planned for you all tonight!”
“She is a mystical wonder, performing feats deemed impossible even for magic. Her reputation is as solid as the foundations of Canterlot itself and a heart twice as golden. Her intellect is an enigma, a mystery wrapped in an masterpiece. Now, without further ado, here is tonight’s special guest, one of the most talented ponies to come out of Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, here is Spring Spells!”
The audience cheered in applause as the tuxedo-pony bowed himself from the stage, and out from the red curtains slipped a mare with a leaf-green mane and a coat as blue as a midsummer sky. Her eyes were a deep, ocean blue color and her dress complimented them perfectly. Most of the stallions once again began to pull at their collars from the sudden heat of the air in the room.
She cantered up to the microphone and smiled with a voice as soft as velvet, “Thank you for such a nice introduction, I honestly wasn't expecting something so grand.”
She turned and looked out among the dinner-crowd, squinting her eyes as she tried to get a better look at the audience. “I’m sorry,” she called, “I can’t really see you all that well out there.” Her horn began to glow with a white light and suddenly tiny were-lights sprung up from the center of each table, giving off the perfect amount of light to only illuminate the audience’s faces. Sounds of amazement oozed from the crowd, bringing the unicorn on stage a slight grin of enthusiasm..
“Now before I begin, I’d like to share with you a story about my time in Celestia’s School. I was a little filly and I had only received my cutie mark a week before I was tested and accepted into the School. Normally, when a student is accepted in, they still lived with their parents, as most of the attendees lived in Canterlot. Not my parents though, they lived on the other side of the country and couldn’t afford to move to the capital to be nearby. That meant that I had to live in one of the rooms that the School had prepared for those like me.
“That first night there was the most terrifying night of my life as a filly. I was far from home, in a dark room within a sprawling school, within a massive city across the country from my home where my parents were. Do you know what I did about that?” she asked.
A flash of light appeared onstage where she was, leaving behind empty air. A second later, and another flash of light manifested itself at the back of the room, where she now stood. The crowd gasped in awe, as she loudly announced, “That.” She teleported back onto the stage, so she could continue her tale with the microphone.
“Well, in the morning when the School’s counselors came to check up on me, they thought that someone might have broken in and kidnapped me, so they started to panic. They didn’t want Celestia to think that they failed at keeping magically-gifted unicorn fillies safe, right? So they decided to conduct an investigation ,and a horrible one I might add, by themselves.” The room was filled with hushed laughter, which quickly quieted down. “A phone call from my parents quickly brought a halt to the would-be search, and I was sent back to the school in the following week. I really didn’t want to be there at that time, and I certainly wouldn’t want to go back.” She gave a soft smile at the crowd. “Do you want to know why?”
“That place was restricting my magics in a way, I think; I have learned over three times the spells upon graduating than the amount I was taught while in that place. Moreover, my capability to power my magics have increased exponentially too. I graduated with flying colors, as many of you know.”
She paused for a moment in thought, then said, “Well, I guess it was a nice place for me to begin understanding the length of my abilities. A good foundation makes for incredible things, after all.”
Her horn began to glow again and a blue mist began to leak from it, coalescing into two blobs on her sides. In another flash, this time smaller, the blobs were replaced by two exact copies of her. All three smiled eerily in a synchronized manner and waved to the crowd in three different directions. More sounds of amazement filled the room, but at Amber’s table Red merely rolled his eyes.
“Show-off,” he whispered to Amber. “Nopony can duplicate themselves. That’s all smoke and mirrors.”
He was quickly proven wrong as the two clones jumped down from the stage and began to clear away empty plates and dishes by scooping them up onto their heads and balancing them like books. Both made their circuits around the room and disappeared through the swinging doors to the kitchen, quickly returning back to their original’s sides up on the stage.
Amber looked at Red and prodded him, “All smoke and mirrors, huh?” He gave her a sharp look as if she had just insulted him before breaking into into a guilty grin at his judgment of Spring’s abilities.
“…And that I learned from a zebra chieftain on my last trip.” Spring finished saying. She looked out over the crowd again, and said, “For my next demonstration, I am going to need a volunteer, any offers?”
A plethora of stallions’ hooves shot into the air, accompanied by only a few mares. The clones of Miss Spells jumped down from the stage again and began to search around the room. One of them stopped at Amber and Red’s table, catching sight of the copper pegasus mare. She beckoned for her to come up and Amber gave a confused look as she gestured to herself. The clone nodded, yes. Amber excused herself from Red’s company, shooting him look that said ‘that mare onstage is insane’.
“And here we have a lovely lady willing to help me perform this next trick.” The original Spring Spells gestured at the sparkling Amber up on stage, who smiled out at the crowd, “Your name is…?” Spring held the microphone out for Amber to answer.
“Amber. Just Amber,” she answered.
Spring smiled and said, “Ah! Amber is a lovely name, is it not? So Amber, have you ever experienced hypno-syncronism before?”
The pegasus thought for a moment and answered unsurely, “I don’t think so. Maybe?”
Spring smiled, and announced into the microphone, “Well, after tonight, you can say yes to anyone who asks you that question. Are you ready to begin?” She turned back to Amber, looking directly at her.
“Um, sure, I guess,” the copper mare answered.
“Okay then, all I need you to do is to look into my eyes,” the unicorn said.
“Alright, sounds easy enough.”
Amber looked deep into Spring’s deep blue eyes, and thought that she could see a spark of… something there. And it didn’t look happy.
Suddenly, Spring’s eyes flashed green, and Amber’s thoughts ceased.
~0~
Amber found herself back in her seat, blinking away the remnants of Spring’s spell. She shook her head for a bit, trying to clear away the last of the shadowy fog in her mind, wondering what had happened. Red was staring at her as though she had just punched him in the face.
“What… What happened?” she asked him, noting that everyone’s attention in the room was back on Miss Spells, and that her two copies were gone. Red blinked a few times at her, and slowly started to explain.
“Uh, well, when Spring started her spell, your coat kinda began to glow, makin’ you shine brighter than the spotlight up there. It was only for a moment, but you were glowing. I thought that Miss Spells had done that just for dramatic effect, but she also seemed genuinely surprised. After that, she just made you do all sorts of crazy air maneuvers and things, flipping and flying all over the place.”
Spring had elicited more ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs’ from the crowd by summoning a phoenix with some sort of spell, it was perched on an outstretched forehoof as she told some story about the spell and phoenix. Amber didn’t even notice as she was still listening to Red.
“After you did all those tricks, she made you start to act like a dog. Not a normal dog, but more of a guard dog. And you were absolutely… scary? No, that’s not the right word… Terrifyin’! That’s the one.” Amber looked back up at the spellcaster on stage, a questioning glance directed towards the unicorn.
“Did she make me do anything else?” she inquired.
“Um, well…” Red trailed. “Well, um, she may or may not have made you smack me when you sat back down. Or was that just you?”
Amber shook her head, horrified. “I definitely would never hit anyone! That must’ve been her…” she trailed off, lost in a train of thought.
“Well, it really looked like it was you who was in control when you sat back down,” Red replied. Amber didn’t hear him, she was already thinking the situation over.
That spark in Spring Spells’ eyes… “Whatever that spell was…” Amber began, “I don’t think it was normal hypnosis.”
The rest of the dinner left Amber wondering about what would’ve made Miss Spells have her smack her new friend, while the audience made a commotion over the fancy spells that the magician could perform. All the whole time, Red made astute observations and quips about the spells while Amber apologized for her slapping him while under Spells’ “hypnosis”.
~0~
Amber burst out from around the corner of the hallway, inches ahead of her scarlet companion. She was much more agile than him and her size let her accelerate and decelerate much more quickly than him. In other words, she made it around the turn while he nearly slammed into the wall, having to twist himself around to rapidly alter his direction at an angle to avoid the collision.
She laughed when she glanced back and saw the distance she had put in between herself and Red, gaining a determined grin from him as he tried to keep up with her. Her dress fluttered from the speed of her flight, leaving a rippling sound in her wake. Fortunately, after Miss Spring Spells’ performance, most of the dinner crowd had decided to either stay and chat a while longer or head back to their rooms.
The copper mare burst through the open doorway into the sky room and skidded to a halt. The lights in the room were darkened to their lowest settings, leaving only the little lights that illuminated the small clusters of exotic plants dimly. The window opened up into a velvety dark night, devoid of any clouds to obscure the view.
The dark ocean reflected the stars of the night sky above, rippling the shining points of light across its entire face. The entire scene looked as though someone had dumped a box of tiny diamonds onto a half-ruffled blanket of deep blue, so dark it was almost ebony.
And one diamond, bigger than the rest, was the full moon. She spilled out pure white light across the ocean and sky, quietly and softly illuminating the darkest spaces with her comforting glow.
Red slid into the room seconds after Amber, nearly colliding with her. “Hey, don’t just stop in my pa –“ he began, but stopped when he noticed the bejeweled view.
“–Woah.” He observed.
“Yeah,” Amber answered.
They stood there for several moments, just taking in the clear night sky over the ocean. Amber broke the stillness by softly trotting over to the massive window, and placing a hoof on the hard, cool glass. She could feel the wind buffeting the glass, almost like the currents in a river.
“…This really makes me wish that we were allowed to fly outside right now,” Amber admitted, drinking in the view.
“Agreed. Completely,” was all Red said in reply.
Minutes passed as they stared off into the night, until Amber turned to Red and said, “You know, I’m sorry that I hit you at dinner…”
“Nonsense,” he scoffed. “You weren’t controlling yourself, and if ah' was mad, it would be at that Spring Spells lady. And I’m not mad, just confused.”
Amber faced the ocean and sky again. “You aren’t the only one who’s wondering about that. Right before she… “hypnotized’ me… I saw a look in her eyes like she was mad at something.”
The monster hunter turned around and sat at a table next to one of the plant clusters. “That would kinda explain why you were acting all riled up under her spell. But why hit me? The only person sitting next to you…” He wandered off in thought for a moment, but that moment didn’t last too long.
He leaped from his seat, making Amber jump in surprise. “Maybe,” he started to say, “Maybe she’s actually a changeling!”
Amber discarded this idea and explained to her friend, “That can’t be the case. Changelings can’t operate that high level of magic unless they were a Hive Queen.”
“Where’d you learn that?”
Amber smiled at him and said, “Well, I read up quite a bit on the nasty little buggers after they invaded the capital last year. You know, to prepare myself in case I ever ran into one.”
Red gave her a devious grin and said, “Well, I’m pretty sure I know a bit more about the changelings than you do.”
“Oh really now?” She raised an eyebrow questioningly.
“I was at the wedding when it happened, and ah' had a lively chat with a few of the changelings that I had the… opportunity to tango with. Plus I have a friend who knows more about what changelings are like more than anypony else I know.”
Amber turned from the window and gave an overly dramatic sigh. “Alright, I’ll give you that victory. Only because I beat you here.”
She smiled at him, suddenly feeling as though she had performed an entire airshow that evening – which wasn’t too far from the truth. She yawned and began to excuse herself from Red by saying, “Well, this has been quite an evening, hasn’t it?” He nodded in agreement, still somewhat lost in thought.
“Yeah, it has been…” he said, dragging out the words as he stroked his chin.
Amber shuffled her hooves and itched one of her forehooves against the other. “Well, I’m going to turn in for the night. Seeya tomorrow, okay?” Red didn’t even notice she had said anything, until she waved a hoof in his face. “I said goodnight, silly. Are you doing anything tomorrow?” She asked, snapping him out of his trance.
“Oh, um, not really. I was thinking I would spend it doing whatever but, being with somepony new sounds better anyways.” He winked at her. “Ah' guess if you are turning in for the night means that ah' probably should too.” He stood to go, and they both headed to the exit of the moonlit sky viewing deck. “Would you like me to walk you to your room?” Red asked, and Amber replied with a happy nod.
