A Flower from the East

Tavia anxiously went to sleep that night, which resulted in a delayed wake next morning, much for her misfortune.

Barely did the sun peak out from behind the horizon, but a strange silhouette cut itself out from its light. The ponies who just woke up and looked out from their windows could see the flower in her full glory. She walked down slowly, yet confidently, her eyes zig-zagging back and forth as she read the numbers on the doors. Some even dared to leave their homes when she walked past them, while others remained there as those intimidating eyes and the strange object she was wielding over her saddlebags filled them with fear. It looked like an enormous hexagonal sledgehammer of some sort. She turned in at the correct door an knocked on it.

"Ugh, who can that be this early?" a gray pony said as she suffered down from her bed. "Probably just some fillies playing around or something." she told as she rubbed her eyes walking down the stairs. She convinced herself so much however, instead of setting her mane she went straight to the door.

A light, sugar brown coated mare stood in front of her, her mane a darker shade of the same color, adorned by a dark red flower and pinned up in a messy little comb on the back. Her eyes were yellow and slightly slanted as well, outlined with jet black.

"Greetings, sister." she said as she reached out her right hoof.

That exact moment Octavia realized the situation. Her eyes widened as her body started to sweat uncontrollably and her heart felt like it would like to get away from her. Not knowing what to do, she shut the door... only realizing that she now made it even worse.  She opened it a little once again saying "One moment." and closed it, rushing to the bathroom. She set her mane with one hoof while washing her teeth with the other, her mind working overtime.

Few seconds later she stepped to the door to face the worst thing in her lifetime ever happened. She opened the door once again.

"Greetings, sister." the girl said once again, with the same motion as before.

"W-welcome, Azalea." Tavia responded "I'm t-terribly sorry about the happenings before, I..."

"You most likely worked yourself up over my visitation and haven't rested enough, it's understandable. No need to be nervous, sister, mistakes are fated to be made." Azalea told, as her sister let her in. "In fact, it's my mistake since I arrived too early, my apologies." she continued as she bowed in front of her sister. Her voice was warm and gentle like fresh silk... yet still, it had a little touch of condescending heard in it.

"Here, let me help you." Octavia rushed to take off the strange weight her relative was carrying. She moved slowly not to break anything, until Azalea joined, and they slowly placed it down leaning it against a wall. Now it was time to have her pack down in her room. Octavia decided to sacrifice her own comfort to her sister's and lead her there.

"Here, this is my room, a little bit messy but I hope you'll like it." the gray mare told in shame, even though the room was as clean and ordered as new. Azalea stepped inside, her eyes of a critic observing the area's every details as a frown grew on her face. She hummed a few times and turned around with a quick move.

"Sister! Are you feeling depressed or nervous often, by any chance?" she asked.

Octavia recoiled in a sudden, but with a gentle nod she confirmed the question "Nervous, yes."

"Do you feel you can't get enough rest no matter what?" the brown one asked, making Tavia shake her head with a bit of sadness.

"No surprise, the energy flow in this room is atrocious." Azalea replied as she shut her eyes, her warm words being filled with bitter honesty. She took down her saddlebags and placed them in front of a shelf.

"For common courtesy, however, I'm accepting your offer. Thank you." she told, bowing once again. Her words were somewhat hurtful, but Octavia didn't mind it much.

"Hey, Tavia, look what I found!" trampled in Vinyl with a large object on her back. The cinnamon coat however took her by surprise.

"I suggest handing it over." Azalea lowered her voice.

Octavia turned red in embarrassment "Azalea this is my roommate, Vinyl."

Her sister raised an eyebrow but shook hooves with the unicorn regardless after the strange thing was put away, Octavia, however kept staring at it from the corner of her eye.

"Can you guess what it is?" Azalea asked with a mild smile.

"An... instrument?" Octavia asked back without confidence.

"An instrument indeed, a dadihu. Much for my misfortune it is often referred to as erhu by many." she told with a small sigh.

"I know exactly how you feel, almost everypony calls my bass a cello as well." Tavia told as she placed her hoof on Azalea's shoulder.

"I suggest a duet if you're free after the noon." her cousin recommended, that Octavia happily agreed with a nod. "Not here, however, such terrible environment greatly decreases performance. I'm taking a look around to find the best place for cultivation." she told as she gaited out from her room.

This wasn't the worst idea, Octavia thought, after all, taking a stroll around town was a good way to introduce the equestrian culture to her sister. She chose to follow her.

"Mind if I join?" she asked.

"Not in the slightest." Azalea smiled back. Leaving the silent but frowning unicorn behind they went to hit the streets.

"Ponyville is so vastly different than home." Azalea told as her head didn't know where to turn. "The houses are much more colorful, the road is warm and uneven, and no walls far or wide to hide the sky." She kept staring at the sky, looking for something "So clear and blue, not a single cloud anywhere.".

"Isn't the weather similar where you come from?" Octavia asked.

"Not at all. The Sun never shines in Blissful Island, the clouds rule the skies." Azalea shook her head. "Especially in Dragon Villa."

This made Tavia think a little. Cold, grey concrete, huge walls and on the top of that, no sunshine. It sounded like the Blissful Island is not that blissful after all. Azalea continued as she saw a pegasus flying by slowly next to them, waving to them.

"Our land has no pegasi or unicorns, only-" however she suddenly stopped as her eyes followed the grey pegasus. As if she would have notice something.

"Is something wrong?" Octavia asked, but was ignored. Azalea zig-zagged her eyes between the houses, she slowly lowered her hoof to the ground, and as soon as they felt the warm ground, she disappeared like lightning, appearing two houses behind them at the corner of the right home. Her mane throwing itself forwards as if an enormous wind would have blown into it. She looked around with a frown as she hummed. Octavia, still shocked from what just happened, but managed to catch up to her.

"W-what just happened?" she asked.

"Nothing, let's proceed." her sister replied in a much more serious manner.

"Surprise!!"

Octavia jumped in shock, about which she began complaining once again "Pinkie Pie was this necessary?"

"Duh, hello, it's no surprise if you're not even surprised." the pink one replied, turning to the musician's sister. "Hey, Azalea, would like to come to a welcome party in the Sugarcube Corner today?"

"Sure, what time?" the brown one asked. Pinkie sat down and took out a clock from behind her that oddly enough had the word "Party!" in the place of numbers.

"Let's see... RIGHT NOW!" she screamed, bolting as lightning in excitement.

"Let's get going then, we're already too late." Azalea told, turning around and following the pink mare in a fast, but still modest pacing. Octavia sighed, nothing was the way she planned. She resigned with the thought, hoping for the bests. But as her thoughts began to wonder away from reality, she couldn't help but notice the herd of the predators around, just waiting for the perfect moment to rush down the two mares like fillies during a wonderbolt giving autographs.

But the real ambush stuck as they opened the door of the Sugarcube Corner. Azalea and Octavia have been flooded with ponies, all speaking together resulting in an incoherent noise. Though while Octavia's heart was pounding from the panic, Azalea took it surprisingly well, replying to them one by one in complete calm, as she could make out the sentences she wanted to hear by sheer concentration.

"Excuse me, I heard your kind owns a special magical ability, could you show me for research in the library?"

"Sure, 13:30."

"Miss Azalea, could you kindly check our spa's energy flow?"

"Absolutely, at 15:00."

"Is it true you have a special dance to relieve stress?"

"Meet me at four, and I'll show you."

This went on for minutes and minutes, until the fog dissipated. Octavia was still dizzy, and her ears were ringing from the noise, though it seemed her sister didn't.

"You handled it pretty nicely." she complimented, trying to put her thoughts together after the chaotic storm.

"I have counted in that Equestrian inhabitants may take interest in alien culture, victory is for the prepared." Azalea replied in her signature, deep voice.

An enormous scream echoed through the building, from a pink pony with a yellow mane. Eventually, the ponies around all backed away from the sight: A huge, ugly spider on the wall. Azalea bolted through the room with her swiftness, grabbing the creature with her hooves.

"Oh no please." a gentle voice told her, coming from a flying pegasus of cream and pink, her mane softly pouring down her body like a river as she landed on the ground "Please don't hurt him, I'm sure he wanted no harm." she begged quietly.

"I won't, worry not. The ponies in the Blissful Island respect nature and its creations." the brown mare replied, as she held the little guy on her hoof, opening the door and walking out to let him free.

But before putting him down, she leaned closer, whispering the following words

"Tell her I know she's here, and I'll find her."

Thus, she lowered her limb as the spider jumped down and walked away. Now that the crisis was over it was time for the party to get started.

"Of course you'll find me, and I'll be waiting." a deep and charming voice replied in the dark. "As for you, what kind of punishment shall I give you?" she asked, turning towards her little, eight legged minion on her hoof.

She began to wonder, scratching her jaw with her other hoof, as she began playing around, not even looking what she was doing to him, for she could care less.

She kept staring at the upper left corner, as her right hoof was flinging back and forth gently, forcing the little creature hanging on the tiny cobweb attached to her to get smashed to the front and back side of her limb.

"Hmmm..." she thought even longer, spinning the thread and thus the spider clockwise carelessly for seconds that seemed like forever.

The voice sighed up, ending the wild ride of the creature "I'll think of it later.". As such, she threw away the completely dizzy animal like an useless rock, gaiting back through the cobweb filled, dark room to the little desk she was working at.