Necessary Love

by Zurock

Chapter 16: Winding

A wide wooden walkway spilled onto a path blanketed with sandy dirt, the ends of the boards unevenly cut and their bodies' sore with enough stiffness to creak under even half of a pony's weight. The pathway beyond meandered, mostly following the shoreline, though it was set higher up. It ran atop a long and slumped hill at the bottom of which was a thin beach under tender assault by tiny waves. Often the other side of the path was lined with short cliff faces; natural walls built from rock and clay, decorated with healthy foliage which dribbled down their height. Far down the road, the Passion's Embrace - the central building of the resort (and by a stupendous degree also the largest) - was always visible, except during a few occasions where the wandering path briefly curved inwards enough to hide it. It was only a walk away, or at least a fairly moderate walk away; good enough for many minutes of a friendly stroll.

The crawling stampede of baggage-handling island ponies, Vesuvius among them, hobbled their way discordantly off the groaning boards of the tiny dock town and onto the path. Too wide of a group to fit upon the last wooden walkway all at once, they filtered their way through like gravel down a choked funnel. Once past the thin lane they merely resumed their uncoordinated march towards the resort. Their bubble of a crowd expanded as they went, drifting unconsciously into a spacious formation as wide as the pathway would physically allow, and no two ponies stepped along at exactly the same pace. It was up to the master stallion to keep anypony from anxiously blitzing too far ahead or lazily lagging too far behind.

Hardly any distance behind the sloppy crowd was Twilight and her friends, lead in front by Venus. The island lady stepped off of the wooden walkway first, and then immediately she stood aside. Turning back towards the guests tailing her she encouraged them to move along and follow after the crowd, her words ever vibrant. She deliberately engaged each and every guest who passed her, intently taking in their faces as she kindly delivered to them some simple variations of the same instructions, and every one of her syllables was backed with a happy smile.

Rarity ambled, her recent queenly treatment an anchor which held her in the rear of her group. Her face was flushed because of the dozen different fanciful thoughts she let gallop gaily through her head. Venus read the signs easily and she closed in on the dressmaker with exceptional interest.

"Come along," she urged gently, inviting Rarity forward, "just follow the others. It's not all that far." After the daydreaming unicorn passed her by she immediately moved to keep pace, quickly catching up to the rosy-cheeked pony.

Walking alongside Rarity she lowered herself from a professional tone to a very personal one, and she praised the other unicorn, "And my dear, aren't you a visage of loveliness? Rarity, I believe? I recall that your friend has told us that you sew dresses of an unbelievable quality!"

"Oh, how awfully kind of you to say! Thank you!" Rarity replied. Gracefully she brought her rampant whimsy under control, more or less returning to the proper form of a lady. And like a lady she paid compliment for compliment, "May I just say that your lava-lava is absolutely gorgeous? The silky shine of it is perfect for your complexion. Oh, and that floral pattern! It suits you so wonderfully; it adds a fantastic touch of color while also reflecting this lovely island of yours."

Very pleased, Venus wriggled her back half a little as she walked, lightly swishing about the beautiful cloth she wore. "Thank you, as well! It's no extravagant dress but I've never been one for clothes that are difficult to take off."

"Well, simplicity can be quite a statement, and you pull it off so well! The germanium on your ear is a fabulous addition," Rarity only further commended the island lady's taste. She let out an envious moan, "Oh, why, just seeing it so well modeled on you makes me wish I had a lovely lava-lava of my own! Wherever did you find it? Who makes it?"

Venus gave a dainty chuckle, saying, "I couldn't tell you exactly; not without consulting my dear Suvi. He got it for me, from somewhere far on the other side of Equestria."

"As a gift?" the dressmaker asked, brightly astonished. She hoisted up her nose, tried to peer past the many ponies ahead of her, and looked for Vesuvius as if he would now somehow appear as a dashing gentlecolt instead of as a hardy islander. A trickle of color as red as ripe strawberries pooled into her cheeks; a genuine appreciation for the two partners' romance, though mixed equally with her hesitant opinion of how brazen their displays of affection were. "You're lucky to have a stallion so tasteful. And one who is so... understanding of you," she delivered without betraying her grace.

"He knows how to please," the island lady responded with satisfaction, actually blushing a little herself. Then she laughed, "Though I won't say he wasn't being at least somewhat selfish when he bought it for me, hehe." Her color deepened. "He loves the way I look in it." Briefly she basked in a self-induced glow, cherishing the reminiscences of her dear Vesuvius.

She was swift to return to her intended task however, and she spied the other pony's lightly flushed cheeks eagerly. "So... Rarity," she edged just an inch closer as she walked, and perfectly she pried, "... I know you've only just arrived but; what do you think so far, may I ask?"

"Ah, well," Rarity took great care to balance her honesty with courtesy, "it pains me to admit that I did experience some... doubt at first." She lifted half an eye back towards the decks and pier shrinking behind them. "Your reception location is somewhat... plebeian, shall we say?" Worried that she may have stepped over a line with her diminishing remark she cringed in mild fear.

"I understand," Venus politely nodded. "I think we've managed to accomplish a lot with the few ponies and resources that we have; there's only a few dozen of us after all," she explained, calm but with level pride. "We don't have the limitless budget of a five star resort so we can't quite afford to build a fully staffed grand reception hall while also having a separately functioning dock for all the supplies that come in."

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to imply any indolence on your part. I'm sure you all work very hard to-," Rarity quickly tried to back away from any misunderstanding.

"No, no, it's alright!" the unoffended mare smiled. "I appreciate that you've given your honest opinion!" She lifted her head with a bit of a cocksure turn, saying, "And I like to think that working within our restrictions has given our island a bit of a natural charm; far less artificial than other places. And 'natural' is perfect for what we want this island to be."

Again she crawled in closer to the dressmaker. "I've been to a few of those other grander resorts myself and I confess that there's something appealing to all their flash and pomp; all their spectacles and displays, which are indeed beautiful... on the surface." A fire of confidence lit up in her eyes and she suddenly stressed, "I hope you'll find here the same thing that I eventually learned: beauty isn't only skin deep."

Rarity automatically looked ahead at all of the ponies spaced out before her, easily picking out her tower of luggage and more especially the pony whose back said luggage was piled high upon. She had her own entrenched thoughts about beauty... but... Even just the view of Sweet Nothing's rump, partially obscured by the several ponies in the way... well, talk about spectacles and displays! If the stallions strolling through the streets back at Ponyville had all been as finely sculpted as that then her very windowsill would have been a trap from which she never would have escaped! Such pure handsomeness was criminal!

Once more she grew hot in the face, and she replied unreserved, "Yes, I've already started to see that despite my earlier misgivings there are other... enticing elements to this trip."

"Good! Fantastic!" Venus exclaimed, grinning with satisfaction. She took her own look between Rarity and the pony crowd, and scribbled some pleased notes within her head.

"It's been wonderful to speak with you, Rarity," she said humbly after a short lull, "but if you'll excuse me now?"

The dressmaker nodded, already knee-deep in her fantasies again.

Picking up her pace Venus stamped hoofprints in the forgiving dust of the already well-worn path. She moved ahead of Rarity, passed by the rest of Twilight's friends, but as she took her place in front of the guests she seemed to think twice for a moment. Suddenly she sidestepped over and eased back on her speed. Against the current she slowly drifted, letting those behind her catch up. When she merged into Twilight's group again she synced up right next to the intrigued James.

"Hello," she greeted casually. "James, yes?"

"Mhmm. Pleasure to meet you, Miss Venus." He bowed his torso slightly forward while resting a palm on his chest.

She was obviously endeared by his manners in some fashion, and any sort of negative forecasts she had feared flitted away instantly. "Equally so!" she returned, sunny and chipper. Reading some of the innocent suspicion on his face she formally gave him an unmasked account of her approach, "I hope you'll forgive me my curiosity."

"Ah," he understood. "No problem. I've mostly gotten used to it now." He bounced a shoulder as he answered.

"I'm sure you can imagine our great surprise," Venus went further, "when we read that TWO of the eight guests we would be hosting weren't even ponies at all!"

The man was struck with momentary pause, for the thought actually HADN'T ever occurred to him. He had been drawn too far into other affairs (and his own occasionally ill thoughts) for the past week to have ever allowed his mind to flex around how a vacation resort for ponies would receive him. His own original expectations of this trip had been highly generic, secretly steering his imagination away from more speculative considerations, and certainly his friends' equally general predictions had only further smeared the issue.

"And not only that," the island lady continued, "but two species of quite some uniqueness! What island resort in the Carriaggean has ever hosted a dragon? Or a..." Her mind went blank and she actually suffered an embarrassing loss of composure. "Oh dear, I'm so sorry...," she apologized sincerely for her perceived insult of ignorance.

"Human," he identified himself, effortlessly shrugging off any presumed offense. "It's alright. Easy enough mistake to make. More uncommon than dragons around here."

"'Uncommon?'" she pondered on his word choice briefly, shaking her head. Her encouragement came charging out, "'Exceptional' is more appropriate. Or at least I should hope so!"

The unicorn brought her neck down, her head held low as she put forward in no doubtful promise, "I wish to assure you that we are proud to host you, and are COMMITTED to making your time here no less special than any of your friends. And we've tried not to let your... exceptionalness... stand in our way. We've done our best to prepare for you as we can." Up her face came and, with a look overwhelmed by anticipation, she absorbed herself into him, "But it's never too late for us to learn more, and to do more!"

Not from generosity, not from duty, not from wisdom, not from chance; from something else, an open invitation came out of her, "Please, don't ever be afraid to share with us your innermost thoughts or feelings. The more we share... well, the better we'll be able to satisfy you. Don't hold back anything for our sake."

The statements stood tall, absolutely grounded in a foundation poured from her conviction; invincible against the havoc winds of doubt, insufficiency, or betrayal. By James' sincere estimation she had meant unequivocally everything she had said; full of firm, even sacrificial, commitment. He wondered: if he were to have stripped off her flowery skirt would he have found a cutie mark underneath depicting the island itself? For her this place was more than a business pursuit which depended on high customer marks; she was truly passionate about it. It was part of her, somehow. Part of her own exceptionalness; that unique magic which each and every pony had inside.

"Alright. I'll remember that," he yielded.

Venus adopted a full smile; glad, gracious, and thrilled.

They carried on for several quiet steps before she spoke anew, chuckling, "Interestingly, I think you might wind up being a bit more difficult than the dragon."

He tilted his head away from her, leering back with a questioning eye. "Well... I guess you've at least heard of dragons before," he said, assuming her thoughts, "and have some kind of cultural expectations about them, right or wrong. Spike's not the kind of dragon you're probably thinking of though."

She took his opinion pleasantly, but yet she clarified for him, "Actually... what I meant was: out of all of her friends, Twilight wrote the least about you. By a good margin."

Again there was a forceful vacancy in their conversation as he was struck dumb by her unexpected words. Hard to believe that the Princess's pupil - that studious and scholarly pony - couldn't have expounded on him more thoroughly, especially after all the lengthy conversations they had traded with each other in the past. He felt like he could have conversely given a truckload about her, and he knew for a fact that she had previously written more about lesser things before.

Shortly he recovered, accepting rather weakly, "I suppose that's not a huge surprise... I haven't been around all that long."

"Well I for one," the island lady insisted undeterred and in the most friendly of fashions, "am very excited to explore your mysteries! Too see what possibilities you offer!" Her gaze worked its way into him.

Though some untraceable subtleties left him feeling just faintly put off in an uncertain way, he responded in shy honesty, "I'm kind of excited to be here."

Content, Venus gave the man a welcoming nod, and he returned an equally cordial gesture.

He expected her to immediately move on. Perhaps she would go to chat with one of his friends like she had spoken to himself and Rarity, or maybe she would confer with her fellow islanders, or even just latch onto her cherished Vesuvius again. However, something else entirely appeared under her skin. The churning pace of her legs quickened ever so slightly and she moved mildly out of step with the man, getting ahead only inch by inch. Her chin rested level on the thickening air and her face locked on to nothing in particular ahead of them. The unseen distance, far, far off, stole her eyes.

"Prism is quite a curious pony," she chirped, surprising him with the suddenness of her plain outburst. "Or rather... adventurous, really."

James didn't answer except to peer at the island lady more narrowly.

She looked back at his quietly puzzled stare. "Prism. The pony who has your bag," she elaborated simply, as if that sufficiently explained everything. "She's always seeking to broaden her horizons. I think," she tightened herself with secrecy, like she were trading a sensitive confession, "she's most eager to hear more about you."

Still nothing came from the man except unspoken questions of relevancy.

"Don't be a stranger to her," Venus encouraged, a little more formal than before. "And you can certainly ask her about anything that concerns you. I think she's a perfect pony to tend to your needs... if you have any while here."

She punctuated her remark with an odd jump of her head; almost a complete nod; and a strange twitch of her eye; almost a wink. It was hard to tell exactly what her body had spoken, with how slight and fast the actions were.

Then she merely departed, speeding up into a trot which towed her forward.

Lightly James scratched his arm, just above the elbow. "Hm."

"Pick your head up," Vesuvius gave his firm but friendly command in a low, private tone. "Come on. You don't want to look so bored."

The pegasus with the metallic gold coat blinked his eyes, practically awakening. His neck was limp, so much so that his face floated along above the ground as if he were counting every grain and pebble that he passed. It took a few moments for the head stallion's words to fully penetrate his rousing awareness. Finally he heeded the given advice and lifted his neck back, balancing himself out with conscious attention.

"Sorry, sir," he apologized obediently. The fresh focus which spread throughout him refined his march; a very respectable improvement over the unmindful shambling of before. Though he also deferentially kept his speed matched to that of Vesuvius who was walking alongside him. "Not bored though," the candid pegasus explained himself, with only his eyes turned towards the island master. "I was just caught up in my thoughts."

Vesuvius twisted his neck around to glance at Rainbow Dash for a fleeting moment. The colorful mare, unnoticing of any attention on her, was splitting her time between curious observations about the island and making frustrated faces at her hat-wearing friend. "Thinking about something?" the stallion hinted as he returned his attention to the pegasus next to him.

The other pony was silent for several breaths; a lull of wavering judgment before uncommitted action. He did choose to answer at last, and he spoke considerately even if his tongue unfurled words with the uneven cadence of dynamically evolving thought, "I know that the first time you ever heard anything about her was in that write-up the Princess's pupil did. But... I've known about her before that." Honesty, sprinkled with some amount of pristine reverence, emerged from him. "She's an awesome flyer."

An eyebrow arched up on the crimson pony's face. "... You've never mentioned this before, Nosedive," he indirectly asked for clarification.

"I didn't think it was important," came the direct answer. "I mean... it IS why I volunteered, and nopony contested me, so... it didn't seem worth mentioning." The pegasus shrugged with his mouth.

Slowly a teasing grin came upon Vesuvius. "Oh? So you're a fan, eh?" he needled the other pony with innocuous intent.

"No...," Nosedive denied the allegation cautiously, failing to hide a tremble in his voice awkward enough to hint at a more complicated reality. He did more assertively admit afterwards, "I mean, the respect's there."

Vesuvius said nothing, but the mature playfulness didn't leave his face. If anything it dug in deeper.

"Met her once before, too," the gold pegasus further extended his ever increasing justifications, never quite finding a comfortable place to ground himself. "In Cloudsdale, a long time ago. I mean, no way that she remembers... but I did bump into her." More recent memory took over his eyes, washing them with wonder, and he rambled confidently, "Also, I saw her compete in the Best Young Flyer Competition awhile back; that was really something. Wonderbolts material for sure."

Under the soft stress of the island master's unceasing stare Nosedive tried to conclude, "Anyway... all of that really makes me the best choice. So... not bored. I was just trying to figure out how to best do my job, was all."

At last Vesuvius spoke again, easy in his pride and sure with his support, "You'll do fine."

"Hope so, sir," the pegasus responded simply. "I think I could have performed-"

"Nosedive," Vesuvius called the name as solemnly as the striking of a memorial torch, immediately commanding the pegasus' attention. He lectured with almost fatherly authority, "They've just arrived. There's plenty of time. They'll need that time to settle in, get comfortable, and let the experience work its way into them. Remember your own first experience here. Don't get ahead of yourself, and don't make things more complicated than they need to be." Once more he asserted, "You'll do fine."

"Yes sir." The professional pony marched on, straight as an arrow and not letting his head fall again.

Breaking away from Nosedive, Vesuvius gazed over his other ponies. In no time his stern eyes fell upon one pony in particular, and he muttered with much less sympathy, "Speaking of not getting ahead of oneself..." With fiery clops the island master calmly stormed his way up to Sweet Nothing's side.

The dark pony was sweating from hauling alone the load that was Rarity's packaged, mobile life, but he gave no other signs of stress. His focus was moderately intense yet he wielded his determination with all the natural talent of a born juggler. He demanded his body hold itself up to the task and it certainly didn't dare give him any real grief in that regard; just another opportunity to put his much-loved physique on display. So he walked, baggage and all, moving at a pace that could have easily outstripped the others if he had so chosen to, and self-doubt was a thought never welcome in his mind.

In fact his self-absorption was enough that he didn't even notice Vesuvius until the island master was right upon him.

Stomping alongside Sweet Nothing, Vesuvius demanded in a low, heavy, brutal tone, "What were you doing back there?"

The baggage-burdened stallion almost flinched at the sudden verbal assault, but ultimately kept his cool. None of the steam in his gait disappeared nor was any of the luggage he bore disturbed. Turning his head aside, slightly away from the island master, he gave his chin a smug lift and said, "What? She loved it."

"Maybe," Vesuvius growled doubtfully. "For the moment, anyway. That doesn't mean it was without risk." An angry darkness descended over his eyes. "And I don't think the dragon liked it so much. He's a guest too."

"That's not my problem," Sweet Nothing retorted dismissively, giving the other pony not a glance of respect and keeping his head held arrogantly high. "He's Summer Wind's job."

Fuming, Vesuvius ceased offering what little merciful reserve he had been showing and all of his craggy authority pooled into his voice. He hoarsely whispered, "Listen here, you selfish brat: this island doesn't exist to service you. There's something far too important going on here, so you'll cease your... your..." The invasion of anger looted his vocabulary and he struggled briefly to produce a sufficiently accurate word, until he at last snorted, "... flippancy!"

The further the island master sunk into his fury the more it seemed to amuse Sweet Nothing. "Make me," he dared, producing a contrary grin.

Vesuvius flashed his own teeth, grinding them down while one of his eyes twitched with rage. He was about to blow a gasket.

"You can't get rid of me," the defiant pony only further taunted the island master. "You NEED me."

For a moment it seemed like Vesuvius would burst into flames and spew fire all over the insufferable Sweet Nothing. The way the incensed pony clamped down on himself was like the ominous rumbling gasps before a volcano's eruption. A few of the other ponies who were close enough to witness what was going on all took small, nervous steps away.

But the island master managed not to explode, sparing their fresh guests an unfortunate scene. Bringing himself under control at the last moment he rushed closer to the source of his ire, practically ramming his side into Sweet Nothing's bag-heavy body. Close enough to smother the other (still undaunted) pony he leveled his face against the dark stallion's turned cheek; not room for a column of marching ants between them.

"Don't think you're so untouchable," Vesuvius whispered in grim threat. "We'll find others if we have to."

Sweet Nothing at last brought his face back to look straight into the island master's burning eyes... where he promptly and defiantly snorted into them.

Before Vesuvius could muster an angry response he felt a softness caress his flank. The tender touch moved up his side and along his neck, sprinkling sweetness all the way. Venus appeared next to him, opposite Sweet Nothing, and nuzzled his cheek. "Suvi, dear, don't scowl so much," she said to him, intentionally peaceful and playful.

The change in the fiery stallion was fairly immediate; her cool touch quashed his fury. "Venus-," he began to explain as the hostile glow quickly disappeared from his eyes.

"Shhhh...," she lightly hushed him. She had earlier paid as much attention to all of their ponies as he had. There was nothing he had witnessed that she had not, so she knew quite well what had agitated him without having to be told. Giving him a supportive smile she nodded for him to step back. Obediently he did, slowing down such that he floated a few paces backwards, clearing the space between the island lady and the troublesome pony.

"Sweet Nothing," she addressed him firmly but fairly, serious in her role but polite with her demeanor. "You know better than to be such an obstinate pill. We all need to work together on this."

The dark stallion hardly succumbed to her stern, motherly authority but he did treat her with relatively more respect than her anger prone counterpart. He actually gave her his eyes right off the bat, even if he refused to bow his head. When he spoke he still surrendered nothing, but he at least elected not to twist any knives.

Confidently he insisted, "I'll handle my job as I like." He tossed his nose about at the ponies around them, his tone dipped into unassailable cockiness, and he added, "And I'll do a better job than all the rest of them." Finally, a gruff promise, "You'll see."

Even if the behavior was an improvement it still carried too much insolence for Vesuvius, especially since it had been directed at his dear one. He hardened, his teeth came out again, and he started to stamp forward.

But, predicting him, Venus glanced back and gave her dear one a knowing and faithful look. Again, though with more trouble this time, he obeyed her and withdrew, safely releasing his wrath through hot breaths, unhappy mutterings, and hard strikes against the ground.

The island lady, purposely loud enough for her cherished love to hear, admitted minimally to Sweet Nothing, "Rarity did seem quite charmed by your approach." But she brought back her leaderly firmness, donning an understanding and uncompromising face. "But still, Vesuvius is right. This is too important. So take more care, please?"

The other pony put on a sour frown.

"We appreciate all the support that you've been responsible for, Sweet Nothing. We really do," she assured him with formal honesty. "But we can't take chances with this. We're at a very important threshold. If we absolutely have to... we'll remove you." There was no threat in her; only the serious promise of action. "Am I clear?"

He harrumphed; a meager show of his reluctant acceptance. Still he gave a final, quiet, determined vow in return, "... I'll handle Rarity."

"Very well," she answered.

Sweet Nothing, damage dealt to his earlier self-satisfaction due to the annoying encounter, began to pick up speed and carried himself away at a frustrated pace. He longer worried over getting too far ahead of the others, and he likely would not have responded if either of the island masters had called for him to slow down.

Vesuvius continued to glare at the dark stallion even as the latter pulled away. None of his infrequent blinks wiped away the harshness suffocating his glower, or the unforgiving regret.

Chuckling gently, Venus came alongside her dear one and rubbed herself against him soothingly. "Oh, it'll be alright," she consoled the aggravated pony. "He DOES understand, but he hasn't developed the maturity yet."

Her loving, close presence was an antidote which healed as it always did. The stallion's fire slowly cooled until there was nothing left of it but the ashy bags under his eyes and the slight heat in his breath like lingering smoke. He shut his eyes and softly returned her gesture, stroking fondly the side of her face with his own. Their dive into affectionate actions appeared so utterly natural: they didn't stumble or trip though they walked so closely to one another and with closed eyes, their united stride lost no speed at all, and they were as comfortably synchronized as if they had lived their whole lives joined that way.

"Oh, Suvi... come!" Venus perked up. Eagerness quickly vaulted into her and she invited, "Let's use this moment to speak with Twilight. She's the prize, yes?"

"Mm... alright," he agreed without hesitation, his returning smile filling out even more.

Twilight and her friends still followed a short distance behind the islanders, somewhat quieter than the ponies ahead of them. Mostly individually they enjoyed their pleasant seaside stroll while wondering about what was to come.

The purple unicorn herself noticed immediately the slack pace of the two island hosts and their unmistakable intention to engage with her. They occasionally swapped avid whispers with each other in between poking her with inquisitive peeks. Patiently they waited for their slower speed to bring her closer. When she finally caught up they locked their steps with hers; Venus next to her and Vesuvius just beyond.

Venus didn't wait at all and opened first, rife with lively energy, "Hello, Twilight! It really is wonderful to meet you at last! We've hosted a few different ponies here now but never one as important as you!"

"Yes!" Vesuvius concurred with more level enthusiasm. "Princess Celestia's personal student..." His voice subtly peaked at the end as if asking a question.

"That's very flattering!" Twilight took in their commending remarks with polite reserve. She tried to sincerely downplay herself, "I'm not sure I'm as special as you make me out to be."

The island hosts exchanged a quick glance which passed perturbed thoughts between each other, their faces deflating slightly. Venus turned back to the unicorn guest and probed more deeply, keeping a positive tone, "What exactly do you do for the Princess?"

"Well, from time to time she has special, specific assignments that she gives to me," Twilight explained, unsure of what they were looking for in an answer but happy to try and supply whatever they were seeking regardless, "but my primary task at the moment is to research and study the magic of friendship."

"Magic of friendship?" The island lady looked at her dear one again, the strength in her mood returning swiftly. "That's actually a good start," she beamed as she lightly spoke to him. "Don't you think?"

Vesuvius nodded back to her before focusing again on Twilight. "So," he extrapolated from the guest's words, budding with hopefulness, "the Princess is interested in how ponies... connect with each other, in strong, close, personal ways. It's important enough to her to dedicate you to studying it."

"I guess you could say that," Twilight shrugged. She was glad to see them so engaged with her favorite field of study, but she was a little lost at divining the particulars of their interest. After all, they had selected her essay on friendship as the winning entrant for their writing contest about 'bringing ponies together and changing the world.' They knew already essentially what she was involved in because of her submission; she simply thought that they could been clearer on what specifics they were looking for and why.

But undeterred, and overjoyed as ever when discussing the world's best subject, she brightened and suggested very positively, "I think that the Princess is actually rather well versed in friendship herself, and she has me studying it mostly for my own benefit. But I'd certainly like to think it's also because she understands how essential friendship is to ponies."

"I see," Vesuvius bounced his head as he absorbed her words, "that's a very good thing to hear." But his face paused and the thoughts inside him churned loud enough that Venus could sense them, though the lady held herself back to wait for him to speak first. At last he mentioned, again with wondering inflections, "I hope she's interested enough to follow your progress. I imagine you keep in regular contact with her about the things you discover?"

Twilight easily answered, "Oh yes. I send friendship reports to her to relay my progress. Often my friends help, and sometimes they'll write to her as well!" The steam propelling her leisurely response choked and thinned, though not in any great amount, and she appended, "As for frequency... I write to her only as necessary; whenever something noteworthy has been learned. Fortunately the magic in Spike's fire breath allows him to send and receive her letters directly, so we can conveniently report to her at any time."

The island hosts liked what they heard. The last mantles of their civilly concealed anxiety were cast off, leaving the two glowing in naked happiness. They quickly and gently tapped their heads together, sharing smiles of pleasure, before Venus poured over the guest unicorn, "Oh, Twilight... there couldn't have been a more perfect pony to have come here!"

The lady nudged herself closer. The lids of her eyes peeled back and the great rings of silver blue color within them became like a cool ocean mirror; glistening sprinkles of sunshine on the water surrounding the centered reflection of her guest. Her rosy, sweet voice reached out like warm hands to hold the cheeks of the other pony, and the depth in her tone did not betray her grand intentions.

"You see, we here are in the business of... friendship also," she spoke, a low and veiled power in her words. "This island... this resort we've made here... isn't some business venture to grow a profit out of catering to crowds seeking tropical getaways. We want to do something so much more. We want to touch ponies with a new experience; something to connect them to others in a way their imaginations have never dared to think possible. To show them what powerful... friendships... can truly be weaved between the hearts of ponies."

"That sounds...," Twilight dragged her thoughts out carefully, "... really interesting. And noble." Her smile sprang to life and, still thinking of her essay and her studies, she gushed, "I'm incredibly excited to see what exactly you've done here!"

"Wonderful!" said Venus. Her spiritedness changed back into a simple, joyful radiance. "I'm excited to see what you take from your time here; what 'noteworthy' things you learn."

Vesuvius nuzzled his lady's cheek to share in her bliss, and she was quite ready for him with a giggle and a return caress. As he indulged himself he mentioned offhandedly to Twilight, "I'm glad to learn that you're so interested in something so close to what we are doing."

The unicorn guest tried to acknowledge him with as pleasant a nod as she could manage, however her manners were weakened by a sourceless doubt. She could feel a yappy incongruity licking her hooves. Not wanting to be inattentively rude she avoided giving space to uncomfortable silence and instead cautiously shared her immediate thoughts, "Well... I mean... my studies are what I based my entire essay on, and they're referenced quite frequently in it."

Nothing the hosts did suggested recognition. Either they hadn't heard her or had misinterpreted something she had said.

She clarified in a louder voice, "The... the winning essay I wrote for your contest."

"Oh, yes," Vesuvius pried himself off of Venus very suddenly. "Yes, you wrote of your studies."

A stiffness came into his neck, full and alert, like he was on the lookout for danger. A similar bug bit Venus. All of the leisure with which they had been behaving so comfortably had evaporated.

"You wrote quite extensively," the master stallion abruptly remembered.

"Oh. Actually it... it was one of my shorter ones," Twilight practically apologized, afraid something she had said or done had put them off balance.

"Don' fret yourself over it, dear Twilight," Venus mumbled loudly. She cleared her throat. "Long or short, yours was the top choice."

At that Twilight mostly relaxed, unveiling her general elation again. "I'm really happy that you selected my essay," she told them. "I wrote it for the fun of it; I didn't ever expect it to win!"

"Ah." Venus again traded mysterious thoughts with her dear one through some silent connection between their eyes. He offered only an unsettled, uncertain stillness with his. Finally she turned back to Twilight and asked almost speculatively, "Well... how could we have not chosen it?"

"Yes," Vesuvius suddenly rushed to add on, "as soon as we received your... stunning work... it was clear that you should be the winner."

"Really?" Twilight couldn't hide her proud grin. Her eagerness overflowed and she pressed them zealously, "What about it specifically attracted you?"

Yet again there was a short conference between the eyes of the island hosts.

"There...," Vesuvius laboriously hauled out an answer from his depths, "... there... wasn't any one thing, of course. It was such a... complex and engaging work all over."

"Yes!" agreed Venus, nearly forceful. "It would be quite difficult to... ask us to pick out any one thing."

"Oh," Twilight quietly moaned. She had asked because she only wished to bridge the gap between herself and her hosts. Her hopes flying lower, she tried again more weakly, "Was... there any particular thing I wrote that you really liked?"

Once more another silent message buzzed between the gazes of the sire and lady. This time a certain frustrated alarm rang out on their faces.

"Twilight, dear," Venus began to blurt out, threading cordial manners into her statements with hastened precision, "there's going to be plenty of time to discuss countless things during your stay here. But... unfortunately, for the moment..." She tapped Vesuvius with her side, not in a tender and loving way like before. "... you'll have to excuse us for now. I think we should be getting back to the front."

Her dear one supported her immediately, throat rattling with clumsy vibration, "Ah, yes. It's not far now so... pardon us, please."

"Pleasure talking to you!" the island lady bid a rapid farewell.

"Uh, right... You too...," Twilight wished them in turn, somewhat lost by the unexpected, terminating swing which the conversation had taken. The two ponies were already halfway gone as she spoke. All but dumbfounded the purple unicorn helplessly cocked a baffled eyebrow and watched them go.

Her befuddled stare tracked them as they made for the very front of the procession, and they moved rather determinately at that. However along the way they quite specifically made a stop, coming up on the dry green stallion who bore her own starburst-emblazoned saddlebags. Each one of them took a side around him. They didn't close in on him oppressively but yet their surrounding presence seemed to alarm the trapped pony. His regular stride swiftly started to waver, losing ground to uncertainty, and his worried gaze kept bouncing between them.

They spoke to him. The exact contents of what they were saying they kept concealed with low voices and intentionally distracted faces. One would speak, only turning themselves partway towards him or just merely casting a sideways glance, and afterwards the other would take over and talk with much the same behavior. From her distance the only thing which Twilight could sense of what they said was that they were been incredibly brief and direct.

What wasn't hidden to Twilight at all was the faltering stallion's reactions. Even when he was (mostly) inaudible there was enough wild flapping to his lips to be easily distinguished.

"What?" his mouth motioned in surprise. At the same time a wriggling anxiousness dripped into his steps. After a few more hidden whispers to him he nervously snapped up again and his lips fumbled with, "R-Right now?" At every one of the commanding whispers he responded with similarly choking protests.

In the end he reluctantly nodded to the two island hosts, relinquishing his meek resistance and bowing to their desires. The hosts together took a shared, discrete glance at Twilight before they then moved on, trotting quickly to front of their crowd of ponies. The green unicorn they left behind took his own spit-swallowing peek at Twilight, only to swing his jittering face away when he immediately noticed her staring at him.

Unprepared, he eased up on his steps. With aching slowness he drifted backwards, and all the while he was barely breathing. Whatever air he took in he belted out swiftly with silent words in practice, and he shook his head with how much he disliked every trial statement his mind produced.

It was no surprise to Twilight when, as he neared, he carefully began to line himself up next to her. He never could quite settle his eyes on her through; invisible distractions keep pulling his face away, and the bout of mild panic he battled had his sweat flowing. The perplexed stare she held on him, with brow blasted high in wonder, certainly didn't help him one bit but at that point she couldn't stop herself from gawking curiously.

"Uh, hello again," he managed to greet her fairly spontaneously, still unable to give her his eyes for more than thin moments.

"Hi?" Twilight answered. This was so odd. Why him instead of Venus and Vesuvius?

He clearly understood how innocently suspicious she was and his composure only baked all the more under the heat of her harmless scrutiny. "I, uh... I know this is an awkward time, so soon after you've just arrived and... me just being the pony who's carrying your saddlebags and everything..." The muscles in his throat strained as he again had to force down a wad of nervous saliva. "But... I just wanted to say that, uh... I've been looking forward to meeting you for awhile now because... I, uh... I got a chance to read your submission for the essay contest and..."

Very suddenly a change raced into him. Steady strength pushed out shaky struggle. Whatever poured such power into him even gave him enough reassurance to look straight at Twilight, and he confessed without reserve, "... and it was the most amazing thing I've ever read."

"T-Thank you." It was the incorruptible sincerity with which he spoke that surprised Twilight.

"I really mean it," he gently emphasized, his posture retreating a little. Worry started to trickle out of him again. The unbalanced hesitation in her answer had left him fearful that he had put her off guard.

"Oh. Well..." Quickly she brought herself back to order, pounding flat any wrinkles in her presentation with one relieving breath, and then she replied graciously, "Thank you. Thank you very much."

The calm kindness in her appreciation was identical to that which she had shown him before when he had retrieved her saddlebags; when his stupid, careless haste had lightly burned her by accidentally tightening the strap instead of releasing it. But her forgiveness then had been fast and refreshingly absolving; a purity in her voice that had soothed like a balm. He remembered that grace, recognizing it immediately now, and again it had the same effect on him. Shame, doubt, distress, and everything mettlesome seemed to float away from him and he was able to smile freely.

In turn Twilight was also put at ease, even mostly forgetting the awkward departure of Venus and Vesuvius. She utilized the comfortable moment to indulge her curiosity, questioning him, "Why did you read it? Were you in charge of selecting the winner?"

"No," he shook his head casually. "Just... the opportunity came up. And... I mean..." He shook his head again, though this time with much more gravity; captured by an absolute awe. "... Once I picked it up, I wasn't able to put it down again!"

Once more the sincerity positively pouring from him practically astounded her. She didn't mean to sound ungrateful at the praise but it was hard to shake the echoes of improbability from her reflexive reply of, "Really?"

"Yeah!" he exclaimed enthusiastically, fully ignorant of any incidental doubt she had expressed. "I mean, it was just incredible!" In no time he worked himself into a glorifying frenzy, igniting all the fuel he had saved up over days of keeping his thoughts on her treatise to himself.

"The way you were always able to bring in your anecdotes but still pull in other sources to actually ground them? And how you kept perfectly binding everything back to your argument on the magic of friendship every time, building and building on the central thesis? And, sweet Celestia, your examination and integration of classical works, defying and countering the flaws while still making use of the strengths in the great writings of the legendary thinkers of the past? I mean, you brought in Pulcartes' Meditations on Friendship Philosophy!" With happy pride he trotted out something well kept in his organized store of memory, quoting the more famous work, "'J'ai des amis, donc je suis.'"

The more he effusively raved the more distant every other diversion began to feel to Twilight. Weaknesses and worries withered away, and all the interested lights within her head flicked on. She recalled precisely everything which he spoke about, and little pinpricks of glee pushed through her, from mane to tail, at seeing his blatant familiarity with it all. Yes, he HAD read her essay, no doubt; and obviously he had also devoured at some point a few of her sources as well! The vociferous enthusiasm for such hungry consumption of wisdom was like golden chains wrapped around him, their locked grip trapping him helplessly but yet their delightfully shimmering links making him wealthy nonetheless.

Twilight felt instinctively the presence of a potential bond of friendship. Its strength threw the small space between them, figurative and literal, into immediate perspective.

She took a short glimpse at his cutie mark again: a blue stenciled image which resembled a ceremonial torch, the flame atop spitting out stars instead of embers. A burning wand which when waved could illuminate the heavens for others? Or maybe more of a constant light which ever seeks out the stars, wherever they dwell? The desire for knowledge, or the spread of it? Both?

"Thank you!" she repeated through an unambiguous smile built upon early blooms of laughter. "To be honest I didn't really put an extreme amount of effort into it. I mean, I wasn't disregarding in my efforts; I just saw the contest and thought I might write an entry for fun."

"Are you kidding?" he gave a glad gasp, surprised and impressed all at once. "I've never read anything like it! It's both inspiring and insightful, and valuable for anypony looking to get a fast, deep understanding of the nuances of friendship in modern Equestria!" He calmed somewhat, though he forfeited none of his hoisted admiration. "And really... it's just a darn good read. You never lost me once the whole way through. Honestly I should be thanking you."

"Wow! Thank-" The cheerful mare caught herself in time to halt the additional, unnecessary appreciation she had been about to spout, and she gratefully responded instead, "I mean... I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! Even if it wasn't my intention it's encouraging to hear another pony take so much from one of my works. So, you're very welcome-"

The empty air beyond her abrupt stop puffed out like a hollow, formless word; a sentence tail soaring off of an unnoticed cliff. Her tongue was caught helpless to fill a blank that was obviously meant for a name.

"I'm sorry," he swiftly apologized, his head curling lower in only the faintest echo of his prior weak confidence. "I really should have introduced myself properly earlier. Before it just didn't seem like the right time to-" For whatever reason, he moved past his lament immediately, shaking it out of his head and leaving it behind.

Donning a humble courtesy, his spine and legs stiffened up as he bowed his head. "I'm Gallowayo. It's such a great pleasure to meet you, Twilight Sparkle."

"It's nice to meet you, Gallowayo," she returned, her friendliness liberally shared. After a moment of thought she kindly snickered, "Gallowayo? Like... the astronomer?"

Gallowayo barely buckled under the weight of her amusement. It was only with the scantest change of color in his face that he chuckled back, "He did a lot of other things besides astronomy... but yeah, that's where my name comes from."

"I know, I know," admitted Twilight. Her head teetered back and forth as she enumerated her knowledge of the famous pony, "Contributions to mathematics; MANY contributions to the sciences, including physical AND magical sciences; some significant inventions over the course of his life; a few fundamental philosophical works as well..." With a forgiving grin she excused herself, "I have nothing against him, but I'm more of a fan of Star Swirl the Bearded myself."

"Haha, yeah, Star Swirl is definitely more popular with most ponies, for good reason," the other unicorn laughed. "Great stories resonate a little better than great bibliographies."

Twilight glowed, plain elation having an easy time dancing over her. "You know," she stated after a short pause, "it's not often that I bump into a pony who has read some of Pulcartes' Meditations."

"Well...," Gallowayo rolled his head with the shyest amount of embarrassment, "... when I'm feeling confident I might call myself a renaissance pony... but... really..." Redder humility hit his face. "... I'm more just a student of everything."

"I know what you mean!" she said, lighting up even more. "I definitely have a few big interests but I've never found anything I wasn't thrilled to study!"

"I'll bet!" he immediately recovered, reciprocating her enthusiasm. "You've probably been exposed to all sorts of incredible stuff in the Princess's School for Gifted Unicorns!"

She crowed, "I DID get to study so many amazing things! Being under Princess Celestia's personal guidance has given me more interesting and lucky opportunities than I can count!"

The tidbits about him that had just come to light naturally turned the gears of her curiosity. She flipped the idea around on him, eagerly asking, "So what are you doing out here on Isla Equufera? Is there something here that you're studying?"

"Ah... no...," some of his gusto withered as he replied. Reluctantly he confessed, "I haven't... FORMALLY... studied anything since I was enrolled in a scholarship program at the University of Oxherd."

A brief stillness followed, the silence thickening like a milky sauce. Twilight's potent mind, as it always did, automatically snapped relevant facts together. "Oxherd...," she mumbled. The probable truth suddenly emerged and her mouth dropped open, floored by what she had deduced. "You're... you're a Roans Scholar?! One of the most prestigious scholarships in all of Equestria?"

"Well...," Gallowayo fought back some shame. "I was on that path but then I... I dropped out."

Concern moved in to replace the purple unicorn's awe. "You... failed your courses?" she inquired as gently as she could.

He breathed deeply through his nose a few times, not overly broken by his memories but still having to remind himself that he had already moved past them. "No, it wasn't quite like that," he finally answered. Shrugging a fast hoof he almost ruefully tried to make light of his history, "I wrote poetry when I should have been writing equations, and doodled with spells when I should have been painting scenery, and read fictional histories when I should have been reading political treatises.

"I liked the classes, and what I was studying. Really, I did," he insisted wistfully. "It was just that... the environment wasn't for me, I guess. I wasn't happy." But that last assertion of his felt a little off the mark; too unspecific. He more boldly declared, "I wasn't free."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Twilight offered him with genuine sympathy.

"Eh...," he sighed, trying to comfort her with a display of indifference towards his past. It was what it was.

She accepted his gesture, giving some space for a peace to settle in before she asked again, "So... how did you wind up here, then?"

"My parents," Gallowayo responded simply as he picked up his chin.

When she tilted her confounded head at him he freely elaborated, "You see, after I quit school I was... kind of feeling down in the dumps." He stiffened a little, relentlessly maintaining, "I mean, it was the right decision to leave. I know it was. Just... that didn't stop the dejection and sense of failure from coming on, you know?"

She nodded, familiar.

"Anyway," he continued, "Mom and Dad saw how I was and they decided that a vacation would be the right thing for me; a retreat to relax and recover while I figured out what I was going to do with my life."

"I see," acknowledged Twilight. However her brow became heavy with uncertainty. "But... why here specifically, and not any of the other islands?" she questioned. A sharp realization jabbed her and she raced to extend her query, "How, even? The resort isn't open to the public yet; I had to win the contest to get here!"

"My parents work in the Manehattan financial sector. Profitable consultancy work mostly. They had bumped into Venus and Vesuvius at some kind of large business networking event there. That was awhile before I had dropped out." His head bobbed as he recounted and verified the details mentally.

Twilight turned her eyes forwards. The two island masters were hard see through the thick patch of baggage-bearing ponies between her and them. But to actually glimpse them was unnecessary; her memory served her more than well enough.

The unmarred and starkly defined recollection of Venus firmly walking amongst her and her friends was clear in her head: an island beauty with a golden mane, grown like tropical foliage and flowing like pure waterfalls; a body clothed in the silky garden of a superbly crafted lava-lava; the blooming geranium clutched by the pony's ear, virtually living off of the lady's outpouring energy. Venus's poetic speeches were unsmudged on her memory's pages: a proudly predicted future; magical experiences to change lives and inspirit friendships.

The Vesuvius in her mind towered not like a skyscraper but like a volcano. Grand and hard, not necessarily in body or skin but certainly in thought and presentation. A pony whose very bearing forever cast a shadow, with a power inside that could burst forth in unexpected ways. His was a presence to be admired, respected, and revered, not due to any laws of formality but because his very nature demanded it. And he too had spilled out vibrant words describing unimaginable possibilities, attempting to bring myth to life with his voice.

To cut the formal image of business professionals, they did not. That they could ever be found on the sidewalks of an enterprising city, reams of legal paperwork in their bags and on their backs; or shaking hooves with stiffly dressed businessponies while discussing the uptrends and downswings of some intricate graphs; was a surprising consideration for Twilight. That was a talent they obviously kept hidden under their island appearances.

"I wonder what they were doing at an event like that in Manehattan?" she mused aloud.

Without blinking Gallowayo guessed, not unreasonably, "Fishing for investors, I think."

Stilling looking ahead, Twilight saw the large building which formed the core of the resort loom ever closer; the Passion's Embrace, not far now at all. According to what she knew it had only been constructed recently, and even from the distance she was at it was obvious that it had been built meticulously, to an exacting specificity. Far more resources had been poured into it than the relatively more ramshackle docks.

"Hm... that makes sense, I suppose," she acceded fully to the other pony's theory.

"Yeah."

He returned to his account, "So... whatever pitch they gave my parents... it didn't really interest Mom and Dad at the time. But I guess it made enough of an impression that they remembered it after I dropped out a few months later. They probably figured that I would do better with something a little more secluded, and way less busy than a mainstream resort at the height of tourist season, heh." The serendipity caught up to him for a moment and he warmed, producing an inner shine. "They got in touch with Venus and Vesuvius again and secured me a ticket."

Profoundly he changed, a fresh and distant wind blowing into him, and he spoke not specifically to her anymore but to some hidden agent of destiny possessing the air around him, "Anyway... that's how I came here the first time. And... it changed my perspective on EVERYTHING..."

Twilight stared at him, tasting the mystery which radiated out from him. While Venus and Vesuvius had extolled the life-changing magic of their tropical resort, here before her was a pony who, in that exact moment, seemed to exemplify it.

Shortly the mystique began to fade, and Gallowayo continued normally, "Eventually my trip was up and I left to return home." A tickle inside caused him to snort in amusement. Curling up the corner of his mouth, with an ironic delight he asked the other unicorn, "Can you imagine my parents' surprise when as soon as I got back I told them I was going to come and live here?"

"Really?" she gasped.

"Yeah! That's just what they said!" he laughed at her coincidentally perfect mimicry. "I couldn't stay away though. What Venus and Vesuvius are doing here..." His pause was to allow him to select accurate words, yet he only managed, "... it really is something unbelievable."

"Wow. So you were a guest here just ONCE," the stunned mare had to verify, "and that was enough to convince you to come back and work for them?"

"That's how it went," he confirmed gaily. As an afterthought he threw his nose towards the crowd of island ponies ahead of them and appended, "That's how a lot of us eventually wound up here, actually."

"Oh, so it's a similar story for some of the others?"

"Naturally each story is unique," he told her, "but yes, most of us were guests first."

Impressed by the magnetic pull of the island Twilight gave her eyes another pass over the menagerie of different ponies that had all been collected. They were a diverse group united by their will to leave behind the world and serve the mission which the island hosts had begun here.

Gallowayo noted with pleasant glee how she observed them, and he pointed out sagely, "It really speaks to the significance of what happens here, doesn't it? That we all came back?" Reflecting upon himself, he said, "I know that... once I had that experience... well, I HAD to be here. I think it's the same with the others; we want to see this succeed. Everypony in Equestria should... FEEL what this is like."

"Now you're getting me all excited and curious!" Twilight chortled, charmed with irrepressible interest. "What WHAT is like?"

His energy swiftly surged up and spilled out of him, "Oh Twilight, ever since I first came here I've been writing and writing to try and put it to words, but-!"

Even though only a sliver of Vesuvius' stare was visible; a small crack of his stern eye peeking over his shoulder; it was still enough to be a boulder in the path of the fervid pony, and Gallowayo's zealous outpour ground to an instant halt.

"Ah, well...," he suddenly struggled. Worse, he began to shrink under Twilight's now confused stare. "I-It really is hard to describe," he attempted to cover himself.

Yet slowly a real honesty did blend into his response. He spoke again, his control strengthening as he did so, "I know that Venus and Vesuvius are a little... sublime when they talk about it but... you have to understand that they really are trying to speak from their hearts. It's not an easy thing to explain directly to a new pony.

"But, I mean, you came here to experience it for yourself, right?" he cheered up and rhetorically asked the other unicorn. Adopting a pinch of wit he mused to her, "I guess maybe what I should say is that it's kind of like first studying anything new: you want to ease into the fundamentals to get your hooves wet before you go diving in."

Teased by the cryptic possibilities, but enthralled all the same, Twilight's engorged anticipation responded, "I can't wait!"

Gallowayo smiled. "I really hope that you enjoy your time here, and that you discover what we all have."

Checking ahead he saw that he was still under the scrutiny of Vesuvius' subtle gaze. And beyond, the five stories of the Passion's Embrace were close enough to climb the sky. Staying mostly collected, he started to drift away from his guest.

"Well," he excused himself, "uh... we're almost there now, so I should get back to... you know..." He shook his barrel, jiggling her saddlebags. "Thanks so much for speaking to me."

"No, it was my pleasure!" Twilight countered. To further slather icing on the cake she genially added, "I'm sorry I dominated the conversation with questions."

It amazed him that she had interpreted events that way; he felt that he had let his eagerness drag him into rambling far too much. "It's fine!" he rushed to relieve her. "I mean, I already know a bit about you anyway from reading everything you submitted and-"

By her slightly queer reaction he quickly figured out that he had misstepped into an awkwardly impolite space.

He tried to correct his mistake, "W-What I m-meant to say was, ah, er..." Again his fumbling was apparently broken by the emergence of a worthwhile honesty. "... If you'd be willing, sometime later... I'd love to chat some more, and hear about you straight from the pony's mouth, as it were. You know, instead of just relying on some things you've written..." Sheepishly his smile came out.

"I think I'd like that," she nodded.

The impact on Gallowayo was latent. "... Great!" he suddenly realized, bursting with happiness. "That's great! I'll... uh... there'll be time later, for sure! I can't wait! And, ah... thanks again!"

Bowing his own head repeatedly in endless thanks he began to trot forward. He slowed just once to call back to her, "Oh, and if you ever need anything, come get me! It'll be my pleasure to help!"

"Alright! Thank you!"

What a fantastic encounter! There was no part of Twilight that didn't look forward to speaking with Gallowayo again. It was a shame that she hadn't gotten to talk to Venus and Vesuvius more but they had been right: there was plenty of vacation left for that opportunity. All in all she was feeling particularly pumped for this trip; more than she had been for the weeks before departing!

One, two, three, and four, each of her hooves clopped along what little remaining path there was before the destination, as lightly as bouncing across the air.

It was an incidental look back at the rest of her friends that spoiled her hearty mood, tearing the smile off of her face. They wore a wide mix of different emotions, none of which floated as highly as hers. Rarity at least seemed lost in titillated thought. Something disagreeable brewed between Applejack and Rainbow Dash. Spike, too, tramped along under an obvious weight of discontent. The withdrawn silence that radiated from Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie was respectively pitiable and eerie. James had that musing look which he often wore slid down over his face, only it clutched to him more tightly than she had seen in a long time.

Thankfully they also all bore signs of anticipation. The Passion's Embrace just in front of them demanded their eyes, and they obliged with unmistakable wonder. The shades of quietness that colored each of them were definitively not desires to retreat. So it was only a duller shine that her friends reflected.

Hopefully the excitement she felt now would spread to the rest of them in time. Also hopefully whatever was so unique about this island would touch each of them in a special way, just like the islanders had described, and maybe it would help them set straight everything which was crooked.

Her old lessons didn't escape her though: a good friend doesn't exclusively rely on hope.

Comments

[Jack Kellar]

So this confirms it. The way the concierges mirror their clients' more obvious personalities to microns in exactitude, the almost dogmatic way Vesuvius and especially Venus speak of their "venue", referring to Twilight as "the prize"...

I feel kind of bad to say this, but now I'm very glad that things are sour for most of the others. That way they won't be as dazzled by the blatant feather-flaunting on what they presumably appreciate the most in the way that Rarity has been by the Casanova wannabe, and Twilight seems to be getting to with the maniac-depressive geek they saddled her with.

Because an euro to a button that this is some kind of cult.

[Ri2]

CALLED IT

[Truthseeker]

 "You've probably been exposed to all sorts of incredible stuff in the Princess's School for Gifted Unicorns!"

She never told him that and I'm pretty sure she would not mention it in an essay. Also, it is glaringly obvious that neither of the Vs ever read her essay.