//------------------------------//
// New Friends 
// Story: My Own Wings 
// by Tatsurou 
//------------------------------//

Krystal steeled herself as she led Sunset up to the pagoda.  She knew she'd probably made the worst possible first impressions on the rulers of the largest tribe on the planet - and the primary signatories to the treaty that allowed contact between Cornerian space forces and the planet - and now she would have to work to try and salvage that.  Somehow, she doubted she'd be able to do so readily, and wondered just what the King and Queen would demand of her for what had been done.  She only hoped Sunset was getting her tension and would be on her best behavior here.

The King and Queen Earthwalkers also resembled Ceratopsia dinosaurs, though were distinctly different from the two guards who were still stuck face first in the earth before them.  The King had only one horn rising out from his muzzle, wore glowing crimson cloth over his ankles and back, and had glowing jewels embedded in his bronze head-frill.  The Queen had no horns and wore no cloth, but jewels were embedded in her head-frill and her coat glowed with royal purple highlights beneath the bronze.  Both were watching Krystal and Sunset closely as they approached.  The King was the first to speak up.

"<Now, what is so important you feel you have to disrupt our morning by embedding our guards into the ground at our feet?>" he asked intensely.

The Queen clicked her tongue against her beak rapidly, a sound Krystal knew was the Earthwalker equivalent to laughter.  "<Though given it was these two, I'm not sure I can blame you.>"

Krystal managed a weak smile.  At least they didn't appear antagonistic towards her yet.  "<Please forgive our rude arrival,>" she began courteously.  "<I attempted to send a signal to request landing clearance, but no one responded, and the urgency of my errand - and the short attention span of my young one - precluded waiting indefinitely for a response.>"

The Queen's eyes lit up as she looked over Sunset, who had floated up to examine the jewels in her flesh.

"<Oh, the Long Speaker's been down for a while,>" the King explained, using the closest the Dinosaur tongue could come to saying 'communications device', when they had no innate word for 'device'.  "<I sent a message for a replacement part, but no one's answered.  Rather disappointing to be such a low priority.>"

Krystal blinked as she took that in.  "<You sent a message...on the broken Long Speaker...requesting someone come fix it.>"

"<That's right,>" the King insisted firmly.  "<The Offworlders said I should send a message on the Long Speaker if any of their Metal Gifts broke down.  So when the Long Speaker broke down, I sent a message.  Why haven't they responded?>"

Krystal gritted her teeth to keep from groaning aloud.  It was unfamiliar technology, so it was reasonable to assume they wouldn't fully understand it.  "<Your Majesty, the Long Speaker can neither receive nor send messages when it is broken,>" she attempted to explain.

"<Which is why I sent the message->"

"<Dear,>" the Queen interrupted, "<how do you tell me when your throat is sore and you need medicine from The Trader?>"

"<With gestures, of course!>" the King responded immediately.

"<You don't tell me with your voice?>" the Queen coached.

"<Of course not!>" the King countered firmly.  "<My voice doesn't work when my throat is sore!  If I tried to use words, you wouldn't be able to hear me!>"  His eyes widened in understanding.  "<Oh!  Now I understand!>"

Krystal breathed a sigh of relief.  At least helping with this issue would smooth things-

"<Bookface!>" the King called to another guard.  "<Run down to The Trader for throat medicine for the Long Speaker!>"

One of the guard Earthwalkers lifted his head from his book, repositioning the glasses he wore.  "<I'm going to get medicine!>" he declared at the top of his voice as he began moving off towards the edge of the Walled City.

Krystal struggled not to laugh at Sunset facepalming.  Plainly she realized just how ridiculous the situation was.  The Queen's giggle suggested she did too.  "<Your Majesty, if you like I can carry the message of your request for replacement parts for the Long Speaker to the other Offworlders, so they can come repair it for you.  Not being a creature, I don't think The Trader's medicine will work.>"

The King thought that over for a time.  "<Hmm...I suppose you have a point.  You can carry the message...but we'll try the medicine anyway.  If the Offworlders arrive and find it fixed, it just shows we're starting to understand their metal gifts!>"

The Queen clicked her tongue rapidly, an indulgent chuckle.  "<Whatever you say, dear.>"  She turned back to Krystal.  "<Now, what is it that brings you here?>"

"<It is in regards to my daughter,>" Krystal explained, pleased to finally be on the right page.  "<She has a great power, similar to what I believe you call the Krozoa Gift.  I have a similar power, though nowhere near as great as hers.  Her power is so great that it can cause her harm, unless she is in an environment rich in the energy of her power.  Our family's Star Rider->"  Star Rider was the term that had been used to refer to a space ship.  "<-has been greatly modified to create an artificial environment of such a nature...but this leaves her socially stunted, as getting potential friends her own age onto our Star Rider is...prohibitive.>"  She paused to gather her thoughts.

The Queen's tongue began clicking rapidly as she pawed at the earth with one foot, equivalent to a loud belly laugh.  "<You invaded our home, assaulted our guards, raised questions to our very faith and way of life, and made my husband look quite foolish...that seems a very roundabout way to go about asking if our son can come out and play.>"

Krystal chuckled nervously.  "<My apologies.  I'm still getting used to motherhood.  It came as...something of a surprise when she chose me to be her mother...>"

Her words brought great attention from both monarchs as they looked Krystal over closely.  She tensed up, wondering if she'd said something wrong.  Eventually, the King nodded firmly.  "<Tricky!>" he bellowed.

A much smaller Earthwalker - almost as small as Sunset, with one stubby horn, no jewels, purple-bronze pebbled coat, bracers on each ankle and a collar around his neck - raced up to the pagoda, only to trip over his own feet and land on his back in front of the monarchs.

The Queen clicked her tongue as she nosed him back upright.  "<Tricky, this young one wants to be your friend.>"  She turned to Krystal.  "<What is your young one's name?>"

"<Sunset Shimmer,>" Krystal responded, tensing up as her words once again caused a stir amongst the listeners.  Maybe I shouldn't have tried to translate it, she thought to herself.

"<An honorable name,>" the King murmured thoughtfully.  "<Tricky, go play with Sunset.>"

Tricky let out a happy squeal as he ran forward in an attempt to tackle Sunset, who countered by rolling onto her back to flip him over her before lunging in with a tackle of her own.  Krystal watched happily as the pair tussled happily.  Quickly checking her scanner, she was pleased to see there were no negative interactions between Sunset's magic and the environment around her.

She noticed the King and Queen Earthwalker watching very closely as well.  She wanted to shrug it off as parental concern, but the way they reacted to the name...