Starlight stood in the sunlight, looking down from the airship's deck as Shinespark clunked her way past the group of admiring mares without so much as making eye contact, threading her way into the city. She caught Willow's gaze, and received a frown. "She doesn't know where Arambai's house is, does she?" she asked, guessing what the mare was thinking.
"Completely the wrong direction," Willow murmured, shaking her head. "Oh well. We should make sure she doesn't get lost. I guess I'll get to see the rest of the ship another time."
"Honestly, there's not all that much," Dior chuckled, letting the wind tease at his orange mane. "There's a limited amount of things you can fit on a boat, after all. Besides, the impressive part is looking down from the air."
"Will she be all right on her own?" Willow asked, glancing up at Matryona.
Matryona watched where Shinespark had disappeared, her hood still obscuring much of her face. "She should be able to take care of herself, though with her horn burned out, I'm worried about whether she'll be able to find her way back. I don't think she'll want to ask for directions."
Valey tilted her head back and sniffed the air, showing off the underside of her chin. "Yeah, good luck with that. I smell rain. Let that start up for a bit, and either she'll ask for directions, ask to hole up in someone's house, or get wet and miserable and then do that. Besides, that Arambai dude only said we needed her if you wanted to check out that weird sword, and it's not even with us."
"Or important," Starlight added. If she wanted to know more about anything, there was the much easier way of listening to Fire's audio chip she had been given.
"It does rain here often," Willow agreed. "Today and yesterday have been a lot nicer than usual. Do you have any raincoats on this ship?"
Dior shrugged. "I wasn't in charge of packing it, but I think the idea was that you could go belowdecks if the weather turned bad. Worried about being caught out if a storm is coming?"
"I can smell it too," Matryona added, backing Valey up.
"Somewhat." Willow nodded, staring off at the town. "Everyone in Riverfall is used to being wet, and there are rubber ponchos and towels in nearly every house. Still, I wouldn't like any of us catching a cold."
White Chocolate shuddered and hugged herself. "I know I rather wouldn't."
"Let's get moving, then," Dior announced, making for the gangplank. "A little water won't kill me, but I can't say the same for any delicate equipment I'd be bringing back from my father's lab. I know enough of this ship's schematics to at least make an educated guess at what we'll need. Besides, I'm getting eager to see the town for myself!"
He made it all the way to the concrete riverbank before he was swarmed by the watching mares, each wearing an eager smile and happily letting him speak first.
His ears folded. "Can I help you?"
One mare fainted. Two more gave pouts of disappointment, one hoofing over a shiny trinket and a bit of candy to another, and the rest kept grinning.
Dior turned back to the ship, shaking his head, his good mood and plan for the afternoon having melted into helpless confusion.
"Pretty sure they were here for you and not this ship," Valey said smugly, folding her forelegs on the railing and resting her chin on them with a smirk. "I mean, you've got that spooky coloration, mysterious past, limp that shows up when it's cold... and are a dude. Have you never been in a place that's like ninety-five percent mares before, or something?"
Dior blinked back at her. "Of course not. Why would...?" His eyes slowly widened in realization.
"Quick! Say something vague and edgy but not catatonically depressing!" Valey yelled, cupping her hooves around her muzzle. "Brag about your inner darkness, or something. They'll love it!"
Several of the mares reddened immensely, one to the degree that she turned up her nose and stomped off in a huff. "I was admiring the boat!" she insisted... but Starlight noticed that she stopped and continued to watch just before slipping out of sight. Most of the others grinned harder, a few even doing both, and some openly applauded.
Matryona wore a slight frown, her wings twitching beneath her robe as if she was trying to decide whether to swoop down and extract her son from whatever he was getting himself into. White Chocolate looked as if she was trying hard not to smile, while Willow didn't even bother to try.
"I..." Dior lifted his hoof and stared at it, looking slightly overwhelmed. Then, suddenly, his voice deepened. "Stay back, citizens! My... inner darkness is unstable, and might hurt you if you come too close?"
Instantly, the mares collapsed in helpless laughter, some leaning against each other and others rolling on the concrete. Dior reddened, then reddened harder, his gray coat for once turning a lighter shade than his mane.
Willow trotted over and placed a hoof on his shoulder. "I think you just lost whatever chance you had of continuing in your father's hoofsteps, but will be very popular regardless. Congratulations."
Starlight had to admit, Dior looked silly, but not to the degree where she could join Valey or the Riverfall mares in rolling around and banging the floor. "What?" she asked, slightly cross at being left out of the joke. "Do they all like him that much, or something?"
"Heh heh heh..." Valey rubbed her eyes, sitting upright. "Nah, I'm pretty sure he was just getting messed with. These Riverfall mares are a riot; I've been watching them since we got here. Anyway. We should-"
FWOOOOM!
The rain didn't start gradually. Instead, it spilled over the treetops as the clouds advanced like a wall of trains, the vertical horizon blocking Starlight's view and giving her absolutely no warning. She had just enough reaction time to fire her horn and encase herself in crystal, watching as everyone else had their coats flattened and manes drenched in seconds. She felt particularly bad for not shielding White Chocolate, but the mare had no experience with her magic and would probably appreciate the panic attack and being subsequently released to the rain far less than just being rained on in the first place.
The mares around Dior shrieked, most racing off in various directions while trying to cover their tails and heads. A few, however, stuck around, with a prim, skinny mare loudly announcing that her house was close by.
"Opportunism, ho!" Valey crowed, trotting happily along, her voice ringing distantly in Starlight's ears as the magical crystal muted sound and made it echo. Willow stuck right next to White Chocolate, who was still in her bathrobe, throwing Starlight a quick glance to ask if she was coming.
Right... Walking would involve dropping her shield. Starlight sighed internally, bracing herself for the inevitable downpour when her shield dropped... only to suddenly find herself hefted, crystal and all, carried along beneath the giant, protective wing of Matryona. The pegasus's robe looked as waterproof as the finest Riverfall poncho, and her other wing quickly covered Willow and White Chocolate as they followed after Valey, Dior and the mares.