//------------------------------// // Ch13 - A Proper Introduction to Ponyville // Story: Book, Blade, and A Whole Lot of Magic // by Frustaz //------------------------------// The dawn broke once more, a faint trickle of light filtering into the guest room at the crystalline castle that sat in the midst of Ponyville. I opened my eyes as I felt the light warm the room, peering through bleary eyes. Good morning, Samurai. Pulling a brush from my pocket dimension, I begin to tackle my messy locks. Morning Nyx. Anything especially interesting going on around us? I watched as my ethereal companion swam around in the reflective walls, whilst admiring her strange new freedom. Also, ‘samurai’? I thought it’d be appropriate this morning, after the fighting of the last couple days. A light chuckle twinkled from behind the glassy barrier. Not much is going on. Ponies going about their day and Twilight’s outside the door. The sound of a hoof rapping on the door followed Nyx’s comment perfectly.  “Illua? Are you awake?” Her bright tones faintly echoing in the hall outside.   “No, I’m dead. Bleh.” The sigh of the purple princess could be heard beyond the door. “No, I’m awake, give me a few.” I stood up and stretched slowly, groaning as I felt the bandages around my ribs resist my motions. The bandages needed to be changed for sure. Reaching around to the back to unfasten the bandage, I winced at the stretching wound. “Hey uh.. Twilight. Can you go get some more bandages, and perhaps a clean cloth and water?” “Is everything alright?” Twilight asked, her voice muffled by the wooden door.  “Well, during my field trip, I ended up getting into a scuffle that required some first aid. I’d hope you’d be willing to help.” I said, slowly unravelling the gauzy cloth, wincing as the compression released my skin with faint welts and imprints.  “Should I get Nurse Redheart or--?” “Just the bandages or gauze will work, I don’t need a house call Twilight.” Silence came from the other side of the door, before another slight sigh was heard. “Okay, I’ll be back then.” The faint clip-clop of her hooves in the hall signaled her departure.  “Mmh.. looks like that hurts.” Nyx observed, her reflected face laced with a fragment of concern.  “Nah, you think?” I hissed at her, as I bundled up the long strip. Reaching to my side, I pulled off the clump of matted fur from Horus, and ran my hand carefully over the newly exposed flesh. A trickle of blood and a few stray strands of fur lingered in the wound, but it had mostly closed already due to her magic. “Well this is going to be a beautiful explanation when Twilight gets back.” I grimaced as  the cool tweezers in the tingly magic belonging to the alicorn pulled another tiny fragment of fur from my wound, only to wipe it down once again with the cool rag. “So you just used wolf fur to make an improvised gauze pad?” “Not just any wolf, more like a dragon-wolf hybrid with some curative and defensive abilities. It pulled the poison out of me.” I grunted, one hand covering my chest as the other rested over my eyes. Another hair had to be slowly pulled out, dislodging another piece of my scab. “I half expected a spell to just easily remove this.” “Illua, this needs to be done correctly and meticulously, because unfortunately, the wolf in question doesn’t have the best idea of how to employ their own remedies.” Twilight placed the last few strands into her little bowl, wiping me down once more. “This might burn a bit.” “Peroxide?” I asked, peeking up at the focused princess. “Peroxide.” A dark bottle, sealed with even darker cork hovered in her magic. A quiet pop and the smell confirmed it for me. I groaned, feeling the disinfecting bubbling begin as the faint smelling liquid was daubbed on.  “Ooh, suffering.” A quiet giggle escaped the ethereal spirit, her eyes tracing my form.  “Really Nyx, gonna get your rocks off now?” I raised an eyebrow at her, mildly annoyed as I peered from under my hand.  “I don’t get to see you topless much, so, I don’t see the problem.” Nyx smirked, resting her chin on her hands in the reflective wall. “Am I not allowed to enjoy the view?” “I’d really appreciate you two not flirting while I do this.” Twilight muttered, the cloth wiping the now clean gash, as she applied a proper poultice and gauze, holding it with a hoof. “Illua, you can get up now, but keep your arms up, I still need to wrap you.” Following her Instructions, I lifted my chest enough to give her an easier time. “Why do you cover up, let alone wear clothing as often as you do?” “Humans as a whole are raised with a level of shame about our nakedness. Combined with a lack of protection and good ways to retain warmth or to cool efficiently, everyday clothing became our solution.” The clean bandage was wound around my ribs once more, laid just a little flatter and looser. I immediately turned away from Twilight, calling a loose fitting dress from my inventory, and slipped it over my head.  “Oh, so similar to the Abyssinians and how many of them are incredibly short haired, and do not fare well in cooler climates?” Twilight queried, her eyes locked onto my face.  I stood up and smoothed out the dress, before turning to face her proper. “I guess? I’m not sure what an Abyssinian is, so I couldn’t really tell you.” A few quick motions down the front of my dress, and I felt it settle around my torso properly. I looked up to see Twilight staring, confusion evident on her face. “Hm? Do I look funny?” Twilight shook her head.  “No, I just didn’t expect it to look so nice.” I arched an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting I looked bad before--” “No, I wasn’t saying you looked bad before, I just was caught off guard, that’s all!” I snickered at Twilight's sudden panic and embarrassed blush. “A-Anyways, how about a tour around Ponyville? We can visit most of the girls and get the other ponies exposed to you.”  “Sound’s good. Nyx?” “Fine by me.” Nyx responded, her wispy visage appearing in the floor beneath Twilight.  “Gah!” Her wings shot straight out as she teleported suddenly, reappearing a few feet away. I couldn’t stifle my giggles.  “Nyx, don’t mess with her too much…” I squeaked out between chuckles. “Oh alright…” The night spirit groaned sarcastically, her own laughter echoing mine.  Immediately, Twilight and I were given a wide berth as we walked about the town, my eyes glancing to familiar looking buildings. Considering the last look at this place I had, this is much nicer. Agreed, it’s not a misogynistic playpen disguised as a town anymore. Nyx’s quiet response echoed my sentiments.  “So, are you hungry? What do humans eat primarily? Fluttershy mentioned you might have been a predator of some form.” Twilight’s rambling caught my attention, earning a smirk from me.  “I am hungry, yeah. To some degree, she’s correct, Humans are a sort of predator, but most are omnivorous for our own good. Too many different types of nutrients needed and all that.” I replied, my eyes flicking over each of the nervous ponies who would suddenly redirect their path a whole ninety degrees away from us. Oftentimes into a wall. I still make ponies nervous. Right. I frowned a bit, before Twilight continued again.  “We could go to Sugarcube Corner. It’s a pastry shop that Pinkie works at.” A point of the hoof to the gingerbread house-like structure gleaned a smile from me. “Will that work for now?” “Oh, definitely. I’ve grown to miss sweet stuff.” “You have a sweet tooth?” “Hey there Twilight! Oh and Illua, are you here for the party? I wasn’t sure if we were going to do that today or not, but I have a fresh chocolate cake ready. Ooh, did you want a slice of that right now, I could--” Twilight chuckled at the flood of words that came from her enthusiastic friend, shaking her head.  “No Pinkie, we’re actually coming by for a bit of breakfast. Do you happen to have any of those puff pastries with jelly and frosting still?” A quick nod from Pinkie and a tap on the case highlighted the spread. “Oh good, can we get a few for me and Illua?”  I kept looking around the establishment, furnished with light woods. Tables decorated the walls where ponies sat and enjoyed their sweets of choice, but many of them looked uneasy at my presence. Some left shortly after I arrived, while others glared at me with some form of annoyance. At least they’re polite enough to be quiet about it in this era.  The sudden pink obscuring my vision broke my concentration, blinking as I returned to the reality away from my thoughts. “Hey, hello, Illua, what kind of pastry are you interested in?” “Uh.. A bagel.” Really? “Make that two bagels, with cream cheese and some jam if that's possible.” “Coming up! You girls go take a seat, I’ll bring them over to you.” The party pony quickly bounced to the back with the order, snagging a platter along her path.  Twilight took a seat near the door, but I kept glancing about. “Is something wrong?” “Can we sit a bit further in the back?” I couldn't help rubbing one arm as the unpleasant sensation of disdainful eyes glaring on me started to sink in. The familiar outcast feeling had come surging back.  Twilight nodded. “Sure.” We took the furthest corner, a fair distance from the door. I idly stared out at the floor once we got settled, my eyes bouncing from brightly colored pony to brightly colored pony. “So, what’s up Illua?” I flashed a weak smile at her. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been here in Ponyville. No one I once knew is here anymore, and the staring brings back some uncomfortable memories.” I looked over the cozy looking dining room, in an attempt to suppress the memories of hiding the marks in my arms from schoolmates.  The clink of dishes before us broke the train of thought. I looked up to see the typically noisy party pony quietly setting dishes from her back to the table before taking her own seat beside me. “So, about your party, how can we do this for you? How do humans party?” She was oblivious, but that was a good thing this time.  I smeared the condiments onto my bread of choice, before beginning my nibbling. “Well, that’s a hard question. There were so many cultures and traditions, you really couldn’t point to just one way humans partied.”  “Is it like how the Yaks and the Dragons party differently from us?” Pinkie’s eyes widened, a slight quiver in her entire form. “Or is it like how Fancy Pants and Fleur de Lis have parties different from the ponies here in Ponyville?” I chuckled softly. “Probably a little bit of both actually. Some people preferred to have large parties with all of their friends, with music, drinking, food, and illegal activities.” Another bite, another few chews. “Some of them preferred to have events tied to their parties, like tournaments and charity fundraisers. As for me… I’m pretty simple. Cake, friends, some card games. Little bit of music.” I smiled a bit, forcing lonely memories of my birthdays being celebrated in a hospital room down. “Do you think you can keep it a bit more mellow?” Twilight chuckled. Pinkie hummed as she ran a hoof over her chin. “I got things to plan. How soon do you want to party? I don’t know your birthday, and I’m not--” “August 23rd.” I interjected, looking at Pinkie. “Oh my Gosh it’s in a few weeks so I have plenty of time to prepare! I gotta go put orders in!” The pink blur zipped off, leaving myself and Twilight sighing in relief.  “Draining for you?” I asked, raising an eyebrow at Twilight. “As much as I love my friends, Pinkie can be very exhausting at times. However, I wouldn’t change her for anything.” Twilight giggled slightly as she finished her danishes. “So, now that we’ve eaten, is there anything you wanted to do?” The princess leaned forward, resting her chin on her hooves.  You need non-armor.  You mean normal clothing. That’s what I said. “Hm.. Do you think Rarity would mind making an outfit or two for me? Maybe on the simple side?” I asked, earning myself a chuckle from the cute pony. Just thinking about what might be involved made me slightly anxious, but I knew I needed more than just armors and robes. Ooh, you’re thinking she’s cute now. What would Cadenza think? Oh shut up. I bet she’d think Twilight was cute.  “I’m pretty sure she would be thrilled to make an outfit for you. You’d pose a unique challenge for her, and I think she’d be able to do something to your tastes. I’m personally not a fan of dresses, and I always love the outfits she makes me.” I swallowed the last of my bagel, internally grimacing at the idea of getting more dresses. “Hey, Pinkie, what do I owe you?” I call out, the pony in question popping her head out of the kitchen.  “Don’t worry about it today, I’ll cover it. You can always treat me later once you have your hooves under you.” She waved her hoof at me, before eliciting a giggle.  I blinked in surprise, but smiled.  “Thanks. I’ll see what I can do then.”  “Ready to go to Rarity’s then?” Twilight asked, while I  quickly stacked our now empty plates before the two of us got up. “About as ready as I’m going to be, honestly.” I replied, Nyx’s chuckling echoing in my head. “Have a nice day Twilight, Illua!” Pinkie waved to us as we made our way out of the bakery, Twilight leading me to the next destination of our little tour, The Boutique.  I stood before the door of the lavender frilled building, hesitating before the simple wooden portal.  “Is everything okay Illua? You’ve been acting a little different today.” Twilight’s hoof rested on the door, ready to advance, but her eyes were on me. “I’m good, just.., Nervous I guess.” I shrugged, taking slow breaths to ease the butterflies in my stomach. “I’ve never personally been to a tailor or dressmaker.” “Is it not a common profession for humans?” Her head tilted, brows arcing in opposition. “Not particularly, because of how the culture of shopping was. Clothing was mass produced, and standardized mostly, so professionals became incredibly expensive to even consult, let alone get a customized piece of clothing.” I explained, sighing as more memories were dredged up.  Lot’s of memories being triggered today… More than our entire campaign against Celestia. What gives? The concern in the night spirit’s thoughts pushed a frown on to my face. I was too busy focusing on everyone else and leading the revolution. Nothing brought all of this to mind. [i]You have too much time to think now, compared to before. The normalcy is unusual for you now, isn’t it? A bit. “Well, let this be a first then.” Twilight’s words ripped me from my thoughts as she pushed the door inwards, ringing the little bell.  “I’ll be down in a moment,” the voice of the society climber rang out from the upper levels, the sounds of drawers and tools being shuffled around and tucked away punctuating her statement.  However, my eyes looked between the horse shaped mannequins, grimacing at the excessively frilly and over-decorated dresses. “Uh… Twilight...are those her normal outfits?” Most of them looked extremely tight around the mannequins’ barrels, with barely any clearance for walking. I felt my unease intensify.  “Those are a few of the outfits she has on sale, but she prefers to make custom outfits for her clients, and they are admittedly very nice.” Twilight’s optimism did not ease my concerns. Rather, it made them harden into the pit of my stomach.  So remember how I told you that she’s the fashionista? You did not tell me she ran a Victorian Lolita parlor. I have no idea what that means, Illua. Frilly, over complicated, stuffy, and by all accounts, suffocating. Oh, so you’re not into fashion? I figured most ladies would be. Nyx, you know as well as I that I either wear armor, or comfortable stuff. Let’s see what she drafts up then, shall we? Nyx’s mischievous giggles punctuated my feelings as Rarity descended the stairs, her blue magic gathering plush couches and a coffee table from the corners of the room. “I apologize dears, I was working on one of the commissions for Sapphire Star. How has your day been, ladies?” Twilight hopped up on one as if this was normal. I slowly lowered myself, until I nearly had my knees to my chest to sit on the pony sized couch.  “It’s been rather nice, Illua and I visited Pinkie, enjoyed some pastries as a late breakfast, and chatted for a little bit.” Twilight detailed with glee.  “Sounds like a pleasant morning so far. So then, what brings you to my lovely little boutique, darlings?” I swallowed hard, before starting. “I would like to get an outfit made...if that’s possible.” Rarity’s sudden gasp of excitement caused me to flinch slightly. “Oh darling, Is that all? Of course I will make you an outfit! I could do any number of dresses and styles for you. Ooh, I could possibly do a dress like the industrial era petticoats and ball gowns, perhaps--” Rarity began sprouting ideas before stopping herself. “Let’s go upstairs so that we can start measuring you! We can talk about design and materials! It will be delightful” The sudden rise to her hooves and trot up the stairs immediately surprised me. “Spiiiiiike, do you mind getting some tea made?” I could hear her practically sing her request to this ‘Spike’.  “Ah, so that’s where he’s been today. Should have known.” A soft chuckle came from the purple pony, as she got to her own hooves. “Who’s Spike?” “Ah, Spike is a young dragon, who I hatched during a pretty disastrous test at Celestia’s Academy for Gifted Unicorns.” Twilight’s hooves echoed in the empty lobby, as I got to my own feet, confused. “So you just casually hatched a dragon? Wouldn’t that be dangerous?” I asked, carefully ascending the staircase up. The door at the top opened to reveal the purple and green drake in question, his claws clicking on the tile floor. “Hey there Twilight, just helping Rarity today.” His eyes looked over me, his eyes going wide with… admiration? “Duuuuude. You look like one of those Abyssinian comic book heroes in casual clothes. I’m Spike, nice to meet you.” He held out a little claw to me.  I chuckled softly at the hero comment. He’s definitely a nerd like me. “I’m Illua, pleasure to meet you. Off to make tea?” “Yep. When she asks for tea, it’s probably going to be a few hours of a proj-- Oh. I’m sorry. I’ll be back.” His unfinished sentence confirmed my worries. “Come on in, darling, and we can get started!” This was going to take a while. While the tea was pleasant and sweet, the rest of the three hours were uncomfortable. The stray poke of a pin, this bundle of ribbon or that bolt of fabric, and a few modified corsets all ended up wrapped around my body, with nearly a dozen different designs drawn by the fashion minded unicorn. Spike stood at a constant ready to assist, with a slightly dreamy look. So he’s definitely crushing on Rarity. I shrugged mentally at the comment for the umpteenth time.  “So, darling, Illua, dear. You’ve posed to be quite a challenge, since I will need to make a mannequin to test things, but I think I have a few designs that I could make rather easily for you. Would you let me know what you think?” A trio of parchment papers fluttered towards me, with a simple outline of my form and an intricately detailed outfit drawn on. The first of the three outfits was definitely Victorian in design, with a dense petticoat overlaid with a long, bright blue dress matching my current attire. The torso was cinched around the waist,  and tight across the chest, with long sleeves that expanded from the elbow and flowed. Almost all of the extra details seemed to be lace, with examples set to the side debating between black and white. The neckline was square and showed off a bit of the cleavage, and was further accented with even more lace. Definitely beautiful, but I couldn’t help but nitpick at it’s lack of practicality.  The second was something I expected more from a stage performer. A one piece outfit it appeared to be, it was a jumper styled affair, with bell bottom pants for the base. A cape-like half-dress draped over one leg from the waist, while my shoulders would have been exposed, despite the long sleeves that fit over my hands like fingerless gloves. A pair of heels were illustrated next to the design, with a few variations displaying stiletto and wedge styles. A few patterns were highlighted beside it. The biggest thing that irked me about it was the one repeated word with it: glitter.  It’s not bad persay…  No. Glitter gets everywhere.  Very well. The third was the most simplistic of the three she presented. A form fitting black dress, backless with a very high slit. A fairly high neckline, with a set of jewels both highlighting my chest and forming a fairly high class pattern. The lower portion of the dress had a set of burnished gold pinstripes to contrast against the black, with a thicker outline along the hem. I ran my hand along my leg to envision where the slit would end, before blushing a bit. My ass would literally be hanging out… I looked up to the eager fashionista, her eyes practically sparkling in anticipation. “So?” I swallow again, before sighing. “Rarity, I’ll be honest. While these are all definitely well thought out designs, I can’t really see myself in them.” I explained, before setting them down beside each other. “This first dress, while very beautiful, I would feel stifled in it most of the time. And considering you are looking at using crushed velvet for it, I’d definitely end up damaging it because I moved slightly the wrong way.” I flipped it face down, earning myself a bit of a frown from the white unicorn. However, I could hear the occasional cough from Twilight. Oh, she’s trying to stifle laughter. I picked up the third outfit, pointing to the slit. “It’s a nice, black tie affair outfit, but I’m not one for those events. Also… Rarity, as you could see, I don’t have a cutie mark.” “So you wouldn’t want to show that off?” Rarity asked with confusion, her eyebrow raising at my minor complaint.  Twilight’s snicker happened again. I turned to look at her, catching her looking anywhere but me. “Not particularly, no. Especially because, unlike ponies, I don’t like showing off. You’ve seen the scars I have today.” I explained, my eyes glancing to the amused princess.  “They are a bit unsightly, yes, but they are a part of you that you shouldn’t shy away from. They show a strength most of us can’t show.” The words, while said in defense, caused me to grin a bit. Rarity shrugged. “But I do understand, some ponies are not comfortable showing off when they dress up.” I gestured to the last of them, as I flipped the prior down. “This is actually really nice looking, but glitter is…” “Messy?” Rarity asked. “Yeah.” “Very well…” A slightly defeated tone came from her as she scooped up the designs, and set them aside on her table. “How about this one?” She floated over another picture as she began sorting her desk. It was simple, and easily modified. A top that exposed my shoulders, but had wide straps. The top was cropped slightly, and had half sleeves that hung from the sides of the main bodice. A high waisted skirt was matched to a set of simple stockings, and a pair of what looked like some classic high-top sneakers. “Rarity, Is there anyway we could change this for shorts? Maybe made of denim?” I pointed to the skirt in question, causing her to pull the illustration back to her.  “You mean like what the Minotaurs wear while they work, in order to have things to hang belts and tools from--” Rarity stopped. “That’s exactly what you need. You need something that will help carry the few things you need. Spike, Twilight, Illua, I must bid you adieu, I must get to work!” Her horn lit up and picked the three of us up, and nearly tossed us into the hallway. The door slammed behind our forced exit, and the sound of a sewing machine whirring to life was the only sound left in that room. “Well that was only slightly unexpected.” Spike mused, as he got up, dusting himself off. “So, mind if I join you?” “I don’t mind Spike. Twilight?” I picked myself up and patted down my skirt, picking up my sword from the hallway. “Not at all. Just wish Rarity would be a little more gentle when she gets inspired like that.” Twilight groaned, rolling over and taking a few cursory flaps of her wings. “I was thinking we could visit Fluttershy next, but I think she’s currently feeding her animal friends. Rainbow is always off flying, so it’s hard to pin her down, and Applejack’s working at the farm, so I guess we can just head back to the castle for a little while. Want to catch up on some History since you became stone?” Twilight asked, shaking her head a bit.  “Sure.” I replied, the tolls of today being taken already from me. I looked over at Spike to see him looking almost visibly nauseous before a gout of green flame erupted from him. I raised my arms to protect myself, only to hear the crunch of a scroll hitting the floor. “... I wasn’t aware that dragons ate paper.” “It’s a letter from Princess Celestia! ...Wait, this one has a seal on it. Let’s get going, I have the supplies to release her seals in my workshop.” Twilight’s excitement was tempered almost immediately by what looked to be a simple wax seal. She had immediately begun moving down the stairs, leaving me confused. “Uh, Twilight, it’s just wax. You should be able to just open it.”  I said, scratching the back of my head. She was walking quicker than I expected, leaving me and Spike to catch up. “No, this one is special. In fact it won’t break unless they are opened by the intended recipient or one of the tools she gave me to find said recipient.” Twilight corrected, tucking the rolled letter under her wing. “Besides, I have to do my due diligence in this matter, since it’s one of her gold seals, meaning it’s quite important.” “So that’s why it felt a bit gross. She doesn’t normally send magic ones like that.” Spike groaned.  I just sighed. Ten bits it’s for me. Deal. I get to choose dinner If you’re wrong.