"This is so weird," Twilight grumbled, as Twi did up her hair in her own style. "I happen to like this look. It saves me a headache every time I come here, knowing what I'll look like each time."
Twi chuckled. "Oh, stop complaining honey. I don't know how you walk around with your hair down like this," she gestured at her own, now down like the princess's usually was. "I put mine up because it was getting so long," she chuckled, clasping her own hair clip into place. "There you go!"
Twilight looked at a nearby mirror and smiled. She would say Twi had replaced her if she didn't know any better. Only their clothes and her lack of glasses stood them apart. "You sure this is a good idea?"
Twi nodded smiling gently. "You know I can't go with you and Pearl. There's no way either of you could explain it to everyone. Besides, I already promised to help Fluttershy at the rescue today." She frowned at the rain pouring down outside. "Bad weather and all. It'll also help explain why you don't have glasses."
Twilight nodded. No matter how long it had been, the fact that the weather acted on its own in this world still unnerved her. "What about tomorrow?"
Twi shook her head. "It's a school day. I'm not sure how much longer we can keep this up. Graduation is only in two months. Even on the weekend, there is so much I need to do. We're lucky I had a free weekend this week." She smirked. "And one other thing for post-graduation, but I'm not saying what that is just yet."
Twilight pouted, but no matter how hard she tried, Twi would not relent, giggling as Pearl finally came back upstairs. She pinched her nose at the sight of the princess's new look. "You two are going to be the death of me one of these days. I just know it."
Twilight giggled as all three headed for the door. "You signed up for this when you started seeing Rainbow. Don't blame me for any of this."
Pearl rolled her eyes. Maybe. But that didn't mean she had to like it. "Rainbow's said the same thing." She frowned. "Now. Are you sure you can fake knowing anything about AOS? Reading the battletome can only do so much. Trust me. I had to coach Rainbow the entire time when I took her the first time."
Twilight gulped, as Twi held her close. She didn't like the sound of that. "How bad could it be?"
Pearl sighed. "Hard enough. So much changed after the Broken Realms saga. Even more, than it did after Malign Portents and the Soul Wars." She giggled as she patted her own backpack. "Luckily, I know how much you love to read, so I brought a few things to catch you up. Hopefully, it works for now."
Twilight could only do the same, as Pearl grabbed an umbrella, the two of them heading for the nearest bus stop, leaving Twilight to wonder how much of a trainwreck this would be with a giggle.
"Do you even know which Chamber you might go for?" Pearl asked as the bus turned a corner. "I saw how you were looking at my Astral Templars. Guess I shouldn't be too surprised with how much you're into magic."
Twilight blushed. "The thought had crossed my mind. They remind me of the old Battle Mages of Unicornia, and even into the Celestial Era we are living in. Combining magic with martial skills. There has not been one for over a century, and even then they were rare."
Pearl nodded. "Well. It'll be hard to get those models specifically. Did you notice all the animal pelts, furs, and bare heads on the models?"
Twilight nodded. It had made them stand out compared to Pearl's other models for sure.
The youngster smiled. "It's called kitbashing. Taking pieces from other models and using them to make certain ones really stand out. I used bits from an old Space Wolves box I got years ago." She saw the light that was lit in Twilight's eyes and giggled. "Give it a bit more time there, princess. Get more experience before you do though. It'll save you serious headaches down the line."
Twilight made a mental note of that. But even now, her imagination ran wild with the possibilities.
Pearl pinched her nose as she saw the shop come into view. "There's another problem as well. Those models came from the Soul Wars box, which Games-Workshop no longer produces since Dominion came out." Her heart dropped as she saw the princess slump slightly. "But I think Neighsay has one last Tempest of Souls box. It's not fully the same as the main box, but it would give you a start on a Sacrosanct army."
Twilight wasn't sure what all of that meant but decided that Pearl understood this far better than she did, as the young girl signaled a stop, before pulling out her umbrella.
Twilight could hardly believe her eyes as she wandered between the shelves. So many models, and from factions, she could only guess at, and for games, she only knew from seeing books for them on Pearl's shelves. Her mind was spinning from all of it.
Finding the Age of Sigmar section was simple enough thankfully, and then it was a simple task to find the Stormcast Eternals. They tended to stick it out seemed. Why they were all painted as Hammers of Sigmar was beyond her, except for one she recognized as Gardus Steel Soul.
What she didn't expect was... "Sunset?" Twilight asked, unable to hide her surprise.
Her fiery-haired friend turned, surprised, but quickly smiled. "Twilight?" She smirked as she saw through the disguise. "Never thought I'd see you here. That is not a good look for you."
Twilight snorted. "Well we both can't be here now, can we? What are you doing here? I didn't know you were into this."
Sunset shrugged. "I'm a returning convert. Fluttershy is very convincing when she wants to be. Plus I can indulge in my darker side with the army I'm working on." As if to prove her point, she grabbed a box of Deadwalker Zombies for the Soulblight Gravelords.
"Really?" Twilight deadpanned.
Sunset just smirked wider. "Hey. I was a Vampire Counts fan back in the day. Took them long enough to bring them back at all. I'll take it."
"Do you two know each other?" A new voice asked as an older man joined them. One Twilight recognized, even if she did not know him personally.
Sunset saw it as well, but nodded. "Yeah. We're schoolmates. Didn't think I'd see her here though."
Neighsay nodded as he turned to Twilight. His eyes narrowed for a moment before it went away. "Then do you have an idea? I know you've been looking around for some time now."
Twilight nodded, making sure she remembered how she had rehearsed this moment. "Yes. If it's possible, I was looking at a Sacrosanct army. I'll work out which Stormhost later."
Neighsay smiled. "It is possible. Unfortunately, there was a young girl in here earlier today who had the same idea. I just could not say no to a fresh face, and I sold the last of our stock of the Tempest of Souls box. You are an edition late when it comes to an easy way to start such an army."
Twilight slumped. Darn it. There went that idea. Now what?
Neighsay this, and sighed. "But if you are still set on doing a Stormcast Eternals army, then the Warrior Starter Set is the best place to start. It will give you experience playing the army, and then you can decide where you wish to go from there if you wish."
Twilight tapped her chin as she looked at the box in question, next to the Harbinger and Extremis versions of the set. "Well, it wasn't my first choice. But it was probably wishful thinking on my part," she sighed as she grabbed a box. "If I can drag Pearl away from everything that is."
Neighsay chuckled, looking over at the red-haired youngster. "I doubt that. It would take her parents, or that strange boy she is usually with, to get her away from here. I've tried."
Twilight and Sunset giggled as they headed in Pearl's direction That sounded about right for her.