Navigation 1, Part 2 -その可能性の獣と... That Beast of Possibilities
How can we make something of the future?
I wonder if I can make of something out of what I have?
I think you can. I think that wonderful things can lead to more wonders, but only if you let it happen.
You have to be the one that decide on what will do. What you have done in the past would help you decide on that shall come next.
If you are caught up in the sorrows of the past and couldn't see the fun now, it would be terrible, wouldn't it? You can't see the future if you can only see the past. Ufufu
You can change from within so that you can enjoy anything, because living each day for the possibility of the future is wonderful.
But the simplest of things are the most daunting of all...
\-----/
The sun still had plenty of intensity left, although it was longer at its apex.
For those at the Aria company, the day was oddly short.
Ai pulled a map of the Neo-Venetian lagoon out of a drawer.
"Grandma lives over Jougasaki Village, which is over the plateau. We need to take a tram to get there."
Sweetie Belle saw Akari moving to their direction, as Ai continued her narration.
She pointed to the general area northwest of Neo-Venezia proper. "Ponte della Libertà is the only link to the plateau, and this is why Grandma cannot go back home. She can't use the Marco Polo Spaceport either, with this flooding and all."
Sweetie Belle studied the detailed map intensely. Blueblood's cartographic knowledge had been very helpful for the filly, so she was able to read the map and grasp the sense of scale fairly well.
From the layout of the lagoon, Sweetie found that the city area was larger than Greater Canterlot, although smaller than Manehattan. Neo-Veneto area, to the Northwest, was a far larger expense of land.
Ai looked at Sweetie. "I will ask Alicia-san to talk about this with you. You seem to like this topic."
Sweetie looked a little startled. "No need to go through that kind of trouble! I already impose so much..."
Ai patted on Sweetie's shoulder. "This is no trouble at all... we love talking about this city and this planet. Alicia-san would know the hard number best though, and I know that she'll be very glad to talk to someone about it."
Akari spoke up. "Alicia-san and grandma are far more knowledgeable than I am. I think that it must have been a miracle that you came on a day that both grandma and Alicia-san are visiting us! They would be so glad to see a visitor from so far away... you would love meeting them. I am sure of it! The whole city loves them."
Ai snapped her fingers. "Akari-san, when is the Bucintoro scheduled for the Marriage to the Sea ceremony? Isn't grandma here to plan the details with the Gondola Association?"
Akari nodded. "Grandma will be the Doge once again. I think that the Three Water Fairies will be guests of honour for sure! Akira-san and Aika-chan have been busy with the Undine formation come think of it, as it fell on Himeya this year to orchestrate the possession. Hahi. It'd be so exciting to see the three great fairies together again!"
Ai scratched her head. "So that means that Alice-san and you will be leading the Bissonas?"
Akari was a little puzzled. "I don't really know what I will be doing, Ai-chan. I should be with the Prima squadron. The Pairs and the Singles will form the vanguard of the formation, with us following you. The black gondole will fall from the vanguard to form the flank of the fleet."
Her face turned to a smile. "You would love the experience. I told you about the Marriage to the Sea processions before, but you'll be here to be a part of it!"
\\---//
Doge was a word that was not terribly familiar to Sweetie, although she thought that it may mean the same as a Duke. The unicorn's mind immediately worked to form the notion that this humble little company might have been a crown enterprise that serves to groom for future successors to the crown.
Not so far-fetched if you think about the tutelage of Twilight by Princess Celestia, mused Sweetie. Her curiosity must be sated somehow.
"So what exactly does the Doge do?" Sweetie raised.
Ai and Akari were reminded of Sweetie's presence, and Ai took to answer the question.
"Doge would be similar to a Lord Mayor of a free city-state. Venezia on Manhome had Doges for about a thousand years, but the practice stopped more than 500 years ago. They were something like a duke or a prince, but they were elected by a group of aristocrats in the city."
Ai added. "Neo-Venezia didn't revive that office. Grandma would just play the part for the ceremony."
Akari was astonished.
"Wow, Ai-chan! That was incredible! Thank you for explaining this to me!"
Sweetie felt that she may have a kindred spirit in Ai, so she continued her questioning.
"Ai-chan, does that mean that Venezia was a republic?"
Ai felt the same vibe. "Yes in a sense. It was really an aristocratic oligarchy for close to a thousand years. How does it work with where you come from, Sweetie-chan?"
Sweetie couldn't hide her excitement. "Absolute diarchy! Equestria went through diarchy, and 1000 years of monarchy and then a return to diarchy! The ruling diarchs have stayed the same."
Ai was quite astonished. "Sweetie-chan, how can someone live for more than a thousand years? They would be immortal..."
Akari was struggling to keep up with the frantic pace of the conversation. "Wouldn't that be possible if magic was real, Ai-chan?"
Ai's brain went into a halt. "But magic isn't..." Then Sweetie rudely woke Ai's brain up. "This is incredible. Godly rulers that have lived for thousands of years."
It was clear to the unicorn that the event was of major significance to Neo-Venezia. More than 600 gondole would have to take part in it should the Undines be out in full force.
Sweetie wanted to get more information on the founder of Aria company nevertheless. "Ai-chan, going back to the earlier topic. Who would usually act as the Doge in this kind of ceremony?"
"Ara ara, ufufu" was heard from the floor below.
Sweetie Belle had registered it mentally as "well well, hehehe." The nagging thought that something was doing this translation for her had returned.
But Sweetie found no time to pursue the notion. The sound of sloshing and splashing water got closer, with a second source closely following the first. The entry of two people into Aria company could only have meant that Alicia and grandmother had arrived.
A quick look at the clock showed that it was half-past 4 already.
Ai and Akari both turned quickly to the flight of stairs, as the younger of the two hurried down to the bottom of the stairwell. Sweetie sat on her haunches over one of the cushions, as she waited for the Undines to lead their guests upstairs.
"Grandma! How have you been? It's so good to see you!" Akari happily greeted the elder.
"Here, let me take these to the kitchen!"
"My my, you've grown so much, Ai-chan."
"Hehe. We've had a good harvest back at the farm, so I thought I'd bring some over."
Sweetie was definitely able to discern the two voices and assign them to Alicia and grandma. It felt as if that the entire corporate family shared this soothing quality to their tone.
The unicorn allowed her own curiosity to take her body and plant herself near the stairwell. Her eyes saw the warm embrace of the pink-haired Undine with the grandmother. The graceful visage of a blonde lady that that was busy in the kitchen with Ai was mesmerizing to behold.
The matriarch before her had aged very gracefully. The grandmother extrude an air of humility, wisdom and beauty in no small measure.
Sweetie found this to be such a dramatic departure from Granny Smith, whose own beauty did not radiate on a day-to-day basis, although the filly distinctly remembered moments where Granny could take breaths away from colts, even as the matriarch of the Apple family was in her twilight years.
I wonder if Rarity will look like that. Sweetie reflected mentally as the four of them made their way to the stairwell. The unicorn returned to her place near the fireplace as the humans ascended to the top floor, in bare feet.
It was not hard for Sweetie to understand why human would need some form of shoes. As the filly studied the feet of the approaching ladies, she reflected on the ponies' need of horseshoes to prevent calluses.
Sweetie braced herself for yet another round of examination by new people. It was quite odd for her to mentally substitute people for ponies actually, but she tasked herself to do so.
Alicia and grandma had the look of bewilderment and wonder in their eyes as they first laid eyes on Sweetie Belle. Sweetie saw that both ladies' eyes were sparkling with that special kind of wonder that young fillies would have possessed over everything around them.
The azure eyes of Alicia drew Sweetie's gaze. They made the unicorn very intrigued about what thoughts that lay just beyond those eyes. Grandmother had a slightly darker shade of plum, with her eyelids fell more heavily than the younger girls around her.
Grandmother's light browned colored hair still retained a shimmer. The aura that the lady radiated reminded Sweetie Belle of how that the elderly before her would have stood as tall as Alicia did, and was every bit as captivating as Akari had proven to be.
Alicia gestured to grandmother as the elder took to a seat on a nearly chair, while Alicia had settled herself to a cushion. Akari and Ai then followed suit and sat at the cushions once more.
Alicia spoke. "Miss Unicorn, to answer your question, one of the directors of the Gondola Association would act as master of ceremonies for the Marriage to the Sea event. Grandma is one of the directors, and she is most experienced Undine."
Grandmother was bashful. "Please, Alicia. It's been a long time since I rowed a gondola. The other directors are simply too shy to do this. They needn't be when it's only once per four years."
Ai added in a jolly manner. "I didn't get to see this event at all. I only know of it because Akari-san and I exchanged emails with one another."
Alicia looked on playfully. "But you know a lot, Ai-chan." She sighed for a second. "We should introduce ourselves before going any further. My name is Alicia. I left Aria company after Akari-chan became a Prima. I am now a board member of the Gondola Association, and I am in charge of tourism affairs, which include the Undines."
Grandmother spoke next. "My name is Ametsuchi Akino, little unicorn." She politely bowed to Sweetie Belle, making the unicorn stood to attention immediately as she returned a courtesy to the elder. "These Undines at the Aria company are all my adorable juniors, and I can't ever really leave this city that's given me everything in life."
Sweetie Belle was collected. "Really an honour to meet you two. I am very fortunate to be under the care of you all. My name is Sweetie Belle, and I am not of this world. I am from a world where magical ponies live with dragons and griffon." She then returned to the cushion.
Alicia and Akino clearly had the desire to know more of this realm of magic, but they both reined their feelings on a leash.
Sweetie decided that she should take the initiative and set the agenda. "Ai, Akari and I were talking about the Marriage to the Sea ceremony. It sounded very important, so I don't want to stop this topic."
"But I will definitely talk about myself and some of the things that I've been through afterwards. Are you all fine with that?"
The four Undines of the Aria company exchanged glances at each other, then Akari spoke for them all. "Thank you, Sweetie-chan. We are all happy with that."
Alicia abruptly stood as an idea came over her. "I can make some hot cocoa! It's a little colder than usual today, so this might be good for everyone. It'll just be a moment!"
Before anyone could protest, Alicia had promptly left for the kitchen. Sweetie wanted to follow, but Ai gestured Sweetie to remain at where she sat.
"Let Alicia-san do this. You'll love her hot cocoa."
\\---//
"Venezia was a maritime power." Alicia began. "People came to the Venetian lagoon some 2000 years ago, in order to escape from the turmoil of the time. The water protected the people that had chosen to live there, and it's been important since the beginning of the city."
Sweetie's acumen came to life. "Socio-political?"
Grandma's eyes widened just slightly. "My my. Little unicorn, it was from war, pillage and destruction. The great Roman Empire that once ruled the area became weak and couldn't protect its citizens any longer. Those people fled for the hope of a better life."
Ai took her "computer" out. (Sweetie still didn't manage to ask more about the operations of the machine.) "The Romans controlled the entire Mediterranean sea, as you can see here" The young girl circled the vast inland sea. Venice was first settled when this empire fell into two parts, with the western part being too weak and too poor. A lagoon would not have been the first choice for anyone to live in, right?"
Sweetie nodded. "Ok. I get the importance of the sea now. Did Venetian lagoon also fell to the invaders?"
Alicia shook her head. "No. What happened would lead to the reason why Venice was a republic. The eastern part of the Roman empire survived, and Venetian lagoon was one of the last places they held in the general area."
Ai aided Alicia by showing the Italian peninsula to Sweetie as she added. "The Romans would always have this regret about losing Rome, the city where their civilization had started."
Akari nodded in approval. "It is very painful for people to lose their homeland and their heritage.. That's why they would hold onto what they have so preciously, since what last forever can disappear in a blink of an eye."
Alicia gave yet another sigh. "The city eventually became very isolated, but very well protected. The city's ruler went from a proxy of the Eastern Roman Empire to a ruler in his own right about 14 centuries ago. Because of the importance of the area, the city was dependent on the sea for everything. This is why that the Doge of Serenissima was in command of the entire navy of Venezia."
Akari started to ponder. "But then, was the Doge passed on from one generation to another? Like how crown prince or princess will be the king one day?"
Grandma shook her head. "No single family had that kind of power. Several families controlled Venezia, so the Doge didn't become hereditary."
After a pause, Alicia went on. "After a major naval victory against pirates some 1300 years ago, the Doge at the time began the practice of holding major naval parade as the waters of the sea gets blessed. This celebration grew as Venezia became more and more powerful, and Venezia came to be known as Queen of the Seas."
Sweetie had managed to catch on. "And the Doge would marry the Sea once every four year as a symbolic gesture and a show of maritime power?"
Ai looked at Sweetie with a little bit of mischief. "Once every year! I was very shocked when I found that out."
Akari was awestruck. "Every year? Venetian did something that incredible every single year?
Alicia chuckled lovingly. "Serenissima was an empire, ufufu."
Sweetie had managed to digest the information. "So does that mean that the ceremony today would be something as serious as a naval review?"
Ai responded with a question. "So you've actually seen a serious naval review, Sweetie-chan? Does Equestria have a navy important enough to hold something like that?"
Sweetie did not know how a naval review would be like (she had never seen one, and Equestria was not about naval prowess.) She did have colour trooping in her mind as a model.
"Sorry, I have never seen one." Sweetie added. "I think there would have been major sea festivals for Princess Celestia, but Equestria was not a sea power."
Sweetie was apologetic. "I wish I knew more, but I come from a small, rural town that exists next to a major forest. The biggest celebration that the town hosts, which takes place in mid-summer, is not an event with thousands of ponies attending. It's nothing like this."
The filly turned back to the discussion. "How many ships are there for the event in total?"
Akino slowly replied. "This year, we plan to have 3 large galleys and have the Bucintoro at the centre." She smiled at Alicia. "600 Undines will take part in their gondole, but there are many more civilian boats that will be involved."
Alicia filled in additional details. "Private gondole and motor boats will be the rearguards of the line. I think that the fleet will be well over a thousand strong in size. It will be troublesome if there's more than a thousand boats taking part in the event...
Ai said rather seriously. "Almost every family in Neo-Venetia have a boat. Cars don't make sense here and hover vehicles require special permits to use. There's some 500,000 people that live in Neo-Veneto and Neo-Venezia. 250,000 live on the main islands and Murano."
Those numbers were staggering for the filly.
\\---//
Alicia cited that there were a little over a thousand gondole in service, with the majority being used by Undines. 600 gondole was actually realistic a number for the event.
That would be a major undertaking. Sweetie muttered to herself.
"Akari-chan, I wanted to let you know that you will be one of the pilots that will guide the Bucintoro and the galleys!"
"Hohe! But..." The girl was stammering. "Butbutbut... only water fairies that lead the industry..."
"Ara ara. I am very proud of you, Akari-chan!" The senior to the pink haired Undine said whimsically.
Akari was dizzy as Ai reasoned. "So it's pretty much a given that it'll be Aika-san and Alice-san for the other two pilots? I guess that Akira-san had to organize all the Undines for this parade."
Alicia looked very intrigued. "Ai-chan, you made a great guess. Yes, Akira-chan is in charge of the Undines, which leaves Aika-chan and Alice-chan as the other two pilots."
She chuckled. "Athena-chan will give some lesson for you three, as the three of you will have the sing a Canzone together."
Akari was in a flight of panic at this revelation.
Ai looked at her senior with concern and a bit of pity. The friendly Undine was no attention seeker.
"Ai-chan, since you already know so much about what's going on, then you should be okay by not being with the Pairs and the Singles." Athena turned to grandma.
"Ara ara." Grandma lovingly approached Ai. "Ai-chan, I am going to be a little selfish and ask you to keep me company and run errands on the large galley for me. I can't really go anywhere fast, you know."
It was Ai's turn to be totally overwhelmed. "Grandma... that's..."
Alicia sneaked by and gave Sweetie some idea about the state galley. "Miss Sweetie, the ship is a floating palace. It takes 84 rowers to move her. 90 guests will be on-board. Ai-chan is going to be Grandma's aide. I would've done that, but I must be on one of the three galleys."
"How big are the Bissona support galleys?"
"Hmm. 16 rowers in total with many people on-board each of them. Akira-chan will be in the lead Bissona to supervise the Undines. I will be looking over the entire fleet. Ai-chan will be talking to both of us over the whole route. Ufufu."
"Sweetie-chan," Alicia said while stroking the filly's mane. "See our city with Akiri-chan when possible. She has this magic spell that makes you see all the wonders around you."
A flash of inspiration came to Alicia. "Akari-chan, let's have Sweetie-chan board your gondola! What better way for a guest to Neo-Venezia to see the city than from your gondola?"
Akari was hardly responsive by then, while Ai was being assured by grandma that the Single was qualified to be the aide to the Doge.
Sweetie gave a dry laugh. These reactions from the Undines were giving her flashbacks of days of yore.
\\---//
The discussion was so animated that the cocoa was room temperature when the guests had finally gotten thirsty.
As Sweetie downed the beverage, she thought about the actual likelihood that she would stay to see the event. Marriage to the Sea was scheduled in two months.
The filly felt that she would've wanted to watch the event even if she had managed to find Twilight's fragment in that span of time. There was much to learn, and the student of Twilight Sparkle would do herself a disservice by not taking the time to absorb what she could.
Sweetie returned her attention to the room. Akari was calmed by Alicia, and Ai was back to herself. Grandma was patiently waiting for everyone to return to where they were, as if she was waiting to hear Sweetie's tales.
Now it was Ai's turn to fire the volley. "So, I guess Princess Celestia is an immortal pony goddesses? You must have kings and queens right?
Sweetie did not recall ever mentioning about the Princess. "How'd you know about the Princess? But we don't have kings and queens any more."
Ai looked a little puzzled. "But if there's no king or queen, then that means that your princess chose to stay as a princess for one reason or another."
Sweetie was thoroughly impressed. "Ai-chan, I wish I could tell you the real answer to why is it that the Princess never chose to become a queen, but that'll have to come out of the horse's mouth. I don't think anypony aside from her has that answer really."
Sweetie found saying Ai-chan a bit more natural than "Ai", as her mind didn't want to work with a monosyllable name.
Grandma was more than amused. "Ara ara. A kami that rules over the land physically. Ancient Japan had myths about the goddess of the Sun, with the emperors being her descendants."
Sweetie was in disbelief over the 'goddess of the sun'. "It's... Princess Celestia is seen by some as the goddess of the sun. She does move the sun every day, and even moved the moon in the 1000 years that Princess Luna was banished to the moon."
Akari couldn't help but to jump into the topic. She wasn't even seated. "Hahi! I heard of stories of Kaguya Hime, the moon princess that was raised by commoners on Manhome in ancient past."
The filly's head turned. "Really! Our Princess Luna is the co-ruler of Equestria. She turned into this thing called Nightmare Moon, and was banished to the moon for a thousand years, when she came back to fight Princess Celestia."
Sweetie exhaled. "I was there when Nightmare Moon showed up in Ponyville. My sister Rarity, my mentor Twilight Sparkle and four mares went into a ruined castle in the nearby Everfree Forest to battle Nightmare Moon, where they purified her. It does sound hard to believe, doesn't it?"
A moment of silence came over the occupants of the building, with Ai typing on her computer and Alicia scribbling on a notebook. The quality of the paper and the strange pen blew Sweetie Belle away.
Akari broke the silence. "Sweetie-chan, how old were you when Nightmare Moon came to Ponyville? Is Ponyville the name of the town that you have come from?"
Sweetie responded. "Yes, I was in elementary school. I was a much smaller filly. I lived with my sister in Ponyville. She and I live in her boutique, much like how that you are living in your company building. Rarity was a dressmaker."
She looked around as she thought for a second. "I guess the attic is where you'd sleep? There's only one bed though."
Akari was all smiles. "The newest member of the Aria company would live in this building. I did in the past, and so had Alicia-san!"
Alicia let loose a chuckle. "Ara ara. This always brings back happy memories. Aria company that grandma built will always be a home to me."
Sweetie's nostalgia assaulted without warning. Those feelings that Rarity must have had over her boutique had tugged at the heartstrings of the unicorn. Sweetie felt that she was a part of the boutique, even if she was not able enough to really assist Rarity at the time.
Sweetie wonder that Rarity might have done the same with Carousal Boutique, just like how Aria company went from one generation to another.
Did that immortal Rarity take in apprentices that lived and worked with her? Did those apprentices leave the boutique? Did Rarity have to suffer from saying goodbye to her apprentices as they head to their future? How did Rarity cope with final farewells to her juniors? Rarity was alone in the sea of change.
"I hope that my Rarity can find worthy apprentices to share the joys of her craft with." Sweetie resigned. "I can't be there for her, and I was totally useless anyways. I've already messed up the life of my mentor..."
Sweetie shuddered as she trained her eyes onto the floorboard.
"Your sister wouldn't have felt that way."
Alicia was resolute. "She watched you grow and shared the tribulations that came with growing up with you. The feelings that you had over her, and your earnest desire to help her with her work would not have gone unnoticed."
She walked to the sullen unicorn. "Your feelings would have been so ever present, like this sea in high tide. Her heart would've been filled by this overflowing love on a day-to-day basis. It can be overbearing at times, and it can be frustrating to find your way through this tide, but there was no denying the reach and the depths of those feelings of yours that have enveloped around your sister."
Grandma's eyes shimmered. "Kirin-chan, you have to be committed to do anything in order to be good at it. People can forget that they need the heart just as they need the time to learn how to do something."
Akari held onto the filly's right foreleg. "Sweetie-chan, you really do love your sister. You must have tried so hard to grow up in order to help her... because you know that she loves you with all of her being, and you saw her work so hard every day."
Ai made a closure. "It is not helpless. Those feelings that you have over her drives you even right now. You want to return to your home, see if she is all right, and to be there for her, and you won't stop until you get there, right? So don't give up and say that you can't help your sister."
The crestfallen unicorn shook as she lets loose her own longing in front of strangers. Those feelings had only gotten stronger with each passing world, and the filly grew increasingly unwilling to unleash them on familiar strangers in those alternate Ponyvilles.
Yet here she was, crying her eyes out for the second time in a day, in front of yet more strangers.
\\---//
"The mares that went to fight Nightmare Moon became friends and comrades for life."
Sweetie was now on the lap of Alicia, as the rest of the group huddled around the unicorn.
"Twilight Sparkle did not live in Ponyville. She came to Ponyville to organize the Mid-summer Festival, which was the festival that I told you about. I don't think it was a coincidence that the regent of the sun would send her beloved protégé to the quaint little Ponyville on such a fateful day really."
Sweetie took yet another sip at the cocoa. "The six of them wielded six elements of an artefact called the Elements of Harmony. Twilight, being the most magical unicorn alive, held the element of magic. Rarity held generosity. The other four were those of honesty, laughter, kindness and loyalty, but I won't talk about them right now."
Sweetie paused momentarily. "Maybe I shouldn't say held. They were those elements. Actually, more on magic. The element of magic was not magic in general, but magic of friendship. Most ponies would scoff at the thought that magic of friendship is actually powerful in a physical sense. Nopony would usually study this. Twilight had become the only exception to that, and even she didn't realize this until the dust had settled with the Nightmare Moon incident."
Ai thought back to morning. "So that's why you panicked when I said that Akari-san is the master of the magic of friendship!" She clicked her tongue as her eyes rolled to the side, and then her view returned to Sweetie. "Those elements could be found all us by the way. It doesn't take much to match some of our friends with these elements."
Ai then cleared her throat. "Magic here is mysterious and subtle. I really don't think that you'll see Undines or Gnomes being called to beat demigods." She then sheepishly added. "I don't think so, at least."
Akari looked relieved.
Sweetie couldn't help but to assume that the poor girl must have pondered about what it would have meant to face down primordial evil as a mortal being. Maybe Fluttershy's mental processes would be a good way to approximate Akari's reasoning.
Both grandma and Alicia looked as if that their entire world had changed. They were not hysterical, nor did they wallow in despair, but they had a tint of apprehension that was blending with their curiosity about what might come from this meeting of worlds.
Alicia's expression softened, as she addressed Ai and Akari.
"Congratulation, Ai-chan, Akari-chan. You have managed to tame a unicorn."
She was greeted with loud exclamation by the two Undines.
"Only pure maidens can calm the unicorn, the beast of possibilities. That's how the legend goes. The symbol of purity, beauty, justice and nobleness would sleep in the laps of chaste maidens as they crave purity." Alicia told her friends.
"Or the avatar of hope..." The grandmother added. Ai was quick on her computer to show Sweetie an image that she found just then.
"La Dame à la licorne, Sweetie-chan." The girl presented cheerfully. "Here be the unicorn, the beast of possibilities, in love and understanding of all things."
Oh, this is the animal that never was.
They did not know it and, for all that,
they loved his transformations, his bearing, and his gait
that into the tranquil gaze of light, he lived.
Really it was not. Of their love they made it,
this pure creature. And they always saved a space
And in this place, clear and hollow,
lightly he raised his head and scarcely needed
to be. They did not feed him any corn,
only the possibility that he might
exist, which gave the beast such strength, he bore
a horn upon his forehead. Just one horn.
Unto a virgin he appeared, all white,
and was in the silver mirror and in her.
Rainer Maria Rilke. Sonnets to Orpheus II, 4
"In your case though, the unicorn would be a 'she'." Ai mused. "You don't need us to think that you exist, and just thinking that you might exist wouldn't do anything for you."
Grandma concluded. "For that hopes and dreams are very real. I wonder what possibilities await in the future..."
President Aria's cries were in agreement with grandma, as the cat found his way onto the elder's laps.
Akari's eyes seemed to encompass the mild gaze of the "unicorn" more so than Sweetie. The kind of euphoric realization that wonders are abound, flourishing and right before her own grasp had rendered the Undine in a state of total bewilderment.
Sweetie was awestruck in equal measure by the imagery shown with this unexplainable contraption, and the message that had been conveyed to her. Shouldn't they be saying all of this to Twilight or Princess Celestia?
Princess Celestia and Twilight Sparkle are truly beasts of possibilities. Although I wonder if Twilight was the one that appeared before the Virgin Princess, or was it the other way around...
The unicorn thought to herself, as the Neo-Adriatic sea flickered in the twilight glow of the setting sun.