"Gosh, we must have chatted for over two hours!" Rainbow Dash said with a grin. She floated before the closed doors of the Noble Jury's hangar. "He's a really swell dude. Not quite so boring and stuffy as you'd expect from a bunch of old ponies. In fact, while all these guys and gals were really nice n'stuff, there was some sort of... like... sincerity about them, y'know?" Rainbow Dash winced slightly as she said, "They didn't give me the creepily cheerful vibe as Collins' gaggle of grinning equines did back in Archer Point. Brrrrrr. But these Lerris ponies? I could totally chillax with them. Gray manes and all."
"Golden Happenstance..." Pilate smiled slightly into the dim manalight as the Jury swayed and wobbled. "Quite an articulate name."
"Are all the ponies super old?" Eagle Eye asked.
"Well... no." Rainbow Dash folded her forelimbs from where she hovered. "But a bunch of them are. There are still a few stallions and mares who are around my age if not a bit older. I'm guessing they're the sons, daughters, nephews and nieces of the older ponies."
"And it's a farming community?" Ebon Mane asked. "Lots of rice and wheat fields?"
"Look, the only type of farm I can recognize is one where red stuff grows from the branches." Rainbow shrugged. "When these ponies aren't scouring the crops or fishing in the lake, they're chatting it up like it's lunch time every hour in downtown. And I say 'downtown' lightly. The place is a sneeze away from being no more than a couple of wooden planks stacked up on one another."
"Sounds tranquil," Eagle said with a smile.
Kera hung her head, ears folded. "Sounds really really boring."
Belle patted Kera's shoulder. "Nothing wrong with saying what you feel, Kera. Though I might suggest a little bit of restraint around these villagers. Regardless of how long we stay here, it's probably not a good idea to offend them."
"But... like..." Kera rolled her green eyes. "Aren't I supposed to knowwwww them or something? All of this is sounding really weird and strange to me."
"It begs the question." Pilate tilted his head in her direction. "Do you at least recall a 'Golden Happenstance' in your younger foalhood?"
Kera's face scrunched up. She squinted against the bulkheads. "I... th-think I remember my foster parents mentioning an 'Uncle Hap' from time to time."
"Yeah!" Rainbow pointed with a nod. "That's it! He's a totally sweet dude!"
"He sounds really stale and whiskery..." Kera grunted.
"'Whiskery.'" Ebon turned and grinned at Eagle Eye. "I am so stealing that."
"Why are you even here?"
"Do you know the last time I sampled actual rice?"
"Do you know the last time I cared?"
Rainbow Dash cleared her throat. "But for real, this Uncle H—er... this Golden Happenstance dude seems A-okay. He knows a lot about this part of the world, Pilate, so I'm sure he's got a lot to teach you. And I bet he could give you plenty of cooking tips, Ebon." She turned and smiled at Kera. "And he's not as boring as you think, kiddo. Why, if Hap only had an extra layer of crust and cantankerousness to him, I'd say he'd even remind me of Col—" The pegasus winced suddenly, her wings going a bit limp. She salvaged the moment by clearing her throat and smiling gently. "...of an old st-stallion I once knew. Great guy. And so is Hap."
"I..." Kera bit her lip, trotting back and leaning close to Belle's legs. "I dunno about all of this..."
"Kera, look at me." Belle leaned low and caressed the filly's chin. "Nopony's asking you to talk to anypony, or to make any hasty decisions. You're perfectly free to stay by my sides at all times. In fact, I encourage it."
"Then why are we even doing this?" Kera trembled. "We all know the decision I'm going to make, right? So why fiddle around with this town?"
Belle bit her lip slightly.
Pilate cleared his throat and spoke up, "Coming to Lerris is about more than making a decision. Perhaps, with time, you'll understand how important this day is."
"Unnngh..." Kera rolled her eyes. "Fine. Let's get this over with. Anything to keep me from hearing crap like that again."
"I was simply trying to emphasize how—" Pilate was silenced by a golden hoof placed over his muzzle.
Belle smiled gently, then turned to press a mana-powered intercom by her side. "How is our approach, Mr. Floydien?"
"Scrkkk! Nancy has completed the approaching! Boomers get ready for the arrival of ground!"
Almost on cue, the engines of the Noble Jury could be heard roaring its lower thrusters. The hangar shook once, jostled a second time, and then rattled as the entire ship made contact with the ground. Th-Thump! The engines cut off with a prolonged hiss, and all was still.
Belle looked across the way. "Ebon?"
The stallion nodded back, then pulled a lever along the bulkhead next to him. With a loud clatter of metal joints, the rear doors to the hangar started grinding open. A cold gust of frosty air flew in, along with a gray splash of bright sunlight.
Everypony instantly shivered. Everypony but Kera. She noticed, and it caused her to stare thoughtfully at her stone-still hooves.
"Do they know that we're even landing?" Eagle Eye asked.
"I certainly gave Hap enough foresight," Rainbow Dash said. "He should be showing up here towards the west of the village to greet us."
"Him and who else?" Eagle Eye asked.
"Pffft. I dunno. I talked to just him for the most part."
"Uhm..." Eagle Eye pointed towards the bright world outside. "You're sure you didn't make more friends than that?"
"Huh?" Rainbow turned around, and her eyes widened.
The doors to the hangar had opened all the way, and no less than thirty ponies were gathered outside. Most of them were old, but a few young couples and bright faces stood out among the crowd. They stood tightly together, craning their necks in quiet and concerned wonderment as the metal ramp of the hangar slid out through the open doors, hissing with deaffening hydraulics. At last, the ramp came to a stop, and one stallion trotted forward from the crowd, his blue eyes glistening in the sunlight.
"Welcome, ponies of the Noble Jury." Hap smiled, though his face beheld a twinge of nervousness. "You're certainly a fine looking group of equines."
Belle smiled and did a little curtsey. "Why, thank you, Mister..."
"Happenstance. Golden Happenstance, at your service." He tried bowing back, but his legs wobbled. Rainbow almost glided down to help him, but a middle-aged stallion had already steadied the elder. Golden Happenstance stood up, exhaling away the pain and putting on a weary smile. "A very fine ship you have, too. I almost couldn't believe it—but seeing it now with my very own eyes, it amazes me that skystone can still be put to good use."
"Assuming we can once more," Pilate said, nodding in the villagers' general direction. "Our engineer is currently in the process of rewiring the skystone to our... well... our energy source, to put it lightly." He shuffled down the ramp, followed loosely by Ebon Mane and Eagle Eye. "My name is Pilate. The lovely mare behind me is Bellesmith, my beloved."
"Beloved?" Golden Happenstance smiled. "Ledomaritans, I take it."
"Why, yes. Yes we are." Pilate nodded. "You already know our heroic pegasus friend, Rainbow Dash. And the rest..." Pilate loosely gestured, then fidgeted. "Uhm... EE?"
"Right, I'll take it from here." Eagle Eye smiled as he helped Pilate down the rest of the ramp. He looked up and smiled. "Greetings, sir. My name is Eagle Eye, from Franzington."
"A mercenary..." The old stallion muttered with a nod. "No doubt a veteran of many battles if you've ended up this far east."
"Erm... 'former-mercenary' is the better way to put it." Eagle Eye cleared his throat and turned towards Ebon. "And this is Ebon Mane. Our cook and all around friendly stallion."
Ebon smiled and waved nervously. "Hello. I'm from... from..." He winced slightly, and—after receiving a glance from Eagle—blurted. "From roundabouts."
"Parts unknown, I take it," the old stallion said, causing a few villagers around him to chuckle.
"Eheh... yeah..." Ebon gulped. "I would absolutely love to see how you fine ponies grow rice out in this place."
"We'd be happy to give you a tour. Although, I must admit..." Hap craned his neck. "I'm at a loss to see where...?"
Belle took a side step, revealing the suddenly-shy filly cowering behind her. "Kera, it's alright. Just stick close to me. These ponies would like to say hi."
"Uhhhhhh..." Kera gulped and waved a tender little hoof. "'H-hi...?'"
Golden Happenstance stood still, staring with lips pursed, thoughtfully.
As soon as Kera's tattooed coat kissed the daylight, at least a dozen elders from the crowd stirred and murmured.
"By the Spark..."
"Kera Tin Mehjj..."
"It is Moony's and Blue's child!"
"Nagu'n Below..."
Kera bit her lip. As she and Belle trotted down, she clung closely to the mare's side. When at last she brushed her hooves across the grass of the field, she felt something skittering by. She looked down to see a grasshopper and a mantis hopping in opposite directions. For a brief moment, the filly's eyes sparkled. Then a gray shadow wafted across the ground. She looked up, pensively.
"Hello, Kera," Golden Happenstance said with a soft smile. "My name is Golden Happenstance. I knew your foster parents." He took a cautious breath. "I... am your godfather."
Kera squinted at him, her eyes darting left and right, studying every shiny centimeter of his mane and eyes. At last, a breath squeaked out, breathy and honest. "Uncle H-Hap...?"
The old stallion leaned back, legitimately surprised by how swiftly she produced that. "Why, yes. Yes, I do believe that's what you were told to call me at one point." He chuckled raspily. "Uncanny, yes?"
Kera's eyes wandered across the villagers. "And... And..." She almost winced with the natural breaths that came out of her. "Aunt Frost. Miss Crystal. Mister Jayce. Cousin Gleam."
The villagers murmured more and more, many of them smiling with mixed emotion and glossy eyes.
"Kera!" one middle-aged mare exclaimed. She trotted briskly forward with a flounce of golden hair. "I can't believe it! Kera Tin Mehjj, it's really you!" She extended a forelimb. "I used to babysit you when you were just a—"
Kera shrunk back, biting her lip. She practically hid underneath Belle's legs.
The mare leaned back, blinking in confusion.
Hap glanced back and forth. He cleared his voice loudly and waved a forelimb before the crowd. "How about we all head back into town?! Our lovely cook, Sapphire Summers, has prepared a tasty fish filet for our guests. It would be a shame for that to go to waste, yes?"
The villagers nodded, trotting back towards the heart of town—though several of them glanced back with worried expressions, all of them locked on Kera.
"Kera..." Belle leaned down. "Are you okay? We don't have to go into the village yet if you're not ready—"
"No. I'm... I-I'm fine..." Kera took a shuddering breath. "Just... y'know... could you stick around me? Pl-please?"
"Of course, darling," Belle said in a warm tone.
"Do you recognize any of the ponies, Kera?" Pilate asked.
Kera's ears drooped. "Yeah," she muttered, eyes staring into the grass. "I recognize all of them."
Belle glanced at Pilate. The zebra had nothing to say.
"Fish filet?" Ebon Mane trotted briskly ahead. "This I gotta sample."
"Hey!" Eagle Eye frowned. "Not so fast! Furl your sail, why don'tcha?" He rolled his eyes and smirked towards the others. "We'll just be... uh... 'scouting ahead.'"
"But I already did that!" Rainbow's voice cracked.
"Well, consider this getting a second opinion!" And Eagle galloped after the other stallion.
Rainbow, Pilate, Belle, and Kera trotted slowly up the rear, growing further and further away from the rear doors to the Jury.
Inside the hangar, leaning against the railings of the upper level, a lone figure stood, watching them. Her eye-lenses pistoned out thoughtfully. As a cold wind rushed in, blowing against her braids, she said nothing.