The Line Between Fire and Light

by Stolenalicorn

8 A Walk Through Town

The work wasn't as long as he was expecting, once the designs for the cruise liner were ready all he needed was the materials and eight large groups of dwarfs to take six hour shifts building the ship seven days a week. With their crafting prowess the citadel's fabrication technology and Jurai's engineering, the work took just over a month. Plenty of time for James to work out the sights to visit activities to do on and off the ship, and find several locals to fill in key positions.

But for now it was back to Equestria to hire workers that would know best how to prepare food and manage the on board spa. While this all did put James personally back a great deal of money, he rarely used it for anything expensive so it had been building up for a while now. Besides, once cruises became another tourist draw the revenue it would bring in would more than offset the cost.

This was a lot more work than he expected it to be.

Rather than go with the local listings of fancy restaurants, James allowed his stomach to find the best places. By noon he'd eaten the signature dish at every restaurant he could find in the area. Most were insulting to both his wallet and senses, and he stormed out the moment he paid his bill. But there were a few sparkling gems among the refuse of conformity. He hired out the chefs of two of them who leaped at the opportunity to cook for at least one princess, possibly all four. However this would not be enough, not by a long shot. In addition to not enough chefs to provide food for everyone they needed help and he needed more than two options for kinds of food. Doughnut Joe was happy to sign on even before knowing the conditions.

Three down, at least four left. Manehatten next.

James spent the next two weeks hiring ponies to help on the ship, even coming back to Ponyville to hire out the entire spa staff. They knew him well enough from his frequent visits to trust that when he said they wouldn't miss a day of business he meant it. How he would do that they didn't know, but they trusted that he was serious.

“That is very generous offer.” Aloe said calmly. “We've been a little slow these last few weeks. Will you be getting a massage while you're here?”

James thought about how much he'd been running around and how long it's been since he's actually done something for himself. “Yeah, I'll take the usual.”

“YEAH!” Bulk Biceps shouted as he crashed through the wall. No matter how many times James saw that it still brought a smile to his face. It didn't happen every time, but he always kind of hoped. “Let's do this buddy!” Bulk shouted as he jumped the distance over to James.

James nodded because he knew if he opened his mouth he would start laughing. Silently he followed Bulk Biceps through a second hole he put into the wall and to a fresh massage table.

That night brought him back to Twilight's castle. The front door was covered briefly in James's distinctive gold fringed darkness before being flung open. James nervously looked around before walking in.

Need to stop forgetting; the more relaxed I am, the more potent my magic.

Spike approached James as he gently closed the door. “Oh, hi.” Spike said as he saw the unusual stallion.

“Hey Spike, sorry about the door, I'm just a little more limber than usual today.” James said as he turned around and walked over to the dragon.

“If you're looking for Twilight, she actually went to New Guardia. She was getting anxious about that cruise you mentioned and went to ask you about it.” Spike offered as he got in step beside James.

James grinned as he walked forward. “And here I was going all around Equestria getting the rest ready. But it's nice to know that she's finally making use of the door.”

Spike gave James a confused look as he thought about it. “You mean we're free to come and go to New Guardia?”

James's confusion matched Spikes as he looked down at the dragon. “Yeah, that's the whole point of the door, I'm sure I mentioned it. I think. Just pay attention to the time, I don't need any more late night visitors.”

“You know, I'd kind of like to see it too.” Spike said, trying to sound dejected.

“Hop on, I'm going that way anyway. Just reach in my bag and toss me one of those black cans.” James said as he turned away from Spike.

“Sure thing.” Spike said as he obliged James. “Hey, wait. Didn't you say you'd stop bringing these when Pinkie Pie drank half of one and got really sick?”

“I only said I'd stop bringing the good ones.” James said with a grin as Spike opened the can.

“Mind if I take a sip?” Spike asked.

“Only a sip. We don't need you getting as sick as Pinkie.” James said.

“On second thought, maybe I shouldn't.” Spike said as James's gold fringed black aura engulfed the can. James took a few drinks as they walked towards the door he had set up to return to his castle in New Guardia.

James calmly walked through the door, ignoring the slight vertigo as he crossed the threshold. Spike however sank his claws into James's flank as he felt like he was falling. “Sorry Spike, I forgot to mention that the transition could be a little disturbing.” James said, suddenly very aware of Spikes claws.

Sunlight streamed in through the window, the room was large enough for a small group and was sparsely decorated including a clock set for Ponyville's time. Outside the room was a hallway of doors, each decorated with a different placard. The one they had just left showed the Tree of Harmony with inlaid jewels for each element.

Spike couldn't help but look around the gray stone walls and brown doors, something about the place felt comfortable to him even though it didn't resemble Twilight's castle at all. James walked through the halls until he came to a stop by a door down a different hallway.

“Hey Spike. I'm going to go get changed, stay out here and I'll see you in a bit.” As James spoke, Spike jumped down from his back and nodded.

Spike waited outside the door, wondering why James felt he had to change. He usually just wore the same kind of clothes, alternating between black and blue. The creature that walked out, however made Spike jump back.

“You okay Spike?” James asked. “You do remember that I'm not a pony, right?”

It was when he took another minute to look at him that he realized he'd seen creatures like this before. “I'm not a dog again, am I?” He asked as he looked at his claws.

James chuckled as he watched. “No, that was a different world and a different kind of passage. You're still a dragon.” James took another sip of his drink and walked further down the hall. “Come on Spike, we could be at this all day so we should get some rest.”

“Uhm, then why didn't we just take a rest at the castle?” Spike asked as he walked next to James.

“Because that would have taken hours. Here it'll only take a few seconds, I've got some snacks for afterwords too. Trust me, we'll need them.” James led him down the hallway to a storage room with a large open device in the corner. Spike couldn't make heads of tails of it but James calmly walked in and took a seat. “Come on in, it'll work for you too.” James said as he gestured to the dragon.

Cautiously Spike entered and found a seat next to James. There was only room for three in the device, and they had to sit close. Once Spike was ready, James hit a button and immediately the two fell to sleep. The next sensation Spike registered was just how hungry he was. Anything sounded good at that moment, but some sapphires would be great, or rubies, even quartz would hit the spot.

“Here you go.” James said as he got out of the seat and tossed Spike a small gem. “Sorry I can't give you a bigger stone, it's just gems like the ones you enjoy are actually rare most places I go or at least expensive. But I've also got some oat bars if you'd like.” James held out a small bar formed of oats almonds and honey for Spike to take as well. This was good for the dragon as he finished eating the gem before James was two words into his explanation. “Yeah, that's the big drawback of the Enertron, you're always hungry after using it.”

“How long were we asleep?” Spike asked as he swallowed the last piece of the strangely satisfying oat bar.

“About five seconds. That's the best part of the Enertron, a full night's sleep in seconds.” James said as he took a bite of his own bar.

“I'll take a warm soft bed any day.” Spike muttered.

James was quick to laugh as he listened. “Me too. This is just for when you don't have the time to sleep.”

As they left the room a woman walked up to them, she was moderately thin shorter than James with a pale complexion long violet hair thick glasses and a confident smile. “Good to see you James, got those positions filled yet?”

“Sure thing Lucca.” James said with a smile. “They'll be getting the treatment they expect.”

“Hi Lucca.” Spike timidly said.

“Oh, hi Spike. Twilight came through here earlier, unfortunately the girls saw her and they wouldn't go to school unless she took them there.” Lucca said calmly.

James's face twisted up as he heard the news. “Twilight doesn't know the way to their school. And we both know if the girls are leading her they'll never get there on time, if at all.”

Lucca laughed. “Of course, who do you think you married to? I sent Tali with them, she can keep them in line with Twilight's help.”

James grinned slightly at the news. “I'm not that confident in out daughters. But if you say so. How's your project coming?”

“You mean the subspace transport pattern buffer and booster? Well I've got the first prototype ready, just need to see how it fails before I can start making adjustments.” Lucca said as she mentally listed her schedule of projects to remember exactly which one she was working on today.

“Who's receiving?” James asked without hesitation.

“Mordin. I know he'll be thorough with his observations and that should cut down on development time for the next model.” Lucca knew she would receive a detailed report from the former STG agent, even though his field was medical he had been branching out in his retirement and took an interest in Lucca's projects.

“Great to hear.” James said with a grin.

Spike was completely lost as he listened to the exchange, and as it went on he realized there was no hope for clarification. “Uhm. What are you talking about?” He cautiously asked.

“Sorry about that Spike. Lucca likes inventing things and tinkering so that's what she's working on right now. It's a machine that will help us transport large amounts of cargo when she works all of the bugs out of it.”

“Uh huh.” Spike said as he nodded knowingly. “That doesn't explain anything.”

“Don't worry about it. It's not important to you.” Lucca said waving her hand. “I guess you two need to get out and start looking for the princess.” Lucca smiled again before she teasingly added. “Of course, I'm here working while you're out there chasing girls.”

“It's not like you've never chased a princess before.” James laughed before giving her a quick kiss and walking towards the door. “Come on Spike. We've got to get going.” He called as he looked back towards the small dragon.

Twilight flew over Truce, she had been here before but never seen it from this vantage. Once she and Tali had gotten James's daughters to school Tali had recommended she take her own tour of the sights. There were lots of places she could visit, and while bits wouldn't buy her anything she could observe the people.

She hadn't realized just how close to the ocean Truce was before she took to the skies. Which was another odd thing, James had told her this was a space station and that it was an artificial environment, but nothing felt truly artificial. In addition to being gigantic she could smell the salt from the ocean when she approached, the tree tops swayed with the gentle breeze, she could tell where the sun (which was also artificial apparently) was just from the heat on her back.

There were the little things, though, that made this place feel unnatural for her. She had tried to rest on a cloud and fell through, no matter how she tried she couldn't actually touch the cloud and they were much too high here.

Things didn't feel as friendly here.

But she also learned that things change quickly around here. Just as she was feeling isolated she was invited into a restaurant by a local Elf (she had been told that's what they were called) who wanted her to try new menu items she wanted to serve to centaurs (which were the closest intelligent creatures to ponies she had seen in New Guardia) and wouldn't take no for an answer.

She was complaining that because Centaurs were almost exclusively vegan it made cooking for them particularly difficult. Twilight had tried to argue that she couldn't actually help her since she could eat a larger variety than Centaurs but the Elf just shrugged and told her that since she was here she may as well try it for herself anyway.

She was surprised to find the centaurs here looked little like Tirek beyond their most basic form and even though they weren't all nice they were still very polite.

Twilight didn't look for another cloud, knowing that no matter how good they looked they were too far and not able to hold her. She was getting exhausted, she didn't often stay awake this long, and usually it was when studying or working on something. But the warm sun felt comforting on her back, almost like a gentle blanket.

Twilight shook her head to regain focus. She didn't know if it would be a good idea to just take a nap here like Rainbow Dash would do. She yawned as she dipped low in her flight and shook herself awake. She thought briefly of the drink that James had told her about, only to immediately decide against it. It had made Pinkie really sick and she had only had half of a can.

The altitude drop wasn't lost on Spike as he was looking up, everyone was taller than him so in order to see what was going on he had to either look up or ride someone. “James, I think that's Twilight up there.” Spike said as he pulled on James's haori.

“Okay Spike,” James calmly said as he looked up. “Hold on.” Once Spike had gripped the back of James's haori he took off into the air.

It was all Spike could do to hang on. He was worried his claws were going to tear through the material, but somehow it held. Leaving the only problem as his grip. He never had to hold onto Twilight like this and his grip wasn't as strong as he thought. He was about to let go when James's tail came out and wrapped around his waist. Relief flooded him as he released the cloth and James raised him to his shoulders.

James flew behind Twilight as he spoke in a mock stern tone. “Miss, I don't think you're in any condition to fly right now.”

Twilight nearly dropped from the air again at James's surprise, however James was quick to fly beneath her and caught her in his arms. Spike barely managed to hold onto James's hair as he made the quick maneuver.

It took Twilight a moment to register what had caught her, as she looked to the creature she quickly put it together. “Why did you scare me like that?” She scolded.

“Because you were losing altitude and would have glided right into the forest. Someone had to wake you up.” James calmly explained. “Besides, for me it's never a bad thing to have a princess in my arms. Admittedly, those princesses are usually my daughters.” He added with a grin.

Twilight just gave him a cross look.

“Just trying to make you laugh Twilight.” James said as they flew back towards the castle.

“I was going to look around Truce while I was here, you know.” Twilight said. “And you can put me down.”

“Okay, and yes I can.” James said, as he didn't put her down. “But again, you were flying right into trees. I think you need to either get some sleep, or use the Enertron.”

“The what?” Twilight asked, she'd never heard of that before and wasn't sure if it was a spell or something else. She knew it couldn't be the drink, James wouldn't have offered her the same thing that had made Pinkie so sick.

“Spike and I used it when we got here. It's safer than the energy drinks but you're always going to be hungry when you finish.” As if to accentuate the statement James's stomach growled unusually loudly. He cleared his throat and blushed. “Sorry about that.” He said quietly.

Twilight nearly commented at the noise before Spike spoke ahead of her. “Wow, James that was loud. Maybe you should stop for a hay burger or something. I know I wouldn't complain about something more.”

“I can't digest hay any more than I could gems. But if Twilight would like to use the Enertron and then get something we can certainly do that.”

“That sounds fine with me.” Twilight said. She wouldn't admit it, but as tired as she was she nearly fell asleep in James's arms. His stomach just made too comfortable a pillow.

James landed in the courtyard of the castle amongst his garden, it was nearing autumn and soon all of the plants would be pulled up and new mulch tilled in. On a bench overlooking the garden a tall thin woman with gray/white hair sat quietly reading a newspaper.

Tenyo sat reading a newspaper on one of the benches overlooking her section of the garden which was filled with flowers. She would have planted fruits or vegetables as James had but she had already taken over some of James's garden for just that purpose.

Tenyo looked up from her newspaper and grinned as she watched James land and carefully place Twilight on the ground.

“Alright,” James said as he put Twilight down. “Do you have a preference?” Before Twilight could answer Tenyo smacked his head with her rolled up newspaper.

“Bad James. You ask before getting married again.” She scolded, unable to keep herself from smiling.

“What?!” Twilight couldn't help but feel sudden panic at the statement. What had just happened?

James and Tenyo both started laughing as they saw her reaction. “Don't worry Twilight, he's actually really nice. And doesn't normally get married so fast.” Tenyo said, her smile only growing with Twilight's panic.

“You can stop now Tenyo.” James said through his own chuckling.

“Fine.” She sighed. “We just like giving him a hard time since he's named after a notorious womanizer.”

While most of what Tenyo said didn't make any sense to Twilight at the moment, she couldn't help but give an awkward laugh when she realized it had all been a joke. One she probably would have been able to see through had she not been half asleep. “I guess I should get some sleep.” She admitted. “Or whatever that Enertron does.”

“You're using that thing again?” Tenyo asked James, unusually seriously.

“What's wrong with it?” Twilight asked, suddenly quite concerned.

“Unlike Tali I trust it, it's just why would you take that over a nice comfortable bed?” Tenyo said as way of explanation.

“Time.” James simply replied with a shrug. “Like I told Spike, it's not my first choice either.”

“Maybe I should go to bed.” Twilight cautiously said.

“If you'd like. You could take a guest bedroom if you want to stay, Spike and I can wander for a while.” James suggested as his stomach growled again.

Tenyo suddenly turned her attention James and glared at him when she heard the noise, it was obvious what he was doing again. He deliberately avoided looking at her at the moment. She couldn't argue with his reasoning for dieting, but she couldn't agree with his method. “Did you not eat after using it again?”

“I had a bar.” James said defensively. He already knew where this was going, it was an ongoing argument of theirs and one he knew he was on the wrong side of. But there was no other effective way for him to lose weight it seemed. He'd tried several different diets and exercise regimens and nothing else worked.

Tenyo sighed and shook her head. “I get you want to diet, but if you keep starving yourself you'll never be able to keep the weight off. Hasn't Washu warned you about that?”

James held his hand up calmly, he was grateful that Twilight was here so he could end the argument under the guise of civility. “Please can we not talk about my personal problems in front of guests.” James looked to Twilight defeated. “You're welcome to stay, I understand if you'd rather go home ot back to Truce though.”

Twilight was torn, clearly this was uncomfortable for him but she couldn't just leave him feeling this way. From what she gathered his weight was a much bigger issue to him than she had guessed. And he was now taking extreme measures in an attempt to handle it. “I guess I could use the Enertron, as long as after we go for something to eat.”

Spike spoke up as Twilight finished. “Trust me, that's going to be the first thing on your mind.”

“Don't let him eat just a salad either!” Tenyo quickly added to James's mounting frustration.

***

Twilight came walking out of James's study in New Guardia castle. She had just spent the last hour helping Sara and Amber with their homework, though half that time was finding a subject she understood. She had assumed it wouldn't be too hard given their ages, but they were studying things she had only heard about as available to university students. Eventually she settled on helping them with math.

James approached Twilight as she left the study, he was grateful that she was willing to spend time with his daughters even if it was helping them with their homework. Which either Sara or Amber had excelled well beyond their years in one subject or another. James himself was lost in half of the curriculum his daughters had taken up.

“Well, I've almost got things finished up for the cruise. I'll be bringing the pony staff over to get them acclimated about a week before the cruise itself. And speaking of acclimation, I'll be in my normal form for the cruise. So it may be good for me to meet everyone beforehand just so they know what to expect.” James explained as he met Twilight in the hallway.

“You've got the schedule?” Twilight asked excitedly, she had been looking forward to this for a while now, especially since it seemed to finally be coming together.

“Just finished it up the other day in Manehatten.” James calmly said. “I'll get you a copy before you leave.” James said as he walked with Twilight. “If you want, you can still go out and look around Truce.”

Twilight smiled and shook her head. “No. I should find Spike and get home. It's getting pretty late.”

“Actually, I think in Ponyville it's late morning.” James said with a smile. “You can use the enertron again so you aren't too tired today.”

Twilight thought about the machine. It wasn't as bad as it seemed, it just made her hungry. And being honest with herself she did think about how useful it would be to her when she had events to plan, or other situations where she'd have to stay up all night. All night study sessions!

“So do you know who from your family is coming?” James asked as he followed Twilight through the castle.

Twilight's step got lighter as she trotted along. “Everypony. Mom, Dad, Shining Armor and Cadence. This is so exciting!” Twilight's voice got higher as she nearly squealed for joy. “We've never had a family vacation like this! We're seeing the sights of another world!” As she continued to think about it her trot turned into a prance. “What should I tell them to bring? Will we be there for when you change the season to autumn?”

James couldn't help but laugh a bit as she got more and more excited. This was the reaction he was hoping to get, the excitement he had lost long ago. Now he realized what it was about their world he liked, the people. As loath as he was to admit, it's peaceful residents and innocent outlook were something he envied. He wouldn't want to live in Equestria, but he found he liked his more frequent visits. “Well, there's no change over. Granted since this is an artificial environment it is a scheduled change, but it changes like it does in most worlds. The weather gradually gets colder and the plants and animals natural reactions take over and it happens without our involvement.”

Twilight's prance gradually turned into a canter as she thought about it. “That's very different than how things are done in Equestria.” As she considered the change over that had just happened an idea came to her. “I know! Since you're showing us so much of New Guardia, after the vacation you should come to Equestria for the Autumn Changeover! That way you can see how we do things in Ponyville.” Once again Twilight began to prance as more ideas came to her. “We should do a cultural exchange! And since you're a while behind us we can just do Equestria's then Guardia's events. It works out perfectly!”

James smiled at her contagious enthusiasm, even he found the idea to be an interesting one. “Sounds good to me.” He said as he resisted the urge to ruffle her hair. He had gotten into the habit with his daughters, particularly because it frustrated them. “We'll just go with New Guardian holidays at first. There's a lot of cultures here so there's a lot of different holidays. Some of which have combined into new ones. Almost enough for there to be a different celebration every day.”

“Really?” Twilight couldn't be more excited as she thought about it.

“Yes. Another reason New Guardia gets so many tourists.” James explained as they turned a corner heading towards his game room. As they got closer to the door James could hear familiar music, on entering all doubt was cleared away as he saw Spike struggling to beat the mecha dragon.

“You can only hurt him by hitting his nose.” James calmly said as he watched.

“Ugh, I know. I just don't get the timing.” Spike said as Wonderboy died again.

“Mind if I try?” Twilight cautiously asked.

“When Spike's done.” James said. “You'll have to use your horn to control it since the controls were designed with hands and fingers in mind.”

Spike sighed as he relinquished the controller. “Yeah, I'm tired of losing anyway.”

Twilight took the controller with her magic and examined it. “So, how do I use this?”

James grinned as he thought about the fine control she would need to use it properly. “I'll restart the game quick, then start pressing buttons. You'll figure it out.”

It was nearly midnight when Twilight was done trying to play the game. She had no difficulty using the controller itself, but she didn't get much further than the Mecha dragon herself.

“Okay, that was fun.” Twilight said as she yawned and rubbed her eyes. “But I think it's time for us to go home.”

“Want to use the Enertron first? It's still day in Ponyville.” James suggested.

“I think we'll be okay.” Twilight said, walking away from the display. In truth she wasn't as tired as she seemed, but staring at the display so long had strained her eyes. James handed her a copy of the itinerary and escorted her back to her castle.

As James looked around he realized that he didn't feel like going right back to New Guardia, and he did need to acclimate his guests to his normal appearance. The challenge was doing so without the rest of Ponyville seeing.

This was actually starting to sound fun.

The closest to him here was Rarity. Fortunately she had experience in Truce interacting with humanoids, she likely would be the most receptive to his normal form. James focused for a minute and an image of his Alicorn form appeared around him. With another spell, James himself faded away. The only problem with using a mimicking illusion was that if anyone payed close attention to the walking, it would appear too smooth, and might not react right. Completely ignoring that anything solid simply passed through it.

James pushed the door open and walked out, he had to admit that walking around here felt weird as this was the first time he had been to this world and not been polymorphed. Maintaining the illusion with responsiveness was something he had practice with, but he still had to narrow his focus to accommodate. Getting around like this might just be too tough.

James approached Sweet Apple Acres, he had gone to talk to Rarity but she was working and he knew that disturbing her while she was sewing could be a problem. The Apples were a good second to go to as out in the orchard there wasn't a whole lot of ponies for him to spook. Granny Smith would be the one he had to be particularly careful with, given her age.

Applejack was busy feeding the pigs, with few crops to tend so close to winter she had a particularly light workload but it was still early. “Morning Applejack.” James called as he waved her direction, completely forgetting that he was invisible.

Applejack looked to the pudgy alicorn that moved her way. He wasn't an uncommon sight around here, and was always happy to help out and talk to them. Saying that it's important that he not get distanced from the important work that all to often goes unnoticed. “Mornin' James. What brings you out this way?”
James smiled and it was mirrored on his illusion. “I got the itinerary for the cruise ready for one. And another being that there's something you and Big Mac need to see.”

Applejack gave James a curious look, he usually openly said what he wanted them to know. She trusted him enough to agree, but she wasn't too keen on the idea of him not telling her outright what it was he would be showing them. “Uh, yeah. Just give me a minute to finish with the pigs and I'll go get Big Mac.”

James shrugged as he looked to her, not that she could see it. “Or I could go get him. And if it's alright could I show you in the barn, it would be better to not do this in the open.”

Applejack stopped and thought for a minute. “I think he's already in the barn. I'll meet you both there.”

James could clearly hear the sound of hammering on an anvil as he approached. It was a sound that was familiar to him and gave him a faint sense of comfort as he remembered the industrious dwarfs hard at work in their tunnels in Fayrun. He had even spent more than a decade learning and honing techniques that he would incorporate into his own smithing, already an amalgamation of other cultures techniques. This had allowed him to create his library of powerful enchanted weapons made from exotic materials including mythril, demon bone, and only recently including materials infused with souls. This was information he preferred to keep secret.

Big Mac held the hammer in his teeth and beat the edge of an old tool back into shape. The Apples never got rid of anything that they could readily repair and put back to use so each had become skilled in some area of repair, and Big Mac's strength quickly put him to work at the anvil.

James leaned against a nearby brace as he watched the pony work, not wanting to interrupt his concentration.

It wasn't long after that Applejack walked into the barn. “Uh, Big Mac, we've got a visitor.” She said looking between James's illusion and her brother.

The hammering stopped abruptly at the statement as Big Mac turned to face his sister.

James walked away from the beam. “It's okay, I didn't say anything.”

Big Mac nodded quickly as he saw James.

“Just letting you know that I've finally got things finalized for the cruise. Which does bring up one thing, I'll be in my normal form in New Guardia and it would probably be better to not just surprise everyone with it up there.” James paced as he explained while his illusion stayed in place. The Apples glanced around as the location of James's voice changed.

“I know you said you didn't look like this,” Applejack said as she spoke to the illusion. “but is it really so surprising that you can't just take your normal form?”

James looked over to her as she looked away. “The reason I come here in pony form is to not cause a disturbance. I'm sure everyone could get used to it, but I don't want to stand out too much.”

“Yer an alicorn.” Big mac said flatly.

James laughed at the statement, understanding that it was a big difference. “Yeah, I initially chose that form not understanding what it meant. And I still stick out less that way.” As he spoke he allowed the illusion to fade away.

Applejack began to look around again at his apparent disappearance. “Uhm, where'd you go James?”

James smiled. “I'm right here, give me a moment to drop this invisibility spell. Just be ready to see something new.”

The Apples continued to look around, trying to find his voice. Applejack nearly walked into him, however he sidestepped her and spun her hat quickly. “I do love this spell.” James laughed.

“We still got chores to do.” Applejack said slightly irritated as she turned her hat back around.

James nodded invisibly and dispelled the illusion, standing behind Applejack. Big Mac's eyes went wide as he stared at the creature standing behind his sister. “Heya.” James calmly said.

Applejack looked behind her and jumped away with a shout. “James? Is that really you?”

James chuckled as he smiled down at her. “You know, Apple Bloom asked me the same thing.”

Applejack collected herself quickly as she took in the sight before her. “I guess I didn't know what to expect. And you're tellin' me Apple Bloom's already seen you like this?”

James's smile wasn't going anywhere as he remembered the night so many months ago when Apple Bloom and her friends had found a way into New Guardia castle in an attempt to get cutie marks. No doubt they would try more things while on the cruise. “Do you remember when I brought her and her friends back from sneaking into my home? I understandably stick to my normal form so I kind of surprised her with it and changed before I came here.”

“What are we gonna do about Granny?” Applejack said. “Don't want to spook her too bad.”

James leaned against the wall as he thought about it, he never really came up with an idea about how to do that while he was here. “Good question. Maybe a picture? A picture would be less startling.”

Applejack considered the option, it wasn't a bad idea but had one small complication. “I guess I should go get the camera.”

“That's alright. I've always got one.” James commented as his omnitool lit up.

Applejack examined the instrument, she'd seen it before but didn't know anything about it. It just seemed to do everything James wanted it to do. “How are you gonna take a picture of yourself with that doohickey?”

James tapped a few buttons on the omnitool and a holographic sphere materialized. “Easily. Do you two want to be in the picture too?”

Big Mac looked confused as he watched the sphere float around them before floating off in the distance. “Uh, sure?”

James smiled as he stood between the two. With a flash the drone vanished and James showed them the picture on his omnitool. “Yeah, I don't photograph well. Better with out the long beard though. But this should be good for letting Granny Smith see me without any stress.”

Applejack smiled awkwardly as she looked to James. “Sure, but how?” As she asked her question she put her hoof through the holographic image that James had just taken.

In response James tapped a couple times on the display and the image appeared to burn onto a small sheet of photo paper. He plucked the page out of the air and handed it to Applejack. “Whenever you're ready, of course. And no need to keep the picture if you don't want. I look terrible.”

The illusory alicorn reappeared a short way away from James before he began to fade out. “Well, I've got more ponies to scare today.” James said, the illusion matching his facial expressions. “Any suggestions?” He said, as his avatar perfectly mimicked his wicked smile.

Applejack didn't know exactly where to look as it was obvious now that the pony she could see wasn't James, and wasn't even standing in the same place as James. “I'm not sure I like how much you seem to enjoy the idea.”

“Rainbow Dash it is.” James said with a laugh. “Don't worry, I'll not actually try to scare anyone except her so no need to get angry.”

Applejack wasn't going to let it go at that flimsy assurance. “You're still talking about scaring one of my friends.”

“If anyone could appreciate a good jump scare prank, it's Rainbow Dash … well, her and Pinkie. We'll be laughing about this by the end of the day.” James said dismissively.

“There's no talking you out of this, is there?” Applejack asked seriously.

James chuckled as he turned to leave. “You know me all too well.” With a mental command the illusion shifted position and walked along with him.

Rainbow Dash's home wasn't hard to find, her cutie mark was prominently displayed on it after all. With just a thought he rose into the air, slowly moving towards the door. The clouds that made up the base were oddly thick, but as he suspected they were insubstantial and would not support his weight for even a moment. Must be more Equestrian magic that allows a pegasus to walk on clouds. Form must play a role in that magic as it clearly does for unicorn and alicorn forms. James filed those thoughts away for later study as he approached the door.

As James looked down to the ground he got a hint of vertigo. He had long ago overcome his paralyzing fear of heights, but there was always a lingering uncomfortable feeling. Especially since he knew that the clouds beneath him wouldn't support him as they did the Pegasi.

James dispelled his illusions and knocked on the door, wondering just how any solid matter could be supported by the thick mist. Unfortunately after five minutes there was no answer, it was late enough that she was probably working on the weather or something. His options weren't that many as most of the clouds were cleared away, assuming she was even doing that today.

He tried to think of a good way to look for Rainbow Dash so he could scare her without scaring the rest of the town. While he could sense energy, he wasn't familiar enough with her's specifically to pinpoint her. As he considered his options he recast his invisibility spell on himself, not even a shadow remained. He flew around Ponyville, keeping an eye out for Rainbow Dash, this time though he remembered to watch for other Pegasi as to not cause another incident.

He slowly weaved along the streets, getting a closer look at everything going on below. His search brought up nothing as he approached Sugar Cube Corner. As he was already here he decided he may as well scare Pinkie Pie first.

Flying inside the store he saw Mr. Cake collecting his deliveries and Mrs. Cake at the counter with her twins. I would have thought Pinkie would be with at least one of the twins. James slowly hovered towards the stairs that led up to Pinkies apartment above the store. The door was closed, not that he expected otherwise. He floated back down stairs and watched Mr. Cake leave before he floated into the kitchen.

Mrs. Cake watched the kitchen doors swing much like the front door did earlier. She wanted to dismiss it, but it was bizarre and there was no breeze that would do that.

James watched Pinkie Pie hard at work frosting cupcakes, there weren't a lot left for her to do so a distraction might not be uncalled for. He floated over to the counter, still covered in flour, and carefully used his finger to draw an arrow pointing towards the door. Before floating away from the table James collected a small amount of flour in his hands. All he had to do now was wait.

Pinkie was putting the finishing touches on the last cupcake she was frosting for Mrs. Cake when she noticed it. An arrow was traced in the flour, pointing towards the door. “Ooh, Mysterious arrow!” Pinkie said excitedly as she began walking towards the front of the store. The doors mysteriously swung open just before she reached them, adding to the intrigue.

Pinkie looked out of the door around the shop, nothing seemed odd at first glance but there had to be some reason for the arrow.

Mrs. Cake turned to regard her friend employee and renter as she left the kitchen. “Oh, Pinkie. Are you done already?”

Pinkie didn't look to her as she responded, she was focused on finding some clue as to what was happening. This was really exciting! “Yes, but there was a mysterious arrow pointing me out here I have to find out what it means. It could be something really fun!”

Mrs. Cake had no idea what Pinkie was talking about, but either it had something to do with the door mysteriously opening or it was another odd Pinkie Pie moment. “Oh … Well, have fun.”

It was then that Pinkie noticed it, an unusual mark on the wall by the stairs. She had never seen a mark like it, it was clearly flour on the wall but the shape was odd. It vaguely resembled Spike's claw and pointed upstairs. As she examined it another appeared further up, the shape was mirror to the one she was just examining. Just a few steps up another one remarkably similar to the first appeared followed by another of the second. Pinkie followed them until she came to the landing before her door.

Two more prints appeared on her door as she got close. This was getting more and more interesting, but before she could get to the door to investigate she heard sinister laughter behind her. Pinkie turned to see who was there, but only empty space greeted her.

She felt hot breath on the back of her neck, but her Pinkie sense wasn't alerting her to anything so whatever was happening wasn't any kind of threat. Just as well as Pinkie couldn't help but laugh as the breath tickled her.

James stared at the back of Pinkie's head, he had thought he might get a little tremor of fear from her before she started laughing. James allowed his invisibility to fade as he floated behind her. “Boo.” He calmly said as he twisted his face into the goofiest expression he could think of.

Pinkie turned and saw James, she had never seen a creature like him before. And it looked silly. Pinkie couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight, even as it's face seemed to relax it still looked so strange to her.

“Glad to see you're okay with my true form, Pinkie.” James said as he leaned against the closed door.

“That's what you really look like?!” She asked through her laughter. “You look so silly!” Pinkie wasn't able to stay up any longer and fell to the ground laughing.

James shrugged as he stood up from the door and crouched next to her. “Honestly, I thought I looked silly as a pony.”

Pinkie flipped over and stood as she continued to examine James. “How do you walk without a tail to balance?” She asked as she attempted to take a few steps on her hind legs before falling again.

“My body's just designed different, also I've got a tail. But I'm not here to discuss anatomy, I came to tell you that I've got the itinerary set up for the vacation I told you about.”

Pinkie's laughter subsided as she started to stand. “Oh, right. We're going to have lot's of fun, but I couldn't get anypony from my family to come. Maude is too busy working on her dissertation for her rocktorate, Limestone doesn't want to leave the farm right now, Mom and dad don't want to come. Maybe I could get Marble out for PSSSD, but I don't know if she'll be comfortable enough being one of the only ponies in your world.”

James smiled at Pinkies considerations, it was nice to know how much thought she had put into the situation as well. “Even if you can't get your sisters or parents up there you've still got your friends.”

Pinkie's excitement started to spill over as she thought about everything. “Yeah, but it's a trip to another world! How often does that happen?!”

James smirked as he looked to her. “I'm guessing Twilight didn't tell you that there's a door to New Guardia in her castle. You can use it, just try not to show up in the middle of the night.”

Pinkie shouted as she jumped around before she brought out a confetti cannon and fired it over James. “This will be amazing!” She shouted happily.

James struggled to keep his joke himself, he chewed the inside of his lower lip and walked down the stairs as his illusion spell once again rendered him invisible. He calmly walked out the front door, wondering again where he could find Rainbow Dash. Without any leads he opted to try gently revealing himself to Fluttershy.

Mrs. Cake was getting concerned as the door mysteriously opened again.

James slowly approached the cottage on the hill, he had an idea about how to do this but Fluttershy was gentle. As he got close he heard laughter coming from inside. Discord was clearly having a tea party with her at the moment. Not wanting to interrupt them Jim turned to try again to find Rainbow Dash.

James took a step towards the door before he realized that he was now inside Fluttershy's cottage.

A familiar voice chuckled. “Oh look Fluttershy, it seems you had a guest.” Discord said as he looked directly at James.

“Oh, I don't see anypony.” Fluttershy quietly said.

Discord huffed as he looked James over. “Yes, I seem to be having some trouble undoing this little illusion. No matter!” Discord's horns vanished as a brown straw hat took it's place and he grew a full blond beard. He held a board of paint and a brush and began painting on James. He began to paint James's face a bright blue with a large red smile. As Discord painted James felt something stick to his forehead and start growing out. Leaves sprouted from the sunflower “horn” before James's eyes.

“Not a bad choice.” James said as he swatted a branch. “But I'd have gone with pine tree myself. That grows into a nice horn shape.”

Discord sighed and put down the brush. “Ugh, everypony's a critic.”

Fluttershy looked his way astonished. “James, is that you?”

James bowed as he turned to her. “Yes. I didn't mean to interrupt. Once I heard that you had company I turned to leave.” James allowed his illusion to fade as he looked up to her.

“Oh my, I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd be here today.” She calmly said.

Discord looked James over again. “You know, I didn't realize that was what you really looked like.” He began plucking and eating the petals of the flower. “How boring.”

“If Discord would be kind enough to remove this flower he gave me I could be on my way and let you two enjoy your tea party.” James said, nodding and shaking seeds from the flower that were quickly collected by a family of squirrels.

Discord smiled evilly. “I don't know, are you sure …”

“Discord. Please help him clean up.” Fluttershy calmly interrupted.

Discord's disappointment was plain to hear from his voice. “Oh, alright.” With a snap of his talons The paint and tree vanished.

“All of it please.” Fluttershy insisted. She knew he could be a handful and would occasionally have to remind him that he needed to consider others as well.

Discord laughed at the request. “Oh, I didn't do this. Care to explain …” Discord smiled at James as he held out a microphone for him.

James returned his smile as he took the microphone and looked to Fluttershy. He flipped the Microphone upside down and spoke into the cord. His voice was barely audible from the other end.

“Sorry, I need to fix that one.” Discord chuckled as he handed James a new one. “Try this one.”

With a nod James tried to speak again. However this time his voice came out as Twilight's. “This is my actual form Fluttershy. I just didn't want to cause a disturbance when I came around. And this is a great microphone Discord.”

Discord bowed. “Oh I'm so happy you like it.”

James's arm dropped with the microphone as he smiled. “Though I would appreciate if you changed my voice back.” He said, still in Twilight's voice.

Once again James walked around Ponyville invisibly, his stomach growled as he took another bite from his oat bar. There were only two more ponies in Ponyville who needed to see his true form, and one had so far proven to be frustrating to locate.

As he walked he heard the sound of near sonic flight. There weren't many in Ponyville that flew that fast over the town and all James had to do was look up to find the rapidly vanishing trail distinctive of his target. A sinister grin crept across his face as he finished his bar and floated off the ground. James tensed his muscles and felt his energy welling up in him. With a small shock wave he took off in the direction that Rainbow Dash had flown off in.

As he got up to altitude he flew off towards the small hint he had for her direction. He was gaining on her when she abruptly changed direction. James couldn't hope to make that turn and not swing wide. He came to a complete stop and watched her flight path as he guessed her course. With a burst James took off again and began to once again close the distance between them.

Rainbow Dash had heard from Applejack earlier that James was looking for her with the intent of scaring her. She wasn't bothered by the thought of someone trying to prank her, in fact she welcomed it. Even James would not be getting the best of her. Applejack had shown her the picture of James they had so she knew what to look out for. Of course he could apparently shift between his alicorn form and that new one, so she had to stay alert. Since she got the warning she had been rushing from cloud to cloud, but she didn't want to hide out all day.

James didn't know that she knew about his new shape and she was going to get him first, even if that meant luring him out herself. He wasn't as fast as she was so all she had to do was lead him where she wanted him. Unfortunately she hadn't been able to find him yet. She was always scanning around her for whatever is going on but right now she had to be diligent. If he's been able to get around without being seen so far he's a lot more stealthy than she would expect a stallion his size to be.

Someone nearby was matching her speed, James wasn't the only option but he was a strong candidate. She stopped and looked behind her, but no matter where she looked she didn't see anything chasing her. With the sound getting closer if anyone was following her she'd have seen them by now. Suddenly the sound stopped, if it had faded out she could dismiss it as someone flying off, but this had stopped abruptly. Someone had been following her and was now close.

At her height she could jump off the cloud and silently glide to her home. Clearly if James were looking for her he'd eventually show up there. She probably had time to plan out a good counter if she made it there. A glance around the cloud told her that no one was nearby, but she couldn't be too careful. If James was near he was going to spring his trap. She spread her wings and fell off the edge of the cloud gliding towards her home.

James watched Rainbow Dash drop off the cloud, she was going much slower now and he could easily catch up to her. James recast his invisibility before he dropped out of the cloud and followed her. It was a short distance to Rainbow Dash's home, her obvious goal from her path. James dropped well below her before catching himself and flying into the clouds that composed the base of her home.

It was minutes as Rainbow Dash glided towards her home. There was no hint of anyone following her her entire trip home. She landed softly on the clouds and began to walk towards her house, unaware that James was laying in wait just beneath the surface.

He knew his invisibility would dispel the moment he struck, but that didn't matter. He kept the top of his head out of the clouds, his breath moving the top layer of mist. Rainbow Dash walked over James, just as he hoped. Once she was just past him he snapped his hands out and caught her hooves, pulling her down to her waist into the cloud.

Rainbow Dash screamed as she sank into the clouds, beating her wings fiercely as she tried to pull herself up. However she was unable to get away from the vice-like grip that continued dragging her down, further into the clouds. Desperately she used her front legs and wings to push against the cloud with everything she had, but she continued to sink. Whatever was holding her hind legs in place released it's grip, but only as a new grip came around her just above her wings. Only her head was out of the clouds as she finally came to a stop.

“Gotcha.” James said with a sinister laugh.

Rainbow Dash pulled herself out of the cloud and glared down at James's head just barely sticking out of the cloud itself. She continued to grimace for a moment before she began to snicker at the strange creature looking up at her. She could respect a good scare as long as it was good, and this one had been. Before long her snickering turned to full blown laughter. “How long were you waiting there?”

James chuckled as he realized she really didn't know he had been following her. “Actually I followed you here.”

Rainbow Dash's mouth hung open as she realized that at no point did she actually see him. “How? I made sure nopony was following me.”

James smirked as he spoke, while she must have seen him at some point to not be surprised at his appearance he clearly stayed quiet enough to not be noticed. “First. I'm no pony so you're right, no pony followed you. Second, I have magic that renders me invisible so you wouldn't be able to see me no matter how hard you looked.” True enough, as long as she didn't know what to look for she wouldn't be able to see where he was.

Rainbow Dash shook her head as she looked down at James. “So you couldn't sneak up on me without magic, huh. Well, I guess you have to go that far when dealing with somepony as awesome as myself.”

James floated up to the point where he was just a little above the cloud. “More so when I have to hide from everyone. So where did you see me earlier? I just want to know in case I messed up my spell.”

Rainbow looked at the strange creature again. “Actually I saw a picture that Applejack had, she's the one who told me you were planning on scaring me.”

James smiled and stifled a chuckle. “I see, I see. Well I guess there's only one pony to talk to now.”

Rainbow Dash got a mischievous smile as she looked to James. “Want some help pranking her?” She offered.

James shook his head, he'd only intended two pranks and pulled them both off. Kind of. That and he didn't want to offend his tailor, just in case he needed her to alter anything for his alicorn form. “That's alright. It was only you and Pinkie Pie getting pranked today. But if Applejack didn't tell you already, the cruise has been finalized. Let me know if you're planning on bringing anyone.”

Rainbow Dash thought about it for a moment when she realized that there was someone she was going to be bringing. “You mentioned that if Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle were coming you'd make room for Scootaloo. Well her aunts said she can come, but I need to keep an eye on her. Is that still alright?”

James nodded as he spoke, he knew from the night they first wandered through his home that those fillies would be back and all together. “That's still the plan. Feel free to let her know she's welcome to come along. Her aunts are welcome to come too, but if they're okay with her going with you as her guardian that's just fine. I bet she'll love the paragliding.”

“So who's left?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked out over Ponyville.

“Just Rarity, since she's got her shop I decided to not bother her until after she closed. That and she's already been to New Guardia so she's not likely to be that bothered by my form.” James said as he looked in the direction of her boutique.

Rainbow Dash sighed. “Come on, it'll be hilarious.”

James shook his head as he thought about the idea. “Nah, if it's anyone but you or Pinkie I'd have to really plan it out. … Not a bad idea though.”

Rarity locked her door as she left to get something to eat. She'd been busy all day and felt she deserved a treat. There was a strange sound as she walked along, similar to Spikes step in that there was no clop. But this was a lot heavier step with a scrape. Rarity looked around, ready to see something near by, but the closest creature to her was a pony who was still across the street. The steps stopped shortly after hers. She wanted to look for any prints but the cobblestone streets were no good for finding tracks. She would just have to get more information as she walked along.

“Don't be alarmed.” A familiar voice said.

Rarity immediately looked around again. She knew she heard James's voice, but he was nowhere to be seen. Not around or above. “Why would I be alarmed?” She cautiously asked.

James looked down to her, even with his invisibility she had noticed him easier than Rainbow Dash had. “Because I'm invisible.”

Rarity listened carefully, she could tell James was on her right just next to the road but also higher than normal. If he was floating why would there be a step next to her. “Well I was just going to go get myself some dinner. I would rather not be talking to myself the whole time, though. So if you care to make yourself visible again we can continue our conversation.”

James smiled awkwardly. “Well, I'm not really presentable to the public.”

“Dear, if you're worried about how you look don't be. But if you must I suppose you can go into the boutique and find something that works.” Rarity said with a sigh. Of course she’d let him have anything that looked good on him, but that wouldn’t help his confidence.

“Oh, no I'm dressed. I just don't want to cause a stir since I'm not a pony right now.” James calmly argued. “If you're getting dinner I can come back later.”

Rarity sighed as she began to walk again. “No darling, that's alright. I'll just have to deal with an invisible date.”

James shrugged as he began to follow her. “Well, I'll pay then. No reason to look crazy without some recompense.”

– – – – – – – – – – – – –

The next week James met with the ponies he'd hired to work on the cruise to introduce them to their humanoid coworkers and get them acclimated to scenario. Each worker was scheduled on rotation, and would be considered additional guests when off duty. Followed by a final personal inspection of each suite and the scheduled events starting with the initial party being planned by Cheese Sandwich.

Twilight's castle began to fill that evening with all of the ponies coming for the cruise. Included in the group were a few surprises like Rarity's parents and Zephyr Breeze. While James hadn't planned on them he was prepared to house twice as many ponies as he had anticipated on attending.

James was in his alicorn form while they were still in Ponyville meeting with each pony coming on the cruise as it was easier than maintaining two illusions, one being dynamic. “I'm glad to see you all today.” James said as the last of them joined. “I imagine many of you've been looking forward to this, but there are a few details to go over before we all go to New Guardia. Teleporting everyone like this can be a little bumpy. You will feel like you're falling and this is perfectly normal. You won't actually be falling so there's no need to worry about catching yourselves or loved ones. The second is that the ponies of New Guardia aren't like yourselves, they're a completely different creature that only slightly physically resembles you. They're little different from farm animals, you will also find a wide range of creatures that look like none in Equestria.”

James used his illusion magic to conjure images of elves dwarfs humans and even several pokemon. “While the people may not all be as friendly as you're used to, we are all of a good nature. There will be selections of exotic foods available, and for the less adventurous I enlisted the aid of some of the best Equestrian chefs and cooks I could find. There are more specific things, but those are covered in information pamphlets available on the ship. … Sorry, I really don't like talking this much to groups.”

Twilight approached James as he looked out over the attending group. “I don't think that they know about the time difference.” She whispered, having tried looking around herself she realized that could be an issue.

“Oh, good point.” James said as he turned back to the audience. “It is early morning at the tail end of summer in New Guardia at the moment, so there's a time differential you'll have to get used to. And be prepared for stars the likes of which you've never seen. Does anyone have any questions before we go?”

James waited in the silence, satisfied that he had prepared them as much as he could. “Alright then, just remember, you're not actually falling so there's nothing to worry about.” James said as he brought out his omnitool, locked on to everyone in attendance, and transported them to Truce's center square.

As expected there were surprised shouts and most of the ponies attempted to catch themselves. It was a hard reflex to suppress even when you were expecting it. Once everyone had settled down they began to take in their new surroundings.

The original Leene's belle hung at the center of Truce in a patch of lush green grass surrounded by cobblestone roads. Trees grew around the city square, obscuring but not blocking the view of the homes in the distance, a tall mountain loomed a short ways ahead of them with a waterfall cascading down and feeding into a small river that marked the edge of Truce before emptying into the ocean.

There weren't many people out that morning, and those who were were aware of the alien species advisory James had put out months earlier so the new Sentients were not a surprise to them.

With only a delay to allow everyone to get their bearings, James began to lead them to the docks where the luxury liner awaited. As they got to a small building just off the dock James excused himself and transformed into his normal form. Not that his appearance was noted beyond brief curiosity compared to the scale of the boat that waited for them.

Even Celestia was awed by the size of the boat that awaited them, it was far larger than any she had seen in Equestria, and James's assurance that this was a luxury liner only made it more impressive. Already they could hear music playing from the boat, alerting them to the party that awaited.

James was actually surprised when the only Pegasus to fly up to the boat was Zephyr. Rainbow Dash stayed right at Scootaloo's side as they took the ramp up to the boat's entrance. Though no one was surprised when Pinkie Pie ran onto the boat, passing everyone to get to the party.

Fluttershy approached James as they walked up the ramp. “I'm so sorry about my brother, but I had to get him out of our parent's house for a while.”

James shook his head and smiled warmly at the gentle pegasus. He had known this was possible and didn't think anything of it. If anything the only one to be really bothered by it would be Rainbow Dash … He may have to do something about that, he couldn't have someone ruining the cruise for one of his guests. “Well he'll only be out for a day, unless you want me to bring him back later. I can arrange that if you like, he won't notice and your parents get a break.”

Fluttershy was dumbfounded. She hadn't intended to bring him at all, but he heard about it and basically invited himself. She knew James said she could bring her family, but Zephyr could be a hand full. Which is also why she wasn't that opposed to him coming, it would get him out of their parents house for a while even if he wasn't doing anything. “Maybe a couple days.” She was astonished to hear the words coming from her mouth. Quickly she gasped and covered her mouth before looking to James, who just smiled and nodded.

James remembered several members of his own family as he looked to Fluttershy. “I've got family just like him.” He knew enough about Zephyr to not consider him a lost cause like so many others he knew. “Come on you're here on vacation, go have fun. Don't worry about your brother.”

“It's nice to see you, James.” Cadence said as she approached James. “The real you that is.”

James chuckled as he turned to face the couple as they approached. “It's great to see you two. And if either of you starts feeling seasick let me know. I've got some remedies for it.”

Shining Armor chuckled awkwardly. “I don't get seasick.” He said with a smile and mock confidence.

James nodded, even if he didn't already believe otherwise he knew that laugh well enough from many people to tell Shining Armor was lying. “It's an open offer. I keep the remedies handy because I get seasick pretty easily.”

“We'll keep that in mind.” Cadence said with a laugh.

Author's Note:

Yeah, still nothing serious going on.

If anyone could appreciate a Jump scare it would be Pinkie Pie and Rainbow Dash.

The cruise itself has not been written both because I couldn’t think of anything interesting to put in other than a couple amusing scenes and because that leaves room to add some little things that could be fun but aren't related to the story. Even as unrelated as this seems.

Comments

[chibilink]

“You're welcome to stay, I understand if you'd rather go home ot back to Truce though.”