A Crystal Pony in Canterlot

Vigorous was the step of the crystalline stallion who navigated the cobblestone streets of this new and fascinating city. To his left, a pageant marble and whitewashed facades extended into infinity. Every one of them boasted the most impressive architecture and delicate ornamentation, and some rose as tall as one could envision. How meticulous these ponies were -- and for what reason? To his right lay the immediate answer. Innumerable ponies arranged themselves in groups and socialized, consumed, admired, and busied themselves with everything except labor -- by all means taking advantage of their entitlements as members of the aristocracy.

Invariably by his side was the ruby mare with whom he shared his joy and confidence; and as the pair progressed along, they attracted the glances of many an intrigued onlooker. Even for one as familiar with diamonds as the constituents of the Canterlot elite, a pony of pure crystal was a fair spectacle. Moreover, as they stood in close proximity, light which passed through the pair tinted the ground with an eye-catching color like that of roses. Of course, the spectators had only a moment of time to express their awe before returning to their more pertinent private discussions.

Divertimento turned to his companion and nudged her cheek inquiringly, gesturing to an unoccupied table in the shade. Apparently, he was eager to set his instrument down and rest for a while.

"Hm?" Rhapsody hummed, a nudge on her cheek drawing her attention away from the gilded surroundings and inquisitive ponies. There were several indiscreet ponies following them down the street, and while she had expected that the presence of herself and Divertimento would cause a stir, Rhapsody thought the ponies of Canterlot would act with a little more... decorum.

Looking towards the nearby table that Divertimento gestured to, Rhapsody breathed a sigh of relief. The silver pony must have been as tired as she was, and a spell spent in the shade would do them good.

"That's a great idea Divertimento, let's grab it before anypony else," Rhapsody exclaimed, trotting towards one of the chairs. She set her black violin case on the ground next to the seat, and sank into the chair, groaning in relief.

Amber Flash walked down the streets of Canterlot, one of the first stops of her globe trotting tour. Although the tall, imposing buildings were built with care, experience, and style, in her mind they paled in comparison to the towering crystalline structures of her home. Still, the city was quite different, and the sight of the Royal Castle was enough to make the visit worthwhile.

Amber continued to trot along the street, her back free from the burden of her equipment, which she left at the inn where she was staying. Her ruby red mane and amber body glistened in the sunlight, as multicoloured lights danced around her. Another sheen caught her eye, as she looked over to the side of the street. Two other crystal ponies seemed to be visiting Canterlot as well, and were seated at a shaded table. Amber Flash quickly trotted towards them. "Hey!" she said, "More crystal ponies, and here I thought I was the only one." Amber reached up with a hoof and pushed her mane out of her left eye, which immediately fell back in front. "My name is Amber Flash!" She said, with a large smile on her face.

Elegance put her pen down. Yes, that would work. The realisation that she had a fully formed idea that could be put into practice for the project which was now underway brought a smile to her features. Not a smirk, not a sneer, but a genuine expression of happiness. It could possibly, just very possibly be something that can represent the almost impossibly beautiful pattern of starlight.

It was a number of factors that led to this scheme. Her notes on the light trickery of the hall of family trees, and of course, the revelation of the Crystal ponies and their empire. Their reveal had caused her to research their whole design philosophy and aesthetics. It was...glittery. Very light oriented. It made sense, considering that their entire makeup was made up of reflective material.

Speaking of...Elegance noticed light playing on her paper, and looked up in curiosity at the source. Oh. That was not something you saw every day. Three Crystal Ponies, sitting together, scattering light like rice at a wedding. Elegance wondered how one could actually see anything in an entire city of them. Contrast is the key she wrote down on her notes. Constant light is blinding, and when it is all you see, not special. However, sparkles shine brighter when encased in darkness and that's why the dawn seems is more hopeful than noon. Elegance thought about it a bit more. I would imagine the cities of the crystal Empire to look beautiful at night.

Divertimento turned his attention to the approaching mare. Her benevolent demeanor was enough to compel him to return a smile. Beyond that, however, he could do no more than cordially extend a hoof. In this way, he cued Rhapsody to offer her reply; and, having done so, now came to notice a fourth mare whom he believed had momentarily looked upon them from the distance.

As quickly as he had identified her, the stallion began assessing her style and appearance. Without doubt, he conceived, she embodied the essence of the Canterlot bourgeoisie which he still sought to discover. For a moment, he even desired to see what it was the many and deliberate articulations of her utensil had produced.

Rhapsody looked up at the nearby mare, taking in her crystalline appearance. Seeing Divertimento defer this part of the conversation to her, she introduced the two of them to the new pony.

"Hello Amber Flash. My name is Rhapsody, and this is Divertimento. It is nice to see another crystal pony about. Makes the stares less intense," Rhapsody said, certain that Amber would agree. It would be nigh impossible to traverse this country without drawing substantial attention.

Rhapsody glanced over at Divertimento, and saw his gaze drawn to another mare outside their group. Leaving Divertimento to his own devices, Rhapsody asked of Amber, "What brings you all the way to Canterlot?"

Amber Flash cocked her head slightly, almost imperceptibly. It seemed that the one pony did not speak, and was getting the other one, Rhapsody, to speak on his behalf. Amber was not quite sure if he was a mute, or such a snobby pony that he decided speaking to lowly ponies was below him. He seemed like a nice guy, so she decided on the former. "Yes, I do get quite a lot of stares. But I guess we do shine somewhat. That could catch some pony's eye."

"What brings me to Canterlot? Well, partly because I am a famous Crystal Empire jouster! With the Equestrian Games coming up, I decided to travel a bit, train here and there with different ponies and get a leg up on the competition. The second reason, is, well, for fun! An exciting adventure! Traveling the world, seeing the sights!" She said, looking a little bit too excited.

Sketching was a skill hammered into the Designs from when they first learned how to put pencil to paper. Drawing out what you had in mind was an essential skill in the family, and Elegance was proud to say she was in the better half of a competitive group.

Not only was it a useful skill when planning structures and the like, it served as a calming hobby. Now, she was sketching the three crystal ponies, tracing the beams of light that they reflected. It was a sunny day, so the reflected light was hard to see...it was a bit of a trade, really. Too bright, the crystal effect wasn't very effective. Too dark, and there was no light to reflect.

The stallion glanced curiously at Amber Dash, causally reminiscing of fond memories composed years ago in his homeland. Distinct in his mind were the bold fanfares, characteristic of the sport, as well as the thrilling crash of the lance as it splintered against the unbreakable pelt of the advancing opponent.

Still within the purview of his consciousness, however, was the distant observer with the pen and parchment. With a casual tap on the shoulder of his companion and a courteous excusatory gesture to Amber, Divertimento departed to interact with the onlooking mare. Stopping a few tail lengths from the table of the unaccompanied mare, he waved and produced a candid smile. It was all he could summon for now.

"A jouster?" Rhapsody replied, a newfound interest in this new crystal pony growing within her. And her overexcitement was quite diverting. "I've always loved watching the jousts. Not as much as the music festivals mind you, but they are still quite entertaining."

"Divertimento and I are here to perform for several of the Elite," Rhapsody said, gesturing to her violin case. "We decided it was high time we got out of the Empire as well." Remembering her wayward companion, she decided to be a little more courteous.

"Divertimento may not return for a time. While he's gone, why don't you sit for a spell? It would be nice to talk to another mare for a while, after spending all that time in Diver's company."

Amber Flash sat across the table from Rhapsody. "The jousts were usually the favourite, but I can see why you enjoy the music festivals. they are very lovely to listen to* She said, brushing her mane out of her face again.

Amber nodded in agreement with Rhapsody. "Yes. As much as I love the Empire, I just really want to go exploring.All sorts of places and all sorts of sights to see. I can't pass an opportunity like that up." She said smiling and lounging in her chair.

"I can see why you would want more company. Your companion does not talk much. Is he a mute, or does he just have very little to say?" She asked, interested in this other crystal pony.

Elegance looked up from her paper to see that one of the crystal ponies had broken from the group and was now waving at her. Sighing slightly, she put her pencil down, and looked hard at the crystalite that had approached her with a calculating expression, before waving a hoof of her own.

"I am sorry, but can I help you?" she said sharply, with undertones of caution. The pony seemed nice enough, but as of yet made no indication of what he desired from her, so it was best to put on a formal, polite manner. Perhaps he had noticed Elegance sketching him and his companions and wished for her to stop. In that case, this stallion would be incredibly observant.

There was also something else about the stallion, Elegance thought, as she glanced at the chattering crystalites that had remained at their table, but the young Design couldn't put a hoof on it...

With ears inclined to discern the subtle agitations in her speech, Divertimento keenly paused to consider his next course of action. Whereas the stallion normally avoided leading encounters with new individuals, he recognized that the mare had expressed some extent of interest through her intermittent glances, and therefore mustered the confidence to carry on.

With smile intact, he dismissed her inquiry with a respectful nod and warmly extended a hoof to shake. His snout simultaneously eased in the direction of her art; and although Divertimento indeed knew not -- nor intended to determine for himself -- what it depicted, he meant to suggest that she would be at liberty to engage herself without discretion if she so chose.

Characteristically, he made no indication as to why he had not replied verbally.

"Oh, he's mute. He communicates well though. I've been around him so often that I have no trouble understanding him." Rhapsody glanced at where her instrument lay, and shifted further up against the wall.

"Besides, music has a voice of its own. Divertimento is especially good at conveying how he feels through his viola. It's part of what makes him such a good musician."

Rhapsody had thought then, concerning what she and her friend would do for the rest of the day.
"I know you have not been here long Amber, but do you have any idea of what there is to do around here during the day? All anypony seems to be doing is shopping and eating."

Amber shrugged and shook her head. "I actually just arrived this morning. Dropped off my stuff where I am staying and came out here. I was going to go check out the jousting team practice later today, but I'm not too sure of the sights to go see here." She said apologetically.

Amber then turned her gaze back towards the other crystal pony attempting to communicate with the mare. "Should we go and help him? Or is he ok on his own?" she asked.

"I apologise if I have offended," Elegance said solemnly, before turning her book around to reveal the sketch of the three crystal ponies, "But crystal ponies are a bit of a novelty and I honestly haven't seen any of your kind before."

The sketch was in it's starting stages, and had a distinct lack of detail. What it did have was the figures of three crystal ponies and the light reflecting off them. Elegance had paid special attention to the light. If she had the time she would have shown how they contrasted with the shadows of the surroundings.

Elegance had figured that this pony was the quiet sort, the holder of few words when compared to his chatty companions. That was perfectly fine. It was the empty vessels that made the most noise after all. "What do you think?" she asked, wondering what sort of reaction it would invoke, if any.

Divertimento assumed her apology to be a formality and waved the notion away with a hoof. He instead contorted his posture, inviting himself to view her sketch at a better angle. The visual arts pleased the stallion particularly.

How, with their inherent capacities for communicating emotions, they exceeded their inert state! And how enrapturing were the subtle strokes of her pen, contributing depth and dimension to what was, in truth, a plane! Indeed, the recreation of light caught his eye and elicited a grin.

For lack of a means by which to express these sentiments, he simply nodded in earnest approval; and nearly reached forward to touch the paper likeness of himself, but stopped just short for the sake of respect.

"He's alright on his own, but I would like to see what pony caught his interest. Besides, I think I've rested enough to go out walking again." Rhapsody decided, looking following Amber's gaze.

Rhapsody got up out of her chair, and slung her violin over her back. She then remembered Divertimento's viola, and how she would carry it over to him.

"Amber, could you do me a favor and carry Divertimento's viola? I cannot carry both, and I might drop it." she asked, hoping the other pony wouldn't mind.

Amber Flash smiled. "Of course I don't mind. No job too big for Amber Flash!" She said, hoisting the viola onto her back. "I'm used to carrying my heavy armour and lance, this is no problem." She said, smiling.

Along with the other crystal pony, Amber trotted over to where Divertimento was talking to the local. "You forgot you instrument when you left bud." she said, smiling at the crystal pony.

Elegance breathed a small sigh of relief. It seemed like a positive response, and among strangers positive was always the way to go. She felt that criticism wouldn't go entirely amiss though...

"Thank you for your kind response," she said solemnly, before looking up to see the crystal poy's companions approaching, carrying cases that seemed to mark them as musicians. Elegance wasn't exactly a musical pony. Sound did not last in the air long enough to resonate with her. But she could appreciate the effect it had on ponies. One of her forebearers, Acoustic Design, was a master at building concert halls and did all sorts of sound trickery that seemed to be like magic using only strategic positioning of stone wood and marble.

"Good day," she said, nodding to the other ponies, "I am Lady Elegance of the noble Design family.May I help you?"

Divertimento acknowledged the transit of his viola with a gracious nod toward Amber Flash. He stepped aside and retrieved his instrument, which he then slung gently over his back. Beyond that, he merely waited in silence for his initial companions to introduce himself, and reflected upon the brief encounter.

Elegance struck him as a rather reserved individual. Whereas he appreciated her composure and politeness, he inevitably surmised that she was one to pick and choose her acquaintances. Perhaps, he pursued further, her mannerisms were merely characteristic of the Canterlot elite.

Automatically, the stallion drifted back to the side of Rhapsody.

"Hello Lady Elegance. My name is Rhapsody," the crystal mare introduced herself as she observed the new pony in front of her.

"I saw my friend Divertimento took an interest in what you were doing. We were curious as to what could capture his attention so suddenly," Rhapsody said as she playfully poked Divertimento in the shoulder. "But first I should let my friend introduce herself!" She looked towards Amber expectingly.

Amber smiled as Divertimento took the viola from her. Although she would like to hear the words 'thank you' she could see the llok of it in his eyes and gestures and that was enough to satisfy her. She then turned her gaze towards the new pony. "My name is Amber Flash. Pleased to meet you." She said, extending out a hoof towards Elegance.

"Pleasure is all mine," Elegance replied, taking Flash's hoof and shaking it.

"Well, what I think caught your friend's attention through this," she said, holding up her sketch of the crystal ponies. "He has an eye for art, I think."