The ship nuzzled up to the Manehattan docks as if felt particularly fond of them. A cheer went up from its decks, and the cheer was echoed on the shore.
Appearances could be deceiving. In its day, the ‘Jolly Galloper’ had been most unwelcome at the Manehattan seaport, for its habit of disgorging pirates to rob the place. But the ‘Galloper’ had belonged to Kabochaebi… and for years now, its visits to ports all over Equestria had been peaceful and benevolent. Continue reading
They entered Chowa in a sort of triumphial procession: not through anything they’d done, at least that day, but simply because ponies lined the streets from the outskirts of the city all the way to the amphitheater where they’d set up and play. The ponies stood in Neighponnese politeness, not blocking the way, not even cheering—but staring, rapt, as if they were already planning to tell their grandfoals ‘that was the day I watched Octavia and DJ Pon-3 perform for all of Neighpon’.
Big Macintosh’s ears were laid back as he pulled the cart, but apart from that he was not perturbed. He’d had mares stare at him that way before. Anyhoof, it was the cargo of the cart he pulled which bore the brunt of the attention. Continue reading
“There! Over there!”
“Where, Tavi?”
“Through the… argh, it’s gone again! That snow up there! Break in the clouds!” Continue reading
Vinyl Scratch wriggled and stretched, in the sunbeam.
He drew her closer without waking, and the sensation flipped her heart… or, perhaps, jounced it? Penetrated it? He’d been doing that, though not with her heart. Continue reading
Kichona scuffed at the grass with a hoof. “Come out of there, right now!”
“Nooo!” came the reply.
“What ever is the matter?” she begged. Continue reading
“Sooooo…” said Vinyl Scratch, “what do you want to see at the next gig?”
Octavia frowned. “What do you mean by that, Vinyl Scratch?” Continue reading
For all that he was a Kirin, Daitana skulked like he was a fugitive.
“Oh, hello!” said the earth pony mare, stopping as she crossed the street, staring at Daitana with apparent delight. “Are you here to save us?” Continue reading
*blinkblink* *awake*
…before dawn.
Vinyl Scratch wriggled, restless. She glared into the dark. You never knew when it would sneak up on you: after all those gigs, she’d have thought herself immune to pre-show jitters, but there she was: wakeful before dawn, and having to make that awful decision: get up far too early, or try and force a little more sleep?
Of course, it wasn’t just the gig. It was still performance in a sense, but it wasn’t only DJing on the agenda. Scratch had a feeling of trepidation that beatmongering alone couldn’t produce, and a kind of excitement that used to belong to the gigs themselves.
It was a funny thing. As you got good, really good, in some ways your art got less scary. You could try and bring back the danger and novelty of your first gigs through various means, allowing for dodgy equipment or trying bold transitions and audience-challenging stunts… but the audience learned too. It learned with you, and it learned about you, and even though she hadn’t played Neighpon for ages, word spread fast. She wasn’t going to need to explain much. The beats of Fillydelpia’s wildest clubs spoke loudly to Neighpon villages and required little translation.
It was what Vinyl planned for after the gig that had her excited and nervous. Continue reading
The skies over Neighpon were crystal blue, almost too perfect to be real. Colorful pegasi in pointy costumes zipped across the sky: patrolling, but not finding monsters, weird or otherwise.
When they passed over a certain valley, their ears turned, and they soared as if finding thermals over the small natural amphitheater.
They pirouetted, in pairs or alone, keeping still and quiet in their meditative flight, so they could listen. Continue reading
Kawa and Yosuru crept through the night, keeping near the treeline and peering around by the light of the moon and stars.
Kawa looked up, sharply. “Do you feel that?” he asked, but one glance told him that his Kirin companion felt it, too.
Wrongness. Wickedness, tragedy, injustice, lurking in the shadows… Continue reading
At the edge of the clearing, near the outskirts of town, a lovely grey mare with green eyes and sandy mane and tail walked out into the sunlight.
She blinked, her ears quirking back in surprise. Not at an unexpected sound… but an unexpected absence of sound.
She glanced back. Continue reading
“That was AWESOME!” squeed Rainbow Dash.
Flight Lightning rolled her eyes, grinning. “I think we’ve got a new secret weapon, Dash. Sweetie Belle, how did you think of all that stuff?”
“Please, be quieter!” begged Sweetie. “I’ll tell you if you just don’t make so much noise, okay?” Continue reading
Kirin did not freak out, as a rule. Kirin… considered. Kirin took a long view, and did not jump to conclusions if they could help it.
Kirin, confronting the mystery of the empty boat and the mysterious tracks in the sand, undertook to consider this as well… and did so, patiently.
And sometimes, unbeknownst to ponies, Kirin politely argued, abandoning their elaborate courtly diction, over the management of their charges and the extent of their responsibilities to their little ponies of all sorts. Continue reading
“Slow down, honey,” pleaded Flight Lightning. “Start over. What happened?”
Scootaloo took a big breath. “It’s Dad! It’s Braeburn! He’s gone!” Continue reading
“So,” said Applejack, “this is the low dive of a tavern, eh?”
Uni blinked in puzzlement. “I do not understand?”
“Ah mean, the one with sailors,” explained Applejack. “Real sailors. Rowdy dirty sailor ponies, know what I mean?”
It didn’t appear that the Neighponnese earth pony, wife to Mugennokaijitsu the rare foods trader, knew what she meant. Continue reading
“Where does this big speaker go, Scratchie?” asked Octavia.
Scratch frowned. “You shouldn’t be moving it, Tavi. It’s heavy!”
Octavia scoffed. “It’s fine! Oof… mostly fine! I’m strong enough, Scratchie, don’t worry.” Continue reading