open IC: Neighbors of Ponyville (1x1 with Skylight Scintillate)

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

On 2023-09-13 at 3:16 PM, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia would look to the two of them. She would smile softly as she would explain, "We use light crystals to illuminate underground greenhouses in large caves. It's pretty interesting...I've seen it a handful of times, caves so large that could fit an entire town inside of them. Sometimes there can be whole fields of plants in those caves we've cultivated to grow certain things. The Crystal Empire is...always cold and snowy, but when we discovered how to do that...we were no longer so cold and hungry all the time." she said, looking at them with innocent eyes. 

"Huh, well that sounds like quite an interesting and unique way of growing plants. I think it's very resourceful of the Crystal ponies to do so. I wonder what the implications of this are. Perhaps this would allow plants that require very warm temperatures," Skylight pondered out loud. 

On 2023-09-13 at 3:16 PM, Props Valroa said:

"It's just that...I never was able to get one no matter what I tried. I don't even know what I enjoy..." Lazulia said with a sad tone in her eyes. "That's why I came here...to find myself...to escape my m-" Lazulia cut herself off as a few tears fell from her eyes and she looked away, not wanting to go further with that for now. "It's okay it just...I don't know what to do. I don't know who I am or what my purpose is..." Lazulia would wander over to one of the chairs and sit down, looking down at the ground with sadness in her eyes.

"That's why I was never able to get my cutie mark..." but then a thought crossed her mind, "But what if I don't need...or want one? Why would I want to be tied to one destiny...? Maybe the truth is...I was never meant to have one?" Lazulia said, looking back up into Skylight, her eyes meeting hers as if she was asking her for an answer. 

"It's ok not to know what you like. It just means that you haven't had time to learn about yourself yet. While the Cutie Mark Crusaders are assuming you have some interests already, I'm sure you'll find something you like from their suggestions. Personally, I'm quite interested to see what they have in mind for activities... And you can take your time discovering yourself. It's a process. As for being tied to one destiny, well I have a cutie mark, and I'm all over the place! If you don't believe me, just ask one of my friends, the Element of Honesty," Skylight said, trying to reassure Lazulia while gesturing to Applejack.

"Yeah Skylight is a wild one. One week, she could be debating economics with Cheerilee, the next, she could be talkin' with Pinkie Pie about genetically modifyin' apple trees for extra juicy apples and confetti leaves, and the next, she could be researchin' new branches of magic with Twilight. Just because you found ya special talent doesn't mean ya can't like other things," Applejack explained. Skylight nodded in agreement. "Now if ya excuse me, I gotta check in on the Cutie Mark Crusaders..."

"Whenever you're ready, we can continue our tour of Ponyville," Skylight said.

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Quote

"Huh, well that sounds like quite an interesting and unique way of growing plants. I think it's very resourceful of the Crystal ponies to do so. I wonder what the implications of this are. Perhaps this would allow plants that require very warm temperatures," Skylight pondered out loud. 

"I imagine it would be possible. The Crystal Empire was...a nation that once existed on Equestria's Borders. Because of the Empire's Banishment, the Capital itself has been stuck in time while the rest of the nation absorbed into Equestria over the centuries. When the Capital itself re-appeared, we had no idea how much time had passed...only to find out that the rest of the Empire no longer existed. We could probably import plants from Equestria and make our meals more...delicious." she said, suddenly thinking about Pinkie Pie's pastries.

 

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"It's ok not to know what you like. It just means that you haven't had time to learn about yourself yet. While the Cutie Mark Crusaders are assuming you have some interests already, I'm sure you'll find something you like from their suggestions. Personally, I'm quite interested to see what they have in mind for activities... And you can take your time discovering yourself. It's a process. As for being tied to one destiny, well I have a cutie mark, and I'm all over the place! If you don't believe me, just ask one of my friends, the Element of Honesty," Skylight said, trying to reassure Lazulia while gesturing to Applejack.

"Yeah Skylight is a wild one. One week, she could be debating economics with Cheerilee, the next, she could be talkin' with Pinkie Pie about genetically modifyin' apple trees for extra juicy apples and confetti leaves, and the next, she could be researchin' new branches of magic with Twilight. Just because you found ya special talent doesn't mean ya can't like other things," Applejack explained. Skylight nodded in agreement. "Now if ya excuse me, I gotta check in on the Cutie Mark Crusaders..."

"Whenever you're ready, we can continue our tour of Ponyville," Skylight said.

Lazulia would chuckle lightly to Applejack's explanation as she called Skylight a "Wild one". "Well, thank you for the help, Applejack...I uh, I'll be seeing you around." she said and smiled as Applejack left. Lazulia was a bit awkward and nervous so she wasn't sure what else to say to Applejack other than that she felt that Applejack was a rather nice mare who could probably help her in the future.

Lazulia would turn to look back at the room they were just standing in before she began to lead the way out of Applejack's home. "Applejack says you are always up to a lot of different things..." she said, looking back at Skylight. "Where do you want to show me next?" Lazulia asked, as if a bit excited to see where Skylight would lead her next. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa

On 2023-09-17 at 12:54 AM, Props Valroa said:

"I imagine it would be possible. The Crystal Empire was...a nation that once existed on Equestria's Borders. Because of the Empire's Banishment, the Capital itself has been stuck in time while the rest of the nation absorbed into Equestria over the centuries. When the Capital itself re-appeared, we had no idea how much time had passed...only to find out that the rest of the Empire no longer existed. We could probably import plants from Equestria and make our meals more...delicious." she said, suddenly thinking about Pinkie Pie's pastries.

"Oh, I didn't know that about The Crystal Empire's history. Well, I think that Equestria could also import some plants from The Crystal Empire. This star fruit that you mentioned sounds pretty cool. I wonder what kinds of interesting foods we could create by combining the different foods..." Skylight pondered. 

On 2023-09-17 at 12:54 AM, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia would turn to look back at the room they were just standing in before she began to lead the way out of Applejack's home. "Applejack says you are always up to a lot of different things..." she said, looking back at Skylight. "Where do you want to show me next?" Lazulia asked, as if a bit excited to see where Skylight would lead her next. 

Skylight thought for a minute. "Hmm, let's go to Twilight's Castle next given that the Cutie Mark Crusaders want to meet us there tomorrow," Skylight suggested as she started walking with Lazulia back toward Ponyville. "It sounds like they are going to be showing a lot more places when they suggest activities for you to try. Due to that, I'll just point out interesting places as we pass them by. However, if there are any places you want to see, feel free to stop me."

Soon enough, the pair found themselves back in the center of Ponyville again. 

"This is the town hall," Skylight said, gesturing to a large circular building. "As you can see, there is a large plaza for public events and a market nearby. Most major shops are near here, too. For example, there's the spa. Anyways, Twilight's Castle is just this way."

Skylight turned away from the main plaza and towards a huge castle looming over Ponyville. It could only be described as a crystal castle combined with a giant tree with green leaves and cherry blossoms. An observatory could be seen sticking out the top, too. "And this is Twilight's Castle. I suppose we'll be meeting up here tomorrow," Skylight explained as she walked up to the castle.

Surprisingly, a purple alicorn could be seen outside resting on a picnic blanket while writing something down, looking over a book, and sipping orange juice. However, she stopped what she was doing when she heard Skylight approaching. "Skylight!" this purple alicorn exclaimed as she teleported over to hug and nuzzle Skylight affectionately. "It's so nice to see you!"

"Twilight! It's so nice to see you too! How's it going?" Skylight replied. She then turned to Lazulia. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's Ponyville's resident Princess, and she's the Princess of Magic and Friendship," Skylight introduced as she continued to nuzzle Twilight.

[Lazulia]

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"Oh, I didn't know that about The Crystal Empire's history. Well, I think that Equestria could also import some plants from The Crystal Empire. This star fruit that you mentioned sounds pretty cool. I wonder what kinds of interesting foods we could create by combining the different foods..." Skylight pondered. 

Lazulia pondered that as well and gave Skylight a thoughtful look, "Hmm...we should try that someday. I am sure there are a lot of things you and other ponies would enjoy." Lazulia said, with a hopeful look in those yellow eyes of hers. 

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Skylight thought for a minute. "Hmm, let's go to Twilight's Castle next given that the Cutie Mark Crusaders want to meet us there tomorrow," Skylight suggested as she started walking with Lazulia back toward Ponyville. "It sounds like they are going to be showing a lot more places when they suggest activities for you to try. Due to that, I'll just point out interesting places as we pass them by. However, if there are any places you want to see, feel free to stop me."

Soon enough, the pair found themselves back in the center of Ponyville again. 

"This is the town hall," Skylight said, gesturing to a large circular building. "As you can see, there is a large plaza for public events and a market nearby. Most major shops are near here, too. For example, there's the spa. Anyways, Twilight's Castle is just this way."

Skylight turned away from the main plaza and towards a huge castle looming over Ponyville. It could only be described as a crystal castle combined with a giant tree with green leaves and cherry blossoms. An observatory could be seen sticking out the top, too. "And this is Twilight's Castle. I suppose we'll be meeting up here tomorrow," Skylight explained as she walked up to the castle.

Surprisingly, a purple alicorn could be seen outside resting on a picnic blanket while writing something down, looking over a book, and sipping orange juice. However, she stopped what she was doing when she heard Skylight approaching. "Skylight!" this purple alicorn exclaimed as she teleported over to hug and nuzzle Skylight affectionately. "It's so nice to see you!"

"Twilight! It's so nice to see you too! How's it going?" Skylight replied. She then turned to Lazulia. "This is Princess Twilight Sparkle. She's Ponyville's resident Princess, and she's the Princess of Magic and Friendship," Skylight introduced as she continued to nuzzle Twilight.

Lazulia would look to Skylight as she lead the way back into Ponyville, "W-wait, Twilight's castle? You really um, mean we are free to go there? I thought it would be off limits or something...but if that's how it is here, that's quite surprising to me. Interesting..." she said, putting her hoof to her chin in thought about that. Already from this distance they could see Twilight's big castle - it looked beautiful, yet also intimidating in Lazulia's thoughts.

When they were in the center of Ponyville, Lazulia would look at all the buildings around the place as she thought about what they could do. "M-Maybe um, we can go to the Spa later? I can also show you my home too, since we are neighbors after all." she said, tapping her hoof a little bit at that. Lazulia had never had anyone else visit her home yet before, but wanted to extend that offer to Skylight because Skylight has been so kind and thoughtful to give her a tour of the town - she never would have asked anyone to do that for her, but Skylight did.

Afterwards, Lazulia would look up at the giant crystal castle as they approached it closer. Looking up, she would notice the observatory up at the top. The scale of it was intimidating - but it was no less intimidating than the one in the center of the Crystal Empire. Just a different style. Lazulia was shocked to see Princess Twilight outside and immediately Lazulia reacted and hid behind Skylight as if not wanting to be seen - Lazulia was shaking a little bit as if she was afraid or intimidated by Twilight's sudden appearance. Though, she calmed down a bit when she could see Skylight and Twilight nuzzing each other - evidently they knew each other rather well.

"U-uh...hi? I am um, Lazulia...." Lazulia squeaked as she peeked out from behind Skylight to look at Princess Twilight. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

On 2023-09-19 at 12:44 PM, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia would look to Skylight as she lead the way back into Ponyville, "W-wait, Twilight's castle? You really um, mean we are free to go there? I thought it would be off limits or something...but if that's how it is here, that's quite surprising to me. Interesting..." she said, putting her hoof to her chin in thought about that. Already from this distance they could see Twilight's big castle - it looked beautiful, yet also intimidating in Lazulia's thoughts.

"Yeah, the castle makes it pretty obvious which parts are open to the public and which parts aren't, so it's kind of hard to end up where you aren't supposed to. Plus, that is where the town's public library is, and as the Princess of Friendship, Twilight is always expecting visitors over at her castle," Skylight explained, gesturing towards the castle. 

On 2023-09-19 at 12:44 PM, Props Valroa said:

When they were in the center of Ponyville, Lazulia would look at all the buildings around the place as she thought about what they could do. "M-Maybe um, we can go to the Spa later? I can also show you my home too, since we are neighbors after all." she said, tapping her hoof a little bit at that. Lazulia had never had anyone else visit her home yet before, but wanted to extend that offer to Skylight because Skylight has been so kind and thoughtful to give her a tour of the town - she never would have asked anyone to do that for her, but Skylight did.

"Yeah a spa day would be cool. However, I think it's a bit too late to go to the spa today. And a tour of your home would also be cool, but only if you want to; I wouldn't want to impose," Skylight explained, slightly surprised that Lazulia would offer to do this. 

On 2023-09-19 at 12:44 PM, Props Valroa said:

Afterwards, Lazulia would look up at the giant crystal castle as they approached it closer. Looking up, she would notice the observatory up at the top. The scale of it was intimidating - but it was no less intimidating than the one in the center of the Crystal Empire. Just a different style. Lazulia was shocked to see Princess Twilight outside and immediately Lazulia reacted and hid behind Skylight as if not wanting to be seen - Lazulia was shaking a little bit as if she was afraid or intimidated by Twilight's sudden appearance. Though, she calmed down a bit when she could see Skylight and Twilight nuzzing each other - evidently they knew each other rather well.

"U-uh...hi? I am um, Lazulia...." Lazulia squeaked as she peeked out from behind Skylight to look at Princess Twilight. 

"Hey there's no need to be concerned. Twilight might be called a Princess but she's really friendly and casual," Skylight reassured.

"Hi, I'm Princess Twilight Sparkle, the Princess of Friendship and Magic, but that's mostly just formalities. You can call me Twilight. I love sharing the magic of friendship with others," Twilight exclaimed as she stuck a hoof out to greet Lazulia. Meanwhile, Skylight nuzzled right up against Twilight and Twilight laid a wing on Skylight in response. "So, what brings you to Ponyville?"

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Lazulia felt all warm and fuzzy inside as she looked to Twilight as she was nuzzling Skylight. Lazulia could tell that Twilight was very close with Skylight. There were many things they could do together, go to the spa, visit Twilight's castle, who knows what else they could do together? It took Lazulia a few seconds to respond to Twilight, as it seemed like she was thinking of what to say. Lazulia would shyly reach out her hoof gently to shake Twilight's hoof - and Twilight could feel that Lazulia was a soft, blue crystal pony. 

"I-I um, I am here to escape the Crystal Empire and find new friends...I wanted somewhere new to live..." Lazulia said to Twilight, finding it to be astonishing that she would be speaking with an actual princess. Lazulia would look to Skylight, smirking slightly as Lazulia was enjoying Twilight's purple fluffy wings. "It seems your castle is open for visiting...maybe I can have a tour sometime? If that would be okay..." she spoke, looking back to Skylight.

"And sometime later...I can show you my home." Lazulia said to Skylight, and Twilight as well. 

 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

6 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"I-I um, I am here to escape the Crystal Empire and find new friends...I wanted somewhere new to live..." Lazulia said to Twilight, finding it to be astonishing that she would be speaking with an actual princess. 

"Nice to meet you too, Lazulia. You came to the right place for making new friends," Twilight winked. "And this place is a nice change of pace from The Crystal Empire; I think you'll fit in just fine."

6 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"It seems your castle is open for visiting...maybe I can have a tour sometime? If that would be okay..." she spoke, looking back to Skylight.

"And sometime later...I can show you my home." Lazulia said to Skylight, and Twilight as well. 

"Well I mean, most of the publicly accessible parts is a meeting hall to talk with the public about friendship, and a very large library, given that this is also Ponyville's public library. The rest of it is private quarters, like a magic lab (for my magic experiments), a party cave (for Pinkie's parties), offices, a personal library, and a ton of bedrooms, bathrooms, closets, and all the other usual stuff you find in a home, you know," Twilight described as she led the pair inside the castle. Inside, there was a whole section of the castle dedicated to a huge public library spanning multiple floors both above and below the ground floor. Many ponies and other creatures could be seen browsing the shelves and reading the material.

"Soo, this is the public library. Any questions?" Twilight asked. 

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Lazulia would follow Twilight and Skylight into the castle with a smile on her face, finding herself overwhelmed by the amount of information that was being spoken to her - but the massive library was jawdropping. Lazulia's jaw just about hit the floor. A look of pure astonishment came across her face. "Wow...I've never seen anything like it...not even in the Crystal Empire's library. This is just amazing...it'd take you multiple lifetimes to read all these books here...." Lazulia said as she started to prance about, almost like a foal in a candy shop at the wonder of it all. The two of them could see the innocent wonder and awe fluttering through Lazulia's innocent yellow eyes.

"Just...how? How did you get something like this?" she asked Twilight, turning to her and Skylight. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

9 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"Wow...I've never seen anything like it...not even in the Crystal Empire's library. This is just amazing...it'd take you multiple lifetimes to read all these books here...." Lazulia said as she started to prance about, almost like a foal in a candy shop at the wonder of it all. The two of them could see the innocent wonder and awe fluttering through Lazulia's innocent yellow eyes.

"Just...how? How did you get something like this?" she asked Twilight, turning to her and Skylight. 

"Well it's not that large..." Twilight reassured. "However, it is Ponyville's public library, in addition to containing all the records and information about friendship and the elements of harmony. Many different species want to establish diplomatic relations, and they often reference this library to learn about friendship. As for how I got something like this, well I established a library system with Canterlot Public Library, the Library in Celestia's School of Magic, and several other libraries to exchange books and information as needed."

"And don't underestimate Twilight's ability to read books. As a librarian here, she is pretty knowledgeable about most of the material in this library." Skylight added. "Also, you know Twilight's a published author, right? Most of the books here about friendship are written by her! Isn't that so cool?"

"You seem to be quite interested in this library. Is there a subject you want to research more about? I can get you a library card and help you find the books," Twilight offered as she led the other two ponies toward the information desk in the middle of the huge room. At the information desk sat a minty green unicorn mare reading a book about anthropology. She seemed to be sitting in a unique position for a pony, but she glanced up and waved at the trio as they walked up.

 

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

"I-I don't really know much about you or the places beyond the Crystal Empire. I only heard a few things like how you and your friends saved us from Sombra...um, there is just so much here I don't even know where to start!" Lazulia said with a nervous, but enthusiastic grin as she kept her eyes on all the various books. It seemed like she wasn't capable of deciding what to read on her own. "So you read books, but you also write them? That's pretty cool..." she said as she noticed the minty green unicorn reading at the information desk. Lazulia waved to her, figuring that pony had something interesting to tell about what she was reading - though Lazulia didn't want to bother her.

Lazulia follows them towards the information desk, "I am not sure what I want to research, hmm....hmmm...maybe like, history of Equestria? I don't know much about that - but friendship seems pretty interesting and I want to make more friends here." Lazulia said, blushing ever so slightly. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa

23 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"So you read books, but you also write them? That's pretty cool..." she said as she noticed the minty green unicorn reading at the information desk. Lazulia waved to her, figuring that pony had something interesting to tell about what she was reading - though Lazulia didn't want to bother her.

"Why yes, as the Princess of Friendship and as a pony who loves knowledge and books, it's only natural for me to share my findings about friendship with others. Some of these are compilations of friendship reports from before I became the Princess of Friendship, but I continue to publish books as I learn more about friendship. If you're looking for those books, that would be class 300 social sciences, specifically between 300 and 310, which is over there. They are then sorted by author, but my books should be pretty obvious," Twilight pointed towards a particular direction of the library.

"Ooh, 300s, my favorite..." the minty green unicorn remarked, pointing at the book she was reading and winking.

"Lyra, you're back from the Sci-Fi convention in Fillydelphia? How was it?" Skylight asked.

"Oh my gosh it was so much fun. There was so much human stuff there! And like everypony there was debating about human technology and how they survive without magic and such. Like did you know that instead of growing wings on their bodies, humans put themselves in giant metal tubes with wings to travel long distances? I know, right? They're called airplanes, and they can travel at the same speed as wonderbolts for hours at a time..." Lyra rambled before abruptly realizing something. She stopped her ramble and turned to Lazulia. "Oh, I'm Lyra Heartstrings, a lyre player and Ponyville's anthropology enthusiast. What's your name?" Lyra introduced herself and stuck a hoof out to shake.

23 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia follows them towards the information desk, "I am not sure what I want to research, hmm....hmmm...maybe like, history of Equestria? I don't know much about that - but friendship seems pretty interesting and I want to make more friends here." Lazulia said, blushing ever so slightly. 

"The history of Equestria? That would either be the 300s, or the 900s. The 900s (History and Geography) are over there. The 300s are more about the society of each region of Equestria, while the 900s are about the history and geography of each region. Some of the 900s are about regions outside of Equestria, but we don't have that much information about them, so that is reflected in the lack of books about those regions," Twilight gestured to a different wing of the library.

"Yeah Twilight is really proud of the Twily Decimal System she created for organizing books; to the point where she coordinated the library system, she made all the other libraries switch to it!" Skylight giggled.

"Hey! I didn't make them switch..." Twilight defended.

"Oh Twilight, we know how you are when you get an idea you're determined it's right. I think you forcefully convinced them to do so," Lyra giggled.

"Ok fine, I'd admit I did do that..." Twilight confessed lightheartedly. The trio burst into a fit of giggles as Twilight ruffled her wings against Skylight and Lyra playfully.

Edited September 26, 2023 by Skylight Scintillate

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Quote

 

"Why yes, as the Princess of Friendship and as a pony who loves knowledge and books, it's only natural for me to share my findings about friendship with others. Some of these are compilations of friendship reports from before I became the Princess of Friendship, but I continue to publish books as I learn more about friendship. If you're looking for those books, that would be class 300 social sciences, specifically between 300 and 310, which is over there. They are then sorted by author, but my books should be pretty obvious," Twilight pointed towards a particular direction of the library.

"Ooh, 300s, my favorite..." the minty green unicorn remarked, pointing at the book she was reading and winking.

"Lyra, you're back from the Sci-Fi convention in Fillydelphia? How was it?" Skylight asked.

"Oh my gosh it was so much fun. There was so much human stuff there! And like everypony there was debating about human technology and how they survive without magic and such. Like did you know that instead of growing wings on their bodies, humans put themselves in giant metal tubes with wings to travel long distances? I know, right? They're called airplanes, and they can travel at the same speed as wonderbolts for hours at a time..." Lyra rambled before abruptly realizing something. She stopped her ramble and turned to Lazulia. "Oh, I'm Lyra Heartstrings, a lyre player and Ponyville's anthropology enthusiast. What's your name?" Lyra introduced herself and stuck a hoof out to shake.

Lazulia listened closely to what Twilight and Lyra were saying, truth be told - it made her head spin! So much information, what would she even say to it all? Lazulia would go quiet for a few moments, as she tried to think about what to say to this. "W-well you certainly know what you are doing! After all, what would a Princess of friendship be without books about friendship?" she asked, thinking that Twilight was very organized in what she was doing.

Lazulia then also would turn to Lyra, "What is a uh...hoo-man? Thats science fiction stuff, right? But what you are saying, sounds...kind of cool, actually! My name is Lazulia." she said, shaking Lyra's hoof with her light grey hooves. Lazulia smiled nervously to Lyra, finding her to be a rather interesting pony.
 

Quote

"The history of Equestria? That would either be the 300s, or the 900s. The 900s (History and Geography) are over there. The 300s are more about the society of each region of Equestria, while the 900s are about the history and geography of each region. Some of the 900s are about regions outside of Equestria, but we don't have that much information about them, so that is reflected in the lack of books about those regions," Twilight gestured to a different wing of the library.

"Yeah Twilight is really proud of the Twily Decimal System she created for organizing books; to the point where she coordinated the library system, she made all the other libraries switch to it!" Skylight giggled.

"Hey! I didn't make them switch..." Twilight defended.

"Oh Twilight, we know how you are when you get an idea you're determined it's right. I think you forcefully convinced them to do so," Lyra giggled.

"Ok fine, I'd admit I did do that..." Twilight confessed lightheartedly. The trio burst into a fit of giggles as Twilight ruffled her wings against Skylight and Lyra playfully.

"Did you just say...Twily decimal system?" Lazulia giggled and blushed at that and looked to Twilight, "You certainly like books, I can see that much. It seems to me you are also the Princess of Books...while also very purple..." Lazulia said and walked closer to her, seemingly wanting a part of feeling Twilight's soft purple wings. Lazulia just stood there giggling innocently at the antics of the three ponies. Lazulia seemed like she was genuinely happy and felt safe with Twilight and Skylight, as well as Lyra. "What sorts of books do you read, Skylight?" she would then ask.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

22 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"W-well you certainly know what you are doing! After all, what would a Princess of friendship be without books about friendship?" she asked, thinking that Twilight was very organized in what she was doing.

Lazulia then also would turn to Lyra, "What is a uh...hoo-man? Thats science fiction stuff, right? But what you are saying, sounds...kind of cool, actually! My name is Lazulia." she said, shaking Lyra's hoof with her light grey hooves. Lazulia smiled nervously to Lyra, finding her to be a rather interesting pony.

"Thanks," Twilight blushed, not quite sure what to add on to that.

"Hairless apes? They look like this?" Lyra turned the book she was reading over to show a picture of a human. "And yeah they are cool! Like did you know that with their hands, they can grab things in ways hooves can't? Like imagine wrapping your hoof around an apple..." Lyra rambled pointing to several diagrams of humans in the book.

23 hours ago, Props Valroa said:

"Did you just say...Twily decimal system?" Lazulia giggled and blushed at that and looked to Twilight, "You certainly like books, I can see that much. It seems to me you are also the Princess of Books...while also very purple..." Lazulia said and walked closer to her, seemingly wanting a part of feeling Twilight's soft purple wings. Lazulia just stood there giggling innocently at the antics of the three ponies. Lazulia seemed like she was genuinely happy and felt safe with Twilight and Skylight, as well as Lyra. "What sorts of books do you read, Skylight?" she would then ask.

Twilight, noticing this interest, would rub her wings along Lazulia's back. They were extraordinarily soft. "Well, I guess I can grab the books while we all chat here," Twilight offered. Her horn lit up, and in a few seconds, books about friendship and the history and geography of Equestria levitated out of their respective sections and gently landed on the information desk. 

"Hmm, let's see, well there was this interesting sci-fi book I read last week taking place in a steampunk Equestria. I also like reading books about transit and baking, along with reading books that teach new spells and magic with Twilight. I'm really all over the place," Skylight replied.

"Yeah she's all over the place," Lyra echoed, which caused another round of giggles from the trio.

"What about you?" Twilight asked Lazulia as she pulled out a piece of paper from the information desk. "Also, here's the paper you can fill out to get a library card, which allows you to borrow books."

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

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"Thanks," Twilight blushed, not quite sure what to add on to that.

"Hairless apes? They look like this?" Lyra turned the book she was reading over to show a picture of a human. "And yeah they are cool! Like did you know that with their hands, they can grab things in ways hooves can't? Like imagine wrapping your hoof around an apple..." Lyra rambled pointing to several diagrams of humans in the book.

Lazulia would look at the pictures and the diagrams Lyra would show her - it was rather strange and unusual. She didn't know what to think of what she was seeing, but it was indeed interesting. "Huh, never seen anything like that before..." Lazulia said, looking down at her light grey hooves as she imagined just that. What would that even be like? Where did these books get these photos from? "Well, the Crystal Empire has never had anything like this in it's books. We sure missed out on a lot, didn't we?" Lazulia asked.

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Twilight, noticing this interest, would rub her wings along Lazulia's back. They were extraordinarily soft. "Well, I guess I can grab the books while we all chat here," Twilight offered. Her horn lit up, and in a few seconds, books about friendship and the history and geography of Equestria levitated out of their respective sections and gently landed on the information desk. 

"Hmm, let's see, well there was this interesting sci-fi book I read last week taking place in a steampunk Equestria. I also like reading books about transit and baking, along with reading books that teach new spells and magic with Twilight. I'm really all over the place," Skylight replied.

"Yeah she's all over the place," Lyra echoed, which caused another round of giggles from the trio.

"What about you?" Twilight asked Lazulia as she pulled out a piece of paper from the information desk. "Also, here's the paper you can fill out to get a library card, which allows you to borrow books."

Lazulia would suddenly feel Twilight's purple soft wings on her back. Twilight could feel that Lazulia was a very soft pony, and she could be felt having a nervous shake for a second or two before she relented and seemed to lean into Twilight's embrace with a deep blush across her face. Lazulia shut her eyes, focusing on that feeling of soft warmth and sighed calmly. "Thank you Twilight..." she spoke with a calm, steady voice.

Skylight was all over the place in what she liked, which seemed to be a running theme. Skylight seemed to be someone who had so many interests and many talents? But what did her cutie mark symbolize? Lazulia would want to ask about that later. "Well that all sounds really cool, Skylight - I never had that much access to reading, but I do have something...I suppose..." she spoke, and pulled out a single book from her saddlebag.

The book was somewhat worn, but on the title was "Of Gods and Kings" - it was a sort of storybook style that told various elements about the Crystal Empire's history. "Also, thank you, I have always wanted to read...maybe we can come here often, and read together?" Lazulia suggested, those innocent yellow eyes of hers brimming with hope. 
 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

On 2023-09-27 at 11:48 PM, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia would look at the pictures and the diagrams Lyra would show her - it was rather strange and unusual. She didn't know what to think of what she was seeing, but it was indeed interesting. "Huh, never seen anything like that before..." Lazulia said, looking down at her light grey hooves as she imagined just that. What would that even be like? Where did these books get these photos from? "Well, the Crystal Empire has never had anything like this in it's books. We sure missed out on a lot, didn't we?" Lazulia asked.

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way..." Twilight gestured, trying to find the right words. "I'd say it means you have a unique perspective on things. Plus, with me around, you'll know Equestrian history like the back of your hoof before you even realize it!"

On 2023-09-27 at 11:48 PM, Props Valroa said:

Skylight was all over the place in what she liked, which seemed to be a running theme. Skylight seemed to be someone who had so many interests and many talents? But what did her cutie mark symbolize? Lazulia would want to ask about that later. "Well that all sounds really cool, Skylight - I never had that much access to reading, but I do have something...I suppose..." she spoke, and pulled out a single book from her saddlebag.

The book was somewhat worn, but on the title was "Of Gods and Kings" - it was a sort of storybook style that told various elements about the Crystal Empire's history. "Also, thank you, I have always wanted to read...maybe we can come here often, and read together?" Lazulia suggested, those innocent yellow eyes of hers brimming with hope. 
 

Skylight raised her eyebrows in curiosity when Lazulia mentioned her book. "Huh, that's interesting. I suppose you and Twilight could exchange what you know about the histories of the locations we're from. She's really into Equestrian history. Unfortunately for me, I'm not that well-versed in anything older than modern Equestrian history," Skylight admitted. "Although I would still be interested in learning what you know about the Crystal Empire."

"Umm, are you going to check out these books?" Lyra gestured to the pile of books about Equestrian history and the paperwork to obtain a library card. 

[Lazulia]

Quote

"Well, I wouldn't put it that way..." Twilight gestured, trying to find the right words. "I'd say it means you have a unique perspective on things. Plus, with me around, you'll know Equestrian history like the back of your hoof before you even realize it!"

Lazulia would smile gently as she looked into Twilight's friendly eyes. Everything about Twilight was very purple. Purple mane. Purple body. purple eyes. Purple wings. Purple everywhere! This made Lazulia giggle a little bit at her thoughts. "Yup...did anyone ever tell you that you are a very purple pony?" Lazulia blushed as she giggled nervously in a quiet manner. She couldn't contain herself. 

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Skylight raised her eyebrows in curiosity when Lazulia mentioned her book. "Huh, that's interesting. I suppose you and Twilight could exchange what you know about the histories of the locations we're from. She's really into Equestrian history. Unfortunately for me, I'm not that well-versed in anything older than modern Equestrian history," Skylight admitted. "Although I would still be interested in learning what you know about the Crystal Empire."

"Umm, are you going to check out these books?" Lyra gestured to the pile of books about Equestrian history and the paperwork to obtain a library card. 

Lazulia would agree with Skylight's statement and sit down at the table with the pile of books on it. "Alright, let's check out these books...I've never read Equestrian history before. As um, the Crystal Empire didn't really have that kind of information in it." she spoke and would open the first book of Equestrian history - the one of how Equestria was founded. Opening it up, she began to read quietly, looking up at Skylight every now and then. Then she realized that she also had her paperwork for the library card on the table to - and would put the book down. Looking at it, she seemed as if unsure how to fill it out. "I um, I don't have a pen..." she said somewhat awkwardly, before looking back to the Equestrian History book - that explained some about the three tribes.

"Yeah, as I thought...Crystal Ponies are different from the so called "Three Tribes". We kinda had our own thing, you know?" Lazulia asked, as she opened up the pages of the old book she had gently for Twilight, Skylight and Lyra to read as they wished.

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

On 2023-09-30 at 11:41 PM, Props Valroa said:

Lazulia would smile gently as she looked into Twilight's friendly eyes. Everything about Twilight was very purple. Purple mane. Purple body. purple eyes. Purple wings. Purple everywhere! This made Lazulia giggle a little bit at her thoughts. "Yup...did anyone ever tell you that you are a very purple pony?" Lazulia blushed as she giggled nervously in a quiet manner. She couldn't contain herself. 

"Uhh, huh?" Twilight asked, not quite comprehending what Lazulia just said before realizing it. "Oh yes, I suppose that is true..." Twilight remarked with a nervous laugh.

"Well you're very blue! And I'm very green!" Lyra exclaimed with a giggle. It was a good thing that Twilight was casting a sound-blocking barrier to block out the quartet's relatively loud conversation from the rest of the library.

On 2023-09-30 at 11:41 PM, Props Valroa said:

Then she realized that she also had her paperwork for the library card on the table to - and would put the book down. Looking at it, she seemed as if unsure how to fill it out. "I um, I don't have a pen..." she said somewhat awkwardly, before looking back to the Equestrian History book - that explained some about the three tribes.

'Here," Lyra dug out a pen from the information desk and placed it next to the paper. "It's just some basic information to get a library card. Then, you can borrow these books and bring them home to read. Just make sure to return them within three weeks."

On 2023-09-30 at 11:41 PM, Props Valroa said:

"Yeah, as I thought...Crystal Ponies are different from the so called "Three Tribes". We kinda had our own thing, you know?" Lazulia asked, as she opened up the pages of the old book she had gently for Twilight, Skylight and Lyra to read as they wished.

"Yeah I always wondered how crystal pony culture differs from other pony cultures. Let me know what you find out. I love learning about new cultures!" Twilight exclaimed. She didn't have anything to add, so she glanced silently at Lyra and Skylight, who glanced silently back.

"Well, will you look at the time. I suppose if there isn't much else to say, we'll meet back here tomorrow to see what the CMCs have planned?" Skylight suggested.

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

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"Uhh, huh?" Twilight asked, not quite comprehending what Lazulia just said before realizing it. "Oh yes, I suppose that is true..." Twilight remarked with a nervous laugh.

"Well you're very blue! And I'm very green!" Lyra exclaimed with a giggle. It was a good thing that Twilight was casting a sound-blocking barrier to block out the quartet's relatively loud conversation from the rest of the library.

Lazulia giggled along with the other three ponies. She was starting to get the hang of socializing, even if she didn't think she was particularly good at it here. "Ponies are so colorful." she said, almost with childish wonder in her eyes as she looked at how Green Lyra was. Twilight was the most purple pony she's ever seen!
 

Quote

'Here," Lyra dug out a pen from the information desk and placed it next to the paper. "It's just some basic information to get a library card. Then, you can borrow these books and bring them home to read. Just make sure to return them within three weeks."

Lazulia would take the pen and fill out the information on the paper and then would give the pen back to Lyra, "Thank you, that is good to know. I will start reading some things about Equestrian History..." she said with a shy smile as she would then walk up to the Library Desk to receive her Library Card. Once she had her card, she would proceed to borrow the books they were reading.

Quote

"Yeah I always wondered how crystal pony culture differs from other pony cultures. Let me know what you find out. I love learning about new cultures!" Twilight exclaimed. She didn't have anything to add, so she glanced silently at Lyra and Skylight, who glanced silently back.

"Well, will you look at the time. I suppose if there isn't much else to say, we'll meet back here tomorrow to see what the CMCs have planned?" Skylight suggested.

"I'll tell you everything I know the next time we meet." Lazulia said and would stand up, ready to leave now that she had her books. However before walking out, she would stand there and look at Twilight, blushing deeply as she looked at Twilight's soft purple wings. "Y-yes, sounds like a plan to me." Lazulia said with a nervous smile.

 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

The next day, Skylight headed over to Twlight's Castle to meet up with Lazulia and the Cutie Mark Crusaders. It appeared that the three fillies were already waiting when Skylight arrived, and they were sitting around the information desk at the public library in the castle. "Oh Skylight, there you are! Is Lazulia with you? We got a full schedule today!" Apple Bloom exclaimed, pointing to a large list on a scroll. Unfortunately, unlike Twilight, the Cutie Mark Crusaders didn't think about casting a sound-blocking spell, and they got angry glares from the library patrons as a result. 

The trio would turn towards Lazulia when she showed up. "So, is there anything you want to do first? If not, we have plenty of suggestions. For example, librarian," Sweetie Belle gestured towards a library cart full of books. "These books need to be returned. Can you return them using the Twily Decimal System? Also, can you help other ponies find the books that they are looking for when they ask?"

"Also, we're going to be following you around, taking notes, and asking you questions as you do things," Apple Bloom explained. Sweetie Belle nodded and levitated over a clipboard and pencil.

"This is just like when we got our cutie marks! Getting to try so much new stuff and such!" Scootaloo exclaimed, leaping to the air with a flap of her wings in excitement before abruptly stopping under the glare of the library patrons.

"We should stop talking..." Apple Bloom whispered.

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Lazulia would then have went home for the night. In her nearly entirely blank home, she would curl up to sleep in the single bed she had in the middle of the living room. She had no furniture, nor any personal belongings - she came here with practically nothing but the saddlebags she had on her back. From there, she couldn't afford anything else. Not any pictures, paintings, or even anything on the walls. As Lazulia laid there in her single basic bed, she thought about the events of the day. These ponies were nice to her and treated her as an equal. With a small fond smile - she went off to sleep. 

When she woke up in the morning - she would awaken to a bright house due to there being no blinds or curtains. She couldn't afford those, could she? But at least she had a basic breakfast, consisting of a singular Apple and a small little cake. It was all she could afford, basic foods in that small fridge of hers in that empty kitchen. After a quick shower, she'd head to Twilight's castle as as was planned.

The blue crystal pony would approach Twilight's castle - still intimidated by the castle's massive size. It reminded her so much of home...

---

Lazulia would walk into the castle library and would quickly spot the CMC and Skylight. "Good morning, Neighbor..." Lazulia said to Skylight, shuffling a little bit in nervously as she took in what the CMC said to her. Lazulia would look down at the three fillies with nervous anticipation, "W-well um, I don't understand the Twily Decimal system yet." she said with a nervous giggle. "Nor do I know the layout of this library yet in order to show others around...maybe you should be the ones showing me around?" she asked, seeming a little confused at what they were trying to get her to do here. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

"Well, it's quite rational. Each book is numbered on its spine, which says where it's supposed to go," Sweetie Belle pulled out a book and pointed to it. "Two digits are generalities, 100s are philosophy, 200s are religion, 300s are social science, 400s are languages, 500s are natural science, 600s are magical science, 700s are arts and recreation, 800s are literature, 900s are geography and history. These are the general categories; the book cart has a map of those categories in the library. Each category has subcategories, and each of those categories has subcategories. Then they are sorted by author's last name," Sweetie Belle pointed to the code of three numbers followed by three letters on the spine of the book. The filly demonstrated an example of returning the book to the correct location. "Now you try!"

"Wow, Twilight came up with this categorization system? She's so smart..." Apple Bloom remarked. 

"So, do you like organizing and sorting things? What about learning new stuff and helping other ponies find what they are looking for?" Scootaloo asked. 

Skylight joined by helping put some books back in their correct locations. She also read over some books that seemed pretty interesting. "Ooh, did you know that a lot of the books here are copies of books from the library of Castle of the Two Sisters in the Everfree Forest? Isn't that so cool? Like the books were too old to move, and they were in old Ponish, so Twilight created a spell to copy the material over to new books, along with translating them into modern Ponish."

Edited October 10, 2023 by Skylight Scintillate

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Lazulia looked to Sweetie Belle as she tried to process what was said to her. It did sort of make sense, but it was a whole new system of organizing things that she had been yet exposed to. With some difficulty she would start to organize some of the books. Lazulia was definitely a lot slower at it, since she had only just been told how the books themselves are organized. Truth be told - it wasn't so bad, but it wasn't particularly exciting. Reading books was definitely more enjoyable than being the one to put them back after other ponies were done with her. After she did some organization of the books, she would answer Apple Bloom and Scootaloo's questions.

"Truth be told I just...sort of always threw things in a pile and dug them out when I needed them." Lazulia said with a smile, "Not that I would...do that to books or anything." she said with a nervous giggle and then looked to Scootaloo. "I-I um don't really know what I am looking for, so how can I help other ponies look for things - when I don't even know myself...?" she asked Scootalo and then would look over to Skylight.

"Yeah that's really cool, like, I would have never thought of doing that...she's so smart." Lazulia bushed. "And so purple...maybe she is smart because she is purple." Lazulia said quietly, but loud enough for Lazulia to hear. 

 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

22 hours ago, Lazulia said:

"Truth be told I just...sort of always threw things in a pile and dug them out when I needed them." Lazulia said with a smile, "Not that I would...do that to books or anything." she said with a nervous giggle and then looked to Scootaloo. "I-I um don't really know what I am looking for, so how can I help other ponies look for things - when I don't even know myself...?" she asked Scootalo and then would look over to Skylight.

"Hmm, looks like she's not really into organizing things... I suppose we can cross librarian out, along with logistician, accountant, and several others..." Scootaloo whispered. In response, Sweetie Belle vigorously crossed out several entries on their huge list of cutie mark activities to try. 

"Perhaps we should try something else," Sweetie Belle suggested as she guided the rest of the group back towards the information desk and returning the library cart to where it originally was. "What things do you like doing? If you have anything, we can do that. If not, I think you might like baking. Perhaps we could try baking pastries with Pinkie Pie."

If Lazulia didn't have anything to say, Apple Bloom would lead the group towards Sugarcube Corner. However, if Lazulia did speak up, Apple Bloom would go there instead. 

[Lazulia]

@Skylight Scintillate

Lazulia would look to Sweetie Belle and consider what she offered, "I-I um, I haven't really done much with myself - so sure, let's try baking." she said with a warm yet nervous look across her face. She could see that Sweetie Belle had crossed off several entries on the comically large list of cutie mark activities. Lazulia wanted to do this - she wanted to find out what she liked so that she could finally get her cutie mark. Maybe these fillies were really onto something? 

"What can go wrong, with baking?" Lazulia quietly asked with a nervous grin. Yet, it would soon dawn on her that she had never truly cooked or baked for herself before. Well, it's a good place to start. She wanted to live on her own and get needed skills that she never learned before. 

[Skylight Scintillate 1,926]

@Props Valroa 

Soon enough, the crowd ended back in Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie Pie was immediately at the counter to greet them.

”Skylight! The Cutie Mark Crusaders! It’s so nice to see you again! What cutie mark problem are you helping out with this time?” Pinkie Pie asked as she greeted Skylight and the three fillies. A keen observer would notice that she greeted each pony with a unique combination of brohooves and hugs and it ended with Pinkie creating an explosion of confetti.

“Well we’re here to help Lazulia get her cutie mark! We’re trying baking now,” Apple Bloom explained. 

“Oh, well that flank is indeed very blank,” Pinkie Pie noted, glancing at Lazulia. “Don’t worry, we’ll get a cutie mark on there lickety-split! Right this way!” Pinkie Pie pointed into the bakery kitchen. She then pulled out a really thick book that said Sugarcube Corner recipes. “So, what do you all want to make? I’ll be making some funfetti, but if you need help I can help,”

Each of the ponies flipped through the book before deciding on a recipe and telling the others. 

“I’m making blueberry muffins,” Scootaloo announced.

”This rose cupcake sounds like it is quite interesting. It’s made with apple slices,” Apple Bloom remarked.

”I’m interested in making some macarons,” Sweetie Belle decided.

”And I’m making plum cobbler,” Skylight finished. The rest of the group turned to Lazulia to see what she would decide to make.