private Another Cultural Exchange (1x1 with Skylight Scintillate)

[Skylight Scintillate 1,909]

@Illiad Easle 

On 2024-08-05 at 4:30 PM, Illiad Easle said:

At the moment though, she saw an opportunity to alleviate his troubles at least a little as she rose from her seat, "Alas my friends, the time has come for us to depart. We hope thou hast all enjoyed these festivities. We bid thee all a good evening."

By then, the rest of the group attending the event had finished their dinners as well, and most ponies had time to talk to Princess Luna. It felt right for the gathering to end around there.

"See ya Princess Luna! See ya Princess Twilight!" the other ponies remarked in chorus as Twilight got up and followed Princess Luna out the door. 

On 2024-08-05 at 4:30 PM, Illiad Easle said:

As she turned to leave, she hailed Twilight to join her, "Princess Sparkle? A word?"

"Sure," Princess Twilight replied as she got up and wiped her mouth with a napkin. Once the pair was separate from anypony else, and if Princess Luna didn't speak first, Twilight would speak up. "Princess Luna, I hope things are going ok for you. It seems that Nova struggles with fitting into his clan and making friends with the other members. Since I believe that nopony should go through life without friends, I hope that he would be interested in making friends here in Canterlot instead. Hopefully, the ponies here would be more accepting of him. As the Princess of Friendship, I would do what is necessary to help him. As to your concern about how he views you, I don't think any of your concerns would be a problem with him. I hope that his experiences of not fitting into what others expect of him and hoping to find others that accept him for who he is would allow him to bond with you for who you are. What did you want to say?" Twilight explained. 

On 2024-08-05 at 4:30 PM, Illiad Easle said:

This would also give Nova and Speckle a chance to speak just the two of them for a bit.

"...oh, I guess I shouldn't have said that like that..."Speckle blushed as she noticed Nova didn't react hoe she expected him to. Reflecting it over, she realized she wasn't exactly sure how Nova would react to what she said in a positive way. This just made her feel even more embarrassed. She wanted to sink into her seat and disappear while all the other bat ponies were getting up and leaving. "I'm sorry...Did I hurt your feelings again?" Speckle asked.

[Illiad Easle 3,098]

@Skylight Scintillate

(Sorry for the delay, I was going to post on Sunday but my computer killed a drive so I've been dealing with data recovery for the past few days)

On 2024-08-06 at 10:13 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Princess Luna, I hope things are going ok for you. It seems that Nova struggles with fitting into his clan and making friends with the other members. Since I believe that nopony should go through life without friends, I hope that he would be interested in making friends here in Canterlot instead. Hopefully, the ponies here would be more accepting of him. As the Princess of Friendship, I would do what is necessary to help him. As to your concern about how he views you, I don't think any of your concerns would be a problem with him. I hope that his experiences of not fitting into what others expect of him and hoping to find others that accept him for who he is would allow him to bond with you for who you are. What did you want to say?" Twilight explained. 

Luna was surprised by everything Twilight had to say, "Well, thou hast already said much of what we had intended. Alas..." She discretely looked over at where Speckle and Nova were, "We fear getting closer to the young colt would only further isolate him from his clan. There is such loneliness in that colt, such as I have felt before. He is rejected of his peers, and they are unlikely to believe should he say that we spoke to him. Reversing the way, should he say that we were distant with him may only serve to further isolate him. Despite this path maintaining our reputation with his clan, I do not wish to see the colt isolated so."

She sighed, "Thou hast more experience with me when it comes to such... complicated social matters. What dost thou think we should do?"

 

On 2024-08-06 at 10:13 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

She wanted to sink into her seat and disappear while all the other bat ponies were getting up and leaving. "I'm sorry...Did I hurt your feelings again?" Speckle asked.

Nova brushed it off, being stirred from his thoughts by her apology, "It's... its alright, you didn't know. The thestrals back home think I talk too much. They all try to be stoic like Princess Luna, but I'm just... not that way. My mother tells me it's something I got from her clan, apparently things are different there, but we haven't visited them since they're so far away so I don't know for sure."

He shrugged, still a bit down but not wanting it to bring down the mood, "Um, we should get going, right? Or are we allowed to take some of the leftovers home? That's usually what happens after a feast in my clan, any food left over is divided among the group, after portions are set aside for those unable to be present of course."

[Skylight Scintillate 1,909]

@Illiad Easle 

On 2024-08-14 at 4:19 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"We fear getting closer to the young colt would only further isolate him from his clan. There is such loneliness in that colt, such as I have felt before. He is rejected of his peers, and they are unlikely to believe should he say that we spoke to him. Reversing the way, should he say that we were distant with him may only serve to further isolate him. Despite this path maintaining our reputation with his clan, I do not wish to see the colt isolated so."

She sighed, "Thou hast more experience with me when it comes to such... complicated social matters. What dost thou think we should do?"

Twilight thought for a moment before replying, "I see what you mean here. I agree with your observation that Nova doesn't have close relations with the rest of his clan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your concern is that whatever you do, you'll isolate Nova. However, I think that Nova should be able to decide what kind of friendship he wants with us and the other members of his clan. I believe that Nova would be able to figure out what he should do to achieve what he wants, but I'm willing to offer my help. However, I would need to know more about his clan and his relationship with the other members of the clan to be able to offer advice that would be useful. Perhaps what we could do is talk to Nova in his dream sequence?" Twilight suggested. "I know social matters like these often have nuanced details that are important for everypony to understand in order to reach a mutual agreement on the best path forward."

On 2024-08-14 at 4:19 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nova brushed it off, being stirred from his thoughts by her apology, "It's... its alright, you didn't know. The thestrals back home think I talk too much. They all try to be stoic like Princess Luna, but I'm just... not that way. My mother tells me it's something I got from her clan, apparently things are different there, but we haven't visited them since they're so far away so I don't know for sure."

"Oh. That sounds horrible, others not liking you for who you are and such... Do you think they will also think of me as weird and such? Is everypony there going to avoid us two when we visit? I hope at least your parents are kind to you..." A realization suddenly struck Speckle, and now she was really concerned about the other part of the exchange.

On 2024-08-14 at 4:19 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He shrugged, still a bit down but not wanting it to bring down the mood, "Um, we should get going, right? Or are we allowed to take some of the leftovers home? That's usually what happens after a feast in my clan, any food left over is divided among the group, after portions are set aside for those unable to be present of course."

"Oh yeah, you can grab what you want," Speckle explained. "Though it looks like everypony else took almost everything that was left," Speckle gestured to the numerous dishes that were completely cleared by the other ponies on the table. It was kind of strange how it was just the two of them sitting around a large table now. 

Speckle felt kind of awkward about the whole thing tried to find another topic to talk about. "So uh, you say your mom's clan is different. What are they like?"

If Nova didn't have anything else he wanted to do at the restaurant, Speckle would wander out of the restaurant. "So Nova, is there anything you want to do now? What do you like to do in your spare time?”

Edited August 19 by Skylight Scintillate

[Illiad Easle 3,098]

@Skylight Scintillate

On 2024-08-18 at 10:11 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

Twilight thought for a moment before replying, "I see what you mean here. I agree with your observation that Nova doesn't have close relations with the rest of his clan. Correct me if I'm wrong, but it sounds like your concern is that whatever you do, you'll isolate Nova. However, I think that Nova should be able to decide what kind of friendship he wants with us and the other members of his clan. I believe that Nova would be able to figure out what he should do to achieve what he wants, but I'm willing to offer my help. However, I would need to know more about his clan and his relationship with the other members of the clan to be able to offer advice that would be useful. Perhaps what we could do is talk to Nova in his dream sequence?" Twilight suggested. "I know social matters like these often have nuanced details that are important for everypony to understand in order to reach a mutual agreement on the best path forward."

Princess Luna thought on Twilight's comments before nodding, "We will visit the young colt tonight in their dream and seek better understanding. Perhaps thou couldst visit them on the morrow? It would be unwise to crowd or overwhelm him. We can share with thee our notes on his clan before thy visit so that thou mightest be better acquainted."

That said, unless Twilight had other questions for Luna, she would be off back to the castle to watch the dreams of those who slept during the night.

 

On 2024-08-18 at 10:11 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh. That sounds horrible, others not liking you for who you are and such... Do you think they will also think of me as weird and such? Is everypony there going to avoid us two when we visit? I hope at least your parents are kind to you..." A realization suddenly struck Speckle, and now she was really concerned about the other part of the exchange.

Nova shrugged, "Well, you are a bat pony rather than a thestral, but you live her in Canterlot and have seen Princess Luna more than once, so they should be interested in you for that. And my parents are kind to me sure, but I can tell they wish I fit in better with the other young thestrals."

 

On 2024-08-18 at 10:11 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh yeah, you can grab what you want," Speckle explained. "Though it looks like everypony else took almost everything that was left," Speckle gestured to the numerous dishes that were completely cleared by the other ponies on the table. It was kind of strange how it was just the two of them sitting around a large table now. 

Speckle felt kind of awkward about the whole thing tried to find another topic to talk about. "So uh, you say your mom's clan is different. What are they like?"

If Nova didn't have anything else he wanted to do at the restaurant, Speckle would wander out of the restaurant. "So Nova, is there anything you want to do now? What do you like to do in your spare time?”

Nova nodded, folding his wing to serve as a sort of bag to hold any leftovers he could gather unless a better option was presented to him.

Once outside he'd think on her questions, "Well, I haven't met my mother's clan. They are mostly towards the coast, just east of Canterlot. My parents actually met here when she was visiting and my dad was freshly in the city guard. My mom tells me that they work more with dyes and spices, trading a lot more openly with the ponies around them."

As to spare time, he shrugged, "Normal things? I like to explore the forest around the village, see if I can catch any of the wildlife running about. Sometimes when I'm exploring I make up stories like I'm some important adventurer looking for a new place for the clan to settle. But no one really wants to hear about that so... yeah."

He shrugged again, not seeming too down about it. "How about you? What do you like to do?"

[Skylight Scintillate 1,909]

@Illiad Easle 

On 2024-08-22 at 4:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Princess Luna thought on Twilight's comments before nodding, "We will visit the young colt tonight in their dream and seek better understanding. Perhaps thou couldst visit them on the morrow? It would be unwise to crowd or overwhelm him. We can share with thee our notes on his clan before thy visit so that thou mightest be better acquainted."

"Alright then, I'll try to find out what they're doing tomorrow and meet them there. And the notes would be quite helpful. You know how I love some good notes!" Twilight replied. 

On 2024-08-22 at 4:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nova shrugged, "Well, you are a bat pony rather than a thestral, but you live her in Canterlot and have seen Princess Luna more than once, so they should be interested in you for that. And my parents are kind to me sure, but I can tell they wish I fit in better with the other young thestrals."

"Oh. Well I hope Princess Twilight can help you fix this, and maybe find some friends for you..." Speckle replied. She felt a little reassured about the other part of the exchange, but she still felt kind of bad for Nova. She didn't know what she would do if others didn't accept her for who she was.

On 2024-08-22 at 4:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nova nodded, folding his wing to serve as a sort of bag to hold any leftovers he could gather unless a better option was presented to him.

"Oh, there are paper boxes for this if you want," Speckle would point to the sole takeout box remaining on the table.

On 2024-08-22 at 4:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Once outside he'd think on her questions, "Well, I haven't met my mother's clan. They are mostly towards the coast, just east of Canterlot. My parents actually met here when she was visiting and my dad was freshly in the city guard. My mom tells me that they work more with dyes and spices, trading a lot more openly with the ponies around them."

"Ooh that sounds cool. I think that there are so many different cool things you can do with dyes and spices, you know. Like the food we ate this evening! Everything was so tasty!" Speckle would exclaim.

On 2024-08-22 at 4:58 PM, Illiad Easle said:

As to spare time, he shrugged, "Normal things? I like to explore the forest around the village, see if I can catch any of the wildlife running about. Sometimes when I'm exploring I make up stories like I'm some important adventurer looking for a new place for the clan to settle. But no one really wants to hear about that so... yeah."

He shrugged again, not seeming too down about it. "How about you? What do you like to do?"

"Oh my gosh I love playing pretend as well! Like when I'm practicing my flying, I'll make up stories about how I'm a Wonderbolt admired by all of Canterlot. The winds are interesting flying on the side of a mountain. Other times I like exploring around the city pretending I'm helping Princess Luna make life better for everypony, or I'm helping Daring Do uncover some long-lost secret. You should tell me your stories! I love a good adventure!" Speckle exclaimed.

"Also, I'm so excited to be seeing the Wonderbolts tomorrow! Especially Rainbow Dash! Though it is getting late now, so I think we should head back home to sleep..." Speckle said as she led Nova out of the restaurant.

Nearby, Twilight would give the pair a quick glance before teleporting away, now knowing where to meet them.

"So, what do you think of the Princesses? Aren't Princess Luna and Princess Twilight so magical? I love them!" Speckle exclaimed.

[Illiad Easle 3,098]

@Skylight Scintillate

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Alright then, I'll try to find out what they're doing tomorrow and meet them there. And the notes would be quite helpful. You know how I love some good notes!" Twilight replied. 

Princess Luna simply nodded before taking her leave, "May the stars guide thee Princess Twilight."

(I'll put the notes at the end)

 

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh. Well I hope Princess Twilight can help you fix this, and maybe find some friends for you..." Speckle replied. She felt a little reassured about the other part of the exchange, but she still felt kind of bad for Nova. She didn't know what she would do if others didn't accept her for who she was.

Nova didn't look too sure, having been taught from a young age that thestrals weren't supposed to let others solve their problems for them, especially not non-thestrals, but he figured that Twilight might be an exception, being an alicorn. Besides, it would be more like seeking instruction, and that was encouraged, it wasn't like he was asking her to solve his problems for him.

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh, there are paper boxes for this if you want," Speckle would point to the sole takeout box remaining on the table.

He nodded, "I wondered what those were for!" before moving the food into the one she pointed out, "That does make it much easier to carry, that's really cool!"

 

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Ooh that sounds cool. I think that there are so many different cool things you can do with dyes and spices, you know. Like the food we ate this evening! Everything was so tasty!" Speckle would exclaim.

He smiled at that, "Yeah, my mom helps with the clan feasts when she can, and many comment that it tastes better when she does, though she says that the clan can't handle the level of spice she would want to put in. She saves that for us at home."

He seemed to like talking about food.

 

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Oh my gosh I love playing pretend as well! Like when I'm practicing my flying, I'll make up stories about how I'm a Wonderbolt admired by all of Canterlot. The winds are interesting flying on the side of a mountain. Other times I like exploring around the city pretending I'm helping Princess Luna make life better for everypony, or I'm helping Daring Do uncover some long-lost secret. You should tell me your stories! I love a good adventure!" Speckle exclaimed.

"Also, I'm so excited to be seeing the Wonderbolts tomorrow! Especially Rainbow Dash! Though it is getting late now, so I think we should head back home to sleep..." Speckle said as she led Nova out of the restaurant.

Nova was happy to hear that he wasn't alone, maybe some of the other thestrals back home did the same thing, and just didn't talk about it?

When it came to sharing his stories he grew a bit more bashful, "Oh, they're nothing special. Really it is just pretending that I'm surveying. Maybe I can show you some of the places I found though?"

As it pertained to their activities later he was a bit confused, "Late? The moon's barely risen! Or," he paused, "Ah, the show is during the day isn't it? So we'll have to sleep earlier to be up in time for it. Alright. It should be easier to sleep this time after all this good food."

 

15 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"So, what do you think of the Princesses? Aren't Princess Luna and Princess Twilight so magical? I love them!" Speckle exclaimed.

He looked thoughtful, "Well, Princess Luna is... different... than I thought she would be. I thought she would be more stoic, more like the clan elders, but she was, friendly?" He shrugged. "I didn't hear much about Princess Twilight before, but she sure talked a lot, even more than me, and she seemed to care about me, which I didn't think would happen. It's like she wanted to be my friend? But I'm hardly important or special enough for that, she has so many ponies here more important than me."

 

(Notes on the Fastar Clan)

Twilight might be surprised at the stack of papers waiting for her, no doubt sent by Princess Luna. It seemed that the lunar princess was no less studious than Twilight herself, at least where it pertained to meticulous note taking.

The Fastar Clan was founded just over 200 years prior, with clan history stating that it was founded by Starlight, last of the Whitetail clan, and Fastar, a mysterious creature the likes of which had not been seen before or since. The history stated that Fastar had requested to not be documented as to their appearance, and that one like them would come one day to retrieve an artifact they had used to defend the clan as it grew.

The clan grew over time mostly unifying other clans that had been decimated over the centuries following Nightmare Moon's banishment and the subsequent vilification of thestrals by Equestrians, a sentiment that had only recently started to soften with Luna's return. As such the clan grew to be fiercely independent, defending their territory with more vigor than any clan before them, and commanding a fierce loyalty to the clan above all others.

This rigid doctrine had kept the clan strong and united, growing when other clans dwindled and dissolved, integrating into larger communities. It stands presently as one of the few remaining pure thestral clans on the Equestrian continent, and the largest concentration of thestrals outside of thestralia (An island off the coast of minostralia, the home of the minotaurs)

The current clan leader is Euler Fastar, his daughter Starlight Fastar being trained to replace him. Starlight is only a few years older than Nova is presently.

The clan's diet is omnivorous, an even mix of foraged and cultivated fruits and vegetables from the surrounding Shimmerwood Forest, as well as hunted small game. They trade in a limited capacity with the nearby zebra village for the food that they cannot grow for themselves.

Their primary exports are labor in the form of sending thestrals out to work in surrounding nations with the money returning to the clan to fund any necessary items, and Shimmerwood, a magical wood that glows when charged with magic, making for a useful torch without risk of fire and for building supports for mines. Given their zealous defense of their territory, they are the only ones with access to this wood for trade.

Edited August 26 by Illiad Easle
Added the notes

[Skylight Scintillate 1,909]

@Illiad Easle 

On 2024-08-26 at 4:14 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He smiled at that, "Yeah, my mom helps with the clan feasts when she can, and many comment that it tastes better when she does, though she says that the clan can't handle the level of spice she would want to put in. She saves that for us at home."

He seemed to like talking about food.

"So, what kind of food does your mom cook? It sounds like the food is really good," Speckle asked.

On 2024-08-26 at 4:14 PM, Illiad Easle said:

When it came to sharing his stories he grew a bit more bashful, "Oh, they're nothing special. Really it is just pretending that I'm surveying. Maybe I can show you some of the places I found though?"

"Ooh, that sounds cool. So you like exploring places too? That's cool. Were there any interesting places you saw in Canterlot today? I quite like how there's so many interesting places here in Thestral Market," Speckle rambled. 

On 2024-08-26 at 4:14 PM, Illiad Easle said:

As it pertained to their activities later he was a bit confused, "Late? The moon's barely risen! Or," he paused, "Ah, the show is during the day isn't it? So we'll have to sleep earlier to be up in time for it. Alright. It should be easier to sleep this time after all this good food."

"Well, yeah, it is kind of strange for me as well because I'm usually up at night as well, but we stayed awake the whole day today running around Canterlot! And we've been up before dawn running around Thestral Market! And now the sun has already set again," Speckle replied. "Plus, while the interesting stuff happens in Thestral Market at night, in the rest of Canterlot, the interesting stuff happens during the day! Like the Wonderbolts show! So yeah, it is kind of weird sleeping during the night and being awake during the day to participate in these events."

On 2024-08-26 at 4:14 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He looked thoughtful, "Well, Princess Luna is... different... than I thought she would be. I thought she would be more stoic, more like the clan elders, but she was, friendly?" He shrugged. "I didn't hear much about Princess Twilight before, but she sure talked a lot, even more than me, and she seemed to care about me, which I didn't think would happen. It's like she wanted to be my friend? But I'm hardly important or special enough for that, she has so many ponies here more important than me."

"Well do you like Princess Luna the way she is or the way you thought she would be? I like that she's friendly. I don't get why somepony would want somepony else to be not friendly I guess?" Speckle pondered out loud. "As for Princess Twilight, well funny thing, before she discovered friendship, she didn't talk much! But now she's really cheerful, and she loves helping others with their friendship problems and such. As for why she cares about you, well she's the Princess of Friendship! Solving friendship problems is her thing! She recognizes what it's like to not have friends, and she's willing to help you work this out. And I want to help you out too! Sure, she would be very busy most of the time, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be able to go around helping those that need it..." Speckle rambled. "I suppose the question now is, who do you want to be friends with?"

By then, the pair had made their way back to Scotia's apartment. Speckle would lead Nova upstairs to her bedroom, and after completing her before-sleep routine, she would get in bed. "I can't wait to see the Wonderbolts tomorrow," she would say just before falling asleep.

=====

Twilight read through the notes that Luna had provided. She admired how detailed Luna was, and while the general notes were quite interesting, she would specifically look for any notes about their social relationships and their relationship with Luna. If that wasn't available, she would infer that Nova kind of defied the clan's expectations for him, and that he wouldn't be able to fit in without conforming.

[Illiad Easle 3,098]

@Skylight Scintillate

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"So, what kind of food does your mom cook? It sounds like the food is really good," Speckle asked.

Nova looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, she's good at cooking with fish, since her clan had a lot of them growing up, but our clan doesn't have as good of access to fish so we don't get to eat them often. But she helps when we do have some."

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Ooh, that sounds cool. So you like exploring places too? That's cool. Were there any interesting places you saw in Canterlot today? I quite like how there's so many interesting places here in Thestral Market," Speckle rambled. 

"Well, the tower was cool, and its cool that this whole place is so high up on a mountain, and where we just were was cool, though that was mostly due to Princess Luna being there."

He shrugged, "It's just all so different from back home, when I go exploring in the forest, I'm usually all alone, but here you can't hardly go anywhere without running into somepony!"

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

So yeah, it is kind of weird sleeping during the night and being awake during the day to participate in these events."

He nodded, "It's like when we have outings to visit the zebra or the ponies at Archback, since they're awake during the day too. It would be rude to make them adjust to us when we're visiting them."

 

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

"Well do you like Princess Luna the way she is or the way you thought she would be? I like that she's friendly. I don't get why somepony would want somepony else to be not friendly I guess?" Speckle pondered out loud. "As for Princess Twilight, well funny thing, before she discovered friendship, she didn't talk much! But now she's really cheerful, and she loves helping others with their friendship problems and such. As for why she cares about you, well she's the Princess of Friendship! Solving friendship problems is her thing! She recognizes what it's like to not have friends, and she's willing to help you work this out. And I want to help you out too! Sure, she would be very busy most of the time, but that doesn't mean she wouldn't be able to go around helping those that need it..." Speckle rambled. "I suppose the question now is, who do you want to be friends with?"

Nova was thoughtful again as Speckle talked, waiting for her to finish before responding, "Um, well, I don't really know I guess? I mean, I don't dislike Princess Luna, both the way I was told she would be and the way I saw her be, I was just surprised that she was different. I don't know if I could say if I like her after only just meeting her, but... hmm... I guess I did like her before meeting her." He let out an exasperated huff, "Having friends is harder than I thought." 

He didn't seem mad or disappointed, just confused as to his own feelings on the matter.

"It's not that my clan wants ponies to be unfriendly, I think it's more of a 'be careful' sort of thing. Friends can hurt you in ways enemies can't. That's what they taught me anyway, so I'm supposed to be careful, and being stoic is one way to be sure...?"

He shrugged again, "It made a lot more sense back home, I'm not so sure about it now."

 

As to Princess Twilight and Speckle's final question, his expression was hard to read, likely because he himself didn't know how he felt. "Um, I guess I want to be friends with ponies who want to be friends with me? Maybe... ponies who can help me to be better?"

He shrugged, "It's all new to me, I never thought I'd really get a choice."

 

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

By then, the pair had made their way back to Scotia's apartment. Speckle would lead Nova upstairs to her bedroom, and after completing her before-sleep routine, she would get in bed. "I can't wait to see the Wonderbolts tomorrow," she would say just before falling asleep.

Nova was lost in thought as he went through his own preparations to sleep. This night had brought up a lot of questions for him that he had not previously considered. Sure he was excited about seeing the show, but he wondered about how friendship was supposed to work, and how different it seemed here from back home.

His dreams were more troubled than usual.

 

On 2024-08-29 at 4:19 PM, Skylight Scintillate said:

Twilight read through the notes that Luna had provided. She admired how detailed Luna was, and while the general notes were quite interesting, she would specifically look for any notes about their social relationships and their relationship with Luna. If that wasn't available, she would infer that Nova kind of defied the clan's expectations for him, and that he wouldn't be able to fit in without conforming.

As to specifics, The Fastar clan only seemed to maintain strong relationships with their closest neighbors, being the Mohotma clan of freed zebra slaves and the Children of the Moon at Archback Mountain. They had cordial relationships with the other thestral clans, but mostly remained aloof.

Thestrals from the Fastar clan were encouraged, if they were able, to serve in the Canterlot guard and other forces under Princess Luna's command, as well as other armed forces in other nations, focusing on defense. This gave the clan a reputation of fierce and loyal warriors who spoke little and questioned less, but were nonetheless reliable when it came to acting in the best interest of those they served. Those caught engaging in corrupt activities were often banished from the clan before even their superiors could take action against them.

When it came to romantic engagements, thestrals from the clan were encouraged to seek partners from other pureblooded thestral clans, though in recent years batpony partners of sufficient purity were also accepted.

As it pertained to Luna herself, the notes were more sparse, and Luna admitted as much that she had limited her contact with the clan given how zealous they were towards her. Unlike other thestral clans, she had not had to dissuade them from worship towards Nightmare Moon, instead they had a picture of her in their minds from before her incident, one she thinks they learned from the zebra and the Children.

They considered her a stalwart protector, stoic and almost unapproachable, and had patterned their lives and culture after those ideals. She believed that this devotion had led to their success in maintaining and growing their strength as a clan, and as such feared that altering their perception of her would damage their culture, and weaken their society.

 

(I'll write about Luna in Nova's dream next time, sorry for the delay!)

[Skylight Scintillate 1,909]

@Illiad Easle 

On 2024-09-03 at 4:52 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nova looked thoughtful for a moment, "Well, she's good at cooking with fish, since her clan had a lot of them growing up, but our clan doesn't have as good of access to fish so we don't get to eat them often. But she helps when we do have some."

"That makes sense. I know Canterlot is quite far away from the coast as well, but because it is connected by railway to coastal cities, they can bring in fresh seafood here quickly." Speckle replied.

On 2024-09-03 at 4:52 PM, Illiad Easle said:

He shrugged, "It's just all so different from back home, when I go exploring in the forest, I'm usually all alone, but here you can't hardly go anywhere without running into somepony!"

"Well I'm interested in seeing what it is like over by where you live." She didn't really have anything else to say to what Nova had said, so she just nodded in agreement.

On 2024-09-03 at 4:52 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Nova was thoughtful again as Speckle talked, waiting for her to finish before responding, "Um, well, I don't really know I guess? I mean, I don't dislike Princess Luna, both the way I was told she would be and the way I saw her be, I was just surprised that she was different. I don't know if I could say if I like her after only just meeting her, but... hmm... I guess I did like her before meeting her." He let out an exasperated huff, "Having friends is harder than I thought." 

He didn't seem mad or disappointed, just confused as to his own feelings on the matter.

"I guess you can also figure out your opinion on the princesses after meeting them. And having friends being hard, well I guess that's why they have a Princess of Friendship," Speckle laughed.

On 2024-09-03 at 4:52 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"It's not that my clan wants ponies to be unfriendly, I think it's more of a 'be careful' sort of thing. Friends can hurt you in ways enemies can't. That's what they taught me anyway, so I'm supposed to be careful, and being stoic is one way to be sure...?"

He shrugged again, "It made a lot more sense back home, I'm not so sure about it now."

"I know my parents are always telling me to try to understand things from other pony's perspectives, so maybe when I visit the place where you live, I will understand. I mean like, that's what this cultural exchange is for, right?" Speckle asked rhetorically. "Though I guess I know what you mean about being careful with friends. Like when you think somepony is nice and then you find out that they aren't actually that nice. But wait, wouldn't that make Princess Luna like the opposite of that? Like, you think she isn't nice, but then when you meet her, she turns out to be nicer than you thought? I don't know..." Nova's thoughts gave Speckle quite a bit to think about as well, and she pondered it over in her bedroom next to Nova.

=====

On 2024-09-03 at 4:52 PM, Illiad Easle said:

As to specifics, The Fastar clan only seemed to maintain strong relationships with their closest neighbors, being the Mohotma clan of freed zebra slaves and the Children of the Moon at Archback Mountain. They had cordial relationships with the other thestral clans, but mostly remained aloof.

Thestrals from the Fastar clan were encouraged, if they were able, to serve in the Canterlot guard and other forces under Princess Luna's command, as well as other armed forces in other nations, focusing on defense. This gave the clan a reputation of fierce and loyal warriors who spoke little and questioned less, but were nonetheless reliable when it came to acting in the best interest of those they served. Those caught engaging in corrupt activities were often banished from the clan before even their superiors could take action against them.

When it came to romantic engagements, thestrals from the clan were encouraged to seek partners from other pureblooded thestral clans, though in recent years batpony partners of sufficient purity were also accepted.

As it pertained to Luna herself, the notes were more sparse, and Luna admitted as much that she had limited her contact with the clan given how zealous they were towards her. Unlike other thestral clans, she had not had to dissuade them from worship towards Nightmare Moon, instead they had a picture of her in their minds from before her incident, one she thinks they learned from the zebra and the Children.

They considered her a stalwart protector, stoic and almost unapproachable, and had patterned their lives and culture after those ideals. She believed that this devotion had led to their success in maintaining and growing their strength as a clan, and as such feared that altering their perception of her would damage their culture, and weaken their society.

The notes confirming the impression that she got from the initial summery, Twilight would nod to herself, setting the notes aside before retiring for the night herself.

[Illiad Easle 3,098]

@Skylight Scintillate

16 hours ago, Skylight Scintillate said:

"I guess you can also figure out your opinion on the princesses after meeting them. And having friends being hard, well I guess that's why they have a Princess of Friendship," Speckle laughed.

Nova laughed as well, glad to hear that his difficulty with the concept wasn't unfounded or strange.

 

In Nova's dreams, it was a bit more of a memory. It started with him in his clan's clearing, being taunted by the other young thestrals like he had remembered during the dinner, before he ran away into the forest to escape their torment. In his dream, the other young thestrals did not pursue him, their taunts quickly fading into quiet as he lost himself in the dimly lit forest. The forest itself seemed like a faithful recreation, rather than having trees repeat randomly, indicating that he was very familiar with the forest around his home.

He stopped in a clearing not too far from where he started, a few shimmerwood trees lining the edges, and he had a clear view of the sky and the moon hanging above.

"Too small for a colony, but they could put something here. Maybe something for her? Maybe if we built it, she would come to see us."

"And if we did? What woulds't thou expect?"

Luna entered the clearing from the opposite side as Nova, her expression hard to read.

Nova was surprised, like he didn't know how he should act, he quickly bowed.

Luna came closer, "Thou mayest rise, and speak."

"P-Princess Luna! I... I don't..."

She moved to sit next to him, after a moment's hesitation on her part, she draped a wing over him.

"Thou mayest speak freely, young thestral. We sense that thou art different from thy clan. Tell us, what troubleth thee?"

He looked away, "I'm not good enough, I try to be strong and stoic like you, but I fail, and the others... they're so much better at it than me. They all get along without me, with each other. How do you do it? How are you so strong?"

Luna was quiet, "Many years of practice, and many failures. Ours is a jaded life, through distance we prevent heartbreak, through isolation we prevent injury. We are strong, but we are not happy."

There was a tear in her eye, "P-Princess Luna?" Nova was confused.

"We wouldst rather that thou wast happy. Happier than us."

Nova was deeply confused, Luna saw she wasn't helping quite as much as she had hoped. "We must away, yet watch, and we may yet return."

And so Luna left the poor colt confused to pass the rest of the night in a dreamless sleep, as Luna wondered how she might have done better. She hoped that Twilight's efforts the next day would prove more fruitful in learning how to approach the colt. Without growing too emotional herself.