private Land of Shadows

[Love*Potion 575]

"Oh Celestia, oh dear Celestia," Kismet mumbled to herself as she ran about her room, tossing clothes and such into her travel-sized saddlebag. It had been ages since she had seen Evening. In fact her memory of their past was beginning to blur... No time to think about that now. 

 

"Keep your mind in the present," Kismet reminded herself, "You can remember the past and consider the future, but the present is what matters now."

 

She finished packing her things, locked up the house, and headed out the door. She stepped outside and spread her wings. Soon she was gliding up and up until she reached her favorite spot. Funny how much has happened in the short time since she had been up here that morning...

 

She gazed out into the far distance where the tall skyscrapers of Manehatten were grazing the sky. Without wasting any time, Kismet jumped and flew out from her home in Cloudsdale and towards the new, unfamiliar city on the horizon. 

[PinkieShyFlutterPie 408]

@@Sterling Crimson,

 

"Yep, Neon that's my name...How did you know my name? You know what, never mind. Anyways, we will make sure Sterling doesn't go to the garden till after the wedding" Neon smiled. She looked over to Steel and Clover, they were such a cute couple...which made Neon sorta jealous, considering her relationship with Red wasn't going well. Then their was DJ and Vinyl another cute couple...and Sterling and Evening, but Neon was super happy for them. Neon suddenly remembered she had to get a dress "Oh my gosh...I have nothing to wear, guys, i...am gonna go get a dress...Be back soon, i know there was a store with a cute dress real close to here.."

[Inactive01 5,299]

Much of the students and professors who were among the group proceeded to the garden right by the chapel. It was lush green and was just by Central Park. When they saw Central Park right by them, their eyes instantly glowed. Having already received permission from Manehattan's government to prepare this surprise reception, they were delighted to see that Central Park was just beside the white, glowing chapel. A gold mare with frilly red hair and glasses then spoke aloud, "This is so awesome! Check that out! We can set everything up and keep Sterling away from here until the reception! C'mon everypony! Let's set up!" The group of ponies were delighted to finally set up all the balloons, streamers, and decorations for the reception. Now if only they could find some way to make everything invisible until the reception...

---------------------------------------------------

 

@Pripyat Pony @PinkieShyFlutterPie @Steel Accord

 

While the other ponies were setting up the wedding, the Manehattan University Orchestra had just arrived. They were to perform a dress rehearsal of the wedding proceedings and practice the music they were to play for the wedding. As they entered the wedding chapel, they were instantly wowed at the stained glass from whence the light emanated. The pews were refined wood and it looked like the entire hall was painted white just for the wedding. The conductor of the orchestra, Bram Thorrington, had a grey mane and a nearly black body. His cutie mark was that of a baton and he looked excited to rehearse at what was reputed to have the best acoustics in the city. He walked up to one of the four ponies congregated at the other end of the centre isle where Sterling and Evening were to walk. He then spoke politely with a sense of urgency, "Hello. I'm Bram Thorrington. I'm the conductor of the Manehattan University Philharmonic, and we were hoping to set up at the front here so that we could rehearse for Sterling's wedding. So if you ponies don't mind, please excuse us as we set up."  

[Budding Night 1,043]

(Warning, upcoming head-cannon)

 

@Sterling Crimson

 

'..realised that nopony liked her night. As her hatred grew stronger she-‘

 

Right then, she heard a squeak. The noise startled her; Evening threw her head up and looked around the room, out the doorway. She saw nothing, absolutely nothing at all. I was most likely her imagination, even if she didn’t use her imagination much anymore. She sighed, she never really had, it had always been explained to her as a stupid thing that gets in the way of reality, nothing more than blinds that wouldn’t do any good. She continued reading.

 

‘..started to become she was not. One fateful night, the princess found a helmet, a helmet that looked perfect for a queen of the night instead of the crown that nopony noticed. She threw away her crown and laid the helmet on her head, but little did she know that the helmet had an evil magic to it. It found the princess’ hatred and feed on it, making it grow and grow by the second until it made her transform into a monster who seeked revenge on her beautiful, ignored nights, she seeked to overtake the Princess of the Sun and cause eternal night. Princess Luna had turned into one of the greatest fears our Princess Celestia has ever had; Nightmare Moon.’

 

Below the text was a picture of Nightmare Moon in what the book called her ‘Final Stage’ of transforming. Her wings had become Bat-like and her eyes had gone a brilliant blue-green as well as her eye shape changing. Her mane had changed to become bigger and seemed to Evening like it was looking for something to.. looking for something. A swirl of pink was behind the monster as she reared in her bloodthirsty hunger for revenge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

She suddenly heard a soothing voice whisper in her ear “Evie.. I’m home” it spoke, Evening turned to it to see the familiar, calming face of her husband; Sterling Crimson. “Hey..” she whispered, giving him a soft, short kiss “How was the shopping? I’ve been doing a lot of progress for the wedding since you’ve been gone.”

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Steel Accord,

 

Clover wished she could be more romantic and flirty, the way that many mares were among the stallions they liked, but it seemed alien to her. She was just too studious, too much of a bookworm. That was why she'd never had a proper relationship with a stallion. She sighed, and decided just to enjoy Steel's company for the moment and worry about other things after the wedding.

 

"You look fantastic," she replied to Steel. "Hope my dress is alright." Clover was wearing a pale blue dress with matching shoes, and the necklace with the jewel set in it about her neck.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@Budding Night

 

Sterling was relieved that Evening didn't notice him carrying her special gift for the wedding day. Her soft kiss to him was as comforting as ever as he smiled deeply into her kiss. Sterling then replied to Evening's question, "Teehee. I found the perfect wedding gown for me. I decided to rent it, and here's the wedding gown right now actually." Sterling then showed the wedding gown off to Evening, hoping that she approved of the gown. To him, it was perfect, especially because of the smooth black texture that defined the gown so well.

 

After showing the gown though, Sterling then asked, "Why don't we go over to the chapel right now? We've got to rehearse for the wedding after all. The walking down the aisle, a figurehead from Celestia to tell us to recite our vows, and who could forget the kiss? Hehehe." With that, Sterling then began to walk out of the apartment, motioning for Evening to come along with excitement.

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note felt slightly better, even if she needed to book a few extra gigs now. Walking around Manehatten hadn't been a terrible idea. She decided to take a route through Central Park to get back to her apartment. It wasn't that much longer of a walk, and she didn't object to a change of scenery.

 

The walk was pleasant enough. At a certain point, however, Blue Note realized she had stumbled into someone's party. She decided she had better quickly move along before someone noticed her. As she briskly walked by, she noted there was something familiar about the ponies surrounding her. It hit her when she saw ponies from the Manehatten University Philharmonic entering the chapel near the park. These ponies were familiar because they had gone to school with her. This must be for a...

 

"Wedding," Blue Note realized. The chapel by the park had an address she recognized. There must be a rehearsal going on tonight. "Maybe it's for someone else. It could be for somepony else's wedding," Blue Note thought as her anxiety began to increase. "I need to get away from here."

Edited July 8, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Love*Potion 575]

Kismet glided through the clouds, feeling the soft, cooling mist on her face. She had been flying for quite a while now, and she just realized that she had skipped both breakfast and lunch in her haste. Her wings were beginning to ache and her focus became clouded. She was about halfway to Manehatten from here, so she decided it was a good time for a rest stop. She was making great time, even with the break she would probably make it to the city center by sundown. 

 

She landed down in the trees just outside of Ponyville. It was the perfect stop, it had food, friendly ponies, and even a boutique to purchase a formal gown for the wedding. She stopped at a cafe right on the town square and enjoyed a wonderful meal of celery stalks and peanut butter, cheese and crackers, and an apple muffin to finish. After gulping down the last of her water, she felt fresh and renewed. 

 

She trotted down the road happily with the sun shining down. She stretched out her wings as she walked, feeling the warmth on her tired feathers. Once she reached the boutique, a beautiful white unicorn mare was outside to greet her. 

 

"Oh hello my darling don't you look lovely today!" she said, flipping her purple mane and batting her long eyelashes. Kismet smiled, thinking that she probably looked far from 'lovely', she had just flown for miles. "I'm sure you have traveled to my shop to look at all of my magnificent gowns and accessories. Oh! In fact, I think I have the perfect one in mind for you... Yes, yes I'm sure it will look absolutely stunning! Come along dear this will be just fabulous!"

 

Kismet found herself being dragged into the shop, without a word or even knowing this mare's name.

 

 

((OOC: Will explain more about Evening and Kismet's relationship after confirmation from @@Budding Night ))

Edited July 8, 2013 by Love*Potion

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Steel Accord,

 

Clover wished she could be more romantic and flirty, the way that many mares were among the stallions they liked, but it seemed alien to her. She was just too studious, too much of a bookworm. That was why she'd never had a proper relationship with a stallion. She sighed, and decided just to enjoy Steel's company for the moment and worry about other things after the wedding.

 

"You look fantastic," she replied to Steel. "Hope my dress is alright." Clover was wearing a pale blue dress with matching shoes, and the necklace with the jewel set in it about her neck.

"Oh you look just lovely, a vision of beauty." Steel complimented. "Shall I get you a drink? Wine, punch, just a water perhaps?" Steel let his eye wander over Clover a bit but as she drew attention to her necklace, he noticed the familiar gem adorning it. "Ah I see you kept your souvenir as an accessory. I have kept mine as well as a good luck charm." Steel pulled his own gem out of his coat pocket.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@Budding Night

@Pripyat Pony

@Steel Accord

@PinkieShyFlutterPie

(OOC: Sorry about god-modding you slightly here Budding. I hope you don't mind)

 

As Sterling and Evening reached the wedding chapel, Sterling's eyes opened wide at how large the chapel hall was. Just looking at the wooden doors that closed the entrance was already a huge treat for him. As he approached the door, he could hear music. It was the Manehattan University Philharmonic rehearsing for his wedding, just as expected. Things were going swimmingly for Sterling. Nothing bad was to happen on his wedding day, especially after all the adventuring he did with Evening.

 

As he pushed the doors open with his crimson hooves, the sight inside was amazing. Not because of the orchestra, not because of the pews, and not because of the stained glass windows. It was all his friends congregated at the center of the wedding hall! The ones he met at the Odyssey! He was ecstatic that they actually came so early! After all, his wedding wasn't to happen for the next 3 days! He trotted as fast he could towards them, once again motioning Evening to come along and meet their old friends from the abandoned cruise! He shouted at them all, even with the orchestra rehearsing, "Hey guys! I can't believe you're all here!" 

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@Budding Night

@Pripyat Pony

@Steel Accord

@PinkieShyFlutterPie

(OOC: Sorry about god-modding you slightly here Budding. I hope you don't mind)

 

As Sterling and Evening reached the wedding chapel, Sterling's eyes opened wide at how large the chapel hall was. Just looking at the wooden doors that closed the entrance was already a huge treat for him. As he approached the door, he could hear music. It was the Manehattan University Philharmonic rehearsing for his wedding, just as expected. Things were going swimmingly for Sterling. Nothing bad was to happen on his wedding day, especially after all the adventuring he did with Evening.

 

As he pushed the doors open with his crimson hooves, the sight inside was amazing. Not because of the orchestra, not because of the pews, and not because of the stained glass windows. It was all his friends congregated at the center of the wedding hall! The ones he met at the Odyssey! He was ecstatic that they actually came so early! After all, his wedding wasn't to happen for the next 3 days! He trotted as fast he could towards them, once again motioning Evening to come along and meet their old friends from the abandoned cruise! He shouted at them all, even with the orchestra rehearsing, "Hey guys! I can't believe you're all here!" 

 

"Are you kidding Doctor?!" Steel asked with faux mockery. "I wouldn't miss this event if Celestia refused to raise the sun!" Steel said before a hoof to his forehead, mouth, and chest in swift genuflection. He was sure the Princess Herself wouldn't have minded such hyperbole, but it was still in good taste to pray forgiveness.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@Steel Accord

 

Sterling noticed Steel's ecstatic reaction to his arrival as he ran up to Steel. As soon as he arrived, Bram stopped his orchestra's playing for a moment and walked up to Sterling. "Sterling!!! Now nice to see you today! Our orchestra just arrived about 20 minutes ago to rehearse for your wedding! If you don't mind, could you quiet down the reunion please? We want to make your wedding's music the best it can be, and you know how picky I can be..." Bram then gave Sterling a friendly wink before continuing the rehearsal with the orchestra.

 

Sterling apologized under his breath about this noise, and then replied to Steel, "My goodness Steel! It's felt like years since I last saw you all! How have things been lately?! I hope they are still well with you!"

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@Steel Accord

 

Sterling noticed Steel's ecstatic reaction to his arrival as he ran up to Steel. As soon as he arrived, Bram stopped his orchestra's playing for a moment and walked up to Sterling. "Sterling!!! Now nice to see you today! Our orchestra just arrived about 20 minutes ago to rehearse for your wedding! If you don't mind, could you quiet down the reunion please? We want to make your wedding's music the best it can be, and you know how picky I can be..." Bram then gave Sterling a friendly wink before continuing the rehearsal with the orchestra.

 

Sterling apologized under his breath about this noise, and then replied to Steel, "My goodness Steel! It's felt like years since I last saw you all! How have things been lately?! I hope they are still well with you!"

"They have." Steel said quiter. "Published that book based on our little sojourn. It has made me very wealthy, and if I play my cards right, I just might get an audience with the Princess about a certain position that has been empty for more than a thousand years. What of you, my friend? I hope all this wedding planning hasn't been wearing on you two."

[Inactive01 5,299]

@Steel Accord

 

Sterling replied with excitement for Steel, "Congratulations on your book! Has anypony interviewed you about the book?" Sterling then continued, "This wedding planning's been very exciting actually. The gown picking wasn't the funnest thing I could have done though. I kinda wished I didn't have to worry about that. Nonetheless, Evie and I are so excited about the actual wedding that the planning just zoomed past us!" 

[PinkieShyFlutterPie 408]

@@Sterling Crimson,  @@Budding Night,

 

 

Neon had come back a little wile later with a fancy dress that she felt sort of weird in, cause she hardly ever wore dresses. When she walked back into the chapel she saw Sterling and Evening. She ran up to them "Hey guys! Congrats!" Neon said with a smile

[Inactive01 5,299]

@PinkieShyFlutterPie

 

While Sterling chatted with Steel, he heard a voice... it was Neon! Another friend of his from the Odyssey! He ran towards Neon and then spoke happily, "Neon! How are things?! It's been what seems like ages since we last met! I hope everything's going well! And thanks for the congratulations! We're both so excited about the marriage, it was practically the only thing in our minds!" 

[Zhooves 843]

After gliding for quite some time, he landed and begun trotting the rest of the way. When he finally arrived it was in the middle of the day. The fact that he had arrived at a completely unfamiliar town - a completely different city from anything he had seen - did not help with him also being quite hungry and tired. Walking around, avoiding thick masses of ponies, dodging being trampled every now and then... Even though he had grown a few centimetres since he was with the others on their tropical adventure, he was still small for his age.

 

He decided to enter one of the tallest buildings he could spot from where he was. He followed some of the other ponies inside, and watched as a lot of them seemed to be cramping into a couple of tiny rooms, only to be closed in before it a few minutes later opened again - empty.

Not taking any chances, he found the stairs, and started climbing his way to the rooftop. From there, he could see a good bit of the city, as well as what he believed was his destination. "Strange building... Looks kind of like the kirke back home..." he spoke to himself, before he stepped up on the ledge. "This be the easy way in, I guess..." he whispered to himself before jumping and glding towards the chapel, flying in through the door and crash-landing in between the others.

 

"...Next time, I'll take this 'tog' they speak of..." he said in a dizzy manner before almost passing out.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Zhooves

[PinkieShyFlutterPie 408]

@@Sterling Crimson, @@Zhooves,

 

"Eh, you know just been hanging out at parties, same old, same old. I missed you guys, We gotta find a way to meet up more! And i am sooo happy for you guys!" Neon said happily when suddenly somepony...Or North had crashed right there "North? Oh gosh, Are you alright?" 

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Sterling Crimson @@Budding Night @@Zhooves

 

DJ was just about to go over and say hi to the happy couple when a small blue blur flew into the chapel and crashed to the floor near him. Suddenly, he recognised it as North! He galloped over to him, closely followed by Vinyl. "North!" he exclaimed. "Are you ok? That was a pretty rough landing!"

[Steel Accord 6,660]

After gliding for quite some time, he landed and begun trotting the rest of the way. When he finally arrived it was in the middle of the day. The fact that he had arrived at a completely unfamiliar town - a completely different city from anything he had seen - did not help with him also being quite hungry and tired. Walking around, avoiding thick masses of ponies, dodging being trampled every now and then... Even though he had grown a few centimetres since he was with the others on their tropical adventure, he was still small for his age.

 

He decided to enter one of the tallest buildings he could spot from where he was. He followed some of the other ponies inside, and watched as a lot of them seemed to be cramping into a couple of tiny rooms, only to be closed in before it a few minutes later opened again - empty.

Not taking any chances, he found the stairs, and started climbing his way to the rooftop. From there, he could see a good bit of the city, as well as what he believed was his destination. "Strange building... Looks kind of like the kirke back home..." he spoke to himself, before he stepped up on the ledge. "This be the easy way in, I guess..." he whispered to himself before jumping and glding towards the chapel, flying in through the door and crash-landing in between the others.

 

"...Next time, I'll take this 'tog' they speak of..." he said in a dizzy manner before almost passing out.

  

@@Sterling Crimson, @@Zhooves,

 

"Eh, you know just been hanging out at parties, same old, same old. I missed you guys, We gotta find a way to meet up more! And i am sooo happy for you guys!" Neon said happily when suddenly somepony...Or North had crashed right there "North? Oh gosh, Are you alright?"

 

  

@@Sterling Crimson @@Budding Night @@Zhooves

 

DJ was just about to go over and say hi to the happy couple when a small blue blur flew into the chapel and crashed to the floor near him. Suddenly, he recognised it as North! He galloped over to him, closely followed by Vinyl. "North!" he exclaimed. "Are you ok? That was a pretty rough landing!"

"Young North!" Steel joined his friends at their youngest companion's side. "Are you well? That must have hurt." He offered North some water from a his thermos. Steel had grown to respect North just as much as his other friends. His ability to see clearly at night and bravery that most stallions did not posses had won him a high place in the Swordpony's heart.

[Zhooves 843]

@@PinkieShyFlutterPie, @, @@Steel Accord,

 

Drinking some water he was given by Steel, he recovered slightly, though he was breathing heavily. One could clearly see that he had taken no mind to his looks - his mane having quite a few antennas poking up here and there, his fur a bit greyer from dust, and his eyes even more tired than the others had ever seen. 

 

"Ah, how lucky - ye'r all here..." he spoke before coughing up a tiny black cloud. "Not the cleanest... Air around, eh?" he said as he took a deep breath. "I am fine, thanks... For asking. I am still not able to... Fly properly, so I took to gliding... As far as that took me... Had to climb a lot of course, but it worked..." he said, as he sat down catching his breath. "I am not flying and running across half of Equestria again... T'least not without some food and better planning..." he finished, as his tummy rumbled.

Edited July 8, 2013 by Zhooves

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@PinkieShyFlutterPie, @, @@Steel Accord,

 

Drinking some water he was given by Steel, he recovered slightly, though he was breathing heavily. One could clearly see that he had taken no mind to his looks - his mane having quite a few antennas poking up here and there, his fur a bit greyer from dust, and his eyes even more tired than the others had ever seen. 

 

"Ah, how lucky - ye'r all here..." he spoke before coughing up a tiny black cloud. "Not the cleanest... Air around, eh?" he said as he took a deep breath. "I am fine, thanks... For asking. I am still not able to... Fly properly, so I took to gliding... As far as that took me... Had to climb a lot of course, but it worked..." he said, as he sat down catching his breath. "I am not flying and running across half of Equestria again... T'least not without some food and better planning..." he finished, as his tummy rumbled.

 

DJ chuckled when he saw his friend was alright. "It's good to see you all again!" he announced happily. "We haven't been all together like this since we defeated Raven! It feels like years since then!" Now, they were almost all back together again, to DJ's joy.

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@PinkieShyFlutterPie, @, @@Steel Accord,

 

Drinking some water he was given by Steel, he recovered slightly, though he was breathing heavily. One could clearly see that he had taken no mind to his looks - his mane having quite a few antennas poking up here and there, his fur a bit greyer from dust, and his eyes even more tired than the others had ever seen. 

 

"Ah, how lucky - ye'r all here..." he spoke before coughing up a tiny black cloud. "Not the cleanest... Air around, eh?" he said as he took a deep breath. "I am fine, thanks... For asking. I am still not able to... Fly properly, so I took to gliding... As far as that took me... Had to climb a lot of course, but it worked..." he said, as he sat down catching his breath. "I am not flying and running across half of Equestria again... T'least not without some food and better planning..." he finished, as his tummy rumbled.

"Well you'll have plenty of that, young master!" Steel said with a friendly pat of his wing upon North's back. "We are here to feast and celebrate after all. No such long journeys this time around." Steel mused that North had requested food and he had provided drink. North and Steel had indeed first met when Steel gave him a plate of food.

[Inactive01 5,299]

@Zhooves @PinkieShyFlutterPie

 

Just as Sterling was about to continue chatting with Neon, he saw North tumbling down at the entrance to the chapel hall. As Sterling rushed over to see whether North was alright, Bram was becoming frustrated that Sterling and his friends were disturbing their rehearsal. They were just playing the Entrance of the Queen of Sheba when North tumbled down. He then stopped again and walked over to the ruckus. Bram then told Sterling as kindly as he could, "Hey Sterling... you and your friends are being a bit noisy here.Can you and your friends please talk outside? We really need to get these pieces perfect for your wedding after all."

 

Sterling replied with an apology as Bram then walked back into the chapel hall. Sterling then turned his attention to North, who recovered well and was eating some food, "North! It's been ages since we last saw you! How have things been up there?!"

[Budding Night 1,043]

@@Sterling Crimson, @@Zhooves, @@Steel Accord, @, @@PinkieShyFlutterPie, @@Pripyat Pony, @ (Sorry if theres anyone else I missed whos at the chapel.)

 

Evening grinned, all of her friends from the Odyssey were there, it was so perfect. "I can't believe you're all here!" she giggled, she started walking out the door "Its been forever since we've all been together like this." she was so excited, all her friends together again. The last time, as it seemed, they'd all been like this is when they had the party for celebrating Sterling coming back to life. 

 

She was upset that they propably won't stay around as long as they had been together for their adventure though, but I suppose that was expected; they were here to celebrate with Sterling and herself, not go on an adventure. To her joy, though, they were all now back together. She'd repeat it herself again and again just make sure it was true, just so she could melt any doubt or fears she had, 'Its alright, they are all here, all of them. They're all okay, you're all together again' she told herself, smiling gleefully