Jingling Bells

[shining_derp]

Who: Shining Armor and You
What: Shining Armor starts giving sleigh rides all across the area
When: From Dec 1st to the 23rd
Where: Aqures Ixen and Trano Golsaucia
Warning: Unicorns man


Shining Armor was really excited to do this. There was nothing he liked better than a little ponyride across the powder and snow. And thus being said, he had brought out the Sleigh.

With no chocobo of his own, he had decided to pull it, and strong as he was, was able to make a short trip here and there, giving people rides. He's all over the area this year, and giving people rides was a joy and a half.

"All right, everyone ready? Here we go!"

And they're off once again!

Comments

Later in the month.

[ninjainviolet]

It had taken some time, but Sheena had finally started getting into the spirit of things--even going so far as adding a few holiday-specific colored accessories to her wardrobe. Although, she still refused to wear a hat or earmuffs; they tended to cut down the sounds around her, and she was too much in the habit of listening to them to stop doing so entirely.

The idea of a sleigh ride hadn't occurred to her--until she had seen the unicorn and he had offered her one. He wasn't the first unicorn who could speak she had encountered, and he probably wouldn't be the last. After a moment's hesitation, she had agreed and had climbed aboard. It wasn't a mad dash, so she was able to speak easily to him as they glided along.

"What's your name?" she called up to him, settling into her seat.

Re: Later in the month.

[shining_derp]

"Me? I'm Shining Armor, one of the newcomers here." said Shining with a smile at Sheena.

"Hows' the pace? Not too fast?"

They were gliding along at a moderate pace. Shining was very strong for how small of a pony he was, and the trip was well worth it. "There's cocoa in the drivers seat if you want it."

Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[neverfirstclass]

Shining wasn't the only one doing his part for the season and making people happy. Cloud had been making the most of his Santa job, and that included making appearances for the kids in both Aqures Ixen and Trano Golsaucia. The decorations and the festivities already had him in a good mood, but seeing Shining Armor at the head of the sleigh brought an even louder laugh from Santa Cloud.

"Ho ho ho! Letting the chocobos have a rest are we?" Don't mind him Shining. With the kids around he needs to keep in character.

Re: Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[shining_derp]

"Well you can't let the chocobos do all the work," laughed Shining, grinning at the kids and Santa Cloud. "Sometimes a pony needs to do what he needs to do."

"You kids want a ride?" asked Shining. "Santa too."

He was strong enough for it.

[ninjainviolet]

Returning the smile, Sheena said, "Nice to meet you, Shining Armor, and the pace is fine."

At the mention of hot chocolate, Sheena beamed and reach for some. She did have a sweet tooth, after all. "Thanks. This is just perfect." Tilting her head, she watched him for a moment, noting both his size and how well he handled the sleigh. Definitely a strong pony.

"Would you like some?" she asked him--even though she had no idea how to give it to him while he was "working".

[shining_derp]

"Oh sure, but just save a little bit when we stop," said Shining. "The chocolate I mean. I'll get some when I'm done here."

Normally he could run and drink chocolate at the same time, but that was with his telekinesis. For now, in between stops would do.

"We should be arriving at your destination in about 20 minutes or so, give or take nothing bothering us."

Re: Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[neverfirstclass]

The kids all cheered joyfully for a ride from the strange creature. One of them whispered to another guessing that this must be Odin's legendary steed Slepnir or something.

Cloud, for his part, just gave a jovial laugh and walked up to the sleigh.

"Come on kids! Let's all enjoy a fun ride!"

Re: Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[shining_derp]

Waiting for the kids and Cloud to pile in, he waited for Cloud to take the reigns before he proclaimed, "And off we go!"

With his strength already augmented by the job he wore, he started to pull to sleigh towards the middle of town through the snow.

Re: Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[neverfirstclass]

Cloud laughed and shook the reins for show, but he never put any pressure on Shining. The pony was in full command of the ride. Meanwhile Cloud kept the children laughing and merry by singing songs and telling jokes.

A fun time was being had by all as the sleigh moved through town.

Re: Trano Golsaucia - Midmonth

[shining_derp]

The trip circled the town as he started to sing. His moogle started to play a miniature guitar as well.

One! Two! One, two, three, four!

Dashing through the snow
In a one-horse open sleigh
Over the fields we go
Laughing all the way (Ha-ha-ha!)
Bells on bob tail ring
Making spirits bright
What fun it is to fly and sing
A sleighing song tonight!

Oh, jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

Thought I'd grab some friends
And take them for a ride
Not so sure what's up
As ponies run and hide
Put Rarity in the back
Right next to Pinkie Pie
Better buckle up, my friends
'Cause we're about to fly!

Oh, jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

Go grab Applejack
Who's hiding in the barn
Put her in the back
And leave behind the farm
Sky is clear and blue
And the wind is at our tails
Ponies, hold on tight because
We're about to tip the scales!

Tomorrow is Christmas morning
Tomorrow is Christmas day
And Santa's coming 'round the corner and he's bringing presents
'Cause he's been filling up that, filling up that Santa sleigh

We start speeding up
As colors start to show
Streaming through our manes
The higher up we go
Even faster still
Faces fearing doom
What fun it is to fly and sing
As we sonic rainboom!

Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh, what fun it is to fly
In a one-horse open sleigh
Jingle bells (Hey!), jingle bells (Hey!)
Jingle all the way (Hey! Hey!)
Oh what fun it is to ride
In a one-horse open sleigh!

[ninjainviolet]

"No problem! As good as this is, it wouldn't be fair to take it all." She sipped at the hot liquid and watched the passing scenery--the snow suddenly reminding her of Flanoir. She didn't get a chance to visit the place too often, but when she did...

"Hey, Shining Armor," she began, "Do you like snow? I mean, do you do this at home?"

[shining_derp]

"I kinda like it yeah. The place where I live actually has snow surrounding the mountain region. I live at the Crystal Empire, which is a city in the mountains." explained Shining, taking a turn while he did so.

"I've gotten used to the cooler temperatures, but now that the weather is more regulated it's easier to deal with."

[ninjainviolet]

"Sounds a lot like Flanoir--a city back home," Sheena said with a chuckle. "Snow and ice everywhere--as well as some mountains." She looked off into the distance. "'The Crystal Empire'... Is it as pretty as the name suggests it is?"

She held on as he turned, her curiosity piqued even more by his comment. "Regulated? What do you mean? Was the weather out of control?"

An elemental spirit gone haywire maybe?

[shining_derp]

"Yeah the Crystal Empire is super pretty. A lot of places are constructed or constructed with crystals in their base architecture. As for their native people, their coats shine like crystal." explained Shining.

"Kinda yeah. The cold north has been without pegasi attention, so blizzard spirits called Wendigos moved in. Once we cleared them out, we were able to make the surrounding area inhabitable again for longer periods of time. Pony magic and all."

[ninjainviolet]

She looked at him in surprise. "Did you just say that there are places made with crystals? I just figured it was called that because of being decorated that way." She paused. "And coats that shine like crystal? I wish I could see the kingdom." It sounded beautiful.

She listened to his explanation, her brows furrowing. Yeah, definitely a Spirit gone haywire, but not like she figured. But pegasi doing the weather? Well, he did say magic.

Pony magic...

Wait. "Hey, Shining Armor, you wouldn't happen to know a pony named Twilight Sparkle, do you?" It's a slim chance, but she was curious.

[shining_derp]

"That's right! The Crystal Empire is known for their abundance of crystals, and ponies shine like crystals from day to day. They get their shine from the Crystal Heart, which is a powerful relic that spreads love over the kingdom," explained Shining as he trotted along.

"Oh yeah I do. She's my baby sister," said Shining with a grin. "I'm not surprised she's making friends already."

[ninjainviolet]

"They shine?" She looked at him incredulously. "You're not exactly talking about a typical shiny coat and mane, are you?" She made a sad sound. "From the sounds of it, every world needs something like that Crystal Heart," the ninja said. Whether it was true magic or just a belief in it, both were powerful things.

"Your sister?!" Sheena shook her head in happy disbelief. "I meet two ponies from the same world, and they're related! What are the odds?"

[shining_derp]

"The crystals of the Empire glow with brilliant vibrance," said Shining, explaining as he trotted along. "There's a brilliant crystalline glow to everything when the power of the Heart is in full abundance."

"That's right. My little baby sister. She's a princess now too. I'm so proud of her."

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena shook her head. "How does the Heart work? You said it fills the kingdom with love, right? How does it do that? Through mana?" Everything is mana to her, Shining. Sorry about that.

"Wait. What do you mean 'now'? Wasn't she always a princess?"

[shining_derp]

"The people pour their emotions into it, their feelings of love, unity and peace and the Crystal catalyzes it into a tangible form that spreads across the kingdom. It's a very wonderful feeling." said Shining. "Mana is a part of it, as it's a magic force similar to Friendship."

"She ascended, into an alicorn a year ago," he explained. "When she was ready, my sister became one of the royal family so to speak."

[ninjainviolet]

Whoa. It was a real thing. But friendship as a source of magic? That was a new concept for the ninja.

But then again, maybe not. All of her friends had a special bond; whether it was magic or not, she knew that they could do amazing things when they were together. And would always be a part of each others' lives when separated.

"She ascended? The only time I ever heard that phrase was--" She paused. Shining Armor was her brother and only had a horn; that meant: "She was given wings, wasn't she?"

[shining_derp]

"Yeah she was. And alicorn physiology but the wings are the main thing. An alicorn is the combination of the traits of the three pony tribes, Earth, Pegasi and Unicorn." Explained Shining as he recalled what had taken place.

"She had to learn how to use her wings though, fortunately she had a good teacher."

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena shook her head in disbelief, her hot chocolate all but forgotten. "I just thought she was a unicorn with wings. She's an...alicorn?" She paused a moment. The idea of a body being transformed wasn't exactly new to her. "When we first met, she spoke about not having her magic and having to re-learn to do things the way Earth Ponies did. Something that would have been easy if she had just..." She stopped.

"An alicorn represents the Land, the Sky and all that's between, right?"

[shining_derp]

"Yeah that's right. Originally she was the Princess of Magic. But over time, Twilight found her calling as the Princess of Friendship." He grinned. "I'm so proud of my sister. Twilight found exactly what she was looking for."

[ninjainviolet]

Sheena drew back slightly in surprise. "Princess of Magic? Of Friendship? She doesn't rule over a kingdom or anything?" Although, considering the terms...

Her kingdom is the whole planet.

Sheena gave him a friendly smile. "I take it she wasn't sure what to do with herself? Asking 'why am I here'?"

Such a common thing among worlds.