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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 2:57:22 GMT -5
And for Ivory Flash, this couldn't be closer to home..
The Albino pony sighed softly as she lifted a hoof to shade her eyes, the spring sun shining high in the sky with a few lazy clouds drifting by. Those vivid, pink eyes gazed up at her newly renovated Ice Cream booth, a sense of pride and accomplishment washing over her as she knew how long it took for her to remake it after that unfortunate termite incident.
Her smile grew wide, eyes closing as she lowered her hoof, flank wiggling from side to side in excitement. It was at least FIVE feet taller than it was before, leaving her plenty more storage room for cups and cones, and more flavors of ice cream! Not to mention there was now an overhanging on the front, so overheated fillies and colts could rest themselves in the shade by the time summer came around.
"This is just wonderful.." Ivory murmured softly to herself, practically prancing around to the other side of the Ice Cream Booth, stepping inside and pulling the door closed behind her. It was nice and chilly inside since she'd loaded the ice cream and finished taking inventory. There was just one thing left..
"And now -- For the finishing.." She murmured, her horn taking on a vivid pink glow, "..Touch!" She jerked her head, and off tore the white cloth hanging over the top of the booth, to reveal the now-dry banner a friend had finished painting for her this morning.
"Ivory's Sweet Ice Treats! Ice Cream in a flash!" She spoke the banner aloud, promptly giggling softly to herself and wiggling all over in excitement. Her old booth was shabby and poor to look at, found back behind an old warehouse which had been closing down. She'd given it a paint-over and stuck a home-made banner over the top, but it wasn't a very popular booth still, simply because of how shabby it looked.
But now.. Now, it looked wonderful! Just like an Ice-Cream booth should, and it was roomy, too. Ivory Flash stepped up onto the large pillow-cushion behind the counter, which placed her at just the right height to be able to see ponies, young and old, and to be able to serve them ice cream. Now all she had to do was wait, using her unicorn magic to gently fold up the white cloth before pulling it into the booth to set it aside. Being located right next to Twilight's Library was a good choice, she thought, people wouldn't have to walk all the way across town to Sugar cube Corner to enjoy a frosty treat while reading a good book, anymore! And, well.. If the location didn't turn out to be such a good one, the best part about this booth was.. It could move!
"Now I'll never have to go back to Manehattan... I can make my living, right here." She nodded to herself.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 3:21:03 GMT -5
Starling
Starling awoke rather late in the morning. He was staying over at Rangers little burrow, and was greeted by Ranger's sister, a rather enthusiastic little filly with a very serious demeanor. After excusing himself for his late wake up, he walked outside. A brilliant day of spring. He missed civilization.
Strolling along the streets of Ponyville (which were only slightly different than he remembered), he had to cope with greetings from a lot of ponies. Of course, had he not used Ponyville as his departing point when he went into Everfree, perhaps he would be less recognized. There was something new however that piqued his interest. Ice cream booth? He could go for ice-cream.
Of course, the woodland camo colored stallion still had a lot of work and needed to report back to the Princess (who gave him a day of leave when she found he had returned) and he also needed to repair his broken armor back to fit condition. But he decided he could go for a break, why not ice cream?
Looking over at the intriguing mare in front of it, he asked, "Excuse me madam is this your booth?"
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 3:31:53 GMT -5
Ivory had gone inside the booth by now, and as mentioned before, was now resting behind the counter on a nice, big, fluffy cushion, which would make it easier to sit there for hours on end. Ivory Flash had been watching people pass by, none seeming interested in Ice cream just yet. It was still early in the day, no longer morning, but not quite afternoon.
Safe to say, Ivory Flash saw Starling as he walked up to her booth. She didn't seem to recognize him, though certainly she'd heard about him, as she wasn't fidgeting and twitching out all over the place due to his immense stature. Instead, Starling being a single pony and not a rambunctious group, Ivory tilted her head with a kind smile and nodded.
"Of course, Sir! Newly renovated, as well. Everything is brand new, and I even got a hold of all new ice cream to celebrate the occasion. Twenty new flavors!" She announced, lifting a hoof to motion to the display cases lining the walls inside. Of course.. considering she only had four flavors before, twenty certainly was an upgrade!
"What can I get for you today?"
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 3:38:47 GMT -5
"I have no idea," Starling said, surveying the flavors. He didn't even know what half of them meant. It sure has been a while since he had anything good to eat. Much less an ice cream. But he supposed he had to eat, lest ... well he had better eat something.
"Do you have any recommendations? Not sure if I even remember what I like nowadays." He asked sheepishly, "Been a while since I had any sweets." He added as a short explanation. Of course the long one was far more than just that.
He did like the mare's unique appearance though. Albino? he has seen albino ponies before. Well, death chargers. But granted, it was still a nice break from the normal, overly colorful range of ponies. Of course Starling was far too polite to stare, so when he talked he kept his eyes fixed on hers, and when he wasn't he was politely keeping his gaze shifting between flavors.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 3:47:42 GMT -5
"Well.. Lots of ponies have different preferences." She offered kindly, holding out a hoof as she explained with a smile, "For instance, my favorite is 'Cookies and Cream' ice cream. But there's a pony named Banner Fist that comes here--he's the one who made this lovely banned for me, by the by--and he likes Pepper Sauce on his ice cream, of all things! Strange, but to each his or her own.." Ivory Flash shrugged softly, turning her head a bit to gaze up at the various flavors.
"Let's see.. What kind of things do you like to eat? I can usually gauge what flavor a pony likes by their normal diet." She asked, turning back to look at Starling from behind the counter. Her horn took on the same pink glow, that of which tinted her eyes, lifting a few spoons from a drawer under the counter. Sampling spoons! Once he spoke his favorite foods, she could scoop out a few small samples for him and let him choose what he liked.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 3:52:19 GMT -5
"Uhhh..." Starling said, trying hard to remember what he used to eat. He was on a military diet most of the time while he was ... hmm, did he like it though? "Let's say I'm eh, unsure. What would you offer me then?" He asked, feeling rather stupid. "Look, sorry I just don't really remember, I've been out in Everfree for the last year or so..." He said with a shrug.
He did feel kind of stupid, it was just side effects from his mission, he knew that. It would pass eventually. He just needed to bear with it for a while. Not even being able to pick out an ice cream flavor though, that's not a problem he expected to have. He could just pick some out, but he wanted it to be as tasty as possible. Besides, he hasn't spoken to a mare in well... about a year or so. So he had no qualms about sticking around.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 4:28:33 GMT -5
Ivory Flash blinked several times at his seemingly confusing response. What.. Didn't he remember what he had eaten? Ever-- Wait.. did he say EVERFREE?
Ivory's mouth dropped. Her eyes seemed to widen softly. Who could stay in that forsaken place for an entire year without perishing?
Leaning closer, over the counter, she peered over Starling's entire body now, where she could see that he was.. practically emaciated! Ivory gasped softly as she pulled herself back behind the counter. "Oh!" She exclaimed softly, "We-- You don't look as if you've eaten anything in quite a long time, Sir."
After she moved off of the cushion, standing behind the counter, she placed the spoons back and glanced around for her bag and skirt. "I'm sorry to say, but I don't feel right about giving you ice cream before you've eaten anything else. It'll give you a terrible stomach-ache.." She explained, pushing open the back door.
She vanished for a brief moment behind the booth, slipping on the skirt she had brought with her from Manehattan, to function as a nice cover-up when she just wasn't wanting to deal with people asking about her blank flank. And it wasn't too hot today, there was a nice breeze coming through Ponyville, so it was appropriate to wear the soft pink, white-lace border skirt. She emerged a moment later, a bag also slung across her back, though it was considerably less plain.
"That's why I'm going to take you to lunch, first." She mentioned, offering him an apologetic expression, magically pulling a lever down from the inside despite being outside, which dropped a wooden shield on the front and back of her booth to keep it closed and cold, "It's just right down the street. After, we can come back, and you'll get your ice cream! I--" She paused, cheeks tinting a hint as she lifted a hoof to her chin, "That is.. if--if you have time. I'm sorry if I seem abrupt, it's just.. A year, in that place? You must be simply starved.."
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 4:40:33 GMT -5
Starling opened his mouth to speak a few times as Ivory was talking, but was cut short by her actually offering to take him to lunch. A concept he had absolutely no problem with. So he played along.
"Well, I can live with the starvation, kinda." The stallion said with a chuckle, "But sure, I'd love some lunch. Just lead the way." He beamed at her, his eyes were a strange mix of grey and brown, the color seemingly shifting around his pupils. He stretched his legs a bit in place, kind of wishing he had brought something to wear as well.
At least he was making new friends wasn't he? And he had to admit that skirt looked pretty good on this mare, whoever she was. "I never gave you my name," He said, the thought suddenly reminding him, "I'm Starling, and it's a pleasure to meet you, miss...?" He really needed to get his social etiquette back in shape. Though he doubted anyone could blame him.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 5:00:26 GMT -5
"Ivory.." She replied softly, as she began to walk, "My name is Ivory Flash." She added. Now -- Here's the thing. Residents of Ponyville might not have known her, which was for the better. But considering Starling had only been gone a year, he might have known or at least heard of the Flash family - Broadwing Flash, her father, a Pegasi Model in Manehattan. Born with abnormally large wings, they weren't good for flying, but they made him an excellent model, which is primarily where the family name had come from. Ivory's mother, Pearly Flash -- provider of the surname -- was a vintage designer. Nothing special, considering how many designers lived in Manehattan alone.
Well, her family name was established, at least. Whether he knew it or not was another matter -- However, she.. upon hearing his name, most certainly did recognize his.
"Starling.. What a lovely n--" Ivory stopped dead in her track, eyes wide.
"Sta... Ah.." She slowly glanced over at him, and where a moment ago there had been a kind, charitable mare taking him out to lunch, now stood a quivering, nervous mess. Ears folded down, eyes wide, it almost seemed like a form of terror rather than nervousness.
"I'm.. --Sorry?"
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 5:21:20 GMT -5
The naturally camoflauged pony looked over at the now nervous mare with surprise. "I'm sorry, is something wrong?" He asked urgently, trying to look around to see what was causing her distress. Failing to find anything he looked at her again, "Are you okay?"
Starling didn't know her family, he had no time or inclination to look at pony models, catch up on designs or fashion or even as much as skim over gossip columns. He was used to being away from mission to mission, experiencing adventure and excitement, and of course serving his beloved home in any way possible. Even if he had to give his life for it.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 6:00:06 GMT -5
"I-- I--" She stammered, Backing away a step or two, "You don't mean.." She paused, huffing softly once or twice. Promptly, then, Ivory Flash turned, and started off in a brisk trot toward the Cafe she had mentioned, which was now in view.
"Tha--That's a prestigious honor, to be named af-after the Field Marshal!" She mentioned with a nervous stutter present, laughing awkwardly afterward, as if to pass it off like a casual statement. Yes, she knew exactly who she was walking beside now, when she hadn't before.. And yes, pretending it was someone simply NAMED in honor of Starling helped her cope with the fact he was, indeed, right there. Practically her Kryptonite in farce.
Reaching the Cafe in about no time, Ivory Flash made a hasty attempt to zip up to a table, snagging a menu and scooting it over to him.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 6:10:51 GMT -5
"Oh..." Starling said with a frown, "That's what this is about... look, I just want to have a normal lunch with a pretty mare without who I am getting in the way, alright? I do what I do because that's what I believe in. All of the publicity around it is something I could care less for, honestly." He explained, well it wasn't as bad as it was in some places. And while it didn't bother him usually, he just didn't want to feel all high and mighty. He just wanted to be normal for a while, to make up for... not being noormal.
"So let's pretend it doesn't matter who I am for a bit? Let's just have fun!" He took his menu and began browsing it with interest, eventually deciding on whole wheat bread with avocado paste, sunflower seeds and lettuce.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 6:35:41 GMT -5
"No, no-- I.. Yeah, I-- No. Doesn't matter, okay? I--" Ivory had stated, waving a hoof about, as if to try to repeatedly dismiss the idea of who he was, despite it not working.
"Ho-oh.." Ivory sighed with quivering breath, resting her head on the table, placing her hooves over her ears, "Okay, Ivory.. Just like you.. Just like you.. Nobody important, just a pony.." She murmured quietly to herself.
About this time, the Cafe maid came by. Dressed in a maid outfit as was uniform for this specific Cafe, she glanced at Ivory Flash with a quirked brow, before looking to Starling afterward. She didn't seem to recognize him either, as she addressed him normally, if not with a foreign accent.
"My name iz Rosarie L'cure, an' I will be zure server for zis avternoon! How can I be khelping ze lovely couple?" She beamed, head tilting.
"HAHAH--" Ivory blurted out as her head lifted, cheeks flaring a bright red as she promptly covered her mouth, eyes flickering between the two as the maid stared at her strangely.
"..." Ivory slowly pulled her hooves down, offering a sheepish smile, "N-No, it's not like that.. Ahh-- I've had my breakfast, I'll just be paying for his meal-- But could I have a glass of Pomegranate Lemonade, please? Thank you.." She murmured softly, ear twitching in a nervous tick as she stared down at the table. She felt like an utter fool, at the moment.
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Post by Red Charge on Feb 10, 2012 6:45:08 GMT -5
"You don't have to pay for me, I do have some money you know..." Starling said with a grin, then turning to the maid, "I'll take the Avocado Sunflower sandwich please, and orange juice." He ordered.
The stallion glanced over at Ivory with a raised brow, "Alright, let's make a deal, you treat me like a normal pony, and I'll teach you a very cool spell to make never-melting ice creams. How's about that?" Of course, this spell was actually used to refrigerate corpses, but he wasn't going to tell her that. It's funny what you can learn when you have friends in all sorts of places. Of course Starling prided himself on knowing a large amount of spell formulas. Easier to dodge an enemy spell when you know what they're throwing at you.
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Post by ivoryflash on Feb 10, 2012 6:58:53 GMT -5
"Right away, Monsieur un Madame!" L'cure stated, before taking their menus in mouth and trotting off with a subtle wink to them.
"Oh-- N-No, I'm.. I don't do magic so well, not spells, directly. I can do ice-cream tricks, make a bit of art, but that's the extent of it. I don't have a real talent for magic or ice-cream, o-or any of that, I just.." She drew in a deep breath, looking back to Starling with the least eye-contact she could manage, "You don't need to do anything, I.. I'll-- I'll do my best. It's not easy, is all.."
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