The Lost Element

by XD-385

Equestria has long been known as the land of ponies. However, the name of Equestria is misleading. For far too long, a certain element has been missing from the world. And now, that element has been brought back. But for better or for worse?

71. Birds of Paradise

The Olympia was full of activity as noon approached. I was up on deck in full armor as I paced around and enjoying the amazing view of the morning sky while the airship buzzed along to its destination. Even though we were likely in a different time zone than Ponyville, it still felt like the time was getting close to the middle of the day.

Just before noon, I thought I noticed something just barely peeking over the horizon. A few minutes later, I discovered my eyes were not deceiving me. A landmass was beginning to rise over the distance. I was almost tempted to just fly ahead and see for myself until I mentally reminded myself that it was probably much farther away than it seemed. So I stood just behind the bowsprit and watched with growing interest as our destination drew increasingly near.

"We should be arriving within the hour. We've radioed ahead and Novo is ready to roll out the red carpet." I heard a familiar voice say from behind me before Celestia walked up beside me. She flashed me a smile as she then asked, "Excited?"

"Um... Kind of. Maybe I'm just eager to get back on solid ground." I replied while just watching the mountain ahead of us growing ever larger. I was starting to wonder how big it actually was with how fast it was growing in size as we approached.

Celestia then smiled at me and asked while touching her wingtip to my upper arm, "You have a certain affinity for birds, don't you? Like this right here?"

Knowing she was referring to the cutie mark under my gauntlet, I averted my gaze as I thought this over. "I... I guess so. I've had a bit of a...yeah, an affinity for birds for a long time. Even before coming to Equestria."

"Then I'm sure you will be quite at home among the hippogriffs. I know you're very fond of my people, so them plus birds in one form should speak to you." The Princess of the Dawn said before we both turned our attention to the horizon. "I'm glad you could watch with me. The final approach to Capricorn Island is always a sight to behold. You're going to enjoy this."

Celestia was not kidding. The closer we drew to the mountain, the higher it loomed on the horizon. And by the time I could see the whole thing... Hoo boy, I had forgotten just how big mountains can get. The mountain that made up the bulk of Capricorn Island was far larger than the one Canterlot was built on. It easily stood more than a mile high and covered a very large space with less than a mile of land between the base of the mountain and the shoreline. It would easily take someone a full day just to walk around the whole thing. Maybe longer. It also was not entirely rocky terrain like I had expected. The mountain was coated in lush patches of vegetation and even forests with extremely varied terrain that branched out into plateaus here and there with a number of waterfalls. I could even see a few tiny dots moving through the air. They were most likely the locals going about their business. But what really caught my eye were the many patches of white lining the sides of the mountain. I thought they were just patches of limestone or even natural chalk deposits. But that was not the case. They patches of white were the towns on the mountain. "Huh... All the architecture is white... What's that city in Greece that's all white and built along the side of a caldera? Santo...rini or something?"

"I think that's what you're thinking of. And yes, I have to say that the parallels between that place and the architecture of Capricorn Island are remarkably similar to each other." Celestia replied as the Olympia began to rise even higher into the air. It seemed we were heading towards the summit. Another patch of white covered most of the mountain's summit to establish yet another town, but a particularly large cluster of tip adorned with golden spires caught my eye. It must have been the castle that Queen Novo resides in. The architecture seemed reminiscent of Canterlot's castle, but with more streamlined spires and lacking the royal purple accents. That shimmering gold did compliment the white quite well. Celestia then spoke as the Olympia began to approach the castle, "The Ivory Palace. Novo is likely already expecting us at the docks."

I did not have anything to really say. I was just enjoying the show. Indeed, reaching out far from the palace was a long strip of white with moorings lining the sides. It only seemed long enough to hold maybe two airships on each side and was probably reserved exclusively for royal transports or very special deliveries. A gangplank was already out on the dock for us to use to disembark from the Olympia. As I went to the port side of the ship to keep an eye on the dock, I saw a trio of figures standing near the gangplank. While they were still a good distance away, I knew what I was seeing. "Huh... So those are hippogriffs."

What I was told about the height of hippogriffs was not an exaggeration. They had very similar frames and builds to those of Celestia and Nightmare Moon. I almost thought I was mistaken at first, having mistook them for very tall pegasi at first. But as the Olympia taxied itself up to the dock, I saw that these were indeed not ponies. Not entirely anyway. What I mistook for a pony's muzzle were indeed beaks upon the faces of the hippogriffs. But where griffins usually have the beaks of predatory birds like falcons and eagles, the beak of a hippogriff is broader and more akin to a type of seabird. If I had to compare them to something, I would have to say their beaks were similar in shape to those of a puffin, though I could be mistaken. I thought they were coated in a layer of particularly fluffy hair, but that hair was actually a layer of feathers instead. Their manes and especially their tails were long and full with tufts of feathers resembling ears jutting up past their eyes, lending each hippogriff an air of majesty that ponies just do not have. They might have actually have been feathers since hair does not hold itself up as high like they had their manes styled, but I could be wrong. Much like their griffin counterparts, they did not have hooves on their forelimbs. They instead had bird feet that looked like they could double as hands.

However, I was quick to notice something about their folded wings. Even when folded, their tips reached back just past their flanks. I took a quick glance at Celestia beside me and saw that her folded wings rounded out just before the middle of her flank. My eyes went wide with some awe, realizing that hippogriffs probably have an even grander wingspan than Celestia herself. Their plumage got particularly fluffy on the backs of their forearms and shins and their hooves were exposed. From what I could tell, their hooves, hands, and beaks were simply more saturated hues of the color of their plumage, which were of a familiar range of pastel hues that I was already familiar with when it came to the ponies of Equestria. I assumed that the three hippogriffs were stallions since all but one was clad in some form of gilded armor, the one without armor standing just ahead of the other two with his coat consisting of dark periwinkle and a seafoam hue in his mane and tail. His eyes were of a similar sea green color as he watched with a knowing smile in his beak. I still have to wonder how something as stiff and hard as a bird's beak can bend enough to show varying emotions. Magic really is everywhere in Equestria.

Two of the pegasi royal guard flew down from the deck and began to align the gangplank with the Olympia's deck before stoically taking their places at the sides near the bottom. I glanced at Celestia as I asked, "What now? Do I just follow?"

"Don't be afraid. I made certain to tell them we would have a special guest with us." Celestia said with a slight chuckle in her voice. It had been a long time since I was last placed in a situation far from home and surrounded by new people. Old apprehensions were beginning to fill my nerves as I found myself in a beautiful, yet unfamiliar land. At least I was not alone. "Come along. There are some people I want you to meet."

I followed behind Celestia without a word while the rest of the crew went to work in securing the Olympia to her moorings. As she reached the bottom of the gangplank, the hippogriff at the front of the three stepped forward and bowed to the Princess of the Dawn while speaking with quite the dignified accent. Although I cannot say for certain if it was genuine. "A pleasure to see you again, your highness. I trust the journey was smooth sailing for you?"

"The voyage was fine, Seaspray. Is Novo well?" Celestia asked in response while I stepped off the gangplank behind her. As the two conversed, I observed the two hippogriff guards behind Seaspray. They too were coated in soft pastel colors and were indeed clad in armor befitting, but not to the same extent as the guards I was most familiar with. Only two pieces of armor adorned the two hippogriffs before me, each gilded with a layer of shimmering gold. A gorget-like peytral that reached up in the back to protect the neck while being adorned with a type of light blue emblem upon the front and helm with plating protecting the top of the face and the sides while allowing their manes to flow free. And unlike the pony guards I was used to seeing, they looked quite at ease instead of looking constantly stoic. One even got the other's attention by holding his head high with a bit of a pompous air about only for me to realize he was mimicking the stance Seaspray just happened to be taking at the time. The other guard quietly snickered while the other joined him, causing me to crack a smirk as they were probably making fun of their commanding officer behind his back. I suspected that Seaspray's behavior is quite a source of entertainment for his associates.

"Oh, I shouldn't speak for my queen..." Seaspray replied humbly before cracking a bit of a smirk as his gaze glanced elsewhere. "Certainly not when she's on her way over as we speak."

Before I could even look to see what he was referring to or hinting at, a most unexpected voice reached my ears. "Celestia! Honey, good to see you!"

I was at a loss as I glanced around in confusion. Who said that?! That voice...did not sound like something I would expect where we were. So deep and bold! Celestia immediately left my side as she trotted happily to my right, wing spreading wide in joyous greeting as she called out, "Novo! How've you been?! Skystar still giving you trouble?"

I watched patiently as Celestia caught someone in front of her in a hug with her wing while an even grander wing did the same to her while their voices overlapped in friendly banter. I could not see much from where I was standing, but they were clearly very happy to see each other. But a moment later, Celestia stepped aside as their embrace ended, allowing me to get a good view of the queen of the hippogriffs herself. And... My god, that voice did not match her appearance in the slightest. It did not even match her species! "Skystar's the same as ever. Girl's got seashells on the brain. Not like she ever listens about that, but hey, I'm just the queen! Don't mind me!"

I can only imagine the face I must have been making. I did not know what to make of the voice I was hearing. Or why she talked the way she did. My eyes were seeing a hippogriff mare, but my ears were hearing the voice of a sassy zebra mare. Were we even in the right place? Regardless, I was snapped out of my stupefied trance as the queen herself stood before me and gave me a gaze of appraisal. "Is this that special guest you mentioned, Celestia? Liking the armor and I'd love to see his wingspan, but where'd you find him? Doesn't look like anything I've ever heard of."

"Oh, we found him wandering around the outskirts of Ponyville." Celestia replied with a cheeky half-truth. She was not wrong, that is definitely where I was when I first showed up in this world. She then looked to me and smiled more sincerely while lifting a hoof towards her friend. "James, it is my honor to introduce you to my dear friend. Novo, queen of Capricorn Island."

I took a good moment to get a proper look at the beautiful creature before me. Indeed, she was Celestia's height with a very similar slender lanky figure. Her plumage was of a very light pink hue while she gazed at me with confident magenta eyes while wearing some very attractive eyeshadow of a similar color. Unlike the hippogriffs beside us, her beak did not match the color of her hands and hooves, instead being a pale yellow instead of a slightly more saturated hue of pink from her plumage. The tufts of feathers on the backsides of her limbs were of a light blue, as was a ruff of feathers around the base of her neck. A simple gold crown of sorts sat atop her head, though I almost thought it was a ring of golden feathers atop her head. She really did not need any royal jewelry to establish her royal authority. Her mane and tail alone served as her regalia. Except they were not a mane and tail at all. Spectacular broad feathers of a brilliant fuchsia hue reached back from her head and down her spine a short ways with teardrop shapes of a royal purple set in the middle of each feather. Her tail feathers were of identical color with the same patches set at the end of each as they hung low, bringing to mind a glorious peacock. Three long feathers of an aquamarine hue reached up from inside her crown, a white cross pattern set in them near the tips while a pair of long feathers of a similar color reached back on a slightly higher elevation over her tail feathers.

I could not speak. Her unfitting voice aside, I was easily standing before the most beautiful creature I had ever laid eyes on. I have seen great beauty since my arrival in Equestria. My beloved Fluttershy and Rarity. The royal sisters themselves. But nothing could have prepared me for the sheer majesty that was Queen Novo. She must have noticed I was more than a bit spellbound since Novo then cocked her head to one side and asked, "You all right there? Griffin got your tongue? I'm used to turning heads in town, but I've never had a man go slack jawed like this."

Her luxuriously deep voice catching my attention, I shook my head briefly to clear my senses before gingerly reaching out with my hand. "A pleasure, your majesty..."

Satisfied with my response, Novo reached out and took hold of my armored hand while casting me a smile. "The pleasure's all mine, handsome."

This flippant response, from a queen no less, caused me to suddenly burst into uncontrollable snickering. I hunkered over as even Celestia cracked an amused grin while I asked, "Wha... What?! Are you really the queen?!"

Rather than take offense to me questioning her royal status, Novo just responded with an equally amused smirk. "Honey, I couldn't be more queen if I was surrounded by offerings of the finest salmon, statues of gold, and a line of royal suitors the world over. I'm as queen as they come! I just know how to have fun on the job once in a while."

"Heh... I like this girl." I said to Celestia while Novo held her head high in triumph over having gotten a laugh out of me.

"If I may?" I heard Seaspray ask from behind me before I turned to face him. He gave me an appraising gaze before his eyes brightened. "Ah, so you are the guest of honor I heard about! Allow me to be the first to welcome you, my good man!"

He was quick to take my hand into his own for a hearty handshake. Having gotten a good first impression from the captain of the guard, I nodded while I said, "It's a pleasure, captain."

Unfortunately, the moment I said that, Seaspray tightened his grip on my hand as he glared into my eyes like a furious eagle. It really was quite abrupt and I froze in place as if I had done something wrong. He then calmly yet sternly spoke, "Admiral Seaspray, if you please."

"Yes sir." I said briskly before he quickly regained his composure and dropped my hand with a pleased smile on his face.

Seaspray then promptly faced his queen as he said, "Now then, you have yet to enjoy lunch for the day, yes? Let us prepare a feast! I shall inform the chefs at once that we have guests, your majesty!"

"Yeah, you do that. Let them know Celestia's with us. They know what she likes." Novo replied before Seaspray trotted off while his men stayed behind for the sake of their queen. Novo then glanced at us and flashed a smug smirk. "Hungry as a horse? Right this way."

"Quick question, your majesty?" I asked while still puzzled by Seaspray's assistant use of the terminology he said to me. "Is that guy really an admiral? Don't you need to command a navy for that rank?"

"Navy? What Navy? Who needs ships when you can fly?" Novo said with a laugh, not sounding at all surprised that I noticed his rank did not add up. "We just call him admiral because he likes the sound of it. Don't take it too seriously, just play along."

"If you say so." I muttered while still coming to terms with where I was and not quite knowing what to expect. Novo then walked along with Celestia at her side while the two guards escorted them. I stayed close behind, not knowing what to do aside from just following my royal friend.

The more I heard Novo talk, the harder it was to keep a straight face. Her unorthodox vocabulary being completely unfitting for a queen just made her sound ridiculous. I suppose the way she talks would be fitting if she was the Queen of Soul, but not for a queen of a kingdom. Come to think of it, how would she sound if she sang?

My amusement was momentarily distracted once we entered the Ivory Palace. While the exterior design was simple with its swaths of white and tips of gold, the interior was anything but. Polished stone pillars, intricate designs, and even a chandelier or two gave the interior of the palace a richly extravagant look to it. I was even taken aback by how luxurious the palace looked on the inside. With the towns of white below and the interior of the palace at the summit, I found that Capricorn Island has a distinctly Mediterranean feel to it. And the interior of the palace... Turkish, I think?

Regardless, I was soon distracted by a deep laugh from Novo before she continued to talk about stuff I did not understand. It was then that another hippogriff, possibly a secretary or servant, approached her and walked along discussing more mundane matters with her. While she was distracted, Celestia slowed down to let me catch up to her. And sure enough, my face did not escape her attention. "Um... James? What's with that face?"

I very nearly busted out laughing at that prompt, but withheld any laughter so I would not offend Novo. Keeping my voice down, I provided a response. "Sorry, it's just that... Novo cracks me up. She's not at all what I expected. She doesn't even look the way she sounds and I don't get why."

"Yes, Novo is quite the colorful character, but... I'm sorry, she doesn't sound the way she looks?" Celestia then asked in utter confusion.

"I mean... She's not black, but she thinks she's black. I don't get it either." I replied before seeing Celestia give me an even more perplexed stare. She really did not know where I was coming from. "Oh right, you wouldn't understand... Well... In terms of how someone from Equestria would get it... She sounds more like a sassy zebra mare than a noble queen, if that makes any sense."

That got her. Celestia had to muffle her own voice with her wing as she burst into loud giggling. "Oooohohohoho, now I see what you mean! Yes, I noticed that too when I first met her all those years ago. You get used to that after a while. I just forgot about it because I stopped noticing after enough time went by."

"Well... Uh... Do you know why she talks and sounds like that? Are there others?" I asked in return while wondering if Novo was the only hippogriff on the island who spoke with such an amusingly strange manner.

Celestia snickered loudly before casting me a smirk. "Nope! Just her. That style of speech is her own little quirk and her people like it. I mean don't you?"

"Hey, I never said I didn't like it! She's entertaining! Let her keep talking with all that soul. She's funny." I said with a grin before Celestia hurried on ahead now that Novo's conversation with her attendant had ended. They continued on while I followed, my eyes evaluating the incredibly ornate interior design of the palace. Novo sure has expensive tastes.

We eventually were brought to the dining hall, which was incredibly spacious with a very long table. Fortunately, I was not the only one who thought having just the three of us dining at a table with that many chairs would be a waste. Novo backed out of the room and glanced at us. "You know what? I'm in the mood for lunch with a view. This way."

Celestia then asked as the soulful queen led us back towards the airship docks. "What do you have in mind? We going out into town?"

"Nah. I was thinking outdoor dining. The east balcony sounds good around this time of day." Novo replied while she walked along with us close behind her.

Now that Novo had gone quiet and that her guards had left us, my eyes started to absorb information more than my ears. As eye-catching as the palace interior was, my eyes were focused on Novo herself. I drifted from side to side to look at her from different angles, taking in her absolutely gorgeous form. I had been left spellbound when I first saw her, but I could not take my eyes off of her. I know that beauty is highly subjective and that many would say that Celestia herself is the pinnacle of beauty in Equestria, but I knew what the results of my analysis was.

Celestia must have noticed my eyes scanning her friend's gorgeous form. She then leaned towards me as I drifted close to her and whispered, "Something catch your eye?"

"Well... Um... You..." I mumbled as I decided to just go ahead and speak my mind. Quietly. "I never thought this would happen, to be honest... I thought I would never see the day where I found a mare who's hotter than you."

The look on Celestia's eyes said it all. And she was trying so hard to not laugh. But as I looked away from her with an amused smirk, I stopped in my tracks. Novo had turned around and was looking me dead in the eye from mere inches away. She did not speak. She did not blink. And neither did I. All I knew was that I had screwed up and was probably about to get in a lot of trouble.

For a good ten seconds, Novo stared me down while I barely breathed. Celestia said nothing while watching with intense curiosity. She did not interrupt. After a good fifteen seconds of gut-wrenching silence, Novo's piercing gaze was replaced by a most smug smile. "I'm sorry, honey. I didn't quite catch that. Did you really just say that I, the queen of the hippogriffs, the mare with the finest plumage in the world, am sexier than Little Miss Sunbutt here?"

"Novoooo!" Celestia squealed in both embarrassment and amusement. I could only crack a very crooked grin as I was left wondering just what in the world I had gotten myself into. Was Novo mad at me, or was she just having fun?

Unsure of what would be a safe response, I decided to answer with a question of my own. "Am I in trouble?"

Novo's response was loud and to the point. She threw her head back and let out a very vocal laugh before turning around and continuing on her way. "Oooooh, you just made my day! You found yourself a good man, Celestia. I love a gentleman who knows true beauty when he sees it."

I breathed a loud sigh of relief as Novo walked along while Celestia just looked at me with a crooked smile. However, I then glanced at her as Novo's words echoed in my head. "Miss Sunbutt, huh?"

Celestia then looked directly ahead with a very dry look on her face before suddenly spreading her wing and lightly smacking me in the face with it. The bone did not hit me, it was only the long feathers hanging down from the frame that slapped me. All I could do was laugh at Celestia's not-so-fond nickname and her response to it. With her being so annoyed, I gave Celestia a little distance before I followed after her.

We were soon back out on the airship docks with just the Olympia looming in the near distance. Novo then looked at me over her shoulder and asked, "We should have a clear path to... Hold up, what's your name again, honey? James, right?"

"Uh, yes. It's James, your majesty." I said promptly while recalling that Celestia had introduced Novo to me, but not the other way around. She only heard my name once or so.

"Right, got it. Now then, you two just follow me." Novo said before spreading her glorious wings. Celestia did the same as she prepared to take flight, but it was only then that I could compare the two. Celestia has always had a beautiful set of wings with a respectable wingspan, but Novo completely outclassed her. Her wings must had have had a wingspan surpassing that of Celestia by at least 30%. But just when it looked like Novo was about to take flight, she took a quick glance at me. I did not notice right away and I must have been staring. She was gorgeous enough already, but those spectacular wings only enhanced her sheer majesty. My enthrallment with her unparalleled beauty did not go unnoticed as Novo lowered the upper halves of her wings like curtains and raised a hand off the ground just slightly for a bit of a pose. "Like what you see, honey?"

I heard a snicker from Celestia before I suddenly realized I was gazing at Novo's body for too long. "Oh, uh... I... Yeah, I do. Don't know why. I've always had a soft spot in my hearts for birds and... I guess you're touching all of them right now. Just... I know what I said just a couple of minutes ago, but I swear... You have got to be the single most beautiful creature I have ever seen in this world."

"Honey, you've got a way with words. I'm liking you already." Novo said before she approached me and lightly touched her beak to my cheek. A kiss. I tensed up instantly at this show of sincere appreciation for my words. "I'm just surprised to hear that from someone who isn't one of us. You sure its because you've got a big appreciation for us bird brains?"

I just shook my head and tried to grin. "Maybe... But at the same time, living in Equestria has taught me that if I don't keep an open mind, I'll be very lonely."

Novo just cast me a very pleased smile. She then looked towards Celestia and said, "He's a good man, Celestia. I'm glad you brought him with you."

"I had a hunch you would like him. He's an artist, so he knows how to appreciate the finer things in life." Celestia replied while giving me a wink. That was a bit of exaggeration, but not entirely false either.

Regardless of how true that claim was, Novo's eyes brightened significantly before she looked my way. "An artist, huh?! Ooh, I gotta hear more!" She then inched closer to me with that look in her eyes getting me a little uncomfortable. "You into sculpting? Painted any masterpieces lately? Or maybe I could commission you to draw me like one of those French mares?"

Amused yet again, Celestia stepped over to us. "Ohohoho Novo, he's not like that. He writes. And quite well at that."

Novo raised an eyebrow as she again looked at me. "Oh, that sort of artist. What do you specialize in? Poetry?"

"I don't really write anything with a connecting theme. They're all journals, to be honest." I replied while trying to not spin any lies. I had nothing to gain from lying to the queen of the island.

Novo tilted her head slightly as my response was everything she did not expect, but Celestia stepped up beside her and whispered into her ear. I do not think she was trying to hide her words since I heard her pretty clearly. "If you didn't know this man, you would never know his works are essentially an autobiography. I've read a few of his journals and they are all impressive narratives."

"Is that so? Then do me a favor, Celestia. Next time you stop by, bring a few of those with you. I enjoy a good read as much as the next bored monarch slouched on her throne. It'll at least make a nice change of pace with my usual readings."

"What? Nothing good to read on this island?" I asked while wondering what she meant by that line.

Novo rolled her eyes as she said, "Oh, there is. It's just that I'm usually stuck reading my daughter's writings."

Celestia's eyes lit up at such a revelation. "Skystar has tried her hand at writing?"

"Pfft, I wish." Novo laughed with another roll of her eyes. "I just had to read to make sure she wrote down our standards 500 times when she gets grounded. And it happens a lot more often than I'd like."

I immediately went silent. It sounded like Novo's daughter was a bit of a troublemaker. Regardless, Novo then approached the edge of the airship docks with her glorious wings spread wide. "Anyway, you don't have to worry about her. Doesn't look like she'll be joining us anyway. That girl is probably off in town again hanging with Terramar and Silverstream again. Now let's fly. Mama needs her salmon steak."

We did as she suggested and took flight, following the queen of the hippogriffs loftily through the air. We drifted along at a leisurely speed as Novo allowed us to really take in the majesty of the Ivory Palace. It also gave us the opportunity to really appreciate the unparalleled view. I could scarcely believe how big the mountain was! It was not a steep drop. It spread out in very inconsistent landscapes all the way down to the coast. We were easily more than a mile above sea level.

I almost forgot we were on our way to lunch and I even overshot the balcony that Celestia and Novo had descended towards. It was only after I had long passed it did I hear a very shrill whistle somewhere behind me. "Honey, where you going?! Over here! You ain't gonna find your lunch over there!"

"Whoops!" I yelped to myself before promptly turning around and coming in for a glide as I squinted my eyes to keep out the wind. As I righted myself and landed upon the balcony, I saw that Novo was giving me quite an interested gaze. And I quickly found out why. "Oooh, I didn't notice your wingspan until now. Hold still a second, baby."

She walked around to my backside while I kept my armor's wings spread wide. They were probably similar in size to her own to compensate for my armor's bulk and weight. I looked back, seeing her rise up on just her hind legs so she could reach higher with her hands. The queen ran her fingers along the frames of my wings as she said, "Impressive form and volume... If there's one thing we bird brains can appreciate, it's an impressive set of wings."

"I can't really feel you through that, your majesty. Those wings are artificial." I replied while starting to wonder if she was trying to give my wings a gentle massage.

Novo just laughed as she said, "Yeah right, there's no way these feathers aren't real. I know the texture of feathers and these are as legit as mine."

"Novo..." Celestia muttered with a chuckle before her horn was coated with her golden magic aura. Sure enough, Novo chirped in surprise as my armor's wings began to liquefy in her hands. She stepped back abruptly and watched as my armor slid off my body and formed into a pool around my feet. I stepped out of the puddle with the liquid metal refusing to stick to my socks before I faced Novo and just shrugged my shoulders and arms. Celestia then spoke to the confused queen, "This armor was crafted specifically for him, more or less. The main reason we even brought it along was so he could traverse the island more effectively."

I looked at Novo while she just looked at us in bewildered silence. She blinked once before looking at the puddle of shifting dark blues and very pale pink with just hints of gold. "So...let me get this straight. This...is a liquid metal? And it turns into armor?"

"Yes, Luna and I forged it ourselves. All one must do is touch it and the armor will mold itself to fit its wearer." Celestia explained while Novo closely examined the puddle. However, she then gave Celestia a more mischievous smirk. The Princess of the Dawn was quick to notice and asked, "Novo? What's with that look?"

"You mean to tell me that anyone can where this stuff? And all they have to do is touch it?" Novo asked while I started to crack a grin as I saw where that sassy queen was going with this. Celestia did not offer a reply, but watched with bated breath. Sure enough, Novo placed her hand in the puddle. "Oops."

I snickered loudly while Celestia just rolled her eyes. Sure enough, the armor could not discern between me or anyone else. The metal began to creep up over her arm and then the rest of her body. Even the wings were not spared as they too were coated in liquid metal. The armor then soon hardened into its new form, coating Novo in a spectacular suit of full plate armor with even her wings coated in the dark blue color of Luna's coat. There was some of Celestia's vaguely pinkish white in the mix, but the majority of the armor's color had settled on Luna's coat color. Probably as a means to offset Novo's own natural pink plumage. The only thing that managed to peek out of the armor were her long tail feathers. Novo was quite impressed with her suit of armor and looked herself over with glee. "Ooh, Mama's loving this! And you said you made this, Celestia? Nice work. Too bad I can't get some of this for my own men."

"Yes, quite." Celestia said with an amused smirk as she used her magic to melt it right off her friend. By then, I had approached a round metal table made of lacelike metal that was painted white. Metal chairs with a similar lacey design while also painted white were set up around the table. There were four in total, but I doubted one would be used. The three of us took our seats before the doors leading into it opened to reveal a duo of hippogriff stallions in armor rolling in a pair of carts carrying domed trays and three sets of gilded silverware.

"You said that Princess Skystar will not be joining you this time, your majesty?" One of the guards asked as he wheeled our meal towards us. Even with the domes in place over the platters, I could already detect a delightful aroma.

Novo just shrugged her shoulders and lifted her hands. "You know her. Always wanna get out of the palace and mingle with the commoners. Can't say I blame her, but could she at least stay for lunch when we have guests?"

"I'm sure she'll be back in time for dinner, your majesty." The other guard replied as the platters were set out with the lids being lifted to unleash a plume of fragrant steam. One of the guard's then looked at me as he lifted the dome before me and asked, "No onions, correct?"

I was quite impressed with what was being served. Novo had a salmon steak set out before her, as she had claimed, that was drizzled in a layer of teriyaki sauce. Celestia had a plate of grilled vegetables also drizzled in the same sauce. But I was most impressed with what had been prepared for me. Shrimp teriyaki stir fry with lots of vegetables I recognized and loved. Novo then glanced my way and said, "I hope they got everything the way you like it. I don't know what your kind eat, so I had the chefs prepare something with a little of everything."

"Oh, this is perfect! I love seafood!" I replied with a big smile. While I can get my fair share of fish in Ponyville, I do not get to eat it as often as I would like. This was a delightful treat for me. Just before we could start dining, one of the guards turned on a phonograph near the door that began to play beautiful classical music just as the two guards departed.

Everything in that dish was to die for. I really cannot describe what a treat it was to start my visit by dining on something I really like and do not get to eat very often. I did not really have much to say, but I did take the time to listen in on Novo and Celestia as they conversed with each other. They really complimented each other quite well, Novo with her unusual dialect and Celestia knowing how to get the best out of her. It was like watching two completely inseparable friends having a good time. They never stopped smiling and laughed frequently.

Eventually, Novo looked my way and took notice of my lack of words. "What's wrong, hun? You're awfully quiet over there. Got nothing to say?"

"Oh, I tend to listen more than I talk. And I don't want to interrupt." I replied respectfully between bites of my meal.

Celestia then butted in and said, "Don't mistake his silence for obliviousness. He's an excellent listener."

That got a smirk out of Novo, who then looked at me and rested her jaw on her fist. "Really? Then what were we discussing for the last minute?"

I was very concise with my response. "You were discussing how Captain Seaspray caught one of the guards performing a skit in the courtyard imitating the guy and that you only laughed and treated the offending guardsman to some sea salt ice cream for making your morning so amusing."

Novo lifted her head to the sky and let out a hearty guffaw before looking at Celestia and leaning towards her like a bird perching on a wire. "Oooh, he's good."

As if on cue, Seaspray himself flew up to the balcony and landed gently at the edge. "So sorry to interrupt, your majesty. I have a few topics to discuss with our Lady Celestia, if now is a good time."

Novo rolled her eyes, but still smiled as she said, "I guess we can squeeze you in... Hey! Nope! Not another step. A little to the left... There you go."

Seaspray froze in place when Novo barked at him, barely stopping short of stepping in the puddle of liquid metal that was right in front of him. He had a look of confusion in his eyes as he stepped to he side with Novo's finger directing him. He only began to approach once Novo set her hand down. Celestia then whispered to her, "Good save, Novo. Now then, what needs to be addressed, admiral?"

I listened with only partial interest as Seaspray conversed with the Princess of the Dawn. I soon leaned towards Novo as a question popped into my head. "How'd this guy get his position in the royal guard? He sounds like a lot of hot air."

Novo was resting her head on her upturned hand in boredom and glanced at me out of the corner of her eye while casting me a noticeable smirk. "He's efficient and he amuses everyone. What more do you need?"

That response was enough to shut me up. Got a quick snicker out of me too. Eventually, Seaspray turned his attention to me as his discussion with Celestia came to an end. "Now then... Sir James, was it?"

"I'm not a knight, admiral. I'm just here since my presence was requested." I replied honestly after finishing off my lunch.

He was not convinced. Seaspray gave me a cockeyed glance as he showed a slight smirk. "Oh, no need to be modest! Who else other than the elites of the royal guard could be granted such fine armor? You are our fair Celestia's sword and shield, are you not?"

Novo hissed through her nostrils as she struggled to contain a laugh and even slapped her hand upon the table in response to Seaspray's unwavering enthusiasm. "You know what?! Sure, let's go with that! You're Celestia's private escort, aren't you, honey?"

"If that's what the tabloids will say..." I muttered before getting a laugh out of both the princess and queen before me. I was not even trying to be that witty. Was it an inside joke that only the leaders of nations would get?

Seaspray ignored the unintentional humor in the air as he smirked at me. But that smirk quickly faded as he suddenly made an observation. "Oh... It would seem I must have momentarily taken leave of my senses. Where IS your armor anyway?"

I cracked a smirk of my own as I glanced at the distant puddle out of the corner of my eye. "You almost stepped in it."

He suddenly and stiffly turned his head to glance at said puddle of shifting blue and white hues. He then pointed with his hand and asked, "You mean to tell me your armor...now lies upon the floor in liquid form?"

"I suppose a demonstration is in order. Honey, if you wouldn't mind showing us how it's done?" Novo asked while wiggling her eyebrows at me since she knew exactly how it worked.

I nodded and rose from my chair before walking over to the puddle and stepping into it. The liquid rapidly coated my entire body before hardening and taking the form of that beautiful armor I am most familiar with. Seaspray's beak fell open a bit as he watched. "Mother of pearl... Where did you even find such a suit of armor?"

Celestia cast a smirk at him as if she knew exactly how he would respond. "Luna and I made it ourselves, if you must know."

Seaspray abruptly turned to face her as he let out a shrill squawk like a startled cockatoo. "You?! Yoooouuu made it?! Your excellency, we must commission you for several of these fine suits! Our mighty military will rule the skies like never before!"

"Denied, admiral. We never needed fancy gear like that and we sure don't now." Novo said proudly, almost like she was taking pride in her people having never needed a full military. Then again, I doubt Equestria really needs anything more than the royal guard keeping watch.

Seaspray was not so deterred as he practically begged Celestia before him. "Your majesty! But surely... Princess Celestia! You outrank her! Surely you can find it in your heart to veto such a command!"

Celestia was trying so hard to not laugh. As was I. And sure enough, Novo smirked deviously as she tapped her fingers upon the table. "Admiral, do I smell insubordination in the air? You dare defy your queen?"

I had to restrain myself to stop myself from laughing at Seaspray's blunder on account of his enthusiasm. He stiffly turned to look at his queen with utter terror in his eyes while it almost looked like he was biting his lower beak. "Your... Your majesty... I did not... I mean I would never dare to..."

"Must I remind you what happened to the poor fool who did such a thing? Because Mama could use some of her deep tissue massages right now." Novo said jokingly as I started to wonder if she was going to strip him of his rank and put him on pampering duty or something. What an indignation for the captain of the guard.

The captain before us nearly threw himself onto the table as he clasped his hands together in pleading. "Your majesty, please reconsider! It was a lapse in judgment! I can't be stripped of this title! Capricorn Island will be poorer for it! Our men will flounder without proper guidance! Please, show leniency!"

Novo did not need much convincing. Then again, she was only messing with him. "Oh, calm yourself, admiral. I could never replace you. Who would make us laugh every day of your career? Relax, you're good. I'm letting you off the hook."

"Oh, thank you! Thank you, your... Wait just a moment! Laugh?! Does my role as your admiral require me to pull double duty as court jester?!" Seaspray squawked in confusion as we all got a laugh or even just a snicker out of his antics. Needless to say, he then leaned back towards Celestia and asked, "Although... If I may be so bold? Perhaps one for my retirement?"

"I'll at least consider that much, admiral." Celestia said with an amused smirk on her lips. That at least got him to back down while making Novo shake her head in amusement. I swear, Seaspray has a little too much fun with his job.

With that little skit out of the way, Seaspray then turned my way. "Now then, as I was saying... Sir James, I thought it would do for me to show you to the courtyard so you may appreciate the skill of our finest guardsmen."

It almost sounded like he was inviting me to a training session. And I was not in the mood for a clash of blades. I held up my hands and shook them while saying, "Uh... I'd rather not. I didn't bring the rest of my gear..."

Seaspray quickly spread a wing and waved it like a hand. "Oh, no no no, I did not mean like that! I meant for you to merely observe! See how our men fare to what you are used to."

I was starting to suspect Seaspray was setting his expectations a little too high. He probably thought I was some sort of war hero if I was Celestia's very personal guest and that I was clad in a suit of armor that was probably the only one of its kind. Still, I saw no harm in taking him up on his offer. I looked at the two royal ladies beside him. Novo just nodded while Celestia smiled as she said, "Go ahead, James. The royal guard of Capricorn Island are valiant people."

"All right then. Sure, I'll tag along." I replied before looking towards Novo. "Thank you for the meal, your majesty. It was all fantastic."

"Anytime, hun. Just let me know if you'll be around for dinner and I'll make sure the chefs make something to your liking." Novo replied as she waved goodbye. Seaspray and I then spread our wings and took to the air, gliding around the outskirts of the Ivory Palace until a visible outdoor area below came into view at the outer edge of the castle. It was lined with green grass and was bordered by tall walls.

"Right there. Let's set down here." Seaspray called out as we drifted down into the middle of the courtyard. He walked slowly ahead of me for a moment as he spoke up regally before eventually raising a hand and curling it into a determined fist to add emphasis to his words. "Now, let it never be said that we hippogriffs are not a peace-loving people. But danger does lurk in the darkest corners of this wonderful world of Equestria and we must have the foresight to prepare ourselves to face these evils should they ever find us."

Dramatic as always. I see why Seaspray's men get a laugh out of him now and then. Even I was having a hard time keeping a straight face. Regardless, I followed along until he stopped and turned to face me with pride. "To that end, the elite forces of Capricorn Island have refined their greatest strengths to produce a most efficient force indeed..."

I waited a few seconds since it sounded like he was simply providing a dramatic pause in his words. Just when it felt like it was going on for too long and I started to open my mouth to inquire further, an arrow flew by right between us and embedded itself in a target leaning against the far wall. A perfect bull's-eye. With us witnessing the perfect shot, Seaspray finished his sentence. "The finest archers in all of Equestria."

I looked to my left and saw a row of three hippogriff guards each nocking an arrow to the string of some impressive longbows. Almost in unison, the three took aim and let their arrows fly into the targets set up in the distance. What really impressed me was that all three were standing upright on just their hind legs with no sign of them having difficulty in maintaining balance. And I quickly saw why. Their great wings were fully spread and reaching backward, functioning as a counterbalance to prevent them from falling forward to the floor. Not even Celestia's wings are long enough to let her do that, but the superior size of a hippogriff's wings appear to be perfect for such a job. No wonder they became so proficient in traditional archery. Just to emphasize how specialized this ability is, Seaspray looked at me with a bit of a prideful smirk. "I don't suppose a pegasus could manage such feats, would they?"

"Nope... That's definitely beyond their capabilities." I retorted while watching the guards score bull's-eye after bull's-eye. And just to top it all, they then went airborne and went on strafing runs. And even then, they rarely missed the centers of the targets. Considering the keen vision of most birds, I was hardly surprised by their accuracy. Truly the finest aerial fighters in the world.

"That will do, gentleman!" Seaspray then called out to his men before they descended to the ground in a row. Pleased with their performance, he greeted them with a smile. "Impeccable performance as always. Your excellence in our finest craft honors our people. Take a moment to rest and I will see you in the armory in an hour."

"Thank you, admiral. Always a pleasure." One of the guards replied as they all saluted their commanding officer. I stepped aside as they walked by, appreciating the regal forms of Capricorn Island's defenders. While the guards of Canterlot always have a stern look on their faces, the three of them looked quite at ease and even happy. I was already finding myself more endeared towards them than I generally am towards the guardsmen I am used to seeing.

"Those three are some of our best archers, even though I've yet to see even one guardsman lagging behind the others." Seaspray remarked as he watched them walk away.

I nodded while I watched the three stallions a moment longer before turning my attention back towards Seaspray. "I believe you, but... Doesn't it take years to become a successful archer? The draw weight for those things has to be a challenge."

"Oh, you'd be surprised how much upper body strength we hippogriffs have. As a rare fusion of avian and equine, we have the physical might of the fleetest wild stallions." Seaspray declared with his usual pompous flair. But he then pointed at his own face. "But we are most fortunate that our eyes carry the gift of our avian side. Our vision is as keen as the most cunning falcons. Such precision is necessary in archery."

Before long, he started going off on a tangent of all sorts of events and people I had never heard of. I tried to listen, but not recognizing any names besides Novo's or any events or places he spoke of made it impossible for me to get invested in what he was talking about. But just after he turned away while speaking, I heard the hooting of an owl. It seemed like a strange place for an owl to wind up, so I looked around to find the source of the sound. It hooted again until I was facing away from Seaspray. And there I saw one of the three guardsmen sticking his head out from behind a large hedge. Just to confirm the source of the sound, I heard it again and it was clearly coming from the hippogriff guard himself as he looked at me out of the corner of his eye.

Hippogriffs must have an impressive vocal range to mimic the call of an owl. And I doubt those are the only birds they can imitate. Regardless, I silently pointed to myself to inquire if it was I he was trying to communicate with. He nodded and reached out with his hand to beckon me over to him before ducking back behind the hedge. After making certain Seaspray was preoccupied with his speech while outside his field of vision, I hurriedly and rather laughably tiptoed over to the hedge. The instant I had stepped passed it, something grabbed me and pulled me aside before helping me taking a seat. "Is the captain talking your ear off? Don't worry, he does that a lot."

The three guards from before were hanging out behind the hedge while apparently having a quick snack. Dried fish flakes and sunflower seeds were evident between the three, but one then passed me a dried squid on a stick. He flashed me a smile while he said, "Don't worry about old Seaspray. He talks big, but he's mostly harmless. Really, he's just fun to watch."

"Yeah, I can tell. Oh, and thanks." I replied while taking the squid and immediately biting into the tasty and chewy treat. I was getting nothing but the best possible vibes from these guys. While I have always viewed ponies as embodiments of innocence, the hippogriffs thus far have given me the impression of them being embodiments of happiness and positivity. Even Seaspray sounded more like a guy who was just having fun with his job rather than a militantly-minded hotshot preparing for war.

"So, you're the guy who showed up with Princess Celestia, right? You seen any action while serving as her knight?" The third guard asked while the three of them looked at me with keen interest.

"Everyone keeps assuming that... It's the armor, right?" I replied while starting to find it humorous that everyone kept assuming I was some mighty warrior instead of some dude in an enchanted suit of winged armor. "Nah, I've never served in the guard. I just had to wear this while aboard the Olympia to make sure I'd be OK if I fell overboard. All I am is a close friend of hers that she requested to attend with her."

"You sure? I'm pretty sure that armor's designed for action." One of the guard's asked while leaning towards me.

One of the other guards ran his hand over my breastplate as he added, "Nah, I think he's onto something here. There's not a scratch on this armor."

I decided to omit the detail on how the armor gets melted down every time I have to take it off. Of course there would not be any signs of damage when no damage ever sticks when the whole suit ends up liquefied. One cannot gauge how much action I have seen just by looking at my armor. Even so, I just let them talk and enjoyed my little snack. One of the two hippogriffs soon peeked over the top of the hedge. "Uh oh, looks like he's almost done. You better get back there before he notices you're gone."

"I take it he likes to tell that tale pretty often." I said as I chomped down the last bite of my snack. "Still, thanks for the quick snack."

"Anytime, friend. If you ever need anything, feel free to approach us or any of our buddies on the island. We'll be happy to help." Another of the three spoke before I stood up and quickly yet quietly made my way over to Seaspray until I was right behind him. And he never even noticed that I had been missing for five minutes.

"And that is how I came to be granted this prestigious position by her royal majesty herself." Seaspray exclaimed with pride as he finished up his story. Or at least that was the first thing I heard that I could actually follow. He then turned to face me and asked, "Riveting history of events, wouldn't you say?"

"Absolutely, sir." I spoke promptly in an effort to pretend that I understood what he had been saying. Of course, I was not the least bit knowledgeable of anything he said, but I dare not say or admit to anything that may offend the guy at the top of Capricorn Island's security forces.

Seaspray then brought a hand to his beak and held his fist to the underside as he looked around while having a contemplative look in his eyes. "Hmm... I suppose this was a poor time to bring you down here. Aside from those three, our schedule does not line up well with the courtyard... I will see if we can squeeze you in a few days down the line. I would like to see how Princess Celestia's personal knight fairs to my men."

"Sir, I think I was quite clear when I said I am not her knight. I'm just a..." I said in reply as I did not like the thought of getting into a brawl with a platoon of hippogriffs who would likely mop the floor with me in a real fight. I know they look like jolly happy fellows, but I have seen what Equestria's main branch of the royal guard is capable of. The hippogriffs must be just as competent, if not moreso.

I did not get far before Seaspray held up a finger to silence me. "Ah ah, no need for modesty! You would not be granted such armor were you not an important defender in your own right. And who was the one who personally accompanied our fair princess down the gangplank as she disembarked from the Olympia, hm? Standard protocol dictates that the princess must be escorted by no fewer than two guards when leaving or boarding her private transport. And yet, only you were by her side as she did so. What do you suppose that says?"

I went completely blank in the face as I stared back at him. Was that why Celestia did not have her usual guards at her side when we left the Olympia? There were those two at the bottom, but I doubt they were all that is normally required. "I... You... I guess you have a point there, sir."

Seaspray then reassuringly placed a hand upon my pauldron. "Do not sell yourself short, my good man. Modesty is important, but do try to have some faith in your capabilities. Princess Celestia chose you to be by her side, did she not? She has faith in you. Thus you should have faith in yourself. I may not know what you are, but I can plainly see that there is more to you than meets the eye."

I just stared in silence for a moment. Seaspray's words were remarkably touching. I could certainly see why he got the job. He really knows how to give a boost to moral. At the first sign of a smile, Seaspray suddenly pulled me up to him with his arm spanning my shoulders in a kind of hug, I guess? He then reached up dramatically with his other hand as he exclaimed, "You are the sword and shield of our eternal sovereign! Be brave, friend! You have the means to vanquish any threat to dear Celestia! I believe in you, as does she!"

"I think you've made your point quite clear, admiral." I muttered before I sheepishly wiggled myself out of his grasp. While I thought he was just entertaining before, I was finding myself starting to like the guy quite a bit. More than likely a father to his men. "Really though, I do appreciate the pep talk. I know I probably look otherwise, but I've seen very little action."

"That will change in due time. Equestria may be a world that prioritizes peace and camaraderie, but trouble always finds us at some point or another. You'll sharpen yourself as things go." Seaspray replied before waving is hand at me. "Now, I do believe I've taken too much of your time. I really should be letting you return to our princess. We'll rendezvous another time when our schedules permit it. On your way!"

"Thank you, admiral. It was a pleasure." I retorted with my arm crossed over my chest before I bowed slightly. I then spread my wings and took to the air, lazily drifting around the perimeter of the Ivory Palace as I took in its majesty again. I eventually saw Celestia and Novo still out on the same balcony and came in for a landing. "I see why you gave Seaspray the job. Nice guy and he knows how to boost moral."

"He sure does. I've never heard any of our guards file any real complaints about him." Novo replied as she turned her attention to me. "I hope he didn't talk your ear off, honey. He tends to do that, even if the rest of my boys think it's funny."

"Oh, he tried, but a few of the other guys helped me sneak for a bit before I came back right as he was finishing up. He never even noticed I was gone." I explained as Celestia and Novo burst into hearty laughter. Probably not the first time they ever heard of someone slipping away like that.

Celestia then brought her hoof to her lips to clear her throat after her bout of laughter. "Yes, right... Anyway, James... Novo and I have some business to attend to that I can assure you will not interest you in the slightest. Why don't you go look around? See what Capricorn Island has to offer? Sightsee for a bit."

I was quite delighted by this offer. Time to go have some fun and just relax. "Really? Thanks! But...how to I get to the nearest town?"

Novo smirked before pointing towards the castle itself. "Try crossing the bridge. You can't miss it. It's the big long narrow white thing connecting the big pretty white thing we're on to the big cluster of white things at the end of it. And there are twenty-three other big clusters of white things all over the mountain."

A smirk crossed my lips as I took amusement in Novo's show of snark. "Right, I shouldn't have any trouble finding my way around. Have a good one, ladies."

Without further delay, I spread my wings and looped around the palace to the front. Novo was not kidding about the bridge. It was a long stone passage spanning a big drop down the mountain that led to the nearest town on the other side with both being right on the mountain's summit. I set myself down on the middle of the bridge and walked along to see what this town of white had to offer.

I barely made it into the town before I immediately got an idea of what to expect. Not terribly quiet, yet not bustling with activity. Capricorn Island places itself right in the middle and I was quickly finding myself very happy that I had come along in the first place. Walking down winding stone lanes and through more open streets here and there, the constant whites being accentuated by light blue paint applied to most wooden structures like handrails, window shutters, and guardrails along ledges gave the town a very crisp and clean feeling. There was more than just all that white too. The locals had plenty of green set about in some trees growing in a few corners, flowering potted plants all over the place, and even an outdoor café with rafters overhead overgrown with flowering ivy to provide the customers with natural shade. I remember muttering to myself at one point, "This has to be what Santorini is like. So beautiful..."

I could never do without mentioning the locals. While I did see a number of hippogriffs passing overhead through the air, most were choosing to stay grounded as they went about their day. I saw a few in armor like those at the palace, but most were bare. And they were every bit as gorgeous as the guards I had seen. Aside from the kids, the hippogriffs were tall and majestic, each with very similar frames to Celestia herself. They soft plumage were all a pastel rainbow of colors, much like the ponies on the mainland. The stallions were so very handsome and the mares were graceful and beautiful. Easily the most beautiful people I had ever seen in Equestria. Friendly too. I was often greeted as I passed the locals, even if they were just quick hellos. Even though I was keeping my mouth shut while gauging my surroundings, I was quickly finding myself feeling quite at home with these tall friendly feathered friends. Celestia was completely right. I had only been there for a few hours and was already appreciating my stay on this island.

With a flap of my wings, I leaped up onto a rooftop and walked to the edge to get a good look at what laid beyond the town. I saw a few decorative windmills sticking out of the sides of a few taller homes or establishments, but they did not seem to serve any purpose beyond just looking nice. I could see the ocean far beyond the mountain even though there was an astounding amount of ground to cover on the way down. The terrain was varied and vast, allowing for a very balanced ecosystem. No wonder the hippogriffs seldom leave home. Capricorn Island has enough space and a varied enough environment for them to get whatever they need.

I could see some of the other chalk-white towns below and decided to dive on down to the next one. Spreading my wings, I leapt forward and went into a shallow dive. But I was suddenly put in peril as I was forced to close my eyes once I reached a certain speed. Even worse, I could not breathe! Blind and suddenly unable to inhale as the wind blew against me too hard, I desperately tried to right myself to and kept my wings spread out wide to slow my descent enough to weaken the wind enough to breathe. Thankfully, my plight did not go unnoticed.

"Whoooooa, easy there! I gotcha!" I heard someone call right next to my head as someone grabbed me from behind and did not let go. My descent quickly came to a halt as I heard someone flapping their winds to keep us held aloft. I gasped for breath, finally able to breathe again as a sense of relief flooded my senses. I slowly drifted down as my savior brought us both to a rooftop vista with a few blue wooden benches and rows of small bushes lining the perimeter. The instant we set our feet down, he spoke up again. "I saw you lose control back there, so I jumped in to help out. You all right?"

"Yeah, sorry about that. I wasn't expecting the wind to get too strong to keep my eyes open or to suddenly find myself unable to breathe..." I replied as I turned around while still a bit frazzled from the experience. I was not surprised by what I saw. A hippogriff stallion clad in the gilded armor worn by most royal guards. Or what little there was. I almost mistook him for Seaspray at first until I examined his color scheme a bit more. His plumage was of an almost cornflower blue with his hands, hooves, and beak being of a more saturated hue. His mane and tail were white or possibly an extremely pale blue when the light hit it just right while he gazed at me with brilliant golden orange eyes. Realizing that I had been saved from possible physical harm by one of the island's security personnel, I was quick to offer my thanks. "Anyway, thanks for that, sir. Sorry to be a bother."

His gaze of concern became one of delight. "Oh, it was no trouble! I couldn't just let someone go crashing like that. Although I've never seen anyone suddenly stall like that during a dive. What happened back there? You inhale a bug or something?"

I started to raise a hand as I was about to speak, but then paused. What did happen back there? I have taken flight many times since I first received my armor and have never experienced that kind of phenomenon before. At a complete loss of words, I merely muttered, "I... I don't have a clue."

Still showing slight concern, my rescuer patted me on the pauldron with his hand. "Well, you just take it easy for a bit before you try again. And if you need anything, I'll be around up here in the Omega sector. If you're looking for me, the name's Sky Beak."

"Will do, Mr. Sky. Thanks for the save." I replied before seeing him of as he spread his impressive wings and flew off. Still bewildered over what I just went through, I sat myself down on the nearest bench and slouched on it while gazing out at the western horizon. My eyes narrowed as I began to think and mutter to myself. "What hit me back there? I've never had issues like that before... And it's not the first time I went into a fast dive without...my helmet..."

I know that my helmet was designed in such a way to minimize air resistance. It might even cast a weak protective field over my face to shield it from wind since I always feel nothing but a gentle breeze on my face whenever I fly with my helmet on. I tried thinking back all the way to the first time I got to fly. During the abnormally long night that occurred with Nightmare Moon's return.

I was always wearing goggles while I practiced under Spitfire and even when I went into that very long dive off of the castle's balcony when I finally departed. The goggles kept the wind out of my eyes, but I do not recall suffocating during any of those dives. Did I hold my breath every time until I slowed down to a less reckless speed?

My thoughts then drifted to the pegasi of Equestria and even the hippogriffs I have seen. They can fly even faster than airships and Rainbow Dash can even reach supersonic speeds yet never has any issues with breathing or seeing at such speeds. Perhaps their eyes have a special layer over them to help protect against irritation brought on by strong winds. And I know many birds can keep their eyes open when they dive-bomb prey from high altitudes. But how do they breathe when moving at such speeds?

I did not take long to come to a conclusion. The way a pony and hippogriff's nostrils point forward instead of down like a human's would certainly explain the lack of breathing issues at such speeds. With their nostrils facing into the wind, there would always be a rush of fresh air flowing into their lungs when they open their airways to inhale. Humans are not built for such a thing, the wind blowing right under their nostrils too fast for their lungs to draw in the rapidly moving air. Even a dragon or griffin would not have such issues, although I do not think dragons tend to fly fast enough to really have to worry about the wind getting to be a problem for their eyes.

Before I even knew what was happening, Sky Beak came back over and landed beside me with a look of concern on his face. "Um... Are you sure you're all right? You haven't moved from that spot for more than five minutes."

"Oh, I was just...thinking. Really, I'm fine." I replied as I started to sit up before bringing myself to my feet to try and show I was not in any discomfort.

Sky Beak cast me a smile, but not quite as brightly as before. "Well, you sound pretty sure of it. It's just that I've never seen anyone stall that hard during such a dive. I almost thought you were having a seizure."

By then, I knew exactly what I had did wrong. I just shrugged my shoulders and said, "Nah, it's just that I forgot my helmet. I'll have to keep my speed low when I fly for a while."

"Now that you mention it... What even are you? And where are you from? That gear doesn't look like something a civilian would wear." Sky Beak asked as he stepped past me to examine my armor from another angle.

I decided there was no need to hide anything from the guy who stopped me from getting hurt. "Yeah, this is a very specialized suit of armor. Princess Celestia insisted on me wearing it while aboard the Olympia and when we disembarked. I guess it was just to make the right kind of impression on Novo?"

The mention of Novo and Celestia instantly got the guy excited. His eyes brightened instantly as his beak parted with a barely audible gasp. He then spoke with significantly greater volume that almost startled me. "Celestia?! You mean you're the special guest we've been expecting?!"

He lifted his head high with eyes closed and beak parted as if he was about to let out some sort of bird call. I expected it to be loud and reflexively covered my ears, but no sound came. After five seconds of watching and waiting, Sky Beak suddenly opened his eyes with his delighted expression now looking a bit nervous. He then closed his beak and looked at me while he asked with a slightly raised hand, "Um... I'm sorry, I don't even know you're name yet."

Not in the mood for the guy to suddenly go calling everyone over for anything, I decided to inquire as to what he almost did. "What you about to do a moment ago?"

"Oh, I just going to give a public service announcement so everyone around would know we have a special guest." He replied quite happily, almost as if he was very eager to introduce me to the locals. "But I can't really do that if I don't know your name. I could get in trouble for making a public service announcement over nothing."

I looked out of the corner of my eye almost like I was expecting to see someone on the nearest rooftop eavesdropping. No one else was around. Looking back to Sky Beak, I lifted my hand and set it upon his beak in the hopes of convincing him to stay silent. He glanced at my armored fingers before directing his gaze at me as I spoke. "For one, my name is James. And for the rest, I'm nothing special. I'm not Celestia's personal knight. I'm not even serving in the royal guard. I'm just a close friend of hers. I'm only a tourist who's out doing some sightseeing since I have nothing to do for the moment."

I slowly took my hand off his beak in the hopes that Sky would not up and blurt out my presence. Being far from home and in unfamiliar territory had put me in a relatively vulnerable position that I had not been in since the day I arrived in Equestria. Certainly not to the same extreme, but I was not entirely comfortable with suddenly standing out and drawing unwanted attention in a land filled with people I did not fully understand yet. Thankfully, Sky Beak nodded as he cast me a calm smile as he walked past me again to his prior position to my right. "Well then, it's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. James. Have you been in Capricorn Island long?"

"Just a few hours, actually." I replied as I recalled everything that happened before that point. "I just got done with having lunch with Celestia and Novo and I was shown the courtyard and some of your archers by... Huh?"

I thought I picked up the sound of hooves somewhere behind me followed by the faint sound of flapping wings. I turned around, sensing the presence of someone new. But the instant I did, I found someone right up in my face who then provided a rather loud greeting. "Hi!"

I completely unprepared for this and was startled just bad enough to stagger backwards and fall onto the bench I had been using mere minutes ago, quickly finding myself slouched all along the bench while Sky Beak just burst into laughter. "Ahahahaha! Silverstream, you really should let us know you're coming before you get too close."

"Sorry, Dad! It's just that I heard you saved someone new and had to see for myself!" The young hippogriff before me said as she hovered in place before me. She was maybe half her father's size with her hands, hooves, and beak being a shade of light orchid with her coat being a paler hue of it. But where most hippogriffs I had seen up to that point had manes and tails of ambiguous composition, I could tell that hers was definitely made up of long hair like that on a pony. Her tail and mane were reasonably long with her mane almost looking reminiscent of Fluttershy's while being tied into a ponytail a little over halfway down. They consisted of cornflower hues while her excited violet eyes gazed at me as her wings flapped steadily. "So, what happened? A bug hit you in the face? You sneezed and got caught in a crosswind? Got a really bad case of hiccups out of nowhere? Happens all the time. Anyway, WOOOOOW look at this armor! I never seen so much shiny metal on one person before! This is crazy awesome!"

I had no idea how to respond to this very excitable and very loud hippogriff filly just going bananas over my armored form while talking with quite the motor mouth. I get that wearing too much armor could weigh down a hippogriff, but surely they had more impressive suits for the more experienced members of the guard. Right? Regardless, I could not help speaking aloud, "I didn't know Pinkie Pie had a secret twin somewhere in this world..."

"Who? I dunno any pink pies, but you're the weeeeirdest thing I've seen all year!" Silverstream exclaimed as she started to look me over. "What are you anyway? You're tall like us hippogriffs, but not long enough! Your mane's too short, you have no feathers, your beak is too short and soft, and what's up with your hooves? How do you even walk with them sticking that far out?! They need a trim!"

Sky Beak tactfully intervened before his daughter could really overstimulate herself and gently pushed her back through the air. "Thaaaat's enough, sweetheart. James, this is Silverstream. My pride and joy. Emphasis on joy."

"I can see why. Turn down the volume a bit and she'd actually be cute." I retorted while occasionally flinching from just how loud Silverstream was getting. I suppose that anyone who is part bird can be like that.

Silverstream promptly took my words to heart and covered her beak while sounding and looking quite apologetic. "Oops! Am I getting too loud again? Sorry!"

"It's cool. I'm used to it. Kind of. Although I'm more used to the energy than the volume." I said while gently patting her on the head. Good thing I have spent two years around Pinkie Pie or she might have been too much for me to handle right out the gate.

Sky Beak let out a chuckle at my response before he stepped back as he spread his impressive wings. "Well, I'm sure you two will get along just fine. Anyway, I better get back to my rounds. You enjoy your time with us, James. Have a good one, all right?"

"You too, Mr. Sky. And thanks for the save." I replied as I waved goodbye to my rescuer. Really nice guy. I was hoping I would see him again sometime.

"You too! Bye, Dad!" Silverstream added as she waved goodbye. While Sky Beak took to the air and flew up and away, I walked to the edge of the patio to watch the graceful guardsman fly off.

My eyes just gazed out over the rooftops ahead of me and over the visible mountainside while a vaguely warm breeze blew through my hair. However, my eyes then narrowed as I felt the nagging suspicion that I was not alone. I soon looked to my left and saw Silverstream standing right by me while being patiently quiet. "You're still here? Don't you...um...have class or something?"

"Uh... Nooo? Duh. It's summer vacation. Don't fillies and colts where you come from get it too?" Silverstream asked in return while being quite innocent about the whole thing.

I fell silent as I contemplated this. She had a point. I had not seen Scootaloo have that much time away from school aside from a couple of months spread out throughout the year. I was not oblivious to it though and managed to recall how the Ponyville school year works. "Um... Yeah, but it's just two months set maybe half a year apart. Four weeks in summer and another four in winter."

"Oooooh, OK!" Silverstream chirped as she began to walk around me. Eyeing me constantly in intense curiosity. "Anyway, where you from? What even are you? You someone new on the island? I love new stuff!"

I rolled my eyes as the silly bird filly started to amuse me. "Well, I'm from the mainland and live in Ponyville. And I'm what you call a human."

Silverstream stopped dead in her tracks before her gaze began to wander. She scratched at her own head with a hand and rested her beak upon her fist before glancing back up at me. "Human...?"

"Never heard of them? Yeah, most folks in Equestria haven't. I think I might be the only one on the planet..." I explained before my eyes started to scan her body. I know hippogriffs get just as tall as Celestia, but she looked too tall to just be a kid. I was certain she was a little taller than most ponies I know. "Hey, just curious, but... Um... How old are you? Sixteen?"

Whatever I said must have amused her since Silverstream cracked a bizarrely crooked giggling grin with her beak. I suppose those beaks are a bit on the soft and flexible side near the edges. "What?! Nah, I'm only twelve!"

I went silent for a moment as I just stared at her in disbelief. Twelve? For a filly of that height? And with a voice that deep and womanly? No way. "Yeah right. Really, what's your age?"

"No, really! I'm only twelve!" Silverstream said again while holding her arms out for expressive purposes. She then looked out of the corner of her eye as she added, "Although I do turn thirteen in December, so I guess there's that."

It was at this point that I knew she was not messing with me. I just shook my head in bemusement as I contemplated her height despite her age. "You bird kids sure grow fast... You might be twice the height of my kid and she's only your age."

"Oh, you have kids?! Where are they?! Can I meet them?" Silverstream asked excitedly as her hooves and hands tapped away on the floor like an excited dog.

"Well, she's not technically mine. I adopted Scootaloo a while back. And she's back home. I'm only here because Celestia specifically requested that I come along on this trip."

I should have known what kind of response that would have gotten out of her. Silverstream sat up and held her face between her hands as her eyes just sparkled with intrigue. "Princess Celestia?! You're with the princess?! Ooh, are you her personal knight?! I should've known that armor was for someone special! When were you knighted? What awesome quest did you go on to earn the title?!"

"Man, I've been getting that a lot today. And I've only been here for a few hours." I retorted while almost tempted to laugh. What a running gag this was turning into. "Anyway, no. I'm not a knight. I'm not even serving in the royal guard. I'm just wearing this armor so I can get around more easily while I'm here. The wings, you know?"

Silverstream's expression quickly turned into one of confusion. "That's it...? You didn't...slay a dragon or something? Rescued a bunch of people from a sinking ship?"

"No, nothing like that. I've seen very little action as is. I'm just a very close friend of Celestia and a freelancer." I explained while starting to sound like I was repeating myself too often. I was hoping I would not get the same question again today.

"Oh come on, there's gotta be more than that!" Silverstream chirped as she went airborne with her surprisingly big wings holding her aloft. "You can tell me! What was the very first thing you did when you got that armor?"

Now that her questions were getting more specific, I felt inclined to provide more details. And so I said, "Well...I guess I did save Nightmare Moon on the first night I wore this armor."

I knew Nightmare Moon had not paid any visits to Capricorn Island and I was uncertain whether or not if her legend as the Mare in the Moon was even known to the locals. Surprisingly, Silverstream knew who I was referring to and in a positive light. "Oh, I think I know her! Tall? Black? Has a mane of billowy blue space and stars? Really cool and pretty cat eyes? Wears blue jewelry? I was wondering who she was when I woke up. Really nice! Took me to a world of escalators!"

"Uh... Yeah, that's her. The Princess of Dreams." I replied as I was left genuinely surprised that Nightmare Moon had just happened to bump into Silverstream in a dream before she could ever get around to meeting Novo. I wonder how she and Luna decide which dreams to visit...

"Cool! And you saved her?! You rescued one of our princesses?! No wonder you've got such cool armor!" Silverstream exclaimed as she trotted around me in a way only a hippogriff can. I have to say the way she did it was really cute, almost as if she was prancing more than trotting.

"Yeah, sure... Anyway, I'm gonna look around some more, all right? You have a good one, Silverstream." I said while trying to get off of the patio and look around some more. I made my way to the stairs at the edge and made my way down while waving goodbye. I just did not want to spend too much of my first day on Capricorn Island locked in conversation with some random kid. But as I got down to the street and started to walk along it, it hit me. I had heard that name before. "Wait... Silverstream... Didn't Novo say something about... Oh!"

Suddenly remembering where I had first heard her name, I turned around as I called out, "Hey, Silverstream! Aren't you... Ack!"

I very nearly tripped over her! She had followed me right down the stairs and was tailing me not even ten feet behind me. She barely even flinched at me almost running into her and asked, "Forget something?"

"You... Were you following me?" I asked in confusion now that my train of thought had been interrupted.

"Uh huh. You're one of the first new things I've seen in a while. And I love new stuff!" She exclaimed with wings spread wide with absolutely no shame. What a wacky kid. I wonder if other hippogriffs are just as eccentric.

Momentarily distracted from what I was going to ask her, I just crossed my arms and shook my head while my eyes just looked at nothing out of the corners. "Yeah, you're definitely a lot like Pinkie Pie..."

Once again completely missing my point, Silverstream held up her hands in confusion. "What's with you and pink pies anyway? I mean yeah, I am pink, but I'm no pie! Besides, I'm nowhere near tasty enough to be one."

I could not help but cracking an amused smirk at Silverstream's antics. No matter how loud or bombastic she got when overstimulated, she was very hard not to like. Still, I at least tried to explain where I was coming from. "No, no, I mean you remind me of a friend of mine who just happens to have the name 'Pinkie Pie'. And you remind of her quite a bit. Just not as crazy."

"Oooooooh, right. I gotcha. Yeah, names are weird in Equestria. I mean yeah, I get what you mean. My mom's name is Ocean Flow, but she spends more time on the land and in the sky. You'd think someone with that name would spend more time in the sea! Oh, and there's my dad's boss. How does a hippogriff get the name Seaspray anyway?" Silverstream said as she went on and on. I have to admit I completely forgot about how bizarre Equestria's naming conventions are. I guess it is something you just stop noticing after a while unless someone draws attention to it.

"To be fair, I do kind of get a seabird feel from you hippogriffs. You look like you're good swimmers and thrive near the seaside." I explained while taking note of her beak. It was not at all like those of a bird of prey or even most mainland birds.

Silverstream's eyes then brightened a bit at this revelation. "Oh, right! I guess that makes sense. We hippogriffs sure do love fish!"

It was only then that I remembered why I had turned around in the first place. "Oh, right. Before I can forget again... Are you familiar with the princess of the island? Skystar? Novo said she was probably hanging with you and...someone else? What was that name again? Terra...something?"

Silverstream did not miss a beat. "Oh, her! Yeah, Skystar and I are good friends. I live up here in the Omega sector, so I'm always close to the castle. And you're thinking of my brother. He's Terramar. I was hanging with them before I went off to get a snack, but then someone told me my dad rescued someone, so I just had to come see that. And then I found you!"

I felt a little embarrassed that I had distracted her from spending time with her friend and brother. "Oops... Yeah, didn't mean to distract you. They're probably wondering where you've gone."

"Oh my gosh, you're right! I need to go catch up with them!" Silverstream said with a gasp as she held her face in her hands. She then went airborne after spreading her wings and said, "I'm gonna go check in with them! See ya!"

I barely even got the chance to say goodbye before she took off over the rooftops and out of sight. A little disappointed that she would up and bolt like that, but I guess I should expect as much from kids. Now all alone again, I turned and continued on my way. I was most curious of what else this town had to offer.

Before long, I started to notice the smell of the sea in the air. This made no sense to me. I was well over a mile above sea level. But ass I continued on and turned a few corners, I was greeted by a wide road lined with vendors and merchants. And I then loudly whispered the source of that smell. "Fish...!"

For the most part, I was seeing rows of merchants selling their wares that consisted of freshly caught fish. Just the sight of it all brought a big boost to my mood. "Now I see why Celestia said I was gonna love it here. Maybe they have sushi..."

I could barely take another step before I was giving an expected surprise. My vision suddenly went dark as something covered my eyes. A familiar voice then spoke from directly behind my head. "Guess who!"

I immediately knew who was messing with me, but I barely managed to stop myself from giving an immediate response. Considering my options, I decided to turn the tables with a hefty dose of snark. "Princess Skystar?"

"Nope!" The mysterious prankster replied.

"Queen Novo?" I asked again as I prepared the killing blow.

"Ooh, good one! But nope, not even close." She said again while waiting for the correct answer.

It was then that I decided to throw her for a loop. "Oh right, I get it. Can I help you, Admiral Seaspray?"

"What?! OK yeah, no. Not funny." She said as she let go of me. I burst into raucous laughter while I turned around to see Silverstream hovering over the ground with a very dry look in her eyes. Even her beak was scrunched up in a way that looked like she was trying to not laugh while being kind of annoyed at the same time.

Having gotten as much humor out of the situation as I was going to get, I then asked, "OK... OK, that was funny... But anyway, what're you doing back here? Don't you have some friends to hang with?"

Silverstream quickly regained her chipper demeanor and waved her hand through the air as if trying to swat something. "Oh yeah, I found them. And I told them I found someone new and interesting and I was gonna be spending the rest of the afternoon with him! They were OK with it, so here I am!"

"Wait, what?! Now hold on, I didn't agree to..." I started to say in exasperation before Silverstream flew right up to me and hugged me. She nuzzled her cheek against mine, that delightful fluffy plumage of hers feeling quite pleasant. I rolled my eyes, not able to find the words to turn her down. "You're lucky you are so easy to like."

"Awww, you're nice too! So, what should... Um..." Silverstream started to say before her words trailed off. She then let go of me and dropped back to the ground. "Um... What's your name again? I can't remember what my dad told me. Jams?"

That got a snort of laughter out of me. "It's James. My name is James."

"Ooh, I got it! James. James... Huh, I've never heard of a name like that. I guess it's a human name?" Silverstream asked as she dropped back to the ground. She then went around to my backside and tugged on one of my wings. "Wow, I can't believe how big these are. You can't even fold them up properly! They just hang down! How do you even fit them through the gaps in your armor?"

"They're not real! The wings are part of the armor, not my body. Those wings are just made of metal." I replied while Silverstream even tried to preen the feathers on my wings.

"Sure don't feel like it. They're such soft and smooth feathers." I looked back to see Silverstream rubbing her face into them.

Seeing that I would never be able to explain how my armor works to her, I would just have to convince her the only way I could. "Oh, they're really part of my armor... Hold on, lemme go get this stuff off."

"Huh? OK, I'll be right here. Don't go running off without me, all right?" Silverstream asked in return. I just patted her on the head before walking away and stepping into a narrow alley. I did not want to leave my armor's liquid state in a spot someone might stumble across. All it would take is one touch for them to put it on and I was not in the mood for a wild goose chase through town to find the unwitting thief.

I found a spot that I was looking for. A small space behind a barrel in a corner that even had a ledge above it to prevent anyone passing overhead from seeing it. Having long since memorized the spell that removes my armor, I cast it upon myself while in the spot I wanted to leave it all in and soon felt my armored armor literally melting off my body. I soon stepped out of the puddle that had form around my feet, but was quickly reminded of my lack of proper footwear as I felt the hard stone floor through my socks. "Right, I forgot I can't wear shoes with that stuff..."

Knowing I had no reason to stay away from my armor for long, I stepped out of the alley and made my way back over to Silverstream. She was right where I left her. Right out in the middle of the street while seated on her haunches. The instant she saw me, she jumped up and flew right over to me. "Whoa, where'd your wings go?! You look a lot less bulky without that armor! Soft too! And soft long...hooves? Oh wait, those are feet."

I crossed my arms and watched in silent amusement as Silverstream poked my feet with her finger to see that they were not hooves in dire need of a trim. She then reached up and held my hand. "Ooh, even your hands aren't as bulky. And...they're soft too! Softer than mine. And your talons are so flat and stubby."

"Those are called fingernails, not talons. That term only applies to birds." I said while I felt Silverstream's pink hand grasp and feel mine. She was right. Her hand's flesh was not quite as soft as my own and had the texture of a bird's foot. Although it did have more mass on it than most bird feet. It really felt more like a hand than a bird's foot. While she sat before me while examining my hand, I absentmindedly brought my other hand to her head to just gently pet her through her delightfully soft plumage.

The response I got was not what I expected. Silverstream just froze as my fingers reached through her plumage and raked themselves over her scalp. That blank expression soon turned into one of the derpiest looks on someone's face I had seen in a long time. Like she had suddenly reached nirvana. "Whooooaaa... What's that feeling? Feels sooooo good right now..."

"Um... I'm just..." I mumbled before I suddenly realized what I was doing. My specialized petting of her had apparently hit some sort of sweet spot. The way she was reacting even brought to mind how Angela reacts when I pet her through her plumage back home. "I... I think I'm just giving you scritches."

"That's what they're called? Scritches? Then that means..." Silverstream mumbled before she just sat there while tilting her head towards my grasp. "Scritches are the best thing ever..."

"Heh... You silly bird." I muttered in amusement as I decided to let the little hippogriff indulge in my touch. I scritched around her head and right behind the underside of her beak, Silverstream constantly grinning in bliss as I did my thing. She must have been having a good time if she was getting so quiet. And soon, I heard it. Quiet cooing of sorts. Actually, I think that might not be the right word. I think the correct term is...churring? Whatever she was doing, it was delightful to hear and I was glad that I was making her so happy.

"Mmmm, right there... Right behind the ears..." She mumbled as I scritched around the base of those long tufts of feathers that resemble ears. I did happen to run my finger over an indentation in her skull, but I knew that was merely the ear of a bird. While hippogriffs are a fusion of avian and equine, they seem to lean more on the avian side of things in terms of how their bodies are like. I strongly doubt they lay eggs though.

After a good three minutes of scritching, I finally pulled my hand away from Silverstream's head. She flexed her wings while stretching her arms high. "Mmmm, good stuff! Almost feel like I just woke up from a power nap."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised you liked...that... Uh..." I began to say before my eyes looked a little higher. A quintet of hippogriffs were perched upon the edge of a rooftop up ahead and were all eyeing me while lined up in a row. That unwavering attention... It did not bode well for me. Not that I had a reason to fear them, but the fact that they had likely witnessed the whole thing... "Excuse me for a bit, Silverstream. I...um...need to get going riiiiight now..."

"You do? So suddenly? But we were just starting to have fun!" Silverstream asked in objection. She likely did not notice the other five locals watching us.

"Yeah, I do. I...got a feeling I should get going right now..." I muttered as I turned and started to walk away.

Sure enough, I looked over my shoulder to see the little flock of hippogriffs all stand up. The one at the front of the group, a stallion, called out to me. "Hey, stranger! How about we get some of that?!"

"Yeeenope!" I yelped as I took off running in the hopes of getting back to my armor. But I barely made fifteen strides before a shadow descended over me. I looked over my shoulder and let out a startled squeal as a blanket of feathers smothered me. Next thing I knew, I was being passed back and forth by some very enthusiastic hippogriffs in a flurry of plush feathers while just trying to cooperate by digging my wiggling fingers into whatever mass of feathers I could grab onto.

This went on for a good five minutes before I was left facedown on the road as my very satisfied customers walked away together while commenting back and forth at just how good those scritches felt. I did not move. I was not harmed, but I still felt like I just got off of an unexpectedly jarring roller coaster ride that went on three minutes longer than it should have. I heard the combination of hooves and soft feet approaching from behind before I felt a finger poke my head. I let out a groan of faux fatigue before I was poked two more times in succession. Sure enough, I heard Silverstream ask, "You OK?"

"Too...many...scritches... Curse these soft delicate hands of mine..." I grumbled in response. I was more annoyed than anything that so many at once would swarm me for something they could have gotten from each other. Or maybe the pointed talons on their fingertips are less ideal than the softer fingertips of a human. I was not given much time to think of anything else before I suddenly felt some pressure on my back. And the feeling of two hard hooves and two hands set upon it. I cast a cockeyed stare at nothing in particular as I asked, "Are you standing on me...?"

"Uh huh." She replied before I saw Silverstream lower her head towards mine like an eager pet cockatiel asking to be preened. "Scritches, please?"

"Well, since you asked politely..." I grumbled in bemusement before raising a hand up. Silverstream quickly put her head under it, allowing my fingers to go to work on her head. She sighed in delight as my fingertips dug into her feathers along her scalp. This only went on for a moment before I decided I had enough of this lightweight filly standing on me. "OK, that's enough. Get off."

Silverstream immediately hopped off of my back before I started to push myself up to my knees. I was very impressed with just how light she was. I was hardly uncomfortable at all with her standing atop me. After brushing myself off, I looked at Silverstream and saw her looking up at me patiently and silently. That long unwavering gaze was almost as if she was awaiting my approval, almost as if she was worried she did something to annoy me. More amused than anything with her prior behavior, I decided to hold out my arms invitingly for something I know we would both enjoy. Silverstream understood what I was displaying and asked, "Hugs?"

I nodded in confirmation. Beaming in delight, Silverstream sprang into my arms and clung to me in a cuddly embrace. I wrapped my arms around her to hold her up, loving the feeling of her delightfully soft plumage against me. Silverstream nuzzled her head against the side of my own as she cooed softly, "You're so nice... Soft touch, soft hugs... And a soft heart..."

"You're sweet too." I replied quietly before carrying her over to the nearest café. It had a layer of rafters overgrown with flowering ivy like I had mentioned before. I then set her down before going to the open window nearby and ordering a pair of yogurt and fruit parfaits. A fitting snack for such a location. I even had the sense to tell the clerk to bill the castle. I am sure it is common practice during official trips like this one.

"Ooh, thanks!" Silverstream said as she took her parfait in hand and started to dig into it with one of the spoons that ad been provided. I sat across from her at the table, almost not used to the furniture being designed for something as big as I am. I was still getting used to not having to duck every now and then to not bump my head on the architecture. I am sure interior design of most places on Capricorn Island must feel huge to ponies.

Before long, Silverstream just stared at me from across the table with her head resting upon her upturned hand. I took notice of this and gave me an inquiring glance. She responded in kind with a smile as she said, "You're mysterious...and quiet. You haven't said a thing since you sat down."

"That's because I'm in an intriguing new location and am taking my time absorbing all the new sights and sounds. And I tend to listen more than I talk." I said without irony as I made no attempt to hide my perceptions and actions.

"But I've got no one else to talk to." Silverstream said while giving me a cheeky wink of her eye. "But if you listen more than you talk...does that mean I can talk as much as I want about whatever I want and you'll listen to everything?"

I paused to swallow a mouthful of fruit and yogurt before I said, "Yeah, I'll listen. Go ahead, talk about whatever you want."

Silverstream's eyes brightened at my words. "Anything?! OK! So, um... Ooh! So, you like stairs, right? We hippogriffs can fly wherever we want, so we don't have to use them very often. Still kinda need them anyway. But... Ooh! You came here from Canterlot, right? Does that mean you've seen the royal staircase in the main hall? Doesn't it look awesome?!"

That was a weird topic to turn the conversation to. I mean really. Stairs? Regardless, I knew what she was talking about. That impressive flight of stairs on the first floor of the palace where most people first see during the Grand Galloping Gala. The one with gilded railing and tall stained glass windows at the top before branching off in two directions. I just nodded to confirm I knew exactly of what she was talking about. "Oh, so you have seen it! I bet it looks even better in person than it does in the photos. Anyway, there's also..."

I am sorry to say I cannot recall everything else she said off the top of my head. At least not now. When she started mentioning places I have never been to or seen, it became much harder to comprehend what she was going into. But I listened. I never zoned out and could appreciate her passion for stairs. Or rather her passion for the much more extravagant staircases of various locales. Staircases can get remarkably opulent.

After maybe a good ten minutes of Silverstream yapping away about all sorts of fancy staircases from all over the world, she finally stopped talking as she took a moment to finish her snack. The enthusiastic filly before me looked at me in silence for a moment before she got down from her chair, walked over to my seat, and stood up tall before hugging me from the side. "You're really patient... I like that."

"I've had plenty of time to temper that quality." I said in return before putting an arm around her to return her hug. "And I like your peppiness and positive attitude. You're fun, Silverstream."

She giggled and puffed up like a happy parrot. I could tell she adored the praise. It would not surprise me in her energy proved to be too much at times, even for other hippogriffs. But I was growing to sincerely appreciate Silverstream. Like a more subdued Pinkie Pie who was more grounded in reality. I bet those two would play off of each other quite a bit if they ever met.

Before anything else could happen, I suddenly heard a familiar voice in my head. It was Celestia. "Hello, James? I hope I'm not catching you at a bad time. Whenever you have a moment, could you please return to the Ivory Palace? I will be waiting for you at the end of the bridge."

I could not respond due to lack of a means to communicate with Celestia via a telepathy spell, but Silverstream then gave me the same look I was giving her. "Whoa, did you hear that too? Was that Princess Celestia?"

"You heard that? I could swear she was only talking to me just now." I replied while wondering if she heard Celestia's voice only because our heads were touching. I then helped her down before standing up myself. "Anyway... Sounds like I should get back up to the palace. Must be for something important."

"Aww, and I was just starting to have a good time!" Silverstream groaned with such a displeased crooked pout on her beak. But that frown quickly turned itself around as she smiled just slightly. "Oh well. It must be important if Princess Celestia is calling you. And you are her special knight, right?"

"Not really, but... Well... OK, I guess she did ask me to come along for something. Maybe I'm about to find out what that reason is." I replied as I suddenly recalled that there was no way Celestia would have brought me along for a diplomatic visit just for the sake of a pleasure cruise. While I was having a good time thus far, there had to be more to my presence.

"OK! I guess I really shouldn't keep you then. The princess is calling!" Silverstream said before beginning to hover as we stepped out from under the shade. She then gave me a hug around my head. "I'll come find you later. See you then!"

"Yeah, sure. Have a good one, Silver." I replied before watching her fly away. I suppose she was going to try and locate her friends from earlier. Not wanting to keep Celestia waiting, I made my way back to my liquefied armor and put it back on. I then took to the air and flew back towards the palace while minding my speed to avoid another mishap like the last time.

I eventually glided across the bridge to save time and found Celestia standing before the great doors leading in while bordered by the two sentries appointed to mind the entrance. "Hey there, Celestia. Was that you I heard in my head?"

"Yes, that was me. But first, right this way. I need to show you where you will be staying for now." Celestia replied before she led me inside. I followed her through the tall ornately decorated halls before she opened a door for me. Inside was what looked like a luxury hotel room while keeping in line with the interior design of the palace. A very plush canopy bed caught my eye first and there was even a small balcony beyond the glass doors at the far end. I wish I could go into better detail, but there was just so much to cover. Maybe you will have a better time getting an idea by browsing a Capricorn Island travel magazine.

"Novo sure has good taste..." I muttered as I surveyed my surroundings. But as I did, I felt my armor melting off of me. I soon looked towards Celestia as she used the levitation spell to lift the puddle of liquid metal and set it into a small tub likely used for soaking one's feet. "Ooh, I was wondering where I would keep that when I'm not wearing it. Thanks for that."

"No problem, James. And your shoes are right over there by the bed." Celestia replied while pointing me towards my footwear. It felt good to get those back on my feet. I was getting tired of walking everywhere in just my socks. "Now then... About why I called you back here..."

I stood at attention, noticing Celestia's shift in tone to be less sweet and more sincere. Celestia then explained, "Novo's daily massage starts soon and I insisted that she allow you to do it this time. If that's fine with you, that is."

"Me? Massaging the queen? I don't see why I can't do that. Sure." I said in return as I approached Celestia and the door behind her. "Where can I find her?"

"About that... Before you get started, I should also say that what I've requested is part of why I wanted you to come along with me to Capricorn Island in the first place." Celestia said as her tone darkened. Her face lost its quiet joy and showed a gaze of very dear concern. There was something I had not been told. But before I could inquire, Celestia opened the door for us. "For now, just carry on and provide Novo with your usual services. Trust me, you'll see what I mean as you do so."

"That's really vague... But OK, I'll do it." I replied as I followed Celestia along down the halls. I was in for quite a surprise when she opened the next door after some wandering. I was greeted by the sight of a small private spa installed in the castle itself. While there was no one inside at the moment, there was some soft music playing from somewhere. I saw a hot tub, a couple of massage tables, and even a sauna over yonder. Not quite as spacious as the spa I work in and there were some services I noticed missing, but I guess even a queen cannot get everything she wants in the palace. I turned to Celestia who flashed me a quiet smile. "I trust you'll be good to her. I'll see you soon, my sunshine."

"Will do, Celestia. See you in a while." I replied while the Princess of the Dawn walked out of sight. I then waited by one of the massage tables while just observing my surroundings. Barely three minutes after Celestia's departure, Novo herself entered the spa. I felt myself smile upon seeing the ridiculously gorgeous hippogriff queen before me and immediately turned to her. I tried to be as professional as possible as I said, "Good afternoon, your majesty. Please take your place upon the table and we shall begin."

Perhaps she was just tired, but I noticed her usual smug smile on her beak was not present. Instead, she seemed quite aloof as the queen silently approached the massage table and took her place upon it in exactly the same way Celestia would back in Ponyville. It was only then that she spoke to me. "Celestia's told me good things about your services. I'm sure you won't disappoint."

"Yes, ma'am. I'll do my best." I replied almost on reflex. I promptly straddled her while Novo rested her head on her crossed arms. I was sure that massaging Novo would be no different than massaging Celestia for the most part due to their very similar body structures and began to massage Novo's neck through her plush plumage. Her feathers provided more padding that Celestia's relatively thin coat, but I had little difficulty working through it.

I was expecting Novo to get fairly chatty with me during the massage. I am even used to engaging in conversation with my most frequent returning customers while providing massages. I anticipated her to inquire about my escapades in town, or maybe provide some more of her amusing snarky jibes. However, Novo was worryingly silent for most of the massage. Aside from a quiet sigh or coo of relief, the hippogriff queen had nothing to say. Compared to how she was the moment I first saw her, this was utterly disquieting. I finally became worried enough to ask her. "Are you all right, your majesty?"

Novo did respond, though not in as much detail as I would have liked. "I'm good, honey. Keep going."

I did not buy it. There is relaxed, and then there is something else. Even so, I continued with my services. I knew better than to pry too hard with a first-time client. Especially when that client is royalty. My hands massaged her very impressive wings and even her very full and feminine flanks. I was quite relieved I did not have to worry about the presence of a potentially sensitive cutie mark on them. After a good long while, I stepped back and allowed the queen to rise to her feet. She hopped down from the table and flexed herself while letting out a long deep groan with each twist of her regal body. After getting some good stretches, Novo sighed sharply before looking at me with a proper smile. "Mm! Celestia wasn't pulling my leg about your services. Those soft hands of yours do a better job than my usual providers."

"It was a pleasure to serve, your majesty." I replied with a smile of my own. Just feeling that soft cushy plumage in my hands was enjoyable in its own right. I was glad we both enjoyed our time.

Novo then departed while looking a little more at ease than when she entered. Even so, I was still wondering why Novo was so obviously out of character compared to the first time I saw her. Even when she left, she did not have much to say. Starting to get a grasp that something was wrong here, I went off in search for Celestia for some answers.

I had to ask the guards stationed around the palace to find Celestia. I found her back in the guest room that had been provided to her. It would be difficult to describe how it differed from mine. The interior design was quite consistent in its display of luxury. The Princess of the Dawn was quick to notice me when I stuck my head in while relaxing upon her bed with a sheet of paper before her. "All finished, James? I trust Novo was quite satisfied with the end results?"

"Yep. She was very pleased by the time I was done. At least I think she was..." I said while I wandered in as the door closed and locked behind me. I glanced back at it to see Celestia's magic aura fade from the knob. I took that as a sign that what was about to be discussed was best kept between the two of us. "Personal topic time?"

Celestia nodded before I took a seat on a chair by the bed. "So... How was Novo when she came in?"

"Quiet... Too quiet. I mean she was pleased with my work and complimented me graciously at the end, but... Is she OK? Did something happen while I was in town?" I asked in return as I suspected perhaps Novo had received some bad news and was distracted by her own thoughts during that massage.

"No, I can assure you nothing bad happened while you were away." Celestia replied with a shake of her head. "Now tell me. What are your thoughts on Novo now that you've spent some time with her?"

I could not help cracking a smile as I thought back to our earlier interactions. "Funny... Sassy... Incredibly entertaining in ways I would never expect from a queen... And hot as hell. I can't remember the last time I found myself liking someone so quickly. She's awesome."

Celestia could not help smiling as I spoke. She probably related to much of what I said. However, that smile then faded as she asked, "Very good, I had a hunch you would like her. Now then... What else do you know about her?"

"What else...? Am I forgetting something that I was told?" I asked while I crossed my arms and tried to think. The way Celestia spoke to me made it seem that she was expecting me to know something. Something I must have been told or was within earshot when it was mentioned. I tried thinking back to my prior journal entry to try and recall anything I may have specifically written. It was easier than trying to remember something I had heard. And then it hit me. A conversation I overheard between Celestia and her sisters as we first approached the airship dock for the first time. My eyes went wide as I felt something grasp at my throat in cold shock. "She's a widow..."

"Yes... For quite some time too." Celestia said somberly as she set aside the document she had been looking over. "She lost her king some decades ago to illness. The true tragedy is that were he alive today, our advances in medical magic and science would have saved him. It was viral. We had high hopes that he would pull through, but..."

I remained respectfully silent. A queen mourning her king, even decades after the fact. I had assumed that Novo was immortal to some degree, but I felt no need to inquire how that works with a hippogriff queen. After a solemn lull, I found the will to speak. "Were they happy together?"

Celestia showed a small, albeit sad smile. "Oh, very. Cygnus was a commoner, but his love for his people was more than enough incentive for Novo to marry him into the royal family as her king. They were quite the couple. In some ways, you even remind me of him. She was always the chatty sarcastic type, turning heads where she went while just being Novo. He was the more silent of the two, but always supportive and loving. And he had a sharp wit that would manifest at just the right time. He always caught Novo by surprise whenever he had a quick jibe to add to the discussion. Aaah, those two... So madly in love, they were..."

Hearing her talk about the guy made me smile. And it only added to the lingering tragedy that was his passing. I doubt there are few alive on the island who even remembers the guy now. Still, I had to ask for clarification. "But...she still grieves? Hasn't it been long enough?"

The Princess of the Dawn gave me a more solemn gaze as she said, "You must understand, James. Hippogriffs mate for life. Should their spouse die, they are always slow to move on. Much like those doves on your arms."

My hand reflexively reached for the upper sleeve of my shirt, knowing what lied just underneath. Celestia then continued, "With Novo, it is worse. She and her king are untouched by the flow of time as the rulers of Capricorn Island. Their reign was supposed to last as long as their marriage. And Novo was never the same again. She knows how to be a mother to her daughter and she knows how to be a queen to her people, but... She has forgotten what it is like to just be herself and enjoy life."

"But that can't be right. I saw her when she came to greet us at the docks. She was so full of life and genuinely happy. There's got to be more than that." I said as I noticed that some things in Celestia's story did not quite add up. If Novo was in mourning, she really was not showing it earlier.

Celestia tried to smile, but failed. "That is because I was there, James. Novo and I go back centuries. We've always been very good friends. And having me around brings out the best in her. I am a pleasant distraction to her aching heart. And yet... I can't be there for her all the time. When we depart, there will be little to distract her from the memories... Nothing but the business of the day as queen and her interactions with her daughter will serve as solace and that just isn't enough."

I cast my gaze to the ornate carpet below my feet, my eyes tracing over the designs as my mind wandered while processing her grim words. Poor Novo... I would never have guessed her heart was suffering. But it was then that I realized where this was going as I lifted my gaze to look at the princess before me. "Then what does that have to do with me being here?"

A more hopeful look filled Celestia's eyes as she spoke to me. "I wanted you to come because I know you can help her, James. You have a healing personality. I am convinced that with enough time, you can ease her heart."

Flattering as such a statement was and as much as I was tempted to be humble and insist I was nothing special, but I knew what she was saying was true. I knew better than to question it. And yet, I had my doubts about this one. "Celestia... I know that, but... What am I supposed to do for the sake of a grieving widow? Especially one who has been in mourning for this long?"

"Well... Right now, I don't have a clear answer for that..." Celestia mumbled as she averted her gaze before looking back at me with a more relaxed expression set upon her face. "But for now, don't worry about it. I want this first day to be a day of relaxation and enjoyment for you. We can worry about Novo tomorrow. It'll also give me time to think up a means for you to help her."

"I'm still not so sure there's anything I can do for her, but if you insist..." I muttered before looking towards the curtains and the window beyond. I felt genuinely bad for Novo. She made such an amazing first impression with me. To know that she was secretly suffering... It made my heart heavy. But what could I do for her? For a queen maybe fifty times my age? The dynamics between us seemed too great to reconcile. How would I even approach her? Would she even listen to anything I said where it counted?

"James, really..." Celestia said softly before using her magic to pull me up onto my feet and bring me closer to her. She then reached out and placed a kiss upon my lips. "Do not worry about her for now. I just wanted to bring you up to speed. I am confident that she will be much more at ease by the time we depart for home in a week. Let's take things one day at a time."

That soft kiss upon my lips was better for my nerves than I expected. I suppose I was just overthinking things. I managed to smile a little, trying to confirm that I had faith in Celestia's plans for her old friend. However, she then spoke up with a smile upon her face, "Anyway, why don't we change the subject to something more pleasant? How was your first outing on the town? You like it?"

This got a bigger smile out of me as I readily nodded. "Oh, absolutely. The architecture, friendly locals, and lots of fish. I know I'm gonna have a good time here."

"Yes, I had a hunch you would love all the seafood they have here. Fish is a staple of a hippogriff's diet." Celestia said while looking quite delighted by my reserved enthusiasm. "What else? Did you make any new friends out there?"

"Actually... Yeah, I did. I think... I bumped into that Silverstream kid Novo mentioned. She's pretty fun. Kind of like a younger and less crazy Pinkie Pie. I even met her dad. Really nice guy and he even saved me when I lost control during a dive."

Those last words brought out a look of concern on Celestia's face. "You lost control? That can't be right. You're quite capable when flying, right? What happened?"

I rolled my eyes as I knew that both she and I would never have anticipated the real problem. "I wasn't wearing my helmet. Without that thing to keep out the wind, I couldn't even breathe or keep my eyes open when I went too fast."

Celestia's face went blank for a few seconds before her eyes glanced over at nothing in particular. "Oops... I guess we should've brought your helmet along after all."

My thoughts went back to my armor. Especially the magic it houses in its gauntlets. "I... I can just use magic to summon my helmet, can't I? It does have an inexplicable connection to the rest of my armor, right?"

"I...suppose you could try. If that doesn't work, I guess you'll just have to keep your speed down when you fly while we're here. Really, I'm sorry I didn't anticipate this." Celestia replied while looking quite apologetic about the whole debacle.

I just shook my hands before me in dismissal, not wanting to sound like I was all that bothered. I did not mind the thought of keeping my feet on the ground for this visit. "Hey, it's fine. It's not like we humans are designed for speedy flight to begin with. You ponies are far better designed for air intake while moving forward anyway."

Before much longer, we heard a tapping on the door. We both looked towards the door in anticipation of one of the guards or even Novo announcing their arrival and intentions. A moment later, there was another tapping. Celestia and I glanced at each other in confusion, finding this to be a bit off. Celestia then turned to the door and asked, "May I ask who is knocking?"

The muffled voice we heard was not at all what I was expecting. "Oh, I'm just looking for James! Have you seen him? Tall? No feathers or beak? Wears some really cool armor with wings? Gives really good scritches?"

I looked at Celestia with an aside glance and asked quietly, "What is she doing here?! Do the guards just let anyone into the palace as long as they're on good behavior?"

"Not to my knowledge, no... Is that a friend of yours?" Celestia asked in response while starting to look rather amused.

I rolled my eyes and quietly whispered, "Eh... Kind of. That's Silverstream. I just told you about her."

"Oh, her? In that case..." Celestia muttered slyly before using her magic to open the door to reveal the hippogriff filly standing on the other side. "Yes, he's right here."

"Ooh, there you are! I've been checking each... Oh, are you Princess Celestia?!" Silverstream chirped before trotting in and bowing before the Princess of the Dawn. I assumed it was their first time meeting each other. Which Silverstream then confirmed. "I've never had the chance to talk to you! Wow, I'm right here in your own private room! I'd ask for an autograph, but I didn't bring anything for you to sign..."

"Oh, it's no problem, dear. I've heard good things about you from Skystar and Novo." Celestia said with a delighted smile on her face.

I decided to ask Silverstream on just how she infiltrated the Ivory Palace. "Hey, how did you even get by the guards? Do they allow anyone in or something?"

Silverstream snickered a bit as she said, "No, nothing like that! It's just that being friends with the princess of Capricorn Island has all sorts of perks. I can come and go whenever I want as long as I don't make a mess."

"Oh... Right... Well then... You wanted to see me about something?" I then asked while taking a seat again.

"Well... Aside from wanting some more scritches? I was wondering if..." Silverstream said before glancing at Celestia in a way that seemed to imply she was silently asking for permission. Celestia just nodded while smiling to grant her free reign to ask whatever she wanted. Silverstream then looked back to me and asked, "Would you like to come over to my place for dinner?"

"Would I... Um... What? It's a little soon for something like that, right? You barely know me..." I retorted while starting to wonder if I made a mistake by having her become endeared to me through the use of scritches so fast.

Celestia merely chuckled before she leaned towards me and said, "It wouldn't be the first time a complete stranger has done something nice for you, am I right?"

"Well yeah, but that was a welcome party thrown by someone who specializes in such things..." I replied before noticing Silverstream giving me a very pleading gaze with those big purple eyes looking at me while rarely blinking. Even though I barely knew her, I felt like it would be wrong to refuse her. And so I threw caution to the wind by asking one last caution. "Will your folks mind me being there?"

Silverstream replied while showing a hopeful smile, "Dad already knows you. And Mom would love to get to know you too. So would Terramar."

I then looked at Celestia and asked, "Would anyone mind if I wasn't here for dinner tonight?"

"Oh, I'll put in a good word with Novo. She'll understand if you're spending the evening with a new friend." Celestia replied happily without any signs of objections.

Not wanting to turn her down and being in the mood to try new things and see more of what this locale had to offer, I made my decision. "Well, sure. I'd be happy to join you for dinner at your place."

"Yes! Oh, but... Um..." Silverstream shouted as she jumped in the air with her hands raised high, only for her to lean towards Celestia before hiding their faces with her wing. I waited respectfully as they whispered to each other before Silverstream lowered her wing and looked at me in delight. "OK, that means we're all set! But first... More scritches before we go?"

"Pfft, maybe it was a mistake to introduce you to my magic fingers." I said jokingly before reaching out and dragging my fingertips against her scalp. Silverstream fluffed up like a cockatoo as she cooed like a dove, eyes closing in serene calm while Celestia looked at me with quite a smirk on her lips. "What? It's not my fault my fingers work this well on ponies with feathers."

Celestia grinned broadly as she let out a giggle. "I always knew you had a thing for birds, James."

"More like they have a thing for me." I retorted while Silverstream just sat there in blissful obliviousness while my fingers scritched her fluffy head. Only when I pulled my hands away did she rapidly shake her head as her feathers returned to their prior smooth composition. "OK, that's enough for now. We going?"

"Mmhm! It was good to meet you, your highness! I'll bring James back safe and sound and happy." Silverstream said before bowing to Celestia once more. After making sure to get my shoes on, I said my goodbyes to Celestia and followed Silverstream out the door and down the halls.

She was not exaggerating about being able to come and go as she pleased. The guards barely batted an eye at us as we passed them by. I followed in silence while just enjoying the pleasant humming of the hippogriff filly just ahead of me. And once we were out on the bridge connecting the Ivory Palace to the Omega sector, Silverstream went into a trot. She looked ridiculously cute as she skipped along while I tried to stay close. I did not know my way around very well yet and was entirely dependant on her to guide me to our destination.

Once we were going through town, Silverstream looked back at me. "Having a good time so far, new friend?"

"Uh... Yeah, it's been a really nice afternoon so far." I said briefly while I just followed along. I really was not in the mood to talk much, but I was sure that Silverstream was going to try her best to get a conversation out of me.

"Still being the quiet type?" Silverstream asked after another minute went by. She even turned around and started to trot backwards to keep her eyes on me. "What's the matter? You so quiet because you're not happy?"

"No, I'm feeling quite calm and relaxed right now." I replied while keeping an eye on the road to make sure she would not back up into anything. "Although... I guess I could ask... Why did you want me to come over for dinner?"

Silverstream was quite upfront about her motive. "Because you're my new friend and wanted my family to meet you. Or at least the rest of my family."

Silverstream was certainly acting her age, even if she did not sound it. I swear her outward appearance and even her voice are more developed than what I would expect from a twelve-year-old. Still, I knew I should be cautious over developing any sort of connection with someone that young and naive. "Silver... I think it's a little soon to say that we're friends. We barely know each other."

"You mean..." She muttered as her trot came to a stop, her eyes gazing up at me as a frown formed on her beak. "We're...not friends?"

"I... Well... I would say it's too soon to say that for sure, but..." I mumbled as I tried to find the right words. I could tell she was very sincere in her declaration of friendship, even if she was a little too willing to trust a stranger. Regardless, I did like her. She had made a very good first impression on me. Unable to really invalidate her words, I decided to just roll with it and held out my arms. "Meh... Come here."

"Ooh! Hugs!" Silverstream exclaimed in sudden joy before leaping into my arms as we embraced. I cracked an amused smirk as the fluffy bird filly held onto me while my arms kept her off the ground. "Mmm... I like my new friend. He's such a cuddle bear."

"Heh... Sure... Friend." I muttered quietly while trying to make her comfortable with one hand rubbing along her back. I know I am used to making friends relatively easily in Equestria. The bonds of friendship seems to come easily to ponies. But making friends with a foreigner, especially one who was just a child, seemed to carry with it an unspoken sort of protocol. At least that is how I felt about it. That, and I still do not fully have a grasp of how the hippogriffs are. I did not want to make any sudden mistakes that would risk alienating me from these wonderful people I was quickly growing to like.

"Say, James? Quick question." Silverstream asked before we both looked at each other mere inches away from each other's face. She smiled almost sheepishly, as if she knew she was pushing her luck. "Carry me the rest of the way?"

I cracked a crooked smile at the unexpected request. I certainly did not mind holding her. Silverstream was probably as light as Rainbow Dash. Maybe even lighter. "Well... Sure, why not? Just...give me a second here."

"OK, but what... Ooh! What're you doing?!" Silverstream asked as I hoisted her over my shoulders until she was draped over them like a lamb with my hands resting upon her arms and legs. "Ooh, this is new! Did I tell you I love new stuff?"

"You did, actually. And sorry, I just don't want my arms getting tired on the way." I replied while I started to walk along. "Just be sure to point me in the right direction, all right?"

"OK then! Oh, make a left here. Then three houses down..." Silverstream replied before she pointed ahead and continued to guide me along before we came to a stop to a house just as white as every other dwelling around us. They really are tricky to distinguish from each other as they all seem to mesh together into an amalgamation of various white lumps dotting the mountain. "Here we are! My family's home in the Omega sector."

I finally decided to ask a question that had been lingering in my mind for a while. "Say... Why is this town even called that? Why Omega?"

"Why? Oh right, you haven't been here for very long." Silverstream said before looking at me by the side of my face. "There's twenty-four full towns on the island and they're named in order from lowest to highest. The one closest to the base of the mountain is the Alpha sector, the next one up is the Beta sector, and so on until you get to the Omega sector up here at the summit. There's a bunch of little places all over the mountain, but only the real towns get those names."

"Yeah, I'm starting to notice a Greek trend around here..." I muttered as I helped set Silverstream down before approaching the door and instinctively ducking before realizing the doorway was easily tall enough for me to walk through without bumping my head. "Right... I keep forgetting I don't need to mind my head while I'm here."

Just before I could reach for the door, I heard a voice speak up from just above. "Hey, Silverstream! Who's your friend?"

I quickly looked over my shoulder to see a hippogriff colt coming in for a landing that I had not seen before. He was roughly Silverstream's height with his mane and tail being a bit unkempt and uneven compared to the more majestic hippogriff stallions I had seen thus far. They were also obviously made up of broad feathers that consisted of shades of a type of sea green. His eyes were of a very similar hue while his feathers consisted of a shade of white with a tiny hint of green to them. He quickly set himself down and folded his wings as Silverstream turned to face him and said, "Hi, Terramar! This is James! And he gives the best scritches!"

"Scri... What?" The colt asked with a voice that was too deep for someone who was likely the same age as Silverstream. Those hippogriffs sure do grow fast. He then looked at me with a bit of an uneven grin as he said, "I hope my sister hasn't given you any trouble. She can be a handful."

"Nah, it's cool. She's fun." I replied while patting Silverstream reassuringly on the head. She closed her eyes while flashing a delighted smile while even letting up a quiet chirp. "So... You're her brother? Does that mean you were with the princess?"

"Oh, Princess Skystar's gone home for the evening. And... Um... What even ARE you?" He asked while looking understandably confused. Not that I could blame him. In a world like Equestria, humans must look incredibly out of place.

"He's a human! Super rare creatures with the softest hands! And they give such good scritches!" Silverstream exclaimed before I could even say anything. I just rolled my eyes at her enthusiasm. "Did I mention they give great scritches? Because the scritches they give are soooooo good!"

I was glad to see her brother was much more chill than Silverstream. He just stared at her and I before looking at me while letting out a bit of a nervous chuckle. "Heheh... Are you sure she's not getting on your nerves? I feel like you're gonna scold her any second now."

That actually got a laugh out of me. And they both looked at me with glances of confusion. "No, it's all good! I've had plenty of time to build up a tolerance for the loud wacky types back home. Really, your sister's fine by me... You... Sorry, what's your name again?"

"Terramar. And you're...James? Is that what she called you?" Terramar replied while reaching out for a handshake, which I promptly returned.

"Yep, that's me. And...Silverstream wants me to stay for dinner." I explained briefly while hoping he would not be alarmed. "Your dad saved me this afternoon. He's a good catch."

"That was you?! I heard Dad helped someone, but I never figured out who. Are you OK? What even happened?" Terramar asked with a look of concern in his eyes.

I decided to not hide the details. "I went into a dive and wasn't expecting the wind to be strong enough to blind me. Your dad grabbed me before I could crash."

Terramar seemed to understand what I meant, yet looked completely bewildered as he looked me over. "You can...dive? How? Where are your wings?"

Silverstream was quick to enthusiastically answer that question. "Oh, he doesn't have wings himself. He just has a really impressive set of wings on the coolest armor you'll ever see! He just left it back in the castle for now."

"Armor?! The castle?! Then..." Terramar asked before going silent as he thought for a moment. He then looked up at me and asked, "Did you...come in this afternoon with Princess Celestia?"

"Yeah, I did. And before you ask, I'm not with the royal guard and I'm not her appointed knight. I'm just a close friend for hers and am a freelancer who was given that armor to get around this island more easily." I said once again while starting to grow weary of having to repeat myself to everyone who asks me that question.

Terramar's expression brightened as he heard this. "Now wonder Silverstream wanted you to visit. That's cool! You're friends with the princess herself?! Man, Mom and Dad are gonna wanna meet you!"

"Well, your dad already knows me and he knows why I'm here and who I came with." I explained before stepping aside to let him reach the door. "Anyway, I shouldn't hold you up any longer. You were coming home, right?"

"Yeah, I was. But... Um..." Terramar muttered before he looked at his sister. She looked like she really wanted to tell him something since she was fidgeting a bit. "What are these scritches Silverstream was bringing up."

Silverstream just smirked a bit as she grabbed my hand and pulled it out towards him. "Why don't you see for yourself? They're the best thing ever!"

Terramar took a step back while looking understandably weirded out. I snorted in a suppressed laugh as I said, "It's fine, Terramar. I swear it's painless."

The hippogriff colt rolled his eyes as he resigned himself to his sister's insistence. "OK, OK... I'll have some scritches."

He changed his tune very quickly. Just seconds after my fingers started scritching at his scalp through his feathers, Terramar displayed a ridiculously relaxed smile on his beak while he looked like he was going to pass out for a nap. "Wooooow... Oooh, that's nice... I see why Silverstream likes this stuff."

"You birds are so easy to amuse... Hm?" I mumbled before noticing Silverstream nudging my other hand with her head like an impatient dog trying to convince her master to play. I knew what she wanted and started giving her pretty head some scritches too. I just stood there, wondering how I got into this situation as a convenient scritching device for these two siblings.

I suddenly froze as I heard the door open from behind me. A familiar voice then spoke, "You kids coming in anytime soon? I heard you out here, so... Huh? Well, if it isn't James again! Did you escort my kids home?"

"Um... Kind of. I brought Silverstream home, but Terramar only just now showed up..." I retorted as I turned around while taking my hands off the heads of the two hippogriff kids. Sure enough, Sky Beak was standing in the doorway with no sign of his armor. "Good evening, sir. Silverstream insisted that I come along."

Silverstream then stepped between us and looked up at her father with a big smile. "Can he stay for dinner? Pleeeease?"

Sky Beak just let out a hearty laugh at his daughter's request. "Did you already make a new friend? Ocean, we have a guest!"

I assumed that was a yes and followed them into the house. I was quite impressed with the interior design. To someone from Earth, it seemed to be a fusion of Mediterranean and Caribbean design features. Lots of white walls and even some exposed stonework, an open kitchen, smooth mahogany floor, and so on. The hippogriffs definitely have a penchant for interior design that would not be out of place in seaside locales. But I did not have much time to take in as a beautiful hippogriff mare stepped out from behind the kitchen counter and into the living room. "Oh my! Sky, is this who you were speaking of?"

"He sure is, dear. I was lucky I noticed him in time." Sky Beak replied happily while patting me on my back lightly. The mare before me was easily my height like her husband, her plumage consisting of a pale yellow and her eyes being a light purple. Her long tail and her mane were or orchid hues with her mane even being styled to one side of her head in a manner not entirely unlike Fluttershy's mane, though maybe only about half her mane's length. Sky then smiled at me as he said, "James, I'd like you to meet my wife."

"It's a pleasure." She added before taking my hand between hers and giving it a gentle shake. "Ocean Flow. So good to meet you, dear."

"The pleasure is all mine..." I muttered while genuinely taken aback by the sheer hospitality of this family. Even on my first day in Ponyville, the vast majority of the locals just stared in silence while I wandered in confusion. But here, I was being welcomed into the home of a few hippogriffs I barely even knew yet. So trusting and so full of positivity. Easily the happiest race of people I have ever encountered in Equestria. "So... I guess I am staying for dinner?"

"You bet you are! Make yourself comfortable, we were just about to get started in the kitchen." Sky Beak replied happily before we all got out of the foyer. Ocean Flow went to the kitchen with her husband and quickly got to work on preparing dinner. I quickly picked up the smell of frozen fish and found myself really looking forward to whatever was going to be on the menu tonight. Not wanting to get in the way, I sat myself down on the couch in the living room while still being within sight of the open kitchen.

Silverstream trotted happily into the kitchen while looking so happy that I was being permitted to stay. I heard her converse with her parents while they happily talked with her too. They just had such a happy vibe about them. And the more I watched, the more...wistful I felt. They were all just so happy and the way Ocean Flow and Sky Beak interacted with Silverstream put a smile on my face. I could tell they were very good parents. And... Well, as absurd as this sounds, I could not help but feel a vague hint of envy in the back of my mind.

I stared at nothing in particular for a moment as the conversations and sounds in the kitchen became white noise to me. My mind was adrift as unpleasant thoughts flowed through my mind. A miasma of longing and bitterness. I was so lost in my own head that I did not notice Terramar take a seat beside me. His voice snapped me out of my trance as he asked, "Are you...all right over here?"

"Huh? Oh, um... Yeah, I'm good. It's just... You..." I mumbled almost incoherently before I looked over my shoulder at the kitchen again to see the trio of hippogriffs going about their business and engaging in pleasant conversation. Silverstream was talking about all the scritches I had given her. "You and Silverstream have it really good here. Your mom and dad... They're good people. Really good."

Terramar looked back at them and smiled before looking back to me. "Yeah, they're great and I love them. What about your parents? They good too?"

I went silent for a moment. It has been a while since I last interacted with my family since it was kind of a requirement if I was going to live on an entirely different planet from them. Having lots of friends you can count on is wonderful, but...I guess there really is no replacing family. Even if there are some family members one would rather not have to deal with again. "Well... I guess it depends on who you ask. My mom is fine. I have no complaints about her. I was always pretty close to her. But my dad..."

Terramar scooted a little closer to me and patted me on the back with his wing. "You can tell me. I'll listen. It's the least I can do for you after all you've done to make my sister happy today."

"Thanks... You're a good kid." I mumbled before just looking at nothing in particular. "My dad... He was fine when I was growing up. But it was only when I was in my teens that he became more prone to...unpleasant acts and even now, we aren't exactly on the best of terms. I can't even really talk to him anymore because I can't trust him to keep his temper in check. He has no patience, very little discipline, and the final straw for me was when he started screaming at me for only letting out an exasperated sigh."

I looked at Terramar out of the corner of my eye. It was clear that he had a difficult time comprehending what I was saying. And that was a good thing. I did not want him to know what it is like to have a poor relationship with one's father. "So...your father is a bad guy?"

"I didn't say that. But he does have problems. Specifically with his ego. He's the kind of guy who will never own up to his mistakes and I'm . I don't hate the man, but I am afraid of him. There was even a particular time during my high school years where he guilt tripped me into having a meltdown over something that didn't even happen. And when I got home, my mother informed me of it and that he owed me a massive apology." I explained before turning to Terramar while feeling so emotionally drained as I recalled the very unpleasant memory. "I never got that apology. And I know I never will."

Terramar started to raise a hand to me, but hesitated for a moment. I think he was debating on whether or not to give me a hug. I let out a long sigh and halfheartedly held an arm out to him. The hippogriff colt responded by wrapping his arm and wing around me. It felt good to be in the soft feathered embrace of a hippogriff. I had nothing but the highest expectations for them now and even Terramar was not disappointing me. I then mumbled quietly, "I'm not trying to demonize my father, but he's not someone I want to become. And I'm not in a hurry to see him again..."

"Hey... It's OK... My father's not like that. He's the most patient and fun dad I could ever ask for." Terramar said softly as I felt him starting to preen my hair. It felt a bit weird, but I did not stop him. I think he was just trying to calm me down.

"You're a good kid, Terramar. And you're lucky to have such an awesome dad. I hope he's as good to you now as he'll be in ten years." I said softly before just turning my gaze to the ceiling as the bitterness simmered in my heart. Bizarre as it sounds, I began to wish someone like Sky Beak could have been my father. Just such a good guy...

My thoughts wandered for a moment longer before the sound of Ocean Flow's voice reached my ears. "Terramar? Could you be a dear and set the table, please?"

"Oh, sure! Excuse me for a little while, James." Terramar replied before hopping down from the couch and heading over to the dining room right across from the kitchen. Left to my thoughts, I again stared at the ceiling. But my thoughts were soon interrupted when Silverstream came over and bounded up onto the couch beside me. I did not respond, feeling too unhappy and wistful to really respond. It had been a long time since I last felt that down about anything and I think even Silverstream could see that something was wrong.

"What's wrong? Why do you look so sad...?" The hippogriff filly asked as I continued to stare at the ceiling. I was not even really aware of the pressure and warmth around the edges of my eyes. "Oh no... You're crying?"

I wiped my stray tears away, almost embarrassed that she had caught me in a moment of weakness. But Silverstream was not about to let me hide it. She placed her hand over mine and looked me in the eye. "Hey, it's OK to cry if you need to... And besides..."

She then nuzzled her head against the crook of my neck while her wings wrapped around me. "You've made me really happy today... Now it's my turn to make you happy too."

I was at a loss for words. The precious filly snuggled up against me as I felt her plush plumage pressing against me. She had her eyes closed, clinging to me with her wings while tenderly nuzzling her head against my chest and the crook of my neck. And in her throat, I heard the unmistakable cooing of a dove. Over and over, that delightful gentle coo reached my ears. It was almost therapeutic.

It has been a long time since I last felt so overwhelmingly grateful for the presence of someone during a moment of emotional turmoil. More tears flowed free as I wrapped my arms around that precious filly and nestled her head just under my chin. I let out a long haggard sigh as I struggled to reign in my emotions to not make a scene. I whispered softly to her, trying to voice my gratitude. "You are such a good girl, Silver..."

I felt her drag my fingers over my chest, her blunt talons sliding over my shirt. I think she was trying to give me some form of scritches. Without even opening her eyes, she cooed softly to me. "And you've been good to me too... May I have some scritches while we wait for dinner?"

"As many as you want..." I muttered before bringing my hands to her back and to her head. My fingers went to work, digging through her feathers and scratching at the flesh beneath them. Her gentle coos became delightful quiet churring a moment later and only continued to assail my ears with such a pleasant sound. I whispered softly to her, "I'm really glad I came here..."

"I'm glad you're here too..." Silverstream whispered back while sounding like she was ready to pass out for a nap. Moments later, my assumption proved correct. Her churring gave way for quiet snoring and long deep breaths. Following her example, I pulled my feet up and lied down on the couch with Silverstream serving as a plush feather blanket. I closed my eyes as I too tried to take a nap to help pass the time.

I do not think I really had time to fall asleep. There was a bit too much activity going on nearby and the smell of dinner cooking got me hungry more than it made me sleepy. I also was not entirely comfortable in a new environment I had only just barely become acquainted with. But before long, I detected someone approaching me from the side and cracked an eye open to find Sky Beak standing over me with an amused grin on his beak. "Looks like you made a new friend. You two comfy?"

My hand was resting upon Silverstream's back while she slumbered upon me. My mood had improved while just trying to take a nap, so I was not feeling particularly melancholy anymore. Especially with such a cute fluffy bird horse resting upon me. I could not help cracking an uneven grimace as I looked down at Silverstream and then back to her father. "Your daughter is adorable."

He just barely avoided letting out a chuckle as he looked towards the dining table over yonder. "She sure is. Anyway, dinner's ready. You two ready to dig in?"

Silverstream's eyes popped open abruptly before she suddenly sat up. "Dinner? Food?! Yes! Is it salmon?"

"That and more! Come along, you two." Sky replied before he walked over to the table that was just out of sight from where I was.

Before Silverstream could get off of me, she looked down at me before bringing her hand to my face. She traced her finger over where my tears had flowed and asked quietly, "Everything OK now? No more tears?"

"Yeah... I'm good now." I muttered before I sat up and put my arms around Silverstream. I was sincerely grateful for everyone's hospitality, but I was especially grateful for Silverstream's positivity. It is hard to be upset when she is around.

"Awww... Hugs before dinner?" She asked before hugging me right back. "Mmmm... You give the best scritches, but your hugs are great too."

I did not want to keep anyone waiting, so I let Silverstream go and went to take a seat at the table with everyone else. And I was quite surprised with what I saw. Baked salmon with a balsamic glaze, seaweed salad, roasted veggies, and even shrimp kebabs. Just the sight of everything caused my hunger to jump. I was in for a very filling meal.

I went mostly silent as we all took turns filling our plates. I listened to the family chat while everyone just looked and sounded so happy. Sky Beak even set up a phonograph to play some music in the corner of the dining room. I always responded with heavy praise whenever anyone asked me how the food was, especially towards Ocean Flow since she was the one who did most of the work. Aside from that, I was very quiet. I felt incredibly humbled by this family and how trusting they were to me. I deeply hoped that they were merely good judges of character and not outright gullible.

Eventually, Terramar finally turned towards me as he asked, "So, James... How'd you get to join the royal guard and become Princess Celestia's knight? I mean that's why you have your own special suit of armor, right?"

"I thought I already said I'm not a knight or a member of the royal guard... It's just a means for me to get around this island more easily. It would take forever to get anywhere if I had to go on foot." I replied while starting to grow weary of having to repeat myself.

Ocean Flow then said, "Oh, don't be so modest, dear. You can tell us. How'd you even come into Princess Celestia's good graces in the first place? People don't just get suits of armor unless it's important."

It was then that Silverstream provided an answer. "Oh, he got it for saving Nightmare Moon! You know, that new princess that we've been hearing about since last year?"

"Oooh, her! I thought she was some old legend or fairy tale, but I heard she was recently crowned as a member of the royal family. And YOU had something to do with that, James?" Sky Beak asked excitedly as he completely stopped eating to listen to my response.

It was rather embarrassing to have to toot my own horn like that. Still, I decided to be upfront about everything and tell them as much as I could without going into too much detail. "Well... Uh... Yeah. I ended up bumping into her by chance in some castle ruins in the Everfree Forest. It turns out that the Elements of Harmony only purged her from Luna as some sort of separate entity. I knew enough about her by then to know that she wasn't evil. Just misunderstood and under appreciated. She came to exist because no one appreciated the night for ages more than a thousand years ago, right?"

"Yeah, I think that's how the legend goes... But didn't we have a weirdly long night last year? I heard even the other side of the world wasn't getting any sun. It was like something had blotted it out somehow..." Terramar added while he held a fist near his beak while his gaze wandered in thought.

"Yeah, that was her. The bearers of the Elements of Harmony had to go deal with her again, but I knew she wasn't a bad person and wanted to save her. So to make sure I could actually do something without dragging them down, Celestia and Luna gave me that armor. And an enchanted sword and shield to go with it." I continued to explain as Sky Beak in particular started to look quite intrigued.

The stallion before me asked happily, "Oh, so you are a knight in a sense! Sword and shield? Have you become a sort of master swordsman since then?"

I rolled my eyes at his enthusiasm as I found myself becoming more relaxed and at ease. "Nah, I wouldn't say I'm a master. I don't have nearly enough experience for that. But I am at least competent with a sword. Anyway... We found her. And while things got dicey for a bit, we got her to surrender and even convinced Celestia and Luna to spare her. Long story short, she know reigns with them as the Princess of Dreams."

"Dreams? Like...she makes it harder for us to have nightmares? Kinda ironic..." Terramar mused while almost making himself laugh at that last bit.

Ocean Flow then tapped her fork lightly upon her plate as she asked, "Well, where are you from, James? You came here from Canterlot since you're with Princess Celestia, right?"

I paused while munching on a kebab before saying, "Yeah, but I actually live in Ponyville close by. Been there ever since I showed up here in Equestria about two years back."

"Ponyville? That's pretty much right next to Canterlot, right? So... Wait. Showed up in Equestria? What does that mean? You're saying there's a territory outside of the royal family's jurisdiction where your kind live?" Sky Beak asked with some confusion in his eyes.

I had come to understand that Equestria is the name of the world itself, although I suppose it could also be used to label the global conglomeration of regions that directly fall under the watch and reign of Celestia and her family. There are bound to be a few places that remain outside their control with the dragon badlands being one such territory. Knowing that the purpose around my presence in this world was probably left concealed for now, I gave the most responsible reply I could. "I don't think I'm at liberty to discuss that without Celestia's permission. Let's just say I'm not originally from around here and am the only one of my kind in this world."

Silverstream's beak dropped open for a second before she asked rather loudly, "Oh my gosh... You're an alien?! Like...from outer space?! With flying saucers and space suits?!"

I was left momentarily unsure of how to respond to that at first. I suppose even Equestria has science fiction novels and the like. "If you want to get technical, yes. I am an alien, but only in the manner that I hail from another planet. The human race itself isn't a race of alien life forms when it comes to Equestria. I understand that humans did exist here at one time. Just not anymore."

"Huh... First I've ever heard of that... Then again, Capricorn Island doesn't keep track of everything that happens on the mainland, so I guess we must've missed that little detail at some point." Sky Beak retorted while scratching at his cheek with a talon.

Ocean Flow then asked, "So...you're not from this world? Then how have you been enjoying Equestria since you got here, dear?"

I made no effort to hide my enthusiasm. "Oh, it's been wonderful! I ended up choosing to stay here for life and I haven't regretted it. Lots of good friends back home and the world as a whole is just... Well, it's about as close to perfect as you can realistically get. I love this world, I love it's people, and I love everything it stands for. I'm really glad to be here."

"Wow, that's...some really high praise. But I guess that's a good thing, huh?" Terramar retorted with quite a smile before he then asked, "But what about our place? Is Capricorn Island treating you nice? We don't get a whole lot of tourists aside from griffins, so..."

"Well, I haven't been here for even half a day yet, but first impressions have been extremely good. This is easily one of my favorite places yet." I replied before munching another shrimp off of my kebab. "The cuisine is a big part of that. I don't get nearly enough fish back home. Mostly herbivores, you know?"

The rest of the meal went by much like that. When I was not answering questions, I just listened. Not a scrap of food was wasted and I was very satisfied by the end. Although while I helped clear the table at the end, Sky Beak then asked, "Do you have a place to stay while you're here? You're welcome to stay the night, if you want."

While I was appreciating all of the hospitality, this was a bit too much too fast. Who offers a total stranger the opportunity to stay the night at their own house? I threw up my hands and waved them back and forth while I sheepishly replied, "Whoa, isn't it a bit too soon for that? I mean I'm staying at the Ivory Palace with the rest of Celestia's entourage and..."

Before I could say anything else, Silverstream practically jumped on me from behind and hung off my back with her hands hooked on my shoulders. "Ooh, great idea! We can have a sleepover! Can he stay, Dad?! Pleeeeease?! He can use my room!"

Terramar just looked both amused and nervous about his sister having jumped on me like that. All I could do was look at Sky Beak while he too cracked a crooked grin at Silverstream's enthusiasm. He then looked over at his wife and asked, "Ocean, you think James could bunk here for the night?"

Ocean Flow looked over while she loaded up their dishwasher. "Of course he can. He seems like a fine gentleman."

"You people are too nice..." I muttered, both flattered and confused. This was too much too fast, even when compared to my first day in Ponyville. Was it because of my connections to Celestia? Was that enough for them to trust me that much?

Sky Beak then began to walk past me. "Tell you what. I'll head up to the palace and ask Princess Celestia myself. If she gives permission, I'll bring enough of your stuff back so you'll have everything you need."

"Yeah, sure... Thanks." I muttered before Silverstream dropped back to the floor and Sky Beak left the house. With nothing else to do, I sat myself back down on the couch to rest after such a filling meal and to get out of the way. I was not alone for long. Silverstream crawled up to me and slid her head under my hand like an affectionate dog. I just sat there while giving her scritches as I waited for her father to return.

Barely fifteen minutes later, I saw the door open to reveal Sky Beak before he walked in. I saw what Celestia's answer was. The backpack I had brought along was in his grasp. "She said yes?"

"Sure did." He replied before tossing my backpack towards me and into my arms. "She sounded pretty pleased about it too. I think she knows you made some friends."

Silverstream quickly sat up and squeezed me in a hug as she squealed in delight. "Eeeeee, she said yes! Do you have everything you need?"

"Um..." I mumbled before opening my backpack to check its contents. There was a full set of clean clothes, my toothbrush and some toothpaste, and even some deodorant. Even the bathrobe I brought along was there. All the necessities were present. "Yeah, looks like I've got everything I need... Wait..."

It was only when I looked at my toothbrush that I had an epiphany. I noticed during dinner that all four of them were visibly chewing their food. Like...their cheeks were bulging while they did so. But that made no sense. Birds do not have teeth. Or cheeks. And yet...I could tell that the shape of a hippogriff's head was not quite identical to the head of a bird. They seemed to be between bird and pony. Finally, I gave Silverstream a cockeyed glance and asked, "Silver... Do hippogriffs have teeth?"

"Sure do. See? Ahhhh!" She replied before opening her beak wide. For a little extra light, I turned on a nearby lamp at the edge of the couch and looked inside. Much to my surprise, there they were. A few sets of molars on each side of her skull.

"Huh... You hippogriffs sure have some weird anatomies." I muttered as my curiosity was satisfied. I then sat myself back into my prior position before looking back to her father. "So...you said I could use her room?"

"Yep. Her bed should be big enough too. If you need anything else, you just let us know, OK?" Sky Beak said with a genuine smile on his face.

In response to that offer, one thought did come to mind. "Actually, there is one thing... Do you have a working typewriter I can use? I have a...ritual, if you will, of chronicling interesting events I experience. I'd like to document today."

His response was a pleasant surprise. "Oh, sure! Just head on up the stairs at the end of the hall over there and take a look in the study. Hasn't been used in a little while, so I hope you don't mind the dust."

I have spent much of the evening doing just that. Typing away on the typewriter up here in their house while they have respected my privacy. Although at around 8 PM, I decided to get up and go outside to stretch my legs and enjoy the cool night air. I found my way back to the same rooftop area where Sky Beak had dropped me off after I almost crashed this afternoon. I sat myself down on one of the benches and watched the sunset far in the distance.

Watching the sunset on the ground is one thing, but watching that orange glowing orb sinking into the sea from atop a mountain is a special kind of view. You cannot even get this kind of view from Canterlot. I basked in my solitude after a long afternoon and evening, sincerely enjoying having a moment to myself. "I think I've found something else to love about this place... Man, that is beautiful..."

I was not alone for much longer. I heard the flapping of wings and the combination of soft feet and tapping hooves approach me from behind. I looked to my right and saw Silverstream standing at the edge of the bench. I was expecting her to be cheerful and loud, but she instead spoke to me with a softer tone than usual while showing a more reserved smile. "May I join you?"

"Sure." I said promptly before she hopped up onto the bench and sat beside me. She soon leaned against me while I put my arm around her, gingerly stroking my hand over her soft fluffy feathers. "Wonderful sunset, huh?"

"Mmhm. This is one of my favorite parts of Capricorn Island. It has some of the best sunsets in the world." Silverstream said quietly. I was actually quite impressed that she was capable of such grace and calm instead of constantly brimming with energy. Before long, she then asked, "Can I ask a favor?"

"Yeah?" I asked quietly, not wanting to disrupt the quiet evening calm around us. I would have preferred to not speak at all. It was just so serene up there watching the sun melt into a shining layer of gold on the ocean spreading out on the horizon.

"Can you...say that again? What you said to me before...I fell asleep back there?" She asked quietly without even looking at me. Her head was resting against mine and I was afraid to move out of fear of making her uncomfortable.

It took me a moment to try and recall what she was referring to. Did she mean on the couch before dinner? I went silent as I thought hard about what I said. And then it came to me. "You are such a good girl, Silver..."

"And you're as good as gold." She whispered back while I felt her feathers ruffle up in delight. She was a very happy bird. Knowing I had put a smile on her face did my heart good. Silverstream had done nothing but make my first day on Capricorn Island a good one and I wanted to treat her nicely too.

The sun eventually disappeared over the horizon while leaving a steadily shrinking golden trail on the ocean's surface. Apparently satisfied with the spectacle, Silverstream hopped down from the bench before looking back at me. "I'm gonna head home now. You coming?"

"In a little while. I'd like to just chill here a while longer." I replied while wanting to see every last bit of the sunset. There was still some gold left to watch.

Silverstream did not mind at all. She cast me a smile and said, "OK then! I'll see you there."

I watched as the adorable hippogriff filly spread her wings and took to the air before she flew out of sight. I then turned my attention back to the quivering layer of gold peeking out over the distant sea. I remained there for maybe twenty more minutes before I finally saw enough of it fade while the night sky began to form above me, the countless stars above finally coming out. Looking forward to a hot shower before bed, I stood up and began to make my way back to Silverstream's house.

It was quiet as I walked the pale streets of the Omega sector. The town, once full of positive energy, had become quiet aside from the blowing of the wind high atop the mountain. The air was cool despite being deep into summer, likely a result of the high altitude. I was more eager than I thought I would be to get back indoors. I returned to Silverstream's house without incident. The house was quiet and mostly dark aside from a few lamps set alight. But I barely got by the front door before I noticed that Sky Beak was resting upon the couch. He immediately turned his gaze to mine before beckoning me to approach. "Hey there, James. Would you like some tea before bed? I brewed up some chamomile. "

"Huh? Oh, sure. Thank you." I said before taking a seat by him. He was stirring some honey into a pair of cups on the coffee table before us. There was no sign of life in the house aside from us. Everyone else must have gone to sleep.

I took my cup and began to sip lightly from it. It was warm, yet not too hot. He must have been brewing it preemptively to give it time to cool. However, as I sipped at my tea, I discovered very abruptly that I had walked into a trap of sorts. Sky Beak stirred his tea with his finger as he said, "I overheard your conversation with Terramar this evening."

I froze as his words brought back the unpleasant memories and emotions I had experienced back then. My will to drink faded as I lowered the cup in my hands. My eyes glanced elsewhere as a long sigh escaped my nostrils. "If it sounds like I have daddy issues, that's because I do... But it's really nothing for you to worry about."

Sky Beak closed his eyes as he took a sip from his cup. "As a father, I do understand that raising children is a challenge. I know there have been times when I have felt frustration. But...I sincerely cannot emphasize with your father's rage, impatience, and arrogance."

I said nothing. What could I say? Sky Beak continued to speak softly while periodically sipping from his cup. "It really should go without saying... If you do not control your impulses and reign in your temper, you will inevitably alienate your children. They will grow to fear you. And they will drift away from you as the years go by."

All I could do was listen. I am not sure what he was getting at by telling me something that I already knew. "I don't want Terramar and Silverstream to never want to speak to me again. I want my kids to be happy. I want them to see someone they want to be around when they look at me."

It was only then that he finished his cup and set it aside before looking right at me with no sign of a smile on his beak. "James. I know I can't be your father. I'm probably only old enough to be your big brother anyway. But I know the importance of having someone you can look towards for guidance. If you ever need me, you come see me anytime. You're a good man. Even without your connections to Princess Celestia, you have not given me a reason to doubt you once since first meeting you today."

I was starting to think this conversation was reaching an uncomfortable level. I gulped down the rest of my tea in one chug, but Sky then patted me on the shoulder. "As far as I'm concerned, you're already extended family. My place is yours."

This was too much. I tried to contain my emotions while I started to scoot myself away from him. "No, you... I don't think you really know what you're saying, sir. This is too much too fast... Not now... Not after only..."

I was silenced as he reached out with his wing and hooked it over my back to block my retreat. He then looked at me with a very stern stare without blinking once. "No, James. I know exactly what I am saying. I've seen enough to know what kind of man you are. You are a friend of this family now and I will not be convinced otherwise."

I gazed into his eyes as he gazed back. That feeling of longing I felt from before resurfaced. I have known friendship since the day I came to Equestria. But something I had only recently come to realize I had been lacking in was family. Even with a wife and child of my own, I had no family to turn to. But in the warm feathered embrace of this wonderful and kind stallion, I saw the closest thing to a father I had known in two years. I cannot even really describe what I was feeling, seeing a man who I sincerely saw in a fatherly light without an ounce of fear or wariness. Feeling like I was home for the first time in a long while, I burst into tears and embraced him while doing all I could to keep my voice down.

I think I may have slightly startled him, but Sky Beak soon just sighed and put his arms around me with one hand placed at the top of my spine. No words were spoken. I felt...so at ease in his embrace. So safe. I barely knew him, yet knew that this hippogriff stallion is one of the best men I have ever known. I could trust him with my life.

Sky Beak did not loosen his embrace until I finally stopped sniffling. He looked me in the eye and asked quietly, "Would you like some more tea before bed?"

All I could do was nod. I had lost the will to speak. He poured some more tea into my cup and even stirred some honey into it. I just sipped lightly while he did the same, only the faint sounds of the night breaking the deathly silence in the house. I was emotionally drained, but in a good way. Like a weight I had forgotten all about had been lifted from my heart and my body was just relaxing from the relief of it all.

Eventually, Sky Beak did whisper to me between sips of his tea. "Say... Before I can forget... What are these 'scritches' I've heard Silverstream going on about today?"

I could not help but smirk a little as I could only answer with a live demonstration. I reached out with one hand and pushed my fingers through his plumage on the side of his face. Sky Beak sighed as his eyes rolled around in his head while my fingers went to work. "Oh... Oooooh, that's good stuff... No wonder she kept hounding you for more. Mmmm, yeah, right there... A little lower... Now down the neck..."

He was in bliss. I did not have to do anything. Sky just sat there and let my fingers do their thing while his feathers became increasingly fluffed up. He looked incredibly cute that way, like a big house pet lounging around. I did eventually pull my hand away before Sky Beak soon shook his head rapidly like an aggravated parrot to get his feathers smoothed out. He looked at me with a big smile and said, "Man, you sure know how to treat your old man right."

I recoiled at that. Partially out of embarrassment. Sky Beak then chuckled loudly before he reached out and pulled me closer. "Juuust messing with you! But really... While I can't be your dad, I do want to be there for you. If you need anything, like some advice, a second opinion, a meal with some company, or even just a hug after a bad day, I'll be here. All right?"

I almost cried again, but managed to hold my tears. I sincerely cannot remember what it is like to have a father I do not fear. And Sky Beak was certainly starting to fill that hole. I felt no fear towards this man. All I felt was sheer gratitude. "I will... Thank you, sir."

"I have a name, you know. Just call me Sky, all right?" He replied happily before nuzzling my cheek with his beak for a moment. "Now, should I let you get ready for bed? You had a long trip before coming here, right?"

"Now that you mention it, I think I am feeling some jetlag... Sure, I'll go wash up now." I mumbled as I realized that I probably spent close to 24 hours aboard the Olympia before I finally reached Capricorn Island. But before I could do anything else, I gave Sky one last hug. "You're... You're such a great guy, Sky... Good night."

"Right back at you, James. Sweet dreams. Silverstream's room is the one with the door just a little ajar." He replied gently before I stood up and grabbed my backpack before carrying it to the bathroom for a hot shower. It had been a very long, yet very fulfilling day. All I could think about by then was just washing up and turning in for the night.

A short while later, I dressed myself in a clean pair of boxers before wrapping myself in my bathrobe for the sake of modesty. I stepped out into the hall to find the house having gone even darker with no light sources aside from the glow of the moon reflecting off the pale surroundings outside and shining through the windows. Following Sky Beak's advice, I followed the wall until I found a door slightly ajar with a faint light coming from inside. I assumed Silverstream had prepared her bed for me and left a desk lamp on so I would find my way. But upon entering the room, I was greeted by a familiar face. "You took your time. Everything OK out there?"

I stared in confusion. Why was Silverstream lying on her bed in her own bedroom when she had offered to let me use it for the night? I asked quietly, "Uh... I talked with your dad for a bit and... Where are you going to sleep?"

She smiled innocently as she replied, "Duh! In my room. And you get to share the bed with me. Sounds good, right?"

I gave her quite the cockeyed stare. Sharing a bed with some girl I barely knew? "You're...uh...joking, right? Doesn't that sound...weird to you? I know I wouldn't approve of my daughter sharing a bed with a guy more than twice her age that she's only known for a day."

"What's wrong with wanting someone to cuddle with tonight?" Completely missing my point, Silverstream just looked at me while resting her head on her crossed arms. "You won't hurt me. I mean think about it. I get cuddles and you get soft fluffy feathers. Sounds like something you can sleep with, right?"

She was just so innocent... No matter how she sounded, she really was just a kid. Seeing that she was not going to abandon her room to me, I decided to at least take her up on her offer. The thought of snuggling up against her in bed with those plush feathers against me did sound nice, if I am to be honest. "OK, I guess we can..."

Silverstream must have been rather tired at the time since she was not particularly energetic, nor was she particularly loud. Maybe she was just trying to keep her voice down so as not to disturb anyone. Regardless, I took a look around her room. I could see why she was so interested in talking about stairs. She had a number of framed pictures of ornate staircases on her walls. I recognized the staircase in the main hall within the royal palace in Canterlot, but I could not identify the others to save my life.

Satisfied for the night, I turned around to face Silverstream. When I did, I cracked an amused grin as I almost laughed. She had rolled over onto her back and was looking at me while upside-down, a pleasant smile on her beak. All for the sake of just looking cute. "Are you trying to make me smile?"

"Uh huh. You had me worried when I saw you crying today. You have such a nice smile and I love it when you show it." She said softly while continuing to smile. Her tail swayed lazily back and forth on the bed behind her.

I felt genuinely touched as I sat on the side of her bed before removing my robe and draping it over the bedpost in the corner. I looked back at her and gently rubbed her slender fluffy belly. "You're a good friend, Silver. I'm glad I met you today."

She cooed like a dove in response to my touch before rolling over and turning around to face me and nuzzling my cheek with her beak. "Mmhm, me too. I wanna spend lots of time with you while you're here. I've got lots of places to show you."

"Sounds like a plan. I'm sure I can set some time aside for you." I said softly while turning the covers down for us. I then turned the remaining light off before Silverstream and I got comfy under the covers. She snuggled up to me with her delightfully plush feathers pressing against me. "Huh... You're right. Your feathers do feel really nice."

"You too... Sweet dreams, James..." Silverstream muttered before she fell silent. She must have been tired to nod off like that. I suppose those with the most energy crash the hardest at the end of the day.

With that adorable little filly holding onto me, I sighed as I beheld her darkened form. She really had done a lot to make my first day here something special. Just brimming with positivity. I placed a kiss upon her forehead and whispered sweetly to her, "Sweet dreams, pretty bird. You're the best."

I slept like a rock in Silverstream's cozy embrace. Such plush plumage. Ocean Flow prepared us all some amazing seafood omelets. I really felt like I was more than just a welcomes guest. I felt...so at home with these wonderful birds. And they have been so good to me.

I have spent much of the morning trying to finish this entry. I know i have some things to deal with today. Important things. I should hurry this up so i can report back to Celestia. I know she is going to want to see me before long.

DEAR NEW FRIEND'S DIARY! I'VE MADE A NEW FRIEND! AND HE GIVES THE MOST AMAZING SCRITCHES EVER!

Of course... I step away to use the bathroom for three minutes and someone hijacks the typewriter. And it looks like she does not even know how to turn the caps lock off. Oh well, it would not be the first time.

Even so, I have had nothing but a wonderful time so far on Capricorn Island. And I absolutely adore the hippogriffs. If the ponies of Equestria are embodiments of innocence, then the hippogriffs are embodiments of sheer positivity and happiness. And I love them for it. They are very quickly becoming some of my favorite people.

I think that is enough for now. I have work to do. Time to gather my things and report back to Celestia. I just have to wonder what plan she has in store for Novo's sake today. I just hope I am up to the task.