Explosive Times In The Crystal Empire
Jun. 12th, 2016 11:46 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
twilightponyI'm back from the Crystal Empire. I spent time yesterday with my niece. Sunburst's Fledgling's Forbearance spell is holding, she hasn't teleported or punched holes through the castle since her crystalling. I read several pages of I Met A Mare with her before she got bored and wobbled off to knock over blocks that Shining Armor has stacked for her. She can say a few words, but mostly she still drools. A lot.
I got to see how the Crystal Empire is faring with the wild proliferation of every living thing that they're experiencing this year. Princess Cadence tells me that they get plagues of butterflies that wash through the town and get into everything, and if it's not butterflies, it's moss key toads, crystal hares, nosy-ems, crossbills, lemnings or pollen. The crystal ponies have taken to keeping their doors and windows tightly shut.
The nosy-ems are the worst. No pony ventures out unless they absolutely have to when the plagues of nosy-ems wash through the streets. The Crystal Heart appears to be keeping most of the riotous surge out of town, but since so much still gets into the streets, Shining Armor and a team of unicorns create an exclusion bubble around the fairgrounds to keep the critters away during the fireworks display.
They can't really bubble the whole Crystal Empire. It would be just too exhausting to bubble everything for the entire growing season, so they just put up with it. I walked past the farmer's fields, over to the edge to take a look. It was amazing! Out on the rolling hills and moss bogs, I could see patches of delicate green vegetation growing, only to attract hordes of plant eaters. The herbivores would vacate one area to attack the new growth, and where they had been, the plants would spring back. Throughout the area I could hear the buzzing of wings, the munching of thousands of busy mouths, the short screams of captured creatures and the rustle of leaves. It was an alarming spectacle.
That evening, on the Crystal Empire fairgrounds, it was Ponyville's turn to light up the skies. The stands were packed with ponies from Ponyville as well ponies from all over Equestria. The swarm of blue butterflies lighting on every surface in the streets was not enough to keep them away. The fairgrounds was butterfly free for the evening, Shining Armor and his team saw to that.
Starlight Glimmer, Applejack and Rarity had arrived that afternoon by train with Spike but without Fluttershy. I wasn't really expecting her since fireworks are startling and she has critters in need of care. Starlight Glimmer went off to meet up with Sunburst, so it was just the three of us; Spike was already in the judging booth, munching on gems and looking pleased as punch. I had just found a good spot in the stands when Rainbow Dash flew in to join us. We got comfortable and looked up into the darkness to watch Zecora, Pinkie and Amethyst Star's show.
Spike left the booth, went up to a podium, and with a magically amplified voice, announced that Ponyville would be providing the fireworks. Then Zecora went up to the podium. She too had something to say. The crowd went quiet and with a magically amplified voice, she began the tale of When Winter Came To Equestria.
With Pinkie and Amethyst carefully launching her pyrotechnic chemical concoctions, Zecora literally and figuratively burned a moving picture into the night sky, building green fields under dazzling stars, blinding snows, the giants Winter and Summer galloping through the air and rivers of sparkling colors flowing through the fairground amphitheater and stands. Zecora reserved the biggest, brightest and loudest pyrotechnics for the finale, celebrating the harmony of the seasons and the balance between winter and summer. Green for spring, gold, purple and blue for summer, orange, red and yellow for fall, and ending in searing whites for winter.
We all stood up to pound the ground and the stands in thunderous applause. I think the ground shook from all the pounding, but fortunately the stands are very sturdy. They just bounced around a bit.
After the show, everypony left the fairgrounds. Many went to the train station, mostly ponies from Ponyville and Canterlot, to catch the night train back home, but Rarity, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, Rainbow Dash and I stayed overnight at the castle. Spike, Pinkie, Amethyst Star and Zecora were provided for by the Festival organizers.
So this morning we were still in the Crystal Empire, getting swarmed by yellow swallowtail butterflies and doing a little shopping before heading back to Ponyville. I bought a few books.
I got to see how the Crystal Empire is faring with the wild proliferation of every living thing that they're experiencing this year. Princess Cadence tells me that they get plagues of butterflies that wash through the town and get into everything, and if it's not butterflies, it's moss key toads, crystal hares, nosy-ems, crossbills, lemnings or pollen. The crystal ponies have taken to keeping their doors and windows tightly shut.
The nosy-ems are the worst. No pony ventures out unless they absolutely have to when the plagues of nosy-ems wash through the streets. The Crystal Heart appears to be keeping most of the riotous surge out of town, but since so much still gets into the streets, Shining Armor and a team of unicorns create an exclusion bubble around the fairgrounds to keep the critters away during the fireworks display.
They can't really bubble the whole Crystal Empire. It would be just too exhausting to bubble everything for the entire growing season, so they just put up with it. I walked past the farmer's fields, over to the edge to take a look. It was amazing! Out on the rolling hills and moss bogs, I could see patches of delicate green vegetation growing, only to attract hordes of plant eaters. The herbivores would vacate one area to attack the new growth, and where they had been, the plants would spring back. Throughout the area I could hear the buzzing of wings, the munching of thousands of busy mouths, the short screams of captured creatures and the rustle of leaves. It was an alarming spectacle.
That evening, on the Crystal Empire fairgrounds, it was Ponyville's turn to light up the skies. The stands were packed with ponies from Ponyville as well ponies from all over Equestria. The swarm of blue butterflies lighting on every surface in the streets was not enough to keep them away. The fairgrounds was butterfly free for the evening, Shining Armor and his team saw to that.
Starlight Glimmer, Applejack and Rarity had arrived that afternoon by train with Spike but without Fluttershy. I wasn't really expecting her since fireworks are startling and she has critters in need of care. Starlight Glimmer went off to meet up with Sunburst, so it was just the three of us; Spike was already in the judging booth, munching on gems and looking pleased as punch. I had just found a good spot in the stands when Rainbow Dash flew in to join us. We got comfortable and looked up into the darkness to watch Zecora, Pinkie and Amethyst Star's show.
Spike left the booth, went up to a podium, and with a magically amplified voice, announced that Ponyville would be providing the fireworks. Then Zecora went up to the podium. She too had something to say. The crowd went quiet and with a magically amplified voice, she began the tale of When Winter Came To Equestria.
With Pinkie and Amethyst carefully launching her pyrotechnic chemical concoctions, Zecora literally and figuratively burned a moving picture into the night sky, building green fields under dazzling stars, blinding snows, the giants Winter and Summer galloping through the air and rivers of sparkling colors flowing through the fairground amphitheater and stands. Zecora reserved the biggest, brightest and loudest pyrotechnics for the finale, celebrating the harmony of the seasons and the balance between winter and summer. Green for spring, gold, purple and blue for summer, orange, red and yellow for fall, and ending in searing whites for winter.
We all stood up to pound the ground and the stands in thunderous applause. I think the ground shook from all the pounding, but fortunately the stands are very sturdy. They just bounced around a bit.
After the show, everypony left the fairgrounds. Many went to the train station, mostly ponies from Ponyville and Canterlot, to catch the night train back home, but Rarity, Applejack, Starlight Glimmer, Rainbow Dash and I stayed overnight at the castle. Spike, Pinkie, Amethyst Star and Zecora were provided for by the Festival organizers.
So this morning we were still in the Crystal Empire, getting swarmed by yellow swallowtail butterflies and doing a little shopping before heading back to Ponyville. I bought a few books.
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