thenearshore | The Princess and the King

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The Princess and the King

Who: Princess Celestia and Saber
When: Dec. 23
Where: The Near Shore
What: "I can't even truly answer what I would do if left to my own devices because I may well change my mind moments later." "A little spontaneity sounds heavenly."

Their evening wasn't completely unplanned, because of course at some point they had to actually meet to start it. But the more Celestia thought about just running around with somepony interesting and fun without any real forethought put into it, the more excited she got.

The one concession she had to make was in her outfit; since they might get involved in some sort of mischief that a skirt or dress would complicate, she forewent the ones she had tucked away in her wardrobe in favor of different attire. Still, she didn't think she looked all bad...

So at the appointed time, Celestia teleported down to the Near Shore and the fancy Christmas display they'd set as a meeting place, and settled in to admire said display while she waited. If Richard had ever seen her human form, she can't remember -- but she was fairly confident that the multicolored, constantly drifting hair that perfectly corresponded to her mane would prove unmistakeable.

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That's wonderful! Is it meant to be a play on words? Or was it perhaps named that entirely on its own with no knowledge of Arthurian legend? Or...is it actually the pony Camelot?

[He knows what alternate realities are! Sort of! He's watched enough sci-fi movies since ending up here that he's got a functional understanding of the concept. Actually, he's fairly certain he heard about them from the Count of Saint Germain first, but he never understood even half of what that man said.]

As I've never seen any connection to any other world like this before, I am going to have to say it is complete coincidence. But perhaps if you tell me about this legend and 'Camelot', I'd be able to ask better.

[Camelot is, of course, like Canterlot but with camels, isn't it?]

[Well, whatever the case, Saber's thoughts seem back on the upswing, which is good!]

One outing wouldn't be nearly enough time!

[He's definitely regained all his enthusiasm, plus extra.]

There's so much to tell and I suppose I could attempt to limit myself to just what one would need to know to understand how Camelot itself came to be, but...

[He's talking even faster than usual and barely even keeping up with himself.]

Oh goodness, the date has barely even started and you're asking me on another one? [She winks to him, mischievous, and motions for him to go on. Not only is she curious, but this is clearly something that he delights in, and that makes it all the more worthwhile a topic.]

If you're willing to listen to me talk, I would be a fool to ignore such a lovely and agreeable audience!

[Of course, he hasn't even gotten rolling yet, so it remains to be seen whether or not she'll run screaming once he does.]

Explained most simply, Camelot is where the great King Arthur held court, though to understand the great importance of that, one must first know the legend of the King of Knights.

[Which he's going to try to tell from the beginning and will continue with until stopped.]

[She's interested.]

[She's legitimately interested! The story is very interesting, and Saber is so animated in telling it that it must be important to him, which gives her all the more reason to pay attention. So she does, letting him talk as they walk down the street, as they enter the restaurant all pleasantly done in reds and with a medieval-Japan air about it, and as they take a seat in a booth. It's only when their waiter approaches that she reaches out to pat his hand and bring him back to the present.]

[It takes a second of blank staring before he can switch his brain out of fanboy mode and focus on the menu in front of him. While he can understand any language he needs to, his knowledge of this era is limited to what he might possibly need to know in the time and place he was summoned and what he's managed to pick up since. And since Japanese food isn't exactly a high priority of is, he basically has no idea what anything on the menu even is.]

Perhaps I should just pick something at random...

We have a moment. Let's start with drinks, at least. [She'll put it over to him, and never mind that doing so might be a mistake! But she doesn't know how fancy he wants to get, and she's confident in her own ability to adapt to anything.]

[Tea seems to be the main draw here, to judge from the list on the back, but is he a tea drinker at all? She'd guess not, but she'd also guess that she just can't guess about him, and that it could change in a moment based on his whim.]

I don't suppose they have beer or wine...

[There are a lot of words that might be one or the other of those things, but he can't be certain.]

They certainly do! A fair variety, it seems. [Celestia isn't the biggest alcohol drinker, but isn't this a special occasion if any is?] What do you favor? I'm willing to try anything... or we can just admit we have no idea and pick blindly.

I think a little excitement might be called for!

[That's how he operates in general, so why not now?]

After all, the wine I would truly want to order would be far, far too expensive, I think.

There is that. I am sometimes amazed the gods are not rich somehow, but here we are. Excitement it is! Will you do the honors?

[If he's to be the one driving the whimsy of the night, she is happy to extend that honor to him! Besides, she picked the restaurant.]

[Since the descriptions of the various beers on the menu tell him nothing of use, he picks whatever has the most interesting name and orders that. Or at least he hopes he does. He's never quite sure if he's pronouncing things correctly.]

We shall have to see if it's palatable!

That is rather the disadvantage of being spontaneous, isn't it? You never know quite how anything is going to turn out. [But that's of little concern, because so long as they've decided they're going to have a good time, even a disaster can make them smile.]

Thank you. It's a little embarrassing, but the smells and seeing the food on other tables has made me very hungry all of a sudden. I'm glad we're doing this first.

I agree! And it was probably a wise choice in general, since I tend to forget to eat if something else more interesting is happening!

[Which is a lot of the time, unless the most interesting thing around is what food is available.]

You and so many others here. Well, now I know that when I come visit, I must be sure to bring food.

[Though, quite spoiling her grace and elegance, her stomach rumbles violently. She brings a hand to her mouth quickly, hiding her surprise and amusement.]

Oh goodness. Well, marelike I'm not today!

Don't worry yourself too much about it! Admittedly, the mares I've known have been of a completely different sort, but I can't recall a single one who felt it inappropriate to let someone know she was hungry.

[Occasionally by chewing on his hair, which he assumes won't happen today.]

~~[only if it went really really well]~~

[Of course he isn't at all bothered, and she hadn't expected him to be, but still it's a little embarrassing!]

If I'm being honest, I find the ponies and horses here very disturbing. Can you imagine seeing a human being with less intelligence than an animal?

Hmm...

[He looks down at the table as he thinks it over. It's not something he's experienced, but he can understand it in a way. He has to come at the concept from a completely different direction, but he can definitely see how it would be unsettling.]

Perhaps it's not quite the same, but I do know what it's like to look at something that looks exactly as it should, yet is wrong on a fundamental level that leaves it truly chilling.

From before, or from here?

[She can't help but be curious. Even if this isn't ideal date talk, well, they aren't exactly young and naive teenagers to be swamped in idle talk and flirtations. Not the entire time anyway.]

From before. The first time was when I was alive, the second only a day before I arrived in this place.

[He frowns and it's easily the darkest look that has ever crossed his face.]

I can only hope such monsters don't exist in this world. Well, outside of stories. There are certainly plenty of stories.

[Far too many in every genre, to be quite honest.]

To make a long story short, here they would probably be called "vampires."

Oh, I see. Yes, I can well understand your reaction, then -- I have never met one, to my knowledge, but I know the term and can imagine.

[This doesn't have anything to do with why he is in the Far Shore, she hopes. Or, from how he reports it, dead.]

[If anyone can fight a Dead Apostle and live, only to die by being shot by an angry kid with a crossbow, it's Richard the Lionheart...]

From what you've told me, it sounds very much like your kingdom is a place of peace. I can't imagine creatures that thrive on blood and conflict would find much to hold their interest there.

I have worked very long and hard to make it that way... though recently things have been more than a bit chaotic. Some old problems I could only forestall have come up recently, though fortunately here and now we have mares more qualified than I to handle such things.

[Which she takes a little credit for, so she isn't entirely putting herself down there.]

Perhaps that's an advantage of allowing mares to handle such things!

[He's the first to admit that, too, and with good reason. He's fairly certain there are few women in this world's history as formidable as his mother. She probably would have made a much better king than he did.]

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