Novalis, the Genius Magineer

I watched as Paloma turned to return into her house, contemplating my current situation. I was quickly making friends here in this small town, which was new for someone like me. I was turning around to head back into town, ready to continue my work, when I heard a malicious voice speak up behind me.

"We've been watching you since you showed up in town. Already you're hanging out with drunks and strange Celestials. Do you have so few friends that you have to stoop so low?"

I looked up and saw a dark skinned human man standing in front of me, with violet hair. He was well dressed with a dark blue suit that matched his hair. His ice blue eyes were staring directly into mine, giving me chills. Two more humans, one woman and one man, flanked him, also staring at me with dislike. The woman on his left had olive green eyes and frizzy orange hair, wearing a black dress and silver bangles, whereas the guy on his right was staring with dark grey eyes and white hair. He was less well dressed than the other two, wearing only white slacks and a black t shirt.

"And who are you to judge me?"

"Would you listen to him? He sounds like one of those uppity snobs from Soluna. I think we should welcome him to Starville, personally," the woman said, snickering to her companions.

They began to advance on me slowly, until the sky began to darken. Ominous clouds rose from thin air, and I gasped as Princess Lunara appeared in front of me. I could tell immediately that it was merely an astral projection, but the three people in front of me hesitated.

"If you three dare to touch my advisor, you will be met swiftly by the Night Guard. Touching him is tantamount to touching me, and his business in town is important. Begone!"

The three humans in front of me gave me one last glare before turning and galloping away. Sigh, I just got the equivalent of my mommy coming to school to save me from bullies...

"Oh dear, is that so? I apologize. On the other hand, getting your ass kicked and being unable to perform your duties is just intolerable right now."

I looked up to see a grinning Lunara, holding her magic prayer orb. Great, right now she can probably hear all my thoughts. This is abuse of power. Bah! Also, what language is that coming from a Royal?!

"Oh, I'm sorry Novalis, I'll stop. I was wanting to have a little fun, but saw you were in trouble."

I saw the orb disappear from her grasp, and sighed.

"Yes, but now my business in Starville may be impeded by them."

"Not if they fear me as much as you claim."

This was true...

"Anyways, Novalis, I'm here to see if you got my message yet? I left it in your school bag the other night."

Wait. A message. From Princess Lunara. That I didn't read? What if it was important?! I mentally slapped myself.

"Uhm, no, Princess. I haven't."

"That's OK. Just give me an answer later, after everything is set up for the procession."

I nodded as the projection faded away. Looking down at my map, I noticed that I was actually halfway done. The other two people I was scheduled to meet were even in the same place. I made my way through town again, avoiding any accidents by bumping into vendors. Soon I found myself standing in front of a cream colored building with two fuchsia peaks. There was an image of a cream colored horse with an orange mane and tail, which were billowing in a way vaguely resembling Princess Celestia's. A sign on the door proclaimed this building to offer spa services. If I walked in there... For shame...

I grumbled under my breath about embarrassments and shame as I pushed the door open, causing a small bell to tinkle and announce my arrival to the owners, who showed up at the same time. Standing before me were two pretty mares, twins by the look of it. One was pink with a light blue mane and tail, along with ocean blue eyes. Her sister, if I was to judge, had the same eyes and was the same shade of blue as her sister's mane, with her sister's shade of pink for her own mane. Bah, I think I mentally twisted my tongue. They gave me a looking over, tsking at my worn and disheveled appearance. Not even giving me time to speak, they both spoke at the same time.

"Look sister, if anyone needs our services, it would be him."

"Yes, I do agree, sister. He is sorely in need of a makeover."

"Should we give him traditional treatment?"

"Really, sister, look at him. He might need Fantasia's treatment."

"I confess that I agree, dear sister."

Uhm, what? Oh wait. NO!

"Excuse me, ma'ams, but I'm not here for any treatment. My name is Novalis, and I'm here because tomorrow you're supposed to be in charge of..." I looked down at my map before continuing. "Royal treatment?"

"Oh. It seems that we are being checked for preparation."

"Fear not, stranger, we are always prepared."

"In fact, since you need treatment yourself..."

"We shall give you a courtesy treatment showing our talents."

No no no. Hell no. Nuh uh. No way. No spa for me. Screw that!

I turned and attempted to run out of the spa, but I was too late. The pink one caught me in a surprisingly strong grip, dragging me into the bowels of torment. The blue one kept a constant stream of chatter, explaining different services such as exfoliation, skin rejuvenation, horn filing, and... *shudder*... pedicures.

I soon tired myself out trying to escape, and shortly after was dumped into a sauna. The blue sister immediately set steam roiling in the room, and without much time I was sweating profusely. They made sure I didn't escape, blocking the doors and chattering about the beneficial effects of a sauna.

After I had seemingly sweat myself dry, they dragged me out and placed me into a lawn chair, covering my face in sticky green goo at the same time. With two cucumbers over my eyes, this part was apparently complete. I didn't dare try to run anymore, and they continued educating me on the health boosts I was currently receiving. Finishing this ordeal thirty minutes later, they took me to a table and began to file my horn.

I watched as years of caked on grime and dead cells fell from my horn, listening to them ramble on. I was beginning to get used to this. And I admit, it wasn't that bad... Finishing my horn filing, the blue one began to massage my back, drumming over me with practiced ease. I could feel knots I never knew about easing away. Almost done with me now, according to them, they wrapped me in what seemed like seaweed, before dumping me into a tub of mud.

Here they began to explain different ways the mud helped, but I could only think about my mother yelling at me about playing in it. My final treatment was a simple foot bath, followed by a pedicure. I was leery about my feet being touched, but I didn't have a choice.

When they were through with me, they propped me in front of a mirror. I noticed immediately that my skin was shinier, and my hair had lost all of its tangles. My nails and horn were polished almost to mirrors as well. I even looked a couple years younger. Wow.

Turning back to them, I gave them a deep bow.

"Well, ladies, this is certainly not as bad as I expected. I compliment you on your skills, and know the Queen will enjoy herself as well. One last thing, though, simply for my curiosity. I have two names, Aloe, and Lotus, but no idea which one of you is which. Please clarify this for me for the future."

The pink haired one spoke first, "My name is Aloe."

"And of course, I am Lotus," the blue haired one said.

Thanking them once more, I turned to the spa doors, walking out and past a pristinely dressed and elegant looking lady.

"Oh, Miss Fantasia, are you done with your own preparations?"

"That man you passed just received treatment testing our preparations."

Fantasia, huh? So that's who ordered that treatment often. I wonder what her 'preparations' are for...

Dusk Etherea's POV:

It seems this shy girl was absolutely going to follow me everywhere now, just to talk to Fangsly. I still had to check on food preparation for the ceremony, so I fell into practiced ease as I tuned out her chatter. If she wasn't going to leave us alone, I was just going to deal with it.

I eventually made my way to the other side of the town, where I found a large farm estate, Fostered Acres according to the sign above their gates. They seemed to grow almost anything the town might need, like corn, wheat, tomatoes, beans, potatoes, so on and so forth. They also raised the livestock around here, including sheep, cows, chickens, pigs, and even a couple horses and donkeys for transport. It was very impressive just how much they seemed to be in charge of. I could never do this kind of work myself, far too dirty for me, but I respect those who keep the lifeblood of the world going.

It seemed upon arriving to the farm, though, that Demura decided to back off. She retreated into her shyness again, standing sadly outside the farm's gates. I wonder if she had problems with the owners. Oh well, at least I'd be able to conduct my business without interference for now. Though she did seem reluctant to leave, so I suppose I'm going to be dealing with her chatter when I leave again. Sigh...

Upon walking through the farmland, I eventually found a tanned blonde woman harvesting some of the crops. She was tall and well built, and... Well, I may have a thing for Queen Celestina, but if I lived here and this woman was free, I wouldn't mind hitting her up for some company...

She noticed me watching her and straightened up before coming over, wiping her sweat off with a towel as she did. When she arrived, she stretched a hand out, and I gave her mine for a handshake. Her grip was firm, but also soft despite her callouses.

"Mornin' darling. Haven't seen you 'round these parts. You new to town?"

"Umm, oh yes. Just arrived today. I'm here on the Queen's business for the ceremony tomorrow. I heard this farm was responsible for the food?"

"I reckon yer right. Got the order jus' the other day. Full prep for the Solstice party, tha' right?"

"Yes. I was wondering how that was coming along? And also what's your name, if I may know?"

"Oh shoot, where are my manners? The name is Paige Foster, and I run this here farm with my siblings and my granny. She's a bit older, so she doesn't do much aside from the accountin', but she's sure sharp, she is. Lemme get you updated on our prep." 

After saying this, she blew a whistle before shouting that it was lunchtime. After the whistle blew, a bunch of people ran out of the barn and fields, and some of the men were carrying tables and chairs like they were feathers. These were some physically strong folks. Before long, an entire picnic table setup was put together, and then even more people came from the house carrying plates of food and refreshments. Soon an entire smorgasbord of entrees, sides, and desserts graced the table, and everyone looked to Paige expectantly.

"Alrigh' folks, this here is... Uhh... I don't recall getting your name, miss."

"Oh dear, looks like we both missed our manners. My name is Dusk Etherea. I'm from Soluna."

"Right. Miss Etheweah. She's here to make sure us farmfolk are doing our part. Since we's in charge of the tablefare, y'all better have brought some of the good stuff for her to sample."

A cheer rose from the crowd, and soon everyone was bringing me a sample from all sorts of dishes. There was roasted pork, baked chicken, succulent steak, BBQ pulled pork and wings, and even some broiled fish they caught from a river near town. For sides they had mashed potatoes, cobbed corn, creamed corn, baked bread with a honey butter spread, sliced raw tomatoes with a touch of salt, and a few more complex meat and vegetable dishes. Finally, for dessert, we had jellied cranberries, multiple different, but equally delicious pies and pastries, and cookies of all shapes and sizes. 

Even with only mere samples from each dish, I was soon unable to eat another bite, but nothing went to waste. These farmfolk, as Paige called them, could put away a mountain of food with no issues. I guess all that hard work makes a person really hungry. Soluna elites could never fathom eating this much, but it was quite fun to experience.

"So, Miss Foster? How many siblings do you have exactly? And how do you all fit in that house, big as it looks?"

"Oh no, darlin', these ain't all my siblin's. Most of 'em come from outta town to help with orders like these. We have a few farms 'round these parts, and we provide most of the food for the surrounding towns."

She then motioned for a few of the gathered members to come forward. A small girl with a large pink ribbon in her hair and a simple white dress, now a bit stained with BBQ sauce. A large handsome man chewing a stalk of wheat with warm blue eyes and a heart-meltingly handsome smile. And finally, an old lady in a wheelchair who was treated with grace and dignity by all present, who despite her age had a gaze that seemed to lay bare any secrets. 

"Alrighty. This here is my younger sister, Blossom Foster, my big brother, Alphonse Foster, and Granny Annamae. These here's who runs this main farm with me most days."

"Well, it was nice to meet everyone, and thank you for the wonderful food. I should get going. Oh, but before I forget, do you have any issues with a pink Celestial girl named Demura? She seemed reticent to approach the farm."

"Wha'? No, we ain't got no problems with that girl. She's jus' really shy, ya kno'? Why, if she was here, I'd be grabbing her and sittin' her down for a proper meal, I tell you."

"Well, in that case, maybe you'd like to go to your front gate," I laughed, pointing towards Demura hiding behind the fenceposts.

Demura jumped when I pointed her out, and turned to start running away, but Paige was really fast, and caught her, carrying her back to the picnic tables under her arms like she was a duffel bag. My, I'd love to try that sometime. Maybe Queen Celestina would... No... Probably not. 

"You didn't have to make me suffer just because I talked so much to your dragon," Demura pouted as she was placed in a seat next to me. "Where is he, anyways?"

"Oh, he's over there," I pointed to the kid's table, where he was breathing fire and roasting marshmallows, much to the children's delight.

Demura made to stand up to go over to him, but was placed back in her seat by Paige's hand on her shoulders.

"Now girl, you just sit there an' eat. I kno' you ain't been eatin' right, look how skinny you are."

I let out a small laugh, but then she focused her gaze on me.

"And don' think yer goin' anywhere either, missy. I don' think you ate enough, neither."

I gulped. Oh no. I was going to get fattened up now, wasn't I? I meekly held my head low, waiting on the next course to be served. Guess I was staying for awhile. Good thing this was my last checkpoint for the day...