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You ask Twilight Sparkle where this third voyage would take you.
Twilight Sparkle: "As far as we know, there's no clear destination; Honourshine only told us that she couldn't find what she's looking for here in Equestria, and turned to us for help.
In short, she's willing to pay for any information about these Elves our agents might find on their adventures. Think of it as some sort of bonus objective to keep an eye out for."
Moonflower: "Oh! So we could be doin' two voyages at the same time?"
Twilight Sparkle: "Exactly! And don't worry about hogging the current voyages, either — we've got plenty more coming in soon. Plus, it's probably going to be a while before our first initiates are ready to venture out on their own, so I won't dissuade you from working efficiently."
You nod, and say that you'll keep that in mind. But first, you ask the princess if she knows where you can find Honourshine.
Twilight Sparkle: "I'd start with the Ponyville Library. In fact, I think I saw her there just last night. She must've been reading through the books I recommended to her. If she's not there, try asking Spike."
You thank Twilight Sparkle, and with your wings itching to take flight, you exit the guild hall.
Moonflower flutters close behind as you gallop through the Castle of Friendship's crystalline corridors. Then, a small dragon carrying a mop and a bucket comes into view, and you screech to a slippery, barely screeching halt.
Spike: "Careful. Oh, Trailblazer, Moonflower — what's up, guys?"
You greet Spike, and ask him if he saw anypony at the library today.
Spike: "Yeah, I think there's a mare from out of town—"
You quickly thank the dragon and disappear down the hallway, sprinting for the library door. As you get closer, you slow your pace down to a canter, then a trot, then a walk. Finally, you stand in front of the stained glass door, take a deep breath, and push through.
As full shelves and vacant tables come into view, your eyes are immediately drawn to the lone mare sitting in silence by the far wall, absorbed in a book. You instantly recognize her twin-tailed cinnabar mane and her large round glasses — there's no mistake, it's her: Honourshine!
You turn to Moonflower, and quietly ask her to stay behind for the moment as not to overwhelm your shy foalhood friend. The bat pony nods in understanding, and stays close to the entrance while you proceed onward.
Once a few steps away from the reading table, you softly clear your throat, and try greeting Honourshine with a smile. At first, you are met with her signature disinterested glare, but after glancing at you and your cutie mark a few times, her expression softens to confusion, then realization.
Honourshine: "Blaze...?"
You grin in response, and say that it's been a while.
Honourshine: "Blaze, it's really you? You've... grown. In more ways than one."
You playfully strike a pose to show off your differences, and tell her that you've been trying a new look. You ask her what she thinks.
Honourshine: "You look better than ever, but... you're an alicorn? And a prince? How?"
You tell Honourshine that it's a long story. But first, you tell her that you're happy to see her again. You outstretch your forelegs invitingly, and patiently wait for her to shuffle closer.
Then, as her hooves timidly wrap around your barrel, you pull her into an affectionate hug. Soon, you feel her tension melt away, and she leans against you like she always did. In that moment, you find yourself back at the orphanage, hugging your best friend on the happiest of days.
Honourshine: "You're still you. I'm glad."
You gently pull back, even if it feels an eternity too soon, and tell her that you feel the same.
Honourshine: "For better or for worse."
You both giggle at that — her old motto. You only now notice that her soft voice has gotten a slight edge to it; likely honed by years of declining ponies' company, if her younger days were anything to go by. Still, sensing that Honourshine is starting to loosen up, you decide ask her if you may introduce her to a friend.
Honourshine: "I suppose it would beat her awkwardly standing over there..."
You glance over to your loyal bat pony friend, still as a statue by the entrance, and wave her over. Then, you thank your foalhood friend for allowing another pony to join you despite her reclusiveness. She nods.
Honourshine: "Only for you."
Soon, Moonflower joins you at the table, and you introduce the two mares to each other.
Moonflower: "Hi!"
Honourshine: "... Hello."
You can tell that Honourshine is a bit clammed up in the presence of a stranger, but you are convinced that even she cannot resist Moonflower's charm for long. You only have to find the right topic to break the ice with.





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But Sweet Celestia, Honourshine became another Moondancer. That’s not good.
This is all not considering really crazy origins like being created by magic or something.
Tangentially, it's poignant to see Blaze treating Honourshine with the appropriate care/sensitivity. (Hurt/comfort vibes?)
Describing what we've been up to (the EES, Hoofington, Midgard) and hearing about Honourshine's adventures may take a long while. But if we get to it, there are some other natural topics...
- Elves? What are they, and why are they important? Any relation to Yggdrasil or other realms?
- Has she got a place to stay? (I'd assume the inn... but we should offer our house obviously.) How long is she planning on staying in town? Is she employed/how does she make her living? Does she have a permanent address, so we don't lose touch again?
- Use our knowledge of her to offer to treat her to her favorite sweet treat. Either bringing her along, or bringing the treat to her, if she prefers being in the quiet of the library. We know a pony... (Bon Bon).
Blaze adeptly read that . Maybe due to the effects of social isolation. Or maybe... some kind of trauma? If social isolation, some platonic affection should help. If trauma, it's hard if it's painful to even bring up. If it comes up, we should assure her, now that we're reunited, that we'd do everything we can to protect her
(barring the fickleness of random commands).Her intentional reclusiveness, instead of merely shyness, is an aspect of Honourshine's character that we haven't seen much before. She's only been portrayed in the orphanage with familiar ponies. See 2020-07-13.
Honourshine must have some source of bits, or maybe the payouts are small. I suppose from Twilight's perspective, listing the voyage doesn't hurt.
This is our first look at her cutie mark! 🔍
That the initiates are inexperienced makes them a bit less attractive for recruiting. TBF so was Apple Basket. It'd still be nice to say hi when we can.