TEST DRIVE MEME ⚔️️ 5

[avalonmods]

✨ Greet new players on the OOC intro while apps are processed HERE! ✨

{ QUICK NAV } Premise ⚔️️ Rules ⚔️️ FAQ ⚔️️ Taken ⚔️️ Reserves ⚔️️ Apply ⚔️️ Locations ⚔️️ Bestiary ⚔️️ Top-Levels Only ⚔️️ A ⦿ Soaking in Your Arrival KERPLUNK, SPLASH! Regardless of what you were in the middle of, you and your familiar have been magically pulled into the world of Avalon just above the Bay's slightly chilled waters. After a brief plunge into the Bay, the rush of water filling your ears and soaking up into every creak and crevice of your body, you may need to cough to clear your airways when you rise above the surface. It's still chilly, but not enough that you can't manage on your own. The Lady of the Lake is swimming around under the water, but seems to be focusing on coordinating a band of chia manatees to help rescue any wayward new arrivals. Chia manatees are a special Avalonian manatee that is green in color and has what appears to be a patches of grass or other short plantlife growing on its back. While some are fully green, others sport small flower blossoms that haven't yet grown in or various types of mushrooms. If anyone tries to ask the Lady of the Lake for directions, she will direct you to Archimedes at the Rent-a-Ride. Those with animal magic may get their info from the manatees, though may notice that they're really overly friendly and have zero concept of personal boundaries. Everyone may notice they have no concept of personal space, as they will happily run right into someone's belly for a snoot squishing. The shores themselves are littered with new arrivals complaining their way up a staircase carved into the walls of the White Cliffs. There is no railing, so be careful, but if you do fall, be prepared for a mysterious sand hand to reach out of the side of the cliffs to catch you. The hand will pat you atop the head twice before retreating back into the wall. This is the Cliff Beast; despite the name, he is quite friendly. *Reminder: Your character's familiar may or may not be with your character in their initial plunge. If the familiar isn't partial to water, it may meet your character on the beach or sit atop their head while they swim. Or if they are, they might splash about and swim alongside your character. Familiars have different personalities and body specs and we leave those up to the players. B ⦿ The Caravan to Camelot Once everyone is wrangled up to the top of the White Cliffs, the handsome owner of the Rent-a-Ride, Archimedes, will distribute smart phones and a pair of earbuds and tell them to "Check the Shit Box." The "Shit Box" refers to wardrobe more formally known as the Wardrobe of Finding, a hammerspace-like wardrobe that opens to each person's items and pets when the person touches the handle. It was recently enchanted by Merlin to prevent people from having to fish their waterlogged possessions and pets out of the water with them. From there, Archimedes directs everyone to settle in groups into modernized carriages pulled by horses and gives them a basic explanation of why and how they've been brought to Avalon: The rest of the universe is frozen in time and your character has been brought here by a familiar that was able to bond with them. They'll have to learn magic to help save their own world from destruction, but first they've got to get them to Camelot. It is here that you have the first opportunity to decide who they will be in their new home. You'll have about an hour to wander around here, meet and greet, and pet the horses before it's time to go. These carriages use fae technology that combats weight, so your character will be able to get in regardless of whether they're light as a feather or weigh two tons. The carts have air conditioning when it's hot, heating when it's cold, and a mystical shield to protect from bugs. There is also a mini-bar that pops out of the console with nip bottles. Characters can use their smartphones to connect to Camelot's internet service, avalononline (AOL), to chat with other characters, watch dumb videos, learn about the world, contact Camelot Support (they'll answer any questions they can for you, from how to use a smart phone to where to find quests and resources to learn more about your magic). Be careful if you decide to use your phones while in the caravan-- if you don't use those earbuds and start forcing everyone to listen to your nonsense, Archimedes may make you walk. C ⦿ The Red Spring The journey from the White Cliffs to the City of Camelot is a long one, and the first evening you arrive you'll end up spending at the Red Spring, a booming resort town. Because of the volume of new arrivals and vacationers, inn rooms are assigned two-to-a-room. The rooms have two twin beds, a bathroom, a mini-fridge and microwave, and a TV equipped with a couple of entertaining video games and a few free movies. If you don't want to relax in the room, try taking a dip in the spring for another chance to meet your fellow travelers. The waters have restorative properties that help horses and travelers recover quickly when drunk. It is known to relieve stress, improve energy levels, and mildly accelerate healing. It may be a little chilly when you get out though, so make sure you don't slip rushing back indoors when you get out! The springs are also home to a large training grounds just outside town limits, where there are teachers who will teach basic magic safety and help you discover what kind of magic you have together with other new arrivals. Try target practice, obstacle courses, meditation circles, and other ways to try to figure out just what you can do... if you didn't already have an accidental discovery on the ride there. The Isle of Avalon is abuzz with excitement for the upcoming Spring Equinox (though some of the more posh citizens will insist it's the Vernal Equinox, tut tut). Unlike the very specific rituals of the Winter Solstice that require much preparation, the Spring is welcomed throughout the month through a variety of small rituals to help the world along as it renews itself, growing new plants and allowing nature to make new life. A ⦿ The Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies Throughout February, the Frost Fairies were running amok and keeping things chilly, even awarding those who gave them treats last month. These fairies create ice crystals on contact and can be spotted by the beautiful ice crystal patterns that form in their trail. They cause frost bite if you physically touch them, so capture isn't recommended. They seem to be sticking around a little too long this month, as they're normally supposed to leave at the end of February. No one seems alarmed, as it seems that this happens from time to time. It's easy enough to deal with-- and so, people throughout town are being asked to perform a ritual called the Lesser Banishing of Frost Fairies. It's perfectly safe, and lets these invisible little creatures be sent on their way until the next winter. The first step: create bait. Fill a planter with dusty miller and silver sage, with a night-blooming flower at the center. The silvery-white leaves pique the curiosity of the Frost Fairies because they look snowy, yet when they see the flower bloom, they know it cannot be. The plants won't be damaged at all in the ritual, so you'll get a moon garden out of it, which can be incidentally draw adorable little moon rabbit kits in to play inside your home while the moon is out. They're friendly, though they do tend to enjoy pack-sized snuggles-- you may find yourself stuck with no fewer than 15 rabbits attempting to climb on you for attention and need someone's help to pull them off. You may need to get them under control before you continue with the ritual. Once you've assembled your miniature moon garden, you'll need to find a stranger to perform the ritual. You need to bring a new energy into your home in order to let the Frost Fairies know that it's time to meet something new. Take hands with the new person and dance in circles around the miniature moon garden. The plants will start to glow and the Frost Fairies will become visible-- short, fat, all-white penguin with flamingo-length legs and icicle crowns. They will immediately challenge you and your summoning partner to a duel! Though, you can pick what kind of challenge it is as their culture dictates. They're pretty overconfident, just remember not to pick something that involves touching them unless you want to end up needing a healer. B ⦿ The Language of Flowers Once the Frost Fairies are properly banished, flowers are starting to crop up all around Camelot, the Broceliande, the fields in between, and those who come back to the White Cliffs after arrival will even find the Cliff Beast in a pleasant mood from all the lovely little flowers hanging off of his clifftop. (No one's quite sure how a cliff seems happy, but that's the sense everyone gets.) Wherever you may be, there are flowers starting to crop up. Normally, this would be when people would start gathering decorations to cover the buildings and make flower altars, but a lot of the wild flowers normally accessible... well... It looks like a brood of dragons hatched a little early and, upon seeing all the flowers start to crop up, decided that these flowers are the treasures that they want to hoard. The baby dragons didn't fly too far down from their mountain, but once one of them flew past the Lands of Rot and found the fields of flowers, it got its siblings. Now there are a handful of baby dragons claiming different areas as their hoard and making it impossible to get around without being attacked by an admittedly cute fire-breathing menace. No one wants the baby dragons slain, but the baby dragons need to be brought back to their mother's cave in the Ash Mountains. The safest way is through the half-dead area between the Dusklight Woods and the Lands of Rot. The dragons will attack anyone who comes into their area but seem to be friendly toward anyone wearing a flower crown, as they seem to accept them as a part of their hoard if the flowers send the right message. Use the language of flowers to communicate with the dragons and try to get them to follow you by wearing a flower crown that matches one you offer to the dragon. A flower crown that says sympathy and sadness might not be as effective as something that says virtue and bravery. Just be careful not to woo them the wrong impression with something that says eternal love and devotion, or you might have a different kind of dragon problem... Regardless, since the dragons are guarding the flowers you need to make the crowns out of, you'll need to find a way to get past their attacks to gather flowers to begin with to find the flowers you want to make your crown with. Flower crowns need at least two types of flowers to communicate with the dragons, so it's recommended you work together with others to try to gather as many flowers as you can to find the flowers you need. Thankfully, since dragons are sacred, most of the Dusklight Woods creatures will leave you alone, so it's best to hug that side of the mixed path. You and whoever you're working with only have to worry about fighting alongside the baby dragons to fight off the Land of Rot creatures that hang around the edge: Skeleton warriors that can only be scattered but not killed, Fogueria (a lion made of fire that likes to play with its food in sadistic ways), and rattlesnakes. Once you're at the foot of the Ash Mountains, the baby dragons will fly back up to their cave on their own. With the baby dragons returned to their nest, you can head home, and the townsfolk can start decorating for the Spring Equinox. C ⦿ Spiritual Cleansing The frost is gone, the flowers are free, and rabbits are running around town like they own the place. All of the physical and symbolic spring equinox preparations are made, now it's time to look within. As the season of renewal and rebirth, a huge part of that is personal reflection and growth. As such, outdoor meditation and yoga flash parties are all the rage right now. Get caught it one and you and anyone around you will be stuck in a barrier until you complete at least 5 yoga poses and hold them for 30 seconds each. Some of them are a little challenging.. thankfully, no one is going to stop you from getting help holding them from someone else who's stuck with you. A plague of smoothie hockers has also cropped up around town, which means portable carts offering different magical smoothies is going around selling their fruity and flowery spring flavors for a refreshing boost of your spirit. No, really boost it. The magical effects are in small text underneath the flavors, so they may be easy to miss. Hibiscus-Berry: Vanity Spirit (person may become temporarily obsessed with appearance, finding cute clothes, getting their hair and nails done, needing to be their ideal of attractive) Strawberry-Rose: Romantic Spirit (flirtiness, desire to be romantic with someone) Jasmine-Peach: Friendship Spirit (go out of your way to make new friends, make grand friendship gestures to people you've already befriended or have known for five minutes and want to befriend) Lavender-Mulberry: Distrusting Spirit (paranoid, may start fights because they think someone is out to get them) Butterfly Pea-Lemon Tea: Meditative Spirit (fall asleep easily, peaceful/relaxed about alarming things, sudden penchant for Big Thoughts about the universe) Dandelion-Apple-Banana: Surivival Spirit (sudden desire to do everything yourself, whether that's hunting/gathering food, getting really into DIY projects like making your own soap or building your own chicken hutch because you're going to get your own eggs, or really wanting to live outside for a while) The effects only last for an hour or two, so it's unlikely any real damage can be done (hopefully) but it'll certainly give you a new outlook on life! Spring is in the air, the Equinox is coming, and prep is underway. But all work and no play can get a little boring, right? Avalonians have come together and set up a few activities for Adventurers. While all of these activities can be completed and enjoyed without using magic, participants will be encouraged do to so, don’t worry if it goes a little haywire. There are magical force fields around the play zones to contain any mishaps. A ⦿ Keep it Rollin' Rollin' The first area set up for fun and games is a barrel rolling contest. Participants are split into pairs to compete against each other to see who can roll their partner inside the barrel down the hill and across the finish line the fastest. Springtime is when geysers start bursting around the bottom of the hill though, so you'll have to watch out for those and any boulders to make sure your barrel doesn't burst before you reach the bottom! To make things a little more interesting, the planners had a bit of mischief with the barrels... As barrels reach a quarter of a way down the hill, the outside will burst into flames. Surprise! While they are enchanted so that the flames aren't actually hot, participants are not aware of this. Sorry, the guys running this game aren’t that big on explaining; after all, it’s just rolling a fire barrel down the hill; what’s so complicated? Fire makes it look like it's going faster and is way more exciting to watch! B ⦿ Hop Skip and a Jump Everyone loves hopscotch, right? Well, whether you do or don’t, that next zone is all about the hop, the skip, and the jump. Two hopscotch boards about the size of a basketball court each are laid out side by side for participants. The object again, to see who can complete the task that fastest. If you reach a spot with a magic symbol, you have to cast a spell at your opponent or you can't proceed. This is combat hopscotch! Of course, once more, the folks running the show forgot to mention one tiny thing, a quarter of the way into the board, random spots will drop away as you go, leaving holes in the ground! Yikes, better take that leap! Don’t worry, if you miss, the bottom of the hole is filled with marshmallow fluff in bright pink, yellow, and pastel purple. (Kind of reminds you of something, huh...?) Down in the hole are rungs and footholds to get yourself back out, but boy, will that put you behind the other guy if they didn’t fall. Well, guess victory will have to be a little sweeter than you planned! C ⦿ Gettin' Brewy With It Now, this activity probably seems a little safer. Welcome to the “Brew” tent. Participants will be given ingredients, space, and set up in pairs to brew up a tasty drink! A variety of ingredients are available and with it, participants will be taught the Recipe: Brewery. This spell can be used to accelerate brewing and distilling processes for alcoholic drinks. Of course, if someone who is too young to drink according to their world's rules, any alcohol in the drink will evaporate, so it's really only a spell that's useful for adults... but everyone can participate in making drinks. You can pick any ingredients you want, but all participants are instructed that a sprinkle of that magic at just the right time will make it perfect. When asked what the right time is, all they will be told is they’ll know when. Some may get it right, depending on instinct. Others might sprinkle too much and cause the drink to burst all over them and their partner, and their workstation or have some other silly side effect, like make them hiccup uncontrollably or catch a case of the giggles. Or maybe they cast for too long or too short a time and the drink turns sour, turns to ash, grows wings on the cup, and flies away. Brewery magic can be fickle, so there's lots that can go wrong.. but get it right, and you can have one heck of a drink to enjoy! MOD NOTES: • All test drive prompts are open to anyone in the game at any time to create your own logs with, but this post should have top-levels by potential new characters only. Current characters may reply to any threads, but should not top-level comment on this post. • If your application is accepted, you may accept TDM threads as game canon as long as both players consent. Characters may begin threading as soon as their journal is accepted to the communities. • If nothing here tickles your fancy, try one of this month's Quests for your TDM prompt. • The first "Arrival" prompts are present on every TDM, but contain seasonal tweaks for flavor. All other prompts will change monthly. • Questions about this TDM's content? Comment here! If you have a question about the game at-large, please head over to the FAQ.

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Princess Celestia | MLP:FIM

[letteropener]

Soaking in YouNOPE DENIED SUCKA

Without warning, alicorn and phoenix found themselves just above a chilly lake, already feeling the press of colder air gathered just above its surface through fur and feathers.

'Just above' was all they needed. Two pairs of wings spread wide and caught the air, bringing both Celestia and Philomena to a halt in midair. The small waves on the lake lapped briefly at Celestia's shoes before she lifted her legs, and herself, up.

In wordless shock, the two surveyed their surroundings, slowly drifting towards shore as that seemed to be where all these strange creatures around them were going. By the time Celestia touched down on the shore, and the phoenix perched on her outstretched wing, shock had given way to a mix of cold alarm and bemusement.

"Philomena," she said, not looking away from the crowd of strange two-legged beings around them, "I don't think we're in Equestria any more."

Caravan Follies

Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear.

Things had gone from bad to worse to very very bad indeed. The strange creatures, who she gathered mostly called themselves 'humans', were quite intelligent and could speak. That wasn't bad. But worlds across creation being frozen in time? That was very bad. Her own magic, gone? That was like losing a limb, in more ways than one. And this world had equines that weren't even sapient, being used as beasts of burden?

That was disturbing on so very very many levels.

Doing her very best not to take up space in the carriage, Celestia lay across one bench, wings tucked tightly in. Her hoof prodded quite ineffectively at the phone she'd set on the floor -- even with her shoe taken off, hooves simply weren't made of a material that the touch screen could register. At this rate, she wouldn't even be able to live on a normal level here, if that normal level required these devices!

Of course, she showed none of this. Her outside demeanor was perfectly calm, without a single feather out of place. Of course, her fellow passengers might notice how utterly futile her efforts to work the phone were...

Wabbit Season

Being stuck with fifteen bunnies climbing all over you is bad. Being stuck with fifteen bunnies climbing all over you when you have a huge floaty iridescent mane and tail for them to get lost in, or feathers for them to snuggle up in, is worse.

"Now you come out of there!" Celestia turned circles in place, trying to catch and confront one of the bunnies before her mane drifted away. As she did, one scrambled out near her head, knocked her crown down over her eyes, and then disappeared again.

"These are the most mischievous rabbits--!" she said, petulantly stomping one hoof. The indignity itself wasn't what stung, it was how very easy this would be if she had the most basic innate natural unicorn spell of telekinesis at her disposal. Oh, this was SO hard to put a good spin on, even for her!

((brackets are all good too, I'll match))

Those Wascally Wabbits

[floatsaway]

[It's a lovely evening in Camelot...if you're not particularly bothered by the cold and frost, that is. As Ochako is hurrying back to her room at the inn, shivering from the cold, she stops dead in her tracks when she sees a rather bizarre sight just a small block or two away from her destination.

HORN!!! HORSE!!!!!

HORNSE!!

Sucking in a gasp as her eyes widen, Ochako takes in the absolutely stunning creature that she most certainly recognizes as a unicorn, but with wings, holy shit. Before really realizing that poor Celestia may be in need of some help, Ochako squeals with giddy delight, the child in her absolutely delighted by the mere sight of an ACTUAL UNICORN right before her very eyes. She skips over like she were walking on air itself, stars in her eyes because...fuck, dude. First a giant robot and now an actual unicorn? Ochako's girlish, teenage dreams are coming true - this is AWESOME.]

Uwaahhh!! A unicorn! You're so pretty, and cute! Can you understand me?! Are you friendly?! Can I pet you???

[letteropener]

[Celestia pushes the crown out of her eyes with one hoof, letting out a little huff before she turns a smile on the human girl.]

I would greatly appreciate some help, first, if you would be so kind. I have a bunny problem.

[floatsaway]

[OH MY GOSH, IT CAN TA--oh.

Ochako blinks, then nods head head and quickly moves to remove the tiny bunnies from the poor alicorn's mane. She's careful about it, being especially gentle with each of the tiny kits, cooing at them as well before placing them down on the ground carefully. One squeaks and wriggles a little, probably because it was tangled up a bit in Celestia's mane and got scared, but Ochako carefully frees it and shushes it.]

Shh, shhh, easy little tsukimi mochi... You're just fine.

[letteropener]

[Celestia holds quite still, to make it as easy as possible. Of course, considering her mane and tail keep moving on their own, this is of slightly less help than it would be otherwise, but one does what one can. At the same time, the girl's gentle soothing makes her smile.]

I think there is one in my tail somewhere to.

[floatsaway]

[The fact that this creature's mane and simply move on its own is an absolute delight to Ochako, and that's not even mentioning the fact that said mane looks like an aurora - a celestial phenomenon this space nerd would talk your ear off about. Everything about this lovely beast is fascinating and wonderful to her, and Ochako's dying to just gush on and on like the excitable teenage girl that she is, but she's also respectful enough to help out where she needs as well. Hero's duty and all that...]

Mm, sure, just--ah...eheh...p-please don't kick.

[Listen, it's still a horse, even if it's a magical talking horse with wings, a horn, and a wispy flowing mane. Ochako's going to move towards Celestia's backside, standing not directly behind but a wee bit off to the side. She can see the ears of the rabbit kit poking out from the glossy strands of the alicorn's mane, and quickly removes and sets it down.]

There! Is that all of them?

[letteropener]

Why would I kick?

[Celestia watches over her shoulder, confused -- oh, oh, goodness, of course. This girl must be used to the -- and she really hates to think about them -- the less-than-animal-intelligence equines here. She shivers, because those things give her the creeps.]

I think you have all of them. Let me -- [She spreads her wings very wide indeed, causing one last bun to tumble out of the feathers and hop away.] Ooops!

[floatsaway]

[Celestia would be right on the nose with that assumption, sadly. Ochako knows horses by the ones she's used to - nonverbal worse animals that are sometimes housed as pets or used for shows and races in other countries. The types of equines that Celestia and her kind are, are...w-well...just fantasy to a person like Ochako.]

Well...oh! [Ochako reaches to try and catch the falling rabbit as it tumbles from Celestia's wings, but doesn't quite hit the mark. Thankfully, the little bunny doesn't seem injured at all, and bounds away into the brush. Welp.] Eeeh...I hope they'll be okay on their own...

[letteropener]

I think they'll be fine. Thank you very much for the help. [Celestia inclines her head gracefully, showing not a flicker of embarrassment for needing help over such a thing. Of course, she knows perfectly well that needing help is never embarrassing, but she really does miss her basic fundamental magic!]

Soaking in...

[cureofmanyworlds]

Nozomi shivered slightly as she tried to get herself warm from her own dunking. Sheesh, what a time to have something like that happen to her. As she did, she blinked at a sight she didn't expect to see again.

"Princess Celes--!" She stopped herself and covered her mouth. Stupid, STUPID. There was no way this Celestia was the one she met years ago and she's over here calling out her name like she was on friendly terms.

Quick, think of something else!

"Um, w-wow...! This is... this is something I didn't think I'd ever see...!"

[letteropener]

Oh, had somepony called her name? She turned in the direction her ear had flicked, but surely that couldn't be. Who would know her in this strange place, among these strange people?

"Oh, you can talk!" She shouldn't have been surprised by this, but the circumstances were so strange.

[cureofmanyworlds]

"Y-Yes, I can...!" Nozomi said, slowly approaching Celestia. "I guess you don't have humans where you come from, do you?"

It would make sense. In the world she arrived in, they were all ponies except for one certain week...

[letteropener]

"You understand exactly." Celestia inclined her head gracefully to the small 'human'. "May I ask where I am?"

[cureofmanyworlds]

"It's not our homes, that's for sure." Nozomi said. "For what I hear, we're near a place called 'Camelot'."

She sighed a bit. "I regret just getting here myself, but maybe we can work together to help figure things out?"

[letteropener]

"Ah, I see." 'Camelot' sounded an awful lot like 'Canterlot' -- was that a coincidence, or evidence of a greater plan? And these humans were appearing here as well -- what did that mean?

And why, why was her magic not working? Celestia's absolute forced calm hid how tense and afraid she was beneath her act, but she was very much both since all her efforts to parse magic through her horn had failed. She'd have thought it broken if she wasn't perfectly aware it was not.

"Some help would be much appreciated, since it seems far more humans than ponies are appearing here."

[cureofmanyworlds]

“Good! I’ll help you the best I can!” Nozomi said. A part of her was a little worried; did Celestia distrust the humans or was that just uncertainty?

[letteropener]

"And I will help you, as well. It seems our first task is to climb this cliff..."

Which of course was no problem for her, thanks to wings. But the humans clearly had a much harder time.

Soaking in

[songstressedout]

[ Oh my god...

Truth be told, this isn't the first unicorn Yuzu's seen. She's of course seen unicorn monsters back at home, but there's nobody with a duel disk nearby—least of all her, and definitely no Real Solid Vision systems nearby.

Meaning that this was a real life unicorn she was looking at.

Yuzu was utterly soaked from head to toe, and the way she was dressed left her utterly freezing, especially at this time of the month, so she's visibly shivering. Still, it's a little easier to ignore the cold when you're looking at a real life unicorn. ]

Ah... ah...

[ She's opening and closing her mouth, barely managing to get words out. When she hears it speak, however, somehow that's what gets her voice to work again. ]

A-A unicorn!? A-Are you r-real!?

[ And she's still shocked that it's speaking at all. ]

[letteropener]

Yes, I'm very much real. [Goodness, have these strange creatures never seen a pony before? Well, come to think of it, that's quite possible, since she has never seen them before.]

[Still, this poor girl(?) looks absolutely miserable, and so without delay, Celestia lowers her head to cast a spell that will warm her up and dry her --]

[And nothing happens.]

[What... is going on?]

[songstressedout]

[ The way her head is lowered makes her look that much more pettable, to be honest. But also, she can talk so... would that be okay? She wouldn't be insulting her, would she? ]

Wow... can I um... can I pet you?

[ Of course, with nothing happening, the idea of a spell being attempted doesn't occur to her. She's still shivering, but it feels like all of Yuzu's baby childhood dreams are coming true right now.

...what? She's over the pony phase now, but that doesn't mean she isn't excited. ]

[letteropener]

[This is... well, not an unusual request, but considering Celestia's failure to aid her, she can at least provide her with some small comfort.]

Certainly you may.

[This will give Celestia a chance to quell her inner panic and think logically about what the hay is going on.]

[songstressedout]

[ Yuzu gulps and moves her hand up to Celestia's mane, rubbing gently just to feel for herself that this unicorn is, in fact, real. Sure, Real Solid Vision can get really close to feeling real... but this was on another level. ]

You're so soft...

[letteropener]

Well, thank you. [This is so incongruous that Celestia has to smile.] But I think perhaps we ought to worry about getting you dry and warm.

[songstressedout]

O-Oh! Right, um...

[ A reminder that she's still cold... and without any visible way to warm up from the looks of it. She's not exactly dressed heavily, either. Now, Yuzu's returned to rubbing her bare arms in an attempt to create some kind of warmth through friction... which is unfortunately ineffective when she's soaked like this. ]

[letteropener]

[And there seem to be no resources to do so around here -- except one. Philomena, in a quick flutter of wings, hops from her perch on Celestia over to the girl's shoulder. She is lighter than she looks, being a firebird, and also quite comfortably warm indeed.]