Nightmares, horrors, evils beyond anything the world has seen... and a socially awkward unicorn. When Innocent Sun moves into the sleepy town of Ponyville, she is unexpectantly sent down a path filled with dangerous enemies, new friends, and a monst...
"Bet you're glad you helped me now, eh, Sun?" Aello asked with a smirk as Captain Celaeno's ship arrived at the seaside kingdom's docks. The ship was designed for air travel, but it didn't do too bad travelling through water, which this city was known for being a lot more catered towards. Everyone was enraptured by the beauty of the city, and how it seemed like it was designed for water just as much as it was designed for ponies to live in.
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"I hate to spoil the sense of wonder, but we must hurry. There will be time for sightseeing afterwards." Luna reminded Sun and Twilight, snapping them both back to the seriousness of reality. "Remember, we have to head to the royal castle, and retrieve the serving of the Aglaophotis that my dear niece Blue Moon has preserved for us."
"Uh, what do you mean by 'serving'?" Sun asked, genuinely confused.
"Sun... you're going to have to eat the piece of the plant you're going to be given." Twilight answered, causing Sun to cringe in disgust at the thought of having to eat a plant that, to her, looked like a bunch of pocket lint wrapped in nori. But... it was either she eats it, or she dies, so she's gonna have to get over it.
"We'll be waiting for you guys here." Celaeno said to the ponies as they left the ship.
["The Water Capital of Noatun" from Bayonetta 2]
(Writer's note: Yes, I know how on-the-nose the Noatun inspiration is. I just like it a lot, okay??)
The trio (arguably quartet) walked through the city, taking in all the beauty of the architecture - Sun especially appreciated how there was so much water integrated into the city that one could easily fall into it if they weren't looking, because it showed just how much the architects of centuries past wanted to preserve the city's beliefs of water being sacred, which was currently being explained to Sun by Twilight as they walked, of course.
"The name 'Vanahack' means 'home of the Vanir', which is the name of the kingdom's royal family, known for their wisdom and judgement." Twilight read from a notebook she herself made for the trip, which had information about the city from a variety of sources, ranging widely in levels of trustworthiness. "According to legend, the current ruler, Princess Blue Moon Quartz, became an alicorn by sacrificing one of her eyes for wisdom in order to be accepted by her family."
"Wait, what? But she had both eyes when I saw her." Sun raised an eyebrow.
Despite the urgency Luna previously reminded them of, she couldn't help but chuckle, "Oh, you would be mistaken, Sun." She then explained, "She may appear to have her missing eye intact, but that is simply an advanced form of trickery. Her right eye has been gone for a long, long time, but she uses a special spell to make herself appear as though she never lost it. It's a spell that us more advanced magic-users cast, usually if something happens that makes us appear less than favorable."
