A typical sunny day in Canterlot casts a serene setting for the ponies that wander about its streets going about their daily business. The smell of fresh coffee and baked goods surround two ponies as they sit back and engage in casual conversation. One, a brown unicorn donning a green jacket, glances over to his katana and guitar as it rests on his backpack laying against his seat. The other, a dark gray earth pony with multi-toned hair, simply sips her vanilla latte as her python is nonchalantly draped over her shoulders. The unicorn looks down, his glass of iced coffee is already empty; he directs his attention over to the mare ahead of him, "So, how are you liking Canterlot?"
The mare takes another sip of her drink before answering, "Big, fancy, full of life. It reminds me of home a bit, albeit a bit more..." She pauses, as she tries to think of the correct phrase to use.
"Stuck up?" the unicorn chuckles, stirring a giggle out of the pony in front of him.
"That's uh... one way of saying it." the mare answers. "There are some nice ponies here though. Although I'm surprised you're still staying here. I was in Ponyville not too long ago, you would love it there."
The unicorn nods, "Yea, I actually stayed there for a few days. It was a nice place; not too crowded, not too... stuffy either."
The earth pony puts down her latte, a trickle of fizz inches down the cup as well as some condensation on the glass. "Why didn't you stay Fox?" she asks, a brow slightly raised in curiosity.
The stallion remains silent for a moment, his hoof reaches over to his glass and he begins to tilt it, looking down at the empty base already knowing to expect nothing inside, "I wanted to Niv. I almost did. But... things happened, circumstances changed and..." Foxtrot pauses, letting the glass go and wobble for a moment before coming to a standstill, "Well, here I am." His gaze still remains on the glass, the previous grin he had has now faded away.
Nivalia nods, already knowledgeable of the kind of business her younger brother was involved in, and the kind of trouble that he normally gets into. Her expression shows more concern as she leans forward, Caprica still remaining in place. "Fox, why don't you go back to the Royal Guard? It's gotta be better than, well..." Once again Nivalia finds herself looking for the right words, knowing well that she's treading on a sensitive issue.
Foxtrot looks up and directly at his sibling, his tone rather stern, "Wandering the streets? Playing part time street performer while waiting for a contract to appear?" Nivalia breaks eye contact, her ear flicking a bit. The unicorn lets out a small sigh, continuing with a much calmer tone. "I'm sorry. I've already tried Niv; I filled out the paperwork but they still said no. My time as a guard is done." Foxtrot looks back at his glass, "I can't really blame them..." He becomes silent, the pony's gaze becoming more distant.
Nivalia leans back on her seat, not liking the direction of the conversation. Her ears do perk up when she gets an idea though, the mare manages to keep a relaxed facade over her growing excitement. "Hey, do you remember when we were kids..." A smile begins to form on her face, "And we would pull pranks all the time?"
A small trickle of a grin appears on Foxtrot's face as he remembers their past shenanigans, "Yea I do. Why?"
"Let's do one today, right now!" Nivalia answers, "Not on anypony we don't know. Last thing we need is to get in trouble; I doubt our adorableness would let us get away this time."
Foxtrot raises a hoof, "Whoa there! Speak for yourself." He lies back, crossing his hooves with a smug look, "I'm still adorable as hay if you ask me."
"It's funny that I wasn't asking." Nivalia retorts. She shakes her head to stay on track, "How about a challenge? The first to get five random ponies to hoof bump them wins. But, there's a catch."
"Isn't there always?" Foxtrot asks, his sly demeanor fading with a roll of his eyes. "What is it?"
Now with the upper hoof, Nivalia gets up, "Get your things, we have to go shopping for a few things first." Grabbing her knapsack, the mare starts a brisk trot down the street, Caprica herself beginning to look around as the python herself is a bit caught off guard.
Foxtrot immediately gets up, almost knocking his chair over as he slings over his backpack, guitar, and sword. Once his things are secured, he follows his sister to what he knows he'll be regretting later on.