Key Gear

Key watched both Dawn Rider and Asteria out of the corner of her eye as she continued to work. She was ecstatic, and she was really looking forward to shocking the cook with how well lunch had gone. Key turned her head to stare when Dawn Rider carried plates out two at a time. After that, because of her request for help, he dived into cleaning with an enthusiasm that Key couldn't quite begin to match. It seemed as though the task was familiar to him. In both cleaning and in serving the food, the pegasus had been both quick and efficient. She didn't know much about him, but she was certain that he had to be some kind of athletic pony. She shook her head as she thought about her observation. Join the crowd... There's already a couple of athletes on this train. On further consideration, Key's thoughts continued. We'll have a race when we get to Los Pegasus. I'll take bets or something... I wonder who's fastest. Key's sensitive ears picked up the sound of Dawn's rumbling stomach. She took the opportunity to poke fun at him. "Yeah, Dawn, you should really tell your stomach to keep the noise down, I'm trying to think." While she was talking, she grabbed a fruit sandwich, put it on a plate, and gave it to Dawn Rider, along with a glass of cider. "Maybe this'll help? I'll get something for myself in a few. I think you needed a break more than me." She took a look at the kitchen. There were just a few, small things that were still out of place. She started on them while she continued speaking to Dawn Rider. "I kinda think that you did most of the work in here actually. You worked in a kitchen before? You didn't seem to sure about those sandwiches, so I'm guessing that you weren't a cook?" The kitchen door opened, and Dusky entered, grabbed a plate with a vegetable sandwich on it, added a glass of water, and then left, carefully balancing his plate. Key gawked. "Wow... He's... He's pretty quiet for such a big, awkward pony." She took a moment to think about something, and then she seemingly dismissed the thought. "Dawn, are you any good at athletic stuff?" Each time Vim interrupted her, Ambrosia grew more frustrated and embarrassed. She never even considered that the conductor was just toying with her. His appearance and his remarks had been timed perfectly to distress her. She was particularly upset because she had finally begun to understand and appreciate Electrobolt's situation, and now Vim was unintentionally destroying the moment. Ambrosia was relieved when it seemed that Vim was departing. In her mind, she was already preparing an apology for Electrobolt. It was her impulsive hug that had really been the start of the situation. Ambrosia blinked. Vim's remarks were certainly odd, but she caught on quickly. At that point, she'd had quite enough of the entire situation. Too emotionally exhausted to be any more embarrassed than she already was, she sat, completely miserable, while the conductor finished his statement. This was not what she had intended to happen at all, and this really wasn't the note that she had intended to end her conversation with Electrobolt on. Vim had made her look like a rather silly filly. After Vim left, Ambrosia looked at Electrobolt with a plainly sad expression. She was sorry that he had joined her on the receiving end of Vim's odd personality. The hug took Ambrosia by surprise, and she let her sadness fade away, smiling instead. She had expected Electrobolt to be too embarrassed to be bothered with her after Vim's remarks. Instead, the colt had allowed Vim's statements to enter into one ear and out the other one. She hugged him back, savoring the moment for what it was, a continuation of her earlier gesture and a statement that Electrobolt held nothing against her. She also took his hug to mean that, in fact, he had accepted her offer of friendship. After all, he could have hastily followed Vim to the dining car rather than staying behind to reassure her. "Actually..." She was interrupted when the door to the next passenger car opened, for the second time. This time, Dusky stood in the doorway for a moment, glancing cooly from one to the other. Ambrosia squinted back at the engineer. It was highly unusual for Dusky to be anywhere but the train engine while the train was in motion. Mercifully, he decided to ignore the two of them completely and he entered the dining car. The cook's eyes followed him suspiciously. After Dusky had departed, Ambrosia took a deep breath. "Electrobolt, I think you're right. We really should go ahead and get something to eat. We should also keep an eye on Dusky while we're at it..." She started to enter the dining car but paused again. "Oh... And... Thank you for that hug. I guess this sounds silly, but I really needed it." She grinned, determined to shed her earlier mood. "Now, I think we'll be best friends forever, right? Vim can say all the crazy things he wants." With those words, Ambrosia entered the dining car and made her way to the kitchen. Immediately on entering the dining car, Ambrosia saw that somepony had already taken the time to put out the plates containing the sandwiches. Not only that, but drinks had been placed as well. She was impressed. The sandwiches all looked rather neatly put together, and the variety on display was wonderful to see. Asteria, Key, and Dawn Rider had done an excellent job. She paused to glare disapprovingly at Vim before she took in the sight of the rest of the passengers. To her surprise, Dusky had taken up a seat across from one of the newer passengers, Ice Storm. Lapis and Asteria were seated with Springer and Dawn at another table. From what Ambrosia could tell, whatever the conversation was, it was not an altogether pleasant one. She would have to wait until later to thank Asteria for the wonderful job that she had done. She didn't see Key Gear or Dawn Rider, so she assumed that they were still busy in the kitchen. For the moment, Ambrosia decided that she needed to keep an eye on Dusky. She motioned to Electrobolt to join her at the table across from the engineer. After she took a seat, she spoke to Electrobolt, just loudly enough so that only he would hear. "Hey, Electrobolt... I've never actually seen Dusky join the passengers for lunch right after starting the train. I think that he might be doing something odd. Just like he did yesterday, with Magicon? We should probably keep an eye on this. Ummm, but if you went to grab sandwiches and drinks from the kitchen that would make us sorta blend in. Just tell them that I'll be back there in a few moments... I'll keep my ears on Dusky for now. I really don't think Vim's paying attention. He never really does when Dusky's concerned." The train was in motion. From his area in the train engine, Dusky watched the terrain fly by as the train smoothly picked up speed. Normally, it was at such a time as this that he would allow himself a wide smile. Even after all of the years that he had spent working aboard trains, Dusky loved the feel of the mechanisms in motion. Trains were, in the scheme of things, simple machines, but there was something in their function that he felt oddly endearing. However, he wasn't smiling. In fact, his face had returned to the same humorless frustration that it had first expressed when Vim entered the train engine. The source of his agitation was Dawn. More specifically, it was the book that he was certain she had left. It was, in every way, identical to the book that he himself had stored in that location, but he was certain that it wasn't the same. It couldn't be. The room had been set perfectly. Surely, somepony had taken the first book. Then, Dawn had planted the second one. It was the only logical possibility for why the annoying unicorn had appeared when she did. Dusky grimaced. If he had the use of his magic, then it would be a simple matter to determine the truth. He knew the appropriate spell to use, he knew exactly how it could be cast. He would have instantly been able to determine the right way to approach the problem. He left his position and went to retrieve the small black tome from the floor where he had left it. Blank pages. His own trick was now being used to make a mockery of him. Despite his desire to remain in the train engine, Dusky knew that he needed to discern the truth of the current situation. But, lacking magic, he would require the services of a unicorn. He quickly reflected on the passengers that he was familiar with. Magicon? Dusky sniffed. He was certain that the red unicorn would relish the chance to deny assistance. Asteria? Dusky knew, immediately, that enlisting her help would create the possibility of information leaking to Lapis. Lapis was a curious pony, it was better to leave him in the shadows for the moment. Asking Dawn was completely out of the question. If the book was fake, and she was the one that had planted it, then she should have every reason to deceive him. He hated the entire situation, but there was only one thing that he could reasonably do. He would need to check among the newer passengers for a unicorn of some level of skill. With a sigh, he accepted that this meant that he would need to join the passengers for lunch, it was the best chance that he would have of seeing all of the new passengers in a single place. He stored the book in a safe location, out of reach and out of sight of normal ponies. Then, he left the train engine. With his head held high, Dusky kept his eyes open for stray passengers as he made his way to the dining car. He stopped, only briefly, to peer at Ambrosia and Electrobolt in the hall outside of the dining car. He continued after a slight delay, they were both unimportant ponies. Right now, he had an objective that required neither of them. On entering the dining car, he quickly took stock of the room. With disappointment, he realized that there was only one unicorn that he was not already familiar with, a rather unassuming looking icy mare seated by herself at a table not far from the kitchen. Dusky raised an eyebrow. Based on what he had heard of Ambrosia's lunches, it was unusual for a passenger to find themselves seated at a table alone. With a small smile, Dusky reflected that the probable reason for this was that somepony else was running the lunchtime meal. Mostly out of curiosity, Dusky decided to poke into the kitchen and see who it was. While, ostensibly, entering the kitchen for a snack, he observed that it was Key Gear and a pegasus that he was unfamiliar with. He left the kitchen with his plate in his mouth and his glass balanced carefully on top. He placed both at Ice Storm's table, with care. Then, before sitting down, he introduced himself. "Hello, my name is Dusky Coal. I'm actually the train's engineer. I hope you don't mind, but I would like to join you for lunch." He made the assumption that the unicorn would be eager for company, and he sat immediately across from her. He took a bite from his vegetable sandwich. Dusky's tall, dark form towered over the unicorn mare, but he smiled charmingly as he continued talking, his soft sleepy voice carrying the strong hint of friendliness. "Might I be so bold as to inquire what your name is? And... Again, if you excuse my curiousity, I can't help but notice your frigid appearance? Are you from the northern areas of Equestria by chance?" Dawn's thoughts circulated in the brief moments before Springer's researcher friend took a seat across from her. Springer's behavior and Lapis's sudden interest in her all seemed relatively odd. Dawn's thoughts immediately went back to the earlier incident, where she had healed Springer from his illness. She wondered if, perhaps, Lapis was interested in knowing more about the spell. Her smile grew friendlier. She would be happy to talk about this. Dawn's smile grew strained, and her enthusiasm completely dissipated. This wasn't how she had expected the conversation to begin. This wasn't the way that a conversation was supposed to begin if it would be about her healing spell. She nodded in acknowledgement of Lapis's introduction, but she no longer felt welcoming towards Lapis's questions. She glanced to her side to see Springer, but the pegasus was maintaining an almost expressionless face. Dawn leaned back in her seat at the mention of a note, and her smile completely faded. Why was this being brought up to her? What could Lapis have possibly known that caused him to think that she was involved in the note? It didn't make any sense. Lapis's mention of her backstory was greeted by a frown. If Lapis was really a researcher, just asking questions for his research, then such a personal question seemed out of place. For a second time, she glanced at Springer, and, again, she noted that he was completely expressionless. She began to feel trapped... Dawn's mouth dropped open in the face of the barrage of questions. In particular, her eyes shot wildly wide when the question of her care of Springer arose. Just absorbing those questions was so distracting that she barely even registered the fact that Lapis asked her the only question that she had originally anticipated, the question about the spell. She was stunned. She didn't understand what she had done to warrant this kind of attention being focused on her. Absentmindedly, she considered urging Springer to move so that she could leave her seat and the dining car, but Lapis's next words refocused her attention. At the mention of Magicon's name and his ability, Dawn froze and her growing sense of panic froze as well. Her thoughts zeroed in on the name, Magicon. When she had met him, earlier that day, the encounter had gone poorly for her. To Dawn, it had seemed that a normal greeting had turned into a somewhat tense confrontation, and it had only been because she knew his name. Magicon didn't trust her. He wasn't a friend. Now, it was obvious to her. Magicon was the one behind this turn of events. He had detected her magic and jumped to conclusions, wrong ones. For whatever reason, the red unicorn had some grudge against her. Now, he was trying to turn both Lapis and Springer against her. When Lapis and Springer had initially began their confrontation, she was certain that she had done something, unintentionally, to antagonize them. Now, she knew that this wasn't the case. Instead, it had to be Magicon, testing her and challenging her. Perhaps, Lapis was participating as well, but she felt that Springer was probably just as neutral as he seemed. Now, knowing this, she had a plan of action. She steeled herself. She would not allow Magicon to win and to humiliate her. She decided to carefully answer all of Lapis's questions. She wanted the earth pony's trust, but she also wanted to demonstrate the flaw's in allowing Magicon's opinion of her to sway their thoughts and actions. Clearing her throat, she then spoke, conveying each word clearly and plainly just as she had when speaking to Magicon earlier in the day. It was a technique that allowed her to mask and control her agitation. Thinking fast, she decided to maintain her frowning expression. A smile, after her earlier reaction, would have seemed far too out of place. "Well... To all of that, I intend to say what you want me to say - the truth. I am not certain about the note in Springer's room, but I do know that something happened in Springer's room. That's why I went there, just to check on him. I saw that everything was fine, so I left. That's all. I don't know anything about any mysterious notes. Why should I? I'm just a medical pony, that's all. I came from Canterlot. I arrived in Ponyville as a student transferred from Canterlot, which is where I was studying magic, healing magic. Other than that, there's not much to my story. I have been having some memory problems myself, lately, but I can take care of those, myself. I don't need any help. I think I've always been forgetful." Dawn turned to look at the source of the interruption. Glancing from Asteria to Lapis and back again, her eyes twinkled for a moment before they returned to their normal appearance. It was immediately clear to her that both ponies cared a great deal for each other. The affection in Asteria's voice was clearly evident, as was the consideration that Lapis bestowed to the younger pony. In her mind, Dawn reasoned that Asteria was, to Lapis, much like her cats were to her. As if on cue, Lapis introduced the younger pony. "I'm certain that she is quite capable." Dawn remarked considerately, returning a small smile to her face. "Now, as I was saying... I took the job of caring for Springer for two reasons. First, I felt certain and I feel certain that this is what I am meant to do. I have to care for Springer. For the second reason, I was asked by the train's conductor. What else should I have done?" She shrugged and grinned. "I'm sorry. If you are expecting some deeper motivation, I don't have it. I am just what I seem to be, nothing more and nothing less." "I'm a medical pony. Now... The spell that I cast on Springer was basically a powerful spell to break a spell that had been cast on him previously. The spell that he had been under was one that I think I recognized from my studies in Canterlot. I only think that I recognized it, because I thought that the symptoms seemed familiar. He seemed like he was lost and drifting further away. Adrift like a boat in a storm, I think. With my own magic, I could sense this. The spell had tried to 'borrow' him or his thoughts, but whoever had cast it was interrupted or something before they could finish. Because of this, he was wasting away. It was like not putting the top on a bottle of water." Clearly in her element, Dawn gathered confidence as she spoke, directing her full attention to Lapis. "He'll be fine. My spell should have no long-lasting effects, but his recovery won't be instant. It will take time for his strength to return, and even then..." Dawn trailed off as she considered something that Lapis had mentioned, earlier. "You say that he's been having problems with nightmares? Were they nightmares or were they memories? Because, if they were memories, then this might be a memory that was lost in the original spell? I need to know more about the symptoms before I can make a diagnoses. However... Really..." Dawn's face grew serious. "All of this is pointless if you don't trust me. I don't know what Magicon has told you about me, but I promise you, I'm a good pony. I'm here to keep Springer safe, no matter what happens. That's what I was asked to do, and that's what I'm going to do. None of you can stop me. As for your associate's ability to sense magic. If he's so fantastic, then why didn't he sense the spell that was put on Springer? Also... Why isn't he here to ask me questions himself? Why did he send you and this filly, Lapis? I'm not afraid of Magicon. If he wants to confront me, then he shouldn't send others. He should come to me, himself. He shouldn't be afraid of me." Dawn glanced at Asteria for a moment and then back to Lapis. "Just another thing... This is really something that is about magic. I think that this is why you mentioned Magicon's ability to me? Well. Magicon seems like he knows a lot about magic. Maybe you should ask him to join us? I know that Asteria is capable, but if you really are suspicious of my magic usage, then a seasoned unicorn would be better able to ask the right question, don't you think? Lapis, you are intelligent, I think, but... You probably aren't as familiar with magic as Magicon is. Why don't you ask him to join us? I would like to talk to him." Dawn smiled broadly. Vim winced as the mare stumbled over his name and stuttered. One of the things that he disliked about being a conductor was the fact that it was harder to just walk in and casually blend in with the passengers. His appearance didn't help matters much. He was fully aware that he looked somewhat intimidating. It was something that he always tried to downplay, because it had never done him any favors in a social situation. The mare's primary thought was sleep? Vim managed to limit his amusement to a slight twinkle in his eye, but he thought to himself that he now knew the reason that Dusky had offered her a free train ticket. This was plainly a mare after the gloomy and sleepy engineer's own heart. He nodded in appreciation of her thanks and wondered how familiar she was with Dusky. The sound of familiar voices drew Vim's attention to the table in front of his own. With a studious expression, Vim watched the exchange between Dawn, Springer, and Lapis. His observation was only interrupted by the sight of Asteria placing drinks at every table and Dawn Rider carrying platters of sandwiches. At first, he was surprised, but the smell and the visual quality of the sandwiches eased his concerns. It was around this time that Dusky entered the dining car. Vim watched the engineer with some curiosity. Then, he watched the entirety of the dining car. Even in his younger years, he had been an expert observer of ponies. In his older years, he had refined the habit into an artform. While he enjoyed the sandwich that had been placed in front of him, Vim's eyes scanned the dining car. He had a lot to observe. He only interrupted his vigil to smile and wave at Ambrosia when she glared at him.

Marco. I applaud your creativity and your imagination, but this never happened.

Wut is this... Well... I was commanded to join... It looks quite nifty, so I'm in. =D Here's a pic of my OC. For some others, you can check my profile. =P

He wasn't very good at picking up the nuances in the speech of others, especially those from a total stranger. Because of this, Springer completely missed the emotional subtlety in Wind Dancer's response. Instead, he replied matter-of-factly, "That's unfortunate, because lunch will be pleasant." Again, the emotional subtlety was not Springer's forté. He did think that, perhaps, there was something unusual in her demeanor, but he filed the observation away until a later time. Instead, he focused on the words that she had uttered. It only took a moment's thought to discover the inefficiency in them, but he allowed the pegasus pony to continue to speak, uninterrupted. Something irked Springer, and for a few seconds, he was not able to form a response as he tried to figure what it was that had affected him. He gave up and decided to disregard the thought entirely. Instead, his eyes wandered to the scar on Wind Dancer's wing. He winced. The thought of such a lingering injury was painful for him to even contemplate. Still, he had to disregard his immediate reaction. Despite being on leave, he considered himself to still be a somewhat-active assistant conductor. He felt that, in this moment and with this passenger, he was obligated to do his job. One of the primary functions of his job was to make passengers aware of the rules of the train. In this case, Springer realized, she expected to pay but... The food was free. The pegasus puzzled over how to explain this efficiently. He'd never encountered a passenger with this exact problem before. After a few moments of thought, he believed that he had the right approach. "Ummm... Wind Dancer... I know that you aren't very hungry right now, but there is something that you should be aware of. The meals are included with the cost of your ticket." He paused for a moment and then decided to further explain. "You don't need to purchase food. It is available for all passengers, without further cost. And... Being alone is not a terribly efficient way to enjoy a train's journey. You should make the most of your time. Come and join the ponies in the dining car. You'll enjoy it, I think." Springer smiled. Suddenly, Springer looked around. He had been so distracted by Wind Dancer's problem that he had completely lost track of the time. He flapped his wings in agitation, and he dearly hoped that Dawn had not yet made her way into the dining car. Speaking calmly despite his sudden realization, Springer addressed Wind Dancer. "You'll have to excuse me, Wind Dancer, I'm late for something." Without a further word, Springer darted to the door dividing the parlor and dining cars and made his way to the the table where he saw Magicon seated. Before taking a seat, Springer took a glance around the room. Dawn wasn't there. A sense of relief flooded over him, and it was palpable in his voice as he spoke, lowering it to avoid being overheard. "Hello, everyone... Ummm... My apologies for the momentary delay, I think that we are all just about ready to proceed? I think that... I think that I have an appropriate method for approaching Dawn when she arrives. It is rather crowded here, actually, so I rather doubt that my strategy of waiting for her to come to us will work. We will need to go to her, most likely, to prevent her from becoming distracted..." When he looked away, blushing with embarrassment, the silent reaction spoke volumes to Ambrosia. Her suspicion had been that Key Gear and Electrobolt were two young troublemakers, hiding their intentions behind the guise of a make-believe familial relationship. His reaction, almost immediate, challenged and overcame her suspicion. If he had said nothing else, she was at least certain that Key and Electrobolt were brother and sister, but Electrobolt spoke. She raised an eyebrow when Electrobolt mentioned that it would seem unbelievable. After all of the unusual occurrences that had already taken place on the train, she was quite certain that she was ready to believe just about anything, particularly with Trixie involved. What she mostly wanted to do was to observe. If Electrobolt was cagey or ambiguous, then that was what she would use to discern both his and Key's trustworthiness. Ambrosia was unsurprised that Bolt hadn't known that Key was his sister at the time. It fit with her own perceptions, and as Bolt spoke about the item that Key suspected Trixie of stealing. Ambrosia nodded. She had already gathered that information from a conversation with Detective Daylight on the previous day. In that conversation, she had offered to help keep an eye on both Electrobolt and Key. Now, she reflected, it seemed as though she was fulfilling her promise to the detective, for better or for worse. When she had happened upon both Key and Electrobolt in Trixie's room on the previous day, Ambrosia had already been fairly certain of what happened, but the reasoning for their actions had been completely unknown to her. Now, thanks to Electrobolt, she knew. Key hadn't gone to the room to steal things or to get a thrill. Instead, the filly had gone into Trixie's room to simply retrieve what was hers. Still, it was wrong to have done so without talking to a train crew member, first, but Ambrosia could see Key's perspective now. Being a pony of her word, Ambrosia could also sympathize with Electrobolt's plight. Regardless of his own thoughts on Key's plan, his earlier offer had prohibited him from doing anything else. Even if it hadn't been a promise, outright, an offer was an offer. If he had alerted the train crew instead, then that could have reasonably been considered by Key to be a betrayal, ruining their friendship. The fact that he was honest enough to follow through on his offer of assistance was, to Ambrosia, a good thing. It was what his word had gotten him into that she was still not entirely certain of. She thought about it for a few moments. If she had given her own word to help somepony and then it turned out that this help required her to do something questionable, then what would she have done. With an internal sigh, she resigned herself to a single thought - at some point, a line always had to be drawn. Her thoughts were interrupted when Electroboblt shivered. She thought she knew why. On the previous day, she had seen a certain darkness in Trixie's room. It had been clearing out by the time she reached the room, but what little of it she had seen was more than enough to convince her of the danger that the younger ponies had been in. Perhaps fueled by having heard Lapis's stories earlier in the day, she had imagined at that time, that the darkness was some kind of trap. Her thought, that the darkness had been the result of a trap, was confirmed. Trixie was a clever and fairly malevolent unicorn, so Ambrosia wasn't surprised by this at all. It was the mention of a voice that surprised her. What kind of trap could speak? When she noticed that Electrobolt shivered again, she felt sorry for him. Whatever the voice had been and whatever it had said, it had deeply affected Electrobolt. Ambrosia felt guilty. Her own suspicions were completely addressed at this point. There was really no need to force Electrobolt to go and dredge up painful experiences. She started to tell him this, to let him know that it was ok, but he had already continued. His words were electrifying. The voice... It had sounded the same as Dusky's whispered threat. It was Ambrosia's turn to shiver, because this simple revelation frightened her. It frightened her because it implied something, something horrific. The train had been searched for Dusky on the previous day, but the unicorn had remained missing. She had possessed an eerie feeling during the entire duration of that search, a feeling that something wasn't right, and Trixie's room had been one of the few rooms that had gone unsearched. Lapis had stopped her from opening the door when he observed a strange light emanating from beneath it. Now, the thought occurred to her. Perhaps, Dusky had been there the entire time, waiting for somepony to enter. What if he had been laying a trap? As Electrobolt continued, Ambrosia felt a sinking feeling. Her head spun. How could this voice, so strange and anonymous have known anything about the pasts of the two younger ponies? How could it have known that Key Gear was Electrobolt's sister? If it had been a trap, then it seemed that Electrobolt and Key had been the intended victims. Her eyes went wildly wide when Electrobolt mentioned that something had tried to eat him. Her thoughts were frozen, and she felt queasy. If Daylight had been just a moment too late in saving them, then what would have happened to Electrobolt? She shuddered, and a question emerged on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn't find a way to give voice to it. Her own surprise was too great. When Electro had warned her that what he said would seem unbelievable, his words had been an understatement. She struggled to come to terms with what she was hearing. She wanted to know what exactly was it that had tried to eat Electro, but at the same time, she was afraid of the answer. More dreams... The fur on Ambrosia's neck started to stand. It reminded her of something, something that she had hoped should never be reminded of. Realizing that she was almost certainly beginning to look extremely worried, Ambrosia looked away for a moment and took a few deep breaths. When she looked back, she maintained a completely composed expression, only her eyes betraying the emotion that lied beneath them. At this point, neither the fact that Key was a thief or the earlier incident in the parlor concerned her, and Ambrosia spoke hesitantly, she was still shaken by all of the revelations. "Electrobolt... I... I'm sorry for doubting you. I just didn't have... I had no idea... And, everything that you've said... It is unbelievable, just like you said... But. I believe you..." She took a deep breath before continuing. She needed to get control of her thoughts, and she also wanted to be careful. As unlikely as it seemed, there was always the possibility that the dreams were only dreams and nothing more. If it was Dusky, then he had been prudent. There was absolutely no way that she could do much about Electrobolt's information without first gathering some more evidence that Dusky was somehow responsible, and she didn't know exactly how to go about it. She would need to speak to somepony first, probably Lapis. Vim would certainly hear nothing of it. She spoke again. She didn't allow the silence to go on for very long. "I completely believe you, and... What you've told me clears all of my doubts. Electrobolt, I can see now that you're a good pony, honest and hardworking. Key... She may be a thief, but I believe you when you say that she only stole what she needed. I don't think that I need to worry about the kitchen." Despite her worries, Ambrosia laughed a bit. The thought of Key making a mess of Ambrosia's kitchen by raiding the stores was silly, in retrospect. The filly was certainly not gluttonous. When she continued speaking, she spoke with practiced calm. She spoke to Electrobolt much as she would have spoken to a foal, reassuring him despite her own tumultuous thoughts. Now that she had brought his memories back to the surface with her actions, Ambrosia wanted to undo any of the damage that she had potentially caused. It wasn't right that Electrobolt should be fearful because of something that she had caused him to remember by doubting his truthfulness. She also hoped that her soothing words would filter from Electrobolt to Key. She didn't want either of them to take action until she had managed to make sense of some of the things that Electrobolt had told her. She cleared her throat and smiled. "And, Bolt, forget about the parlor car, you didn't know any better and... I don't think that it's something you should beat up on yourself for, since you figured things out pretty quickly... Hmmm... Thanks to the voice... About that voice, you know, dreams... They don't always work in ways that make sense. There is a possibility that maybe the voice was just something in a dream? Maybe it didn't have anything to do with Dusky and the resemblance was just coincidental? It could be that you heard Dusky earlier in the day and his voice just stuck in your memory?" "I have strange dreams all of the time. I try not to think too much about them, because they're all just dreams, they can't hurt you, and you know what? That thing in Trixie's room really was probably just a dream. There wasn't much space in that train car for something that was big enough to eat a pony. It was probably just an illusion caused by the trap that was set off by opening that container. It makes a lot of sense, if you think about it. Maybe the illusion somehow caused you to hear things that you may have already known without knowing that you knew? If you lost touch with Key when you were both much younger, than you'd have memories of each other, they just wouldn't be easy to recall." "Yesterday, Lapis told me a story about a container, a type of vase or something. When he tried to inspect it... Something happened to him that was actually quite similar to what happened to you. He was frozen in place, and he saw visions. This doesn’t mean that there was no real danger. Lapis said that the thing he found might have killed him... But what I'm trying to say is that magic is unpredictable. We're just earth ponies, so there's a lot about magic that we don't understand. It could have all been one of Trixie's traps, and it would have been hard to find out otherwise." She hoped that it didn't seem like she was trying too hard to allay his worries. In truth, she doubted her very words, but without proof to the contrary, everything she said was just as plausible as any other possible explanation. Sincerely and comforting, she smiled at Electrobolt. "Don't worry, Electrobolt! I think that we should probably get on to lunch, but... Well, I know a lot about dreams, so if anything else comes up, I'm a good pony to talk to about them. I also want to let you know that I really do apologize for doubting you, and... If you ever need a friend, you can consider me to be one." Her words had ended the conversation, and she was ready to return to the kitchen, but she hesitated. Before he had spoken to her, Ambrosia wasn't sure what she thought about the new assistant conductor. He had seemed to be sincere, but that had done nothing to ease her concerns. His sister's boldness, in exclaiming what she was and what her intentions were, had rubbed Ambrosia the wrong way. Because of this, Ambrosia hadn't known quite what to expect when she confronted him. Now that she had heard what he had to say, she found herself feeling protective towards both him and his sister. They weren't bad ponies after all. Indeed, there was every appearance that they themselves had been victims. Ambrosia had apologized twice and she had offered her friendship, but she still didn't quite think that her words were enough. Acting on instinct, she stopped her retreat into the dining car, turned to Electrobolt and, after an apologetic smile for the randomness of the moment, embraced him, a hug given by a friend. Vim left the baggage car and made his way into the second passenger car. Once there, he stopped for a few moments, savoring the feeling of a train in motion. While these passenger cars were quite silent, compared to those on his old train, just the feeling of the train moving beneath his hooves was more than enough to recall the beloved click-clack of a train in progress. He could also recall the sense of adventure that would so often accompany his journeys to faraway places. While he was there, his mind went back to something that had been preoccupying him for the duration of the afternoon. Only rarely did Vim join the passengers for a meal, but with so many new passengers on board, he was strongly inclined to do so. He had fully intended to join the other passengers for dinner on the previous night, but the engineer's disappearance had precluded that possibility entirely. It was now a new day, and everything seemed to be going well. There was really nothing else for him to do, so Vim decided to make his way to the dining car. Feeling rather chipper, Vim trotted to the door leading to the second passenger car and opened it fairly swiftly. Unexpectedly, he both heard and felt the soft dull thud of the door making contact with something. Because his hoof was securely on the handle, Vim didn't need to worry about the door bouncing back at him, but the feeling and sound had both been unexpected. When he took a look around the door to see what it had hit, there was nothing there; instead, he was sure that he heard a faint crackling sound. Vim was, at that moment, both confused and curious. He looked around carefully, hoping to see if there was some stray animal or pony lying around. After a few more minutes, a potential source for the disturbance revealed itself; a loud hiss was heard behind him. Turning around, Vim saw a rather large steel grey cat. The conductor frowned impressively, and in irritation, he remarked to the cat. "Alright, that's three of you that she's got. There'd better not be too many more. You know, this is a train that I'm running, not a zoo, and make no mistake, I'm running it. Look. If you have a problem with me, there's plenty of room in Dawn's luggage to fit you in." Sensing the spirit if not the meaning of the words, the cat quieted down and went on about its business. Vim shook his head and then continued on his way. The next passenger car held its own surprises. Mindful of cats onboard, Vim opened the door to passenger car three with both more caution and less sound. He stopped halfway when he caught sight of his cook and assistant conductor exchanging a hug. With one eyebrow raised, he appraised the situation for a second before making himself known. Speaking completely nonchalantly, Vim broke the silence while he was still standing in the open doorway. "You know, there's a few things that I like to see on a train crew. Crew should get along, get to know each other, and get stuff done. Two out of three isn't bad, right?" The moment Vim had started talking, Ambrosia's eyes had shot wide open and taken in the sight of both Vim and his expressionless face. By the time that he had finished speaking, she had scrambled out of the hug. She had already been under pressure to mask her reaction to the information that Electrobolt had just shared with her. The conductor's sudden appearance shattered her efforts. Now her concern about the present situation mixed freely with her other worries. Too shaken to stand to her hooves, Ambrosia found a sitting position by Electrobolt. She tried to hastily rattle off an explanation. "Well Vim, we were just talking about dreams and family and..." Vim cut in brusquely. "I like family, that's fine. Dreaming about family is fine too. I don't really care what you were doing." Ambrosia blushed. "I just want to know one thing, that's all." The cook braced herself as Vim paused for a moment to look over his shoulder, into the second passenger car. After shutting the door, he turned back towards her and Electrobolt. "So. If you two are here. No passengers are in the hall... Then, the passengers are in the dining car? Who's serving lunch and looking after the passengers?" Ambrosia blinked. Caught up in her conversation with Electrobolt, she had managed to completely forget about lunch. She stuttered out a reply. "W-well I told..." Vim interrupted, more gently this time. "No kidding? Well, I'm fine with that. Just as long as someone's taking care of it. Passengers fixing meals for passengers isn't a crime. Really, I think it should happen more often. Next time let me know if we're gonna have a guest cook, alright? Anyway, I look forward to seeing what they've cooked up." He started for the door to the dining car, seemingly no longer interested in either the cook or the assistant conductor. He stopped right before opening the door though and turned to Electrobolt. With a completely serious face, Vim spoke fairly cryptically. "Electrobolt, Ambrosia's a good pony, great cook, and an earth pony. That's not too bad to have around, you know? Still, you're a pretty young colt, you haven't seen to much yet, right? I think you should keep yourself focused more on the long term. See you two at lunch." Before either pony could respond, Vim opened the door to the dining car, slipped in, and shut it behind him. No longer able to contain himself, he grinned widely. The truth was that he had immediately figured that there was nothing amiss with the two ponies. Ambrosia was a level headed mare, and Electrobolt was a level headed colt. He trusted that they were both reasonable ponies, but actually, that was what had made the opportunity for some small mischief too hard to resist. It had been too long since he'd given Ambrosia a hard time. The cook was, despite her claims and appearances to the contrary, just as bad as Springer was sometimes. Worse, Vim thought, when it was a question of supplies. She took inventory several times per day, and she was frighteningly fast at it. Her efficiency had made it nearly impossible for him to sneak an apple out of the kitchen at odd hours. Her seriousness when on duty was only marred by her habit of being lightheaded at unpredictable times. He often wondered what trespass he had committed to be stuck with such a serious train crew. That was generally when he remembered that he himself had hoof picked them all. Right after that was generally when he remembered that he was a serious pony himself, except for when he wasn't. Vim's fiery auburn eyes surveyed the dining car. He was a larger stallion than most, with a still vibrant but tired red coat and fading mane of rusty red that had once been a rich dark-red hue. Despite being in his late 60s, he gave off the energy of a pony that was significantly younger. Surveying the room, seeing all of the passengers, Vim was excited by the prospect of joining them for lunch. It had been years since he had been able to join passengers for lunch instead of grabbing a meal to go or just joining in for dinner. Reassuringly, the room smelled strongly of various fruits. Vim figured that Ambrosia had probably left lunch in safe hooves. He took account of the room. There were 6 tables, 3 along each side of the aisle, and each one could fit 4 ponies, fairly comfortably. At a table in the middle of the room, on Vim's left, Magicon, Springer, Lapis, and Arcanel had all gathered. At one of the tables closest to the kitchen, on his right, Ice Storm was seated by herself. At one of the tables furthest away from the kitchen, on his left, Flow and Alex were seated. Two tables were empty, the table across the way from Ice Storm and the table that was between Ice Storm's table and the table immediately on Vim's right. He had almost overlooked it. Seated at this table were two of the newer passengers, Maple and Summerfall, both earth pony mares. Without hesitation, Vim went to meet the two of them again, in a different setting. Taking a seat at their table, "Sorry to drop in on you both, but I'm actually going to be joining in for lunch. By the way, my name's Vim. Don't call me "Mr Conductor" or "sir" or "Mr Vim" or anything like that, just call me Vim." He laughed. "So, how are you two doing so far?" Key smiled and continued with the preparation work. Asteria's sandwich making wasn't very different from her own work, it wasn't the neatest handiwork but it was pretty fast. Before too much longer, Key was done cutting things up. She put her tool off to the side and turned around to survey the kitchen, it was a mess. Neither Asteria nor Key had cared much about neatness in their hurry to prepare food. As a direct result of this, everything but the sandwiches were messy. The sandwiches themselves, on the other hoof, looked remarkably well put together. Key's smile became a grin. Everything had turned out much better than she had expected. Now, there were vegetable sandwiches to go along with the fruit sandwiches. "I think that it's more than enough, great work Dawn Rider!" Stepping back to survey Dawn Rider and Asteria's work, Key nodded. "And, great work Asteria! Ambrosia may not be here, but I think that we're ready to serve lunch. There's no point in waiting around, really. All she's gonna do when she gets here is do the same thing that we could do right now." Without another word, Key left the kitchen to take a peek in the dining car. Surveying the tables, she did a quick count of the ponies present. She then popped back into the kitchen and started assembling platters with two sandwiches per pony while barking out orders. "Asteria, could you get some cups and fill them with water and cider. We could pass those out along with the sandwiches. I don't think we should let ponies choose the sandwiches, it'd be too hard to figure out who gets what. Easier to just give them these plates with two sandwiches each. Dawn Rider, could you just start carrying these platters out there. And, Asteria after you get the drinks poured, could you carry them out." She was really in her element. She hoped that the other two ponies didn't mind the fact that she was taking the lead. Key didn't actually like either giving orders or taking them, but she was eager to prove to Ambrosia that she wasn't just a thief. She would make sure that lunch went well, and... Key stopped and looked around... With a sigh, she realized that she would need to take the lead on cleaning up as well, probably just her and Dawn Rider. Asteria had the energy, but Key doubted that she would very much like to clean and she didn't want to irritate her new friend. Key sighed again. The cleaning would have to be fast, because she was certain that Ambrosia would want to cook something in addition to the sandwiches. "Uhh, Dawn Rider, could you help me to get this place pulled back into shape? I really don't want Ambrosia to come back and see a huge mess in here, especially because I bet she has more cooking to do. Asteria, you could probably keep an eye on the dining car, I think." Key quickly finished the last platter and started clearing the counter and arranging them along with their drinks. Then, she started the task of cleaning. Dawn had positioned herself outside of the door to the third passenger car. It was too tempting to listen in on Ambrosia and Electrobolt, so that's what she did. As far as she figured, it was a great way to learn more about the other ponies without needing to ask pesky questions or bother with unpredictable social situations. She used her invisibility spell to assure that she went undetected. At first, she thought that their conversation would be boring, but the mention of voices in dreams, strange threats, and revelations of new family members was far more interesting than she had counted on. Of particular interest to her was that Dusky's voice had been the one that Electrobolt had heard. To Dawn, it seemed indicative of something that she had been suspicious of, but her grasp of what that suspicion meant was still fuzzy. When Ambrosia started to speak, explaining away all of Bolt's fear, Dawn grew bored. It was time to move on. Armed with her newfound information, she decided to pay the engineer another visit and heckle him again. Dusky was such a serious pony, it was hard for her to resist bothering him. Still hidden, she trotted to passenger car two. She saw the door opening and she caught a glimpse of Vim's red fur, but the door was opened far too vast for her to do anything about it. Dawn's reflexes weren't very good. Even as she charged a spell to teleport, the door hit her soundly on the nose and sent her tumbling towards the wall behind the door. Her spell triggered just in time to avoid impact again the wall of the passenger car. The teleport transferred her into the caboose. Unfortunately, she had been airborne at the time she teleported and the train itself was moving at a fairly solid rate of speed. When she appeared in her destination, her scrambling hooves weren't enough to save her from a horizontal fall into the rear wall of the caboose. She hit the wall with a slam and then slid down slowly. After a few moments spent lying in an uncomfortable jumble, she recovered from the shock, detangled herself and staggered towards the door to the rear passenger car. She stopped just a second before entering and shook herself, trying to clear the haze from her mind and to cope with the residual feeling of injury from both the door and her fall. Feeling miserable, Dawn had the unfortunate realization that she had never quite figured out how to use her powerful healing magic on herself. She groaned piteously and muttered. "Medical pony, heal yourself..." Her horn started glowing and she focused her powerful magic on herself, but it was of no avail, Dawn gave up. Instead, she entered the last passenger car, went to her room and did her best to salvage her disheveled appearance. Mercifully, despite her miserable feeling, she didn't need any bandages or anything else. She was just slightly bruised, but none of that was visible above her blue fur. Dusky would wait. She decided to go to lunch instead. She left her room and, without stopping in the parlor car, went straight towards the dining car. On reaching her destination, she immediately noticed that there was an empty table on her left, between two other tables. With a smile and a sigh of relief, she entered and took a seat at the table, the seat closest to the window and furthest away from the earth ponies at the table furthest away from the parlor car and kitchen. It was right across from Springer's group, but distracted by her own thoughts, she didn't notice the pegasus. For his own part, Springer wasted no time in approaching her. He motioned for Lapis to join him, and he then signaled for Magicon and Arcanel to remain. He was certain that surrounding Dawn would be a poor and inefficient plan for extracting information. Instead, he decided to take a seat right next to her, preventing an easy exit if she became ill at ease. Then, as friendly as he could manage, Springer greeted her. "Hello Dawn, I'm really quite pleased to see that you're joining us. Would it be alright if my friend, Lapis, joined us? He might have a few questions though, because he's a researcher, of course." Dawn looked strangely at Springer, before recovering herself. "Sure! Why would I mind? That'd be great! Sitting here and eating by myself wouldn't be any fun anyway." She smiled at Springer.

Hullo Jonke, and... Good night, actually. But, it was good to wonder by you in this thread. xD Sorta similar to "old times", eh?

Ahhhh, you noticed. x_X Nah, not really... I do have insomnia. I can just lie there with a bunch of noise in my head and not sleep all night. Not fun.

You know Fox, in Marco's next stream, we should flood him with oldies. Oh God, I'd split my sides... I don't think he know much about this stuff. Speaking of which... Oh yeah... Just be careful... Once I start swinging the banhammer....

Yeah, but... I have a new motto!

Well. I've got you around all the time now, so maybe that's why I forgot~

Just paying a visit to say hullo to my peeps! :3 It's shameful... I actually forgot about the GCT. I was thinking to myself... "We need a chat thread." Fail. Crossed swords on a blue and green background. The swords would be something steampunkish or otherwise odd, gunblades for the win, I think. It'd have dual design, though. On the back, you'd flip the blue and green pattern and you'd have a pen and some wheat crossed. A balance of power and practicality.

Suddenly. Random turKey with old but glorious music!

Key's hatred of the outdoors had redoubled during just the few seconds that she had lied there in the mud. It doubled again when she felt something touch her fur. Probably a timberwolf. Which means I'm about to get eaten. I hope it chokes on me and dies. The grim thought echoed through her mind in a split second as she considered her options and realized that she had none. The element of surprise was gone. Her agility would be useless in the mud. Whatever it was had already made contact. She was in trouble, but she didn't care. Hopefully the end would be swift. Suddenly, it seemed that the creature was trying to help her to her hooves. Key looked up from the mud, and there, looking back at her was a stallion with a blue coat, similar to her own. His mane, however, was much darker than her own grey. She tried to make out his cutie mark, but, in the storm, she couldn't see it. Key was surprised. She had fully expected to be in serious trouble. Instead, she was the beneficiary of the unexpected kindness of a complete stranger. She opened her mouth to thank him, but another voice cut in and another pair of hooves arrived to help her up. Despite the terrible storm, Key couldn't help herself. She laughed, it was an abrupt laugh, quick and loud. It was her delayed reaction to the sense of relief in finding herself with two friendly ponies instead of being surrounded by hungry timberwolves. A sudden thunderclap drowned out her laughter and brought her attention back to the situation. "Right, yeah... Let's get over there. In the meantime, though, thank you both." She raised her voice to cut through the storm. Key heard the voice, but decided to not bother responding. She was starting to wonder. Her sense of paranoia told her that it was unusual for so many ponies to be gathered in the wilderness... It just seemed rather unusual at best. It was true that the storm was getting worse by the moment, but in the presence of so many other friendly ponies, Key didn't see the importance in dashing. She watched the other pony with a quizzical eye as she shot in the direction of the cottage and, presumably, into an open door. Key turned to speak to the stallion standing by. "Hey, it looks like somepony is home over there! Come on, let's get out of this rain!" In the darkness and the rain, the cottage's appearance was deceptive. It appeared simultaneously both larger and smaller than it really was, depending on the angle that it was approached at. In fact, it had once been a hotel. It had a number of rooms in it, though some of them were locked or empty. It also had a library, a den, and a rather large kitchen and dining room. It had a basement as well. Around the outside of the cottage, the area was rather unkept. It was just forest, in nearly every direction. There was no garden, no garden path, or anything else that might indicate that the building was inhabited. Misty smiled and responded courteously, "It's my pleasure, really. My name is Misty... I have to say, I can't even begin to imagine why any ponies are out in this storm. How in Equestria did you..." Before she could continue, another pony entered the scene, rather energetically. "Goodness!" She exclaimed, taking a step back from the open door and allowing it to blow around its hinges. "Well, then, what brings the both of you here?" She asked, while trying to work her way back to the door to shut it. Due to the wind, some of the elements of the weather were now making their way indoors. Her floor was getting soaked. She had finally made it to the door when yet another pony made a surprise entrance. With a squeak of surprise, Misty managed to sidestep the dashing pegasus and shut her door. "Goodness gracious! Are you alright? That was... Quick an entrance... Ummm, don't worry about the chair. So... What in Equestria are all of you ponies doing out here and... Are there any more outside?" Misty inquired with the strong sound of concern in her voice. A dull thud could be heard outside, it was far too dull for it to have been thunder. Misty thought about it for a moment but decided to disregard it. She figured that it was probably a piece of one of older trees, blown loose by the heavy winds. She breathed a sigh of relief, thankfully it hadn't hit a window. A knock at the door at the side of the house called Misty away. "Excuse me everypony, it seems like somepony else is in need of shelter! I'll be right back!" Misty ventured through the den and the kitchen, opening the side door there. "Hello there, oh do come in, you look positively drenched. I'm Misty, the owner of this cottage, what's your name?"

(OOC: DM Powers activate. I'm moving you both into the dining car. I really need to get the train moving now.) Both pegasus ponies boarded the train. In the empty baggage car, they were greeted by Dawn, an energetic blue unicorn. They introduced themselves to Dawn and then made their way towards the dining car. In passenger car three, they ran into the cook and Electrobolt. After exchanging greetings with them both, Ambrosia guided the two of them into the dining car for lunch. While there, they took a table for themselves, by one of the windows, across from where Summerfall was sitting alone. She took a deep breath. It was only because of Asteria's request to work with Key Gear that Ambrosia had decided to speak with Electrobolt then and there. In truth, she would much rather have pushed back both the questions and the doubts, but Asteria had really left her with no choice. The problem was that, earlier in the day, Ambrosia had explained everything about Electrobolt and Key to Vim. Now, her uncertainty surrounding this explanation was bothering her. When she made her report to Vim, she had been influenced by her own guilt for being so incendiary towards both Electro and his sister. Because of this, she had done her best to convince Vim that, in fact, Key's being a thief wasn't as bad as it sounded. She had also spoken, at length, about how she believed that, despite his sister's nature, Electro was still the best pony on board for the position of assistant conductor. Throughout all of her speaking, Vim had just listened. The grizzled conductor had maintained a strangely impassive smile for the entire duration of her report. At the end of it, he had simply thanked her and begun speaking about the other preparations that would be needed for the train's departure. He didn't say anything about her report. She had managed, as far as she knew, to conceal her own reaction to this, but after she left the room and since that time, she had felt a rather ominous feeling regarding the entire situation. She felt that, unintentionally, she had allowed her guilt to sway her report towards being deceptively favorable. Now, she needed to get the truth, the real and complete truth, from Electro in order to allay her concerns. If Key Gear was going to be working in her kitchen, then she needed to find out the real story or, at least, as much of it as her brother was willing to reveal. Because, she was certain that Vim would make mention of Key's activities in the kitchen, and Ambrosia didn't want to be caught off guard. Ambrosia gently coughed before she began. She had already decided to be as direct as possible, in the hope of Electro's being direct in return. "Electrobolt, you probably don't know this, but earlier today, I spoke to Vim about you and your sister. His reaction was... Well, he didn't have any reaction, actually. I think that maybe he knew that I just didn't know enough about the entire situation to report on it. Now your sister is going to be helping me in the kitchen. That means that I need to know a bit more about her, because Vim will probably ask or say something..." Compared to her normal pace, Ambrosia starting talking fast. "I don't mean to offend you, but she did say that she was a thief. Now, she'll be in the place where the train's food is kept. I'm sorry Bolt, but I'm sure you can see that somepony can't just trust her with no information? Right? I'm sure that she really is a good pony, but... The entire situation is honestly pretty confusing to me. When I made my report to Vim, I was positive, but right afterwards... I had felt terrible, like I'd told a lie... I really don't like that feeling at all." "Because of all this, Bolt... I would really appreciate it if you told me the truth, about everything." After a deep breath, she continued. "Here's the thing... Yesterday, in the dining car and then in the parlor car, I saw the two of you, and, honestly, you didn't seem like you were brother and sister. In the dining car, I had figured that you were just normal passengers. I know that I wasn't watching too closely, but I'm sure that I really would have noticed if either of you had mentioned the other as a 'brother' or 'sister'." Ambrosia steeled her expression. "Really, it was the parlor car though... That didn't make much sense to me at all. When I saw the two of you there, I had thought... Actually, I was quite certain that you were both... Well. I thought you two were a couple of young ponies in love. Again... There wasn't any sign that the two of you were siblings. Not even a hint of it, actually. The blushing, giggling, and whispering? That's not how siblings are supposed to behave..." "I'm not a detective, and I know that I'm not. I'm just a cook, but I think that I am on the right track here... Electrobolt, when and exactly how did you find out that Key Gear was really your sister? Or..." She hesitated. "Or, is the whole thing really just a lie? Please, tell me the truth, and... Make it as quick as you can. This isn't really the best place for a private conversation, and I kinda need to get back to the kitchen to finish lunch." Highlighting her warning, at that very moment, Alex and Flow trotted into the passenger car. Ambrosia greeted them both cordially, and she ushered them into the dining car for lunch. After they had left, she returned to Electrobolt and locked eyes with the younger earth pony, watching him carefully, hoping that she would be able to discern whether or not his words were true. Vim's conversation with the stationmaster had gone fairly well. Despite his sometimes intimidating appearance, Vim was a pony that was gifted in the art of portraying himself as a normal, everyday working pony. The portrayal was the complete opposite of the one that Dusky normally projected, and it was generally effective at smoothing over the offenses that his engineer caused. Still, he had noticed that the stationmaster seemed almost too eager to allow the train to leave. In fact, the other pony had seemed completely and totally ecstatic. The entire conversation had only taken a few moments. After leaving the stationmaster, Vim hastily returned to the train. He only needed to take two more steps before the train was ready for departure. He needed to wait for the supplies that Ambrosia had requested to arrive, and he needed to alert Dusky that it was time for the train to get moving. He wasn't particularly looking forward to the second task, Dusky had been unusually distant, even by his own standards, just a few moments earlier. Dawn greeted him when he was still a few yards away from the entrance to the train. "Hello Vim!" The unicorn wildly waved a hoof around. Vim resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He wasn't really in the mood for cheeriness at that moment in time, but he managed a smile and a friendly greeting in response. "Hello Dawn! What's the occasion? Did you finish cleaning up Dusky's area?" She responded happily. "Hello again Vim! Ambrosia told me to let you know that lunch is being prepared! Maybe, you might want to get something to eat or something?! Oh... And, yeah, I cleaned up the mess that my cat caused..." Vim blinked... Dawn's manner of speech had suddenly lost all of its characteristic energy. "What's wrong?" Dawn frowned, another unusual gesture. "Ummm... Nothing. I'm just really hungry, that's all. I need to go... I think that I'll go get something to eat, now. Bye, Vim!" Dawn made her way into the next car. Vim followed Dawn with his gaze until a polite voice required his attention. "Excuse me, are you the conductor? If you are, then... I think that I have something for you here." Looking over his shoulder, Vim saw a rather droll-looking pegasus pony, one of the train station's workers. The pegasus had a cart of supplies with him. Vim trusted that Ambrosia knew what she was doing when she ordered the supplies, so he only took a cursory glance at it before responding. Vim commented, "Looks good, but why didn't they send that old earth pony to deliver all this?" The pegasus shrugged in response, "I have no idea. I was in the middle of delivering messages and I ended up doing this. The station master was busy talking to this unicorn, earlier today. I think he was rattled pretty badly. Errr... But I got the stuff here just fine? I mean, it shouldn't matter if I'm a pegasus or not." Vim shrugged. "There's an older earth pony that normally delivers the supplies for me, and I usually like to check in with him, just to see what's happening." The pegasus nodded his head appreciatively. "Ohhhh, yeah that makes sense. Ummm... Anyway, where do you want me to put these?" Vim thought for a moment. "Well, you can just put it all here, actually. I need to get the train moving now, so there's no time for you to get it to the dining car." The pegasus could barely contain his grin. "Ok, thanks, I'll take care of that right now!" Vim raised an eyebrow, but left the pegasus to his job and went to speak with Dusky in the train engine. When he opened the door to Dusky's area, Vim froze in the doorway. The unicorn had a look that, to his knowledge, Vim could never recall. Dusky looked both confused and somewhat frustrated. In his hooves was a book with nothing written on its pages. Vim stared for a moment before clearing his throat loudly. "Dusky, the train is just about ready for departure. All of the passengers are onboard, and the only thing left is waiting for the supplies. Can you get this train started?" Dusky put down the book and immediately replied. "Certainly, it will only take a moment, but I suspect that it will take longer than this for the supplies to be transported to the kitchen?" Vim shook his head. "No, they'll be fine. In fact, they'll be dropped off right in front of your door, so feel free to grab something if you want a snack. Just make sure you tell Ambrosia about it. You know, she'd notice even if it was just a single apple missing." The voice of the train station worker spoke up behind Vim. "Everything is loaded, and you're ready for departure." Vim turned and looked at the pegasus with a bemused expression. "That was pretty... Fast?" The pegasus shrugged. "I try to be efficient." Vim stared as the pegasus smiled and continued. "Sorry, I need to go now, but safe travels to you, Vim!" The conductor couldn't quite manage a response before the pegasus had departed. "Well... Alright..." The entire exchange had seemed rather odd to him, and a solemn observation from Dusky only added to Vim's suspicion. "Hmmm... Vim... That pegasus resembled Springer?" Without a further word, both ponies went to take a closer look at the supplies for the train, but there was nothing to be seen. In fact, everything seemed totally and completely in order. After a few moments, Vim had seen enough. "Forget it, Dusky. Let's get this train going. If we spend any more time on this, then we're going to be late for departure. In fact... We may already be a few seconds late. So, are we ready to go?" Dusky nodded and, despite one more glance towards the foods now outside of his door, replied without protest. "Yes, sir." In just a few more minutes, the train was in motion, heading out of Ponyville and towards its destination - Los Pegasus. The passengers onboard the train, varied in their pasts and experiences, would all be united, during the time of the train's journey. United both in the spirit of adventure as well as the spirit of the journey. Content in this knowledge, Vim made his way to the dining car to greet the passengers and speak to the new arrivals. Dusky, contented himself with monitoring the train's progress and speed. The supplies contented themselves with waiting outside of Dusky's closed door. Every box, every item was exactly as had been ordered by Ambrosia, Asteria, and Dawn Rider. Vim was right, actually, Ambrosia's abilities in restocking the train were beyond compare. She had figured on a full train of passengers and ordered accordingly, preserving about one day's margin in the event that they were delayed by weather or some other unforeseen even. The perfection of the supplies was, however, not destined to last. One of the containers, a box of apples, stirred. From within the container, a slight rustling could be heard. The noise was accompanied by a soft sound, rather like the giggling of a small foal. Silence followed, interrupted after some moments by the sound of chewing as one of the apples was consumed. It was followed by another. And another. Something was, plainly, quite hungry. Key listened, wide-eyed, as Ambrosia conveyed her instructions to the two fillies. Making sandwiches sounded like a piece of cake. In fact, it sounded quite boring. She made sandwiches all of the time. Key didn't even really consider that to be cooking. It seemed so ordinary that she was more than a little disappointed. She did her best to disguise the feeling; however, a keen observer would have noticed the slight loss of the sparkle in her eye. She shot a glance over to Asteria to see how the other filly was dealing with the thought of making sandwiches, Asteria seemed to be delighted. Key belatedly offered a greeting, gathering as much enthusiasm as she could muster. "Hello Asteria!" The nudge had been unexpected. Key wasn't used to feeling of being nudged, however delicately. Her forehooves crossed for just a second as she overreacted to the feeling and tried to steady herself. She watched Asteria shoot into the kitchen with a look of confusion. It was just sandwiches, there was really nothing too exciting about it. With a sigh, she started to follow Asteria to the kitchen, but she froze just before entering. The cook's request to speak to her brother, and the unusual way that she had answered Bolt's question about lunch caught Key's attention. She turned just in time to see the cook making her way out of the dining car and into the adjourning passenger car. As she saw her brother follow, Key was torn. Her paranoia informed her that the cook had, for whatever reason, wanted to separate the two of them. Key's own request to assist Asteria in the kitchen had provided the perfect opportunity for Ambrosia to speak to Bolt alone, and she had taken it. A sense of irritation grew within the filly. Ambrosia had somehow managed to outmaneuver her without even trying. Now, most likely, she was going to ask her brother questions that he probably shouldn't be answering. For a moment, she seethed silently, weighing the possibility of loudly interrupting whatever conversation was taking place outside. With a glance around the room, at all of the passengers, she changed her mind. Whatever action was taken, it would color the perceptions of the other passengers, probably against her. She sighed again, louder this time, turned her back to the door, and went to the kitchen. It wasn't worth it. She would, instead, trust her brother's wisdom and try to enjoy herself with the preparations for lunch. Her heart was no longer into it, though. Just as quickly as it had appeared, the spectre of a carefree moment of fun had seemingly vanished. She entered the kitchen while still glancing reluctantly over her shoulder. When she actually looked at the kitchen, she wasn't quite prepared for what she saw. An incredible variety of fruits and cheeses had already been pulled out. Staring at the assortment that greeted her, it was almost as if Key went into shock. Her mouth dropped and her ears shot upright. She was completely overwhelmed by the number of items present. Her eyes started on a visual journey through the foods, and she realized that she had no idea what many of them were, especially the cheeses. They did, however, smell delicious. Key stared for just a moment longer. She was still lost. There were too many items, and just randomly grabbing things didn't seem like the best way of going about it. There seemed to be a step missing, but as Asteria made her first sandwich, it seemed to Key that the other filly had done exactly that. "Right, well... I guess I'll just grab stuff and put it into bread, then." Key gave up on trying to make sense of it, choosing instead to lose herself in the task at hoof, but she fumbled at her first sandwich. Pears didn't fit into bread without things looking quite odd. After an examination of her own failed attempt at making a fruit sandwich, Key realized that there was probably some prep work to be done. "Ummm... Asteria, some of these fruits could probably use some slicing. You know, we don't want ponies choking on a whole pear or something weird like that." After fumbling around the kitchen, Key found where the cutlery was. Then, she grinned, Ambrosia's assortment of cutlery was actually arranged rather similarly to how, on a good day, Key would arrange her own tools back at the workshop. In just a moment, she had picked out a knife that seemed perfect for the task at hand. Smiling confidently, Key balanced it on the tip of her hoof before bouncing it gently into the air and catching it with her other hoof. There was nothing quite like the feel of a well balanced tool. Peering around, she decided to start on the pears. Carrying her tool of choice in her mouth, she cleared an area on the counter and then starting cutting each pear into thin slices. They weren't uniform, but she figured that it was a good enough job. As she finished a pear, she pushed it off to the side in a not so neat stack. Completely absorbed in the task, Key talked while she sliced. "Hey, Asteria, I've got an idea... I don't know anything about foods and cheeses... I guess maybe that's why I kinda don't wanna just grab anything and put it in a sandwich. See, I bet that you'd have a much better grip on that kinda stuff than me. But, I could get stuff ready to be put in sandwiches, cutting it up, pealing stuff, you know that kinda thing. That way, the sandwiches aren't all lumpy and stuff. And I bet it'd help the taste too. Whaddya think?" While speaking, she'd moved on from pears to strawberries. Adroitly handling the knife she diced up a handful of strawberries and piled them off to the side as well. She then began to quickly work her way through the other fruits, cutting up enough, she figured, for a few sandwiches, leaving the sandwich making to Asteria for that moment. Before too long, Key was in her own world, grabbing various items and cutting them into either slices, smaller pieces, or chunks as she saw fit. Her work wasn't neat but it was good enough for sandwiches, and what it lacked in neatness it made up for in speed. Key's work was remarkably fast, not as fast as a highly skilled cook, but her speed was consistent. Key glanced over at Dawn, catching him from the corner of her eye. She had no idea who he was, but she offered instructions despite not having been the one that was addressed. Echoing Asteria's earlier instructions, Key spoke with a friendly smile, while still focusing on her task. "Just grab whatever you can and shove it between two slices of bread! I'll be joining in with the sandwich making as soon as I'm done chopping stuff up." As Key continued to work, the scent of the chopped and sliced fruits began to make its way throughout the dining car and into the adjoining areas. Lapis didn't need to say another word. During just the small amount of time that had elapsed since he had finished talking, the pegasus had been glancing around impatiently. When, finally, Lapis took hold of the door, Springer sprang into motion. Using his wings to aid in his speed, he hovered quickly through the open door, straight into the parlor car and to the door leading into the dining car. He stopped there, though, because as much as he was eager to progress, he was not eager to deal with Dawn without at least Lapis there to ask his questions. If Dawn was already there, then his sudden entrance might prompt her to approach him. This wasn't really the ideal situation. Springer reasoned that if he was the first to be approached, then there would be some danger of the entire plan falling apart. Sudden questions from Lapis, entering after himself, might come off as being both weirdly confrontational and out of place. If Vim was there, he would be lectured, regardless of his tiredness. Springer groaned, inwardly, perhaps Arcanel's troubles with Fast Post did, in some ways at least, approximate some of his problem with Vim. Looking around distractedly while waiting for the others to catch up, Springer noticed an unfamiliar pony. She was a passenger, sitting by herself, in the parlor car, a pegasus with a soft blue coat and what Springer judged to be awkwardly long legs. Seeking for a way to make the seconds fly by sooner, Springer decided to greet her. "Ummm... Hello there, my name is Springer. I'm one of the assistant conductors on this train, even though I'm currently on leave due to illness..." The smell of fresh fruits was finally noticed by Springer. "Out of curiousity, is there any particular reason that you're in the parlor car rather than dining with the other passengers?"

10/10

We've added more ponies! will join the ranks of our Poniverse Staff members. He is now a member of our Tech Team, which means that he'll be staffing our shiny new Site Questions & Tech Support forum. You may have noticed some of his answers in there already. In addition to staffing this new area, he'll be providing valuable feedback and perspectives on our top secret projects. (also known as Slictz) will be, formally, joining the ranks of our Poniverse Staff members. Slictz has actually been one of our primary livestreamers for a while now, and if you have been a participant in one of our Friday night streams, then you have probably benefitted from his mad skillz at least once. Now, I bet you're wondering... With all of these awesome staff additions and tweaks, where can you go to see all of the staff in one place? Well, you could use the links at the bottom of the front page, but, really, that is pretty boring. Wouldn't you prefer to have a more visual representation? Well, it turns out that we have this. Check out the new, improved, shiny, and fully updated staff chart at the top of our "Who does what where?" page. Marvel at the steadily increasing size of my army. After looking at the chart, feel free to read through the page for descriptions. (By the way, @akita-ken is a chart making monster! This chart is his work, and it is beautiful.)

I'll kill you.

Springer watched Magicon carefully as the unicorn spoke. He was extremely mindful of one very important thing, Magicon's plan was now the third or fourth in what had been a sequence of proposed plans to approach Dawn. He was beginning to worry, and his concern was simple. Planning was an important part of being efficient, but the planning itself had to be efficient. In his own experience, if the planning continued for too long, then it eventually became a session of planning about planning - an endless cycle of plans. "Coming up with a plan?" He silently repeated the unicorn's words as his concerns redoubled. It looked like they had already slipped into a cycle of inefficient planning. He thought about saying something, but he decided to hear Magicon out. The unicorn was, from what Springer had seen, highly intelligent. It was worth hearing what he had to say and, perhaps, one response to it. After that, the time for action would be at hoof. When Magicon mentioned heading directly to the dining car, Springer nodded. This actually sounded much more straightforward than his own idea of sending Arcanel to question Dawn alone, and it had the added benefit of providing safety. There was only one thing about this approach that Springer didn't quite like. Being observed by other ponies would limit both Dawn and the ponies confronting her. He made note of this to mention it later. Gently, not enough to be noticed, Springer shook his head. He knew that it was near the time that lunch would be served, so it was strongly likely that Dawn would already be in the dining car or she would soon be joining it. Springer tended to think of unicorn magic as a resource that was depleted as used, so it seemed to him that to use magic to lure her there would be wasteful. That magic should be conserved in the event of an actual conflict, where it could be used to safeguard other ponies and possibly restrain Dawn if the worst should come to pass. His thoughts took a different turn as he considered Lapis as being the pony to ask her questions. Springer appraised the studious earth pony. While he was not very good at reading other ponies at all, he was certain that Lapis was, in some way at least, similar to himself. Based on this, Springer thought of how he would approach Dawn. He would be efficient. He would cut straight to the point, ask the questions that needed to be asked, get answers and move on. Springer nodded his head vigorously, and he felt slightly ashamed that he hadn't thought of this approach. It was brilliant, clearly efficient. With a raised eyebrow, Springer now appraised Arcanel. While he respected the mailpony greatly, he wasn't entirely certain that Arcanel was the right pony for this task. Again, he was thinking outside of his comfort zone, but he was pretty sure that it would be far more difficult to read the emotions of another pony than what Magicon had assumed. He thought of his own, continued, difficulties understanding the emotions of other ponies. While Arcanel was undoubtedly better than he was at this art, the incident that had occured earlier caused Springer to have some doubts. Just a few moments before, a panicked Arcanel had disclosed that he was in danger of missing an assigned date to deliver a letter. The poor pony had talked almost as though he might be in danger of physical harm from failing in his task. His concern for disappointing his boss, Fast Post, had been tremendous. Plainly, Springer considered, Arcanel had not actually thought rationally about Fast Post's actual emotions. Springer doubted that the mailpony would have come to any serious harm even if no explanation had been given. It was, after all, his first long range assignment, there would have been leniency. While smiling at Magicon's suggestion that he get food, Springer attempted to put a hoof on exactly why he believed that Arcanel wasn't suited for this task. After a few moment in thought, he found it. The fact was that Arcanel had a tendency towards exaggeration, and exaggeration was inefficient. If Arcanel misread Dawn's intent, and they took action based on this mistaken information, then they might err horribly. Arcanel's voice interrupted his thoughts. The need for food was a practical observation, but Springer grimaced as Arcanel discussed finishing a plan while eating something. That would be the ultimate in inefficiency. Not only would Dawn be likely to wander in and overhear their plans, but also... It would be more planning about planning. Only, because Magicon had just made a plan about the plans, then further planning would be planning about planning about planning. His eyes widened as he tried to take it all in. "Ummmm..." Was all that he could manage to say. Just as Arcanel finished speaking, Springer put his hooves to his head and fell backwards into a slumped, sitting position. "No! No no no no! This is not efficient! None of this is!" He sat for a few moments, attempting to regather his thoughts. Eventually, he took his hooves from his head and returned, unsteadily, to a standing position. As he spoke, his voice picked up speed. "I'm sorry, everyone, and... I hope that you are not offended by my outburst. However, I stand by my thoughts. All of this is inefficient. Magicon, using magic to lure Dawn to the Dining Car would not be needed. It is lunchtime, she will be there. Ummm... Besides. It would be better for you to be seen. The visible presence of another unicorn may deter her from even attempting anything unwise. Then, another thing. If she is spooked by your invisibility, she may react even if she's innocent of all wrong. That would give us bad evidence." Now, he turned to Arcanel. "Arcanel. I don't think that you should be tasked with reading Dawn's emotions. You exaggerate far too much. If you read her intentions incorrectly, then again we would have bad evidence. Finally. The time for planning is over. We need to take action now. If we continue to plan, then we may be here until nightfall. I don't even think that I can stand that long. I am tired. I think that we should act. And, I know what we should do. After this, I do not think that we should do anymore planning. It is becoming dangerous - our plans are about plans. We need action." Springer took a deep breath and let it out before continuing. "I think that we should all go to the dining car. Here, Magicon and Arcanel are correct. I think that Lapis should ask Dawn questions. And... I think that Magicon should accompany him for safety. Arcanel and I will sit at a different table, nearby. Lapis will, I think, ask direct questions. That would be perfect. We need information quickly... Ummm..." Springer tilted his head to the side and was lost in thought for a moment. "Ummm... Wait... Actually, I will accompany Lapis. Dawn is here to safeguard me. If I am there, she would not harm Lapis. I am in a weakened state, so it would put me in danger. I think that this is something that she would not do. I would be a more effective guard for Lapis than Magicon. Then... There is another thing... If she is here to protect me and she suspects nothing of Lapis, then she would likely join us of her own accord. It would be a less confrontational setting. Magicon... You and Arcanel would sit nearby. If... If this course of action is acceptable, then, we should go immediately to the dining car and take our positions." She couldn't help herself. It seemed to Key that it was magic or bust no matter which way they looked at it, and she knew something that her brother didn't know. The book would be valuable just as much for its abilities to tease out information from others as for whatever was actually written in it. It was a good thing too, because thinking about the tiny tome, she doubted that the information in it would be much value even when it was revealed. An amusing thought occurred to her, and without thinking, she voiced it by speaking out loud, silently. "Or, you know... We could just ask Dusky what's in it. It is his book after all, so he'd know right?" She started to laugh but caught herself. Her brother was unlikely to be amused by the thought. She hoped that he hadn't heard it. She watched Electrobolt out of the corner of her eyes and she waited for a response to her other, earlier question. Unfortunately, before he could respond, Summerfall reappeared. Her paranoia suggested that Summerfall had intentionally timed her exit from her room so that she could greet them. She, quickly, tried to dismiss the thought, but... She couldn't. It seemed to Key that perhaps Summerfall had more information or knew something that could help her. After all, Summerfall had both offered her help and she seemed to be familiar with Key's parents. With this chance reappearance, it seemed reasonable, to Key, to expect that the earth pony had additional information. Her mind continued to wander for some moments, until, finally, Bolt's voice interrupted the fog. With Bolt's approval having been given, Key's heart jumped. It was a good idea. She followed Bolt into the Dining Car, but she shot by him when she caught sight of Ambrosia speaking to some of the other passengers. "Hey Ambrosia! Asteria said that I could help you make lunch! Can I, please?" Her voice betrayed a genuine eagerness. It had been a while since she'd done something simply for fun. Key couldn't wait to get started. It did sound lovely, and Ambrosia was ready to start, right then and there. However, there was still the matter of a birthday party to attend to. Ambrosia hoped that it didn't take too long to do so. While she was trying her best to contain her enthusiasm, the truth was that she was just as eager as Asteria was to get things started. She always felt this way before cooking a meal, and with the preparations for a dinnertime party, she would be cooking almost two meals. Her joy and energy were doubled. She'd figured that Dawn Rider would protest the birthday idea, and she had already prepared a response. She started speaking almost as soon as he did. "Well, I do want to, a party would be fun for everypony. Not expecting it would make it even better, I thi..." She cut herself short as Dawn finished his own statement. Ambrosia blinked, and Dawn's awkward laugh was matched by her awkward smile. "Riiiight... I know what you mean." Thinking back to her parents' cautionary statements about "drifters", smooth-talking had definitely been one of the traits that she'd been warned about. Ambrosia figured that this was an example of that. She wasn't offended though; she thought that it was funny. "Uh huh..." Ambrosia remarked somewhat coyly while glancing away. In her head, she made plans to do exactly what Dawn Rider had told her not to. In fact, by saying that there was no need to make a fuss about it, he had virtually ensured that Ambrosia would give it her all. She liked parties, and she especially loved parties for modest ponies. Typically a pony that insisted on no fuss being made was the best kind of pony to have at a party - a kind and friendly one. She looked back towards the pegasus before responding with a cheerful laugh. "Well, you wouldn't want to eat that stuff! Since you are what you'd eat, you'd turn into a pile of cinanmon with wings. Just drop it off on the counter in the kitchen. Don't put it on the shelves yet, I kinda have my own way of organizing things for cooking. And... Yeah, we're gonna have a party! A big one..." A cheery voice caused Ambrosia to glance to her side. It was a friendly earth pony, a new passenger. The cook laughed at the passengers good cheer and cheesy humor. Contemplating Maple, Ambrosia couldn't help but think that the earth pony reminded her of a younger Vim. "Hello Maple, I'm Ambrosia! And, yes, I am the cook, but... I'm not the only cook." She grinned. "Anyways, we're getting ready to have lunch in a few moments. It's sandwiches and, probably, cookies, because I know that a lot of passengers are pretty hungry right about now. Feel free to take a seat and make yourself comfortable!" Ambrosia looked down at the eager eyes of the filly. "Yes, definitely! I think that we should start now." The timing could not have been more perfect. Just as Ambrosia had spoken, a familiar voice spoke up. The voice carried the same eagerness and impatience that Asteria's did. With a glance, Ambrosia could see that it was Key Gear and, for once, the scruffy filly seemed to be behaving like an actual filly instead of a more seasoned pony. She couldn't help but smile, broadly, and she decided to send the two fillies to get started on making sandwiches. "Certainly, Key Gear! Why don't you and Asteria head to the kitchen and get started with the sandwiches. Hmmm... Don't make boring sandwiches though. I mean, lettuce, tomatoes, and carrots? What's the fun in that. Why don't you two try something different? Try fruit sandwiches! Just get some cheese, some peach or strawberry, and some plums and use that as the base! It'll be fun! Think of some and I'll be right there in a few moments. Check the storage room for anything that you need." With a pleasant smile, she replied to the assistant conductor. "Hello Electrobolt! We're having sandwiches and, maybe, cookies. Probably a few other things too, but it just depends... In the meantime, could I talk to you for just a moment in the hall outside? Away from the other passengers for a moment?" Without waiting for a response, she stepped by Electrobolt and into the third passenger car, assuming that Bolt would follow her.