Stardust*

"Oooh, Psych, don't cry. I didn't mean to yell, I just didn't want to frighten you, I wanted you to know that it was me and not somepony else." Stardust gave Psych an awkward hug to try and help him to feel better. "But we do have to go, the Mayor's guards came to gather all of your group up to take you to her quarters. They let me come find you and take you to them. We must move quickly, we have to be there at the time the rest of the group is there." She turned and with instinct she opened her wings ready to take off, then she remembered the ground is where she has to be now. She looked back at Psych, gave a small smile. "Can you follow me?... or...." Stardust saw a run down taxi that she thought might still work - at least for a one way trip. She moved over to it and tossed some garbage bags away and pushed a very used mattress off of the top. She moved it away from the wall and attached the harness just under her wings. She trotted over to Psych. "Okay, hop in, we will get there pretty quick this way." She smiled proudly, "make sure to hold on, gonna give this baby some pretty good wing power."

"You can go and fetch your friend dear. Just try to find him as soon as possible." The captain said with a smile. "As for the others, would you be so kind to follow me." She looked to Aria and gave a small smile and back to the guard..."Thank you sir, I will not delay." With that she was off in search of Psych. Scouring the city for any trace of Psych was hard enough, let alone having to do it with a pretty tight time line. I don't know this pony... how would I know where he would be hiding out.... ugh this is going to be... oh... wait a minute... She was flying over an ally when she noticed a pony cowering up to a wall standing right next to a dumpster, almost as if he were trying to make sure no one could come up behind him. That has to be him. Stardust flew down a few feet away from Psych as to not startle him too much. She wanted to make herself known so she didn't sneak up on him. She made sure that her hooves could be heard as she didn't quite stomp... but it was pretty close. She then tried to talk to him to let him know that he was safe and that she would take him to the others. "Psych, it's me, Stardust. I Am HeRe To TaKe YoU To ThE OtHeRs, WE ARE MEETING WITH THE MAYOR." She tried not to shout... but she didn't want any misunderstanding. She said it quiet enough as to not bring attention to others, but as she closed the distance her voice seemed to get a bit louder with each step. By the time she got next to him she was basically shouting in his ear.

Stardust was stuck in midair - one of the guards was using his horn to halt her forward motion, placing her back to the ground. "Sorry for the jumping out a shadow like creeps, it's not that often we receive orders to fetch civilians for good purposes. If you all would like to come with me and my... team, the mayor has requested your presents." "What do you mean... the mayor has requested our presents? I mean... we were on our way to see her... but this.... this is awkward." Stardust looked to Aria for reassurance, she doesn't like confrontation and except for Aria, Stardust doesn't talk to many other ponies, she is mostly in her books, maps, or stars. She looked back to the guards and tried to explain why she was flying away. "Please... I have to go find a stallion who is lost in the city, he is part of the group that needs to see the mayor. He will never make it there on his own. I was going to fly overhead and look for him and take him to city hall." She pawed at the ground and fluttered her wings, she was terrified they would strip her of the little magic she still had to fly. Guards were not known to be the least bit kind, she waited for her punishment for speaking out of turn and for looking as if she were fleeing. She looked again to Aria, with tears in her eyes, she looked back to the ground and waited.

@@Pucksterv, "Wait a minute? Has any of you seen Psych?" Please don't tell me he went into the city alone. please... "What do you mean...? I thought he always stayed with you." Stardust could see the concern in Trivy's eyes. "If you would like, I can fly ahead and try to find him. I can lead him back to the group and meet you all at the Mayor's quarters."

The trap door opened up and Stardust poked in her head... "I'm already outside" She gave a small smile. "I wanted to make sure everything was clear before the entire group came outside. We should be in good cover, the sun is on the horizon, it should be completely dark by the time we reach the Mayors home." Stardust stood aside to let the group come up, she gave Aria a look of doubt and then a small smile, trying to stay optimistic. She whispered, "I really hope this goes well... I don't know what I would do if I couldn't fly again. Do you think that Trivy or any of the other ponies will try and talk to the Mayor directly? I know she wanted to ask about the boats... but I don't want to be there if that happens."

I'm pretty sure that is all that is in the room, aside from Wing who should still be sleeping.

I figured it would be Rarity, everything fits. I will have to go back and look, I have never played but I bet I could pick it out.

My character is just in another room if you need to talk with her at all. I figure she will be resting for just a little bit while Aria is coaching Trivy, Psych, Lilith and the others. And I am intrigued by who the Mayor is... since it appears that Harcourt already knows who she is!

"No no no no, I'm not evil. I swear I just get really nervous in small and crowded places like this. Believe me. Cross my heart and hope to die." Trivy said worried, she never intended to give of the wrong impression. And now that Psych had suddenly gone out, it only made them look more suspicious. "Come on, lets just get to the mayor. You'll see I'm right once we go through that magic force field you were talking about." "It's not that we think that you are evil by any means... but we can't go see the Mayor until you are calm. You have to be of an open mind and not be clouded by any reason. Fear, nerves, anything that is making you seem other than one of the lost ponies in the city is going to cause suspicion." Stardust pulled out a scroll from her saddle bag and laid it on the table near by. "Come here." She motioned to Trivy, Blackbird, and Aria. "This is what I have been hunting for, nearly six months now. This is a map that will guide us to the Griffon Kingdom. This is also the last piece of the map I need to complete a larger map of where the first shards might be on the island." Almost as quickly as she unrolled it she rolled it back up and unlocked a drawer, placed it inside and quickly locked it up again. "If you want to get there and try to figure things out.. then you have to do as we say and trust that we want to leave here just as badly as you do. There is enough room on our ship for everypony in your group. But you will have to pull your own weight, Aria and I cannot sail it alone. This is why it is so important that we get your magic back the proper way. If something happens, then it could jeopardize the entire plan for everypony." Stardust fumbled around in a closet and pulled out some old belongings, a compass, a cross staff, and a timepiece. "These things were my fathers.. he gave them to me before he ... well, they will help us navigate, I promised him I would leave this place, and find a way to end this." She pulled out another scroll and tossed it on the table, "This is how we are going to get your magic back. Aria will take the lead, you must listen to everything she says, this scroll will help you to learn how to mold without being molded. You will keep your wits about you but the Mayor will be none the wiser." Stardust turned and walked away, stopping suddenly, "I want nothing more than to regain my hope, I put all my bits on you and your group Trivy." She turned a corner and was gone.

@ @@Pucksterv Curious Stardust noticed that Trivy was a bit anxious and she gave Aria a quick glance. "There is a way that.... what?" Stardust started to roll up the scrolls that Aria had laid on the floor. "If there is something that you all are planning in order to try and get your magic back, I suggest that you stop before something happens...and any knowledge of something happening will hurt your chances of getting through the barrier.... is... is that why you were asking about the stallion... Holt...Harcourt? Does he plan on force-ably getting your magic back? Because... that could be a big problem." Stardust looked to Aria with more concern in her eyes.

"It's nice to formally meet you all, I will do my best with remembering everyone." Stardust gave a small smile. "As for your question, it is true, the ships have not sailed for many, many moons. However, my friend Aria and I have hidden one, and we have been fixing it up. It is tricky because of the number of guards that are by the harbor, but we have basically built a ship from the bottom up. It is not in the harbor, it is a few miles off the coast on this tiny piece of land that I keep hidden with a low hanging of clouds." Stardust started to walk over to the basket of food and grabbed an apple and a cup of water. She moved over to a chair and sat down. "I can tell you... the Mayor is... has.. changed since I have been here. She used to be a great Mayor.. she cared about the welfare of the ponies and she would work very hard to get supplies shipped in. But soon after I arrived she stopped the ships from sailing. She pushed away every friend she had. There are only certain ponies that she goes to for anything." Stardust took a long drink and a quick bite of her apple. "This is why my friend Aria is such a great pony, she knows anypony who is of importance. She has her ways and she can get things done. It is important to understand that once she gets you all into a meeting with the Mayor you don't say anything out of the ordinary. We fear that she is working for Sombra or at least some part of his operation. This is why it is so important for you all to keep quiet about wanting to leave. Once you leave... you better not look back. Not many ponies have left and have had the opportunity to tell about it." "Aria and I will council you all in what to say and what not to say, Aria has more experience with it since she works with more ponies than I have. But you have to trust us, otherwise... I don't want to even think about it if the Mayor feels that you are not worthy of your magic... so many ponies here have yet to get theirs back... and they all look like they have just given up on everything." Stardust took another drink of water and continued to munch on her apple...

I read that too! lol, I'm sorry, I completely forgot. I will add to my post now. I made some changes.

From the few that I have drawn digitally my style hasn't changed. I still have a few requests to get through before I can get to yours, so you can decide which medium you would like after seeing a few more digital pieces.

@, @@Pucksterv, @, "You're right. Of course you're right. Somehow you always manage to trump me with emotions." Aria looked back at her feathery friend with resolve. "So be it. I shall meet with this group and hear their thoughts on the matter. We'll need a logical plan in place before we even consider putting a step of it into action, given the circumstances. The Mayor has been growing restless as of late, and I fear it doesn't bode well for the city. Let's move then, and quickly." Stardust was thrilled! She fluttered her wings and gave her friend a big hug nearly taking her off the secure rooftop. Realizing it she gently put her back down. "Okay, let's get moving." Stardust started flying in the direction of her "home" not too fast, so as to not direct any unwanted attention to her and Aria's presents. They both knew that there were those who did not belong in the city and those who wanted to make life more miserable for the ponies. Stardust scanned the area from the sky, flying ahead of Aria just to make sure that she had a path that was safe. She got to the edge of town and Stardust set up an old mattress for Aria to land on before heading to the old bridge, she knew that Aria knew the way and would get there in her time. Once over the bridge Stardust moved a bit quicker to the hatch, she stopped rather quickly noticing a pony that was just sitting and waiting. She landed and started walking towards the pony. "This is a nice quiet area, don't you think? I like to come here to just get away from the city and all of the crowds." Stardust was trying to get a feel for the pony. She must be with the others, why else would she be sitting out in the open? But... there is something... I don't know what.. but I am going to keep my eye on her. "Why don't we head down with the rest of the group so we are out of sight." Stardust unlocked the hatch and began her decent down the stairs, she looked back up at the pony, "Come on, don't latch the door, I have a friend coming as well." Aria knew how to set the lock, Stardust went down first and once into the main room she saw the mare pacing back and forth across the floor. "Sorry it took so long, I didn't want to draw attention to myself or my friend so we had to look as if we were in no hurry to get anywhere. There are very few ponies that you can trust in this city, I am just lucky to have found one that I trust with my life. She should be here any moment. We travel separately to draw less attention." Stardust stood there a moment and thought... "All this time and I never got your names... what are your names?"

I just want to let you all know that I have not forgotten about any of you!! I promise! Life has just been a bit hectic this last week but things should be cooling down and I should be back to the drawing board (haha) soon! I will message each of you that has requested a drawing to see if you want it in traditional or digital. I do feel however that once I reach the end of my list I will be closing out the thread. I haven't made a firm decision on that but it is a possibility.

@, Stardust ruffled her feathers and listened to Aria, clearly she was annoyed that Stardust interrupted her on her chase of... somepony. "Who's back at the observatory? I haven't even seen you since this morning. Oh for—" Aria brought a hoof to her face and dragged it down with a sigh, "—Celestia's sake, please don't tell me you brought home travelers again..." "It's not like last time Aria, I promise... These ponies really need help. They are headed to Griffon Island, and you know that is where we have to go too. This might be our chance, but they don't have their magic back yet..." Stardust slowly paced back and forth on the rooftop. She knew that Aria was upset with her but she also knew that she would help anyway. Stardust gave Aria her best sheepish smile, like she always did when she wanted to butter her up into helping. "I know your contacts can get them to see the Mayor rather quickly, they are a good bunch of ponies. They are resting now, but they agreed to help replenish our supplies and you know we will be better off if we can leave here in a larger group... OH! and I found the last piece of this map! We will be able to navigate and find the first shard as well as gather the other pieces of map for the next shard." Stardust fluttered her wings just enough to get off the ground and give Aria the best filly looking eyes she could muster...."Pleaseeeeee Aria.... I don't want to be here anymore. And I know you want to see some more adventure! What do you say??"

Don't be silly, that was fantastic. It made me chuckle during our characters interactions. And at the end it was great, "you didn't bring home travelers again did you" lol brilliant! I will be posting shortly.