Astral Vision

@Dynamo Pad Astral smiled , knowing just how Dynamo felt about magic. When he was in Celestia's class for gifted unicorns, he always had an insatiable desire for learning the magic arts, and now he could help to teach someone else their own style. "Video games are certainly a great way to form friendships Dynamo, and can most certainly lead to clashes of ideals. Just remember that you have friends to help you learn along the way. Now then, you up for another game?"

@Dynamo Pad Astral could see Dynamo was worried upon hearing this information, he worried that Dynamo wasn't entirely prepared for this. "Well Dynamo, we can always keep training until you feel fully prepared. However, something tells me we'll be in the arcade more, because what better place to practice gaming magic? You were able to become partially invisible in a single day, I'm sure this will be easy for you." Astral said with a smile, hoping Dynamo would take this to heart.

@Dynamo Pad Astral turned to face the gaming unicorn; as he collected his breath, he began to explain his words. "Dynamo, as you know, magic is based highly on mental power and control. With it, anyone can bring their thoughts to life, like my mental projection magic. For you however, its more like you process what you see in your video games, and then have your magic replicate those actions to some degree. In other words, I think you may have developed your own magic style; Its something not every unicorn is capable of, and I for one am impressed. Though be warned, its still magic, and magic can become dangerous if used incorrectly."

@Samurai Equine Astral slowly turned to face Samurai with a serious look in his eyes, and tried his best to explain what had just been uncovered. "Well Samurai, I think our gamer pony here may have just realized his own hidden potential. I myself am quite surprised, I didn't think such magic could exist."

@Dynamo Pad Astral simply stood in silent awe at the blue unicorn, amazed at his hidden magical talent. Before he could say anything, he noticed that Dynamo's book had been knocked to the floor. He went to grasp it with his magic, but was surprised at the revealed contents within the page. "Dynamo, I think you may want to take a look at this." Astral then levitated the book to Dynamo's waiting eyes.

@Dynamo Pad Astral slightly grimaced at the title 'Dead or Alive', guessing that the game wasn't entirely age appropriate. However, he had never played the game before, so he figured there would be no harm in trying it. "Sure Dynamo, let's begin. Best of luck."

@Dynamo Pad Astral was amazed at the dancing talents of both Dynamo and Pastel, clearly they had practiced for many years. He watched as they moved on to the next arcade machine, until Dynamo turned to ask if he wished to play with them. Astral decided he needed some fun competition today, so he agreed. "Just pick the game Dynamo, and may the best colt win." @Samurai Equine Astral was overjoyed to hear Samurai's enthusiasm for the case, but he figured that the caramel colored pony wasn't going anywhere for the moment, so it could wait. "I'm glad to hear that Samurai, but could we chat about this later?"

@Samurai Equine @Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart "*Whistle*, those were some impressive moves Samurai. Who would of thought you'd be such a good dancer?" Astral said with a smile. "Dynamo, I do believe its your turn now, along with Pastel of course."

That could be an interesting plot line, a battle between two blue unicorns with different magic styles. Since the arcade is Dynamo's domain, it would make sense for character development, so I'd be up for it after Samurai's dance.

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @ExplosionMare @Samurai Equine Astral was bombarded with many questions, though thankfully they were primarily about the dragon. Before Dynamo and Pastel began their dance, Astral was quick to clarify. "I have good news; Trilby Hatter said he 'might' put a good word in to Mayor White Addenbrooks for me, so we may finally have a lead. As for the dragon, otherwise known as Dr. Milenko, he's a really nice guy. Apparently he came here after teaching at Twilight's School of Friendship. If any of you wanted to meet him, his office is just down the street." @Samurai Equine Astral chuckled at Samurai's determination, the colt truly was a warrior at heart. In order to calm him down, Astral decided to give him some advice, but with an added twist. "It seems that Samurai is up for a fight, no doubt he will battle with all of his might. But this arcade game is no worthy foe, these machines cannot cause harm you know. So take this game and enjoy it as you can, otherwise your strategy may not go as planned." Astral said in the tone of an old friend, making sure that Samurai knew the meaning of his rhyme; he should have fun with the game rather than treating it as a battle.

Sorry to keep you waiting, but I'm happy to see this RP is quickly progressing.

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare Astral navigated through the town with map in hoof, and was eventually able to find a building with arcade machines on display. "Glad to see I made it here in time, I wonder how the others are doing?" Astral opened the front door, and happily trotted in. "Hey guys, sorry I'm late. You'll never guess where I've been! Did you know there's a dragon in this town? He's really nice."

@Pastel Heart Astral smiled at Milenko's sincerity, and took his claw in a firm hoofshake. The dragon made a good point, maybe he had been overly cautious, and it was finally time to enjoy himself? "Thank you sir, I wish you the best in your own goals, and I'm glad to see I'll have your support if I need it. Now sorry to rush off, but I promised my friends I would meet them at the arcade, and I don't want them to worry. And again, thank you for sparing time." Astral then got down from the couch and waved farewell to the kind dragon, and said one last thing before he left. "I'm certain Twilight would be extremely proud of what you're doing here. Keep up the good work." Astral said with a smile, as he turned to leave for the arcade.

@Pastel Heart Astral really did appreciate the beauty in Milenkos' words, the dragon clearly cared a great deal for the town and its people, and greatly expanded Astral's own knowledge of this place. Though he began to wonder, were there any troubles on his mind? He hadn't been sent to this town, but ever since he arrived he hadn't been able to relax, and all that he had accomplished was worrying those around him. Gathering his breath, Astral decided to share his concerns. "Well Dr., I know I came to this town out of chance, but ever since I got here I've felt silly at times. During the concert, I made a big deal backstage scanning for dark magic, but there turned out to be no threat. And all of these mentions of curses have had me a little on edge, but thankfully I haven't let anyone see it. If there is a threat here, whether it's dark magic or something else entirely, I don't want anyone to pay the price when I could have done something." Astral paused to catch his breath, and then continued in a more personal light. "Are you familiar with the magical map in Twilight's castle, the one that brought her and her friends to the source of many problems throughout Equestria? Well the thing is, why wait to be called on these problems when you can go solve them yourself? If one pony is travelling around and helping to fix these issues, then the more important creatures and leaders can focus their efforts on larger threats... But sometimes, it can have an effect on you. Never being able to keep friendships if you're always travelling, it feels like being banished to the moon. But as long as I know I'm keeping ponies safe and evil contained, I'm happy. So is there really a problem?"

@Pastel Heart Astral took to one of the seats nearby, quickly making himself comfortable. "No thanks Dr., I actually came to ask you about something. I've been hearing rumors left and right about this town, and every attempt I've made for investigation so far has been met with little progress. So if you could answer me this, I would really appreciate it." Astral cleared his throat before he spoke, mentally preparing himself for any reaction. "Is there some form of dark magic influencing this town? If there is, what can you tell me?"

Astral struggled to keep his composure, but on the inside he was screaming like a young filly. It was a real dragon, Astral was meeting a dragon! These creatures were renowned throughout folklore as mighty creatures, so he was surprised to see that this one had a calm attitude; it was very pleasant. Astral took a closer look around the interior to realize that this was the Dr.'s own home, he only knew a few who did the same with their business. "Thank you. So, you're Dr. Milenko. The town counselor, correct? I'm Astral, a pleasure to make your acquaintance sir."

@Samurai Equine Astral was delighted at Trilby's change of heart, now he finally had a chance of learning the truth, though he knew not to foolishly raise his hopes too high. Astral was also glad to know that this Addenbrooks mayor seemed like a reasonable pony, as it could make his job much easier. However, Astral's next reaction was one of curiosity, seeing the change in Trilby's eyes at the mention of dark magic. It seemed something bad may have happened relating to the dark arts, but Astral figured it best not to ask anymore questions for the time being. "Thank you for your time Mr. Hatter, and I'll try to take you up on that offer tomorrow. Have a nice outing you two." Astral then gave a polite bow and turned to leave. @Pastel Heart As he walked away from the complex, Astral wondered if he should give this counselor 'Milenko' a visit; he still had time before sundown. He looked on his map to see where this Dr. was, and he caught the name 'Milenko' on a small building close by. "Talk about convenient." Astral walked in to the building and observed his surroundings. It seemed like a quaint little establishment, and across the hall was an empty desk with a single silver bell. Since the door was unlocked, Astral figured the office was still open, so he rung the bell and patiently waited for somepony to arrive.

Astral shook his head in the Pegasus' worry, not wanting to cause a fuss over a simple theory. "Don't worry Miss, I don't know if there actually IS dark magic in this town, I'm simply mulling over the rumors I've heard." Astral began to wonder if there even was a curse in this town, every attempt he'd made so far had been met with zero progress. The history book was torn, the theater unthreatened, and now he may not get to even meet the mayor. No matter, Astral knew he couldn't give up; if dark magic was involved even in the smallest possible margin, it was his job to contain it. After all, he couldn't possibly let down the 'EWA', nor his new friends.

@Windy Breeze Astral turned to face the Pegasus, and knew it best to answer her question. "I suppose you could call me an archiver of sorts, the dispute of this town simply caught my interest." Astral was disappointed, once again he had hit a speed bump in his investigation. Though he remembered what Samurai had told him, that the Laronde box had shown a positive attitude with this 'Addenbrooks' pony. Despite this setback, Astral was determined to trace the origins of a potential curse; it was his duty to protect Equestria from dark magic, and he would not fail. "Well, it's good to know that he appreciated the public event. Now don't worry about any personal info, but there is something I still wish to ask you. Have you noticed anything strange about the town lately? Have you felt anything 'off' in the general atmosphere? Because sources tell me there may be a potential... curse."

@Samurai Equine "Actually Trilby, I wanted to talk to you about something else. I heard on the radio that you work for one of the mayors named 'White Addenbrooks'. I'm currently investigating the reasons behind the mayors' dispute, is there anything you know that could help me?" @Windy Breeze Astral turned his head to see another pony patiently waiting beside Trilby, and this pony was in fact a Pegasus. "Don't worry miss, this shouldn't take too long."

@Samurai Equine As Astral navigated using the town map, something caught the corner of his eye. It appeared to be another stallion, though this one was gray and very well dressed, and was sitting just outside of an apartment complex. Seeing the fashion cutie mark sported on his flank, Astral wondered if this might be the pony he was looking for, so he trotted up and introduced himself. "Hello sir, my name is Astral. I'm looking for a pony who was recently on the radio named 'Trilby Hatter', would you happen to know him?" Astral knew this pony could be Trilby, but he didn't want to be rude. After all, you know what they say about assuming.

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine @ExplosionMare Astral was glad to see Dynamo and the others have fun with their reference material, but his ear quickly perked up as he heard another voice close by. Turning his head, Astral saw a radio playing in the town square, and he then walked over eager to listen. Astral's eyes enlarged with excitement; not only was the pony the same one as Samurai had mentioned, but he finally had a name of one of the mayors, as well as a potential lead on the town's divide. Astral wanted to dash to Trilby's as soon as possible, but he knew he couldn't leave the others behind, at least not without telling them. Astral soon rejoined the group, and began to tell them of his new objective. "My apologies friends, but I'm afraid something has come up. I'll try to make it to the arcade later, but for now I have to get to Trilby's. Be sure to have fun, and signal if you need me." Astral then turned to leave for Trilby's store, hoping the group would not be disheartened.

@Samurai Human @Pastel Heart I'm actually kind of wondering when the group will get to meet some other side characters like Trilby Hatter or Pastel's dragon character (The therapist I believe). I get that Astral will probably meet Trilby at some point if he's desperate to learn about the mayors, but I haven't seen the dragon appear much in the story. I'm not asking for anyone to shoehorn in some interactions, I just hope to see more of these characters, cause what I have seen of Trilby has been quite funny so far.

A slow golf clap soon broke the silence, and was revealed to be made by Astral. Well, more accurately, the sound was coming from two holographic hands that Astral had made with his magic. "Well played, Samurai. Well played indeed. I know a certain party pony who you would've made proud." Astral wondered if Samurai would know who he was referring to, and what his reaction might be.

@Dynamo Pad @ExplosionMare Astral could see the eagerness in the gaming unicorn's eyes, and having no other major obligations at the time, Astral decided it was best not to be rude. "Sure, I wouldn't mind coming along to Pencil's home. I am admittingly curious on what Pencil may create for her unique 'vision', not just just cause that's my last name." Astral held back yet another chuckle. First the prank with Pastel, then the leg joke at Dynamo's expense, it was starting to seem like Astral was a bit of a jokester underneath his calm demeanour. @Samurai Equine Astral was curious at the mention of Mistmane once again, it seemed that she played quite a large part in lives of Dynamo and Samurai, even though the two ponies had no proven connection to her. "I wouldn't mind seeing it sometime, Samurai. And don't worry, nopony's perfect."