The Original

@,@, Akatsu looked at Corsica and then at the bathroom, pointing in its direction. 'Of course, knowing them by now, they probably don't know how to even use the bathroom...' she grudgingly thought. Akatsu finished setting up the laptop for use and turned back to Summer. "I will be honest. I think you both are absolutely crazy, but i'm willing to help in any way. If you could just talk in a way that makes sense that would be splendid." Akatsu sat down and pulled up google maps, then zoomed out the entire way. "Do you recognize any of this?" she asked, hoping she knew at least ONE continent. "I do not know what you mean by 'appearances', but i think i have an idea."

@,@, Akatsu walked over to where the two were and looked out the window. "Well... it is about a twenty minute drive... and if you want to see stars, another 20 minutes into the middle of nowhere. You know, i could just give you a map instead..." she offered. She thought it strange to use the stars to determine position, but she knew sailors had done it hundreds of years ago. Maybe it wasn't so inconvenient as she thought it was. "I could just pull a map up on the computer actually" she said and moved over to turn on the laptop.

@, Akatsu tried to study them, their movements, the way they talked, what they talked about... but it made absolutely no sense to her. 'They aren't drunk... they are talking too perfectly. They aren't on drugs... they don't look like they are at least...' she assessed. Akatsu picked up her own tea and downed it quickly. "Well... seems like you two live interesting enough lives. I just work as a waitress at a restaurant across the street..." she mumbled to herself. She was getting rather sleepy, and the tea didn't help. "I can't leave you two without places to sleep, and i can't set you out alone outside. There is only really my room and the loveseat here. I have an extra pad i could get out of the closet. One of you could sleep on that in my room, but the other will have to sleep out here. Who sleeps where is up to you, but i'm going to get the pad out." Akatsu left to her room, her movements like a slowly gliding paper airplane. She sifted through the contents of her closet, and found a medium sized memory foam pad at the top shelf. She retrieved it and set it down with a sheet, blanket, and one of Akatsu's bed pillows.

@,@, Akatsu sighed and walked back over to the living room area. She picked up the remote and shut the TV off again. "It's broken, so don't bother with the remote. I'm going to have to get a new one... probably not as good as this one though." Akatsu put the remote back down and sat down next to Corsica. "Well... Tea is ready, but let us let it cool down for a little while. How about we get to know each other? If you are going to be here for a while, i would very much like to know more about you both" she said and smiled. It wasn't often Akatsu would have guests, and it was usually her parents coming over for the rare and brief pass-by's. She had never had roommates, and grew up an only child. Some would call it sad, but she called it a living. Akatsu would have yet to find out what a real living is... (Bum bum BUUUUM! Foreshadowing...)

@, @, Akatsu couldn't keep a straight face, and not in a laughing way. Akatsu turned a bright red as she looked at them briefly, and then away. "N-no... they are perfect-, I mean, they are okay... er, well they are just... they're fine... Its just you... don't normally go grabbing at them... or poking at them, like that..." she said in between brief pauses and stutters. 'I couldn't ask for a more awkward situation...' Akatsu left the two girls to their explorations and went over to finish preparing the tea. She had done it so many times, making tea took the same amount of remembrance and effort as breathing. She didn't even need to pay attention to what she was doing, as she knew she did it right every time. 'How did i get mixed up in thi- wait a second, i already know that. I dragged two nuts into my home... two, very pretty... no, they are just guests.'

@, @, (Sigh... what you give me to work with...) Akatsu looked at the TV which Summer had pointed at. 'Something doesn't look right about it...' she pondered. Akatsu could let the tea bags soak as she walked over to the TV remote on the coffee table in front of the love seat. She picked up the long and thin black device and pressed the power button. Immediately, the large panel; now static and disfigured screen, lit up. Akatsu sighed in distraught, and pressed the power button once again, turning the TV off. Akatsu sat down next to Corsica and looked at her. She blushed heavily remembering what she had asked and done moments before. "Ehm..." 'Good God, has she never been taught the birds and the bees yet?' "Well..." Akatsu found it hard to talk about such a subject, as hers were rather... lackluster. "They are... boobs..." she uttered, trying to avert her eyes. "They uh... give food to babies..." she mentioned awkwardly. (I hate you guys... I'm a guy)

@, Akatsu blushed and looked at Summer, feeling the cold of her slightly transferring to Akatsu. "M-madam..." she stuttered out. Akatsu was not used to physical attention or interaction, the only thing receiving much attention from Akatsu was her bed, as it was very comfortable. "Its just an elevator..." she mumbled out, hoping she would let go with such knowledge. 'Is this going to be the same as Corsica?' she wondered, as it seemed to be heading in that general direction. The elevator soon enough reached the top floor, and Akatsu lead Summer out and towards her apartment. Only a small ways down the hall, as not many liked living on the 16th floor, she opened the door and ushered Summer inside. "I wasn't expecting to be making more than one cup of tea tonight, or even two for that matter" @, As heard of before, the apartment consisted of a small but very nice and well equipped kitchen area with a minute table for two (in case she ever had a guest, which she hadn't since she got the apartment), a large loveseat big enough for three people, and a 32" flat screen in the living room, along with a desk and laptop off to the right side. The living room and kitchen are both part of an open floor plan with tile flooring in the kitchen and a thin carpet layer in the living room section. Her bedroom connects to the bathroom, and both the bathroom and her bedroom connect to the kitchen/living room by doors. She keeps the bedroom to bathroom connection door locked at all times. Akatsu's bedroom is the most decorative room in the entire apartment, consisting of mostly purples and deep blues. Akatsu brought Summer into the kitchen where she started to prepare three cups of herbal tea. "I hope tea is okay with you, its pretty much all i have." Akatsu put the kettle on and waited, thinking she might as well get to know this girl a bit more. "So... you haven't told me your name yet?" she mentioned. Akatsu looked over at Corsica, and watched her slightly study herself. It was... amusing to say the least. "Corsica, what did you do while i was gone?" she asked curiously over at the girl sitting on the loveseat, hoping to rouse her attention. Akatsu's eyes wandered back to Summer, waiting for her answer. 'They are both so pretty...' she thought to herself.

@, Akatsu was wondering why so many drunk or amnesia riddled people were showing up, but she felt like she had to help. She looked down at the girl, and knelled down next to her. "Come inside with me, and we can get you warmed up with some tea" she said and helped her up onto her feet. She stabilized her as soon as she saw her fumbling, and guided her towards the apartment building. "I'm Akatsu Zakhaev" she introduced as they got to the steps of the apartment building. She lead the girl inside and to the elevator, going by the same routine as she did with Corsica. She pressed the button to send them to the 16th floor, and the doors of the elevator shut closed with a 'ffmmp'. The elevator rumble slightly, and started to elevate. "Are you from France? You speak French, and have a French accent..." she asked.

@, Akatsu paused for a second, and tried to distinguish what language the girl was speaking. 'S'il vous plaît... that is French isn't it?' Akatsu had taken French in her highschool years, but she rarely used it. "Uh... Pouvez-vous parler anglais?" she asked the girl. She hoped to the heavens she said that correctly. She wouldn't want this girl hearing something other than what she intended. "Ugh, why is it so cold tonight..." she muttered under her breath. Akatsu started to smell what seemed to be rain. Wind was blowing westwards, and the weather hadn't called for rain, but anything could happen really. "We should get you inside" she stated in English, as she forgot the words in French.

@, Akatsu got to the lobby of the apartment building and started heading outside to where she thought she heard the noise come from. She took a look around, and didn't really notice anything, until she noticed a girl almost run directly into ongoing traffic. 'Am i really going to try and take in another drunk girl?... yeah.' Akatsu quickly walked over to the road and pressed the crossing button and waited for the light to change. It wasn't long before Akatsu was on the other side of the road, moving closer to the girl standing near the road. "You okay?" Akatsu asked, loud enough to hear over the traffic. "You almost walked directly into a bunch of cars."

Akatsu was very curious as to the sound, but it would have to wait for a minute. Akatsu lead Corsica towards her room and brought her inside. The apartment consisted of a small but very nice and well equipped kitchen area with a minute table for two (in case she ever had a guest, which she hadn't since she got the apartment), a large loveseat and a 32" flat screen in the living room along with a desk and laptop. The living room and kitchen are both part of an open floor plan with tile flooring in the kitchen and a thin carpet layer in the living room section. Her bedroom connects to the bathroom, and both the bathroom and her bedroom connect to the kitchen/living room by doors. She keeps the bedroom bathroom connection door locked at all times. Akatsu's bedroom is the most decorative room in the entire apartment, consisting of mostly purples and deep blues. Akatsu only stepped in for a second, then gestured for Corsica to come in as well. "Feel free to make yourself something to drink. It shouldn't be too hard to find things around here, its rather small. I'm going to head outside for a bit to check out the noise i heard." Akatsu left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving Corsica alone to explore (hint hint). (I will get to Summer next post for sure. Feel free to do whatever you want in the apartment with Corsica)

@, @, Akatsu stepped out of the elevator and looked at Corsica strangely. "Uh... its used to lift people from one level of a building to another.. Haven't you seen an elevator before?" she asked. She then slightly frowned as she realized Corsica might not have as well a provided life as Akatsu does, and it is possible she never even heard of an elevator. Akatsu almost right after asking heard another loud noise, but it was a more faint, likely further away. She paused in all her actions for a brief second, and asked Corsica - "Did you hear that?" (Don't worry, we will get to Summer in about 1 or 2 more posts the way i have it planned.)

@, Akatsu nodded and walked towards the lobby with Corsica. "I'm Akatsu, if i didn't already mention before." As they walked into the lobby and towards the elevator, Akatsu could tell that Corsica was drunk by the way she walked. Akatsu knew bringing in drunk people wasn't a very good idea, but she had to do something. The poor girl didn't know where she was... and from the sound of it, doesn't know where she came from. Akatsu lead her into the elevator and then pressed the 16th floor button. The gears and pulleys of the elevator rumbled and started to lift the carriage to the top of the apartment complex.

Akatsu was a bit skeptical of this girl now. "Uh... Do you want to come inside? I can make us something warm to drink, considering its a bit cold out here" she mentioned, rubbing her forearms in attempt to keep warmer. 'She has to be either drunk or insane... Hooves, horn? And what about her body? She looks rather fine to me...' she thought to herself. Akatsu extended her hand out in a gesture to help the girl up. "I don't have much variety. I usually just have tea."

@, (There, i fixed it) Akatsu was a tad bit worried for this girl, for she seemed a bit... well, delusional. "Uh. I'm Akatsu" she said and sat down about 2 feet from her. "I'm pretty sure i'm a female human, and i will be honest, i don't know what is going on either. I'm guessing that means you have no idea how you got here?" she asked. She had no real experience with people, so she hoped she wasn't scaring her. "If you want i can give you a ride back home?" she offered to the girl. A small detail that stood out to Akatsu, was the name 'Celestia'. 'I must have heard that name when going through channels on the television that one time...' she thought. She never watched much TV, as it bored her quite easily. Once or twice she has flipped through channels out of pure boredom. This was before she moved out of her parents house of course. She had no need for a TV at home if she wasn't going to watch it. 'It was from that one pony show... i think.'

@, Akatsu awoke rather mildly, even though she had just heard the loud crack of lightning. 'I didn't hear any rain, and i didn't see any clouds before i went to bed...' she thought. She slowly sat upright and looked out her bedroom window. It certainly wasn't raining, and it certainly wasn't cloudy. 'Was i imagining things? Was it part of a dream?' she wondered. She wearily moved the blanket off of her legs and slid over and off the bed. 'I wasn't going to sleep anyway. I should see if some hobo is outside kicking over the trash cans again. That might be it...' she suspected. Akatsu shuffled through her small yet decorative apartment to the front door, and then to the elevator. She lived in one of the many apartments in The Regency - A nice but not too expensive apartment complex in New Bedford. She took the elevator from the 16th floor all the way to the lobby to take a walk. She was still in her pajamas, and she walked barefoot all the time to places. Her pajama top and bottom were a matching silky purple with small wispy black streaks going around. It took relatively short time to get to the western side of the building. Akatsu didn't see anything except for a girl sitting, backed against the wall. There were no knocked over garbage cans, and no hobo. 'The heck is she doing here? I feel like i have seen her before... maybe i waited on her once.' The girl was quite a bit bigger than Akatsu, but it was hard to determine the height. In the dark, it was hard to make out many other features, but it seemed like she was light blonde. Akatsu knew better than to approach strangers, and even more so in the dark, but something compelled her. Maybe it was her longing for a friend, or even just someone to talk to. She had left high school without friends, and was too busy working and figuring out what to do with life to even consider friends, but here, in the middle of the night, her cognitive sense drew her towards the girl. Akatsu looked down at the girl, who obviously seemed puzzled. "Are you okay? I think you might have hit or knocked something over. I heard a very loud noise come from out here" she asked the girl.

@@Pripyat Pony,@@Dovashy, Arcane was curious as to how a single pony could keep up a shield for an entire night. "If you wish, we can trade off holding up the shield during the night. I don't normally sleep at night anyway" he offered. Most nights he spent staying up to work, so it was no problem for him. It probably wasn't super healthy in all honesty, but Arcane did the math, and he was comfortable with the results. "Do we want to take longer sleeping nights? Shorter nights would be better for getting there sooner, but we might not have the energy to fend off many attacks, if any."

@@Pripyat Pony, @@Dovashy, @@Alex Kennedy, @@XxConfusedUnicornxX Arcane was wondering if they would stop by any towns along the way. Perhaps they would just be traveling in the wild and setting up camps. He really hoped they would stop by Neighagara Falls at the least, one of his favorite small villages was placed not too far from there, not to mention its beautiful there. Either way, he wanted to be over with this mission so he could get back home and continue his work. Leaving a flux core just laying around for too long wasn't a very good thing. Arcane trotted up to Sanura and tapped her lightly with his hoof. "Miss Sanura? Do you know what exact stops we might be taking? I do not enjoy not knowing where we are going. If we are planning to head out without any town stops, i would hope we at least take the quickest route possible. Seeing as you are best fit for command, a good plan might be in order? I would also like to go over strengths and weaknesses as i mentioned before."

@@Pripyat Pony, @@Alex Kennedy, Arcane complied, but personally felt it a bit useless of a visit. He had already packed everything he felt he would need in his travelers sack. His sack was more than meets the eye. It has a magical seal, food preservation, and was made of magical fabric to increase the size. He also used some basic illusion magic to make it appear like a normal, small travelers sack. It took him over a year to make a bag such as this, but he felt it completely worth it. It wasn't a long walk to the armory. The Castle was large, but somehow easy to get around. It helped that Arcane already knew where things were here, since he spent a lot of time here before he moved. Arcane picked up a med kit and some more food, knowing his small variety wouldn't keep him sustained very well. He had no use for weapons, only Magic and Magilectronic items.

@@Alex Kennedy, @@Pripyat Pony, @@XxConfusedUnicornxX, Arcane was a bit relieved that Luna had decided to get introductions started herself. They were either missing one pony, or a chair was there for Celestia before she left. Either way, it was time for Arcane to begin his introduction. The others had kept theirs short, so he might as well do the same. Arcane stepped forward a little to be more in view of the others. He took a quick bow and stood straight. "My name is Arcane. I am the top scientist in head of research here in Canterlot, though i live in Ponyville to have more peace and quiet while doing my work. Some of you might be concerned as to why a researcher of all ponies would be joining this team. As for combat, i am very restricted. My magical abilities are more utility and defense based." Arcane took a second to recover from talking so much. 'I wish i had planned something a bit... shorter. No time to plan though. Just have to go along with it'. Arcane opened his travelers sack and pulled out a small magilectronic (Magic Electricity!) device. "I have brought with me some small yet very useful devices i have crafted over years of my work, enough for each member of the team to have two. I have no desire to only give you each two, as we should share to maximize our capabilities. I also have some natural tactical and medical ability which should be of some use to us in the field if anything goes wrong. I would very much like all of us to go over each of our strengths and weaknesses later today if you would so please. Overall, if the situation wasn't so dire, i would love to be a part of this team. Thank you" he finished and took a bow. Arcane took a step back and sighed. 'If the last member of the team doesn't show up, will we have to leave without them? That would leave us in smaller numbers, and possibly hinder us. We need a bit more than two spies, a soldier and a scientist... A more magically inclined pony would be appreciated on the team. It would be best for me not to worry about it now though.'

A lightly chilled wind brushed up against Arcane as he slowly walked towards the Royal Castle. He hadn't been summoned in over a year, having the delivery system to aid him in sending his research notes, he didn't hold the need to visit. The quickly scrawled out letter he received explained the situation, and demanded he come to Canterlot. He levitated the letter out of his small travelers sack and raised it in front of him. He felt very skeptical of the whole thing. It was sent with the Royal seal, but it just didn't seem like something they would send to anyone. Regardless, he was fully capable of handling himself in many situations, so if it was a fake, he would be fine. He quickly scanned over the letter one last time, and put it away. The flap on the sack snapped shut with a click, a built in magical magnetic feature he designed himself. He could never resist a small smile on the inside whenever something of his worked like intended. Arcane had arrived at the castle at a rather alarming rate, considering he doesn't tend to walk very fast. He took a deep breath and looked back and forth at the guards posted at the front gate. They both looked at him and gave a nod of approval, opening the gate only barely wide enough for him to get in. He let out the breath and closed his eyes for a few seconds. He always felt out of place anywhere a member of the royal family was. He reopened his eyes and continued towards the throne room, passing by rows of blooming flowers and age old trees. He enjoyed the courtyard, but he could never stay too long. Even at such a season, his allergies loved to tease him. Another set of guards opened up the next gate for him and allowed him in the throne room. @@Alex Kennedy,@@Pripyat Pony, Arcane had never seen these two ponies before, but he instantly knew who the dark blue Alicorn mare with a crown atop her head was. The iconic Princess Luna. He was surprised Celestia wasn't there to greet them, but knowing the urgent matter, she most likely had other things to attend to that were much more demanding. Arcane took a quick bow and stood to the side of the chairs, not feeling like sitting down after a two hour train ride. He assumed there would be more according to the amount of chairs set up. The other two ponies who arrived before him, a mare and a stallion. Both of fair appearances. He assumed he would most likely be introduced to these ponies later on. If not, then it would be upon him to do that.

@, The monkey on the crate looked around and shrugged. It didn't see any ponies that were awake, so the two ponies must have been addressing it! The monkey smiled and hopped down and walked over to the two ponies. It extended its hand in greeting, knowing it should be polite in case that they were friends of the Red Pegasus with the hurt hooves. It was odd having a friend for the first time, but it made the monkey feel good to have something to talk to other than a banana and a very dirty banana peel...

Quip let out a sigh of relief as he sealed the last firework and set it on the table. "Now all i have to do is decorate them..." he mumbled. He wiped the sweat off his brow, the few droplets that there were hit the ground, slightly discoloring from the collected dust and dirt on the floor of the shed. Quip stepped back and took a look at his amazing display of pale tan firework stars. "25 fireworks for a newborn fillies first birthday party... What kind of newborn enjoys fireworks?" he asked himself. He shook his head and started to head towards the market to buy some supplies to turn them into rockets. *Magical Time Whooshing Sound* Quip picked up a red and white striped design from the counter and facehoofed. "What kind of pony would use this design?" he asked the mare at the counter. "I-..." she was cut off. "Waldo, that's who. How many of these have you sold in your lifetime?" he asked. She looked at him in shock and then put a hoof to her forehead. "Uh... maybe twenty?" she replied without certainty. "And how much do you have in stock?" he asked his last question and put the roll of wrapping paper back down. "1..." she mumbled. Quip laughed and smiled. "Well at least you aren't wasting money. I will take all of your stock. It doesn't seem like you have much anyway." The mare's jaw dropped and then turned into a smile. "Well, okay then! I've never had a costumer as large as you... in buying i mean" she saved and then searched around for all the rolls she had. Quip smiled and waited for her to gather them up.