The-Master

@,

@@Pripyat Pony,

It was a bitter sweet reunion. Even if it was inevitable, Murray didn't really want it to come. About now he figured he would be thanked, given a pat on the head, and then forced to say goodbye. He hated goodbyes, always so awkward and you never say what you mean to. Maybe he was over thinking it, but he figured he'd likely never see her again.

Yeah, it had been just one night. They barley new each other by many standards. But she was fascinating, she shouldn't even exist and yet her she is sitting next to him. Even if he had to say goodbye he certainly wouldn't forget.

Cicada nodded and went to pick out some clothes. She chose some more black clothes, which was a colour she liked, and they weren't too expensive. Some were even on sale. Once all the clothes were paid for, and she was ready for the meeting with her Queen, Cicada tuned into the wavelength and sent a message to Chrysalis.

His jaw fell dumbfounded, struggling to actually get a proper sentence out. She was...   cool? Did that work in this context, or was he just avoiding the obvious? I wont say it, I wont...   Fine, she's attractive! I said it! Can we move on?!

"S- so...    coffee?"

Murray didn't exactly know why, but simply going out and having a coffee seemed to help clear his mind. Now was probably a good time for that. He and Cicada both sat around in the little cafe, not really talking to each other as usual. A conversation between those two often resulted with a few quick questions followed by vague answers, Murray occasionally glancing up at her when he thought she wasn't looking, then getting caught and pretending to look in a completely different direction altogether.

@@Steel Accord,

"By keeping them on you she's in far more danger than if you were unarmed. We are not an invasion force, we are not here to fight and we are certainly not here to make enemies." Star Keeper gave his best attempt at a harsh glare, but wasn't exactly an expert at it quite yet. "I'm not asking you to part with a heirloom, I'm asking you to leave it until we know what it is we're dealing with. I'm just trying to be logical."

A glasses contents is determined by whether it had gained or lost from it's original value. For instance if it started out with a full glace but lost half of its contents then it would be half empty, however if we were to fill an empty cup to half way then it would be half full. So an optimist can only say they are optimistic because they know what it's like to truly hit rock bottom while anypony else would see it as a misfortune.

Oh the things that went on in his head could fill a few books indeed. "Whatever the case we can't go galloping in like it's no ponies business. Subtlety is the key for this, that means no weapons, no large groups and no sudden or unexpected actions. Until we know the exact situation then it isn't wise to push the boundaries."

@@Pripyat Pony, 

"I guess so." The pair entered the mall ans instantly set about first finding a place to purchase some new clothes to replace rather tattered appearance. Although it would have been simple just to change into someone else it did take more energy that expected. This was probably a bit easier, considering there was little need to try and blend in. After a small amount of wandering they found the store they'd been looking for, Murray inviting her in to try on some clothes. "Well, go crazy. But not too crazy, I can only afford so much."

@, 

@@Steel Accord, 

"If there was an event for self-doubt then there is no doubt that I'd take the gold. Actually there might be." Star Keeper glanced away in no particular direction, simply letting his mind wander off in new directions. Often this gave him a new sense of depth to the conversation, broadening his narrow thinking. "Something tells me that after over a thousand years they wont exactly welcome us with open hooves. They might not be as accepting to other cultures after so long in complete isolation."

@, 

"Well...   somewhere during Equestrian Dark Ages, lasting from the 1300 to 990 BC is when many suspect Atlantis to have disappeared from record, although the cause is unknown. At the beginning of the Age of Renewal the City had was all but forgotten, save deep with the Achieves held within the Unicorn settlements. During the Dark Ages, Force Commander Supreme Hurricane made an account of a clan that refused to cooperate with Pegasi order, nor any of the other tribes demands. "They were factionless, drifting along the coastline without so much as a known area of settlement. And yet they continue to advance, grow and watch us." After that they seem to simply vanish, gone from the world. There's so many gaps in our history, the Crystal Empire, the rise of Celestia, and yet we still have no way of know for sure."

"This is what happens when you let me ramble."

@@Pripyat Pony, 

"Just around the corner here." Murray and Cicada arrived at the mall after a good hours walk in the brisk morning air, and it was rather freezing in his opinion. "Let's head inside, get a drink, get some clothes and meet this queen. I never in my life thought I would say anything like that."

@@Steel Accord, 

Star Keeper shook his head at his words. "Nothing, I meant nothing by it. Just forget it for now, I spoke out of place." He looked back down at the ground, hammering himself for his poor choice of words. "There's things they don't really tell you in school, or even in many history books. What really happened on that night over 2000 years ago? In the end all we have is stories...   and rumors. There I go again, rambling on a bout history. Warn me next time so I don't get too carried away with it all."

@@Steel Accord,

@,  

Oh, this is the part where I'm supposed to respond, isn't it? "I'm not really a linguist either. I- in fact I'm quite rubbish at it." Probably not the smartest thing to say, but he tried to play it off.  "I'm really more of a chronicler, an amateur historian at best. Just another stallion who spends his days sulked up in a corner with old tomes really."

@,

As much as he dreaded the idea of socially interacting with these ponies he couldn't refuse an invitation, be it his pet peeve. He silently shuffled up closer so that he wasn't exactly very close, but still enough not to be excluded. "There hasn't been much use for me yet, I guess I'm just waiting till that time comes." He rolled up the scroll, setting aside his little language project for the moment.

Little unbeknownst to everypony present Star had made himself comfortable near the back of the group. It didn't really matter, he liked to keep to himself. He spent most of his time just looking over one of the scrolls that had survived the wreak. It was a rather loose transcript  but enough so he could roughly understand the language. Although he found that he was pretty useless at it, as per all other languages he attempted to study. That and the author had very poor hoof writing, indicating that he was definitely not a unicorn.

Other than that there was little progress. Old maps were useless, the history was flawed and everything else was utterly pointless. He had saved some, but barley anything of potential use. He planted his face in his hooves, taking a second just to absorb everything, be it from their experience or from the text. He was tired, pretty hungry, and he itched in strange places thanks to the lack of a proper shower. Star certainly hoped this would be all worth it in the end, but more than anything he hoped that Atlantis had proper plumbing.

I'l just sit here and twiddle my thumbs for a bit. Something will happen soon and I'll just jump in.

@,

 

Cicada considered the question. Finally, she said, "I'll tell you a bit about changelings, but if you want to know anything specific, you'll have to ask questions. First of all, we don't raise our foals the way the ponies do. Our foals are put in pods to grow and mature; we don't birth them. Shapechanging is something that we're born with, but foals are educated on the best ways of doing so when they're old enough; sometimes, we even go in disguise to pony settlements and learn on the hoof, as it were.

 

We all have a psychic link; the Hive Mind, but only the Queen can communicate with everypony in the Hive. I'm the Queen's second in command, so I can communicate with everypony below me, tho only one of the Captains, Diliges, made it to this world. The Queen contacted me, that's how I was able to find out where she wanted to meet us."

 

Cicada paused, looking at Murray to see what he made of it all.

 

"Almost like insects..." He eventually spoke up, turning back to face Cicada. "Well... I guess we must all look odd to you lot. Maybe once we find your queen you could introduce me. Should be... Interesting."

@@Pripyat Pony,

After a rather rushed breakfast Murray and Cicada set off towards the mall. It wasn't a very long walk but there seemed to be plenty of people out and about this time of morning. It was a bit cold but not enough to convince him to put on any more layers than usual. "So..." Murray decided to have a go st starting a conversation, considering they had both been rather silent for most of the journey. "...I was wondering if, well if it's okay with you, If you could tell me a bit more about your kind. I'm not wishing to intrude, it's just you guys are a whole new race never before discovered. Some people here would give their right arm just to talk to something like you. I want to know more."

Star dumped his tent in the middle of the ground and looked at it expectantly as if it would spontaneously set itself up. After a few disappointed seconds he decided to give a crack at setting it up manually. After a quick montage for time convenience he was finished, be it an imperfect creation. He was still rather proud of his achievement despite the obvious flaws in the construction. It was rather concerning when he noticed there was nothing holding it to the ground, but shrugged it off as a minor technical issue.

She replied to Murray and said, "We ought to get some clothes, and after that, I would like to meet with my Queen. She is very near and would like to meet you and thank you for taking care of me. Can you suggest a place for us to meet? I will send the message back straight away once you tell me."

@@Pripyat Pony, 

She took well to the suggestion, much to his relief. "Well we could always go to the mall. I don't really know my way around here very well, so I can't really name it off by heart. But we can just walk there and see about buying you some new clothes. No problem. We'll head off in few minutes when you're ready then." Considering the clothes she had right now were practically littered with holes it seemed like the best idea at the time.

@@Pripyat Pony,

Murray shuffled himself into the kitchen, using the last of the milk to make Cicada breakfast and a cup of coffee. He set the jug and walked back out to the living room with the bowl of cereal. "So...   I was thinking...   was there anything you wanted to do today? I don't have a job to go to right now, so we can do whatever you want." He handed over the bowl, trying not to spill it everywhere. "We could go get you some new clothes, we could go see some of the sights, go for a walk, do...  something. I don't really know what your plan is to get home yet, so...  yeah." It's a start. Murray was having a rather hard time masking his obvious nervous interactions and attractions, unexpected for someone like him.

Cicada awoke suddenly to find Murray next to her. "Well," she said. "This is unexpected. Did you expect me to be gone during the night or something?" She laughed.

@@Pripyat Pony, 

Murray went completely wide-eyed for a second, tumbling off the other side of the mattress as soon as he realized she was awake. He landed with a small thud and hit his head against the hard floor. "Sorry...   that was an accident. Can we just forget that ever happened?" He stood up rather unsteadily, trying to keep his head faced down so that she might not see the slight shades of crimson creep onto his face. "So...   breakfast?"

@@Pripyat Pony, 

Well, looks like he managed to get some sleep after all. Murray woke to the sharp beams of light creeping through his blinds, shielding his eyes from the rays of death. He didn't have a job to go to anymore, so there wasn't much point in getting up early. Oh, well there was his unexpected house guest. He was still half convinced that was all a dream or some kind of delusion, that he may wake up and find that no one was there. But in the end there was only one guaranteed way to find out.

Murray crept out of his bedroom as quietly as he could, still dressed in his sleepwear. He looked around the living room expecting to find an empty floor and no sign of Cicada, but there she was, still sleeping. So it wasn't a dream, wasn't a delusion  and he was pretty sure he wasn't crazy. This was still real.

Murray decided to try and get over where she slept and into the kitchen, where he had placed the mattress inconveniently blocking his way. Despite the simplicity of the task it still seemed rather daunting. He put his foot forward, reaching out across and over to the other side without brushing her at all. And as quickly as that he lost his balance and fell, landing right next to Cicada on the mattress and landing with a small yelp and a soft thud. Great start to the morning.

Cicada looked at the bed laid out for her. "It's fine," she replied. "I'll have some toast, then. We have that back home as well. Do you have any jam or anything like that?"

Cicada made some toast for herself with jam, and settled down to eat it. After finishing, she drank a cup of water and stretching, said, "I'm just going to outside for a few moments for some fresh air before bed. Don't worry, I won't go far." The changeling went outside for a little while; nearby was a couple exchanging loving words. Cicada honed in on them, revelling in feeding off the couple's love for each other. As she did so, she felt herself grow stronger. When she had taken as much as she needed for the moment, she went back inside Murray's home.

@@Pripyat Pony,

"Sure,  it should be in there somewhere." Murray decided to simply leave her be, she wasn't something that needed to be cared for 24/7. She seemed to be fairly self dependent. When she left for a while it gave him some time to think over what he should do next. He  apparently had a changeling in his home, a long way from home and trying to get back. This was all a bit surreal. Maybe things would get better once he was out of the country.

When Cicada returned she seemed to be in a far better state than when she was last here. "Well...  it's amazing what some fresh air and a slice of toast will do for you." Murray shrugged it off, even if it did seem a bit out of the ordinary. After everything that's happened today this was nothing in comparison. "Well, I'm off to bed. Feel free to do what you want...   within reason. Good night." He stood up and departed for his room, laying in a half dazed state across the covers. With all the thoughts buzzing around his head he knew it was going to be a long night.

Cicada agreed to what the Queen said. Once the conversation was finished, she felt able to tune back into the present.

Cicada considered her reply before answering. She didn't want to go into the whole emotion feeding thing. Altho changelings could sustain themselves with regular food, they needed to feed on strong emotions for strength and power. But once she'd found her hooves, Cicada thought, she could quite easily go out among the humans and feed off their emotions. After all, humans seemed to produce very strong emotions, and a bit more power would be very welcome.

 

"We can sustain ourselves on normal food," she eventually said. "What do humans eat?"

@@Pripyat Pony, 

This was harder to answer than Murray originally thought. He rummaged through his cupboards and shelves but didn't really come up with much of a result. "Well...  I have toast, cereal...   some noodles...   and not much else. I haven't really done any shopping this week, sorry. Help yourself to whatever you want." he shut the fridge when he noticed the surprising lack of milk, making a mental note to do the shopping tomorrow if he could. He wasn't too sure exactly how long to expect his guest for.

Murray set about laying out a bed for Cicada, bringing out a spare mattress into the living room along with a fitted sheet, blanket and pillows. It seemed to come together nicely, it would do for the night. Looking back at the time it was getting close to eleven at night, about time he thought about getting some sleep himself.

Murray slumped up against the couch and looked over towards Cicada with a rather tired expression. "Well...   feel free to do what you want. Phones over there, doors unlocked whenever you need to leave and everything else should be easy to figure out. I'm sorry this isn't exactly a 'quality' place to stay, but it's only temporary."

@@Pripyat Pony, 

Right...  I'm now taking a Changeling to my apartment to help her find the rest of her kind. Out of all the weird dreams I've had this tops it. In the end Murray just conceded to play along with it. "My car isn't too far from here. It isn't the...  best machine on the roads, but it's lasted me this long. Come on, let's get going." It was starting to get a bit darker as they went on, Murray keeping close to the girl/changeling next to him, keeping a grasp on her hand. "It should be just around this corner."

It was just an old Hilux Surf, the  years of punishment showing through across it's black paintwork. Murray fumbled with his keys a bit before opening the doors and letting Cicada get inside. The trip home was a short one with very little conversation, but that didn't stop him asking if she was okay every once and a while.

The apartment block was rather generic, a solid brickwork structure extending twenty floors up. The apartment itself was much the same, a basic living room with a kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. It had plenty of space,but much of it was cluttered with random possessions and things from home. He always planned to get it all sorted out, but never did in the end. "Well...   here we are. Make yourself at home." He shut the door behind him, making sure the locks were all firmly in place. "I'll set up another bed here in a minute. Did you want...   something to eat? What exactly does your kind eat or...  feed on?" How does one ask this without sounding stupid?

@@Pripyat Pony, 

"Just over near Brooklyn, not too far from here. Maybe you can...  I don't know...   call someone?" Then something occurred to him, something he hadn't thought of before. "Are you here alone? Maybe if there's more of... your kind here we can find them." I never thought I'd have to say that. "Let's head back to my place and we can start from there. I'm keeping my end of the deal."