private Destiny Askew

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Aurora steps over to Beraha and looks him in the eyes and says, "Who are you calling a ruthless killer?! My friend, Hidden Antler, only Hunts those who have done wrong to the ponies beyond the Everfree Forest. Now for the time being let's try to get along."

 

She calms down real quick and says, "Sorry for intruding, but we have an offer that may perk your interests. It does also concern your home of the Everfree forest. More importantly the animals."

 

Aurora shows him the letter she got. "We were asked to come find you and see if you would care to join us. You don't have to if you don't want to though."

Edited May 29, 2015 by Midnight_Aurora

[BerahaKrahn 42]

Beraha chuckles shaking his head. "It's because of you ponies outside the forest that the creatures here are forced to remain within. And as I said he doesn't break the laws of nature but calling these creatures monsters is what is unforgivable."

 

He looks at the letter she holds up to him. "I cannot read. I was raised by the regal wolves in this forest, how would I learn such a useless skill."

[A Joe in the Bush 255]

Hidden Antler ignored the Unicorn's remarks. He didn't really care what the unicorn thought about him, and honestly, he didn't even want him along this goose chase. The letter that Aurora had read to him screamed Trap. The only reason he was going along was because he had failed to convince Aurora not to go. If this Unicorn didn't come, it would be one less pony he would have to watch.

 

 "I cannot read. I was raised by the regal wolves in this forest, how would I learn such a useless skill." 

 

Interesting, The unicorn couldn't read either. That actually made him a bit better in Antler's regard. He could understand the use of reading, but he'd never needed the skill, and had lost it's use. "Aurora, could you read it out loud again?"

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Aurora nods and rereads the letter. She then says, "Hidden believes it is as trap but I know the area. It not far from here and usually nopony goes there. Will you please join us? But only if you want to."

 

Aurora's shy and kind nature tends to make her out to not be very convincing.

[Time Shield 402]

((Wilhelm rolled 12 on his Perception check.))

 

As Wilhelm made his way to the station, he got the brief feeling that he was being followed.  However, after noting the ponies that were around him, he did not see any of the same ponies around him once he boarded the train.  Perhaps whoever was following him had stopped?  Or maybe the "trust no pony" part of the letter just made him feel uneasy for a moment.  It was hard to tell.

[BerahaKrahn 42]

Beraha huffs a little but nods his head. "I'll so this for the forest. If the forest is in danger it's on me to help it." He looks both of them over. "Dont mistaken my help for anything other than wjat it is."

 

He looks to hidden antler. "Youre worried about not getting noticed, well I have a spell that will allow us to traverse these woods without being noticed."

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Aurora says, "If we come accross any animals that your spell doesn't work on then I can deal with them..." She then mutters in a whisper, "As long as they aren't flying ones."

 

Aurora waits for Hidden's response, before making to move towards the location in question.

[A Joe in the Bush 255]

Hidden Antler nods. "Good. Lets go to the clearing then. I want to examine it first though." Using the map in the letter, Hidden Antler heads to the clearing where this meeting is supposed to take place. He approaches quietly, circling the clearing, and trying to look for anything unnatural.

 

((I roll a 9 for stealth and a 10 for Perception))

[BerahaKrahn 42]

Before heading out Beraha Casts his spell then follows hidden. (Got a 7 on the roll) Hes looking around as they walk, he kniws the forest well it's been his home for as long as he can remember. As they are walking he collects different herbs as the pass by them seeing as he didn't have a chance to stock up before they left.

[Time Shield 402]

Beraha's spell causes the plants of the forest along the route to spread aside carefully, both keeping them from being underfoot where they can cause noise and from leaving a trail as the three of them travel.  Following Hidden Antler's lead, they progress through the woods slowly but silently.  

 

Along the way, Beraha manages to collect a few simple medicinal herbs; there is little time to search for something specific without significantly delaying the group.

 

As it becomes dusk, the already dark woods grows darker, though still light enough to see.  The meeting time is fast approaching, and as they get closer to the destination, they can see the light of a small campfire through the foliage.  Somepony must be at the clearing already; perhaps the pony they are going to meet?

 

((Wilhelm and Alex should be approaching soon as well, from whichever direction they are coming from.  Neither of them will be aware of the other three due to the silent movement.))

Edited May 30, 2015 by Time Shield

[Dust and Memories 557]

Wilhelm was mildly annoyed. So far, nothing, and now he had taken a train ride all the way from Canterlot, went through Ponyville, and ended up arriving at the Everfree at a time equal to his estimates- problem was, it was nighttime. As any foal knew, the Everfree is not where you wanted to be at night. Through the trees, he could see the faint flickering light of a campfire, and he aimed for that. It had been fifteen minutes, and so far, he had already encountered a sundavr minervis, or shadow owl, which had attempted to scratch out his eyes. It ended rather unfortunately for the bird. As he withdrew his sword's blade from the dead creature and began to clean it off, he finally arrived at the campfire, and resheathed his sword in the cane with a faint shink. Then, he pushed aside a curtain of vines and entered the clearing.

[A Joe in the Bush 255]

Hidden Antler watched as a second Pony entered the clearing. He didn't recognize him, and he doubted he would be able to learn anything else about this situation without changing it. so he turned to the ponies behind him and said. "I'm going to go in and see what's going on. I won't tell them you're here until you reveal yourselves. Feel free to do so whenever."

 

Hidden antler walks alone into the clearing, and glares at the new pony who walked it. "Are you the one who sent my friend that message?"

[BerahaKrahn 42]

Beraha doesn't wait and enters the clearing also. But he doesn't enter it defenseless. He has his plant control spell ready for use if he needs it.

 

He looks at the other ponies in the clearing. "So what is this about my forest being in danger. Point me towards the one threatening it and I'll take care of them personally."

[Time Shield 402]

In addition to the campfire, the clearing has a small tent set up and other camping supplies nearby.  However, there does not currently seem to be anypony in the tent, nor in clearing, aside from the ponies that had just arrived.  The campfire has a small pot over it with something that looks like vegetable stew cooking inside.

[Dust and Memories 557]

Facing the other pony who had just entered the clearing, Wilhelm said evenly "No, I did not. I am here because I got the same letter that your friend did... however, our host appears to be a no-show. How disappointing." At this, Wilhelm walked over to the campfire and began poking around, examining the items laid out before him. In front of he tent, he notices some hoof prints, and concludes that they belong to the mysterious pony who invited them all here. However, he can't conclude where they go, and annoyed, he sits down on a nearby tree stump to wait for the tent's occupant.

[Alex Van Gamer 230]

Alex groaned, carefully whacking away a few branches and vines along her way with one of her wings, and holding the map she had been given in one of her fore hooves, trying to pin-point where this meeting area was supposed to be. Paying no attention to the path in front of her, her hoof caught on something as she stumbled into the clearing currently occupied by two other ponies. "Oof!" She exclaimed, taking a moment to regain her barrings, shaking her head and standing back up again. Looking up, she noticed the other ponies and blushed a bit from her embarrassing entrance. "Um... Hey there." She greeted, awkwardly waving a hoof towards them. "You guys here because of the letter thing too?" The mare asked.

[Dust and Memories 557]

"Yes," Wilhelm said, "But our host has neglected to show up." Annoyed, he began kicking a loose rock at a tree, over and over in a precise pattern- which, if you listened very closely, was actually spaced by the powers of two up to two to the power five. Quietly, Wilhelm opened his suitcase, got out a science fiction novel, and began to read while kicking the stone. Every once in a while, he would look up as if searching the clearing for the mysterious camper, but such efforts always ended up in a gout of angry muttering. Eventually, he stopped looking, and the only sounds were that of the forest, rock against wood and rock against hoof, and the dry crackle of turning pages.

Edited June 1, 2015 by Orion Caelum

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Aurora steps from the forest and is clearly keeping her distance from the Pegasus. She stands behind Beraha and Hidden hiding half of her face with her mane. "H-hello...Are you the ones who said my animals were in danger?"

 

She hadn't listened to them before and is very shy of the Pegasus.

[Alex Van Gamer 230]

"Oh... Well then... Maybe whoever it is just went out to grab some firewood or something." She suggested. She didn't want to believe that she had come all the way out here for nothing! Not just yet anyway...

 

After a few moments of silence, she heard the sound of a new voice enter the clearing. "Hmm?" Alex says, glances towards the new pair of ponies that had just arrived. "Oh, no. Like this pony here said a few minutes ago," She pauses to gesture towards Wilhelm. "Apparently whoever it was that sent the letters isn't here at the moment... Hopefully he'll be back soon... Though it's kinda strange how the letter gave us an exact place and time and they're not even here..."

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

"Actually, we are a little early. They should be here soon. Are you all here for the letter as well then?"

 

Aurora doesn't direct her question at anypony in specific. She still stays away from the Pegasus. It seems she might be afraid of her. Aurora stays behind the two with her.

[Alex Van Gamer 230]

"Oh! Really? Well, I'm not really one to keep track of time." She replied, glancing over her shoulder a moment, muttering under her breath "Mostly cuz I don't have a watch or clock at home..." Looking back at the mare, she responded. "Yeah, we're all here cuz of the letters. I'm guessing they all had different messages on them of course, since mine just mentioned being an actual hero. I'm assuming it's cuz I play heroes in my arcade games, but those haven't been the top games played for a long while. Nowadays it's all about the PVPs. Since, there are actual declared winners in those for people to bet their bits on... Still kinda creepy how the pony who the letters knew about that though." She said, shuddering a bit.

 

Alex had noticed that the pony was staying stationary behind the two stallions, but she simply assumed she was shy and that it wasn't directed mostly towards her. She wouldn't have approached her either way seeing as she didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable then she clearly already was.

[Time Shield 402]

At that moment, there was a sound from the foliage as another pony entered the clearing.  This one was a unicorn with a gray coat and a somewhat disheveled dark green mane and tail.  The unicorn was levitating a small stack of wood next to him with his horn.

 

Upon seeing everypony in the clearing, he said, "Ah.  You're all here, good... that means I wasn't mistaken."  He levitated the wood over into the campfire underneath the cooking pot as he spoke, "And yes, as you've probably guessed, I was the pony who wrote the letters you received.  Thank you for coming."  Now in the light of the campfire, he was more visible.  His eyelids were dark under his green eyes, giving him the look of somepony who hasn't slept in a while, or that just hasn't been sleeping well in general.  His cutie mark appeared to be a green shield adorned with a clock.

[Midnight_Aurora 571]

Aurora nods to him, "Why did you write that the animals were in danger? Why us? I am a nopony. A simple animal caretaker."

 

She was confused, yet at at the same time curious. She decides that she will let the pony speak his mind before telling him that he wasted his time on her.

[Alex Van Gamer 230]

The pegasus turned to see the approaching pony, hearing his confirmation of being the one who sent the letters. Then, upon Aurora's remark, she took hoofstep towards the unicorn. "I'm with her on this one." Alex replied, "I live a life in front of a bright screen, betting bits just to make a living.. I don't even have anypony or pet to care for... How did you even know who I was or how to find me... Or any of us for that reason?"

Edited June 1, 2015 by Alex VanGamer

[Dust and Memories 557]

Wilhelm folded his forelegs in front of him and leaned forward on the trunk, putting his book back down in his suitcase. After taking the measure of the unicorn, he spoke. "What is the meaning of my letter? How am I doing wrong? Moreover, how do you even know me? I'm simply a specialist official, not someone prominent like the Minister of Defense. Even if you remember me from my period as the Royal Astronomer, why do you think a government official could help you? I'm taking a risk just by coming here, and I expect that risk to be compensated appropriately. Which means answers, and a lot of them."