private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad remembered that it was Mrs. Blackwater that managed the books, but they still had to talk to Mr. Blackwater first. It was his quarry after all, to go straight to his wife for the money might make it seem like they were going behind his back and could possibly cause a divide between the Blackwater parents.

 

Illiad nodded, "Well then, we'll talk to Mr. Blackwater in the morning then, I have a few things I need to tell him anyway about some of the happenings on the quarry. I guess now I no longer have a reason to put it off." 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Silver nodded.  "Then tomorrow, it is!  Plus, it gives me a reason to stick around YOU after we wake up."  Her smile was soft and sweet, and she moved up closer to the Trojan.

 

"Well... now that all of THAT business is out of the way..."

 

She couldn't help herself but to gaze into his eyes again.  "I kinda think we're being a wee bit rude to Selena; maybe we should try to come up with something the three of us could do together here?  I mean, if this is a Dreamscape, then what ELSE can we do?"

 

Her curiosity was piqued; it was somewhat refreshing that the previous issues didn't weigh on Ms. Studs enough to warrant their constant worry.  She looked lovely, and was quite happy to simply enjoy her time here with the two of them.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad was happy because Silver was happy. He looked contemplative for a bit. "Well... This is a fully lucid dreamscape, we could really do anything we want to in here. Since this is your first time here we'll let you decide. I'm sure you can come up with something when the limit is your imagination."

 

Selena seemed excited by the idea of something new. "When Dax was here he wanted to go dancing, while it wasn't exactly unique it was a nice change of pace. Even this room can be changed to suit whatever we need it too. Besides, just watching you two is all I need to have a good time." 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Silver looked thoughtful for a minute, then her emotions and her muzzle both lit up like small suns.

 

"I know!  Selena, if you know the stars as well as Luna would, then I KNOW what I want to do!"

 

A sparkling smile poured out from her, eyes wide and shining.

 

"I want to go flying among the stars... with Illiad."  She blushed.  "... and you too, of course!", she added hastily.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Selena gave a slight smile as she nodded. "That is certainly a fun experience, when done correctly."

 

The room darkened until it was all pitch black, then the stars began to appear all around them, first in a sort of distant sphere surrounding them, then more appeared in the surrounding space. Selena too changed in appearance, becoming large like Luna, though her whole body seemed to be the same as Luna's starry mane. "​Now real stars, other than me, are very far apart, hundreds of thousands of times further than most things you could conceive of. They look so small because they are actually really big at these far off distances, but that is hardly romantic, so I arranged this star-field to be a bit more dense with much smaller stars. I hope you like it."

 

The pair found themselves floating in a veritable sea of stars, hundreds of thousands of stars in every direction they looked. They were floating a bit, though it only took a thought to send themselves floating in any desired direction. Illiad wound a foreleg around one of Selena's so they wouldn't be separated.

 

A faint music began to play in the background:

 

Music:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s2pphLBmdsQ

 

Edited April 15, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

"Ohhhhhh..."

 

Silver's eyes threatened to devour her face as she slowly turned in a small personal orbit, looking everywhere at once.

 

"... it's more beautiful than I ever imagined..."

 

She looked at Illiad, the gears on her coat shining clearly and brightly, as if she were her own star.

 

"... come on - let's FLY!"

 

With a lurch, they both began to move forward through the floating space around them, points of light in every direction; each one reflecting in Silver's irises.  She began to laugh, at first a soft sound... then slowly building to the laugh of a pony in sheer bliss, without a care in the galaxy.

 

The two of them drifted onward.  Silver turned to face the handsome stallion next to her, and slyly grinned.

 

She blurted out, "Akissifyoucatchme!", then she let go of his hoof and took off like a shot ahead of him, laughing like a filly at play.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis

 

Illiad looked intrigued by the offer, "A kiss you say? I may just have to catch you now." With a whinny he too shot off into the star-field, a bright smile on his face as he did so. If only due to his experience in this zone he was slowly gaining on her.

 

Selena laughed softly as she watched the two frolic in her stars. This was the kind of enjoyment Luna had always wanted to instill in the ponies of Equestria, and Selena had finally done it. It was a nice feeling to be so thoroughly appreciated for what she could do.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Illiad got his kiss.  

 

And countless numbers more.

 

They played among the stars like children, and played amongst each other like starstruck sweethearts.  It felt like an eternity passed, time having no true meaning in a dream, and they seemingly shared lifetimes doing nothing more than being in wonder with existence itself... and each other.

 

Eventually, having nearly mastered moving through space like this, Silver did a cute little pirouette into Illiad's embrace, wrapping her hooves tightly around him, nuzzling into his neck and giving his ear a gentle nibble.

 

"I could stay here forever, as long as you're here with me... I have NEVER had so much fun... or felt so very adored..."

 

She spoke breathy whispers into his ear, tendrils of honey-coated affection across his eardrums.

 

"... I love you..."

 

The kiss she gave him now was no mere peck, nor a lingering roll, but a long and passionate connection between her soul and his own; feeling her hungry desire with his Empathy made it twice as deep for the focus of Silver's affections.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

In a dream that kiss could last forever, but as much as Illiad wanted it to he knew it would be time for them to get up soon. He was content to remain here with Silver for as long as he possibly could, but physical interaction was much preferred. In a dream things never felt quite the same as they did in real life and he was already beginning to miss how her fur felt against his own. Eventually he managed to pull himself away from the kiss to stare into Silver's eyes. "I would go almost anywhere to spend time with you, this night has been the best I've ever had, better even than the one I met Luna and Selena on. Silver, I love you too." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

 

Small tears sprang to her eyes, perching on her long lashes like dew on a leaf.

 

"I never thought... th-th-thought I would ever find a Special Somepony... but it's you... it HAS to be you..."

 

She hugged him fiercely, as if her entire being would shatter if she were to let go for even a moment.  The tears never fell; those drops of pure joy ended up rubbed into Illiad's robes as she nuzzled him again and again, her heart near bursting with joy at the prospect of something in her life other than the quarry and its machinery.

 

"I've really gotta thank you, Selena, for allowing me to come here, meet you, and find... well... and find love.  This is absolutely the most magical moment in my life - and I'm a unicorn!"

 

She smiled at Selena, wishing her the best.  This said, she turned back to face her love.

 

"And YOU should thank Dax; this would never have happened without him plotting it!  He came to me earlier in the day, and it was a bit of a whirlwind for us to arrange everything: digging up the light poles out of my storage shed, finding the right spot, getting the Ons to whip up some food... OH!  I should thank them, too!"

 

Silver was simply pouring her thoughts right out of her lips; she was so absolutely overcome with emotion that she seemed to have lost any sort of filter to her stream-of-consciousness chatter.

 

"Oh, I'm just... just..."

 

Her breath had gotten away from her, and she leaned on Illiad for support for a moment... then let out a soft, rueful chuckle.

 

"... I need to stop getting ahead of myself; we have plenty of time to get closer - it doesn't need to be all at once, right?"

 

She still couldn't help but steal another kiss.

 

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but... I can hardly wait to wake up; I'll see you soon... oh, so soon..."

 

She settled against him, gave a large yet gentle sigh, and closed her eyes as she cradled her muzzle against his neck.

 

"... mmmmmm... just... like... this..."

 

Her smile was sweet and happy; her emotions followed suit.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad decided the best move at this point would be to simply stroke her mane as she moved herself into his embrace.

 

"I was starting to think I'd never find someone who want to share their life with me. It's a good thing Dax and I got paired together and stuck out this exchange long enough, otherwise we may never have met. Every moment I spend with you are some of the best moments of my life, the slower we take things the more moments like this I get, so let's not rush it too much."

 

Selena could hardly contain herself with how cute the other two were acting, but Silver was correct and it was just about time for them to wake up. Slowly the room dissolved, the stars fading slowly away as Selena disconnected them from her mental room. Soon she was alone in the room again.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

The sight that greeted Illiad as he opened the flap was breathtaking.

 

From the path they had entered this clearing, it had been hard to tell exactly how high up they had been.  The sun setting, the light poles and, of course, Silver, had been so distracting that the Trojan hadn't had much chance to look around much... but if Dax had been in charge of setting up the tent, then he had arranged to put it in the one spot where there would be an incredible view for whoever came out of it.

 

From the tent's position here, Illiad was looking out from this small clearing near a cliff side, where the scene opened up into an exquisite sight of the river far, far below flowing against the foot of the Crystal Mountains, where the last ribbons of sunlight were creeping inexorably down the mountainside, threatening to engulf their little tent and the whole clearing with warm sunshine.  He could see vast forests, rolling hills, bowl-like valleys and little townships dotting the landscape.  There were birds here and there, moving in lazy formation as they passed below his line of sight; a strange sensation indeed.

 

But perfectly framed by the mountains was a direct view of the turrets and spires of Canterlot in the distance.  The sun gleamed from stained-glass windows and shone from gabled rooftops - and having lived there, there were a number of the buildings visible which would look SO beautiful in the waxing sunshine... it was almost like being re-introduced to Canterlot, all over again.

 

This was the sight that greeted him, and with such a lovely backdrop, he heard Silver give a soft moan from behind him.

 

In her DreamForm state, her lines had been more smooth and curved, her visual appearance more pleasing to the eye... and here was the real Silver Studs, mane bedraggled, bleary-eyed, string-o'-drool, dragon breath and all, it was as real as it could get.

 

To Illiad Easle, she was still just as beautiful as she was in his dreams.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad thought it the perfect time to steal the first kiss of the day, being careful not to breathe on her as he knew his breath would smell no better he snagged a kiss right between her eyes below her horn. "Morning Silver, I'd ask if you slept well but I know you did."

 

He retrieved the diamond from where it had been resting in the tent, the glow now greatly diminished from its state before they slept. "What did you think of it? Was it a nice surprise? More importantly, would you be willing to do it again sometime?"

 

Illiad felt a bit more eager and awake than he usually did this early in the morning, his night had certainly been pretty restful. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

She turned her red-eyed gaze upon Illiad, and spoke.

 

"Frblitzrrr."

 

She gave a huge stretch, segueing into an ENORMOUS yawn that degenerated into smacking her lips and scratching absent-mindedly at her left flank.

 

"Hmmno ffurhfurr nyahmaaahnmn."  She pressed her hooves into her eye sockets, rubbing them in slow circles.  "Yurssssstvrr, Iryiudde."  Apparently, she was no early riser.

 

She smiled dimly, and leaned in to place a soft kiss on his cheek.

 

"Luffew."

 

She slowly got to her hooves and grumbled out a single, intelligible word:  

 

"Coffee."

 

With that revelation, she began to trudge her way out of the tent and towards the storage sheds, including her own.  She did have enough wakefulness to turn at look over her shoulder at the stallion.

 

"... hyoocommin?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Note to self, Silver needs more induced REM sleep than most. Illiad was surprised that Silver was as tired as she was, he was used to coming out of the dream room reinvigorated, perhaps it was just that she was unused to the whole experience and it was more draining on her than him.

 

He shrugged as he made his way after Silver, "Sure, I'll come along if you want. Though I don't drink coffee, still it's an opportunity to spend a bit more time with you."

Edited April 21, 2016 by Illiad Easle

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

Silver sleepily trudged over to her shed and went inside, leaving the door open for Illiad.

 

Once inside, she zombie-walked to one of her contraptions in the far corner, pressed a button, and after a hiss and a gurgle, the aroma of fresh-ground coffee permeated the air around them both.  It was dark and rich, and stirred the senses appropriately.

 

There was a slight >ding!<, and a panel opened up in the machine's side; inside it, a little ceramic mug was almost overflowing with what looked to be some very dark coffee.  Silver then took it to one of her stools, sat down, and began to sip at her beverage, closing her eyes with each sip as if she was enjoying every drop of it.

 

About halfway through her cup, she finally began to take on a more familiar countenance.  She also took a bit of time to spot-check her mane and coat.  At the three quarter mark, she finally spoke up to Illiad in a voice that could be easily understood.

 

"Sorry about that - I am NOT a morning pony; I need coffee to get me going correctly, or I'm a wreck all day... well, not so much as a wreck, but more like I'll barely be of any use for anything."

 

She leaned over and gave her stallion a peck on the tip of his muzzle.  "Last night was... oh, it was incredible!"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad had his usual slight smile as he kissed her back, again. "I'm glad you enjoyed it so much, and I'm sure Selena will appreciate it too. She really did put a lot of effort into that star-field. I'm surprised you woke up so tired though, Selena has always ensured that I woke up fully rejuvenated, I guess she must not know how to rejuvenate you yet."

 

He looked around the shop with a slightly awkward expression. "So... are we going to talk to Mr. Blackwater first? Or are we going to find Dax to thank him for his efforts? I'm good either way though I would prefer to thank Dax first." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

"Ooh, I don't know... I mean, it's right to want to thank Dax, of course, and I DO want to... but, I'm just so nervous AND excited over the prospect of doing something so... so important!  So WORTHY!  Oh, but I really should keep it together, shouldn't I?"

 

She paced a bit, trying to piece together her thoughts.  Then, she smiled broadly.

 

"Okay!  How about this; you go and thank Dax while I go through my notes and cherry-pick some of my better inventions to show to Mr. Blackwater - that way, you two can both meet me here afterwards, and all three of us can try together.  Maybe Dax would know what to say and how to say it?"

 

She clapped her hooves together excitedly, then began rushing around and poking though all sorts of stacks of notes and scrolls.

 

"Oh, don't worry - I'll have plenty of time to thank Dax on my own; I see him all the time!  YOU go and thank him; after all, you're here to visit with HIM, right?  I'm sure you two have spent a LOT of time together these past few days, haven't you?  The poor guy's probably been your shadow, hasn't he?  Well, actually no so much as your actual shadow; more like he's been stuck to you day and night, am I right?"

 

Considering EVERYTHING that's happened this week, HAD Illiad spent a lot of time with Dax?  

 

Or has his time been spread out between all the other members of his family, not to mention some of the workers.  And while those incidents were not really of any fault with either Illiad or Dax... the question remained; HAD he been spending enough time with the young and impressionable Blackwater stallion?

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad felt that his thoughts were trying to guilt him into doing something, but he firmly reminded himself that none of these other people would be around next week and he would be spending practically 24/7 with Dax in Troy.

 

Illiad nodded at Silver's comments. "That sounds like a plan, we'll meet you back here then when I'm done thanking him. I'm sure he'll want to know all about what we did."

 

He turned to leave the shed, then darted back for another quick kiss before rushing out the door with a big grin on his face.

 

After a few seconds of running he remembered that he had no idea where Dax would be, so he decided to return to the house. He felt the need to change his robe anyway given he had spent the night in it, and Dax would probably be there at this hour. Also, breakfast was sounding like a good idea at the moment.

 

That thought, he made his way at a respectable pace to the house. 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

As he made his way towards the manor, there was a rather odd phenomenon happening... though at first, it wasn't easy to pinpoint the strangeness.  Then after a careful look about, one thing would be interesting to note: There was a thick blanket of dark clouds that were looming in the area, almost a full and complete carpet of black wool in the sky, rolling and looking quite ready to rain down at any given moment.

 

Except in an almost perfect circle around the Blackwater Quarry grounds - there, the sky was only a soft, pillowy white, and rather sparse as well.  It wasn't completely clear... but if one looked at it, you could see how the rest of the clouds around the quarry were just rolling on, but the ones over the quarry... weren't.

 

The sight was short-lived, however, as the entire mass of clouds began to gently dissipate and roll away to the far reaches of the visible sky.  It was quite a strange sight... but stranger still was the fact that nopony active in the quarry even seemed to notice it.

 

Come to think of it... it didn't really seem as important as finding Dax; that should be his first priority - he could worry about the other thing later.

 

Making it up to the manor doors, Illiad saw that they were already open... and there were voices from inside, and their tone (and the emotions coming forth) said that it was an argument.

 

"... bound to be some kind of punishment, even after all this time!"

 

"Stop it!  You WORRY too much, Beck - I'm telling you that it will be FINE!"

 

"And I'm telling you that it WON'T be fine, Call!  It will be the END of us!  They'll put us away for GOOD this time!"

 

"Now listen - what did Madam Blackwater tell us?"

 

"That we were SAFE with her."

 

"Exactly - so we are.  Get a GRIP, brother dear!"

 

It was the twin butlers... and they were speaking of something very interesting, from the sound of it.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

Selena noticed the manipulation and immediately took the expenditure of energy to view the outside world to see what someone wanted everyone to forget. The weather phenomenon was both localized and completely out of the ordinary, a clear use of the storm sapphire if she ever did see one. She saved the memory for later so she could remind Illiad of the happening, being careful to remove the manipulation from it. 'This will make for quite the dream tonight, it both explains why there hasn't been any weather here as well as the lack of any real confusion about it. Something big is going on here.'

 

Meanwhile...

 

Illiad did not recall seeing anything odd on the way here, and for some reason that troubled him. Nonetheless, there were more interesting matters in the conversation of Beck and Call, something that seemed a bit out of character for them.

 

He entered the doors with a concerned expression on his face, spreading the calm he had approaching to the brothers to ease their tensions. "Whatever seems to be the matter? I could hear you arguing from outside and something tells me it is something important to you two. Might I be of assistance in this matter?"

 

Illiad could feel Selena shifting under his robes, something wasn't right so he put himself on his guard just in case.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

The butler twins froze as if they'd been spotted by timberwolves... the look on their faces were of a mix between horror and surprise, but their emotions were different: The one on the left was putting off waves of fear and nervousness... and Illiad was fairly certain they weren't aimed at HIM.  The one on the right, however, was made of sterner stuff; there was a cool collectiveness that seemed to roll off him subtly.

 

They slowly glanced at each other, then the one on the left turned back and smiled a bit too broadly.

 

"Why... n-n-n-nothing, Sir Illiad!  We were simply speaking about... uh, tomorrow's breakfast!  Yes!  We are currently out of preserves, and Mistress Vylia will have our HEADS if we don't f-f-f-fix- I MEAN, find some!"

 

The other butler gave his brother a glance... but said nothing.  The distaste at his brother's lie was as obvious as the lie itself; the Trojan got the impression that he'd rather stay quiet than outright try to lie to the Blackwater's esteemed guest.

 

"... might we assist you, Sir Illiad?"  Asked the one on the right, eager to forget his brother's fib.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad's expression hardened, it was clear on his face that he knew something was going on. He looked intently at both of the brothers as he retrieved his gem from his robes, holding it in his magic close to himself. "I know something isn't right here, I can't seem to remember why I feel so troubled and I fully intend to get to the bottom of it. You two make it quite clear that you know what's going on here, your intents to change the subject and apparent nervousness make it obvious."

 

I guess I'm going to my room to see what Selena has to say, perhaps it has something to do with what's making these brothers so nervous.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@Illiad Easle

 

 

The butler on the right gave a surprised look, genuinely confused at Illiad's words; it was obvious that he had no idea what Illiad was speaking of, and wasn't sure how to even address such.

 

The one on the left, however, caved in like a paper hat in a rainstorm.

 

"... ohhhhhhhh NOOOO!  PLEASE, Mr. Illiad!  PLEASE don't tell Missus Blackwater!  She thinks he's taken care of!"

 

"Be quiet."  The other butler pony spoke softly to his brother.

 

"If she learns he's actually IN EQUESTRIA, she'll skin us ALIVE!"

 

"Be... quiet... NOW."  The other butler spoke through gritted teeth.

 

"But it won't be ANYTHING compared to what SLICK SHADOW would do to-"

 

The other butler had tried and failed, and now he lost his cool.  

 

"CALL, SHUT UP!"

 

Both went quiet.  After a moment, Beck walked over to Illiad and gave a hefty sigh.

 

"Mr. Easle, I thoroughly apologize for my brother's lack of common sense; we both sincerely apologize for deceiving you in such a manner, but I promise you - it was all for the better.  A better, I'm afraid, that has just become worse as of today."

 

Beck looked the Trojan right in the eyes.

 

"If you'll be so kind as to keep what my erstwhile brother has said to yourself, then I will be happy to answer whatever questions you may have - but I beseech you, please... please understand, we have a BIG problem, and we're mildly panicked as to what options we may have."

 

The emotion coming from Beck was genuine; he was scared, but there was no hint of a lie in Beck.  Call simply looked ashamed, and his emotions matched suit.

 

"Please, Mr. Easle," Beck asked, "we're not criminals anymore - and we haven't been for a while; can you forgive us this small white lie?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad, to his credit, took the whole thing in stride. He had a slightly pleasant, though no doubt serious, expression on his face as he entered more fully into the house. "It does sound like quite the dilemma you have here. Why don't we discuss it in a more private location, my quarters perhaps? I will forgive the lie IF you deign to tell me the truth."

 

Selena had a bad feeling about this, clearly something big was going on at the quarry, and perhaps the two events were not so closely linked as she had thought.