private Heart of the Jungle RP

[Descant 1,897]

North was just returning to his room, room sixty-three, with his small pouch full of smooth, round brown pebbles, when he thought he heard the soft strumming of a guitar. He glanced around. It didn't sound like any of the native music. 

 

He entered his room, and set the small pouch full of pebbles down on the rickety bedside table before he went back into the hallway, closing the door to his room behind him, and setting out again. 

 

As he walked down the hallway towards the lobby, he caught a glimpse of the interior of one of the rooms, whose door was left open. North spied a black pegasus with a blonde mane strumming on the guitar. Hadn't he been with their tour group earlier? Why would he bring a guitar into the jungle? North chose not to question it, and continued to the lobby.

 

The sight out of the large window was truly awe-inspiring. The sand cloud completely obscured the horizon, and was growing to cover more and more of the sky and landscape. North sat down at the bar, next to the pretty mare from earlier, Diamond. He sat quietly, only speaking to request a drink from the waitress, which he sipped delicately.

[Roi 100]

Frost had awakened, seeing as almost every pony had gone up the there rooms, he did as well

~Room 47 he read on his key~

      

           ''Best be going to bed, tomorrow well be hell with mother nature around''he whispered to the remaining ponies.

 

Frost then slowly trotted to the stairs ~What lovely texture he had thought~He had finally made it to his room, wearily he walked toward it.He found the door difficult to open, but it was all worth it Frost had wanted to lay down ever since he entered the hotel.

                             

                                   '' ~ YAWNNNN~ ''

 

After a minute trying to open the door Frost had unlocked it, he quickly tossed hid bags on the floor and went under the bed sheets.

 

                             ''Damn it!I left that throwing knife lodged in the bullseye!No matter, I'll just pick it up in the morning''

 

Frost had gone to sleep less than a few minutes after his last thought.He soon entered his mind, he dreamt about the horrid thing he would encounter.He saw every pony die one by one quicksand, sandstorms, pony eating trees.He had woken up about every 2 hours because of the horror he faced in his dreams.

 

 

                                   He did not want to be here~    

[The Original 571]

Arcane had eaten an apple which he brought from back home, the juicy crispness of a sweet apple acre's apple was like no other, and you wouldn't be able to find the same anywhere else He had been told about him room, but he questioned quite a lot about it because the room number was '116', and he knew that the tavern wasn't big enough to fit that many rooms.

 

He walked down the hallway which lead to each other room, the odd numbers above each door approved his earlier thoughts, they don't list their rooms correctly. The room 116 was the last door on the right side of the hallway, "I don't think these zebra's knew exactly how to count" he thought out loud as he entered his room. Not the fanciest, but it would do for the time being. He set down his luggage and leaped for the bed, but only to almost be thrown off at the same instant he landed. "Yeesh, tough beds" he thought aloud as he walked onto the bed slowly instead. "What do they make this out of, tree bark, or cactus?" he commented on the hardness of the bed. (don't you say anything about a dirty joke)

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

Diamond was looking out the window at the sand storm when North sat down next to her. "Hello North." She took a sip of her tea. "I was just looking out at the sand storm...If you get bast the big intimidating part of it, It looks beautiful." She smiled and looked back out the window, The storm had now started passing over the city and slowly the light from the sun started to disappear.

 

The bar tender lit a couple lantern's which filled the room with a warm yellow light. "The beds may not be the best in the world but I am enjoying staying here more than I thought I would. I suppose this is gong to be our last night sleeping on a real bed...Until next week of course." She chuckled and sipped her tea again.

 "So, Why did you decide to start the expedition ? I am interested because I've heard that almost every other expedition crew that has entered this jungle has not come out...And the few that have made it out never got deep enough into the jungle to figure out what its protecting." She took another sip of her tea and waited for a reply.

 

@@Descant, 

Edited January 4, 2013 by ~Flame Dancer~

[Descant 1,897]

@,

 

North watched, still quiet, as the storm passed to reveal a spectacular sunset over the sea of sand. Diamond was right. The desert did have a unique beauty about it. North had never particularly cared for it; the mostly featureless landscape was a cartographer's nightmare. 

 

He listened to Diamond talking about the beds, still watching the sun sink below the horizon. 

 

 

"So, Why did you decide to start the expedition ? I am interested because I've heard that almost every other expedition crew that has entered this jungle has not come out...And the few that have made it out never got deep enough into the jungle to figure out what its protecting."

 

 

North was quiet for a moment longer, contemplating. Then, he looked around, and his deep, slow voice resounded. "Well... I've been plenty of places never trod upon by pony hooves. It's my job to go to these places, and map them out. And the Amblezon is the greatest of all the uncharted territories. Here,"  he pulled out the same map he had been examining earlier, and pointed at the one section inside the Amblezon's outline that had been filled out. It was quite linear, and spanned about a fourth of the distance between the edge and the center.  "I've been before. See? It was just me and my herbalist friend last time, and we barely made it out alive. But... I'm sure I can make it this time. So I petitioned Celestia, and she sponsored a second trip. Which is why your letter is from her."

Edited January 4, 2013 by Descant

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

@@Descant, 

 

Diamond sat quietly listening to North Arrow's soft deep voice, Taking a couple sips of her tea now and then.

When he finished she was silent for a moment then she said "Yes, I was wondering why we would get letters from Celestia herself...I was rather surprised." She smiled.

"I have another question for you. What exactly do you think is at the center of the jungle ? Because I don't think nature would go out of its way to protect something Pony made. So, It must be something important...Or dangerous." She said, about to take a sip of tea but disappointed to find that the mug was empty, So...She ordered another cup of tea.

"Also, What time should I be getting up tomorrow ?" She asked in an excited voice. "I know this trip will be really really dangerous, But I can't help being excited to get going...I have always wanted some adventure in my life and...Here it is."

Diamond thanked the waitress as she placed a cup of tea on the table. *I may not have liked this tea at first but I gotta admit, It is growing on me.* She thought, taking a few sips.

[Descant 1,897]

"I have another question for you. What exactly do you think is at the center of the jungle ? Because I don't think nature would go out of its way to protect something Pony made. So, It must be something important...Or dangerous." 

North sipped from his cup thoughtfully as he pondered her question, then nodded at the points she made immediately after. "Honestly, I'm not sure. But you're right. It has to be something immensely important for nature to take so active a role in keeping everypony out." He took another sip from his cup, and added, "Hopefully we'll find out what it is in a few days' time."

 

 

 

"Also, What time should I be getting up tomorrow ?" She asked in an excited voice. "I know this trip will be really really dangerous, But I can't help being excited to get going...I have always wanted some adventure in my life and...Here it is."

North nodded. "The ship we're taking leaves first thing tomorrow morning. It's pretty slow, but our group needs to stick together, which means Pegasi can't just fly ahead of the rest. So we should arrive on the Amblezonian Continent day after next."

 

He was silent again, contemplative this time. But instead of gazing off into the distance, he looked at Diamond, almost searchingly. The enthusiasm behind her voice... It screamed her greenness to the heavens. She had not yet been on a true adventure, not yet put her life on the line. She had yet to prove herself. What could he say? He could read ponies.

 

He thought briefly. "We should all get a good night's rest tonight, but there's still some time before we should be going that way. Perhaps you'd like to demonstrate your skills with a knife for me?" he added casually.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Descant

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

North sipped from his cup thoughtfully as he pondered her question, then nodded at the points she made immediately after. "Honestly, I'm not sure. But you're right. It has to be something immensely important for nature to take so active a role in keeping everypony out." He took another sip from his cup, and added, "Hopefully we'll find out what it is in a few days' time."

 

"I agree...I am feeling quite curious." She said, looking out the window at the purple sky.

 

North nodded. "The ship we're taking leaves first thing tomorrow morning. It's pretty slow, but our group needs to stick together, which means Pegasi can't just fly ahead of the rest. So we should arrive on the Amblezonian Continent day after next."

She nodded at North. Not really knowing what else to say she sipped her tea and looked back out at the sky.

 

 

He thought briefly. "We should all get a good night's rest tonight, but there's still some time before we should be going that way. Perhaps you'd like to demonstrate your skills with a knife for me?" he added casually.

 

Diamonds eye's sparkled and she stood up. "Gladly, I just need to run to my room and get them." She smiled and quickly flew up the stairs to her room where she grabbed her knife case and wakizashi then she ran back down the stairs. "Ok, What do you wan't to see first." She asked, Smiling and unrolling the case across the table. "The butterfly knives are more for show...The throwing knives can be difficult to use but can be quite deadly. The jungle king can be used in a fight but it would be more helpful being used for simple task's that don't really involve fighting. But the bowie knife...If we ever need to fight off any monsters and for some reason I don't have my wakizashi...I'm going to use that." She smiled happily. "So, What'll it be ?" She asked, looking up from her knives and  into North's eyes. "I probably shouldn't use the wakizashi, bowie knife or jungle king in here because...Well, For obvious reasons. But there is a dart board that I could use the throwing knives on."

[Roi 100]

Frost had just woken up after witnessing his death in his dream ~I thought I would have a better than being killed by monkey~He grabbed his throwing knives and went down to the bar hoping to get some practice.While going down he heard a conversation about weapons.

                          

                           He puts a smirk on his face and whispered ''Is that a chat about throwing knives?This is my type of party.''

 

    He had reached the bar, seeing as how Diamond had a gallery of Knives herself he spoke to her

              ''Hey Diamond want to practice together?I can teach you some techniques I know!If not I'll just practice alone''

        

         

He had opened his 36 inch bag revealing Frost's Knives ordered in two rows bottom row was ordered by length and top by sharpness.Frost swiftly garbed one from the top row and threw across the room, landing perfectly in the middle of dart board.

 

                                 ''So Diamond, this is a weird question but have you ever used your knives as brass knuckles?There good at close range and If anyone attacks from afar just give it a good swipe, release your grip and they go flying at your target.''      

 

 

 

 

 

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

@, 

(OOC: Ponies don't have knuckles   But I suppose ponies also wouldn't really be able to throw a knife...)

 

Diamond laughed. "Oh stop treating me like a lady...How do you know I don't already know your Techniques ?" She smiled and grabbed two of her knives.

"Also, What are knuckles ?" She asked, preparing herself, Then throwing the two knives at the target, At the same time. They both hit the center of the target. She smiled. "As I said earlier...I have been training for this kind of thing for Quite a while." She said, Pulling the knives out of the board and placing them with the rest. 

"Throwing knives aren't really my strong point though...I am better with my Wakizashi." She said, smiling at her sword. Then she looked back at Frost and grinned. "Not what you expected ?" She said, Brushing a few pieces from the board off her knives.

"Anyway, That was a little sample for you North Star." She said to him, taking a few sips of her tea.

 

 

(OOC2: Just remember Diamond was hired by Celestia to be the groups escort...So she does know what she is doing.)

[Descant 1,897]

Diamond laughed. "Oh stop treating me like a lady...How do you know I don't already know your Techniques ?" She smiled and grabbed two of her knives.

"Also, What are knuckles ?" She asked, preparing herself, Then throwing the two knives at the target, At the same time. They both hit the center of the target. She smiled. "As I said earlier...I have been training for this kind of thing for Quite a while." She said, Pulling the knives out of the board and placing them with the rest. 

"Throwing knives aren't really my strong point though...I am better with my Wakizashi." She said, smiling at her sword. Then she looked back at Frost and grinned. "Not what you expected ?" She said, Brushing a few pieces from the board off her knives.

"Anyway, That was a little sample for you North Star." She said to him, taking a few sips of her tea.

North had been watching intently, studying the technique the duo used to throw their knives. It was indeed a strange flick of the wrist. Maybe he'd be able to reproduce it later. He'd have to try at some point, with his single knife. It was honestly not one meant for throwing, but a knife was a knife, right?

 

(OOC: Don't question the brass knuckles. We can pretend that there's some pony equivalent in this world.)

 

However, when Diamond got his name wrong again, he sprung into activity. Pulling out his slingshot, he waited a moment, loaded it, and let it loose. The spinning pebble whirred, flying right in front of Diamond's face, swerving to hit the target directly in the middle. He grinned as the pebble stuck to the dartboard, and icy tendrils spread their clutches from the center, forming a strange kind of star. That should have grabbed her attention.

 

"It's North Arrow," he reminded her, as he tucked away his slingshot back into his bag. When he looked back up, he noticed that Diamond's tea had chilled, and frozen over. He gazed at it curiously. That was new.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Descant

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

(OOC: North Star Arrow Is in trouble....DIAMOND IS GOING TO EXPLODE    )

 

Diamond laughed. "You know how to get your point across." She smiled. "Sorry about that...I usually don't really get ponies names mixed up but for some reason every time I am about to talk to you I just think North Star...Maybe I met a Star or a North in some other life, Anyway. My mistake I will try to make sure it never happens again. You almost hit me in the face too, I will be sure to get revenge on you." She chuckled and sat back down, Then reached for her tea. "What...The...Buck." She said, Staring at the frozen tea.

She sat there for a second, Just staring into her mug, But then She grabbed her jungle king and threw it at the dart board. It stabbed straight through the pebble and into the wall on the other side. "No pony ever messes with my tea." She muttered, Sitting back down and ordering another cup from the waitress.

The waitresses eyes were wide, And she nodded, Not wanting to make Diamond more angry. So she quickly trotted into the kitchen to get another cup of tea.

[Descant 1,897]

Diamond laughed. "You know how to get your point across." She smiled. "Sorry about that...I usually don't really get ponies names mixed up but for some reason every time I am about to talk to you I just think North Star...Maybe I met a Star or a North in some other life, Anyway. My mistake I will try to make sure it never happens again. You almost hit me in the face too, I will be sure to get revenge on you." She chuckled and sat back down, Then reached for her tea. "What...The...Buck." She said, Staring at the frozen tea.

She sat there for a second, Just staring into her mug, But then She grabbed her jungle king and threw it at the dart board. It stabbed straight through the pebble and into the wall on the other side. "No pony ever messes with my tea." She muttered, Sitting back down and ordering another cup from the waitress.

The expression on North's face was some strange combination of alarm, amusement, and admiration. He slapped a few golden zebran coins on the table. "This time it's on me," he said, insistently. His eyes rested on upon the mug of frozen tea, still curiously. "The slingshot's enchanted. Nothing like this has ever happened before, though. Usually only the target is affected." He hoofed at a strange trail of condensation that snaked a curving path across the desk, that seemed to follow the path the pebble had followed earlier. "Perhaps the magic is stronger the farther away you get from naturally formed ice." As his eyes followed the path of the condensation, they came to rest upon the dartboard. The portion that had iced over had cracked due to the heavy knife that had been embedded in it. With a shudder, the dartboard fell to pieces. North vacated his seat, walked over to the shards of dartboard, and nudged it with his hoof. Even the parts that had not felt the icy tendrils' touch were unrealistically cold. 

 

With some effort, he pulled the heavy knife out of the wall, and returned to his seat, returning it, hilt first, to its owner, without looking at her.

 

He motioned at the bartender, and when he had caught her attention, said wearily, "I'm going to need a drink."

[Marathon 562]

...Hop woke up as If she had woken from a normal dream. She didn't quite remember it, but it seemed to linger. She heard the same roar from her dream and looked up at her window to see the sand storm was still high and mighty. When she pushed herself up she felt something poke her stomach and looked down to find a book. She picked it up and read the cover. "Modern Human Technology of Warfare". *Why am I reading this in the first place? And how did lyra convince me to even so much as look at the first page? I swear that mare is crazy, I don't know how Bon-Bon puts up with her. Then again, I might be just as crazy.* throwing the book into a corner she got off the bed and went down stairs to the bar. When she got there she found an upset looking purple mare, and a half grinning stallion next to her. Hop sat on the opposite side from them and ordered a tea to calm her some. She was a little shaken from the dream, but not enough for it to show. Hop still wondered why Lyra chose to study humans so much. They are just an old mythological creature put down in some books for ponies to read about, but it seems that Lyra was the only one obsessed with them. Although some of their technology was interesting, it didn't really set well with Hop.

 

The waiter brought her the cup of tea and she took a long sip of it, savoring the flavor. Looking back at the duo, she notice a few bags which seemed rather large to be regular saddle bags. Giving the bags and the two ponies a last thought she took another sip of the tea.  

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

"Thanks." She said, Sipping her new cup of tea. "I'm a little obsessed with tea...It's strange I know but that's the way I am." She took her knife and put it back into the case. "I will pay for the wall...And a new dart board." She said to the zebra who was putting North Arrow's drink onto the table. "Ok, Well...After this cup of tea, I should probably be getting to bed. I wan't to get lots of sleep for the trip tomorrow." She sipped her tea again.

 

"North Arrow ? How far exactly did you and your friend make it into the jungle ? I ask because I wan't to be prepared for anything, And from what I have heard...The likes of everypony making it out of that jungle with out being hurt is next to impossible." She glanced out the window again. A red light from the sun could be seen off in the distance. "Red sky at night, Sailors delight. Red sky in morning, Sailors take warning." She muttered, watching the light slowly fade.

 

@@Marathon,

 

Then Diamond noticed a mare trot down the stairs and sit down. "Hello. I don't believe we have had the pleasure of meeting. My name is Light Diamond." She gave Hop a small smile and took a sip of tea.

[Descant 1,897]

"And from what I have heard...The likes of everypony making it out of that jungle with out being hurt is next to impossible." 

 

 

 

(OOC: Touchy, touchy, touchy subject. Careful, there.)

 

North downed the drink in one, and looked at Diamond, scowling. "You're right." He was glad when another pegasus mare approached and took the attention off of himself. Sighing, he requested a second drink, and downed it quickly, and rested his head in his hooves, and closed his eyes.

 

A trip down Memory Lane was due...

 

---- TWO YEARS AGO ----

 

Through bleary eyes, the bright colours flashed. Mostly greens interspersed with shouts of yellow, gold, orange, and purple. Far away, somewhere, there was the chattering and cawing of the more benevolent wildlife that lived in the fringe of the great Jungle. North felt whatever it was he was lying upon moving up and down. Whatever it was, it was cold, and that coldness he fell back into...

 

The next thing he remembered was a horrible stillness. He had stopped moving, and he could detect the blurred form of a pony he knew well. He could see the yellow horn poking out from under the greenish mane, even more clumped and dirt-smeared than usual. And behind her ear, the skeletal form of what had once been a rose... 

 

She must have detected his minute awareness, as she grew excited, and began dabbing at... dabbing at his shoulder painfully, and speaking... something muffled and unintelligible. As the pain in the shoulder she was dabbing at spiked, North fell back into unconsciousness...

 

---- PRESENT DAY ----

 

He jerked his head out of his hooves, and looked at the two mares sitting beside him, almost as if they were similarly blurry and muffled. "Excuse me," he said as he got up, and turned to return to his room. Something in his demeanor had suddenly changed, and it didn't seem to be for the better. He seemed... Frightened? That might not have been the word to describe it, but his deep voice had certainly lost the confident tone it had previously kept. 

Edited January 4, 2013 by Descant

[Marathon 562]

Hop had finished her tea and ordered another when the purple mare, who said her name was Diamond, gretted her. She really wasnt in the mood for meeting new ponies but she wasnt going to ignore her either. Mustering up a smile Hop replied, "Cadaence, but i go by Little Hop, or Hop. Its an old childhood nick name. So youre our guard or something to that extend?" Her smile grew as another cup of tea was placed infront of her and the sweet scent filled her nose. She took a sip and turned back to the mare. Diamond was slightly taller than her, but not intimidating. Hop looked over at the stallion who had fallen asleep, which for some reason made her remember Somber. She kind of wanted to talk to him again because he seemed a little anxious when she left, and thought it was because of what she had said about the trees and stuff. "So what are we supposed to be going up against in the forest?" She asked Diamond, her voice now slightly more excited. Hop noticed the stallion get up and excuse himself as he headed up the stairs. She drank more of her tea as she listened to Diamonds reply.

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

@@Marathon, 

 

Diamond watched North walk up the stairs. *There's something up with that pony.* She thought, Turning to look at Hop. "Um, Sorry...Its nice to meet you Hop. And yes, I am everypony's escort. And yes, I know I look like one of those ponies who gets served breakfast in bed." She chuckled and extended her hoof to shake Hops.

"In the forest...Who knows, There are plants that eat ponies, there are monsters, Quicksand, Poisonous animals, and there are sicknesses...Many many things we need to watch out for." She said, Her smile faded slightly, and she Took a sip of her tea.

 

"Forgive me for the sudden change in subject but, Did something seem...Different about North when he went up to his room ? I think I got us on to something he doesn't want to talk about. And, He seemed scared." She glanced over at the stairs where North had just walked up.*Hmmm*

Diamond finished her tea then ordered one last cup, Smiling at the waitress as she walked off into the kitchen.

"Anyway, What exactly got you interested in coming on this trip ?" She asked, Sipping the tea that the waitress had just placed on the table.

[Mephala 2,633]

Dyn had been hiding in his room, not wishing to face the others. All they seemed to care for was talking about and showing off their weapons, and he wasn't really comfortable with that.

 

Strength was Dyn's second weapon. His first-the ability to change. If he did, his mare form was much lighter on her feet. He had the best of both worlds-agility and power. It did come at the cost of memory lapse for a short while after the change, and it hurt him to look in the mirror and see what his sister may have been, but it could be a useful tool. It gave him the element of surprise, too.

 

He had been re-arranging his saddlebag for the nineteenth time since his arrival the week before. It was a huge thing, designed to fit him specially, and weighed quite a lot.

 

There were the roots he had, in addition to several other phials. One contained a basic all-purpose medication for things like fevers, while two contained antidotes to powerful and weak poisons. A few had other medicines like creams and pills. He also had some poisons, odour and colourless and undetectable; just in case. There was also a few larger bottles containing a shimmering liquid, but these were for emergencies only.

 

In another section-his weapons. Four heavy shoes lay in a neat pile. Each had a hidden blade that could be placed in poison and activated to stab a target. If they didn't die from the wound, it was the painful and fairly fast acting poison in their bloodstream that did them in. He wore them as regular shoes and put them on after a thought.

He also had a blowdart gun and a neatly wrapped package of 150 tiny blowdarts, each poisoned as well.

For his female form, there was a dirk and a dagger, along with 25 serrated throwing knives.

 

Finally, there was a few necessary cooling utensils, and his other necessities: matches, a few sticks wrapped in flammable and slow-burning leaves to use as torches, his tent, a bedroll, a mosquito net, sunglasses, a hat, sunscreen, bug spray, emergency rations, a few containers for plant samples, his medication, and a photograph of his sister.

 

After repacking it all, he left it in the room to go see what everyone else was doing, walking downstairs and into the tavern, ordering more of the delicious cactus tea.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Nicolas Cage

[Descant 1,897]

North made his way back into Room Sixty-three, and locked the door behind him. Sitting on his bed, he sat his saddlebag down at his side, and rifled through it. After he found what he was looking for - an aged book, titled 'Legends of the Amblezon' - he sat the saddlebag on the floor, and rifled through the book. Each page spoke of a different monster rumoured to live in the Amblezon, and several of the pages had additional notes written in a loopy, narrow handwriting that he recognised as Evergreen's. He felt a small pang of guilt; he had had to pilfer the book. But he needed to have it.

 

He flipped the book open to a page at random, and read.

 

 

          The jungle is full of small goblin-like creatures known as Erklings. They are bonded to their tree, and have been known to engage in deeds most mischievous. 

 

Below the short entry, additional notes were added in Evergreen's pen. 

 

         The Erlking looks rather like what Lyra calls 'a lawn gnome', except far less charming, with their yellowed eyes and sharp teeth. I have found that there is approximately one Erkling every thousand trees. If the tree they call their own is even touched, they will defend it most ferociously. If they get the chance, and a traveler camps out near the foot of their tree, or in the nearby clearing their trees always seem to be by, they will take and hide items from their camp. Erklings always seem to know what is important to a pony.

 

North flipped a few more pages, and read, 

 

         The Yateveo tree is a fiendish specimen, known to be strong enough to grab a pony and devour them whole.

 

        The Yateveo tree is a short one, about the same height as a pony, and several pony-lengths in diameter, and appears as an innocent, leafy stump. When approached, dozens and dozens of vines whip out of a small hole in the center of the stump, which stretches to form a sort of maw, into which a pony will be dragged whole. Once the victim is dragged inside the maw, the tree releases powerful digestive juices, which start to devour and dissolve the still-struggling pony.  A single stump can only devour one pony at a time; unfortunately, they tend to grow in groves. And because the pony is not immediately killed upon being dragged into the maw, there is the possibility of rescue. Like all trees, the Yateveo fears fire.

 

         The Runespoor is among the most dangerous of the beasts in the outer jungle. This orange-striped snake's venom-

 

North smacked the book shut, and threw it back into the saddlebag. He didn't know why he had chosen now to read from that book. He curled up in the bed, moodily, and shut his eyes, and hoped the morning would bring a better mood.

Edited January 4, 2013 by Descant

[Vaporeon 1,168]

Flare had woken up from a short nap after he had watched the sandstorm for a bit. ~I needed that. I wonder what everypony else is doing~ he thought before getting up. As he was about to leave his room one of his bags that he had sat down started to shake and make noises. "Hmm?" Flare walked over and opened the bag to revile an almost featherless phoenix that Flare Blitz recognized as Solaris. "Solaris!? I told you to stay home, The house sitter is probably worried sick. Poor Fluttershy,  I'm sure she's never had to deal with losing somepony else's phoenix before."* The bird squawked and looked ashamed. "Don't worry about it...I guess you'll just have to come with us. Hopefully you'll return to normal before we get to the island." Flare said letting Solaris try to fly onto his shoulder, putting him there himself when the phoenix failed. Flare then went down to the bar to see a few other ponies chatting. "Hello..Diamond right?" he said to the purple pony sipping tea. "Tell me is that tea any good. I keep seeing you drink it and I'm kinda thirsty."

 

[*OOC: I'm sorry I couldn't resist the reference. Also I'm gonna try to color Flare's dialogue to make it stand out. It seems everyone else is doing the same anyway.]

Edited January 4, 2013 by N-Harmonia

[Marathon 562]

@@Marathon,

 

Diamond watched North walk up the stairs. *There's something up with that pony.* She thought, Turning to look at Hop. "Um, Sorry...Its nice to meet you Hop. And yes, I am everypony's escort. And yes, I know I look like one of those ponies who gets served breakfast in bed." She chuckled and extended her hoof to shake Hops.

"In the forest...Who knows, There are plants that eat ponies, there are monsters, Quicksand, Poisonous animals, and there are sicknesses...Many many things we need to watch out for." She said, Her smile faded slightly, and she Took a sip of her tea.

 

"Forgive me for the sudden change in subject but, Did something seem...Different about North when he went up to his room ? I think I got us on to something he doesn't want to talk about. And, He seemed scared." She glanced over at the stairs where North had just walked up.*Hmmm*

Diamond finished her tea then ordered one last cup, Smiling at the waitress as she walked off into the kitchen.

"Anyway, What exactly got you interested in coming on this trip ?" She asked, Sipping the tea that the waitress had just placed on the table.

Hop giggled a little, "How i would love to have breakfast in bed." She said shaking Diamonds hoof. Hop listened as Diamond listed a few things they may encounter on the trip and in the back of her head she was noting how Diamond also seemed intuned on something Hop wasnt aware of. When Diamond changed the subject to North, which Hop assumed was the pony who just left upstairs. "I- im not sure, i didnt see him until now." Hop sipped more of her tea as she listened to Diamonds next question. "Well... thats a good question. I didnt really expect the invintation to the trip from Celestia, but the only reason i can think of for being chosen is because im a psychiatrist. Ive delt with alot of case since i was a filly and Celestia must have realized just how much of a emotional toll this trip could cause to everypony, and i guess my job is to keep everypony mentaly sane and keep moral up. Other than that i really have no reason for being here." Hop sipped the last of the tea and nodded her head at the new pony before standing up. "Well im going back to bed. I'll see y'all in the morning." Hop quickly trotted up the stairs and went back to her room, lockin the door, then jumpped onto the bed and closed her eyes.

[Miss Light Diamond 2,801]

@, 

 

Diamond nodded at Hop. "It was nice talking with you." She said, As Hop trotted up the stairs.

She sat quietly for a couple minutes until she heard somepony speak her name. "Hello. Yes that's me." She smiled. "And yes, I think this tea is quite nice." She said, finishing off her cup and standing up. "I would like to stay and chat but I think I should probably get a good nights rest before leaving tomorrow. Goodnight." She smiled at Flare then trotted up the stairs to her room.

She opened the door and locked it behind her, Then she trotted over to her bed and moved her stuff onto the floor.

She grabbed her book and climbed into the bed. *I think sleeping on the floor would be more comfortable than sleeping on this...I wonder if the other beds are this lumpy...* She though, opening her book.

 

after reading for a few minutes, Diamond closed her book. got out of bed, and trotted into the bathroom to brush her teeth.

When she finished she turned off all the lights and climbed into bed. She looked out the window at the starry sky, and after a few minutes, She fell asleep.

 

(OOC: I think everyone want's to get to day two so forgive me for just making Diamond leave.)

[Chespin 180]

(OOC: Sorry for not being here... Also btw, It's my birthday today.)

 

Leaf Orange just watched the sandstorm end, he decided to walk around the tavern for a bit, walking like a zombie, loaded with too many thoughts of what could happen to Flip Flair, his only relative .. Suddenly, he realized he was outside of the building, in the dark. He actually felt cooler in the night and his room felt overheated, so he decided to fly up the roof, and sit up there for a while.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Flip Flair had just got off the boat, it was two days since she left from the zebra city, to the Amblezon. There, she realized it. It was a large, possibly scary jungle. "Don't worry, you'll find your destiny inside there..." she said to herself. She then headed into the jungle without knowing how to leave a trail of crumbs or rocks behind. She thought that minutes felt like hours here. Flip also thought that she was disoriented and needed something like a map or a compass. She was lost... lost for the rest of her life? After running around in circles a couple of times she noticed something in the bushes, It flashed it's eyes towards Flip Fliar's, with her falling for it's prance. Then in seconds, she was stone.

Edited January 5, 2013 by Danger Dashie

[Descant 1,897]

(OOC: I'm just gonna go ahead and make it day two, guys.)

(OOC2: This would have been posted over an hour ago if my Internet hadn't crashed. I'm off to bed, guys. G'night.)

 

North stirred groggily as the first light of sun shone through his window, directly into his eyes. He rather had a headache. Rubbing his temples softly, he took a quick shower, fully aware it could be the last one he ever took. He sat, allowing the warm water to rinse over him, and attempted to clear his mind of the demonic memories that had haunted him. 

 

A short while later, North emerged from the shower, his mind cleared, his headache gone. He opened the window to his room, and took a deep breath of the warm desert air...

 

Closing his window, and now completely refreshed, North Arrow packed the book Legends of the Amblezon, his combat knife, and his slingshot and pouch back into his saddlebag, which he then pulled on. He exited his room, and made his way to the lobby of the hotel, where the breakfast bar was laden with a wide array of exotic fruits and breads. He grabbed something that looked not unlike an orange, and sat in the corner, munching on it. It appeared he was the first to have awoken...