private Pony Mystery Theater: Act II, Exit Trixie, Stage Right.

[Starshine 16,333]

"Everytime you are going to trek in the wilderness, always make sure somepony, preferably a family or a close friend, knows where you are going and how long you intent to be gone. That way when you failed to return in schedule, somepony will realize that you are missing and able to quickly alert the authorities to start searching for you. Also make sure that that somepony would also know your route. There was a story about a colt who was stuck under a bould-"

 

 

 

As gently as she could, she knocked on the door to room 7 and huddled herself close to the door.

 

Summerfall was barely past the first chapter of her book when somepony knocked her door. She rolled her eyes and sighed in exasperation. Just when she was about to get to the good part. "A moment," She called out while shuffling off from the bed, taking care not to ruffle the bed sheet too much. Tidying up a bed this big was never an easy job.

 

 

 

She knocked on the door to room 7 with greater urgency and kept knocking. There was no room for gracefulness when danger was possible. She didn't want to be eaten... And, she was terribly afraid of the dark...

 

If stares could do harm, the door would have been burnt to ashes from Summerfall's gaze. Who could be so impatient, and what kind of business so important that whoever it was couldn't even wait for a minute? She was quite irritated, but Summerfall cantered to the door nevertheless. Whatever it is, it must be something dire, or at least it should be lest there will be a very peeved mare in this train. With a motion of her hoof she unlocked the door and opened it slightly, only wide enough for her to slip her head through. Summerfall was expecting a young stallion or maybe a mare, but what she saw waiting in front of her door was not something she would have expected.

 

A silver unicorn filly, with rosewood red mane and eyes of deeper shade of red, was huddled at her door. The gears inside Summerfall's mind whirred trying to figure out what the hay was happening. She had never seen the filly at anywhere in the  Ponyville nor the station. She was almost sure that nopony in her car was old enough to have a filly of their own. Flow and Alex were too young, and the room 8 so far was empty. She wasn't very sure about the first car, but Vim was in the third car. And if Vim- Wait a minute...

 

Summerfall blinked twice. She took a second, harder look at the filly. She had a saddlebag on her back, and her fur was quite musty. From a single glance the filly looked okay, but something about her made her looked like she hadn't cleaned herself thoroughly for days. The mare bit her lip in uncertainty. A street urchin, right at her door, on a moving train which tickets cost a hundred bits. At normal circumstances she would have closed the door right there and ignore the filly, but the poor thing seemed to be deathly scared of something. She hadn't know Vim very long, but she highly doubted the conductor would appreciate an illegal passenger on his turf. From all choices she had, Summerfall chose the most obvious one. It might not be the most legal thing, but the alternatives would be a bit too harsh for the filly. She nudged the door a bit wider, just enough for the filly to enter her room, but not wide enough that she would be able to slam the door close just in case somepony got a bright idea to chase the filly into her room. "Come on in," She said to the filly with a knowing smile.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Starshine

[Electrobolt 2,069]

After he had finished speaking, he was looking at Ambrosia and Wind Dancer, considering that Dusky was no longer in the dining car so that he could give the two mares his full attention. However, what the pegasus had mentioned surprised him. She had gotten into an accident seven years ago that had nearly shattered her dream. After telling them this, she spread one of her wings out to reveal a scar that had been on it. As soon as he saw that, Electrobolt shuddered at the thought of what could have happened. He didn't have to think for too long as Wind continued, saying that she was working on a new dance routine before smashing into a pillar due to a stray gust of wind.

 

It was then that she had stated that the scar on her wing came from the surgery that was done on it. The thought of having to undergo surgery to repair broken bones was one that he did not wish to experience. She then added that even after having the wing patched up and recovered, it still locks up on her after being airborne for ten minutes. Not only that, but she had it lock up on her once during her performance. After she had finished speaking, Electrobolt was just left there, speechless. This mare had gone through some incredibly horrendous luck seven years ago, and because of it practically lost her ability to fly. *But is it truly lost for good...?* he thought, wondering whether there would be anything that could be done.

 

It was around this moment that Electrobolt sighed and put a hoof to his forehead in thought. Around that time, Ambrosia began to speak up, trying to help comfort Wind. Looking up to see the two mares, he noticed that Ambrosia was hugging the pegasus, being gentle about her wing. Seeing this caused a small smile to pop up on his face, as he listened to the cook speak some more. After she finished speaking, Electrobolt left his chair and began to walk around to Wind's side, and hugged her as well. Perhaps a little more words would be needed, he thought, as he let go of the hug to pull a chair around, sitting nearby Wind Dancer.

 

Once he was seated again, Electrobolt began to speak. "I'm gonna go with Ambrosia here, Wind. You don't need to be airborne to be a good stage performer. If you ask me, it's the action and the emotion of the dance itself that counts." After having told her that, he looked over to Ambrosia with a smile, before turning back to Wind. "If you're willing to go on-stage and do your dance routine in Los Pegasus, then Ambrosia and I will do everything we can to help you out there. Hmm, speaking of going on-stage, let me tell you something." With that, he then stopped to clear out his throat.

 

"About four days ago, I had entered a tournament for video games in Canterlot. As it turned out, I was the only Earth Pony there. But that's not really important." Shaking his head, he resumed. "Anyways, the tournament had taken place on this big stage, right in front of a big audience of ponies watching us all. To be honest, I was kind of nervous from all those ponies looking at me... But as soon as things started, I began to focus on what I was doing. Even though the nervousness was still there, as I grew more focused on what I was doing... Well, I started to feel less nervous and more comfortable with doing what I enjoy."

 

Electrobolt took this moment to stop and catch a quick breath before resuming. "Anyways, to keep it short, I kept my focus on the tournament and wound up winning. You see, as long as you focus on what you like to do and not worry yourself about the audience. A bit of confidence never hurts, too, if you ask me." He then smiled as he gently pat Wind Dancer on the back. "You'll do great, trust me." As Electrobolt was speaking that last sentence, a warm smile formed on his face. He hoped that his words would help Wind Dancer. Just then, though, the thought of her scarred wing popped into his mind again. His curiosity growing a bit much for him to handle, he then asked a question. "Um, Wind, if I might ask... Would there be some way for your wing to feel any better, and not lock up on you so often?"

[Ice Storm 1,020]

~~Ice Storm~~

 

When the other stallion across from Dawn spoke to her, and explained that he was part of what was going on, and the initial questioning, she wanted to blast him into the frozen plane of oblivion herself. When he explained that he had no idea that the interrogator would have been as blunt as he was, she sighed. He then told her that the reason he had come over, was to do the one thing that she said that he wouldn't do, and then began to apologize to the unicorn. Yeah, ponyfeathers. I bet the only reason he's actually apologizing right now is because I called everypony out on it. Still, regardless of the reasons why, at least he is apologizing, she thought to herself as the Unicorn began to speak. She first told her that she was indeed accepting new patients and nodded to her when she suggested meeting later to discuss the details of her issue.

 

It was then the pegasus that spoke again, asking about her name and if she wanted she could follow them to get a better idea of what was happening on the train. As much as she would have loved to, she knew that she was on a time restraint. Only a few moments later though, Dawn agreed to go with him so that she could at least find out why she was the target, and if something had affected her as well. Ice hoped not, otherwise this would be another failed attempt at a medical pony. She she extended her hoof out and introduced herself, Ice graciously accepted the hoohshake. "Thank you, and my name is Ice Storm. I would very much like to go with you to find out more about what's going on, however, I have already made an agreement with Dusky, and in fact I'm sure he's waiting for me now. That being said, I don't foresee that taking any longer than an hour or two at most," she mentioned before further addressing the issue at hand. 

 

"With that in mind, I can't be certain myself that I can contain anything with my magic. After all, the only thing I'm good with is ice magic. Granted... my Ice magic is... extremely strong, but I don't really think that it could contain anything all that well, or at least I wouldn't think so, I've never tried," she responded politely telling them that she both had somewhere else to be, and that she wasn't sure if her magic would be up for it. "However," she spoke turning to the pegasus. "I'm still not overly happy with this situation, and I'd recommend you keep that other pony that did the questioning out of my sight for a while, or I might have to rearrange his face. at least then he'll have a reason for such a rude reaction," she told him sternly making sure that he knew that her aggression was primarily meant for the interrogator, "To be honest, I have to agree with Dawn as well on the fact that if this Magicon or  whoever the buck it was wanted this information, then he should have been the one to approach her instead of using other's as pawns. I'd recommend telling him to make himself scarce to me for a while as well," she finished still clearly upset at the situation, but not necessarily at him. As he had said, he didn't know he was going to be as blunt. So while it is partially his fault, it wasn't completely his, and he at least apologized. She turned to Dawn again.

 

"With everything else in mind, I should be done by four o-clock, and my room is room number four if you wanna swing by then Dawn," she smiled before giving a polite nod to the two Ponies before heading out of the dining car towards the engine of the train. After all. Dusky had already given her his time. It was vital that she return the favor. She quickly passed through the other cars and knocked on the door of the engine. "It's me Dusky! I apologize for the slight delay, but I had to take care of a couple things in the Dining car real quick before I left," she told him honestly through the door.

 

~~Wind Dancer~~

 

Wind Dancer knew the looks on their faces as she told the story of what happened. It was a the look that she'd seen every time. For the most part it seemed that they were speechless about what had happened. Normally ponies poured over her telling them how sorry they were and the like. Which was fine and all, but it didn't help her wing. What Ambrosia did say though, was that she was sure that she would be fine, and she didn't have to do aerial performances to be a stage performer, and that she felt that she could do amazing. she added that once they got to Los Pegasus, they should check around with local ponies and see what they could do.

 

Then the pony that was introduced as Electrobolt backed up what Ambrosia said. That it was the acting and the emotion that was important in the performance. He also told her that if she was willing to go on stage that he and Ambrosia would be willing to help her in anyway that they could. He also told her a story about when he was doing a tournament and he had to overcome stage-fright. He did so by just focusing on what he was doing, and that it helped him overcome it. She was very familiar with the concept of this fear, and she'd be lying if she said that she wasn't feeling it. It wasn't the fact that she was worried about her performance, but her star stood out so much that it would tarnish any image or dance she could do. Sh decided to speak up. "Oh, if it's something that i possible, I would very much love to at least try. Like I said, it's always been my dream to be the main act in a show there," she said with a soft smile starting to form. That was until Electro asked whether or not her condition was fixable. She quickly frowned again before continuing.

 

"Yes and no," she started. "The damage in the wing is technically already fixed, however, my family nor myself are able to afford the extensive amount of physical therapy that would be required to get my full flight back. We were.... barely able to afford to get the doctors let me keep my wing... The doctors initially wanted to just remove it because we couldn't pay..." she admitted, the memories of hearing her mother fighting the doctors bringing a tear to her eye. "What I wouldn't give to be able to fly again..." she said through a soft sob.

[Key Gear 6,663]

"Of course It's a deal...but...I prefer to call it a promise...I promise to help you no matter what it is that you need. I'll follow your lead on this and I trust you to make the right decisions.And anyways, I need the time to think about things, I may write back to my family and inform them that I will be returning so that they don't worry so much. I'd also like to apologise to you Key, I know what you said about me having a right to run away, but I know you feel strongly about ponies running away from their kin...and Im very sorry Key, I truly am. I promise to you and to my family that I will return...for now though, count me in with whatever it is that you need, and if you want to help me, then Id gladly accept the help"

Key smiled just slightly when Dawn accepted her offer. She was extremely happy that she had managed to find a way out of the messy situation. Not only had she avoided making an enemy, but she had actually ended up making a friend. Everything had worked out well. In fact, her paranoia told her that things had worked out almost too well. She had revealed more of her own doings to Dawn Rider than she had originally intended to. Other than his own revelation to her, she still didn't know much about him.

 

Now that the moment was over, and her own fiery reaction had fully subsided, she found herself returning to the beginning of the conversation. What had she been hoping to achieve when she had pried his secrets from him? What had even caused her to pursue this option? She thought back. From the beginning, it had been Dawn's friendly demeanor and jovial nature that had maintained her interest. Those traits of his had reminded her of her own brother. Then his manner of talking - the halting, the trailing off, the evasiveness - it had reminded her of herself.

 

The familiarity that had been created by these attributes... It had encouraged her curiosity. Now, she had a friend, but she wondered if, perhaps, this had consciously or unconsciously been Dawn's intent the entire time. Maybe, he had led her on with his trailing off, knowing that she would be curious. Maybe, he had faked his story to get a reaction from her. Maybe, he had known that she would lose her cool. Maybe, he had hoped to take advantage of the situation. Maybe, getting punched by her had been an unexpected surprise... His words seemed to come too smoothly for her, too easily.

 

Her paranoia. It was always a friend to her, it kept her out of the wrong places in the darkness. It also caused her to miss opportunities by making her more cautious than she normally would have been. She wondered if it was helping or hurting her now. She disregarded the thought. So long as she maintained some degree of self-interest, she would be fine. For everything given, she thought, something would have to be expected in return. Whether this was trust, or action, Dawn would still have to prove himself to her. He had taken the first step. She estimated that there were at least a dozen or more tests to go. Key's smile broadened.

 

Dawn smiled after his response and only then remembered that he needed to keep pressure on his nose, so he held the cloth tighter to his muzzle before saying to Key "So I guess we just tell people you punched me for screwing up the sandwiches..." Dawn chuckled.

She facehoofed and groaned. "Dawn, no one's gonna buy that. I punched you for screwing up the sandwiches? You didn't even screw up the sandwiches. The first thing that Ambrosia or whoever would say is something like, 'Wow, what's wrong with the sandwiches? You hit him for that. You're a bad pony!' Nah. I've already got all of the passengers probably thinking that I'm going to rob them blind. The last thing that I need is for them to think that I'll beat them up too. The unicorns will probably levitate me on sight. I'll be up in the air, upside down, trapped in some silly magic bubble while you trot off. Not good..."

 

Now, it was time to get serious. They did need a cover story, and it would have to be something believable. It would also have to be something that wouldn't get her into trouble. Key snickered for a moment before returning to a straight face. She deadpanned, "Well. I could always just tell them that I punched you for trying to kiss me. Then, you'd be the one in trouble, not me, though, so it would never work." She hoped that Dawn didn't mind her terrible sense of humor. When she reflected on it, though, she would have done something much worse than punching him for that.

 

Key got serious. "Ok. I've got just the idea. But, I need you to go along with the story, because if we say two different things, then we're in trouble - both of us would be in trouble." Key went over to where the pots and pans were and took out a weighty frying pan. She collected one of the cloths that she had messed up cleaning up Dawn earlier. With the cloth, she made it look like the pan had actually been the thing to hit the pegasus on the nose. "Eh, this is pretty messy, but it does make it more believable. Just in case some unicorn wants to check out the story."

 

She took the pan over to the sink and rinsed it off, while talking. "Let's just say that we were cleaning up. Then, I wanted to fry some vegetables or something, so I took out this pan. Let's say that I made a mistake and swung it wide and ended up backhoofing you in the face with it. Boom! Nose injury, blood. I cleaned up the pan afterwards because I figured that Ambrosia probably didn't want to cook with a messed up pan. See? Now, isn't this a better cover story?"

 

---

 

She quickly passed through the other cars and knocked on the door of the engine.

The sound of a door being opened almost caused her to cry out. She had just been afraid of the thing in room 8 being able to open a door, now a door was being opened. Her mind raced. She could probably teleport herself off of the train, but without knowing what was out there and with a panicked mindset, she knew that she was very likely to end up crashing into a tree, a tunnel wall, falling off a bridge, or just disappearing altogether. Rushed and panicked magic usage was dangerous.

 

Every possible outcome would have left her seriously injured if not killed. Of course, she thought, death would also be possible through taking no action. It was then that she noticed an icy looking unicorn making her way down the hall. She turned and looked at the door to the passenger car. Apparently, that was the door that had been opened. She felt a sense of relief, but it was only a temporary. The sound of another door opening came quickly on its heels.

 

With a motion of her hoof she unlocked the door and opened it slightly, only wide enough for her to slip her head through.

She turned to look at the door to room 8, but she couldn't tell if that was the door being opened or not. Wild eyed and disconcerted, she spun around to room 7, her chance for safety. The mare in the room was peeking out to see who had knocked on her door. Lacking the full power of speech at that moment, the filly could only stare at the opening into the room. It wasn't quite large enough for her to enter, so she stood there, hoping that the mare wouldn't leave her out in the hall, alone.

 

She nudged the door a bit wider, just enough for the filly to enter her room, but not wide enough that she would be able to slam the door close just in case somepony got a bright idea to chase the filly into her room. "Come on in," She said to the filly with a knowing smile.

She recognized the look on the mare's face. The mare was going to let her in, away from the monster and away from the chance of discovery. When the mare spoke the words, inviting her in, she wasted no time. Abandoning all grace, she darted into the room as quickly as she could, only being careful to not collide with the mare or go tumbling into any of the room's contents. She looked around, the room had some of the mare's things already placed, and there was a wonderfully comfy bed available.

 

Facing away from the mare, she took a deep breath, held it for a few moments, and then breathed out a sigh of relief. She didn't want to speak or in any way introduce herself until she had fully controlled her own panicked state. She wanted to make a positive impression on this stranger. Even though she had been allowed in, there was no guarantee that she would be allowed to stay. A good impression would help. Panicked rambling would do nothing for her, except cause her to stay panicked and afraid. She didn't want to be afraid anymore, it wasn't a fun feeling at all.

 

Finally, she was ready. Turning to face her newfound savior, she bowed her head and held out her right front hoof as a sign of respect. She held this pose for a few seconds before returning to her normal pose. With her head held high, she spoke with just a trace of a Canterlot or Trottingham accent, and her voice was soft, subtle. Her words flowed easily. She didn't smile. "Thank you for that. I apologize for knocking on your door so wildly. I was going to stay in the room across from this one. When I opened the door, it was empty. No furniture, no pony, nothing. When I went in... I discovered that it was already taken. There was something dark in there. Something very dark." She stifled a shiver. "I don't like the darkness."

 

"Whatever was in there, I suspect it had no need for furniture. It was a monster. Some unseeable horror. And, it wasn't a figment of my imagination, I'm sure. My eyes saw nothing, but I know that it was there. I could sense it... It just wasn't visible." She looked away. "I could have done without that experience. I was scared. I didn't want to be eaten or hurt. When I left the room, I didn't see another place in the hall to hide. There were ponies talking in the next car. I didn't want to be found. They would have thrown me off the train. I don't have enough supplies to make a journey by hoof. I knew all of the other doors are locked. Still, I had seen you enter your room earlier. I knew that you might help me. That's why I came to your door and knocked."

 

She looked back at the earth pony mare. "I hope I didn't disturb you with my knocking. I... I also hope that you will let me rest here, perhaps for a moment? I don't wish to impose. I can revisit room 8 later and possibly stay there if the darkness has moved on." She shivered, failing to stifle it. "Ahm, as you could probably tell, I am... Well. I am not a real passenger. I snuck on the train because I wanted to travel... I am a traveller. I don't have a room. I... I boarded the train in an apple box. It's... Not as bad as it sounds. The apples are delicious and shiny and fun and..." She looked away and coughed.

 

When she looked back again to continue, she seemed sad. "My name is Luminescence, and... Please... I would actually rather not be sent away." Her words no longer flowed as freely, and her proud head drooped as she continued speaking. "I would owe you if you would help me. I know that it may not seem that I can do much, as I am a just... I am just a very young pony without a home... I have no home. I had to leave my parents some years ago. I left because I was bored. I was running out of things to do. I have an active mind."

 

She looked up, again, making direct eye contact with her host. "I could repay you one day for whatever kindness you show me now. I am a traveller. I may be young, but I have seen many places and things. I know many stories from across Equestria. I may know something to help you. I may not. I don't know. I am willing to help you in your work. I am a hard worker. I... I am sorry for begging... I hope I don't offend you with this... I am normally not like this, but... I don't want to face the darkness alone. I would prefer to not face it at all, in fact. Instead, we could stay here for now, safely? And, perhaps have fun?" While she was still unsmiling, her eyes twinkled hopefully.

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

 

Ice Storm was powerful. In some narrow ways, she was clearly even more powerful than him. This was why he needed her. She had become powerful through suffering, much as he had. She had grown more powerful through power itself, much as he had. Now, despite her power, her existence was limited, much as his was. The similarities, both obvious and subtle were striking. Further, her existence and her nature, he realized, challenged the very core concepts of his philosophy. He closed his eyes. It wasn't just Ice Storm. All around him, there were those that had demonstrated mental, magical, or physical capabilities that were beyond the average.

 

They had all been formed by their own circumstances. They had all grown out of the imperfection of his surrounding world. He had long rationalized this by acknowledging the few exceptions to the weakness that he had observed. Now, he found himself in the position of being desperately in need of assistance from one that, by appearances, he had initially assumed to be unremarkable. Perhaps, he had been flawed. His vision, so concentrated and blinded by his past, was flawed. His plan, with its myriads of complexities, was also flawed. Everything was flawed. The perfection that he had held in pride was no more than a lie. He had finally broken his honor. He had lied but to himself.

 

If it was true that he was needed to control the world, to prepare the way for the powerful, then why was he suddenly in a position of such uncertainty. Not only this, but the order that he had long loved was no longer order. It had become chaos; it was to be discarded. Nothing was as it had been. He only knew one thing, just one thing. He needed the assistance of this icy unicorn. In an instant, his power had been rendered meaningless. Of what purpose did it serve, if the possibility existed to eclipse it completely. To restore himself to his origins.

 

What did it mean? To make all that had happened as if it had almost never been. To erase the pages of his book. To wipe clean the memories of what had once been? Maybe, this alone invalidated his ultimate objective. To go back, all the way back to the place that had once been, before he had fallen. If he had never fallen, he would never have come to the conclusion that he had held. He would never have taken so many paths, made so many decisions that he could see now were mistakes. If he had even known of Ice Storm's eventual existence, he would have gladly waited in silence, taking no actions.

 

He contemplated now in silence, thankful for every small moment that Ice Storm was not there, yet simultaneously eager for her to arrive. He was uncertain of what he would say, but he was also certain of some of the things that had to be said. It was a delicate balance, but it was, at the same time, an indelicate balance. His world of the absolutes had now been broken. Uncertainty plagued his thoughts. Still, one thing was certain. He was fully awake. He opened his eyes and they opened normally. He sat facing the wall, studying his own thoughts. Perhaps, he thought, this was what it was meant to truly live. To accept the balance between order and chaos. To walk between the two in his own thoughts, a mediator of the eternal uncertainty.

 

His thoughts turned, again, to Ice Storm. He had always met others at their own levels of trust. It was the honorable thing to do, to trade one level of understanding for that same level. He had never had another pony to share so freely with him as Ice Storm had done. In particular, to share with no trace of inhibition. Complete and total trust had been given to him. He could never betray such a trust. He would have to meet it in kind, but still, he hesitated in committing to this. There was the possibility that she would not help him. That she would turn to leave... He feared this, but his code prohibited him. He could not be deceptive, it was as it was. She would have to hear his equivalent to what she had shared.

 

"It's me Dusky! I apologize for the slight delay, but I had to take care of a couple things in the Dining car real quick before I left," she told him honestly through the door.

It was time. Smiling politely, Dusky opened the door to his world. "Hello, Ice Storm, please come in. It is quite alright, I assure you, don't worry about the delay." He waited until she had entered and then shut the door. He walked to where the instrument panel was, and the windows that offered a slight view of the landscape.

 

When he spoke, his voice was friendly. "Thank you for coming, despite the unusually brisk nature of my departure. In truth, I was somewhat afraid that you would not, and I was surprised by this... I think that it is that I have never really found a truly sympathetic ear for my own concerns. This is possibly my own fault. I have never told another the full extent of my own story and my present situation. When you hear it, I think that you will understand why this was impossible to do. I would have needed to find a pony that could understand my situation."

 

He smiled with wry amusement. "Unfortunately, I will have to take some steps to convey my story in a succinct manner as it is considerably lengthier than your own, and I do not wish to take up too much of your evening." His smile waned. "However, I should, perhaps, warn you. The story that I convey to you may sound unreal, or even impossible. It is quite probable that it will challenge the extents of your imagination. However, I can assure you that every word of it is true, and... Just as you trusted me, I trust you now. I convey this story to you in the strictest of confidences."

 

He sighed and then continued. "My story begins some time ago. I was born in a place that was an untamed area of Equestria at that time. From the smallest of wild dogs to the most powerful of dragons, all creatures roamed freely near my place of birth. The place that I was born in was just a small village. It had no great protection against the harmful potential of all of these various creatures. There were no mighty walls, moats, towers or other defenses - only the brave hooves of the strongest of us protected the village from harm. The area that I was born in coincided, roughly, with a few miles to the north of where Van Hoover is today."

 

"My parents were remarkable ponies. My mother was named Starry Sight and my father was named Winged Fury. They were both pegasus ponies. My mother was gifted with the ability to see at remarkable distance, and she was skilled with a bow. My father was remarkably skilled in the use of bladed weapons. They were both, despite my father's name, gentle ponies. They were only drawn to defend the town when their assistance was greatly in need, which was, in the beginning, not very often at all. It was only over time that things became vastly more dangerous. I was born somewhere in the earlier period, before the darkness had quite descended."

 

"When I was born, it was... Something of an event in the town... Ah... Hmmmm... You see... I suppose that now I should tell you. Despite my youthful appearance, I am fairly old. I was born at a time before Nightmare Moon, before Celestia, before the formation of Equestria, even before Starswirl the Bearded. I was born in an age where ponies were only barely existing in a primitive state... I was also born with something that nopony had ever seen before in my small town. I had wings, like my parents. However, I also had a horn. I was capable of both flight and magic. I was an alicorn, Ice Storm."

 

He chuckled grimly. "Of course, thanks to Celestia and Luna, all modern ponies know what an alicorn is. But... Back then, to be an alicorn in the village that I was born in... This was not a good thing in the slightest. To say that I was considered unusual would not quite be doing it justice. My magic developed poorly, I was tall and awkward, I couldn't fly even as I grew older. To add insult to injury, I remained a blank flank even as the other young ponies found their talents and excelled in them. To say that my parents were confused and disappointed would be an understatement. They simply didn't understand."

 

"How could they understand? Even I didn't. I was beyond their understanding and my own. Eventually, my mother came to accept me for what I was, but my father... To him... I served no useful purpose. I was not capable of flying well enough to assist in times of danger. I was not capable of using magic to any great degree. I was not physically strong, either. I was useless, and my appearance shamed him. Much as your father made your youth unpleasant, so too did mine. I was excluded from everything, and relegated to remaining home for most of the day."

 

"It was in this environment that I discovered the beginnings of my talent. My mother taught me fletchery at an early age. That was just the beginning. Slowly but surely, I learned more about crafting. Eventually, with the assistance of the town's blacksmith, I learned metal working. I never became his apprentice, unfortunately, because my skills were more geared towards using premade pieces than they were towards making the pieces themselves. I became quite skilled at building mechanisms."

 

He smiled, genuinely, as he recounted these earlier times. "It was... Fun. I would create mechanisms of wooden parts that I would make myself. In the beginning, they were silly things... I figured out a way to harness the power of the wind to make... machines that would make funny noises, spin, whir, and make relatively amusing visual displays. As time went on, they became larger, even more complex. Eventually, there was no pony in the village that could match my abilities. Not one of them could even begin to understand my creations. They were massive, incalculably complex machines. Far more complex than even this train engine that we are now standing in. And... They always worked. Ice Storm, they were nigh flawless."

 

"Well, my mother supported these ventures, but my father... He spurned them. To him, I was wasting the valuable resources of the town with my hobby. He didn't seem to understand the basic concept of parts storage and reuse... For myself, I grew too distracted to care about his thoughts... His growing obsession with the town's resources and defenses... I redirected my efforts towards possibly building something that could aid in the town's defense, but it was really useless. Against the type of threats that we faced, my young mind was incapable, completely incapable."

 

"There came a day when my own incapability was highlighted for me, in bas relief. One day, my parents and many others went out on their evening patrols. Just to check the farmlands around the village for potential threats. I remember that day because it was a remarkably cold day. Even after all of these years, I am certain that few days have matched the fury of that one day. The temperature, the wind, everything was brutal. It was a blizzard, and it was one unlike any that I had ever seen, but the patrol returned unharmed, late in the evening."

 

"It was the next day that disaster struck. The ponies in the village began to fall ill. It was a strange sort of illness. They would just begin to waste away. At this same time, a certain darkness descended on the landscape. Fear gripped the village, and everypony locked themselves in their homes, afraid of the growing contagion. Still it spread, moving from house to house as some type of horrible phantom would. I freely confess. I was terrified. I was, at that time, a very young pony, no more than 14 years of age. The only thing that I knew what that fear was in the air, you could almost taste it everytime you opened your mouth. Outside, the blizzard had lessened, but it was still ongoing."

 

"Word of our plight soon reached our trading partners. How could it not? None of them were able to reach us and stay living. The fear of the disease that was rampaging the village kept them away. Our winter supplies began to run low, and the situation was becoming desperate. A team of some of our best defenders set out to see if some help could be obtained from a known unicorn village that was some distance away, my father was among them. They left. They returned several weeks later. They had all fallen ill. My mother, she couldn't help herself. She was a brave pony... Ah... Her heart exceeded her own desire for safety. She brought my father home. Even as he faded away, she stayed strong, caring for him until he was no longer alive."

 

"Words... Even now. Words are incapable of conveying the sorrow that I had felt at that moment. Seeing his form, so terribly haggard, wasting away into nothingness. It was not something that a colt should have seen. But, even worse than that was the feeling of failure. Ice Storm, I had never succeeded in living up to his ideals - strength, endurance, loyalty. Of those, only the last had I exhibited up until that point. I was still weak, useless. Yet... When I was called to him, in his final moments... His last words to me were... That I was to take his place in protecting the village."

 

Dusky laughed, it was a tired, metallic sound. "Ice Storm... There was no village at that point. There were only less than 10 of us at that point. If not for the blizzard and the disease that claimed those that attempted to escape, the town would already have been abandoned. I had already failed him... Even before he had spoken. There was no way that I could keep his promise. It was with that knowledge that he left me, the knowledge that I had failed to be a guardian, a protector. I had failed to live up to the expectations that had been placed on me... You see... I never resented him for disliking me, I realized early on that it was not a personal dislike. Instead, it arose from his dedication to his task - being one of the key defenders of the village."

 

"Of course, I did what any self respecting pony would have done in a similar circumstance. I gave up. It was obvious, given the circumstance. Logic dictated failure. I was a blank flank. I still couldn't fly. The most impressive magic that I had done was small degrees of levitation. The possibility had always existed for me to travel to the unicorn village, but... I had been forbidden from making the journey. My father had forbade me, and he was right, I think. What use would magic have been without the strength to endure an attack without it."

 

"Well... I spent each day assisting my mother with the care of the few left, living in fear. Throughout it all, she remained strong, until the one day when she wasn't. There did come a day, when I went to find her and I found her lying there, afflicted with the same terrible fate that had befallen so many others. For a moment, I panicked pointlessly, my sorrow and fear mixing into a maddening brew. Eventually, my panic gave way to desperation. It was in desperation that I packed everything I could find on such short notice. I bundled my mother up in whatever warm things I could find and I carried her out of the village."

 

"For years, I had always planned to journey to the unicorn village. I had always hoped, though, that this journey would be an enjoyable experience. Let me assure you. It was not. I walked through the blizzard's biting cold, it's horrible winds, across whatever terrain was in my path. My destination was the modern area of Canterlot. I stopped only periodically, to find a place where I could monitor my mother's declining health. But... Much as you discovered your talent in a storm of ice, so too did I discover my own talent in the storm that I faced. I carried her through the blizzard by hoof. You see, Ice Storm, my talent was strength. It was power. Despite my gangly appearance, it turned out that my endurance was quite incredible. I made it."

 

"I reached my destination. After I did, hearing of where I was from, the unicorns were quite impressed. They were even more impressed when I removed my cloak and they saw my wings. They knew what I was. I was an alicorn. I was special, not something to be mocked. Ah, but... They became even more impressed when they saw my cutie mark. Apparently, it had appeared at some point in my journey. It was three gears, made of some type of crystalline material, all connected. Complexity, power, ingenuity. They were able to heal my mother, and I was able to begin learning what I could about magic. More importantly though, I learned about the disease and the blizzard. It turned out that they were connected."

 

Dusky frowned deeply. "This was... The beginning of my fall, I think. Please... Understand. It was a series of mistakes that... I think, resulted from my talent, my cutie mark. I... Well. I'll tell you what happened. As I said. I learned about the fate that had befallen my village. I'm sure that you know about Luna's ability to walk in dreams? Well, have you ever wondered... Perhaps you've sometimes wondered about the substance of which dreams are made? I don't say this flippantly. When I was investigating the fate that befell my village, digging through the archives of the unicorn village's library, I found a book."

 

"This book... It was unlike any other. It contained a masterfully written narrative on the nature of the firmament of dreams. The substance that goes beyond what Luna is able to see when she walks in a dream. The very world from which these dreams originate. A sentient world filled with the most remarkable things. Long ago, even before my birth, it was locked away, safely, somewhere deep below Equestria. In this book, I found a description. There is a type of creature that, every once in a while, managed to escape the place where this world was locked away - something so concentrated in its power that nothing can contain it."

 

"This creature... It is what happens when enough of the material that forms a nightmare comes together in one place. This pure substance, typically of a small size is able to escape the prison so far below Equestria because it is both powerful and extremely concentrated. I know that this sounds horrifying, but, typically, this is not a problem. Once it makes it way to the surface, it is generally not able to do much. It can merely cause the occasional feeling of consternation, perhaps a little bit of fear, perhaps a sensation of darkness, but this is all. However... In cases when it is of a larger size... It can bring nightmares to Equestria."

 

"In the case of my village, this is what had happened. The disease. The blizzard. The death. It was all caused by one of these creatures. When I had finally managed to discern this, I immediately requested an audience with the elders of the unicorn village. I had only been there for some weeks, but the news of my arrival had made them eager to seek an audience with me. From the moment that I entered their hall, I commanded their full attention. I informed them of the problem. I noted that these creatures only tend to grow in power the longer they are left unchallenged. I requested to lead a team of the most powerful unicorns available to fight this monster and to retake the village, saving whatever survivors that had managed to survive."

 

"At first, they thought that I was surely mad. Both mad to believe in the existence of such a creature and mad to believe that it could be challenged by mere ponies. That was when I showed them the book that I had found. The description of one incident of such a creature escaping... It matched perfectly with what had befallen my village. After some debate, they agreed to allow my request. I assembled a team, Ice Storm. It was a team of unicorns much like yourself, powerful and skilled in at least one area of magic. We set out for the village with the full knowledge and expectation of what we were going to face."

 

"Well... We thought we had this. Of course, it was wrong, completely wrong. The book had been misleading. It had indicated that these creatures were 'magic'. Ah, but that was not the case. They are not magical, not even in the slightest. They achieve their effects through an alternative means, by altering the very substance of reality much as they alter the nature of the world of dreams. They are the building blocks of dreams, Ice Storm, nothing more... Nothing less... Yes... Hmmm... We tried to track it by magic. That failed, miserably. After a long journey, we were ambushed by the creature with still some distance to go before reaching the village."

 

"It was... A strange thing to look at. It was about the size of this train engine, and it seemed to shift between thousands of different forms at once. It attacked us with fire, with lightening, with physical attacks. It was, at once, everywhere and nowhere. We held out well at first, the creatures attacks and even the creature itself was susceptible to magic. Eventually, though, one by one, the members of my group began to succumb to madness. It was unfortunate but the primary attack of the creature seemed to be to assault the senses with so much contrary reality as to overwhelm them completely."

 

"The blizzard... It didn't help things at all. It was a terrible distraction. The wind and the cold made it difficult for the unicorns to concentrate. If they could only concentrate, then I was certain that we win, they could resist the madness, look away from the horror. I... saw all of my allies falling around me. It drove me to do something that I didn't even realize I had the power to do. My horn and eyes glowed with a brilliant silver light, and a bright light expanded from my location. Unintentionally, I destroyed the protective shields of all of my allies, dooming them all to temporary madness."

 

"The blizzard ended. I approached the monster. The creature was arrogant, I suppose, because it stood its ground against me. I was going to destroy it, my horn glowed blindingly bright. All that I could see in my eyes was this creature. All that I could hear in my ears were my fathers last words to me. I had to defend the village, you see. I was a guardian. It was my destiny. In that moment, I realized it. I started to unleash my power on this fiend, but... Ice Storm, I hesitated, and... In that moment of hesitation... I saw something else. I saw the true form of the creature."

 

"Complexity. It was complex. It had three sets of four wings, all moving in such a succession as to appear like a well made kite. It was powerful. You could feel its power as it hovered there, cloaked in darkness. It glowed from within, illuminating an emerald green body composed of the most beautiful of eyes, all open and staring wildly in a myriad of different directions. It was shaped like some kind of fish. And, in that moment, I hesitated further because I saw that it was a creation. Much as I created my mechanisms, so too was this thing the creation of another. It was a beautiful monster. As it drew closer to me, I was... Drawn in, myself."

 

"I stayed there, staring at it and it alone. My eyes... Ah... They took in the sight. That was when my mind was poisoned. At some point, the screams of my companions invaded the serenity of the moment. I knew what I had to do. I destroyed the creature with a blast of magic so powerful that it was reduced to non-existence. In that moment, the members of my team that had lost their minds, became sane once more. We had only suffered 4 casualties out of a group of 30. I returned to my village. Of course, there were no survivors. Not only this, but the place had been ravaged. Destroyed by this monster. Thus, even in victory, I had failed."

 

"I returned to the unicorn village. After the time of mourning for those that had passed, I was rewarded for my brave actions. The remaining members of my group as well as myself... We became guardians. It became our duty to protect the town that we now resided in, and those around. The elders had made this decision because they had heard of my town's fate. If they had known and acted faster, so much death could have been avoided. Hmmm... Well, we did better in the future. Manticores, dragons, serpents of all sizes. We were able to defend neighboring villages from a wide variety of threats. Were were unchallengeable."

 

"This persisted until the day a massive dragon... It attacked the unicorn village when most of the other guardians were away. It had been sighted at some distance, it was impossible to miss - some great looming monstrosity of brute strength... At that time, boosted by my many victories, I had become arrogant. I had hoped to spare most of the village from destruction, so I flew out ahead of the guardians accompanying me on the ground. I met the dragon at some distance from the town. I targeted it with my most powerful magic and defended myself with the same. As you could imagine, this solo-interception proved to be a mistake. I was... Somewhat outclassed."

 

"After several blasts of dragonfire, my shield failed me. I absorbed the entirety of the dragon's flame with nothing more than my fur and feathers. It was only through my endurance that I somehow survived. As for the dragon, at that point, I had seared holes in its wings, damaged its scales, eyes, and everything else. I had come so close to defeating it alone, and I had succeeded in defending the village... The dragon no longer cared about it. He was more interested in ending me. When I hit the ground, falling from my lofty height, it made the move to end me by simply stomping me into oblivion. I... I had nothing left to fight with."

 

"That was when I faded into blackness. My eyes closed. Had it not been for the brave efforts of my comrades, who had finally prepared for battle and made it to the scene of the fight, I would have died then. I sometimes wish that I had, though... Because, when I awakened, I was no longer able to fly, and there was no magic that would undo the damage that the dragons fire had done to my wings. I was completely and totally flightless. It was the beginning of the end... I had made up so much of the guardians power that, without me, they began to crumble in the face of our enemies. The area that we covered was too wide to be safeguarded without my strength."

 

"I tried to enlarge our ranks. It was pointless. The death toll began to rise. I... I began to feel desperate, to lose my sanity. I returned to the deepest levels of the library, seeking knowledge. I needed to fly again... I needed more strength. I found it in the form of a spell that would turn me into a dragon, but... Not just any dragon, but the draconic form of my own power. Well... Imagine my glee? The spell was difficult, but it was something that was easily within my abilities. One morning, on a fine day, I travelled a great distance form the village and I used my spell. I became a dragon... A dragon even more powerful than the one that had taken away my power of flight."

 

"No time was wasted, I returned, eager to show the ponies of my village what I had become. It was the day that the guardians gathered in a grand meeting. The perfect time to introduce a new savior to them. Unfortunately... I had, in my madness, completely forgotten the reception that we gave to dragons. I was attacked. And... I... Well..." Dusky stopped talking for a moment, staring idly around the room before continuing. "I was a dragon, you see. The spell had just taken effect, and I was not used to the nature of the thinking patterns of a dragon. I had no idea how to control the natural impulses of the form. I fought back, something that I would normally have never done. I killed them all, Ice Storm. Then, I descended to the village and I destroyed it as well. I was a monster. All of my friends. My own mother. The elders. Everypony was dead."

 

"When the dragon's rage within me had finally subsided. All that was left was a pony in the form of a dragon, beholding the destruction and loss of all that he had once held dear. A single act, wantonly brought on with good intentions... And I had destroyed them all. My madness deepened with despair. I lost myself in the world of the monster, only managing to avoid ponies. Instead, I preyed on other dragons, breaking them in vengeance for my own existence and the horror that had been done to me by that first sickening beast. I waged war on dragons everywhere, taking their hoards as my own, and rending them into nothing."

 

"Until... One day... I recovered enough to escape the madness. I thought, at that time, surely... I could turn myself back. Well... That was not the case. I had only then realized the problem with becoming a dragon." Dusky shook his head and smiled grimly. "You can no longer use magic once you become a dragon. Well... That was problematic. My solution was simple. I remembered the story. I remembered the sentient substance of dreams. Well... Becoming a pony again was a dream, yes? Reasonably, I thought... I could find my way to this creature, release it, and it would grant my dreams?"

 

"It took some years, and some exploration, but... Eventually, after many years, I did find the door. The mechanism holding it locked was a rather complex lock, but it was also of cyclopean proportions. It took some effort and a considerable amount of strength, but I was able to open the door. When I did... I was... Faced with something... Horrible. Would you believe that the sentient originator of dreams was no more than a vast formless horror? It writhed, shambled, and shuffled all at once... It was easily several times bigger than I was, possibly more. As I peered closer at it, I could see that it was composed of strands, and those were composed of strands, and the pattern continued. The longer I stared, the more I could detect the subtle beauty of its complexity."

 

"But... It was a monster, a mindless monster. It didn't grant my dreams. It was incapable. It was stupid, running into the walls that contained it and thrashing about like a great horrible insect. I fled, of course. What else could I do? But... After fleeing, I felt the urge to turn around. There I saw it... Destroying a town of ponies. It was easy for it. All that saw the creature fell instantly into madness. It speared them on any of a myriad of tentacles and consumed them into itself. It was sickening. Again... My drive for power... The power to grant my own dream... It was leading to death. I returned. I fought the monster. I was defeated."

 

"That... Brings me to my own problem. As I told you... It was one similar to your own? Well. After I fell... The creature... It somehow merged with me. At first, I was elated. My dream had been granted and then some. I became a pony again, but... More than this... I gained the creatures ability to mold myself, at least. I could change my shape at will. An amusing power, but... Not one that I used. My desires were simple. I moved into the village that I had seen, taking the form that I appear to you now as."

 

"Ah, but it was a curse... You have the experience I know, of waking up with an unpleasant sensation in the middle of the night. Well... I know that feeling for a different reason. Whenever I would fall asleep, I would awaken and be unaware of my surroundings, confused, certain that something had happened. The rumor began to spread, I was a sleepwalker. Eventually... It became difficult for me to even know if I slept or if I was awake. Everything melded into one continuous stream. That was when it began... I would harm others, without even knowing it... Then I would awaken with their blood on my hooves."

 

"I denied this horror for as long as I could, until I harmed a pony that I had cared about greatly. It was then that I was forced to admit the truth. The creature... It hadn't granted my wish. It was a parasite. Well... After the near murder of my friend... I forced myself to leave the group of ponies that I had travelled with, to go in search of some solution. To fight the beast. Eventually... I found a spell that I could use... Something to recreate the containment that had originally held the monster. In order to use it, I had to journey to the Frozen North. It was, as you are perhaps suspecting... An ice spell."

 

"The creature sensed my intent. It fought me for the entire duration of the journey, but... Just as I had walked through the blizzard earlier, so too did I endure again. I made it to the ideal location, a massive cave in a large mountain in the far reaches of the Frozen North. There I began the spell. With all of my concentration, I gathered the energy to form the spell. The outcome of the spell would be that the parasite... The "substance of dreams" would be entombed. I would take on the dying form of the dragon that I had once been, before the creature merged with me, saving me and cursing me."

 

"I started the spell. I made it nearly to completion before the creature overcame me. It changed the spell. Instead of it being the thing that was entombed, a disaster occurred. We were both split into parts. As a pony, I retained some small degree of ability to shapeshift but I lost my magic, the power was removed from me by the sheer force of the spell. As a dragon, I exist in pain, always at the dividing line between death and life. The monster, it was scattered throughout the landscape of the Frozen North. I also exist, at the same time... As some combination of all of these things... In the world of dreams. So... You see... Much as your problem exists even to this day, so does mine."

 

"Can you imagine what it is like, Ice Storm? Being in more than one physical place at a single time? Feeling the constant pain of death? Being unable to sleep, because at any given point, you already inhabit the very substance of the dreams of every creature in existence... It had been this way for me for so many years... Everything that I've told you happened to long ago. Since, that time, I have lived every day. Every day. Every day in misery and darkness... Darkness because, much as their are pleasant dreams, there are also nightmares. I see them as well. I inhabit them."

 

"All I ever wanted... All I ever desired was to be a guardian. It was my dream to fulfill the command that I was charged with so long ago. It was only through unfortunate happenstances that I ended up here, today, what I am. Randomness, chaos, the opposite of order." Dusky stopped himself and looked down. When he looked back up, he spoke clearly and with his normal cadence. He smiled. "Forgive me for my forwardness. I realize that, perhaps, this was not what you expected when you came here. However, you see that I have... A problem. Hmmm."

 

"Well, Ice Storm, every problem, it has a solution. I realize that I am about to ask more of you than could be reasonable at this point in time; however, it is not chance, I think, that brought you to my path. I believe that it was destiny. I believe that it was your destiny to meet me, here in this place, because I am certain that it is perhaps you and you alone that had the power to undo the evil fate that I was accursed with. There is a spell. It is a creation of my own, a variation of the same spell that I originally attempted."

 

"If you could successfully use this spell, then you would be able to right almost all that is wrong. You could reseal the creature. You could undo the damage that was done to my draconic form, ending my constant miserable anguish. You would retrap the substance of dreams, undoing, for once and for all, my hideous error. But, most importantly, you would end, for once and for all, my enslavement to my own past, freeing me from the punishment for my errors. I do not know if, given all the wrong that had been done at my hooves, you are much interested in ending my suffering. But... If not, then... I wonder... How long should I continue? I have been this way since even before Discord was returned to stone..."

 

He sighed... "I realize that you may think that this is... Unlikely, fantastic... And that, perhaps, I am insane. But... I assure you that it is not and I am quite sane. If you have observed me, you will see... I never use magic. I cannot use magic. As I said, I lost the ability so long ago. However... I do still retain something of the formlessness of that horror... I can still change my form. It doesn't require magic for me to do this, only..." Just then, his eyes went blank. In an instant, Dusky was no longer a tall, gangly unicorn. Instead, he was an icy unicorn mare. When he spoke again, it was with Ice Storm's own voice. "No magic is required, as I stated, only willpower and observation."

 

The doppelganger's eyes went blank. In another instant, Dusky had taken on his original form. "Forgive me for that, please... I hope that I didn't startle you, because that was not my intention. I only wished to demonstrate that I am what I claim to be. The fact that not many know of me, including Luna, is only owed to the fact that, within dreams, I occupy a higher realm of existence. I exist above and outside of their sphere, yet still existing in the substance from which they are originated. When you perform your spell, I will lose this trait and this ability. Instead, I will, once again, I think, be normal. Will you help me?"

[Magicon 468]

The young unicorn burst with excitement and it forced Magicon to maintain his smile at her glee. Asteria was full of energy and potential and Lapis seemed to be pointing her in the right direction. He knew Lapis was a good pony and he knew Asteria would turn out to be a great asset to him as well as a strong mare. Wherever she ended up and whatever she did, Magicon knew it would be great. As he smiled at the filly her desire for exploration caught his attention.

 

 

 

"Well, you're right. Lapis proved that Dawn is unstable. So, can I come with you to check out that light? That could be fun." she said, glowing with enthusiasm.

 

Magicon’s smile immediately faded. Asteria’s excitement had gotten the better of her and now she was suggesting visiting Springer’s room back in the caboose. Though Magicon definitely wanted to investigate the room further, he was unsure if he should put Asteria in harm’s way. He couldn’t imagine Lapis’s reaction to discovering something terrible happening to Asteria while Magicon was with her. Though he was sure he could protect her, he didn’t know if Lapis trusted him to protect her.

 

He also didn’t know anything about this light other than its existence and location. He didn’t even know if he would find it in Springer’s room. It was mysterious and unknown. Years of experience had told Magicon to be cautious with unknown ponies and entities and refuse to engage them until he knew as much as he could from them. But the only way to gain knowledge was to be daring and adventurous. Asteria was experienced and skilled in exploration, probably more than him. Perhaps their combined strength could dispel any dangers.

 

As he sat and thought he noticed Dusky pass by back towards the engine and an icy young unicorn follow him shortly after his departure. He had a suspicion that Dusky was up to something. From what little observation he gathered he could tell the icy mare seemed to capture Dusky’s attention. If Dusky was going to get an ally on his side Magicon didn’t want to be overpowered by Dusky. He knew he was in a conflict with the unicorn, and Dusky knew his strength. Either he was not strong enough the beat Magicon, if they fought, and he needed help or he just wanted to make his triumph that much easier.

 

Either case Magicon realized he would overpowered with them against him. He would need a strong ally, a unicorn, and someone already leaning to his side. Asteria was laying herself at his hooves and although she hadn’t shown any real devotion to Magicon, he knew getting to know her and granting her desires would lead to a stronger relationship between the two of them.

 

Looking back at Asteria, Magicon smiled and said, “Asteria, it would indeed be fun, but also dangerous. I certainly want to know more about this light, but it might be dangerous. Though I’m sure you faced dangers in the past, I don’t know how Lapis would feel if you went with me to Springer’s room. But I’d rather not tell either of them. It’ll be our little secret so we can uncover as much as we can without a distraction. So, you’ll have to trust me. Are you up for it?”

 

He rose out of his seat, hoping that the filly would not be frightened by him or his concerns. He hoped she would accept and move quickly to discover this mysterious light that Dawn had stated. He was certain Dawn would not be a problem. Arcanel would keep her occupied and Lapis and Springer would be back soon as well. The sooner he got moving to discover the truth, the better.

[Bari 7,023]

Lapis watched as Vim merely scanned the notes. Lapis looked perplexed for a good long minute before the conductor spoke up. At first, Lapis had thought Vim couldn't read his notes. Were they poorly written? But once the the older stallion had explained, Lapis was at a bit of a loss. Wasn't this the third time a pony had recognized the words written upon the notepad? How very odd. The importance of Dusky's words seemed to be diminishing. Lapis listened carefully, though. Any information on the dark stallion was of use.

 

Dusky's mother had no cutie mark? That was rather strange. Who ever heard of a pony without a cutie mark? And yet, she was still able to find a destiny. A true testament to the strength found in willpower. Although, Lapis was clueless to the mare's story, but an unspoken guess was harmless. The point of the matter was, Dusky's mother had written the story. It was then likely to assume Dusky had been mistaken or something. It was unlikely Dusky was insane. Maybe what little sleep the stallion got wore at his mind. Still, it was to be seen what the truth was.

 

Vim mentioned the existence of odd locations. That of course was true. Throughout the wilderness of Equestria, forgotten settlements dotted the land. It was almost hard to believe how old they were. But perhaps these ones Vim spoke of were special? His guts tingled the way they did when the hint of something new entered his mind. Vim continued, however, unaware of Lapis' growing anticipation. Maybe if he found something revolutionary, they might dedicate a library to him or something. Or something else of equal honor. Anything was good. Preferably the library, though.

 

Vim had seemed to be daydreaming, or something like that, at same time as himself, so Lapis phased back in almost exactly when Vim got back on track. Lapis stared blankly for a second. Vim had the book? Could that mean it was merely a story book? What worth was it then? Vim highlighted the fact that Dusky had mentioned it for a reason. That much was clear. And so was the path before them. Reading, what marvelous idea. It was probably a good idea to get the notes sorted out once and for all. "Yes, that is a satisfactory idea. Surely the book will shed some light on whatever it is Dusky was trying to get at. It all seems silly, though. Ah well. And I promise to withhold the information from others until such a time as the knowledge is no longer dangerous. As I was before, I am still now. Ready as ever. If you will kindly lead the way, we can get right to it." Lapis said with a growing sense of purpose. Time to start collecting more data.

 

---

 

Asteria's glee wavered when Magicon suddenly frowned. Had he decided to not be her friend? She was sure the stallion would enjoy the company of an energetic filly. Had she read him wrong? Magicon just stared off into space, clearly deep in thought. Asteria grew tense with each moment. Just looking at his eyes she could see they were distant. She quickly become curious. Why would he need to put so much thought into it? Why not just tell her to buzz off or something? Well, maybe not. He seemed the civilized pony. A stallion of culture. He probably would have dismissed her idea of coming along with him politely. Perhaps for her own safety? But she'd been out into the world enough times to keep on her guard for magic and such. Plus, Magicon would be with her. And he was a strong pony.

 

After what seemed like forever, Magicon finally turned back to her. Asteria watched his eyes. They were full of promise, of ideas. A curious request yet unspoken. He looked like he saw use in her. It almost mirrored her own desires, or at least, the perceived emotions did. She listened to his words with bated breath. The fact that he had need to say 'danger' so many times made her heart flutter. "Oh, it'll be alright. Lapis is understanding. I mean, I'll be with you, won't I? You look like a capable unicorn to me!" she replied as quietly as she could. "And don't you worry, boss. I can keep a secret. So, let's do this thing." she whispered as best she could. She took a deep breath to calm down. With that done, she got up and followed after Magicon. It would be his job to lead the way.

Edited May 6, 2013 by Bari

[Starshine 16,333]

When the mare spoke the words, inviting her in, she wasted no time. Abandoning all grace, she darted into the room as quickly as she could, only being careful to not collide with the mare or go tumbling into any of the room's contents.

 

Summerfall almost yelped in surprise as the filly darted into her room as if her tail was on fire. She briefly looked around for any sign of other passengers. The icy unicorn who talked with Dusky earlier was about to open the door to the car, it seemed that she was either searching for the conductor or returning back to her room. Summerfall quickly closed the door and locked it before the unicorn could see anything. She sighed. The door is locked, the filly now is safe, but she still had another thing burdened her mind. She had no experience dealing with street urchins. The only time she had to cross path with a street urchin was that one time when one stole a banana from the Vanhoover branch while she was inspecting the supplies. It ended badly for both the colt and her brother. She would have to deal with the filly in a calm manner. Scaring her would be the last thing on her list.

 

Facing away from the mare, she took a deep breath, held it for a few moments, and then breathed out a sigh of relief.

 

Summerfall turned to face the filly. The poor thing was still trying to calm herself down from whatever it was that happened to her out there. The filly took a deep breath, and exhaled it in relief after a few moments. Summerfall pondered if she should approach the filly to calm her down with a touch, or maybe a hug, anything, but she decided against it. She had no idea if the filly would appreciate it. Living on the streets might had an unexpected consequences on the filly's psyche. She waited patiently until the filly was ready.

 

Turning to face her newfound savior, she bowed her head and held out her right front hoof as a sign of respect. She held this pose for a few seconds before returning to her normal pose. With her head held high, she spoke with just a trace of a Canterlot or Trottingham accent, and her voice was soft, subtle. Her words flowed easily. She didn't smile. "Thank you for that. I apologize for knocking on your door so wildly. I was going to stay in the room across from this one. When I opened the door, it was empty. No furniture, no pony, nothing. When I went in... I discovered that it was already taken. There was something dark in there. Something very dark." She stifled a shiver. "I don't like the darkness."

 

Summerfall's smile grew a bit wider when the filly finally turned to face her and decided to share her story. The mare listened the her story with a great curiosity. If she was allowed a guess, the filly's accent sounded like something she would expect to hear from a pony from the Canterlot, or maybe Manehattan. From her posture and how she narrated her story, it was clear that the filly was not an ordinary filly. She was a bit too well-mannered to be a street urchin. Summerfall raised an eyebrow when the filly recounted that she had tried to made her stay in the room 8, but was driven away by the darkness. An overactive imagination, she mused. It was not exactly unusual for a filly or a colt to see the shadows in their peripheral vision start to move after a few while.

 

"Whatever was in there, I suspect it had no need for furniture. It was a monster. Some unseeable horror. And, it wasn't a figment of my imagination, I'm sure. My eyes saw nothing, but I know that it was there. I could sense it... It just wasn't visible." She looked away. "I could have done without that experience. I was scared. I didn't want to be eaten or hurt. When I left the room, I didn't see another place in the hall to hide. There were ponies talking in the next car. I didn't want to be found. They would have thrown me off the train. I don't have enough supplies to make a journey by hoof. I knew all of the other doors are locked. Still, I had seen you enter your room earlier. I knew that you might help me. That's why I came to your door and knocked."

 

Summerfall blinked twice. She didn't want to say it out loud, but now she had to admit that whatever it was the filly described, it didn't sound like something she could have just imagined out of the shadow, and that she was indeed quite concerned about this creature. She spared a brief glance to the door to ensure that, yep, it was still locked.

 

She looked back at the earth pony mare. "I hope I didn't disturb you with my knocking. I... I also hope that you will let me rest here, perhaps for a moment? I don't wish to impose. I can revisit room 8 later and possibly stay there if the darkness has moved on." She shivered, failing to stifle it. "Ahm, as you could probably tell, I am... Well. I am not a real passenger. I snuck on the train because I wanted to travel... I am a traveller. I don't have a room. I... I boarded the train in an apple box. It's... Not as bad as it sounds. The apples are delicious and shiny and fun and..." She looked away and coughed.

 

Summerfall almost balked at the idea of sending the filly away to stay in the room 8. She shook her head a few times to indicate that no, she would never send her back to that room. She would have to check the room for any kind of hazard later, but only after she had enlisted the conductor's help. She didn't held it against the filly that she was an illegal passenger. A minor should never be fully blamed for any crimes, be it petty or serious. It was the adults' responsibility to take care of them. Summerfall began to wonder what happened to the filly's parents

 

When she looked back again to continue, she seemed sad. "My name is Luminescence, and... Please... I would actually rather not be sent away." Her words no longer flowed as freely, and her proud head drooped as she continued speaking. "I would owe you if you would help me. I know that it may not seem that I can do much, as I am a just... I am just a very young pony without a home... I have no home. I had to leave my parents some years ago. I left because I was bored. I was running out of things to do. I have an active mind."

 

The mere mention of the fact that the filly, Luminescence, had left her parents just because she was bored had thrown Summerfall off guard. For the life of her she couldn't even think on why would a filly leave her perfectly fine house and took the streets involuntarily. It made her feel sick. It was not the most believable of stories the filly could gave her, unless... There was another reason that the filly left her parents. Domestic abuse seemed to be the most likely case. Summerfall's face contorted into that of a sad smile. A filly should be with her parents, showered with love and care and taught the wonders of the world, not to be abused and forced live and wander without a roof and a warm bed like this.

 

She looked up, again, making direct eye contact with her host. "I could repay you one day for whatever kindness you show me now. I am a traveller. I may be young, but I have seen many places and things. I know many stories from across Equestria. I may know something to help you. I may not. I don't know. I am willing to help you in your work. I am a hard worker. I... I am sorry for begging... I hope I don't offend you with this... I am normally not like this, but... I don't want to face the darkness alone. I would prefer to not face it at all, in fact. Instead, we could stay here for now, safely? And, perhaps have fun?" While she was still unsmiling, her eyes twinkled hopefully.

 

Summerfall sighed inwardly. Her stomach almost sunk when the filly offered to repay her. It sounded as if the random act of kindness from a stranger was something rare in her life. Not that she couldn't think of anything for the filly to help her with. She could easily name dozen of things on which the filly can repay her, most of them involved the filly being taken under her custody or one of the branch managers, but no, she would talk about it later. There were quite a lot of questions spinning around in her mind right now, about where was her home and who were her parents, but they would have to wait until tomorrow. Now she would have to take care of her and secure her circumstances on the train. Now was not the time to barrage the filly with questions she might not want to answer.

 

Summerfall smiled to the filly and said, "It's fine, dear. You can stay in this room with me as long as you like." She trotted closer to the filly and stroke her unkempt mane slowly with a hoof, taking great care not to startle her. The beautiful sheen of her fur reminded her of a silver necklace she once saw in a boutique. Right now the filly was a blank flank, but Summerfall was sure that she would grow into a beautiful mare. She could faintly smell a distinctive aroma of fresh apples from the filly's mane. "I would never send away another pony in need. You can worry about repaying the favor later. For now, all you need to worry about is to clean yourself and make yourself comfortable, and maybe we can have some fun chatting together." She lowered her head down and nuzzled Luminescence. What a beautiful name, fitting for such graceful and well-mannered filly. She stood up and trotted a bit to the filly's side. She poked her saddlebag. "You should put that down. After that you can use the bathroom. I'm sure that you can use a good bath or maybe two."

Edited May 7, 2013 by Starshine

[Ice Storm 1,020]

As soon as Ice entered the engine of the train, Dusky's story began. She found a small stool to sit on while he spoke to her, and she listened as he spoke, and she listened to every word. She listened to him when he started off by telling her that while a lot of what he was going to say may sound like fantasy, but he assured her that everything that he was about to tell her was the truth, and the whole truth. After what Ice had told him herself, she would be disappointed if it were anything less, and possibly even a bit irritated. She also heard him add that much like her own story, what she was going to hear was strictly confidential, to which she nodded. He didn't have to worry about her blabbing.

 

It was at that point that he started his story, and he told her that he was born in, what was at the time, an untamed part of Equestria. That his mother was very skilled with a bow, and his father was essentially a blade-master, though he had worded it a bit differently. He explained that where his village was is now roughly where Vanhoover was now. Ice didn't really know how long that city had been there, but he knew that by what he was saying, Dusky had to be a lot older than he looked. Which he addressed just a bit later, stating that he was older than even the princesses, and the empire itself. At first Ice couldn't really believe it, however, when he mentioned that he was born an Alicorn, it made sense to her. Nopony really knew how long and Alicorn lived, and everypony knew that at the very lease Celestia and Luna were many millennia old.

 

He went on to say that now, thanks to Celestia and Luna, everypony knew what an Alicorn was, but back in his age, ponies were still very primitive, and he ended up being thought of as an outcast where he was. He continued by stated the fact that he wasn't that great at neither flying nor magic didn't help anything either. That nopony else could understand him, and that he couldn't even actually understand himself for that matter. What she told him next hit a little closer to home, that while his mother accepted who he was eventually, his father viewed him as a failure, and that he could serve no useful purpose. A thought that brought a bit of anger to her face. She hated when other ponies became like that, and she especially didn't like the idea of somepony else going through something similar to that of what she went into. She shook her head though to get those thoughts out of her mind. From what he was saying this happened a long time ago, and it would serve no useful purpose for her to dwell on something like that when nothing could be done to have altered it.

 

He went on to tell her that it was during that environment how ever when he started to discover what his talent was. He explained that his mother had taught him fletchery and that over time he became an apprentice at the local blacksmith. He added that he figured out how to used the wind's power, and created complex machines to harness it. That these machines were more complex than even the train that they were standing in. And while his mother supported his ideas, His father and everypony else thought that he was just wasting resources that they had. The only issue was the fact that everything that he made worked, and when he said that the resources needed to be used to defend the villages, he did exactly that. However, something came that he couldn't defend them from. Something that was unlike anything that he had ever seen. It was a blizzard, that she was most certain by the way he described it, dwarfed the one that she was caught in.

 

It was the next day though, that everypony in the village became ill, and that the illness wasn't' like anything else. The ponies would just begin to waste away, and that a certain darkness began to descend onto the landscape. Everypony was terrified and stayed inside, locking their doors only to fall victim to the darkness as one by one the darkness spread over each house in the village. He told her that he was terrified of what was going on and that he was still fairly young then. Ice was shocked again to hear this. To think that this much had happened to him over the course of such a short span was surreal. She, however, remained silent and listened. After all, he had given her fair warning that everything may seem fabricated, but if was very much true, so she would give him the benefit of the doubt until his story was done and all that needed to be said had been said.

 

He then told her that word of what was happening to the village spread, and traders stopped coming. That it was expected with ponies that never came out alive when they went there. He stated that his father and a group of others had been sent to the Unicorn village that was a good distance away for help, but the all fell ill on the way there. He spoke of how his mother's heart remained strong even up to the point where his father wasn't there anymore. He also mentioned that his father had appointed him now with the responsibility to defend the village, and that he figured out that there was never any dislike to be had from his father, it was just that his dedication to the village was that high. Ice held back a sigh when she heard that. Regardless of how dedicated a pony is, their family should always come first. It was something that apparently had been a problem for long while, apparently since the creation of the Pony kinds.

 

She reflected a bit on what she had heard so far, and there was one thing that was very clear in the story, and that there was pain. Lots of it. Judging both the sounds of things, it was only going to get worse from there. Something that, Ice wasn't really looking forward to, and so far what he had said had made her own problem look like a walk in the park. There were noticeable connections between the two of them, and she could feel it with what she had heard so far, but there was far more hurt coming from his story than there was hers.

 

Meanwhile, Dusky continued to speak, telling her that even the words right now were unable to convey the sorry that he felt at the time, which she understood. Something like that would never be easy to take regardless of who you are, and he admitted to giving up because of the fact that he couldn't fly, and the most magic that he could do was minor telekinesis. That yes, there was alway she possibility of him going to the unicorn village had he not been forbidden to make the journey. So at that point he did the only thing he could and that was help his mother with the few that were left. That throughout everything his mother had remained strong, up until the point where she herself had contracted the illness. He panicked and he left the village with his mother, telling Ice that he had always planned on eventually making his way to the Unicorn village at some point, but hoped that it would be an enjoyable experience.

 

Instead, he had to truck through the biting, freezing winds that came with the blizzard and whatever terrain happened to be in the way of him and his destination, and like herself, his destination, was where the modern day version of Canterlot was. This can't be coincidence, she thought to herself. The part that drew her attention even more, was the fact that he said that it was here that he had discovered his true talent of power. That despite all of the horrendous conditions, that he had made it with only a few stops to monitor his mother's rapidly declining health. No way... that's the same mountain pass that I got my cutie mark on, I remember that pass, it was the only one that lead to the top... she thought as he continued. There was no doubt in her mind now that their paths were crossed before they had even met.

 

He then told her that the unicorns were impressed with the story of his travels and when they found out that the was an Alicorn, they knew that he was something special. Not somepony that should be mocked or shunned, but somepony that should be embraced. He said that they also noticed his cutie mark which was three gears made from a crystalline material, and were all connected with complexity, power and ingenuity. More importantly, he found out that he was somehow connected with the disease that had spread through his village, and that this was the beginning of his fall.

 

He then started to explain that all dreams were comprised of some sort of substance, that he had found a book detailing how the state of which a dream is comprised of was actually a living sentient world filled with the most remarkable things, and that sometime before his birth it was safely locked away. However, there was a type of creature that was able to escape from this area, and it was the very material that comprised of nightmares. That most of the times there weren't big enough to cause any real harm, just a few scares.

 

However, larger ones can bring living nightmares to Equestria, and the illness and destruction of his village was caused by one of these creatures. That after finding this he went to the Unicorn elders to try to go after the nightmare that destroyed his village, and at first they thought him mad until he showed them the book. It was then, that they allowed him his mission and he returned to face the creature that had caused him so much pain.

 

What he said next though, again caught her off guard. The book itself had been misleading them to think that these creatures were magic, when the were no more magical than a rock. That this thing was the very building blocks of dreams. The thought alone scared her. If dreams were being controlled by something else, and these other things could kill, it made her even more afraid of falling asleep that wetting the bed ever could. She'd take waking up to a soaked mattress to not waking up at all. It was definitely something that made her shutter.

 

She listened on as he told her that all attempts to track the creature had failed and that it had ambushed them at the village. He told her that the thing was as large as this engine, and it seemed to be constantly shifting forms. It attacked them with every possible elemental attack that could be thought of, and one by one he watched his group succumb to the madness that this creature was trying to impose. He added that the blizzard didn't help anything and it made it almost impossible to concentrate. He added that at this time, something happened that he didn't even know he could do. he accidentally cast a spell that destroyed the shields of his allies.

 

After hearing this, Ice didn't know what to think. All she knew, was the story was getting more complex with each word that was spoken to the point where it was starting to become difficult to understand. She listened as he told her that the blizzard ended and that he saw the true form of the creature. He described it to her in startling detail, which made her shudder at the thought of it. He noted that the overall complexity of the creature drew him in, making him hesitate. However, he was able to overcome this and destroy the monster. though, he told her that even in doing so he had failed, because at that point there was no village left to defend. Everypony had died, and the village had been ravaged.

 

He told her that he returned to the unicorn village when he had finished mourning those that had passed, and had been rewarded for the brace actions that he had done, and him and the others were made guardians of the village that they were in. She also heard him mention that they also helped the surrounding villages when the were able to, until a massive dragon attacked the Unicorn Village while most of the other guardians were away. That at this point he had become arrogant and tried to take on the dragon himself only to find out that he was very outclassed. that after a few blasts of dragon fire, his shields fell, and he took the full brunt of the dragons' assault as well as it's fire. that if it wasn't for his comrades getting there when they did, the dragon would have smashed him into oblivion. However without him, they began to crumble.

 

After seeing this, his own desire to get back into the battle and help won over, and he used a secret spell to turn himself into a dragon, and in his haste to show off what had become, wasn't thinking that he would be attacked on sight. He added that he wasn't able to control the instinctual properties of the dragon yet, and he ended up destroying the one thing he swore to protect. This caused him to lose himself even more, and he began to prey on other dragons out of revenge. He would kill them and take their hoards as his own.

 

After a while his madness finally subsided, and he thought that he could just simply turn himself back into a pony as he had a dragon. He found out though that this was not the case and that once he had became a dragon, he lost all ability to use magic. This made Ice feel sorry for him even more. So many things had gone wrong for him up to this point, and now he had lost his magic on top of it? She couldn't begin to imagine what that was like.

 

He then told her that he remembered about the sentient substance of dreams, and that if he could figure out a way into this creature and free it, that it could grant him his dream. He said that after years of searching that he had finally found the door, but once he got in, he realized just how wrong he was. That the creature that was the source of all dreams was nothing more than a thoughtless formless horror. It was a monster. Ice didn't even want to think about it, though she had to wonder now if it was this creature itself that was the source of her own bed-wetting problem. The fact that not a single medical pony in Equestria had been able to pinpoint anything, caused even more suspicion.

 

He explained that the creature was nothing more than what could be described as a mindless insect running into the very walls that contained it. That he had fought the monster and had been defeated. However, rather than death, the creature merged itself with him. He then told her that it had granted him the ability to mold himself. that he could change his shape at will. This was starting to get to be too much for Ice. At this point she knew what he had told her earlier, but this was starting to get too weird. She wanted to stop him right there, but she had already made a promise to hear him out, so that's what she was going to do.

 

He continued by telling her that eventually the creature started making him sleepwalk and that when he woke up in the middle of the night he would often find the blood of others on his hooves. That it wasn't until he woke up almost doing something to one of his best friends did he realized that everything was actually happening. That he began to fight the creature back. That he had figured out the only way to stop it, and it required him to be at the frozen north and required the use of an Ice Spell. At this point Ice could already sense what was coming, but she wasn't sure at the moment how she should respond.

 

He told her that his intention was to take on th dying form of the dragon that he had once been, before the creature merged with him and cursed him. that he started the spell and right when it was about to reach completion the dark creature took him over and changed the spell. Now instead of being entombed, they were split into two parts. As a pony, he as still able to retain his ability to shape shift, however the spell had robbed him of all magical power. As a dragon, he was locked in the frozen north on the dividing line between life and death constantly without being able to die. That he was currently existing in both places at the same time. He asked if she knew what it could be like to be in two places at once, and not being able to sleep because you inhabit everypony's dreams at any given point as well as nightmares.

 

He told her that all he ever wanted was to be a guardian and do the one thing that he was tasked with so long ago. That it was only through unfortunate happenstances that he happened to end up here, which if this was true, then she would have agreed. Based on everything she had heard, he was mostly just in the wrong place at the wrong time. And she couldn't blame him for all of those deaths that he had admitted to her. After all, if something else was controlling his body, then what was there that he could really do? It wasn't like he was intentionally killing others for the fun of it. He admitting to being the completely opposite of order, and a sense of put chaos.

 

He then told her that he believed that it was destined for him to meet her here, which, from how the beginning of his story lined up with hers, she couldn't deny, again, assuming all of this was true. He told her that if she could successfully cast the spell, that it would right almost all of the wrong that had been done. When she heard this, there was no way that she wouldn't help if it could set things right, if this was in fact true.

 

Ice Storm would have been passed the point of believing him, however, right there in front of her, as he spoke. His body began to transform right before her eyes. He spoke again about how he was sure that everything sounded completely ridiculous, and how he had been this way since Discord turned to stone, However, most of the following words were lost though as Ice suddenly became aware of the fact that Dusky was very much telling the truth, and right now, he had just taken on the shape of herself, her very being she was looking at right across from her with her own eyes. He even spoke with her voice! Upon seeing this, her decision had been made clear.

 

She watched as he turned back into his normal self and then waited for him to finished as he got to the inevitable question of if she would help him or not. She let out a soft sigh. "Well, you were right about many things that you said prior to the start of this. You story was most definitely a lot longer than mine, and I'll admit was a but unbelievable at times. I admit I probably wouldn't have believed a word of it if it wasn't for the fact of what you just showed me right now. However, that being said, and now that I know that what you spoke is true," she told him standing up and walking over to him before extending a hoof. "Then I would love nothing more than to help you set things right and become the established guardian you once were. I Ice Storm, Student and Apprentice of the Princess of the Night, Will do what ever I can to right the wrongs that have been done to thee," she told him in a confident, well projected tone of voice.

 

"That being said, when do we need to do this? I understand that the sooner the better, but I kinda scheduled an appointment with Dawn to discuss my bed-wetting problem," she said remembering the dream substance. "Hey, do you think that this dream thing or whatever it is could be what's causing it? After all, I've been to hundreds of doctors and medical ponies before and nopony could ever find anything that's wrong. Is that even possible?" she asked wondering if he might be able to have some answer for her.

[Arcanel 3,041]

As Arcanel was waiting for the blue unicorn's response, he suddenly heard Dawn's voice, which directed his attention at her.

 

 

 

"Arcanel, if you excuse me... I appreciate your words, particularly those concerning the similarity of my condition and that of Springer's. I also accept your apology. But... It still does not change the fact that you did something to hurt me. You can undo this though, by helping me to find out what is really happening with Springer. I think... With you in my company, perhaps we could go to investigate the light that I saw in Springer's room... Because, it is back. That was what caused all of this to start, isn't it? If we go back and look, then perhaps we can understand... And... If something tries to harm me, would you help?"

 

The white pegasus had felt a small surge of feelings. Happiness, sadness and hope. After all, he was happy when Dawn had accepted his apology, but he cringed when she mentioned that they still did something that hurt her. However, his face lit up when she said that his opportunity to undo such a thing would be to help her out with Springer. *I could help two ponies at the same time...* he realized. "Of course Miss Dawn. I'll help in anyway I can." He said confidently to the medical pony.

 

After Dawn turned to talk to the ice colored mare, he heard something that was related to what he himself had offered.

 

 

 

Hmmm... Actually... I would hate to impose, but... Perhaps you could accompany myself and Arcanel. You see... Well... I went a little, strange when I was last there and I found the light. Arcanel is right... Even Magicon is right. I'm an unstable unicorn."

 

While on one side he hoped the mare would join them, he cringed once again when Dawn had called herself unstable. *That's not something somepony should call themselves...* he thought in sadness. Truth was though, that he KNEW something was going on with Dawn if she had passed from killer intent to pure sadness in few seconds. He had his feelings jumps and even his weren't as extreme. He hoped that he would be able to help Dawn with whatever was happening. And if he could help her and Springer, and also be able to find what was going on in the train along with Lapis and Magicon, then that would be his ideal situation. *Of course, those almost never happen... but I have to have hope.* He pondered with determination.

 

After Dawn introduced to the other pony who was sitting with them, Arcanel hoped that everything went fine.

 

 

 

"Thank you, and my name is Ice Storm. I would very much like to go with you to find out more about what's going on, however, I have already made an agreement with Dusky, and in fact I'm sure he's waiting for me now. That being said, I don't foresee that taking any longer than an hour or two at most,"

 

*So her name is Ice Storm... that's a fitting and graceful name for her.* He thought, finding the name firmly fitting the mare in front of him. *And interesting... she has a meeting with Dusky... bu eh, this is something more personal, I wouldn't inquire of it of course.* He determined.

 

 

 

"With that in mind, I can't be certain myself that I can contain anything with my magic. After all, the only thing I'm good with is ice magic. Granted... my Ice magic is... extremely strong, but I don't really think that it could contain anything all that well, or at least I wouldn't think so, I've never tried," she responded politely telling them that she both had somewhere else to be, and that she wasn't sure if her magic would be up for it. "However," she spoke turning to the pegasus. "I'm still not overly happy with this situation, and I'd recommend you keep that other pony that did the questioning out of my sight for a while, or I might have to rearrange his face. at least then he'll have a reason for such a rude reaction,"

 

After she had addressed her ida to speak with Dawn, she spoke about Lapis again to which he cringed once more and slightly gulped. *Hell hath no fury like an angry mare, they say around Vanhoover. By the way she spoke, I would hate to be Lapis alone against her.* he thought in fear, although he understood the reasons behind her aggressiveness. He realized that Ice Storm was a very noble pony.

 

 

 

"To be honest, I have to agree with Dawn as well on the fact that if this Magicon or  whoever the buck it was wanted this information, then he should have been the one to approach her instead of using other's as pawns. I'd recommend telling him to make himself scarce to me for a while as well,"

 

Once more, he felt slightly intimidated at Ice Storm's aggressiveness, but this time he saw it coming more. However, he felt that if they ever met paths, then it could get ugly fast. *Probably trying for everything to NOT start would be a great idea, yeah...* he thought, imagining what he would have to do in case the blue mare, Lapis and Magicon met at the same time.

 

As she finished addressing Dawn to see her afterwards, he directed his look towards the cyan colored mare. "Umm... Miss Dawn... I'd like to ask you something first, if you wouldn't mind." He started, hoping that by getting the next information, he could help out on some other things aside from Springer. "Well... did something happen between you and Magicon before? He was about to tell me before, but suggested for later when weren't... well... at our "plan", so to speak." He said, his voice slightly filled with shame as he said the word "plan". "I mean... I am sure that Magicon is a good pony, but he seems to become highly suspicious, very quickly. Hence why he might ahve directed your suspicions towards you when he sensed your magic." He determined as he took a small pause before taking a small breath and continuing. "Look... something else is going on in the train too, and I WILL help Magicon and Lapis afterwards. But I also have my duty with helping Springer, and of course, now you. I don't want you to be upset, so don't answer if you do not want to. But... I'd like to know what happened before, so we can smooth things out for whenever we all have to cross paths again. Which, I'm sure you yourself would like to go with the less trouble possible, as much as I do. However, have no worries. I WILL help you out Dawn. You have my word to find out what's wrong with you and Springer." He ended, confidence at the end to emphasize his feelings towards the whole situation, hoping that Dawn would trust him enough, even after the previous ordeal.

[Magicon 468]

Asteria seemed fine with Magicon leading the way and being her temporary chaperone. He felt a great sense of responsibility to protect Asteria and make sure no ill became of her. Lapis would kill him if anything bad happened to his assistant and Magicon did not want to anger Lapis. As he began to leave the dining car he heard Asteria call him “boss” in a hushed tone. The word felt slightly odd. He never used the word boss. When Archie had first arrived at the museum, he never used the word boss and Magicon never told him otherwise. He had always used the either his name or a condensed version once they became close friends.

 

In some ways Magicon felt like Asteria was the younger version of Archie: curious, excited, friendly, and loyal. He saw the loyalty she had for Lapis and although he knew he could never achieve such a loyalty with her for the short duration of the train ride, the least he could do was be friendly and help her. If she could trust him, he would be most grateful for it.

 

As he exited the dining car with Asteria right behind him, he asked, “I do hope I didn’t frighten you or anything of that nature. I tend to have that effect on other ponies. Asteria, I just want to let you know that you can trust me. I won’t let anything bad happen to you, I promise.”

 

Those words helped ease his conscience and his mind from the parlor car that he walked through. He didn’t shiver as he was focused on his own speech and was finished just as he left the parlor car. He continued walking in silence through his own passenger car until they arrived in the caboose. Inspecting the area to see if anypony was around, Magicon neither saw nor felt anypony near him.

 

Assuming the area was safe he proceeded up to the door to Springer’s room. Putting his ear up to the door, he heard nothing inside. He knocked a few times just to make sure. A few seconds passed and nothing happened. Nodding his head in acknowledgement Magicon put his hoof to the door and pressed against the wood. It easily responded and swung inside the room. He took a deep breath before taking slow steps into the room.

 

“Be on your guard, Asteria,” were his words of warning to the filly as he fully entered the room, bracing himself for whatever was in store and for whatever they might find in the room.

[Alex Night 870]

Alex took another two bites from his fruit sandwich before she told him that she needed to go and get her food as well.  So, Alex gave her a nod before she set off for her little venture.  While she was doing so, he decided to take another look at the scene around him as he ate his lunch.

 

Alex was starting to see the icy blue unicorn comforting the crying mare that seemed like she was being berated by the group of stallions near her and smiled a bit at the fact that there are some ponies on this train that have some semblance of kindness.  "Something tells me that I might get along with her.  I should introduce myself to her..."  Alex thought to himself.  As Alex took a closer look to the icy blue unicorn, he couldn't help but as if she was familiar like he was missing an important piece of his life.  "No...  It couldn't be..."  Alex thought to himself as a faint memory crawled into his mind.  He suddenly now had the small instinct to speak with her until Flow's return distracted him.  He looked back to Flow for a few seconds before focusing back on the icy blue mare.  She already started off to another part of the train that Alex had not a clue where.

 

He focused back on Flow to continue his conversation.  Alex felt relieved that she felt the same way about the two of them having rooms just across from each other.  He couldn't help but notice she seemed a little tense and he couldn't quite pin the reason why.  Alex mentally placed the thought in the back of his mind and allowed Flow to take reigns after speaking to her about his own life.

 

 

 

She felt relived that he only wanted to know more about her, and when he told her about his past, she was amazed that he happened to have played for the Eagles, "Woah, you played for the Fillydelphia Eagles? That's amazing! But I'll tell you that I don't really follow hoofball that much, I'm more of a hockey fan if you ask me, my favorite team is my hometown's Manehattan Rangers, I just love their style and power, I even love watching their rivalry games with the Fillydelphia Flyers too!"

 

Alex smiled at her pleasantly as he continued on his fruit sandwich which was about half done now.  He didn't mind that she wasn't a Hoofball fan.  He actually seemed very pleased more that she paid more attention to the Hockey scene.  Plus, he felt it that it was better that she didn't follow the Fillydelphia Eagles.  Even though Alex was their star player and Running back, he didn't want to speak more about his work with them.  "No, Alex...  No need to bring up the past again...  I just can't..."  Alex thought to himself.

 

 

 

She realized that she was straying away from Alex' question about her past, so she apologized "I'm sorry, you were asking about my past? Well, as you know I came from Manehattan and grew up at Queens Orphanage. I stayed in there till I turned seventeen and moved to Ponyville because I wanted a change of scenery. Once there I saw a notice on the town's bulletin board hiring a flying teacher for preschool aged pegasai, I took the offer and that has been my job ever since, I'm currently on vacation right now." She explained.

 

As Alex listened to her life story, he couldn't help but feel as if her story seemed very similar to his.  The only difference was that she grew up in Manehatten and she took a job as preschool flying teacher for young Pegasi foals.  He smiled thinking about how she seemed to enjoy doing that job.  He took another drink from his glass of water as he continued letting Flow take the reigns of the conversation.

 

 

 

"Oh, well the reason why i'm athletic is because..um.. I grew up around bullies and...well as time flew by I toughened up and turned into a tomboy to defend myself against them, when I earned the respect of my bullies, we often played hockey together with roller blades and a variety of other sports too, any more questions you would like to ask me?" She politely asked as she finished her sandwich and took a sip of her apple juice.

 

At the mention of bullies, Alex frowned a bit as he thought about the bullies he had in the Sunnyside Orphanage in Fillydelphia.  The Earth Ponies were the majority of the bullies and they seemed to pick on the unicorns more there because they thought about how special they are when they were compared to the non magic using Earth Ponies.  Of course Alex had a way of dealing with them, but that only made him a target for their bullying and it was only just him against the gang without the help of the caretakers.  However, it seemed that in Flow's case she seemed to have it a bit easier as she gained the respect of her bullies and was able to hang out with them.  He wondered for a second if that meant that she was a bully herself or that she seemed to make the bullies more nice.  He had to think that it was the latter as she didn't seem like a mean mare.

 

When she asked him if there was anymore questions for him to ask her, Alex pondered on this.  Alex took his last two bites from his sandwich and swallowed it with a sip of water before continuing.  "Ummmm, no I think that's it.  I gotta say that you've made a nice living for yourself.  I gotta see how you teach those Pegasi sometime when this is over.  I don't even remember anypony teaching me how to fly.  I just...  Sorta picked it up as I lived in the Sunnyside Orphanage."  Alex explained to her, pushing his sandwich plate aside from him.  "Okay, so I asked you about yourself.  Is there anything you wish to ask me, Flow?"  Alex offered to her kindly.  After all, he figured it was the polite thing to do in a conversation with another mare or at least that's what he thought.

[King 5,625]

 

 

She facehoofed and groaned. "Dawn, no one's gonna buy that. I punched you for screwing up the sandwiches? You didn't even screw up the sandwiches. The first thing that Ambrosia or whoever would say is something like, 'Wow, what's wrong with the sandwiches? You hit him for that.

Dawn thought a little more about his excuse and did end up finding it rather...stupid...to say the least. Nopony would buy that excuse even if they were half drunk on his Uncles special apple cider. He began to formulate other idea's in his head to use as excuses...simply tripping over wouldn't have lead to such an injury and his accidentally hitting himself on a table edge wouldn't work either, his mind rattled on as Key Gear spoke.

 

 

I've already got all of the passengers probably thinking that I'm going to rob them blind. The last thing that I need is for them to think that I'll beat them up too. The unicorns will probably levitate me on sight. I'll be up in the air, upside down, trapped in some silly magic bubble while you trot off. Not good..."

Dawn was deep in thought when the image of Key Gear floating in a magical bubble looking rather unpleased popped into his head, he tried to hold back his laugh but failed and laughed loudly for a second before toning it back so he didn't get a dirty look from Key, who would probably guess what he was thinking about.Then again, Key had surprised him with her humor, so she may find the image equally hilarious depending on her mood at this time, and by the look of it she herself was deep in thought about how she would explain Dawn's rather...messy...injury.

 

 

She deadpanned, "Well. I could always just tell them that I punched you for trying to kiss me. Then, you'd be the one in trouble, not me, though, so it would never work."

Of course Key had to say that, now the image of him trying to kiss her and her knocking him against the room popped into his playful head...once again he found himself in a fit of laughter trying to hold the cloth against his muzzle as he did so, it was quite a sight to behold. "Yeah...then everyone will think badly of me for trying to kiss you after a few hours of knowing you...Im not that bad of a pony I swear" Dawn reasoned with Key, he had hoped that this idea wouldn't be the one they used as an excuse. Dawn never really had a special somepony, but he knew he wouldn't just outright kiss somepony after a few hours, that just seemed...unstallion like to him.

 

 

Key got serious. "Ok. I've got just the idea. But, I need you to go along with the story, because if we say two different things, then we're in trouble - both of us would be in trouble." Key went over to where the pots and pans were and took out a weighty frying pan. She collected one of the cloths that she had messed up cleaning up Dawn earlier. With the cloth, she made it look like the pan had actually been the thing to hit the pegasus on the nose. "Eh, this is pretty messy, but it does make it more believable. Just in case some unicorn wants to check out the story." She took the pan over to the sink and rinsed it off, while talking. "Let's just say that we were cleaning up. Then, I wanted to fry some vegetables or something, so I took out this pan. Let's say that I made a mistake and swung it wide and ended up backhoofing you in the face with it. Boom! Nose injury, blood. I cleaned up the pan afterwards because I figured that Ambrosia probably didn't want to cook with a messed up pan. See? Now, isn't this a better cover story?"

Dawn listened intently to Key Gear's plan and nodded along as she explained the details. The pan would be sufficient enough to do the damage, and it would be half correct, in that she was the one who had caused the injury which would make it believable enough to the others, it's not like they would turn it into an investigation..or at least Dawn hoped.

Dawn held the cloth a little tighter to his muzzle as some blood started to drip out the side of the cloth, he winced from the pain which still lingered there, but he knew he'd get over it soon enough. He looked up and responded to Key after a little more thought on the matter "Yeah that plan could work, it's believable enough and I don't really expect an investigation to go down from a little...well, almost little injury to some stranger who dropped by on the train. Plus it's still you who caused it, so it's half true...I just think your hoof does more damage then he pan..."Dawn laughed for a short while before the pain returned and he winced again and leaned back against the bench.

[Key Gear 6,663]

Sleep had come readily, and the sleep was wonderfully restful. Efficiency was always restful to him, so it made sense that rest for the sake of efficiency was a wonderful feeling. The thought had put a smile securely on his face as he drifted further and further into the world of dreams. But, what of the note? What of the search for Trixie? Ah, but of what importance were they compared to efficiency? But what was efficiency without purpose? His mind, once again, became distracted from rest.

 

His eyes opened smoothly, it was the same strange darkness as before. The same red light washed over the room and dissipated. This time, as before, his eyes adjusted quickly. The book had returned, and it was speaking again. As before, the sound made no sense to him. Just as before, there was another pony in the room, but only a still, unmoving shadow was perceived by him. Again, the voice spoke for what seemed like some hours. He looked around, but he could perceive no more clarity than he had before - mostly shadows.

 

The silence came, expected this time. The entire thing, he thought, was actually quite unremarkable the second time around. He sighed. This was the part that he hated the most. The silence became violent, assaulting his ears with an unnatural force. He decided to try something different. The last time he had experienced this dream, he had silently endured the episode. If it was the same dream, then he would soon be unable to move, much less speak. He felt the sting. It was nearly too late. His voice weakly inquired as he felt himself beginning to be torn apart. "Excuse me, whoever is out there. Is this really a reasonable course of action?"

 

A small voice, much like his own but from a much younger age, squeaked back with deeply muted enthusiasm. "Of course it is. Why else would I do it?" Springer attempted to answer but he faltered and collapsed after only a single word. "Because..." The pulsating force from his last dream came back. His vision began to fade again. The voice of the foal didn't laugh this time, though; instead, it asked, in frustration, "Because? Because what? Tell me. I must know..." Springer opened his mouth to speak but no words could come out.

 

Despite his total weakness, Springer felt irritated. He was uncertain whether or not the voice was mocking him or if it was genuinely interested in what he had to say. Either way, he was unlikely to be able to speak from his position of increasing nothingness. The voice seemed to sense his irritation. "Fine. You may speak." Springer didn't feel any better; in fact, he felt slightly worse. The pain was remarkable, but he opened his mouth to speak and words emerged. "Because you..." He stopped to think. The voice sounded like his own, but only vastly younger.

 

He considered. This was a dream, but it wasn't. He had never been able to interact so loosely with a dream before. Of course, he had heard from Ambrosia that some dreams were like this, they could be controlled. He would need to think efficiently. The voice, plainly, sounded like his own, but it was also much younger. It seemed simpler, of course. He hadn't really had any thought in mind for continuing his first statement, now he pondered the best approach. If he could have, he would have smiled. "Because, you are efficient."

 

The younger voice spoke appreciatively. "Yes? I like this efficiency. Tell me more." Springer thought fast and spoke effectively, now was not the time to fall short of words. "Well, it's obvious, I think. This is a nightmare, but it is an efficient nightmare. I can see nothing. This increases my feeling of unease, because the unseen is often far more frightening than that which is seen. The voice from the book was undecipherable. Again, increasing the unknown. The shadows, again more of the unknown. Then, there is my current state. I feel... Lacking in substance."

 

A voice, even more similar to his own, spoke from the shadows. "He's got a pretty good point, I think. Just take a look at all this. Delightful! This is better than Trixie's finest shows!" The youngest voice giggled. "Tee hee hee... Yes, I am efficient. Wait... What's that noise?" The voice from the shadows spoke again. "I can't hear anything." The youngest voice hissed with alarm. "That's because you can't see what's in the room... The door was supposed to be locked?" The voice from the shadows answered, annoyed. "I can't see what's in the room? How was I to know?"

 

The younger voice spoke again, "Oh. Well. It's too late, now. They can see the note, I'm sure. They'll go tell the others. I'm sorry. I didn't expect that anyone would be here." The voice from the shadows laughed, and then spoke, "You can go, you can shut the door, you can bring them here, then I can deal with them. They won't tell the others... Unless we want them to. Perhaps we do?" The younger voice sniffed. The voice from the shadows chuckled, "Let's see what they have to offer? It's inefficient to draw conclusions with inadequate data."

 

“Be on your guard, Asteria,” were his words of warning to the filly as he fully entered the room, bracing himself for whatever was in store and for whatever they might find in the room.

From the doorway, there was nothing obviously wrong with the room. Plainly, Springer was sleeping uneasily, shifting a bit and breathing sporadically. To the left of the doorway, on a shelf, there was the note that had appeared in Springer's room earlier. The note was glowing, just faintly, with a soft red hue. It flickered and pulsed for a few moments until, with a flash, it encompassed the entire room. After the flash, Magicon and Asteria were no longer in the room, and the door was shut and locked.

 

The world around the two unicorns span at a sickening rate of speed. Darkness flooded their vision. It was followed by blinding light, in quick succession the light and the darkness changed places. Finally, they were faced with a sea of red hue, churning wildly. When the churning ceased, the two unicorns were faced with an unusual sight. They were still in Springer's room, but the room looked completely different.

 

The Springer that they were familiar with had been deflated. Apparently boneless, his entire form has collapsed much like a balloon with the air let out of it. A cork had been plugged into one hoof to stop the loss of air. A pair of extremely dark sunglasses had been placed on his face. There was a podium with a large book placed on it where Springer's bed had been, and the silhouette of a pegasus could be percieved, leaning against the far wall of the room.

 

The book's pages were turning, propelled by some invisible force. A large pin could be seen on the ground near the deflated Springer. The book cleared its throat and then spoke with an alarmingly young voice, "Trust me. This isn't what it looks like." The deflated Springer spoke hopefully, "Is someone else there? I don't think that..." His voice ceased as the shadow spoke joyously, "Heya! Look! Look! Wait... Is it really! Yes, yes!" The book spoke again, "Wait... Who is it? You know these ponies?" The book contorted and then transformed into an extremely young colt with red eyes, blue hair, and green fur - a second Springer.

 

The shadow stood up and shook itself. The darkness fell away like rainwater, and the shadowy voice was revealed to be a third Springer. However, this Springer was a fully grown stallion, but its eyes were a light purple shade rather than Springer's normal red. He grinned at Magicon. "Hey, buddy! It's me! Remember? We had fun yesterday, and I stopped that horrible tramp from blasting you! Great to see you again, and... Uhhh... Yeah, this doesn't look good, I know, but don't hold it against me." He laughed. "This is a dream, that's my job, buddy, making dreams! Or, in this case, a nightmare. Don't judge me..."

 

The purple eyed Springer looked around before speaking again. "I think that this place is rather grim? How about a change of scenery? Ah, but where should we go? Well... Maybe someplace bright and happy? Maybe some food? Are you hungry, buddy? What about your kid? Is she hungry? I guess she might be." The world started to spin again, but it took much less time to finish. When things settled, the dark room was gone. Back on the train, in Springer's room, the note was no longer glowing.

 

They were all standing in a field on a sunny day. A large oak tree loomed in the distance, a tall hedge lined the perimeter of the field, and a single locked gate provided the exit into a wider world. In front of them was a picnic table, filled with a tremendous variety of fruits, vegetables, cookies, cakes, and bounteous quantities of dinner rolls. There were several tea pots filled with tea. The purple-eyed Springer took a seat at the head of the table and poured himself a cup of tea. "This is lemon tea, that one in the middle is peach, the one on the other side is some healthy tree root tea. Help yourself! I prefer lemon, myself." He sipped his cup of tea and smiled. "Ummm... Springer, could you be so kind as to refill Springer."

 

The younger Springer collected an air pump from below the table, removed the cork from Springer's hoof and plugged in the other end of the pump. "Certainly, Springer." He started to reinflate the pegasus. The now reinflating Springer looked like he wanted to say something but was unable to. He eyed Magicon and Asteria with a panicked expression. The purple eyed Springer spoke again, "Oh yes, and the food is for everyone's enjoyment as well. Please, help yourselves! It's real food."

 

He beamed with a friendly smile and spoke to Magicon. "So, buddy, how have things been on the old train? How's Vim? Ambrosia still yellow? Who's your young friend, anyway? And... Shall we play a game or do you have a question for me?" He turned to Asteria. "You look like a pony that likes to have fun! Well, you do, right? Would you like to play a game? Got a question? Pick one! What's your name? Heeyyyy, are you my buddy's kid or something? Where ya from, little buddy!?" He grinned, widely. The younger Springer finished inflating the real Springer and took a seat at the far end of the table, eyeing the unicorns with a practiced neutral expression.

 

 

 

(OOC: Your friend with the purple eyes has stopped Springer from being able to speak, may want to call him out on that sooner or later. The green efficiency expert (the real Springer) has some important things to say. It makes sense that he would. You're in his dreams, now. Have fun! Remember that nothing is as it seems. Oh, and feel free to react freely. Just be advised that attacking any of the Springers is likely to receive a response in kind. Just sayin' it's better to match wits than to match strength in this battle, particularly when the terrain is... Unknown. Don't go chasing butterflies. There's more to the field than meets the eye.)

 

 

 

---

 

Summerfall smiled to the filly and said, "It's fine, dear. You can stay in this room with me as long as you like." She trotted closer to the filly and stroke her unkempt mane slowly with a hoof, taking great care not to startle her. The beautiful sheen of her fur reminded her of a silver necklace she once saw in a boutique. Right now the filly was a blank flank, but Summerfall was sure that she would grow into a beautiful mare.

It was almost too good to be true, that a random passenger would extend such kindness to her. Luminescence bowed her head gently in response to Summerfall's kindness, but she still didn't smile. Summerfall hadn't yet named the terms of her kindness. The contract was incomplete. She was surprised, slightly, when she felt a hoof stroking her mane. She knew that she was graceful and pretty, but at that moment, in the state that she was in, she hadn't thought that anypony else would know.

 

She attempted to resist the urge to smile, but failed completely. This pony was quite friendly. Luminescence closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. It had been too long since she had actually received positive attention of any kind from another pony. It was partially her own fault, of course, she worked hard to keep a low profile in towns and she tried her best to avoid being seen on trains. Rather than being observed, she aimed to be an observer. She found that it was easier to watch and learn when less eyes were on her.

 

She could faintly smell a distinctive aroma of fresh apples from the filly's mane. "I would never send away another pony in need. You can worry about repaying the favor later. For now, all you need to worry about is to clean yourself and make yourself comfortable, and maybe we can have some fun chatting together." She lowered her head down and nuzzled Luminescence.

Then, it would be an IOU. That was good, she thought. She never particularly liked it when her offer of repayment was outright rejected, because it always seemed to mean that somepony had dramatically underestimated her. She was capable, despite her age, and she liked for this to be respected, just as she did her best to respect others for their own competence. She allowed her smile to stay in place as she answered the mare courteously. "Thank you very much for your kindness, and... For your forgiveness for my imposing on you..."

 

She stopped speaking as she considered cleanliness. It was her nature to be a lover of cleanliness, but it had been quite some time since she had been able to take a bath or even examine herself in a mirror. With an internal sigh, she realized that she smelled less than good at that moment in time. The feeling of the mare nuzzling against her came as a surprise. At first, she jumped a little at the sensation, but she quickly calmed.

 

It was unusual, she thought, that a mare that was completely unknown to her would take to her so quickly. However, she didn't question it further in that moment. Instead, she chose to nuzzle the mare in return. It was then that she realized that she was smiling broadly. It had been completely unavoidable. This mare's kindness and interest were truly extraordinary. The earth pony had recognized her beauty through her messiness, and she had been undeterred from nuzzling her by her smell and state. Luminescence felt herself drawn to care for the mare.

 

What a beautiful name, fitting for such graceful and well-mannered filly. She stood up and trotted a bit to the filly's side. She poked her saddlebag. "You should put that down. After that you can use the bathroom. I'm sure that you can use a good bath or maybe two."

She had dissipated her smile when the mare had stood up. The special moment was over, there was no need to dilute the moment of joy by continuing to dwell on it overmuch. Besides, her newfound benefactor had a point, carrying around a saddlebag and continuing to look and smell funny would do nothing for her. Luminescence nodded her head, and deposited her saddlebag neatly up against the wall. She was careful to not put it near the mare's possessions. The saddlebag itself wasn't in the finest of condition and she wanted to limit the spread of messiness.

 

Luminescence looked to the mare with an expression of intense appreciation in her eyes and voice. "Thank you, again. I..." She stopped and tilted her head slightly to the side, surveying the mare. "I can't really say that anypony else has been as kind as you have been to me... Only my parents so far. Most think that I am rather strange. If you forgive me, may I ask something before I go to clean up a bit? I do not wish to be rude, but I am intensely curious. What is it about me that you find to be worthy of your kindness?"

 

---

 

Ice graciously accepted the hoofshake. "Thank you, and my name is Ice Storm. I would very much like to go with you to find out more about what's going on, however, I have already made an agreement with Dusky, and in fact I'm sure he's waiting for me now. That being said, I don't foresee that taking any longer than an hour or two at most," she mentioned before further addressing the issue at hand.

Dawn nodded understandingly. Ice Storm had somewhere else to be, and that was perfectly fine with her. She would still help the mare. That was her purpose. To help Springer, yes, but also to help others. Springer... She could still sense the light in his room... With an internal sigh, she realized that she would not have the time to wait for Ice Storm's return. Still, if she made it through the encounter with the light, it was likely that she would need Ice Storm's assistance in the future.

 

"With that in mind, I can't be certain myself that I can contain anything with my magic. After all, the only thing I'm good with is ice magic. Granted... my Ice magic is... extremely strong, but I don't really think that it could contain anything all that well, or at least I wouldn't think so, I've never tried," she responded politely telling them that she both had somewhere else to be, and that she wasn't sure if her magic would be up for it.

She managed to hold her expression steady but she felt like a rock dropped in her chest. She had considered Ice Storm to be one of her best options for ensuring that she didn't lose control. It was somewhat disappointing to hear that Ice Storm's primary talent was ice magic. It made sense, but it was still discouraging. Dawn rather doubted that ice magic of any type would be effective in stopping her except, perhaps, to kill her.

 

Death was one way of controlling herself, but... It was not the method that she preferred. As Ice Storm turned to address Arcanel, Dawn looked away and frowned. She didn't want to die. She was certain that death was not a good thing. Intrinsically, she knew that if such a fate befell her, then this would be pleasing to the light that she often sensed. What was the light? Her mind wandered back to the room, when she had first approached it. She didn't really do much besides peak into the room, the light had been blinding. She could barely even see the pegasus. Then, she had lost control.

 

"I'm still not overly happy with this situation, and I'd recommend you keep that other pony that did the questioning out of my sight for a while, or I might have to rearrange his face. at least then he'll have a reason for such a rude reaction," she told him sternly making sure that he knew that her aggression was primarily meant for the interrogator, "To be honest, I have to agree with Dawn as well on the fact that if this Magicon or  whoever the buck it was wanted this information, then he should have been the one to approach her instead of using other's as pawns. I'd recommend telling him to make himself scarce to me for a while as well," she finished still clearly upset at the situation, but not necessarily at him. As he had said, he didn't know he was going to be as blunt. So while it is partially his fault, it wasn't completely his, and he at least apologized.

A cheer had been on the tip of her tongue when Ice Storm started to speak her mind concerning Lapis. She stifled it though, because the pegasus had agreed, willing and without hesitation, to help her. She had to respect him and his friends, now, at least until he stopped helping. She snickered when Ice Storm spoke out against Magicon. If only the red unicorn, himself, had been there to hear Ice's words. Dawn's imagination wandered.

 

Magicon's fiery red coat of fur, his blue cape being blown in the wind. Ice Storm's fantastic icy coat of fur. A battle of the elementals, fire and ice. A battle to the death, of course. She would watch, so would her cats, it would be fantastic. She would have tea party with the victor, to celebrate, of course. If it was Magicon, she would kill him after tea. If it was Ice Storm, she would give her a pet cat. She wondered what kind of kitten the icy mare would prefer as a pet.

 

"With everything else in mind, I should be done by four o-clock, and my room is room number four if you wanna swing by then Dawn," she smiled before giving a polite nod to the two Ponies before heading out of the dining car towards the engine of the train.

Dawn smiled back at Ice Storm, and she spoke assuredly. "I'll be there! I promise. And, thank you for your words of support, Ice Storm." With that said, she refocused her attention back to Arcanel. For the first time, really, she observed the white pegasus. He was, undoubtedly, a friendly individual. This had to have been the reason why he had come to speak to her. Not only this, but he seemed undeterred by her instability. He wasn't watching her in a funny way or otherwise being judgmental. Instead, he was being understanding.

 

As she finished addressing Dawn to see her afterwards, he directed his look towards the cyan colored mare. "Umm... Miss Dawn... I'd like to ask you something first, if you wouldn't mind." He started, hoping that by getting the next information, he could help out on some other things aside from Springer. "Well... did something happen between you and Magicon before? He was about to tell me before, but suggested for later when weren't... well... at our "plan", so to speak." He said, his voice slightly filled with shame as he said the word "plan". "I mean... I am sure that Magicon is a good pony, but he seems to become highly suspicious, very quickly. Hence why he might ahve directed your suspicions towards you when he sensed your magic." He determined as he took a small pause before taking a small breath and continuing. "Look... something else is going on in the train too, and I WILL help Magicon and Lapis afterwards. But I also have my duty with helping Springer, and of course, now you. I don't want you to be upset, so don't answer if you do not want to. But... I'd like to know what happened before, so we can smooth things out for whenever we all have to cross paths again. Which, I'm sure you yourself would like to go with the less trouble possible, as much as I do. However, have no worries. I WILL help you out Dawn. You have my word to find out what's wrong with you and Springer." He ended, confidence at the end to emphasize his feelings towards the whole situation, hoping that Dawn would trust him enough, even after the previous ordeal.

She listened to Arcanel speak. While doing so, she reached for her glass and sipped some cider. It was good, but she would have preferred tea by far. She always preferred tea, preferably something with subtle flavor. Arcanel asked about her and Magicon. She blinked, but Arcanel kept rambling. She thought to herself that it seemed as though the white pegasus rather liked the sound of his own voice. He talked so much, and only to return to what he had first said. She looked at him idly and thought about his words. Had he asked her a question? Ah, yes...

 

She giggled randomly, and wore a cheerful smile. "Really... I don't think that anything happened between me and Magicon. He came over to my table earlier, when I was in the parlor car. Everything was fine until I said his name before he did. How is it my fault that I talk faster than him? Ah... Sorry. Let me be serious." Her smile vanished, and she spoke plainly. "I think that he became suspicious because I knew his name before he told me his name. Now he hates me, and he thinks I'm a bad pony. Well, I think that's stupid. You don't hate me, though, do you? I don't think you do..."

 

She trailed off, because the light that she had felt earlier was no longer there, but she was certain that Springer was still safe. She sighed. The chance to investigate the light was gone. "I'm sorry, Arcanel. I don't think that you can help me after all. We might as well finish lunch, I think? Hmmm... But, hey... There is something that you could help me with later. Only if you have the time?"

 

---

 

She gently released Wind Dancer from her hug, and listened to Electrobolt. He had taken the same position that she had both with his words and with a hug. It was possible for Wind Dancer to return to the stage, and it would be something that she could do well, regardless of the circumstance and regardless of her injury. But, the story that Electrobolt shared was just a bit of a surprise to her. His cutie mark made it obvious that he was a pony with some interest in games, but she hadn't figured that he was a competitive gaming pony.

 

Briefly, a few years ago, Ambrosia had investigated games as something that she could do for fun. They were fun, but she was terrible at them. She would always lose, and she could barely even make it past the first level in the more challenging games. Eventually, she gave up on gaming, and decided to watch others play games, but she was only able to tolerate visiting a few events before she'd grown tired of the negative atmosphere.

 

The ponies at the game tournaments were fiercely competitive, and some of them were downright vicious. They were generally obsessed with winning, and they didn't even seem to really enjoy the games that they played. The competition had drained the life from so many of them. During an intense match, they would focus with remarkable intensity, but after the match, they seemed lifeless. They had very little appreciation for the world around them and for other ponies.

 

She appreciated Electrobolt's words in a new light. He was an interesting pony. His words to Wind Dancer carried a surprising amount of wisdom in them. He spoke of competitive gaming as though it was a performance art and not just something that was done for bits. Ambrosia smiled and considered that it was good that a pony like Electrobolt had won the competition, he set a good example for ponies across Equestria to follow.

 

His curiosity growing a bit much for him to handle, he then asked a question. "Um, Wind, if I might ask... Would there be some way for your wing to feel any better, and not lock up on you so often?"

Electrobolt's question had taken things a step beyond what she had considered asking. His question was reasonable, but Ambrosia thought about the scar on Wind Dancer's wing. With a wing as badly damaged as hers, it would undoubtedly take some bits to be able to fix it. Both bits and a suitable specialist would be needed. She sighed, inwardly, Electrobolt's question had been asked with the best of intent, but Ambrosia doubted that either herself or Electrobolt could do much to help Wind Dancer.

 

"Yes and no," she started. "The damage in the wing is technically already fixed, however, my family nor myself are able to afford the extensive amount of physical therapy that would be required to get my full flight back. We were.... barely able to afford to get the doctors let me keep my wing... The doctors initially wanted to just remove it because we couldn't pay..." she admitted, the memories of hearing her mother fighting the doctors bringing a tear to her eye. "What I wouldn't give to be able to fly again..." she said through a soft sob.

Removing a wing? The thought was horrible. Ambrosia shuddered despite herself, and she silently thanked Celestia that Wind Dancer had been spared such a horrible fate. She had seen a pegasus with only one wing before. It was not a pretty sight; it didn't look right. At that time, she had offered the pegasus her sympathies and whatever bits she had on her. When she spoke to the one-winged pegasus, the poor thing had told her that he had often wished that both wings had been removed. That way, he could forget that he had ever flown.

 

She'd managed to avoid an emotional reaction then, but as soon as she had made it home, Ambrosia had broken down and cried. It was such a terrible thing, and to think that it could exist in Equestria was too much for her to consider. At the sound of Wind Dancer's voice becoming a sob, Ambrosia felt the same sadness that she had felt after speaking to the one-winged pegasus. Without any hesitation, she would have given all of her bits in that very moment to see Wind Dancer able to fly again. She forgot her earlier thoughts about whether it would even be possible or not.

 

Without thinking, she gently wrapped a hoof around the pegasus, hugging her a second time, doing her best to comfort Wind Dancer. After a moment, she spoke again, with confidence. "Well, don't give up hope, Wind Dancer. Electrobolt and I would be willing to help you in any way possible... If you don't mind my asking? Do you know how much it would cost for your flight to be restored? And, do you know how long it would take?"

 

---

 

"Yes, that is a satisfactory idea. Surely the book will shed some light on whatever it is Dusky was trying to get at. It all seems silly, though. Ah well. And I promise to withhold the information from others until such a time as the knowledge is no longer dangerous. As I was before, I am still now. Ready as ever. If you will kindly lead the way, we can get right to it." Lapis said with a growing sense of purpose. Time to start collecting more data.

Vim nodded. It was time to get a move on. "Sounds good to me." Without a further word, he entered the dining car again. Ambling through nonchalantly, he made an observance of the ponies that remained. The two pegasus ponies were still talking between themselves at the table to his left when he first entered. Maple was still at the table across from them. Electrobolt, Wind Dancer, and Ambrosia were still seated at the table closest to the kitchen.

 

He made special note of the table where Dawn was seated. She was talking with Arcanel, the mailpony. Vim looked slightly away and smirked as he passed by. From the moment that he had first met the mailpony, he knew one thing. Arcanel was both a thinker and a talker. Beneficially, both of these things were things that took time and a lot of it. The book would be there when he got to it. For now, it seemed like it would be a better plan to make a slight detour to visit Dawn's room.

 

He smiled and whistled a cheerful tune as he passed through the parlor car. When he reached the last door in the last passenger car, he stopped and surveyed the door for a moment. "You know, Lapis. I'd thought that Dawn would be here after that little incident, but she isn't. I bet Arcanel would keep her distracted for a while, too. If we go straight for my book, she'll probably come back. It'd be harder to get in here and take a proper look around if that happened..." He took a hoof and flipped his conductors hat over. Turning the hat upside down, he dropped his conductor's keys onto his other hoof.

 

He picked out the right key, put the keys back in his hat, and unlocked the door. But Vim stopped before opening it. "Try not to do anything to hurt her cats. I haven't seen any on our way here, so they're probably all in this room. I'm pretty good with animals, so just let me deal with 'em while you poke around, alright?" He didn't wait for Lapis to acknowledge him. The other earth pony was smart enough to get the job done, he figured. Vim opened the door and took a single step in before freezing in place.

 

The room was strangely dark, much darker than it should have been at that time of day, even with the curtains closed. Vim stood still for a moment while his eyes adjusted, even after that, the room still seemed dark, and he didn't see a single cat anywhere. The conductor deadpanned, "Wonderful. I love what she's done to the place." He trotted straight into the room and adjusted the curtains. Vim immediately noticed several things.

 

First, there were a number of medical items located around the room - there were bandages, medications, a stethoscope, some magnifying glasses Second, he noticed that everything was neatly labelled with a very precise hoofwriting. Third, he noticed a rather nice looking chest located in the corner of the room, it was unlocked. Finally, the sound of a loud purr drew his attention to the bed. There, lying on the bed, calmly examining him, was the largest panther that Vim had ever seen.

 

The big cat's fur was as dark as the darkest shadow, the perfect camouflage for moving unseen in the darkness. It was, in terms of size, larger than a mare in height. The cat's muscles rippled beneath the sheen of its fur. It was pure muscle, and because of this, it easily weighed more than the average stallion. It held its claws unretracted and in plain view. The cat regarded Vim with what seemed like some degree of boredom. It yawned, displaying an impressive array of teeth, all disturbingly pristine.

 

Vim was nonplussed. It was the largest panther that he'd ever seen, but it was still vastly smaller than a manticore. He calmly regarded the cat before remarking to Lapis. "Oh. So that's where the other cats went. Probably, to feed this thing. I bet it was a kitten when she first snuck it on the train. So, Lapis, I have a thought, why don't you go ahead and take a look around this place. And..." Vim positioned himself between the panther and Lapis. "And, I'll just sit here and keep an eye on your new friend. Sounds good, right?"

 

 

 

(OOC: See? This is why I didn't recommend breaking and entering earlier. This is also why it was a good idea for Magicon to back off when he did. This beauty is variable size. It was the pair of calm eyes under the table when Dawn and Magicon had their earlier conversation. Be advised, the cat isn't dumb. He knows he would lose a fight against Vim. Anything smaller would have been pounced when the door was opened and dragged in. It would have made an unhappy fate for Key Gear if she'd been pulled into Lapis's group, because breaking and entering would have been the first thing on her mind.

 

Anyways, Bari, feel free to have Lapis rummage around. There's some medical books on the shelves, some random cat toys lying around, a map of Equestria with some random spots marked, a journal filled with "blank" pages, and most importantly, you'll find some invisible ink and paper on the floor in a corner of the room. Happy, fun times! Let me know if you have questions. I have answers.)

 

 

 

---

 

He was laughing so much that she found herself worrying again that she might have hit him a little too hard. She wasn't offended in the slightest though, it was good to have finally found a pony that didn't seem to mind her own odd sense of humor. Dawn even laughed at things that she didn't think were that funny at all. She doubted that her own brother would have laughed as much at her sorry attempts at humor.

 

Dawn held the cloth a little tighter to his muzzle as some blood started to drip out the side of the cloth, he winced from the pain which still lingered there, but he knew he'd get over it soon enough. He looked up and responded to Key after a little more thought on the matter "Yeah that plan could work, it's believable enough and I don't really expect an investigation to go down from a little...well, almost little injury to some stranger who dropped by on the train. Plus it's still you who caused it, so it's half true...I just think your hoof does more damage then he pan..."Dawn laughed for a short while before the pain returned and he winced again and leaned back against the bench.

She nodded when he agreed with her plan, and she smirked when he mentioned an "almost little injury". In truth, she was just slightly surprised at her own strength. Even in the middle of a real fight, it was rare that she would hit another pony with that much force with a forehoof. Normally, she would need to buck to deliver that kind of hit. Key added the observance to her mental register. The next time she needed to do something violent, she would imagine her brother running away and hit as hard as she possibly could. With practice, she figured that it might be possible to break the nose of a fully grown stallion with a punch.

 

She shook her head when Dawn mentioned her hoof doing more damage than the pan. After he was done laughing, she picked up the pan and held it on one hoof, testing its weight. "Nah, I don't think that my hoof would hit harder than this. This thing feels pretty solid. The handle has some length on it too, so it'd give an added boost if you swung it just right. I mean, you know, to make the story more convincing I could just hit you with this pan. That'd give a comparison point against how much damage my hoof did, and it'd make the story super believable."

 

After a moment grinning at the pan with a strange expression, she hastily put it back on the counter and smiled reassuringly. "But, I wouldn't do that, it'd be completely crazy. Hey, I think that we should probably get outta here now, but... Uhhh... Aww..." She had just remembered that her own mane was a bit of a mess. Key grabbed one of the cloths and tried to get rid of the red, but her mane was so unkept that it just made things worse. With a groan, she ran water in the sink, took a deep breath, and just dunked her entire head into it.

 

Key pulled her head out of the running water and coughed and sputtered spectacularly while reaching for a cloth. She hated running water over her head like that, but it was the only thing that she could think of to get rid of Dawn's blood. She took a second to clean the sink again before she grabbed a cloth and dried her mane off. Thankfully, her mane was always poorly kept, so it didn't really make much of a difference that it was still a mess now.

 

She shivered for a second before explaining. "I had to do that. Just imagine how hard it would have been to explain how I got your blood in my mane? Yeah, no. That would have been terrible. Ok, just give me that, and take this." She swapped out Dawn's cloth. "Now, you can lead the way. Just go to wherever Ambrosia is and explain what happened. I'll come in right behind you, looking all apologetic and stuff. I don't wanna lead the way, because I'm pretty sure that she doesn't trust me all that much, so if I explained stuff, she would come in here and poke around. You alright with that? You'd better be, because I'm not doing anything different. Come on!" Key was getting a bit antsy.

[Flow 1,628]

When she asked him if there was anymore questions for him to ask her, Alex pondered on this.  Alex took his last two bites from his sandwich and swallowed it with a sip of water before continuing.  "Ummmm, no I think that's it.  I gotta say that you've made a nice living for yourself.  I gotta see how you teach those Pegasi sometime when this is over.  I don't even remember anypony teaching me how to fly.  I just...  Sorta picked it up as I lived in the Sunnyside Orphanage."

 

Flow smiled at his statement willing that he would like to see her teaching at her school, "Of course you're welcome to watch anytime during school hours." she said before emptying her glass of apple juice. 

She was delighted to hear him show an interest in coming to the school, after all they rarely had any visitors coming in, she thought that the idea of bringing in somepony that works with Rainbow Dash would greatly excite the students, along with the other teachers too.

 

"Okay, so I asked you about yourself.  Is there anything you wish to ask me, Flow?"  Alex offered to her kindly.

 

When she heard that, she felt like she had to ask him something, however the only thing that came to mind was about the train, so she jumped at that "Um....What do you think about the train? If you ask me, I love the elegance that it offers, not to mention awesome service! But I still think there can be improvements regarding crew interactions."

Edited May 10, 2013 by Flow (Naru)

[Starshine 16,333]

So far Luminescence had been returning back the affection, and it filled Summerfall with great joy. Maybe the train ride wouldn't be so boring after all, with such a cute little filly on her side. She would do anything to keep her on the train. The filly moved to drop her saddlebag. Summerfall was to about dig out a soap from her saddlebag when Luminescence looked at her, eyes twinkled in appreciation.

 

Luminescence looked to the mare with an expression of intense appreciation in her eyes and voice. "Thank you, again. I..." She stopped and tilted her head slightly to the side, surveying the mare. "I can't really say that anypony else has been as kind as you have been to me... Only my parents so far. Most think that I am rather strange. If you forgive me, may I ask something before I go to clean up a bit? I do not wish to be rude, but I am intensely curious. What is it about me that you find to be worthy of your kindness?"

 

Summerfall sighed. She trotted and sat down right in front of the filly, a faint smile on her face. She patted the filly's head a few times. This was it, the one million bits question. While it was not exactly wrong of Luminescence to ask for such thing, Summerfall had no clear idea how to answer it. The filly had certainly spent more than enough time fending for herself, altruism from a stranger would seemed to be very unusual for her. It would be understandable if the filly had started to get suspicious on her motives. Summerfall was not the patron of kindness, answering that it was simply the right thing to do would looked pretty awkward and unconvincing, the filly might got the wrong impression.

 

After a mere second of pondering, Summerfall decided that once again, honesty would be the best idea. She shrugged. "I have no idea." She chuckled. It seemed like she had just made a fool of herself in front of the filly. "You looked so afraid out there. It just doesn't seem to be right if I just left you there, alone and deathly afraid of something. I can help you, and I don't have anything dire or important to do, so why not?"

 

Summerfall paused. She found herself in doubt. Why did she let Luminescence in? It was rather unusual of her just to go and help somepony in need. The question lingered, but there was no answer. "You, see, Luminescence... Sometimes we don't need any particular reason to help somepony in need. We shouldn't focus ourselves on the prospect of reward in helping others. It might sounds weird, but as long as we don't have to sacrifice much of ourselves in the process, helping others should never be not an option." She bit her lips, unsure on how to continue. She had read a lot of books, but apparently none of those reading materials ever prepared her for something like this. She was definitely not ready to take care of a foal. In her moments of doubt her eyes widened, she had forgotten to introduce herself. "I'm terribly sorry for not introducing myself when you did. I guess I was too preoccupied with my thoughts. My name is Summerfall. You can call me Summer if you want. Either way is fine."

 

She stood up looked around her room. The lamp was still turned off, her book was still on where she left it, and the door was still locked. She smiled and fished out a bar of soap from her saddlebag and gave it to the filly. "If you don't have anymore questions, you should take a bath now. I'm sure that you will look much better after you're done." She nudged the filly to the bathroom with her snout, ushering her. "To the shower you go! We can talk more about everything later." She straighten her neck upward and tapped her chin. She wasn't sure about this, but decided to give it a shoot anyway. "Do you need me to help you to bathe?" She asked softly.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Starshine

[Magicon 468]

The room looked normal. Everything was where they had left it last time they investigated it. The only change was Springer’s sleeping form on the bed. Magicon took special care to move silently so as to not wake the pegasus. He took a few more steps into the room when something caught his eye. Turning his head in the direction of a dim light he saw a note glow a faint red until it suddenly brightened and expanded, shrouding everything in a blinding light.

 

Magicon covered his eyes with his right hoof as he heard the door slam shut and the room spun around them. His head hurt tremendously from the spinning around him. Miraculously, he squinted his eyes open just enough to grab Asteria’s hoof before shutting them again. If anything was going to come out of this, it would be Asteria’s safety. He kept his eyes shut until he felt the spinning cease. He slowly opened them to see a modified version of Springer’s room and a morbid version of Springer. The pain in his head subsided and he took a breath before he saw the sight before him.

 

His eyes nearly fell out of his head at the sight of the pegasus. He looked practically dead. No muscle, no fat, just skin and bones, and a cork in one of his hooves. A thousand questions ran through his mind, yet his mouth remained firmly shut. He was unable to make sense of any of this. Was this a dream? Was this a demented form of reality? What was going on? He felt his head spin from the sudden change of environment.

 

Yet he heard voices and he saw a second Springer emerge right next to the deflated Springer. He shook his head to try and clear his vision and mind, but it was no use. When he looked back at the two a third Springer had seemingly popped out of nowhere. He actually looked familiar to Magicon and when he spoke he realized why.

 

 

 

"Hey, buddy! It's me! Remember? We had fun yesterday, and I stopped that horrible tramp from blasting you! Great to see you again, and... Uhhh... Yeah, this doesn't look good, I know, but don't hold it against me." He laughed. "This is a dream, that's my job, buddy, making dreams! Or, in this case, a nightmare. Don't judge me..."

 

The hair on the back of his neck froze. The word had “buddy” had returned and the pony or shadow or something had spoken it. Yesterday’s incident suddenly made sense. As much as it pained him, it wasn’t Trixie, Dusky, or even Dawn responsible for the weird Springer that spoke with him yesterday. It was this shadow. It was this Springer that had put him up to it; the one who had organized the show and subsequent duel with Trixie. Magicon wasn’t sure to be angry or thankful toward this Springer. All he knew was that he was now in some nightmare, probably Springer’s, and must roll with it for the time being.

 

He overheard the false Springer mumble something about a change in scenery and before Magicon realized it his head hurt again and he covered his eyes from the intense spinning. When it subsided they were in sunny field with a picnic table layered with a variety of food.  He invited them to sit. Magicon looked over at Asteria with such a confused expression that he didn’t even understand. He still held onto her hoof, lest some unnatural wind should come and lift the young unicorn into the sky and never return.

 

He watched the scene unfold as the other false Springer took out an air pump and reinflated the real Springer. He saw the panic in his eyes and Magicon realized that this nightmare was not something that Springer had control over. He was the victim, abused by these two shadows. He needed help now and Magicon was sure to give it, once he figured out exactly what was going on.

 

 

 

"So, buddy, how have things been on the old train? How's Vim? Ambrosia still yellow? Who's your young friend, anyway? And... Shall we play a game or do you have a question for me?"

 

He quickly then threw a series of quick questions at Asteria. Magicon knew she was just as confused, if not more frightened as he was. But both Springers had settled down at the picnic table while the real one looked completely helpless, like he was forced to remain in his place with his mouth shut. Magicon didn’t really know what to do. He had little experience with these nightmares and he never read anything about them in his books. Even the one he had with him would be useless on the subject.

 

Figuring any idea was as good as the others Magicon cleared his throat and said, “I really…uhh…don’t understand what’s going on here. From what I can tell this is a dream, or rather a nightmare…but what kind of nightmare is this? Why is Springer the victim? I don’t think he’s done anything wrong. Nightmares usually come to those who’ve done something wrong…right?”

 

He felt so out-of-place and incredibly awkward. He was in strange land with strange shadows or ponies or whatever they were with the only definite being the young unicorn at his side. Maybe she could help clear this situation up, if she wasn’t too frightened. He hoped she was strong, that was all he could really do at the moment.

[Bari 7,023]

Lapis followed faithfully behind the bold conductor, all his trust resting on the older stallion. Lapis gazed about as they passed through the dining car. Only one thing caught his eye. Arcanel was speaking with Dawn. Lapis was fairly certain she'd still kill him, and probably Magicon as well, the moment she got the chance. Lapis himself didn't truly care either way. There wasn't much he could do if she tried to kill him again. But if she offered some form of friendship, which was rather doubtful, he'd accept it with caution. As they made it out of the parlor car, Vim noted that Dawn wasn't in her room, making it the perfect chance to investigate. It was certain Dawn's cats would be in there, and Vim could hold them off or something. Lapis was used to it. A strong member of the community would usually offer their protection so that he could look into thing in peace.

He watched as Vim unlocked and opened the door. Lapis brushed off what Vim said. It was the same thing as always, which he accepted without a word. Lapis was well aware of the danger of the unknown. Cats were always the most clever of opponents. Claws, teeth, and so very, very intelligent. Nothing a scholar should actually have to deal with. The two of them entered the room to find it absolutely dark. Lapis' red eyes flitted about trying to pierce the depth, quickly getting used to it. In the mines, one got used to the dark very quickly indeed. Unfortunately, Vim adjusted the curtains and the room brightened, and Lapis had to adjust his eyes again. The room was littered with medical supplies of all sorts. Nothing of value, perhaps. His eyes scanned the room up and down before resting on the bed.
 
Lapis' eyes widened and resisted the shock of it hitting him. Upon the bed rested a rather large cat. It's black fur was so deep in color, it almost blinded the earth pony. Lapis smiled nervously and moved into the room itself. Wasn't it true animals could sense fear? Lapis shook himself. This beast was nothing more than a simple predator. It relied on instinct and other such things. If it needed to kill him, it would have easily knocked over Vim. Despite what Vim said, it was doubtful he could actually fight a cunning beast. But Vim would be able to distract it. Lapis was the one who needed to look around.
 
Lapis took in a deep breath. The cat was nothing to worry about so long as Vim kept its eye. So the room was his, and his alone. What could be in here, anyway? Lapis went around, picking things up and looking beneath them. Nothing that stuck out. Upon the shelves, several medical books rested. Not one he had not seen before was there. Besides the large cat and the odd amount of darkness when the two had entered, one could have easily believed Dawn were nothing more than a simple medical pony. Like every room on the train, or at least that was what Lapis assumed, there was a map of their country on the wall. But this one was marked in several random places. There was no pattern to it whatsoever. Lapis rolled his eyes when he tried to look on the ground and only found cat toys. It stood to reason where all these things came from. There were quite a lot of things here. Did Dawn have them with her when she got on the train? Lapis didn't know. But as luck would have it, he finally found something in a corner of the room.
 
A note and a small bottle. Uncapping it, Lapis took in its scent. It was the familiar smell of ink, but with a hint of other things. There was no doubt about it. This was invisible ink. There was no mistaking its mystical smell. Lapis took both items and placed them where he could find them once a final sweep was done. He went around again, still not finding anything. But he had almost forgotten. There was a chest in here. He approached it, checking to see if there were any traps. To the best of his abilities, he could find none. So, taking a deep breath, he opened it. Inside, he found a book lying on top of a pile of junk. Lapis immediately went for it and closed the chest. This may have been the book he had been looking for. But the cover held the words 'Journal' printed in typeset. The book was probably of some value, but most likely not the one he wanted. He flipped through the pages, all of them blank. Either it was yet to be used, or things were not as they seemed. Taking the book with the paper and the ink, he faced Vim.
 
"Sir, I do believe I am finished. Now, perhaps we should go to your room to analyze what I found? This room is messy, and there is a large cat on the bed. Not what I would call a pleasant place to be. Also, there was the book you mentioned." Lapis announced, eyes watching the cat. Despite what one would have said, to Lapis it didn't seem like a panther. A cat was a cat, through and through. No matter how big, all cats operated the same. The size was the only thing that determined what it would do, though. And this cat was very large. There were many a beast larger, but none Lapis had dealt with inside a train car passenger's room were this big. Lapis walked to the door, eyes barely leaving the guardian of Dawn's room. "Vim, as you are most likely well aware, you are bigger than I, and as such, should follow after me into the corridor. You know, to avoid the beast striking me when my back is turned. You understand, I hope. If you need me, I shall be by your door." Lapis said from the doorframe before leaving Vim's sight.
 

---

 
Asteria looked around Springer's room. It was so neat and efficient! Springer was sleeping soundly, so Asteria and Magicon moved forward quietly. On a shelf, a soft red glow pulsed gently. It seemed like such a neat little thing. She wondered if it meant anything. Her unspoken question was answered quickly as the light engulfed them, blinding them almost. She felt the touch of Magicon's hoof on her own. She smiled broadly. He wanted to protect her. Such a nice stallion. Soon, they could see again. And what a sight it was! Everything seemed the same, and yet, not. Springer looked like a deflated balloon, and that was kind of creepy.
 
Besides that, a shadow and a book were in the room, and in no time at all, the two became Springers. Asteria blinked a few times. What was going on? Was this a dream world? The entire room oozed with symbolism, so it was almost a guarantee this was something special. But as with most things, she couldn't really make sense of all the ideas in her head. All she could do was understand, and yet not understand. She could feel Magicon go stiff next to her when Springer with light purple eyes addressed him with familiarity. That was rather odd, but she gave it little thought. There were 3 Springers. How would she distinguish between them in her thoughts?
 
Asteria needed a name for them. Springer with light purple eyes said buddy a lot, so she would call him Bringer. Yeah, the perfect name. The other she would call Sprout because of his size. Once that was done, she prepared herself to face whatever it was they wanted. Everything wanted something, and this was too strange to be normal. It was clear Bringer was some type of dream entity, most likely the one in charge here. Especially since he could change the world around them. Bringer gave Sprout the order to refill Springer. Asteria watched with much curiosity as the younger pony went to task. Springer didn't look too happy. Something would have to be done about that.
 
Bringer addressed the two of them separately, and Magicon seemed to be having difficulty making sense of things. But Asteria was almost at ease. This world was made of aura. It simply emanated with it. It was up to her to make sense of things for poor Magicon. Unlike her, he was probably questioning things too much. You just have to go with the flow. It was her turn to speak, so she moved away from Magicon and stood in front of him. It was up to him to do something if diplomacy failed.
 

He turned to Asteria. "You look like a pony that likes to have fun! Well, you do, right? Would you like to play a game? Got a question? Pick one! What's your name? Heeyyyy, are you my buddy's kid or something? Where ya from, little buddy!?"

 
Asteria smiled and began to answer. "Why yes, I do indeed love to have fun. But mostly because there isn't anything else when it comes right down to it. I don't go to school, nor do I hold a real job. I have all the time in the world. A game would be nice, but so would questions. You know what is most fun? When you get to do everything! Why choose when you can have both? Oh, my name. You wanted that, right? I am Asteria, from Forelock Grove. And I am fairly certain I am not Magicon's child. You do realize he's too young to be, yes? You're quite a silly pony. Also, do you and your friend have names? Unless you would like to hear the names I've already given you?" she said before pointing to each of them and saying the name she thought up. "You can be Bringer, and you can be Sprout. Get it? I got your names from Springer's. Also, because of what I've seen from you both so far. Bringer of dreams, and Sprout 'cause you aren't as big as Bringer."
 
But then Asteria became concerned. "Why can't Springer speak? This is his world or something, right? What are you two, anyway? Are you ponies, or something else? If you're not ponies, then are you dream eaters? Oh, I have so many questions, but perhaps you could just answer my first few?" she panted, a little out of breath. The food all looked lovely, but she didn't know what to make of them. In dreams, food wasn't food. Or if it was, you never actually ate it and felt full. But if it wasn't, then it would probably do something to the body. "So, what kind of games do you play? Two on two would work best. And Springer could be the referee. So, you know, that's a good reason to let him speak, eh?"

[Electrobolt 2,069]

After having asked Wind Dancer about if there was something that could be done about her wing, Electrobolt felt like he stuck his hoof in his mouth. He had allowed his curiosity to get the better of him, and his feeling that his hoof got shoved in his mouth got compounded when the pegasus mare's previous smile began to turn into a frown. It was then that she started to speak, stating that her wing was technically fixed before saying that her family didn't have enough money to afford wing therapy which would help her to fly again. She also added that her family was barely able to afford the surgery to get her wing fixed up before including that they wanted to initially remove the wing.

 

At the mention of the surgeons wanting to remove her wing, his eyes went wide. They wanted to get rid of her wing??? *That... That's just crazy...* he thought to himself, his eyes still wide. *If I were a pegasus... I don't think I'd be able to live without flying, let alone with just a single wing... That would be too much for me...* Shaking his head, he tried to calm his mind down with little success. At the very least, his eyes shrank slightly as he watched Ambrosia give the mare another hug. At the sight, Electrobolt began to calm down as he smiled at the gentleness of Ambrosia before he began to hug Wind as well. He felt that Ambrosia's hug and his hug would at least help out the pegasus.

 

Around then, Ambrosia began to speak with confidence as she told Wind to not give up hope. He nodded at this, as one should always keep some hope for matters like this. One day, Wind Dancer will fly again, he was sure of it. Ambrosia then started to say that both herself and Electrobolt would help her in any way possible, to which he again nodded. She then asked Wind what the price would be for the therapy, which he himself was beginning to ponder about. If her parents could barely afford the surgery to fix her wing, then they wouldn't have been able to afford the therapy anyways, wouldn't they? *But how much would it be...* he thought.

 

After Ambrosia finished speaking, Electrobolt cleared his mind out as he agreed with Ambrosia. With a soothing smile on his face, he began to speak. "Yeah, Ambrosia is right. Don't give up hope, we'll help out in any way possible. After all, friends help one another, right?" With the thought of doing whatever he could with Ambrosia to help Wind out, the thought of Dusky having left the room after being flustered left his mind. "As Ambrosia asked, how much do you suspect it would be for the therapy?" After recalling that Ambrosia asked how long the therapy might take, he closed his eyes for a moment. *Hmm... How long WOULD it take...?* he thought, before deciding to make a rough estimate. Opening his eyes a few seconds later, he then spoke up to Wind once more. "As for how long the therapy would take... Do you think it would take about three months...?"

[Arcanel 3,041]

 

 

"Really... I don't think that anything happened between me and Magicon. He came over to my table earlier, when I was in the parlor car. Everything was fine until I said his name before he did. How is it my fault that I talk faster than him? Ah... Sorry. Let me be serious."

 

As he watched Dawn smile, Arcanel had to admit he felt a bit weirded out by her response given the recent events, but he felt it was probably her thinking of that actual moment. *Still... she said Magicon's name before him mentioning it, having first met? That's... odd....* he admitted.

 

 

 

"I think that he became suspicious because I knew his name before he told me his name. Now he hates me, and he thinks I'm a bad pony. Well, I think that's stupid. You don't hate me, though, do you? I don't think you do..."

 

"Of course I don't hate you Dawn!" He had reassured her, answering quickly to dispel any doubt about his statement. However, as he comforted the cyan pony, he started realizing Dawn's reactions and also, Magicon's attitude towards Dawn. *Of course he'd be slightly suspicious about that. Anypony would. He probably inquired about how she knew his name. And if what I've seen from Magicon is any indication, he's very, very suspicious of ponies overall. This probably did not sit well in his mind... (Sigh)... at least I know what happened now.* He finished thinking, now knowing why Magicon had been so suspicious of Dawn in the first place.

 

 

 

"I'm sorry, Arcanel. I don't think that you can help me after all. We might as well finish lunch, I think? Hmmm... But, hey... There is something that you could help me with later. Only if you have the time?"

 

As Dawn told him he couldn't help anymore, the mailpony was confused. *Huh... why can't I help now? Or... is whatever she wanted help with now gone? But it was in regard to Springer...? I am confused...* he pondered the last word being what filled his mind. However, he quickly reacted to Dawn's question in end and answered. "Oh, of course I'd help. I'd be glad to do so." He said cheerfully. "Um... first things first, I repeat my previous statement. I do not hate you Ms. Dawn. I couldn't hate you. I know a thing or two about your mind doing things not even onself is sure about..." he said, his face turning to a small look of sorrow before he continued.

 

"See... in my book, when I judge a pony, I judge their intentions, and the way the actions happened, the actions themselves pass to a second level of importance. To be honest, I KNEW that right before you were completely mad at Lapis before. This much I know. I am innocent, but I am no fool. I was ready to stop you had anything happened. But, your reaction was provoked. That's why I can't blame you. You did not do it out of some random rage. And I know you're a good pony. That's all I need to know. WIth Lapis, Springer and Magicon, the same applies. Lapis is a good pony, but he's too blunt for his own good. Springer is as well, coupled with the fact he is VERY keen on efficiency, but he thinks well. And as for Magicon, I believe he's a good pony, but the problem is, he's too overly suspicious of ponies. Which can quickly surround one's mind pretty quickly. And so on and so forth. You called yourself before "unstable". I can't say I'm happy when I see other ponies calling themselves that. There IS something that is affecting you, this much I know, because something must be going on to cause you to react that strongly. But... I am hoping I can help with that as well." He smiled. "Do not hesitate to call my help Ms. Dawn. I'll gladly come." Arcanel reassured Dawn, and gave her a small hug against his own instincts. He was thinking of asking her how she knew of Magicon's name, but decided against it. She didn't need to have that question now.

 

As he finished speaking, he looked at the food that was lying on the table. *Wow... now that I think about it, when was the last time I ate anything?* he asked himself. As if to answer, his stomach loudly rumbled. *Guess that answers that...* he thought in embarrassment. "Er, excuse me for that. I haven't eaten anything in a while haha! Lunch sounds nice." He said while smiling before grabbing a sandwhich and eagerly eating it, savoring its taste. *Are those strawberries? That's niiiice...* he said as he trailed off in at the fantastic taste of the sandwiches, taking some orange juice as well. As he kept eating he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah... um... Ms. Dawn... why can't I help you now?  Did something happen, or did you remember something?" he asked the medical pony, hoping to get some of his confusion cleared.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

The hug so far was the best possible thing that she could have felt right then and there. Everything prior to was nice as well, but she really enjoyed the hug. The amount of kindness and generosity that she had been shown today, had completely out done all before that had been done before. She almost broke down completely when she felt the hooves of Ambrosia wrap around her. She looked up at her when she told her not to give up hope. That her and Electro would be willing to help her in anyway possible. She then asked if she knew how long it would take for the therapy to be successful and how much the therapy would cost.

 

She was about to reply when she felt Electro close in and hug her has well. The overwhelming amount of kindness that was being shown to her was enough to push her emotions over. First Ice paying for what could possibly being the most important train ticket that she could have ever gotten. Everything made her so happy.

 

Then Electro spoke, pretty much repeating what Ambrosia did, and then asked the same question about the cost. He alsoestimated the length of therapy to three months. I wish it was only three months... she though to herself feeling a bit down again as she shook her head. "No, and this is the part that makes it almost impossible for my to get my flight back. The amount of therapy that it would take to get my wind to where it can sustain myself for normal light, would take almost two years. That's easy. The impossible part is the fact that it would cost almost forty-five thousand bits for the amount of therapy required... even if I danced the rest of my life... I'd never be able to afford that...." Wind faded out.

[King 5,625]

 

 

"Nah, I don't think that my hoof would hit harder than this. This thing feels pretty solid. The handle has some length on it too, so it'd give an added boost if you swung it just right. I mean, you know, to make the story more convincing I could just hit you with this pan. That'd give a comparison point against how much damage my hoof did, and it'd make the story super believable."

Dawn winced at the idea of being hit again, this time with a metal pan. He knew Key was joking but the very idea made him...squeamish.

He has enough pain for the day, both physical and emotional and was not looking forward to any more for the time being. Even with all this going through his head, he enjoyed Key's sense of humor to a large extent, mainly due to the fact that it showed she was loosening up around him and that he finally made a good friend, even though they only knew each other for the last few hours or so.

He felt like he was opening up to her just as she was to him, showing him her fun side, so to speak...although he wondered what she was like around others, he hadn't really paid much attention before hand, only taking note of her taking charge of himself and Asteria.

 

 

"But, I wouldn't do that, it'd be completely crazy. Hey, I think that we should probably get outta here now, but... Uhhh... Aww..." She had just remembered that her own mane was a bit of a mess. Key grabbed one of the cloths and tried to get rid of the red, but her mane was so unkept that it just made things worse. With a groan, she ran water in the sink, took a deep breath, and just dunked her entire head into it.

Dawn grinned a little bit at Key's bother with the blood in her mane, his blood to be exact. He giggled slightly as he watched her dunk her mane in the water to wash it off, remembering the many time when he was young and hated to go for a bath, he wasn't sure why he remembered this now but it seemed like Key reminded him of home alot, which was odd for somepony he had literally only met a few hours ago, no matter how much they had bonded...so to speak. "Sorry about the blood by the way. I didn't mean to...uh...splatter you with it...I think? Or is that your fault for hitting me?...either way... sorry" Dawn cocked his head as he tried to figure out if he should be sorry or not, either way he said it to put his mind to ease.

 

 

I had to do that. Just imagine how hard it would have been to explain how I got your blood in my mane? Yeah, no. That would have been terrible. Ok, just give me that, and take this." She swapped out Dawn's cloth. "Now, you can lead the way. Just go to wherever Ambrosia is and explain what happened. I'll come in right behind you, looking all apologetic and stuff. I don't wanna lead the way, because I'm pretty sure that she doesn't trust me all that much, so if I explained stuff, she would come in here and poke around. You alright with that? You'd better be, because I'm not doing anything different. Come on!" Key was getting a bit antsy.

Dawn smiled and made his way to the exit of the Kitchen Car and the entrance of the dinning car to look for Ambrosia. "Of course Im alright with that, and no need to get Antsy, I just got knocked upside the muzzle, Im not exactly thinking straight right now...gimme a moment Iron Mare, before I collapse in a heap of Cyan on the floor and you trip over me" Dawn laughed as he made his way to the table at which Ambrosia presided. He Held the cloth tight as he approached and had a look with a mix of embarrassment and humor on his face as he stood before the Earth pony, awaiting her response to his current physical state...to which he was looking forward to respond to.

[Key Gear 6,663]

Figuring any idea was as good as the others Magicon cleared his throat and said, “I really…uhh…don’t understand what’s going on here. From what I can tell this is a dream, or rather a nightmare…but what kind of nightmare is this? Why is Springer the victim? I don’t think he’s done anything wrong. Nightmares usually come to those who’ve done something wrong…right?”

The purple eyed Springer sat up from his chair, tilted his head to the side, and displayed a look of exaggerated sympathy. "Buddy, those weren't the kind of questions that I had in mind, and you didn't answer my questions or ask about a game. I'm afraid that you don't seem to understand what I want. Perhaps, you should have one of these lovely cookies and a cup of tea, to clear your mind? I just told you that this is a nightmare, and Springer did nothing. Nightmares come to all ponies, whether you want us to or not." He shook his head in disappointment. The younger Springer continued to watch, looking from Magicon to the other Springers and then back.

 

Unlike her, he was probably questioning things too much. You just have to go with the flow. It was her turn to speak, so she moved away from Magicon and stood in front of him.

All three Springers turned to watch Asteria, she had stepped out from behind her guardian and was now apparently prepared to command the floor. The purple eyed Springer eyed her with a wild twinkle in his eyes. The younger Springer eyed her with one eyebrow raised, intensely curious as to what she intended to do. The real Springer looked completely sullen, assessing that whatever was about to happen would end in total disaster for himself and his friends.

 

Asteria smiled and began to answer. "Why yes, I do indeed love to have fun. But mostly because there isn't anything else when it comes right down to it. I don't go to school, nor do I hold a real job. I have all the time in the world. A game would be nice, but so would questions. You know what is most fun? When you get to do everything! Why choose when you can have both? Oh, my name. You wanted that, right? I am Asteria, from Forelock Grove. And I am fairly certain I am not Magicon's child. You do realize he's too young to be, yes? You're quite a silly pony. Also, do you and your friend have names? Unless you would like to hear the names I've already given you?" she said before pointing to each of them and saying the name she thought up. "You can be Bringer, and you can be Sprout. Get it? I got your names from Springer's. Also, because of what I've seen from you both so far. Bringer of dreams, and Sprout 'cause you aren't as big as Bringer."

Both of the strange Springers looked at each other with joyous expressions when Asteria mentioned that she would like both a game and questions. That had been the right answer, to combine both. To make a new game... As she continued talking, they leaned forward with gleeful interest. The purple eyed Springer huffed slightly when she corrected his assertion that Magicon was her parent, and the younger Springer smirked slightly, to him it had been obvious that this wasn't the case. Their reactions reversed when Asteria revealed their names. The purple eyed Springer approved, and grinned broadly. The younger Springer looked glum.

 

But then Asteria became concerned. "Why can't Springer speak? This is his world or something, right? What are you two, anyway? Are you ponies, or something else? If you're not ponies, then are you dream eaters? Oh, I have so many questions, but perhaps you could just answer my first few?" she panted, a little out of breath. The food all looked lovely, but she didn't know what to make of them. In dreams, food wasn't food. Or if it was, you never actually ate it and felt full. But if it wasn't, then it would probably do something to the body.

After she asked about Springer's ability to speak, both of the strange Springers turned to glance at each other again. Then, they turned to appraise Asteria, with completely expressionless faces as her questions continued to ramble forwards. When she paused, panting for air, the one that she had referred to as "Sprout" left their place at the table and started to slowly approach her. He walked cautiously, making a minimum of fuss and holding his head down low in a manner that was seemingly intended to avoid causing alarm.

 

"So, what kind of games do you play? Two on two would work best. And Springer could be the referee. So, you know, that's a good reason to let him speak, eh?"

Bringer bounded through the air and landed a little bit in front of Sprout, just a few feet away from Asteria. With his front left hoof, he swept the small pony backwards. Sprout rolled over and landed on his back, and it took him a moment to regain his hooves. While Sprout flailed with wings and hooves, Bringer spoke confidently to Asteria. "I like these ideas, and I like your questions! I like you! I like your spirit! This is fantastic! You're really getting into the swing of things! Hah!" He waved a hoof around in the air. "This will be such a fascinating experience! Let's begin at the beginning!"

 

He cleared his throat. Behind him, Sprout sulked. Bringer stood to his hooves and bowed gracefully to Asteria. When he spoke again, his voice carried a hint of a Canterlot accent. "It is a pleasure to meet you Asteria of Forelock Grove! We have much in common. I too have no school and no real job. Mostly because here, in this place, there is no school and no job unless I want these things to exist. And... I don't." He smiled, crookedly. "My apologies for making the assumption that you were Magicon's child. It seemed to make sense, though. Your mane matches his fur color... Somewhat." Sprout's sulking had become visible irritation, it was directed at Bringer.

 

Bringer shrugged at Magicon before he continued speaking. "I am a silly pony." He grinned. "I am a very silly pony. It's my nature to be this way, and because of this, I rather like the name that you gave me! Bringer... It has a certain ring to it, I think. It captures the essence of what I do. I bring things, you see. But I lied to you earlier, this isn't a nightmare. This isn't a dream. This is actually real. It is a real place. Everything that happens here is real, especially for you, Asteria, for you and my good buddy. I'll show you an example, in a few moments. I think you'll find it to be very fun."

 

He started to speak faster. "Springer can't speak because I don't want him to speak, not yet. Not before we've discussed the games. It isn't as unreasonable as it sounds. Not really. Of course, there will be games, wonderful wonderful games. Hear me out! I think that you are right, Springer will make the perfect referree. Certainly, his neutrality will be borne out by the structure of the teams. I'll pick the teams, because the games were my proposal, and I have a very good idea of how to maximize the fun. You're right, though... Two against two. It would be ideal. No cheating. Cheaters lose, and there will be no more games if you lose. If you play by the rules, though, everypony wins!" He laughed cheerfully and rolled over backwards, kicking his hooves in the air.

 

Suddenly, he stopped laughing and rolled back up. He landed on his hooves with a bounce. "Now, for a demonstration!" Bringer stood on his hind hooves again, and held out his front hooves to the sides. As he did so, it started to rain, and the sky darkened with clouds. Sprout returned to where the real Springer was apparently rooted in place and, rather considerately, reached under the table and recovered a large umbrella, opening it to keep Springer dry. The sprinkling of rain was impressively, bitingly cold. The sky continued to darken. "See? You can feel that can't you? You can feel everything here. That's real enough, isn't it?" Bringer grinned confidently as the sky darkened considerably

 

"That's enough!" Sprout's younger voice hissed furiously from behind Bringer. The rain stopped, the clouds left, the sky was sunny and bright again. Bringer's grin faded. "Of course, Sprout... Now, shall we plan a game? I think that..." He was cut off by Sprout, the younger Springer seemed irritated. "Not yet! I wanted to talk to them now! I'm the leader, remember? I get my turn. You can talk again later." Bringer could barely contain his smirk. "Certainly, you are. How did I forget! But... I still pick the teams." Sprout snickered. "I heard you the first dozen times. It doesn't matter, because we are working together, so I agree. But I will pick the games, with his help." Sprout pointed at Magicon.

 

Sprout approached Magicon, cautiously, much as he had approached Asteria earlier. He stopped when he was right in front of the unicorn, and he sat down and stared upwards for a moment before chuckling. When he spoke, he did so conversationally, but his young voice carefully enunciated each word. "Red is my favorite color. You have a lot of it. I find this to be amusing. I don't like my name. If you give me a new name, then you may choose the game. I don't care what game is picked. I simply care to have amusement. I grow bored easily. Bringer isn't much fun. That is why we needed Springer. He is more fun than Bringer. Hmmm... Bringer is a silly pony... Asteria was right about this. She wins the first game, truth in a question. It is a fun game." Behind Sprout, Bringer rolled his eyes dramatically but stayed silent.

 

Sprout stopped, then hesitantly turned to Asteria. Grudgingly, he addressed her. "I don't like you. But, you asked good questions. We wanted the questions because they are the first game. You won the first game. Questions are the best kind of game. You can learn things from questions, when they are answered. I have learned much in this way. I like questions, they are amusing, so you are amusing. Because you won the first game, you should recieve a prize. Prizes are amusing. They make the games worth playing by increasing the fun. I will choose your prize. I will choose all of the prizes. I should, because I am the leader."

 

He carefully considered what prize Asteria should recieve for winning the game. "A good prize is fun for all. A good prize should relate to the game. A good prize allows another game to be played." A small smile appeared on Sprout's face. "I will give you this prize. I will answer some of your questions that were to be avoided." Sprout tilted his head slightly to the side. "Are we ponies or not? We are ponies for now, just like you see us. We can be other things as amusement demands. You asked if we are dream eaters? We are not dream eaters. We could not be these things. If there were a dream eater here, we would have to destroy it."

 

Sprout smiled and looked away from both Asteria and Magicon, he continued speaking in a softer, wistful voice. "We are the opposite of dream eaters. We are made of dreams. A dream eater would seek to consume us. That would not be fun. The dreams exist within us. They are apart of us. That is why this world is real. You are with us in a world beyond dreams, beyond reality. We are so far from what is real that everything becomes real. You are real. We are real. Springer is real. The grass, tree, the food - it is all real." He snickered. "The food is very real. If you eat it, you will have fun. Asteria, I am sad that you did not eat it. I would like to see you have fun."

 

"Oh, well." He turned back to Magicon. "I changed my mind. I do not wish for you to name me. I wish for you to choose a game. I will give choices. There are so many games that we can play. Pick one from each pair, I will build the game. We can play a game that is fast or a game that is slow. We can play a game of imagination or a game of excitement. We can play a game of violence or a game of secrets. We can play a game far away or a game close together. We can play a game that is long or one that is short. We can play a game of shadows or a game of light. Slow is fast, imagination makes things exciting, violence is done in secret, moving close pushes things further away, long is short, shadows require light. Take your time. I get bored, quickly. I will amuse myself regardless of your choice. Choose quickly."

 

He turned to Asteria, but only partly. He watched her from the corner of eyes, while still facing Magicon. "Asteria. I would like to play a game with you, while we wait. What kind of game? I will choose a game. Fast. Imagination. Secrets. Close. Short. Shadows. That is the nature of the game. I will tell you the rules and the full game, in opposite order. To play the game, give me a new name. There are three rules. Rule 1. I must like the name. Rule 2. Magicon must like the name. Rule 3. Bringer must not like the name. If these rules are not satisfied, then you lose. Only one chance. If you lose, you give me a prize. If you win, you get a prize."

 

He stopped speaking and turned quickly to face her, his small eyes sparkled with energy. "There are more rules. No one can lie. If a lie occurs, the game was void, you lose. All must tell the truth. Springer will judge their truth. Efficiency is truth. He will be the perfect judge. He will not make a mistake. He will be fast. I will not question him. I cannot lie about liking the name. Magicon cannot lie about liking the name. Bringer cannot lie about not liking the name. To lie is to cheat. To cheat is to lose. To lose is to face punishment. I choose the punishments. The rules are established. The game may begin. Let us all be amused." Behind Sprout, Bringer grinned wildly.

 

 

(OOC: Welcome to hell. The games have begun. First round goes to Magicon and Asteria. Who wins next? We'll wait and see, but Bringer smells blood in the water. Like a shark, he circles, waiting for another sign of weakness. Asteria's game is simple. Give Sprout another name. Make it good. He's provided hints about what he likes and doesn't like. Magicon. May the force be with you. Keep in mind, if Magicon fails to choose the nature of the game, then Bringer gets to influence the nature of the game as well as set the teams. That might not be in your best interest. I can provide no more hints. The stakes are high. Have fun!)

 

 

---

 

"Oh, of course I'd help. I'd be glad to do so." He said cheerfully. "Um... first things first, I repeat my previous statement. I do not hate you Ms. Dawn. I couldn't hate you. I know a thing or two about your mind doing things not even onself is sure about..." he said, his face turning to a small look of sorrow before he continued.

Dawn blinked. Arcanel knew something about the problem that she was having, he had experienced something like this. This changed things, significantly. In this case, he wasn't simply speaking to her out of sympathy or even out of a desire to be nice. He was, instead, speaking to her as a voice of experience. Perhaps, she thought, he knew a solution to this problem. She greatly wished for a way to control her thoughts, regardless of what it was. Anything was better than the helplessness that she now felt.

 

"See... in my book, when I judge a pony, I judge their intentions, and the way the actions happened, the actions themselves pass to a second level of importance. To be honest, I KNEW that right before you were completely mad at Lapis before. This much I know. I am innocent, but I am no fool. I was ready to stop you had anything happened. But, your reaction was provoked. That's why I can't blame you. You did not do it out of some random rage. And I know you're a good pony. That's all I need to know. WIth Lapis, Springer and Magicon, the same applies. Lapis is a good pony, but he's too blunt for his own good. Springer is as well, coupled with the fact he is VERY keen on efficiency, but he thinks well. And as for Magicon, I believe he's a good pony, but the problem is, he's too overly suspicious of ponies. Which can quickly surround one's mind pretty quickly. And so on and so forth. You called yourself before "unstable". I can't say I'm happy when I see other ponies calling themselves that. There IS something that is affecting you, this much I know, because something must be going on to cause you to react that strongly. But... I am hoping I can help with that as well." He smiled.

Again, she was surprised. Arcanel had known that she was going to hurt Lapis. He had been willing to try to stop her. She wondered what he would have done. Even she didn't know how to stop herself. He was a pegasus; she realized that there were only a few options available for him to stop her. He would have had to either fly in the way or to fly into her. Either he would have hurt himself alone, or he would have hurt both himself and her. She wondered which he would have selected.

 

She gently shook her head when Arcanel called Lapis a good pony. She didn't think so, because he had plainly wanted to do some type of harm to her. But, she looked at Arcanel with a bemused look when he defended Lapis's actions with the allegation of his bluntness. What did it mean? Was Arcanel providing an excuse? She listened intently as he contiued. His words on Springer made good sense to her. She knew Springer's weaknesses, the things that caused him to do things that did not always make sense. For Magicon, it was true. He was suspicious. It was overwhelming to him, possibly.

 

He wasn't happy that she called herself unstable. She was confused. Wasn't that what she was? She was unstable. There was no other word to describe her nature. She was a medical pony, she had healed so many. Yet, she was also capable of killing. She had almost killed Lapis. He was just a blunt pony. Arcanel was right... She stoppped thinking, completely. He wanted to help her with her problem. She didn't even have to ask him. He had offered to help out of his own volition. She looked at him searchingly.

 

"Do not hesitate to call my help Ms. Dawn. I'll gladly come." Arcanel reassured Dawn, and gave her a small hug against his own instincts. He was thinking of asking her how she knew of Magicon's name, but decided against it. She didn't need to have that question now.

He restated his desire to help her. She was beginning to lose count of how many times he had offered. What did it mean anyway? When he hugged her, she was stunned but she, instinctively reached out to him, to hug him in return. The motion was halting, awkward, hesitant. She withdrew before she embraced him, and she blushed slightly, not quite sure what had come over her. Suddenly, she wished for her cats to be there, but at the same time, she was happy that they were not. She had left them originally because she was afraid for their safety. She had been certain that Magicon would harm them. She needed them to guard themselves. She thought to herself, the cats could continue to watch themselves, for the time being. She could rely on Arcanel to watch over her for the moment. He was a good kitty.

 

As he finished speaking, he looked at the food that was lying on the table. *Wow... now that I think about it, when was the last time I ate anything?* he asked himself. As if to answer, his stomach loudly rumbled. *Guess that answers that...* he thought in embarrassment. "Er, excuse me for that. I haven't eaten anything in a while haha! Lunch sounds nice."

A sudden and strange sensation distracted her. Her ears twitched and she turned her head, glancing in the direction of her room. For some seconds, she stared. Then, she looked at Arcanel, again. The sensation was gone. She knew what it meant, but at that moment, she wasn't certain that it was important. If it was important, then she would have felt more. Surely, nothing was as important in the moment than gaining control of herself. She considered. There were several spells that she could use to gain more information, but her horn would glow. She wasn't sure of what Arcanel would think of this.

 

It wasn't worth it. She smiled at Arcanel, and picked up her other sandwich. She took another sip of her cider. She ignored the feeling. Her cats could take care of themselves, and she would investigate later, after she was feeling better. She watched Arcanel eating. Her suggestion had been a good one, it seemed, because the pegasus pony was plainly remarkably hungry.

 

As he kept eating he suddenly remembered something. "Oh yeah... um... Ms. Dawn... why can't I help you now?  Did something happen, or did you remember something?" he asked the medical pony, hoping to get some of his confusion cleared.

Dawn looked down, shyly. She was about to look like a an unstable pony for certain. She shouldn't have said anything, she should have just listened. Now, she would have to ask for his help again. It was just a mere few minutes since she had already asked for his assistance and then said no. She wasn't even sure what was the last thing that she had said. Her thoughts seemed too far away. She let go of them, and decided to let them fall, making new thoughts. "Arcanel... First, I would like to thank you for your kindness."

 

She raised her gaze, and she looked him in the eyes. "Second, I apologize for calling myself unstable. You said that you had a similar problem to mine at one time, but now, you seem like you don't. You don't seem like you have the problem of thinking things without knowing why you think them or what they mean? I suppose that you overcame it?" She sighed. "I have already tried magic, but my healing magic works on everypony but me. I tried all kinds of spells to fix my own confusion, but nothing works. So... Is there something else that I could try? How did you become... Well... How did you become a 'stable' pony?"

 

---

 

Summerfall sighed. She trotted and sat down right in front of the filly, a faint smile on her face. She patted the filly's head a few times. This was it, the one million bits question. While it was not exactly wrong of Luminescence to ask for such thing, Summerfall had no clear idea how to answer it. The filly had certainly spent more than enough time fending for herself, altruism from a stranger would seemed to be very unusual for her. It would be understandable if the filly had started to get suspicious on her motives.

Luminescence hoped that the mare would be able to answer her, but as she patted her on the head, Luminescence regretted ever having asked the question. This was such a nice mare, Luminescence wished, direly, that she didn't have to be as suspicious as she was sometimes. She wished that she could just take other ponies as they presented themselves, as either friends or enemies, but she knew that it wouldn't be so. No matter what her heart told her, her mind always needed to have all of the information for building a conclusion.

 

After a mere second of pondering, Summerfall decided that once again, honesty would be the best idea. She shrugged. "I have no idea." She chuckled. It seemed like she had just made a fool of herself in front of the filly.

She looked up at the mare with confusion for one moment, before she joined her in chuckling. It was a fair answer. Not every question required something more than this. If anything, her respect for this pony increased dramatically. The mare had done something that she had seen very few ponies do when faced with a hard quesiton. She had admitted that she didn't know. Luminescence figured to herself that this took more courage and strength than simply making up something.

 

"You looked so afraid out there. It just doesn't seem to be right if I just left you there, alone and deathly afraid of something. I can help you, and I don't have anything dire or important to do, so why not?"

 

Summerfall paused. She found herself in doubt. Why did she let Luminescence in? It was rather unusual of her just to go and help somepony in need. The question lingered, but there was no answer. "You, see, Luminescence... Sometimes we don't need any particular reason to help somepony in need. We shouldn't focus ourselves on the prospect of reward in helping others. It might sounds weird, but as long as we don't have to sacrifice much of ourselves in the process, helping others should never be not an option."

The filly was satisfied, but the mare kept speaking, and her reasoning was so sound that Luminescence's red eyes opened in wonder. It was the first time that anypony had ever told the filly something like this. Most had some definite reasoning, or they insisted that they had done what was right. To Luminescence, neither definite reasoning or insting on what was "right" made total sense. However, these words made sense. Sometimes, a reason simply wasn't important. Instead, helping others was something that should be done so long as the effort required was minimal.

 

She thought about her own perspective. For her, the mare's minimal effort had actually been a tremendous gift. She had smiled not once but twice. Now, she was learning a lesson, something that nopony had ever shared with her before. The cost to the mare had been small, but the benefit to Luminescence had been remrkably large. What if the door had been slammed in her face? What if the darkness had caught up to her? What if she was still alone? Far from having fun, she relized, she would probably be crying miserably out in the hall at the mercy of her own fears.

 

She shuddered softly as she realized that the mare's small investment had saved her from possibly immeasurable terror. Now, instead of either herself or the mare being alone, they would be able to have fun together, safe from the thing in room 8 and safe from being tossed from the train. An action that required no sacrifice had created a better outcome for all. How could she have gone through her life without learning such an important lesson? She smiled again.

 

"I'm terribly sorry for not introducing myself when you did. I guess I was too preoccupied with my thoughts. My name is Summerfall. You can call me Summer if you want. Either way is fine."

 

She stood up looked around her room. The lamp was still turned off, her book was still on where she left it, and the door was still locked. She smiled and fished out a bar of soap from her saddlebag and gave it to the filly. "If you don't have anymore questions, you should take a bath now. I'm sure that you will look much better after you're done." She nudged the filly to the bathroom with her snout, ushering her. "To the shower you go! We can talk more about everything later." She straighten her neck upward and tapped her chin. She wasn't sure about this, but decided to give it a shoot anyway. "Do you need me to help you to bathe?" She asked softly.

Luminescence listened carefully, then she nodded gently while taking the soad. "It's quite alright. I should be fine on my own. However, I would like to say something before I go." She considered Summerfall for a few moments, seemingly measuring the mare with her eyes. "I think that I'll call you Summer. The sun is brightest in the summertime, the grasses grow tall, and all of the ponies run outside to play. The days are so wonderfully warm and cozy. Summer is the prettiest time of year, a time of growth, beauty, and light. Fall..." She inclined her head apologetically. "Please don't be offended with me, but I don't think that Fall is a good time of year."

 

She stood proudly. "In the Fall, the daytime grows shorter, preparing for Winter. There's less time for the light to shine. The temperature grows cold, again, moving towards winter. The trees lose their leaves, creating work for ponies, taking away time that was spent in the summer on more fun things. Flowers that bloom in the summer will often shrivel and die down during the fall. Everything is darker in the fall. Colder. Less fun. I don't like the fall. I prefer summer, it's my favorite season..." She trailed off and looked away for some seconds.

 

When she turned back, she looked strangely affected. "Summer is my favorite season, and I think that... No, I am certain that you are my favorite pony. It makes sense, after all." She paused and pondered for a moment. "I would hug you, but at this rate, we shall both be filthy. I'll return in a moment." She bowed neatly and went straight to the washroom, taking the soap with her. Once there, it only took her a few moments to figure out how the controls worked and she had a shower going in an instant.

 

After about fifteen minutes of cleaning herself and sorting out her mane and tail, she was done. She spent about five more minutes setting everything back into sorts. Throughought the entire time, she replayed her conversation with Summer in her head, reviewing the scene time and time again. She returned from the washroom, sparkling clean and smiling. She spoke with uncharacteristed hesitation. "Umm... Summer... Thank you..." She trotted over to Summer and gave the mare an appreciative hug, burrying her face in Summer's soft, green fur.

 

---

 

Key took a deep breath, it did nothing. She was still worried. Just about any number of things could go horribly wrong if Dawn didn't remember the story, or if Ambrosia demanded for her to do the explaining. It was the ultimate in ironies. Key had given herself a pat on the back for handling lunch without incident, but it was her handling of lunch that had opened up the door for her to betray Ambrosia's newfound trust in her. The situation was unfair, but she had only herself to blame. She had reached the conclusion that it wasn't Dawn Rider's fault. At every step of the way, she had done something wrong or reacted in the wrong way.

 

Dawn smiled and made his way to the exit of the Kitchen Car and the entrance of the dinning car to look for Ambrosia. "Of course Im alright with that, and no need to get Antsy, I just got knocked upside the muzzle, Im not exactly thinking straight right now...gimme a moment Iron Mare, before I collapse in a heap of Cyan on the floor and you trip over me"

She smiled awkwardly at Dawn. For some odd reason, the thought of him collapsing into a pile of pastel coloring wasn't very funny to her. She didn't care about tripping over him if he was in such a state. Instead, she cared, greatly, about what Ambrosia would think of that. A murder, occurring in her kitchen? Dawn Rider reduced to a pile of stick fruit juice-like substance, and she would be the only pony there. No place to run. Nothing but her guilt.

 

Key could only imagine what would happen to her if she was thought of as a killer. Her imagination was filled with grim visions of estrangement from her brother, royal guards, and imprisonment. A sense of panic grabbed hold of her. As Dawn Rider made his way to the table, she stuck right by him as if they were glued together. She was ready to support him in an instant if it looked like he would collapse. He would not become a pile of cyan mush on her watch.

 

---

 

At the very least, his eyes shrank slightly as he watched Ambrosia give the mare another hug. At the sight, Electrobolt began to calm down as he smiled at the gentleness of Ambrosia before he began to hug Wind as well. He felt that Ambrosia's hug and his hug would at least help out the pegasus.

Ambrosia glanced over at Electrobolt. For the second time, he was joining her in consoling Wind Dancer. She was right about him, but it was in more ways than she had originally thought. He wasn't just a good pony. He was a good pony with a good heart, a heart that was like hers - eager to help those that were in need. Not only this, but he had her eyes, she thought with some appreciation. A heart to help other ponies was useless without eyes that were constantly on the lookout for where this help could be given.

 

After Ambrosia finished speaking, Electrobolt cleared his mind out as he agreed with Ambrosia. With a soothing smile on his face, he began to speak. "Yeah, Ambrosia is right. Don't give up hope, we'll help out in any way possible. After all, friends help one another, right?" With the thought of doing whatever he could with Ambrosia to help Wind out, the thought of Dusky having left the room after being flustered left his mind. "As Ambrosia asked, how much do you suspect it would be for the therapy?" After recalling that Ambrosia asked how long the therapy might take, he closed his eyes for a moment. *Hmm... How long WOULD it take...?* he thought, before deciding to make a rough estimate. Opening his eyes a few seconds later, he then spoke up to Wind once more. "As for how long the therapy would take... Do you think it would take about three months...?"

She nodded as Electro followed in her hoofsteps. It was clear that, if she wanted to help Wind Dancer, she had a friend in Electrobolt. She quickly thought about what exactly helping Wind Dancer would require. She wasn't a medical pony, but she was certain that helping Wind Dancer would not be an easy task to accomplish. In fact, she was certain that it would be a challenge. She figured that the amount was certainly outside of Wind Dancer's reach if the pegasus pony's sorrowful demeanor was any indication.

 

"No, and this is the part that makes it almost impossible for my to get my flight back. The amount of therapy that it would take to get my wing to where it can sustain myself for normal light, would take almost two years. That's easy. The impossible part is the fact that it would cost almost forty-five thousand bits for the amount of therapy required... even if I danced the rest of my life... I'd never be able to afford that...." Wind faded out.

Before she knew it, Ambrosia had winced. The amount was exorbitant. Her own earnings as a cook were nowhere near good enough to cover that amount, even after a full year of working. In fact, most ponies would struggle with covering an amount like that in any decent amount of time, because ponies everywhere had bills to pay and families to care for. However, even as Ambrosia felt the hopelessness of Wind Dancer's situation, she realized that the situation wasn't nearly as hopeless as it seemed.

 

Her mind started to view the amount as a challenge. If this amount was the only thing that was preventing this pegasus from being made whole again, then she would find a way. But, with a sigh, Ambrosia realized that it wouldn't even be enough to help Wind Dancer out with her wing. If she had come so close to losing her wing because she wasn't able to afford the earlier procedure, then the pegasus probably didn't live in a good place, if she had a home at all. Ambrosia's green eyes flamed, and she started unconsciously calculating a plan of attack.

 

For the moment, she held her tongue. It was too early to say anything, and she didn't want to frighten Wind Dancer. Ambrosia wasn't a silly pony, she wasn't much of an idealist either. Wind Dancer's situation had leaped out to her in bas relief. It was a situation that was horrible. Wind Dancer needed a home, a reliable income, a healed wing, and a friend. Of those things, Ambrosia was certain that some would be easier to accomplish than others, and all of them would require Wind Dancer to be strong and to trust her. She knew that both of these things would be challenges, in their own right, but Ambrosia actually loved challenges, particularly a challenge to do good.

 

Unfortunately, her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of Dawn Rider to her right. She had caught a glimpse of him and Key walking in unison, and it seemed rather odd to her. She didn't notice his damaged and bleeding nose until she turned her whole head to look. When she did notice it, her reaction was immediate and visceral. Her ears shot back, her neck straightened, her eyes turned into saucers, and her mouth opened wide and then snapped shut. She stared for a few seconds before she exclaimed a single word, "Dawn!"

 

Mindful that Wind Dancer was possibly sensitive to the sight of blood, Ambrosia carefully released her hug on the pegasus. Then, from her seat, which was closest to the wall, she bobbed under the table, and emerged in front of Dawn Rider and Key. She started to head for the first aid kit when a startled voice cut in. "Ambrosia, you cal... Oh... Oh! Oh wow! I can do it!" It was Dawn, the unicorn. Ambrosia spun to her and then looked at Dawn Rider again. The blue unicorn looked like she knew what she was doing, so Ambrosia took a step to the side and watched carefully.

 

The medical pony didn't waste much time. She gently nudged Key Gear, and the filly stepped away, hesitantly eyeing the unicorn. Key's thoughts were centered on Dawn's unusual behaviour earlier in the day, but the unicorn seemed like a completely different pony in that moment. Gently, Dawn took Dawn Rider's cloth from his nose and moved her horn near to where the bleeding was. It lit up, for just an instant. The light wasn't the same red glow that had appeared when she was preparing to harm Lapis, instead it was the soothing light of her namesake, a radiant orangish-purple hue.

 

In that instant, Dawn Rider's nose was completely healed. Ambrosia breathed a sigh of relief. Key smiled nervously and surveyed the ponies in the room, while she edged herself around to make sure that Dawn Rider's nose was completely repaired. A short, sharp laugh caused her to jump away from the medic and stare with wide eyes. Dawn's calm demeanor has vanished completely and she looked like she was about to launch herself into orbit. Her eyes were shining frenziedly and her words started to pour out in rapid succession.

 

Dawn hopped around Dawn Rider like a giant blue rabbit, while she spoke quickly. "This is great! Wow, thanks Ambrosia! And here I was thinking that my healing magic doesn't work on me! But, it does! Look! It's great! See! I healed Dawn! I healed myself!" She laughed manicly, and Key jumped back to avoid a collision. The filly looked intensely agitated as the unicorn's grin started to take on manic proportions. The cook was several steps beyond horrified, "Dawn! What? What are you doing?" Dawn whooped with glee and answered, "Isn't it obvious!? I have another me! I did something good for me too! I'm going to celebrate with me, myself, and everyone else!"

 

Ambrosia raised a hoof and leaned back to avoid crashing into Dawn as the unicorn continued to act wildly, but after that, she had seen enough. She barked a command with a strangely loud and uncharacteristically gruff voice. "No. Now settle down, right now!" The unicorn stopped bounding, skid to a stop, and then plopped down onto the floor. The change had been dramatic. Dawn, held her hooves over her head and softly lamented. "I did it again... I really am unstable. I don't even know what came over me... I think this is useless. Maybe I should have never come on board this train." The cook wasn't sure whether to be concerned for Dawn, confused about the unicorn's behaviour, or annoyed about the entire thing. Key Gear had safely slid under Wind Dancer's table the moment that Ambrosia had become loud.

 

---

 

 

(OOC: All timelines are now caught up to Ice Storm's. I will post for Dusky in my next post. Be advised, this is when things start to move. Sorry Ice, I appreciate your patience in this case. Don't worry, I'm just being careful. Right now, timing is everything, it is the difference in so many different things. Bad news is that my next post will be delayed. A friend of the family just died in an on the job accident. I'm under the weather.)

 

[Starshine 16,333]

 

 

Luminescence listened carefully, then she nodded gently while taking the soap. "It's quite alright. I should be fine on my own. However, I would like to say something before I go." She considered Summerfall for a few moments, seemingly measuring the mare with her eyes. "I think that I'll call you Summer. The sun is brightest in the summertime, the grasses grow tall, and all of the ponies run outside to play. The days are so wonderfully warm and cozy. Summer is the prettiest time of year, a time of growth, beauty, and light. Fall..." She inclined her head apologetically. "Please don't be offended with me, but I don't think that Fall is a good time of year."

 

She stood proudly. "In the Fall, the daytime grows shorter, preparing for Winter. There's less time for the light to shine. The temperature grows cold, again, moving towards winter. The trees lose their leaves, creating work for ponies, taking away time that was spent in the summer on more fun things. Flowers that bloom in the summer will often shrivel and die down during the fall. Everything is darker in the fall. Colder. Less fun. I don't like the fall. I prefer summer, it's my favorite season..." She trailed off and looked away for some seconds.

 

Summerfall raised an eyebrow in curiosity when Luminescence said she wanted to say something before she go to the bathroom. The filly eyed her for a while, which caused Summerfall to chuckle inwardly for a bit. Was Luminescence trying to memorize her appearances? Or maybe she was judging if she wanted to take a bath together? It's a weird question that she was most likely would never be able to know the answer.

 

Summerfall silently cheered when Luminescence said that she would call her using the first half of her name. It was not like she disliked her full name, but it felt better when somepony called her using a name that was not a mish-mash of two different seasons. She smiled, albeit rather uneasily, when Luminescence described in great detail on how summer was her favorite season and how she detested fall. It was rather unusual to have another pony analyzed your name like that. Not that she had any objection about it. Summerfall had to agree that the fall was generally not the best time of the year. Everything seemed to lose their vibrant lifeness and slowed down considerably as mother nature prepared herself for her yearly slumber under the cold, pristine snow. Fall was also the time when ponies had to stop tending their farmlands, not a very good time for the Harvest Union who partially relied on the farmers to both replenish and purchase the goods on its shelves.

 

 

 

When she turned back, she looked strangely affected. "Summer is my favorite season, and I think that... No, I am certain that you are my favorite pony. It makes sense, after all." She paused and pondered for a moment. "I would hug you, but at this rate, we shall both be filthy. I'll return in a moment." She bowed neatly and went straight to the washroom, taking the soap with her. Once there, it only took her a few moments to figure out how the controls worked and she had a shower going in an instant.

 

Summerfall almost blushed when Luminescence said that she was her favorite pony. Her eyes widened slightly, even more so when the filly said that it made sense. That title was usually reserved for one's mother, not some random stranger one just met on a train. While yes, she had just helped her from a seemingly great danger, but she was hardly the best of ponies. Summerfall chuckled when Luminescence commented that a hug would make both of them dirty. She nodded to the filly when she excused herself to the bathroom.

 

The bathroom's door closed. A few moments later a sound of water running could be heard from behind the wall. Summerfall finally let out a sigh she had kept inside her the whole time. She shook her head a couple times. "Oh Celestia, please help me so that I won't disappoint her," She muttered to herself. Without a word she walked to her saddlebag and carefully bagged a hundred and twenty bits to a small pouch. She put the small pouch of bits at the top of a nearby shelf. It would be for later when she need to make a payment for Luminescence's 'ticket' on the train, and an extra for the apples she ate when she was in her hiding place before this. Summerfall was not exactly sure on how conductors usually reacted for illegal passengers, but she greatly hoped that Vim would accept the late payment and let Luminescence stay on the train.

 

After pulling the loose corners of the bed, Summerfall slowly climbed to her previous position on the bed. Her book was still there, opened and eager to be read. She fidgeted a few times, trying to find the most comfortable position before finally slumped down on the downy bed. Her eyes moved left and right, scanning the page, but her mind was elsewhere. Her thoughts lingered back to that moment when the filly looked at her before she went to the bathroom.

 

Luminescence had such beautiful eyes.

 

 

 

After about fifteen minutes of cleaning herself and sorting out her mane and tail, she was done. She spent about five more minutes setting everything back into sorts. Throughout the entire time, she replayed her conversation with Summer in her head, reviewing the scene time and time again. She returned from the washroom, sparkling clean and smiling. She spoke with uncharacteristic hesitation. "Umm... Summer... Thank you..." She trotted over to Summer and gave the mare an appreciative hug, burying her face in Summer's soft, green fur.

 

When Luminescence walked out from the bathroom, Summerfall did a double take on the filly. She blinked twice, but the sight in front of her remained the same. The filly was positively gleaming. It was almost a little otherworldly. That soap was definitely a good product, the mare thought to herself, we should put it on the shelves later. When Luminescence spoke, it was with a certain hesitation she didn't have before. Summerfall closed her book and slowly stepped down from the bed.

 

Summerfall suppressed yelped when Luminescence suddenly trotted and hugged her. The filly even buried her face in her fur. Summerfall hesitated, but she returned the hug nevertheless. She stroked Luminescence a few times with a gentleness she couldn't recall she ever had. It was a small, beautiful moment, albeit she was a bit uncomfortable. She hoped that she didn't inadvertently confused the filly about something. Thankfully her brother was nowhere nearby, the stallion loved to make disgusting gagging sounds when she hugged another pony, be it a filly or a colt. Summerfall pecked Luminescence forehead before scooping her up onto the bed. She shuffled the filly's mane for a bit.

 

"I take it you have a great time cleaning yourself?" Summerfall asked while smiling lovingly. "I'm sure you did, and that's good! You look positively beautiful." She paused. She didn't really know what should a mare do to entertain a filly. Making funny faces or playing board games would be a terrible idea. Summerfall pondered her options a little bit. She could try to fetch Luminescence some of the fruit sandwiches from the dining room, or she could try to bring up her case to the conductor. The sooner the conductor know about the filly, the better. Keeping her presence as a secret would only serve to upset him even more when he finally found out.

 

"Anyway, Luminescence, are you hungry? I can take some fruit sandwiches from the dining car if you want some, and maybe a glass of cider or two. The dining car is just two cars away from this one." Summerfall tapped her chin in a thoughtful manner. "And... If you're okay with the idea, I can also talk with the conductor about you. I will tell him that you followed me from Ponyville to the train, and that you hid in the baggage car up until the moment you showed up just a few minutes before. I already prepared enough bits to buy you a ticket for the train, hopefully he would be okay with the late payment. How does that sound? If you think that we should wait for a while longer, I can wait until later at night before I meet the conductor. What do you think?"

 

Summerfall would be lying if she said that she wasn't concerned about leaving Luminescence alone in the room, what with whatever it was in the room 8 still roaming free and all. She was also still worried that Vim might would not be so kind as to let Luminescence stay on his train until Los Pegasus. No, she had enough bits to buy a ticket for another dozen of fillies if the need ever arise. Vim could name any prices he wanted for the ticket and she would be able to pay for it. But judging from his reaction when he learned that Summerfall was given a free ticket, Vim was not exactly a greedy pony. He seemed to be a stallion that treated his job with pride, bribing him would be next to impossible.

[Bari 7,023]

Asteria watched as Sprout approached with his head low. She wondered what it was he wanted. But before the younger Springer could get any closer, Bringer landed in front of the both of them and quickly displaced Sprout. Bringer spoke it such a joyous fashion. He was so happy with her questions and suggestion, it seemed as though this would be a fun time indeed. Bringer went straight into answering Asteria questions. Bringer immediately became courteous, bowing before her and taking upon an accent of high class. Asteria eyed Bringer in wonder. It was like in the stories.

 

Bringer was like her in a way. A pony without responsibilities. This world was his after all. That much was clear. Asteria resisted the urge to giggle when Bringer proposed the notion that her mane matched Magicon's fur. Asteria noticed Sprout was watching them, clearly not at ease. Unhappy, one might say. A curious sight. At least Bringer liked his name. It did suit him. Any other name would only have detracted from his nature. A silly pony. Not always a good thing, but for the time being, a neutral party until the time came to be proven one way or the other. But her attention was drawn to Bringer fully once he revealed that he had lied.

 

This wasn't a dream? Then why was the concentration of aura so great here? But she was well aware of the realness of this place. The fact that this wasn't a dream plane only made it more difficult. If this were something else, then Asteria was no more powerful here than at home, if not weaker... She listened very carefully as Bringer outlined the rules. They seemed sound enough. But why couldn't Springer be allowed to speak? He must know something. It was the only reason you'd silence someone. And yet, they might need him for something, so they kept him alive. If that was how it was going to be, only progression would reveal more answers. Bringer was having too much fun rolling around on the ground.

 

The purpled-eyed Springer got up again and announced there would be a demonstration. Which wasn't all that necessary. There was grass beneath their hooves. Asteria could feel it. The rain only served to be a show of power. To show them that Bringer was the one in charge. Sprout had shielded Springer, which perplexed Asteria. His sudden shout caused Bringer to end the rain, which was a welcome relief. Asteria shook herself a few times to shed the water. Bringer began to get things moving, but then Sprout cut him off. It was the first time Sprout had showed any character, truly. Sprout was the leader. It didn't seem strange, though. Like a young prince and his overzealous advisor. Asteria felt the basic aura imagery between the two. It was all she got. So, Magicon would pick the game if he gave Sprout a new name? Did he know how to be fun? But it was better he choose. Asteria would not be able to pick a game unless she knew what the kind of choices were. She didn't want Magicon to be a guinea pig, but this was how things were going.

 

Sprout seemed deliberate in his words. Each one was structured to cause certain feelings. So Bringer wasn't fun? Sprout didn't like his name? And she had won the first game? The first two would have to be fixed, while the lasted needed to be celebrated. Once Sprout was finished, he turned towards Asteria, not exactly eager about it. He didn't like her. If she wasn't positive she had to remain outwardly happy and cheerful, she would have pouted theatrically. Somepony not liking her wasn't a bad thing. You can't win 'em all over. But she would try her darndest. At least Sprout, or Yet-To-Be-Renamed, as she remarked in her mind, wasn't mean enough to refuse her the congratulations she deserved. Questions were always the best. The chance to learn more is a wonderful idea. And she would get a prize, too! She started feeling excitement. Whatever could it be?

 

Sprout explained the nature of prizes, then revealed that her prize was to be the answers Bringer didn't give her. Not much of a prize, but better than nothing. She'd been hoping for a hat. They were ponies, or at least, they were at the moment. They were the opposite of dream eaters. They were made of dreams. Was it true? Their auras were not exactly clear in her mind. If they were made of dreams, then they could will whatever they wanted to be seen. But then Sprout began to ramble. It really didn't matter what was real or not. Asteria had known this was a plane of existence the moment she felt the grass. Only Luna could go into dreams, right? So only a fool would wholly believe this were a dream. But why did Sprout want her to eat the food so badly? Truthfully, she wasn't hungry. While making the sandwiches, she ate more than she had prepared. Key Gear had probably not noticed. There was no harm in not eating the food here, hopefully.

 

Sprout turned back to Magicon, stating his challenge was switched. He was now to pick a game without having to give Sprout a new name. How odd. Asteria could only listen while Magicon was given his choices. It sounded a bit complex. But that was that. Whatever he picked, they would have to play if they planned on seeing what any of this meant. When that was done, Sprout looked at her from the corner of his eye. He explained that she was to play another game. He explained all the rules, and she did her best to internalize them. Finally, after everything was explained, he fully faced her, expecting an answer. Throughout the entire thing, Asteria's smile never wavered once. This was a new world, wasn't it? That means the old rules didn't apply. A whole new adventure, and the smell of looming death and worse hung in the air. Not in the literal sense of course. But like how aura worked. What would Sprout like? What would Magicon like? What would Bringer not like?

 

Sprout liked the color red. He was a lover of questions and fun. In some ways, he mirrored Asteria herself. But it didn't simply rely on Sprout alone. He can love the name to bits for all she cared. And Magicon would probably accept anything with some integrity. But what about Bringer? Sprout said Bringer wasn't fun. Would a fun name work? What made a name fun? Asteria felt a bit clueless. She was tempted to just call him Question Marks and leave it at that. But what if Bringer liked the name? Sprout might like it, since it begged questions, right? She looked thoughtful for another moment. Maybe she should work at the color aspect. What was red? Rose were red. But Sprout appeared to be a male, and Rose was a feminine name. But really, who was to say? Asteria doubt the Springers were really Springers. But she decided not to wonder what they really were. So a gender neutral name was best. But what? What?! What name would be the right one? Lapis would have told her not to worry. So she didn't. His eyes. Their eyes. Lapis and Sprout both had red eyes.

 

Asteria stopped thinking. She met Sprout's gaze. It was now or never. If this was the wrong choice, then she was never going to win. She doubted she could ever come up with another name. She just hoped Magicon would like it. That Sprout would like it. And that Bringer wouldn't like it. Those were the rules. They pounded against her mind. She smiled and spoke with a voice filled with hope. "I think I have a new name for you. You know, I'm a bit like your mother, eh? Giving you a name and all. How does 'Scarlet' sound to you? Scarlet is a wonderful shade of red. What do you all say?" She let any doubt empty from her heart. It was out of her hooves now. Whatever came next would be either success or failure. But that was okay. This world was something new. How many ponies could say they had gone to a whole new world? One with a different set of rules. She could just feel it in the air. Here, only by playing these games could they hope to win. She smiled contently and happily. It was such a beautiful place, wherever this was.

[Magicon 468]

If his hopes could be replaced by a greater emotion than surprise, Magicon was now experiencing it by Asteria’s reaction. He nearly fell over on his back as the young filly not only seemed perfectly comfortable in their new environment but conversed and questioned these two Springers. She commanded their attention, baffling Magicon in the process, and quickly making a first impression for both Springers, one that Magicon was very uneasy about. He feared her boldness would end her in hot water, forcing him to not only rescue her, but probably rescue Springer as well. Who knew what these two “creatures” were up to?

 

The two took great interest at her, especially after Asteria named them Bringer and Sprout. If he wasn’t suspicious of the two Springers, Magicon would’ve giggled at her choice of names. Yet his guard was at its peak level; he trusted nothing about them or this new place that they were in. After Asteria had named them, they began approaching her and Magicon stuck out his hoof in front of Asteria, lest they did anything to her. In the back of his mind, he began preparing and reviewing a series of spells that would protect them in case those two decided to do anything funny.

 

Yet that is exactly what they did. The one named Bringer practically rolled up in front of them, particularly Asteria and stated he really liked her. Magicon wasn’t sure if there was malice or deception behind the statement; it didn’t feel like it, but he knew nothing about these ponies, if they were ponies. He would not make quick judgments or take anything about them for granted, including their statements.

 

Bringer’s quick judgment about Asteria being his filly had flown over Magicon’s head until this moment. But he made no visible reaction to coming around to it: being Asteria’s father, though illogical, was not the worst possible thing. If anything, it could be considered flattering: it would’ve added a personal achievement with a special somepony that he longed for. Yet Magicon did not have such a reaction; this was neither the time nor the place for such a reaction. Instead Bringer turned to him and stated a key piece of information Magicon was not likely to forget.

 

 

 

But I lied to you earlier, this isn't a nightmare. This isn't a dream. This is actually real. It is a real place. Everything that happens here is real, especially for you, Asteria, for you and my good buddy. I'll show you an example, in a few moments. I think you'll find it to be very fun."

 

He narrowed his eyes at the pegasus. He had deliberately lied to him and though it could be considered a white lie, Magicon did not consider it as such. It proved one thing for Magicon: Bringer was untrustworthy; he must always be on his guard and take his statements with a grain of salt. In addition, the statement raised only more questions. How was this world real? Where was it in relation to his real world? How was he transported so quickly here? Why was Springer constantly subjected to it? Hundreds of questions filled his mind while Bringer suggested an idea that made Magicon’s mind and fur freeze: play a game with Springer as a referee.

 

Magicon gritted his teeth and his fears fell backwards at the idea. It wasn’t the idea of games that scared him, but the idea of playing games with these two, one of which he knew was already a liar, which made the idea sound that much worse. Yet Bringer was totally amused by the idea, so much so that he fell over laughing.

 

Then he stopped and began a demonstration by suddenly filling the sky with dark clouds dripping with water. Magicon shivered as the cold rain seeped right through his mane and fur and stained his cape. If he wasn’t scared or freezing he would’ve glared at Bringer and ended the rain himself, but he was powerless to do so. Instead Sprout ordered Bringer to stop the rain, which he did, and then began arguing with him. Magicon made another observation: there was an uncertainty as to leadership. If he had to he would attempt to have them question ach others authority, hopefully allowing him to grab Asteria and Springer and get out of this world. While he thought of a general outline of escape, he observed Sprout approaching him and speaking to him in a cautious tone.

 

 

 

"Red is my favorite color. You have a lot of it. I find this to be amusing. I don't like my name. If you give me a new name, then you may choose the game. I don't care what game is picked. I simply care to have amusement. I grow bored easily. Bringer isn't much fun. That is why we needed Springer. He is more fun than Bringer. Hmmm... Bringer is a silly pony... Asteria was right about this. She wins the first game, truth in a question. It is a fun game."

 

Magicon grit his teeth. He wasn’t very good with names. He wasn’t the most creative on ponies. He couldn’t just create a name on the spot. It would be a disaster and his fault. Yet Magicon was more interested in Sprout’s displeasing words at Asteria. Though Sprout didn’t like Asteria, another observation and reason why Magicon was making sure to take extra care of the filly, her boldness had somehow won them their first game, a game that Magicon didn’t know he was playing.

 

Apparently, they won information and the information they received only further confused Magicon. Bringer and Sprout were apart of dreams. Were they dream-makers? What is beyond the world of dreams that they were now in? Such a place exists? How is that possible? What sort of magic is responsible for this? He knew such questions would be fruitless not only to him but also Asteria. There was no point in gaining more information about their world. What they needed to do was get back to their world, alive.

 

 

 

"Oh, well." He turned back to Magicon. "I changed my mind. I do not wish for you to name me. I wish for you to choose a game. I will give choices. There are so many games that we can play. Pick one from each pair, I will build the game. We can play a game that is fast or a game that is slow. We can play a game of imagination or a game of excitement. We can play a game of violence or a game of secrets. We can play a game far away or a game close together. We can play a game that is long or one that is short. We can play a game of shadows or a game of light. Slow is fast, imagination makes things exciting, violence is done in secret, moving close pushes things further away, long is short, shadows require light. Take your time. I get bored, quickly. I will amuse myself regardless of your choice. Choose quickly."

 

His stomach dropped and his heart froze. The weight of all Equestria suddenly fell on his shoulders. How in Equestria or beyond could he make such choices under such pressure? Who should he favor in those choices: himself or Sprout? He hardly knew Sprout. If it had been Bringer, he might have a chance, but with Sprout Magicon knew the odds were against him. While he debated with himself and continued grinding his teeth, out of fear and frustration he heard Sprout ask Asteria to rename him with a with strings attached, one being that Magicon must genuinely like the name. Then he heard four words that took some of the weight off of his shoulders: no one can lie.

 

Though he doubted Bringer would follow those rules, he knew that Sprout would probably know when he was lying and punish him accordingly. At least that was in-check. At the same time he knew he couldn’t lie about Asteria’s choice of a name. She seemed creative and smart enough to find a name that would match all those requirements. Plus she seemed to be doing quite well in this place, even with one pony plainly disliking her. He retracted his hoof guarding Asteria. She would have a name, he was sure of it.

 

Yet what about him? He was scared half-to-death, for his sake as well as for Springer’s and Asteria’s. Springer seemed helpless and almost tortured by these two and Asteria, though quickly making a controversial first impression, was wandering into dangerous waters. He didn’t want to play games with these two. Heck, he didn’t even want to be in the same world with them. They screamed deception and untrustworthiness. Magicon didn’t care who or what they were or their purpose in life; all he wanted to do was get the three out of this place, alive.

 

Yet Asteria was determined to stay as she spoke, suggesting a new name for Sprout: Scarlet. Magicon’s thoughts paused as he considered the name. One of the requirements was that he liked the name. He did like the name, but was it appropriate for a colt. Then it hit him: it didn’t matter whether or not the name was appropriate for a colt or filly. Asteria could’ve picked “Buck-you” or something so long as Magicon liked it. He liked Scarlet, even if it was a filly’s name. One requirement was met and another weight was lifted off his shoulders.

 

His mind returned to those questions and he realized that he had to make his choices now. He figured since he knew himself better than Sprout or Scarlet he would be more comfortable with his own choices. Plus they weren’t all that different from Sprout’s. Perhaps that would help.

 

Closing his eyes to take a momentary deep breath Magicon spoke with some initial hesitation. “I…really don’t like games like this…but I don’t really have a choice. So as for Asteria, I do like the name Scarlet. Now…as for my choices..” he paused to run them through his head. “Ok, well, here they are:  A slow game of excitement involving a game of secrets that is close together which is long involving a game of shadows.”

 

He nervously released his breath as he finished. Though contradictory his choices seemed they all served a purpose for him: slow games meant more time for him to figure out weaknesses and escape plans. Excitement was concrete; imagination was too abstract and too dangerous with these two. Secrets were his specialty. Close together because that was the best way to know thine enemy and involving shadows because he was a pony of the dark, not one much for the light. He hoped that his choices would make for the greatest chances of winning.