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

[Electrobolt 2,069]

As Electrobolt remained in the hug with Ambrosia, he began to wonder just how much the price would be for the therapy. However, at that time, Wind Dancer began to speak, as she corrected the young colt that it would take about two years. This caused his eyes to open a little wider, but not too much. Three months was more hopeful than anything, but then the next thing she said caused his eyes to shoot wide open. *What??? Forty-five thousand bits???* he thought, shocked at the amount. *That's about 45 times what I won from the tournament...!*

 

Shaking his head out of shock, he let go of the hug to look at Ambrosia. However, much to his surprise, Ambrosia didn't seem surprised. Instead, she seemed to be in thought about something. Although he wanted to ask, he worried that perhaps it wouldn't be smart to ask in front of Wind Dancer. After being lost in thought for some time however, she had caught a glimpse of something that distracted her. Curious, Electrobolt chanced a look as he glanced over to where Ambrosia was looking, only to see Key walking alongside a pegasus pony, who's nose was bleeding.

 

*What happened to his nose???* he thought, worried about the pegasus. Just then, Ambrosia shouted out the name Dawn, to which he assumed she was referring to the pegasus. *Dawn... There are two Dawns then?* Shaking his head, he looked back to where Ambrosia was, only to see her not there anymore. Instead, she slipped out from under the table to the pegasus, when the unicorn - also Dawn - started saying something before rushing over to the pegasus Dawn before healing his nose up. *Well, that's good, at le---* he started to say in his mind, before hearing unicorn Dawn start going crazy.

 

Worried about Wind Dancer, Electrobolt glanced over to her to see how she was reacting before jumping slightly when he heard Ambrosia speak loudly at Dawn, most likely the unicorn Dawn. Shaking his head, he sighed before blinking as he felt something brush against his legs. Curious, he looked under the table as he saw the source of the feeling he felt: his sister, Key Gear. Curious, he quickly waved a hoof up, trying to signal Key to get out from under the table and join both him and Wind Dancer. After she got out from under the table and in a chair, Electrobolt cleared his throat as he turned around to look at Wind. "Um, sorry you had to see all of that, Wind... Anyways, um... I'd like for you to meet my sister, Key Gear."  Turning around to his sister, he introduced her to Wind. "Key Gear, this is Wind Dancer." Turning back to Wind, he added, "Wind, this is my sister, Key Gear."

[King 5,625]

 

 

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.

Dawn was entirely impressed how quickly Dawn had gone from insane to professional and had actually grinned at how quickly she reacted. His nose began to feel immediately better after Dawn's magic took hold and healed it right up. He was amazed how quickly it had worked, he had seen medical ponies at work before, but in his past they were always slower working, Dawn's magic must have been rather practiced. Dawn rubbed his nose after he felt the magic run its course and it felt alot better, although still covered in blood. He grabbed the cloth back and wiped away the remaining blood that stained his muzzle, making it alot cleaner ten it was before, even though hints of blood still remained on him.

 

 

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!

Then of course, the insanity poked it's head again. Dawn was incredibly grateful though so he gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Thanks Dawn...for healing me, and everything" Dawn smiled as he tried to follow Dawn as she bounced around the group uttering random things. Dawn had to laugh as he finished his sentence at how she reacted to healing him. It was kinda cute, if he had to say so, she reminded him of how his sister acted each Hearths warming Eve...which was funny to him in many ways. He couldn't help but think what Ambrosia would say, and he hoped that she wouldn't be hard on Key, he'd stick up for her no matter what Ambrosia said though.

 

He had to go over his story a few times in his head just incase she did say something, but a thought occurred to him, if he spoke first, it would give him time to vanquish all thoughts that Key did it on purpose.

 

 

 

"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.

He felt a little sorry for Dawn but understood why she needed to be controlled, she may hurt herself one day with all that bouncing around. Dawn turned to Ambrosia to explain why he was hurt. "We had an accident in the kitchen,Key turned around to fast while holding a frying pan and it...well hit me in the nose. It was my fault though I wasn't watching where I was going when I knew very well she was washing up" Dawn said calmly and added a laugh in at the end.

He had hoped his story would get Key off the hook if Ambrosia had thought she did it on purpose.

[Alex Night 870]

Alex watched Flow as she answered his interactions.  He had to admit that he loved speaking with her.  He did have the original plan of having so much fun on the train ride, but somewhere between the incident with Clarity and the Trixie show incident the train ride seemed to put everypony on a sort of edge.  So, speaking with Flow was great considering the events that he happened and he was glad that nothing serious happened to Flow due to Trixie's magic show.  When she told him that he was more than welcome to come and watch her teach, his tail swished to the right involuntarily.  He was more than glad to be able to do so after he was done with his work shift or during his lunch break.  He had never been taught by anypony, so he was curious as to how well she can be able to teach other young Pegasi on how to fly.

 

 

 

"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."

 

Alex wasn't expecting this question and he hesitated a bit.  "Oh, well..."  Alex said at first as he didn't really think much about the train.  He honestly thought that it was fine except for all the blaming and such that was going around when Key Gear was being accused.  If he had to point something out about the train, he would have to say that it was the events that made the trip seem a little too crazy here on the train.  "Well, the decor looks fine really.  I just think that it's..."  Alex started off to her until a certain event caused him pause as his ears perked up.

 

He saw the medical pony over there acting up in some sort of antics that just seemed to draw his attention.  However, this new event drew his attention to yet another pony he was familiar with.  It was Key Gear and some other stallion that he doesn't remember seeing on the train.  Now, the whole gang of Electrobolt, Ambrosia, and Key Gear were now there and he now had the impulse to speak with them.  He smiled brightly as he was glad that Key Gear was still on the train as well.  He looked back to Flow real quick.  "Flow, there's Key Gear.  Come on, let's go mingle with the others for a bit."  Alex suggested cheerfully to her as he consolidated his plate and finished his cider before getting up from the table.

 

Alex trotted up towards Key Gear and the group near the edge of the dining car.  He now saw that the mare cook Ambrosia was now trying to get the medical pony to not be so loud.  His ears perked up at the unicorn's mention of her being unstable.  "Unstable?  You mean she has a medical condition?..."  Alex thought to himself, although he couldn't really pass judgement.  He focused his attention back on the blue Earth Pony filly.  When Alex got closer to the group, he no longer saw that Key Gear was within the group and that she was now hiding underneath the table.  "Is...  Everything all right over here?"  Alex asked the group curiously, inferring about the hysteric unicorn and the fact that Key had slipped underneath the table where Electrobolt was sitting at with another Pegasus mare.  His attention was pulled away at the moment at the sight of the elegant Pegasus mare.  He knew that he had never seen her on the train before and now felt certain that he needed to mingle more with the others.

 

Alex looked back at Key Gear who was now back out of the table and already introductions were on their way.  He had learned that the Pegasus mare's name was Wind Dancer, which he secretly thought that was a lovely name and wondered if she really could dance among the winds.  He looked around the group seated at the table.  "I'm sorry, everypony.  Is it alright if I join you all?"  Alex asked them a little sheepishly.  Somehow, he felt as if he was out of place here and would only serve to make the environment awkward as they seemed to have a crowd now.

 

 

 

"We had an accident in the kitchen,Key turned around to fast while holding a frying pan and it...well hit me in the nose. It was my fault though I wasn't watching where I was going when I knew very well she was washing up" Dawn said calmly and added a laugh in at the end. He had hoped his story would get Key off the hook if Ambrosia had thought she did it on purpose.

 

Alex couldn't help but cringe a bit at hearing the new cyan pegasus' story of how he got his nose injured.  He didn't see any wounds, so he figured that he must've gotten patched up just recently.  He had to admit, you only need to get hit in the face by a frying pan... once...  Alex didn't know why, but looking at the Pegasus he couldn't help but feel a little alive right now.  Maybe it is the sight of the cyan coat that was giving him the same competitive spirit that he had when he would race with Rainbow Dash.  He now felt curious as to whether or not he was a fast flier as well, but he decided to wait until he was invited into the group.

[Flow 1,628]

 

 

"Oh, well..."  Alex said at first as he didn't really think much about the train.

 

Flow was eager to hear Alex' thoughts about the train, "Yes..c'mon" She spoke her thoughts out in a very low voice. Despite the unfortunate events that happened, she still enjoyed the ride, promising herself to make the best of this trip. She felt like she needed to act that way in order to avoid getting severely depressed after experiencing yet another near death experience.

 

 

 

"Well, the decor looks fine really.  I just think that it's..."  Alex started off to her until a certain event caused him pause as his ears perked up.

 

 

"I know! Isn't it? This train, it's really designed for the upper class, am I right?" She asked with a cheery expression, the next thing she knew, he was staring at another table, with his ears flopping up "Uh...Alex? Alex? Are you listening? Hello?" She felt flustered for a bit. "Uh....what is he staring at?" She wondered, then she turned to where he was looking at to find Key Gear, along with Ambrosia and several others, "Oh, it's Key and the others....what's going over there? Looks strange..."

 

 

 

He looked back to Flow real quick.  "Flow, there's Key Gear.  Come on, let's go mingle with the others for a bit."  Alex suggested cheerfully to her as he consolidated his plate and finished his cider before getting up from the table.

 

"Er...sure" She agreed, curious about what is going on over there. Soon she followed him to the table where Key and the rest are at, once there she asked "Uh...is everything alright?" feeling rude, she apologized and made her introduction "I'm sorry...My name's Flow, pleased to meet you all new passengers, oh and hello Key, Ambrosia, Electrobolt. Good to see you guys doing well," She smiled.

 

Next she set her sights on a cyan pegasus mare, "Cool! Another pegasus mare on the train! Now I don't feel too nervous anymore,"

[Arcanel 3,041]

As Arcanel herd Dawn thank him, he let out a smile. *Glad to know that at least she knows she has someone who is understanding.* He thought in happiness. However, as soon as Dawn asked him how he had become a more stable pony, he frowned. *Well... this is gonna be one hard explanation alright... here goes nothing.* He decided as he took a long breath and started talking.

 

 

"Well... first things first, you're very welcome Ms. Dawn." He began, a smile in his face making its way in before disappearing quickly. "As in response to the other... well... Ms. Dawn, I'm afraid that healing spells could work for something like this. This comes from the mind. And something like that can only be healed with both exterior and interior help. I... could not call myself a stable pony by any means. I have a long way to go before that. Of course... I never intended to BE stable. And, if I were to be honest, I am unsure what would one consider "stable". We're all unstable at some point. Otherwise we would be perfect. Instead, I make sure that how I am tries to hurt less people, and help them more. That's what I am, and how I was born as. Living in an orphanage for almost half your life makes you a bit unstable, trust me. But instead... I held on to what good I could find, even if it could end up in me tearing it apart by making myself unworthy of it in my own mind." He stopped for a bit to catch his own breath and continued.

 

 

"So Ms. Dawn, I can't tell you how to become a more stable pony, or at least not as directly. But... I can tell you this. What we are, we're the ones who can control it. And how we think for it, shapes us. You're a medical pony aren't you? You want to help ponies out. It is what you want to do. And you don't intend to hurt anypony. But you just can't help at being overwhelmed by your own emotions. And this, trust me, I understand how it is, because I felt it and I still feel it to this day. How do you avoid that? Well..... you can't completely. It's who you are. But you can ccontrol how you act non the outside at the most least. But this is not easy... it requires time... and patience, which I know you probably don't like being told as neither do I. It's the only way however, but you can do it. ALl you have to do is-" at that moment, the white mailpony was interrupted.

 

 

At that moment he heard a scream that called Dawn. The moment the scream was let out, Dawn quickly located with her head whoever had screamed and walked there. As she did, Arcanel followed close behind. *Oh dear... I wonder what happened...?* and just as he was finishing his thought, the pegasus saw two ponies come out from the kitchen. One of them was a cyan pegasus stallion with a curious black mane with yellow streaks around it, and the other was a dark blue filly. The stallion had a bloody nose. "Oh." Was all Arcanel could say as he watched the pegasus. Instantly he became worried about what could have happened to the pony, but before he could ask about it, Dawn began quickly went to heal the wounded stallion. As she did, Arcanel couldn't help but smile. *Well... I hope this makes her happy.* he pondered.

 

As he saw the scene, he started watching who else was at the moment. Aside from Dawn, himself and stallion and filly, he saw Ambrosia who looked very worried and was probably the one who called Dawn's name, he saw the same couple of ponies he saw on the train before, the cream colored filly, and the dark turquoise colt, he recognized Electrobolt, and he saw a new mare who he thought was a new passenger, a blue colored mare with a mane with various tones of blue that heavily reminded him of how Ice Storm was. *They're not similar though, just both of them have lots of blue.* He determined. Suddenly, he heard a loud voice.

 

 

"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!"

The moment he heard the voice he turned around to properly look at Dawn who was jumping around like a little filly who was really happy. *She's happy alright but... healing herself? What does that... oh... the stallion is probably called Dawn too and she had already met him...* he determined as he saw the light blue mare keep jumping with joy. As he continued watching the scene, he felt that Ambrosia was getting more and more nervous as Dawn kept on bouncing around the floor. Her demeanor did not help the cook calm down and Arcanel was started to get worried about Dawn yet again

 

After a few seconds, 

 

"No. Now settle down, right now!"

 

 

The way the lemon colored mare had commanded Dawn made Arcanel cringe a little. *I would not like to be on her bad side... at all...* he mentally gulped. Afterwards he saw Dawn calm down and go from crazy happiness to utter sadness in one second.

 

 

 

"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."

 

He had heard more than enough to quickly go by Dawn's side an comfort her. "Now now Ms. Dawn... even if you have sudden changes of state, that does not mean you should call yourself useless, nor will I allow you to say that you should have never boarded. You saved Springer's life! And you fixed that stallion's broken nose! You did good things! And so far, they have completely surpassed anything bad that you may have done so far. Please Ms. Dawn... cheer up. I don't think crying is what suits you. Being happy is what suits you." Arcanel gently told the mare, slightly holding her hooves and separating them from her head. "I will go to check up on the stallion, ok? I'll be back real soon." He told Dawn, and with those words, gave a strong hug to the mare, and went on his way to check up on the stallion.

 

When he did, he realized the blue filly was gone. *Huh... I wonder where she went... oh, right there.* he suddenly thought as he saw the filly be with Electrobolt and new passenger. *Huh... I thought she was this stallion's sister... maybe I was wrong?* he started asking himself. However, he left his thoughts for later and did what he came to do.

 

@, @,

 

"Um... excuse me... are you okay? Was Dawn able to fully fix the damage from your nose? And, sorry for interrupting you Ms. Ambrosia. Um... I know your name beacuse I was told that was the cook's name and you kind looked like her. Oh um, how rude of me... let me present myself. My name is Arcanel, nice to meet you! And... I'm guessing your name is Dawn as well given how Dawn felt so happy at healing another Dawn?" He awkwardly asked, as turned again to the cyan stallion trying to ask about his name as less embarrasing as he was able to manage and not quite accomplishing it.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

Wind Dancer felt Ambrosia wince during the hug that she was giving her when she mentioned the amount. It was something that even well-off families would have an issue with. After all, forty-five thousand bits wasn't something that was easy to come by at all for anypony. Just then though, two more ponies came out of the kitchen, one of which had a busted nose and had been bleeding. This alarmed Ambrosia who had shouted his name, which was apparently Dawn. When she did though, another unicorn came over. One that looked very much like Ice Storm, but seemed a bit more... out of it. Not that she was one to judge of course.

 

This unicorn was bouncing around all over the place after using a bit of healing magic to make the injury on Dawn's snout go away. Winds Eyes opened wide. Maybe, just maybe, she could let her fly again. But.... what if she can't... I'd just be setting myself up for disappointment again... she thought to herself. She's.... probably too busy for me anyway... she thought again as the two pegasi from the other table came over to theirs. This made Wind a bit uncomfortable. Because of her situation, she didn't really like being around other pegasi. She didn't like being reminded of what she couldn't do.

 

That being said, they seemed to know most of the ponies here so they couldn't have been too bad, and the stallion was nice enough to at least ask if they could join. Wind nodded. "It's okay by me if it's okay with everypony else," she replied softly before the mare he was with also stated that she didn't feel as nervous now that there was another pegasus mare on the train. That it made her less nervous now.

 

Ambrosia then confronted the bouncing unicorn, telling her to calm down, and when she did, the Unicorn almost immediately began crying. That's.... interesting... she thought to herself. She'd never seen another mare get so upset at being told to calm down before. Then again, she was the only that was usually being told to calm down, and she was the one that was normally crying due to her wing. Still, this was a bit odd for her. She then noticed a white pegasus come to the table, more specifically, next to dawn and start comforting her. Wait, what's going on now? Did something happen between them before I got here? she thought her herself. No... because he entered here right before I did... she thought again rubber her forehead with a hoof. I need a nap... she finished in her mind trying to comprehend everything that just happened.

 

As soon as she did, Electrobolt spoke up and introduced her to his sister Key Gear. She smiled softly at the filly. "Hello, I'm Wind, it's a pleasure to meet you." She hoped that everypony on the train was as nice as Ambrosia, Electrobolt, and Ice Storm were to her. Her mind went back to Los Pegasus thought... Could she really be a main act? What if she bombed it? She'd be laughed out of Los Pegasus, and never have any hopes of flying again. At this point she began to wonder if it was even worth it to try...

Edited May 22, 2013 by Ice Storm

[Key Gear 6,663]

((OOC: I'm back and this isn't time for games. Stuff is serious business. Be ready for comedy, mystery, tragedy, and adventure. I intend to keep moving until completion. A heartful thanks to you all for your patience and support, and a notable additional mention for that that, quite literally, spurred me into this. Magicon, among others, I'm looking at you. In all honesty, when normal avenues out of a sunken state have failed, sometimes tough love is a wise and recommended course of action. Consider that you have a friend in Key Gear. ))

 

---

 

He retracted his hoof guarding Asteria. She would have a name, he was sure of it.

The gesture was noticed by both Sprout and Bringer. Bringer greeted the small gesture with a look of confusion before returning to his wild grin. Yet, though his expression had reverted, his eyes no longer blazed with the same confidence and expectation. Instead, they seemed dimmed by a wariness that had not been presented earlier, and they moved. Like a cornered animal making a final decision to fight or to fly, his eyes vacillated between the three others ponies that were in front of him. The only pony that he did not consider was Springer, who still stood strangely silent behind Bringer, watching the proceedings with a look of deep thought.

 

Sprout greeted Magicon's gesture with a rather different reaction. The colt raised his head slightly and tilted an eyebrow as his gaze shifted once from Magicon to Asteria. Then, he smiled, and the smile was both genuine and expectant. His red eyes seemed to sparkle with enthusiasm for the proceeding. Something in Magicon's gesture had brought cheer to the small pony. Like a foal at their first Hearth's Warming Eve, Sprout now seemed to bubble with expectation. Then, suddenly, it was all gone, replaced entirely by his earlier visage, and an unflinching gaze focused on Asteria.

 

Asteria stopped thinking. She met Sprout's gaze.

Sprout's expression was completely unreadable as he waited for the filly's words. Behind him, Bringer seemed to have reached a conclusion on his own course of action and the proceedings. The purple-eyed copy of Springer was now significantly more relaxed than he had been just moments before. He was reclining calmly on the grass, watching Asteria with an air of idleness.

 

"I think I have a new name for you."

His red eyes glittered as Asteria spoke. In truth, even in the short moments that it took Asteria to contemplate her answer, his boredom had been growing quickly. However, he had restrained himself in the hope that Asteria would present him with something amusing, interesting. Magicon's gesture of trust in the filly's own ability to act independently of her guardian’s protection had increased Sprout's own expectations. Now, he would know.

 

You know, I'm a bit like your mother, eh? Giving you a name and all.

A quick expression of thoughtfulness flashed across Sprout's face as he absorbed and contemplated Asteria's remark. A small smile graced his expression. Behind Sprout, Bringer rolled his eyes operatically, and was about to facehoof when the revelation of Asteria's proposed name cut the motion short.

 

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?

With a definite tone of voice, Sprout spoke with absolutely no hesitation, "I like it." He waved a hoof in the direction of Bringer. In turn, Bringer stared with a passive expression and licked his lips. Sprout turned his head fully, to appraise the other pegasus, but Bringer waved a hoof towards Magicon and appeared to be deep in thought. Sprout turned to Magicon.

 

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.”

Sprout nodded, grinned, and returned his focus to Bringer. His thoughts were focused wholly on the current game. The play was going well, so far. Bringer stood up from his reclining position and spoke strongly. "I find it interesting how none of you justify your answers. It's rather unfortunate, because you're missing an opportunity to add a depth and an intensity to this otherwise simple game. I think that I would like to take a slightly different angle on all of this. I would like to explain myself with some short words." Sprout looked decisively unamused.

 

Bringer continued. "The name 'Scarlet' is a shade of red, true, but it is more than this. As a name and as a word, it conveys a certain degree of elegance, poise. It's the feel of the word, I think. It is more than just a shade of red. It is mystery, it is intrigue, it is suspense. It conveys images to my thoughts and imagination - images of history, present, and past all converging on a singularity, wrapped in the very essence of beauty. This name, I like it, considerably." Bringer nodded his head towards Asteria. "Well chosen, young filly."

 

As Bringer spoke, Sprout's expression had become increasingly sullen, and his gaze now rested on the grass beneath his hooves. He didn't lift his eyes even as he waved a hoof towards Springer, motioning for the pegasus to judge the truth of the answers. Springer made no movement. An awkward silence ensued as Sprout continued to study the grass beneath his hooves and Springer still made no motion and no sounds. Sprout looked up and spoke. "Springer, you may now move and speak. You must judge the game."

 

The assistant conductor sprang to life, and he seemed to bristle with an unusual nervous energy. Gone was the exhaustion that had plagued him while he was on the train. His first action was to flap his wings wildly and shoot a few meter into the air, where he hovered for a few moments while glancing around. When he returned to the ground, he landed onto his hooves with a thud, and shook himself as if awakening. Finally, he spoke.

 

Springer's words flowed with an aggressive, challenging tone and he trotted right by Bringer and towards his younger doppelganger. His eyes blazed with the subtle mixture of inquisitiveness and anger. "You can't seriously expect me to judge without telling me what are the rules governing the process of judgement. Surely, there are some type of policies or a code of conduct that you expect me to follow? You know that without these things judging is both inefficient and deeply flawed. One cannot judge without a set standard, defined by a reasonable body, to provide the means and the system by which to enforce the outcome of judgements."

 

Unsurprised by the challenge and undeterred by Springer's demeanor, Sprout met Springer's gaze with his own fiery red eyes. When the younger pony spoke, his words were of an icy calm that contrasted directly with Springer's furious demeanor. "The rules of judgement are to enforce the rules of the game. The code of conduct is to be honest and efficient. I am the set standard, the reasonable body, and the means of enforcement." Springer tilted his head at the younger pony, and spoke again, carefully matching Sprout's own calmness through gritted teeth with a simple sentence. "That is insufficient." Behind the two red-eyed Springers, Bringer watched with wide purple eyes.

 

The stallion and the colt stared at each other in silence for some tense seconds before Springer spoke again, with biting brusqueness. "Can I dispute the rules at least once per game? Can I act unencumbered when I render my judgements? Can I depend on you to uphold your neutrality when you act on my judgements? Can I rely on you to match my honesty when it is so necessary and required in order to act on my judgements? If not, then this is pointless farce, and you should end the games now, selecting our punishments and stopping this pointless display of unfettered power."

 

An expression of shock and fear played out across Sprout's face and the younger pony stepped back before looking down. "You may have what you wish. But, you may ask for nothing else. I assume you were efficient in your choices. Why are you upset, though? I have done no wrong. I only seek amusement." Springer smiled and nodded. "I understand, but you cannot have amusement, ask for a judge, and not have some type of order. I am not surprised that you do not understand the source of my own anger. Would you like me to explain?" The younger pony looked up at Springer and studied him, curiously, before answering. "Yes."

 

Springer nodded. "It's simple. In all that I do, I always seek to be efficient. An efficient system requires order, methodology, and definition. From the beginning, I could see some things quite plainly. In this place, you and your friend have a lot of power. The rest of us do not. Now, you want me to be a judge? How can I hope to judge those that are more powerful than I. Without what I asked for, my judgements would be ineffective. Ineffective efforts are wasted efforts, inefficient by definition."

 

The colt shook his head. "Is that all? Were you not motivated by your friends and the possibility of danger against them?" Springer shook his head without hesitation and answered resolutely. "Certainly not. Friendship is, sadly, not always an efficient or an effective motivational force. It is nice when it exists, to be sure, but it cannot be trusted to provide an effective course of action." Sprout beamed at Springer and nodded his head vigorously. "Asteria was right, you shall make an excellent juddge. Now, no more delay. I grow bored. Judge, please."

 

The assistant conductor nodded again. One by one, he turned to look at each player in the game. He wasted no time, and his judgements were quickly summarized. "Sprout, Magicon, Asteria. You all spoke truthfully. Bringer. You lied. Asteria wins. Next game." Bringer was completely taken offguard by the swiftness of the pronouncement, and a loud hiss of fury escaped his mouth, rapidly followed by his protestations. "What! No! That is not the way that the rules go. You've made a mistake!"

 

Bringer continued. "I lied, right? You said so yourself. Now, go back to the rules of the game. Remember what Sprout said? No one can lie, and if a lie occurs, then the game is void and Asteria loses. I lied. The game is void. Asteria loses. Now, it's time for Sprout to get a prize. See?" Bringer smiled charismatically and sharply changed his tone, practically purring as he continued. "It was a tricky turn of the phrase, really. Don't feel bad that you missed it. Could have happened to any of us, really. It's a good thing that you have me here to help?"

 

Springer cut Bringer off, efficiently and calmly. "Don't correct my reading of the rules. I don't make mistakes. Yes, the rules stated, specifically, that you could not lie about not liking the name. This implies that you can lie about liking the name, because this alternative possibility was not defined explicitly. Sprout stated that the rules were provided in opposite order, so this is an earlier rule because it is later. All latter rules merely add definition but do not overrule unless specifically specified. My conclusion is not reversed but, instead, it is strengthened. Your lie is now confirmed by your own words to me. The outcome is plain, as I've outlined. Thank you. Now, you lose. Next game."

 

A younger voice authoritatively spoke up, "Bringer, Springer has judged. The game is concluded." The matter was done. Hesitantly, Bringer returned to his earlier position, reclining in the grass. However, this time, he turned his back to the others and his anger was plainly perceptible. Sprout ignored Bringer, and he turned to Asteria, making no attempt to hide his enthusiasm. He fell over backwards and giggled wildly. "That was well done! So magnificently done! So much amusement! From Springer and Bringer, too! Magicon's faith in you has been rewarded! He weighed you well!"

 

Scarlet leaped to his hooves and glanced at both Magicon and Asteria with a broad smile. "I am no longer called Sprout. You may now call me Scarlet. Now, I shall give you a prize." He closed his eyes and thought. When he opened them again and spoke, his earlier calmness had returned. "Asteria, this game amused me greatly. For your prize, you should have something special. I was intrigued when you said that you were like my mother. For your prize, you are now my mother."

 

The younger pony now turned to Bringer. "Bringer, now pick the teams for the next game." With his back still turned to them all, Bringer inquired with a low growl, "What is the game?" Scarlet giggled before responding, "You asked to pick the teams. You didn't say that you needed to know the game." Bringer twitched visibly, and there was no response. Then, without warning, Bringer stood and smoothly turned to face the others. His eyes betrayed no emotion.

 

When he spoke, Bringer's voice carried nothing but saccharine pleasantness. "Of course! How silly of me. The first team shall consist of Magicon and myself. The second team shall consist of both yourself and your new mother." Bringer's wild grin appeared on his face yet again, and he concluded with a small bow. Scarlet nodded with approval. "Sensible choices, Bringer, and I am happy that you are happy once more." The younger pony then continued, excitedly outlining the nature of the next game, not stopping to allow anyone else to speak or inquire.

 

As Scarlet spoke, he moved himself until he sat directly in front of Magicon, looking up with eyes beaming. "Magicon, you chose well. This is one of my favorite games. A game of slowness, excitement, secrets, closeness, duration, and shadows. Marvelous. The rules are more simple than the last game. Rule 1. You must follow the steps. Rule 2. You must remember the first rule. Rule 3. Be imaginative and careful. Rule 4. Follow more rules as they appear. The winner receives a prize. The loser provides a prize."

 

"I will now give the first step. Magicon, Bringer. You must both describe to the other, in as much detail as possible, a simple room of reasonable size where things may be concealed. While you do this, my team will wait in a different place. When you are finished, we will reappear. We will not know what you have described. I will name the next step then. You may begin. Be imaginative. We shall be careful. You may consult with the judge as needed."

 

When he finished speaking, Scarlet teleported next to Asteria and then, in a flash, the two of them disappeared. They reappeared, instantly, in a completely different realm. They were now located on a cloud in a sky that was filled with clouds. Both above and below them, there was nothing but the sky and its vast expanse. Surrounding them were more clouds as far as the eye could see. A light permeated the entirety of the world but there was no definitive source. Scarlet looked around for a moment, admiring the sheer vastness of the seemingly boundless world.

 

Finally, he spoke. "The cloud will support your weight. But, the sky is endless. Please, don't fall. Even for me, it would be difficult to retrieve you." He trotted to the edge of their cloud, it was rather large. He looked over the edge and into the infinity that was below. He smiled. Still looking over the edge, Scarlet spoke to Asteria, wistfully speaking just loud enough to be heard. "Already, I'm slightly bored. Sometimes, I grow tired of my own restlessness. Can you tell me something?"

 

Scarlet looked over to the purple filly. "I am one of three Springers. Surely, there is a better way. You have named me. Perhaps you would like to give me a better form? I think this is what what mothers do? They shape their descendants? If you are my mother, then would you tell me something? What should I be? Being Springer is... Unamusing. I am a younger Springer, but this is boring. You have imagination and you gave me a fitting name. Tell me what do you think I should be if I could be anything? I wish to be something exciting." The colt waited, wide-eyed for an answer.

 

Back in the grassy area, Springer had positioned himself away from the others. When Scarlet and Asteria disappeared, Springer's face maintained an entirely neutral and passive appearance. Only a brief glimmer in his red eyes betrayed his intense concern, and he carefully turned away from Bringer to ensure that this was not seen. For his part, Bringer appeared unconcerned. Smiling, he approached Magicon.

 

"Well, buddy, it's you and me, again, isn't it? I can't lie. This is a horrible game. I didn't recognize it initially, but now I do. And... To be honest, it bores me to tears." Bringer pouted and wiped away a mock tear with a hoof, before continuing. "So, we need to complete the first step. How about this. You first? Then, I'll give my own little description. I don't think we should bring the judge into this. He's biased." Bringer softly hissed the word "judge" when he spoke it, but the grin remained on his face.

 

---

 

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.

Luminescence didn't notice Summer's discomfort. The only thing that she did was to savor and to appreciate the moment. In truth, not even the filly's own parents had ever been quite so affectionate towards her. She had always assumed that the distance between herself and her parents had been due to them being earth ponies and her own being an unusual unicorn. Now, she wasn't so sure. Summer was both an earth pony and a pony that didn't know her very well. Yet, being an unusual unicorn didn't make her strange in Summer's eyes.

 

She avoided smiling, though. The gesture would surely become trite with overuse. It would never do to allow this to happen. She didn't want to take Summer for granted. She appreciatively looked up to the mare when her mane was shuffled. Normally, Luminescence would object strenuously to such an action, but in this case, she appreciated it as another demonstration of affection. Dreamily, she closed her eyes as Summer spoke, imagining that this moment would last forever, even if that was impossible.

 

"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.

The filly opened her eyes and nodded affirmatively in an answer to the first question. Cleanliness was important to her, and the soap had been wonderful. Unable to help herself, she smiled at Summer's compliment. "Thank you, very much." She answered with plainness, carefully veiling her appreciation.

 

"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?"

The filly looked hopeful, thoughtful, and then concerned as she contemplated Summer's plan. "I had some apples, but I am still hungry. Fruit sandwiches sound nice. With cider, they sound even nicer. I suppose that I am ok with the conductor knowing about me. I've seen him. He seems like a strong, smart pony. He would find out sooner or later. Now is just as good as another time. Are you certain that you should buy me a ticket? I would not wish to impose further than I already have. I can tell the conductor that I can pay him back later, or I can work for the trains later on, instead?"

 

She raised her head slightly and spoke more resolutely as she continued. "Really, though. I must go with you. I would like to speak to the conductor. When I saw him, he seemed like an honorable, dutiful pony. Without knowing me, he will think poorly of me for stowing away. If you speak to him, and I speak to him, then, there should be no problems." She looked away before continuing. "I would also not like to wait here. I am not sure what is in the room across from this one. I would prefer to not be alone. I am not a coward, but I am afraid, just a little. Summer, may I go with you?"

 

---

 

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.

Dusky listened without betraying his own thoughts. He was at ease. Now, he had fulfilled his own purpose. The next step would be determined by Ice Storm's answer, but regardless of her answer, Dusky's own course of action was now resolute. The old system and its complexity had already been discarded completely, and there was only one path forward. Ice Storm's answer would barely shift the path that Dusky now saw. Through whatever means necessary, he would forge this path. Of course, it would be easiest if Ice Storm simply acquiesced. It would even easier if her strength of character showed forth when she did so.

 

When, finally, Ice Storm spoke her words of acceptance, Dusky nodded appreciatively. By her tone and her demeanor, he could see that she was strongly committed to the course of action. He observed her carefully as she spoke, taking in every minute detail of her response - her words, body language, tone. As he did so, he juggled a variety of specific plans in his mind. It would do him no good to assign her a task that she could not hope to complete. However, as he weighed the possibilities, one thing became quite clear. Regardless of the approach taken, Ice Storm would likely pursue it to her fullest. He chose a path.

 

"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.

Dusky smiled and tilted his head courteously. He provided a measured answer. "There's no real rush, and I both understand and respect your own time constraints. As you may gather, I have, at this point, been waiting for quite some time for an individual such as yourself. It would be rudely discourteous of me to constrain you given that you have graciously agreed to assist me in solving my problem. Hmmmm..." He paused in thought as he considered her questions.

 

He continued with a concerned tone. "In truth, I am a knowledgeable pony, but I am not certain that I could answer you with any degree of definitiveness. If no medical pony has the ability to assist you, then it is certainly possible that there is something outside of the normal behind your problem. It really is rare that a health or wellness problem of any kind is beyond the ability of medical ponies, even those as skilled in magic as so many of them are. That certainly hints that something more is involved."

 

"Still, it is one thing to admit the possibility. It is a different thing to assess the probability of an occurrence. Something can be possible, but it could also be so improbable as to render the possibility of its occurrence meaningless. If this were merely magic, then it would be simple enough for a unicorn to use magic to determine the likelihood. However, the essence of dreams is, in its nature, essentially beyond magic. In this case, the only way to answer this specific question would be to observe reactions to a variety of different levels of exposure."

 

Dusky inclined his head slightly to the side as he continued. "In this case, your most effective course of action would certainly be to speak to Dawn. However, you should make sure that you mention the full extent of the help that you have already sought - magical and otherwise. It would do you no good if she merely retreads old paths. I think that, perhaps, she may be able to assist you. She has... Hmmmm... An unconventional way of thinking, I believe."

 

"With regards to time... As I spoke earlier, there is no real hurry; however, if you are interested in assisting me in short order then I would be tremendously appreciative. In which case, returning here at some point before dusk would be advisable. I can assure you that this specific requirement and my name are completely unrelated. It is simply the case that entering the world of dreams is safest when the substance of the world is beginning preparations for the evening, distracted by other happenings. This would provide you with sufficient time to speak with Dawn and complete other tasks as needed. If it is acceptable, then I will provide more information when next we meet."

 

---

 

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.

As Lapis continued to rummage around the room, the panther seemed suddenly bored with the proceedings. Noticing its calmness, Vim allowed himself to relax just slightly. The pony and the cat sat, watching each other in silence. Every once in a while, out of a sense of idleness, Vim would shift his position somewhat, just to watch the unblinking eyes of the cat follow his movements around the room. Vim made no notice of the room's contents, trusting in Lapis to make an adequate search. Just as Vim made no notice of the room, the cat made no notice of Lapis. Instead, it lazily focused its attention on Vim.

 

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.

The cat's gaze shifted to Lapis as the earth pony located a bottle of significance. It became visibly more alert, but other than this, it made no other move. Vim noted the shift in the cat's attention, the change wasn't subtle. The older earth pony increased his own alertness, watching the cat with a renewed wariness as the creature's yellow eyes followed Lapis to the chest. The eyes narrowed as the chest was opened, and the cat stirred to life. Its ears flattened against its head, and it tensed and gaped it's mouth open as if it was on the verge of striking. Calmly, Vim shifted himself into position. His plan for dealing with the cat was simple - a buck that would send the big cat sprawling, buying time for both himself and Lapis to move to safety.

 

But, nothing further came of it. Lapis removed a book from the chest and closed it. The cat immediately calmed. Vim blinked. If this cat was a guard cat, then it was doing a terrible job. They were on the verge of leaving with things that were plainly of Dawn's possession. The cat had reacted silently but fiercely to the threat posed by Lapis's looking within the chest, but nothing had come of it. Vim's wandering thoughts immediately focused on the chest. Could there have been something else in the chest that had concerned the cat? Perhaps, it was something that the cat had been specifically assigned to protect. In which case, so long as Lapis went nowhere near the chest again, the cat would be harmless? The sound of Lapis's voice interrupted Vim's thoughts.

 

"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.

Vim nodded at Lapis even as he softly snickered at the younger pony's matter-of fact pronouncement. With his eyes still watching the cat, he spoke absently to the withdrawing Lapis. "You know, Lapis, that makes perfect sense. We do have places to go, most of which are more pleasant than this one. But, I think the argument on who follows who could go both ways. You're smaller than I am, probably faster, right? So, maybe you should go after me. If the worst happens and this cat decides that you're pretty tasty, then you could probably scramble all over the place and give him a hard time catching you. It'd be fun, I think. Eh, Lapis?" Vim looked to the side, Lapis had vanished.

 

"Right, well, we could just do it your way..." Vim started backing up towards the door. Seemingly for sport, the massive blank panther stood and stretched, eyeing him with what almost seemed like amusement. Vim had seen enough. He was close enough to the door that it didn't matter. With a surprising amount of speed, he turned around and darted through the door, taking advantage of his stride to clear the distance with a remarkable amount of speed. As he made his way through the door, he fumbled somewhat, but managed to turn fast enough to catch the door handle on his way out. The door slammed shut and Vim partly slid and partly staggered to a halt against the door of the opposite room.

 

Sitting in something of a heap, he used a hoof to check his head for the presence of his hat. It wasn't there. With a trace of agitation, he scanned the hall quickly, looking for it. Thankfully, it was right on the floor next to him and the keys were still in it. With a muttered thanks to Celestia, he scooped his keys up and locked Dawn's room. It took him just a moment more to recollect his hat and turn to face Lapis.

 

"For the love of Celestia, I know my plan was horrible, but warn me before you scoot out like that again, would you? Sometimes you need to think things through, you know? What if Dawn had been out here? You might have gotten crisped, then she could have shut the door on me, and I would have gotten eaten. Between the two of us, we would have made a great meal. Raw pony first, then crispy pony. The only thing missing would have been the drinks. You think cats like cider? We wouldn't have known, because neither of us would have been around to find out. That would have been a shame, right?"

 

He sounded irritated, but the older earth pony was undoubtedly amused by Lapis's actions. In truth, Vim was completely unoffended, and in fact, he was merely hoping to confirm something that he was beginning to strongly suspect. "Look, anyway... Let's get moving. And, you can tell me what you found." Vim made his way to the caboose, while he was speaking. He was now going through his keys at a leisurely pace while waiting for Lapis's response.

 

---

 

He had heard more than enough to quickly go by Dawn's side an comfort her. "Now now Ms. Dawn... even if you have sudden changes of state, that does not mean you should call yourself useless, nor will I allow you to say that you should have never boarded. You saved Springer's life! And you fixed that stallion's broken nose! You did good things! And so far, they have completely surpassed anything bad that you may have done so far. Please Ms. Dawn... cheer up. I don't think crying is what suits you. Being happy is what suits you."

Despite all of the care that Arcanel had shown in speaking with her earlier, the words were still unexpected. Dawn looked up with a start as as Arcanel rebutted her negative words and thoughts. Earlier, when Arcanel had said the same thing, she had been incredulous. Now, she wasn't sure what to think, but she was certain as to how she felt. She felt embarrassed. There, on the floor, that wasn't where she belonged. Arcanel was right. The total sum of her actions had been positive so far. In fact, including Springer's situation, they were far above and beyond anything that she had accomplished before her time on the train. She had every right to be happy.

 

She stood to her hooves and looked around at the other ponies in the room. What if one of them suddenly needed her services as a medical pony, and she was so busy lying there feeling sorry for herself that she missed an opportunity to help them. It wouldn't do any good to let this happen. Despite her continuing confusion, she turned off her thoughts, and silently followed Arcanel.

 

---

 

((OOC: Dawn Rider is out of town for the next three months. No worries, I've got this.))

 

"We had an accident in the kitchen,Key turned around to fast while holding a frying pan and it...well hit me in the nose. It was my fault though I wasn't watching where I was going when I knew very well she was washing up" Dawn said calmly and added a laugh in at the end.

Ambrosia raised an eyebrow. The story made sense, but it also seemed to be a rather convenient explanation. She'd been around for long enough and had dealt with enough younger ponies to recognize stories that seemed to make almost too much sense. For now, she decided to think about the story while she took a quick look at the other ponies. She glanced at Key Gear. The filly was already distracted from the events, sitting at Wind Dancer's table and speaking with the pegasus pony and her brother.

 

Her next glance landed on the troubled medical pony. The poor thing looked completely distraught, and the cook felt more than a little guilty. Ambrosia hadn't meant any harm when she had stopped the unicorn's earlier rampage. Her primary concern had been the possibility that Dawn would have healed Dawn Rider only to injure another, which wouldn't have been much good to anypony. Before she could slip into any recriminations, a white pegasus had made his way over to Dawn and his words, skillfully chosen, seemed to be working.

 

She refocused her attention back to Dawn Rider. She had decided to let the sketchy story go unchallenged. "I suppose that's alright, and I do appreciate the great work that all of you did in serving lunch. You, Key, and Asteria - you all did wonderfully. Don't worry about this; the only thing that matters is that everypony is fine now. Just make sure that you're more careful next time, ok?"

 

"Um... excuse me... are you okay? Was Dawn able to fully fix the damage from your nose? And, sorry for interrupting you Ms. Ambrosia. Um... I know your name beacuse I was told that was the cook's name and you kind looked like her. Oh um, how rude of me... let me present myself. My name is Arcanel, nice to meet you! And... I'm guessing your name is Dawn as well given how Dawn felt so happy at healing another Dawn?" He awkwardly asked, as turned again to the cyan stallion trying to ask about his name as less embarrasing as he was able to manage and not quite accomplishing it.

With a calmer Dawn, the unicorn, close behind him, the pegasus that she had spotted earlier was now speaking to her. It was hard to tell, having just met him, but he seemed like a cheerful and friendly sort of pony. He certainly seemed well meaning enough, just a bit formal, judging by his use of a title when addressing her. Dawn Rider spoke first, explaining to Arcanel that he was in fact, quite fine. He also confirmed the coincidence of the similar names. Ambrosia watched the medical pony warily during this second explanation, but there was no wildness, just a nod of greeting with a muted expression.

 

After Dawn Rider spoke, Ambrosia addressed this newcomer. "Hello, Arcanel, it's nice to meet you. My name is Ambrosia, and... You don't have to call me Ms. Ambrosia or anything like that. Just Ambrosia is fine enough. I actually recall that Vim spoke about you earlier today. I hope you don't mind my questions, but I'm just a bit curious since we haven't met until now. You're a mailpony heading for Los Pegasus, right? And... Vim said that you were a good friend of his, when did the two of you meet?" She smiled as she awaited his response.

 

---

 

After she got out from under the table and in a chair, Electrobolt cleared his throat as he turned around to look at Wind. "Um, sorry you had to see all of that, Wind... Anyways, um... I'd like for you to meet my sister, Key Gear."  Turning around to his sister, he introduced her to Wind. "Key Gear, this is Wind Dancer." Turning back to Wind, he added, "Wind, this is my sister, Key Gear."

Key took a quick inventory of her surroundings as soon as she resurfaced next to her brother. Ambrosia seemed to have bought Dawn Rider's story without questions, and Dawn Rider's nose seemed none the worse for wear. Dawn was no longer going wild and seemed to be quieting down. Most importantly, other than the ponies at her table, nopony really seemed to be paying much attention to her. It was a relief.

 

As soon as she did, Electrobolt spoke up and introduced her to his sister Key Gear. She smiled softly at the filly. "Hello, I'm Wind, it's a pleasure to meet you."

She had lost focus while her brother was speaking. Her attention had, instead, been focused on the room around her. However, the sound of the unfamiliar voice drew her focus back to her own table. Key didn't miss the cue, and she responded in kind, matching the pegasus pony's own politeness and smile as best as she could. "Hello Wind, it's a pleasure to meet you too. Sorry about my entrance. I don't really like it much when things get noisy like that."

 

"I'm sorry, everypony.  Is it alright if I join you all?"  Alex asked them a little sheepishly.  Somehow, he felt as if he was out of place here and would only serve to make the environment awkward as they seemed to have a crowd now.

"Uh...is everything alright?" feeling rude, she apologized and made her introduction "I'm sorry...My name's Flow, pleased to meet you all new passengers, oh and hello Key, Ambrosia, Electrobolt. Good to see you guys doing well," She smiled.

In quick succession, both of the pegasus ponies from earlier in the day had announced their presences. Key glanced at Ambrosia to see if she would catch Flow's greeting, but the cook was distracted by her conversation with Arcanel. Oblivious to Wind Dancer's earlier conversation with her brother, Key happily introduced her friends. "Hey, Wind, this is Alex, he's a member of the Ponyville weather team, and this is Flow, she's a flight teacher for young pegasus ponies. Guys, this is Wind, she was talking to Ambrosia and my brother, I think."

 

((OOC: I redid the timeline in Wind Dancer's last post. Both Alex and Flow arrived at Key's table in response to the mess at the table, so this was after Dawn had been tamed by Ambrosia. Should be fine now, though.))

Edited June 9, 2013 by Key Gear

[Arcanel 3,041]

As Arcanel heard the stallion speak, he smiled a gave a small sigh of relief. *Well, it's nice to know that he's ok and that Dawn was able to heal him completely. She'll be happy to know that.* He thought in happiness. *And now I understand why Dawn was so happy too. Total coincidence that he's named Dawn Rider.* He determined. Just as he was about to adress him back however, Ambrosia spoke to Arcanel first.

 

 

 

"Hello, Arcanel, it's nice to meet you. My name is Ambrosia, and... You don't have to call me Ms. Ambrosia or anything like that. Just Ambrosia is fine enough. I actually recall that Vim spoke about you earlier today. I hope you don't mind my questions, but I'm just a bit curious since we haven't met until now. You're a mailpony heading for Los Pegasus, right? And... Vim said that you were a good friend of his, when did the two of you meet?" She smiled as she awaited his response.

 

At the words of the lemon mare saying that Vim called him a good friend, Arcanel felt visibly surprised. *Vim considers me a good friend of his...? Did... Did I leave that good an impression on him...?* he thought, slightly shocked by the revelation brought to him. However, he put his thoughts aside and responded to Ambrosia. "Oh erm, no problem Ambrosia. Sorry for being formal. I prefer to have offended someone by being too formal, than for being too informal." The white pegasus explained to the mare while lightly putting his hoof behind. "As for questions, no problem at all! Although, I have to admit that I am bit... surprised by him calling me a good friend... I met him just earlier this morning after all... and it was about what I could do to be on the train to deliver the letter after I hadmade some miscalculations on my part when I left Vanhoover and reached Ponyville..." He said, slightly trailing off as he remembered his meeting with Vim once more. He felt tempted to ask Ambrosia if Vim had really call him like that, but he chose to stay silent, and await Ambrosia's response.

[Flow 1,628]

Key happily introduced her friends. "Hey, Wind, this is Alex, he's a member of the Ponyville weather team, and this is Flow, she's a flight teacher for young pegasus ponies. Guys, this is Wind, she was talking to Ambrosia and my brother, I think."

 

As Key introduced the two, Flow thanked her before waving at the new pegasus, who came by the name of Wind. "Thanks Key, nice to meet you Wind, it's really nice to see another pegasus mare on the train...that kinda gives me a sense of relief. To be honest I was the only pegasus mare on this train before you came along, when I realized that I kinda felt alone for some reason. I know it kinda sounds weird but that's me ehehehe. I got into this train because I won a raffle back in Ponyville, pretty surpising for me, sigh....and the staff decided to put me on vacation. So how are you?" She politely asked her.

 

"Maybe these new faces would liven up the ride, it's been feeling a bit dull lately," She thought.

 

 

OOC: Short post is because I'm a slow starter, my posts will get bigger as the RP progresses on.

 

Oh and welcome back Key.

 

Edited June 9, 2013 by Flow (Naru)

[Magicon 468]

He made short breaths, expecting the worst outcome from the two ponies in front of him. It wasn’t his own life that worried him as much, as it was Asteria’s who was much more vulnerable to the dangers of Bringer and Sprout. He didn’t know what the punishment would be, but he knew it wouldn’t be pretty, should either of them fail to amuse Bringer or Sprout. He did his best to follow the rules: he liked the name Asteria choose and he made the best choices he could to give himself the advantage in preparation for the game, but he didn’t know whether they would approve of it.

 

Just like a suspenseful portion of a well-written novel Bringer and Sprout were not immediate in their responses, being deliberately slow by wasting time with explanations. Magicon took deeper breaths to quell the anticipation growing in his stomach as he listened to the two.

 

 

 

"I find it interesting how none of you justify your answers. It's rather unfortunate, because you're missing an opportunity to add a depth and an intensity to this otherwise simple game. I think that I would like to take a slightly different angle on all of this. I would like to explain myself with some short words."

 

‘There is a reason for that, but he doesn’t need to know', Magicon thought. He had planned to give the bare minimum of information as possible. It was not only in his interest of self-preservation to do so, but also in his nature. He never divulged much; hardly any to strangers. Bringer was untrustworthy: the less information he had, the less he could manipulate and attempt to gain an advantage over Magicon. If he could get him monologing and explaining how this place works and how he could get out, then perhaps Magicon could make his escape.

 

Bringer continued, expressing his pleasure at the name Scarlet. Magicon let out a sigh of relief at Asteria’s choice. It had paid off. She was a very smart filly. He didn’t know if she trusted them or was just playing along, but he hoped she would continue doing so. He smiled at her, the first time he had done so since arriving in this world. It was sweet smile, full of compassion and appreciation, the one a parent gives to their child after they’ve accomplished a difficult task. Magicon was no parent and Asteria was definitely not his filly, but he was her temporary guardian. Her safety was his topmost priority.

 

As he turned back to the two, he awaited his own fate. Yet it was forced to wait as Sprout seemingly unleashed Springer from his invisible bondage. The switch was flipped and Springer bounced to life. Magicon gave a small smile at seeing the assistant conductor free to move about, but he still worried about him and what appeared to be Sprout’s control over the pony. Was it a slave and master relationship or was Sprout the puppetmaster of Springer? Magicon felt it was more of the latter, making him feel further uneasy about Sprout.

 

Once Springer landed, he spoke with an aggressive tone towards Sprout about the need for some standard for him to judge by. Magicon could tell that Springer despised being controlled by Sprout, and if given a push, would probably attack the pony. Sprout’s reaction was calm and composed. He spoke with the coldness of a puppetmaster, knowing his position of power over Springer and reminding him of it at every opportunity. It was a relationship that needed to be broken, but how or even if it could be was beyond Magicon. He knew too little and knew his own code of conduct too well. All he could really do was play along with everything.

 

The two quarreled a bit debating the logic and illogic of rules and the need for order in amusement, stuff Magicon didn’t take real interest in. He simply kept on an eye on the conversation and an eye on Asteria, making sure that she was by his side. Yet, one part of the conversation stuck out and struck a chord with Magicon.

 

 

 

“Friendship is, sadly, not always an efficient or an effective motivational force. It is nice when it exists, to be sure, but it cannot be trusted to provide an effective course of action."

Magicon ran the line several times through his head, missing out the rest of the conversation. As he repeated it, he slowly nodded in approval of the statement. Though Springer had a different reasoning for it than Magicon, they still shared the same conclusion.

 

The sound of his name snapped Magicon out of his contemplation as Springer congratulated him, Asteria, and Sprout on their truthfulness. He accused Bringer of lying, catching the pony completely off-guard and ensuring a fiery debate between the two. Once again, Magicon observed that Springer and Bringer also disliked each other, but Bringer didn’t seem to possess the cold control that Sprout had. Instead Bringer acted like a colt: unfair, pushy, demanding, and angry. But Springer dominated the colt with sound logic and the colt stormed off. Magicon only hoped that wouldn’t come back to bite them later.

 

Sprout became very excited, clearly amused by the display and Asteria’s choice of a new name. He asked to be called Scarlet, which Magicon gladly obliged, but announced that his prize: Asteria was Scarlet’s mother, something Magicon was disobliged to accept. Beyond disobliged, Magicon eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at Scarlet for uttering those words.  The illogicality of the statement, the absurdity of it, and its implications made no sense and scared him beyond belief. Sure, it might just be harmless fun, but it could also be a prelude to a deadly ending, an ending Magicon did want Ambrosia to experience.

 

Magicon was about to object when Scarlet asked Bringer to pick the teams for the next game. Magicon braced himself for the second game. It was obviously going to be tougher than the first, with more complications and more chances to make a mistake. He would have to be careful with his choices and his words.

 

As Bringer decided the teams, Magicon’s stomach dropped as he was separated from Asteria. He looked over at the filly with very concerned eyes. He could survive having himself and Asteria be separated; bearable if she was forced with Bringer, but with Scarlet was a whole another matter entirely. Scarlet was more dangerous than Bringer. Bringer was just a colt, and though a temperamental one, a colt nonetheless. It was clear that Scarlet was the leader of the two and a cold one by nature. Magicon worried for Asteria’s safety. She may be able to take care of herself in the real world, but in this one, with Scarlet as a partner? Magicon feared she wouldn’t survive this game.

 

With his attention focused on Asteria, he only barely managed to hear Scarlet call his name and explain the rules. But then he heard his name called a second time and Magicon listened to the first objective of the game.

 

 

 

You must both describe to the other, in as much detail as possible, a simple room of reasonable size where things may be concealed. While you do this, my team will wait in a different place. When you are finished, we will reappear. We will not know what you have described. I will name the next step then. You may begin. Be imaginative. We shall be careful. You may consult with the judge as needed."

 

As soon as he finished, Scarlet teleported next to Asteria and then whisked her away in a flash.

“Asteria!” Magicon cried as he waved his hoof at where she had been standing a second ago. His hooves felt locked to the ground, as if he were bolted to some floor or wall. He felt completely helpless and desperate. Asteria, his one pony he swore to protect was now gone. Scarlet had foalnapped her right before his eyes and Magicon had been unable to stop it. He couldn’t believe it. He had failed.

 

While Magicon remained frozen in place, staring helplessly at the patch of grass where Asteria stood, Bringer walked up to him, a smile on his face.

 

 

 

"Well, buddy, it's you and me, again, isn't it? I can't lie. This is a horrible game. I didn't recognize it initially, but now I do. And... To be honest, it bores me to tears." Bringer pouted and wiped away a mock tear with a hoof, before continuing. "So, we need to complete the first step. How about this. You first? Then, I'll give my own little description. I don't think we should bring the judge into this. He's biased."

 

Magicon turned his head back to Bringer slowly and deliberately and narrowed his eyes at the pony. His words were cold, deliberate, and menacing. “If this is what you and your ‘friend’ call a game, I am certainly not fond of it. I don’t like this, I don’t like you, and I don’t like Scarlet or what he did to Asteria…. I will play your little game, because it’s the only way I can guarantee Asteria’s safety….If anything bad happens to Asteria, I will make sure you and your ‘friend’ suffer.”

 

With those words he felt the chains on his hooves release and he swiftly turned around, away from Bringer, both to concentrate and to show his extreme displeasure at the turn of events. He took a deep breath to organize his thoughts.

 

‘Ok, ok, you can do this, Magicon. Asteria is counting on you. You can’t fail her. Alright, rules, yes rules. Be imaginative and careful, follow the rules, and follow more of them as they appear. Sounds simple enough, now describe a room where things may be concealed, in as much detail as possible. Oh Celestia help me…I can’t…I can’…wait, yes I can! I was just there: Springer’s room! Ok, ok, calm down, I can do this.’

 

Turning back to bringer, Magicon’s anger and menace was replaced by confidence and determination. He would win this, he was sure of it.

 

“Alright, Bringer, you wanted a room; here is your room. It is a perfectly square room, all the sides are equal. The walls are painted in a cream color. The floor is carpeted in beige. A wooden door stands in the middle of one of the walls, painted in a soft brown. It opens into the room. A window, large enough for a pony of my size to climb in and out of comfortably is in the center of the opposite wall. A self, about 2/3 of the room’s height, encircles the entire room and carries a miniature train, powered by magic.

 

“A bed is against the wall, covered in a few layers of sheets and blankets, but not long enough to drape to the carpet, thereby exposing a bin filled with neatly folded clothes and hats. Small bookshelves filled with model trains line the walls. In one corner sits an organized, but uncompleted, model train, all the parts completely labeled, just waiting to be assembled.  A large binder, filled with bookmarks rests on top of one of the small bookshelves. All the labels are hoofwritten, but the writing is extremely neat and precise, quite efficient, if I don’t mind saying.

 

“Oh, and one last thing. A portrait of a yellow pony with a purple mane sits atop of another bookshelf, but is set back so as not to be obvious to intruders.” Magicon gave a subtle smile towards Springer as he finished, confident that he had accurately described his room. Hopefully, it would satisfy Bringer’s and Scarlet’s demands and would bring Asteria back to him.

 

 

[Starshine 16,333]

Summerfall smiled in unabashed content when Luminescence thanked her twice. She even smiled much more than before. The filly had been rather reserved since the she darted into the room, it was nice to see that she had started to warm up, albeit slightly. The mare hoped that the filly would trust her enough to recount about her parents' whereabout.

 

The filly looked hopeful, thoughtful, and then concerned as she contemplated Summer's plan. "I had some apples, but I am still hungry. Fruit sandwiches sound nice. With cider, they sound even nicer. I suppose that I am ok with the conductor knowing about me. I've seen him. He seems like a strong, smart pony. He would find out sooner or later. Now is just as good as another time. Are you certain that you should buy me a ticket? I would not wish to impose further than I already have. I can tell the conductor that I can pay him back later, or I can work for the trains later on, instead?"

 

She raised her head slightly and spoke more resolutely as she continued. "Really, though. I must go with you. I would like to speak to the conductor. When I saw him, he seemed like an honorable, dutiful pony. Without knowing me, he will think poorly of me for stowing away. If you speak to him, and I speak to him, then, there should be no problems." She looked away before continuing. "I would also not like to wait here. I am not sure what is in the room across from this one. I would prefer to not be alone. I am not a coward, but I am afraid, just a little. Summer, may I go with you?"

 

Summerfall sighed inwardly, her smile wavered a little bit. Luminescence was right, they had no idea what was lurking in the room 8, and whether it could open doors or not. It was also understandable for her to feel uneasy on the ticket offer, but that shouldn't be for her to worry about. Summerfall chuckled slightly in a vain attempt to alleviate the mood before replying. "Of course I'm absolutely certain that I would like to buy you a ticket for the train, Luminescence. You shouldn't think that I felt imposed, if anything you are doing me a favor by keeping me company for the rest of the trip. That, and work on a train is hardly suitable for a filly. Not that I doubt your capability. I'm sure that you can be a great help for the crew, but that would be rather unnecessary. The conductor, or you can call him Vim, is a very reasonable stallion. He won't think poorly of you if you stay in this room, I'm sure of it."

 

Summerfall paused a bit to weigh her options. She wanted to bring Luminescence along with her, to introduce the filly to the rest of the passengers so that tomorrow she would had much needed freedom on the train, but there was something else burdening her mind. "I would love to take you along and introduce you to the conductor. There are two other fillies on board, I'm sure that you will be in a good company once you get to know them, but unfortunately... I don't think that would be the best option."

 

Her eyes wandered for a moment in half-doubt before meeting Luminescence's. "You see, about half an hour ago, when I was having a lunch in the dining car, there was quite a turmoil in that place. A lone mare was sitting by herself in the middle of the car, and then out of nowhere two stallions approached her. I know not the exact details, nor I wish to know more, but it ended with the conductor leading the two stallions out of the car. There is a possibility that he was still comprehending the rude stallions right now, and one of them is..." The mare trailed, doubt was quite visible on her face. She was not exactly sure on how she should describe Lapis without making him sounded like a devil incarnate. "...somewhat audacious. He wouldn't stop asking discrediting questions to the poor mare, that she broke into tears just before the conductor finally stood up and led them away from the mare. I'm afraid that this stallion would divert his attention to you once he heard about your story, Luminescence. I don't want to see him shoving you to a corner and start asking some very personal questions."

 

Summerfall bit her lips. She knew that for a filly, being told to wait in a closed room with uncertainty looming wouldn't be the best experience. She remembered being told to sit idly for hours without anything to entertain her while her parents were away, it was certainly not her best childhood memory. Put the boredom factor together with the fact that Luminescence is an unicorn and whatever it is that was in the room 8, leaving her alone in the room didn't sound like a very good idea, even with Lapis' presence as a deterring factor, who was likely still having a conversation with Vim. There was also a possibility that Vim would take her attempt at hiding Luminescence in her room the wrong way and demanded the worst.

 

After a moment of contemplation, the mare sighed in resignation. "If you want to come along, I won't stop you, but I ask that you promise me that you would be careful and never leave my side. If you choose to stay behind, I will leave the room's key with you, so you can lock the door from the inside. The decision is yours to make." The mare walked to retrieve the bit pouch she prepared earlier, pulled up the string and swung it around her neck like a necklace. The room's key was still on where she left it earlier, on the drawer beside some papers. She turned to face the door before looking back to Luminescence. "So, what would it be? Would you stay behind or come along with me to the conductor?"

Edited June 10, 2013 by Starshine

[Key Gear 6,663]

Magicon turned his head back to Bringer slowly and deliberately and narrowed his eyes at the pony. His words were cold, deliberate, and menacing. “If this is what you and your ‘friend’ call a game, I am certainly not fond of it. I don’t like this, I don’t like you, and I don’t like Scarlet or what he did to Asteria…. I will play your little game, because it’s the only way I can guarantee Asteria’s safety….If anything bad happens to Asteria, I will make sure you and your ‘friend’ suffer.”

Magicon's shift in expression and strong words did nothing to alter Bringer's own demeanor. The pegasus pony's demeanor went far beyond simply being nonplussed; he met Magicon's menace with complete obliviousness. His grin stayed in place, his eyes communicated equal parts charm and friendliness. It seemed as though he was frozen, enraptured by something unseen. Yet, he wasn't frozen, he was merely idle. It was as if Magicon had merely wished him a good day or a safe holiday. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

With those words he felt the chains on his hooves release and he swiftly turned around, away from Bringer, both to concentrate and to show his extreme displeasure at the turn of events. He took a deep breath to organize his thoughts.

Bringer remained, still grinning, his eyes affixed to Magicon's back, now. His ears did, however, perk up somewhat, as though he was trying to listen to the unicorn's thoughts. Of course, the action was to no avail. He would simply have to wait.

 

“Alright, Bringer, you wanted a room; here is your room. It is a perfectly square room, all the sides are equal. The walls are painted in a cream color. The floor is carpeted in beige. A wooden door stands in the middle of one of the walls, painted in a soft brown. It opens into the room. A window, large enough for a pony of my size to climb in and out of comfortably is in the center of the opposite wall. A self, about 2/3 of the room’s height, encircles the entire room and carries a miniature train, powered by magic.

 

“A bed is against the wall, covered in a few layers of sheets and blankets, but not long enough to drape to the carpet, thereby exposing a bin filled with neatly folded clothes and hats. Small bookshelves filled with model trains line the walls. In one corner sits an organized, but uncompleted, model train, all the parts completely labeled, just waiting to be assembled.  A large binder, filled with bookmarks rests on top of one of the small bookshelves. All the labels are hoofwritten, but the writing is extremely neat and precise, quite efficient, if I don’t mind saying.

 

“Oh, and one last thing. A portrait of a yellow pony with a purple mane sits atop of another bookshelf, but is set back so as not to be obvious to intruders.” Magicon gave a subtle smile towards Springer as he finished, confident that he had accurately described his room. Hopefully, it would satisfy Bringer’s and Scarlet’s demands and would bring Asteria back to him.

The unicorn's words were, from the beginning, plainly not what Bringer had been expecting. The initial description of the room's overall shape was enough for his grin to begin sagging. As Magicon continued, the sagging grin eventually morphed into a frown, and the entirety of the pegasus seemed to sag. Even his wings drooped miserably towards the ground. Yet, despite his sagging form, his eyes still seemed active, darting around as Magicon spoke, the only window into a thought-filled mind.

 

When, finally, Magicon had finished speaking, Bringer rolled backwards into a sitting position, looking completely sullen. He greeted Magicon's slight smile with a look of abject disappointment, and then he looked away. When he spoke, his voice was heavy with annoyance. "Magicon. That's Springer's room. We were just there. I was, you were, Sprout was, and so was Asteria. I don't even want to know what possessed you... You think that naming such a familiar place will honestly give us some hope of victory? I would almost suspect that you were harassing us with the intent of aiding your young friend."

 

Bringer turned his head slightly towards Magicon, such that only a side of his face was visible. He smiled slightly. "Of course, I know that you wouldn't do such a thing as this. Ah, but... I'm wasting time, now it is my turn, isn't it? I should go. Hmmmm... I would like to win, of course you realize this? I'll be honest with you. I'm not particularly interested in any other outcome. Magicon, I must win. Always. It's not only what I like, but it is the way that things should be. It's the natural order of things. When you have two forces - one inert and one active. The active should carry the day... But, I digress..."

 

Still sitting on the grass, he turned his back to Magicon, duplicating the unicorn's earlier gesture. For some moments, he buried his head in his hooves, deep in thought. He sat, in silence, for minutes. Slowly, he started to speak, in a soft whisper that carried surprising volume. "It's a large room, a very large room, 1 full minute to trot from one far side to the other. In shape, it is a perfect cylinder. It is underwater, in the middle of and at the bottom of a vast ocean. The walls are beautiful, shimmering, transparent, strong, magical. Through these transparent walls, the creatures of the lake can be seen in all of their beauty. Fish, large and small. Other things, again, some large and some small."

 

"The roof is high, mountainously so, yes, stretching upwards for at least a thousand and a half meters. There is no natural light in this room. The blackness of the ocean precludes the sunlight from reaching quite so deep. A perfect cylinder is in the middle of this room, it is 4 times the width of a pony. It connects both the floor and the roof, spanning upwards into the blackness. At the base of this cylinder, there is a perfect circle encircling it. This circle is no wider than my hoof. From this circle comes a dark, cold light. It's magical, again. It permeates the room with its soft, beautiful glow."

 

"The light is, as I said, magical, oh so magical. It truly does permeate the room, casting no shadows, illuminating only enough to leave the room in mostly darkness. As it travels, it lowers the temperature of the room to one that allows for heavy breathing to be visible, but not soft breathing. The light itself breathes as well. The soft murmur of rushing air permeates the floor, a thin fog rises and shifts to provide evidence of this motion."

 

"The floor of the room is divided by a pattern, into squares, each and every one a different shade of blue, the same color as the ocean's depths but never matching the hue of the water. There are no more and no less than 729 of them, all different sizes. Where they meet the boundary of the room's shape, they cease. In the center of each square, is a pillar. Each pillar is, again, just as wide as I am. They are all imperfect cylinders, every single one is flawed in some way, disproportionate." Bringer stopped speaking, slowly stood, and then turned to Magicon.

 

"I am done. My apologies for the length of my description and for the... Somewhat dramatic environment. However, you must hear me out. Your own room was simple in its description. As I sat here in thought, I debated the significance of your design. Of course, initially, I chastised you concerning this, and in truth, I had every intention to argue with you about your selection. But, after thought... I realize that I was wrong, and you were right. I may think that I know this game, but what if I don't? What then? Well, then my hubris would lead to our complete downfall."

 

Bringer inclined his head, just slightly, towards Magicon in a small bowing gesture. "Instead, I have chosen a different approach. Teamwork. To work as a team, each member of the team must act in such a way as to counterbalance the other. Victory can only arise through the delicate balance of strengths and weaknesses. In this case, I have balanced your familiar room with one that is significantly more complex. The strengths of your design will complement the weakness in mine, and the reverse shall hold true as well."

 

The pegasus sighed. "It is complex, but I feel remarkably hopeful. In this case, I believe that we can certainly provide for a neutral outcome at worst. If you win, and I lose, then it is, I think, strongly likely that there is no prize or punishment. What say you to this? Ah, but... Before you answer, I should address one thing. This game isn't my game, these rules are not my rules. I am not the master of this game, merely the participant, and there are others that are similar to me, any one of which could have been selected to join you here. They were not. Sprout selected me for my familiarity with you. He has plans, I assure you."

 

"These 'games' are of Sprout's creation. The rules are his. Have you heard me, even once, state a rule? No? Precisely. Instead, I sit here, arguing with Sprout and with him." Bringer gestured towards the silent Springer, sitting some distance away, studying the sky. "Do you have any idea how this is and what it does to me? I am a servant of a child. Sprout is a child. He gives orders, he rules this realm, everything marches in tandem with his demands. It is pathetic and demeaning to those of us that must participate."

 

With a huff, Bringer kicked at the grass with a hoof. "I will be honest. I don't care that you dislike me, and I don't particularly like you. In fact, I like no one here or elsewhere. That is my nature, it is what I am. I can't change it anymore than you could make yourself into Luna. However, you must admit, this is all meaningless isn't it? Our feelings, our thoughts, our emotions. Meaningless, yes? We are here, are we not? We must play, yes? You must protect your charge, yes? What can we do but go on? So, in light of this. What say you to my room's design? Shall we summon the young ones and commence the next step?"

 

---

 

At the words of the lemon mare saying that Vim called him a good friend, Arcanel felt visibly surprised.

Ambrosia caught Arcanel's reaction, but she didn't say anything. She had already suspected that Vim's earlier remarks had stemmed more from the conductors's affable nature than out of any conventional form of friendship. Vim did seem to have the habit of both trusting them strongly and commanding a surprising amount of loyalty and consideration from ponies that he had just met.

 

"Oh erm, no problem Ambrosia. Sorry for being formal. I prefer to have offended someone by being too formal, than for being too informal." The white pegasus explained to the mare while lightly putting his hoof behind. "As for questions, no problem at all! Although, I have to admit that I am bit... surprised by him calling me a good friend... I met him just earlier this morning after all... and it was about what I could do to be on the train to deliver the letter after I hadmade some miscalculations on my part when I left Vanhoover and reached Ponyville..."

She laughed cheerily and visibly relaxed. Unconsciously, she had still been just a bit tense due to the presence of the blue unicorn. Now, having heard Arcanel, she trusted him to keep an eye on his friend. "Well... First off, there's no need to apologize for being formal. In fact, I want you to take it back... I shouldn't have corrected you, and I should really apologize instead. You're right, it honestly is better to be formal, because there's less of a risk of offending somepony."

 

For a moment, she thought, unsure of how she should explain Vim's demeanor or even if she should. She decided quickly. "Second off... Don't be surprised. That's just how Vim is. Ever since I first started working him, he's been the same way. He sizes other ponies up with a single glance. After that, they're either friends, foes, or noponies." She looked thoughtful. "For the most part, everypony's a friend of Vim's. I think his only enemy is the accounting department." She stifled an unintentional laugh; she didn't want to appear disrespectful.

 

Instead, she sighed. "I get along fine with other ponies, but I don't think that a single look is enough to know a pony. That's one thing that I disagree with Vim on. I like to get to know ponies better before I try to make any judgements. That's fair, right?" She waited for an answer before continuing, shifting the topic away from Vim's eccentricities. "So, you're a long distance flyer? What kind of miscalculation brought you here?"

 

---

 

Luminescence turned back to look at Summer as the mare spoke. She listened intently, greatly appreciative that she was receiving so much more than a simple "yes or no" answer. That was the one thing that she disliked more than anything, not hearing the reasons for a decision. As Summer carefully addressed each of her concerns, Luminescence's respect for this mare increased significantly. While she preferred, greatly, to accompany Summer, Luminescence resolved that she would respect Summer's reasoning regardless of the mare's conclusion.

 

She didn't notice Summer's doubt or hesitation. Instead, she focused on the words that the mare spoke and she made calm note of Summer's points. Much time and thought was being put into this answer; it would be unfit to respond with anything less well reasoned and thoughtful. If she was told to stay, then she would need to carefully present her points a second time, this time with a different strategy and more detail. If she was invited to join, then she would need to graciously and eloquently accept the invitation. Nothing less would do. She prepared her thoughts. It seemed that Summer's answer would be no.

 

After a moment of contemplation, the mare sighed in resignation. "If you want to come along, I won't stop you, but I ask that you promise me that you would be careful and never leave my side. If you choose to stay behind, I will leave the room's key with you, so you can lock the door from the inside. The decision is yours to make." The mare walked to retrieve the bit pouch she prepared earlier, pulled up the string and swung it around her neck like a necklace. The room's key was still on where she left it earlier, on the drawer beside some papers. She turned to face the door before looking back to Luminescence. "So, what would it be? Would you stay behind or come along with me to the conductor?"

Her red eyes flashed brilliantly, and Luminescence's face displayed an expression that it only rarely did - confusion. She had anticipated that, after Summer's line of thought, the answer would be a tentative no. That she had been given a choice, it seemed unusual. It didn't seem like the type of thing that a mare would say to a filly, particularly not one that she the guardian over. Summer had given the decision to her. The confusion passed, clarity remained. Luminescence held her head up, proudly.

 

Summer considered her to be an equal. It was the only explanation for why the mare had been so careful in her reasoning. It was the only reason that she would present such an important decision. With a thoughtful expression in her red eyes, she looked at Summer for some moments, contemplating her answer and considering all that Summer had said. To brashly answer that she wanted to follow Summer would be disrespectful to the mare, and it would do a disservice to the positive impression that she had already formed with Summer.

 

After some moments of waiting, she spoke. "Summer, I appreciate your answer. It is detailed, and it provides a full picture of your thoughts. Since I am a filly, it is rare that another pony speaks to me so frankly and intelligently." She stopped and bowed slightly, holding out her right hoof in respect. When she resumed speaking, she did so with a balanced, even tone. "I appreciate the choice as well. But, the answer made the choice worthwhile. I hope that my answer does not disappoint."

 

Luminescence looked away and then looked back. "You are right. It is likely that working on this train would not fit me. Even if the work can be done, a train requires interaction with many ponies. Not all ponies would be reasonable when faced with a filly as a member of a train crew. It would not seem right. I think that you are right about Vim as well. If you say he is reasonable, then I believe you. If you say that he will not think poorly of me, then I agree."

 

She tilted her head slightly. "The situation that you described is intriguing to me. I wonder why the stallions sought to discredit the mare? I wonder what the conductor will tell them? I wonder what they hoped to gain? However, I do not wonder very much. This stallion that you spoke of, I do not fear his questions. I do not fear him. Please understand. I do not intend to impose upon you to protect me. I can answer any questions that arise. I keep no secrets. How could I? I am a filly. My only secret is my presence. Once that is known, what remains?"

 

The filly took a deep breath and then, as best as she could, gave Summer a reassuring smile. "I will be fine. Another pony can be seen, reasoned with, understood. So long as this is true, then I see no real threat from this stallion. Not with you by my side. You do not give yourself enough credit as a guardian. You are a formidable pony. I expect a lot in those that I trust. I trust you. It is because of this trust that I wish to accompany you. My decision is to follow you. I promise to be careful, and I will not leave your side. Trust me as I trust you. You will not be disappointed. I do not disappoint those that earn my trust." She looked Summer in the eyes and awaited the mare's words.

[Starshine 16,333]

After some moments of waiting, she spoke. "Summer, I appreciate your answer. It is detailed, and it provides a full picture of your thoughts. Since I am a filly, it is rare that another pony speaks to me so frankly and intelligently." She stopped and bowed slightly, holding out her right hoof in respect. When she resumed speaking, she did so with a balanced, even tone. "I appreciate the choice as well. But, the answer made the choice worthwhile. I hope that my answer does not disappoint."

 

Summerfall cocked her head slightly to the side in both wonder and confusion hearing Luminescence's reply, along with her rather peculiar posture from earlier. It seemed to be rather unusual for a filly to do that seemingly militaristic salute, especially when it's done to a stranger. Summerfall raised an eyebrow in curiosity when Luminescence wished that her answer would not disappoint her. It was definitely odd, Summerfall wasn't exactly expecting a filly to renounce her reasoning to a greater extent, but then again, Luminescence wasn't exactly your everyday filly.

 

Luminescence looked away and then looked back. "You are right. It is likely that working on this train would not fit me. Even if the work can be done, a train requires interaction with many ponies. Not all ponies would be reasonable when faced with a filly as a member of a train crew. It would not seem right. I think that you are right about Vim as well. If you say he is reasonable, then I believe you. If you say that he will not think poorly of me, then I agree."

 

She tilted her head slightly. "The situation that you described is intriguing to me. I wonder why the stallions sought to discredit the mare? I wonder what the conductor will tell them? I wonder what they hoped to gain? However, I do not wonder very much. This stallion that you spoke of, I do not fear his questions. I do not fear him. Please understand. I do not intend to impose upon you to protect me. I can answer any questions that arise. I keep no secrets. How could I? I am a filly. My only secret is my presence. Once that is known, what remains?"

 

Summerfall chuckled inwardly when Luminescence said that she had no other secret worthy of keeping other than her own presence. How wrong would that be. There was always a secret one would like to keep to themselves, no matter who they were. Summerfall understood that in this case, Luminescence's parents and home would be the forbidden subject. If Lapis' questions were any indication, the stallion would be very quick to try to inquire who she really was and where her house and family would be, without any regard on the filly's privacy and personal space.

 

The filly took a deep breath and then, as best as she could, gave Summer a reassuring smile. "I will be fine. Another pony can be seen, reasoned with, understood. So long as this is true, then I see no real threat from this stallion. Not with you by my side. You do not give yourself enough credit as a guardian. You are a formidable pony. I expect a lot in those that I trust. I trust you. It is because of this trust that I wish to accompany you. My decision is to follow you. I promise to be careful, and I will not leave your side. Trust me as I trust you. You will not be disappointed. I do not disappoint those that earn my trust." She looked Summer in the eyes and awaited the mare's words.

 

Summerfall couldn't help it. She walked closer to Luminescence and hugged her from the side briefly, a content smile adorned her face. "Of course I trust you, Luminescence." She had earned the Luminescence trust much earlier than she thought. It was good, it made her plan to find her parents' names much easier. Maybe after talking with Vim they can sit down and talk together over the lunch. The mare chuckled to herself before continuing. "I know that you will be careful on our way to the conductor. I will keep you safe. Let me do most of the talking with Vim, you wouldn't have to say anything unless you want to. We will have to go through the dining car before we can get to the conductor, but I think the fruit sandwiches can wait until we are finished talking with him. It won't do us any good if we sit down among other passengers and eat some before negotiating you a ticket on the train. There might be still some ponies having lunch in the dining car, but I say we can just trot through them. Socializing can wait until later," Summerfall put an emphasize on the last part by motioning her hoof to the back of the train.

 

After making sure her bits pouch was secured for the last time, Summerfall snatched the room's key and made her way to the door. "Well then, shall we?" she called out to Luminescence. She unlocked the door slightly and slowly peeked her head through the gap. The car was empty, much to her delight, and the room 8's door was still closed. There was no clear sign of struggle against its frame or any claw marks that might implied something terrible. With a nudge of a hoof she pushed the door a bit wider and trotted through it. She waited for Luminescence to trot out before locking the door once more.

 

Summerfall took a deep breath before looking at Luminescence. "Let's go," she said to the filly, great determination in her eyes. With certainty in her steps Summerfall trotted through the third passenger car straight to the dining car, while making sure that she trotted between Luminescence and the room 8, just in case something thought it would be a good idea to pounce on the filly. She was about to open the door to the dining car when she noticed that the dining area became a bit more crowded than before. From the window of the door, she observed that there wasn't seemed to be any new passengers, but somehow everypony was gathered in a single group.

 

"This might be a bit complicated," mused Summerfall. It would be rather difficult for them to walk through unhindered when almost everypony was standing in their path. At least Asteria, Lapis, and Magicon were nowhere to be found. Vim was also absent from the dining car, it seemed that he was still comprehending Lapis and Springer somewhere further in the train. From the train crews, only Ambrosia was present. Summerfall hoped that the cook would just assume that Luminescence was a relative of hers and wouldn't ask any questions. The white pegasus stallion from earlier was still there, but he was currently busy talking with the cook.

 

Dawn the unicorn still looked a bit shaken, but Summerfall decided that it was not her place to worry about the mare. Dawn was a medical unicorn, surely she would be more than capable to take care of herself Summerfall spared a glance to Luminescence. "Seems like we will have to talk our way through the dining car. Vim is a large, red earth pony stallion, you should be able to recognize him the moment you see him."

 

Without any further ado Summerfall opened the door to dining car and walked to the gathering of ponies in the middle of the car. "Um, excuse me everypony," she talked out to nopony in particular, but she hoped that they would hear her. "Does anypony know where the conductor is? I want to talk to him about something."

 

 

 

@@Key Gear,

Well... This post was done while assuming that you have no surprise plan on what would happen between Summer's door and the dining car. If you have something in mind, you can just ignore the later half of the post and do whatever it is that you want to do.

 

 

Edited June 11, 2013 by Starshine

[Arcanel 3,041]

She laughed cheerily and visibly relaxed. Unconsciously, she had still been just a bit tense due to the presence of the blue unicorn. Now, having heard Arcanel, she trusted him to keep an eye on his friend. "Well... First off, there's no need to apologize for being formal. In fact, I want you to take it back... I shouldn't have corrected you, and I should really apologize instead. You're right, it honestly is better to be formal, because there's less of a risk of offending somepony."

 

At seeing Ambrosia laughing, Arcanel felt slightly surprised again, but joined in with a small chuckle, and smiled, albeit a bit embarrassed at the mare apologizing to him.

 

 

 

"Second off... Don't be surprised. That's just how Vim is. Ever since I first started working him, he's been the same way. He sizes other ponies up with a single glance. After that, they're either friends, foes, or noponies." She looked thoughtful. "For the most part, everypony's a friend of Vim's. I think his only enemy is the accounting department." She stifled an unintentional laugh; she didn't want to appear disrespectful

 

As Ambrosia spoke, Arcanel felt himself smile at Vim's attitude. *Haha, seems like something I think he would do.* He thought, recalling how Vim acted when he first met him. *And I'd think that he would want to do nothing else but to avoid anything related to accounting* he added, chuckling to himself.

 

 

 

Instead, she sighed. "I get along fine with other ponies, but I don't think that a single look is enough to know a pony. That's one thing that I disagree with Vim on. I like to get to know ponies better before I try to make any judgements. That's fair, right?" She waited for an answer before continuing, shifting the topic away from Vim's eccentricities. "So, you're a long distance flyer? What kind of miscalculation brought you here?

 

As she finished, he figured he would talk about all she talked about before so nothing stays unanswered. "First off, no need to apologize Ambrosia. I will do whatever is more comfortable for you. But please, let's not make this an apologizing barrage shall we?" He started while chuckling a bit. "As for Vim, I can't say I'm not surprised, though I have to say he can be intimidating if he needs to be..." the white pegasus admitted. "Regardless, I'd think he'd want nothing to do with accounting, after all, his passion are trains aren't they?" He laughed as he mentioned the accounting part.

 

"And yes, what you do and how yo judge ponies is perfectly ok and fair. " He said while smiling. "And as for what brought me here... well... actually, I'm not a long distance flyer. This is my first travel outside Vanhoover. I had to deliver a letter to Ponyville, and now I have to deliver one to Los Pegasus. But... since I left the night before, I think that's what might have made me go wrong with how many supplies I carried, and I kind of fell short after I reached Ponyville. And doing long distance trips without enougb supplies or energy is a bad idea. The train happened to be in Ponyville, and Vim happened to be the pony I asked on where the conductor was, so... you can imagine how embarrassed I was." He explained as he put a hoof behind his head yet again, before continuing. "After I introduced and explained myself, Vim was kind enough to let me ride the train until we got to Las Pegasus. I still owe him for what he did." He said firmly, determined to help the conductor on whatever he needed trouble as he had done before. "And... after some events I'm here!" He said loudly, knowing that he wanted to release some tension of his shoulders.

 

As he waited for an answer from Ambrosia, he heard a voice speaking into the room.

 

 

 

"Um, excuse me everypony," she talked out to nopony in particular, but she hoped that they would hear her. "Does anypony know where the conductor is? I want to talk to him about something."

 

At the words being spoken, he looked to the entrance of the train, and saw a pale green colored mare with white and copper striped mane, and a filly who was a glowing silver and had a red mane. *Wow...that filly lookes like she's glowing... er... don't stare Arcanel, that's bad.* He mentally chastised himself. *Anyway, she wants to know where Vim is... well... I don't know if he is... er... "finished" with Springer and Lapis... but I'd guess enough time has passed, and it would be rude not to tell her when I know.* He decided. "Um..." He started turning to the mare. "I think Vim, the conductor, is somewhere along the passenger cars." He answered, and hoped it would be a satisfying answer.

Edited June 11, 2013 by Eevee

[Bari 7,023]

Lapis stood in the corridor, a little nervous. He had just sneaked out of Dawn’s room. The very pony who had threatened his life not even half an hour ago. But this time, he didn't have Asteria or any other pony nearby. Vim might be too late to throw himself into the way. Thankfully, Vim came flying out of the door to Dawn’s room, laying in a slump. He repressed a laugh as the conductor got up and checked to make sure he had all his things. Lapis peered towards the door, seeing that it was closed. Vim turned towards him, appearing to be a bit out of sorts.
 

"For the love of Celestia, I know my plan was horrible, but warn me before you scoot out like that again, would you? Sometimes you need to think things through, you know? What if Dawn had been out here? You might have gotten crisped, then she could have shut the door on me, and I would have gotten eaten. Between the two of us, we would have made a great meal. Raw pony first, then crispy pony. The only thing missing would have been the drinks. You think cats like cider? We wouldn't have known, because neither of us would have been around to find out. That would have been a shame, right?"

 
Vim voiced Lapis’ concerns and amplified them. He resisted the urge to sigh. Despite Vim’s clear irritation, his eyes shone with what one could not mistake for anything but amusement. This conductor was certainly an affable stallion. One who knew ponies well. Certainly the kind of pony who did his job well and may make a helpful friend. He followed after Vim, eyes glowing with promise. He'd need a pony like Vim if ponies like Dawn were about.
 

"Look, anyway... Let's get moving. And, you can tell me what you found." Vim made his way to the caboose, while he was speaking. He was now going through his keys at a leisurely pace while waiting for Lapis's response.

Lapis nodded as he watched Vim fiddle with his keys. “Certainly, Vim.” he said before taking a deep breath. He felt he needed to do this quickly, especially since the stop at Dawn’s room was only by chance. The real objective was within Vim’s room. “I found three items of value. One note, a bottle of ink which I am lead to believe is invisible ink, and a blank book. First, I must explain a bit. During my time in school, I was taught many things that could help in investigations. One such thing was hidden messages. I was familiarized with the scent of invisible ink. Of course, it’s nothing too special, but it is very useful, especially since it may be helpful in this instance.
 
“You see, not all messages can be revealed the same way. Sometimes one uses lemon juice, or heat. Other times, magic is involved. It would be safe to say magic may be what hides this ink, if I am correct in assuming what I have so far.” Lapis mused thoughtfully. “Asteria was instructed a bit in the art of uncovering messages during her albeit short time at one of the Researcher’s Guild institutes. It wasn't too important to give her the full training since she is merely my assistant. She would learn much more in the field. But I digress.
 
“The fact I found the ink may mean the book and the note hide something. It is reasonable to believe that what they hide may be important, and you yourself have seen that Dawn may not be a simple medic. I wish not to jump to too many conclusions, so without further chatting, perhaps we may go into your room and see this book you mentioned? We can locate Asteria later.” he said while looking about, afraid that one of Dawn’s cats may very well lurk in the shadows. From this point onward, Lapis would look over his shoulder whenever he could. Until any and all messes were sorted out, Lapis was possibly in danger.
 

---

 
Beside her, Asteria felt Magicon radiate confidence and fear. He both believed in her and felt she might fail. The rules had seemed simple enough. And Springer would judge, so the truth would have to prevail. The green pegasus was much like an automaton. He was efficient and had to do what would align with his standards and such. That was what she felt from his motionless form. But Bringer and Sprout were almost unreadable. Bringer seemed eager to see her fail, but Sprout gave off the impression he'd be alright either way. As long as Bringer didn't get too much pleasure from it.
 
And then with a simple “I like it.” from Sprout, Asteria felt a bit of relief. Her relief strengthened once Magicon agreed. That was two objectives cleared. But Bringer didn't look like he was about to let her win. The purple-eyed Springer had an aura of malice about him. It was faint though. Reading these two was not especially easy. Bringer went about a silly song and dance about how neither her nor Magicon had given a reason for their answers. Asteria had merely spoken from the heart. There was no way to explain it. But Bringer made a mockery of the beautiful name by parading it about. She felt on the verge of a pout. Nearby, Sprout wasn't any better.
 
The young Springer suddenly released the real Springer to allow him to do his job. Asteria’s eyes widened as Springer was filled with burning emotions. It was an angry born from frustration towards another’s disrespect of one’s morals and code. Soon an exchange exploded between the green stallion and Sprout. The colt remained calm, and Springer forged on, making his stance clear. By the end of it, Asteria was declared the winner, and she let out the breath she had unconscious had been holding. It seemed as though it were time to play the next game.
 
But Bringer would have none of that. He childishly disputed the claim, which caused the fur along Asteria’s spine to stand on end. Had Bringer truly sabotaged the game? Thankfully, Springer spouted out a bunch of made up stuff, which was sufficient enough to make everything clear. The game was truly over. Whatever came next, Asteria felt Springer could judge it properly. Or so she could hope. Springer seemed as though he had to push for the truth. Sprout was then upon the ground, literally rolling with laughter. The colt seemed pleased. 
 

Scarlet leaped to his hooves and glanced at both Magicon and Asteria with a broad smile. "I am no longer called Sprout. You may now call me Scarlet. Now, I shall give you a prize." He closed his eyes and thought. When he opened them again and spoke, his earlier calmness had returned. "Asteria, this game amused me greatly. For your prize, you should have something special. I was intrigued when you said that you were like my mother. For your prize, you are now my mother."

 
Asteria’s breath caught in her throat. Was she really to receive such an interesting prize? It seemed too good to be true. Or at least, subjectively good. She could feel Magicon’s uneasiness. His thoughts escaped her, though. Whatever it was that bothered him at the moment would have to remain unknown. Scarlet turned back towards Bringer and announced he was to pick the teams. And Bringer, as though reading Asteria's mind, assigned the teams how she had secretly wished.
 
Scarlet explained the rules, which seemed simple enough. But Asteria probably didn't need to know those rules since she was not on Magicon’s team at the moment. In a flash, the green colt was beside her, and then they were gone. In the split second that she was unaware of reality, a thought went through her mind. What if Scarlet had lied? What if this were to be some form of doom? But her doubts vanished when the two arrived in a field of clouds high above in the sky.
 
A feeling of warmth started to spread through Asteria’s body. For some reason, she almost felt at ease. In truth, she could have stood on a cloud before, but this was honestly the first time she had done so. She gently settled down onto the fluffy white surface. It bothered her a bit that Scarlet would be unable to save her if she made a mistake, but she would not have exactly expected he could have in the first place. Scarlet turned towards her while speaking in a manner tinged with longing and boredom.
 

Scarlet looked over to the purple filly. "I am one of three Springers. Surely, there is a better way. You have named me. Perhaps you would like to give me a better form? I think this is what what mothers do? They shape their descendants? If you are my mother, then would you tell me something? What should I be? Being Springer is... Unamusing. I am a younger Springer, but this is boring. You have imagination and you gave me a fitting name. Tell me what do you think I should be if I could be anything? I wish to be something exciting." The colt waited, wide-eyed for an answer.

Asteria gave a slight start. Conjure up a new form for this colt who was willing to think of her as his mother? The thought delighted her, but she didn't speak immediately. After a moment of introspection, she spoke tentatively. “Well, being a mini Springer is boring. So maybe a new form could be very fun indeed. And since we're up in the sky, a flying creature would be best. You're already a pegasus, so that’s not an option. A dragon would be too big. How about a griffin?” She looked straight at the colt with a odd feeling in her heart. This young pony, who looked not too much younger than her, filled her with a sense of love. She was now his mother. Asteria, mother at only 15. She suppressed a giggle. But nevertheless, the colt seemed to invite her feelings.
 
She began again, this time more confidently. Her very words hinted at the suddenly obtained maternal emotions. “Yes, a griffin. One deserving of the name ‘Scarlet’. A standard brown body, medium paws and claws. Delicate talons, careful in how they grasp. Crimson red plumage accenting your head. Blue eyes as deep as the ocean. The tuff of hair at the end of your tail a reddish-brown. A beak like that of a kite. Body not too much bigger than a young mare in size. And...” she paused for a moment, a little nervous to say what she had in mind. “And, female. Is that alright, Scarlet? I mean, you appear male at the moment, but maybe you'd enjoy being physically female? I've always thought a female can be more graceful than a male.” 
 
Asteria smiled broadly, hoping her description was good enough. She didn’t know if she had missed anything, but she had tried to cover everything that came to mind when one thought of a griffin. And then, as though she were pushed forward, she came close to Scarlet and hugged him. The colt felt so warm, so soft. She hugged a bit tighter before letting him go. “Scarlet, I am your mother now, and I love you.” she said almost automatically. She truly had no idea what had come over her. But truthfully, she didn't exactly hate it.

[Magicon 468]

Magicon did not know Bringer’s reaction to his threat or his description. He had designed both to warn and annoy the pony, though he was unsure if either emotions were achieved on the colt. Bringer’s reaction to Magicon’s malice was complete ignorance. He simply smiled up at him as Magicon spat out his dark language. It was as if he didn’t understand a single syllable of his speech, much less the content or meaning of it. It was somewhat displeasing in the unicorn. He did not give such dark warnings often and when he did they always achieved a similar effect: a noticeable change in a pony’s persona. Instead of content it always changed to some form of fear or worry, though the discretion varied depending on the pony and the content of his language.

 

Yet Bringer showed no emotion at all. Was he that young of a colt? Or was he beyond the point of caring? Perhaps he thought he was invincible; incapable of being hurt Magicon’s magic or his actions and thus unaffected by his words. It was unexpected and frustrating to find such a reaction. But, it could all be a trick. Bringer wasn’t to be trusted. He could very well be scared inside, but in such control of his emotions that none of that fear seeped past his fur. Frightened or not, it was Magicon’s description that produced a result in Bringer that Magicon had not intended, but was pleased to see.

 

Bringer appeared more and more disappointed the longer Magicon spoke. Instead of amusing or annoying the pegasus, Magicon’s description was boring him. Though not an annoyance, per se, boredom could be a serious hamper to a pony. Bringer’s boredom made him suspicious of Magicon sabotaging the game, an action that Magicon would never emit in this situation. But then it dawned on him, by putting Asteria on the opposite team, Bringer and Scarlet had set the scales against both of them. If he and Bringer won, Asteria would be hurt. If Asteria and Scarlet won, he would be hurt. Neither outcome was to his or Asteria’s advantage. Either both teams needed to lose or win or Springer refused to declare a winner or a loser. His gut fell at the realization while Bringer lay on the ground, concentrating on something oblivious to Magicon.

 

He paced back in forth in front of the pegasus, now even more worried about Asteria. Why didn’t he think of this before? Why was he so clueless? Why did he have to agree to open that blasted door? So many of these questions were pointless; it mattered not to him or his current situation. The answers to these questions would not help him. It was simply out of his hooves. All he could do now was pray for a few outcomes: Bringer failed in his description, Scarlet and Ambrosia were creatively equal to them, or Springer refused to judge. Out of all the three, the last two were the most likely, but they were still uncertain.

 

As he thought and paced he began to hear Bringer’s voice in a hushed tone. He paused in his tracks and silenced his mind as he quietly approached the pegasus and began listening to his description. As he spoke Magicon began picturing it, but from the start he began running into difficulties.

 

 

 

"It's a large room, a very large room, 1 full minute to trot from one far side to the other. In shape, it is a perfect cylinder. It is underwater, in the middle of and at the bottom of a vast ocean. The walls are beautiful, shimmering, transparent, strong, magical. Through these transparent walls, the creatures of the lake can be seen in all of their beauty. Fish, large and small. Other things, again, some large and some small."

 

’Ok, a large hall, simple enough. Cylinder in shape, is the cylinder on its side or standing up? Underwater? A building of that size? That’s not technologically possible. Magical and transparent walls, well ok, it’s possible, but on a hall of such size?’ As Bringer spoke further the picture became even more distorted by Magicon’s own practical limitations.

 

 

 

"The roof is high, mountainously so, yes, stretching upwards for at least a thousand and a half meters. There is no natural light in this room. The blackness of the ocean precludes the sunlight from reaching quite so deep. A perfect cylinder is in the middle of this room, it is 4 times the width of a pony. It connects both the floor and the roof, spanning upwards into the blackness. At the base of this cylinder, there is a perfect circle encircling it. This circle is no wider than my hoof. From this circle comes a dark, cold light. It's magical, again. It permeates the room with its soft, beautiful glow."

 

’Ok, so the cylinder is standing upright and is very deep in the ocean. There’s a smaller cylinder in the middle of the room with a black magical light at the bottom. Essentially, that’s what it is, I think.’

 

 

 

"The light is, as I said, magical, oh so magical. It truly does permeate the room, casting no shadows, illuminating only enough to leave the room in mostly darkness. As it travels, it lowers the temperature of the room to one that allows for heavy breathing to be visible, but not soft breathing. The light itself breathes as well. The soft murmur of rushing air permeates the floor, a thin fog rises and shifts to provide evidence of this motion."

 

’This light is magical, obviously. It could be a type of a flame or a spirit, but a flame heats not cools and a spirit generally does not permeate a room…Is this a creature of some kind? Oh, what am I thinking, Magicon, don’t analyze, just go with it.’ Yet as he continued listening he felt one of his three prayers slip past his hooves. Bringer’s description, as bizarre as it was, was detailed and imaginative, and still continuing.

 

 

 

"The floor of the room is divided by a pattern, into squares, each and every one a different shade of blue, the same color as the ocean's depths but never matching the hue of the water. There are no more and no less than 729 of them, all different sizes. Where they meet the boundary of the room's shape, they cease. In the center of each square, is a pillar. Each pillar is, again, just as wide as I am. They are all imperfect cylinders, every single one is flawed in some way, disproportionate." Bringer stopped speaking, slowly stood, and then turned to Magicon.

 

'A tile floor, but how do you tell those are blue tiles? How do you tell any color in the depths of the ocean? A black light cannot tell you the color of something. And what’s with that specific number? What’s its significance? Well, at least the pillars state how the roof is supported…but what type of hall is this? What is its purpose?’ The confusion seen on Magicon’s face was unmasked as he tried to make sense of this place. It seemed to defy logical and physical laws the governed buildings. It was unviewed by the imagination. Its size demanded more than the imagination could handle. Even for a colt’s creative mind, this building could not be something conjured from the mind. This place was real, or real enough to Bringer that he thought it was real.

 

While Bringer finished his description and explained the need for teamwork, a topic that Magicon showed no interest in, especially with regards to Bringer, he tried to push his room from his mind. Such a place was real enough to Bringer, but that was its limits. It was a part of Bringer; something about him. It suddenly dawned on Magicon that he had played his move not foolishly or haphazardly, but wisely. Whereas Bringer chose to reveal something that was personal Magicon only revealed what was common to both of them. His secrets remained secrets. Bringer knew only what he had observed and heard from Magicon, none of which was highly personal. He allowed himself a small sigh of relief at the realization and the visible worry became less apparent, but still noticeable on his face.

 

 

 

The pegasus sighed. "It is complex, but I feel remarkably hopeful. In this case, I believe that we can certainly provide for a neutral outcome at worst. If you win, and I lose, then it is, I think, strongly likely that there is no prize or punishment. What say you to this? Ah, but... Before you answer, I should address one thing. This game isn't my game, these rules are not my rules. I am not the master of this game, merely the participant, and there are others that are similar to me, any one of which could have been selected to join you here. They were not. Sprout selected me for my familiarity with you. He has plans, I assure you."

 

The tension wrapped itself Magicon once again and worse than ever while his eyes widened in great worry. Scarlet having plans, regardless of their intentions, was not something he wanted to hear. He felt the greatest urge just to run as fast as he could away from this place, away from all of this, away from the train. He wanted to retreat to his museum where he was safe in the quiet corridors with the silent artifacts and relics. He wanted Archie by his side; he was always supportive in times like these. He needed his assistant, right now.

 

Yet what of Asteria and Springer? They were both depending on him and he couldn’t let them be victims of Scarlet’s plans. Could he just leave them behind? Could he live with himself, his cowardice? He didn’t know and he couldn’t tell. The anxiety was eating his insides and he just wanted it to stop. He knew he was showing signs of desperation, but he had no control over it. He could feel the tears of desperation beginning to form just behind his eyes. All he expected was a quiet train ride to Los Pegasus, not a crazy magical adventure with the heavy possibility of death. He just wanted to go home.

 

 

 

With a huff, Bringer kicked at the grass with a hoof. "I will be honest. I don't care that you dislike me, and I don't particularly like you. In fact, I like no one here or elsewhere. That is my nature, it is what I am. I can't change it anymore than you could make yourself into Luna. However, you must admit, this is all meaningless isn't it? Our feelings, our thoughts, our emotions. Meaningless, yes? We are here, are we not? We must play, yes? You must protect your charge, yes? What can we do but go on? So, in light of this. What say you to my room's design? Shall we summon the young ones and commence the next step?"

 

 

Magicon raised his pleading eyes toward Bringer as he finished speaking. As much as he didn’t want to, Bringer was correct with his statement: they had to keep playing. Only if he and Asteria won the game could they even hope of getting out of this place alive. He had no choice, he had to stay and he hated it. He lost the saliva in his mouth from his worries, unable to from words to reply to the pegasus. Once Bringer asked him the question, all Magicon could do was take an uneasy breath and nod his head a few times. It was the only guaranteed way out of this, he had to do it, for Springer, for Asteria, and for himself.

Edited June 12, 2013 by Magicon

[Electrobolt 2,069]

After he had introduced Wind Dancer to his sister, Electrobolt looked at Key Gear as he noticed she seemed distracted by something. Although he was confused at why his sister was distracted, he shook his head. Around then, Wind Dancer introduced herself to Key, which had brought her attention back to their table. It was then that she introduced herself to Wind Dancer. Though he was curious about what had distracted her, he shook it off. *I can ask her another time, for now I'll worry about what's going on here right now...* he thought, before hearing two familiar ponies join them and speak up.

 

"I'm sorry, everypony.  Is it alright if I join you all?"

"Uh...is everything alright?" feeling rude, she apologized and made her introduction "I'm sorry...My name's Flow, pleased to meet you all new passengers, oh and hello Key, Ambrosia, Electrobolt. Good to see you guys doing well," She smiled.

 

It was then that Electrobolt looked over as he saw Flow and Alex, as they were wondering if things were alright over here. Before he could even respond, though, Key Gear took the initiative and began to introduce the two pegasi to Wind while introducing Wind to the two. When Key added that Wind was talking with him and Ambrosia earlier, he just nodded in response. It was then that Flow started to speak to Wind, stating that she was glad to not be the only pegasus mare on the train anymore, to which he was confused. How come she decided to mention that fact...?

 

After that statement, Flow briefly explained how she got the ticket for the train and such. *So she won her ticket from a raffle drawing, huh?* he thought, curious. Just then, though, a mare's voice spoke up as she asked if anypony knew where the conductor was. As he looked over to see who spoke, he could see the mare from when he was with Key and Asteria in the first passenger car - Summerfall. As he looked at her, he could also catch a glimpse of a silver unicorn filly with her. He tried to recall whether he saw this filly or not, before coming up empty-hoofed.

 

He eyed the young filly with slight curiosity before closing his eyes to let out a sigh. With that, he opened his eyes and started to get out of his seat before looking at the group at his table. Clearing his throat, he said, "If you'll excuse me..." before leaving the table to approach Summer and the young filly. Once he arrived at the two ponies, he responded with a small smile, "Hello, Summerfall. I don't exactly know where the conductor is right now, unfortunately, but what seems to be the problem? Also, if I might ask, who is this young filly that is with you?"

[Alex Night 870]

Alex looked upon the group at the table and he felt glad that he was welcomed along with Flow, or at least Key Gear was more than welcome to have them join the table.  However, she then introduced Alex and Flow to a young Pegasus mare named Wind Dancer.  He couldn't help but feel as if she looked like that other blue unicorn with the exception of the horn replaced by wings.  Alex gave a friendly wave to the Pegasus.  "Hello there.  It's nice to meet you."  Alex said to Wind Dancer.  He then saw Electrobolt get up from the table to go off to see two other ponies that Alex didn't recognize.  He was about to ask what was wrong with him, but decided to leave him to it.

 

He turned his attention back to the group at the table and took an empty seat next to Key Gear.  "Thanks.  So, it's been awhile since we last talked, Key.  How are you doing since then and how did you meet the new ponies here?"  Alex asked her curiously, feeling the companionship again that he had when he and Flow started to talk to Key.

[Ice Storm 1,020]

~~Ice Storm~~

 

Ice was relieved that that Dusky told her that there wasn't any real rush in regards to the quest to salvation that she had just accepted to help him with. He stated that he'd been waiting for a vastly long time for somepony like her and that it would be highly discourteous for him to try to rush her considering how graciously he agreed to assist him. She had a feeling that this wasn't just going to be a walk in the park so she wanted to be at her best before she tried to combat forces that she had no idea of.

 

Dusky then paused in thought, most likely pondering the questions that she had asked him. He then started by saying that although he was a knowledgeable pony, he couldn't answer her question with any degree of certainty. He said that if no medical pony had been able to assist her so far, then it was possible that whatever was affecter her wasn't a that was in the realm of normal. He stated that it's really rare for a medical pony to have problems with a health issue. He also said that while it was a possibility, it wasn't a highly probably one, but since dreams were natural, not magical, it could make them even more difficult to uncover and address. He ultimately concluded that speaking with Dawn would probably be the best course of action for her.

 

She nodded, listening as he told her that if possible dusk was the best and the safest time to enter the world of dreams. "Alright then, I'll be back right before dusk so that we can get started, and we can get you back to the status you deserve," she told him as she began to head back towards her room. She quickly unlocked the door and made her way inside. She opened the drawer that had her diapers and bits in it and put what other bits she had taken with her since the lunch was free back in. "Well... Hopefully she has an answer. At the very least I'd like to know if I can even be cured or not..." she spoke to herself laying back onto her bed.

 

~~Wind Dancer~~

 

Wind Dancer smiled a bit more as the other ponies began to come over. They were all fairly friendly and the one that introduced herself as Key Gear was apparently Electrobolt's sister. He went to go help somepony with another issue, but Key then introduced her to her other friends and Wind smiled again. "The pleasure's all mine, really," she said happily as one of the other ponies seemed excited that she was another pegasus mare. that she thought that she was the only one here. Key had introduced her as flow.

 

"Haha, it's nice to meet you as well. I have to agree it's nice to see another Pegasus here. My ticket here was generously paid for by another friend," she admitted. "Hopefully though I'll be taking over as the main act when we get to Los Pegasus, since apparently the old main act doesn't apparently doesn't exist anymore," she stated.

[Key Gear 6,663]

((OOC: So, I was supposed to go to bed. Instead, I decided to post this segment tonight. I'll write for all other characters tomorrow, but... I kinda want to give a chance for this information to be absorbed while the weekend is still young.))

 

Asteria gave a slight start. Conjure up a new form for this colt who was willing to think of her as his mother? The thought delighted her, but she didn't speak immediately.

It was a rare moment. The feeling of anticipation that he had masked earlier came flooding back. Sprout savored the feeling. This wasn't a game, not a real one. There was no risk of loss for either himself or for Asteria, and the element of chance was minimal. Yet, he felt a sense of expectation that was so clearly exciting that it could not be denied. Asteria would come up with something, he was certain of this. It would be something excellent. Normally, to wait for something, anything, would have vexed him. Not this time. He didn't mind her delay.

 

After a moment of introspection, she spoke tentatively. “Well, being a mini Springer is boring. So maybe a new form could be very fun indeed. And since we're up in the sky, a flying creature would be best. You're already a pegasus, so that’s not an option. A dragon would be too big. How about a griffin?” She looked straight at the colt with a odd feeling in her heart. This young pony, who looked not too much younger than her, filled her with a sense of love. She was now his mother. Asteria, mother at only 15. She suppressed a giggle. But nevertheless, the colt seemed to invite her feelings.

As she began to speak, Scarlet listened to Asteria attentively. She began hesitantly, but from the moment that she mentioned the word "fun", Scarlet was certain that she would exceed his own hopes. He was right. When she said the word "griffon", Scarlet blinked and his expectations were cast aside. She could have named any other creature of flight, but she had chosen that one. She had chosen his very favorite. When Asteria's eyes focused on him, he looked back, his own gaze filled with wonder. His eyes locked with hers and he saw something there that he had never seen before in this realm, certainly not directed towards himself.

 

She began again, this time more confidently. Her very words hinted at the suddenly obtained maternal emotions. “Yes, a griffin. One deserving of the name ‘Scarlet’. A standard brown body, medium paws and claws. Delicate talons, careful in how they grasp. Crimson red plumage accenting your head. Blue eyes as deep as the ocean. The tuff of hair at the end of your tail a reddish-brown. A beak like that of a kite. Body not too much bigger than a young mare in size. And...” she paused for a moment, a little nervous to say what she had in mind. “And, female. Is that alright, Scarlet? I mean, you appear male at the moment, but maybe you'd enjoy being physically female? I've always thought a female can be more graceful than a male.”

When Asteria continued, her voice sounded different. He wasn't certain as to why, but the way that she spoke was comforting to him. However, the words that she spoke had a different effort. His eyes locked on her as she spoke, enraptured. His expression was one of mild shock. Her words... They were amazing to him. With each one of them, she did so much more than simply give a new form. She was describing, in perfection, the very form that he loved most of all, the form that he considered to be his true form. It was as though, somehow, she had seen straight through his disguise. She had seen through the guise of a younger Springer, and she had uncovered something that was supposed to have been a secret.

 

When Asteria paused, Scarlet looked away for a brief moment, his eyes haunted. No creature, of any kind, had ever done this before. She was only a pony, just a normal pony. She hadn't used magic, conventional magic did not work in this realm. She had never been to this place before, she could not have drawn from memory. She had to have seen it, but it was nowhere to be seen. Yet, she had seen it anyway. What else had she seen? How deeply had she looked. Had she looked deeply enough to see what he truly was... Did she hate what she had seen? Perhaps, she feared it?

 

When she continued, again. Scarlet slowly turned his head and smiled awkwardly while nodding once, in assent. At that moment, he had no words. For, in truth, he was only male due to assuming the temporary guise of the younger Springer. Somehow, Asteria had seen through this as well. It was as though he was an open book, and she had simply leafed through the pages, casually observing his nature as though it was obvious. Yet, she was just a normal pony. Scarlet's eyes gazed on Asteria with admiration and awe.

 

Asteria smiled broadly, hoping her description was good enough. She didn’t know if she had missed anything, but she had tried to cover everything that came to mind when one thought of a griffin. And then, as though she were pushed forward, she came close to Scarlet and hugged him. The colt felt so warm, so soft. She hugged a bit tighter before letting him go.

As Asteria approached Scarlet, he watched her without varying his gaze. She wasn't hesitant in the slightest, in fact she advanced with what seemed, to his eyes, to be a poise and grace that were beyond her years. Something was affecting her, he was certain. Some powerful emotion. Fear was the first that came to mind, as it was the powerful emotion that he was most familiar with, but... Asteria had no fear. She drew closer, undeterred by his proximity to the edge of the cloud. She truly was fearless in that moment. Scarlet's confusion was substantial.

 

His confusion only grew as he felt something, himself. It was a subtle feeling, different from the awe and respect that he had felt just moments before, but yet somewhat similar. It was a positive feeling, uplifting. Was this the same thing that Asteria felt? When finally, she wrapped her hooves around him, he was still confused, but he wasn't tensed. Instead, without thought, he moved closer to her even though he didn't return the hug. When she tightened her hug, he reached out to return it, just for a moment. He hardly knew what he was doing.

 

“Scarlet, I am your mother now, and I love you.” she said almost automatically. She truly had no idea what had come over her. But truthfully, she didn't exactly hate it.

"I... I see..." He trailed off gently... A single tear had fallen from his left eye and landed on his hoof. He looked at it, uncertain. "It has been so long... So very long... Since... Anything..." He looked away, gazing up into the endless sky. He raised his left hoof and, with a gentle breath, sent it sailing into the sky. It flew away from his hoof and grew, changing form until it had become a small falcon. Soundlessly, it soared.

 

When he lowered his hoof, he began to change. The transition was both swift and strange. The pegasus, the griffon - both forms mixed chaotically for a moment, a whirlwind of green, brown, red, and feathers of all shapes and sizes. The pegasus colt was gone. The griffon remained, exactly as Asteria had described. She was a young griffon, but despite her youth, visibly strong. She faced away from Asteria, holding her head proudly. Slowly, she stretched out her wings. For a young griffon, her wingspan was impressive. For some moments, she surveyed the sky, facing away from Asteria, wings outstreched triumphantly.

 

"Thank you, Asteria." The voice was a completely different from that of the pegasus colt. The voice was soft, elegant, calm. It was also female. The wings closed. The griffon turned to the filly. "This form is perfect for me. And, in truth... You have surprised me, again. When I said that you were my mother, perhaps I did not grasp the full meaning of this. The words that you spoke... It is interesting that you spoke them. You love me? You... You, love me... Now that you've said this, it has to be true, I think. And, I have to say something... Asteria, I love you in return." Scarlet's blue eyes glittered with thought and emotion.

 

"These words... They're special. More special here than they are in the realm that you are from. Because, here, in this place, your words have the power to make things real." Scarlet gleefully chirped before continuing. "If you are given the permission to create, then your words can build things, change things, and destroy things. When I asked you to give me a form, I gave you the permission to use your words to create. For the other team... When I told Magicon to describe a room, I gave him this same power. The power to create. Of course, Bringer already has it. We are friends... But... I think that you would be a better friend than Bringer."

 

"I think that... If we win this game, then I will give you a prize that will be for you and I to share. I will give you the power to create whatever you wish within the realm that I control. You could build things like this place. And, we could both enjoy these places as mother and child." Sprout gestured with a claw. "This place... I created it by myself. It is infinite, and light shines everywhere. That is what dreams are made of, you see. They are light. Beautiful, warm light. I'm sure you would like to make things with this? Yes? It would be fun." Scarlet didn't wait for an answer before she looked away. "This is all that I could give you. I would hope that you think it a worthy prize. But, I suppose I should tell you, it is not unlimited."

 

She looked back, hesitantly. "You can see from this world that I created... I like light and the freedom that it gives. As I said, you would be able to make things like this. You would not be able to make things of darkness in my realm. Even if it was possible, I would not want you to. It would not be right. You are my mother. My mother shall neither be of shadow nor darkness. I, myself, have nothing to do with darkness. When the other one is not here, then it is Bringer that controls the substance of nightmares... So that I can avoid the place..." Scarlet trailed off. When she continued, she spoke with a soft voice, cautiously. "Some think that nightmares are dreams. This is true in your world where they mix freely. But, here it is a lie."

 

"Dreams are of a different material than nightmares. Dreams are of the stronger material, but nightmare is the stranger. Even Bringer does not fully understand the realm of nightmare. How could he? He is a creature of light, like myself. But long ago, he was fascinated by the shadows. There came one day when he left me for some time, returning later... He was different. Something had happened, I think. After this, the shadows fascinated him. Eventually, the darkness did as well. Now, he moves freely among his realm. Sometimes, I travel with him... When he wishes to share something strange that he has created. As I said, we are friends. But... He has become boring of late..." Scarlet stopped, suddenly and smiled broadly, as best as her beak would allow.

 

"We must return now. Tell no one of this. I am not supposed to speak of prizes before they are given. Much less giving them early..." She giggled before continuing. "Well... Before we depart... I should tell you one thing. You are imaginative. I do not mind if you create the occassional thing of shadows. But, avoid total darkness because there is no one in this realm that can control this entirely, not even the other one. Also... You must be careful even in the shadows. They are wild, untamed. If danger were to befall you, I am not so sure that I would be able to reach you, because... I am afraid of the dark. This is why I think you should remain here with me... Or... Even in your own realm, where I can guard you even there... In my own way." There was a flash, and the griffon and the filly were back in the grassy area.

 

 

---

 

Magicon raised his pleading eyes toward Bringer as he finished speaking. As much as he didn’t want to, Bringer was correct with his statement: they had to keep playing. Only if he and Asteria won the game could they even hope of getting out of this place alive. He had no choice, he had to stay and he hated it. He lost the saliva in his mouth from his worries, unable to from words to reply to the pegasus. Once Bringer asked him the question, all Magicon could do was take an uneasy breath and nod his head a few times. It was the only guaranteed way out of this, he had to do it, for Springer, for Asteria, and for himself.

Bringer nodded when Magicon raised his eyes. All traces of the earlier grin were gone, replaced by a look of solemn contemplation. Magicon has understood his message completely. The pegasus breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the slight nod of the other ponies head. "Then, it is as I have said. The game continues unabated. Don't worry, buddy. I'm sure this will end positively for all of us. I have a plan as well. It will require some complexity, but the moment that it is in my power to do so, I give you my word that I will return the three of you to the place from which you came. Now, to tell Sprout that we are ready..." Bringer sat in silent contemplation for some moments. Soon after, a flash of light announced the return of Scarlet and Asteria.

 

At the sight of Scarlet's new form, Bringer stared. The griffon spoke, "Is this not wonderful, Bringer? Asteria has created a form for me!" His response was lacking in Scarlet's enthusiasm. "It looks rather like your normal form. In fact..." Bringer circled the griffon and the filly. "It is the exact same. Scarlet... Really? This is some type of joke?" Scarlet watched him with a mixture of disappointment, confusion, and wariness. Bringer's grin suddenly returned, sparkling triumphantly. "Actually, I was the one joking! Of course, this new form is simply fabulous!"

 

He bounded a few yards in front of the other ponies. "In fact! I feel inspired to join you in this glorious expressiveness! Hmmm... Let me see... I have no mother to provide me with a form. I would ask Magicon, but I'm afraid he's already Asteria's mother and, thus, your grandmother. Seems that family tree is in full bloom. Ah, well... Wait! I know! I shall be my own mother. I shall give myself the form of something graceful, strong, fast, agile, and naturally gifted with the power of sight in the deepest of shadows. A coat of fur that glimmers with the color of the night's sky. Eyes as radiant as the stars of night... A creature that Luna herself would consider to be of miraculous beauty..."

 

Even as he spoke, he began to change. The transition was slow, otherworldly. Bringer increased in size while maintaining the same height. His body stretched, increasing substantially in bulk. The sheen of muscle could be seen beneath a coat that became progressively darker. His teeth visible through his grin, elongated, sharpened. His eyes faded from purple to a dull darkness before, with a blink, they glowed with a golden yellow hue. The pony was soon gone. In its place stood a panther of considerable size and visible power. Its coat was brilliantly dark, its paws were massive. Standing on four paws, the panter was just larger than a fully grown mare.

 

The grin was gone. The creature stretched and yawned. A voice spoke. The voice was strange, as though the cat was not meant to speak. It was genderless, strangely distant yet loud, sounding like a harsh whisper carried on the winds. "Is this not wonderful, Scarlet? I have created a form for me..." Scarlet blinked. "Bringer. It's your normal form." The cat shook its head and sat on its hind paws, carefully eyeing the griffon that it now towered over. "But, Scarlet..." Bringer began with a tone of reproach. "It was given to me by my mother? It's special now, you see. Regardless... No matter. The rooms are described. Shall we begin the game? You know, I grew impatient, Scarlet. You were slow to appear when I initially called you. Something captured your attention, I think?"

 

Scarlet shook her head and took some steps closer to the big cat. "Nothing captured my attention, Bringer. The game will continue now. This is the second step. The rules are more simple. Rule 1. You must be creative. Rule 2. You may not leave the room until your game is finished. Rule 3. Be careful. Now, for the next step... If you are of the team that did not create the room, then you must hide somewhere within the room that you appear. You will have one minute. If you are of the team that created the room, then you must find the one that is hiding. You will have 5 minutes. When all have been found, the game ends. Then, I think we should take a break from this."

 

"Hmmm... If you run out of time, then you forfeit the game. Bringer provided the order of the teams. Magicon. I shall hide in the room that you created. You will have to find me. Bringer. Asteria shall hide in the room that you created. You will have to find her. There will not be much judgement needed. This is a game of simple methods. We will exchange conversation. Springer will verify that things went well. Then, we move on. Let us begin!" With the last question, the four players disappeared, leaving only a contemplative Springer.

 

Scarlet scanned the room that he had appeared in, quickly. She hesitated, completely stunned. It was Springer's own room. She had been in this room many times, already. There were, she was certain, not many good places for a griffon to hide. There were certainly none that would take Magicon more than 5 minutes to locate. She chirped softly with annoyance at and respect for Magicon. In the many times that she had played this game, she had never found any creature that could resist the temptation to create something fantastic, with many places for hiding. Shaking her head, resigned to her defeat, she ducked into one of the only suitable hiding places in the room and waited. Magicon appeared soonafter.

 

---

 

Bringer was already in the room. It was exactly as he had described earlier. Calmly, he faced the wall, staring out into the dark ocean's depths. The walls were strangely brightened by the cold light that permeated the entire room. His whiskers shifted with a slight, cold breeze that circulated the entire room. A living dark light, it cast not a single shadow. The big cat yawned and the view of the ocean expanded hazily, providing a view of the depths that was far more clear and distant than the dim light should have allowed. There were fish. Lots of them, but they were not alone. In the far distance shrouded by the remaining darkness, cyclopean shapes could be seen, moving slowly in the deep. Though they were hidden by shadows, their motion was unnatural, devoid of any semblance to normal creatures of the sea.

 

Asteria had appeared some feet behind Bringer, but the big cat was seemingly ignoring her completely. He seemed hypnotized by the view, his back turned to her. A soft hiss, an unusual sound for a big cat to make. The cat's tail began to idly shift. This was followed by what sounded, vaguely, like a sigh. "Don't worry about Scarlet's rules. They don't apply here. They are limited to only a certain sphere, and we are safely away from that boring place. You realize, of course, that your pet bird is a bit silly. She failed to specify where this room could be and if it already existed or not. That's a weakness in the rules of that game, thus a weakness in Scarlet. You can hide now, if you wish. My voice carries well in this place... Ah, but the game... Those that hide know nothing about the created room until they appear in it. If the room goes unchallenged, then it goes as it is." Another sound, a low, growling laugh.

 

"There's another weakness, but not of the game. It's a weakness in your other friend. Magicon could have spoken to the judge. He didn't. I strongly doubt that he understood the nature of this room. He could have challenged me. He's intelligent. He could have won that debate, I think. Springer would have bent the truth to fit it. He did so once before. Mmmm... But... We'll never know now, sadly. Magicon was too busy listening to me and listening to himself. You should have seen him. It was fairly sad. He was so disoriented... Well, at least, he was a good listener. I told him things about Scarlet." The big cat tilted its head to the side. "I'm not sure whether those things are true or not. I was just making conversation. Just like I am now. It's the polite thing to do. By the way, are you hiding yet? This might be a good time. Lots of places to hide in here. I'd never find you."

 

"You see, Asteria? That's what I do. Two things. I make conversation, good conversation. I like to speak, and I like ponies that listen. Well, I like anything that listens, actually. Especially if they listen and obey. Obeying my words is generally a good thing to do. Generally, but... Not always. However, my conversation is only the highest quality. Ah... Then, there's the other thing that I do. This is the third thing, I think? I find weaknesses. It's what I'm good at. Everything and everyone... They all have weaknesses. The shadows can find them, nurse them out of the light and into the proper darkness, where they can be torn apart and understood. Don't worry. There are no shadows here. Only light, it's just a little chilly. My apologies for that. It's warmer away from these walls. Are you hiding yet? Well, let me continue."

 

"As you may imagine by my apparent comfort, this is my home. It's lovely isn't it? The view, espescially... Look at it? Well... What am I kidding. You're probably hiding by now, yes? Well, anyway. It is a marvelous home, isn't it. Quite expansive. You really should, when you get a chance, peer into the depths of the ocean. But, don't look too hard, I won't help you if you do. I really can't. You see, it's not really an ocean. It is the substance of nightmares. Just as Scarlet has her world, I have mine as well. You do like it, don't you? It is lovely. Freedom? Boring. I prefer this space. Light? Of course, I have some light. Is it dangerous to leave this place? Yes, of course. I can't control everything down here. There are interesting things here. Unpredictable things. I like that..."

 

"You're welcome to hide now. I'm not going to go and look for you, so take your time. Find a good place to hide. You'll have more than a minute to find a suitable place. In fact, you may have forever. It just depends. Unpredictable circumstances. I like that... Well, what should we talk about now? Maybe... You'd like to play a game? That's too bad. I don't like games. Not really. I prefer simple things, natural things. No rules, none at all. You do what you wish. I do what I wish. You should hide. I'll watch the creatures out here. The beautiful, beautiful creatures. If you don't want to stay in hiding, maybe you would ask me a question? This may be a long wait. I am curious to know your thoughts on what you see. I like conversation. I enjoy talking. Let us converse, learn more about one another. Ask me something, perhaps? I'm an open book. Well... No, not really. I may lie." Bringer looked into the ocean's depths, still facing away from the filly.

[Flow 1,628]

"Haha, it's nice to meet you as well. I have to agree it's nice to see another Pegasus here. My ticket here was generously paid for by another friend," she admitted.

 

Flow appeared to be ecstatic upon learning how Wind had got her ticket, she was really surprised to see that she has a very generous friend who would go on to get her something that cannot be afforded easily, Flow herself never had a friend that would at least treat her to a little snack, she felt a sense of envy going on in her mind, despite that she managed to put it behind and replied "Wow, whoever your friend was, he or she must be very generous to do such a thing. Getting a ticket on this train is really expensive,"

 

 

 

"Hopefully though I'll be taking over as the main act when we get to Los Pegasus, since apparently the old main act doesn't apparently doesn't exist anymore," she stated.

 

 

"Main act huh....well I guess I'd be more than welcome to watch you. I wish you luck then," She said "Hmm, a pegasus in the Applewood Magic festival....I guess she is allowed to perform there since the festival isn't just about magic, it's more of a series of shows that showcase talents from not only Unicorns, but from other types of ponies as well as any species,"

 

 

 

"since apparently the old main act doesn't apparently doesn't exist anymore,"

 

old main act doesn't apparently doesn't exist anymore,

 

old main act

 

old main act

 

old main act

 

 

 

Those words reminded her of Trixie, whose horrible acts that nearly took the life of the cream colored pegasai led to her feeling uneasy,

 

"Y-...Yeah...the old main...act...."

Edited June 15, 2013 by Flow

[Key Gear 6,663]

"And yes, what you do and how yo judge ponies is perfectly ok and fair. " He said while smiling. "And as for what brought me here... well... actually, I'm not a long distance flyer. This is my first travel outside Vanhoover. I had to deliver a letter to Ponyville, and now I have to deliver one to Los Pegasus. But... since I left the night before, I think that's what might have made me go wrong with how many supplies I carried, and I kind of fell short after I reached Ponyville. And doing long distance trips without enougb supplies or energy is a bad idea. The train happened to be in Ponyville, and Vim happened to be the pony I asked on where the conductor was, so... you can imagine how embarrassed I was."

The moment that Arcanel stated that he was not a long distance flyer, Ambrosia nodded. She could already vaguely predict the situation that had developed for him and all of her sympathy went out to him. In truth, it was only due to force of habit that she had never done the same thing herself when restocking the trains, or at least this is what she told herself. In reality, her track record spoke for itself. She was good at her job. Still, she sympathized with Arcanel, and this showed clearly in her facial expression. It was a good thing that he had wandered across Vim's path rather than that of another, less generous, conductor.

 

He explained as he put a hoof behind his head yet again, before continuing. "After I introduced and explained myself, Vim was kind enough to let me ride the train until we got to Las Pegasus. I still owe him for what he did." He said firmly, determined to help the conductor on whatever he needed trouble as he had done before. "And... after some events I'm here!" He said loudly, knowing that he wanted to release some tension of his shoulders.

Ambrosia was taken somewhat aback. The words that he had spoken and the way that he had said them, they reminded her of herself. Her smile fell into a serious expression, and she nodded strongly in approval, barely batting an eye at his awkward conclusion. If there was one thing that Ambrosia understood, it was the importance of honor. No good deed should ever go without bring returned. "Vim was right about you, it is no wonder Vim considers you to be a friend. Why..." A voice interrupted her response to Arcanel.

 

Without any further ado Summerfall opened the door to dining car and walked to the gathering of ponies in the middle of the car. "Um, excuse me everypony," she talked out to nopony in particular, but she hoped that they would hear her. "Does anypony know where the conductor is? I want to talk to him about something."

Ambrosia was going to respond, but responses arrived from both Arcanel and Electrobolt faster than she could even manage to think of what to say. Her thoughts, of course, were distracted by the sight of a highly unusual unicorn filly. At first glance, the filly appeared silver, with a red mane and tale. At second glance, third glance, fourth glance... The unicorn filly seemed, just ever so slightly, to be glowing. The sheen of her fur was unusual, if nothing else. It was a delicate effect, barely noticeable to one that didn't have keen eyes. Ambrosia considered that the filly must use a remarkable brand of soap.

 

She looked from Arcanel to Electrobolt and back again. Neither of them had addressed the filly directly. She glanced at Dawn, and stared for just a moment. The blue unicorn had closed her eyes and seemed to be trying to steady her breathing. Reassuringly, Dawn opened her eyes after a moment and calmly regarded the new arrivals. Ambrosia took it as being a lingering effect from her earlier panic and decided to speak to the filly. Approaching the earth pony mare and her filly, Ambrosia spoke directly to the filly. "Hello there little one, how are you doing? What's your name? Would you like something to snack on?"

 

---

 

"Haha, it's nice to meet you as well. I have to agree it's nice to see another Pegasus here. My ticket here was generously paid for by another friend," she admitted. "Hopefully though I'll be taking over as the main act when we get to Los Pegasus, since apparently the old main act doesn't apparently doesn't exist anymore," she stated.

Key couldn't help herself. At the mention of the "main act" for Los Pegasus, a look of disgust and annoyance flashed across her face. It was quickly followed by a look of thoughtful contemplation. If it wasn't for Trixie, she would never have met her brother. In fact, she would not have known that he existed. She looked around the room. Of the ponies that were there, she was certain that at least half of them could be called her friends. She had gained more than just a single brother on this adventure. She had gained friends and allies.

 

He turned his attention back to the group at the table and took an empty seat next to Key Gear.  "Thanks.  So, it's been awhile since we last talked, Key.  How are you doing since then and how did you meet the new ponies here?"  Alex asked her curiously, feeling the companionship again that he had when he and Flow started to talk to Key.

She smiled at him. "Well, I'm doing alright. And... Ummm... I just kinda met these ponies by basically popping up into the middle of this group. Errr... Don't ask. It was kinda odd." She laughed nervously, thankful that nopony other than Bolt seemed to have noticed the odd maneuver. "How about you, Alex? How have things been?"

 

---

 

Summerfall couldn't help it. She walked closer to Luminescence and hugged her from the side briefly, a content smile adorned her face. "Of course I trust you, Luminescence." She had earned the Luminescence trust much earlier than she thought. It was good, it made her plan to find her parents' names much easier. Maybe after talking with Vim they can sit down and talk together over the lunch. The mare chuckled to herself before continuing. "I know that you will be careful on our way to the conductor. I will keep you safe. Let me do most of the talking with Vim, you wouldn't have to say anything unless you want to. We will have to go through the dining car before we can get to the conductor, but I think the fruit sandwiches can wait until we are finished talking with him. It won't do us any good if we sit down among other passengers and eat some before negotiating you a ticket on the train. There might be still some ponies having lunch in the dining car, but I say we can just trot through them. Socializing can wait until later," Summerfall put an emphasize on the last part by motioning her hoof to the back of the train.

Luminescence enjoyed the hug without allowing her concern for Summer's response to show. She wanted, dearly, to know the mare's thoughts. Had her argument been worthy? Had she been too pushy, disrespectful? Summer's voice quickly surfaced to silence Luminescence's moment of concern. She would be allowed to go. Luminescence bowed her head just for a moment as a gesture of appreciation for Summer's understanding. She listened carefully to the mare's words and nodded her head when Summer focused on the importance of the ticket. Luminescence was not particularly fond of socializing with other ponies, Summer's course of action was not a loss to her.

 

After making sure her bits pouch was secured for the last time, Summerfall snatched the room's key and made her way to the door. "Well then, shall we?" she called out to Luminescence. She unlocked the door slightly and slowly peeked her head through the gap.

"Yes, we shall." The filly answered with a cautious tenor of voice as Summer opened the door and peered out. The filly watched with concern and craned her small neck to try to see if there was anything in the hall or in the doorway of the adjourning room. There was nothing there.

 

"Let's go," she said to the filly, great determination in her eyes. With certainty in her steps Summerfall trotted through the third passenger car straight to the dining car, while making sure that she trotted between Luminescence and the room 8, just in case something thought it would be a good idea to pounce on the filly.

As she had promised, she stuck closely by the mare's side, the side away from the door. In Summer's presence, Luminescence was less concerned about whatever lurked in Room 8. If something burst through the door, she was certain that the earth pony's strength and her own magic would combine to enable them to safely make it to the next train car. So long as they were not in the room, they would be fine.

 

"This might be a bit complicated," mused Summerfall. It would be rather difficult for them to walk through unhindered when almost everypony was standing in their path.

The filly could only take Summer's word for it as the mare looked into the window on the door into the dining car. Her own eyes wandered to the hallway, and her thoughts wandered to what was in Room 8. Whatever it was, it was something that was steeped in darkness, and it could not be seen. She twitched slightly and took a step back, huddling against Summer.

 

Dawn the unicorn still looked a bit shaken, but Summerfall decided that it was not her place to worry about the mare. Dawn was a medical unicorn, surely she would be more than capable to take care of herself Summerfall spared a glance to Luminescence. "Seems like we will have to talk our way through the dining car. Vim is a large, red earth pony stallion, you should be able to recognize him the moment you see him."

She looked up to Summer and nodded. She had seen the conductor earlier, but her view had been heavily constrained by the apples that she hid in. She was certain that the conductor's powerfully red fur would attract her attention quickly. She carefully moved to join Summer when the door was opened, and she could immediately see why things would be complicated. There were quite a number of ponies in the room, crowded at a single table. She sighed as several of the gathered ponies seemed to lock onto her and stare. The kitchen lighting was perhaps not good enough to disguise her dim glow.

 

One pony in particular seemed to be strangely effected. A baby blue unicorn with purple eyes stared wildly at her when she first entered. She had then looked at a white pegasus that was standing nearby an shut her eyes, as if in meditation of some type. Luminescence raised an eyebrow and surveyed the unicorn imperiously. As the pegasus spoke, the unicorn looked away from the filly and seemed to have become calm.

 

At the words being spoken, he looked to the entrance of the train, and saw a pale green colored mare with white and copper striped mane, and a filly who was a glowing silver and had a red mane. *Wow...that filly lookes like she's glowing... er... don't stare Arcanel, that's bad.* He mentally chastised himself. *Anyway, she wants to know where Vim is... well... I don't know if he is... er... "finished" with Springer and Lapis... but I'd guess enough time has passed, and it would be rude not to tell her when I know.* He decided. "Um..." He started turning to the mare. "I think Vim, the conductor, is somewhere along the passenger cars." He answered, and hoped it would be a satisfying answer.

Luminescence's eyes locked onto the pegasus as he began to speak. His words were so ineffective that she was annoyed. It was almost as if he was being demeaning to Summer by stating the obvious. If so, then it was disrespectful. If not, then it was pointless, even if in error. She raised her head imperially and waited for the green earth pony colt to finish speaking to Summer, but one of his words caught her attention.

 

Also, if I might ask, who is this young filly that is with you?"

Approaching the earth pony mare and her filly, Ambrosia spoke directly to the filly. "Hello there little one, how are you doing? What's your name? Would you like something to snack on?"

The attention was unwelcome, from both ponies. Luminescence spoke before Summer had a chance to reply. "I am not much younger than you are. I am not a little one. My name is Luminescence, and I should be called this before I am called anything else." She pointed a hoof at the white pegasus pony. "Of course, the conductor is somewhere along the passenger cars. He would hardly be anywhere else aside from his own room. Do you know where this is? If so, perhaps you can..." She stopped speaking when she saw the conductor enter silently through the entrance that she was facing. He slipped into the kitchen surprisingly swiftly and emerged almost immediately.

 

---

 

Vim casually listened to Lapis. As the younger pony spoke, his eyes remained focused on his keys. He actually knew the location of the key to his room by heart, but he was purposefully seeing if Lapis would be impatient to move into the relative safety of his room on the train. Lapis wasn't. In fact, the other pony was completely nonplussed as he explained the details of his findings. Vim nodded at several key points, indicating the presence of his own thoughts.

 

He quickly realized that they would need the assistance of a unicorn to detangle the hidden message. That was fine, of course, from Lapis's words, they could certainly rely on Asteria. Failing that, Magicon would be a suitable source of assistance. It seemed pretty straightforward to him, they would only need to... Vim's hooves stopped cycling through his keys. A look of confusion came across his face, briefly, before a calm expression returned. Only his eyes remained to betray his thoughts, they darted to and fro as though he was looking for something.

 

He had seen both Asteria and Magicon in the dining car at the same time as the other passengers. They didn't leave during the time that he was there. When he had taken Springer and Lapis aside to speak to them both, he took them through the door that led to the front of the train. He had seen neither Magicon nor Asteria pass through that door. When they had reentered the dining car, the only place that Magicon and Asteria could have been was the kitchen, and that made no sense to Vim's mind. Why would the cook? The meal was done. If they had not gone by himself and Lapis, then the only possible explanation was that they had gone the other way.

 

He shook his head as he dismissed his next thought. Why would Magicon and Asteria both be in Magicon's room? To Vim's mind, this made no sense. When he had interacted with Magicon on the previous night, the unicorn had seemed like the sort that kept himself to himself. Why would he want to have anything to do with a younger unicorn? In casual circumstance, Vim was certain that Magicon would have seen Asteria as a burden. It was an obvious guess, it was a wrong guess, Vim discarded it and moved quickly on.

 

Where were the unicorns now? Arcanel was still in the dining car. His room was locked. They had just left Dawn's room, Lapis had made a thorough search. There were no unicorns in there. Ambrosia's room? Sometimes she left her door unlocked, being a trusting pony, but they would have no reason to go through her things. That was all of the rooms in the previous car. A memory occurred to Vim... Magicon had unlocked his own door earlier in the train's journey. Locks would be nothing to him. Only vaguely aware of Lapis's presence, Vim's gaze whirled to Springer's room. Moving quickly, he stepped to the door, obtained the correct key, unlocked it, and opened it quickly and silently.

 

His eyes took account of the room. Save the sleeping form of the green pegasus, there was nothing else there. He quickly looked around. As far as he could tell, nothing had been added or removed. Wordlessly, he approached his own room. It was the last possibility. He took the correct key, undid the lock, and looked in. Nothing was there. Vim's expression steeled to ice. It would do no good to tell Lapis anything until he was certain. While the earth pony was helping him, he was still a passenger.

 

Vim doubted that Lapis was the panicking sort, but he needed the other earth pony stallion to focus on the task ahead with a minimum of distraction. It could turn out that everything was just a silly error on his own part, but the manuscript was substantial, interfering with Lapis's calm thoughts could result in the the researcher missing some important detail. He calmly closed Springer's door and glanced apologetically at Lapis, offering an explanation with a completely relaxed countenance. "Sorry about that, Lapis. I just remembered how odd Springer was earlier, and I had a pretty bad thought, you know? He's a pegasus, he's got wings. He could have just flown off this train instead of heading to bed, so I just looked in on him to make sure everything was fine."

 

With a smile and a nod, Vim opened his own room and quickly scanned it, everything was just as he left it. Normally, this would be a cause of relief, if it was observed at all. In this case, he grew slightly more worried. Still, he mastered his feelings. He went straight to a small shelf in his room and pulled out the book. The title of the book was simple, elegant, "The Guardian". The binding was hoofmade, and it had a weathered, earthy look to it. Unusually for a book manuscript, it had been carefully fashioned. Vim turned to Lapis and spoke in a friendly tone. "As I said earlier, here it is. Come over, Lapis, and you can see the story for yourself, in fact, right here in the middle is the bit about some dragon and a monster."

 

Vim opened the book, and without paying attention to the passing pages, jumped to the middle. He was about to tap a triumphant hoof on the page and take note of the story, but he stopped, freezing completely in the middle of the motion. His face fell into a deep look of complete confusion masked thinly over desperate frustration. The page was empty, completely empty. His red eyes opened wide and nearly crossed before he shook his head and span the book over to the front. It was the right book. The name of Dusky's mother, Midnight Angel, was right there. But, the pages were empty.

 

He was at a complete loss for words as he stared at the book for some moments, fearing what had happened. A nervous sigh escaped. "You know, I'm starting to think that somepony just spilled invisible ink on every bit of writing material on this train." Smiling grimly, Vim opened the manuscript to its first page, intending to flip through the book's pages in search of any words. Again, he stopped and stared at the open book. There were words on this page. They were in the familiar hoofwriting of Midnight. But, they were strange, unfamiliar words.

 

Prologue

 

The eclipse of the sun. It is a strange phenomena indeed. Before Celestia, before Luna, before Discord, before so many others, there was once a time when the eclipse existed to remind us of the power of the night. In those times, the sun and moon moved themselves. The eclipse was a temporary realignment of the power of the elements of the sky. The moon would overrule the sun, reigning in totality, bringing night to the day.

 

In distant Pre-Equestrian society, the eclipse was, initially, not understood. An eclipse would be a time of panic or celebration, depending on the village. They were believed to be products of happenstance due to unpredictable changes in unseen magic forces. So it remained for many years, until a group of unicorns, residents of a village highly attuned to the magical forces, discovered the nature of the sun and the moon and how they interacted.

 

The fruit of their newfound knowledge was the ability to predict, with a great degree of accuracy, eclipses. The knowledge spread. Then, of course, what was once viewed as an unknown, freakish occurrence became something expected, natural. The apex of the night's power, the transcension of the day by darkness. It would be expected, just as the early springtime rains provided for the health of late springtime's harvest.

 

This is a new story. It is the story of a guardian. It is a story of triumph, glory. It is the story of an eclipse, a single moment when, just for a time, the beauty and relaxing chill of the night gave the gift of elegance to a day of harshly warm, cloudless light. This is also a story of the eclipse itself. From the beginning, it is the story of how the apparent randomness of a single, chance meeting was, in fact, the manifestation of something that was long intrinsic in the law of nature - destiny.

 

Chapter 1: A Meeting

 

It was a delightful meal. Fruit sandwiches - their simplicity belied the pleasure that they gave to both the eyes and palate. Drinks were available. Ponies conversed around the tables, some friendly and some not so friendly. At the same time, a quite specific conversation was taking place. It was one of tremendous importance...

It ended. There were no more words on the body of the page. Written delicately in the margins of the first page was a brief note.

 

Author's Note: Continue from here, ensure to capture the importance of the meeting, add description of blue mare, explore a way to express the emotion of the moment. Must avoid overwhelming the reader with too much recitation of the earlier story. For lunch today, I shall have fruit sandwiches. Glorious celebration! My best story will be this one!

"What is this..." The conductor's words contained a menacing, low growl. Vim's eyes were locked to the page, and his mind refused to process what they had just seen. "Lapis..." He trailed off as he turned to the next page and his eyes locked onto the only thing present, a brief note in the margin.

 

Author's Note: A quick outline. Next chapter will probably be "An Adventure". After that, I'm not so sure. It depends. Nonsensical things are happening where the adventure will take place. Far too many unexpected. May need to write now and edit later. (Rem: Leave space in margin for edits.)

Shock was not even close to a description of Vim's reaction. For some moments he mouthed words without a sound as a terrible sinking feeling overtook him. As if gripped by some wild force, Vim's hooves began speeding through the book's pages, while his eyes locked onto them, searching, wildly, for anything of significance. He reached the final page of the book. There was nothing. He closed his eyes. "This isn't what I saw when I looked in here last. It's the same book, Lapis, but the words are different, and... They don't make any bucking sense... This doesn't make any sense... Nothing makes any sense..."

 

Despite his attempts to control his reaction, the fur was standing on the back of Vim's neck. Something was wrong. The book alone was one thing... This book, Dawn's book, and his suspicions regarding the missing unicorns was too much. Within just an hour, he had gone from understanding to complete and total confusion. There were far too many uncertainties. He was nervous, more nervous than he had been in decades. His nervousness demanded some kind of action. He would be of no use to Lapis in uncovering the meaning of these words, but he could dig into his other suspicions.

 

He hooved the book over to Lapis and stood. "Lapis. Figure this out. I'll be back." He quickly made his way to the door, but he stopped and grit his teeth as his hoof reached for the handle. Everything was already chaos. Shielding Lapis would do no good to any of them. "Lapis. Your assistant and Magicon were in the dining car. They didn't pass us in the hall. They weren't in Springer's room. Nothing to worry about until I get more information, but you should know." He pointed at Lapis and the books. "Let me know the moment you know anything. Get on it. No exceptions." Without another word, Vim turned the handle and stepped into the hall at full speed, shutting the door behind him with an awkward pull.

 

He was wired. His red eyes blazed with a steady, strong fire, the likes of which they had not held for some time. The years of his age had seemingly temporarily fallen from him as he stepped quickly to the rear of the train, opened the door at the back of the caboose and stared out. There was nothing amiss, no sign of any other ponies. He quickly shut the door and returned to the last passenger car. Once there, he opened Ambrosia's door. It had been unlocked, just as he figured. Inside, there was nothing amiss. He checked Magicon's room next. Again, there was nothing.

 

Arcanel's room was next. Again, there was nothing. In fact, it seemed as though the mailpony had hardly even had the time to settle in. Vim's eyes rested on Dawn's room. Lapis was no longer there to offer support if the big cat decided to attempt to make a meal out of him, but Vim didn't care. This was not the time for cowardice, and even if it had been, he was no coward. He unlocked the door and threw it open with abandon. His expression darkened considerably.

 

The large cat was nowhere to be seen. Instead, the room was filled with cats. A quick count of the visible ones revealed at least six or seven. Remembering the one object that the large cat had been interested in protecting, Vim leaned in and looked for the chest. It was gone as well. Vim backed out of the room and slammed the door with force. He didn't even bother to lock it. Instead, he quickly returned to the caboose, opened Springer's door, and shook the sleeping pegasus.

 

Oddly, it took a few moments to rouse the pegasus, Springer was normally not a deep sleeper. "Springer!" Groggily, Springer blinked in Vim's direction before rubbing one of his eyes with a hoof. "Yes, Vim?" The conductor's agitation was lost on Springer's tired mind. He made no observation of the emotion whatsoever as the conductor snapped off his question. "Have Magicon and Asteria been in here?" Springer took a moment to think. He could remember them, clearly, in the dream that he had just been having, but that was only a dream. Dreams were inefficient. "No, they have not been here, Vim." The words came after just a slight delay.

 

Without a further word, Vim span on his hooves and headed out into the hall again. His worst fears appeared to be becoming true. His expression was beyond steel as he quickly walked towards the dining car, his ears at full alertness and his eyes warily watching for any movement that might signify the presence of Dawn's giant cat. He stopped in the parlor car and quickly, cautiously checked underneath and around everything.

 

He stopped before entering the dining car, collected himself. When he entered, his demeanor appeared calm to the casual glance, but he was unable to calm his eyes. They still held a frightening intensity, and the intensity increased when a quick scan failed to reveal either unicorn. He made his way directly to the kitchen, as silently as he could. Opening the door, he saw nothing. This was now a moment for tremendous concern. Every sensible place had been checked. The two unicorns were nowhere to be found.

 

Only the absurd was left. Vim strode out into the dining car and, with no ceremony, spoke gruffly to the train crew members. "Ambrosia, Electrobolt. I need the two of you to check the first few cars on this train, the other side of this dining car. I checked the others. I need to go back to speak to Lapis. I am looking for Asteria or Magicon. It's important." Ambrosia looked over her shoulder with a mixture of surprise and confusion. The look on Vim's face was all that she needed to see. "Certainly." Her response came, muted and questioning, but the question went unasked. This was not the time for her curiosity.

 

A young voice spoke firmly and with strength. "No." Vim's fierce red eyes rapidly went from pony to pony in search of the source. He saw nothing, even as the voice spoke again. This time, he could tell that it was clearly female. "You are too tall to see important things. I'm here." His eyes moved to Key Gear halfway through the sentence, but her mouth didn't move. Key stared at him. The voice coughed. Vim looked down. There, at his hooves, was a small, silver unicorn filly. "I'm with her." The filly spoke, while pointing a hoof at the green earth pony mare that had been seated at Vim's table earlier.

 

The unicorn filly said nothing further, she stared at him with red eyes that matched his own for intensity. For some seconds, his eyes locked onto hers. Luminescence's demeanor was nonplussed. She held her head even higher, while maintaining her stare, and she spoke a single word. "Yes?" Vim's mind had taken just about as much as it could take at that moment. He blinked, slowly, and then looked towards the green earth pony mare then back at the filly's burning red eyes. Finally he looked at Summer and his expression drooped as his intensity drained into confusion and exhaustion. "Ma'am, I can assure you. I have never seen you before, and this is not my filly."

Edited June 19, 2013 by Key Gear

[Starshine 16,333]

Summerfall duly noted that Flow was particularly outgoing among the group with the new pegasus. From the group she heard something about old main act, which she presumed to be Trixie, and many other minuscule details that were not worthy of notice. The white pegasus stallion from Lapis' gang briefly stared at Luminescence before answering that Vim might be somewhere deeper on the train, along the passenger cars. It was hardly helpful, almost pointless even. She also vaguely noticed that Dawn the unicorn seemed to take a rather unhealthy dose of interest on Luminescence. Summerfall silently took a note to keep an eye on both the white pegasus and Dawn.

 

He eyed the young filly with slight curiosity before closing his eyes to let out a sigh. With that, he opened his eyes and started to get out of his seat before looking at the group at his table. Clearing his throat, he said, "If you'll excuse me..." before leaving the table to approach Summer and the young filly. Once he arrived at the two ponies, he responded with a small smile, "Hello, Summerfall. I don't exactly know where the conductor is right now, unfortunately, but what seems to be the problem? Also, if I might ask, who is this young filly that is with you?"

 

Summerfall was justifiably annoyed when Electrobolt approached her and started to inquire what the problem might be, right after admitting that he also had no idea where Vim was, and the irritation was shown quite clearly on her face. From what she had saw since the first time she saw him wearing the fancy conductor hat, it was quite clear that Electrobolt was merely an assistant, not somepony who had the authority to get to the bottom of things. She had little to no patience on those who deliberately try to hinder others' progress just for the sake of their own curiosity.

 

Approaching the earth pony mare and her filly, Ambrosia spoke directly to the filly. "Hello there little one, how are you doing? What's your name? Would you like something to snack on?"

Luminescence spoke before Summer had a chance to reply. "I am not much younger than you are. I am not a little one. My name is Luminescence, and I should be called this before I am called anything else." She pointed a hoof at the white pegasus pony. "Of course, the conductor is somewhere along the passenger cars. He would hardly be anywhere else aside from his own room. Do you know where this is? If so, perhaps you can..."

 

Summerfall was slightly surprised when Luminescence announced her name and her wish to be addressed accordingly without any sweet talks, but then again, it was something that she should had expected from the filly. She was indeed a prideful one, being called 'little' wouldn't sit so nicely with her. Summerfall let out a small chuckle. Luminescence was also quick to point out that the white pegasus' answer was undeniably pointless. Now she found herself hoping that the pegasus wouldn't take it the wrong way.

 

Vim strode out into the dining car and, with no ceremony, spoke gruffly to the train crew members. "Ambrosia, Electrobolt. I need the two of you to check the first few cars on this train, the other side of this dining car. I checked the others. I need to go back to speak to Lapis. I am looking for Asteria or Magicon. It's important." Ambrosia looked over her shoulder with a mixture of surprise and confusion. The look on Vim's face was all that she needed to see. "Certainly." Her response came, muted and questioning, but the question went unasked. This was not the time for her curiosity.

 

Before Luminescence could finish what she wanted to say, Vim entered from the parlor car and quickly made his way into the kitchen, and almost immediately left it. Did he lost something? He looked very concerned, but then again it was not her business. She patiently waited until he finished giving out orders to his fellow crews. Just when Summerfall was about to move toward the conductor Luminescence dashed off to the stallion. Summerfall took this small chance to reply to Electrobolt's earlier question, even though Vim's presence already rendered her answer null, but she felt the need to make a point. "Your earlier offer of assistance is much appreciated, Electrobolt, but unfortunately this is not something a replacement assistant can help. Certain predicaments can only be worked out by those in the position, and those who are below should know when is the time to stand aside and let the capable hooves handle everything," Summerfall explained to Electrobolt. She hoped that it would put an end to his meddling. Just after that she remembered about her other problem just a moment ago. "However, if you want to help, I guess you can check up room 8. I believe there is something in that room that should be taken care of at the earliest convenience." Satisfied that was taken care of, she turned her attention to Luminescence and Vim.

 

Luminescence called out for the conductor, but the big red stallion quickly looked elsewhere. When his eyes met hers, Summerfall motioned her head to Luminescence. The filly called out once more, and this time Vim's gaze rested on Key Gear, who simply stared back in response. Luminescence coughed, then finally Vim found her, only after the third call did he learned her existence. Summerfall rolled her eyes in exasperation. She hoped that Vim wouldn't come to the worst conclusion before she could explain her case. The stallion himself looked a bit confused, looking back and forth between Her and Luminescence, before he finally spoke.

 

Finally he looked at Summer and his expression drooped as his intensity drained into confusion and exhaustion. "Ma'am, I can assure you. I have never seen you before, and this is not my filly."

 

For a moment, Summerfall was at lost on what to think about Vim's... unexpected reply. She barely knew Vim, but everything she had known from the stallion so far signifies that Vim was not the type of stallion that would play mares, but then again she had no idea what the stallion usually do for entertainment off-duty. What really ticked her off was Vim's words somehow implied that she as a mare was... leaning on the dark side. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to calm herself down. Letting it loose would ruin what chance she may had to ensure a ticket for Luminescence, not to mention Luminescence herself might got the wrong idea. She opened her eyes, and stared deeply at Vim's own. No words were spoken, but the message was clear. One more word from the stallion, and she would make his life hell for all eternity and beyond. If a single part of it became known to public, not only his, but his crews and their families would face the dire consequences.

 

Not before two seconds of eye contact had passed Summerfall finally softened her gaze. She pulled Luminescence closer to her, carefully positioning her body to stand between Dawn and the filly, and spoke to Vim with reassurance, "I certainly wished that you would not arrive to such conclusion, Vim. You may rest assured that she is not in any way related to you." And thanks Celestia for that, Summerfall added in her mind. She paused to recollect her thoughts before continuing, "You see, this filly is a good friend of mine. Her name is Luminescence, we met in Ponyville and she followed me onto the train when nopony was looking. She was hiding somewhere in the baggage car up until a few minutes ago she knocked my door, feeling a bit uneasy. I hope that you wouldn't mind her intrusion to the train and let her stay with me in my room. Of course I would pay for her late ticket." She unlatched the small bag of bits from her neck and offered it to the conductor. "One hundred bits, and a little extra for the apples that she ate when she was hiding."

Edited June 19, 2013 by Starshine

[Electrobolt 2,069]

After Electrobolt had inquired with Summerfall about what might have been the problem, he could tell on her face that she was visibly annoyed. In the back of his mind, he was confused. What did he do that could have made Summerfall annoyed with him. However, he didn't think long on this when Ambrosia also joined in, asking the filly directly about her name as well as asking if she'd like a snack. But as soon as she finished, the filly began to speak, as he was surprised. This filly, now known as Luminescence, sounded as if she was knowledgeable beyond her years.

 

In his mind, Electrobolt thought, *Luminescence, huh... She said she's not much younger than me, but... The way she spoke...* However, his thoughts were distracted as Vim entered the room, calling out to him and Ambrosia. Looking back at Vim, he could tell from his face that it was serious and that they needed to find Asteria and Magicon. Glancing around the room, he couldn't see either pony. Although Ambrosia responded to Vim, Electrobolt himself didn't have time to as a "no" sounded out in the car. Looking around, he noticed that Luminescence was not with Summer, so he assumed that was her.

 

It was then that Summerfall spoke up to Electrobolt, telling him in her own way that his assistance was not needed. *I get the hint...* he thought, a little upset. *But you didn't have to put it like THAT...* Just then, however, she spoke up again, saying that he could do something. She said that he could check up on room 8 for her, before going off. At this, his eyes opened up a bit while his mind raced back to the other night. The whole event, the monstrous jaws that nearly devoured him... The beast that he saw... The voice that sounded like Dusky... All those thoughts rushed back into his mind.

 

"Of... Of course I'll... Do that..." he muttered, still spaced out from the thoughts. After a while, though, Electrobolt finally shook his head and sighed, his face turned into that of a scared expression. Looking over to Ambrosia, he approached the mare before speaking in a hushed whisper, just loud enough for her to hear. "Ambrosia, I... I'm still worried about Trixie's room... If what Luminescence said means anything, then... That thing might still be there... It's a request from a passenger, yes, but... I still can't shake off the feeling that something bad might happen..." Electrobolt then shivered slightly, the memory still fresh in his mind.

[Flow 1,628]

While trying to cope with being reminded of Trixie, Flow and the others were distracted by the abrupt arrival of the train conductor Vim into the dining car, and without any introduction ordered Ambrosia and Electrobolt around, "Woah......this voice, it doesn't seem like the Vim I know...wonder what's he up to," curious she eavesdropped on their conversation,

 

 

 

"Ambrosia, Electrobolt. I need the two of you to check the first few cars on this train, the other side of this dining car. I checked the others. I need to go back to speak to Lapis. I am looking for Asteria or Magicon. It's important."

 

 

"He seems real desperate to find them....yeah I wonder where Asteria, and Magicon are. I haven't seen them in a while,"

 

Next she heard the door on the other side open,, and out came a pale green earth pony with a copper and white colored mane along with a silver filly unicorn with a crimson red and white mane. Flow easily recognized the green one as Summerfall, but the silver filly was a new one to her "Never seen her before, who is this filly? She looks adorable."

 

Flow observed the two as Summerfall asked to see the conductor, Electrobolt came to assist her but she looked as if she was annoyed by him. "Was she this mean? Or is she just in a hurry?"

 

 

 

A young voice spoke firmly and with strength. "No." Vim's fierce red eyes rapidly went from pony to pony in search of the source. He saw nothing, even as the voice spoke again. This time, he could tell that it was clearly female. "You are too tall to see important things. I'm here." His eyes moved to Key Gear halfway through the sentence, but her mouth didn't move. Key stared at him. The voice coughed. Vim looked down. There, at his hooves, was a small, silver unicorn filly. "I'm with her." The filly spoke, while pointing a hoof at the green earth pony mare that had been seated at Vim's table earlier. The unicorn filly said nothing further, she stared at him with red eyes that matched his own for intensity. For some seconds, his eyes locked onto hers. Luminescence's demeanor was nonplussed. She held her head even higher, while maintaining her stare, and she spoke a single word. "Yes?" Vim's mind had taken just about as much as it could take at that moment. He blinked, slowly, and then looked towards the green earth pony mare then back at the filly's burning red eyes. Finally he looked at Summer and his expression drooped as his intensity drained into confusion and exhaustion. "Ma'am, I can assure you. I have never seen you before, and this is not my filly."

 

 

"Never seen her before? I thought you sold Summer a ticket!! Have you forgotten? And the filly, did you really think that she was related to you in any way?!? What is this?" 

 

 

 

"I certainly wished that you would not arrive to such conclusion, Vim. You may rest assured that she is not in any way related to you." And thanks Celestia for that, Summerfall added in her mind. She paused to recollect her thoughts before continuing, "You see, this filly is a good friend of mine. Her name is Luminescence, we met in Ponyville and she followed me onto the train when nopony was looking. She was hiding somewhere in the baggage car up until a few minutes ago she knocked my door, feeling a bit uneasy. I hope that you wouldn't mind her intrusion to the train and let her stay with me in my room. Of course I would pay for her late ticket." She unlatched the small bag of bits from her neck and offered it to the conductor. "One hundred bits, and a little extra for the apples that she ate when she was hiding."

 

"Luminescence....a beautiful name, and all I could say is that I hope Vim would allow a poor stowaway on the train, I'd feel bad if he didn't." 

Edited June 21, 2013 by Flow