private Endearing Hearts

[Dsanders 5,748]

OOC Thread

 

It was early morning in Equestria, and cool breezes were flowing swiftly throughout the land. The sun was just beginning to penetrate the distant horizon and its rays of light shot endlessly out towards the dark blue skies. It was a time of peace, of silence. Not a single bird whistled a song and not a single rooster crowed. Besides the bringer of the sun herself, hardly any soul was awake around this time, or so it seemed.

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Orion Skies was trotting briskly through the Everfree Forest. He didn't exactly know where he was going but nevertheless, his final destination was the least of his numerous worries. He was lost, stranded, and he was desperate in finding a way out of this ominous forest. He didn't expect his flight from Canterlot to end in such disaster last night. He didn't expect to fall and crash, never mind fall and crash into the Everfree Forest, of all places. He had no choice but to continue trotting, and search for a way out while dragging his badly damaged steel wings with him.

 

He was nervous and his heart was racing fast. He needed to get out of here or at least find some refuge where he could finally feel safe. He was becoming fatigued and finding shelter was becoming more of a necessity to him. He took a brief moment to stop and scan his entire surroundings. No luck. All he could see were giant walls of strange foliage and towering trees. He was still completely exposed and vulnerable to the unknown dangers lying within the Everfree Forest.

 

Of all places, you had to end up here. Fantastic job Orion! Orion Skies thought sarcastically to himself.

Edited January 1, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

The sounds of the dark forest startled Pink Mist as she continued her trek through it. The tall evil looking trees cast their dark shadows on her as she walked.

 

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all Mist. I should have just listened to the warnings and stayed out." Pink thought to herself as she cautiously looked around at the sound of rustling in the underbrush.

 

"Um anypony there?" She called out to the darkness. She stopped for a while taking in the sudden silence of the forest wildlife. Everything finally seemed at peace for a few moments, and Pink felt more relaxed despite the eerie atmosphere. She thought back to why she decided to venture into the forest in the first place. She had always remained at home in Canterlot all her life, never traveling further. Now that she recently left home, she decided to take advantage of the situation to find out if all those rumors about the Everfree were true. "Clouds moving on their own, yeah right, only pegasi can do that." But now that she was lost and alone in this forest, she knew the rumors were true, and wished with all of her heart that she could go back home, or at least find shelter.

 

When suddenly a loud crash was heard from somewhere in the forest, startling her away from her thoughts. Pink panicked and started galloping hoping to find her way out of the forest. "Forget this, I gotta get out of here before whatever did that gets me!"

Edited January 1, 2014 by Pink Mist

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion could no longer see any clear trails in the distance. With nothing but the unforeseen thick wall of eerie looking trees and shrubs up ahead, it seemed as though he had finally reached a dead end. He couldn't go any further. He looked behind at the path he had already taken and sighed. He was stuck in a dangerous and seemingly endless maze. He was beginning to get hungry and his stamina was drastically getting weaker with each passing minute.

 

Orion was about to give up and lose all hope when suddenly he heard the sound of galloping nearby. It sounded surprisingly close. With great panic and worry he decided to trot back through the trail from which he had came from. He did not want to take any risks. He was already in a worse enough situation as it is; the last thing he wanted was to be attacked by whatever seemed to be coming his way.

 

"Not only do I get lost in a dark and scary forest, but now I'm getting chased by an unknown creature!? Oh this is just fantastic Orion! My lucky day!" Orion said sarcastically to himself as he picked up in speed. 

 

Much to his surprise the galloping seemed to be coming closer. Whatever it was that was chasing him, was remarkably fast.

Edited January 2, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

The dark trees and shrubs were all a blur to Pink as she continued galloping through the forest. She had no idea where she was going, or if this path would lead her to a clearing or exit, all she knew was that she wanted to get out, AND FAST!

 

Panting madly as her legs grew weaker from running, she exerted some more force into her tired legs so she could run just a little further and faster. She then noticed a different sound in the atmosphere. Was that galloping? Of a pony other than her? She slowed to a steady trot to see if the sounds she heard were from her or something else. The loud galloping could still be heard, and it seemed to be getting closer.

 

"I'm not alone here anymore, I gotta get out of here before whatever it is gets me!" Pink ran faster to try to outrun the thing that was chasing her, but she didn't seem to be losing it. It seemed to be getting closer. "Aw ponyfeathers!"

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion's legs were fatiguing greatly from all the constant galloping and it was beginning to become painful for him to go any further. But he had no choice. He had very limited options. It was either gallop and endure the pain until he could no longer push himself any further, or stop and let the unknown prowling creature attack him. Either way, he knew he was doomed. He then looked back at his damaged metal wings. They were broken and scratched up in a way in which they appeared extra sharp around the edges. And with Orion getting more desperate by the second, a risky idea came to mind.

 

As if by impulse, he thrust his back hooves deeply into the ground as he then came to an abrupt stop. In one swift and quick motion, he turned towards where sound of the galloping was coming from, immediately bit down on one of his deformed steel wings and yanked it off. 

 

He held the wing is his mouth, wielding it as if it was his sword, and prepared himself for the worst.

 

Whatever that thing is, it's picked the wrong stallion to mess with. Orion thought to himself determinedly.

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Pink panted harder as she quickened her pace, this was probably the fastest she's ever run. Her body wanted her to stop but she knew that if she did that thing would get her.

 

"I just have to keep running until I lose it, but I can barely see anything with all these trees." She was losing hope of getting out of there alive as the other galloping seemed to get louder until finally it stopped.

 

"Did I lose it?" Pink Mist turned around observing her surroundings. Why did the thing suddenly stop chasing her? "Perhaps it's hiding and waiting to attack me."

 

She stood firm before walking a little further. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she could see something shining under the light of the sun. She turned towards it and gasped, there in front of her at a few paces was a dark shadow with what looked to be a sword pointed right at her.

[Dsanders 5,748]

Standing before Orion a few paces away was a peculiar looking shadow. Orion's eyes widened and he wanted to let out a sharp gasp but he knew that would cause him to drop his "weapon."  As much as its mysterious shadowy silhouette frightened him, he managed to keep his brave-like composure and scanned the unknown figure. The steel wing he was holding on to was reflected so much light that he couldn't really make out any details.

 

As he tried focusing his vision more, he was able to make out the shape, and to his surprise the "creature" was a lot smaller than he imagined. Just by looking at its outline, it didn't even look grotesque or monstrous. It looked...like a normal pony. Like him, but with a more feminine physique. It was a mare.

 

Orion's jaw dropped and the steel wing he was holding on to fell to the ground with a thud.

 

Though the fallen wing was still reflecting most of the bright morning light in the proximity, it was now a lot less blinding for Orion. He was able to see everything around him with more clarity. He turned to face the mare, who was just barely visible through the glimmering light.

 

".... um... H-Hello?"

Edited January 2, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

The shadow moved a little. Pink was at a loss for words as she couldn't take her eyes off that object it was carrying.

 

"If I move it may use that against me and possibly kill me." Pink gulped and tried to make out the outline of the shadow. It didn't look menacing or tall or bulky, it looked like the shadow of a normal pony, a bit bulkier than her, a stallion?

 

Pink flinched as he spoke to her. Did this stallion have good intentions and was just lost like she was? Or he could do something horrible to her? She noticed he dropped what he was carrying so at least he was unarmed.

 

"H-hi. P-please don't hurt me. I'm just lost and trying to get out of here."

Edited January 2, 2014 by Pink Mist

[Dsanders 5,748]

Her voice sounded so innocent and so full of fear. There was no way this pony could be considered a threat to him. Nevertheless, he was definitely surprised to find another pony out here in the midst of the dark eerie forest.

 

He slowly and nervously took a few steps towards the mare. He did it carefully so that the mare wouldn't get too frightened and run off. He was just as lost as she was and he was curious about how she ended up here in the first place. 

 

What really caught Orion's attention was her eyes. Though her body still appeared obscure in the light, he could now see her eyes. They were of a brilliant emerald color, much like his own. This momentarily left Orion in a state of awe. Realizing he was getting a little distracted, he brought himself back into focus. 

 

"D-Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just as lost as you are. I just thought you were a manticore at first. I'm sorry..."

Edited January 2, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

The stallion slowly advanced towards her and stopped. Pink shrank back in mild fear. A stallion wandering around this dark forest wasn't natural. He had to be here for a reason. She decided to speak to him again but was still cautious.

 

But before she could get a word out, she noticed his eyes. A dark green, almost emerald like her own. "Interesting." She thought to herself. Those eyes had her entranced for a second until she finally turned away.

 

"C-can you come into the light? I want to see you better." She timidly said to the stallion.

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion had never really interacted with any other pony besides his parents before, never mind a mare who appeared to be his age. Not to mention, her light emerald eyes were quite enthralling. She seemed intimidating. Just knowing that this mare was present in front of him was beginning to bring his nervousness to its zenith. 

 

It was a sad twist of irony. Orion Skies, who moments ago was ready to face off against a manticore, was now scared to the very core of revealing himself before the mare. 

 

He took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly walked closer and out of the blanket of blinding light.

 

"Umm... h-hi again." 

Edited January 2, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

The stallion approached her a little to where she could see him better. Pink relaxed herself as she realized this stallion was just as scared of her as she was of him, maybe even more.

 

He was a brown stallion with a brown and green mane. His cutie mark was two blue S's with an arrow going through them. "Hmm...I wonder what that means." She thought to herself. Pink blushed a little as a thought came to her mind. This stallion was quite cute, but she couldn't let that interfere, this could all just be an act. Her parents always warned her never to trust strangers. Now she was standing in the middle of a dark forest with an unknown stallion.

 

Nevertheless she decided to take chances and get to know this stallion better. They could probably get out of here together, and it would definitely be nice to have some company. She took a few steps towards him so he could see her better too.

 

"Hi. I-I'm Pink Mist. What's your name?"

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion slowly opened his eyes and carefully turned to face the mare in front of him. His eyes met with her's once again, but this time, that was not all he could see of her. She was a pink mare with a brunette mane which was styled into three ponytails. Her tail was quite long and voluminous, almost like his own. Her cutie mark was a compass. 

 

Hmm, she could be a traveler. Or an adventurer? Like Daring Do. They both share a compass as a cutie mark. Orion pondered to himself. She also seemed quite afraid. He straightened his posture a little and relaxed as he realized that this mare was just as nervous to approach him as he was.

 

Orion gave a little shy smile at the mare and blushed a little. She was very attractive, but Orion tried to not let that interfere. He was lost deep within the Everfree Forest and now he wasn't alone. He didn't know this mare, nor was he aware of her intentions. He decided to take a risk and get to know the mare better.

 

"H-Hi Pink Mist. Um, nice name. My name's Orion Skies"

[Misty Rose 3,216]

"Orion? That's a nice name too. Um, what are you doing out here?" Pink said in a timid little voice. She tried to hide her blush behind one of her ponytails. She was not used to being alone with a stallion who wasn't a friend, especially in such an atmosphere.

 

She turned again towards the stallion and noticed something she hadn't seen before. There were two contraptions on his body, one on each side. They looked worn out and broken so she really couldn't tell what they were. Her curiosity got the better of her so she decided to ask Orion about them.

 

"And um, if you don't mind me asking, what are those?"

[Dsanders 5,748]

"Thanks. And well to answer your question, I'm lost." Orion answered nervously with his head bowed, trying his best to hide his own blush. He was not used to being alone with a mare, never mind any other pony his age. He lifted his head up a little and once again gave another little smile. He was not sure why but he couldn't but smile a little, even in the midst of that's going on.

 

He noticed the mare giving him a curious look. It wasn't long until he realized that her eyes were directed towards his wings, or at least, what was left of them.

 

"Um, these are...well these were my artificial wings, before I crash landed here. That's kinda why I'm lost." 

Edited January 2, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

"He's lost too?" Pink thought to herself. She gave a small smile. That means she would probably have some company while getting out of this forest. Even if he was a stranger, Pink didn't feel threatened at all by his presence. He seemed friendly and quite shy. She hoped she could get to know him better.

 

She looked towards his wings. Her eyes widened at the sudden realization." An earth pony with wings? That's so cool!" But she kept her thoughts to herself so as not to scare Orion.

 

"Wow, that's quite impressive. How do they work?"

[Dsanders 5,748]

The mare's smile made Orion feel even more relaxed and comfortable in her presence. No longer did she appear as intimidating or mysteriously threatening to the stallion as she did moments ago. She now seemed to be really friendly and nice. He was even beginning to feel thankful for having a kind mare like her for company. Orion hoped to get to know her better. 

 

"Well it's a little complicated to explain. Let me start off by asking you this: have you ever heard of steam power?" Orion asked with an enthusiastic look on his face.

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Pink smiled widely as she saw Orion was getting more comfortable talking to her. She had a feeling deep inside her that they were probably going to get along fine during their trek out of the forest.

 

She raised a hoof to her chin and pondered over his question. She'd heard of hydro power but never steam. Does this have something to do with his makeshift wings?

 

"I can't say I have really. Is that what you use to power your wings?"

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion was happy to see that Pink was getting more comfortable in his presence. He wasn't used to interacting with anypony outside of his own family, so he was glad that this conversation between him and the mare was going smoothly so far. He was especially glad to know that his wings piqued her interest. 

 

From the first few minutes of talking with her, Orion was beginning to recognize her personality. She seemed kind, smart, and Orion could sense that she had somewhat of a bubbly aura. He had a good feeling he was gonna get along quite well with this mare.

 

"It is a newly discovered form of energy, so that's probably why you've never heard of it. But yes, it's the main fuel source for my wings, or what's left of them at least." Orion sighed as he looked back at his badly damaged wings. They were completely useless now. 

 

He then turned back to Pink and gave her a curious of his own.

 

"So what brings you out here?"

[Misty Rose 3,216]

"Newly discovered energy? Wow! I'm just here because I decided to see if all the rumors I'd heard about the Everfree were true. Hehe, I guess they were."

 

Pink was really surprised by these turn of events. Here she was talking to an earth pony who not only had artificial wings but also powered them with a new type of energy. He was definitely far from normal and a pretty interesting companion.

 

Unfortunately she noticed that his wings looked completely damaged and found it a shame that such neat devices had been destroyed. She wondered if she could help fix them.

 

"Hey do you think I could help fix your wings? They look pretty awful, or is it too late?"

Edited January 2, 2014 by Pink Mist

[Dsanders 5,748]

"Well of course the rumors are true. I was running for my life just a few minutes ago for a reason, you know?" Orion chuckled. Though he was quite a curious pony himself, he never went to such great lengths to get clear answers like this mare did. "And yeah, I actually just discovered it a few months. It was surprisingly easy to create. It's basically hydro power but with additional heat and pressure."

 

Orion was still a little bemused by these expected recent events. How did he end up stranded in the middle of the Everfree Forest with a nice and friendly mare for a companion? He had no idea. 

 

"I doubt you can fix them. It took well over a year to put all this together. Judging by the horrid state they are now, I'm afraid they're beyond repairable." 

 

He let out a sigh. The mare seemed to have good intentions but somethings she said still didn't make much sense to the stallion. Orion wanted to interrogate her further.

 

"I'm still confused though. I mean why exactly would a bunch of little rumors lead you to trek through this dangerous forest? It's already been confirmed in countless reports, personal findings, and various other sources that all these rumors are in fact true. Is that the only reason you came here?

[Misty Rose 3,216]

"You discovered it? That's so cool! You're kind of like an inventor in a way." Pink smiled more but then her smile faded when she realized his invention was beyond repair. "That's pretty awful, I'm sorry they got ruined."

 

Then Orion's next question made her head hang low. She really just wanted to forget about her home for now. She was free. Her controlling parents had no reign over her life now. But if she wanted Orion to trust her, she had to be honest with him.

 

Pink sighed before speaking. "The rumors aren't the whole story unfortunately. Truthfully those small little rumors were all I knew about the Everfree, not much else. My parents always sheltered me at home, I only went outside to go to school. I never left Canterlot either so I've always wanted to venture out and explore Equestria. I guess I just wanted to take a chance and come out here, but I sort of got lost."

 

Pink blushed a little from embarrassment. She hoped this stallion didn't think bad of her already. But now that she told him why she was here she was curious to know about him.

 

"So Orion, I told you my side of the story, you mind telling me yours? Where exactly did you fly from?"

[Dsanders 5,748]

"Yeah I guess you can say that I'm an inventor of some sort." Orion shyly smiled. He had never shown his work to anypony before, not even his parents; so the experience of sharing his creation with another felt somewhat weird for the stallion. Though he didn't mind the compliments and praise. He then gave a little sigh as the mare expressed her sympathy for Orion's wings. "Yeah it's okay. Hopefully I'll figure out how to repair them soon."

 

Pink Mist's explanation as to how she ended up here caused Orion to react with surprise. He didn't expect the mare to share this much of her story, never mind the fact that her story of how she got here shared a lot in common with his own. She really seemed to trust him. But why so soon? He was still merely just a stranger. Then again, despite the fact that she herself was a stranger to him, something about her made Orion feel, comfortable. He couldn't quite put his hoof on it. Maybe she felt the same way in his presence. Comfortable.

 

"You came from Canterlot too? Wow, so did I! That's where I flew from before crashing here. So um, you ran away from home?" 

Edited January 5, 2014 by Dsanders

[Misty Rose 3,216]

Aw that's too bad, an inventor without his invention. I hope he can make new ones. Pink felt some sympathy for this stallion even if she had never met him before. It felt kind of strange but she never thought she would be this comfortable just talking to a stranger, especially in a place such as this.

 

She also found it strange how she told him her reasons for being here so easily. I guess I really am comfortable around him in a way. He just seems like a good guy, nothing menacing about him so far from what I've seen.

 

Well um I didn't exactly run away. I sort of talked to my parents about how I felt, that I wanted to go out, and see Equestria, I wanted to feel free. I guess they realized they couldn't keep me locked up anymore so they let me go. Pink shrunk back a little. She was really being too honest with this stallion, but Orion didn't seem to have any bad intentions. And really? You came from Canterlot too. That's nice.

[Dsanders 5,748]

Orion looked up towards the sky for a brief moment and saw that it was already almost noon. The sun had risen quite a bit over the short span of time the two ponies had spent conversing. He directed his eyes back towards Pink and he blushed for the second time, this time more subtly. He hoped the mare would not notice. He wasn't used to conversing with any other pony, never mind a mare that he thought was quite cute.

 

He brought himself back into focus and listened as Pink explained why she was out here so far away from home. Orion was surprised. Not only were her parents able to let her go rather easily, but the level of comfort that she displayed around him was quite astonishing.

 

"It's amazing how your parents were able to let you go that easily. My parents would've never understood if I had told them what you told your's. I guess they just never listened to reason and common sense, despite how clear and civil I was with them. I couldn't take it anymore so one night I left without notice. Which is why I'm here right now" Orion explained as he shrunk down a bit.

 

He was a little nervous yet somewhat comfortable telling the mare his story and he could not really understand why. He decided not to think so much about it. He then gave her a little smile.

 

"Well it's already almost noon and I'm starting to get really hungry." Orion said as his stomach made a little growl. "Do you have any food on you?"