open Shifted

[Cain 24]

"So I'm not crazy, and everyone can talk."

Cain coughs and begins to answer the two ponies' questions. "I..." The realization that he didn't know his own name almost made him completely break down, but a name appeared at the forefront of his mind. Although he was sure it wasn't his human name, the way it seemed almost perfect made him adopt it, for now.

He took a deep breath before answering. "Cain...My name, it's Cain."

[Legendary Emerald 622]

Serah followed Artsy and Sport to the new-newcomer, having to move considerably slower than she would have liked due to the dress she was wearing.

 

"I really need to get back to the hotel. Unfortunately, pegasi keep falling out of the sky today."

 

They reached the new pony, Sport and Artsy greeting the stranger almost immediately. Serah kept silent, sizing up the newcomer the same way she had done to Sport. She kept any conclusions she drew to herself. Eventually the pegasus spoke up.

 

 

Cain coughs and begins to answer the two ponies' questions. "I..." The realization that he didn't know his own name almost made him completely break down, but a name appeared at the forefront of his mind. Although he was sure it wasn't his human name, the way it seemed almost perfect made him adopt it, for now.

He took a deep breath before answering. "Cain...My name, it's Cain."

 

"Human name. This seems familiar." Serah almost rolled her eyes, and addressed the other two ponies. "Excuse me for opting out of the welcoming committee this time. I need to get this dress off. I'll round up others at the inn if I can."

 

Serah gave only a passing glance to the new pony. "Bring him there if you think it's worth it."

 

Then she walked away.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Legendary Emerald

[Strong Hooves 289]

Sport gave a quick glance to Serah before returning his attention to Cain. He smiled and said "Nice to meet you Cain. I'm Sport, and this is Artsy. Miss sunshine back there is Serah. We came here because you seemed... confused. Is everything alright?"

 

He had already figured that Cain was one of them, but he had to be sure. He continued to stand there as he waited for an answer.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Strong Hooves

[Cain 24]

Cain frowned at the maroon pony who was walking away after making a snide comment.He switched his attention back to the ponies who were still waiting on an answer. He sighed, and took a huge breath.

 

"okaysoIwashumanbutthensomethingweirdhappenedandIwokeuphereandnowImahorseandihavewingsand

icantrememberanythingandomigodwhatthehellishappeningtomeiwanttogohomeiwantmylifeback

whyisthishappeningtome!?"

 

He gasps for air, before throwing himself on the ground and breaking down. He attempted to muffle his sobbing so that the strangers didn't think he was crazy. If they didn't already.

Edited May 14, 2012 by Cain

[Electrobolt 2,069]

As Electrobolt was awaiting a response from either Crystal or Cole, he thought he heard footsteps behind him. Or was it hoofsteps? Either way, he heard something behind him, but shrugged it off, thinking somepony was walking past them. Then, a voice spoke up.

 

"Man I have never been sooooo happy to see a green pony. Uhm I'm a little bit lost, and you all just happened to kinda be the first peo-ooonies, that i've seen and uhm, yeah! I'm. . . really exhausted. would you happen to know where I can get some water? or something?"

 

This nearly caused Electrobolt to jump, but he maintained enough control so that he didn't. Instead, he slowly looked behind him, seeing the pony that spoke up to them. "Um... Hello," he responded, somewhat confused. He lifted an eyebrow as he asked, "How come you're happy to see a green pony, now...?" Even though this new pony came up to them looking as normal as he could, just that first statement confused him. It was almost as if he never saw any colorful ponies before. *Wait a second...* he thought to himself, his facial expression not changing. *Maybe he's another unfortunate person who wound up in this world... But then again... Hmm...*

[Aureity 3,055]

Crystal Flame shrugged his shoulders as he spent a minute or so pondering the situation. What to do, then? His mind raced through a few different possibilities, and each time he discarded the end result in disgust-most of them involved a pony falling to their death. "Well, I suppose we could...give it a shot," he muttered, but his thought process was interrupted by an excited-sounding pony behind them. He simply turned and listened as the pony spoke anxiously, forwning when he was done. Water? Jeez, there's a fountain right over there. Electrobolt looked equally confused and Cole looked blank. Crystal disregarded the situation, preferring to turn his thoughts back to the problem at hand.

 

He tried to sneak a look at the flyer to make out the location and time, but he couldn't see it from where he was standing. Impatiently, he stood there, waiting for the other two to finish their strange conversation.

[SuperTheAwesome 199]

After some walking around, (Mostly in damn circles, this town's confusing!) Speed saw some faces she remembered. Crystal and some other ponies were standing around. Deciding to completely to forget about what happened in the hospital, Speed approached the ponies.

 

"Hey, Crys, what's going on?" She asked in a friendly tone. She noticed a pony not from the group. Stepping past Crystal Flame, Speed approached the new pony. "And what might your name be?"

[Nathan Fink 22]

The tread with Peach was an awkward one indeed. Being that she was in her shy personality at the moment. She was quiet. Not exactly the best conversational companion for a stallion who barely partook in any pony interaction. The walk to the Carousel Boutique seemed to take much more time than it actually did. The whole time was spent with only silence being shared, not even a glance between them. Once they arrived at the boutique, the ponies, three little fillies to be exact, demanded to see Peach's dress so that his outfit could be made to match. Why, any decent stallion would match their date. SiFi only felt more awkward as he was wisked away for fitting by the three abnormally hyper little fillies.

 

The end result was rather surprising though. As SiFi looked into the mirror, he found himself to look rather different in black with needle sized crimson pinstripes shooting through the fabric. They then topped it off with a deep red dress shirt. SiFi couldn't help but grin a bit as he spun around, inspecting himself. It seemed these three little ponies had a knack for priming up ponies for special occaitons. SiFi turned to Peach. "So uh... what do you think?" He asked shyly. It was the first time one of them had spoken since they left Peach's home. He bit the inside of his lip when he noticed her rosey cheeks, and then the fast retreat of her gaze. She said nothing, but the expression seemed obvious to him that it did something for her. That she might've liked it. He hoped so at least.

 

It wasn't long before his tux was folded up and placed in her saddlebag, bought and paid for. He insisted it be rented because it was cheaper, but Peach would have nothing of it, and silently put her hoof down. He would own this tux. He thought about arguing, but who was he to fight about it...especially if she liked it on him that much. From there, they set off to catch an air ballon, if there were any left. It WAS the night of the Grand Galloping Gala after all.

[Marcato 2,143]

Silver finally got sick of waiting and went to check in on SiFi and Peach. He walked up the stairs to the room and knocked on the door. When there was no answer, he cautiously opened the door. Then he found there was no one there.

 

(Well just perfect...) Silver thought to himself. (I've been up here for God knows how long and they've already left. I need to get out of here before I have no idea where i am.) Running out the door, he went to what looekd like the kind of place dresses were made. He was met by three energetic fillies, which despite his stressful state made him smile. After some talking and explanation they quickly came back with a suit for him to wear.

 

It wasn't anything too fancy. Silver was in no position to take time. Then it struck him, he had no money to pay for it. Now he was stuck. He decided he couldn't get the suit, and would have to do without. But how could he possibly go to the gala now? He left the store feeling rather disapointed, and distraut that he couldn't go. He didn't just want to go for the party. He wanted to see if anything would happen. Anything bad, interesting or special that could provide valuable information. Silver sighed and sat under a tree near the store.

[PeachPalette 1,000]

The air balloon place was empty, devoid of anything that would get them all the way to Canterlot. Peach lowered her head and frowned fearing that they would not make it on time. She had to think, and think hard.

 

The first thing that usually came to a unicorns' mind presented an alternative method of travel. Magic. A spell of teleportation. She shook the thought back to the shadows of her mind for a moment. Teleportation was a spell rarely used for long distances. Why, even the shortest of distances proved hard on the body. On the other hoof...with no air balloons to take them there, the options where next to none. If the balloons were gone, surely the chariots and trains would have already left as well.

 

What if..., she began to allow her brain to wander again. What if that link with Discord still had a lasting effect on my magic? She didn't feel drained any longer. In fact, she felt quite good. She knew the location of Canterlot. It could work...maybe?

 

Her golden eyes shifted to SiFi who seemed to be doing the same thing. Thinking, as he looked off at the empty air balloon lot. At first, she thought about warning him of the feat she was about to attempt, but if he tensed, it would only make it harder for her to get where they wanted to go. She didn't want to end up in some strange place after all. She closed her eyes and leaned into him. She felt his body tense as a bright light surrounded them and then they were gone.

 

Peach opened her eyes, dazed at first at all the bright and beautiful colors. She wobbled back and forth, almost falling to the side. Finally, she sat down on her rump just to stop the spinning. Beautiful classical music flowed through the air and the chitter-chatter of excited ponies licked at her ears. She looked over at SiFi for a moment, who she saw stumble and sit down as well. She smiled over at him nervously. "I-I'm sorry I didn't warn you, but...this was easier," she said trying to smooth things over before he decided to be angry with her.

 

None-the-less, the spell was a success. There, they sat near the front steps of the castle. Now, to find Celestia...once the spinning stopped.

[Blackcat 205]

He continues to smile at Electro Bolt and sheepishly paws his hoof across the ground "Err...well, it was more...figuratively speaking. You see, i'm just happy that I found some kind of civilization and anybody at all. Eheh, i'm kinda new around here...sort of... I wasn't very sure how to make my introduction."

 

He is about to ramble on more but a new pony, another pegasus, steps up and greets him, asking him his name. The unicorn turns to face this new pony but doesn't speak up immediately. As the pegasus's question sinks in, the memory of the ethereal bird that came to him when he first arrived blazes through his mind. The branch that it dropped for him seems even more pertinent now.

 

"Olive Branch" He says, his voice trailing off almost immediately after. His eyes wandering down, eventually resting on his orange tinged hooves."Is...that my name? Or...my power?" He quickly snaps his head back up to meet the gaze of the pegasus before him. "Ah..sorry, just a bit distracted lately. Lot of weird things going on. Er...please though, call me Olive." He smiles slightly, just enough to turn up the corners of his mouth, and holds out his hoof. He almost immediately is mentally kicking himself, hoping that a handshake, or rather, a hoofshake, doesn't come off as completely weird and out of place.

 

"So, what, might I ask is your name then miss?"

[Deshi Bashara 6]

Cole cocked his head curiously as the newcomer babbled out his story. Olive Branch. That's a nice name. he thought to himself. Reminds me of eating black olives back home. I miss that. Suddenly, the sound of talking echoed in his head. It seemsthey've changed this place up since the last time I was here. it mused solemnly.

 

Cole almost jumped before he recognized Misery's voice. You're up. Did you sleep well? he asked him.

 

Yeah, I did. I've been awake since you started waiting in the hospital. By the way, that balloon thing sounds like a good idea. Of course, there is the chance it could be a trap...but you know what they always say: Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Misery offered.

 

Cole considered this for a minute. I don't know, it just doesn't seem right. There's just so many ways the trip could go wrong. One of us might fall, or get tired, or the balloon could pop.

 

Misery made a noise that was apparently the sound version of a shrug. You're the boss. Whatever you want to do, that's your decision. I'm not gonna try and stop you.

 

Cole nodded absent mindedly. Hey, do you know what this gala thing is? People have been talking about it a lot lately.

 

Well, gala is a term for a fancy party. In this case, it's most likely for an occasion of some sort. Maybe they shoot off fireworks or something?

 

Maybe...

 

The conversation now over, he focused on what was going on just in time to hear Olive to say to Speed, "So, what, might I ask is your name then miss?"

Edited May 15, 2012 by Deshi Bashara

[Aureity 3,055]

Crystal's attention wandered as the other ponies droned on with the introduction, the only information he remembered being the new pony's name. Olive Branch, or something, his mind offered his sleepy conscience. His gaze turned again towards Canterlot, barely a speck on the horizon. He marveled at how majestic it looked, even from a distance. A regal dot on an imposing mountain. Gee, I wonder what Canterlot would be like when there's actually...ponies living there, he thought to himself, remembering the fiasco from just a few days ago.

He reluctantly turned his attention back towards the other ponies. Are they STILL chatting? Jeez, an introduction only goes so far. He had no idea why he was so cranky today, but he assumed it had to do with his lack of sleep. Still though, he couldn't help but wish that the other ponies would hurry up. Once again, he tried to sneak a look at the flyer in Electrobolt's hoof, and once again he was unsuccessful. He fidgeted, waiting for the others to finish.

[Electrobolt 2,069]

*Olive Branch, hmm?* Electrobolt thought to himself, his facial expression changing to a calmer one. *Maybe he could be another normal pony, but... Still not sure... Especially since he said 'Anybody'...* Shaking his head, he didn't want to interrupt Olive while he was talking to Speed, so he looked back to the small speck that was Canterlot.

 

*Canterlot does look pretty impressive...* he mused in his mind. *I wonder if we'll be able to find any jobs there, or if they're all taken already too...* Clearing the thought out of his head, he returned his attention to the group, and looked back to the flyer. *Maybe we should try it...* he thought, looking at the paper. He looked over to Crystal and gave him the page so he would have a better look at the flyer.

[SuperTheAwesome 199]

"My name's Speed, Olive!" Speed said, faking a smile. She tried to ignore it, but she was still mad at Crystal for taking her to the hospital. She looked to Crystal. He was looking off in the distance... a city? Yes! There was a city on a mountain far off in the distance. From her distance, it looked like a tiny crumb of a city.

 

"What's so special about that city?" Speed said, turning her attention to Electro and Crystal. They obviously were staring at it for an important reason. "It just looks like a normal old town to me!"

 

(Short post is short. Sorry about that, I'm a bit tired.)

Edited May 16, 2012 by Eximius Terribilis

[Cain 24]

Cain calmed himself, before taking his face away from the ground, to look up at the two ponies with kind, yet slightly cringing, expressions upon their faces. "I'm sorry. I'm just...Overwhelmed, is all." He struggled to get out. He got back up to his feet, his pride hurt by his own unexpected outbreak.

[Aureity 3,055]

Electrobolt notcied Crystal's vain attempts to catch a glimpse of the flyer and passed it to him. Finally getting a good look at the battered scrap of paper, Crystal immediately focused on the location of the supposed hot-air balloon. "Ponyville Park?" he asked aloud. "Erm...". He racked his brain for a hint of where that might be, and came up empty. "We might need a map or something, unless somepony here already knows where it is," he muttered sheepishly, still trying to mentally attain something from his sense of direction.

 

His concentration was interrupted by Speed's comment. "What's so special about that city? It just looks like a normal old town to me!" she declared in confusion.

 

Crystal blinked for a second. She sounded a bit...angry to him. Surely she wasn't mad at being dragged to a hospital? She could have bled out right then and there on the sidewalk. "Well, we're trying to find jobs, you see," Crystal answered carefully. "And we think Canterlot's the only place we'll be able to find anything. Ponyville is a poorhouse, you see," he added, gesturing to the numerous shacks and homeless ponies that populated the streets.

[Electrobolt 2,069]

Electrobolt, after handing the flier to Crystal, began to look back towards the city of Canterlot once more. After getting one more good look at it from their location, he returned his attention to the group. As Crystal was pondering about how to find the park, Speed spoke up.

 

"What's so special about that city?" Speed said, turning her attention to Electro and Crystal. They obviously were staring at it for an important reason. "It just looks like a normal old town to me!"

 

Crystal seemed to have begun to address the issue as Electrobolt was about to open his mouth, so he just waited patiently for Crystal to explain to her. *I wouldn't quite call it a poorhouse, but...* he thought to himself after Crystal explained why they were looking at Canterlot.

 

Finally, he spoke up, "Yeah, we're trying to get a job so we can at least have some way to earn money. Otherwise, we won't be able to afford what we might need, like..." Just then, his stomach decided to let out a low grumble, though it was loud enough for him and whoever was directly next to him to hear. Chuckling nervously, he finished his sentence with, "... Like food... Heheh..."

[Blackcat 205]

Olive scratches his mane with a hoof, silently listening in as the conversation draws away from him, and on to a city that is apparently off in the distance. Olive squints, looking off in the direction of the other ponies and sure enough, spots a rather large city, and though he can't make out much detail, it seems to be quite the stunner of a place. He hears the name Canterlot being thrown about and with a soft mental chuckle he assumes that must be the name of the place.

 

"So...This town...ponyville is on hard times, guess that means there isn't much charity to be found" Olive slowly trots in a bit closer to the other ponies. His ears stand perked to absorb as much information as he can. "I still don't know a damn thing about where I am, and this Canterlot place seems like a bastion of knowledge. perhaps Canterlot is the capitol of this land. If I want to learn why I'm here, or better still, find someone in charge of things, maybe I should think about heading there too."

 

Olive is brought back from his mind by the loud sound of someones stomach rumbling. "There's my alterior motive...these ponies probably need food, and shelter, as do I. But, I still...." Olive suddenly steps forward a bit and clears his throat.

 

"Uhm...excuse me, but...if I may but in for a bit. It would appear I am in a similar boat as the rest of you. I too am in...a...bit of a bad spot. I don't exactly know what you ponies are going through, so I cannot speak for you, but I personally am without food, shelter, or supplies. Really...I've got nothing to my name. Not even a basic understanding of where I am." Olive stops speaking and blushes a bit. This feels a bit like a speech, and he never was very good at speaking in front of people. He isn't sure if it's because the "people" he's in front of now are ponies, or if the effects of what happened to him in the field hours ago hasn't quite worn of, but somehow he manages to stomp out his nerves and keep talking

 

"I just, wanted to bring something up that's been bothering me a tad. I don't know what...country, or even what continent this is but, historically, in times of crisis, there are no...golden cities. Things tend to be bad no matter where you are, and often the worst conditions of squalor and poverty are centered in cities. So, I must ask this. Do any of you know someone in this... Canterlot? A relative, a contact, or even...maybe a friend of a friend? Immigration when things are bad makes everyone grumpy, and from the look of things nobody is ready to hand out a job to someone who isn't native. Also, is there...Government here? Is there someone in charge that we could supposedly get aid from? I...uhm..."

Olive finally stops speaking and looks around, suddenly feeling a bit hot under his mane. He steps back a bit and looks off to the side

"I'm sorry... you folks, have no reason to suddenly pay any attention to me, a-and you probably already know what you're doing. I'm just lost...yeah...that's a good way to put it. I don't have a clue what I'm doing here. I literally don't know what I'm doing here! On this soil. What soil is this!?" He stamps his hoof hard in the dirt, his muscles tense. Finally, he looks up and blushes deeply

 

"God...i'm sorry, I must look insane...I'll just...let you guys get back to your...balloon discussion" Olive sighs and his head sinks.

 

"Way to go genius. you had a chance to maybe learn something from some native pony folk, and now you look like an ass. Great job paving a way for yourself."

[Deshi Bashara 6]

Comet watched Olive lower his head. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Hey, don't feel bad. You just got here, you don't know what to do." he assured the unicorn. "We could always use another set of hands. Or hooves. Either one." he added. "Like we were saying, we're figuring out a way to get up there. So if you want to come with us, we don't mind."

Edited May 24, 2012 by Deshi Bashara

[SuperTheAwesome 199]

"Alright!" Speed said, pretending to be jolly. It still came out as sort of a growl. "So we go to Canterlot for jobs, and then what?" She asked. Speed turned back to Olive. If this guy had always been a pony, he sure wasn't acting like it. Speed had to be certain. "So, let me get this straight. You are not from this land," Speed started. "And you do not know anything about it? Could you be from another world?"

[Legendary Emerald 622]

Serah continued to trek through ponyville, the dress continuously getting tangled in her back legs.

 

"Maybe it's a good thing I haven't found anyone else yet. They don't need to see me tripping over myself."

 

She hadn't run into any of the other humans-turned-ponies yet, and was about to head in for the night.

 

"Then again, Lyra is back at my room... maybe I can stand to search a bit longer."

[Wolfe 71]

Brave's breathing was deep throughout his sleep; the sheets could easily be seen moving up and down. Besides the breathing, Brave was motionless. His tired eyes moved quickly because of REM. The window curtains were closed, and little light shone through them into the room. The pale yellow colt had nothing to dream of. It was just darkness in his head.

[Blackcat 205]

Olive pauses after speeds words and timidly glances back and forth.

"we-well... I..." He pauses for a bit, unsure how to continue. Finally he looks back up at Speed. "ah...screw it. I'm sure I already look plenty crazy. Yeah, i'm from another world. Things are a little bit fuzzy in my recent memory, but I know for a fact I wasn't born in this place, and I certainly wasn't born a small equine. Is that a common thing here? Lots of...world hopping horsies? I'd have brought it up a bit sooner if I thought it was commonplace in this weird world." Olive sighs and sits down. "A-and you look a little tense yourself Speed. I'm sorry if I was getting on your nerves"

[SuperTheAwesome 199]

"It's fine," Speed said smiling, "This entire group here are humans that were turned into ponies, I was testing you!" Speed sat down in front of Olive. "Of course, I'm assuming you were a human before and not a Klingon." Speed said jokingly. Speed hated to admit that she watched Star Trek, but she was in a jokey mood right now. Well, fake-jokey. She was still mad at Crystal.