Foal on the Lam (Open, see OOC)

[Windwright]

In our continued coverage of the heist that has rocked Cloudsdale, officials remain stumped as to the identity of the bandit who made off with a shipment of gemstones, and other goods from local mail-carrier Nimbus Blitz. Nimbus (p), could not be reached at this time, but previously stated "[The culprit] just looked like a cloud, then all of a sudden [the culprit] was gone, and so were the jewels!".

Authorities are working under the assumption that the bandit is a pegasus using the weather as a cover to hide her nefarious deeds. As always, if you have any information that might lead to an arrest, please contact your local branch of either the police or the Royal Equestrian Army, located…

Edelweiss had had a good week of adventure so far. In the first three days he'd found a cool cape, a pair of saddlebags, a neat hat that came with treasure, and a whole bunch of food. He still wasn't sure what he was going to do with all those gems, but pirates were s'posed to have treasure, and sky pirates couldn't just bury it in a cloud, it wouldn't work!

Anyway, right now he wasn't even in the clouds anymore. He'd fallen asleep on a cart a couple of days ago and it had been moved when he woke up, so now he was...somewhere...south of Cloudsdale. Maybe a little bit east? When he squinted off to the north, he could definitely see some of Cloudsdale. Probably in Ponyville, then. Edelweiss had heard of it, of course, it's where the new princess lived! He'd never been, though. Oh well, he was a pirate, he might as well explore!

Edelweiss considered his options, then finally decided that his first destination for exploring was going to be to find the biggest, tallest building he could find and use it as a vantage point to scout for more treasure. Right now he was standing in the market lane, trying to decide if that was the windmill, or the big building on the northeast edge of town that looked like a crystal tree.

​

[Dubstep]

Ponyville! A (mostly) peaceful town where (nearly) nothing exciting happened. Sure there was the occasional Ursa Minor or Bugbear or crystal tower bursting out of the ground. But that happened everywhere right? All in all Ponyville was..."Boring....ugh. There's nothing to DO." a colt grumbled as he stared out from behind a tree, staring at all the goody two-hooves ponies as they went about their day.

Dark Core, the greatest master of evil to have ever graced the world, was in a rather foul mood. Even for the seemingly perpetually perturbed pony. "Can't toss mud into the Quill and Sofa store, it's closed. Can't go steal books from the school. I don't even have paint to do graffiti! This is unacceptable! How am I supposed to spread mayhem if every avenue of diabolical and dastardly deeds is derailed?!" he asked no one in particular as he over dramatically fell backwards with a thump. "Something needs to happen before I blow my top." sighing, Dark rose to his hooves and dusted off his cape, glancing once more over towards the market row.

"Hmmm? What's this then?" pressing up against his hiding tree, the colt squinted and glared out into lane. A small white pony?...No, no, too weird looking to be a pony, a hippogriff surely. Stood and gazed around. Dark hasn't seen him in Ponyville before. Which meant he was new! Which meant that he had to work quickly to try to get him on the side of evil before one of those pesky do gooders, like Pinkie Pie and her parties, got to him. But how? For now, the colt resolved to keep an eye on the new arrival from the shadows.

[Hawkeye12]

Well, today was certainly one that was out of the norm. Not that Espionage had an everyday routine, it was quite unusual to be in a small friendly town like this. She preferred to sneak around in a metropolis, a city, a place with numerous alleyways to duck into if needed. 

 

Still, this was not an opportunity to pass up. The areion caught sight of the glaringly crystalline tree last night, during a quick getaway flight from Canterlot. She immediately recognized it of course, from the endless newspaper articles about it. It was as out of place as she imagined- a princess's castle amidst a town like this. But it was certainly worth snopping around, as there has to be some rare gems that would get her a fortune in the black market. 

 

But there was still time to kill before the sun went down again, and not many places to hide in the sunlight. She settled for the top of a small home, hiding her dark coated body in the hay that covered the roof. It was quite comfy, actually, and she began to close her eyes for a much needed nap.

 

But as usual, that moment of peace didn't last long. A voice suddenly made the bat pony's ears perk up. She would have ignored it like the other voices that were heard, but it was what this pony was saying that intrigued her. What sort of 'diabolical deed doer' talks about his plans so loudly? Her bright silver eyes darted around, before landing on a colt-ish age pony who was attempting to hide himself as well. Es couldnpt help but roll her eyes at the irony.

 

"If you are going to monologue at that volume, pony, then why conceal yourself at all?" She said, her foreign Prench accent rolling off her tongue. But something else seemed to have captured the colt's attention, and Es curiously followed his gaze.

 

A pure white...creature? No, wait... part griffon and part pony... yes, a hippogriff. In Ponyville? Now this was intriguing. According her books, not many other species besides, well, ponies were prominent in this town. So she wasn't the only foreigner...interesting. The Areion's curiosity immediately set in. She glided to another rooftop much closer to the hippogriff, needing to know more.

[Windwright]

Oblivious to his observers, Edelweiss made his decision. The windmill was probably taller, but the blades would get in the way. So he had to get to the top of the tree. After that he would decide where the most treasure was to be had and figure out how to get it. And maybe another snack, like some cheese. He liked ponies a lot, but pony merchants didn't have much meat like the griffon traders in Cloudsdale, and he was starting to miss it.

Still, this was supposed to be his best adventure ever, so he would have to make do with the stuff he'd found. And finding more stuff meant climbing the weird tree. This being decided, he pulled his hood up and started making his way through the shops.

​

[Dubstep]

Unbeknownst to Dark, the watchcolt was being watched! And when a voice piped up, chastising his expert monologue, he jumped in surprise though quickly righted himself and glared up at the interloper.

"And just WHO do you think you are speaking to ME in such a tone." he replied with a snort. Clearly this pony wasn't from around here either! Sheesh, he thought, so many ponies needing to be educated these days! "I'll have you know that monologing is not only a requirement for being a good villain, it's an ART. One that I have perfected! You're obviously not from around here, so I'll fill you in." Dark spun around and turned his back on the Areion as he continued to babble. "I am Dark Core, master of evil, the greatest evil mastermind ever to live! Future ruler of this silly little world and all the sparkleheaded ponies that dwell in it!"

The colt continued his rambling of how he would rule the world and how evil he was for a few moments longer, not having noticed that the pesky bat pony had already moved on to a different spot halfway through his spiel. "...and furthermore you...huh? And rude too on top of it? Who does that? Just fly away when someone's monologing. HMPH!" rolling his eyes, and not really caring about the other foreigner, the colt cautiously snuck around to the corner of a house to get a better gauge on just where the fledgling...colt...young hippogriff was going.

[Hawkeye12]

This colt was making Es's scouting of the hippogriff much more complicated than it needed to be. She rolled her eyes in annoyance, glancing away from her focus for one moment. While annoying, this Dark Core needed to learn a thing or two.

"An art, you say? Non, you have no need for such foolishness. Consuming your time monologuing is merely a distraction for the ones whom you captured, and as such gives them a chance to be free. And I am certain that is not what a...villian like you would want, oui? Such childish compostures...hmph."

The Areion suddenly trailed off, realizing the colt wasn't listening to her at all. Well, given that she tuned him out during his 'evil' introduction, it didn't matter. No more wasting her valuable time on that, back to focusing on...hmph.

What a hypocrite she was. Not only had the monologue colt wandered off, but the hippogriff as well. It didn't take long for her eyes to spot him again of course, a speck of pure white amidst a crowd of pastel colors. Scanning ahead in the direction he was heading, Es figured out that he was heading for the princess's castle.

Perhaps the creature was visiting on a matter of foreign affairs. Well, wasn't that convenient. It wouldn't be that difficult to sneak in as he was heading inside, take whatever she could, and then make a getaway to the next town. Of course, she would need to be closer than being on a rooftop. No, being ahead of him would be better. And so, a smirk forming on her face, she began jumping from roof to roof, keeping watch on the hippogriff in the corner of her eye.

[Windwright]

Something's weird... thought the hippogriff, pausing to try to place a talon on what that might be. He tapped his chin and tried to remember when the last time he'd felt like this was, and could only think of a clawfull of times. It was a lot like when new ponies showed up at school and watched him, but not quiite. He shrugged the feeling off and decided to try to figure it out later, but threw a couple of glances around every now and then. 
 
He was still heading roughly toward the crystal tree, weaving through the legs of shoppers if they were standing still, getting out of their way if not, and generally trying not to run into anypony. He was careful like that, sometimes. He knew he'd need a nice long stretch of clear space to start flying though, and he was trying to keep an eye out for that, too. He thought he must be close, because market roads couldn't be THAT long, could they? He wasn't used to cities that were built out like this, Cloudsdale had most of the shops in clusters that included ups and downs. He liked it that way, it was fun to pop between layers and watch ponies from above. Now, though, he had to focus on...on...
 
Uh oh. The hippogriff thought, having lost his bearings and the view of the castle while he'd been walking, distracted. Where am I?

​

[Dubstep]

Although his main focus was on figuring out just who this snowy hippogriff was, Dark kept a cautious eye out on the Areion. She could potentially be a threat. After all, ponies who could fly were often pretty good at sneaking up on other ponies when they're unaware! And it was clear that she didn't respect the colt's brand of evil!

Watching her flit up to the rooftops gave Dark pause. He could go the same route...or try to sneak through the market district. Which wasn't a good idea giving the mayhem, havoc, disarray, and general unpleasantness he caused there on a regular basis. Shaking his head and sighing, the unicorn's horn lit up, causing a couple of platform like shields to appear on the side of the building he was peering from. With a hop, skip, and a jump, the caped ne'er do well gazed down from the roof and tried to spot his target.

After a bit of scanning, he was finally able to pick him out from the crowd. Originally it looked like he was heading towards the Castle, for whatever reason. Why anyone would want to go to THAT place was beyond Dark. After all, it's not like there was anything important there. Perhaps he took over he'd have it torn down for something less tacky...But that was for later! It seemed to the unicorn like the young hybrid had gotten lost. What a shame! What to do, he wondered, watch things play out a little longer? Or swoop in now and try to convert him to evil right away? Decisions, decisions...

[Hawkeye12]

Es was certainly off her game today, and it was annoying her. She was halfway between her original location and the castle before realizing that her subject hippogriff was nowhere to be found. With an annoyed grumble, she began to backtrack, jumping and gliding like a pro until she finally spotted the speck of white that she was looking for.

 

But, what was he doing? The hippogriff obviously seemed fazed by something, not to mention he was going in the almost exact opposite direction that he was supposed to be heading. Wait, of course...he must be lost. Expected on a youth like him. That other pesky colt didn't seem to be anywhere in sight, so it was time to think up a plan.

 

The first thought that came to mind was staying hidden, hoping that the situation would nicely play out and that he would get his bearings back. But that involved to much patience, and these rooftops were rather uncomfortable. He needed someone to help him, so it was time to test her acting skills...

 

Casually getting up, she flitted down from the roof towards her subject, a near miss from directly running into him. The clumsy types were always fun to play. "O-Oh! I apologize for the near collision, Monsieur...er, sir." Her accent was hard to cover up, but she still tried her best. "Suffering from a mild wing injury at the moment. But, I couldn't help but notice that you appear to be...misplaced? Perhaps I can lead you to your destination?" It was humorous, almost. Es practically hated normal interaction with others, but when it came to conning? It was enjoyable, minus the fact that it involved being out in broad daylight, of course. But one needed to take risks to accomplish their goals.

[Windwright]

Edelweiss wasn't sure why, but the feathers on the back of his neck felt all ruffly under his hood. It started when this mare started talking to him, but that wasn't-wait, what?

"Holla! Hello, Frau bat." the little griff exclaimed, jumping a little when he noticed her wings. The motion caused his 'hat' to slip down over his eyes, so he pushed it and the hoot back and up into place. He'd really need to find a better hat. It was around this time that he noticed she'd asked a question, and he shook his head.

"Nein, I'm not misplaced. Ponyville, ja? I lost the tree I was going to look for treasure on though. Too many tall ponies around to see." he said, staring openly at the Areion's wings. "Have you seen it, Frau?"

​

[Dubstep]

"Blast and botheration, why does everything have to be so DIFFICULT?!" Dark muttered to himself as he watched the Areion 'accidentally' bump into the Hippogriff. Urgh. Areions always gave him the willies. They reminded him too much of actual bats. The colt shuddered and shook his head as he climbed down from the roof and into an alley.

Finding the two from his new vantage point, the unicorn glanced cautiously around the immediate area. "I've got to find a way to get that pesky batbrain out of the picture...but how..." a few wheeled carts sat not too far from the conversing oddballs. Both of them filled with fruits. "Heeeeh." hunkering himself down, Dark squinted his eyes and focused. A white magic aura surrounded his horn before it made its way around the chock block of the cart. With a quick tug of his head, the hunk of wood slid from under the wheel, and the pony that had been leaning on it slid to the ground! Causing the cart to start rolling straight towards the bat pony! "Please let this work, please let this work..." he mumbled as he rubbed his hooves together evilly!

[Windwright]

(In light of Hawkeye's no longer being on the site, moving this along.)

Edelweiss cocked his head momentarily. That sounded oddly like a-

"RUNAWAY CART!" somepony cried. Edelweiss quickly found himself in a swiftly growing clear space, with a cart barreling toward him and the batmare. A brief glance told him it was too low to the ground for him to get under it, like some of the pegasus carts, so he started running away from it. The cart itself was clearing space for him, and he had gotten a few steps before remembering he could fly.

As the wagon continued to get closer, he spread his wings from under the cloak and started trying to get some lift out of them. After about his third hop, he finally got off the ground! Only for the cart's harness to drop onto his hindquarters. The leather strap coiled around his back, thankfully missing his wings, and the hippogriff panicked and started flying for all he was worth with the cart keeping tethered to the ground.

[Dubstep]

Dark was practically rolling on the ground laughing at the scene unfolding before him. Ponies jumping and dodging out of the way as the cart barreled towards the hippogriff and leathery-winged menace! Given he wasn't particularly aiming at the kid, but as the cart's harness dropped onto him and latched itself onto him the colt went from practically rolling to literally rolling with laughter. The hippogriff kid tried with all his might to fly with the cart, but only succeeded in making it hop lightly as it sped through Ponyville towards the castle. "Bahahahaha! Ahhh oh jeeze thats...pfffahahahaha!...W-wait...Shoot he's getting away!" scrambling to his hooves, Dark bolted quickly down after the runaway cartogriff.