A Rainy Encounter (Ask To Join: Kahoot)

[Switchback]

"Indeed, it seems frightful how this could so quickly turn; all it would need is a cult of like minded individuals to bring this nation to four knees. Plus it's not like I have any incredible powers that I can exploit, I seem to be the last of a time of normality, faded and for all intents, a relic, travelling constantly to get by while other 'heroes' sit in their bases of operation cuddling their money and waiting for the next call instead of seeking the call out before the need arises to send it. I am the house call it seems more than most heroes nowadays. Knocking with a smile and nod."

"Ah, but don't you see? I am running. I am always running, just along the way I run into other situations to fix before I run again, I am always afraid; that is a great power, fear humbles you, makes you smart and limits mistakes, I am just good at acting competent and fearless. And yeah I'm sure, I'll be resting as well, we are both heading in; I need to secure everything down before we make the next part of our journey."

[Kahoot]

"Well, that is why I called you a hero, you seek out calls for help rather than waiting for them," She offers a soft smile, though, she isn't quite looking at the stallion but rather the horizon line, "Though, you may not always notice it at first until someone points it out to you."

 

"Hmm, I never thought about it like that, I suppose travels are always on the run, whether for a good or bad reason... We should talk more tomorrow, it's nice to be able to chat with someone on and on without getting bored or shy..." She flaps her wings before climbing into the back of the wagon to rest as he had suggested, "By the way, Switch, thank you for giving me this opportunity." Flower makes herself comfortable within the wagon, curling up on her side as her wings cover her just as a blanket would.

[Switchback]

"Well, I still hesitate to call myself a hero. Don't like the title; it implies that I am perfect, some time of fairytale character. I am not either of those things, and I hope you understand that as well." He starts to secure things down inside the wagon. "And you'll find trouble is actually very easy to find; it is often hiding where perfection is. If something looks too good to be true, it probably is hiding something truly awful underneath."

"Always running, never stopping, just accumulating more fearing the day when I encounter them all at once; as that is the thing, at some point, I will have to stop running and face it, and that point shall be my last day. It's alright, we all deserve the chance to explore, and erm, you may want to make sure you strap yourself down; this part is something that first timers do not tend to enjoy as much as I do." he says as he pulls a large lever by the front of the wagon, a heavy sound of metal moving being heard as two small levers flip out from the walls of the wagon near the front, Switch's horn igniting as the wagon tilts over the edge of the hill, tilting downwards, giving a good view of the steep descent before them as gravity takes hold, the wagon starting to roll down the hill with impressive speed, Switch looking oddly calm. "It's a thing many ponies forget, you know. They always say that this is the move of a maniac."

[Kahoot]

The mare takes his advice, strapping herself down and preparing the ride ahead, she could already tell it would be an unpleasant one based on the steep hill she saw earlier. Her eyes widen at the view ahead as the wagon tilts, it ultimately reminds her of a roller coaster, going up those steep hills and then crashing down when you least expect it. It wasn't the height that frightened Flower, she is a pegasus, after all, she flies up great heights every day, though it was the outcome that worried her.

 

She takes a deep breath as the wagon starts to roll down, surprisingly enough, it wasn't as terrible as she expected, "Reminds me of a roller coaster." None the less, she is still absolutely astonished at how calm he looks, especially when she was here keeping herself from flying out of the wagon.

[Switchback]

He chuckles at her reaction and likening it to a roller coaster, something he had never tried; but he always watched them when near one; they looked so bizzare to him, like serpents of metal screaming along at incredible angles. "Difference between me doing this and a maniac though is that I have experience!" He pulls down the lever on the left, swerving the wagon left before he raises it again to go straight, angling the right one down as it skids to the right. "Good we have some speed going, and the wheels are not broken this time." He sets it to go straight again, angling around the obstacles until they came out the bottom of the hill at a great speed, covering more distance already than they probably would have managed in a day of journeying. As it keeps speeding up he slides the door open, jumping out as the wagon accelerates past him, causing him to land on the roof of it as he leans over the edge with a laugh, watching the world go past.

It would only be a few hours before they were rushing through a strange looking place, travelling along narrow passages through a cave with large drops on either side, the stallion making his way deftly around the outside of the wagon as he checks different parts of it, using his magic to keep it steering correctly, sometimes he would hang right out over the drops to have a check at the wheels before getting back in through the door. He climbs into the back as it rolls to a stop in a section that had the roof missing, the rain coming through, tapping lightly against the wagon roof as he smiles, looking up to it.

[Kahoot]

The mare watches her friend, her eyes wide and jaw hanging as she looks more than disturbed at how he is jumping about as if it was nothing, "I take back everything, you're a madpony!" She covers her eyes, praying for nothing bad to happen. As she quietly recites every prayer she knows in her head, she begins to hear his laughs and her eyes shoot open, catching the stallion jump out through the doors, she nearly faints from his ideas of "thrill" and "fun".

 

The mare lays down on her back, rubbing her temples as she processes everything that just happened, "You... Are... INSANE..." She whispers, squeezing her eyes shut in defeat, "Though, that made you at least... Ten times cooler than you already are." She sits up once more, letting out a groan, "I think I feel sick..." 

[Switchback]

He smiles, leaning back against the wall. "Never denied that I was insane, but I'm mad in a fun way. And competent, and competent insanity is perfectly alright. It's when you let an idiot be insane that you get problems." He chuckles as he looks around his wagon, covered in items that he used for his sword training, from ancient scrolls written in Old Ponish, to the beautiful blades secured firmly in place high up on the shelves, pulling the lever to lock the wagon into position again, the mechanism making a very strange sound as the wood clunked and the metal grated, sounding almost like a blade being drawn along a sharpening block followed with the clunk of wood sliding into place interlocking with the end of the metal sound as he grins "I love that sound so much. Oh, if you are going to be, could you try to do it outside? I don't like cleaning up mess that I do not make, and sick ruins the nice smell of the walls."

[Kahoot]

"You're right... To some extent..." She says and shivers, examining the walls of the wagon before looking towards the exit of it, examining how quickly the light of day has dimmed, creating a vibrant orange, purple, blue, yellow, and red sunset all in one.

 

She shakes her head and slowly stands on her hooves, her legs trembling from the bumpy ride, "I am going to get fresh air... And then come back to sleep forever..." She says with a weak look, stumbling out the wagon. She trots a few feet away, inhaling the fresh air and feeling that flipping feeling in her stomach come to an end, she takes a seat in the grass and lets out a much-relieved sigh.

 

 

[Switchback]

He winces as she stumbles out, chuckling somewhat "You'll be fine, just takes some getting used to is all. When I first acquired it I was awful at steering it correctly or working it. Even broke the brake locking mechanism, hence that sound it makes. Got it from some very... charitable fellows who acquired it from an old medical team, hence the room it has within it. Then was upgraded after they saw some derby racing and realised the same techniques could be applied on a larger scale. I'm looking to try and find one of those engines from the airships that were taken down during that Storm King crisis, have some ideas on how I could make this work even better but I need that component first." he closes his eyes as he leans back. "Perhaps also acquire some of the metal used for the hulls. I'd love to see how much force they could take."

[Kahoot]

Flower holds a poker face, not understanding what he is talking about at all, though, she remains listening as to not be rude to the stallion. She rubs her snout, staying quiet as he continues to speak, it didn't bother her, she just didn't know how to respond. She lets out soft hums, rocking in place to entertain herself a bit until the ill feeling completely leaves her.

 

Eventually, the feeling in her stomach subsides, allowing her to properly stand on her hooves without shaking, she carefully enters the wagon once more, laying back down where she had been before, "Sounds fun!" Is all she says, giving a wide smile to accompany her false statement, trying to cover up the fact she was completely lost.

[Switchback]

He smiles as she wanders back in confused, he can't help but chuckle to himself "You'll get used to my language. Anyway, I've decided on a destination for your first journey; something truly special. We're going to head out to the homeland of the Qilin and Longma. If anywhere still has wrecks of airships in Equestria, it's going to be some rural settlement over there, and if we don't use the fun parts, they'll just rust or be used by another pony. What do you think?" he asks with a grin.

[Kahoot]

"My apologies, I'll make sure to learn your language to better understand," She lets out a laugh, "Qilin? Longma? I've only read about those in books, they actually exist? I mean, I suppose I shouldn't be shocked since anything is possible in this world." She settles down, placing her chin on her hooves, using them as a pillow and her wings wrapping around her like a blanket. "Well, I believe it's a great idea!" She gives a smile, closing her eyes and relaxing, the sound of crickets chirping and wind howling working together to soothe her into a state of peace.

[Switchback]

"It's fine; just nod and roll your eyes, I'll understand." he smiles, yawning somewhat. "Well it's a badly kept secret with the Longma, but it is still a secret. It is a beautiful place to be. Very floral and mystical, and even better for our journey, secluded. We can wander in and locate what we need, let you explore their culture, then find a talented engineer to help with the building. You should like meeting the citizens around there, they are beautiful beings of elegance and class."

[Kahoot]

"I'm already excited... But still tired... All that cloud kicking, rain, mud..." She trails off, her voice becoming a bit slurred as she begins to drift off, she shakes her head, her heavy eyes opening. Flower Eyes lets out a lazy laugh, it slowly drones on and she closes her eyes once more, "I should sleep... I make no sense if I force myself awake when I am exhausted... Goodnight, Switch." She flashes a friendly smile, curling up and hugging herself with her wings. Within a flash, she is out cold, sleeping silently without a sound.

[Switchback]

"I understand, you get some rest, I'll get us some extra distance, make headway towards our destination. Goodnight Flower." he nods to her as he steps out the wagon, shutting the door behind him as he hooks himself back up to the front of the wagon, starting to walk again, the wagon slowly rolling along behind him, their destination now apparent it was a race against time, and against luck it seemed in this case; the chances of finding what they want would be slim at best, but Switch held out hope, as he always did with everything he was involved in.

[Kahoot]

As the night slowly, agonizingly slowly, became day, the sound of crickets and howling seized and welcomed the morning dew drops and breeze, a sign that it was a new day. Flower surprisingly slept better than expected, even without the comfort of her piles of pillow, blankets, and the comfort of her bed, in fact, she slept better than she did with her "comfortable" bed.

 

Flower opened her heavy, magenta eyes, peering at the world around her and noticing that the wagon was moving. At first, she panicked, forgetting where she was until yesterday's events quickly flooded her head and put her panic to rest. She sat up with a loud yawn, stretching her wings as well as her back, the need for fresh air apparent since she still felt out of it. She flapped her wings a few times, trying to wake them up, which didn't take long.

 

The young mare looked around the wagon, seeing no signs of her friend and so there was only one place she could think of. She slowly flapped her wings, flying gracefully out of the back of the wagon and making her way to the front to see if Switch was there, which he was. She lowered herself so that she hovered a few feet away from him but within his line of vision, "Good morning!" She calls out in her tired yet still cheerful tone.

[Switchback]

Switch had walked all through the night, having made an impressive amount of headway now, as they strolled along the base of some towering mountains, snow capped at the top, casting dark shadows around them, but also giving the air a nice crisp nature, it was landscape like this that the stallion enjoyed, breathing in the peace and tranquility of nature, although he knew this place would not be in his vision long; they were nearing the next leg of their journey, which would see them board a seafaring vessel for transport to Huangjing, a place that Switch loved for its beliefs, but hated for its beliefs in equal measure, hoping he wouldn't run into any of the ponies who kept trying to duel him for some kind of honour, but that would be a worry for later; for now mountains were to be viewed.

Then suddenly Flower flies out of the wagon, hovering along next to him so she could chat, he nods to her with a smile "Good morning. We are nearly at the next big puzzle of this trip, glad you are up; getting to the capital city Huangjing is going to take a bit of a turn soon. We should be nearing a good harbour town shortly that I know is frequented by sailors from there; I'm hoping we may be able to barter ourselves onto a barge heading out towards there, some of their customs and beliefs may seem a bit strange to you, but remember to keep an open mind, and a steady tongue until you have heard them finish a sentence; sailors are an odd type at the best of times."

[Kahoot]

The mare looks at their surroundings, admiring the beautiful shapes and curves of every grove, mountain, and valley. She absolutely loved landscapes, something her friend had often taught her about and gave her a chance to connect with. She flies up ahead some more, allowing her wings to stretch, it felt nice to be able to fly in this weather, it gave her a sense of peace and relaxation. She peers down at the stallion from above, "I will make sure to keep that in mind, thank you for the heads up!" She calls down, continuing to soar through the skies and sometimes disappearing into clouds.

 

Flower Eyes may hate Cloud Duty, a task every Pegasus must embrace at some point, it was community service, that doesn't mean she despised flying. In fact, flying was probably her second favorite thing to do, she was grateful for having wings, though, often wondered what it was like to be a Unicorn or Earth Pony.

 

"Did you rest well?" Flower had no idea that Switch had been traveling all night, considering she was in a deep sleep after both the traveling and work she had done yesterday.

[Switchback]

"It's alright, always best to warn new travelers about the risks involved in the journey, especially when you travel the way less walked, and we are really going about this in a unique style; I can't stand tourists, they make no sense in what they do." The mountains would be getting shorter as they kept going, the landscape flattening out before them. "Shame to leave this landscape really, but where we are going tops this tenfold. As long as you can look past the class divide, which has always annoyed me." he shrugs "Yeah, had a pretty relaxing rest thanks." he says calmly, not wholly a lie considering he often went into a meditative like state while walking on flat ground, allowing himself to extend his stamina a lot further than most ponies could. "Seems you are well rested as well."

[Kahoot]

Flower swoops down closer to the ground, not wanting to waste all her energy on flying, she lands on her hooves and smiles. Beginning to happily trot beside him, "Class Divide? Sure thing!" She flashes a grin, watching as the landscape changes, making her a bit disappointed but knowing more beauty lies ahead. Flower looks over at Switch, "I'm glad you slept well... I don't think I've ever slept so great, who knew laying on something hard and moving could be so... Comfortable."

 

The mare picks up her pace, knowing she will falter behind if she doesn't, "Hey, Switch, if you don't mind me asking... How did you get your cutie mark?" It was a common question the mare often received, so, to start a conversation she decided to be the one to ask this time.

[Switchback]

"Well it's the air that helps you fall asleep so nicely. Fresh air can make even tbe lightest sleeper conk out and clock it for the night. Its great and exactly why mamy performers prefer wagons to homes." he stretches as the wagon starts to slow, Switch giving his legs a break from the speed he was doing.

 

"My cutie mark? Well that's... Probably something for another time, I think. So I can have some time to remember what happened. So yeah I'll tell you later." he smiles gently and calmly.

[Kahoot]

Flower listens to him, "Well, alright, I wouldn't want to push you," She flashes a smile, not knowing what else to say or ask, so she decides on wandering ahead a bit, she flaps her wings before lifting her nearly weightless body into the air, soaring ahead at a calming speed that wouldn't take up too much energy nor too slow to be boring. She examines the land from above, watching how the landscape changes.

[IceStorm]

 

The Hasufel Mountains were one of the many ranges in Equestria and boasted many attractions within them. At the same time though, they were just like every other mountain range. If anypony took them for granted, it would be their final resting place. Mountains were nondiscriminatory when it came to their dangers. They didn't care if you were a pony, dragon, unicorn, pegasus, or any other race that wandered through Equestria. If you didn't show them the respect and caution they required, they would end you. The snow covered caps of these mountains were just as treacherous.Very few ponies even dare to scale them to find them. Ice Storm was one of these ponies, but ultimately that wasn't why she was in the pass today, or rather why she had just gone through the pass. She had no interest in the white peaks at this time. There were a few caves that peaked her interests, but they were very large, and not someplace a single pony should go. Large caves usually meant dragons, and not all dragons were friendly. Still though, she felt like she would like to explore them at some point.

 

Most of the time, she would have had at least one or two other ponies with her for something like this. She did have a reason for being there after all. It wasn't anything major, but she had hears some rumors of some unusual activity within the mountains. After spending a few days in the mountains, Ice Storm, with the help of the four orbs for frosted fire continued to orbit around her neck, staying very close to her. She imagined that even though they were linked to her, that it would be all too easy for somepony to disrupt them if they were orbiting at a range. Considering that these Opalus Spheres were bonded to her mind and to her Aether, to have those disrupted or pulled from her would be.... cataclysmically bad. It would likely take her weeks at least to recover if they were fully discharged from her, if it didn't outright kill her from the sudden shock and immense lose of energy and magic.

 

As close as they were though, she easily felt the frigidness of them and she adored it. She was permanently comfortable with the air around her. In fact, it was so cold that she had to be careful. In foresty areas of her trek so far, she could notice that the damp grass under her was freezing and dying with every step she took. She wasn't trying to make her aura quite that cold. It would prove especially troublesome if she was approached by anypony else. Considering these mountains were home to the very popular tourist attraction, Rainbow Falls... that was very much a possibility. The fact that they were on the opposite side of the mountain range from her now was irrelevant. Most ponies could get to them from either side with ease. She never said that it was difficult to navigate the mountains. Just that precautions always had to be taken.  

 

No soon had she thought something like that though, she began to hear something that sounded like voices.... One stallion one mare by the sound of them. Something that was a bit peculiar was that they were walking towards her through the mountains. She herself had already put quite a bit of distance from the mountains, but she had come out of the mountain range heading west. These ponies were coming from the south. From the Great Nimbusgait Lakes. She wasn't sure what to think, but she waited. She spotted one of them flying above. A very, very light.... white? Purple? Silver? A mix of the three?... colored pegasi in the sky. The chatter halted but she could tell that she was the mare in question from her frame and her build.

 

The other pony was a bit... different. He wore some sort of armor that she didn't quite recognize. It didn't look like anything that was issued by the REA, so it was likely something custom made. It peaked her attention. Having custom armor was no means illegal. She even had custom armor herself that she made with her own magic! It was just unusual to see other non military ponies with it. Of course, a few other thoughts immediately started going through her mind. What did this pony do that required armor like that, and what did the orange and black represent. To her knowledge those weren't WRAITH colors but that didn't mean much. She didn't see any weapons on him as they approached, but she did notice that his cutie mark was... what looked like an iron and bronze rapier clashing. This pony was obviously a combat type.

 

Learning more about this pony became priority number one. She wasn't going to outright accuse him of anything. She didn't know him at all, and he didn't know her at all. However, she could perhaps find out where they were heading and what it was they were doing here. She gave a gentle wave to the two of them as they approached, her Opulus Spheres orbiting a bit further from her and faster, still close to her neck though. It was just to make sure the air was comfortable for other ponies to approach her, and not just for her.

[Switchback]

Switch nods in thanks to Flower "Cheers, now then, if memory serves we should be very near... Land. Now." he says quickly, unclipping himself from the wagon as he keeps looking forward, keeping his voice low "Get inside the wagon now. Bolt the door locked and wait for me to say you can come out." He feels a cold breeze grazing against him, a lot colder than it should be in this location, his breath creating mist as he breathed out, which could either mean a freak blizzard was about to happen, which was always possible, or that there was something else affecting the weather near them. He looks up at the towering mountains at the clouds shrouding the peaks; they were not right for snow storms of any kind. Only then, when all alternatives were wittled out, did he turn around, leaning against the side of his wagon, in a spot where he had a concealed training sword, his eyes scanning the area behind them until they settled on the form of a blue unicorn with strange spheres orbiting her.

"Nice day for a hike, isn't it stranger?" he calls out, leaning casually against his wagon "Though I must say you look a bit ill prepared to be out this far into the mountain range, you are not lost, are you?" he asks carefully, wanting to get to the bottom of why this mare appeared to have taken an interest in them, especially with the way her eyes kept darting to his armour; he had to make sure this wasn't one of the many ponies who would happily get paid to put him in a hospital for a few weeks. "If you are here for the training program, like I said in my last location, I am spending a while travelling, so will not be stopping for lessons for the foreseeable future." he calls out, hoping to use this as an excuse for why they were here, and why he was in armour. This pony confused Switch, partly due to the fact she left a trail of withered and dead grass in her wake, partly the orbs around her which did not seem to bother her, and partly the fact that she was doing the same routine he was, which meant he knew she was hiding something, but also meant that she probably realised the same about him.

[Kahoot]

Flower gave an ill look to being treated like a child, it always bothered her growing up that her somewhat shorter than average height always seemed to play a role in being mistaken for a younger pony rather than her actual age. Though, it was more of a compliment to her as well considering she looked younger. Flower shook her head and decided not to argue, though, she had no intention of obeying his orders. Instead, the mare went around the wagon before taking off on a flight to get a better look at what they were dealing with. She did not see any sort of snow, no storm clouds at because there were just barely any clouds in the sky, the wind was moderate and not so chilly, though, the higher you go the colder it becomes. Flower spun around, still scanning her eyes over the area around her which was quite a lot considering how high she was in the air. 

 

She spotted a mare as well as those spheres that seemed to be hovering in the air as well as orbiting her like planets. Flower looks down at Switch before at the mare once more, it seemed he already had a plan for if things turned out to be a lot more dangerous than expected. Flower slowly lowered herself to the ground, though, staying still somewhat high considering she is faster in the air than on foot. The mare observed the other mare, noticing her unique look, and especially the fact that she had left her mark on the mountain by freezing and killing the grass and plants that unfortunately were in her path. She watched her movements carefully, something Flower often did with other ponies when she was alone or bored, simply studying everything her target does. It was a bad habit considering she was staring endlessly at someone, though, she never did get caught since she is simply another pony in the crowd.

 

Flower lowered herself to the ground, finally giving in and deciding to just go inside the wagon and bolting it shut, she looked around and sat back. She felt somewhat useless, though, everyone had their own special quirk when it comes to helping. Flower never really did help others as much as she would have liked, but that is partly because she never gave herself and others a chance.