Cubbage

Dawn's eyes perked up at the mention of the word amulet. It brought her thoughts to the amulet she was currently seeking, and she wondered if perhaps this stallion would know anything of its location... Best not ask that just yet. She didn't want to create unnecessary suspicion. Bringing up magical artifacts that had once been used for evil often did that, even though her intentions were nothing of the sort. "Well that sounds like quite the project! Please let me know when you've completed it! I'd be very interested in one. I have something of a love for magical artifacts myself. "As for me, I'm just a humble astrologer. Once upon a time, I was in the same class as Twilight Sparkle at the School for Gifted Unicorns. I was even named royal astrologer after graduating. Unfortunately, I was stripped of that title after a certain minotaur escaped from Tartarus and I was unable to provide the princesses with a warning before they received their own. I still remember the dream I had of an entity escaping the prison, more than a year before Tirek attacked. But I was told I was crazy then, and that I was wrong. If anything, I was told that I probably saw Cerberus leaving his post and just mistook it for a prison break. Princess Celestia assured me that agents had checked the prison and that all inmates were accounted for. "But I'm not bitter about it. I'm much happier here, honestly. There's a lot less at stake in the event that I'm wrong. And I know my discharge was probably just the result of two panicked princesses grappling with the idea that the fate of Equestria was hanging in the balance, and they probably just needed somepony to blame. I'm sure if I had gone back and asked for my old job, they would have apologized and forgiven me. But I didn't want it back, and I still don't. I have my sights set on much higher aspirations." As she finished her monologue, the tea kettle began to whistle. She hopped to her hooves and levitated it to the counter, simultaneously walking to a cupboard and removing two teacups. "Are you partial to any kind of tea? I keep a variety here so that I can drink whatever I'm in the mood for on a given night."

Well, so much for delaying the dragon. And now Strong Copper was going to be suspicious of him. Probably would be best to part ways about now. "I'm just staying at the local bed & breakfast. I can walk myself back. You sure you don't want any help out here, though? More eyes might be helpful. Of course, I understand if Spike made you suspicious of me. I guess it's not common to wander around at night, and just my luck that there would be a shadow demon stalking the streets the night I can't sleep." He sighed. "Well, on the bright side, I think I'm finally getting tired enough to sleep. Now the question will just be whether any nightmares wake me up. It was nice to meet you. I'll head back now." And with that, he turned away from the unicorn and started towards his hotel. Hopefully, Strong Copper wouldn't follow. Then he could double back and start tailing the pony. If he had a talent for finding monsters, then Lope would most likely want to be near him. He'd be the most likely to spot the creature first. If Strong Copper did follow him, though, well... "Horseapples," he muttered, defeated. "I'm on my way," came a response in his ear. Hopefully she'd be able to resolve a situation if one arose. If not, it'd still be nice to fill her in on everything he had learned, and especially on the possibility of S.T.A.R. agents en route.

Dawn recalled the day vividly. It had been quite frightening. His explanations all seemed to make sense. At the mention of the Princess of Friendship, a hint of malice, unnoticed to the untrained eye, flashed across Dawn's face. She surpassed the thought, however, and continued the conversation. "Why would anypony run off in fear of you? You seem charming enough! I'm certainly not afraid of you! I doubt you would hurt anyone on purpose unless you had a very good reason." She smiled reassuringly to show him that she did indeed trust him. After all, if he were dangerous, the stars would have warned her. "But I digress. You're stressed about a project? What project might that be? I'm sure it's something fantastical! Perhaps the reason you were guided here is so that I might assist you in some way, either by relieving your stress or providing some component necessary for its completion?"

Great... Now he was the object of both of their suspicions. "What? A prank? Of course this isn't a prank! And I'm not a shadow pony, either! Until tonight, I didn't even know there was a shadow pony! I just... worry about calling in royal assistance. Something about it just gives me the heebie jeebies. Maybe I'm just in denial about there being a possible monster attack on my vacation spot and calling in royal assistance will make it all seem too real to me. I don't know. I just think maybe we should get a little more info on what we're dealing with before we call the princess." Being in the spotlight wasn't his forte. He was supposed to stay out of it as part of his job description, in fact. Now that he had gained their suspicions, the spotlight was where he was, and he needed to do what he could to get out of it. Then he saw it again. Out of the corner of his eye. There was something there, and then there wasn't, almost like it had just appeared long enough to be noticed and then vanished as instantly as it had come. His head jerked towards where it was, but not nearly fast enough. "Did you guys see that...?" he asked, pointing in the direction of the motion.

Dawn was delighted! This visitor was stranger than she could have ever imagined! He was from the Frozen North?? Why did he "sneak through Equestria at night"? He had been a student at the School for Gifted Unicorns, too? So many more questions were swirling through her mind! Then he threw an insult. "Who would have thought Astronomy would have been a useful class in magic school." What did he mean by that?? Study of astronomy was important in magic school regardless of your primary discipline! Of course it was a useful class in magic school! Nevertheless, she put aside her clear differences in interest, and focused on the matter at hand. He had requested a horoscope, and even given his sign. That was certainly helpful. But she also found it helpful to find out as much as possible about her clients before doing readings, and she certainly wanted to find out as much as possible about this pony! "Oh but of course! The stars can tell me everything I could want to know! Well, perhaps not everything." She had flashbacks to her dismissal as royal astrologer, but brushed them off without missing a beat. "For instance, the stars cannot tell me why you live in the Frozen North, or why you have to travel at night. I'm not endangering myself legally by talking to you, am I? Normal ponies don't live in a harsh area such as that... That's the land of shadow ponies and yaks." She gave a look that conveyed playful suspicion. She was sure he wasn't a criminal, and even if he was, who was she to judge him? Perhaps he was misunderstood, in which case the least she could do was provide him with a hot cup of tea and some information about his future. Perhaps she could even work towards clearing his name. If it was so that he was a victimized criminal, then when she took power, she would be certain that he was pardoned for whatever imagined crime he had committed. The stars had told her he would be strange, not dangerous. And she intended to treat him as such.

Morning Glow froze again when Chipper Demise ratted her. She turned back and walked slowly towards the archchancelor, horn pointed down, tail all but between her legs like a puppy. She shot Chipper Demise a dirty look as she turned and entered the room. She took her seat, front and center, and waited for the rest of the stragglers to be seated and the orientation to begin. Her parents had filed her paperwork ahead of time, unlike the corn fillies, apparently. She sighed. Rural communities were the worst. Granted, this was the first rural community she'd ever been in, but if they were all like this one, then they were the worst. Then buckball trio entered. She hadn't met these fillies before. She just hoped to Celestia that they were nothing like the other foals she'd met. She wasn't sure how much more she could take. Spearmint, of course, was an exception. From the sounds of it, he even had a personal recommendation from Princess Twilight! Morning Glow didn't have high enough grades to work directly with her. Her grades were good, just apparently not good enough. Supposedly, that's why she was here instead of back in Canterlot focusing on real education. Magic education. She sighed again as orientation started. It was going to be a long semester...

Lope was relieved when the crystal arrested, but again worried when Spike brought out another. And even more so when Strong Copper agreed with him! "I'm still not so sure," he said, trying to at least stall the dragon a little. It was imperative he kept S.T.A.R. out of this. His trainer was a hard flank already. She was a nightmare when in a jurisdiction battle. "Maybe we should do a little investigating before we decide to call in the royal guard. After all, if it's nothing, I think Twilight's ponies would be rather annoyed to be troubled in the middle of the night over a false alarm, don't you?" Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, was all that was going through his mind now...

Sounds good to me! Welcome aboard! o7

As long as she's an elite flyer! We're looking for the best of the best here! ; )

Bump

Sure thing! Here ya go!

Well there ya go! Hahaha Orientation is starting soon

If you have any characters that might attend the School of Friendship, the dorms plot is still open. And I think one or two of the characters there still needs a roommate.

Twinkle Dawn's heart nearly burst with joy! "Then I was right! You are the visitor I've been expecting!" She teleported the rest of the way down the stairs and moved hastily towards the entryway fireplace. "I've been waiting all day for you! Here, let me put some tea on! I don't know why I didn't have any ready when you arrived! It's almost midnight! I should have known to be prepared!" The logs in the fireplace glowed momentarily with her green aura before bursting into flames. She dashed out of the room to fill a teapot and came back moments later, hanging it above the fire. She then turned to her new guest, taking him in fully for the first time. Now that she had a good look at him, he was... off-putting. His mane was long and unkempt, and she couldn't tell if his beard was a fashion statement or just a result of bad shaving habits. Oh well! "Strange" was what her horoscope had said, and this pony was indeed strange! "Let me guess! The stars guided you here! You felt drawn by the planets!" She knew she wasn't behaving very professionally, but she was tired from not sleeping and overjoyed that her prediction had been accurate. "You must tell me everything!" She levitated two stools to where they stood and positioned them directly behind each of them, then sat down, eagerly awaiting the pony's tale of how he had been "guided" to her.

Wow, this pony was quite educated on the problem. His description was actually very similar in some places to the briefing packet that Tangent and he had received before being dispatched on this mission. Though their intel discussed other possibilities, such as necromancy or other sorcery as the cause, which he had deemed a bit more likely than a shadow pony like Stygian or Nightmare Moon. Of course, there was always the possibility that could be happening. He seemed to recall record of an incident in which F.R.O.W.N. had bathed in some corrupted water and suddenly become incredibly powerful with shadow magic... He wasn't in Ponyville for that, though. He'd only heard about it down the grapevine. In any case, this Strong Copper was going to be a good ally. "The thought of a demon like that stalking Ponyville... Gives me the jitters!" he said, shaking to emphasize his point. "Let me help you search for it. Two pairs of eyes is better than one, after all. Besides, I'm a pretty good athlete, and It might be nice to have a runner and bucker if things get hairy." He kicked his back legs in the air as he had when he was a buckball star, ignoring a slight pain in his haunch from the sudden exertion. Then Spike mentioned getting the Princess to dispatch some of her agents. And if that meant what it usually did, that would mean S.T.A.R. "No, wait!" he said, reaching a hoof to stop the dragon. But coming down from his show kicks slowed his reaction time, and he could tell he wasn't going to be able to stop the crystal. His mind pleaded for Strong Copper to be faster than him...

Twinkle Dawn yawned as she put her eye to the telescope. Three of the Galloplean moons of Jupiter were visible tonight, an impressive number. Europa, her favorite, was unfortunately nowhere to be seen. She had a feeling that was a bad omen. And her feelings were usually correct. She jotted some notes down in her journal, even deciding to make a quick sketch, though she had to reposition the telescope several times for that to be possible. All the while, she checked her watch. Her horoscope had said to "Expect a strange visitor today," which is why she had been up all day instead of sleeping like she usually did. When the stars called, she wanted to be ready, and if that meant welcoming a strange visitor into her home, then she would be awake and ready to have them as soon as they knocked. But they hadn't knocked. She considered not coming in tonight, but had a feeling she should. Clients didn't usually seek her at the observatory, but then maybe that was what would make this visitor strange. Perhaps she -- or he -- would come to the observatory at this uncelestial hour seeking the guidance of the stars. She yawned again. Whoever it was, they'd better hurry up. It was almost midnight, meaning the day was almost over. She couldn't be wrong about this. The horoscope had been so clear. There was no way she was wrong. She wasn't normally wrong. Especially with horoscopes. She always checked and rechecked horoscopes because that's what most of her clients asked for, and the thought of their disappointment was too much for her. Ever since being dismissed from her position as royal astrologer, she had suffered a degree of anxiety over her predictions. Luna and Celestia had dreamed Tirek's coming and she hadn't. That was a huge fail. She couldn't allow herself to make another mistake like that again. She took some deep breaths to calm herself and flipped to the table at the back of her journal to look at her orders. Several ponies requesting horoscopes, nothing out of the ordinary there. One pony wanted to know how compatible he was with a mare he had his eye on. The stars usually didn't have much to say on that regard. The two pony's signs would tell her everything she needed to know. But she liked to consult the sky as an added measure anyway. Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the observatory door open. That was weird. She could have sworn she locked it... Visitors weren't permitted at an hour like this. She descended the steps from the main telescope, stopping once she could see the entryway, where the silhouette of a tall unicorn stood. "Can... I help you?" she asked as she lit her horn to try to reveal more of the pony. Was this the strange visitor she was supposed to expect?

"I asked them to keep it on the mild side, so hopefully the heat of the pot is the only heat I'll be getting tonight..." Cloudy mused in response to Windy's remarks on jambalaya. "I love mixing clouds on the go! I mean, don't get me wrong, lab formulas are super cool because then you can make all sorts of clouds, like these ones (she patted the table, indicating the types of clouds she was referencing), but making clouds from raw water using nothing but good ol' pegasus magic? Now that's what I call fun! And exercise! But as for bellowing dispersement... Hm... You'll probably want more of a fog cloud than a traditional cumulus or cirrus. That'll be tricky to work with, though, I should warn you. If you try too hard to shape them, you might end up condensing them into a thicker cloud and then they won't give the effect you want. And they don't hold their shape very well, either. Hm..." she thought on the problem some. Perhaps there was a way to make a thicker fog cloud that could hold its shape longer? This was certainly going to be a challenge. Maybe she'd invent a new formula! From the sounds of it, she would be spending the next few days off work in the laboratory! That was an intimidating thought. She had always loved the chemistry side of cloud making, but the laboratory... It wasn't the place for her. Most of the memories she had of it were repressed by her depressed state while working there. It all seemed like a haze to her, even though it had taken more than a year of her life. She could remember her parents talking seriously with her after one of their family dinners. Their concern for her well-being... If it hadn't been for them, she might not have ever left the lab. She might have become a recluse! That was definitely not something she wanted! Aaaand Windy was talking again. No, she had been talking. Cloudy just missed the first few lines being lost in thought... again. She really needed to work on that! It had gotten her in trouble in the pas-- Stop! She's talking! Cloudy payed attention for the remainder of what Windy said, and tried to piece together her words' full meaning from there.

Strong Copper's comment brought Agent Lighthoof instantly back to the conversation. Was this pony a S.M.I.L.E. agent as well? He thought only he and Tangent Line had been dispatched... Best not to risk it. He could ask him about it later, interrogate him in a more formal setting. For now, he kept his cover up. "Something? The way you say that sounds like it's something dangerous... Should I be worried?" He took that moment to glance around nervously, though he was actually searching for the "something" himself. "I'm just in town to visit! I didn't realize it could be so dangerous!" His trainer's voice came through his ear again, this time a bit louder, and much more irritated. Yeah yeah, he needed to get back to searching. But if this pony was searching for the same thing he was, then it could be advantageous to stick around him. After all, the more eyes the merrier. But Lope also needed to figure out why Strong Copper was here searching for it in the first place. Who had sent him? Was he with S.T.A.R.? He really hoped not. Tangent tended to get really touchy when it came to jurisdiction battles between S.T.A.R. and S.M.I.L.E.. He didn't want another feud.

Agent Lighthoof took the opportunity brought about by this new pony's arrival to try to casually take his leave. He wasn't going to find any creatures just standing here chatting, especially when Spike and he were clearly here on different "royal business." That is, if S.M.I.L.E. missions could be classified as royal business... He started to back up, casually at first, then more deliberately as a flicker of movement behind him caught his eye. His head whipped around, hoping to see whatever it was in full view, but... Either he had imagined it, or it had moved too quickly. There wasn't even an alleyway near where he'd thought it was, which eliminated the possibility that anything he'd seen could have hidden just before he looked. No, it was just plain ol' Sugarcube Corner. Get ahold of yourself, Johdpur. You're acting like a rookie! he thought scoldingly. His trainer would say he looked "like a filly on nightmare night", jumping at shadows like he was. Then again, it was shadows they had come to jump at, so maybe he wasn't being paranoid after all...

Morning Glow's whole body went rigid when she heard the voice of the Archchancellor behind her. She knew running was discouraged in the halls, but she also knew she shouldn't be late to orientation. She slowly turned around -- and a wave of relief hit her. It wasn't her he was getting after at all! It was Chipper Demise and Kettle Corn, several meters behind her down the hall! She released her breath (which came as a mild surprise because she hadn't realized she'd been holding it) and then sneered a little, turning back to the direction she was heading and trotting -- not running as before -- off gleefully. It was a shame. Had there been more time before orientation, she would have stayed to see what the Archchancellor said. Unfortunately, she was almost late as she was and did not want to start the semester off with a tardy.

Oh oof! That sucks! Glad to have you back!

Lope barely listened, keeping his eyes out for suspicious movement. Even with his trainer's dark vision spell, it wasn't easy to see out here. "Wow, that sounds pretty rough," he said absentmindedly. Some movement caught his eye, and his whole body tensed with preparation to dart. But as it drew closer he relaxed. Just another unicorn out for a stroll past dark. Geesh, and he had thought Manehattan was the city that never slept! So many ponies were still out and about apparently. "So who's your mark then?" he said, returning to the conversation for a moment. He heard a spell aura activate inside his ear canal, and the voice of his trainer rang as if she were right next to him. "Agent, would you hurry up and dispense with the pleasantries? We've got a job to do here, remember?" "I know," he whispered in response, forgetting that he was talking with Spike momentarily.

Surprisingly, Chipper seemed to be a quick study in the ways of etiquette. He even raised his hand when he wanted to say something, which Morning Glow figured was his way of mocking her, but she didn't mind as long as he knocked before coming into their dorm in the future. She gasped as she realized he was right about one thing, though: She was going to be late for orientation if she didn't hurry. She took this opportunity, what with the door being crowded, to practice her teleportation. Her horn glowed for a few moments as she focused her energy, and then with a sphere of turquoise light and a loud POP!, she disappeared from the dorm and reappeared just outside it. She couldn't teleport very far, but it was certainly a start, especially for her age. She gave a joyful giggle and then galloped off toward the entrance hall where orientation was supposed to begin.

Royal business? Could they be here for the same thing? Best not to disclose his reason for the time being. The dragon had mentioned a Twilight, and he assumed that meant Princess Twilight Sparkle, in which case this dragon must be Spike, her loyal companion. His fears of being recognized heightened slightly. Though he'd never interacted with Spike or Twilight directly during his time in Ponyville, it was still a small town. "Insomnia. I have a hard time sleeping some nights and strolling helps get my energy out. So what royal business is so important that it requires sneaking around at night?" Hopefully he wasn't being too direct. He didn't want to garner any suspicion from the dragon. But he also needed to know if the reptile could be trusted or if he should try to cut the conversation short and get back to his investigation.