Neoniie

Mirage grinned, pleased that her first proper desert rescue had gone so well. She generally encountered rather irritable desert ponies (who, to be fair, had good reason to be frustrated by a pegasus suddenly picking them up from the ground) or travellers and archaeologists who knew their way around. The pegasus pulled up the small wooden chair that was located in a corner of the room and sat promptly upon it. "Good to see you're enjoying yourself," she noted, placing her own bag upon the ground. She settled herself into the seat and watched Vulpus with a lightly amused smile.

Flux let out a tiny 'ah' of understanding. It definately cleared up how Colton had met Holly earlier. Once again, it seemed like a strange coincidence that all four had met each other at some point. Their return to this specific spot was quite an interesting recurrance, though they had selected the spot based on their previous meeting there. She then remembered another, rather ungraceful entrance of Colton's. "It would seem that your grace is slightly impaired in restaurants of any kind," she teased lightheartedly. She turned her gaze toward Holly, who had clearly suffered more than a strange touge-tiedness from her earlier encounter with the poll. The unicorn wondered if she had learned any spells that may be useful, but none were leaping to mind. She continued to ponder it as she awaited Holly's response.

"Yeah," Mirage said, that far-off look still obvious in her eyes. She had always wanted to discover something, anything really, that would lead to adventure. She was always told that she was too implusive, but adventures were times of action, not thinking. "You did? That's interesting. I would have figured that the archaeologist ponies would have picked the desert dry at this point," her tone was jokey once again. "They're the only folks who really come out this far, and you I suppose." The pegasi ground the lift to a halt, the squeak of the metal gears could be heard as they stopped their movement. "Second floor," said one of the pegasi, gesturing them out of the lift.

Mirage listened intently, trying to remember where Trottingham was. Unable to pinpoint it exactly, she decided on a neutral answer. "That's pretty cool. I haven't travelled much myself, but it sounds pretty exciting. I many just get around to it someday." She made a mental note to double check the maps of Equestria that she kept pinned to her walls to find the location of Trottingham. "I suppose you've had some cool adventures on your travels then?" The pegasus' eyes lit up as she spoke of adventure. She had a natural tendancy to rush into things, but an adventure seemed the epitome of freedom and exploration, two things that Mirage found necessary to ease the dull repetition of weather duties. She didn't really notice anything else around them and nearly fell into Vulpus when the lift started working. "Oops," she said, slightly embarassed once again. "I'm not usually this clumsy."

Well, I'm a unicorn, but you, Colton, Thunder...Wow, that is REALLY weird.

[Why yes, I did slightly rework the first couple paragraphs from my lastest fanfic, that was originally this post, to make this post. (Postception?) U mad?] On the outskirts of Ponyville sat a disused clock tower. It was one of the last surviving remnants of the older parts of the small town that had been abandoned for the newer developments that had been constructed in less forgotten times. Most ponies didn't stray too close to the old building, as the ghost stories told by mischievous colts and fillies even deterred the older ponies to an extent. However, for its two residents, the seclusion was not problematic. Inside the old structure's lowest level, a young mare dashed between two flasks that were connected by a curled tube. The curl was mostly for aesthetic purposes, but everything factored into the unicorn's experiment. The area immediately surrounding the experiment was cluttered with notes, diagrams, and bottles of chemical that had been haphazardly placed around the room. In one corner, a bed and closet sat stationary, though their use varied greatly as revealed by the lack of creases in the fabric of the sheets. The one oasis in the sea of discordant organization was occupied by a light brown ferret. The ferret watched the frantic movements of the mare from what he perceived to be a safe distance, knowing that this recent foray into science could go one of two ways. The unicorn concentrated upon a small flame that hung without a platform beneath the first flask. It's size increased, as though invisible tinder had been added to the fire. It caused the green liquid inside the first to bubble and some of the substance sloshed through the tube. It reached the other container with some coaxing by the unicorn and mixed with the red substance that lay still at its destination. The produced substance was a mildly acidic, desaturated yellow liquid. "Aha! I have done it at last, Tesla," said the unicorn, extinguishing the fire with an offhand thought. The ferret sighed, still unsure what the purpose of creating the rather useless substance served. She bottled the newly created liquid and placed ito upon a shelf that contained several such creations of varying colour. She also consulted the notepad that hovered near the unicorn constantly during her work. "Now that we have finished our part for the Summer Sun Celebration, it is time to get cracking at our true objective for the day." The excitement in her voice was barely contained and she had a hop in her step as she paced the room. "We shall finally begin our first stage of Experiment U.P.E.M.C!" The acronym seemed to hold great promise for the unicorn, but her animal companion looked on in confusion. "Unicorn, Pegasi, and Earth Pony Magical Co-relation," she explained. "It shall be my legacy unto the scientific world of Equestria! Unified Magical Theory will finally have to proof it requires to become fact!" She stopped, realizing the one barrier to her grand experiment. "However, I shall need test subjects." The unicorn looked around hopefully, as though she expected three prime ponies to simply materialize at her will. "Onward Tesla!" she exclaimed. "We have a pegasus to procure." And a pegasus they found, right in the middle of the town square. Two pegasi in fact. And the finding was more like crashing.

It. Is. On.

Completely oblivious to the implications that had occurred to Vulpus, Mirage chalked up his blush to a mere temperature readjustment of his body. With considerably cooler air of the inn would be a rather radical change from the scorching rays of the desert and Mirage had never payed attention in school enough to remember that redness only appeared when going from cold to hot. She trotted briskly over to the elevator and called up to the pegasi. "Second floor, please!" As the pegasi worked the pulleys, she decided to pick up the threads of a conversation with Vulpus. "I can definately agree. As much as I love flying, my wings could use a bit of a break. So, where are you from Vulpus? Probably not Appleloosa or I'd have recognized you."

"Well, I'll certainly keep that in mind." Flux tried to keep her tone light, but her last words trailed into a more serious tone. The unicorn had a feeling that whatever they were now entangled in was far more sinster than it had already seemed. Flux hated feelings like that, because some part of her felt as though it was part of some magical unicorn instinct. It was of course completely illogical to think that anypony could see the future, beyond possibly the Royal Sisters, but it still caused a deep-seated worry to lodge itself in her mind. Colton could clearly sense her unease, attempting to reassure her nonverbally. She took comfort in his assurance, but even a worry out of mind can grow. The mare followed his eyeline quietly, not wanting to draw too much suspicion toward them. She wasn't at all comfortable with this state of suspension they seemed to be in, with neither party wishing to make the first move. Nonetheless, she watched the dinning ponies around them, hoping that both of their glances would not cause anypony to suspect them of illicit activities.

Haha! Now it is my turn to pounce upon the post order! *Lesson Zero Twilight Grin*

Mirage put a hoof behind her head in an expression of slight akwardness. "Well, anything for a fellow pony," she declared, giving a mock-salute toward Vulpus. She flew up behind him it a flash, leaving an image of the salute behind her due to the speed of her transition, and lifted him slightly off the ground. The inn doors were luckily propped open at the moment, meaning the pegasus could hover him into the lobby itself. A few of the patrons looked a bit scandalized at the unconventional entrance, but Mirage payed them no mind. "Welcome to the Palomino, how may I help you?" The desk stallion spoke professionally, a well-rehearsed smile upon his features. It unnerved the pegasus, but she answered quickly. "Yeah, I need to rent a room for a few hours. My friend here has been prescribed some bed rest by Red Cross." The stallion nodded, handing them a room key without changing any bits. He winked as Mirage picked up the key and turned back to his filing without a word. "Oh. Thanks!" She read the room number and passed the key to Vulpus. "Room 25, then. There's a lift over there." The elevator was more a simple pulley system and wooden platform manned by two pegasi, but it served its purpose.

"Well, it's mostly just to make sure that rest is all you need. It's probably gonna be just a quick physical and then we can set you up with a room at the Palomino Inn." Mirage flew him inside the boarder of the town, setting him down gently on a well-used dirt path. Another pastel colour earth pony trotted out to meet them, this one a light pink-coated mare. She looked him up and down before addressing them. "I ain't sure that he really needs mah help. Some water and a good conkin' 'round the head maybe, but I think ya just need ta let 'im rest." With that quick diagnosis, the mare returned to her home, leaving Mirage slightly baffled. "Um...she really does mean well. Don't take all of that conking stuff too seriously." Mirage sounded a bit embarassed as she located the Palomino. She turned back to Vulpus, "Do you want some help?"

Yay Lime! *Pinkie Pie Party* As for the RP, I'll probably be having Flux set up something for the Gala that QuickLime can come to check on (lighting effects with her chemicals, perhaps?). Not really any particularly special meeting, kinda like AJ's.

"Woah, a hot air ballon? Pegasi don't have much use for them, clearly," Mirage said, flapping her wings quickly to illustrate her point. "I've always wanted to see one though. It's pretty fascinating, though I'm certainly not about to read endless textbooks on them." After a moment, she added, "Once you get rested, you'll have to tell me some of those stories of yours." The houses in the distance had become surprisingly closer within the past few minutes and a young colt had even trotted out to meet them. He was a green earth pony, quite a contrast to the brown snads around him. "Mirage!" He bounced forward excitedly. "Who's the visitor?" Mirage chuckled at the colt's enthusiasm. "You'll see soon enough. Now go fetch your mother." As the colt bounded off, she elaborated for Vulpus' sake. "That's Balloon Bright, son of the medic here. Nice colt, I met him on an earlier patrol of the Painted Pinto Desert."

"I've never really been in such a situation before, to be honest. Any tips for the newly inducted?" Flux had a wry smile on her face, an oddly playful mood had washed over the unicorn. She did wonder what exactly it was that the two had gotten themselves entangled in. The most danger that the unicorn had faced invovled volatile chemicals and possibly huge clean-up jobs. Never had anything so potentially danergous crossed Flux's path, but she could resist following the strings of mystery and attempting to weave them back together. She smiled shyly at Colton's small kiss, but she returned the kiss, though hers has planted upon his cheekbone. The unicorn noticed the scan Colton did of the room and felt instantly more alert of their surroundings, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well, she did see something out of the ordinary for her. The oddity was namely sitting in a high class confectionery with a pegasus whom she had a crush on, but the establishment itself seemed to be buisiness as usual.

Oh my, once I started going I just couldn't stop. But I do think I've got a much better foundation for her personality (4 paragraphs full) and know more clearly what direction I want to take her development. Thanks for the help Dio!

Mirage smiled at the earth pony's words. Most of her day had been spent in silence with little to no contact with anypony else. Having somepony to talk to, even if that pony was probably slightly delirious and weakened from exhaustion, was a welcome addition. It was the ever-changing world around her that convinced the pegasus to be a pony of action rather than study. If one was so busy studying and learning, oppourtunity would slide by and become impossible to regain. It was only the pegasus' opinion, but she held by it. Noting the tips of the wooden roofs of Dapple Dunes, the sandy mare quickened her pace. It would still be a short while before they arrived, so she decided to follow a thread of Vulpus' last statement. "You've been up this high before? Wow, for an earth pony, you must be good at jumping."

"I had thought as much," Flux said, expressing her agreement with Colton's assessment. "I can only guess that whatever was discovered by these archaeologists was incriminating against these enigmatic ponies. They also are likely professionals, due to their swift work in emptying the secret room of any evidence. However, their leaving of these few documents we discovered means they were either interrupted or did not believe them to be important." "Either way, it means that they may have overlooked some evidence that could be found within these journals. I'll need some time to look over them, I suppose," Flux sighed slightly. She wasn't a detective, but the mystery before them was too tantalizing to merely allow it to go unsolved. True, she would need to reschedule several experiments, but it would be worth it to unravel this thread of hidden secrets. She took another bite of the sandwich and considered what she had read.

"Of course. That was the plan," Mirage said, a bubbly laugh in her voice. She picked him up in the same manner as before, hooking her own forelegs underneath his and pulling him up. Since this was going to be a longer trip, she moved her grip to somewhere are his torso, making his weight evenly distributed between his front and back. She maintain the hover for a few moments, getting the hang of keeping his weight. Once she had enough of a hang of the manoeuvering, she increased her altitude to a proper flight and took off toward Dapple Dunes.

"Um..." Mirage considered her mental maps of the desert and surrounding area, trying to determine the closest town. She decided on a small settlement in the Painted Pinto Desert. "Well, the closest town is called Dapple Dunes, if I'm right. Once you get some rest there, I can take you back to Appleloosa." She allowed him to gather himself before starting on the trip. Mirage had never taken both herself and another pony over such a long distance, but she figured that there was a first time for everything. "We can go whenever you're ready."

Flux grinned at Sparks' enthusiasm, finding his antics to be amusingly childlike in their energy. When Colton passed her the sandwich, she quickly transferred it from her hoof to the magical bubble of levitation energy that defied gravity. Taking a bite, she found the food to be much better than the cooking that Torvus usually managed. She appreciated his effort, but a well-crafted meal was a nice break every once in a while. She took a few more bites and then turned again to Colton. "So, now that we are less famished, are there any theories that you have regarding our mystery?" Flux had a few of her own, but she wanted to see if Colton had seen something she hadn't. A different perspective was always useful when determining facts from supposition.

"Hmm, that's an interesting name," Mirage said, mostly to herself. "Yep, I'm Mirage. Nice to properly meet you." After a moment of consideration, she decided that it would be best to figure out Vulpus' path so that she could return him to his starting point. "Well, whatever you can remember may be helpful, I can't very well take you back to wherever you left from unless we can piece that together. That is, if you don't actually remember where it is. Not that I don't expect you to know..." She scratched the back of her head in slight embarrassment at her assumption.

Mirage couldn't help but chuckle quietly at the earth pony's last words, but she couldn't imagine getting in such a bad accident. The worst incident she had gotten herself into was a mishap on her arrival in Appleloosa where she'd sprained her wing. It had been more painful mentally than physically, as she hated being bound to the earth and not having the option to soar among the clouds. "Well, you're lucky I found you. I almost flew right past you before,...um..." It was at that point that Mirage realized that she hadn't asked for the earth pony's name. She let the sentence hang, allowing the stallion time to answer.

A cutie mark? Mirage wondered what it could be that the stallion was trying to find a talent at, glancing down at his flank. She was surprised that a fully-grown pony had not discovered their talent yet. After a moment, she saw a curved shape on his coat. "But, isn't that crescent there your cutie mark? And what sort of talent involves the desert?" As she spoke, the pegasus realized the hypocrisy of her statement, as her own cutie mark was for desert weather. Nonetheless, she stuck to her question.

She nodded, leaning against Colton's shoulder. The white mare trusted the pegasus completely and knew that his word was not something he took lightly. However, the worry still hung in the back of her mind, like a shadow over each moment they shared. She frowned slightly, shaking the thoughts from her mind and absorbing herself in the pegasus' presence. Flux only barely registered the presence of the waiter as he placed their orders upon the table before them. Some part of her was demanding proper etiquette and mannerly behaviour, but the unicorn wasn't particularly bothered with that at the moment. She have a quiet laugh at the parts of the dialogue between the two ponies that she had caught, finding that she didn't mind appearing uncultured as long as Colton was with her. She was aware of the stares and likely snide comments being directed toward them, but they didn't matter in the slightest to Flux. She just put them out of her mind and stayed focused upon the things that did matter, like savoring the moment in silence.