Gerrard

Asteria listened closely as the griffon fawned over himself in the reflection cast on the armor of the pegasus. It was quite the spectacle, Gaston more worried about his appearance than the feelings of the pegasus. The stallion seemed deeply offended and left, her crimson eyes tracking the movement of their feet in an unassuming manner as she let them resolve the conflict on their own. When the dust settled, the unicorn returned to a standard posture, the tall mare roughly similar in height to the brawny griffon, her long legs providing her additional height over most mares. "Sir Gaston, I was told to discuss these matters in private. I am not at liberty to release any information in the open public. If we are to have any discussion sir, it must be in a private area away from the eyes of others," the unicorn explained in a very literal manner, her eyes avoiding any prolonged stares into his own as not to offend him, the mare seeming a bit aloof as she followed her protocols. "Do you have a preferred private location?" she added calmly, her expression remaining completely stoic as she looked to his face for an answer. Her vaguely alluring voice could have been misinterpreted, but the mare had no intention of flirting, especially with a potential client.

The Painted Pinto was on the griffon's least favorite regions in Equestria, his heavily feathered chest prone to getting hot and bothered in the warm climate. It was unbearably hot and and devoid of interesting things, ponies and griffons included. A smirk spread across his maw as the town brought back flashbacks to his youth in Aquellia. He remembered living in a large family of griffons and playing with his siblings in the badlands just outside their home in Talonopolis. That of course must have been almost a hundred moons ago, the griffon the only one in his family not interested in following in the footsteps of his parents. While banking and the military had their own 'unique' benefits, he found his calling in irrigation, an art that his hunter gatherer brethren often scoffed an mocked. Regardless, he applied and was accepted as a foreign exchange student and managed to spend the last five years of his life in Canterlot, working amongst ponies, designing and maintaining the irrigation that helped supplement the pegasi across Equestria. Of course being the only architect in Canterlot who could fly and manipulate dangerous tools without magic had it's obvious downsides for the griffon, the foreigner often getting assigned to work on the outer fringes of the pony homeland, the capital of Equestria saving a fortune in horsepower expenses as they kept a thin lean crew of workers. And here Gerrard stood, on the outskirts of a ghost town named after a headless monster, the griffon realizing why his coworkers were so eager to pass this assignment on to him. This place sucked in every way he could imagine, it was hot, dry, abandoned, and most of all it felt like busy work. "Nobody even lives here, how could anybody be messing with the water here, this portion of the pipe network isn't even being used. I thought the hazing period was already over," he sighed, the griffon shaking his head as he tried to understand why the higher ups in Canterlot would send him literally into the middle of nowhere. Before he could dwell further on his self pity, the griffon's keen hearing picked up the voice of an energetic sounding mare as she decided to boldly accost him from behind. He carefully dug his sharp black talons into the sandy earth as he turned his head to look at the young adventurer. He couldn't help but raise his brow as the mare in front of him bore a striking resemblance to the famed literary figure, the griffon having to do a double take in disbelief. He knew the books were a work of fiction, but she could probably trick many a ponies with such an outfit. "Uhh, hello my little pony," he remarked slowly, the griffon not sure if he should feel insulted to be so casual described. He paused to speak, the eager pegasus interjecting with another comment as she interrupted his thought pattern, the griffon blinking his golden eyes as he gathered his thoughts. "Yeah Dullahan Springs, I know my way around Equestria, only spent the past five years in this country," he explained, his long black tail wagging slightly in the dusty desert air. "And no, I'm not lost. I'm here on a top secret mission that the princess herself decreed necessary for the very survival of Equestria itself. I'm not supposed to tell anyone about this super secret mission, but you know what they say? You can always trust a pony with a pith hat!" he cheered playfully, the griffon using hyperbole as tried to make a bit of a spectacle. His keen yellow eyes glanced both directions off into the distance, the griffon making sure nothing was around before he decided to tell his dark secret to the pony. The black griffon leaned in close to her, turning his head to the side as not to poke her with his long black beak as he thought over the most dramatic way to phrase his explanation. "A dastardly deviant is diverting the delicious downpour of this district to destroy the denizens of... Equestria" he theorized in the most over dramatic and unnecessary manner imaginable. "It's just you and me horsefly! It is an hour trip as the pegasus flies, perhaps less by a driven griffon, but Equestria needs us more than ever. You can fly to Appleoosa and tell them to save their water for the coming end of days, or you can assist me in saving this land from the clutches of evil!" he replied, coming up with a nickname for her species as well, his perhaps being a bit less friendly. "Before you decide on your course of action though, I must know your name Lady Pegasus. I am Gerrard Grayfeather, Alumni of the Royal University of Canterlot," he replied in a formal manner similar to what a Canterlot pony would say, his tone being much more sincere and welcoming than what you might expect from a citizen of the capital. The griffon did a polite bow before her, spreading out his enormous black wingspan for her to see. He soon returned to a normal posture and extended a talon to her for her to shake if she were up for such a thing.

The black mare blinked in the darkness, her crimson eyes vanishing for just a moment. She looked over to where she believed the pair were, her eyes having trouble making out their forms in the limited light. "The darkness, while bothersome, can be alleviated on a temporary basis with an efficient use of magic," the black mare calmly explained. It seemed as if she were speaking of a light spell, a simple spell for most unicorns. Her horn glowed a dark red, the colour of her magic aura as the room lightly illuminated in a visible tint of red. "While manipulating your magic power into an intense light will greatly illuminate the car, a great deal of energy can be saved if you keep your magic in it's natural unaltered state," she explained calmly, her horn glowing with it's normal magical aura, the magic waiting patiently to be changed. Asteria looked to the shivering mare, then back to Gearly, the unicorn offering him a choice for their next choice of action if they were simply going to wait around. "If we are going to wait until the train is fixed though, it may just be easier to sit in the darkness. I don't think I can perpetually channel light for much longer than an hour, even with this technique," she explained in what seemed like a modest manner, her voice still showing no pride or fear. "What would you like to do Sir Gearly? I have no preference of my own, I can appreciate light or the darkness," she added slowly for him, the mare seeming to do her best not to bias his choice.

Gerrard smirked, the griffon figuring he was much more social that the dark pelted mare. He took a seat at her table as the pair sat down to enjoy their meal. "So, you work at the library right? You been to a university?" the hybrid asked, carefully licking his orange colored ice cream as not to give himself a brain freeze. "I am an alumni of The Royal University. I can't believe I've never seen you with how often I go to the library. You must be good at hiding your presence," he explained with a smirk, wondering if he just never paid enough attention when he went to the library. She seemed like a nice enough of a pony, perhaps she just needed to get out more.

The sun rose high in the Appleoosan Desert sky, it's fierce rays casting the enormous shadow of a large winged creature against the sandy wasteland and his massive wingspan carried his from across the sandy expanse. A squinted look up at the high flying character would reveal the silhouette of a griffon, his exact form and coloration blocked out by the bright light of the sun. After flying a great deal of distance across the desert, he descended dramatically, towards the ground. With one large flap of his black wings, he landed relatively cleanly in the sand outside a deserted town. The griffon was clad in a nearly uniform set of black that started at the tip of his long wiry tail and drifted all the way through his wings and torso. His head was covered in silver feathers, a large sharp black beak protruding from his face as his keen yellow eyes looked over the abandoned town that stood before him, defiant against the seemingly endless heat of the area. He raised a black talon from the ground and shuffled it through the large brown backpack that was fastened around his neck. After a few short moments of fishing about, he plucked a map out of his bag, the griffon carefully unfolding it as he looked at what seemed to be a detailed representation of this particular portion of Equestria. He quickly spotted Appleoosa, a nearby town, the hybrid trailing a claw up the map as he searched for his location. "Dullahan Springs, also classified as a ghost town. I probably wouldn't want to live in a town with a name like that either," the griffon commented with a light shiver of his neck as he looked the map over one last time. "It is strange though, this is the only abandoned town that is listed as a ghost town, I'll have to go tell the map maker about the minor inconsistency when I get back to Canterlot," he explained to nobody in particular, the griffon slipping the map back into his back pack as he thought about entering the shady looking town.

"Meanie," one of the foals snorted as they hopped away from him and back to the spooky mountain they were trying to climb. Asteria did not laugh at the silly spectacle, her focused eyes simply tracing the movement of the children as they gravitated back to her. "I had no intention of threatening the children. That is of course my story and you are in no ways compelled to believe me," the mare explained in a strangely objective manner as she defended his honest mistake in an eerily understanding manner. "I have been told that my face is as static as a statue, that would likely not be an efficient way to determine my guilt. Regardless, I have already forgiven you, it is only natural for a peace officer to investigate screams related to a questionable looking character. Protocol likely dictates that it would be unprofessional not to investigate a scream, regardless of the intent of it," she explained in an infinitely objective manner, the mare almost making herself out to be a criminal. This mare seemed extremely used to being investigated for some reason, but at least she didn't seem too torn up about it. The children tried to follow her carefully chosen words but were soon lost in their meaning as she spoke in words that they probably didn't fully understand. One of the foals tugged on Asteria's scarlet tail and made a scrunched up face as they looked to her. "Miss Asty, you're weird and funny," the child complained in a non serious manner. The black mare blinked for a moment and thought over the comment. "I am sorry for speaking in such adult terms. Perhaps you should go find your parents. There is a high probability that they are worried and looking for for you," she explained with a voice that always seemed to border on monotone, the unicorn never seeming emotional at all as she simply made and replied to statements addressed to her.

Asteria blinked as he corralled the very foals he had just frightened. A dark red magical aura shrouded her cloak as he ordered her to show face to him, the mare carefully lowering her cowl to reveal her face. A clear look of her face revealed a black mare with a short cut scarlet mane, her intense crimson eyes peering across to the angry looking pegasus. "May I help you sir?" she calmly replied, not sounding at all like she had been caught doing something illegal. Asteria seemed to have an amazing poker face, or was actually not doing anything wrong, her presence making it a bit unclear as she stood before him. "Miss Asteria, I don't wanna go with the scary stallion," one of the foals whined as they tried to squirm away from the strange police pony. Something about the whole situation seemed strange as the unicorn made no immediate attempt to defend herself from his accusations. It was hard to put a hoof on what exactly was wrong, but one thing was clear, Asteria was a very strange pony.

A tall unicorn shrouded in a dark cloak stood before two fillies in the park. She had been accosted by two fillies, the mare respectfully stopping as they poked a glance under her cowl. They seemed unusually curious, wondering who this stranger was, the children not accustomed to seeing strangers garbed in any sort of disguise. "Hi, are you a pony? What's your name? Are you mean or nice?" one of the foals asked in a hyper voice, lightly poking the black hooves of the mysterious stranger as the pair encircled her. The unicorn blinked her crimson eyes as she thought over appropriate responses to each question. She knew that children had to be treated differently from adults, and decided to carefully word her responses. "Yes, I am a unicorn pony. My name is Asteria and it is not up to me to decide if I am mean or nice. That is a thing determined by the reactions of others to my own actions," she explained calmly to the children, seeming to have infinite patience as they asked her semi insulting questions in a curious manner. When she explained that it was up to them, the foals cocked their heads, an adult never really letting them decide for themselves before. They looked to each other and silently discussed something in secret, grins spreading across their faces. "You're mean! You're scary!" the pair squealed loudly with delight, as they tried to climb up onto the unicorn's long legs. The pair of children had decided that the mare was something they liked, regardless of what they had actually said. Asteria blinked and glanced down on the children, confused that they liked her scary appearance. The mare was paralyzed in a matter of the word, not wanting to move her long legs because she might injure the tiny foals. When a deep voice called out to her, the ears of the mare stood up, carefully listening to his command as he ordered her to stop. Asteria remained paused, the unicorn not moving regardless as he spoke to her. She had no intention of running, the stoic expression on her face not showing any trace of guilt as she contemplated lowering her hood to give him a better view of her face.The fillies were startled by his deep voiced shout, jumping off her legs and cowering behind the mare.

Gerrard let out an audible sigh, finding the pegasus to be unbearably stuffy as he always felt the need to lecture him. "Yes, I brought a first aid kit here to help you out. Do you have one Colton? I guess not, we can use mine," the griffon retorted to the pegasus as he pulled out some ointment and bandages for her injury. The griffon carefully helped Colton and Telki as the trio carefully exited the building. Gerrard looked over her small cuts and carefully dabbed a bit of ointment on a strip of cloth. "Okay, you gotta promise not to kick me in the head, this will probably hurt a bit," the griffon explained, looking over the cloth with his fierce golden eyes. Before she could reply to him though, the griffon dabbed it onto her chest in an attempt to not make her realize it was on her. "Better?" he asked, probably unleashing a stinging sensation on her as he treated her superficial injury. In the bright light of the sun, it was a lot easier to make out the details of the pair, Gerrard looking a bit unusual, even for a griffon. His black beak practically shined in the sun, and his coat and talons were a similar colour, his head and eyes the only things that seemed to deviate from that pattern, being silver and yellow respectively. He sat on his haunches and patiently waited for her response, deciding to delay his job for a bit to make sure nothing was too wrong with her injuries.

*looks at organizer's avatar and sees Applejack, sees two apple family members in the lead on race* #consipiracy

I need to learn how to make that 2.67% possibility dice luck. I mean I SUPPOSE someone could have rolled that. 5 on 1-5, then 4 on a 1-5, then a 5 or 6 on a 1-6 If the second roll was actually a 5, the % chance is 1.33%

I will not stop thinking that. -,-

Asteria's soft black ears perked up as she heard the country accent of a clearly displeased apple family member. She paused for a moment, glancing back to see the irritated earth pony making her best efforts to protect her crop. The unicorn decided to avoid physically helping her, sensing that Applejack was very particular about how she cared for her trees. "Caretaker of the grove, I apologize if my actions may have influenced ponies into stealing your apples without proper payment. I made a verbal declaration that I would deliver payment to the appropriate owners when circumstances allowed. I was under the impression that this event was used to rid the local trees of their decaying foliage, my intent was not to rob in an attempt to gain an unfair competitive advantage. I hope these twenty five bits will cover your losses, in the event that it does not, feel free to contact me at my office in Canterlot," the strange mare politely explained, doing a subservient bow before the orange earth pony as she pulled out her emergency supply of bits and a contact card. The unicorn slipped the card into the bag as discretely placed it in one of Applejack's well hidden bushels of apples as not to attract the attention of an unscrupulous racer. And as quickly as she had started speaking, the black mare returned her focus onto the race before her. The scarlet maned mare was a bit confused as she thought over the events that had transpired during the race. She was by no means an expert in this particular race, having never ran it before, but the other participants seemed to take the offerings of the trees for granted. She even noticed a pegasus that seemed to be related to the caretaker taking apples, no doubt inspiring the other racers to join in the pillaging as well. Still though, there seemed that a communication error of some kind must have been made because she, clearly a pony foreign to this even, was the only one to actually offer payment for the goods taken. Alas, such an assertion was one that she had minimal evidence to make, and the mare could not operate on limited information, deciding to continue on down the path. The trail that the racers were on was forgiving at least, relatively flat and devoid of impediments for racers to trip over. She could only hope that the Apple Family could be forgiving of the seemingly innocent mistakes that a few racers had made on their quest for first place on this particular race.

Asteria remained calm as the train lurched dangerously close to sliding off the tracks. It soon righted itself as it trudged onward through the snow, the mare not showing any sign of concern as she heard a loud scream from Storm. Her ears perked up as she tried to locate the source of the sound, the mare tracking the source of it as she darted through the cars of the train. The unicorn blinked as she watched the frightened mare slip back into her spot beside her friend. "Hello stranger. Would it be appropriate for me to assume that you are Lady Stormsong? There is a substantial amount of evidence to support such an assertion," Asteria calmly remarked, her tone making her seem like a mechanical construct of some sort. The scarlet maned mare looked the new pony over as best she could, noting all the differences between her and the seemingly disgruntled earth pony. Their sudden snuggling, albeit a frightened one, seemed to indicate some sort of sincere relationship. "Huddling together for warmth, an interesting idea," she commented objectively, clearly not familiar with normal acts of friendliness. If anything was clear, it was that the black mare didn't seem to get out much. "There is no need to cry in fear. Such an action has no bearing on the outcome of this train ride. If we crash it will happen regardless of our control. It is best to not stress yourself over what might help. There is always a chance that a meteor from space will suddenly crash down upon us, worrying about it serves no constructive purpose," she explained in what seemed like a heartless manner, the spooky looking mare wearing a completely stoic face as she finished her monologue. Before she could add anything further though, a painful creaking noise filled the air as the lights of the train blacked out, leaving the trio in an uneasy darkness. Asteria blinked her crimson eyes and glanced over to where she thought Gearly was. "It appears that the train may have lost it's source of power. Perhaps we can aid in the repair of the train in some manner. It would serve us well to attempt to find a mechanic on board the train. If we don't it may be a day before help arrives," the mare explained in her same almost dreary tone, her voice never showing any sign of anticipation.

So is this happening at all?

The pace was faster than the unicorn was initially expecting, a monsoon of racers cascading down the path as they sprinted onward for glory, fame, or even exercise. The tall mare soon found her hooves tangled with other runners in the initial pack as everyone tried to stake their claim to a forward position. She managed to avoid tripping, recovering at the last moment as her free hooves kept her large frame upright. She was not sure about the other racers though, her pace slowing for only a moment as she glanced back to see an imposing looking griffon that she may have offended by crowding the running lanes. The expression on the cloaked pony's face remained the same in the face of the sharp beaked hybrid, the mare seeming either brave or oblivious to the potential outbursts of an enraged griffon. "I apologize for hindering your running experience lady griffon, the density of participants was beyond what I had initially expected," she explained calmly in an eerie voice, the unicorn directing her words at Gilda, an athlete she had never personally met in her many years of working with griffons. The black pelted mare continued on with her usual dedication, limbs moving in perfect unison as she cantered along into the famed apple farm on the outskirts of Ponyville. The faint patter of rain filled her ears as she continued onward, her weather proof cloak slowly starting to form tiny pools of rain water on it as her form carried her through the poor weather. Her heart rate was increasing as she continued on, something she knew well enough from her many years of running. Even a seasoned runner would tire a little but from any amount of running, and she could see that clearly as a few ponies ahead of her struggled to retrieve apples from trees along the side of the road. Before she could press on any further though, the black fur on her back stood on end, sensing the electricity in the air as storm clouds threatened to release a mixture of water and lightning upon the racers, herself included. The mare broke off into an all out Gallop as she sought out cover beneath one of the larger apple trees. Her dark hooves slid in the slowly loosening dirt on the ground as she came to a halt under her destination, a tree capable of shielding her from the rain. She had spotted other racers struggling in vain to remove apples from the trees and decided to be more careful in her own efforts to remove the fruit. A dark red glow emanated from her horn as her magic aura engulfed a half dozen of the lower hanging apples. In one swift motion, she struck at the stems of the apples in her grip with a jolt of magic, freeing the fruit from their housing as she lowered them down to ground level. "Feel free to claim one of these apples if you require a temporary boost of energy to get your limbs churning towards the finish line. I will make sure to compensate the apple family for their effort after the race has concluded," she explained calmly, her voice staying relatively static even with a slightly heaving chest. Before she could add any further words to her public address, the unicorn saw a soaked leaf fall from the apple tree as she stood in cover from what she suspected to be a strike of lightning, as unlikely as it may have been. Her crimson eyes traced the movements of decaying light absorbers and the unicorn came to a sudden realization. The rain was here to aid in their efforts, the additional weight it brought down on the leaves only serving to weaken their grasp on the trees. Asteria soon found her hooves moving as she marched in place beneath the tree, the unicorn deciding to keep releasing leaves with her hoof steps as she carefully devoured the one apple she kept for herself. While she was not the type to marvel in the beauty of the autumn trees, her efforts were working somewhat, leaf after leaf cascading to the ground as they prevented the ground from getting too muddy. The leaves were quite the sight to behold, the poor weather only able to partially obscure the spectacle in the large apple orchards the participants were standing in. The mare shook herself roughly, discharging the water on her cloak in every direction, as she waited for the tingling sensation in her body to subside. When she felt the electricity in the air subside to a safe enough of a degree, the mare darted off back into the race with a renewed fervor. Her gallop was much less impeded as the crowd of runners spread out over the path ahead. The famed white tail woods could be seen appearing over the horizon as she marched onward, the scarlet maned mare wondering if there were any local residents about in the poor weather that promised to get worse.

Asteria's black ears perked up as he spoke, intent on hearing everything he had to explain or say to her. The mare listened to him as he compared her to a robot, the mare cocking her head to the side as she made sure to understand him as best she could. "That is a wise statement Sir... may I ask your name?. It is hard, to change our construction. Dwelling over the abilities of others has the tendency to create resentment towards the person you dwell over. Instead, it is wise to use your abilities as best you can. While you may not be optimal, sometimes there are advantages to being suboptimal," she vaguely explained, the unicorn looking across to the earth pony as he seemed to curse himself for being born so normal. The unicorn seemed to have contemplated such thoughts before, but what she was worried or concerned about in particular was hard to determine, at least beyond her obvious appearance. "I see, I am glad to hear that my presence will not cause an unnecessary distraction for you and your companion. I will respect your request to not search for Lady Stormsong. It would be rude of me to assume the she was helpless. I will have faith in her abilities to return to this cabin," she explained in an understanding, if not vaguely over analytical manner. Her eyes drifted over to the windows he was examining, the mare pausing for just a moment to place some words together in her mind. "It would be in her best interest to arrive soon, the weather will be getting worse soon," she added in a solemn manner.

The tall mare pulled her long legs up to her torso, conserving her warmth as she rested beneath her weather resistant cloak. Asteria watched him struggle fruitlessly as he failed to rediscover his previous comfortable position. She seemed to have found her own, or at the very least, one that didn't disturb her too much. The mare noticed him looking over his own well worked legs, the unicorn saying nothing as he seemed lost in thought. As he smiled, her ears perked up ever so faintly, her stoic expression remaining unchanged as she anticipated his speech. Even after being called imposing, her face remained as static as a marble statue, the odd mare having an unbelievable poker face. It was extremely hard to determine what her specific thoughts were behind what seemed like a facade of some sort. "I don't intend to be imposing, I suppose it alienates some from me. It would require a great deal of work to appear less ominous, and I must admit that it is not an effort that merits a great deal of time investment. Regardless, I would be willing to leave in the event that your friend arrives in this particular car. Is your traveling friend on this train? Perhaps I can help you two reunite before the train reaches it's destination. It might be hard to spot them when we arrive in Stalliongrad, the weather forecasted to get much more intense before it dissipates," she politely remarked, the lights suddenly flickering off for a moment before turning back on, the train shaking roughly in the wind. Her expression remained the same at the sudden change, the unicorn not in the least perturbed from the sudden aching of the train.

"The purpose of this race is to remove the leaves from the trees in the Whitetail woods? Wouldn't it be more efficient to remove the leave with a direct force?" Asteria asked her fellow competitors as her crimson gaze glanced over her immediate surroundings. Her long black horn glowed a deep red as her magic enveloped a tree and deftly removed all the leaves from it in one swift motion. She blinked, finding the entire concept of the race a bit strange, the mare always thinking in the most utilitarian of manners. Before her thoughts could drift off on completely unrelated tangents, the unicorn paused and refocused her mind on the race at hand. A griffon associate had explained that this event brought out many of the greatest racers in Equestria, and a great performance would serve as evidence to the speed at which she could perform her work as a courier. The initial offer was refused out of desire to retain her privacy and anonymity, but the strange black unicorn was coaxed into the race when her friend insinuated that it would be disrespectful to the runners of the race if she thought herself above the customs of the locals. And here she was, standing at the starting line of a race, surrounded by unique ponies she had never been honored to meet before. Against the direction of her friend, the unicorn stood at the starting line while garbed in the thick weatherproof cloak that she carried around as her protection against rogue weather. She was told that it would weigh her down, and seeing very few racers garbed in any protective clothing seemed to suggest this as well. Still, the ultimate goal of this event was to release the leaves from the grip of the menacing trees that clung to hope for an extended summer. It was not set a world record time, or Celestia forbid, have a bit of fun, concepts that were both probably lost on the business minded courier. Asteria dug her hooves into the ground and thought over her training as a cross country courier, the mare knowing that speed was only relative to the distance it could be maintained. She heard a countdown slowly begin, the black mare wearing an almost somber expression on her face as her body prepared itself for the start of the race. Her fierce crimson eyes focused on the Sweet Apple Acres off in the distance, the unicorn blocking off all other thoughts as she flicked her scarlet mane to the side. Her consciousness blocked out all other noise as she lowered herself to a proper running posture, the unicorn knowing that the race would start at any moment. As the whistle blew, the tall mare jettisoned herself off the starting blocks, her long lean legs giving her an immense stride in an attempt to get out of the parade of ponies that were clamoring for early position.

I'm signing up Asteria Stillheart. She runs for a living anyway. *goes to write a post*

Her fierce crimson eyes watched his movements closely as he made furious efforts to free his frightened frame. Her keen ears perked up ever so faintly as he gave her approval to sit across from him. The faint humming of a magic aura filled her air as a crimson field of magic overcame her thick dark cloak, lifting it up carefully to reveal her long toned legs. It was easily clear that she was a marathon runner of some sort, the unicorn neatly placing her frame on the couch across from him as she decided to rest as well. Her magic deftly manipulated her coat, sliding it around her frame as the clearly heavy piece of clothing covered her as if it were a makeshift blanket, the mare shrouding her black body carefully as she rested her head on the arm rest of the couch. She made no further comment about his accent after the stallion decided to avoid her question. The mare decided that he was either unaware, or simply unwilling to explain his speech abnormality to her. Asteria nodded when he refused her offer of help, the unicorn deciding that it might be a result of his pride. Regardless, she pushed those fruitless thoughts from her mind as she decided to focus on the situation on hoof. "I apologize if my appearance is unsettling. I have no control over my coloration outside of temporary fixes that would merely deceive those unfamiliar with me. Is there a way that I can make amends for disturbing your rest, my intention was not to interrupt you," she commented calmly, her voice never seeming to change tone no matter what she was speaking about. It almost seemed as if a robot was speaking back, her responses designed to minimize potential conflict that her presence might cause.

The unicorn blinked once, the stoic expression on her face unflinching as she put together a response in her mind. "I am Asteria, another patron of this train. I asked if I may take a seat on the couch across from you. Are my terms acceptable?" she asked calmly, her voice keeping the same eerie tone as the first time she spoke. Her voice had the faintest traces of a Canterlot accent, her tone the thing that distinguished it from what most ponies there spoke with. The mare seemed oddly patient for such an intimidating looking mare, the pony repeating herself as she watched him flail about in his blanket. Asteria cocked her head to the side as she took an extra moment to think over the accent in his words. "Sir, were you seeking to mislead me with a fake accent? From my personal experiences, relationships that are founded with deception are not particularly strong or long lasting ones. I would advise that you stick to one accent, preferably the one that natural occurs as you speak," she explained calmly, her words not seeming at all angry, although it could just be the odd way that she expressed herself. The ponies who were watching the odd situation slowly started disperse, losing interest as the mare started to seem less and less menacing. Still though, she patiently stood above him, waiting for his permission to take a seat as she stood above him. The unicorn returned to a normal posture as she looked the cowering pony over. "Do you need assistance in escaping your bindings? Perhaps you would like if I just returned you to your prior position?" she asked calmly, the mare's crimson eyes seeming vaguely less intimidating as the initial shock passed. A calm inspection would reveal that the unicorn was surprisingly tall, the mare easily able to look him in the eyes if he were to return to his trembling hooves.

The train rocked gently in the frigid weather, the lights flickering ever so faintly as the train a cut a swathe through the near blizzard conditions outside the cars. A strange cloaked figure silently stepped into his car, magic silently closing the sliding door as she deftly entered his sleeping quarters. The cloaked figure stepped softly into the boxed car, her hooves strangely creating no sound as she walked up and down the length of the train section. Crimson eyes peered over the few patrons who were residing in the car, their frightened expressions showing clearly to her as they tried to scurry to the safety of the train's walls. Her expression was impossible to read from beneath the shadows her cowl cast over her face, the black pelted mare seeming to ignore each shiver and flinch as she searched for a place to sit down. Her search found an empty couch that sat parallel to Gearly's, the two pieces of furniture facing each other as if they were intended for a group of ponies. She walked up between the two pieces of furniture and a paused for a moment, a dark red aura enveloping her cloak as she carefully lowered her hood. The unicorn was a scarlet mane that was cut especially short, probably to avoid interference with her mobility, the black mare examining the situation from above the sleeping stallion. She lowered her head somewhat to create a neutral height disparity between the pair, the crowded booth requiring her to get uncomfortably close to the stallion as she prepared to speak. "Sir, is this seat reserved for anyone in particular, I would appreciate the seat if it is not claimed," she explained in an an eerie voice that was strangely monotone, her unsettling gaze inches away from his faces.

The unicorn had her reliability questioned many times in her life. Even she initially questioned the use of a unicorn courier. Of course she eventually found the answer with a bit of introspection, the mare clearly living a successful life of delivery as she spent many months traversing Equestria and the Griffon kingdom. She had already retrieved the item requested of her, the courier standing outside the hospital of Manehattan as she reviewed her notes on the unicorn who had hired her, She walked into the lobby of the hospital, the unicorn walking up to the receptionist who was clearly disturbed by her presence. "Y-yes, how can I help you ma'am," a nervous earth pony stammered as she looked over the hooded black mare. Her crimson eyes stared across to the nurse, seeming to critically examine every aspect of her appearance, the odd unicorn pausing for a moment as she pieced together an appropriate response. "Lady Nurse, may I ask for the location of Sir Gear's laboratory?" the melancholy looking mare asked in an almost dreary tone, her voice remaining completely static in tone from start to finish. The mare was shivering lightly, trying to shake the sense of dread that had overcome her, "May I ask what business you have with him?" the nurse replied, hoping not to anger the strange mare. "I am sorry to state that I am not at liberty is disclose that information. It would violate the non disclosure I agreement I have with him," she explained in her eerily static voice, the mare's expression masked somewhat beneath her dark hood. The nurse gulped and pointed at a map just out of the vision of the courier before looking away. The unicorn blinked and examined the map, spotting her own location and the location of Gear's laboratory. "Thank you ma'am, your efforts will not be forgotten," she spoke out in her usual eerie manner, the nurse raising her brow as she turned back to verify that was the same pony who had frightened her earlier. The mare was gone, her presence eerily missing as quickly as she had found her information. "Was she ever here at all?" the mare silently mouthed, not sure of what just transpired in her lobby. The mare had already left, the dark courier roaming the halls of the hospital, turning a corner as she spotted a unicorn working in his lab. He matched the description given to her by the griffon doctor, the mare able to identify him through the glass windows of his enclosure. Her horn glowed a deep red from beneath her cowl and in a flash, she was gone, the mare vanishing, if only for a split second as she suddenly appeared behind an apparently busy researcher. Her spell made no audible sound, the unicorn clearly talented at her craft as she took to one knee, the tall mare performing a subservient bow before Razor. "Sir Gears, I have arrived with the herbs you have requested. None have been informed about the details of your request," she added in her usual dreary voice, the mare lowering her cowl as she spoke. The unicorn was a mare with a pelt of darkest black, her head adorned with a short cut scarlet mane that seemed strictly utilitarian. Her long black horned glistened with faint residue of magic as she rested with her head pointed at the ground. It was unclear if this mare was the one in question, but her sudden arrival seemed to at least hint the extent of her abilities. One nagging question still lingered though, how did she possibly arrive here so fast? She practically would have had to sprint across Equestria to arrive here so fast.