Gerrard

Asteria blinked ever so faintly as the grumpy stallion growled at her. The demeanour of the unicorn remained completely static, either because she expected a grumpy response or was just a composed person. The courier felt that the response was warranted and opted to hear him out without interruption.

Crimson orbs stared back at him while the stranger watched him pull an about face with his attitude. She silently contemplated why he might have changed, the made suspecting that he was either scared or infatuated. While it seemed likely that it was the latter, she was modest enough to entertain other options.

"My deepest apologies for interrupting you at such a late hour. I am Asteria Stillheart and your parcel was lost by your delivery pegasus. I was hired to retrieve it and deliver the object to you as fast as possible. Are you Sir Soresaddle? You match the description and address given to me," she politely remarked in a vaguely alluring Canterlot tone as the tall made performed a subservient bow before him.

Her long black horn glowed red as the shimmering sound of her magic filled the air outside his humble home. A small bulge appeared beneath her form fitted cloak, and just as quickly as it appeared, it vanished as she pulled a well wrapped package from a concealed location on her body. The unicorn held the object firmly in her magic aura before politely presenting it to him.

The marvelous moon meandered across the magnificent sky of the municipality of Trottingham on an otherwise melancholy night. The quaint city was well into the night when a shadowy figure rushed into town with a surprisingly quiet canter. The figure belonged to a unicorn made with a body as dark as the night. Her form was cloaked in utilitarian garb that hid all details of her form aside from a few scant pieces of information on her face.

Her piercing crimson eyes scanned over the dark city streets, searching for places unknown. Faint traces of her scarlet mane came into view as she panned her head across the deserted roads of the sleeping town. After a few moments of searching, she had found her destination, the mare trotting towards the end of her journey, the mare's face as stoic as when she first set hoof in the city.

The mare's long black horn shimmered a dark red as she grasped the knocker on a seemingly ordinary door. It belonged to a Mr. Saddlesore, or at least that was what her client had told her. Even though it was late, this was something she had to do. With one swift movement, the mare knocked on the door with the rigid metal apparatus, filling the home with loud reverberations as she tried to elicit the attention of the resident.

Asteria was inquisitive as well, the mare preferring to observe others before asking any substantive questions. She had learned from experience that some people didn't respond positively to personal inquiries. A certain elusive tact was required in some dealings and her years had taught her that patience was important. She wanted to discuss business with him, but promised her client to proceed to her destination without delay.

The unicorn listened to his introduction while she followed him to their mutual destination. Asteria nodded for him as he spoke, signalling that she was listening before giving a proper response. "It is an honor to meet you Sir Dawn, Owner and Lead Cosmologist at the Ponyville Observatory," she commented politely, her tone always constant. When she finished speaking, the unicorn performed an awkward bow before Dawn while keeping pace with him. The pony seemed hard wired to be respectful, even if doing so was bothersome or annoying.

Asteria entertained Dawn's request for more information and thought about what her client would have wanted. After a brief moment, the dark mare decided to comment, "I am a Canterlot native who is delivering something to the Astronomy department of this university. I was given explicit directions to keep the contents of this parcel hidden from a Sir Dawn. I have been informed that you may attempt to compromise my delivery," she explained calmly in her usual eerie manner. It was unclear if she spoke the truth, but her posture seemed as rigid as when they meant, her outward disposition complety static.

She somehow maintained her composure, even when faced by the one person who could ruin her. While Asteria did not know his true intentions, she couldn't allow anything silly like fear to make her rude. Her keen eyes examined her equally dark counterpart for reasons unknown, the odd mare somehow being approachable, even to her employer described nemesis.

A smile crept across the black maw of the griffon as he saw her display of magic. His keen eyes watched her own glow as she used her telekinesis deftly. He sat on his haunches and made a check shaped motion with a digit of his talon.

"Now was that so hard? You are skilled with telekinesis or are a magic ninja. Was that so hard to say? I'm an irrigation architect who operates out of Canterlot. I don't mind if you have secrets, but what I do mind are liars. How can I work with someone who I know can't tell the truth," he explained in an authoritarian tone. The normally jovial griffon seemed disappointed in the made and it was reflected by the shaking of his head.

After a moment of awkward silence, he reached into the bag that was strapped to his neck and pulled out a document that was crumpled up for one reason or another. "Telki, did you know that I used to pull out my credentials to everyone who would bother to look at it. I didn't do it to trick anyone or show off. I did it because I was proud of what I had accomplished. You should take some pride in what you do and stop hiding behind a shroud of lies," he added sternly, trying to inspire her to be more forthcoming.

When he finished speaking, Gerrard walked over to Colton and helped him lay out more pipes. "And uh, yeah you too Col ton," he added, trying to make it look like he wasn't picking on her.

The griffon leaned over to the pegasus and covered up his beak with with his talons as he prepared to whisper something. "All the feathered fellows are okay by me, even Mr. Hooves, he added, playfully poking a hoof for the bird to see.

Asteria was always one to speak what she thought, unless of course it would be rude. That of course didn't stop her from speaking the painful truth when asked directly, the odd mare a firm believer in always speaking the truth. She had rationalized that he would not hit her, it wasn't a matter of bravery, such a concept was as foolish as fear to her. Standing up to a threat was just as foolish to her as turning your back to one and hoping for the best. She simply surveyed the situation, watching the expressions of the two males as they seemed to be enjoying themselves.

When Talkie announced that he had found his new villain, Gerrard's face contorted a bit as he thought over the statement. He was a rather busy griffon and told himself beforehand that he was just here for laughs. But the chance to let the world marvel in his own splendor was something he could not resist. "Ahh, well Mr. Talkie, I have so many obligations to attend to you see. But if it is for the betterment of Lady Asteria, I would be honored to further your cause," he explained, bowing before Asteria as if he were truly selfless. The black mare had thought he was here to be of assistance to him, and decided that he had no reason to lie. Her thoughts were clearly wrong, but she still turned to address the griffon. "It is very selfless of you to portray yourself as a villain for the satisfaction of other. I hope that you don't damage the reputation of yourself or your species," she honestly commented, stunning the griffon as he remembered a promise to himself long ago.

"I will do my best to show griffons off in a positive light," he remembered in his mind, thinking back to his first days in Canterlot, the uppity ponies doing their best to remind him how awful they thought everyone else was. He had promised to promote the image of griffons as best he could, and he wondered if this would undermine it, scaring ponies with his delightfully fearsome visage. After a moment of inner turmoil, a smile crept across his maw, the griffon deciding on his course of action. "Oh I will show griffons to be the greatest actors of all! All the mares will need my autograph, stallions too I suppose," he added, apparently letting his self interest overtake any of his humanitarian goals. "I will teach Asteria, no the world about the trials and tribulations that villains must go through. I will enlighten the world with my craft!" he explained dramatically, hugging Asteria with one talon while pointing into the sky with his free talon.

Asteria blinked and turned to face Talkie as Gerrard crumpled up her clearly expensive dress with his tight hug. "I believe that your terms have been accepted sir. What do you need us to do?" the black unicorn commented, not sure of what she needed to do. While she had the vaguest inklings that she needed to emulate a pony very similar to herself, she wasn't very familiar with how the process was handled. Gerrard finally returned to his senses and released the mare, gently patting her dress while he tried to clean it off with a few careful brushes of his talon. "Sorry Asty," he added sheepishly, the odd mare never seeming to complain, even when he was bothersome.

The white mare brushed her blonde mane to the side as she peered around her stoic friend to spot the cute little crusader. She looked the filly over before looking back to Asteria. A mischievous grin spread across her maw as some thoughts entered her mind. "You never told me that you had a filly of your own. Whose the father, is it the griffon friend of yours? Where is your beak at kiddo?" she teased playfully, the less serious unicorn leaning forward as she faked looking for a beak.

Asteria remained focused on business, turning her attention back to the filly. "I am not qualified to make objective conclusions on taste, but I can subjectively state that it changes the taste of the ice cream, she calmly explained, the made seeming to have infinite patience as she dealt with her two lighter coloured counterparts.

"Lady Lemon, Sir Gerrard is only an ally. I have had no physical relations with him that I am aware of. This filly believes that I am a thief, set out here to deliver stolen goods to you," she explained in her usual dry style of speaking. As she finished explaining herself to the other adult, Asteria returned her attention to Fate, needing to address her comments on free food.

"Wouldn't a criminal be more likely to give free food in attempt to avoid suspicion? I believe that many people would avoid paying a bribe to someone who accuses them of a crime they did not commit," she explained seeming to rationalize her denial of the greedy request.

Miss Lemon giggled at the spectacle and quickly presented the filly with some yellow flavoured ice cream. "You are so serious Hasty. Loosen up and have soon ice cream. The rosemary makes it bitter or sour like a real lemon, she explained, presenting it to Asteria as well.

Oddly, the stoic mare seemed to stare down the ice cream as if it were poison. She might have been on a diet or possibly disliked lemons. It was unclear why she seemed reluctant to eat it, but one thing was clear, she wasn't eating.

Her keen eyes watched his expression contort subtly as he examined her form. It was as if they were reflections of one another, their colour palettes interchangeable. Her expression didn't change in any meaningful manner as her fiery eyes as they traced his form. She made no comment about his immediate appearance, the odd mare either too polite to bring up his odd appearance, or the black unicorn seeming to accept his appearance as normal.

She listened closely to the pegasus as he informed her that he was heading the same way she was. While it was unlikely that the two ponies would be headed to the same point, the odd unicorn didn't seem to question him. Lucky for Dawn, this strange coincidence was seemingly overlooked by the mare for one reason or another while she listened to his introduction. When he finished his introduction, the mare performed another bow before him as she prepared her reply.

"Thank you for supplying me with directions Sir Dawn. While I am an alumni of this university, I must admit that I am not familiar with the changes to the campus," the black mare explained as she followed after the pegasus. They had seemed to make considerable progress towards their destination when he asked for information about her purpose at the department. Asteria blinked as she thought over his question, the mare seeming to search for the most appropriate words. "I am here for business on behalf of a client. I am not at liberty to divulge their personal details in public. If you wish to learn more about the purpose of my visit, I would need evidence of your credentials or credibility," she remarked in her usual voice. While her voice may have been vaguely pleasing to the ear, a keen listener would notice that her tone seemed rather constant, almost as if she was withholding her true thoughts.

As for her words though, the cloaked unicorn seemed very precise with her words. If anything, it seemed as if she being paid to protect something important, and not just in the physical sense of the idea. At the very least, the unicorn was strange, and at worst, the black mare was purposefully hiding something important.

This seems ready for looking over as is. The only thing I can question would be her cutie mark. It sounds really complicated to the point that it would need an explanation. I am not familiar enough with music to make that determination though.

Asteria was about to ask for assistance when she was interrupted by what sounded like a concerned stallion. She wanted to keep the discussion short as to minimize his loss of time, the cloaked mare knowing that many Canterlot residents valued their time highly. She decided to expedite the meeting process by opting to reveal herself quickly.

Her hood glowed a dark red as her magic enveloped the top portion of her cloak. In one swift movement, her magic lowered the cowl to reveal her dark visage. A pair of crimson eyes peered out from beneath a long black horn that still faintly glimmered with her red magic. She had a scarlet mane that was cut short in a strictly utilitarian manner. Her face was well proportioned and would probably be considered beautiful if her face wasn't locked in a perpetually stoic expression. The cloak masked everything else about her form, an obvious exception being made for her tall frame and the apathy her posture seemed to exude.

She quickly pinpointed the source of the voice as her dark ears perked up. After setting her intense eyes on him, the strange mare lowered her head in a subservient manner. "I would greatly appreciate your assistance sir. I need the directions to the astronomy section of this university. I am Asteria, honored to meet you," she replied formally to the pegasus in a vaguely alluring tone.

Despite her questionable garb and intimidating appearance, the mare seemed to have the formality of a Canterlot native. She seemed like a walking contradiction, her formality and presence at odds with one another. Perhaps there was a lot more to the made than she was letting on to.

The city of Canterlot basked in the glory of the brilliant summer sun. The residents of the famous city all seemed lost in their business, going about their busy lives as they tried to keep pace with their crowded schedules. Asteria was no exception to this rule, the black unicorn deftly trotting through the city streets, weaving between oblivious city folk as she made her way to the university. Although the mare did not look like an alumni of the university, the dark cowled pony had graduated from the world famous university a few years earlier and took her talents in secrecy to the market of Canterlot.

While most delivery ponies delivered objects between two places as fast as possible, Asteria focused on doing so while drawing the least amount of attention to her object as possible. The black unicorn was in the city, delivering the astronomy information of a rival observatory to the university. The work was highly speculative and was only for the eyes of highly qualified individuals at the university. While it was by no means a top secret job, the fact that it started and stopped in her native city more than compensated for the below average pay. She had picked up the job less than an hour previous and was already at the front entrance to the university.

Her crimson eyes peered out from beneath her cowl as she examined the university map at the entrance to the campus. The grounds had just been previously altered and the map was no longer accurate, making it all but worthless to the courier. Her scarlet coloured tail shifted lightly beneath her cloak as she thought over ways to deal with the lack of directions to her destination. It took her but a moment to come up with a coarse of action, the unicorn deciding to search for a person experienced with the current layout of the university.

Gerrard listened as Telki explained to the pair of males what events had transpired earlier that week. It was quite the story to say the least, getting chased around by a pack of coyotes, assuming of course that it happened at all. Then she tried to backtrack on her name, the griffon smirking devilishly as he decided what to do. He had a mare friend who was skilled in the use of telekinesis, and if Telki was a liar, she was probably even better at it than he could imagine. "Ahh, don't worry about some mangy ol' coyotes, griffons are supposed to be the kings of beasts, right? A good ol' roar will set them straight if they mess with us. You know I can be quite the intimidating guy when I want to be," he added quickly, his expression not the type to inspire courage in his friends. Still though, something about the mare bothered him, and he was going to put his talon on it soon.

"Well, when I was in school, the kids called me spy. Nothing could escape my eyes," he explained, locking his keen yellow eyes on the mare for just a moment. "I'm sure your parents call you a less silly name. Probably something awesome like Flux Facade. Now that would be quite the name, don't you agree," Gerrard added as he slowed down his march. The trio was finally at the pipes they were supposed to extend, the griffon quickly examining the situation. The pipes had been tampered with, someone clearly diverting some of the water from the town at some point in the past. He said nothing though, and turned to face Colton, the griffon preparing to give the pair their directions. "Colton, space out the pipes across the ground with a small amount of space between them. Place the fasteners below each pipe they should be connecting. Telki, you have a bit more complex of a job to handle. I need you to use your magic to fasten these screws in. You can either use a screwdriver, or if you are really skilled at magic, I suppose you could just fasten them with the grip of your magic," he explained calmly to the pony, his words seeming to suggest that he already knew she was lying. It was almost like he was laying a trap out for her, the griffon fishing for a confession for no reason in particular.

"Oh, it will probably be one go unless we run into complications. Here you go Telki, all the screws for the system," he commented with a neutral expression on his black beak as he fished out a nondescript container. He shook it, listening to the contents as if he could hear the amount of screws inside of it. "This should be more than enough," the griffon added vaguely as he held the container firmly in his talon. He made a motion to toss it, loosening his grip on the container as it looked as if was about to toss it to Telki. At the last moment, his black claw held onto the container, the lid popping off as a large cloud of prickly screws flew up into the air towards Telki. It was more than a normal pony would be able to grasp with their magic on the fly, but it was by no means impossible to deal with, the cloud of metal relatively condensed as it approached the mysterious mare. "Ack, my claws caught on the container, silly me," he added awkwardly as he watched the screws lob into the air with a nice safe arc. It would be rather funny if his hypothesis was wrong, but Gerrard knew from experience that pony names always meant something important.

Asteria watched the filly as she struggled to comprehend the words of the older pony. It seemed that the young 'knight' was having trouble with the information for one reason or another. It was possible that her youth and inexperience hadn't prepared her for the words of the unicorn, but the mare didn't want to write her off as uneducated, such an assumption only serving a disservice to the dark unicorn. Regardless of the reason for their disconnect, Asteria was a busy pony, criminal or not. Her client needed the delivery soon and additional discussion with the child was not advised if she wished to arrive promptly at her destination. "I must take my leave and deliver this product to my client. I will allow you to follow, but please do not divulge the identity of my client. Please respect their desire to maintain the secret formula for their product," Asteria commented with her usual big words, the mare not the type to assume someone was unable to understand her.

The tall unicorn carefully advanced towards the rear of a building that had a large sign hanging over the front of the main entrance this store. It was impossible to determine what the store was from this angle, but a Canterlot native could probably identify the store as one of the famed ice cream shops from the silhouette of an ice cream cone. "Some products have a myriad of uses. While it can be used in medicine, it can also be used as in ingredient in cooking. It adds a distinct taste to the food it is applied to if used in specific quantities. Thirty bits is expensive, but this is enough of the herb to last a business over one month. It can be seen as an investment. By spending thirty bits on these herbs, the store owner hopes to make their product worth over thirty additional bits. If they succeed in doing so, they will have made more bits than they spent on this capital," she explained calmly to the young filly. The mare gave Fate a lesson in economics, a subject that the pony wouldn't probably know about, even if she did go to school. Even if the knight didn't know what the unicorn was talking about, one thing was probably clear. Asteria's voice never seemed to change, almost perpetually stuck on the same eerie tone. Despite saying a lot, the unicorn didn't mention anything about the store as she approached the back door, the black pony carefully opening the door with a keen use of her magic. The red aura grasped the door knob and carefully rotated it until the entrance was open to the the 'criminal mastermind'.

The door revealed the kitchen area of some shop. A friendly looking white unicorn mare was carefully mopping the floor of the establishment, with a deft use of her yellow magic aura. As the door opened, she panned her head over to Asteria, her blue eyes widening as she spotted the cowled courier. "Asty! I'm glad to see you, I almost ran out of, you know what!" she commented in secret, giggling a bit. The store keeper seemed in good spirits, oblivious to the young pony who thought she might be a crime lord of some kind.

Gerrard managed a smile, even if the pony was messing with his fur and feathers. Most ponies kept a safe distance away and rightly so. He would have returned the favour, but decided against disturbing her hat or yanking on her dark dyed mane. "Well most anything would be better than death, but I agree with your guess," he added calmly, scooping a clawful of gunk off his drenched head feathers.

The dark hybrid followed behind her as they ascended the watery path. When Pathfinder triggered the trap, Gerrard nearly fell head over heels as he tried his best to react to her quick movements.

Gerrard may have the vision and keen sense of smell of an eagle, but it was clear that he had no idea how to apply them. He could smell the wood that she mentioned but had no idea what any if it meant until she mentioned it. "Ahh, I see. Lots and lots of wood down there. Run of the mill traps," he remarked with a loud cough as he tried to play off his fear. She couldn't see behind her, which was one thing he could appreciate, the griffon having quite the manly image to uphold.

"So how do you propose we progress? Only one of us have a pith helmet to absorb arrows. I suppose we could trigger all the traps and dart through before they reset, clearly nothing could go wrong," he joked, offering his two cents to the adventure expert.

He never thought it would be, but the irrigation architect found such stressful situations fun. In small doses of course!

Gerrard wouldn't go as far as dumpster diving, but he did enjoy the occasional sifting through junk piles and airship graveyards. He never found anything breathtaking, but did find quite a few trinkets of value. He saw the register open up dug one of his dark claws into his bag, the hybrid fishing out a small stack of bits. His keen eyes looked at the thirteen coins as he deftly stacked them into a tiny tower before pushing them over to the mare. The half bird was in good spirits as he looked her counter over, hoping she didn't mind him wasting a few seconds of her time. He was rather proud of his talons and took every opportunity to muse over them, the hybrid not seeing the opportunity that was right behind him.

He paused for a moment, sniffing the air, the clawed creature smelling something that seemed vaguely similar to pony behind him. When Inkie welcomed the sleeping zebra, Gerrard turned around and saw his next unwitting victim. A devious grin spread across his maw as he carefully approached the zebra. Gerrard molded his face into the fiercest expression he could muster, contorting his brow and and opening his sharp black beak as his feathers puffed out menacingly. His talons opened to show off his sharp claws as he decided to test the bravery of the other patron. "Hello Sir, I believe that you are next in line," the griffon explained in a professional voice, doing his best to gently wake the zebra to frightening visage. He loved to scary ponies for fun, their responses weren't usually as favorable, but sometimes ponies enjoyed an honest scare.

Everything here seems to be in order. Nothing stands out as wrong or against the rules. I just need to check out a bit of information on what is acceptable in regards to music and equipment. Good application~

Asteria was completely quiet while her friend spoke. Her exp<b></b>ression was as stoic as ever as she stood before the two males. Whatever she was thinking, it was probably impossible to determine through her unflinching visage.

"Ahh, allow me to demonstrate. Now you see, normally ponies would be scared to have a griffon claw out at them, but see Asty here actually--, " Gerrard explained in a sincere voice as he gestured lightly with his sharp black talons. He suddenly paused mid sentence and lunged at the pair of ponies, placing his claw at the base of her neck. Asteria didn't even flinch, almost as if the spectacle was routine. Logic would state that even if someone knew it was coming, they would probably flinch a little.

Gerrard smiled and released the well dressed mare. "See, no fear," he commented proudly, puffing his chest out a bit as if he had accomplished some magnificent feat. Asteria blinked and looked across to Gerrard as if she were going to tell him something he already knew.

"Sir Gerrard, it would be irrational for me to consolidate my position when you have no intention of hitting me. It is a waste of energy. I know that you won't hit me because you wouldn't want to risk damaging our relationship without gaining anything in return," she explained calmly to the pair with a completely straight face.

Gerrard's exp<b></b>ression cracked a bit as he couldn't hold back his laugh. "She is a robot. There is no other explanation. She probably has quantified friendship in some way. Don't take points away please," he added with a smile as he playfully flicked her muzzle.

Their relationship was a bit strange and it was unclear how close the pair was to one another.

While it was unlikely that Fate was truly such a hero, Asteria had no evidence that proved the true identity of the filly. While it would have been easy to call the young pony a liar, Asteria simply decided to accept her word until the situation was more fully developed. It would have been rude to call Fate a liar, even if she was after all.

Asteria's fiery eyes watched over the filly as she almost seemed to disbelieve the response of the mare. The older pony could easily see the disbelief wash away into pure suspicion as the filly seemed to doubt her words again. She could tell that her words were incorrect, something they usually were. It seemed odd to her that anyone could feel better when called a liar, but Asteria would have to investigate this response further another day. When Fate gave the receipt a bewildered look and tried with limited success to read the paper, Asteria decided that further clarification would be in order, especially when she retorted fervently. A normal person would have started to get irritated from her ceaseless accusations and denial of reality, but this unicorn wasn't exactly your normal adult.

"Lady Fate, Knight-Errant of the Destrier Order, Greatest Champion of the realm. A receipt is a proof of purchase given out at stores for further documentation. If there is a defect, or you find your product unsatisfactory, the item and the receipt can usually be returned to the store and traded back in for it's original purchase price. That is the standard rule of item returns in Equestria, there are exceptions where necessary. One such being when the damage is caused by the buyer, or if the product is consumed to a predetermined level. Rosemary is an herb used in medicine or culinary endeavors. While thirty bits may be a lot, such a price is fair for such a large and heavy quantity of rosemary," she explained calmly to the filly. It was clear that Asteria wasn't very familiar with dealing with children due to her lack of vocabulary adaption to the filly she was talking to.

When she spoke of a game, the black mare cocked her head to the side again, sending another signal of confusion to the young filly. "Game? I am not familiar with the game you speak of. Are you asking for me to play pretend with you? I have pressing business to attend to, but I would be willing to indulge you in a game of your choosing when I finish. My delivery is to be in secret, and to a client who wishes to remain anonymous. I am afraid that you may not follow me further unless you promise to maintain the confidentiality of my employer," she added, giving no immediate sign of her destination as her gaze remained locked on the filly. If anything was clear about the mare, it was that she was the type who would could disguise her mannerisms perfectly, when she chose to anyway.

Asteria stood before Ardent Fate in her usual calm demeanor, her tall body towering over the young filly as she patiently listened to her explanation. There was no immediate sign of tension in her body, the peculiar unicorn not seeming even remotely stressed as she was repeatedly interrogated and accused by the young 'knight'. If Fate spoke the truth, ice must have run through the veins of the mare to keep such a calm composure. "It is an honor to meet you Lady Fate, Knight-Errant of the Destrier Order, Greatest Champion of the realm. While I may be ignorant of your deeds and accomplishments, I trust that your exploits are all of great significance," she politely remarked, the mare doing a subservient bow before the young filly. It was unclear if she spoke truthfully, but for one reason or another, the odd unicorn did not deny the bold claims of the filly.

The mare cocked her head to the side when the eager filly claimed to have caught her in a trap of declaring her guilt. It was her way of expressing confusion while she gathered her thoughts for an appropriate response. "While you did not explicitly state that I stole something, I have done no other actions that could be misconstrued as a crime. That is unless you have been secretly following me for more than a few hours. Beyond that time, I am unsure of how my actions may have been interpreted. My response was simply designed to address the only plausible action of mine that could be interpreted as criminal, it is not an admission of guilt. If you wish, I could notify a guard to verify your claims. I have a receipt for the object in question if you believe that I stole it," she commented calmly, her voice showing no sign of fear, anger or even concern as she defended herself.

Her long black horn glowed a deep red as she deftly slipped a receipt out of her bag and presented it to the filly. The paper clearly stated "large rosemary powder container" and had the price of thirty bits on it, quite the price for an herb. The receipt seemed to follow the accepted style for an object of it's kind, nothing about it seeming wrong. The receipt even matched the name of the store that the item had been taken of. She seemed to have proof of her purchase, unless it was a forgery of some kind as well. Her story was plausible at least, but it was still up to the filly to decide it further.

Unbeknownst to the mare, Gerrard had picked through quite a few junkyards in his day, the griffon having no qualms about getting his claws dirty while fishing out a rare treasure. Junk was just potential treasure waiting to be plucked from the purgatory of being defined as refuse. He examined the spade closely and smirked devilishly, holding it firmly in a strong talon. "Well, I will gladly pay full price for such a marvelous tool, especially one that doesn't have teeth marks on it," he added jokingly, the black hybrid gently nudging the pony in the side with his elbow as he made a minor joke about ponies holding tools in their mouths. "But then it would be rude to deny your discount of ten bits. I propose a compromise of 13 bits! The reduced price of ten bits with a 30% tip for being such an amazing clerk," he added with a smile, the griffon apparently reverting back to his actual mannerisms as he started acting more jovial.

The griffon was quite successful by the definition of most ponies, but was by no means rich. Regardless, he didn't mind paying a fair price. He wasn't stingy though, and would avoid haggling, simply out of fear that he might alienate himself from clients. He followed her back to the counter and waited for her response, his eyes drifting across the store as he did his best to focus on the deal at claw. He did have a job to do, even if it was getting rather dark outside. At least the mare seemed nice enough, his long black tail wagging a bit in anticipation of her response as he placed it on her counter.

The black griffon listened to the mare as she introduced herself as Inkie, the hybrid nodding as his hypothesis was confirmed. When she gestured for him to follow her into the hardware section, Gerrard complied and thought over her introduction as they made their way to the other section of the store. "Ah, okay Inkie. You know, for having such a unique name, it does seem vaguely familiar for one reason or another, I just can't put my talon on it," he mused aloud as they entered the room. He was frozen in awe when his bright eyes spotted the walls of tools and other similar items. He hadn't seen such a collection anywhere outside of his native country, and had to take a few moments to glance over it all. Inkie then went above and beyond the call when she displayed every type of shovel that one could imagine.

"You must meet dozens of... people an hour to get such a collection of stuff. I could use a snow shovel," he added with a smile on his black beak while she actually named off every possible variant of the tool, the griffon pausing while he chose the correct term for patrons in his mind. But when she presented the spade to Gerrard, a faint glimmer could be seen in his eyes. The inner magpie of the griffon rose to the surface as he carefully took the tool in his talons. Something about the tool captivated him, surely its utilitarian design, and certainly not the distinct shine that showed off it's quality. He held it firmly, and made some fluid shoveling motions before turning to Inkie, the griffon practically blushing a bit. When he realized he seemed like a child with a new toy, the griffon raised one claw to his beak and made a hearty coughing noise as if to clear his throat. "Ah, yes, this will do ma'am. May I ask what the price is on this beauty? The spade I mean," he asked awkwardly, the formally formal hybrid starting to make a spectacle out of himself.

Gerrard hadn't actively searched through a pawn shop before, and he was starting to see why. It felt as if he could find anything he wanted here, and the griffon surely would go broke if he failed to resist the urge to buy every shiny object on the shelves. Hopefully Inkie would be merciful and only take him for the spade, not that he exactly would be bothered by either outcome.

It was just one of those days for Canterlot's resident irrigation expert found himself stuck with yet another terrible assignment. He had been assigned to perform maintenance on the pipe system of the city on an exceptionally cold winter night. Like all people who hate bad weather, he rushed out of Canterlot in an attempt to avoid the coldest hours of the night. In his rush, he forgot his well worked digging equipment. He now found himself wandering through a cold city, searching for a pony store that sold shovels.

As the city faded into the darkness of night, the black pelted griffon spotted one of the few stores that chose to brave the poor weather. His keen yellow eyes read the posted sign as he shook his frame free of a thin layer of frost.

"I'm fixin for a shovel, he thought to himself, a smirk spreading across his silver feathered head. He walked into the store and looked around the deceptively large store. He quickly realized that he would need an expert to find a specific object in a pawn shop. He breathed an audible sigh as he spotted a gray made at the store counter. The griffon switched gears internally and casually walked up to the storekeeper.

"Hello Lady, Pie I presume? It is an honor to meet such a made in my time of need. Gerrard Grayfeather, alumni of the Royal University of Canterlot. I need a rare artifact and only you can help," he announced in a formal voice that seemed unquestionably from Canterlot. It was a bit strange though, the vaguely intimidating appearance of the griffon seeming to contradict his tone. He wore no formal attire aside from a well crafted bag that was firmly fastened to his neck.

"Do you have any shovels or shovel related apparatuses," he asked in a less serious tone as he dropped the act of excessive formality.

Asteria watched the pony as he thought over her words, almost seeming to question if she was speaking truthfully. While some might have scoffed at being thought of as even remotely lying, the odd mare remained as stoic as ever. She personally didn't mind, most people finding demeanor a bit confusing. Regardless, she was here to become a character, and as long as she stayed within the parameters described by Talkie, she assumed everything would probably work out well enough.

When the character was described to Asteria, she listened closely, trying to find similarities and differences between herself and the pony she was to impersonate. Asteria was always honest, even when it hurt the feelings of others, granted she tried to frame her words politely, even if they were to crush the hopes and dreams of another. She had also determined that she was an extreme literalist, the mare always seeming hard pressed to grasp abstract notions like fear or love. And of course, her failure to understand common figures of speech always seemed to make others laugh, either at her or at her unusual interpretation on a commonly accepted idea. This character seemed like something she could emulate, having very few modifications to make to her responses. "I humbly accept your offer and hope that your belief in me will be fully founded in acceptable results," she politely added, doing another formal curtsey for Talkie, her elaborate white dress gently waving across her dark frame.

When Talkie spoke of a Mister Grayfeather, Asteria turned her head towards the area that her friend had been waiting at. Before she could call him over, a black talon pulled back one of the curtains on the edge of the stage. The sharp claw revealed a griffon of darkest night, his from shrouded beneath a heavy set of feathers and fur. The only portion of his body devoid of such colour was his head, layered in silver feathers and accented with a pair of wicked looking eyes. He wore a strange bag that was fastened around his neck, its contents unknown. And as quickly as he appeared, the dark hybrid made his way over to the pair, Asteria stepping to the side of Talkie in order to give the griffon room to introduce himself. The winged creature had quite the intimidating presence, his methodical walk having an odd sort of confident swagger about it. He stood before the two ponies, his eyes drifting away from his friend and towards the director. "Hello Sir Talkie, I am Gerrard Grayfeather, alumni of The Royal University of Canterlot, esteemed member of the irrigation architect faculty. Perhaps you have seen my work, it is all over Equestria," he replied in a suddenly formal and upper class sounding voice, the griffon pointing a finger out as if he truly were some sort of fancy pants griffon or pony. When he finished speaking, he extended a talon for Talkie to shake, the odd griffon seeming nice enough, even if his appearance was a bit frightening.

"I brought out Lady Asteria to your auditions in a hope that she could experience a wider breadth of activities. I hope that she hasn't bothered you too much, with her idiosyncrasies, she can be rather overwhelming at times. Perhaps I could give you a demonstration of how fearless she really is?" he added with a smirk, his professionalism slowly seeming to peel away as he gave the unicorn a sinister glance. "That is of course if you approve, Sir Talkie," he added, doing a light bow, the griffon seeming to represent himself as her manager. Something about the griffon did seem rather odd though, his words and appearance seeming to outwardly conflict each other as he stood defiantly before the two ponies.

Gerrard of course had nothing to compare this to, aside from the pleasant days he had to deal with in Canterlot. Perhaps it was slightly to his benefit though, unable to truly gauge how much danger they were in, the griffon wasn't initially too bothered, at least not until his head was dunked under water by his overeager pegasus friend. The architect took in a deep breath of water, hacking and wheezing a bit as he pulled his head back out of the water. "Normally people ask for permission before using others as stepping stools," he grumbled, the utterly drenched hybrid paddling his body over to a wall.

He paused for a moment to clear his head, the Canterlot resident resisting the urge to pull her back into the water. After he reached the wall, he climbed up the rocky walls with his deft talons, his dark form completely drenched with water. After a brief pause, he shook his body violently, throwing water in every direction as he tried to dry himself off. As soon as most of the water had been dislodged from his fur and feathers, he quickly puffed up, his fur and feathers airing out and making him look more ridiculous than usual. "Coming," he grumbled, the griffon hopping off the wall and flapping his heavy wings to remain in the air, a light mist of water filling up the air as his movements dried him off. "Lead the way Miss Horsefly. I'm sure there is something down that passage, it seems to increase in elevation that way, the water is flowing towards us. Wait a minute, water is coming this way from somewhere else as well? That way leads to the exit, just don't fly into any traps," he commented in an excited voice, suspecting he had figured the way out of their prison.

Regardless of if it was right, the water continued to slowly build up and challenge their presence in the cave. Gerrard could smell things in the cavern, but he couldn't make anything out with the wet horse flying in front of him. She apparently needed soap as well, not that he was going to say anything about it. "Path, there is uhh, stuff ahead, people or things, just saying," he warned, giving her essentially no idea what was waiting for them.

I look forward to seeing how this all turns out. Since you bring up the issue of weapons, let me give you my personal take on it.

Weapons in general are frowned upon for obvious reasons, but there are always exceptions where it would logically make sense. Guards of course have weapons for the protection of themselves and others, what confuses me though is why she carries a weapon that isn't standard issue. Perhaps you can explain why her equipment deviates from the accepted norm? The main thing that worries people is when the object becomes the focal point of a character and defines them more than their personality. Much like in real life though, it is highly illegal for people to run around with their weapons blazing when they are off duty, (security guards in particular, police perhaps less so =P)

I looked over this application and I can see that you put a lot of work into it. That being said though, this forum stays as close to established canon as possible. Unicorns don't have weather magic because that is pegasus territory. The only time it occurred was with the alicorn amulet.

That being said, you might have a better time defending it if you came up with a reason for him to have such a dangerous spell. It especially would not be allowed if your magic would be used against other characters.

I would suggest coming up with reasons for his magic aside from being a wizard. This forum is more about character interaction than displays of power or showmanship. If you need tips or direction, just ask