Gerrard

The younger griffon couldn't help but raise his brow as Falco continuously shot down every mention of friendship with the opposing gender. Gerrard raised his brow a bit as he came to a sudden realization. He wasn't sure if it was true, but that never stopped him from guessing it in a playful manner. "Do you have something against ladies? I'm not here to judge you Falco, different people have different interests," Gerrard playfully asserted, jabbing him in the side with his elbow.

The griffon was basically back to his senses, the fierce sun cooking some sense back into his body. "When we get back to your place, you owe me a few glasses of water. I'm thirsty enough to drink a lake," he warned in a friendly manner as leaned on Falco for support

Asteria was here on business matters, granted everything was business for her. Her keen eyes looked over the the colourful room, her stoic exp<b></b>ression unflinching as she ingested the heartwarming scenery. A cursory examination of her face might reveal that she was entirely apathetic to the situation, a conclusion that actually couldn't be farther from the truth.

After a brief interlude from the mare, she opened her maw to explain her seemingly unannounced appearance at the shop. "I am here with pressing business from Manehattan. I was tasked with creating an environment that would be most comfortable for the children. I decided that repairing the damaged toys that they were most familiar with. May I request the expertise of this shop with the repair of these orphan toys? I am willing to pay the going market rate for the services," she explained suddenly, the mare seemingly interested in helping orphans of all things. There still was something strange about her, the odd made never mentioning ponies as she explained her goals to the worker. It was strange but still on the cusp of normal speaking.

Asteria was always a bit odd, but she meant well enough. She refrained from judging the pegasus, but the unicorn kept open the possibility that someone else might have been running the store. "May I ask for for your name Lady Pegasus? I am Asteria Stillheart, honored to meet you," the black mare explained with a formal tone as she performed a subservient bow before Swifty. The strange mare seemed all over the place with her words and mannerisms and it was unclear if it was her intention to come off in such a way.

Gerrard followed alongside his friend, his head starting to clear up a bit as they neared their destination. His head started to throb lightly, his friendly stupor giving way to a normal headache as he came back to his senses."Man, don't ever let me do that again," he grumbled lightly, rubbing his head with a talon as he tried to clear his sore head. "Yeah, the badlands are a lot hotter than this valley," Gerrard added, referencing the griffon territory, some light evidence that he had returned to his senses. "I haven't been to the griffon lands in quite a while. And yeah, these feathers are better for hiding at night," the black griffon added, spreading his large wing span for everyone to see as he started vaguely gloating again.

"Hey, it's not like I'm gonna marry her. She is my pal, just like you. Asteria doesn't even get me drunk either. She was probably the first pony in Equestria who wanted to be friends with me, she even offered me work to help pay off my student debt. And to make things better too, she never asks for anything for free. A true friend I suppose," he explained, the younger griffon reluctantly letting Falco pat his back with a firm talon. "Remind me to come back here at night next time though, it is pretty hot here," he grumbled playfully as the city came clear into view for the pair.

"Yeah, I'm wondering why you aren't sunburned out in this oven of a place? I've got built in protection!" he claimed in a clearly misinformed manner, the griffon's mind clearly not working correctly at all. Griffons were covered in a thick pelt and layer of feathers that hid their bodies from the sun, the closest thing to visible 'skin' on their bodies being their talons. Even those were well protected by what were best described as 'scales', the drunk Canterlot griffon clearly wrong, assuming that Falco had any understanding of Griffon anatomy of all.

Gerrard didn't linger on any thought for too long, his mind wandering too much to focus on anything as the pair trudged through the desert town towards their destination. "This is the best pawn shop on this side of the border? Wait, what side are we on again. The pony side, or the uhh, non-pony side?" he remarked in a strange manner, the griffon obviously disoriented, but pausing for a moment as he seemed to speak in a vaguely pony-centric manner. Regardless, the black griffon was doing a decent job of following alongside his friend, his four feet keeping him upright as he listened to Falco claim that he had the best shop around.

The architect knew a lot about gloating from personal experience, and wondered if it was also an attempt to compensate, something Gerrard 'rarely' did on occasion. "Ahh, relationships. I must admit, I have seen quite a few lovely mares in my days. I'm friends with quite the looker, I must admit! She is easy on the eyes and a nice person, she just doesn't seem to particularly love anything," he remarked, the griffon actually telling the truth, granted it probably seemed that he was trying to cover for the fact that the mare probably didn't like his personality. "Maybe I'll ask her out one day, it might be nice putting up with someone. Having someone to share my awesomeness with, it is only fair that they get to bask in my glory with me," the griffon explaining in his usual manner as he started gloating more, Gerrard slowly starting to return to normal. Gerrard didn't mention the crossbow as Falco spoke, the griffon trying his best to forget the incident.

Gerrard hadn't been in nearly as many holes in his life as pathfinder, the griffon not nearly as much a fan of adventure as her, despite what his claims might have been. In fact, the only holes Gerrard were familiar with involved sewers and the like. The dark hybrid always avoided talking about those though for obvious reasons, trying to forget about the less glamorous portions of his life. He valued his life greatly and tried his best to avoid dangerous situations like the one he was in, the architect being thrown into a situation he wasn't familiar with.

After a short fall into the pitch black darkness, Gerrard glanced around, unable to see without a light source. He couldn't sense anything in the dark abyss, his limbs still operating, but seemingly unable to move him in any meaningful manner. He thought for a moment, realizing there was in fact no friction in the darkness. It meant that any movements of his would likely do nothing, the griffon deciding to test if he simply needed a light source to examine his surroundings and body. After feeling around his body, the griffon managed to find his trusty blowtorch, Gerrard glad that he could at least still feel things as he kept a firm grip on the blowtorch. With a click, the torch vibrated in his hand ever so faintly, the griffon unable to see or even hear the torch. He could tell by the faintest of movements in his talon that the torch must have been active, although for one reason or another, his senses aside from touch didn't work.

Gerrard let out a screech, unable to hear any of his noise as he confirmed this for one last time. The griffon thought in silence for a moment about it, his keen mind wandering as he thought over how this could be possible. Magic was the only thing that could explain it in his mind, but what sort of spell could do this? As it had many times, his thoughts drifted towards the most skilled unicorn he knew, a mare who specialized in illusion magic. He had seen her change her form many times, yet her actual body always remained constant, the mare using magic to manipulate properties of light and the such to trick senses. This must have been some sort of trick, designed to distract Gerrard and his friend. The griffon wracked his head for a moment, trying to come up with a way to break the stasis he felt they were in.

"Illusions can be dispelled when they are directly interacted with, or the senses of the subject are over loaded to the point that the magic can't hold sway over the target," his mind remembered the somber words of the melancholy mare he spent a lot of time chatting with. He only had one working sense, and the griffon decided on a rash course of action to break free of the darkness. Gerrard turned off his torch and opened his maw, the griffon deciding to bite down on his foreleg, the griffon wincing in pain as he took a bite of his leg. Gerrard felt his eyes well up as his leg ached terribly, the griffon's mind only able to focus on the throbbing in his leg. And just as his mind drifted that way, Gerrard's vision slowly returned, the hybrid finding himself sitting in a dark pit, the griffon next to Pathfinder.

He looked at Pathfinder, the pegasus seeming to be in a stupor similar to his own, the griffon deciding to let out a sigh as he figured what he needed to do. "Sorry Pathfinder!" he explained to the mare, guessing that she couldn't hear him as he swung his talon back, the architect deciding to knock some sense back into her as his talon flew towards her face.

Gerrard raises his brow as he listened to Telki explain a bit about herself. Her vague way of answering questions without really saying anything reminded him of one of his dear friends. She always seemed aloof, the mare a master of masking her thoughts.

Regardless, his curiosity was getting the best of him. He knew from experience that many ponies had names relating to their talents and Telki was probably not an exception. How they were named for their talent prior to it being discovered though, was something that he had thought of on occasion, that phenomena seemingly impossible to understand. "Ahh, Telki, the life of a secret adventurer. It sounds fun, what sort of adventures if we may ask? Perhaps your magic involves specific use of telekinesis, like you name suggests?" he suggested as if he had discerned some masterfully crafted puzzle.

The griffon glanced over to Colton when he finished his words for Telki, the hybrid nodding for the pegasus. "Yeah, bits are nice to have around, the Canterlot University has a never ending supply of work for me to do. If I hire some people, I can finish it faster and do more work, a bit of a win win for everyone involved I suppose, right?" Gerrard explained with a smirk, a bit proud of himself. Pride was one thing that Gerrard always had a great deal of, the dark hybrid always loving to gloat and talk about life.

Gerrard blinked a bit as Falco opened the door, the immense heat of the outside slapping him right in the face. The griffon took a moment to react, his stupor preventing him from acting normally as he slowly returned to a normal posture. "Are we on the sun?" he asked in a semi-serious manner, the dark hybrid stepping out into the light of the day. The architect glanced around lazily as he got outside, not sure of where he was supposed to go. After a short search, he couldn't spot a place labelled Falco's home, and he simply decided to follow after his friend.

"Alright, lead the way. Your secret base eludes me. Quite the feat I must admit," the black hybrid giving up almost immediately on his own search. "I'll rest at your shop, but I would rather not buy anything until I feel better," he added in the most controlled voice he could muster. And with that, the short perilous journey across town was started, Gerrard lucky enough to have four legs to keep him upright. He stumbled a bit, but was otherwise fine to continue. "So, tell me about your store, is it a nice place? Are you married? Is he or she nice?" the griffon starting to ask questions in an attempt to get his bearings better.

Asteria was doing a late night delivery for Nightmare Night, the unicorn delivering a set of costumes for a few of the last minute requests in Ponyville. The other couriers were busy celebrating the holiday with their friends and families, the black mare one of the lone exceptions as she made her way towards town. She would eventually be whisked away by her changeling friend on her way out of the town, the unicorn being asked for assistance in the development of a costume and proper protocols in the retrieval and distribution of candy. She watched closely as the changeling decided on making his own costume, changing into a vile looking alicorn with a frightening visage. The dark mare showed no fear as he changed, granted she never showed much of a reaction to anything.

"You seem ready to spook up some candy to pay tribute to nightmare moon. The lore of this event states that failure to offer food to the mare will result in her devouring you so. It seems highly unlikely that such a thing could happen, but that is the custom of the event. It would be respectful for me to change into a costume as well, will this suffice Sir Nexar?" she commented in a controlled manner as her horn glowed red before masking her in magic. In just a matter of seconds, Asteria appeared to change into a regular looking changeling, her body full of holes, her visage vaguely sinister as she peered over to Nexar.

"Is this an acceptable costume?" she asked in her usual tone, the unicorn seeming unable or unwilling to change how she spoke. "The custom is to carry bags around town and ask for candy. I would suggest going to the portion of town with the highest population density. That would be the south side of town. Do you have any disagreements or requests for the event?" she asked patiently, the 'changeling' taking charge of the situation as they exited his home. Asteria had only celebrated the event a few times in her life, but she always received compliments or screams for her costumes. It was the one night she could test her magic in public without being outed by prying eyes.

"I feel great. The world is moving in shlow moshun. You know what that means, right? It means I'm going so fast that you all seem slow!" he claimed in the most incorrect of manners, the griffon quickly quaffing a large mug of water. He quickly downed it as well before turning around to glance at the exit of the establishment. "But how can they thank me if I'm not here?" Gerrard replied in his usual slurred voice as he contemplated the need for him to leave. After a few moments of awkward silence, Gerrard hopped off his stool suddenly.

The dark hybrid landed on his feet, but stumbled a bit as he tried to keep his coordination. "I will spare you the indignity of me embarrassing you. I mean, it was my idea to come here for drinks, remember?" he claimed sarcastically in a slur as he stumbled in the general direction of the exit. He couldn't maintain a straight walk and had to catch his balance on a table before glancing back to Falco. "I'm sorry to be a trouble to you," he apologized, the intent of his words a bit hard to understand as his unfocused eyes searched for his older counterpart.

"Oh how you goad so well. You assert that magic is a force without equal, and when I refute your statement, you claim that I am mad. How... quaint," he replied to her in a slightly amused voice. She was the one who initially asserted that one force was better than the other, yet he was the angry one. Regardless, he was going to drop the whole argument, the griffon unwilling to debate the whole situation further. He was here to meet an old friend, but that had clearly been forgotten in the heat of an argument.

"So, how do you like the city? I imagine it takes a specific personality to enjoy this particular climate? I have to admit that Canterlot is a bit more mild than the badlands. It is nice if you prefer less extreme weather," he commented, trying to change the topic. He wanted to reminisce a bit about their youth, but she apparently didn't remember much about it, him in particular. Gerrard guessed it made sense though, a unicorn would be a lot more memorable in the griffon centric badlands.

Gerrard listened to his friend scold him playfully, the disoriented griffon sighing audibly in response to his words. "Yeah, those mean ol' Canterlot ponies would fire me for letting my friend poison me. They really are heartless at times," he grumbled in the most awkward of manners, making it hard to determine how serious he was. Gerrard clearly didn't like feeling the way he did, but the youthful griffon was faring surprisingly well.

When the notion of flying back was mentioned to Gerrard, the black hybrid scoffed and swept away the idea with a talon, not seeming remotely worried as he rocked back and forth on the stool. "I get assigned jobs to complete, and I don't get paid by the hour. As long as I don't take a week to do something, they won't get mad or dock my salary. I have too many zero's on it for them to dock me anyway. Talking about 3 or 4, maybe 5 even. I forget..." he rambled off in a confused manner, slowly becoming incoherent again as he spoke off in no direction in particular.

Gerrard's nostrils tensed ever so faintly as he took a whiff of the water presented to him. It was almost as if he were a connoisseur of water, which seemed plausible for a person of his profession. The architect quickly gulped down the glass of water as it was presented to him, letting out a gasp that made it seem like he hadn't drank any water in weeks. "Ahh water of the highest quality. The work of a true expert, give this person a raise!" he exclaimed in a silly manner, making it unclear who should be praised. He had fixed the water, but she had served it to him. It seemed rather likely though that he was simply complimenting his own work though, the younger hybrid not seeming to lack of his pride, even in such a state.

He was normally in Falco's position, getting a good laugh at unfortunate souls who took more than their fare share of drinks. Unfortunately for him, Gerrard was the victim, and he couldn't get enough water to make himself feel better. "More water please, so thirsty. And send my regards to the chef and this gentle griffon, he has a firm claw that never lets me down... on the ground," he whimpered lightly, trying his best to not seem pathetic, as much as he seemed to be. It seemed to be another compliment of himself, but he was incoherent enough to leave parts of the compliments in doubt.

A thin layer of white covered the otherwise green plains of the mid point between Fillydelphia and the strangely infamous city of Ponyville. The sun tried in vain to peer through the haze of snow clouds that littered the sky, slowly releasing their frigid water upon the the vast landscape. Most of the reasonable residents of Equestria were tucked away in their homes, enjoying the warmth of a fire as they waited for the sun to finally dispatch the snow that lay siege to their homes. There of course were always exceptions to almost every rule, one in particular trudging through the snow at a pace that could only be described as focused.

The light crunching of snow filled the air as a tall figure clad in a similarly dark cloak made their way towards the colourful cottage. A closer inspection of the stranger would reveal it to be a unicorn with a coat of darkest black, her form silhouetted against the white of the snowy terrain. Crimson eyes peered out from beneath her cowl, intensely searching the landscape before locking onto the cottage in the distance. With a quick trot, she soon found herself upon the the quirky toy shop, her hoof steps surprisingly quiet for such a tall mare who was trudging through frigid snow. With the residence clearly before the unicorn, her keen eyes quickly examined the house again, seeming to find something about it satisfactory.

A dark red glow enveloped her long black horn, before her magic deftly lowered her cowl to reveal the most stoic of faces to the elements. Her expression seemed to be that of complete apathy, taking no pride or offense in being stuck out in the freezing cold in what could only be described as the middle of nowhere. She carefully raised an equally dark hoof from the ground and roughly knocked on the door to their home as she seemed to seek the attention of the residents. Her tall frame shifted ever so faintly as she patiently waited for a response from the toy makers. A keen eye would be able to spot the faint outlines of two large saddle bags that were tightly strapped to her frame, their exact contents unknown, well hidden from attention beneath her cloak almost as if she didn't want them to be noticed by prying eyes.

I would like to request a picture of my OC Asteria wearing a white dress of some sort. She is very dark and clearly not the emotional type. She comes off as very somber, emotionless even. While not evil, she comes off that way to the casual viewer. She is known for having a perpetually stoic expression like the ones in your artwork =3

Gerrard let out an audible sigh as his new friend explained that there was no cure for his particular ailment. The architect was bummed out that he would have to deal with being 'poisoned' until the effects ran it's course. He told himself that he was a stout griffon, and carefully raised his head, deciding to be remotely in denial with the most firm claim he could muster. "This is nothing. I once was bit by a rattler, in 4 days he died from my sheer awesomeness. There is no antidote for me either," he explained in a surprisignly coherent manner, the younger griffon grabbing the counter for support as he made his bold claim.

When Falco mentioned water, it triggered something in the black hybrid, the inebriated griffon finding some of his pride that he promised to lock away. He raised one talon high into the air, trying to use Falco for support as he prepared to make quite the claim, even if it was true. "Yeah, I fixed your water pipes. Nobody even thanked me for my hard work. Did ja know that I was the only person in Canterlot who would take this job? Everyone else didn't want to walk for days to get out here. I'm a nice guy, coming out into the middle of nowhere to help a bunch of people I don't know. All those uppity Canterlot folk scoffed at you all, but I told them! They forced me out here, and I came, saving the day," his slurred out long-windedly, singing his own praises as he explained what happened as best he could muster. The griffon clearly wasn't using words carefully as he spoke, not that he could in his state. It was a bit unclear what the exact situation was, but most of what he said seemed true.

He lost his balance a bit and nearly fell off the stool, waving his free hand about to stay upright. He was lucky enough to get some assistance from his friend, Gerrard staying on the seat against all odds. "You're welcome!" he snorted in a slightly lost manner, not sure of what else to say while he tried to regain his bearings.

Gerrard listened to the pair patiently, wanting to hear a bit about them. He always was all about himself, despite his meager attempts to the contrary. He decided to hear them out, trying to find something in common with them while trying to keep morale high for the small group of adventurers. When Telki asked the time old question, Gerrard grinned devilishly knowing it was time to strike back, even if it was just a bit playful. "Now now dear, we will be there when we get there, and not a minute sooner," he announced, Gerrard announced in a fatherly voice as he poked a talon into the sky in a lecturing manner. The black griffon chuckled lightly and thought about her coy magic comments. "I have a friend like you Telki, she always seems aloof and never really explains herself fully. She is honest though and just appreciates privacy and all the benefits it gives. You aren't planning on springing anything on us fliers, right Telki?" he added with a grin, leaning on Colton as he playfully feigned fear of a nonexistent plot to sabotage them.

As he was joking around, the griffon closely watched the movements of the fickle sparrow. He made no immediate mention of his actions, at least not until he leaned on his pegasus friend. "Sparks, you ever had egg whites? You would probably like them, lots of little birds can't help but gobble them down. And before you claim cannibalism, eggs were never alive, and taste amazing. I came from an egg after all, and in all actuality, most pony baking involves eggs anyway. Think about that," Gerrard mentioned to the little bird, offering him food that he thought the small creature might like.

"Man, if traveling was my hobby, I would have all the fun in the world. I have to traverse Equestria fixing pipes, but it isn't all in fun and games, I normally have to deal with with bad weather, people and wildlife. I should try a bit of scr-ap booking, maybe have something nostalgic to go and look back on when I get home sick," he explained with a bit of a sigh, reminiscing a bit over his past, the exact sections of it unknown to his unknown pony friends. "In regards to my personal interests though, I never really thought about it," he added in a strangely calm manner, the jovial and expressive griffon at a bit of a loss for words as he stroked his long black beak.

"I like, meeting interesting people and going to sporting events. Did you know that there are sporting events in Equestria that don't involve the wonderbolts? Amazing I know," he added vaguely in a coy manner, the griffon wondering if either of the ponies knew them as well as he did.

Gerrard was really starting to dislike the mapmaker who sold him this map in Canterlot. They could have said something more than just ghost town, a term used for abandoned cities, and the griffon felt duped. "Oh, when I find that map maker, I'm gonna give him a piece of my mind, and talon," the griffon grumbled to nobody in particular as he tried to catch his breath. He was going to demand hazard pay for this, assuming of course they both got out of the ghost town with all their limbs intact.

He noticed the sand storm brewing as well, the small army of ghosts threatening to storm through the flying sand and collapse atop the pair. The pipe expert thought over the situation, trying his best to come up with an escape plan or even an explanation of what was going on. He often wondered if it was bad luck, that trapped him in these situations, or if he was simply the victim of the aloof hooves of his coworkers. Regardless, the griffon did think over her comment about ghosts not needing water, something he could agree with, having read a few fiction novels on the subject. "If they don't need the water, perhaps their Master needs it. Maybe there is a necromancer here, a practitioner of the dark arts! Using the water to fuel their army of minions, perhaps living ones as well as undead!" Gerrard theorized, having no real idea what was going on.

Before he could add any more speculation to what was going on, the ground gave out from beneath him, the griffon clamoring to keep his heavier body from falling into the pit. "Gah, what a terrible day," he grumbled, not nearly as thrilled for adventure as his pegasus counterpart. When Pathfinder darted down into the darkness, he reluctantly followed her, wanting to escape the proverbial cloud of ghosts that seemed to be descending upon them. Gerrard followed after her quick movements, his keen eyes narrowing as he tried to track her in the decreased light of the underground.

Gerrard felt his mind slosh about in the least focused of ways imaginable. He found it hard to focus on anything, the younger griffon clearly not enjoying himself as much as he previously thought he would. "Yeah, I'm doing grrrrrreat," he replied in a slur, the black hybrid releasing his friend and placing a talon on the counter as he slowly regained his bearings. "So, do you have that antidote?" he grumbled lightly, laying his head on the counter as he tried his best to recover. "Give me the antidote please," he whimpered weakly, just wanting to forget the whole experience.

"Why do people enjoy this, this is the worst feeling ever," he grumbled, unwilling to look at his friend while he tried to focus his eyes. The attention grabbing griffon was starting to hope he would go unnoticed, swearing to himself that he had learned his lesson. But like any braggart, he probably didn't mean it, even to himself.

"You're a great guy Falco, nicest griffon I ever met, honest. Next time you're in Canterlot, I'll treat you to some fancy schmancy drinks" Gerrard replied to his friend, grabbing one large mug of the very potent beverage. Most ponies would drink it in smaller shots, but Gerrard didn't drink enough to understand the potency of apple vodka. The griffon carefully raised the beverage to his maw and carefully sampled the apple flavored drink. His eyes widened as he let out a light cough, surprised by the drink. "Wow, potent stuff, tastes great," he added with a laugh, the black hybrid eying the drink as he opened his beak wide.

"To better days!" he cheered, the griffon quickly chugging the drink, his keen eyes water a bit as he hacked and wheezed a bit. "There isn't much water in that drink, is there?" he stammered a barely coherent voice, the dark hybrid lowering his head. "You poisoned my drink, how dwarrrr youuuu monter," he slurred back, his words clearly labored as he started to lose his balance. His dark claws released his mug as he leaned over and grabbed onto Falco, Gerrard trying his best not to fall off the stool to the ground.

Gerrard chuckled lightly as he listened to Falco explain that they had some strong stuff out here in the desert. He knew his limits, but like any braggart, he loved to embellish and use hyperbole."Hey, I may have spent a great deal of my life working and learning in Canterlot, but that hasn't made me soft at all. I'll take your challenge and raise it to two glasses!" the younger griffon exclaimed proudly, clearly not knowing anything about the drink as he made such an extreme declaration. "I've been to Stalliongrad, and while it may be cold enough to freeze water instantly, I have a heart of burning fire," he explained proudly, the black hybrid reaching a talon into his bag, but resisting the urge to pull out a special tool to show off with.

"I like a juice drink as much as the next guy, give me your worst," he replied with a smile, wrapping a foreleg around the neck of his friend as he shared in celebratory hug, Gerrard waiting to be presented with the drinks. "To better times!" he cheered for his friend, starting to make a spectacle out of himself and his friend, and the drinks weren't even out yet for him.

Asteria listened as Dawn tried to explain that she didn't understand her words. Her statement was a bit extreme, most spells only having a few limited uses. But there was one spell that had a nearly infinite amount of uses. "Dawn, while knowing more spells is not bad in any way, seeking more spells to learn when you lack a complete understanding of your current ones is a path of study I would not recommend. The most basic of all spells is telekinesis, the ability to manipulate objects with our mind. While it is the easiest spell to learn, it is one of the hardest to truly master. Even if a unicorn only has access to this spell, they can manipulate their environment greatly," she explained, her long black horn glowing a dark red as she levitated a pair of scissors from her bag. "While I may not have the claws to use these, if I use my telekinesis in a deft manner, I can operate these as if I did," Asteria explained as she lowered them to the ground.

The glowing red scissors carefully opened and trimmed a small strip of grass that was over grown near the cobble stone that the fountain rested upon. "There are always ways to improve your magical abilities, because most spells do not have finite limits. The only limitations are what your skill and strength will allow. As a rule of thumb, unless you are a great master of magic, never try to exert more magical force than your body would physically be able to handle, doing so can greatly increase your chance of injury. With practice, you can make even telekinesis a powerful spell," she explained calmly for the filly, her horn glowing a darker shade of red as she pulled out a wide assortment of tools from her saddle bags, the mare able to freely manipulate them all with her will.

"While there is no particular trick to teaching you how to learn magic better, I can say that your proficiency is only limited by your desire to practice. Your range of spells that you can use might be limited to serve your special talent, but there are always more efficient ways to use your magic. Any unicorn can pick up an item by grasping it with magic, but a trained unicorn can pick one up by using the absolute minimum magic to support the weight of the object. By doing so, they limit the stress on their body and allow them to manipulate more items than they might otherwise be able to control," Asteria added while she slipped the tools back into her magic in unison, seeming to find their proper positions without bothering to look.

She shifted her attention back to Dawn, not exactly saying twenty ways a spell could be used, but showing her that a spell could be used for many different things. "May I ask what specific magic you know, and to what degree you can use it? Perhaps I can explain a few unique ways to apply it?" Asteria added patiently as she subconsciously shifted her tired legs. She was rather tired from such a long trip, but her stoic expression made it almost impossible to tell, the black mare seeming focused on her smaller white counterpart.

Gerrard smirked a bit, figuring it was worth a try at least. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, he thought whimsically as she pulled her hoof away. Today was apparently not the day he would find his special somepony, not that he was particularly worried about it on any specific day. "Well, can't blame a guy for trying to be polite," he chuckled to himself as the griffon released her foreleg from his clutches. "I am a mite heated, the sun has burned my feathers black," he added poking a pink tongue out playfully as he made silly evidence of his heat stroke.

The black hybrid wore a solemn expression on his face while Falco came over to support him with a pat on the back. "Thanks Falco, I appreciate all the support man," Gerrard added devilishly, deciding to give the elder griffon a strong bear hug, lifting the sergeant off the ground before releasing him. "Drink? Uhh, well how about you surprise me, I'm not much of a drinker. Whatever you think will suit my fancy, you seem to be an expert at drinking Falco," Gerrard replied to the question, lightly jabbing the elder griffon in the side with his elbow. Gerrard never really understood why people felt the need to order something sophisticated, the griffon being a bit more utilitarian than his Canterlot counterparts. While he lived there, and enjoyed a lot of the things Equestria had to offer, the concept of 'fanciness' was lost on him.

Asteria listened patiently to the young unicorn's description of magic. Her face remained as stoic as ever as she tried to describe that magic was a force that was hard to describe in a scientific manner. Most of her words seemed to be a text book definition of the force, the black mare very familiar with the words. "That is a very appropriate definition of magic, but I must stress that just because the source is hard to define, does not mean it should not be studied further. Unicorns use their horns in a manner to channel their physical energy and convert it into magic, the magic being used to create a wide variety of affects that depend on the individual," she explained in a more focused manner to the young filly. The older unicorn's expression remained static as she pooled her thoughts together for a more detailed response. Asteria preferred to be objective about everything, the odd mare deciding that almost nothing was particularly right or wrong, simply a different perspective on the same idea.

"There are many ways to use magic, and even a unicorn with limited magic potential can use it to manipulate the world in a satisfactory manner with enough training and creative thinking. May I ask for a description of your own abilities, as you see them? Many unicorns simply categorize their abilities by the spells they use, but sometimes it is more appropriate to view your abilities for their practical application. While knowing twenty spells may be nice, if they are all niche and situational, their practical application could be marginal at best. A talented pony may know many spells, but a trained pony can use a spell in many ways," she explained in a more specific manner, the mare not giving any specifics for the filly to think of. Asteria intended for the filly to show her a spell, and with some guidance, show the young pony a new perspective on using such magic. From her experience, while young ponies were creative, they tended to see things in a specific prism of good and evil, or right and wrong.

Gerrard listened as the mare made assertions that magic was completely better than the tools his species liked to use. He raised his brow, finding such an unneeded assertion particularly perplexing. Had he said something to bother her, the griffon normally respected unicorn magic, but he didn't need anyone talking down to him or his talents. "There is a tool for every situation Destiny, and with proper training, anyone can learn how to use them. The same can not be said of magic, most ponies have magic that is limited to their special talent, and that is the extent of their magic power. You seem to forget that you yourself are not a disembodied mind, and in fact, your flesh is far less durable than any mithril wrench," he explained, watching her levitate his lightweight tool, the mare seeming intent to show him how pathetic his tools were as it started to glow.

He noticed the lines, his keen eyes watching them as she tried to assert that a simple use of force on a certain portion of his tool could destroy it. "And it seems that you are intent on proving the superiority of tools over magic. While you could destroy this wrench by applying many tons of force on a particular portion of it, the same could not be said of a unicorn," he explained with a sigh, the magician so caught up in her vast magical abilities that she seemed to forget about herself. "No, you see, any amount of force with a tool on a unicorn would indeed injure them greatly. In fact, only a tiny fraction of the force required to destroy my wrench would be needed to destroy your soft unicorn body," he explained with a sigh, gently tapping the crescent wrench on his talon.

Her assertions were quite bothersome and demeaning, the griffon trying his best not to let it bother him. Regardless, this was the most arrogant unicorn he had ever met, but the griffon maintained his composure knowing that many had done the same for him when he boasted. "The nice thing about tools, is that there is a tool for every situation, and everyone can use them. If you want to shoot something, there is of course a crossbow. If you want to mend metal together, I can hand ten blow torches over to ten griffons and with a few minutes of explanation, they can all be fixing pipes. And if I want to tighten or loosen a bolt, I have my wrench, which also doubles as the worlds toughest club," he added with a smirk, slipping it back into his bag before she decided to try and knot it into a bow.

"Tools are a creation of the mind, just like magic, and while they may not be as dextrous, they are continually evolving. They can be given to everyone, and have no real limitation. You don't need to learn an advanced magic spell and exert yourself to take a step into an airship and fly across the county. And while they are breakable, the source of both is as well. And as a wise princess once said, no magic lasts forever," he replied with a stern tone in his voice, the black hybrid shaking his now warm body as he basked a bit near the fire. He could hold his own in a discussion, and was trying his best to avoid letting it become heated, even as his pride started to taint his opinion.

Gerrard slowly walked his large body into the bar, the dark griffon blending in well with the shady surroundings, his silver head and yellow eyes the only things that were easy to make out of him. Gerrard watched examined the area while wearing the most firm of expressions on his face, the hybrid trying his best to seem serious. He did like the odd game of pool, and if darts were a legitimate weapon, he might be able to pass for a competent marksman. Of course, both were basically just games, ones he liked, but games nonetheless.

He saw that the bar was mostly empty, and thought it was probably for the best, not wanting to start a brawl with his antics. He spotted the bartender, the older mare vaguely reminding him of his unicorn friend, the griffon faintly smiling as he compared the two ponies in his mind, figuring that any similarities ended there, his mare friend coming off as rather robotic, something this stranger clearly was not. He listened as she casually welcomed Falco, clearly knowing him to some degree as she spoke with such familiarity.

Gerrard's eyes remained focused on the mare as Falco placed his crossbow on the counter, the black hybrid wanting to avoid any discussion of that tool while in the presence of anyone else. "Hello my lady, it is an honor to meet a friend of Sergeant Falco. I am Gerrard Grayfeather, may I humbly ask your name?" he asked in a sincere manner while he bowed before her, the griffon taking her left fore hoof in his talons as he politely kissed it. His actions were completely different from the ones he had displayed to griffon in their short time together. It was unclear if it was another joke from the 'plumber' or if he had decided to make less of a spectacle. Perhaps he was even just a womanizer of sorts, the Equestrian schooled griffon possibly having an interest in mares.

Gerrard was pleased to see that his two employees were dealing with his playful jabs in a reasonable manner. He learned from experience that some people didn't take kindly to any sort of joking, but like any proud griffon, he thrived on conflict. Regardless, he internally decided to limit such actions as he waved for his two new pony friends to follow him on his trip to the edge of town.

The black griffon looked over the ghost town as he began his slow tour of the town. "So Colton, what do you do for your own personal amusement when I'm not around to entertain you? Any interesting tricks or hobbies you know? Every pegasus I've ever met has dreamed of being a Wonderbolt, are you any different?" he asked his friend with his usual cheeky grin, the griffon honestly curious, regardless of how belittling it might seem.

"And of course, we can't forget about Lady Telki. Know any cool spells? I have a friend, who requests to remain nameless, and she knows all kinds of tricky spells to confuse people. Or might I venture a guess that you have an awesome talent that isn't magic related at all? That would be very interesting," he added devilishly as they made their way towards the slowly growing pipeline in the distance. Gerrard would never openly admit it, but unicorn magic had always fascinated him and he was always trying to determine the extent of power each individual unicorn had.