Appearances...[Canterlot] (Conor Colton, Gerrard, PM for Invite)

[Conor Colton]

Darkest Dawn was home...or, at least what he perceived as home for a long time, the grand city of Canterlot! Having lived in Ponyville for a while it felt refreshing for the pegasus to return to his place of birth, taking in the sights and sounds of constant familiarity. This visit wasn't for no simple reason of nostalgia though, this pegasus had a job that needed doing. Before he had moved he had worked briefly in Canterlot University in their cosmology department, a job which he valued greatly.

He had made some recent findings in his own observatory in Ponyville just about a week ago, and was eager to share his data with some ponies he respected and who he knew understood. Ponyville denizens are nice but outside of the odd comet shower there isn't much talk of cosmology or the stars; he didn't mind of course, to each their own was a policy he lived by.

The findings detailed a region of stars he had been researching for quite some time now, it could be viewed as boring or simplistic but Dawn was keen to go over his research with some like-minded ponies.

Aside from that, the pegasus didn't have much business in the big city. He had of course visited his parents prior and spent some time with them but he was now off to the University, with an eager smile on his face. He expected a routine visit. That remains to be seen...

[Gerrard]

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.

[Conor Colton]

The wide and grand Canterlot University was laid out before the approaching black pegasus, still as prestigious as he had remembered. Dawn hovered slightly before landing on the soft green grass below, sighing happily as the familiar sensation of campus grounds came back to him, "[colour=#b22222]No place like it in all of Equestria.[/colour]" he stated happily, making his way to the main campus building. As he did he looked around, spotting some familiar faces and some brand new ones; not really interacting with them beyond a wave and keeping on his decided route.

He wasn't one for social interaction, especially publicly. Dawn's priority was to get into the campus, get his findings looked at and analyzed and possibly talked over by a team he could trust, then leaving just as quickly as he entered; like a mouse, making as little noise possible. This didn't mean he didn't pick up on a few things though. He had heard talk of some rival observatories, a concept he found rather hard to grasp. How is it that ponies can simply call themselves rivals just for the hay of it and not simply collaborate?, "[colour=#b22222]...Bits I suppose.[/colour]" Dawn thought, shaking his head. He was glad to be helping out with his own personal findings though.

Before he made his way into the campus proper, he looked back at the entrance, mostly to take it in in all it's splendor. However, he noticed something out of the ordinary, a strange hooded figure. Now, Dawn wasn't one to make snap judgement, with his appearance that would just brand him as a hypocrite but he felt suspicious of this figure. Being an optimist however, he simply assumed that the pony was lost, given they were looking at an out of date map, "[colour=#b22222]Somepony really needs to fix that.[/colour]" Dawn said absentmindedly as he walked over to the figure.

"[colour=#b22222]Uh, excuse me. That map's a little out of date so, would you like any directions?[/colour]" the pegasus inquired, wondering what had compelled him to simply ask such a question to an complete stranger.

[Gerrard]

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.

[Conor Colton]

Dawn was rather surprised by this mare. Not because of her cowl or her seemingly stoic appearance, but more so her appearance itself. It's strange to say but in all his years, the pegasus had never actually come across another pony that was...well, coloured like him. It took him a moment to compose himself in order to reply but he eventually did.

"[colour=#b22222]That's quite lucky, I was just heading there actually, you can follow me if you would like.[/colour]" Dawn stated, about to turn back to his destination but not before introducing himself first, "[colour=#b22222]The honor is all mine, Asteria. My name is Darkest Dawn.[/colour]" he nodded, then turning towards the astronomy department. Dawn then began to wonder about this mare; who was she? What was her purpose here? How did Dawn never notice a pony with her colour scheme before? She certainly was interesting, if not questionable.

The pegasus put aside such ill mannered thoughts however and opted to give the unicorn the benefit of the doubt; as he wished someponies would give him sometimes. He could see himself relating to this pony, which made him feel slightly better about this trip. In being in such an improved mood, Dawn sparked up some idle conversation as he led the way, "[colour=#b22222]So, what brings you to the university, Asteria?[/colour]"

[Gerrard]

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.

[Conor Colton]

Dawn was rather puzzled by Asteria's demeanor, he had seemingly never came across with a mare with her mannerisms. It was strange of course, but also rather fascinating. The pegasus always had an interest in sociology and physiology and would have loved to pick this mare's brain, had they the time. For now, he would have to settle to getting to know each other on a strictly conversational level; a fact he didn't mind but he wouldn't have objected to more.

Upon hearing her response to his question though he had to wonder, just what was it she was doing here. He didn't want to instantly assume rival astronomers, a phrase he still found hard to believe but when his credentials and credibility was called into question, he knew he couldn't stand idly by at that. With a slight halt in his walk he reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a card, one with information on the front and the Canterlot University insignia on the back. Holding it up for Asteria he remarked, "[colour=#b22222]I hope this would suffice. Darkest Dawn, owner and lead cosmologist at the Ponyville Observatory. Registered partner of the University of Canterlot.[/colour]" he read aloud as he pointed to a picture of himself on the card.

"[colour=#b22222]Now, is there anything you can tell me about your visit now?[/colour]" he questioned, wondering why he was doing this. Something about this mare just seemed strange. Maybe it was her colour scheme, or her seemingly sophisticated attitude, or maybe Dawn was just taking an opportunity to get to know her better.

[Gerrard]

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.