Legends of the Crystal Cave

[QueenCerali]

Kala and Taffy stepped out of the train as it came to a halt at the gates of the Crystal Empire, and Taffy dragged Kala through. "Hm.... where to go...." Taffy murmured. Kala sighed. "Taffy, you need to plan these trips better." Taffy rolled her eyes. "whatever. let's go find a map." she trotted down the street, with Kala following behind.

[Lyipheoryia]

Nightingale arrived to the Crystal Empire with a specific goal in mind.  Or rather-a bet.  

"If you can make it through the legendary Crystal Caves-yes, the ones the 'scary' lore is about-and come out alive, we'll void the fees you owe us for ransacking our cave"

Okay, it wasn't her fault that the crowd got a little wild...or that certain drunk ponies thought it would be a good idea to literally tear the stage apart.  Certainty not her fault...even if all the ponies pointed hooves at her to avoid punishment.  Still, she didn't mind a little bet or two.  A scare or two always keeps you alert~

 

Marquis Ebony Centurion had just arrived via train to the Crystal Empire.  Honestly, he wasn't quite sure why he was here.  Something about 'you need a little time off', and 'your hard work needs a reward!".  Nevertheless, he was here on a...what was the word again?

---

Vacation.

He saw the same mares he had sat a few seats behind enter the Empire-them smiling and laughing, and he glaring and cold.  But his own maners betrayed himself, and he turned to the duo, "Good'ay, missus.  You here for...vacation as well?"

[QueenCerali]

Taffy turned to face the stallion. "hm? oh, yeah. no idea what we're going to do here, though. so far, I'm just enjoying the scenery~" she said, grinning. "how about you? enjoying yourself?

[IceStorm]

(Sorry for the delay. I was fine tuning some details mid-post. Took longer than anticipated.)

 

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

Ahh, the Crystal Empire. The last time that Ice Storm was here was when she was attending the Crystal Faire. What a day that ended up being, and it would be one that she would remember for the rest of her life. She could still hear the screams of terror that echoed through the spire as the Red Jarl and his crew continued to ransack the brainwashed guards, She could sit here and list every detail of that day from memory as if it was still happening before her. At the very least she could see that the Spire had been repaired, and the new Crystal stood out quite a bit from the crystal of old that was underneath of it. She looked out to the memorial that was raised from the crystal of the old spire to serve as a reminder of the event. Many ponies saw it as a peace memorial with the Askr clan came to help rebuild the Crystal Empire, a few saw a deeper meaning. One that only they would truly know what that stood for.

 

Today though, she was not here to meet up with the Princess, meet one of the Jarls, or take part in some grand festival. Today, Ice Storm was here because she had heard a few things. It was only a few small leads, and nothing that really seemed like too much of an issue, but Ice Storm had a hunch that there was something hidden within a certain Cave System here. A mysterious herb that only grew within the confinements of the cave that was rumors to have many, many beneficial effects. She had only heard rumors of the effects and even more vague rumors on them being in the cave. She doubted them herself, as she didn't think anything could grow in pure crystal, but she'd been wrong on things before. If these rumors held any sort of truth to them though... it would definitely give EPIC the upperhoof on defeating wraith once and for all.

 

That said, there was one rumor that Ice Storm did not take lightly, and that was the rumor that the cave was full of dangers. From pitfalls, to monsters, to the haunting ghosts of ponies past that had went in searching for treasures never to be seen again. She wasn't really sure what they would run into here, but she did at least head enough of the warnings as to not come alone. She had brought with her a new student from the college that specialized in finding herbs. In fact, that was her talent. She covered all of her expenses and told her that she would be rewarded greatly if they were able to find it. And if they didn't find anything, the only thing it cost her was time and she got to see Equestria. The mare didn't seem to hesitate to get a chance for more knowledge.

 

~~~Medo~~~

 

Medo at first wasn't entirely sure why she had agreed to go with this mare. She had only met her a few times in passing before now at a local shop that she ran. Her treats were really good and a welcome relief to the warmth that she felt on the summer days. However, this was nothing like what she was expecting. Of course, she couldn't really say that she was expecting anything in Equestria. She had never been to this land before so everything was new for her. PLus, she wasn't paying the bill so she couldn't really complain. Medo had learned from the train ride that the mare's name that she was with was Ice Storm, and like her name sake, she was an Ice Mage. She had requested her help in finding a mysterious Herb. An herb that not only had Medo not even heard of before, one that was only rumored to even exist. They were on a fool's hunt. 

 

That being said, even though it was a fool's hunt, if something like that did exist, she could only imagine what illnesses that she would be able to treat with but one single leaf. Of course she would have to study the herb and see what parts would yield the best results, but that was getting ahead of herself. She couldn't get excited over something that they had yet to prove existed, and even if it did, they would have to get to it first. That was going to be the most important part. If there was one thing that she knew from home. Caves were nothing to sneeze at and if you weren't prepared for them, could be your tomb.

 

For the moment though, she was simply walking next to her presumed-to-be friend. They had just awoken from their stay at the hotel and woke up bright and early so that they could at least get to the cave under daylight. Which, was a feat in of itself this far north. Thankfully though the caves weren't really all that far away.

 

"Miss Storm, did you remember the maps and other supplies we'll need?" Medo asked her.

 

"I did, although I couldn't find any maps of the interior of the caves. So we're going to have to be super careful and mark everything. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not get..." Ice started replying as she spotted a few more ponies ahead of them already by the caves. "That's odd... I wasn't expecting a welcoming party..." she finished as they approached the group catching the tail end of a mare telling a stallion that she was just out taking in the sights. "Good morning to the three of you..." Ice Storm spoke cautiously, her saddle bags making it clear that she and Medo were here for an expedition of some kind.

[QueenCerali]

Taffy turned towards this new pair of ponies. "oh, hello. good morning to you as well." she said, smiling. "what brings you here?"

[PyroBlaze]

Cryo stepped off the train with his brother, looking around at the Crystal Empire. Cryo had some time off work, and he decided to spend it by taking a trip with his brother. It helped that he had heard rumors about some cave here, he was sure Pyro would enjoy that little adventure. 

 

"Wow, this place is awesome!" Pyro said, smiling as the two unicorns trotted down the road, taking in the sights. 

 

They slowed as they saw a group of ponies standing around together. The two brothers paused for a moment before approaching the group.

 

"What's going on over here? A party?" Pyro asked, looking around at all of them. "Name's Pyro Blaze. This is my bro, Cryo Freeze." He added, smiling a bit at them. 

[Lyipheoryia]

On 8/5/2016 at 1:25 PM, QueenCerali said:

"hm? oh, yeah. no idea what we're going to do here, though. so far, I'm just enjoying the scenery~" she said, grinning. "how about you? enjoying yourself?

"Not.  At.  All," 

But there was no humor in the Marquis' voice, no hint of smile in his eye or a mischievous hoof-shoulder pat.  He was completely serious.  IhatethisandIwanttogetbacktowork.  A pair of ponies appeared, but he was too distracted to study them.  He tipped an invisible hat, mornin'.  He paused for a second, the pair seemed to be talking about...The Crystal Caves?  But before he could comment, another pair appeared.  He recognized Lt. Cyro Blaze almost immediately, but couldn't quite guess out the other until Cyro pointed out.  Admittingly, he was a bit surprised to see the Lt. so 'chill'.  That stallion loved his job, and-well-I guess not everypony loves it the same way.

 

Nightingale, on the other hoof, froze when she saw her father.  Her mood instantly soured, and she hesitated in greeting him.  Luckily, a pair of ponies walked by-jabbering about the Crystal Caves.  That she could talk about.  

"'Sup 'mates!  Imma hearin' things 'bout Crystal Caves?  You goin'?  If you are, wouldcha' mind comin' with me?"

[IceStorm]

(Who's playing a Qilin? If you're refering to Medo, she's still a Unicorn, she's just not from Equestria.)

 

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

Ice Storm was the first to come to a stop in front of the group of ponies that stood at the entrance of the caves. She had to admit she wasn't really expecting some of the responses that she was getting from them. Some of the ponies seemed to be here on vacation, and were seemingly unaware of any of the dangers that were rumored to be present in the caves before them. In fact, many of them were in a much more lighthearted mood that she was at the moment. That wasn't to say that she wasn't happy, or excited to go into the caves herself, but the fact remained that she knew, or at least thought she knew what was in store for them. Then again, as long as these ponies weren't accompanying them into the deeper, more dangerous parts of the caves, then they shouldn't have much to worry about.

 

As she was about to respond, another group of ponies had made their way over. Both of them appeared to be unicorns. The one introduced himself as Pyro Blaze and he introduced whom he said was his brother as Cryo Freeze. It appears that her and Fire Heart weren't the only fire and ice combination in Equestria. It somewhat humored her to know that there was more than one couple like this. Although these were brothers, so she was a slight bit intrigued, but she supposed that ones special talent and magical abilities may not entirely be genetic. After all, her own parents were jewelry makers and marine biologists. She gave a small nod of her own.

 

"My name is Ice Storm, and this is my friend Medo. We're actually here to explore the deeper, more dangerous parts of the cave. We're kinda looking for something, but I'm not at liberty to discuss what it is at the moment," she told them. In truth, the mission wasn't classified at all, but she didn't know any of these ponies at all, and she didn't want to run the risk of any of them being WRAITH operatives. She figured that she could try to get that information out of them discretely while they were exploring with them. She knew that going into the cave without them would be out of the question, especially when she said that they were looking for something. However, if turned out that they were for their enemies, she could always lose them somewhere in the caves... but then they could just ambush her on the way out. She had to think things over very thoroughly. the odds of these ponies being a potential enemy were minuscule, but she wasn't going to let her guard down just yet. "That being said, I don't have an problem with anypony coming with, but you you do so at your own risk, as like I said, we're going to parts of the cave that are normally off limits to tourists," she warned.

 

~~~Medo~~~

 

Medo simply listened and took in all of the information that she could around her. This was a good learning experience for her in getting to see how ponies in different regions of this foreign land reacted with each other within their own nation. She noted that many ponies seemed to be quite out going, although there was a stallion in the group that was at the cave entrance that seemed less enthused to be there than everypony else. She also looked back to the two new ponies that approached and introduced themselves. Apparently they were brothers. That was nice to see that families could enjoy being social with others, however, that while the mare next to her seemed to be quite polite, she seemed quite stoic. She wasn't really sure why, as the ponies hadn't done anything wrong, but perhaps there was more things going on that she needed to, or wanted to know.

 

She did hear one of the ponies ask why they were there, to which the mare next to her had answered again, only mentioning that they were looking for something, but that she wasn't at liberty to discuss what it was entirely. Was the expedition that they were on top secret or something? She knew that it was going to be dangerous but that was about it. One thing was for sure, she was starting to second guess herself. She wasn't quite sure what she was stepping her hooves into, but it was far too late to back out now. She would have to ask Ice Storm about the comments that she made and what they meant. Instead she just smiled and gave a polite bow to the ponies in greeting as custom to her homeland.

 

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. As Mrs. Storm mentioned. My name is Medo. We're actually planning on spending multiple days in the caves, so like he advised. You're welcome to come in with us, but there's a chance we'll be in there for a while. Not to mention, from what I've heard this place already isn't as gentle as it may seem. According to one of the textbooks that I read at the university, there is rumored to be an ancient presence that lingers in the cave. There's a lot of speculation as to what it is, although nothing in my readings have ever been confirmed," Medo told them putting one of the books that she had from the Canterlot University on the Crystal Caves of the Empire.

[PyroBlaze]

(Sorry Ice, I guess I just assumed since she was foreign and I didn't see any descriptors when I read the post. Dunno why, I mean I've got a ddog from Long Guo...)

 

Cryo looked over at the other guard present, giving him a nod of respect and greeting as he listened to the others speak. The icy one claimed that the reason she was here was confidential, making him raise an eyebrow at her and glance back over at his fellow guard.

 

"Nice to meet you all too, looks like we could adventure in there together!" Pyro said, smiling at Ice and Medo. Cryo was keeping his gaze on Ice, sizing her up and trying to decide if she was up to no good or not. He wasn't sure as of yet, but she did have what appeared to be a foreigner with her. He would have to keep an eye on them.

 

"I am a lieutenant of the REA, I will be running protection, for the most part." Cryo stated simply, looking around at the group that had assembled. Really, he assumed all of them were coming, but he would be happy if it was just the four of them. Less ponies meant less stress over protecting a non-combatant.

[QueenCerali]

Taffy grinned. "ya know.... it's been a while since we've been on an adventure. this should be fun~"

[Lyipheoryia]

On 8/8/2016 at 10:27 PM, IceStorm said:

"My name is Ice Storm, and this is my friend Medo. We're actually here to explore the deeper, more dangerous parts of the cave. We're kinda looking for something, but I'm not at liberty to discuss what it is at the moment,"

Nightingale gave a grin, before laughing aloud, "Alright, Miss-not-at-liberty-to-discuss-it~  I'm not gonna inquire if it's all confidential *squee* or whatnot,"

Still, a little part of her heart sunk.  Would she not allow me to join her?  Her eyes glanced again and saw her father, and she made the quick decision to ignore him unless he provoked her.  Before she could make any more snide comments to the pair, Ice spoke again.

On 8/8/2016 at 10:27 PM, IceStorm said:

"That being said, I don't have an problem with anypony coming with, but you you do so at your own risk, as like I said, we're going to parts of the cave that are normally off limits to tourists,

"Y'allrighty, I'm in!  Those are exactly the parts of the Caves I need to go to!"  

 

On 8/8/2016 at 10:27 PM, IceStorm said:

"It is a pleasure to meet all of you. As Mrs. Storm mentioned. My name is Medo. We're actually planning on spending multiple days in the caves, so like he advised. You're welcome to come in with us, but there's a chance we'll be in there for a while. Not to mention, from what I've heard this place already isn't as gentle as it may seem. According to one of the textbooks that I read at the university, there is rumored to be an ancient presence that lingers in the cave. There's a lot of speculation as to what it is, although nothing in my readings have ever been confirmed,"

She paused, before suddenly realizing that she hadn't given an introduction yet.  Once more, she glanced at her father, worried that he would strike at her like he had...before she was disowned.  She leveled her eyes and raised her head tall-eager to prove now that she had made herself worth something, "Name's Nightingale.  Might'ave heard of me from the streets or underground music scene~  Number one DJ on the block!  I do all sorts of parties and what'not.  In fact, one of my most recent ones was at one of Canterlot's most prestigious hotels!  I play my own beats, and live by 'em too,"  

 

The Marquis glared at his daughter.  What was she doing here?  His mind recalled all of their heated arguments and angry moments, and the echoes of his disownment to her were loud in his ears.  In fact, they were so loud that he didn't here a word that the pair said...Ice Storm and Medo, was it?  The next thing he knew, his daughter was introducing her self as "Nightingale".  His teeth clenched, and his spat into the ground.  Yet...despite all that he had gone through, he still felt some ties to this girl.  Part of him regretted leaving this high-potential young mare into the streets.  I will have a talk with her later about this...

On 8/8/2016 at 11:48 PM, PyroBlaze said:

"I am a lieutenant of the REA, I will be running protection, for the most part."

Nightingale turned towards Cyro at that.  She left a third glance at her father, and memories swelled in her mind.  

Dad, you've always been a workaholic.  Just because you want to be some high-*squee* REA doesn't mean I have to too!

Young mare: I don't know why you would think being some stupid DJ would be better than serving the Princess, but I thoroughly intend to fix your mind!

There's nothing wrong with my mind!  I don't.  Want.  To.  Be.  A.  Lunar.  Guard.

She turned away for a second, before hearing another mare talk.  Eager to get away from the thoughts that plagued her mind, she turned towards the mare, "I love adventures!  I'm here because of a bet...or a dare.  I forget~  What's your name?"

 

Meanwhile, the Marquis smiled proud at the Lt.  Well, you picked up where my daughter left off.  Let's see how she feels when I give you all my attention!  Those thoughts caught him off guard, and be blinked a few times to clear his head.  Did I just...try to make my daughter jealous?  Why in the world would I want to do anything for that little snitch?  He reached over to shake the hands of the two stallions, "Pleasure to meet you.  Brigadier General of the Royal Lunar Guard, Marquis Ebony Centurion,"

[QueenCerali]

Taffy grinned. "Ah'm Taffy Warmheart! this is my wife, Kala." she said, holding out a hoof. 

[IceStorm]

~~~Ice Storm~~~

 

Ice Storm listened closely as the ponies around her started speaking, and almost instantly she became wary of the aerion. When she told her that the dangerous part of the caves were just the parts that she was needing to go to. She knew that if she had heard of the caves, WRAITH probably had as well, so at this point she was all but convinced that this aerion was an operative of them. Why else would she need to go to the most dangerous part of caves? Something didn't seem right. She looked back over to the pony whom introduced himself as Lt. Cryo Freeze. She thought that the pony had looked familiar at first. Now that she heard his name, she knew instantly who he was, or at least, she'd seen his name come across her desk in the Guild Hall. Being one of the master ice mages in the guild she was hardly surprised when she heard about him. However, she hadn't been able to give any sort of feasible lessons to him of any kind. From her understanding, he was very new to the guild anyway.

 

That said, he was a lieutenant in the REA. She hadn't served with him in one of her missions yet either, but she knew that being an officer, he at least had to be potent. When he said be running protection for the most part, she gave him kind of an inquisitorial look. Hopefully he wasn't meaning to presume herself as a slouch. Then again, it was possible he didn't know exactly who she was right off hoof. After all, this expedition was unannounced, and she'd never come across him in the guild, so this was the most likely truth. She could see his gaze looking towards here, and could tell it was one of distrust.

 

Her train of thought turned back to the other stallion that was with the one whom she was already suspicious of herself. When she heard him state his name, she didn't need to know his rank. She already knew exactly who it was. Everypony in EPIC knew who the brigadier general was. "I must say, I was not expecting to run into you here sir... Do you have information as to what we can expect in the more dangerous parts of the caves?" she told the general as she turned back to the lieutenant. "We could use all the help we can get in the caves. I wasn't really expecting on taking tourists to the part of the caves that we're going to, and I can't look after everypony at once. So any help you could provide would be much appreciated Lieutenant," she spoke to him. While she wouldn't directly disobey either of them, she was not here on an official mission for either the general, or the REA. For the time being, they were accompanying her on her mission.

 

With that in mind she turned her sights back to the aerion. "Just remember, I am not asking you to come with us, and like Medo said, we're likely going to be in there for days. If you come with us, then you do so understanding that you are doing so under your own risk, and once we leave the main trails of the cave, there is no turning back. I will do what I can to help with your safety, but I will not be held responsible for any injuries that may be sustained by following. We don't even know everything that is in this cave, let alone what to defend against. I reiterate, you come at your own risk," she said as she began to move towards the caves. Truthfully, she was trying her hardest to detour the Aerion. It was possible that she wasn't affiliated with anything, but if she was, well, at the very least she'd be able to hold her own. Of course she had no way of knowing that the Aerion she was speaking with was the brigadier's daughter. Although hearing that she was here on a dare or a bet in a game, she gave her the same inquisitional look that she gave the lieutenant earlier. "You're coming out here, and putting your life on the line... for a bet in a game?" Ice Storm asked to confirm what she was hearing. This mare was either very naive, or had a deathwish, one of the two.

 

~~~Medo~~~

 

Medo stood by and took in the accounts of everypony else around her. There was a Lieutenant and a General here? Just what did she get herself into? She was just a humble herb pony, and now here she was in the midst of something that was well... a lot larger than the Icy mare had explained before. Although judging from the mare's reaction to the two officers, she was about as surprised to see them as she was. That meant that she wasn't expecting them here either. So she was at least somewhat more comfortable knowing that she wasn't getting caught up in some large scale task force infantry mission. Although there was one response from the mare with unusual wings that caught her off guard. She was here on a bet? She wanted to state her own disbeliefs, but Ice Storm had already said everything that needed to be said on the matter.

 

She looked over into the caves as Ice had started heading that way before looking back to the sky. the sun was at about a mid morning light. However she knew that once they got down into the caves, time would become relative. There would be little to no light at all except for the torches brought as well as any light spells that one of the other unicorns may know. However for the moment, she could tell that the longer that they stayed here, the less time they were actually being productive. She began to head towards the caves much like Ice Storm had before. "Come, We can continue all of the pleasantries while we make some headway. It is already mid morning, which means we've lost a good quarter of a day's travel. We'll have plenty of time to get to know each other and why everypony is here while we walk," she told the group.

 

While she wasn't really in a hurry to go into the caves, she was in a hurry to get this over with so she could go home. She wasn't going to back out now, but she was growing increasingly uncomfortable with the situation at hoof. She told herself that it would be worth it in the end though. The alchemical breakthroughs that this plant could create if it actually existed, was unimaginable. If the rumors were true, so many ailments could be remedied with this one plant. Truthfully she found it hard to believe herself. Even if something did exist, surely it was kept under tight secrecy and would never be allowed to surface. Still, she had to admit even to herself... if there was anypony that could find this herb, it was a pony like herself, a pony who's special talent was finding herbs.

[PyroBlaze]

"Greetings, sir." Cryo said, shaking the offered hoof with a nod before turning towards Ice. He watched her as she spoke to him, and he gave another nod at her thanks. Now that he took a closer look though, she seemed familiar. Where had he seen her before?

 

Right, Ice Storm. A master with the guild and a member of EPIC. So her intentions here were likely good, that was one less thing to worry about. He would train his magic with her, but he wasn't quite sure what she could teach that he didn't know, especially when it came to ice. Still, he could be surprised he supposed. 

 

"You're a General? Cool!" Pyro said, smiling a bit as he shook the stallion's hoof. He looked over at Nightingale next, approaching the mare with another smile. 

 

"A DJ? Cool, I work as a pyrotechnics dude part time." He said as the group began moving into the cave. Pyro stuck near Nightingale while Cryo stayed with the General. 

[Lyipheoryia]

(Really sorry for the wait guys!) 

On 8/11/2016 at 5:47 PM, QueenCerali said:

"Ah'm Taffy Warmheart! this is my wife, Kala."

Nightingale smiled at the couple, pleased that romance still existed in a world full of magic and world-endangering monsters.  She took the hoof hesitantly, shaking it with a weak hoof.  The memories flowed right into her, and having her father beside her didn't help at all.

M'lady~The master is home.  Should I greet him?

It's 'kay, Mister Mercy-I can do it.  

Are you sure?  There is no need to hide the fact that you despise his formal introductions from your butler.

Yeah, yeah.  I've got it covered.

But she didn't.  She never did.  She never felt love from her father, and she never felt like anything more than another one of his soldiers whenever he returned home.  Or his firm hoofshake...instead of a hug.

On 8/14/2016 at 9:19 PM, IceStorm said:

"You're coming out here, and putting your life on the line... for a bet in a game?"

Storm awoke her from her trance with those words, and a sheepish look spread across her face.  It's not that creepy.  She had been, in fact, using her keen Aerion skills to observe Ms. Storm.  The mare had seemed a bit...ruffled by Nightingale, and was clearly uneasy with a conversation around her.  That's 'kay~ She turned once more towards the mare, grinning her 'Imma-DJ-and-imma-rock-your-word' smile, "Don't take it personally-but I have a high tolerance for 'dying'.  This is no biggie compared to," she paused for suspense-and because she wasn't quite sure telling the mare anymore would make her trust her, "the others,"  

It was obvious the mare didn't like her, so she tuned her ear to Medo's instead.  She smiled at the mare, before nodding at her statment.  Yes-we do have lots of time to break the ice that Ms. ICE Storm has clearly brought up.

 

On 8/14/2016 at 11:17 PM, PyroBlaze said:

"A DJ? Cool, I work as a pyrotechnics dude part time."

Nightingale walked beside Pyro, pleased to find more than onepony willing to be her friend.  "Woah bro!  I've always loved watching pyrotechnics do their work.  Hey-if you ever need a show, or want to collab-I'm definitely up for it!"

He seemed nice enough, but she couldn't help but notice his brother take an interest in her father.  Her mind worked it's snide remarks, Army brats.

 

---

 

On 8/14/2016 at 9:19 PM, IceStorm said:

"I must say, I was not expecting to run into you here sir... Do you have information as to what we can expect in the more dangerous parts of the caves?

He blinked.  Should I know this mare?  And why in Equestria is she asking me about this?  Shouldn't she ask, maybe, oh, my no-good daughter?!  He opted to stare straight ahead, unwilling to tend to his daughter's wishes of seeing him break down for her.  All the time, he had spied on her conversations.  Despite how much he hated to admit it, she seemed...happy.  Happier than she had ever been with him.  He shook the despicable thoughts form his head, and turned to Ms. Storm, "Unfortunately, I am at no liberty to discuss any information with you; Due to reason that: (a) I am not on shift and therefore not liable for any events that may occur out of the extraordinary due to my information, (b) This information is highly restricted and confidential," He paused himself right there, never backing up from his stoic stance.

Textbook rehearsal during Junior Guard Regime Training Camp really had been his strong point.

At Ms. Medo's words, he began walking with the group towards the Caves.  The Lt. he had previously been talking to approached him offered a hoof, and he gave it a firm shake.  "Pleasure.  I take it you know Ms. Storm?"