[Canterlot] The tour [PM TO JOIN]

[Conor Colton]

Colton sat for a little while longer, still enjoying the comfort and warmth of Flux against his shoulder. He rested his head in her hair once again and closed his eyes, almost as if he was about to drift off into a deep sleep. The pegasus got snapped out of this though when he heard a tiny splashing noise coming from the table, he turned and saw Sparks with his little bird head literally 'dunked' into the glass of blueberry juice.

Colton wondered for a second, What is it with him and Blueberry? He asked himself, generally referring to experiences in the past. This made Colton realise that their food had arrived, of course he had already made that obvious realization but he just didn't want to interrupt the moment with the unicorn. He reluctantly pulled his hoof away from around Flux and reached for the sandwiches, passing Flux's her one in the process.

"Well it's not the most 'romantic' meal ever but it'll do." The pegasus said still in that soft voice he had just addressed Flux with as he took the first bite of his sandwich, Wow this is actually really good! He thought to himself, but maybe that was because he was hungry.

[Neoniie]

Flux grinned at Sparks' enthusiasm, finding his antics to be amusingly childlike in their energy. When Colton passed her the sandwich, she quickly transferred it from her hoof to the magical bubble of levitation energy that defied gravity. Taking a bite, she found the food to be much better than the cooking that Torvus usually managed. She appreciated his effort, but a well-crafted meal was a nice break every once in a while.

She took a few more bites and then turned again to Colton. "So, now that we are less famished, are there any theories that you have regarding our mystery?" Flux had a few of her own, but she wanted to see if Colton had seen something she hadn't. A different perspective was always useful when determining facts from supposition.

[Conor Colton]

Colton took another bite before answering, he swallowed promptly and wiped his mouth less he look rude whilst speaking. The pegasus went over in his head all the information he had learned up until this point, trying to link whatever evidence he could. He came to a reasonable assumption and voiced it quietly as he had felt that odd chill returning to him.

"Well, I can't say for sure, what I do know is that this thing must be bigger than we think." Colton said as he carefully choose his next words, "Think about it, why would anypony go to such lengths to keep this a secret? And we know that passage isn't just some old untouched relic either, I mean it was picked clean when we found it, relatively recently as well." The pegasus stated as he decided to come up with a summary.

"Basically, somepony doesn't want us knowing about it....there's got to be a reason why though." Colton said as he took another thought-filled bite.

[Neoniie]

"I had thought as much," Flux said, expressing her agreement with Colton's assessment. "I can only guess that whatever was discovered by these archaeologists was incriminating against these enigmatic ponies. They also are likely professionals, due to their swift work in emptying the secret room of any evidence. However, their leaving of these few documents we discovered means they were either interrupted or did not believe them to be important."

"Either way, it means that they may have overlooked some evidence that could be found within these journals. I'll need some time to look over them, I suppose," Flux sighed slightly. She wasn't a detective, but the mystery before them was too tantalizing to merely allow it to go unsolved. True, she would need to reschedule several experiments, but it would be worth it to unravel this thread of hidden secrets. She took another bite of the sandwich and considered what she had read.

[Conor Colton]

"I've seen some strange things before, I've met all manner of slime-balls and double crossers......But this is something else." Colton said as he went to take a bite from his sandwich, but as he did he bit his hoof instead, "What the?" He said as he looked at an empty hoof in front of him. Apparently he had finished his sandwich but didn't realise as he was enveloped in thought.

"Huh.....Time flies I guess." Colton said with a raised eyebrow. The pegasus then turned to the unicorn still resting on his shoulder, "This is pretty exciting huh?" The pegasus stated as he looked out the window, "I'll tell ya....It's been a while since I've been involved in such an adventure...." Colton smiled as he reminisced at all his past endeavours.

"I never expected this to happen when I came to Canterlot.....But, I guess I've had a lot of 'pleasant surprises'." The pegasus stated as he gave Flux a gentle kiss on the head, not caring about the obvious glaring eyes of the establishment. After that however Colton felt a very familiar chill down his spine, he shivered it off quickly though as he scanned the room for suspicious activity.

[Neoniie]

"I've never really been in such a situation before, to be honest. Any tips for the newly inducted?" Flux had a wry smile on her face, an oddly playful mood had washed over the unicorn. She did wonder what exactly it was that the two had gotten themselves entangled in. The most danger that the unicorn had faced invovled volatile chemicals and possibly huge clean-up jobs. Never had anything so potentially danergous crossed Flux's path, but she could resist following the strings of mystery and attempting to weave them back together.

She smiled shyly at Colton's small kiss, but she returned the kiss, though hers has planted upon his cheekbone. The unicorn noticed the scan Colton did of the room and felt instantly more alert of their surroundings, but she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Well, she did see something out of the ordinary for her. The oddity was namely sitting in a high class confectionery with a pegasus whom she had a crush on, but the establishment itself seemed to be buisiness as usual.

[Conor Colton]

Colton continued his scan, still trying to deduct what gave him that odd chill, Something must be out of the ordinary.....But what? He though to himself as he tapped his chin and raised an eyebrow in thought. He snapped out of this almost detective like trance when he felt a warm, gentle sensation on his cheek. He thought of a response to Flux's question, for which he previously didn't pay much mind to as he was still lost in thought.

"Well, firstly you got to always stay vigilant I guess." Colton said as he perplexed at what to say next, as he wasn't usually asked for 'adventure advice', "And another thing....Only rely on those you're sure you can trust....That seems to apply more here, this whole thing strikes me as....dangerous." Colton said as he looked back down at Flux who was still resting on his shoulder, he had hoped his words didn't intimidate the unicorn about the current situation.

"But, don't worry, I'll make sure nothing happens to us." Colton said as he brushed Flux's hair slightly to try and ease any worries, and still he had that chill. He chalked it up as irrelevant but he couldn't help but scan the room again.

[Neoniie]

"Well, I'll certainly keep that in mind." Flux tried to keep her tone light, but her last words trailed into a more serious tone. The unicorn had a feeling that whatever they were now entangled in was far more sinster than it had already seemed. Flux hated feelings like that, because some part of her felt as though it was part of some magical unicorn instinct. It was of course completely illogical to think that anypony could see the future, beyond possibly the Royal Sisters, but it still caused a deep-seated worry to lodge itself in her mind.

Colton could clearly sense her unease, attempting to reassure her nonverbally. She took comfort in his assurance, but even a worry out of mind can grow. The mare followed his eyeline quietly, not wanting to draw too much suspicion toward them. She wasn't at all comfortable with this state of suspension they seemed to be in, with neither party wishing to make the first move. Nonetheless, she watched the dinning ponies around them, hoping that both of their glances would not cause anypony to suspect them of illicit activities.

[Conor Colton]

Colton continued to scan the room, he had no idea as to why, he had done so before and came up with no results proving anything sinister. But the thought was niggling in the pegasus' mind and no matter how hard he tried he couldn't seem to shake it. He shook his head about, trying to get it out of his head, but as he did he noticed something that was 'rather strange' to say the least.

Although the sight was blurry Colton could make out something in the distance, it looked to him like somepony was...staring back at him. The pegasus blinked and rubbed his eyes to try and get a clearer image but when he reopened his eyes the mysterious figure had gone. He was shocked by this, he looked under the table to ensure that Flux's bags were still there and luckily, they were.

Colton wasn't about to waste anymore time here though as he was sure somepony was watching the two, he pulled Sparks out of the empty blueberry juice cup and then turned his attention back to Flux, "I..uh, think we should be going..." He said as he reached into his pocket and threw the required amount of bits on the table.

[Neoniie]

"I agree." Flux didn't argue with the pegasus' suggestion. She could tell that he had good reason for this abrupt declaration, and due to their current situation, she didn't doubt that his reasons were quite well-founded. The unicorn got up from her seated position and levitated her saddlebags from underneath the table, placing them crookedly atop her back in haste. She looked quickly around the immediate area, noticing that waiter was hanging off to the side with a disproving expression still clear on his muzzle. She discretly left a few extra bits behind, more out of courtesy than any real wish to tip the blue pony.

At a brisk trot, she made for the entrance. She had to weave between several oddly placed tables, eyes watching the scene before her for any sign of an out-of-place glance. Thankfully finding none, Flux merely brushed off her worry as paranoia. Though she knew it wasn't true, sometimes it was easier to believe something untrue. As she made it out into the chilly Canterlot air, Flux seemed to let out a breath that she had been holding in for the entire duration of their meal in the shop. Taking a moment to gather herself again, Flux tried to focus on their travel itinerary.

[Conor Colton]

Colton couldn't help but give a few bad looks back to said waiter, not out of personal spite for the pony, Colton just had a thing with waiters. The pegasus emerged from the restaurant and shivered slightly at the cold air of the outside. He composed himself though as he tried to once again piece together all the relevant information he had at this point, the main question that entered him mind however was, Why did whoever looted that place leave that once drawer untouched? Colton continued to pursue this line of thought.

He snapped out of this state though when he realized that there was still a tour that needed completing and there were many sights of the city he hadn't seen yet.

He cleared his throat and spoke up to Flux, breaking the awkward silence, "So uh...where to next?" The pegasus asked as he couldn't help but look in various directions, it still wasn't clear to him what was going on, but he once again couldn't help but think they were being watched.

[ThunderFlash]

Above them, a certain pegasus pony was taking a snooze on a cloud. Of course, the stallion should have been moving the clouds. The pegasus, Thunderflash, had been curled up on the gray cloud. It almost looked as if he could have been part of the cloud itself, were it not for the yellow strip that traveled along his mane and tail. Thunder gave a few groans in his sleep, turning slightly as he inched closer to the edge of the makeshift bed. There was a mumble, something about the Wonderbolts, and another jerk to the side. This time, it was enough for him to slip over the edge, and begin a fast free-fall to the ground.

Thunder woke up around halfway through his fall, crying out as he saw the ground speed towards him. An opening of his wings and a few flap managed to slow his fall, but still crash into the male of two ponies. The one he didn't crash into seemed to have a white coat with red hair. Thunder's head swayed a bit in the slight daze and shook slightly to regain a sense of awareness. He looked to the male pony that he had crashed into, looking slightly worried. "Woah, hey man, you alright? Geez, I seem to do that a lot lately..." he, mumbling the second part. Thunder looked from the unfortunate pony that acted as his cushion, and back to the female before getting up. He gave himself some distance between the two, since he might have already gotten on their bad side. "I didn't ruin your date or something did I? Ah horseapples..." he said, offering a hoof to the pony he had knocked down. "You alright? MY name's Thunderflash. I'm really sorry about that. Call me Thunder though, everypony else seems to." he said, hoping his friendlieness could score some points.

[Neoniie]

The unicorn checked both the approximate time of day and her mental list of their destinations, staring intently up at the sun. It was beginning to sink farther in the sky, but the darkness of night had not yet begun to tinge to blue sky. By her best estimations, they had about 5 or 6 hours left in the day. She didn't deliberate on the matter too long, still harboring a strong desire to visit the Great Library. In her opinion, it was luring two parasprites with one flute. She could look into whatever it was about the information they'd uncovered that was tingling in the back of her mind and it was a viable tour destination. "I believe-"

Flux's words were cut off by the sudden flattening of her conversational partner. A dark grey pegasus had taken the place of the white-coated one with whom she had been talking. Assuming the worst - that this was the pony who had cleared out the secret passageway and had followed them all this way - the unicorn instinctively called some of her magic toward her. In truth, the scientist knew little of combat magic and couldn't likely hold of an attacker for any prolonged period of time, just the bubbling of her magic to the surface helped to calm her.

However, by the way the new arrival acted, Flux became certain that this pegasus was an outside force, completely independant of their mysterious pony. Releasing her pent up arcane energies, Flux trotted closer to Colton and the pony who offered him a hoof up. She lowered herself slightly toward Colton and took in a deep breath. The spell she intended to use was a rather simple diagnostic spell that her father had insisted that she perfect. Closing her eyes, the unicorn felt out with her magic toward to pegasus. Quickly, she took an inventory of his injuries, sensing them through the scanner-like abilities of the spell. "It seems that nothing is broken, thank Celestia," she mumbled, the last part mostly to herself. "As far as I can tell, it is merely outer injuries that you may have sustained. Certainly no permanant damage. Luckily, Thunderflash here managed to slow his fall a bit before his collision."

Assured by the diagnosis, though the spell could sometimes be severely inaccurate when she attempted it, the unicorn addressed Thunderflash. "There could have been better circumstances, but nonetheless, I am Quantum Flux. However, as you, most ponies prefer to use Flux."

[Conor Colton]

(So, I'll assume the posting order is, Me, Thunder, Neoniie....that cool?)

Colton was in a rather odd position, usually he would be the one colliding with other pegasi. Although when the mysterious pony landed on him he thought he was an immediate threat, Colton had learned in the past how to handle 'less than favourable' ponies and he was about to put that into practice....until Flux performed that diagnostic.

The pegasus accepted the helping hoof up from the mysterious other pegasus, he got to his feet and finally added his say to the conversation, "No it's okay man, just...give me a second.." Colton stated as he proceeded to crack his own back into shape once again, "Ow.....Anyway uh....Nice to meet you Thunderfla- er...Thunder." The pegasus said as he held out a friendly hoof, "I'm Colton Cloudkicker, but; just call me Colton, everypony does." He said with a smile. He then remembered a vital detail he forgot in his introduction.

"Oh right, I almost forgot...um.....Where did he go?" Colton asked himself as he was referring to Sparks, who had mysteriously vanished. Colton took a few second to look for the bird before finding him in an unlikely place....his back. It seemed the bird had became 'pancaked' to the pegasus' back and with a quick peel though the bird was back to normal.

"This here is Sparks." Colton said as he held out the rather shocked bird. He composed himself from that rough landing and responded to Thunder's earlier worry, "No it's okay man, you didn't ruin anything." Colton stated as he felt his back once again, What is it with me and wrecking my back this week? He asked himself sarcastically.

[ThunderFlash]

Thunder was still a bit worried for Colton's well-being, but decided to take his word for it. They seemed to be nice enough, or atleast understanding. He looked between the three; Sparks, Flux and Colton. He shuffled a bit awkwardly, finding the whole situation a tad bit strange. "I guess I outta stop napping on clouds then, shouldn't I? Ehehe..." he joked, though it was a nervous attempt. Thunder was still feeling bad for bumping into them in the first place though. "W-Well, if there's anything I can do to make up for it, I can try to help. It's the least I can do." he offered, smiling slightly.

[Neoniie]

Flux was glad that Colton's own testimony had more or less confirmed her diagnosis spell's results. The uncovering of Sparks was quite an odd event and the unicorn had to admire the hardiness of the tiny bird. Thuderflash still gave off an air of awkwardness, not that Flux could blame him. She would likely have similar feelings if she were to crash into the already in-progress events of two strangers. She considered Thunder's offer, wondering whether she should ask the question that weighed on her mind.

Remembering that he was asleep until just recently, the mare decided that it would be pointless to question him about the patrons of 'Creative Confectioneries'. "I cannot speak for Colton, but you are forgiven in my opinion. Think nothing of it."

[Conor Colton]

Colton cracked his neck once again before considering his answer to Thunder's statement. He also gave Sparks a few discreet taps to try and bring him around. When the bird finally did come to his senses, Flux had just finished her statement. Not harbouring any resentment for the pegasus, Colton basically rephrased Flux's response into his own.

"Yeah it's okay man, I forgive ya." Colton said as he checked his own wing for any bruises, luckily there were none. This strange turn of events led Colton to nearly forget about the possibility of imminent danger. He wanted to leave quickly but didn't want to look rude so he came up with a compromise, he remembered where the tour was going next so he turned to Thunder and responded.

"We're actually on our way to the Great Library....you wanna tag along?" He said, slightly rushed as he looked in various directions.

[ThunderFlash]

Thunder breathed a sigh of relief, glad to know that there weren't any hard feelings. He couldn't help but notice the difference between the two ponies; Flux sounding somewhat more intellctual in her speech, whilst Colton sounded a tad more laid-back. "Alright, if you're sure." he said, leaving it at that. Thunder was considering taking his leave, when Colton had asked him if he'd like to come with them to the Great Library. Colton's eyes darting in different directions made Thunder look around as well. Were they being chased or something? He decided to pay it no attention for now, and nodded. "Sure, why not? Right behind ya." he said. Thunder wondered why Colton seemed to be in a hurry, but perhaps it was just him overthinking things.

[Neoniie]

The unicorn was a bit surprised by the question posed to Thunder and to the answer he returned. It was not that she didn't trust the grey-coated pegasus, merely that she was hesitant at discussing their destination so easily. With the possibility, or perhaps probability, of somepony dogging their hoofsteps, it was not percieved wise by Flux to give their destinations. However, the caution which Colton exhibited was enough to assuage any worries of eavesdropping that surfaced in a situation such as theirs. "Well then, I suppose we shall be off."

She led the way, trotting slightly ahead of her two pegasi companions. As she followed the well-known route to the library, she considered what exactly she would be looking for among its shelves. It will likely pertain to history of some sort, ancient history, she concluded. Specifically that involving unicorns in some fashion, if the engraving of that journal is any indication. She sifted through thoughts and ideas, attempting not to seem as though she was not paying heed to the others. "Thunderflash," she began abruptly, "I assume you live in the area of Canterlot. What is your profession?"

[Conor Colton]

Colton considered if his rather 'brash' actions towards this total stranger was a wise one, given the current atmosphere and circumstance he wasn't entirely sure. But he kept a friendly attitude, mindful that he should keep an eye on Thunder and any other suspicious individuals. He was pleased to see Flux was accepting to the idea, even if he in retrospect didn't think it was a good idea.

The three walked in silence for a while, this gave Colton a chance to think once again. Okay...think Colton.... he thought to himself, What could the connection be?.....That book.....the cover.....the desk that was picked clean.... The pegasus stopped in his thought process and took another look around for safety's sake.

Afterwards he continued to ponder, Okay...one things clear, somepony is trying to cover something up....but who...and there's a definite link between this and something that happened a long time ago....but who?....Think Colton! Think!

His thoughts were interrupted again as Flux inquired to Thunder's profession, he decided to continue observing any suspicious activity and listened in.

[ThunderFlash]

Thunder stayed relatively silent while they walked. He wasn't sure why he had accepted the offer to go, but he still felt oddly indebted to them. In his mind, one does not simply crash into somepony else and get away scot-free. Hopefully he would find a way to pay them back, but for now he left that thought to mingle in the back of his head. Before Thunder could inquire as to why they were heading to the Great Library, Flux had questioned him of his profession. Though he didn't mind the question, he wondered why it was important.

Still, he answered anyway. "I'm a weather pony, usually stationed around here in Canterlot. I occasionally get sent to other places when they're short a few hooves." he said. "And yes, I've lived here in Canterlot for a good while. Most of my life, actually. I do know the area a bit more than the average pony." Thunder tried not to let a pridefulness show, but it hinted itself within his speech. Colton was remaining quiet, if not then very focused, on something else. "So why're you guys off to the Great Library, if don't me asking?" he asked, curious to know. If they didn't want to tell him, then he wouldn't mind, but it would have helped to know.

[Neoniie]

Flux nodded nearly imperceptably, thinking still through the limited information that had been found by the unicorn and pegasus. She was also trying to keep herself distracted from thoughts of a possible persuer, which at this point would only hinder her deductions, via the small talk with Thunderflash. She found it interesting that her own span of time in Canterlot was comparable to hers. Finding another pegasus in the unicorn-dominated city was also an event of mild interest. It had always puzzled her that the pegasi did not seem to have a highly developed city, or any large settlement, aside from Cloudsdale. The earth ponies and unicorns had their respective upper-class cities, but the pegasi had only Cloudsdale.

However, it was during this idle line of thought that Thunderflash asked a particularly difficult question. She was unsure how to respond, as conflicting outcomes became apparent to her. If they let Thunderflash in on their suspicions, he could possibly become a target of whoever had been the source of the odd events lately. However, she did not want to lie outright, as such things weighed heavily in her mind. Another possibility was that the stallion was in fact already knowledgeable about their predicament, which meant he could only be the presence following them earlier.

She answered as best she could, not truly lying, merely ommiting some truth. "Colton is newly arrived in Canterlot and I offered to give him a tour of the major landmarks of the city. This one was next on our list. Also, there are a few reference books that I already needed to procure."

[Conor Colton]

Colton followed along in his conversation as Thunder and Flux talked, he decided that he would put his own input aside and continue thinking. A thought crossed his mind, what was he going to tell Thunder about the current situation, he didn't want to outright lie to the seemingly harmless pegasus but he was reluctant to divulge details that may endanger him.

He continued to think on the subject before he felt a slight tug on his ear, Sparks was trying to get his attention about something, "Huh buddy...what is it?" Colton asked, curious about the sparrow's behavior. The bird frantically pointed behind the group and as he did Colton quickly turned his head in the same direction.

He was sure that something suspicious was going on, because when he turned around he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. The only logical conclusion was that the bird was joking around with the pegasus, but something was different, the bird had a serious look on his face; as if he actually saw something.

Colton decided to return to the conversation though and finally input something, "Yeah..me and Flux met just yesterday actually..." Colton said as he was intentionally vague.

[ThunderFlash]

Thunderflash saw no reason to doubt the two, since their story seemed to check out well enough. Colton was new, so it only seemed to make sense that Flux would show him around. Still, it seemed to poke at him that all might not be revealed. He squinted, as if trying to see the inner self of the two ponies, but didn't seem to detect anything out of the ordinary. Whatever it was, Thunder douted it could be too strange. They were probably dating and just being shy about it.

Then Sparks started to flip out, pointing behind them. Thunder turned, yet saw nothing. "You're bird...Sparks, right? He alright?" he asked, hoping the cool little dude wasn't about to keel over or something.

[Neoniie]

Flux noticed the odd behaviour of Sparks as well, knowing however the likely reason for his actions. She turned her head in concern, attempting to spot whatever the bird had seen. However, what she did see was almost worse. The path behind them was completely deserted, giving off a slightly spooky feel. She had always found unseen things to produce more fear in ponies that those that are seen and she definately had the evidence to back it up at the moment. Turning her gaze ahead once more, the unicorn took a barely audible breath, telling herself menatlly that it was just an overactive imagination.

"Indeed," she said, following on Thunder's thought. "Is something going on?" Flux knew perfectly well what had called the bird's attention, but she didn't want to worry the grey pegasus unduly and decided instead not to mention that knowledge. However, she was beginning to see the Great Library of Canterlot upon the horizon and any worries she had vanished. Knowledge was power, as they say, and the Great Library was full of the former. There had to be something on the dig site that would help them discover who had taken the documents. "There is it," Flux announced, mostly for Colton's benefit.