Post by Bardigan on Nov 29, 2011 20:04:50 GMT -5
( A beautiful day calls for a walk. Bardigan isn't usually one for long bouts of flight, spiralling around Ponyville like some pegasi he could name, since he is a cultured pony with works of art on his mind. He eschewed a saddlebag, with no intention of buying anything. Sometimes one simply has to bask in the liveliness of the town, and gain what inspiration they can. )
Diamond_Dancer Is hangin out above town. Juuuust above town on the lowest hangin cloud, laying on her back and staring up into the sky. Thoughtful pony tonight. Been a VERy busy couple of days and she could use a rest or at least a little time to digest everything that's happened. "Oh Diamond...you silly filly...you've messed dis up again...haven't you?" She grumbles quietly.
( Zipping about the sky is Rainbow Dash on weather patrol, kicking clouds to one side, pushing a few to the other. It is getting to be the colder, rainy season and so the world needs it's share of wetness to give the grass something to drink before the snow comes and buries it all. "Ha!" Kick. "Outta my way!" Another kick. She seems to be enjoying herself, wrapped up in a rainbow colored scarf to word away a bit of chill as she leaps about the sky. Her eyes find Bardigan throughout all the chaos and she calls out to him. "Oh my, who is that really handsome and awesome plus-one I see down there?!" She says, ducking behind a darker cloud to hide herself and slowly moving it along the sky towards him. )
Firefly banks in the distance to circle, dropping in along the path to land in a quick trot, flicking and folding her wings away as she slows to a more natural lazy walk. She looks around the market a moment, then looks towards Sugarcube corner, turning to walk that-a-way. A cupcake would be rather nice right about now.
Bardigan 's eyes roll skywards to see pegasi zooming about and hanging off clouds, just like he was *avoiding* doing today. He honestly doesn't know where his fellow ponies get all their energy... or at least, why they never release it in anything other than flying. He uses it to propel his muse! Which he is getting lost in as he introspects heavily on the nature of changing seasons... until Rainbow Dash calls out. "Hmm? What?" he asks, turning around and seeing nopony coming towards him. "Hm. I could've sworn..." He keeps walking.
Diamond_Dancer drifts her eyes towards Rainbow Dash frolicing about, kicking clouds here and there. Is that a weather pony? Oh, that's kinda cool! "Hey look at dat...dear diary...today I saw a weather pony! Ha! Who knew they had things like that in lil' towns like this! "She chuckles, and rolls over to her side- eyes widening when she spots... "That's...H, hey! Wait! Firefly!" She calls out, tumbling from her cloud into a sudden swooping sweep of a dive. She's a skilled acrobat for a filly, thats for sure...
( The dark storm cloud lazily drifts along the sky, then starts moving lower, and lower, and lower until it is right behind Bardigan. Dun Dun. Duuun Dun. Duuuun Dun Dun Dun Dun. If a cloud was a shark, this cloud would be a terror of the seas! CRASH BOOM! Rainbow Dash kicks it quite hard, sending a thunderous rumble out of it, followed by a belly busting laugh as she practically wheezes. )
( "I think I shall stop by Sofas and Quills," Bardigan decides, spotting Firefly nearby. "Oh, look! Firefly! Over he-AAACK!" he squeals. His hat goes flying off his head as he promptly flips over onto his back in a confused daze. )
Bardigan 's leg twitches.
Firefly pauses in her walking, one leg partially raised as she hears her name, turning to see Diamond Dancer coming in, then looking towards Bardigan as he calls to her as well, then snickers with a grin at the rumble of thunder that flips him over. She turns to face Diamond though, as she was the first one who called her by name, moving a few steps over towards Bardigan while waiting for the filly to arrive, then asks her "Yes...Diamond Dancer was it? If I remember correctly?"
( "Aaaaaahahahahhahaah!" Rainbow Dash's head peeks out from the dark cloud as she stares down at the Bardigan-Turtle, placing a hoof over her mouth. With a quick kick, she pushes the cloud back up into the sky, then flies down to settle in front of the stallion, staring down at him with a lazy sway of her tail. Pluck. She picks up his hat and flops it on her head. "Mine." )
Diamond_Dancer Swoops down and stalls into a hover above the ground, pausing when she notices a few of her feathers are tipped black- as if they'd just brushed themselves in ink. "...Fantastic. "She mutters faintly to herself, before circling about Firefly, the energy of a younger foal still rippling through her, even in mid flight. "H, hey! Hey, how are you? I haven't seen you since...mmm yesterday! I wanted to thank you for the meal! I...hey, we gotta talk! Can I talk to you for a minute! I swear it'll be quick. You ain't busy today, is ya?!?"
Firefly cracks a smile and angles an ear forward. "There are always things to do, though some are of the sort that can wait until I feel like taking them on." watching the small pegasus circling her. "Aside of the strains of training, I am well." tilting her head a bit. "And you are welcome. Pinkie Pie makes some of the best things to eat I have ever come across." then grins. "There is always time to talk. Pray tell, what is on your mind this day?"
Bardigan 's eyes, wide as dinner plates with pinprick pupils, slowly trace over to Rainbow Dash, where his gritted teeth quickly turn into a scowl. "Rainbow *Dash!*" he scolds, scrambling to his hooves and frantically straightening out his mane and tail. "That was... I... you... pfFFT!" he retorts. "That was so... *unbecoming!* How could you do that to your own plus one?! Right in the middle of the market... Return the hat you have absconded with!" He holds out his hoof.
Clara has arrived.
( "Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Dash continues to laugh as she leans back on her haunches, clutching her stomach as tears roll down her eyes. "Oh Bard! You were like a turtle! You looked like a tipped over Tank! Yah' arms was like.. waggle waggle waggle!" She flails her hooves a bit in a mocking gesture, trying to contain her snickers. "C'mon, I do that to /everyone/. It's so awesome, really, and you can't have the hat back, I like this hat." She says as she lazily flies around him in a circle. As she drifts close, she teasingly whispers in his ear, before darting off into the sky again. )
Diamond_Dancer Spirals into the air in a little piroette, followed by a backflip. She's energetic, that one. "Hey! I ran into Luna! DE Princess Luna! She says she can make a star fall for me! And den she showed me a shootin' star! Ain't dat crazy?!" She giggles- although there's an obvious tone of dispair riding on her voice. "Real ....real crazy right? So, uh...so hey, canni ask ya somethin? And maybe, not have ya get mad? Cause I haven't know ya for all that long ya know, but uh, I don't got many friends round here and kinda hoped we could ya know, hang out a little if...if dat'd be cool. "She explains- accent growing with her tension.
( "Well," Bardigan sputters, flustered. "Well, in that case I'll just have to... to do something uncouth and ungentlepony-like!" But he doesn't get a chance to finish, because at that moment a gaggle of young ponies comes barreling through the market. "Monster! MONSTER!" they squeal. "We saw a monster! Run for your lives!" Bardigan's eyes widen once again as he's obscured in the dust cloud kicked up by the hysterical horde. )
Firefly lifts an eyebrow with a nod. "Yes, Luna is the Princess Luna." blinking. "You sound a bit...dissappointed about that." cupping an ear slowly. "A shooting star just for you? An honor indeed." then looks to Diamond. "I will not get mad little one, from being asked a question." then lifts her head a bit when it is asked. "Now why in Equestria would you want to 'hang around' with ME of all ponies?" not sure she understood the question. "I can not make a star fall for you, nor can I brighten their twinkle..." cut off by screaming young ones about a monster. She narrows her eyes a bit and says, "Wait here a moment while I see what it going on." turning to go in the opposite direction the children were coming from to see what lie beyond the cloud of dust.
( It doesn't seem that Rainbow Dash had got too far into the sky as the screams of young ponies catches her attention. Whipping about with a look of alarm on her face, soon replaced by glee, she cackles out. "A monster?! Where!?" A monster means action! And action means awesome! And where there is awesome, there is a rainbow maned pony to kick something with her hooves. With a burst of speed, she drops back down to Bard's side, his hat still flopping upon her head as she squints her eyes, her wings giving a 'whoosh!' to clear the dust away. "Someone said monster! Where is it?! I will /save/ the day again!" )
Pinkie_Pie has arrived.
Diamond_Dancer narrows her eyes, watching Firefly leave. Sure she's young, but she's not all THAT young. "I am NOT a little..."She snorts as Firefly races off, and she dashes up into the air. "Wait here. Humph. Like I flew half way round da stupid world just to hear dat? Do you know who I AM?! I'm Diamond Dancah! I mingle wit da stars demselves!" She snorts...to...no one in particular. Not with the cries of monster around. "Dear Diary. Ya know, I used to be embarrassed to have a shootin' star on my butt. Now I dink it might be bedda den everybody dinkin' I'm a blank flank..."She sighs, and dips low to find sights of this 'monster' Maybe she can help...
( The dust cloud passes, leaving a very dizzy and disoriented Bardigan in its wake. He shakes his head and takes a moment to mourn his mane, now thoroughly mussed and dirty. A quick inspection of the road reveals that absolutely nothing is currently chasing the crowd of young ponies as they scramble about. He reaches out and catches one by the tail. "Now see here!" he begins, and he gets a facefull of panicking pony. "It was big and shadowy with glowing eyes!" "It had huuuuge claws!" "It had wings!" "It breathed fire!" "It had fire for wings!" And so on. )
Firefly stops and stands, waiting for the dust to clear after Rainbow swooshes it. She sees nothing as it does, ears twitching while listening to the various goings on, then smiles, flexing her wings. "Fire for wings would be, like, totally rad cool." then looks back to where she had been talking with Diamond, turning to return to that spot, snickering to Bardigan. "Looks like you have your hooves full."
( "Sweet! Fire wing and claws and glowing eyes? Heck yah, bring it on!" Rainbow Dash pipes up as she puffs out her chest and flares her wings. "I'm ready for a rumble! You with me Firefly!?" She calls over to her rival-best friend in the making-doppleganger without a rainbow tail. Sorry Bardigan, you're the poetic plus-one which means you get to watch the girls kick butt. Leaping into the sky, she gives a quick barrel roll as she bursts through a cloud, then starts zipping down the path the smaller ponies came from. )
Spike has connected.
Diamond_Dancer Gives a hasty little snarly snarl and zooms in to match speeds with Rainbow Dash and Firefly. She's not one to be left out, and certainly not when she's working on a scheme of hers. "Hey! Where's da monstah! Look, you'se two better not leave me outta dings! I'm the highest flier in New Cloud City!" She exclaims with the vunerabilities of youth- she's nervous these two more exprienced flies won't take her seriouesly...
Firefly laughs up to Dash. "If such a thing existed, you could count on it!" grinning. "After all, SOMEpony has to show you how to do it!" as Rainbow vanishes down the trail, with Diamond in tow it would seem. She tilts her head and looks over to Bardigan. "Did you bychance retrieve your hat?" snickering.
Twilight_Sparkle has connected.
Twilight_Sparkle trots into the market, Spike sitting on her back.
Bardigan is dumbfounded by the swarm of little ponies that are gabbling excitedly to himself, each other, and any other ponies they can get their grubby hooves on while they discuss what exactly they saw. "Hold on!" Bardigan yelps haplessly, trying to bring some order to the confusion, holding out a hoof in vain to stop Rainbow Dash. "*What* exactly did you see and where?" A young colt steps forward, eyes wide. "Me an' Dewdrop Dazzle and everypony else were goin' near da' Everfree Forest even though we weren't allowed cuz' school was out early -gasp!- and then *Yuletide* dared us ta' go touch one a' the trees an' I didn't wanna go but I had to be brave and we went a little inside cuz' Yuletide said I was a baby if I didn't -gasp!- and then we saw the MONSTER!" "MONSTER!" wail the other kids in agreement.
Firefly is standing a few meters from the surrounded Bardigan, keeping clear of the little pony cloud. She looks over to Twilight and Spike. "Well, hello Twilight, Spike. Welcome to horde of screaming children hour." pointing a wing down the path. "I think Rainbow Dash and Diamond Dancer are off to thump some monster soundly. One with claws, teeth, fire breath and fire wings and glowy eyes."
( "Nuh uh squirt! You can't go rushing head first into trouble, even if you are the highest flier in New Cloud City!" Rainbow Dash calls over her shoulder to the younger pegasus. "This is for grown up ponies! Firefly you coming or what?!" She hollers over as she whirls herself in place in the middle of the sky, letting out a loud huff. Of course she is still wearing Bardigan's hat as it is lazily hooked over one ear and flopped to the side. "WHERE IS IT?!" She gives a yell so that her voice reaches the others, ears perked up. )
Pinkie_Pie trots up to Twilight, holding a balloon in her mouth. "I had nothing to do with this," Pinkie assures her earnestly.
Spike says, "Wait...I have claws, teeth, and fire breath...are you sure it's a monster?"
<OOC> Firefly says, "ROFLS. Now WHY would anypony assume that straight off?"
<OOC> Pinkie_Pie ^^
Twilight_Sparkle manages to understand Pinkie, despite the balloon in her mouth! "I know that, Pinkie Pie. This isn't your kind of mayhem at all."
Firefly looks to Pinkie and Twilight. "True...there IS a lack of chocolate cake involved..." then flits up into the air, holling back to Rainbow "I see no monster TO deal with! Call me wheh you find one!" snickering as she glides back into the market, landing by Twilight, away from Bardigan's Bunches.
Diamond_Dancer in midflight, shifts upside down while sailing through the air to face the blue pony. "So, uh, hey! I'm Diamond Dancah'! Pleased ta meetcha! I'm da highest fliyin' pony in New Cloud City, broke a coupla records, (And Laws) so I betcha already heard o' me, cause I've heard of you! YOU are Rainbow Dash, right? Like De Rainbow Dash? I heard ya beat up Discord all by yerself! And I- "She pauses, voice dying out when she's called a squirt and the other pegasus goes sailing by, leaving Diamond hovering in midair- her right eye twitching uncontrollably. You could fry and egg on her forehead right now. "S, SQUIRT?! I...YOU..." She nearly shrieks in rage, trembling in the middle of her flight pattern. She's gonna do something.......drastic soon...
( "Over dere!" one of the panicked foals cries, pointing in an unspecified direciton that includes 'all of the Everfree Forest.' "It was near missus Fluttershy's tree!" )
Twilight_Sparkle shakes her head, and looks at Firefly in exasperation. "I assume there's some sort of perfectly reasonable explanation why those ponies seem to be forming a monster-hunting posse?"
Firefly blinks. "I think I know what they saw Twilight." then wingwaves to Diamond and Dash, signalling with a circular motion, then pointing towards Fluttershy's place. "Only one 'monster' would be by Fluttershy's. Clara."
Pinkie_Pie blinks. "It's not?" she looks around, perplexed. "Oh! The, the foals and the monster thing! Oh! Ohhhhhhh!" she looks shifty. "Yes, THAT mayhem obviously has nothing to do with me at all!" Hastily she starts chewing on the balloon in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Ehich is obviously unnecessary because she has nothing to do with ANY MAYHEM occuring.
Twilight_Sparkle blinks. "But Clara's not a monster, she's a--." She pauses. "Where IS Clara?"
( One of the foals stomps her hoof. "Nuh /uhh!/ We all saw Cwara an' it was WAAAY scarier! It had smoke for SKIN!" "No, it *breathed* smoke, 'member?" "Hold on!" Bardigan shouts again, holding up his hooves, glancing pointedly at the other ponies. Why was he designated foal rancher of the day? "I'm sure there is *nothing* to worry about. All we need is somepony to go investigate." )
( As it seems that Firefly is waving them back, Rainbow Dash looks conflicted and frustrated. Fluttershy's home?! But, well, she would have saw Fluttershy surely panicking if that was true. Turning back to Diamond Dancer as she starts to get upset, she kicks a cloud over her head, then leaps upon it, boing! Whoosh! She gives the smaller pony a quick cooling off shower. "Hey now, calm down. I call everyone squirt, squirt. And that's right, I'm Rainbow Dash, only the /coolest/ pony in Ponyville. And ya'know what? I think I have heard of you. You /almost/ broke one of my records." She says wit ha quick grin before squinting her eyes once more back towards the group. "Alright, we gotta go back. I don't know what the heck is going on." She says, zipping back towards them. )
Firefly smiles. "To a child...Clara is even taller, and scarier...a..." pausing at the filly stomping her hoof. "If they know the difference between Clara..." and without finishing that sentence she does a 180 and BAM!!! rockets down the path towards Rainbow and Diamond, ripping past them while Dash takes account of her awesomeness like a jet fighter at a balloon rally, angling towards Fluttershy's place.
( Zoom! "Oh COME ON." Dash cries out with frustration as she cuts a quick turn and starts bolting after Firefly, her body speeding like a tiny blue bullet as the wind about her vibrates with her velocity. )
Twilight_Sparkle 's mane and tail are blown straight forward as Firefly zips past her, then again when Dash dashes past a moment later! She watches the pegasus ponies go, then turns her head and looks at Spike. "It's certainly...bustling here today, isn't it?"
( Called a squirt AND soaked. She trembles while steam boils off her body from the sheer level of angry heat she generates. Oh she's been picked on all her life- and she doesn't look too happy about it now. She slowly, sloooowly raises her head out of the cloud after Dash dumps it on her, and glares at the blue pony. "I can fly higher than you any day of the we-" she says darkly. Flatly. Venomous-and there Rainbow goes, vanishing past, ignoring her challenge. Diamond is going to explode...."Would yo...HEY! Come BACK here!! " She snarls, and twists herself into a odd sort of towel like twist- and vanishes in a blast of Speed- That, dear ponies, was the Dazzling Diamond Dash- She's gonna rage so hard when she catches up with them...it'll be adorably hilarious. )
Fluttershy has connected.
Firefly leaves for 'Fluttershy's Cottage'
Firefly has left.
Diamond_Dancer leaves for 'Fluttershy's Cottage'
Diamond_Dancer has left.
Twilight_Sparkle trots in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage as well, bringing Spike with her.
Bardigan sighs as three ponies zoom away to deal with the "monster" that has yet to even materialize. "I suppose we should make sure they don't hurt themselves trying to be awesome..." he sighs, and directs the children to find their parents. Or otherwise go... play, or whatever it is little foals do these days.
Bardigan lazily flaps in their direction. "If you will remember," he calls out calmly, "the children said it was *near* miss Fluttershy's house. I don't think we need to set up a sentry post on her roof..."
<OOC> Twilight_Sparkle says, "O Drops! The Freshmaker!"
<OOC> Pinkie_Pie giggles!
Firefly looks to Bardigan. "I can see better from here than in the air or on the ground."
( There is a cracka-boom as Rainbow Dash drops out of warp speed, beating her wings as she looks about with wide eyes. "Fluttershy!" She hollers out loudly, trying to find her best friend as she zips around and around the house a few times. If Diamond Dancer is angry, that is all but forgotten at the moment as it seems that finding Fluttershy is the main focus of her attention span. )
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Everypony calm down, all right? Didn't you imagine a lot of monsters when YOU were little colts and fillies? This is probably nothing."
Diamond_Dancer leaves a display of brightly colored sparkles in her wake, diamond dust...which could be considered a bad case of dandruff for the hot tempered little filly. She speeds in third place, right after Firefly and Rainbow Dash- but to her credit, she's not panting or out of breath, just kinda frustrated with the way her night's been going. Luna, then Firefly, then Rainbow Dash. Nobody wants to listen to her- why, because she dyes her flank blank to hide the bright yellow star on her rump! She pulls into a hover along the border of Fluttershy's cottage and narrows her eyes. She's keen to see this monster too! How cool- nothing this exciting ever happened in New Cloud...
( There's a crack and a thud from inside the cottage as Rainbow and Twilight and everypony else start yelling. A light flips on in the bedroom, and Fluttershy's terrified eyes and laid-back ears poke up from behind a windowsill. "What? What's wrong? Why is everypony screaming?! Is somepony hurt?" )
Bardigan turns back, and he turns forth. Back and forth. "Well," he says, about as blase about this supposed monster as Twilight Sparkle. A cursory inspection is all he needs. "Whatever it was, it seems to have scampered back into the forest. Shoot. And it sounded like such an interesting creature too..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry about this; I'm sure these ponies didn't mean to scare you! Or invade your privacy! There was some talk of a monster...claws, fangs, you know the drill. Hopefully we can be out of Fluttershy's mane soon, everypony?"
Firefly looks at the roof below her hooves at the thump crash. She was distracted for a moment by the glittery contrail that had come into the area, and its source. Brought back to the here and now, she flares her wings and glides down to land on path our front by the gate.
( "Oh Fluttershy you're okay!" Rainbow Dash calls out as she zips down to her friend and plucks her up, giving her a quick spin. "So, all these lil ponies were all Help! Help! There's a monster! And then one said it was by your place! And we thought it was the Diamond Dog but nope it wasn't so we thought maybe your house was being attacked and you woulda been all omnomnomnomed! And so Firefly and I was like oh-heck-yah-let's-fight-a-monster! So we're here and you're okay so.. " She breathes. "Where the heck is this big scary thing?" )
Diamond_Dancer Frowns quietly. "Alright, alright. So where's dis monster? I'm wastin' a perfect good rage for dis. "She snorts, floating quietly down to the front yard and onto the walk way. "Dis seems Sorta ding you hear all da time back home, right? Some ponies get all jazzed on candy, go onna suga' benda' see some crazy stuff! One time, right, heh, one time, muh buddy Dazzler, she says to me, she says, 'Hey Diamond I saw some like, two legged hairless creatures over dare!" And I'm lookin' over dare right, but dere ain't nothing dare...You know, like Ponies out in da woods that disappear from mysterious lights in the sky. Crazy stuff!"
Firefly looks quite relieved to see Fluttershy was allright. She stays out on the main path by the gate, then slowly walks over to Diamond. "A rather colorful contrail you have." she comments, stopping to look over at the others while speaking to Diamond. "It seems we have a moment to continue talking, if you wish."
Fluttershy blinks. She rubs her eyes with her hooves, blinks them blearily a few times, and then strightens her bedheaded mane. She ooks from pony to pony to pony, and then anxiously inquires, "...huh?"
Spike folds his arms. "I don't think there *is* a monster."
Bardigan flutters over to Rainbow Dash to put a calming hoof on her shoulder. "Miss Fluttershy," he says with a deep bow. "We apologize *so* sincerely for the interruption. Just investigating a case of hysterical foals out by the Forest when they shouldn't have been. Claim they saw a monster." He eyes the suspisciously quiet landscape. "Seeing as it has claws, teeth, and wings of fire, I'm fairly certain it can *not* be hiding near here."
Fluttershy whisper her head back and forth, restoring her mane to its ruffled state; suddenly she's much, more more alert. "B-by the forest? Nopony should be out by the forest all by themselves. W-what did they say they saw?"
( "They said they saw a /big/, /huge/ monster with glowing eyes, and it breathed smoke, and it had wings of flames and claws!" Rainbow Dash says, making her voice spooky for effect before Bardigan settles a hoof on her. She glances over at him, then leans in to give him a proper snuggle. He can feel her heart pounding still. She is quite amped up it appears. "But, it's nothing here, prolly was nothing in the first place." She huffs in a disappointed tone. )
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Fluttershy, I'm PRETTY sure Spike's right. The odds that a bunch of foals let their imaginations run away with them are greater than the odds that there's an actual monster anywhere near here by a factor of...oh, at LEAST six point five. Wouldn't you say, Spike?"
Spike says, "At *least*. Besides, I kinda resent the idea that something's a monster just because it breathes fire!"
Diamond_Dancer Seems disappointed as well, and pauses, glancing at Firefly before coughing quietly. "Oh...yeah...About dat...Um, wait, hang on, I don't remember what it was I wanted to...oh! Oh...um...m, maybe we could talk without so many other pony's around? "She asks quietly, ears flittering back against her skull-showing her youth again. "I mean no big deal but ...maybe?" She chirps hopefully.
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "If you're a monster, Spike, I hereby call for more monsters!"
Fluttershy backs slowly, very slowly, back into her house, out of sight of the window. There's a short pause, and then her door opens and she walks out to join everypony else, still tiptoeing delicately and looking over her shoulder.
Firefly says, "It would seem most all of them are up by the cottage while we are out here." then nods, walking a bit more out into the path, further from the others. "There. Now you may speak freely withouht worry of being overheard." grinning. "Now, you wanted to ask me something if I remember correctly, but when I walked back to where we had been talking, you were no longer there, but racing down the path with Rainbow."
Bardigan flaps a little closer in the direction of the forest, trying to spot something, or anything resembling a horrible disgusting monster. "The children said they saw it near here... did you happen to notice anything, miss Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy rubs her head, no doubt still a bit foggy, and turns her eyes skyward, thinking hard. "I don't *think* so...I didn't hear anypony scream, or see any monsters." She looks over toward the forest, twitching her ears and tail. "Or...*did* I? Maybe I just slept through it. Or on second thought, m-maybe I *did* see something after all!" Her yellow wings spring out to the side, going stiff with fright.
( "Nah, you didn't hear a thing Fluttershy, because there isn't anything out there. If you didn't hear a stampede of scared lil ponies, then you sure didn't hear a monster." Rainbow Dash says as she gives her friend a quick headbutt, then trots after Bardigan. "Here's your hat back." She says, flopping it on his head, then starts into the forest bravely with a snort. "I'll poke around and make sure everything is alright, which it is, but, I'll just make sure." )
Bardigan takes a step towards the forest. He has a healthy respect for how dangerous it is, but if taking a quick... quick... *quick* peek inside will settle this silliness, he's willing to do it! "You did?" he asks Fluttershy, ears perking all of a sudden. "What was it?"
Twilight_Sparkle sighs, and rolls her eyes in exasperation. "If anypony has actual need of us, just shout our names really loudly, all right?"
Twilight_Sparkle has left.
Spike has left.
Bardigan , distracted as he is by Fluttershy, does not notice the little, pale light that dances away from the edge of the forest as Rainbow Dash gets closer, winking out as soon as it goes deeper.
( Squinting her eyes, Rainbow Dash leaps up into the sky once more, blurring forward through the brush. "Saw something!" She calls out, sending leaves and branches scrambling in her wake. )
Fluttershy blushes, ears falling back further, and sort of shrinks into herself shyly. "Well...I-I mena, I don't reallly... *know* that I did, but there are all sorts of creatures in the forest. Like cockatrices, and giant stellar bears, and will-o-the-wisps!"
Bardigan hums, rubbing his chin. "All of those match the description of being monstrous, but none of them are smokey *or* on fire at any point in their lifecycle that I know of..." He whips his head back towards Rainbow Dash. "Wait!" he calls. "Not *into* the forest!"
Firefly lifts her head as Rainbow finds something, looking over to see what it was.
( As usual, the rainbow pony heeds no one. Bardigan's voice is lost on her ears as she zips this way and that through the forest, cutting around trees, chasing after that shiny light she saw in the distance. )
( The light hops from branch to branch and bush to bush, now bright, now almost out. The source is never seen, only the glow it casts. It is very obviously trying to get away, but it never seems to actually *get* farther away. Though on the other hoof, Rainbow Dash never gets closer to it either... and it's still heading deeper into the woods. )
Diamond_Dancer 's ears perk too, and she immediately hops to her feet and out of the sitting position she'd taken, murmuring softly to Firefly. "H, Hey! Dash! Wait!" She calls out, and revs back for another Dazzling Diamond Dash, her own specialty- but she pauses and glances down towards Firefly. "Hey! We gotta catch up with Dash! We can't let her get the monster FIRST!"
Firefly grins to Diamond. "It would seem there is a light to catch, and Rainbow has a lead on you." winking and lifting off into a hover. "See if you can beat her to it!"
Fluttershy jumps up, flapping her wings wildly and dancing back and forth on her rear hooves, her front pair clasped over her mouth beneath her terror-stricken eyes. "Oh no, oh no. Rainbow Dash, wait!" But of course, even her yelling voice is too soft to carry all that far.
( Defeated Nightmare Moon? Check. Defeated Discord? Check. Afraid of a forest? HA. Rainbow Dash whizzes through the trees, practically dancing as she goes, trying to catch up to that flicker as she pours on the speed. She notices that the further she goes, the darker it gets, and soon all she can hear is the spooky sounds of the forest. Afraid of a forest? Maybe a little bit, but she won't let that stop her! As she flies, trees rock in her wake as her speed builds. Whoosh! )
Diamond_Dancer Dips and dives head first into the Everfree Forest. She's gonna prove herself. To Firefly, to Rainbow Dash, to Luna- to EVERYONE. She shoots into the trees and break neak speed, hulring herself through the darkness with only a contrail of bright glittering sparkles- like snow, in her wake. CRACK- Right into a redwood, face first. She stumbles, lands on her tushy, and sits there, blinking momentarily in confusion. "...OW...Hey...ow...Good thing I can't feel anything there anymore." She sniffles, blinks back a tear, shakes it off, and is up and flying again after a few moments hesitation. Resilant little thing...but thats what you get when you stuff your face into arctic tempratures over and over and over again..."Rain-Bow-DASH?!" She calls, but the forest iteselfs seems to swallow her voice. Bit off a little more than she can chew...it seems...
Firefly waits until Diamond is off and out of sight before turning to Bardigan and Fluttershy. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think that is a diversion to lure the fliers away from here." looking over her shoulder. "Notice the light never actually gets away from Dash, nor she catches up to it....meaning it is wanting to be chased, neither getting caught nor losing its pursuers...either a diversion...or a trap."
Bardigan hasn't a chance in the world of catching up to any of those ponies when they go full tilt... He stamps the ground in frustration. "Blast it! I couldn't even *see* what she did! Did you?" he asks Fluttershy. "They could be hurt in there! Firefly, *catch* her!" He gasps. "Wait, no, don't do that, we need to get help!"
Fluttershy rocks back and forth on her front step, hooves pressed asymmetrically to the sides of her head. "All I saw was a little flash of light just now! Oh, Fluttershy, you're such a loudmouth..."
( The action in the forest has moved beyond sight or even sound of the ponies hanging back at the edges. The light continues to wink in and out of sight, then abruptly stops... as will Rainbow Dash's momentum if she doesn't avoid the sudden tangle of sticky old cowbwebs and mossy fallen wood that rears out of the woods ahead of her. The forest is still ominously deep and foreboding around Diamond Dancer, but it is unlikely to remain that way for long. )
Diamond_Dancer Isn't some Filly! She's no foal to be foiled by foilage! ( XD ) She drops low to the ground, wings spread, and takes off like a shot, shooting through trees, fallen logs, and dazzling past vines with a daring display of arcobatics! She can fly- not quite like Rainbow Dash, not quite like Firefly...but she's obviously something a bit more than normal- and she's begining to realiz- "ACK SPIDERWEB! BLEK AGHHHH! It's in my MOUTH! GAAAAWWWWW!! EWEwewewewewew! GROSS!"
<OOC> Firefly says, "This is why we fly with mouths closed.
"
<OOC> You say, "XD"
<OOC> Fluttershy says, "Or with a feather duster in your mouth..."
<OOC> Firefly says, "LOL"
<OOC> Bardigan wonders if Fluttershy ever dusts down the Forest when she finishes her other chores.
<OOC> Firefly says, "She arranges the snails by size and color...."
<OOC> Fluttershy says, "Sometimes I just get carried away..."
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "lol"
Firefly grins to Fluttershy and Bardigan. "Have no fear....Dash is a elite flier and an Element....Diamond is a very hard substance. "I think they can handle themselves....what we need to learn is what the light was doing, and if or why it wants the fliers away from here."
( Slamming on the proverbial breaks, Rainbow Dash comes within an inch of running into those thick cobwebs. With the light gone, her eyes start to adjust to the enveloping darkness that swallows her up. Glancing about her slowly, and realizing that she is truly alone, she hunkers up for a moment within herself. ".. Firefly? Bardigan? ..Fluttershy?" Gulp. Turning around, she nearly finds herself bowled over by Diamond as she finally catches up to her, letting out a quick squeak of surprise! )
Diamond_Dancer Dances about over Rainbow Dash, flailing her arms with her tongue hanging out. "Ack! Ick, ick, ick, I HATE spiders! UGH! I hate this forest! This isn't a place I wanna go now! This forest sucks!" She whines, spitting a few more times before standing up and stretching her wings- before she looks around. "...This is a very dark forest. "She mumbles.
Bardigan waves his hooves in the air, looking frentic. "Or *maybe* we have two unattended ponies running around blind in Everfree Forest!" he all but yells. "If you won't go in after them, find Twilight! Find somepony!" He pulls on his ears and finally flips his hat off, dropping it onto the ground. "I'll go. I'll fly over the trees so I don't get snared by whatever they were chasing." It's the gentlepony thing to do...
Firefly thinks for a moment. "Then Fluttershy should fetch Twilight, Bardigan, you head over the Forest, we'll catch up. I'll remain here just in case it IS a diversion to lure fliers away....and handle anything that tries to slip through here towards Ponyville."
( Rustle rustle go the trees near the two ponies in the forest. The wind, perhaps? But there is no breeze this deep inside the woods. The deep shadows seem to move on their own, as a familiar light appears nearby. )
( "Yeah, it's pretty dark and spooky alright. If you didn't wanna be here, then why did you fly after me?" Rainbow Dash says with a smirk as she tilts her head upwards. "C'mon, only one way outta here now, and that's up!" She says, giving her wings a stretch, then leaps upwards, sailing for the tree tops. )
Everfree Forest
>->->->->-> @.@.@ EVERFREE FOREST @.@.@ <-<-<-<-<-<
The Everfree Forest is a dreary place--a vast forest where the plants grow, the animals care for themselves, and the clouds move all on their own! And that's not all! The trees are eerie and moss-covered, and some of them seem to be grasping for travelers when the wind blows. Everywhere you turn, owls hoot and vines dangle, and sometimes monsters are lurking around the next bend. The ground is muddy, the sky cover is uneven, and if you aren't careful, you could step in a patch of poison joke, or worse!
In short, don't go into the Everfreee Forest unless you have a really good reason!
[ Obvious Exits: Ancient <R>uins, Toward <C>anterlot, <Fl>uttershy's Cottage ]
[ Players: Diamond_Dancer, Clara ]
[ Sleepers: Seven_Seas ]
( spoof "Yeah, it's pretty dark and spooky alright. If you didn't wanna be here, then why did you fly after me?" Rainbow Dash says with a smirk as she tilts her head upwards. "C'mon, only one way outta here now, and that's up!" She says, giving her wings a stretch, then leaps upwards, sailing for the tree tops. )
( Right into a cluster of fresher webs stretched between the trees! )
Diamond_Dancer Watches quietly, peering up at the thick webs bloting out most of the light. "...H, hey Rainbow...I'm not...I'm not Scared of nothin...nothing like that...b, but Will you come back down here...ok? Please? Cause I don't like Spiders and...and...deres a lot of webs around here....d, dis forest...I dink it takes your fears and...and uh...makes 'em uh...real. "The flier explains, huddling down with her tail nervously curled around her. "...Rainbow?...Please come back. "She calls.
( "Oh c'mon you scaredy cat! Webs are nothing to be afraaaack!" Rainbow Dash hollers out as she finds herself suddenly tangled up in the thick ropes of web. "Blech!" Those don't taste good either. With a flail, she flops back down to the ground, landing rather roughly as she looks at her sticky covered wings, letting out a huff. "C'mon Squirt, let's start walking back." She sighs heavily as her eyes roll, trotting back the way they came, at least the way she thought they came. "Don't worry, I'm /way/ too awesome for spiders to mess with us." )
( Oh, there is company down here for Diamond Dancer. But perhaps not the kind she likes, as the rustling in the forest begins to get closer, and the light appears at the edge of their vision. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but it's the exact same distance as it was when Rainbow Dash pursued it. Teasing? Or following? )
Diamond_Dancer Stands up straight and follows Dash's lead as best she can. "Y, you're not scared of Spiders? C, cause I'm not..."She mumbles, creeping ever closer to the awesome pony- safety in numbers, right? "Y, you don't think about them silently decending down...and then pouncing you...a, and twisting you all up in webs and then l, leaving you trapped and slowly sufficating?" She whimpers. "Or even worse, if they decide for a meal in the middle of the night while you're still squirming..."Diamond stammers and glances to Rainbow Dash. "...W, where'd Firefly Go...?"
( "Nope. Nope. Nope." Rainbow Dash answers to each of her questions. "I kicked a dragon in the face, I ain't scared of spiders. Any of 'em come and try and suck our blood, I will whip out my patentend Rainbow Dash Buccaneer Blast! They'll go splat. Trrrrrrust me on that." Rainbow Dash says in a bolstering manner as they continue along, reaching out with a wing to slide it around the other pony and pull her close to comfort her. The light catches her eyes again, but instead of chasing after it, she just continues with her pace. "I really need to stop flying head first into everything." She grins. )
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "I LOLed in reading that. "Nope. Nope. Nope. I kicked a dragon in the face.""
<OOC> You say, "Like a boss."
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "Like a hoss."
<OOC> Rainbow_Dash says, "Talk to the hoof."
<OOC> Clara says, "TROGDOOOOOoooR!"
Diamond_Dancer smiles quietly, standing up a little further. She's starting to -like- Dash. Makes her feel safe. "...Say Dashie...I don't uh, know a lot of ponies round here yet...youse wanna hang out sometime, maybe?" She asks quietly, still on the look out for spiders. Her body is tense and ready to take off in a moments notice. Minotaurs, chimaras, Cocktrice- sure. Tiny little spider, and she loses it completely.
( Diamond Dancer's concerns seem more than valid. As the rustling suddenly increases in intensity, out of the treetops bursts a winged beastie not unlike a misshapen, gangly raven, though much larger and much more monstrous. It lets loose a terrible shriek as it descends on the unsuspecting ponies. )
( "Ha, sure, if yah' want. I could always use another member for the Rainbow Dash fanclub." The blue pony says as she continues to trot forward, freezing in place at the sound of the screech. When the creature appears, she shoves Diamond behind her with a wing, then holds her ground, striking an 'awesome' pose as her head whips back, snorting, nostrils flaring. "Oh yah?! That all you got bird beak?" With that, she stamps her hooves forward. Crack! Snort. "Bring it." )
Fluttershy has arrived.
Spike has arrived.
Twilight_Sparkle has arrived.
Twilight_Sparkle gallops in, behind Fluttershy, with Spike holding on tight.
Diamond_Dancer SHRIEKS! "SPIDER!!" She squeals and is IMMEDIATELY tearing into the forest, only to stop in mid step some several feet away from Dash. Leaving her new friend? Unlikely. Setting up space for her to attack head on- most certainly. Even if it WAS a spider, it wasn't gonna eat Dashie! Not with Diamond nearby "You've got it Dash!" She calls, hopefully letting Dash realize she wasn't abandoned. Infact, Diamond is lining up for a bee line shot directly into the massive creature if needbe...
( Level 15 Encounter ROC. Flying Type. Power 156. Speed 120. Abilities: Hover, Roc Stare, Talon Slash. Exp: 229. )
Fluttershy stares anxiously into the darkness ahead, glancing at Twilight and Spike to mumble, "All right. Here we go again...", though it' smore to reassure herself than anything else.
( The bird-like monstrosity seems more angry than hungry, trying to intimidate Rainbow Dash, who is rather smaller than it, with another terrible shriek. Grasping talons stretch towards the pony as it leaps forward, spreading its considerable wingspan as far as it can go. )
( Zipping upwards once more, Rainbow Dash seems all too eager to go head to head with this creature. As she pours on the speed, she becomes a fast, blue blur as she attempts to circle it a few dozen times, trying to get it dizzy and land a kick here and there. To the head, to the back, to the knees! "Ha!" Kick. "That's right!" Kick. "Who's tha' pony?!" Kick Kick Kick! "Diamond, you watching this?! I'm /awesome!/" Kick! )
Spike hunkers down close to Twilight's back, watching nervously. "What IS that thing?!"
Diamond_Dancer beams proudly. "YEAH! Go Dashie GO!" She chimes, hopping up wings unfurrowing and she hovers in the air a few moments, unsure if she should zoom in and help. She wants to- she very much wants to, to prove herself, but she doesn't wanna get in the way. "Oh! Oh! I know! Tag me in!!" She yells, holding out a hoof eagerly reaching for Dash. Seems like a good idea...
Twilight_Sparkle does the Twilight Sparkle AAAAAAUGH take, complete with patented gasp of pure terror. Then she composes herself, quickly. "I...I don't know! I mean, it's always been rumored that there were some scary things deep in the oldest parts of the forest, and giant spiders are one of the things the stories mention but I've never heard of anypony SEEING them before now." She frowns. "Rainbow Dash! Diamond Dancer! Get AWAY from that creature! It could be seriously dangerous!"
( The bird-thing frustratedly flaps upwards to get away from the confounding pony, head spinning to keep up. Its powerful wings beat downwards, creating a rush of wind strong enough to knock anypony not holding on to something clear off their hooves! )
Fluttershy ducks behind Spike and Twilight, peering out and squinting at the monstrous bird. "W-what is it? It's too dark to get a good look...I think it might be a Roc."
Diamond_Dancer Yelps at the sudden blast of wind that ripples by her form. "AGGHHH...That....IT?!" She snarls. She's dealt with worse trying to fly out of the stratosphere. She grits her teeth and zips forward (Abiet MUCH slower) while fighting the collosal wind. "Whad joo say?! I can't hear you!! " The little white pony calls to Twilight...
Twilight_Sparkle gets a better look at the creature as it flaps closer to where she is. "Wait, that's not a spider. I know! It's a roc! I've never seen one in the wild before! Oh, wow!"
( "How 'bout less yapping and more helping guys!" Rainbow Dash calls out as she gives one solid kick after the other, finally sneaking one up to pound the Roc right in the chest. As it beats it's wings, she finds herself tumbling end over end in the air before she hits a tree and slides down it with a 'unf!' "Ow." )
Spike says, "Why's it so MAD?"
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I'd be mad too if ponies were lunging at me. For all I know they might have started it. We'll never find out unless we can get them to stop long enough to ask."
Spike is still clinging closely to Twilight's back, probably digging his claws in a big tighter than she'd prefer. He stares nervously at the giant bird.
Diamond_Dancer narrows her eyes, taking in the dimensions of the clearing where the creature has attacked. She doesn't have much room, but as long as she keeps her circle's tight she should be able to pull off one of her flight tricks. "Rainbow!! "SHe calls out in a panic, and dives into the air, already starting around the Roc. She doesn't kick it, Like Rainbow does, but instead continues to circle it, over and over and over again. In her wake- the bright, shimmering sprinkles she leaves behind behind to glow as they're layered, and soon there's a bright glowing ring in the middle of the forest- LIGHT. Everything illuminated leaves the giant angry bird in view- indeed a roc..and WHAP- Suffering the same fate as Rainbow Dash, Diamond looks away for a moment and catches a giant wing to the face, sending her creening into the darkness of the forest...
( Spike's answer is another terrifically grating screech from the angry bird, opening its beak wide and revealing jagged, primitive teeth within its beak. If it is a roc, it is remarkably small compared to the stories... though large enough as it advances on the ponies, head lowered and beak snapping. Until, that is, another beast that defies description bursts out of the woods in a burst of, well, flame! Claws, teeth, wings, the works are there, but it otherwise appears vague and ill-defined as it bellows mightily. The flames shoot out of the woods towards the giant bird, which shrieks once again, but this time in terror as it lifts off and takes to the sky, retreating as the new... *thing* lunges into the woods. The noise, the light from the fire... all of it gone as quickly as it came. )
Twilight_Sparkle rears up, whinnies, nearly dislodges Spike in the process, and GALLOPS into the woods after the vanishing second creature!
Spike says, "W-wait! Why are we going *toward* it?"
Spike holds on for dear life.
Fluttershy , having suddenly lost her cover, rears up as well - in fright! "Twilight? Where are you going?! Even *I* don't know what that thing is!"
Bardigan stumbles out of the woods soon after both the other terrors depart, covered in moss and with sticks and cobwebs tangled in his mane. "Ackpth! Rainbow Dash! Anypony! Are you there?! By Celestia's beard, I *hate* this forest!"
( The glow of the creature's flaming form vanishes into the deeper shadows with astonishing speed. Even stranger, there is no visible trail left. No scorched leaves or broken branches... as if the thing passes right through whatever it comes in contact with it. The light of the fires spiral away, until a single glimmer is left far, far ahead of the galloping unicorn, and then even that winks out. )
( Slumping against the ground it seems that Dash hit her head a bit 'too' hard on that tree. Her body wobbles for a moment, groaning. ".. Bard?" Thump. SHe topples over and sprawls out as her vision blurs its way into black. )
Bardigan lets out a gasping wheeze. He flew hard just to get this far, and had to swing about in a wide circle, having gone far off their trail. "Rainbow!" He collapses next to her and quickly nudges under her body, throwing her onto his shoulders. "Fluttershy!" he gasps. "Oh, thank goodness. I found you all by the light of that... that thing! What *was* that?" He looks off into the woods. "And where are the others now?!" he cries out in frustration.
Fluttershy rushes to Bardigan's side now that the apparent danger has passed. "I don't know," she says, as she feels Rainbow's head. "I've never seen anything like it. Twilight and Spike should be around here somewhere, though. Maybe they know more about it..."
Twilight_Sparkle emerges from the woods, a bright light at the tip of her horn illuminating the area around her and Spike. "I lost it! Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it came...but I think we owe whatever it is a debt of gratitude."
Bardigan shakes his head. "We have to get out of here. This is clearly a bad night for these woods! Is Diamond Dancer with you as well?" He turns to Twilight with whooshing sigh of relief. "Gratitude? For what? Wasn't that thing what was making all the commotion in the first place?" He wasn't here for the roc after all.
Spike picks a couple leaves off his crest fins, looking relieved, if anything, that he and Twilight didn't catch whatever it was. "Is everypony okay?"
Fluttershy turns to face Spike, her hoof still on Rainbow's forehead. "I'm all right, but I think
Rainbow Dash hit her head on a tree. She might be hurt..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Bardigan! You're a strong pony...you carry Rainbow Dash on your back. Fluttershy? Do you mind looking after her for the night? You're good at that sort of thing."
Bardigan is already taking care of that! Rainbow rests easily on his back. "Diamond Dancer is somewhere around here too. We should find her and all go home, at once."
Fluttershy nods. "Not at all. I know Rainbow's shrugged off worse falls than this, but I'm still worried about her. What about you and Spike, though?" She helps recenter Dash on Bardigan's back, adding what little support she can.
Twilight_Sparkle nods! Her horn sparkles, then she turns her head sharply and gallops to where Diamond Dancer is lying behind a Bush. She telekinetically lifts the pony onto Bardigan's back too, behind Rainbow Dash. "Spike and I will be fine. Do you need our help tonight once we get you home?"
You say, "Oof."
Fluttershy watches Diamond Dancer drift through the air and settle into place. "Oh, I would really appreciate that, if you or Spike know anything about taking care of hurt or sick ponies." She reaches up and fiddles with the positioning of Diamond and Dash, trying to make them comfortable (even if they're not aware of it).
Fluttershy is very careful not to move Rainbow's head too much, though.
You say, "Can... somepony explain what I missed? I could've sworn I saw a giant gout of flame near here, yet you're all remarkably unharmed..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I'm sure I have some books on the subject, but...I'm pretty sure it's like caring for sick anything else, and you're the best pony I know for that."
Fluttershy nods again, putting her forehooves back on the ground. "I hope you're right..."
Twilight_Sparkle nods, turning toward Bardigan. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you in the dark like that. When Spike and I arrived, Diamond Dancer and Rainbow Dash were fighting a Roc-- a giant bird that must live deeper in these woods! But...some sort of...firey creature burst out of the woods, chased it away, and was gone, just like that."
Bardigan hums as he begins the walk back home, carefully, holding out his wings to keep his passengers steady. "Fiery creature... not unlike what the children claimed they saw..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I hope this incident is the end of it! But something tells me it won't be."
Spike rolls his eyes a little. "You're going to want to study it, aren't you?"
Bardigan shivers. "I'm just glad you're all uninjured. This forest has shadows too deep for *me* to bother penetrating, I know that much... let's go home."
( And far, far in the distance, behind the retreating group of ponies, a tiny little light glimmers before swirling into the shadows, leaving the dark undisturbed once again. )
Diamond_Dancer Is hangin out above town. Juuuust above town on the lowest hangin cloud, laying on her back and staring up into the sky. Thoughtful pony tonight. Been a VERy busy couple of days and she could use a rest or at least a little time to digest everything that's happened. "Oh Diamond...you silly filly...you've messed dis up again...haven't you?" She grumbles quietly.
( Zipping about the sky is Rainbow Dash on weather patrol, kicking clouds to one side, pushing a few to the other. It is getting to be the colder, rainy season and so the world needs it's share of wetness to give the grass something to drink before the snow comes and buries it all. "Ha!" Kick. "Outta my way!" Another kick. She seems to be enjoying herself, wrapped up in a rainbow colored scarf to word away a bit of chill as she leaps about the sky. Her eyes find Bardigan throughout all the chaos and she calls out to him. "Oh my, who is that really handsome and awesome plus-one I see down there?!" She says, ducking behind a darker cloud to hide herself and slowly moving it along the sky towards him. )
Firefly banks in the distance to circle, dropping in along the path to land in a quick trot, flicking and folding her wings away as she slows to a more natural lazy walk. She looks around the market a moment, then looks towards Sugarcube corner, turning to walk that-a-way. A cupcake would be rather nice right about now.
Bardigan 's eyes roll skywards to see pegasi zooming about and hanging off clouds, just like he was *avoiding* doing today. He honestly doesn't know where his fellow ponies get all their energy... or at least, why they never release it in anything other than flying. He uses it to propel his muse! Which he is getting lost in as he introspects heavily on the nature of changing seasons... until Rainbow Dash calls out. "Hmm? What?" he asks, turning around and seeing nopony coming towards him. "Hm. I could've sworn..." He keeps walking.
Diamond_Dancer drifts her eyes towards Rainbow Dash frolicing about, kicking clouds here and there. Is that a weather pony? Oh, that's kinda cool! "Hey look at dat...dear diary...today I saw a weather pony! Ha! Who knew they had things like that in lil' towns like this! "She chuckles, and rolls over to her side- eyes widening when she spots... "That's...H, hey! Wait! Firefly!" She calls out, tumbling from her cloud into a sudden swooping sweep of a dive. She's a skilled acrobat for a filly, thats for sure...
( The dark storm cloud lazily drifts along the sky, then starts moving lower, and lower, and lower until it is right behind Bardigan. Dun Dun. Duuun Dun. Duuuun Dun Dun Dun Dun. If a cloud was a shark, this cloud would be a terror of the seas! CRASH BOOM! Rainbow Dash kicks it quite hard, sending a thunderous rumble out of it, followed by a belly busting laugh as she practically wheezes. )
( "I think I shall stop by Sofas and Quills," Bardigan decides, spotting Firefly nearby. "Oh, look! Firefly! Over he-AAACK!" he squeals. His hat goes flying off his head as he promptly flips over onto his back in a confused daze. )
Bardigan 's leg twitches.
Firefly pauses in her walking, one leg partially raised as she hears her name, turning to see Diamond Dancer coming in, then looking towards Bardigan as he calls to her as well, then snickers with a grin at the rumble of thunder that flips him over. She turns to face Diamond though, as she was the first one who called her by name, moving a few steps over towards Bardigan while waiting for the filly to arrive, then asks her "Yes...Diamond Dancer was it? If I remember correctly?"
( "Aaaaaahahahahhahaah!" Rainbow Dash's head peeks out from the dark cloud as she stares down at the Bardigan-Turtle, placing a hoof over her mouth. With a quick kick, she pushes the cloud back up into the sky, then flies down to settle in front of the stallion, staring down at him with a lazy sway of her tail. Pluck. She picks up his hat and flops it on her head. "Mine." )
Diamond_Dancer Swoops down and stalls into a hover above the ground, pausing when she notices a few of her feathers are tipped black- as if they'd just brushed themselves in ink. "...Fantastic. "She mutters faintly to herself, before circling about Firefly, the energy of a younger foal still rippling through her, even in mid flight. "H, hey! Hey, how are you? I haven't seen you since...mmm yesterday! I wanted to thank you for the meal! I...hey, we gotta talk! Can I talk to you for a minute! I swear it'll be quick. You ain't busy today, is ya?!?"
Firefly cracks a smile and angles an ear forward. "There are always things to do, though some are of the sort that can wait until I feel like taking them on." watching the small pegasus circling her. "Aside of the strains of training, I am well." tilting her head a bit. "And you are welcome. Pinkie Pie makes some of the best things to eat I have ever come across." then grins. "There is always time to talk. Pray tell, what is on your mind this day?"
Bardigan 's eyes, wide as dinner plates with pinprick pupils, slowly trace over to Rainbow Dash, where his gritted teeth quickly turn into a scowl. "Rainbow *Dash!*" he scolds, scrambling to his hooves and frantically straightening out his mane and tail. "That was... I... you... pfFFT!" he retorts. "That was so... *unbecoming!* How could you do that to your own plus one?! Right in the middle of the market... Return the hat you have absconded with!" He holds out his hoof.
Clara has arrived.
( "Ah-ha-ha-ha!" Dash continues to laugh as she leans back on her haunches, clutching her stomach as tears roll down her eyes. "Oh Bard! You were like a turtle! You looked like a tipped over Tank! Yah' arms was like.. waggle waggle waggle!" She flails her hooves a bit in a mocking gesture, trying to contain her snickers. "C'mon, I do that to /everyone/. It's so awesome, really, and you can't have the hat back, I like this hat." She says as she lazily flies around him in a circle. As she drifts close, she teasingly whispers in his ear, before darting off into the sky again. )
Diamond_Dancer Spirals into the air in a little piroette, followed by a backflip. She's energetic, that one. "Hey! I ran into Luna! DE Princess Luna! She says she can make a star fall for me! And den she showed me a shootin' star! Ain't dat crazy?!" She giggles- although there's an obvious tone of dispair riding on her voice. "Real ....real crazy right? So, uh...so hey, canni ask ya somethin? And maybe, not have ya get mad? Cause I haven't know ya for all that long ya know, but uh, I don't got many friends round here and kinda hoped we could ya know, hang out a little if...if dat'd be cool. "She explains- accent growing with her tension.
( "Well," Bardigan sputters, flustered. "Well, in that case I'll just have to... to do something uncouth and ungentlepony-like!" But he doesn't get a chance to finish, because at that moment a gaggle of young ponies comes barreling through the market. "Monster! MONSTER!" they squeal. "We saw a monster! Run for your lives!" Bardigan's eyes widen once again as he's obscured in the dust cloud kicked up by the hysterical horde. )
Firefly lifts an eyebrow with a nod. "Yes, Luna is the Princess Luna." blinking. "You sound a bit...dissappointed about that." cupping an ear slowly. "A shooting star just for you? An honor indeed." then looks to Diamond. "I will not get mad little one, from being asked a question." then lifts her head a bit when it is asked. "Now why in Equestria would you want to 'hang around' with ME of all ponies?" not sure she understood the question. "I can not make a star fall for you, nor can I brighten their twinkle..." cut off by screaming young ones about a monster. She narrows her eyes a bit and says, "Wait here a moment while I see what it going on." turning to go in the opposite direction the children were coming from to see what lie beyond the cloud of dust.
( It doesn't seem that Rainbow Dash had got too far into the sky as the screams of young ponies catches her attention. Whipping about with a look of alarm on her face, soon replaced by glee, she cackles out. "A monster?! Where!?" A monster means action! And action means awesome! And where there is awesome, there is a rainbow maned pony to kick something with her hooves. With a burst of speed, she drops back down to Bard's side, his hat still flopping upon her head as she squints her eyes, her wings giving a 'whoosh!' to clear the dust away. "Someone said monster! Where is it?! I will /save/ the day again!" )
Pinkie_Pie has arrived.
Diamond_Dancer narrows her eyes, watching Firefly leave. Sure she's young, but she's not all THAT young. "I am NOT a little..."She snorts as Firefly races off, and she dashes up into the air. "Wait here. Humph. Like I flew half way round da stupid world just to hear dat? Do you know who I AM?! I'm Diamond Dancah! I mingle wit da stars demselves!" She snorts...to...no one in particular. Not with the cries of monster around. "Dear Diary. Ya know, I used to be embarrassed to have a shootin' star on my butt. Now I dink it might be bedda den everybody dinkin' I'm a blank flank..."She sighs, and dips low to find sights of this 'monster' Maybe she can help...
( The dust cloud passes, leaving a very dizzy and disoriented Bardigan in its wake. He shakes his head and takes a moment to mourn his mane, now thoroughly mussed and dirty. A quick inspection of the road reveals that absolutely nothing is currently chasing the crowd of young ponies as they scramble about. He reaches out and catches one by the tail. "Now see here!" he begins, and he gets a facefull of panicking pony. "It was big and shadowy with glowing eyes!" "It had huuuuge claws!" "It had wings!" "It breathed fire!" "It had fire for wings!" And so on. )
Firefly stops and stands, waiting for the dust to clear after Rainbow swooshes it. She sees nothing as it does, ears twitching while listening to the various goings on, then smiles, flexing her wings. "Fire for wings would be, like, totally rad cool." then looks back to where she had been talking with Diamond, turning to return to that spot, snickering to Bardigan. "Looks like you have your hooves full."
( "Sweet! Fire wing and claws and glowing eyes? Heck yah, bring it on!" Rainbow Dash pipes up as she puffs out her chest and flares her wings. "I'm ready for a rumble! You with me Firefly!?" She calls over to her rival-best friend in the making-doppleganger without a rainbow tail. Sorry Bardigan, you're the poetic plus-one which means you get to watch the girls kick butt. Leaping into the sky, she gives a quick barrel roll as she bursts through a cloud, then starts zipping down the path the smaller ponies came from. )
Spike has connected.
Diamond_Dancer Gives a hasty little snarly snarl and zooms in to match speeds with Rainbow Dash and Firefly. She's not one to be left out, and certainly not when she's working on a scheme of hers. "Hey! Where's da monstah! Look, you'se two better not leave me outta dings! I'm the highest flier in New Cloud City!" She exclaims with the vunerabilities of youth- she's nervous these two more exprienced flies won't take her seriouesly...
Firefly laughs up to Dash. "If such a thing existed, you could count on it!" grinning. "After all, SOMEpony has to show you how to do it!" as Rainbow vanishes down the trail, with Diamond in tow it would seem. She tilts her head and looks over to Bardigan. "Did you bychance retrieve your hat?" snickering.
Twilight_Sparkle has connected.
Twilight_Sparkle trots into the market, Spike sitting on her back.
Bardigan is dumbfounded by the swarm of little ponies that are gabbling excitedly to himself, each other, and any other ponies they can get their grubby hooves on while they discuss what exactly they saw. "Hold on!" Bardigan yelps haplessly, trying to bring some order to the confusion, holding out a hoof in vain to stop Rainbow Dash. "*What* exactly did you see and where?" A young colt steps forward, eyes wide. "Me an' Dewdrop Dazzle and everypony else were goin' near da' Everfree Forest even though we weren't allowed cuz' school was out early -gasp!- and then *Yuletide* dared us ta' go touch one a' the trees an' I didn't wanna go but I had to be brave and we went a little inside cuz' Yuletide said I was a baby if I didn't -gasp!- and then we saw the MONSTER!" "MONSTER!" wail the other kids in agreement.
Firefly is standing a few meters from the surrounded Bardigan, keeping clear of the little pony cloud. She looks over to Twilight and Spike. "Well, hello Twilight, Spike. Welcome to horde of screaming children hour." pointing a wing down the path. "I think Rainbow Dash and Diamond Dancer are off to thump some monster soundly. One with claws, teeth, fire breath and fire wings and glowy eyes."
( "Nuh uh squirt! You can't go rushing head first into trouble, even if you are the highest flier in New Cloud City!" Rainbow Dash calls over her shoulder to the younger pegasus. "This is for grown up ponies! Firefly you coming or what?!" She hollers over as she whirls herself in place in the middle of the sky, letting out a loud huff. Of course she is still wearing Bardigan's hat as it is lazily hooked over one ear and flopped to the side. "WHERE IS IT?!" She gives a yell so that her voice reaches the others, ears perked up. )
Pinkie_Pie trots up to Twilight, holding a balloon in her mouth. "I had nothing to do with this," Pinkie assures her earnestly.
Spike says, "Wait...I have claws, teeth, and fire breath...are you sure it's a monster?"
<OOC> Firefly says, "ROFLS. Now WHY would anypony assume that straight off?"
<OOC> Pinkie_Pie ^^
Twilight_Sparkle manages to understand Pinkie, despite the balloon in her mouth! "I know that, Pinkie Pie. This isn't your kind of mayhem at all."
Firefly looks to Pinkie and Twilight. "True...there IS a lack of chocolate cake involved..." then flits up into the air, holling back to Rainbow "I see no monster TO deal with! Call me wheh you find one!" snickering as she glides back into the market, landing by Twilight, away from Bardigan's Bunches.
Diamond_Dancer in midflight, shifts upside down while sailing through the air to face the blue pony. "So, uh, hey! I'm Diamond Dancah'! Pleased ta meetcha! I'm da highest fliyin' pony in New Cloud City, broke a coupla records, (And Laws) so I betcha already heard o' me, cause I've heard of you! YOU are Rainbow Dash, right? Like De Rainbow Dash? I heard ya beat up Discord all by yerself! And I- "She pauses, voice dying out when she's called a squirt and the other pegasus goes sailing by, leaving Diamond hovering in midair- her right eye twitching uncontrollably. You could fry and egg on her forehead right now. "S, SQUIRT?! I...YOU..." She nearly shrieks in rage, trembling in the middle of her flight pattern. She's gonna do something.......drastic soon...
( "Over dere!" one of the panicked foals cries, pointing in an unspecified direciton that includes 'all of the Everfree Forest.' "It was near missus Fluttershy's tree!" )
Twilight_Sparkle shakes her head, and looks at Firefly in exasperation. "I assume there's some sort of perfectly reasonable explanation why those ponies seem to be forming a monster-hunting posse?"
Firefly blinks. "I think I know what they saw Twilight." then wingwaves to Diamond and Dash, signalling with a circular motion, then pointing towards Fluttershy's place. "Only one 'monster' would be by Fluttershy's. Clara."
Pinkie_Pie blinks. "It's not?" she looks around, perplexed. "Oh! The, the foals and the monster thing! Oh! Ohhhhhhh!" she looks shifty. "Yes, THAT mayhem obviously has nothing to do with me at all!" Hastily she starts chewing on the balloon in an attempt to destroy the evidence. Ehich is obviously unnecessary because she has nothing to do with ANY MAYHEM occuring.
Twilight_Sparkle blinks. "But Clara's not a monster, she's a--." She pauses. "Where IS Clara?"
( One of the foals stomps her hoof. "Nuh /uhh!/ We all saw Cwara an' it was WAAAY scarier! It had smoke for SKIN!" "No, it *breathed* smoke, 'member?" "Hold on!" Bardigan shouts again, holding up his hooves, glancing pointedly at the other ponies. Why was he designated foal rancher of the day? "I'm sure there is *nothing* to worry about. All we need is somepony to go investigate." )
( As it seems that Firefly is waving them back, Rainbow Dash looks conflicted and frustrated. Fluttershy's home?! But, well, she would have saw Fluttershy surely panicking if that was true. Turning back to Diamond Dancer as she starts to get upset, she kicks a cloud over her head, then leaps upon it, boing! Whoosh! She gives the smaller pony a quick cooling off shower. "Hey now, calm down. I call everyone squirt, squirt. And that's right, I'm Rainbow Dash, only the /coolest/ pony in Ponyville. And ya'know what? I think I have heard of you. You /almost/ broke one of my records." She says wit ha quick grin before squinting her eyes once more back towards the group. "Alright, we gotta go back. I don't know what the heck is going on." She says, zipping back towards them. )
Firefly smiles. "To a child...Clara is even taller, and scarier...a..." pausing at the filly stomping her hoof. "If they know the difference between Clara..." and without finishing that sentence she does a 180 and BAM!!! rockets down the path towards Rainbow and Diamond, ripping past them while Dash takes account of her awesomeness like a jet fighter at a balloon rally, angling towards Fluttershy's place.
( Zoom! "Oh COME ON." Dash cries out with frustration as she cuts a quick turn and starts bolting after Firefly, her body speeding like a tiny blue bullet as the wind about her vibrates with her velocity. )
Twilight_Sparkle 's mane and tail are blown straight forward as Firefly zips past her, then again when Dash dashes past a moment later! She watches the pegasus ponies go, then turns her head and looks at Spike. "It's certainly...bustling here today, isn't it?"
( Called a squirt AND soaked. She trembles while steam boils off her body from the sheer level of angry heat she generates. Oh she's been picked on all her life- and she doesn't look too happy about it now. She slowly, sloooowly raises her head out of the cloud after Dash dumps it on her, and glares at the blue pony. "I can fly higher than you any day of the we-" she says darkly. Flatly. Venomous-and there Rainbow goes, vanishing past, ignoring her challenge. Diamond is going to explode...."Would yo...HEY! Come BACK here!! " She snarls, and twists herself into a odd sort of towel like twist- and vanishes in a blast of Speed- That, dear ponies, was the Dazzling Diamond Dash- She's gonna rage so hard when she catches up with them...it'll be adorably hilarious. )
Fluttershy has connected.
Firefly leaves for 'Fluttershy's Cottage'
Firefly has left.
Diamond_Dancer leaves for 'Fluttershy's Cottage'
Diamond_Dancer has left.
Twilight_Sparkle trots in the direction of Fluttershy's cottage as well, bringing Spike with her.
Bardigan sighs as three ponies zoom away to deal with the "monster" that has yet to even materialize. "I suppose we should make sure they don't hurt themselves trying to be awesome..." he sighs, and directs the children to find their parents. Or otherwise go... play, or whatever it is little foals do these days.
Bardigan lazily flaps in their direction. "If you will remember," he calls out calmly, "the children said it was *near* miss Fluttershy's house. I don't think we need to set up a sentry post on her roof..."
<OOC> Twilight_Sparkle says, "O Drops! The Freshmaker!"
<OOC> Pinkie_Pie giggles!
Firefly looks to Bardigan. "I can see better from here than in the air or on the ground."
( There is a cracka-boom as Rainbow Dash drops out of warp speed, beating her wings as she looks about with wide eyes. "Fluttershy!" She hollers out loudly, trying to find her best friend as she zips around and around the house a few times. If Diamond Dancer is angry, that is all but forgotten at the moment as it seems that finding Fluttershy is the main focus of her attention span. )
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Everypony calm down, all right? Didn't you imagine a lot of monsters when YOU were little colts and fillies? This is probably nothing."
Diamond_Dancer leaves a display of brightly colored sparkles in her wake, diamond dust...which could be considered a bad case of dandruff for the hot tempered little filly. She speeds in third place, right after Firefly and Rainbow Dash- but to her credit, she's not panting or out of breath, just kinda frustrated with the way her night's been going. Luna, then Firefly, then Rainbow Dash. Nobody wants to listen to her- why, because she dyes her flank blank to hide the bright yellow star on her rump! She pulls into a hover along the border of Fluttershy's cottage and narrows her eyes. She's keen to see this monster too! How cool- nothing this exciting ever happened in New Cloud...
( There's a crack and a thud from inside the cottage as Rainbow and Twilight and everypony else start yelling. A light flips on in the bedroom, and Fluttershy's terrified eyes and laid-back ears poke up from behind a windowsill. "What? What's wrong? Why is everypony screaming?! Is somepony hurt?" )
Bardigan turns back, and he turns forth. Back and forth. "Well," he says, about as blase about this supposed monster as Twilight Sparkle. A cursory inspection is all he needs. "Whatever it was, it seems to have scampered back into the forest. Shoot. And it sounded like such an interesting creature too..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Fluttershy, I'm so sorry about this; I'm sure these ponies didn't mean to scare you! Or invade your privacy! There was some talk of a monster...claws, fangs, you know the drill. Hopefully we can be out of Fluttershy's mane soon, everypony?"
Firefly looks at the roof below her hooves at the thump crash. She was distracted for a moment by the glittery contrail that had come into the area, and its source. Brought back to the here and now, she flares her wings and glides down to land on path our front by the gate.
( "Oh Fluttershy you're okay!" Rainbow Dash calls out as she zips down to her friend and plucks her up, giving her a quick spin. "So, all these lil ponies were all Help! Help! There's a monster! And then one said it was by your place! And we thought it was the Diamond Dog but nope it wasn't so we thought maybe your house was being attacked and you woulda been all omnomnomnomed! And so Firefly and I was like oh-heck-yah-let's-fight-a-monster! So we're here and you're okay so.. " She breathes. "Where the heck is this big scary thing?" )
Diamond_Dancer Frowns quietly. "Alright, alright. So where's dis monster? I'm wastin' a perfect good rage for dis. "She snorts, floating quietly down to the front yard and onto the walk way. "Dis seems Sorta ding you hear all da time back home, right? Some ponies get all jazzed on candy, go onna suga' benda' see some crazy stuff! One time, right, heh, one time, muh buddy Dazzler, she says to me, she says, 'Hey Diamond I saw some like, two legged hairless creatures over dare!" And I'm lookin' over dare right, but dere ain't nothing dare...You know, like Ponies out in da woods that disappear from mysterious lights in the sky. Crazy stuff!"
Firefly looks quite relieved to see Fluttershy was allright. She stays out on the main path by the gate, then slowly walks over to Diamond. "A rather colorful contrail you have." she comments, stopping to look over at the others while speaking to Diamond. "It seems we have a moment to continue talking, if you wish."
Fluttershy blinks. She rubs her eyes with her hooves, blinks them blearily a few times, and then strightens her bedheaded mane. She ooks from pony to pony to pony, and then anxiously inquires, "...huh?"
Spike folds his arms. "I don't think there *is* a monster."
Bardigan flutters over to Rainbow Dash to put a calming hoof on her shoulder. "Miss Fluttershy," he says with a deep bow. "We apologize *so* sincerely for the interruption. Just investigating a case of hysterical foals out by the Forest when they shouldn't have been. Claim they saw a monster." He eyes the suspisciously quiet landscape. "Seeing as it has claws, teeth, and wings of fire, I'm fairly certain it can *not* be hiding near here."
Fluttershy whisper her head back and forth, restoring her mane to its ruffled state; suddenly she's much, more more alert. "B-by the forest? Nopony should be out by the forest all by themselves. W-what did they say they saw?"
( "They said they saw a /big/, /huge/ monster with glowing eyes, and it breathed smoke, and it had wings of flames and claws!" Rainbow Dash says, making her voice spooky for effect before Bardigan settles a hoof on her. She glances over at him, then leans in to give him a proper snuggle. He can feel her heart pounding still. She is quite amped up it appears. "But, it's nothing here, prolly was nothing in the first place." She huffs in a disappointed tone. )
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Fluttershy, I'm PRETTY sure Spike's right. The odds that a bunch of foals let their imaginations run away with them are greater than the odds that there's an actual monster anywhere near here by a factor of...oh, at LEAST six point five. Wouldn't you say, Spike?"
Spike says, "At *least*. Besides, I kinda resent the idea that something's a monster just because it breathes fire!"
Diamond_Dancer Seems disappointed as well, and pauses, glancing at Firefly before coughing quietly. "Oh...yeah...About dat...Um, wait, hang on, I don't remember what it was I wanted to...oh! Oh...um...m, maybe we could talk without so many other pony's around? "She asks quietly, ears flittering back against her skull-showing her youth again. "I mean no big deal but ...maybe?" She chirps hopefully.
Twilight_Sparkle nods. "If you're a monster, Spike, I hereby call for more monsters!"
Fluttershy backs slowly, very slowly, back into her house, out of sight of the window. There's a short pause, and then her door opens and she walks out to join everypony else, still tiptoeing delicately and looking over her shoulder.
Firefly says, "It would seem most all of them are up by the cottage while we are out here." then nods, walking a bit more out into the path, further from the others. "There. Now you may speak freely withouht worry of being overheard." grinning. "Now, you wanted to ask me something if I remember correctly, but when I walked back to where we had been talking, you were no longer there, but racing down the path with Rainbow."
Bardigan flaps a little closer in the direction of the forest, trying to spot something, or anything resembling a horrible disgusting monster. "The children said they saw it near here... did you happen to notice anything, miss Fluttershy?"
Fluttershy rubs her head, no doubt still a bit foggy, and turns her eyes skyward, thinking hard. "I don't *think* so...I didn't hear anypony scream, or see any monsters." She looks over toward the forest, twitching her ears and tail. "Or...*did* I? Maybe I just slept through it. Or on second thought, m-maybe I *did* see something after all!" Her yellow wings spring out to the side, going stiff with fright.
( "Nah, you didn't hear a thing Fluttershy, because there isn't anything out there. If you didn't hear a stampede of scared lil ponies, then you sure didn't hear a monster." Rainbow Dash says as she gives her friend a quick headbutt, then trots after Bardigan. "Here's your hat back." She says, flopping it on his head, then starts into the forest bravely with a snort. "I'll poke around and make sure everything is alright, which it is, but, I'll just make sure." )
Bardigan takes a step towards the forest. He has a healthy respect for how dangerous it is, but if taking a quick... quick... *quick* peek inside will settle this silliness, he's willing to do it! "You did?" he asks Fluttershy, ears perking all of a sudden. "What was it?"
Twilight_Sparkle sighs, and rolls her eyes in exasperation. "If anypony has actual need of us, just shout our names really loudly, all right?"
Twilight_Sparkle has left.
Spike has left.
Bardigan , distracted as he is by Fluttershy, does not notice the little, pale light that dances away from the edge of the forest as Rainbow Dash gets closer, winking out as soon as it goes deeper.
( Squinting her eyes, Rainbow Dash leaps up into the sky once more, blurring forward through the brush. "Saw something!" She calls out, sending leaves and branches scrambling in her wake. )
Fluttershy blushes, ears falling back further, and sort of shrinks into herself shyly. "Well...I-I mena, I don't reallly... *know* that I did, but there are all sorts of creatures in the forest. Like cockatrices, and giant stellar bears, and will-o-the-wisps!"
Bardigan hums, rubbing his chin. "All of those match the description of being monstrous, but none of them are smokey *or* on fire at any point in their lifecycle that I know of..." He whips his head back towards Rainbow Dash. "Wait!" he calls. "Not *into* the forest!"
Firefly lifts her head as Rainbow finds something, looking over to see what it was.
( As usual, the rainbow pony heeds no one. Bardigan's voice is lost on her ears as she zips this way and that through the forest, cutting around trees, chasing after that shiny light she saw in the distance. )
( The light hops from branch to branch and bush to bush, now bright, now almost out. The source is never seen, only the glow it casts. It is very obviously trying to get away, but it never seems to actually *get* farther away. Though on the other hoof, Rainbow Dash never gets closer to it either... and it's still heading deeper into the woods. )
Diamond_Dancer 's ears perk too, and she immediately hops to her feet and out of the sitting position she'd taken, murmuring softly to Firefly. "H, Hey! Dash! Wait!" She calls out, and revs back for another Dazzling Diamond Dash, her own specialty- but she pauses and glances down towards Firefly. "Hey! We gotta catch up with Dash! We can't let her get the monster FIRST!"
Firefly grins to Diamond. "It would seem there is a light to catch, and Rainbow has a lead on you." winking and lifting off into a hover. "See if you can beat her to it!"
Fluttershy jumps up, flapping her wings wildly and dancing back and forth on her rear hooves, her front pair clasped over her mouth beneath her terror-stricken eyes. "Oh no, oh no. Rainbow Dash, wait!" But of course, even her yelling voice is too soft to carry all that far.
( Defeated Nightmare Moon? Check. Defeated Discord? Check. Afraid of a forest? HA. Rainbow Dash whizzes through the trees, practically dancing as she goes, trying to catch up to that flicker as she pours on the speed. She notices that the further she goes, the darker it gets, and soon all she can hear is the spooky sounds of the forest. Afraid of a forest? Maybe a little bit, but she won't let that stop her! As she flies, trees rock in her wake as her speed builds. Whoosh! )
Diamond_Dancer Dips and dives head first into the Everfree Forest. She's gonna prove herself. To Firefly, to Rainbow Dash, to Luna- to EVERYONE. She shoots into the trees and break neak speed, hulring herself through the darkness with only a contrail of bright glittering sparkles- like snow, in her wake. CRACK- Right into a redwood, face first. She stumbles, lands on her tushy, and sits there, blinking momentarily in confusion. "...OW...Hey...ow...Good thing I can't feel anything there anymore." She sniffles, blinks back a tear, shakes it off, and is up and flying again after a few moments hesitation. Resilant little thing...but thats what you get when you stuff your face into arctic tempratures over and over and over again..."Rain-Bow-DASH?!" She calls, but the forest iteselfs seems to swallow her voice. Bit off a little more than she can chew...it seems...
Firefly waits until Diamond is off and out of sight before turning to Bardigan and Fluttershy. "I don't want to alarm you, but I think that is a diversion to lure the fliers away from here." looking over her shoulder. "Notice the light never actually gets away from Dash, nor she catches up to it....meaning it is wanting to be chased, neither getting caught nor losing its pursuers...either a diversion...or a trap."
Bardigan hasn't a chance in the world of catching up to any of those ponies when they go full tilt... He stamps the ground in frustration. "Blast it! I couldn't even *see* what she did! Did you?" he asks Fluttershy. "They could be hurt in there! Firefly, *catch* her!" He gasps. "Wait, no, don't do that, we need to get help!"
Fluttershy rocks back and forth on her front step, hooves pressed asymmetrically to the sides of her head. "All I saw was a little flash of light just now! Oh, Fluttershy, you're such a loudmouth..."
( The action in the forest has moved beyond sight or even sound of the ponies hanging back at the edges. The light continues to wink in and out of sight, then abruptly stops... as will Rainbow Dash's momentum if she doesn't avoid the sudden tangle of sticky old cowbwebs and mossy fallen wood that rears out of the woods ahead of her. The forest is still ominously deep and foreboding around Diamond Dancer, but it is unlikely to remain that way for long. )
Diamond_Dancer Isn't some Filly! She's no foal to be foiled by foilage! ( XD ) She drops low to the ground, wings spread, and takes off like a shot, shooting through trees, fallen logs, and dazzling past vines with a daring display of arcobatics! She can fly- not quite like Rainbow Dash, not quite like Firefly...but she's obviously something a bit more than normal- and she's begining to realiz- "ACK SPIDERWEB! BLEK AGHHHH! It's in my MOUTH! GAAAAWWWWW!! EWEwewewewewew! GROSS!"
<OOC> Firefly says, "This is why we fly with mouths closed.
"<OOC> You say, "XD"
<OOC> Fluttershy says, "Or with a feather duster in your mouth..."
<OOC> Firefly says, "LOL"
<OOC> Bardigan wonders if Fluttershy ever dusts down the Forest when she finishes her other chores.
<OOC> Firefly says, "She arranges the snails by size and color...."
<OOC> Fluttershy says, "Sometimes I just get carried away..."
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "lol"
Firefly grins to Fluttershy and Bardigan. "Have no fear....Dash is a elite flier and an Element....Diamond is a very hard substance. "I think they can handle themselves....what we need to learn is what the light was doing, and if or why it wants the fliers away from here."
( Slamming on the proverbial breaks, Rainbow Dash comes within an inch of running into those thick cobwebs. With the light gone, her eyes start to adjust to the enveloping darkness that swallows her up. Glancing about her slowly, and realizing that she is truly alone, she hunkers up for a moment within herself. ".. Firefly? Bardigan? ..Fluttershy?" Gulp. Turning around, she nearly finds herself bowled over by Diamond as she finally catches up to her, letting out a quick squeak of surprise! )
Diamond_Dancer Dances about over Rainbow Dash, flailing her arms with her tongue hanging out. "Ack! Ick, ick, ick, I HATE spiders! UGH! I hate this forest! This isn't a place I wanna go now! This forest sucks!" She whines, spitting a few more times before standing up and stretching her wings- before she looks around. "...This is a very dark forest. "She mumbles.
Bardigan waves his hooves in the air, looking frentic. "Or *maybe* we have two unattended ponies running around blind in Everfree Forest!" he all but yells. "If you won't go in after them, find Twilight! Find somepony!" He pulls on his ears and finally flips his hat off, dropping it onto the ground. "I'll go. I'll fly over the trees so I don't get snared by whatever they were chasing." It's the gentlepony thing to do...
Firefly thinks for a moment. "Then Fluttershy should fetch Twilight, Bardigan, you head over the Forest, we'll catch up. I'll remain here just in case it IS a diversion to lure fliers away....and handle anything that tries to slip through here towards Ponyville."
( Rustle rustle go the trees near the two ponies in the forest. The wind, perhaps? But there is no breeze this deep inside the woods. The deep shadows seem to move on their own, as a familiar light appears nearby. )
( "Yeah, it's pretty dark and spooky alright. If you didn't wanna be here, then why did you fly after me?" Rainbow Dash says with a smirk as she tilts her head upwards. "C'mon, only one way outta here now, and that's up!" She says, giving her wings a stretch, then leaps upwards, sailing for the tree tops. )
Everfree Forest
>->->->->-> @.@.@ EVERFREE FOREST @.@.@ <-<-<-<-<-<
The Everfree Forest is a dreary place--a vast forest where the plants grow, the animals care for themselves, and the clouds move all on their own! And that's not all! The trees are eerie and moss-covered, and some of them seem to be grasping for travelers when the wind blows. Everywhere you turn, owls hoot and vines dangle, and sometimes monsters are lurking around the next bend. The ground is muddy, the sky cover is uneven, and if you aren't careful, you could step in a patch of poison joke, or worse!
In short, don't go into the Everfreee Forest unless you have a really good reason!
[ Obvious Exits: Ancient <R>uins, Toward <C>anterlot, <Fl>uttershy's Cottage ]
[ Players: Diamond_Dancer, Clara ]
[ Sleepers: Seven_Seas ]
( spoof "Yeah, it's pretty dark and spooky alright. If you didn't wanna be here, then why did you fly after me?" Rainbow Dash says with a smirk as she tilts her head upwards. "C'mon, only one way outta here now, and that's up!" She says, giving her wings a stretch, then leaps upwards, sailing for the tree tops. )
( Right into a cluster of fresher webs stretched between the trees! )
Diamond_Dancer Watches quietly, peering up at the thick webs bloting out most of the light. "...H, hey Rainbow...I'm not...I'm not Scared of nothin...nothing like that...b, but Will you come back down here...ok? Please? Cause I don't like Spiders and...and...deres a lot of webs around here....d, dis forest...I dink it takes your fears and...and uh...makes 'em uh...real. "The flier explains, huddling down with her tail nervously curled around her. "...Rainbow?...Please come back. "She calls.
( "Oh c'mon you scaredy cat! Webs are nothing to be afraaaack!" Rainbow Dash hollers out as she finds herself suddenly tangled up in the thick ropes of web. "Blech!" Those don't taste good either. With a flail, she flops back down to the ground, landing rather roughly as she looks at her sticky covered wings, letting out a huff. "C'mon Squirt, let's start walking back." She sighs heavily as her eyes roll, trotting back the way they came, at least the way she thought they came. "Don't worry, I'm /way/ too awesome for spiders to mess with us." )
( Oh, there is company down here for Diamond Dancer. But perhaps not the kind she likes, as the rustling in the forest begins to get closer, and the light appears at the edge of their vision. Perhaps it's just coincidence, but it's the exact same distance as it was when Rainbow Dash pursued it. Teasing? Or following? )
Diamond_Dancer Stands up straight and follows Dash's lead as best she can. "Y, you're not scared of Spiders? C, cause I'm not..."She mumbles, creeping ever closer to the awesome pony- safety in numbers, right? "Y, you don't think about them silently decending down...and then pouncing you...a, and twisting you all up in webs and then l, leaving you trapped and slowly sufficating?" She whimpers. "Or even worse, if they decide for a meal in the middle of the night while you're still squirming..."Diamond stammers and glances to Rainbow Dash. "...W, where'd Firefly Go...?"
( "Nope. Nope. Nope." Rainbow Dash answers to each of her questions. "I kicked a dragon in the face, I ain't scared of spiders. Any of 'em come and try and suck our blood, I will whip out my patentend Rainbow Dash Buccaneer Blast! They'll go splat. Trrrrrrust me on that." Rainbow Dash says in a bolstering manner as they continue along, reaching out with a wing to slide it around the other pony and pull her close to comfort her. The light catches her eyes again, but instead of chasing after it, she just continues with her pace. "I really need to stop flying head first into everything." She grins. )
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "I LOLed in reading that. "Nope. Nope. Nope. I kicked a dragon in the face.""
<OOC> You say, "Like a boss."
<OOC> Diamond_Dancer says, "Like a hoss."
<OOC> Rainbow_Dash says, "Talk to the hoof.
"<OOC> Clara says, "TROGDOOOOOoooR!"
Diamond_Dancer smiles quietly, standing up a little further. She's starting to -like- Dash. Makes her feel safe. "...Say Dashie...I don't uh, know a lot of ponies round here yet...youse wanna hang out sometime, maybe?" She asks quietly, still on the look out for spiders. Her body is tense and ready to take off in a moments notice. Minotaurs, chimaras, Cocktrice- sure. Tiny little spider, and she loses it completely.
( Diamond Dancer's concerns seem more than valid. As the rustling suddenly increases in intensity, out of the treetops bursts a winged beastie not unlike a misshapen, gangly raven, though much larger and much more monstrous. It lets loose a terrible shriek as it descends on the unsuspecting ponies. )
( "Ha, sure, if yah' want. I could always use another member for the Rainbow Dash fanclub." The blue pony says as she continues to trot forward, freezing in place at the sound of the screech. When the creature appears, she shoves Diamond behind her with a wing, then holds her ground, striking an 'awesome' pose as her head whips back, snorting, nostrils flaring. "Oh yah?! That all you got bird beak?" With that, she stamps her hooves forward. Crack! Snort. "Bring it." )
Fluttershy has arrived.
Spike has arrived.
Twilight_Sparkle has arrived.
Twilight_Sparkle gallops in, behind Fluttershy, with Spike holding on tight.
Diamond_Dancer SHRIEKS! "SPIDER!!" She squeals and is IMMEDIATELY tearing into the forest, only to stop in mid step some several feet away from Dash. Leaving her new friend? Unlikely. Setting up space for her to attack head on- most certainly. Even if it WAS a spider, it wasn't gonna eat Dashie! Not with Diamond nearby "You've got it Dash!" She calls, hopefully letting Dash realize she wasn't abandoned. Infact, Diamond is lining up for a bee line shot directly into the massive creature if needbe...
( Level 15 Encounter ROC. Flying Type. Power 156. Speed 120. Abilities: Hover, Roc Stare, Talon Slash. Exp: 229. )
Fluttershy stares anxiously into the darkness ahead, glancing at Twilight and Spike to mumble, "All right. Here we go again...", though it' smore to reassure herself than anything else.
( The bird-like monstrosity seems more angry than hungry, trying to intimidate Rainbow Dash, who is rather smaller than it, with another terrible shriek. Grasping talons stretch towards the pony as it leaps forward, spreading its considerable wingspan as far as it can go. )
( Zipping upwards once more, Rainbow Dash seems all too eager to go head to head with this creature. As she pours on the speed, she becomes a fast, blue blur as she attempts to circle it a few dozen times, trying to get it dizzy and land a kick here and there. To the head, to the back, to the knees! "Ha!" Kick. "That's right!" Kick. "Who's tha' pony?!" Kick Kick Kick! "Diamond, you watching this?! I'm /awesome!/" Kick! )
Spike hunkers down close to Twilight's back, watching nervously. "What IS that thing?!"
Diamond_Dancer beams proudly. "YEAH! Go Dashie GO!" She chimes, hopping up wings unfurrowing and she hovers in the air a few moments, unsure if she should zoom in and help. She wants to- she very much wants to, to prove herself, but she doesn't wanna get in the way. "Oh! Oh! I know! Tag me in!!" She yells, holding out a hoof eagerly reaching for Dash. Seems like a good idea...
Twilight_Sparkle does the Twilight Sparkle AAAAAAUGH take, complete with patented gasp of pure terror. Then she composes herself, quickly. "I...I don't know! I mean, it's always been rumored that there were some scary things deep in the oldest parts of the forest, and giant spiders are one of the things the stories mention but I've never heard of anypony SEEING them before now." She frowns. "Rainbow Dash! Diamond Dancer! Get AWAY from that creature! It could be seriously dangerous!"
( The bird-thing frustratedly flaps upwards to get away from the confounding pony, head spinning to keep up. Its powerful wings beat downwards, creating a rush of wind strong enough to knock anypony not holding on to something clear off their hooves! )
Fluttershy ducks behind Spike and Twilight, peering out and squinting at the monstrous bird. "W-what is it? It's too dark to get a good look...I think it might be a Roc."
Diamond_Dancer Yelps at the sudden blast of wind that ripples by her form. "AGGHHH...That....IT?!" She snarls. She's dealt with worse trying to fly out of the stratosphere. She grits her teeth and zips forward (Abiet MUCH slower) while fighting the collosal wind. "Whad joo say?! I can't hear you!! " The little white pony calls to Twilight...
Twilight_Sparkle gets a better look at the creature as it flaps closer to where she is. "Wait, that's not a spider. I know! It's a roc! I've never seen one in the wild before! Oh, wow!"
( "How 'bout less yapping and more helping guys!" Rainbow Dash calls out as she gives one solid kick after the other, finally sneaking one up to pound the Roc right in the chest. As it beats it's wings, she finds herself tumbling end over end in the air before she hits a tree and slides down it with a 'unf!' "Ow." )
Spike says, "Why's it so MAD?"
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I'd be mad too if ponies were lunging at me. For all I know they might have started it. We'll never find out unless we can get them to stop long enough to ask."
Spike is still clinging closely to Twilight's back, probably digging his claws in a big tighter than she'd prefer. He stares nervously at the giant bird.
Diamond_Dancer narrows her eyes, taking in the dimensions of the clearing where the creature has attacked. She doesn't have much room, but as long as she keeps her circle's tight she should be able to pull off one of her flight tricks. "Rainbow!! "SHe calls out in a panic, and dives into the air, already starting around the Roc. She doesn't kick it, Like Rainbow does, but instead continues to circle it, over and over and over again. In her wake- the bright, shimmering sprinkles she leaves behind behind to glow as they're layered, and soon there's a bright glowing ring in the middle of the forest- LIGHT. Everything illuminated leaves the giant angry bird in view- indeed a roc..and WHAP- Suffering the same fate as Rainbow Dash, Diamond looks away for a moment and catches a giant wing to the face, sending her creening into the darkness of the forest...
( Spike's answer is another terrifically grating screech from the angry bird, opening its beak wide and revealing jagged, primitive teeth within its beak. If it is a roc, it is remarkably small compared to the stories... though large enough as it advances on the ponies, head lowered and beak snapping. Until, that is, another beast that defies description bursts out of the woods in a burst of, well, flame! Claws, teeth, wings, the works are there, but it otherwise appears vague and ill-defined as it bellows mightily. The flames shoot out of the woods towards the giant bird, which shrieks once again, but this time in terror as it lifts off and takes to the sky, retreating as the new... *thing* lunges into the woods. The noise, the light from the fire... all of it gone as quickly as it came. )
Twilight_Sparkle rears up, whinnies, nearly dislodges Spike in the process, and GALLOPS into the woods after the vanishing second creature!
Spike says, "W-wait! Why are we going *toward* it?"
Spike holds on for dear life.
Fluttershy , having suddenly lost her cover, rears up as well - in fright! "Twilight? Where are you going?! Even *I* don't know what that thing is!"
Bardigan stumbles out of the woods soon after both the other terrors depart, covered in moss and with sticks and cobwebs tangled in his mane. "Ackpth! Rainbow Dash! Anypony! Are you there?! By Celestia's beard, I *hate* this forest!"
( The glow of the creature's flaming form vanishes into the deeper shadows with astonishing speed. Even stranger, there is no visible trail left. No scorched leaves or broken branches... as if the thing passes right through whatever it comes in contact with it. The light of the fires spiral away, until a single glimmer is left far, far ahead of the galloping unicorn, and then even that winks out. )
( Slumping against the ground it seems that Dash hit her head a bit 'too' hard on that tree. Her body wobbles for a moment, groaning. ".. Bard?" Thump. SHe topples over and sprawls out as her vision blurs its way into black. )
Bardigan lets out a gasping wheeze. He flew hard just to get this far, and had to swing about in a wide circle, having gone far off their trail. "Rainbow!" He collapses next to her and quickly nudges under her body, throwing her onto his shoulders. "Fluttershy!" he gasps. "Oh, thank goodness. I found you all by the light of that... that thing! What *was* that?" He looks off into the woods. "And where are the others now?!" he cries out in frustration.
Fluttershy rushes to Bardigan's side now that the apparent danger has passed. "I don't know," she says, as she feels Rainbow's head. "I've never seen anything like it. Twilight and Spike should be around here somewhere, though. Maybe they know more about it..."
Twilight_Sparkle emerges from the woods, a bright light at the tip of her horn illuminating the area around her and Spike. "I lost it! Whatever it was, it was gone as quickly as it came...but I think we owe whatever it is a debt of gratitude."
Bardigan shakes his head. "We have to get out of here. This is clearly a bad night for these woods! Is Diamond Dancer with you as well?" He turns to Twilight with whooshing sigh of relief. "Gratitude? For what? Wasn't that thing what was making all the commotion in the first place?" He wasn't here for the roc after all.
Spike picks a couple leaves off his crest fins, looking relieved, if anything, that he and Twilight didn't catch whatever it was. "Is everypony okay?"
Fluttershy turns to face Spike, her hoof still on Rainbow's forehead. "I'm all right, but I think
Rainbow Dash hit her head on a tree. She might be hurt..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "Bardigan! You're a strong pony...you carry Rainbow Dash on your back. Fluttershy? Do you mind looking after her for the night? You're good at that sort of thing."
Bardigan is already taking care of that! Rainbow rests easily on his back. "Diamond Dancer is somewhere around here too. We should find her and all go home, at once."
Fluttershy nods. "Not at all. I know Rainbow's shrugged off worse falls than this, but I'm still worried about her. What about you and Spike, though?" She helps recenter Dash on Bardigan's back, adding what little support she can.
Twilight_Sparkle nods! Her horn sparkles, then she turns her head sharply and gallops to where Diamond Dancer is lying behind a Bush. She telekinetically lifts the pony onto Bardigan's back too, behind Rainbow Dash. "Spike and I will be fine. Do you need our help tonight once we get you home?"
You say, "Oof."
Fluttershy watches Diamond Dancer drift through the air and settle into place. "Oh, I would really appreciate that, if you or Spike know anything about taking care of hurt or sick ponies." She reaches up and fiddles with the positioning of Diamond and Dash, trying to make them comfortable (even if they're not aware of it).
Fluttershy is very careful not to move Rainbow's head too much, though.
You say, "Can... somepony explain what I missed? I could've sworn I saw a giant gout of flame near here, yet you're all remarkably unharmed..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I'm sure I have some books on the subject, but...I'm pretty sure it's like caring for sick anything else, and you're the best pony I know for that."
Fluttershy nods again, putting her forehooves back on the ground. "I hope you're right..."
Twilight_Sparkle nods, turning toward Bardigan. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you in the dark like that. When Spike and I arrived, Diamond Dancer and Rainbow Dash were fighting a Roc-- a giant bird that must live deeper in these woods! But...some sort of...firey creature burst out of the woods, chased it away, and was gone, just like that."
Bardigan hums as he begins the walk back home, carefully, holding out his wings to keep his passengers steady. "Fiery creature... not unlike what the children claimed they saw..."
Twilight_Sparkle says, "I hope this incident is the end of it! But something tells me it won't be."
Spike rolls his eyes a little. "You're going to want to study it, aren't you?"
Bardigan shivers. "I'm just glad you're all uninjured. This forest has shadows too deep for *me* to bother penetrating, I know that much... let's go home."
( And far, far in the distance, behind the retreating group of ponies, a tiny little light glimmers before swirling into the shadows, leaving the dark undisturbed once again. )
