Post by virgadesoleil on Mar 6, 2014 15:08:19 GMT -5
How Firefly & Virga Met
For the newer players on our great muck, the influence and overall impact of Firefly's player where my involvement is concerned stretches far back into muck history; Virga's introduction to the muck came prior to its public opening, in December 2011. As such, I have included the event that led to Virga's first landing in Equestria as it connects to how the two pegasi met. These logs are not edited from their original writing, and a few details may be currently invalid due to Virga's amnesic state at the time these scenes occurred.
Virga's First Appearance
VIRGA
"To dark's surfeit, the moonlight's call. Their fane far gone, devoid of life." The words dwelt within Virga's mind, these words of origins poorly understood. The night chilled, and winds swept. How exactly did he get here, in these skies? The air rushed his ears, deafening him unto everything. The only thing his dazed mind knew for certain was that he fell a nigh endless fall. The clouds parted high over Canterlot, a shimmering city of lights surrounded by the absence of light. Virga fell, tumbling in the descent unaware to what rendered him unto this predicament. The only thing he knew for certain is that he awoke mid-fall, dazed but not completely flummoxed. The heft of the wind greatly bound his wings shut at this upside down angle, his wings that hurt and refused to bend to his command. In his drowsiness he managed to turn and gain a proper heading, but the force at which his wings snapped worsened the agonizing pain. Something happened to him, injured his wings. And so he tumbled more. His steering only managed him a slight gain on speed until he forced himself to catch the wind to slow his descent. It was then he hit the balcony in a place he knew not, and slid across the floor, pulling the rugs from their holds. Potted plants flew and crashed, this mess of a drenched, cold Pegasi splayed on the hard floor.
CELESTIA
By the time the plummeting pegasus nears the royal palace, guards has already sprung to their hooves and began their race towards the winged projectile. However, they inevitably arrive too late, and Virga crashes into Celestia's bedroom balcony with a thunderous smash. The Princess of the Day is, for her part, resting by the roaring fireplace in her bedroom, working her way through various letters and petitions from her subjects. Her attention is suddenly jarred by the sudden BOOM just outside, the quill held magically before her slipping back down its ink pot. She pulls herself up to her hooves and walks over to the balcony, the doors swinging open with a magical shine. Guards surround the crumpled and drenched pegasus, and only turn their attention away from him as the Princess clears her throat. "It appears we have a visitor," she says calmly, slowly lowering her head to look more closely at this strange pegasus.
VIRGA
Virga remained on the floor, stunned by the impact though it wasn't that much of an impact. By some measure of chance, he didn't suffer any broken limbs or bones--except his wings. As he lie before Celestia, he instinctively attempted to move his wings to no avail. They were fractured, smashed either by the impact or something that transpired before the crash. His legs shook when he tried standing and he collapsed. Where was he? Who were these ponies? How did he get here? How did his wings become this state? once again he made a try for standing with one front hood poised for a push, but he didn't have the energy. He lay his head on the floor and inhaled several times...and then he tried again to stand only to fail.
CELESTIA
At Celestia's words, the guards surrounding the strange pegasus hesitate. They had no idea who this strange pony is, what his intentions are, or even where he comes from. Any hesitation is swept away the moment Celestia clears her throat once more, however, and two guards turn and fly inside to find some palace servants. "Bring him inside and get him some water and food," Celestia commands the remaining ponies. Four pegasus sweep in towards Virga, one at each corner of his body. Getting under him, they lift him up onto their shoulders and bring him inside. Some servants have already arrived and laid out some blankets along the ground, onto which the four guards finally lay Virga. Others bring a small bowl of water forward and some small portions of various foods. "Please, can you speak?" Celestia finally asks as she walks around him to stand in front of him once again. She lowers herself down onto her knees and offers the stranger a tender smile.
VIRGA
Virga couldn't resist or object even if he wanted. His mind centered on the pain that paralyzed his wings, yet they had an odd lack of feeling. His initial thoughts were concerned on the ability to fly. Would he able to fly again? His silver eyes briefly surveyed his surroundings, structures he was not familiar with. Once he was put onto the rugs he lightly rubbed his nose against the fabric. So soft, warmed by the place in which they were stored--he shakily regarded Celestia, but only a slight sound escaped his mouth. A few moments and a few sips of water later he tried again. "Vi," he said. "Vi...Vir..." Again, he took water, and this time a small bit of food which he didn't consume in haste. "Vir...Virga..."
CELESTIA
"Please, don't rush. No need to exhaust yourself," Celestia responds with a little smile as the servants continue their flurry of activity around them. The guards stand a short distance away, talking and mumbling among themselves as to the state and fate of this rather surprising visitor. "Is that your name? Virga?" the Princess asks in her still soft, tender tone. She looks over him once, taking in a short breath as she does so. She regards his wings for a long moment before turning to a servant. "Go fetch a doctor. Preferably one specializing in his type," she orders before turning back to Virga once more.
VIRGA
Was he rushing? He couldn't tell if time passed quick or slow. The jumble of thoughts made it difficult for him to process the proper course of action on diction. A name was a start, but what from there? As far as his mind recollected, waking in the middle of the air hardly any ability to fix himself right was the very first moment of his life, and yet where did the name Virga come from? There had to be more but he did not think of this...more. "It is..." he said, taking a breath. "...what this one is called."
CELESTIA
Celestia remains silent as she lets the stranger speak again. "So you are called Virga?" she asks to clarify, allowing the pegasus to slowly gain back his recollection. "There is no need to exert yourself too much now. There will be plenty of time to help you figure out who you are and why you are here when you recover," Celestia says in a calming, almost sing-song voice. Her expression becomes soft, kind, and almost motherly while waiting for the doctor to arrive. "Rest. Rest, and recover your strength," she says softly as her horn begins to glow. Slowly, a similar aura begins to surround Virga. And gradually, any pain and ache begins to fade from him.
VIRGA
"Yes," he managed. Virga was his name, the only major detail of himself he knew. He was about to attempt moving again just for the comfort of his legs when the pain in his wings froze him in place. This thing she did, coaxing him to relax. This other thing she did, with a glowing horn...numbness overtook the joints in his wings and along his back. It didn't change the fact he still had become an invalid, though the relief from the pain was nice. Silver eyes met Celestia's face. Somewhere a history was painted on this Pegasi. He'd been there, whatever 'there' was...seen things, whatever 'things' were. But what to say? He never saw power like this before, had never seen a winged unicorn as far as he could remember. Pictures, engravings, yes, but an actual living winged unicorn to his knowledge was not something that ought exist. Yet she was here, she existed.
CELESTIA
"If there is any way that we can help you, I promise that we will do so," Celestia says in a still-soothing tone, the aura around her horn and his body remaining there for a long moment. "And I promise, absolutely, that we will do everything we can," she continues to reassure tenderly before slowly rising up to her hooves as the Doctor arrives. He immediately begins rummaging through his things to gather the necessary tools, and Celestia slowly lets the soothing aura fade from the pegasus. The doctor levitates over a needle and syringe and works first on easing the poor pegasus's pain.
VIRGA
Help. He needed help and he couldn't reject it. The horn, though, was an object that nagged some off-beaten insecurity. If she wanted to, she could stab him with that in strange places. He watched her rise and looked to the Doctor upon his arrival. The return of pain made him shudder. Once more he'd have to deal with the pain until the Doctor had examined him. Virga closed his eyes and lay his head on the blanket for the 'operation', however unpleasant it might be. Never before in the palace did a Pegasi's wings look so...miserable.
Virga & Firefly
FIREFLY
Firefly screams in like a shooting star, a flickering ball of yellow light in the distance that just seems to go from the horizon to here instantly with a hiss and crack as the lightning bolt seesm to explode on the balcony in a sparking blast of air and dark clouds, the dispersion of which reveal Firefly shaking her wings off a bit.
VIRGA
That poor balcony again suffered somepony smashing into it. It that continued, Celestia would have to enact a defensive measure, as it was breach in security. Virga stayed on the blankets he was given, none too keen to the idea of moving so soon with his wings disabled. The crash at the balcony might have startled him if he had been asleep, but Virga was not a pony with a guilty conscience and thus loud noises didn't startle him so easily. He raised his head from the pillow and stared at the balcony, the pony, and the newly created mess. Celestia was not currently available for comment, though the guards all ready took an interest in the new visitor. As for Virga? He said nothing and only watched her, his broken wings splayed out and bound ever since the Doctor's treatment.
FIREFLY
Firefly finishes sweeping the clouds away, then takes notice of the Guards, waving a wing slightly to send them back to their posts as she entered the chamber. They knew quite well who she was, as if her usual entrance didn't remind them. It might also account for why there were no pegasi in pursuit of her and no call to arms. She tucks her wings in and stops, fully inside now, not yet aware of the downed flier yet. "Princess Celestia?" she calls in a normal tone, looking around a bit, then lifting an ear at the silence. She extends her wings and starts to turn around, seeing that the royal occupant was absent.
VIRGA
Virga's ears raised when the new flyer called for Celestia. So, she was a Princess? This wasn't made clear upon their meeting, though it did explain the lavishness of the establishment. Celestia was not a name he had heard before, nor this kingdom if her status as a princess was indeed true. "She is not present at this time," he said with a voice like silk.
FIREFLY
Firefly comes to a stop. She does nothing but stand there a moment, then flicks one ear. "I do not know your voice. The Guard are on station, proper, so you are not an intruder." then the storm pegasus turns around towards the sound of your voice, looking quietly. "I also do not recognize you." walking closer. "I am Firefly, Royal Squire to the Princess. To whom am I addressing?" she asks, stopping and just...staring quietly.
VIRGA
Virga didn't move; there wasn't much he could do about moving with his wings in such a shape. They refused to lift, and he couldn't move them after the treatment. That didn't stop him from holding a conversation or moving other parts of his body. Apparently, this creature that spoke to him was a familiar of the Royals to not be approached in similar manner to himself the night before. She was...smaller than the Princess. "I am Virga," he answered.
FIREFLY
Firefly lifts an eyebrow at this. "I must assume you are are of the Canterlot weather team then?" tilting her head slightly, then giving a very light smile. "I had heard the teams here were very competitive, but this...is not what I would have expected to find...nor is this where I would expect to find one of the team fliers." laying down to speak easier and not make you have to look up much at all. "What...did this?"
VIRGA
Canterlot? He was in Canterlot? He had only heard of it on a map as far as he remembered, and didn't second thought about. Weather teams? He never heard of such things. "I am not aware of what has crippled me," he said. "I crashed on the balcony, and that is all I remember after awakening mid-fall."
FIREFLY
Firefly blinks and lifts an eyebrow. "Forgive me if I give a slight smile..I mean no disrespect to your current condition, as it is unfortunate and looks to be painful...but your name...and this....conflict in a slightly humorous way." taking a closer look. "At least you were lucky enough to land where medical aid was immediate. There are none finer than those serving here in the Palace."
VIRGA
Virga ever-slightly tilted his head to her comment. What did she mean by it being humorous? Perhaps it was some local in-joke, that a pony had an unfortunate, but lighthearted accident...or something such. Lucky to land, she said. He was lucky to have even awoken before smashing into the ground. He did not blame her for that, however. She couldn't know. His eyes eased their tension as he silently regarded her. "As I have experienced," he said. "My wings are currently useless. I cannot move or feel them. The bones and struture are shattered."
FIREFLY
Firefly winces visibly. "Indeed a painful thing to suffer." angling an ear slightly. "What I meant," judging from the look she got. "Your name is Virga. This is a weather term known my most all weather ponies. It is precipitation that falls from the clouds...and evaporates before reaching the ground." smiling slightly, looking aside. "You...reached the ground. Sort of."
VIRGA
"It is the only thing I remember," he said. "I cannot tell you from where I came, or my occupation. Quite simply, I came from the night sky and that is all I can say.' He lay his head on the pillow, his silver eyes gazing at her. "I awoke with seconds to react to the fall. My wings were previously ill fit for flight."
FIREFLY
Firefly frowns at this news. "This is not a good thing at all." she says, thinking. "One, you are injured by something unknown, and two, this unknown did so over Canterlot, meaning it could be a flying threat." she looks to one of the Guards. "You there, immediately notify the Royal Flying Guard to be extra alert for a potential flying danger in the skies. I shall notify the Princess myself." looking back to you for a moment. "I must tend to this as soon as possible." then cups her ears and gets up. "The report shall have to wait." then leaps into the air, looping over in place practically and with one sweep of her wings is out the window, where she rolls a 90 and dives out of sight.
VIRGA
Was it sincerely this urgent? The thing that did the damage to his wings was entirely unknown, and he couldn't recall any details. In the full course of the day, no sightings had been reported in regard to any flying hazards. He silently watched Firefly in her leave and once again lay alone in the Princess's bedroom. He closed his eyes and sighed. They may be concerned on what injured him, but he wasn't. It was gone, whatever it was, and it left him in a strange land.
2nd Encounter
This scene's content, particularly Rainbow Dash's, may or may not be canon due to changes in players over the last 3 years.
This scene's content, particularly Rainbow Dash's, may or may not be canon due to changes in players over the last 3 years.
FIREFLY
Upon the balcony there arose a slight breeze, enough to swirl the curtains slightly. A rustle of wings and a clop of hooves heard as Firefly enters the room, She knew the princess was elsewhere at the moment and chose to make a casual entrance today, knowing there was an injured flier present. Her duties were done for now and she was very curious at to just what aside of a dragon could take a flier from the skies. "Are thee awake Virga of the Unknown?" she asks rather quietly just in case he was sleeping.
VIRGA
Virga had fallen asleep after his talk with Celestia, and right into one of the books he was in the middle of reading. He wasn't the bookish sort like Twilight, but he was in an unfamiliar land. The assortment of books he read included titles such as: Canterlot Weather Oddities, Equestrian Aerial Tactics, Equestrian Storm Conjuring, Dragons in Equestrian History, Advanced Pegasi Tactics, Night Flying In the Fog. What he couldn't do physically, he read about. Something in him wanted to know this culture's methods regarding things he was familiar with, but still--he wasn't familiar with them. The book in which his head rest was one solely regarding Royal Tongue.
FIREFLY
Firefly walks up to the sleeping pegasus. She takes another look at the various things done to his wings with a quiet shudder. A flier that was grounded. She'd been grounded for a time herself, though not like this, and it drove her crazy. She peers now at the various titles strewn around him, lifting an eyebrow at a few of them. She herself was in the midst of reading one on ancient customs of Equestria. A gift from her Princess Luna. This new visitor was certainly a bewilderment. She knew all the elite fliers from Butterfy Island back home...she'd bested every one of them, often three or five to one. They had fought dragons galore back home and heard of a few here. Most curious indeed.
VIRGA
Not far from Virga and the books was a dresser on which the light padded armor lay. It didn't draw much attention to itself, except that it appeared old and heavily used. Either he obtained it old or it had served him through that much--hard to say. It was a light armor that thoroughly lacked metal, being made of a leather and little more. His wings looked better than they did the last time Firefly saw him, but they still looked fairly bad. It was a wonder they could even be healed. he stirred a little, moving his head from the book, not quite awake just yet.
FIREFLY
Firefly eventually lifts her head, looking around. He seemed to be healing rather well considering, but this IS the royal Palace, only the best of the best served here. The guards were on station, there had been no reports of anything found in the air or anywhere near here. She turns and walks over to the dresser after noticing the armor, the lack of metal getting her attention more than anything. Her own combat equipment was a blend of metal, stone and crystal, She had never seen leather armor before outside of a history book or a play. She investigates the armor a little closer, looking for any marks or insignia, any clue to the origins of this unusual visitor.
VIRGA
Virga's armor bore marks left by hooves, claws, the elements, and in one particular place, what looked like bite marks of some small creature. The pony, of course, didn't interrupt her perusing the only belonging he had though his eyes did blink open. He didn't notice Firefly,and closed his eyes again.Was it day already? "The sun is bright..." he mumbled. "Could somepony pull the curtain? It's too bright."
FIREFLY
Firefly does not touch the armor, but ponders the individual marks in time, thinking of the situations and possible battles leading to each mark. She is standing still, though her ears turn upon hearing a voice. His voice. He was awake. She turns and spreads her wings, lifting effortlessly to the balcony trimmings, grabbing the drape latches and pulling them mostly closed, landing again. "There. The sun is indeed to bright in this room. It should face another direction with less...sun." cupping her ears forward as she lands in the middle of the room. "I trust your sleep was restful?"
VIRGA
Virga kept his eyes shut until the curtain blocked the sun. That was better. He could see in day just as well as any other pony, but he didn't much care for it. He felt naked in the day, exposed because of how much his dark colors contrasted it. "It was," he answered, warily turning his head to face her. He'd fallen asleep while reading and slept deep. "When did you arrive? Princess Celestia was here shortly before I slept."
FIREFLY
Firefly says "I have been here but a little while." she replies quietly. "You were sleeping after a deep read it looks like." pointing a wingtip to the book that was his pillow. "The titles I find interesting in themselves," looking to the dresser. "And your armor is unlike any I know of. I have only seen such in books of history and the occasional play." cracking a small grin. "You shun the light. This is a good thing I think." giving a laugh. "Far to many relish in the blinding thing and thus can not see the beauty of the night. I know of nothing in the night skies that burns the eyes and blinds a pony whom looks upon it, as does the Sun."
VIRGA
Celestia found it intriguing that he was familiar with Royal Speak, along with several other things he didn't tell Dash. What would Firefly make of it? Would it get around Canterlot and beyond that he had these interests and unusual armor as well? Being in the spotlight was not exactly something he was accustomed to very well. He recalled--it led to trouble at times. "That armor has been with me for as long as I remember," he said, flicking his tail. "The metal armor I see here is strange to me."
FIREFLY
Firefly says "And yet the metal armors of this land of Equestria are ancient in themselves, according to local history books." walking back over to the dresser. "I am not from this side of Equestria, I am from another land far far away. Butterfy Island. While I knew nothing of this place or its customs, I learned fast." turning back towards the wounded pegasus. "Much the same way YOU are." aiming a wing towards the books. "While ways here are...different, they have a common ancestry somewhere in history. Much is the same, much is different. Having been one in your position, I can relate to this a bit better perhaps than ponies who were born and raised here. I do not have the clouded mind of generations of pony tales to frighten me to behave."
VIRGA
"Thou maketh point pristine," Virga responded. He slipped again into that tone, like he had with Dash. This time, however, he didn't act like he just now caught himself on the matter and motioned to one of the servants that he needed something hot to drink, preferably tea. "I'm still unsure of my origin. I remember things, my skills, but not the experiences that gave them. I remember that I normally sleep in the day and awake at night."
FIREFLY
Firefly blinks, then cracks a small smile. "Thou Speaketh warily in thy lines, flier of the Night." she returns. "I have already read that book, and a few others akin to it. Though some terms I know how to use, many have vague usage so I do not use them until I learn the proper conjugation and placement. I find the old words...soothing in a way. Clear. True." folding her wings away. "So some memory has returned? This is a good thing. Is there anything at all of the cause of your wounds? After searching and searching, none of the guards have found any threats above Canterlot. Well, there was Diamond, but she's back in Ponyville, and was not flying in this area at the time, so you didn't meet her face to face. Lucky for you."
VIRGA
"There was nothing in the sky," he answered. The servant returned with a tray of tea and pastries, specifically apple pasties. He thanked the servant and pulled the tea closer for a hot drink. So his speaking in that manner wasn't too strange for her...good. As he sipped his tea, the muscles in his back cautiously pulled on his wings for the first time in days. He winced as they hurt, but the basic structures that were smashed had regrown due to the medicines the Doctor gave him. Still, he was a long way from flight. The length of his wings were hard to determine in their current stage, but the build was swift, angular and made for speed, sharp turning. He managed to stretch them all the way up with some difficulty. "That's all I know."
LUNA
Luna points out solemnly, "A swift pegasus and a strong wind can cover vast distances in a short time. He might have obtained his wounds anywhere." The princess walks in with clipped hoofsteps, peering down at Virga curiously as she steps up to Firefly's side. "Thou are our sister's foundling, then? Thy speech marks thee as coming from some land either closely sheltered or far away. Although we find that our Firefly slowly drifts into our own way of speaking."
FIREFLY
Firefly watches carefully as Virga tries to lift a wing. Just thinking of falling like he did makes her wince. She studies him carefully, not missing the fact his wings were very much like her own, built for extremely intricate manuevering, this meant combat flight or extreme storm control as both required that soft of ability to survive. The third option, she dismissed. An aerial acrobat would not bear such armor except in costume. She starts to say something as Luna speaks. She turns to nod to Luna, smiling a bit to the Princess. "Ah. I had understood he fell after breaking his wings, so assumed little lateral movement."
VIRGA
Virga breathed sharply inwards. His wings now stretched upwards, pulling the muscles in his back. He had regained a minute control over them whereas since crashing he had none. Slowly, he bent them down and tucked them against his back, covering the Moon Ring Mark on his flanks. And then he flexed his wings up again a second time, still with difficulty."I am the foundling," he answered. "For all I know, I simply came into being. I recall no encounters or fights, only loud and vague noise before being alone in the sky with broken wings. No other Pegasi or creature was up there that night. I was high...very high."
LUNA
Luna's horn glows faintly, and a soft blanket of magic encircles Virga, lifting him up into the air so that she can step up and inspect his injuries. "There is little mystery in it. Memories can be broken by injury the same way that bones can. As with bones, sometimes they heal, sometimes they are forever crippled. The only mystery is thy origin, and Equestria is vast and holds many secrets. Thou are obviously descended from ourself, but alas that puts thee in a group with every other pony in the world. The blood is merely strong, in thy case."
FIREFLY
Firefly looks from Virga to Luna. "He is of the Royal Line?" widening her eyes slightly not having thought of that at all. "This adds a new thought or five to the quandry." looking him over a little as well. "His wings indicate extensive combat or extreme weather training. The leading edge alone is impressive, not counting the sweep of them." walking to one side. "And the sweep must be majestic, even crippled it is impressive...it must be amazing to see in flight."
VIRGA
Being off the ground again, even if by magickal means, was something that relieved Virga of the 'earthen confines' that bothered Pegasi if they stayed on the ground for too long. Virga's injuries were surprisingly isolated to his wings and back with bruising along the legs and stomach from the impact. Some how, even with crippled wings, he had managed to slow himself down enough to avoid a paralyzing or fatal impact with Celestia's balcony. A mere analysis of his wings proved correct. Virga was a strong flyer, though he was too humble to say as such. "She who is centuries old knows more than mine self," he said. "I cannot speak my age for I remember naught of it."
LUNA
Luna chuckles mildly, "We invite thee to remember our age, beloved Firefly. There is not likely a pony in the world who is not of the royal line by now. We merely wonder if there is significance that he shows our blood so strongly. It is a curiosity, nothing more." The magic slowly rotates Virga onto his back, then back over onto his stomach, and finally lays him down again. "The wisdom of centuries advises this: Build a new life, pegasus. Thy old one will come looking for thee, or it won't. Chasing it is futile."
FIREFLY
Firefly watches as Luna rotates and examines the flier. She tilts her head and takes mental notes. He was built indeed. Top to bottom, a war machine. "Of course My Luna. I do forget your yesterdays are not as ours." watching as the Princess puts him down again. "I still wonder...*something* hurt him. But what?"
VIRGA
Whoa, now, what was she doing putting him onto his back? Fortunately it didn't last long and soon he lay on the ground once more. "I hadn't thought of seeking anything," he said. "It is the party that which visits who seek to know more than I." He resumed his tea drinking. Now that he had a basic motor control in his wings, he felt the power within stirring. Wings and flight were the power of Pegasi, though many Pegasi these days, according to the books he read during his stay, said many pranced and hopped on their clouds whereas he did more with them. He stared hard at the tea, its reflective surface and raised his wings again. Did he still have it? Memories could be damaged, but he had to know. He had to know very much! He winced as the very ends of his wings snapped under his command; the water in the tea mixture thrust up like a spear from the cup and solidified to ice, which shattered to pure mist, evaporating before his eyes. "Yes," he said. "I feel it again. How I bent the vapors..."
LUNA
Luna scowls abruptly as the ice freezes, and she has a hard stare, blue-green eyes that are like ice beneath flat brows. "By our beloved moon. Not another one. We will find whoever has found a way to bring out a pegasus's magic like a unicorn's and make certain it is forgotten permanently." Her wing swings out, pointing a pinion straight at Virga's nose. "THOU!" she declares, "What know thee of the strength and extent of that power?"
RD
Having swooped her way in from Cloudsdale, Rainbow Dash is sans armor this time, and carrying a basket in her muzzle. With a quick flutter of her blue wings, she lands out in the hallway and trots into the room that Virga was being held in. "Hefff Vrrrrguh! Guff yah' sumfing!" She mumbles with her mouth full of handle, giving a pause at the sight of Luna and Firefly. Dropping the basket with a thud to the ground, she gives an awkward grin as her brows shoot up. "Oh. Hey, didn't know you had company. Err -- I can take off.."
FIREFLY
Firefly is just standing there, gazing with a silly little grin where the ice column had exploded into vapor. Another one. A storm pegasus like herself. This alone was amazing. It wasn't until Luna snapped a wing towards Virga that she refocuses on the here and now. "Wait....what?!?!" she asks in a startled voice then almost disbelieving. "Princess...that...that was an elemental weather control not unlike my own, not Unicorn magic!" then immediately going quiet, wincing, berating herself mentally for saying anything at all.
VIRGA
As relieved as he was to know he could still perform his innate talent, the reaction in Luna caught him off guard. The loud Voice and pinion at his nose had him staring up at the Princess with unsure look. Was she upset about this or taken by surprise and unsure of how to express herself? His ears focused toward Dash's arrival for a brief moment before Firefly spoke, and then his attention went straight back to Luna. "My...Mark, Princess," he said. "It enables me greater control over clouds than the average Pegasi, like a baker's Mark may permit him to achieve cooking in ways one without would not. Forming Moon Rings as a means of protection is my strongest capability." A Royal asked, as as such his blood thought to be stronger than usual, he provided answer as appropriate.
LUNA
Luna's eyes study Virga's expression minutely, and as they do the pupils twitch, narrowing just for an instant. Slowly she takes a step back, and her wing folds against her side. "Very well," she concedes suspiciously. "The power of thy cutie mark is a thing to be embraced and not feared, but the magic that makes the storm ponies must not spread. Thy memories are still broken, but if thou find such power is given to thee after all, thou will treat it with caution." She stomps one hoof, the silver shoe ringing, and adds in a louder tone, "Let us be clear about this. If these unnatural powers are allowed to harm innocent ponies, thus shall we ensure it does not repeat." With that her horn shines. Blue light grabs the room's heavy wooden wardrobe, but it does so in a blink, and with a slamming, grinding, screeching noise the wardrobe is stomped flat into a new dent in the floor. Wood splinters out the sides, metal is folded flat, and bits of ceramic from the nicknacks inside are scattered around, but the top is as flat as a board now.
RD
" So.. this is .. a bad time for me to drop by. I'll just put these right here." Rainbow Dash says as she scoots the basket of surprise over to the side of the wall, hopefully out of the way from flying projectiles. ".. And.. Yeah, I'm going to play some windball with the Wonderbolts or somethin'." Wit a flutter of her wings, she starts creeping for the entrance. Creep. Creep. Creep.
FIREFLY
Firefly stands at station, saying or doing nothing at the moment. She catches sight of Dash and offers a slight nod, but remains where she belongs for now, reminded far to easily of the apple barrel warning.
VIRGA
If Virga didn't know any better, Luna was much unlike her sister in the regard of power. He had a feeling Celestia would have no suspicion curiosity in his ability rather than one in which she demonstrated her own power. He watched without flinching as something about her power was familiar to him long ago in whatever place he came from. "One thing I do recall, Princess," he said, "is that demonstrations like mine and yours were great causes of fear and that those with Marks were often hunted to ensure their power wasn't used at all. Princess Celestia assures me the ponies here bear Marks and they don't fear other's abilities." He lowered his wings in a defensive manner, as if to shield himself from whatever wrathful display this Princess of the Night could muster, though he still looked pitiful with them in such a state. "If I might observe, you speak as if you've a deep fear of those who might possess Mark abilities much closer to Unicorn magic."
LUNA
Luna tells Virga sternly, "We are aware of the strength of pegasus magic, far more than the pegasi are. Someone has developed magic to channel it directly as a weapon, and those weapons are being drawn to our power now that we are returned." Her horn shines again, much more dimly, and now light and a grip settles around Rainbow Dash and her basket. Rather than dragging her in or pinning her, it merely urges her forward as she concludes, "Do not flee, Element of Loyalty. Thy good cheer is necessary that this pegasus understand that he is welcome, merely warned."
RD
Almost out of the room, Rainbow Dash has an uncomfortable look on her face. She's not used to seeing furniture get destroyed by magic, and maybe somewhere in the back of her mind, she still thinks Luna is going to flip out and go Nightmare Bruce Willis Mare on their butts again, and so getting flattened is not on her Christmas list. As the magic starts gently pulling her back, she lets out an 'Erk!' ".. Uh, oh, I don't want to intrude or anything, you know, if you guys are having fun smashing things and all. I can always come back..."
FIREFLY
Firefly is used to most of the magical outbursts, though something in Luna's word stuck in her mind. She only lifted one wing slightly to ward off some flying splinters, tucking it away almost immediately after the great flattening was completed. She smiles to Rainbow as Luna urges her in, then offers Virga a gentle nod and smile as well, to reassure him, though she was impressed by the fact he had not panicked or reacted without thought.
VIRGA
Getting Dash to stay was important, but for some unknown reason Virga felt it best to keep Luna's attention as best as he could so she could slip away if she felt it was important to do so. This Night Princess didn't scare him,but the fact he was still technically a patient undergoing wound treatment while being confronted with this display. "If I might suggest, Princess," he said, "I've received nothing but kindness from those living here. There's no reason for me to harm anyone. Seeing as Dash is more or less inclined to depart under these circumstance, I implore you to ask yourself if a warning is truly necessary. These displays and speakings would unsettle any pony not used to them, and you'd not want your subjects to fear you...am I right?" He wasn't sure where this came from, advising a Princess prone to outbursts when it really wasn't his place to do so. "That and...what if Princess Celestia saw you smashing a wardrobe to make a point in front of an injured pony?"
LUNA
Luna answers Virga coldly, "That thou do not understand is the best sign of thy innocence." Her expression is certainly not remorseful and hasn't gotten any friendlier. Her pupils keep twitching and jumping, too, even when her eyes are focused. Lifting her head, without looking over at Dash she announces, "We apologize for this peremptoriness, Rainbow Dash." The apology is for that grip on her tightening, scooping Rainbow off the floor and floating her into the room to dump her into Luna's place. Luna herself is no longer using it. She turns and walks back to the door she came in, the one that leads to her own apartments next to Celestia's suite. Over her shoulder, she instructs, "Make him comfortable again, Firefly, but we would be grateful if he understands where the line of insolence is drawn."
RD
"Errrk!" Again. Rainbow Dash finds herself fluttering over without her free will and deposited on the floor. She is by now, hugging the basket she brought with her. "Uh, no problem Luna!" She calls over before looking back over to Virga and Firefly with a confused look on her face. "Soooo... anyways, Virga, I brought you stuff! Hoping that some of it can help you remember." She says as she trots over to him and flops down in front of him, shoving the basket over with a push of her hoof.
FIREFLY
Firefly's attention turns to Luna. "Of course Princess." nodding to Luna as she takes her leave. Firefly sighs quietly, barely lifting her own wingtips to stir up three very small vortices along the floor, the three whirling wisps forming very small foot tall tornadoes, sucking up the debris along the floor and pulling it into the air a bit to be carried by a longer thinner 'tunnel' of wind and cloud out the balcony to a trash receiver below. She tilts her wingtips slightly, looking around and moving the mini-twisters along to ensure the entire thing was cleaned up. The dent in the floor she could do nothing about however.
VIRGA
Virga was comfortable until the younger Princess arrived. He tried reasoning and coaxing, but it didn't seem to work too well. He didn't quite hear Dash over his own immediate thoughts regarding the very last piece of work stated forth from her. Lines of insolence? For the first time, Virga was displeased about something. As Firefly cleaned the place, his wings violently snapped out, resulting in a strain in his back that took whatever little control he had in them. He slammed a hoof on the floor in pain as his once-again-limp wings hit the floor. "Spare me this talk before I'm the one drawing lines of insolence," he said, though shaken by the pain. It was too much.The pain coursed his back and froze him in place. The first time Virga had been angered here was also one of the most painful since the crash. The shock of once again losing motor control in his wings forced him to breath hard until he lay down his head and went still. The pony passed out.
RD
Ears perking upwards as Virga gets upset, Rainbow Dash holds out her hooves a bit. "Woah, hey, calm down, she riles everyone up, don't worry so mu-" As he passes out, her eyes look worried and she leans over to tuck her muzzle into his neck, giving him a gentle nudge. "Virga? Are.. are you alright?" She asks as her wings give a slight flutter behind her, then looks agitated.
FIREFLY
Firefly finishes cleaning up and dispells her little twisters out of the balcony where they fade away. She returns and walks up to Dash, looking to Virga. "I heard the stress in his wings....the pain must have been strong." looking him over. "He'll be all right, if he doesn't over stress himself so. He is not from around here, and even Celestia has thin limits when a guest acts so. The princess's ARE the supreme authority here, together, as sisters. can you help him understand this? I think he was in a position of power himself back in his home, to speak so."
RD
"Well, if he wakes up, then I'll talk to him about it." Rainbow Dash says as she looks over him worriedly for a moment, before letting out a heavy breath. With a flutter of her wings, she leaps up into the air, if anything to just feel more comfortable off the ground.
FIREFLY
Firefly nods as she sits there, carefully folding her own wings away. Un-natural. Being drawn out. She never knew why she found the forest so comforting that night. It certainly makes her think. "Blacking out from pain is usually a short lived thing, I've known it a few times." then walks over to the dresser. "Say, Rainbow, have YOU ever seen an armor like this? Leather, with no metal or crystals?" indicating Virga's flight armor.
RD
"Nuh uh, no one has need to wear armor about Ponyville or Cloudsdale. Only armor I've ever seen is the kind the guards wear here, and the armor that Luna gave me the other day." Rainbow Dash says as she continues to hover in the air, giving a bit of a helicopter circling in the air above Virga. "He is sweet though, in a amnesic royal posh kinda way."
FIREFLY
Firefly says "I have armor, but nothing as fancy as yours." nodding to Dash. "Mine is just wing and chest, neck and back, and black. All of the night fighters got black, day fighters got silver. Though the wing bits were weapons too." looking at all the marks in the leather armor. "His wings and armor speak of a strong fighter, very fast and agile. His words speak of the Courts on High, and his attitude speaks of being one used to giving orders and not hearing words returned." lifting off and rolling upside down to face the sleeping Virga. "Just WHO are you, Storm Pegasus of the Night."
VIRGA
Virga did stir as Firefly said he would, though it was slow. He heard their voices, but nothing else came. Why exactly had he blacked out again? He couldn't think. The region between black out and consciousness meddled with knowing his surroundings, and typically Virga was a light sleeper. The last few days had been the heaviest sleep he had known. He stirred, but only opened an eye, staring out at the floor and the tray where his untouched pastries still awaited him, and further to the flattened cabinet. Oh...yes. That's right. He slowly pressed his front hooves against the floor and pushed. There was no denying it. He couldn't move his wings once again, thanks to Luna aggravating him enough. It didn't matter if she was royal or not, and it didn't matter to him if he had once held power or not. Her behavior was inappropriate before someone in his condition.
RD
"Hey, take it easy!" Rainbow Dash calls out as she zips down to his side, looking to usher him gently back down. "Don't push yourself, you passed out again. You should really take it easy." She says as she tucks her muzzle in behind his jaw, giving him a soft press before leaning back and looking worried. "Do you need me to find a healer for you?" She asks.
FIREFLY
Firefly rolls right side up and lands. "He lives." she smiles, tucking her wings in, feeling a bit bad using them before a pony who could not. "It takes much more than a wee bit of pain to take a storm pegasus out." nodding matter of factly, sitting quietly as Dash checks him out.
VIRGA
If it hadn't been for Dash, he'd had forced himself to stand with his limp wings and risk damaging them even more. The touch of her muzzle behind his jaw eased him back down. "No," he said softly, "Just the palace Doctor will do. And keeping her away from me. I did nothing but test myself with my tea cup, and she reacted the way you saw."
RD
"Yeah.. she's uh.. pretty extreme.." Rainbow Dash says in a soft voice as she presses her muzzle against his ear to softly whisper, followed by a soft nuzzle. "Hey, I brought you some things, which are still intact it looks like. I'm hoping that maybe something can jog your memory." Grabbing up the basket once more, she opens it up and starts to pull out a few things. "So, I got cupcakes, waffles, a slice of the best chocolate cake you'll ever have. And.. just other things." She says, plucking out a toy doll in the shape of a rabbit, soon followed by a ball in a cup game, a couple of books, and a rainbow colored blanket. Something to keep warm with.
FIREFLY
Firefly lays down and faces Virga. "She reacted so because of the history here." closing her eyes a bit. "There was a time, as I have read, where those like us took a violent turn here, and hurt many many ponies. Perhaps overreacted, a little yes, but she herself has been away 1000 years Virga, to her those ancient wars and memories are as vivid as yesterday. I can only ask understanding of this." looking to Dash, then back to Virga. "Or at least, a consideration." looking to Dash. "Nice blanket..," she comments idly.
VIRGA
Extreme. That would have been a perfect word for Luna. She was extreme like those vague figures he recalled from his very early days, the ones that readily put others under the axe. Dash's nuzzling and whispering melted some of the apprehension coursing his body, but not all of it. He watched the things being pulled from the basket, tilting his head at them. She went to the trouble of collecting all of that in an effort to help him remember who he was before the incident--how nice of her. For a moment he listened to Firefly.Even if Luna experienced culture shock, there was little excuse for the behavior. "I will give it consideration, Firefly," he said, "but if those like us caused fear and terror then she is in the same category as us, which means her mannerism is unwarranted. Princess Celestia will hear about it, I assure you." He faced her then, his voice remaining as soft and non-authority as ever. "We don't even know if I might have been sealed off for a number of years before appearing. I could have been unfrozen from any time." Such an idea would match with his armor, but still there was so little known about it. Dash's blanket drew his attention and he readily brushed his muzzle along its fabric. "This is so soft...I can feel the warmth in it."
RD
"Oh, yeah.. it's pretty soft. I've had it since I was a kid. Uh.. you can have it now. Thinking you could use an extra blanket tonight. It's going to get real cold. I'm bringing the snow, a lot of snow." Rainbow Dash says as she plucks up the end of the blanket and then flips it over and on top of him. "There, no cold ponies here!" She says with a wide grin on her face. "And I brought the waffles, which are these." She motions to the breakfast that looks like criss cuts. "Friend helped me made them this morning, and I got the cupcakes from Pinkie Pie earlier. And, uh, I got this doll from a local store. I had one like it when I was young."
FIREFLY
Firefly nods to Virga. "I thank you for that. We are learning many things, all of us. Luna is adjusting and learning as well. You may not see it, having just met her, but this is actually quite an improvement for Luna in the time I have known her." smiling with a tilt of her head. "Yes, I have been considering that you might be displaced from time as well as you seem to mirror much of what Luna displayed back then. "Dash has a penchant for sleeping, so she knows the most comfortable blankets and pillows in all of Equestria." grinning slightly. "Please forgive my own curiosity...you are just the first storm pegasus I have seen since I left the Islands, my old instructor Flashfire being the only other one." peering at the doll with a questioning look to Rainbow. "You gave a warrior....a doll."
VIRGA
"I just...as long as I'm trying to recover, Firefly,it is likely best that Princess Luna and I don't see each other as we seem to have some royal-based tensions." He offered her a smile, though there was still the issue of his wings, which he moved! It hurt, but he could move them still, and he pulled them close, up against his back. "Dash, thank you for the blanket, and these waffle things. Cupcake--I've never heard of this mysterious...cupcake...before. And this doll. I'm not so sure I could take something like this from you. If you had one like it when you were young, then at some point you must have lost it somehow. This doll is a figment of your youth, while it is not the exact same one you had, and it would be unbecoming for me to take it. I suggest you keep it as something that might represent me bringing to you something of your youth that you lost."
RD
"Psh, it's just a doll, Virga, I got like..a billion more at home shoved in the closet somewhere. Didn't you have a doll when you were a young colt?" Rainbow Dash asks, plucking up a pink frosting cupcake and handing it over to him for a bite. "Cupcakes are delicious. They are the best treats in the world." A smile continues to spread along her face as she noses a cupcake over to Firefly as well. Reaching over and tugging the blanket a bit higher on him, she tucks it in against his body, then smiles. "There, now you look like me, but not as awesome."
FIREFLY
Firefly blinks. "Never.....heard....of....a....cupcake???" she gets out. staring at him in the most disbelieving manner. "Then it is settled. Dash, would you agree visiting Sugarcube Corner could be defined as 'comfortable' in many ways?" smiling a bit. "And were not the last order I was issued to help make him more comfortable?" smiling. "When you are better of course, Virga. We are all Pegasi, so we could easily tow a cloud with you on it to town, but that might be to risky at this point. BUT....Sugarcube is THE place to experience Cupcakes. You may never want to leave." taking the cupcake Dash offers and flipping it up with a wingtip to catch it in her mouth, chewing it quietly, snickering a bit. "Hmmmm."
VIRGA
This would be a test of his pronunciation abilities. Yes, very much. This Sugarcube place they discussed was unlike any place he had heard about before because it specialized in sweet treats, apparently. "This..shoo-gar kyuub...is an interesting concept," he said, eying the two. "There is a way to make me comfortable, but one of you would likely become jealous." Hey, Dash started teasing him yesterday. Today was his turn to start that. YES. It was a dirty joke, unbecoming of anyone with royal connections...and he still said it. "This blanket does warm me a lot, Dash."
RD
Oh ho. Rainbow Dash gets a wide grin upon her face as she turns her attention over to Firefly. "Oh really, are you sure about that?" She says, sauntering over to the other filly as she leans in to rub her cheek along her neck. "You sure one of 'us' would be jealous, Virga?" She croons to him before bursting out with a loud laugh, stomping her hooves on the ground. "Well, what did you have in mind, handsome?" She teases him. "What would make 'you' comfortable, hm?"
FIREFLY
Firefly snickers and is still chewing on her cupcake, then swallows it. She cleans her muzzle off before saying anything, just giving a laugh at Rainbow's actions. "Hmm...seeing as YOU Rainbow Dash, are taken, I imagine only one of 'us' would be qualified to partake in any such comforting actions." laughing quietly while continuing to clean her muzzle of frosting. "Though Bardigan might be jealous, he is not one of the two indicated."
VIRGA
Virga looked between the two, curious about them both. Dash was taken? He wouldn't have known if nobody said anything, and nobody in fact said anything. If Dash chose to flirt, then he had no problem with it though he knew he liked her. Firefly--he was curious about her too. He considered his cupcake, eying Dash particularly strong. "Well, just think about it, Firefly. Unknown, mysterious stallion such as myself. For all you know my 'abilities' in that department may outshine modern performance." His ears turned red at the notion. He wasn't used to this sort of chitchat. "Bargidan?"
RD
There is a quick 'look' over towards Firefly as she brings up Bardigan. Oh c'mon, she's playing around! That is a total buzz kill. Though it does not seem as if Rainbow Dash is going to let it drop. "Oh, Virga, I don't think she would have anything to compare it to." She says with a waggle of her brows in his direction. "Though I on the other hand, am an expert." She says with a preen of her feathers. "Perhaps you and I can have some friendly competition to see how your skill set rates." With a wink, she relents. "Bardigan is my.. plus-one.. err.. boyfriend.."
FIREFLY
Firefly grins a bit to Rainbow, "While I tend to keep such matters to myself...." taking a breath and looking to Virga. "Dash is correct. On both counts I am afraid." flicking an ear. "Here ponies are more...open about such things. Not so where I am from." standing up and flicking her wings a bit to remove any crumbs of cupcake. "In my land, such things are not competed for. When one cannot compete, one merely stands aside." looking to see if there were any more cupcakes. "It still confuses me how an element of Loyalty can be so.....flirty." laughing a bit. "But there is much about this side of Equestria I do not understand. I am however, learning as I go."
VIRGA
"Well, let's say one can be loyal to the sense of flirtations," he said, finally deciding to nibble on this cupcake. What a strange taste it had--not bad at all, thought he wasn't quite sure if frosting was his thing. Either way, he ate the entire thing in two bites. That's right. Two bites. He regarded Dash on one side, and Firefly on the to her; he took that cupcake, and ATE IT. "I can't say I have anything to compare to either, as I don't recall ever being in a relationship." He wriggled his brow at both of them upon that remark.
FIREFLY
Firefly lifts an eyebrow to Virga. "You must be joking. A pelt so sleek and wings like that and you've...ahhhhh." she catches herself. "Memory loss, you don't recall either way. My apologies." watching a cupcake find its demise so abruptly. Heh. Maybe glomping cupcakes was natural to storm pegasi. Or Pinkie. Or both. She watches Rainbow and nods. "I think I should check on things in town." spreading her wings and taking off out the balcony. "I still have a few reports to deliver. Enjoy the evening!"
3rd Encounter
VIRGA
Virga slept soundly after his first time in Ponyville. The news Fluttershy gave him with her examination now gave him an idea of how he should proceed with regaining his hoffing on skill. Now that he had a control of his wings, though limited, he busied himself in the room allocated for his use. Today he lie with a tray of tea at his side and a bowl bowl of water before him. Fluttershy said he shouldn't overstress himself, and therefore he knew that his initial display in front of Luna had been perhaps too much for so early. The Pegasi hooked his wings around before his muzzle, just above the water in the bowl. It rippled subtly. Luna was right to be concerned; the average Pegasi wouldn't be able to perform this. With clouds came vapors, and vapors often consisted of liquids.This gave him a potentially volatile skill. Water could become mist could become ice, and ice had a way of being useful as a weapon when slung around by wind. But for now, only ripples in the bowl.
FIREFLY
Firefly had completed a few of her tasks and now had a chunk of the afternoon with little to do. She was near the area and decides it would be a good time to check upon another task. She still has 3 reports left to deliver. After landing elsewhere in the castle, she finds neither of the ruling alicorns present, so decided to see how well the visitor was doing. She glides along the vast hallway and banks towards Celestia's area, flitting into the doorway, where she lands, peering in. "You are awake this time." she says, walking in quietly. "I need not worry about stirring your slumber." looking to the bowl of water. "I am not disturbing anything am I?"
VIRGA
Virga's ears raised, turned in Firefly's direction like an extra set of eyes while he focused on the water bowl. The very end of his pinioned wings stoked the water's surface, drawing its form into a funneling mass no higher than the bowl's rim. What was water became the vapor of cloud, swirling quietly and harming not a soul before it settled. Now he he had a bowl of mist whose fingers eerily traced the rim. Virga slowly pulled back his wings and turned his eyes to her. "No, thou art not disturbing."
FIREFLY
Firefly can't help but grin. "Tweaking more water vapor into exploding ice are we?" while tucking her wings in. She steps closer to observe the bowl of mist. "I see your recovery is well on its way." looking at his wings. "Still no recollection of what caused your injury?" getting back around in front by the bowl, then sitting down, cupping an ear up. "It is that which I find to be of the most bewildering of events." looking at him. "I know we are much stronger than regular pegasi, It would be amazing anything could take either of us down, yet...I know I could not have survived such a fall...nor do I heal so quickly." thinking for a moment. "And again, something took you down. This will vex me for sure."
VIRGA
"No," he said. "I don't much think about what caused my injury." He glanced at the bowl of mist and gently pushed it closer to her as he took his hot tea for a drink. She was convinced that he was a Storm Pegasi, as he would say the plural form for singular. "I only heal fast because of the Royal Doctor," he said. Once he sipped his tea,Virga went silent. He thought about many things since the trip to Ponyville, and some part of him had been affected by the notion of two ponies together at the Tavern. He wasn't quite sure why this intrigued and bothered him so much, as he couldn't remember anything.
FIREFLY
Firefly says "And I worry over it because of the conditions in which it arose and left you." looking down to the bowl of mist scooted before her, then looking back up. "I am convinced it was not a creature attack. The evidence suggests a physical event." flicking an ear lightly. "Natural or not is still out for debate." She grins tucking her front legs beneath her and laying down fully. "The alternate conclusion being that you are not a storm pegasus at all but something more."
VIRGA
"More? What could be more than a Storm Pegasi?" he asked. "Princess Luna did say I am of a certain degree of Royalty, but how would that change anything?" Whatever thought he had about relationships was temporarily put on hold over this topic. He wasn't concerned about what happened the way others were primarily because no matter how much he thought about it, nothing came.
FIREFLY
Firefly just looks at him. "I said alternate, wild as it sounds, it is still a possibility and I tend not to overlook details, no matter how trivial they may seem." smiling a bit. "I am merely making and comparing notes and details is all." not missing the change in the overall feeling of the conversation. "I do not know of anything more personally, but my ignorance of such an existence or creature does not mean it is not a viable option. There is much I do not know, though I enjoy learning deeply." looking down at the bowl of mist. "You pushed this towards me. Why?" grinning slightly. "In hopes I would tease it back into water, or just to show me what you were working on?"
VIRGA
Virga's ears turned a light shade of red when she asked him why he pushed his sample to her. The explanation of 'something more' made perfect sense, but now it was about this bowl of cloud mist. "I wanted you to have it," he said. "It is an essence of fog..." He became rather bashful about that subject, yes. Fog was good for hiding...things.
FIREFLY
Firefly lifts an ear and an eyebrow, not expecting that kind of reaction at all. She gets a wary look, lowering her head to examine the bowl of essence of fog in more detail. "You wished me to have...a fog?" peering up at him as her nose remains pointed to the bowl. "I know that you are well aware that I know what fog is, and the container is of a general type." meaning of course, the bowl. "So my thought is...." pausing. She moves her eyes back to the bowl, and then takes a breath, and blows the mist aside to see what was beneath it.
VIRGA
Virga watched her, curious to what she'd do with the fog. Blowing the fog in this bowl didn't amount to much aside from its mists briefly parting only to once again pool in the bowl. That fog wasn't going anywhere, and it wasn't burning off as fog normally did. No, that fog sat there and dared her to remove it from the bowl. It was quite simply stuck in place with nothing beneath it. "See something you like?"
FIREFLY
Firefly's reaction was one that could have been expected, one of curiousity, then of contemplation. "It seems to be crafted with a holding effect, much as I have my home crafted." commenting to no one in particular, making audible observations to her self mostly. "A consistency that is current, reacting to its surroundings naturally..." then turns, getting a large jar from her saddlebag, setting it on the floor beside the bowl. She removed the lid from the jar and scoops the bowl up. Eying the mist carefully, she attempts to pour it into the jar.
VIRGA
Virga's fog successfully poured into the jar. The effect he created was exactly as she had stated, performed with a very thin layer of water he had separated during the evaporation process. The entire bowl full hadn't become fog. The thin layer of holding water became the anchor for the fog, and the fog went where ever the anchor-water did. An analysis of his Fog Holding may explain one majorly important thing. Moon Rings, as depicted on his flank by his Mark, often consisted of water crystals. As long as Virga had a source of water, he could create clouds and shape them to his purposes, fair or foul as opposed to depending on clouds that have already formed in the sky.
FIREFLY
Firefly grins as it pours into the jar. She holds the bowl letting the anchor water drip out completely. After setting the bowl back down she puts the lid back on the jar. "I have been given many things in my lifetime, I do not think any gift is as meaningful as one that somepony takes the time to create his or her self." trailing a feathertip around the jar lid's rim. "Nor has anypony ever given me weather as a gift." giving a soft chuckle. "Though this now brings forth a new question or two to mind."
VIRGA
Virga tilted his head and sipped his tea once again. He couldn't say that he never gave weather to anyone. He knew he wasn't like the usual Pegasi who controlled weather for the benefit of a community. He used the effects of atmospheres and weather phenomenon often for his own ends. The armor likely gave a hint of what most of his weather manipulation entailed. Some of the marks may have come from the ice in his own manipulations and depending on how closely someone started at him, the flesh underhis fur at times hinted to the same. Whatever he did was dangerous, perhaps even to himself. "Does it now?"
FIREFLY
Firefly says "Yes." pulling the small jar up to herself with a wing. "You were trained to use water and its forms as a weapon." she comments. "You demonstrated this ability easily enough...and now at my side is a container of said weapon, that could be used at any time, adding the element of glass to the explosion. While I find the chance that you would use such on me a very very very slim one, it IS a possibility." looking to him. "Therefore, one question is whether or not you are testing my trust at this point. After all." grinning a bit. "It IS a fog. A rather...unusual gift wouldn't you say?" lifting an ear, seeming rather relaxed for a pony holding what could very well be a bomb against her side. "And now I find myself pondering a gift for you. And I have an idea what it will be already."
VIRGA
What a curious result in her observation. Quite was it he weaponized his traits, but he could also entertain with it. Indeed, at her side was a container of element he could manipulate at any given time and nothing was improbable. Once more he sipped tea, his silvery eyes examining her a bit more thoroughly than the last few days. "There's no need for a return gift," he said, "though the thought is appreciated."
FIREFLY
Firefly smiles softly and cups her ears forward. "Perhaps no need, but a desire to. I think you of all creatures in this land will appreciate this...." turning to tuck her nose into a saddlebag to pull out a small glass sphere on a cord. A necklace of sorts. One with a small boiling blackness within it. "I call them flash lights. Harmless little baubles I created long ago to aid in night flying." then hooks a wingtip in the necklace strap and lays it gently before him. "It has been a very long time since I was given a gift without there being a holiday or festival requiring such."
VIRGA
This gift was not something he had heard of before, this flash light. He closely examined it with a curiosity most intense. "What does it do in relation to night flight?" he asked, nudging the necklace with his nose. "It is a very curious device, but I've never seen one like it before." Slowly he took the necklace strap and lifted it over his head with a wing, sliding it around his neck.
FIREFLY
Firefly smiles and tilts her head. "The instructions are engraved upon it, if you look at it." perking her ears forward. "Similar to your fog, but very handy when it is very dark." She reaches over with a wing tip to lift it slightly once it is upon your neck. "I have not made one of these in a long time. I do hope it serves you well."
VIRGA
Curious! Virga's wings displayed a certain flexibility that let them fold around his neck, similar to a double-joint one might say, to inspect the bauble, though Firefly already had lifted it. He tapped the bauble and closed his eyes the moment its brightness filled the room. So that is what a 'flash light' meant. This would be highly useful in the night. He smiled at Firefly and leaned over, chancing a bit of a light brush of his muzzle against her cheek. "This is a wonderful item, Firefly. What little I remember, I don't think these existed back home."
FIREFLY
Firefly smiles and doesn't shy away from the slight brush, but rather rubs her cheek to his gently before pulling back, eyes bright. "It is a thing my talents led to, purely by chance, though they are handy in the dark, such as underground or deep night." making a another observation. "So, you are getting more flexible in your wing control. Can you shield yet?" she asks, dipping her head a bit and sweeping her wings forward in that same odd way, crossing them before her with her feathers spread like a half dome, or shield. She pulls them back and then straightens her wings. "Or scissors?" doing a slow motion crossing of them like blades before her, then bringing them back and folding them up.
VIRGA
Her examples made him wonder if he should try more shapes with his wings yet. He didn't want to overstress himself and end up being grounded, but part of him wanted to know. His wings carefully mimicked her motions at a slow pace. The shield he performed easily, but the scissor was currently beyond his ability. He had the crossing, but the upwards fold evaded him. "Not quite," he said. "I'm not ready."
FIREFLY
Firefly says "There is no hurry." she smiles. "I would rather you were further healed before trying than risk further delay in getting well with an injury." then flexes her own wings before re-tucking them to her sides. "I know how edgy I was when my left wing was damaged. I think I did more damage trying to force myself along than it originally had. I am now back to one hundred percent though, and have resumed my own training in the depths of Everfree, where no pony is upset by my exercise." laughing a bit. "Though it IS still fun to blast into Ponyville with a bolt of lightning now and then. Keeps them lively."
VIRGA
Everfree wasn't a place he knew, though he knew it was a forest from the map. Humor in frightening Ponyville with lightning? The scare could be fun, but given the nature of its inhabitants, he wondered if that was entirely a good idea. Then again, there was something that he was not entirely sure about regarding Firefly and Luna. It seemed as if there was an instability he couldn't determine, minus the 1,000 year void issue. Celestia didn't seem the type to keep that sort of company even if it was her sister. "What is Ponyville to you?"
FIREFLY
Firefly says "To...me?" she pauses, looking at him. "Ponyville is a small village down the road from Canterlot. It houses some really interesting ponies of all sorts of personality types...from the near insane yet masterful baker Pinkie Pie..." she flattens her ears and levels her eyes. "Whom uses a -cannon- to setup a party." then lifts her ears a bit. "To Dash, whom you've met, and Twilight Sparkle, Celestia's prize student, on assignment there to study friendship. Overall it is a pleasant town, they accept me openly for who I am, though they are still skittish around Luna, after that whole being possessed by Nightmare Moon thing, but I rather like the place."
VIRGA
Virga's ears raised as he listened to her speak her mind on Ponyville. A logic thrived in the way he gazed at Firefly. It was suggested that that he might be accustomed to rule and power, but this hinted at something else...something more akin to a judge. A nice, kind judge oddly built as a 'war machine'. "Everyone has their own view of places they've been," he said, "therefore I was curious as to yours. Some of these Canterlot ponies believe Ponyville to be a ruffian's town."
FIREFLY
Firefly flattens her ears. "These Canterlot ponies are naught but a gaggle of brainless hoofsuckers that see only one's relationship to the Royalty." getting up and shaking off slightly. "They barely speak to anyone not of import, and if forced to they act as if it was a painful forced charity." wrinkling her nose. "Until I wore my necklace of rank, none spoke to me. All avoided me like a plague." laughing. "NOW they make a point to smile and attempt to show friendship to me in the hopes it would lift them in the eyes of the Princess." turning towards the balcony. "Naturally, I come to the palace directly, and tend to avoid Canterlot if at all possible. I do NOT like such false airs of friendship." then turns back, walking over to smile. "You are certainly not one of them, wherever you are from." then noses his cheek. "Do be well. I fear I have a duty to attend to. I may be back in the area later, if you'd like me to swing by." turning towards the balcony again, flaring her wings wide and is off.
VIRGA
What a...fascinating culture. He hadn't run into the problem with the Canterlot ponies, as he'd been at the Palace ever since that night and they'd comment on his 'status'. This attitude towards non-status ponies and those without some badge of recognition, though, he garnered through speech but not any personal accounts. His cheeks and ears tinged a pink when she nosed him. "I'll be here," he said. "I must rest after exercising mind and body."
From then until now.
Firefly returned to visit Virga during recovery again, prior to his leaving the palace due to discomforts regarding Princess Luna. The remainder occurred within the tempest home that Firefly made for herself over Everfree. In time, he returned to the palace. One night, Celestia inquired him to serving on the early Sun Guard, an elevated unit of the Royal Guard later joined by Scope.
Firefly and Virga grew close, but there was a brief period of time the two did not see each other out of the belief their responsibilities to the crown would inhibit a relationship. Virga became quiet, answering Celestia when summoned, but also spent much time at the taverns. When Princess Luna noticed how much Firefly had been affected by Virga's absence, she gave her blessing for the two to be together. Virga and Firefly became inseparable, and the tense relationship between Princess Luna and Virga eased into understanding that became acceptance, leading Virga to being referred to as 'Heart of Ice'.
Across the now 4 seasons of the show since the events above, the two pegasi became each other's balance, yin and yang. Firefly was the wild, proactive wielder of power whereas Virga became the quiet, reserved mind that used power only when necessary. The two never had a dispute, though they fought each other in sparring matches that made others think they had troubles. Among the moments they enjoyed together the most were quiet dinners and tea, discussing their histories as Virga's memory improved.
Most importantly, and not something that many saw, Firefly was always accepting of Virga, even when his origin became known. The fact he is a time-displaced Pegasus by roughly 1,000 years, a veteran of the war against King Sombra, a former Captain of the Crystalbolts, a soul tainted by Windigo, and a flyer that had, once, relished in destruction and mayhem in aerial combat, didn't matter to Firefly. The same was true for Virga, no matter how ugly Firefly's history. Her player's participation in this muck entirely defined who Virga became, almost to a point to say that had there been no Firefly, there would be no Virga. In their history in service to the Two Sisters, they only flew together on one mission in Detrot--the last mission Firefly flew.
Though they were never officially married or put through the ceremony, the two were close enough to have been. While it is unfortunate their wedding never did occur, the thoughts towards marriage in the character's views, and ours as players, can be summed up as 'too badass for an ordinary marriage'. Firefly and Virga also considered, once, having a foal who would have been named Joule.