Kiernan
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Post by Kiernan on Jan 29, 2013 16:51:07 GMT -5
Kai let his eyes wander over to the door. He had specifically requested cloaks so that they could pass by without drawing attention to themselves. Of course they were leaving. He needed to go back to Whinnyapolis to let Usu and Geoff out. Not to mention that he was to understand that Sil lived in Whinnyapolis, and he might like to go home, or at least to claim his dagger, which Usu had left in the Kitchen. Also, because Kai didn't desire to spend the rest of his night sleeping in a small bed, in a small room, which was barely big enough for himself, with another pony. Sil was a great pony, but Kai didn't feel that they were quite that close yet.
"We're going back to Whinnyapolis. I don't have the means to bring us back, so an express train is our best option. I was planning on taking the back roads to the station, and to my house as soon as we arrive. With any luck, we can secure a spot in a secluded car, and stay out of the public eye as much as possible." He prayed that he hadn't planned something that would offend Sil...
He stood up, and tossed the cloak around his neck, fastening it in place. As he did, he noticed that a large white envelope had fallen out of the pocket of Sil's cape, and was lying unceremoniously on the floor. He picked it up, and looked at it. "To My Dearest Love," it read. Kai knew what it was. A tear ran down his cheek as he smiled and kissed the envelope, before placing it on top of the dresser. He picked up a small bag of bits that he usually left just for emergencies, and placed it into one of his pockets. "Ready to go?"
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Post by Person on Jan 29, 2013 21:14:04 GMT -5
Silent Storm's face immediately lightened at the mention of going home. Though the company of others had been great for the last couple of days, he was unaccustomed to the constant presence of anypony else, and it in addition to his mentally sapping dream the night before had visibly worn on him a little bit. His normally firm stature had acquired a slight slouch, and his ears drooped down from their usually perked position. The young pegasus had underestimated how much effort it took to try to be civil around somepony who effortlessly interact with another without a thought.
Sil shook the tire from his eyes and rose a hoof to walk out of the room when he remembered he didn't really know where he was going, nor where the exit was. He returned his hoof to its former position and caught a glimpse of a tear rolling down Kai's face as he placed an envelope upon his dresser, then picked up a pouch that rattled with what was presumably. Sil's mind shot through a quick list of all that he'd cost Kai throughout the short duration of his stay; including a living room, a wing, a peaceful evening, fireweed, a hearty portion of nachos, no small amount of pain, and now money enough for two train tickets from Canterlot to Whinnyapolis. This list just brought the thought of why a stallion he'd only known for several hours would even go through such lengths to help him to the forefront of his mind, and still the ominous answer "You're going to find out eventually, whether you want to or not" rang.
"I've only ridden a train a handful of times, and each was a relatively pleasant experience," Sil said, then sheepishly asked, "Lead the way?"
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Kiernan
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Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
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Post by Kiernan on Jan 30, 2013 1:09:38 GMT -5
Kai smiled, nodded, and opened up the shed door. To his surprise, there stood a small brown unicorn, barely a colt. "Almond Bark," he said with a stern voice. "It's past your bedtime."
"I know," said the colt.
"Go back to bed."
"Okay," said the colt, his sapphire eyes pulling away from Kai and set instead on his destination: his bedroom. "The three of you have fun."
As soon as he was out of earshot, Kai chuckled and turned to Sil. "My younger brother..." Then something clicked into place deep in the back of his mind. Three. The three of them. Himself and Sil, that made two. But three? Then he looked up. Three of the crystals were glo-- Four of the-- Five... "We have to go. Now."
He was too sore to actually run, but he did manage a brisk walk, which would hopefully be enough to stay out of the guards way. after about fifteen minutes, they had reached the train station. For how often it was used, and how advanced technology had made it, the train stations throughout Equestria were relatively simple in design. Kai needed only reach into his bag, and drop in the required amount for two tickets, then board the train with tickets on hoof. There was just one thing he needed to take care of first. "Which train to Whinnyapolis?" he asked one of the attendants.
"Track three."
"Thank you," he said, and made for the third platform. the train hadn't yet arrived, but it wouldn't bee too long before another came to the platform. "Well," he said, turning to Sil. "In about an hour, we'll be back home. I'm all adventured out for today. How about you?"
[I'll start NPCing the guards in the next post. I might even go so far as to actually create a guard character, just so I can have like a full-on investigation, or something. I would say that now would be an excellent time to toss some characters into the mix, if there are any, but I don't think there are any in the area, yet...]
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Post by Person on Jan 31, 2013 20:59:26 GMT -5
Silent Storm wondered at Akaitora's urgency, and followed closely behind as the two of them hastily wound through the backstreets and alleys between the tall buildings of Canterlot, then proceeded to the third platform with Kai as they were instructed. As the two waited for the night train, he took an opportunity to take a look around the great city at night. Just beyond the metal tracks they waited before it seemed there was a residential province of town with grand, ornate housing complexes with dozens of windows, many lit, covering its face. Just a little way behind that was an area that glowed brightly, presumably with the lights of Canterlot's night life.
"I'm all adventured out for today. How about you?"
"Oh yes," Sil replied, "The last couple of days have given me more adventure than I've had the pleasure of experiencing for quite a while, but I'm ready for a bit of rest before any more excitement." He paused for a moment then continued, "I really can't express how grateful I am for all you've done for me... if there's anything I can do, just ask."
Leaning slightly off the platform over the tracks, Sil could see the train's headlamp in the distance, steadily getting closer. He guesstimated that it would take a couple of minutes or so to reach the platform, and took a seat on a nearby wooden bench and awaited its arrival. While he sat, he observed the few ponies who joined them in waiting for the train's arrival at the platform. He was doubly grateful for the cloak Kai had given him as a chilly evening wind blew past, then died down. The young pegasus got up and checked the oncoming train again. It had halved the distance from which he'd seen it before and seemed mere moments away.
A slight commotion met Sil's ears, and he turned his head to see a group of stallions and mares near the entrance of the station making quite a ruckus.
"What do you supposed that is?" He asked Akaitora just as the train reached the edge of the platform and began to reach a screeching halt.
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Kiernan
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Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 1, 2013 3:02:39 GMT -5
[since I'm now starting to NPC some guards, I'm bringing back the whole "Kai's text os light blue" thing. Also, the story of the guards starts a few posts ago, this one will be a bit longer just to catch up.]
"I'll keep that in mind," said Akaitora, as he started to relax a bit. If he was right, they had passed up the guards, and they were none the wiser as to his location. He and Sil were safe for the time being, there was no doubt in his mind. As he heard the train approaching, Sil's voice was once more audible.
"What do you supposed that is?"
Kai turned his head to match Sil's gaze. At the entrance, there seemed to be a fracas. I've been wrong before, he thought to himself. he kept his eyes on it for a moment longer, as the train came to a halt, and passengers started pouring out. He saw some guards asking questions to a few of the attendants, as well as the commuters. Since it was a night train, there weren't many commuters, but still. Then he saw one of them pointing in his general direction.
Oh, come on. I've already said that I'm all adventured out for today, why do these things keep happening to me? he thought, as soon as he realized what was going on. They're following us. "Let's get on the train, quickly," he said to Sil, separating the tickets, and giving one to Sil. As they stepped into line, Kai looked back at the guard, who was approaching Fast. This time, he noticed that the guard had some pictures, and he realized, They're following me.
"Board the train without me," he said, putting his hoof on Sil's shoulder. "I'll catch up, don't worry. There's something I need to do." With that, he took a few steps back, and jumped onto the still moving train that was just arriving on platform two.
"Go check prison block eight," said the guard, as he unlocked the door. "We haven't used any of these in years. Why would anything have changed in prison block eight?" Alone, he walked down through the corridors. "Rusty and dusty. Nothing to repo--" he stopped in mid sentence. Granted, he had been talking to himself this entire time, but still, the silence was deafening. at the end of one of the corridors, there was a light. there wasn't supposed to be any light in here that he wasn't providing. A quick look at the other end revealed a hole in the wall.
Remembering his training, he stepped up to it carefully, then poked his head through. it seemed to be a garden, of some kind. His wife had told him of such a thing existing underground in a book she had read, but he had only halfway believed it. still, he knew that the only structure that was supposed to be beneath Canterlot was the dungeons, and this was not a part of the dungeons. He rushed back upstairs, and into the barracks. "Excuse me sir, but we have a bit of a situation."
Now there were three guards sent into the prison block. The first had shown the others where he had seen the hole in the wall, and they were now exploring the area. One had even read two books on subterranean farming, both by the same author, but he couldn't remember the name of the author.
One of them noticed a trail of blood, leading through to other rooms. since it only seemed to go one direction from where they were, it was safe to assume that whoever, or whatever, was bleeding seemed to have gone that way. And, since it was their job to find out why the wall to the prison block was knocked down from the garden side, which counted as breaking into a secure area of the castle, they decided it best to follow the trail.
It was fortunate that the trail they were following was clear, because the place was a maze. when they finally reached an area that lead up, they took note that there was a metal wing lying on the ground. Still, they continued up the stairs, finding themselves in what appeared to be a tiny bedroom. Through the door, and they were back outside. and to make matters worse, the trail had gone cold.
The first went back inside, looking around for clues as to exactly who or what lived here. The first thing he saw was an Envelope atop the dresser. It wasn't sealed, and the contents fell out as he picked it up. The contents were made up of mostly pictures, and an unfinished letter. He recognized a few things in the picture, such as Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie, but also, he noticed that the metal wing at the bottom of the stairs belonged to another pony in these pictures, a blue unicorn, usually standing right next to the element of kindness, sometimes with his foreleg draped around her shoulders.
The letter read:
My dearest Fluttershy,
You likely don't remember me, but with this letter, I plan to change that. A few years ago, I had to erase myself from your memory to keep from hurting you, even though I know this will also hurt, knowing that I had to distance myself from you. I only hope that you can come to forgive me.
We startedoff with me stealing you away from your home. during that night, you somehow convinced me to do your housework, as well as what I needed you for. Please understand that it was only because you were a pegasus at the time, and had nothing to do with you personally. I realize that you might consider this to be a terrible act on my part, and you deserve to think that way about me. I kept you locked away for two weeks, and we became close friends. Then I left.
Four years, you waited for me. When we were reunited, I--
It seemed to end there. There was no evidence of who he was, other than some pictures, and if he didn't have a criminal record, then they had nothing to go on. still, they could ask around. he took a few of the pictures, and handed two of them to the other guards. "We're looking for the blue one. He's likely on his way to Whinnyapolis, based on the freshness of the blood trail we followed, and the letter on his dresser. You," he pointed at the guard to the right. "Go back to the commander, and check the books for a criminal record. I want to know who he is."
"Sir!"
"You," he indicated the other guard. "You're coming with me to the train station."
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Post by Person on Feb 2, 2013 0:45:05 GMT -5
[teal for Sil, white for guard(s)]
Silent Storm did as he was told and quickly hopped aboard the train. One of the two guards split away from the other and chased after Kai as he jumped atop the still moving train beside the one leaving for Whinnyapolis. The first continued to enter the train car shortly after Sil, moving down the aisles of seats, and examining each of the passengers carefully. Sil began to move farther and farther down the train, hastily passing through car after car until he finally reached the final car in which he could enter, just before the engine room. He heard the train give off a large puff and wheeze, then felt the floor shift beneath his hooves as they started to pull away from the platform.
Sil's breathing increased to rapid, shallow gasps as he heard the slow, steady beat of the guard's armored hooves drawing ever closer. He drew the dark cloak close around him in an attempt to hide both his mane and wings, curling up in a corner of the small space, and quivering as he heard the royal guard enter the adjacent car.
With another metallic scrape and click, the only two ponies in the car were the guard and Sil. The armored unicorn scanned the car, and his eyes quickly found and remained on the shivering cloaked equine in the corner. With a flurry of clanking hoofsteps, the two were less than a meter away from on another. Sil squeezed his eyes shut, and curled tighter into a ball, having now been confronted with possibly his biggest fear.
"Who are you and who was that you were travelling with?" the guard simply asked, his tone stern.
Sil said nothing and continued shaking nervously.
"Fine then, where does either you or he live?"
Still no response was given to the guard's newest inquiry.
"Oh for the love of Cele--" the militant unicorn exclaimed and grabbed hold of Sil's cloak, tearing it away from him, who produced a small yelp, and revealed both membranous wings and mane beneath. The guard staggered back a few steps, his face stricken with confusion, then stuttered, "Wh-what... what are you?"
Sil whimpered in his corner and positioned himself like a caged animal, back pressed against the wall with wings spread slightly, and pupils shrinking from round to the more serpent-esque slitted, unsure whether to fight, flee, or submit.
"I... I a-am..." Sil managed to extremely quietly loose from his vocal chords, "I am a d-dragon blood."
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Kiernan
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Tua Culpa, Culpa Mea
Posts: 384
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 2, 2013 1:25:51 GMT -5
Kai was agile for his age. Though he could have been more so if he wasn't injured, he had little difficulty moving through the cars in a confusing fashion. The idea in his head was to find somewhere the guard couldn't reach him, but that would be difficult with his speed as low as it was. Still, hopping from one train that was moving to another train that was moving in the opposite direction at different speeds would slow down the guard more than it would for him, so he was content with the pacing, as it was.
"Stop right there!" shouted the guard.
Suddenly, Kai knew that he would have to come into contact with the guard soon. He had to reclaim those pictures he was carrying. If those fell into the wrong hooves, namely Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight, or Rainbow, he would have a lot of explaining to do, which he wasn't ready for yet. On platform one, he found a relatively decent patsy, so he tore off his cape, draped it over the other unicorn's shoulders, and dropped himself behind a bush while he waited for the other guard to catch up.
"There you are," said the guard, out of breath, as he turned the wrong unicorn around.
"Thank you," shouted Kai, as he jumped out of the bushes and grabbed the pictures from the guard. He used the added height that jumping on the guard's back gave him to reach the roof of the train departing from platform one, jumped over to the top of the train arriving on platform two, and was back on platform three. He had left his cloak behind, but that was a minor loss, considering that it was the only one he had with no pockets. His purse was, instead, attached to his right foreleg, and was thus safe.
He was just able to catch up with the caboose, and jump on as the train finally left the station. He turned to see the guard on the platform, an angry look on his face. Kai smiled, waved with his good leg, and blew the guard a kiss, before retiring to the inside of the caboose.
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Post by Person on Feb 2, 2013 18:45:34 GMT -5
[The taunting is Kai-ish, so I think it works.]
Much to Silent Storm's surprise, the guard just sighed, shook his head slightly, and started to walk toward the door out of the car. The puzzled pegasus let himself relax a little, the guard didn't mean harm to him, but why had he followed him to the train? Just as the guard opened the sliding metal door to leave, Sil involuntarily squeaked and rose a hoof in protest, feeling he had to say... something.
"Aren't you going to, I don't know lock me up or question me or something?" Sil asked, brow furrowed quizzically.
The guard turned around with a tired expression both on his face and in his voice as he said, "Look, kid, the questioning already happened. As far as I can tell, you're just a poor little colt with some unfortunate interspecies relations. I can't prove you've done anything wrong, so there's no point in bringing you back to the castle, and even if you did know something important, nopony back at headquarters would believe it came from some dragon-pony-freak."
The armored unicorn exhaled loudly again, then gave Sil a visibly insincere smile. "Just stay out of trouble, kid, or I will have to track you down." he said, then left the room.
Sil remained where he stood for several moments, in relative shock of what he had expected and what had happened. He shook his head, then picked his cloak up from the ground where the guard had tossed it aside. He examined the item of clothing for any tears or rips, found none, and put it back on. The car was conveniently a sleeper, so Sil lay down on one of the various beds, listening to the constant whirr and thrum of the train's engine. After quite a while he found that he couldn't fall asleep, and sat upright on the small mattress. There he stayed, waiting to be back in Whinnyapolis once again.
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Kiernan
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 2, 2013 20:55:19 GMT -5
Kai inched his way forward on the train. Fortunately, the conductor hadn't started his rounds yet, so there was plenty of time to find Sil, and make sure he had found his way onto the train unharmed. The train took just over an hour, but most of the trip was making it to the bottom of the mountain. If Canterlot wasn't right in the center of Equestria, then there would be no way that it could have grown into the bustling metropolis that it was today. After all, if the easiest way to get there was via hot-air balloon, would it really be such a great tourist destination?
About to the midpoint of the train, he saw another one of the royal guards, making his way back. Apparently, he was following Sil, and if he was walking to the back, either Sil was really good at hiding, or... He didn't want to think about it. He dove into the room he was next to, and slid the door shut, pressing himself against the wall.
"May I help you?" asked a stallion, who was one of the three residents of the room.
"Sorry, I just need a moment," said Kai, nodding at the stallion, the mare, and the little filly on the seat. When he saw the guard had gone by, he nodded to them again, and said, "Thanks for having me," before slipping out the door, and continuing his trek.
He knew he was almost to the front of the train by now, because he could see the food cart making it's way toward him. His stomach growled a bit, despite the fact that he had eaten what felt like an hour and a half ago. Still, he bought two sandwiches, and ate one of them. The other, he placed next to his purse, having not even unwrapped it yet.
At long last, he reached the front car of the train, , and, having not seen Sil yet, lowered his head. He automatically assumed that Sil was no longer on the train, and that the guard had thrown him over the side. He cursed himself, and just as he stamped his hoof, the door behind him slid open.
"Tickets, please," said the conductor.
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Post by Person on Feb 3, 2013 2:04:23 GMT -5
Silent Storm closed his eyes, rested his head against the vibrating car wall, and heard the door from the other passenger cars scrape open and shut, a hoof stamp hard on the floor, then the door slide ajar once again. He fluttered one of his eyes open, then hastily snapped the other to attention to give confirmation of what he saw. There standing near the entrance of the sleeping compartment, previously occupied by merely himself, was a rather familiar blue unicorn who he'd thought was halfway to Appleoosa by now, now with face downcast.
"Mister Akaitora!" Sil exclaimed in a slightly hushed indoor tone, considering Kai didn't want his name broadcast to everypony in the entire train. trotting over to the elder stallion, "How are you here? I thought you jumped on that other train?"
A little too late, Sil noticed the conductor waiting just behind Kai, who again, this time slightly impatiently, demanded tickets from the two of them.
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Kiernan
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 3, 2013 6:01:18 GMT -5
[Guard is gone. No more color swaps until I need them again.]
Kai breathed a sigh of relief, when he found out that Sil was unharmed. While it was true that they had only met two-three hours ago, Kai always felt that anypony who would give him their trust was under his wing, and thus, it was his responsibility to make sure they remained safe. Sil had stepped under that metaphorical wing, and Kai felt responsible for everything that could have happened.
"Well, to make an absolutely succinct statement, I jumped through it, and onto the train going the opposite direction," he chuckled, presenting his ticket to the conductor, which received the required punch. "After that, I jumped atop the second train, then back to the first again, and finally managed to reach this one, and the only setback is that some poor unicorn has been endowed with one of my cloaks.
"And what about you?" he asked making himself comfortable on one of the thin mattresses that passed for beds on trains. "I saw the guard on my way up here. How did you fare with him?"
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Post by Person on Feb 3, 2013 9:54:29 GMT -5
"It was a bit odd," Silent Storm began as he took a seat on the petite bed across from Kai, "He found me here, asked a couple of questions that I didn't answer, pulled off my cloak, and then just left. He said something about nopony else believing him even if I did know something of value. It was horrifying; I kept thinking he was going to take me away to some Celestia-forsaken dungeon for the rest of my days."
The conductor harrumphed again, holding out his hoof for Sil's ticket. Sil looked ar Kai, hoping he still had the second one.
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Kiernan
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Posts: 384
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 3, 2013 15:35:04 GMT -5
Kai, now starting to become irked at the impatient conductor, decided that the best way to be rid of him would be to present Sil's ticket. "Storm, your ticket," he said, trying to keep his voice level. "What'd you do with it?"
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Post by Person on Feb 3, 2013 23:38:38 GMT -5
Silent Storm went pale for a second when it turned out Kai didn't hold his ticket. He searched the cloak frantically, but it turned out there weren't any pockets in the garment. Sil wasn't a very forgetful pony, but it had been a rather eventful day. Could I have dropped it somewhere? he wondered and looked to the floor of the compartment. After several moments of nervously scurrying about the car searching for the ticket that was apparently lost, Sil's hoof brushed up the leather sheath that normally housed his dagger. With a sigh of relief, Sil removed the slip of material that signified his monetary allowance for travel on the locomotive from the outer pouch of the sheath that contained his house keys. He held it out to the conductor and it was percussively punched to ribbons, then almost sarcastically handed it back, the ticket practically falling apart in his hoof.
Sil wordlessly accepted the excessively holed rectangle of paper and watched as the conductor continued through the room and into the engine room beyond. He got the impression that the conductor didn't enjoy his job very much, but didn't voice his thoughts. He instead sat back down on the thin mattress, pulling the borrowed cloak that hung over his shoulders more tightly around him.
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Kiernan
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Post by Kiernan on Feb 3, 2013 23:53:39 GMT -5
Kai just sat there, a disapproving look on his face, as the conductor practically mutilated Sil's ticket, then left for the engine, presumably to talk to the engineer. As Sil sat back down beside him, looking dejected, Kai decided to try to cheer him up a bit. He grabbed the sandwich he hadn't eaten, unwrapped half of it, then separated the wrapped half from the unwrapped half, offering it to Sil.
"Only another half hour or so," he said, smiling. "Then we'll be home, and we can get some real rest."
[I'll even let you decide what kind of sandwich it is...]
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