Looking for Fluttershy

[Nightbow]

Fluttershy washed off Usu's face. His muzzle looked really nasty, but the stallion didn't bat so much as an eye. "You're very valiant Mr. Turnkey," she commented as she dropped the paper in the bin and got another one to dry him off with.

Next she picked up the bottle of saline and applied it to a pad, gently dabbing at Usu's bruises. The sunny yellow pegasus was used to see injuries big and small, but this nose almost made her wince as she took a closer look. Maybe a little too valiant, she thought, cerulean eyes involuntarily widening.

Fluttershy's tucked-in wings drooped at her sides, having yet again failed a royal task. "I'm sorry, but I'm pretty sure your nose is broken. It doesn't seem all too severe since, um, you can talk, and let me clean it. But without a proper x-ray there's no way to be sure." She glanced over at Princess Luna and then looked back at Usu. It bothered her how irresponsible the hospital staff had been to discharge him. "Here ... have this." She handed him another wet paper towel and motioned towards the point of her of nose to indicate that he could use it too cool his nose. "We need it to go down. Let me find you some ice."

[Kiernan]

[Again, I need to know those color codes. No idea what I'm going to do next week when I'm away from my computer and having to post from my phone...]

Kai had heard enough. Or at least, he believed he was mentally prepared to carry out his task. "Follow me, if you must," he said, walking past the guard into the hallway. Two right turns later, he was in the infirmary, with little reception. He willed that factor to change, so change it did.

"Well, well, well," he said, louder than he really neded to, trotting over to the bed upon which sat Usu. "In a bit of a scuffle, were we?" he said, a big grin on his face.

"(Ah, good. You're here. Laugh if you must, but fix it,)" gurgled Usu, knowing full well that Kai knew exactly what he was trying to say.

"Well, if you had just done as I asked in the first place, we could have a oided this situation, couldn't we have?"

"(Just fix it. You can gloat later, when you're chewing me out for everything else.)"

"Of course you haven't asked him yet." kai turned to Sil, and smiled. "I forgive you for kicking him in the face, that was hilarious. I also commend you for taking him to the hospital." He then turned to Usu. "Nod yes or no, was your nose fixed before you were thrown out?"

A curt nod from Usu provoked a chuckle from Kai. He wished his younger brother would just fix his wounds, simple as they were, so he could get back to the other things he needed to do, like find Rarity to give back the lights.

"Well, I'll see you in a few hours, anyway..." He then turned to face Luna, but his gaze seemed to lock onto Fluttershy. Curse this infernal lack of willpower... he thought to himself, as memories of the previous night came flooding back to him. He found himself completely lost in those beautiful eyes of hers for a moment, before he could muster up the strength to pull himself away. He reached a hoof up to his face. Warm, yes, dry, no. The first test was a failure. Completely and utterly a failure.

Time to do the second test. Now that he had pulled his gaze to the princess, he cleared his throat. "Princess Luna, I also must speak with you. I bring news of a grave nature, and was asked to seek you out. Is there someplace we can speak? Privately?"

[Becka]

Luna nodded her head as Silent Storm thanked her and walked to the window. As soon as he turned around to peek at her she scowled. She knew exactly what he must be thinking, and everything she’d just said about forgiving oneself came back and smacked her in the chest. Of course the ponies thought it was her doing – she was supposed to have control over the moon!

Luna stood back, letting Fluttershy work and trying not to look too perturbed over the fact that everypony thought she was responsible for the eclipse. Her scowl only deepened when the guard who had been sneakily following her entered the room. He seemed drawn to Fluttershy, but managed to rip his eyes away from her long enough to speak to the princess.

“Grave news? Of course we can speak privately.” She nodded him to the other side of the long room. “Perhaps you would like to tell us why you were following us earlier?”

[Feel free to move them elsewhere if this isn't private enough]

[Kiernan]

"If that is what her majesty wishes," said Kai, following her to the other end of the room. "But first, I am to deliver this message, as I'm told it is a matter of dire urgency."

Kai took a few deep breaths before he was ready to speak. As he went over the words in his head, he realized just how Whisp must have felt when she was telling him the same. He would have to show her a bit of empathy, next time he saw her...

"I have been sent to inform you that Kailani Hoofspen, the Green Champion, has fallen to Eclipse."

[Becka]

Luna's scowl only deepened at the news that there was a dire message to deliver, but as the sneaky "guard" delivered it she wished she'd taken them to a more private room. Her scowl dropped away, to be replaced by surprise.

Her jaw dropped just slightly into the closest expression she would ever come to slack-jawed, and she looked around the room aimlessly for a moment, trying to comprehend what he said.

"But...but she can't." Luna looked outside - still too light to see the Guardian Stars, despite the eclipse over the sun. "She said..."

Luna stopped herself. This was no business of any of these pony's - especially not a guard. The Champion hadn't told the Princesses much about the future, but she had said she'd be there. Luna had already felt betrayed when the healer failed to show during the battle between the princesses of Night and Day - for she was sure the pegasus would take her side - but to know she'd returned and already passed?

"No." It was said loudly, with no regard to privacy. "You must be wrong."

But perhaps he wasn't. Perhaps Celestia was right and Eclipse was truly where the darkness had come from. Where there was once pity for Luna's lost sister, there was now contempt. Luna would fight with her sun sister for as long as the battle would take, for Eclipse had stolen one of her stars.

[Kiernan]

Kai's head lowered and shook from side to side. "I wish I was wrong, Highness," he said, a feeling of remorse flowing through his body. "I'm just the messenger. I don't even know what it would have meant for her to be the green champion. I'm just passing along the message."

He took a few steps to the left. "That's actually one of the reasons I followed you here. My other reasons were my own, and somewhat inexcusable, as to even my standards. If that is to be all, my princess..." he paused, waiting for her response.

[Becka]

It meant they were going to win. Luna wasn't sure what her friend's death meant to their future now. How could Luna even remember the pegasus if she didn't go back to the past and meet the princesses? It made her head spin to think about.

"That is not all," Luna's sharp look turned on him again. "While we appreciate you not telling us this in the middle of the street, you are not to follow us again, do you understand? And how did you come by this information of the Green Champion's death?"

Eclipse's return was not common knowledge as of yet, and although the ponies were blaming Luna for the eclipse she knew they must keep the secret a bit longer. Terror would follow the announcement of the evil "queen"s return.

[Nightbow]

The yellow peg had just turned from Usu to fetch a bag of ice (or frozen food, as would suffice), when a cloaked figure entered the room, announcing his presence unnecessary loudly.

Fluttershy quickly figured that the two where acquainted, but she couldn't get around the rowdiness of the new arrival - surely he could see that Turnkey was in pain? The pegasus didn't like how the unfamiliar stallion pestered her patients, shooting him a look nastier than intended.

Unfamiliar? Eyes of steel interlocked with her own cerulean optics, wiping her mind blank for a moment with the most peculiar sensation of déjà vu. The moment lasted strangely long with none of the two averting their gazes, and when it was finally over it left her weak in the knees.

The peg soundlessly gasped, bobbing her head as if she had been released from the grip of a giant invisible hand. It took her moment of recovery before she could shake the feeling off and return to the task at hand. She subsequently left the room.
Unfamiliar, she decided.

[Kiernan]

"A witness," Kai said, bringing his gase to meet his sovereign. "She was terribly shaken when I found her, in tears. She seemed to be speaking in nonsense, at first,giving out locations and names I had never heard of. Then she gave me a brief message to deliver, either to you, or your sister. She is resting now, in a safe, secure place."

He brought his gase down to the floor, unable to look her in the eye for this next part. "As for never following you again, I make no promises. My first allegiance is to ponies in need. However, I will do my utmost to refrain from doing so in the future."

Again, Kai took a step toward the door, bowing his head. "Will that be all, highness?"

[Becka]

A witness. A witness who knew what the Green Champion meant to the world. If only the peg had told the princesses more about the future Luna could seek the witness out and learn more, but as it was she should share the dire news with her sister. And quickly.

Luna barely heard the rest of the guard's statements, and nodded absentmindedly. "You are relieved of our presence. Do not let us catch you following us again."

"And keep the witness safe at all costs."

[Kiernan]

"I bid thee farewell, then," bowed Kai, taking note that he would have to learn to be stealthier. He turned back to the guard, Who was still standing right behind him, and smiled. "You may now escort me to my prison cell. I want to get this trial over with within the next few hours. I have things I need to do."

The guard nodded, and started towards the door. Granted, he'd seen enough today to reprieve the stallion in question, but that was not his place to decide. His instructions were to apprehend the stallion, and escort him to Canterlot to be questioned by one of his superiors.

"Oh, one small thing before I go," said Kai, pausing in his tracks. In one motion, he spun 180 degrees in a half-circle, and loosed the spell he had been building on for the last minute and a half. The sparking white flash sailed across the room to Usutora, right before Kai turned around and continued on his way out the door, chuckling to himself.

Usutora didn't know what happened. One second, he was sitting on the bed, glaring at Kai for not fixing him up, as he was so used to doing, then the next he was doing a double backflip in the air, landing on the floor. As he pulled himself to his hooves, he growled. "Kai, you son of a... GAH!!!" he shrieked, holding his face. "Mothe--" He paused, now aware that he was once more able to be heard clearly. Running his hooves all over his face and neck, he smiled, finding that nothing was swollen, there were no cuts, and his nose was properly set. It wasn't healed, but it would be before the part--.

Usu panicked a little bit. How was Kai supposed to throw a party if he was in prison? If he hurried, he could... No. Kai would find a way. He always did. And since he would, Usu relaxed again. "Hey Sil," he said, turning to the pegasus at the window, "There's going to be a party tonight, in preparation for the belated Summer Sun Celebration. It's a pirivate party, just a few friends. Wanna come?"

[Person]

Silent Storm was brought back to reality from his daydreaming by Turnkey's question. A party? That would be a new experience. Ponies, fun, maybe even laughing!

"W-well," he answered, taking a few steps away from the glass portal to the outside, "If it's o-only some close f-friends, I guess I can go. Y-you'll be there too, r-right?"

Sil took another glance through the window into the deep blue sky. His wings fluttered by his sides, and he had to purposefully calm them down. They positively itched to go flying in the cool afternoon air. He couldn't wait until his wing was no longer entrapped in it's cage of a cast.

[Kiernan]

[Unless somepony wants to run into him, Kai is leaving this thread to have his trial off-screen. He will return to Whinnyapolis shortly.]

"Of course I'll be there, smiled Usu, placing a hoof on Sl's shoulder. "If I was going to invite you, and then not show up, what kind of pony would I be? It'd be as if I was walking you into a trap, and I certainly don't want to be in that scenario."

He let his hoof fall back to the floor, Bowed to the Princess, uttering a quiet, "Thank you," and started towards the door.

[Person]

"It'd be as if I was walking you into a trap, and I certainly don't want to be in that scenario."

"It's not like it hasn't b-been done before.." Silent Storm muttered inaudibly under his breath. He took a glance at his house, then another at Turnkey retreating toward the door. "Oh, I suppose I sh-should be getting home as w-well."

Sil trotted outside the small doctoral center, nodding to everypony as he passed by them. He paused at the foot of the zebra's bed. He eyed her stripes and hawked mane, wondering if she ever experienced the same type of things he did. Shrugging off the thought, the pegasus sauntered out the door after bowing to Luna.

"Y-You're welcome to c-come by my p-place if you'd like, Key." he said as he passed the newly healed unicorn.

[Kiernan]

Usutora smiled at the offer. He felt, at the very least, he should help mop up the blood that was probably staining the wood of the floor right about now, as well as pick up his teeth. A little extra cash under his pillow was always welcome.

"I'd love to," he said, following Sil out the door.

[Usu is now gone. Apparently, Kai, too.]