The Drought Prospect

(OOC : (I now know that this is a more 'professional' site, and therefore I removed the 'rules' that were previously on this first post.

-This thread is OPEN for up to four other people. The following is the posting order with all current members of the RP.
1: AlcheirShy as (Alcheir, Leafy Dream)
2: Vinyl Scratch as (Logik)
3: Gizmotechnic as himself
4:-Comical as himself
5:-

-If there are too many posts for you to want to read on your own time, I will occasionally edit the bottom of this post to briefly summarize the current events in the RP. If I have not done so for many posts, and you wish to join without doing a huge amount of research, send me a PM.))

RP Name: The Drought Prospect

Changeable Aspects::
Location: Ponyvile
Actual Location: Equestony's 'quick stop supper shop'
Weather: Heavily Cloudy
Time: 20:23

Plot Aspects::
Plot: Alcheir's goal is to find out exactly what the Drought Prospect is, and if it can benefit or harm him. He will undoubtedly meet other adventurers and characters along his search, but he is heart-set on completing his task alone.

Plot Details: The Drought Prospect is a spell-book with only one spell in it. This spell is said to magically collect all the water within miles of the caster, and convert it into magical energy. The amount of energy this spell creates is beyond belief, but the amount of energy required to cast the spell to full efficiency is impossible to attain anyways. Minor-scale applications still apply. The Drought Prospect can be found only in the depths of the Arid Sea, which is a valley which is half desert, and half a body of water located inside a magic realm accessible only through a portal hidden inside the Everfree forest. Various clues lead to this portal, left by the (now unknown) writer of the spell, but they aren't helpful unless collected and translated.

Plot Twists: There are a few dangerous creatures in the Arid Sea realm, and there are also multiple dangers awaiting any who dare transverse the depths of the Everfree in search of this treasure. Lazy adventurers beware.

Plot Additions: Null

Plot-Changeable Aspects::
Main Character(s): Alcheir, Logik, Gizmotechnic, Leafy Dream
Setting: Alcheir asks Leafy Dream, Gizmotechnic and Logik if they'd be willing to join up and search for the journal. After some resistance, Leafy accepts. The store-owner got up and left to get some sleep, while the other four ponies sit around in the guest room eating their late suppers.
Dangers: No current dangers.

((Though you have to wait until your character is officially approved, I think yours looks fine.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "this part" of the forums, but for the most part users are active, though many have things to do and cannot always respond to threads instantly.

And if you'd like to start a roleplay, I'd be willing to join in, as I have a free character that's in Ponyville.))

Vinyl Dash wrote:

((Though you have to wait until your character is officially approved, I think yours looks fine.

Also, I'm not sure what you mean by "this part" of the forums, but for the most part users are active, though many have things to do and cannot always respond to threads instantly.

And if you'd like to start a roleplay, I'd be willing to join in, as I have a free character that's in Ponyville.))

(OOC : (I was looking at the last post in this forum, and assumed that it was less active than the rest of the site. Never mind, I suppose I was proven wrong! I shall edit my first post to add details and to erase the blasphemy I previously wrote. I assume that if you commented on my character, that you know who it is already, but I'm going to post a link anyways. Just for anyone else who wishes to join later on.))

((XP Don't worry, just gotta look around a bit more. And yes, I have looked over your character a bit. Also, you really don't need to make the first post so...organized/formal... It's a new idea to me, and seems interesting, but just sayin'. In any case, try not to be so 'direct' with thread starting posts. I can understand that you want to have a nice, active and clean SL, but I assure you, many members here are good roleplayers, and you can expect at least good quality. Anywho, I must say that you have some nice plot-writing skills. I can definitely say that this will be quite an interesting experience at the least.

Now let's do this (;))

~~~OC: Logik~~~

This is Ponyville...

Logik had wandered aimlessly around the small town for the past half hour...or hour...or three hours... What time is it? Regardless, he was trying to find a place to settle into, but was not having much luck as of late. He'd come across many places of note already, but none of them were close to what he was looking for. I need to sit down, I must have walked a few miles at least...

As luck would have it, Logik formed the thought just as he stepped into the boundaries of one of? Ponyville's parks?. It was a nice piece of nature to be found in the already colorful town, with birds flying around, grass showing off an almost unnaturally natural (pun intended) green, and a calm silence enveloping the area at large. Logik's view was quickly zeroed in to the many park benches scattered around the park. He walked over to the nearest one and sat down slowly, his depletion of stamina quickly catching up to him as he sighed in pleasure from the relief.

He turned to look at the colt that had apparently been sitting there already. Huh? How did I miss him? He pondered the thought for barely more than a millisecond, before taking in the fact that the colt seemed tired or fatigued for some reason, and was covered with small bruises and scratches. You couldn't spot them from far away, but from this distance Logik could easily deduct that something was wrong.

He hesitated a second before facing the colt, and asked, "Um, s-sir? Are you...are you o-okay?"

(OOC : (Sometimes I'll include time-scales on my post for reference to events, but right now, I'm changing the first post for time, if you need the reference for anything. I'm going to continue editing the first post constantly throughout this RP, so if you need it for reference for whatever reason, it's always going to be there. Thanks for the compliments, by the way.))

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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It was a peaceful evening. The sun was near it's setting point, and the humidity left a slight, crisp feel to the air, similar to that of the pressure before a storm. The wind blew gently across the park's gentle incline, and left a pleasant flowing feeling along the fur of all who felt it. The clouds in the sky blocked most of the sun, but it was still possible to see a fraction of the incredible light if one squinted and focused in on the right point in the sky. The grass was dancing in the wind, and the park had never seemed so quiet.

Then, out of nowhere, patting sounds. Hoof-steps, to be precise. The maker of the noise possessed the name of Alcheir, or at least, that was what he called himself. The almost inaudible click of the golden wristwatch attached to the pony's left forehoof added to the distraction of silence as he casually walked around the field.

~...I wonder if anypony's in town...~ Alcheir thought, looking around the park. It was a fairly beautiful place, and the majesty of the flowers among the bushes and trees was brilliant in comparison to the ugly forest of past travels. In the stranger's eyes, he had left adversity and fallen by chance into paradise. Even still, paradise was pointless without food, and Alcheir had not eaten in days.

Still, Alcheir was tired. The hoof-steps that resounded quietly and without echo throughout the park slowly quieted down as Alcheir's pace slowed. All Alcheir wanted at that particular moment was rest. Looking around for a place to rest, the pony continued walking along, the breeze blowing gently in his face, leaving a whisper in his ears and drying the sweat on his brow.

After eight minutes, Alcheir chanced upon a bench made of a soft oak wood. Alcheir grinned widely as he saw this, and immediately walked over to the bench, speeding his pace slightly while doing so. After reaching the bench, Alcheir spun around and hopped flank-first onto the bench, almost laughing in delight. Rest at last. Peaceful, perfectly safe rest, without a single interruption in the world to worry about. It was almost perfect.

Then came hoof-steps again. These hoof-steps did not belong to Alcheir, however, because Alcheir was no longer walking. Alcheir decided to ignore the sounds, closing his eyes as he began to plan out what he'd do in town the next day. ~...should I try finding a job? Or just go straight to begging and give up on the search for now? Or should I set by priorities to completing a task of some sort in town first...~ Alcheir thought to himself, his eyes rolling back in his head as his mind started to un-focus.

Suddenly, the hoof-steps began getting closer. Alcheir noticed this slight adjustment in sound and frowned. He remained completely motionless, knowing that his robe would disguise him in the dark weather temporarily. It was a pitch-black robe, and it was very good for remaining unseen.

Unfortunately, the owner of the hoof-steps continued heading in the direction of the bench Alcheir was seated on. Alcheir peaked one of his eyes open to see the approaching pony, but right as his eye slitted open, the hoof-steps stopped, and were replaced with a single 'womp' and a depression of the park bench. Alcheir snapped open his other eye and remained motionless, staring at the pony next to him with shock.

After a few seconds, Alcheir moved. He lifted his head from it's reclined position on the back-rest of the bench, and held it in a normal-ish position so as to look right at the pony next to him. Alcheir followed the pony's line of vision to his torso and the wounds on his legs, and frowned. Alcheir was about to ask what the pony was up to, when his speaking preparations were interrupted by the pony's voice.

"...Um, s-sir? Are you..." the pony paused momentarily, shifting his sight to make eye-contact with Alcheir, then continued, "...are you o-okay?..."

Alcheir almost grinned in bemusement and eyed the pony in response. He didn't respond immediately, but instead formulated a reply. He liked to plan out dialogue before speaking, because that way, he could always guide a conversation to his content. The first thoughts he had was that the pony seemed concerned about him. That was good, it meant that the pony feared his condition. That could be used to plead for mercy or charity. The second thought Alcheir noted was that the pony did not seem to be observant, at least for the moment.

Both of these were good thoughts, but what Alcheir observed from the pony was even more important. The pony seemed relatively exhausted, which normally lead to incorrect thoughts or assumptions, or even complete stupidity. Other than that observation, the pony was just an average unicorn with a gray coat and dark yellow hair.

Alcheir then began constructing a response. He usually didn't put so much care into a response with a stranger, but the first thing he said around a town was always vastly important. His first impression on the first pony he met could travel from one side of the town to the complete opposite within an hour. It was important that that impression either made him look good, or at least what Alcheir wanted it to be.

After completing his thoughts, Alcheir looked back at the stranger's eyes and said,

"...Just a few scratches. A pony can only get so careful in the forests around these parts..."

Alcheir then looked away from the pony and shifted his position on the bench slightly. The silence had momentarily been returned to the park, besides the breathing of the two ponies.
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(I thought you didn't want essays XP)

Logik frowned as the pony took a few seconds to respond. Maybe something really is wrong with him...I hope he's ok...

"...Just a few scratches. A pony can only get so careful in the forests around these parts..."

"Yeah...r-right..."

Logik looked over the pony a second more as he turned away. "Quite a l-lot of scratches for a trip to the f-forest..." he mumbled. A moment more of observation and Logik could already tell that the pony was not only beaten up, but also tired and dirty. His gaze was drawn to the broken horn on the pony's forehead, but he didn't say anything about it, turning away. This can't just be a forest's fault...

Logik looked back towards the park, taking in the scene around him. It was a bit gloomy, but overall it seemed to be a nice day. He looked up, hoping that rain wouldn't be the one to spoil the day as he waited for the pony to respond.

(OOC : (My first post is always long and overly descriptive. Sorry, I like a good start to RPs, because I figure that it makes them live longer. Also, I want other ponies to join the RP, so I guess a long first post helps that aspect somehow? Finally, I realized that I don't need the final line of hyphens.))

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir looked back at the pony beside him as he heard a reply, but it was insignificant, and Alcheir ignored it. What Alcheir did find meaningful about the stranger's response was that he was still paying attention to his various wounds and injuries. Out of nowhere, a scheme hatched in Alcheir's mind.

Now, Alcheir wasn't the best actor, or in any case, a good actor. In fact, he was only barely able to lie about things he wasn't even a witness to successfully. Still, he was more than certain that he would be able to pull off a simple stunt like this.

Alcheir blinked hard while looking at the other pony, three times, then closed his eyes and reclined in the park bench. "...urgh..." he groaned, frowning. Alcheir didn't dare slit his eye to see if the pony beside him was looking. The plan was in motion, and failure to succeed would just be embarrassing.

After a second, Alcheir grasped his chest with both forelegs, and surprisingly, his stomach growled. He barely hid a smile. It was almost as if on cue. He had to grit his teeth to stop from smiling, which added to the intended effect.

"...I could use a snack though..." he said, a slightly artificial grin on his face.

After speaking, he winced slightly again, and felt a twang of pain in his head. A headache? Or maybe a side-effect of the act he was putting on? Now his stomach was starting to hurt a bit as well. Was it just because he reminded himself of food again? Alcheir didn't know for sure, but his disguise was starting to feel a bit more real than he intended.

"...urgh..."

Logik looked back to the pony next to him as he groaned, frowning a bit as he noticed the pony suddenly take on a fatigued state. Of course. If he's been stuck in a forest for long enough, starvation is inevitable...

"...I could use a snack though..."

The comment confirmed his thoughts, but at the same also reminded him that Logik himself hadn't eaten in some time either. Hmm...maybe I should have stopped by a restaurant... Logik turned his focus back to the pony, who now looked quite sick, which made him frown even more. He really didn't like to see others in pain.

Logik sighed. "I'm actually kind of hungry myself. I don't have any food on me, though." He paused, thinking for a second. "If you want, though, we could probably head to a restaurant or something..." He had some better things to do, but Logik had bits to spare, and his conscience would not let him leave this pony starving.

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir wasn't able to see the pony next to him as he waited for a response, but he continued the act. Every few seconds he would either adjust his position, or pretend to have a different symptom of starvation. At last, Alcheir heard the pony's voice again.

"...I'm actually kind of hungry myself. I don't have any food on me, though..." The pony said, pausing slightly after saying this.

Alcheir took the dialogue as an opportunity to tone down his act slightly and open his eyes. Alcheir looked into the pony's eyes and saw compassion lining the stranger's pupils. Alcheir couldn't have felt more satisfied by his act. Then again, it was now becoming more than just an act. His stomach actually was starting to give him pain.

"If you want, though, we could probably head to a restaurant or something..." The strange, yellow-maned pony continued, still examining Alcheir.

Alcheir closed his eyes momentarily and took a deep breath, then spoke on the exhale. "...I'd really appreciate that, but I don't have any money..." Alcheir pointed out, almost gritting his teeth afterwards.

His chest felt like there was a cavity inside of it where his stomach used to be. The cavity felt smaller when Alcheir had full lungs, so Alcheir breathed in a nice, deep breath once again. The park around him wasn't helping either. The sun was beginning to set, and was casting a golden glow over the park, making the flowers look almost like apples, and the grass much like a great, big hay sandwich.

Alcheir could barely wait for the pony's response. He knew that it would be highly unlikely for the pony to change his mind and suddenly want nothing to do with Alcheir in the blink of an eye. Alcheir wanted to maintain his hopeless disguise, for the time being at least. His left hind leg started to shiver slightly as he thought about dialogue some more, and instantly lost his train of thought.

"...I'd really appreciate that, but I don't have any money..."

Logik shrugged a bit, smiling at the pony. His parents would have left this pony out here to starve, and gone to find the next train to a more civilized place than this. It somewhat comforted Logik to know that he definitely didn't have that noble aspect in him.

"That's alright, I didn't think you would. It's fine, I'll pay for it." He winced slightly as the hunger he had been reminded of grew. "But first, I don't think we've formally introduced eachother." He got up from the park bench. "I'm Logik, and you?" He said, as he held out a hoof to help the pony up, as he seemed to be in more than a little pain from lack of nourishment.

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir looked at the stranger's shrug as a response, then relaxed and clenched his teeth in succession twice. He could tell the stranger was going to say something next from his quick inhale, but Alcheir still felt like talking. It would ease his mind from the focus on his stomach.

"...That's alright, I didn't think you would. It's fine, I'll pay for it..." The stranger said, wincing slightly after saying this. Alcheir examined the stranger for a second to look for signs of apparent injury, but didn't notice anything major. Alcheir assumed the stranger was suffering from the same thing that Alcheir was now suffering from. Hunger.

"But first, I don't think we've formally introduced eachother." The stranger said, getting up before Alcheir could react. The stranger then took a deep breath yet again, preparing his next sentence as he made eye contact with Alcheir. "I'm Logik, and you?"

Alcheir frowned for a second, then shook his head to get the tired look off, and thought up a response. Should he use his real name? Or act like he forgot it? Alcheir felt he had done enough acting for now. ~...If I pretend to forget my name, it might happen like this hunger...~ he thought, a slight mischevious grin forming on his face.

He wiped the thought off his mind as pain surged through his chest again. Alcheir quickly shot out of the park bench and inhaled. "...I don't know if it's my name, but people call me Alcheir..." he said, scratching his neck slightly with his forehoof from nervousness. "...it's more of a nickname though..."

After he finished his sentence, a gust of wind blew through the park, giving Alcheir the urge to look at the sky. The sun had set, and he hadn't even noticed. What a shame. The sunset was always a beautiful sight to behold. Either way, missing one sunset out of a million wouldn't hurt him at all.

Alcheir looked back at Logik after thinking his thoughts about sunsets for a second, then held out his hoof as a formal greeting gesture. "...nice to meet you Logik..." Alcheir finished, smiling innocently at the new companion he made. His dialogue had originally been aimed at pity, and in Alcheir's mind, he had accomplished that. Or, at least he had the promise of a meal that night.

"...I don't know if it's my name, but people call me Alcheir..."

Logik blinked at him, slightly surprised. He doesn't know? That's strange...

"...it's more of a nickname though..."

Nickname... The pony acted nervously as he said this, and though that made Logik want to know what happened to him even more, he decided to speak nothing of it. He mulled the strange acting over a bit in his head, shivering slightly as a cool breeze came through the air towards them. Logik looked up to see that the sky had turned rather dark rather quickly. It seemed to him that less than five minutes ago it had still been noon, but now the sun had already finished setting, and night was soon approaching. If we're going to eat somewhere, we're going to have to leave soon. And I still haven't found a place to stay...

Logik looked back to the pony as he held out a hoof in greeting.

"...nice to meet you Logik..."

He nodded to Alcheir, shaking his raised hoof with a smile. "You too, Alcheir." Logik looked up a second time. "It's getting dark...if we're going to leave, we should do so soon..." He looked back to Alcheir, already going through his earlier memories to pick a suitable restaurant or cafe nearby that would still be open at this time.

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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The second the hoof-shake had been completed, Alcheir quickly lowered his hoof, looking towards the sky again. Nothing new about it other than the dark-look. Night was approaching. The air smelled of a storm. Even though Alcheir really needed a bath or shower, rain wasn't ideal for his purposes. All of a sudden, his thoughts were interrupted by the Logik pony.

"...You too, Alcheir..." Logik said, replying to Alcheir's comment. The pony then looked back up at the sky and stated, "...It's getting dark...if we're going to leave, we should do so soon..."

Alcheir grinned, wanting with every nerve in his body to shout out the first thought that came to mind after hearing that comment. Then again, that lack of control got him nothing in Canterlot, and he still needed his companion at least until he was fed, therefore, he said this instead of his witty, imagined response.

"...I'm ready when you are..." Alcheir said, smiling innocently with a bit of a pained expression on his face. Impatience was what Alcheir was avoiding, but he clearly hinted towards it through his smile. He realized this after a second and stopped, looking over at a tree to avert awkwardness. His stomach growled after he completed the action, adding to the discomfort growing inside his chest. "...so long as you're ready before the clouds..."

After that witty comment, Alcheir looked back at the Logik pony as he sensed a response. Alcheir was good at sensing responses. Mostly because responses were usually followed by a deep inhaled breath of the other conversationalist.

"I'm ready when you are..." Alcheir looked up. "So long as you're ready before the clouds..."

Logik looked up at said clouds, and looked back at his new acquaintance, smiling nervously. Logik wasn't very good with sarcasm, so he just took the comment as a signal to get moving. And the slight grumbling emanating from Alcheir's stomach did not help Logik take the situation any better. You couldn't leave introductions for later... He replied, somewhat jumpily, "Oh, yeah! I'm ready...um, sorry about that..." He then looked around a bit to get his bearings, stopping when he was sure which way was the restaurant he had thought of.

"Um, so...uh, let's go..." Logik took a few steps forward, looking back to make sure Alcheir was coming along, barely containing his own hunger now that food had been ensured. I hope we don't get stuck in the rain...seems to be getting a bit windy...

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream:
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Alcheir was still staring at Logik, expecting a pre-vocal inhale as the pony jumpily said, "...Oh, yeah! I'm ready, um, sorry about that..." as he started to suddenly dart his head around to detect directions. Alcheir blinked as if flinching by the pony's jumpy response, but otherwise continued staring at the pony, un-moved.

Logik collected his bearings rather quickly. Immediately after doing so, the gray-coated pony spurted out, "...Um, so, uh, let's go..." as he started to trot in a direction towards the left side of the park bench. Alcheir started following the pony, his hoofs pushing down the grass below slightly at each step, letting off a almost inaudible'squishy' sound at each pat.

Logik looked back at Alcheir a couple times to make sure that he was still following, not wanting his new, starving companion to run off so soon. Alcheir made sure to follow as close to the pony as he could, but the best he could manage was ten feet behind. Alcheir's pace wasn't as quick due to his mass fatigue.

The wind around the two ponies started to accelerate slightly as they pattered on. The cool, gentle breeze that tickled Alcheir's nose before was now pressing his robe against his fur coat slightly. A few rain-drops were starting to fall, but very infrequently. The storm was coming, and darkness was falling.

~...this is going to be a very dark night...~ Alcheir mused to himself, his peripheral vision catching the darkness of the clouds as he continued focusing on Logik. The dark night would be one concern, but his absolute first priority at the moment was to get this pony to buy him some food. This endeavor was tilting towards success for now.

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Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream - Timelapse(3 minutes):
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The door to Ponyville town hall slammed shut as the last pony hopped through the large double doors. There were at least fifty ponies in the assembly hall, not enough to fill the seats but still enough to require competition for the good seating. At the front of the hall stood a podium and a projector screen, with a corresponding projector at the back of the room. The rough-and-tumble ponies in the audience seats were all impatient for the meeting to begin.

As soon as the clock struck 6:30, the meeting began. A spokespony, a mare, quickly popped out from behind the vast drapes of the stage, and stepped up to the podium. The mare was the mayor of Ponyville, but half the ponies in the audience had no recollection of this fact. The mayor pulled a clicker out from under the podium and set her papers on the paper-tray part of the podium, then immediately began to shout out to the audience.

"...good evening, mares and gentle, or not so gentlecolts. I am Alexandrine Prose, the mayor of this town of Ponyville, and I have sent to all of you, plus many more, letters of invitation to this meeting. At the conclusion of this meeting, you will all know exactly what I am appointing you to find, and the ways of which you will find it..." the mayor began.

The next action the mayor took is clicking the clicker, which caused the projector to light up and send out the image of a book, with the title, "The ---- Prospect" with the middle word illegible. "...this is the supposed book that you are to find..." the mayor spat out, smiling with a obviously fake look while doing so, "...it's location is said to be somewhere around this point..." she continued, pressing the clicker again.

The next image on the projector screen showed a map of the Everfree Forest and Ponyville, with an 'x' marking the supposed location of the bounty. Every pony in the room immediately started searching through his or her back-pack or storage container for a map to mark the location.

The mayor waited as the ponies marked the spot, listening to the grumbling as some ponies noted the inconsistencies between their maps and the one on the screen. After the last pencil fell, the mayor clicked the screen again and continued. The image on the screen was a mere question mark and the image of a spike-pit with a stick-pony falling into it.

"...we don't have images of the building that the book is contained in, but it extends into the ground with little to no visible sign of it's existence from above. Inside of the building are traps and riddles and mazes galore..."

The mayor then clicked her clicker once again, showing the next slide. This slide contained a picture of a hundred or so pages of ruined paper and rocks with carved words in them, all of which were illegible. "...there are clues scattered throughout the forest, but none of our Whitetail exploration specialists are willing to go out into the dangerous forest to find them. If you wish to live through this ordeal, I personally suggest that you find as many clues as you can to reveal a safe path through the building..."

The next action the mayor made was, yet again, clicking the clicker. The image on the screen showed a pile of bits, making a few ponies in the audience crack up. "...the reward for whoever brings back the book will be 200 bits. If a group of ponies returns it, we will double the reward so it can be split evenly among the group. Your deadline is next month..."

With that, the mayor clicked the clicker a final time, turning off the projector and causing the screen to shoot up into the ceiling. "...if you have questions, speak to one of the board attendants on your way out. They will be stationed to the right of the door you entered through. Have a good evening..."

As the mayor ended her speech, or briefing, she picked up her information papers and the clicker and left the stage the way she entered. The ponies in the room then poured out of the building and into the dark, dreary town of stormy Ponyville. None of them wanted to begin searching at night, so they all sought out shelter for the night.

"...The search will begin tomorrow..." came a voice from the bell tower of the main hall. One of the bounty-hunters from the meeting heard this, and quickly shot her eyes over to the location of the sound, but whatever was there, if something was there, was now gone.

Thus begins the search for The Drought Prospect. A book that should never have been written.
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(OOC: (usually I separate sections by time and date, but seeing as this site doesn't have a strict date/time schedule for years, I suppose this method will do. Unless you'd prefer the other variant.))

((I don't really mind how you organize your post, as long as I can understand what is going on. Good job on that by the way. So I would say that's the end chapter then? And also: should we continue this here or in a different sub-forum?))

(OOC: (This RP is definitely not over yet. I'll make it very, very obvious when it's over, so don't worry. That time-lapse was only three minutes into the future, and I was hoping to end this chapter by noon of the next day, or possibly later. If you ignore the timelapse, that's where the RP currently is. Sorry if I made this, not so obvious.

I put the timelapse part there so you could hint towards it if you wanted to on your post. It's kind of like a setting alert, telling you of happenings during the time-span of your next post. I do it a lot, especially with combat-themed RPs on other sites. I'm usually more professional on longer RPs, where I post exact times and spots where time passes in detail.

Also, I was thinking of moving this RP to the Everfree Forest forum after Chapter 1 is completed. Alcheir is accepted, so I can now move on! Yay!))

((Yes, this site isn't too into the whole professional and organizational aspects of the type that can be seen on other sites. Anyways, I just thought that it was the end of the chapter, so I thought that if it was, it would be a good time to move this to a different forum if you would want. Disregard what I said earlier. And congratulations on your acceptance. ^^))

Logik sighed in relief as the two ponies neared the restaurant he had led them to. Good, it's still open. He looked back for a second to check on his new...acquaintances, condition before opening the doors and heading inside, holding one open for his partner.

He waited for Alcheir to move into the restaurant, after which Logik took a seat at the nearest booth, the only thing on his mind being food.

(OOC: (Thank you very much, and unless a grammar-institution forms a pony-RPing site, I highly doubt any pony RP site will expect my level of organization any time soon.))

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir followed his companion through the park, across a few cobbled paths, along a different cobbled path, and into a nice, relax-aura town. There didn't seem to be the tiniest bit of stress about the town-

"...The Search Begins Tomorrow..." came a voice from behind.

Alcheir swerved around to look up at the source of the sound, but he didn't see anything. Alcheir then looked back over at his companion and noticed that he was over at the door of a restaurant ten feet in front of him. Alcheir let a mare who stopped near the same time he did pass, then he trotted over to the door, rewarding the favor with a nod and a fake smile.

Alcheir hadn't been in a restaurant-type place in quite a while now. The last time he was inside of one, it was to wait for the place to open so he could beg. This time, he was supposedly going to get a free meal.

After Logik trotted over to a table, Alcheir started to trot over, and took a seat across from him. The two ponies faced each other on the table and began to wait for service.

Strangely enough, no service came. The waiters were either sleeping in the back, or unprofessional. Even the pony at the counter near the desert shelf wasn't doing anything. The shop had a feel of awkward silence in the air that made the entire town seem slightly different for a second. Alcheir didn't like the feeling.

"...so, uhh..." Alcheir started, pulling his hood down to his neck, "...haven't been in a food-shop in awhile..." he continued, looking around at the setting in the place. It wasn't too much to behold, the only decorations being a few paintings and a bit of ripped wallpaper. The ceilings were lit with overhanging candles, likely lit by magic, and the equipment and tables themselves were rather drab for the environment of the place.

Alcheir didn't have any clue what else to say. He didn't want to rush the pony in case there was a tradition in this town to wait before ordering food. He also didn't want to just stare at Logik if he was supposed to know what to do in this circumstance. Alcheir didn't like looking like an idiot despite being one.
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Logik sighed as he took his seat, happily taking a load off his feet. He waited for some service, but after a few minutes, he got a bit confused, as no one came to serve them. Strange. I can understand that no one's here so late, but this place looked so nice and lively just a few hours ago...

He looked through the obvious changes in the restaurant. Everything was overall dirtier, the lights made the space within the building seem gloomy, and the darkness that could be seen on the other side was not helping in easing his thoughts. "Hmm..." Has something happened? Is this normal at this time in Ponyville? Looking closely at the window, he could see a handful of ponies outside, strangely enough. All were heading out, apparently outward from town hall, which they had passed by recently to get to the restaurant. Strange...something must be happening...

"...So, uhh...haven't been in a food-shop in awhile..."

Alright, so this definitely isn't normal, if he doesn't think so either... Logik nodded slowly to Alcheir's comment, though he was too distracted with the ponies outside to pay much attention. They all seemed to be heading towards different directions, with brisk steps...with purpose, eagerness...

Logik shook his head. Stop overthinking everything.

He looked around a second time. Still no service, and still nopony else was there, besides the stallion over at the counter, who didn't seem to be doing...well, anything. Logik frowned, looking towards Alcheir once again. "Hold on, I'm just going to ask him," He gestured towards the pony by the counter, "what's going on." Logik slid out of his chair and walked over to the stallion behind the counter, placing his forelegs on the counter-top.

"Hey, do you know what's happening around here?"

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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As the trotting sound outside bordered the annoying pit pat of water coming from a cup somewhere under the leaky roof of the neighboring building, Alcheir looked outside the shop windows. He could tell that Logik was doing the same, through the internal reflection of the glass.

When Alcheir was done observing the ponies outside trotting randomly around, he looked back at Logik to notice the pony looking back at the surrounding food shop. Alcheir noticed a sense of paranoia in the pony's eyes. He also noticed the slightest hint of curious fear. It was healthy to have that slight hint of fear on one's eyes, because it was usually matched with an innocence trait.

Before Alcheir could think more about the pony's expression, his thoughts were interrupted by the pony's speech. "...Hold on, I'm just going to ask him,..." Logik said as he gestured towards the pony by the counter, pausing before he finished his sentence, "...what's going on..."

Alcheir nodded at his companion and watched as the pony trotted over to the shop keeper. He knew something was up around the town, but he didn't know if that 'something' was normal or a result of an event of some sort, or even the possible odd occurrence that happened due to magic.

In any case, Alcheir had no inclination to do anything as he watched his companion stop by the counter. He didn't even want to watch the pony talk. As a result of this, Alcheir closed his eyes and rested his head against the back-rest of the chair he was sitting on.

"...Hey, do you know what's happening around here?..." Logik asked, staring the pony behind the counter straight in the face.

The pony quickly responded by tilting his head slightly to his left and looked straight back at Logik. "...if ya want something, get a menu and ask..." he started, pointing at a stack of papers near the other end of the counter, "...We don't work waiters late at night here at Equestony's, especially not with them lurking around..." he finished, pointing out the window at the ponies around town.

After putting his hoof back down, he popped a mint into his mouth, his hooves clearly showing signs of dirtiness, and relaxed in his chair. "...everything we serve here is under ten bits at night, but it's made slower, so choose fast and you'll get it sooner..."

"Ah"

Logik levitated one of the menus over with his magic, looking it over for a moment. According to it the restaurant was not so much a full-out eatery, but more like a café or bar, selling only simple meals and drinks. He nodded slowly as he looked the menu over, and then looked back towards the pony, simultaneously floating out a second menu.

"And who, exactly, are they?" Logik gestured to the window.

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir continued resting his eyes as the conversation continued on. "...ah..." Logik said, continuing to stare at the pony behind the counter. After levitating a menu over to himself, he started to turn his head back over to the window and look at the ponies outside for a few seconds.

"...and who, exactly, are they?..." Logik continued, pointing towards the window.

The pony behind the counter quickly snapped a tooth-pick with his left hoof and frowned at the customer slightly. "...I don't know who, but they're new here. All got the pristine letters from the mayor. Probably a task force or a search party of some sort to find a pony or a lost item..." the pony said, not knowing how close to the truth he actually was.

Alcheir's ear perked up at this. Search party? Lost Pony? Lost Item? Those terms all sounded like perfect similarities to him. He almost belonged here. Quickly, his eyes shot open and he hopped out of his chair, quickly trotting over to the counter. "...is there any place I can find out more?..." he asked, looking at the pony in hope. As hungry as he was, he really, really wanted to know more.

"...sorry sir, but I'm the last pony to ask..." the shop keeper replied, ignoring the other pony he was previously talking too as he stared at the other. "...I'm sure the Mayor or her secretary would be able ta help ye' though..." he finished, picking up a half of a toothpick from the floor right after finishing his sentence.

(OOC: Mind if I join in? Looks like this is going to be fun.)

((It should be fine, just wait for Alcheir to respond for confirmation.))

"...I don't know who, but they're new here. All got the pristine letters from the mayor. Probably a task force or a search party of some sort to find a pony or a lost item..."

"A search party..." Logik kept observing at the ponies outside. What could they be searching for? I'm sure if something important was lost, then I would have already heard about it, even if I am rather new in town...

Within a few seconds of the comment, Logik saw Alcheir come up to the counter, right in front of him. He looked much less exhausted than before, seeming to have suddenly gained a bit of energy.

"Is there any place I can find out more?"

That's strange, why is he so eager all of the sudden? Does he know what was lost? Logik looked back towards the menu he was holding. Though this event seemed somewhat strange and interesting, it did not ease his hunger from before by much. Hmmm...