The Drought Prospect

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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Alcheir and Leafy both looked over at the door as the bell sounded, signifying the opening of the door. As the Gizmo pony walked in, Alcheir grinned, knowing that the pony would have something to say. Sure enough, the pony started talking as he walked on in.

"...Nice to see your all up and at 'um..." Gizmotechnic said, his eyes darting between the members of the group as he talked. His eyes rested upon Comical as he paused, then he continued, "...Or at least most of us..." Gizmo them looked back at nopony in particular as he continued, "...Anyways, we ready, or do we need to wait some more?..."

Before Leafy could spit out a comment, Comical stirred, finally reacting to the word 'breakfast'. "...Eh..." he started, mumbling in his sleepy tone, "...now breakfast..." he continued, rubbing his eyes, "...that sounds pretty good..."

Leafy hopped off the table and walked over to the door as Comical got up, then listened as he continued talking. Alcheir finally changed his view from Gizmo to Comical as he listened to the next thing Comical said, "...Come on, lets get going, my stomach is practically eating itself..."

With no more reason to remain stationary, Leafy slammed the door open and smelled the fresh air. She coughed a few times afterwards, then gagged. The air wasn't quite as fresh as she had hoped. Dark, partially phosphorescent fog filled the air in a loose manner. The air was damp, to be sure, but the fog wasn't as thick as it could be. Visibility was impaired, but Leafy could still see a fair distance away.

"...come on then..." Leafy started, retaining her composure as she stepped out of the cafe, "...it's time to get a move on..."

Leafy already knew that pretty much every other group of bounty hunters and assistance crew members were already out in the forest by now. Most of these ponies would have gotten up early and snuck out of town so they wouldn't have to pay for rent, or at least, that's how manehatten ponies would act.

Alcheir followed Leafy into the fog, pulling up his hood to keep some of the nasty liquid in the air from reaching his eyes directly. He could see just as far as a pony without a hood on could, but he didn't want to look straight up because the fog would then get into his eyes and irritate him. He had sensitive eyes.

Alcheir and Leafy both looked back fairly synonomously to see if the other three ponies would follow them. The second they did this, a raven shot by, cawing as it did so. Leafy flinched at this, her heart-beat rising as she thought up the implications. Alcheir didn't even notice.

"...come on!..." Alcheir said, grinning at the other three ponies, "...we got breakfast to catch!..."

Of course, ponies didn't eat meat, and thus the allegories of hunting and catching food weren't actually valid. Still, it was easier to use allegories than to use the correct phrases. As the fog did it's job at blocking out the rising sun, a stranger moved out of view from above, silent as he hid in the shadows. His or her purpose was not yet known, but his/her motives were likely not to benefit the team.

As the stranger made his/her way into the building he/she was previously standing upon, he/she peeked out a window at the ponies, his/her identity shaded by the lack of light around him/her. The visibility of the stranger was better through the fog than it was for the ponies. Whoever he or she was, he or she grinned as he or she watched the group, waiting.

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-Objective: Exit the cafe

"Anyways, we ready, or do we need to wait some more?"

Logik looked towards Comical as Gizmo asked his question. "I think most of us are ready, though Comical's still a bit-"

"Eh? Now breakfast...that sounds pretty good." Comical got up from his booth as he said this.

"...sleepy..." Nevermind... Logik shifted his gaze over from Comical to Leafy Dream as the mare began walking towards the door that marked the restaurant's front entrance. She opened the doors quite dramatically, and then took a deep breath, inhaling the cool air that came rolling in from outside. The large inhalation's result wasn't quite what would be expected though, as she started coughing and gagging short after for a few seconds.

After quickly regaining her composure, Leafy Dream then proceeded to step outside into the cool morning fog lingering outdoors.

"Come on then, it's time to get a move on." Alcheir followed Leafy, and they began walking out and away from the restaurant one after another. Logik looked at Gizmo and Comical for a second, and then followed the two ponies, shivering slightly as he entered the cold mist outside. He wasn't used such coolness, and even the little bit that existed in the gas that made up the mist made him uncomfortable.

In Canterlot, he had lived near the Royal Palace. So, being so close to the edge of the cliff that marked the boundary of the city, the area he lived in was hit by the warm sun quite quickly every morning, and by the time he would fully wake up and prepare for the day, it would already be moderately warm outside. And as for winter, Logik would usually stay indoors during that time period, studying, inventing and perfecting new spells. He didn't like the cold.

Alcheir and Leafy looked back at the trio still near and in the restaurant percisely at the moment a raven flew by, and Alcheir called out to them.

"Come on, we got breakfast to catch!"

Logik grinned slightly at the statement, and quickened his steps in order to catch up to the pair, slowing down his strides as he neared them.

Gizmotechnic laughs a bit as events rolled down the way they did. He then continues to follow the rest of the group into the fog. He mutters to himself, "All or nothing!" as he trots through the fog, keeping the other members of his group in sight.

"breakfast..." Comical slowly said to himself. His stomach growled, and he wore a grin on his face to know that he would be able to shut it up for once. He was glad leafy didn't do much except for shout at him. For that, he was great full. After scanning the room, and the events that had just occurred, he took a little skip. He continued to trot with a jig in his step out the door, chanting to himself in a childish voice the words "breakfast, breakfast, breakfast!"

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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As the group of ponies wandered out into the mist, the figure in the house left his/her perch. Whoever he/she was, he/she was gone now. The figure vanished, as if he/she was never there. A few ravens which were perched on the building shot out into the sky after this disappearance. These ravens were quickly joined by a few others, providing the sound of a few wings flapping in the sky.

Meanwhile, Leafy Dream confidently lead the team through the mist. She enjoyed wet and foggy weather because it made her fur feel softer on her skin, and it also made her feel slightly more alone. Despite this, she couldn't shake the gut feeling that she was being watched by a stranger as she walked through Ponyville. She had her goal set, however. She needed to get to the town hall and see if there was breakfast or information available.

Alcheir, of course, was in for the ride. He tended to be a freeloader up to the point where running away was involved anyways, and thus he didn't desire to lead the group. Following Leafy was a slightly difficult task due to the fog, but Alcheir managed to make due with what little visibility he had after his eyes adjusted.

For a morning, the sun was blocked quite well. Not a single speck of sunlight shot from the sky. What little illumination fell through the black clouds high above shone a dreary, grey, melancholy shine across Ponyville's expanse. Even the colorful building named sugarcube corner wasn't as colorful as it normally was.

Despite Comical's 'breakfast' chant, the group eventually made it to the town hall with moderate tranquility. As Leafy opened one of the two great doors of the building, she said, "...we can get breakfast and information here. Don't take too long though, we need to get in the forest before noon so we can get to a safe spot by dusk..."

At that, Alcheir nodded and wandered into the town hall, looking around for signs of life. There was a stage before him, and two doorways to either side. One doorway was open, and had a group of ponies with armor of types on, eating. The other room had a few ponies sitting behind desks reading paper.

Alcheir, who still felt full from his meal last night, ventured over to the ponies behind the desks as he heard his companions wander towards the door behind him.
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-Objective: Enter town hall and decide to either eat, or to learn.

Logik allowed his horn to glow slightly with limited magic as he walked through the fog after Leafy Dream and Alcheir, in order to improve his visibility in the morning fog. It didn't help too much, but it still allowed him to see slightly farther and slightly better.

Within a few minutes of walking, Leafy had led the group to Ponyville's town hall, which Logik could remember seeing the day before as he had wandered throughout town. They entered the large-ish building, and the mare that lead them spoke.

"We can get breakfast and information here. Don't take too long though, we need to get in the forest before noon so we can get to a safe spot by dusk."

Logik nodded to her as she finished stating this, and then looked around the building that they had entered. There was only a handful of ponies there, taking up little space and making the large building seem even bigger. In front of him within the same room, Logik could see a rather large, but simple, stage, devoid of any important objects or people. Looking to the right and left of the stage, the unicorn could also see two doorways near it, leading to two different rooms, one in which ponies could be seen eating and the other in which they could be seen reading and writing, respectively.

Taking a second to think, Logik decided the he didn't really require food enough to leave the chance to learn something about the small town he was currently in, and maybe something else too. And so he went to the left of the stage towards the doorway with the reading and writing ponies in it. He ventured inside and observed the room around him as he entered.

As he followed the group into town hall, with some trouble, he decides to head to the books to find ANYTHING about what they're looking for.

Comical entered the establishment scratching his eyes. He saw some of the different ponies split to go look around. He decided he should too, until he caught the sent of breakfast. Comical darted over to where the armored ponies were, grabbed some food, and dug in.

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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After Comical entered the building and shot over to the buffet, Leafy rolled her eyes and left the door to close itself, following the stallion over to the buffet. She had already been briefed on the mission, thus she had no need to waste her time listening to the town-hall mares again.

As Leafy got to the breakfast room, she took some fresh fruit and veggies and stored them in her bag. She didn't want to starve if the group didn't find anything on their trip. She then took a few bits of fruit and bread and began calmly, delicately eating, sighing as she tried to ignore the other barbarians' eating styles.

Alcheir led Logik and Gizmo over to the information ponies and stopped immediately in front of the first desk he made it to. As the mare behind the counter looked up, Alcheir spoke quickly, so as to not allow her to speak.

"...We are here to help with the search for the 'journal' we heard about..." Alcheir stated, quickly continuing after a quick inhale, "...however, we weren't here when information was given, so we'd like a quick explanation of what's going on, if you could spare us a few words..."

The mare smiled in a business-woman-like-way after hearing this, then replied, "...why of course, sirs..." as she quickly put a book-mark in the book she was reading. The mare closed the book and effortlessly maneuvered it under the desk as she pulled out a stack of papers, then quickly filed through them. After finding one labeled, 'important,' the mare cleared her throat and began talking.

"...The assignment that you have been invited to take part in is as follows. You and the rest of the invited hunters will search for clues over the course of the next few days. When you find a clue, you will report back to us. These clues will lead us to better understand both what we're searching for, and where its location is..."

The mare then paused, and looked up at Alcheir specifically, "...you have been invited, correct?..."

Alcheir nodded and pointed towards the buffet in the other room as he stated, "...not by the mayor specifically, but by another invited bounty hunter..."

The mare nodded in comprehension, then continued reading. "...Each participant will be given ten bits for each clue that is found. The bits will be distributed among each member of the group equally. As soon as enough clues are found, a new assignment will be given to the remaining invitees to collect the journal in question. Reward for the journal will be fifty bits for the fist pony to return it, as well as a place of honor in the hall of Ponyville..."

The mare then stopped reading and looked up at Alcheir. "...that is all you need to know, and that is all that there is to know, for now at least..."

Alcheir nodded and looked at Logik, then at Gizmo. "...simple enough..." Alcheir said, looking back at the mare, "...however, I heard that we were going to be payed for each day we searched..."

The mare giggled slightly and said, "...you only get payed if you provide a certificate of officialism for your job position..."

Alcheir sighed and turned around after hearing that, then began walking towards the buffet. He had the same idea as Leafy, in that he wanted to pack up a bit of food for the road. "...get some food for the journey. The Everfree isn't very forgiving..." Alcheir said to the two ponies as he walked by the front door, over to the buffet.


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-Note: I decided to abandon the idea of editing the first post because no one else seems to want to join. I'll re-start the idea in the Chapter 2 thread when we end this one though. Also, I'm not going to have an objective every time. Sometimes, objectives don't really help at all, like this, for example. Maybe during a time of action I'll have objectives.

((Business-mare-like-way...))

Logik observed the interior of the town hall as the business-mare that Alcheir had approached shared information on the hunt with the trio. The mare finished with her speech, and Alcheir asked a question on pay, to which the mare replied to. The given answer provoked a sigh from Alcheir, and, apparently satisfied, the unicorn colt led them towards the buffet on the other side of the stage. Logik himself would have liked to learn a bit more about the actual book itself, but he was a bit to timid to ask the mare himself. So he simply followed Alcheir as he spoke to them.

"Get some food for the journey. The Everfree isn't very forgiving."

Logik nodded to this and went on through the buffet, picking a small assortment of foods to bring along with them, sitting at the table leafy dream had picked and beginning to eat his own, present meal once he had finished doing so.

The brown unicorn decides to get a bite to eat also. He trots over to the buffet and grabs some food. He then starts getting a headache. "Why now, of all times..." He shakes his head and continues to find a random seat, hoping to overhear some ponies talk about their plans and such.

Comical was digging in. Oh how this buffet joyed him. The yellow pony did not take his mouth off the plates for a second, until he saw gizmo come in. "Hey buddy." he started, with his mouth full. "Thanks for lending me the food n' booth." Comical said, nudging Gizmo and smiling.

Vinyl Dash wrote:

((Business-mare-like-way...))

Thank you for that. I'm sure pointing out my typos will assist me in perfecting my grammatical system. Especially seeing that I am fully capable of using my brain correctly at 10:00 at night. Indeed, thank you sir.

Back on the topic of the RP, in a less overarching sense of broadness, it is time to re-introduce the antagonist. A quick word of forethought first however. Your character(s) should act no differently due to the presence of the antagonist than they would for any other pony in the room. This may be clear already, but I want to set up a scene here, and it will be difficult to do so without that particular point stressed.

A brief warning: This will be a very long post. If you don't want to read it all, I'll summarize a few of the actions at the end. I'd recommend reading it all if you have the time, however, because it took me awhile to plan the back-story for this post.
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Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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After Alcheir entered the buffet room, Leafy's ears perked up. Leafy looked around, feeling slightly suspicious at the sudden chill down her spine. ~...what in...~ she began, her train of thought interrupted by a brutish stallion next to her.

"...So I said, 'NO! You only get ONE ROLL', and then he replied, 'NONONONONO!!! I get TWO ROLLS!', but..." A armored stallion shouted out, weaving a story to a few of his friends across the table. The bulky stallion's armor shone with a dull, orangish glimmer due to the bronzite alloys in the chainmail coat in the separation-points of his leatherwood armor.

Leafy cleared her throat and tapped his shoulder after her temper rose. The stallion paused mid-sentence, then quickly turned around, angered. "...wha-..." the stallion started, his tone displaying impatience at first. After the stallion saw the mare next to him, the one who poked his shoulder, he stopped mid-sentence again and closed his jaw.

Leafy broke into the brief silence and quickly stated, "...you're a bit loud, don'tcha think?..." her tone displaying not only a sense of unamusement, but also the sharp distaste which hit the stallion's ears like bricks.

Noting her tone, the stallion's subconsciousness forced him to, despite his grogginess, realize that he was a tad too loud. "...sorry miss..." he muttered, turning back to his friends quickly. His allies gave him funny looks as he continued telling his story, a bit more quietly, and some even cast the mare a few haughty frowns.

After regaining her peace, Leafy looked back over to the buffet line to see Alcheir's progress. She was somewhat surprised to find that Alcheir was already walking towards her with a plate of veggies. "...any interesting information?..." Leafy mused, nibbling on her last carrot.

Alcheir sat down next to Leafy as he calculated an answer, then replied, "...well, I'm not getting paid unless I have a certificate, but the food's still free 'slong as I'm alive..." Alcheir grinned slightly as he said this, opening the satchel hidden underneath his robe as he spoke. At the final word in his sentence, he snuck a carrot under his robe and shoved it into a nice storage place within the carrying sack.

Leafy nodded at Alcheir's reply and mused, "...I got a bad feeling about today..." as she stared out at a window above and in front of her. Alcheir followed her gaze and sighed as he replied, "...who in their right mind wouldn't..." a frown beginning to spread across his face as he hid yet another veggie into his satchel.

Meanwhile, hoofsteps resonated outside the town hall, within the foggy streets of Ponyville. If there weren't enough strangers in town hall already, one more might not hurt anyone. As this stranger walked along the street, clicking sounds echoed with each of it's hoofsteps. Nopony was out that day due to the horrible weather, all save the weather pegasii in the sky.

As the stranger approached the town hall building, he slowed down and his clinking hoofsteps dulled a bit, their sounds becoming less loud. The stranger wore a full suit of ash-covered, rust-stained, cast iron platemail. The stranger's eyes shone bright yellow in the greenish fog, complimenting it.

The stranger fit in with the other strangers around the town. The stranger's armor may have been just a tad unkempt, but it still seemed appropriate in the circumstances. The stallion's armor covered every inch of his body, save his head, which was left bare. His back was covered in a torn, brown robe with a few blood stains on it from previous experiences. The torn robe had a hood attached which covered the stallion's head quite well.

The stallion stopped before the doors to town hall and smiled. ~...why is it that the most serious and important of all first impressions should seem so humorous in foresight?...~ the stranger thought, closing his eyes momentarily as he thought to himself. When his eyes opened again, they glew bright, dark green as his horn exploded into a bright flash of caustic green, splashing the town-halls doors with light.

The second after, the doors flew open, and in he went. The stallion shut the doors behind him with another pulse of magic, then his horn went dim and his eyes returned to their dark yellow hue. As he made his way into the town hall, he turned left instantly, and walked straight towards the buffet. He had a few ponies to meet.

As the stallion walked into the room, not a single of the ponies payed him any attention. He walked over to the buffet line, pulled out a plate, loaded it with veggies and steaming cottage cheese, then carried it in his muzzle as he walked over to the long table Alcheir, Leafy, Gizmo and the loud, bulky stallion were sitting at.

He placed his food down on the seat in front of the loud stallion, then watched the stallion intently, not bothering to touch his food. The stallion's beady eyes bounced from one stranger to the next, calculating, observing, collecting, planning. The stallion moved only slightly in order to breath as the loud stallion's pitiful story weaved it's way into his ears.

After a few minutes, when the stallion's story finally stopped and a few other stallions in the group started applauding, the stranger closed his eyes, lowered his head, and started chuckling deeply, in a spine-chilling tone. A few of the stallions in the group looked over at him with suspicion, and a few even with curiosity. After a few seconds, the stranger stopped chuckling and grinned up at the now silent stallion who was previously speaking.

"...I liked that story..." the stranger spoke, his tone raspy yet young, bold yet sharp, "...It reminds me of an adventure of my own..." The stranger then stopped and looked down at his food, saying, "...ehh. It's not often one wanders a week and finds himself capable of repelling food, but now is one of those times for me..."

One of the stallions at the table then shot a few words over to the stranger in rusted armor, saying, "...you should eat up and tell your story, stranger. A long journey awaits us all, unrelenting and perilous as can be..." This statement roused a few nods, and attracted the attention of all the group over to the stranger in rusted armor as they waited for a reply.

Alcheir's ear perked up as he heard a few words of the conversation next to him. His eyes wandered from the window over to the yellow-eyed, armor-clad stallion with the full plate of food.

Leafy caught Alcheir's gaze and followed his vision until she saw the stallion, then frowned as she examined the stranger. Nothing felt off about the stallion, but something about him just didn't fit. Leafy hadn't a clue what it was, but she stared at him, searching for the answer to her own question.

The stranger didn't reply to the other stallion's words immediately, however, he did take a long breath as he looked down at his food. After a second, right when the stallion next to him was about to butt in, the stranger spoke with the voice of an ancient poet.

"...I once had a dream about adventures like these. Food was never an issue. Whenever I felt I was about to die, plants popped up as if on cue. One day, I met a filly, who said naught but, 'help me.' At first, I felt confused, but eventually I found myself lucky. The filly guided the way to my goal, whether it helped me or hurt. All I can remember from this journey now is a key-hole in a pile of dirt..."

The stranger then looked directly at Leafy and grinned menacingly only long enough to say, "...Then again, who needs to remember..." After saying this, he looked back at the group of stallions and said, his tone and expression both merry, "...enjoy your journeys! I wish you all good luck!..."

The stallions replied with good luck wishes as well as the stranger got up and left, but Leafy Dream was in shock. She went through what the stranger just said and tried piecing together what it meant, but the only thing to come to mind was the resemblance to her dream. This wasn't the first time one of her dreams had become linked to reality, and it certainly wasn't something to be ignored.

Alcheir noticed Leafy's expression after watching the stranger get up, and commented, "...Nothing wrong with the veggies, eh?..." as he debated whether or not to eat the last veggie on his plate.

This comment brought Leafy back to reality instantly. She quickly shook her head and said, "...n-no, I don't think s-so..." as she thought. What was she going to do again? Where was the stranger going? ~...right! The stranger!...~

Leafy got up immediately after this and quickly made her way over to the town hall's main entrance-way, right after the stallion. She watched him disappear around the corner and hastily tried to catch up, but as she turned the corner to the hallway, the stranger was gone. He had vanished. Not a blink of light, not a sound, not even a clink of armor was left to note his disappearance. He had simply just outright disappeared.

Leafy walked back to the table where Alcheir sat at, her eyes now wide in disbelief and shock. Alcheir noted her new expression, then pushed the last veggie on his plate away reluctantly as he commented, "...was it something that stranger said?..."

Leafy looked over at Alcheir and nodded slowly as she blinked a few times. After a minute, her composure returned and she stated, "...he stole my dream right out from my mind..." as she stared at him. Alcheir didn't know how to respond to this, so he looked back at the tomato on his plate and mumbled to himself, ~...either their's something in these veggies, or she's really nuts...~

Leafy frowned after hearing Alcheir's comment, then nudged his shoulder roughly and replied, "...I do have ears ya' jerk..." as she plucked his tomato from his plate. Alcheir blushed just slightly and chuckled as he lifted up his plate, then looked over to see if Gizmo was done.
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-Objectives: Finish buffet and pass time(either by talking to a random stranger or by listening to the yellow-eyed stranger)

Summarry:
Alcheir sits next to Leafy
Quick chat
Antagonist enters
Antagonist talks
Antagonist leaves
Leafy chases, but too slow
Leafy returns to seat and chats with Alcheir slightly
End.
(read for more detail, if this wasn't enough)

((You're welcome! ^^))

Logik arrived at the same table Leafy had sat in not long after Alcheir had arrived, levitating over a plate with a medium-sized assortment of fruits and vegetables, along with a bit of cottage cheese on the side. He sat down across the table from Leafy Dream and Alcheir once he reached the table, and started eating his food without a word, occupying himself by listening to what the ponies were saying around him.

From what he could hear, the group of stallions that he had seen earlier were listening to a story being told by one of the stallions in the same group, and Leafy and Alcheir were simply chatting to pass the time. Logik could also hear the slight dim of conversation as other ponies talked around the buffet room, though there weren't too many ponies there at the moment, and so there wasn't much to be heard from them.

Logik kept eating as he listened to the group of stallions located near their table absent-mindedly, but then stopped as from the corner of his eye he saw another pony join them. He looked over and saw that the pony was another stallion, wearing quite unkempt armor and a brown robe with a hood that covered his head. He didn't seem to fit in with the rest of the group that he had joined, but Logik didn't think anything of it. It was not right to judge ponies by their actions or appearance. He turned back to his food after a few moments of observing the pony and continued eating.

The stallion that had bee talking earlier finished his story after a minute more or so, and his apparent comrades laughed and applauded to his tale. The new stranger paused for a second after the end, but then also acknowledged the story in his own way, by simply chuckling. It was quite a strange sound that he made though, the word "creepy" popping up in Logik's head to describe it.

Soon after that the stranger began telling his own story, as requested by the group he was now sitting with. Logik turned his head slightly to get a better look at the stranger as he told his story, but kept on eating his chosen plate. It was quite a short story relative to the one that the earlier stallion had told, and the stranger ended it with a short word of good luck to the ponies around him. He left soon after this, exiting the buffet room and going on his way as Logik could see.

With the stranger now gone, Logik turned back to the two other friends sitting at the same table as him, to see what they thought of the stranger. Alcheir didn't really seem to mind him at all, but for some reason Leafy Dream looked to be in a state of complete shock, or confusion. He rested his gaze on her, not really sure what was wrong but expecting her to somehow give this information away. Alcheir tried to break her expression with a comment to which she responded quite...strangely.

"Nothing wrong with the veggies, eh?"

"N-no, I don't think s-so."

Logik watched Leafy Dream with a confused expression as she ran out of the buffet and followed the stranger. He followed her movements out of the room and then turned his gaze to Alcheir as she left.

"What's wrong with her?"

No sooner had he said this when Leafy Dream came back again, coming back to the table and sitting down once again. She and Alcheir exchanged a few words, and then it seemed that she was back to normal, merry once again. Alcheir didn't seem to mind the whole previous situation too much either. Logik didn't say anything about it, but simply went on eating, thinking about why Leafy had reacted so to the stranger and also about what they would do that passing day.

(OOC : (...due to the posting order, I can't really post a reply yet, but I sure am interested in doing so. Nice response, Vinyl. For the sake of not wanting to edit my last post, I'll just say that Alcheir responds to Logik by shrugging with a 'beat's me' expression on his face.

By the way,

ATTACK OF THE SNOWFLAKES!!! AAHHHHH!!!!! MY EYEEEESSSS!!!


Oh, and MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYPONY! Or, happy hearth's warming eve? Ugh. I don't even know if ponies celebrate Christmas. It wouldn't really make sense, because I don't think ponies even have religions, considering magic is everywhere...

BAH! My self-conversation must be driving you mad by now. Have a happy new year and such everyone!...))

((Sorry, Internet is a jerk to me sometimes.)) The brown unicorn was eating his food, but only paid half attention to the other ponies arguing. He then looked up to the stranger after his entrance. He nodded to Comical, "No problem." Gizmo then noticed that the stranger had...bright yellow eyes? He felt more of a chill from this, but again, hid any expression. He paid attention to the stranger's story, mostly to the part of a "key-hole in a pile of dirt". This, he deemed important, but he kept quiet through the entire time, just eating his meal.

((How about just saying happy holidays? XP))

(OOC : (...Comical, I'm going to give you two more days to respond, then I will control your character until you return. As for the rest of you, sorry, but all actions are important to me, so I don't want to skip anyone if possible...))

(My bad everypony, had family matters to attend to.)

Comical was halfway through his meal when he noticed this strange pony. He could not help staring at him, that is until his stomach rumbled again. "oh, hehe, almost forgot about you." He addressed his dish as he dug back into his breakfast, forgetting about the stranger.

(That is most unfortunate to hear, Comical. I hope things turn out well for you and your family. It is a new year, after all. The world hasn't ended yet, err, not for all of us at least.)

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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As a few of the other people in the buffet started to file out of the building, Alcheir spun his plate around as a procrastination attempt while waiting for Gizmo and Comical to finish eating. After Leafy finished sucking down the oddly juicy tomato she stole from Alcheir, Alcheir looked over to her and said, "...this is the most food I've ever seen in the life which I can remember..."

Leafy grinned slightly at this comment and wiped the mystified expression from her face. She was done wondering about the stranger now. All she needed to do now was figure out what her dream had told her and get on moving. Then again, Leafy always had time for a snarky comment. "...for a month of living, a buffet like this could surprise even a dragon. A buffet of ponies, that is..."

Alcheir chuckled a bit at this, then watched as Leafy got up from the table, leaving her plate there as others did. After she was standing up-right again, Alcheir started to get up. He didn't want to get up at the same time as her because of the confined space in the seating.

After getting up, he trotted back over to the buffet line and grabbed a sweet snack, placing it in an outer pocket of his robe. He was planning on using it to lure over some forest animals for guidance later. Timid animals never failed him, or at least, they usually didn't when he was capable of getting them.

After this final preparation, Alcheir looked back at the three other ponies and said, "...y'all ready to go?..." to which Leafy responded with a nod, already walking towards the door.
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-(the objectives actually seem pretty obvious to me now that I think about it. Just read my post and answer all the dialogue. Other than that, RPing is a free will-guided exercise. As a result of this realization, I decided to no longer add in the Objectives.)

Logik got up not long after the other ponies with him seemed ready, finishing his food at about the same time as them. He put his plate away, Leafy following suit soon after, and then headed back to the table he had sat at. He saw Alcheir grab a small last snack from the buffet and contemplated doing so himself, but then decided against it. He didn't believe he needed the extra weight, even if it was miniscule.

"Y'all ready to go?"

Leafy responded to this with a nod and began heading towards the buffet doorway, and Logik responded soon after she began to take her leave.

"I believe so."

Glancing around to make sure Gizmo and Comical were also both ready as he said this, Logik waited for a final recognition of readiness, in order to leave the building and begin the adventure for which the whole group had been awaiting.

Gizmo finishes his meal. "Y'all ready to go?"He gets up, and checks his equipment, bulky, although relatively lightweight. "As ready as I'll ever be."

Comical stuffed a bit more food in his mouth before he replied. He tidied himself up, and started walking around while he ate. He then sat and played with his hooves. "Gah waiting is so boring...." He went around poking other ponies out of his boredom. Then he looked to his side and saw the rest of the group. "Oh... sorry!" he ran up to them. "yeah im ready to go."

Chapter 1:
-The Living Dream
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After Leafy walked past Alcheir, the stallion smiled and followed her, contemplating the journey he was about to take part in. He wanted to set 'ground rules' about scavenging for food, but he found that it was a point best left to be addressed at a future endeavor. After exiting the town hall via a swoosh of the door and a few breaths full of dense, oddly smoky fog, Alcheir held the door open for his two other allies.

Leafy opened the door for Alcheir and left it to close itself, then continued trotting a few steps to wait. She didn't want to go too far in case she actually left the other two ponies in the dust already. After finding that Gizmo and Comical were right behind her, she continued walking along, ignoring the fog.

"...our search begins deep in the forest. We have to get to the forest first though..." Leafy pointed out, looking back at the other three ponies, "...think you can handle that?..."

Alcheir nodded in response, then began trotting towards the North-Eastern side of Ponyville. "...well then let's get a move on!..." Alcheir said, grinning. As he trotted along, his grin remained, hiding something, a feeling of his. ~...hrm...~ Alcheir thought to himself, hiding his discomfort behind comedic joy, ~...I'm being watched, but how?...~

Leafy nodded and looked at the other two ponies after saying this, grinning slightly. "...you sure look ready..." she said to Comical, she then turned to Gizmo and said, "...as for you, whatever suits your fancy..." With that said, Leafy turned away and began to follow Alcheir as well. He hadn't gotten too far ahead, but Leafy still felt the need to catch up quickly. In order to do so, she trotted at a slightly fast pace over to the stallion.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As the group of ponies left the town hall, two distinct glowing yellow eyes shone brightly from a tall building a few blocks away. These two eyes belonged to the stranger in the rusted armor, the fog-bringer. This particular pony was watching the group of four with a particular interest.

"...tell me, how should we play them out?..." the stranger asked softly, smiling to himself. A response came from a quick flash of his horn and two pops of bright light. Two magically-constructed dice suddenly appeared on the windowsill before him, glowing in their immaterial nature. The dice hit the wooden surface with a soft tap, and rolled around for a few seconds afterwards.

Upon settling down, the two dice read, "1" and "5." The stranger grinned at this and the two dice disappeared immediately afterwards. "...six it is..." he whispered, grinning as his horn dimly started to glow, his body slowly becoming more and more opaque as a short span of time passed. By the time Alcheir's comment was said, the stranger was gone.
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Logik followed only a few steps behind Alcheir as the group exited the town hall and proceeded to enter the dull fog that covered Ponyville.

"Our search begins deep in the forest. We have to get to the forest first though. Think you can handle that?"

Logik replied first to this, soon after Alcheir nodded his answer to the question. "I would hope so. If we couldn't handle a trip through a town to the forest, it would be quite difficult to make it to the deeper parts of the forest itself, wouldn't it?"

Logik went along with the group at a light pace, listening nonchalantly to what the other ponies around him had to say to eachother. As they walked and talked, however, the unicorn felt a strange feeling. Almost unrecognizable, but he didn't like it either way. It was the same feeling he had felt when the strange pony from earlier had spoken, unpleasant and...well creepy was a good descriptive word. He said nothing though, and kept on walking along and wondering what the group might encounter on their upcoming adventure.