Two Minds Are Better Then One [open]

Double Cross had a slight frown on his face as he trudged along, his large heavy footing making soft 'thump' sounds as he crossed the grassy area. He let out a sigh and huffed a strand of blue mane from his face and raised his head, his ears twiched slightly listening for sounds.

'Your being crazy.. nopony is there..'
'Shut up, I can hear something'
'Other then the voice in your own head? haha!'
'Shutupshutupshutup'

Double Cross gave another loud sigh this time it was one of annoyence. He carried on trotting along untill he was sure he heards voices...

Bright Eyes was still a newcomer to Ponyville. So far, it had been a rough journey - she hadn't found a place to live yet, and the bits she had come with were quickly disappearing. Even still, there was a wide smile planted firmly across her features that day as she wandered the town solo. She was not easily discouraged. Today was a new day, and with any luck, it would be a good one. The sun was shining overhead, glinting against the glass of the mare's spectacles as she trotted along.

Indeed, the gray earth pony had heard voices, and this time, it was not only the one that spoke to him alone inside his mind. The pale blue mare was having a conversation with... well, herself. "In Ponyville, everyone has a job." Except you. She peered into the window of a cafe but quickly turned away. The food was too tempting, and also too expensive.

"Maybe the library. There's no food there, only books," she commented aloud. With her mind made up, she turned abruptly and began to gallop towards the library. She turned the corner of a cobblestone road, and nearly ran head-on into an unfamiliar male pony.

A startled gasp escaped as she stumbled backwards with a sheepish grin, nearly tripped over backwards over her own hooves. "Pardon me, sir! I hope I didn't alarm you." She had never seen this pony before - but then again, she knew hardly anyone there.

Double Cross flinched and pulled back as a blue shape almost bumped right into him, well it would not have made much impact since the sheer size difference but it still made him jump. He made a startled noise and clopped a big hoof onto the floor before blinking at the smaller pony. 'Looks like your not crazy..' the voice chuckled causing the male to outwardly grimace.

"Oh H-Hi, no it's ok, you just came out of nowhere" he chuckled softly 'You have such a way with the fillys...' another jab.

Another mental sigh....

He glanced at her through bangs of blue and black unsure what to say.. he was so awkward it hurt sometimes. 'Come on, don't just stare....'

"Shut up.." he muttered softly to himself before flipping a little of his mane back.

"So uh.. I'm sorry for almost trampling you.." yet another awkward chuckle left the large male who's eye contact was on the floor...

'Well done...'

The darker male pony was much bigger than the petite mare, and she had to crane her neck back to get a better look at him. His eyes were powder blue, not unlike her own, but any similarities between the two ended there. He was well muscled, while she was thin and wirey. She caught the grimace that graced his expression and her own features fell. Her head ducked down as she assumed she was the cause of the unpleasant look on the male's face.

Making enemies already, huh? She bit back a sigh.

But when he spoke, his voice was more gentle than she had anticipated. He wasn't upset with her, and when she glanced upwards again, she offered a half smile. But the happy expression faded immediately when the other pony said shut up aloud, not realizing that he was talking to himself.

"I... I'm sorry. It was all my fault, really. I can be so clumsy. Sometimes, I'm in my own little world."

She cleared her throat, eyes focused upon the male's now. She knew it was rude to use her perceptive talents with someone she scarcely knew, and so she tried her best to quiet the gnawing curiosity to figure out this pony without much effort. That wasn't the way to make a new friend, after all. "My name is Bright Eyes. I'm new to this area, if it isn't comletely obvious," she said with an awkward laugh of her own.

He looked her over, seemed his lack of inner monolog might have been noticed and misread.. he tried to push that thought aside and cleared his throat a little. 'This is why you have no friends...' the voice hissed a hint of smugness in the tone.

"No, really.. it's fine" he smiled a little. "I was in my own world too..ha.." well a shared world but still..

"Oh, new huh? I've lived here awhile... well not here... but just outside" he said and shifted his weight awkwardly, this was the most he had spoke to another pony that was -real- and wasn't trying to hire him for a job in ages.

"I'm Double Cross, nice to meet you" he said softly and tried to smile even if he wasn't feeling it. 'You are such a social outcast this is making me laugh...' the smile faded from his face as another annoyed look graced the males expressions...

The mare could sense that something was wrong, but she didn't want to seem rude by pointing it out. She could also sense that the stallion wasn't as dark as his mane; maybe a little strange, but who wasn't? When he confessed to being in his own world too, she arched a brow questioningly, unable to hide a grin. "Do you spend a lot of time there?"

The awkwardness was still lingering, and Bright Eyes shifted on her hooves. The other pony said he lived outside, and Bright Eyes found this somehow appropriate. Most of the ponies there were bright colors, or pale. Bright Eyes was both; Double Cross was neither.

Double Cross. That's an unusual name. For a moment she was silent as she considered the implications of the male's name. Was his moniker hinting at a sneaky personality, or did it mean something else? Sneaking a glance to the masks that marked his flank, Bright Eyes was instantly curious to know what that symbol suggested about the pony. But was it rude to point out another's mark?

She was a pony that believed everything meant something. Pushing her awkwardness aside for the sake of curiosity, she inquired, "What do you do... you know, to make a living around here? Are you an actor?" It was a random hypothesis, soon to be proven incorrect, but she smiled regardless in an encouraging way despite the forced smile he had given.

He chuckled a little and nodded "Far too much for my enjoyment.." he said honestly but knew she'd have no idea why.. was hard sharing a world with something that made you so unhappy, but he was used to it, least it was easier to deal with as an adult then it was growing up.. he noticed her looking at his flank then the question came up.

He coughed and cleared his throat again trying to find some desperate reply that didn't give him away to be the nut bag he was, first pony he had talked to in forever and he didn't fancy pushing her away.. though it did mean no more awkward conversation.. 'YOU? and actor? that's the best laugh I've had all day! go on, tell her, tell her how nuts you are!'

He chewed on a strand of mane for a moment and tried to think while ignoring the jeering in his head. "Oh, not an actor.. ha nothing as great as that. I'm sort of a handy pony" he said and glanced back at his own markings.. knowing they'd make less sense now..

'tellhertellhertellhertellher!'

"No" he hissed and frowned in annoyance.

'TELLHERTELLHERTELLHER that you are crazier then a bag full of cats!'

The grin vanished when Double Cross stated he was stuck in his own little world far too often, and that it wasn't a pleasurable experience for him. Bright Eyes had been raised to be introspective, so being lost to her thoughts was nothing unusual, nor was it a painful practice. She didn't say anything, only pursing her lips tightly as she tried to make sense of the gray pony standing before her.

He didn't seem very happy... but why?

Indeed, Bright Eyes was only further puzzled to learn that Double Cross wasn't a thespian at all, despise his misleading marking. She couldn't keep the confused look from shadowing her pale features, and her head tilted questioningly to the left. Still, her parents had raised her to be a polite pony. Offering a smile in spite of the male's annoyed frown, she shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"A handy pony? So, you fix things? That is a very useful skill to have. I'm not really great with physical chores." So the chances of finding a decent job were not ideal for Bright Eyes, but she tried to push this negative thought from her mind.

With a nod over her shoulder to gesture her own marks, she chuckled in spite of herself. "I know mine is kind of vague, too. It's something very personal for everypony, after all. I'm not a flyer, obviously. My mark has more to do with the way I think," she offered, never guessing that Double Cross could make the same claim for himself. A hoof tapped her forehead to demonstrate her point.

He nodded and thought about what she said.. he was glad she didn't press on his odd cutie mark, after all whenever he had explained it in the past it had put ponies right off of even looking at him, nopony liked the oddball..

'Fine, don't tell her, we both know you are bad at making friends..' it hissed softly, bitterly.. he was starting to get a headache and when that happened it normally meant very bad news.

He sighed mentally and outwardly, he liked talking to the other pony but he was so bad at it.. but part of him really wanted to prove the nagging horrid sound in his head that he could make friends, that it wasn't just going to be him and it for the rest of his life.

"So uh.... instead of standing around maybe I could... show you around? being new and all.." he said softly and looked at her 'Pfffffft.. what are you doing?'

Bright Eyes knew that there were some aspects of personality that were difficult to describe. In life, being perceptive was the best way to gain information. This just happened to be Bright's Eyes' best talent. And she was determined that she could figure this pony out, without magic.

Her task was going to be challenging, however. This was becoming abundantly clear by the silence pauses that passed between the two, and as another sigh parted his lips, Bright Eyes couldn't suppress a sigh of her own. There was definitely something off here.

She was a unicorn, but she couldn't read minds, nor could she experience another's pain. She could just... feel that something was troubling Double Cross. Maybe if she deduced what it could be, she could help the earth pony in one way or another.

Her face brightened when he offered to show her around. "If you have some time to spare, that would be... well, that would be really nice." She flashed an appreciative smile. "Lead the way!"