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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 23, 2007 21:04:52 GMT -5
"Waiiiiiiit!"
Pak and Vio giggled as they galloped over the sandy beach, darting in and out of the little clumps of brushy areas. Pak spread his wings, and lept to the air, fluttering over the bushes as Vio followed.
"Guys! Wait!" Moondrop yelled, laughter tinging his voice. What had STARTED as a simple game of hide and seek had turned into a laughing, screechy game of tag, and Moondrop was It. He lept into the air as well, gliding over the fluttering fronds of the brush as he chased his friends.
Pak and Vio ducked down behind one of the larger plants, giggling and trying to hide from Moondrop. "Vio, move your leg, it's pushing my hip!"
"I'll move my leg if you move your hoof!"
"... my hooves are over here!" Pak whispered, his wings spreading as he looked around in sudden panic, realizing that there were a few too many limbs in the underbrush to belong to just them!
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Post by tahlise on Aug 28, 2007 0:34:11 GMT -5
Zelos and Hummingbird had ducked into the brush, peering out to see if there were any bodies washing up on the nearby beach. Their ears were perked forward, listening for any sounds that might mean both danger and good news. They heard something but it sounded like ponies at play. Their ears now swiveling around, they felt extra limbs and body parts suddenly pushed up against them. What the....
Vio, move your leg, it's pushing my hip!"
"I'll move my leg if you move your hoof!"
"... my hooves are over here!"
Both Zelos and Hummingbird froze. There were more ponies than just them in this bit of brush. Oh no. Could it be the mers? They looked at each other. Would this turn into a fight? Zelos' ears swiveled back against his skull. If it was the mers, he'd be ready for them.
Hummingbird glanced around, his body rigid, ready to fight if he had to. He looked back at Zelos, communicating with his expressions, wordless, asking if they should make their way out and face the strangers.
Zelos nodded as he slipped out of the brush and peered into the area he thought the strangers were in. Hummingbird followed his comrade. He was ready for a battle. But he waited for Zelos' word. After all, these ponies could also be some harmless locals. Still, they had to be careful. Slowly they stood just out of the brush. "Excuse me, friend or foe?" Zelos asked, waiting for their reply.
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 28, 2007 1:04:39 GMT -5
Vio and Pak lept from the brush, rolling and flapping their wings desperately in an attempt to escape from the unseen danger. Moondrop had, by now, caught up to the pair, and stared at them quizzically. "Um... tag?" He murmured, raising a brow curiously.
"Bushes!! Bushes ALIVE!!" Pak gasped, belly-flopping and inching towards Moondrop. "ALIVE!"
Vio nodded, and gulped as he lept to his hooves, whirling and fanning his wings out. "Wh-Who's in there!" He called, his voice coming out much squeakier than he would have liked. Moondrop instinctively stood behind him, his wings fluttering softly in worry as Pak wrapped one arm around his front leg.
As the two ponies emerged slowly, the trio were able to make out that neither pony was a summerwing. However, they weren't earth ponies, either; both were taller than them, but slender and leggy, with shimmering irredescent wings. They didn't have the same patterns as the trio's butterfly wings, but a curious all-over irridescence. It was pretty, but in a way that the three had never considered as a possible "pretty" combination.
Vio, being the oldest, stepped forward after a moment of silent contemplation, breaking the silence of the three small wingers gawking at the leggy pair of Flutter ponies. He cleared his throat softly, and puffed out his chest as he fanned his wings twice. "That depends. Have you come to this island to attack it?" He asked boldly, his eyes darting between the pair.
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Post by tahlise on Aug 28, 2007 1:45:20 GMT -5
Both Zelos and Hummingbrid seemed to relax when they saw the three little butterfly winged ponies jump out of the brush. They didn't look like any flutters they had ever encountered. Their wings wer larger and looked like that of a butterfly. Actually very pretty. And thankfully, not a merpony. Zelos and Hummingbird gave a sigh of relief. it appeared that these were just some of the locals. Zelos let a smile cross his face as he glanced quickly at his friend. Time to play cool and nice. These little ponies could not know what they were. Hummingbird gave a nod. He had to agree, not only could it lead to something bad, it could also lead these poor little ponies into their trouble.
Zelos decided to do the talking, which Hummingbird didn't mind. He put on a suave smile like Zelos, trying to be mpore disarming to these locals. The pink flutter male stepped forward with a friendly chuckle. "Pardon us. We mean no harm to you." he said cooly. "We're just sea goers who have lost their ship to a sea monster. We thought you were, perhaps hostile." He perked his ears. "May I ask what kind of ponies you are?"
Hummingbird looked on with his same smile. He really liked their wings.
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 28, 2007 15:07:09 GMT -5
Vio frowned as the pair looked at one another; SOMETHING was up, but he couldn't find out what just judging by their glances! But whatever it was, they were probably lying! Well, MAYBE lying; they certainly looked truthful! "Sea goers, hm? What's your ship named?" He asked defiantly, his wings flapping once.
Pak blinked curiously at the pair, and his eyes widened with curiosity. "A sea monster? Really?! We've heard legends, but we haven't seen anythin like that around here..."
Vio interrupted Pak for their last question, and let his wings flutter open. "We are Summerwings. What are you, and where do you hail from?"
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Post by tahlise on Aug 28, 2007 23:45:46 GMT -5
"Sea goers, hm? What's your ship named?" He asked defiantly, his wings flapping once.
They ignored this question since the other one was asking another.
Pak blinked curiously at the pair, and his eyes widened with curiosity. "A sea monster? Really?! We've heard legends, but we haven't seen anythin like that around here..."
.....and this one they could answer.
Unfortunately the last one asked another question so they couldn't answer the second one either. Oh well, what could they say about the monster? It might even give away who they really were.
Vio interrupted Pak for their last question, and let his wings flutter open. "We are Summerwings. What are you, and where do you hail from?"
This question was more harmless and they could actually kinda tell the truth on this one. Zelos glanced at Hummingbird but he did the talking. "Oh, Summerwings huh? I don't think I've seen any of those till now. As for us, we are known as Flutter Ponies from Flutter Valley in Ponyland." he said fluttering his own wings a bit, proud of his species, obviously.
Hummingbird watched the ponies he now knew as Summerwings. Were they related to Flutter Ponies?
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 28, 2007 23:56:03 GMT -5
"Flutter ponies, hm?" Vio asked, his eyebrows knitting together in thought. They'd learned a little bit about Dream Valley in school, but never anything as in-depth as these stallions seemed to be. "Well, you certainly came from far away." He said after a moment, flicking his tail in time with his wings. "So... WHO are you?"
"I'm Pak!" Pak chirped, disliking how he was being very quickly cut out of the conversation. And they never answered his question about the sea monster, either! "And this is Moondrop!" He said, jerking his head back towards the green-winged stallion, who simply nodded at the two quietly.
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Post by tahlise on Aug 29, 2007 0:45:38 GMT -5
"Flutter ponies, hm?" Vio asked, his eyebrows knitting together in thought. They'd learned a little bit about Dream Valley in school, but never anything as in-depth as these stallions seemed to be. "Well, you certainly came from far away." He said after a moment, flicking his tail in time with his wings. "So... WHO are you?"
"I'm Pak!" Pak chirped, disliking how he was being very quickly cut out of the conversation. And they never answered his question about the sea monster, either! "And this is Moondrop!" He said, jerking his head back towards the green-winged stallion, who simply nodded at the two quietly.
Zelos and Hummingbird smiled at the two. This time the yellow flutter spoke. "Nice to meet you, Pak and Moondrop." He gave a short bow along with Zelos. "My name is Hummingbird. Hummer for short." He nodded to Zelos who was surprised that Hummingbird was speaking so freely to these strangers. They certainly didn't seem threatening. That could be it. He looked at them proudly displaying his transluscent wings. "And I'm Zelos." He looked over at the one who hadn't been identified. Gesturing over to him he asked. "Who is that one?" Hummingbird turned his gaze right to the Summerwing Zelos was looking at. The yellow flutter looked him over unintentionly. They had the most interesting wings.
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 29, 2007 1:19:54 GMT -5
Vio didn't like being addressed like he wasn't there. He huffed at the two flutters, and folded his front legs in annoyance, hovering off the ground a few inches as he flapped his wings. "I'm Vio." He said briskly, raising one brow at them. "You never mentioned which ship you were with..."
Pak was busy watching Vio, but Moondrop was curiously examining their wings-- without daring to get a single step closer, of course. Still, he admired them from afar, tilting his head this way and that as he watched how they caught the light so dazzlingly. They had no patterns, but the shimmering was so pretty!
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Post by tahlise on Aug 29, 2007 19:56:12 GMT -5
I'm Vio." He said briskly, raising one brow at them. "You never mentioned which ship you were with..."
The two flutters nodded a greeting in his direction and their ears couldn't help but perk at his brazen little question. Hummingbird glanced at Zelos, once again communicating through his facial expressions. There was no way they could possibly tell them about their true ship. They would have to lie, yet again. Oh boy. Zelos looked at his comrade. He hated lying like rug to these poor little locals, but it was too dangerous to let down their guard. Oh well. Zelos quickly thought up a good lie. "We're sailors from the Sea Cloud. It was sunk from out beneath us by merponies." he explained, looking sad and tired.
Hummingbird sighed. "We almost drown." he added with a sad expression, looking at the ground. It was a lame lie but if they played their cards right, they could pass this off as the truth.
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 29, 2007 20:13:22 GMT -5
Vio frowned slightly as the pair exchanged looks again. Little shivers ran up and down his wings: these two weren't telling the entire truth, and it scared him a bit. They were older than the trio were, and strangers to boot. These wasn't just a game anymore.
"Well, that sounds very sad. I'm sorry for you." Vio said softly, his voice tight with tension, although he tried to hide it.
"Merponies are known to be quite fierce." Pak added helpfully, nodding with Vio. "Very dangerous if you cross them."
Moondrop nodded softly, remaining silent. He shared Vio's worries, but there was no need to draw attention to their suspicious actions.
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Post by tahlise on Aug 30, 2007 0:14:26 GMT -5
"Well, that sounds very sad. I'm sorry for you." Vio said softly, his voice tight with tension, although he tried to hide it.
Merponies are known to be quite fierce." Pak added helpfully, nodding with Vio. "Very dangerous if you cross them."
Both flutters noticed the tension. Perhaps they were acting a little too suspicious. It was time to pick things up a little. They had to gain their trust. Zelos put a hoof to his front leg, rubbing it nervously, clearing his throat before speaking to Vio with a sheepish smile. "Well, at least we survived right?"
Hummingbird took the cue. it was time to be nonchalant, pathetic, and tactful. "But it looks like we'll never be able to get back to Flutter Valley." he said, his ears drooping a bit, speaking to just Zelos. "We have no ship. And we lost our friend. Probably dead." He looked down at the ground.
Zelos put a hoof on his shoulder. "We'll figure it out." he said reassuringly.
Hummingbird glanced at him, briefly. "How can we? We're lost on an island, chased by mers who want to kill us for who knows why!" he growled to his friend. "Things are not ok."
Zelos glared at him. "It's alright, stop getting upset."
The yellow flutter glared back at him but nodded quietly. "I'm sorry." he whispered. "i'm just stressing."
The pink flutter wiggled his wings, letting them fall, limp to his sides giving a sigh. He looked at the wingers. "Do you know anything about the mers? They are after us. We don't know why, but they tried to drown us." he said to them, his ears drooping a bit too, his expression looked ragged and tired.
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 30, 2007 0:58:44 GMT -5
Vio didn't entirely trust this new tact of conversation the two flutters were taking; still, it was hard to ignore their sad words. And, being still rather young and innocent of the world, Vio found himself believing them. "Your friend is dead?" He asked softly, his formerly-tense voice now quiet with sympathy.
"That's awful!" Pak added, his eyebrows tilting down unhappily. "You know, WE could help you around the island! We know this place like the back of our hooves!" He said brightly, trying to cheer up the obviously-upset Hummingbird.
Moondrop, however, didn't miss the last reference to the mers. Merponies, although they were very wild and fierce, rarely attacked without provocation. The pair, even though they claimed otherwise, must have done SOMETHING to upset them. But what?
"Well, we've never met any," Pak said slowly, rubbing his chin with one tiny hoof, "but we've heard lots about them. They attack people who threaten the island, or their water, or the reef, or their families... anyone they don't like, really!"
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Post by tahlise on Aug 30, 2007 2:11:23 GMT -5
"Your friend is dead?" He asked softly, his formerly-tense voice now quiet with sympathy.
"That's awful!" Pak added, his eyebrows tilting down unhappily. "You know, WE could help you around the island! We know this place like the back of our hooves!"
Zelos put a hoof up, his ragged expression becoming solem. "Wait, we don't know that he is dead."
Hummingbird's ears perked. These were really real concerns he had. Firecracker was still missing. He looked back at the trio and couldn't help but feel the old memories abourd the Crimson Tide with Firecracker and the rest of his pirate family. He gave a sigh, letting his wings fall limply to his sides and his ears droop again. Was he really gone like so many of the others?
"Well, we've never met any," Pak said slowly, rubbing his chin with one tiny hoof, "but we've heard lots about them. They attack people who threaten the island, or their water, or the reef, or their families... anyone they don't like, really!"
Zelos nodded to Pak. "Really?"
This didn't make Hummingbird feel any better. It only made him feel worse. He looked at Zelos, worry on his face. "That makes sense. We were fishing. We might have made them mad."
Zelos crossed his front legs over his chest, his wings fluttering. It seemed Hummingbird's real fears were peppering their web of lies with a bit of truth. But he still played along. After all, a lie mixed with a little truth was much easier to swallow. Zelos gave a huff, angrily. Then he remembered that one of them had offered to show them the island. His ears perked and his front hooves uncrossed. "You'd help us?" he asked with a smile. He was surprised.
Hummingbird seemed to perk up a bit, surprised as well. "But, you barely know us."
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Post by Snapdragon on Aug 30, 2007 2:25:51 GMT -5
Pak nodded in agreement, first to Zelos then to the questioning Hummingbird. "Yep, they can be pretty fiesty if you get them annoyed!" He said quickly, nibbling on the bottom of his lip as he looked between his two companions.
"Well, sure we'll help you! Er ...right guys?" He asked, turning back to his friends, who yanked him closer.
"One moment." Vio said politely, yanking Pak backwards for a little mini whisper-fest.
"We don't know them!" Moondrop whispered, hiding his mouth with one hoof, so that the flutters wouldn't overhear. "And I think their merpony story sounds sort of fishy."
"Well, mers are pretty fierce, everyone agrees on that!" Pak said quickly, his ears flicked to half-mast with worry. "But, still. I haven't heard of them attacking so viciously just for someone fishing... But their friend died! We shouldn't be so quick to judge!"
"I agree that it sounds a little fishy, but fishy or no," Vio interrupted, giving a little stomp of his front hoof, "it's an ADVENTURE! We can help the newcomers around, and figure just what they're up to! Maybe they're just regular ponies, or maybe they're smugglers or something! Either way, we get to do something exciting!"
"Yeah! Good thinking, Vio! I vote we help!" Pak said brightly, his tail flicking in anticipation.
Moondrop frowned, looking at the ground for a moment as he nibbled on his lower lip, concerned. He didn't agree, obviously, but he knew that there wasn't much he could do when the other two were so set on it. "Well... I suppose we could keep an eye on them, make sure they don't go starting trouble..." He murmured, and Pak grinned brightly.
"That's the spirit, Moon!" He grinned, and turned around, facing the flutters again. "So! We've decided to help you get around! Where did you want to go first?"
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