13. [Audio]

[brodakota]

[North's voice comes over the network, sounding rather panicked. Surprisingly so, especially to people who know him for his quiet, patient demeanor.]

Is anyone else in Ponyville right now? 

If you are, have you seen Theta? 

It's really important that I find him, and I think it's getting dark.

[That's new...and all the more worrisome.]

Comments

[brodakota]

[North comes thundering in to see the latest discovery, stopping right before the flowers. He'd gone back quickly to collect Xion and now was back, brain trying to catch up to what was going on.]

Wait...so he went two ways? That doesn't make sense?

Are you sure?

[guerriera]

Did he walk in a circle, perhaps? Or back the way he came?

[ That would account for a split in scent, certainly. ]

[raisethemoon]

[Luna moves past the group to lean over the flowers, carefully not stepping in them as her horn brightens briefly.]

No. These are Shadowsneeze flowers. Doubtless he wandered into them, fell prey to the spores, and then went one way whilst his shadow detached and went the other.

But fear not! Despite the illusions they create, they are not harmful.

[unrecovered]

His shadow detached.

[Just when Wash thought Ponyville couldn't surprise him anymore. He bites back a sigh.]

Max, keep following the left trail. Melody, you follow the right. Carolina, North, you're with Max. Luna, you're with me.

[Is he outranked by pretty much everyone but the Dream Eaters? Yep. Does he care right now? Not particularly. Plus, as far as he's concerned, it's a sound strategy, and it gets Carolina and Luna apart from each other. It would be win-win if they could find Theta.]

[brodakota]

[Well, this was never something North expected he'd have to deal with. He'd never really considered detached shadows or anything like that.]

Xion, you can come with Me and Carolina.

[He turns to go. At this point, he's not about to argue about groups. Theta is his priority, especially with the darkness of night spreading.]

[skysmirror]

[The explanations were all a lot to take in having arrived so late to the party, but Xion nodded in understanding.]

Barkley can help, too.

[There was a "whuff" of agreement. Barkley wasn't about to be left out of this.]

[guerriera]

[ It's a good thing that helping North find Theta is Carolina's priority right now. As it is, her ears flatten back against red mane, and there's an unfriendly look given Washington.

The fact she doesn't argue it now doesn't mean she won't hold it against him later - but the blue mare won't deny NOT being in Luna's team is a good thing for her peace of mind. Pivoting on one hoof, she follows in Max's waddling pawsteps immediately, mindful of the flowers. ]

That will help, if the trial splits again.

[In a forest like this, there's always more than one shadow.

The frost thaws a tiny bit when she nods to Xion, but she won't wait for anyone to keep up. ]

[raisethemoon]

There is a fair chance that it will. The flowers were of Discord's making originally.

[But that's all she says about that. Luna's not going to waste time arguing about groupings; without a way to tell which is the shadow and which is the true path, they will need to split up.]

Split the party y/y?

[unrecovered]

[Wash sees that look and really doesn't give a damn, given that his priorities are also set on helping North find Theta. If there was hell to pay later, he'd just deal with it.]

[He nods to Xion, then to Luna, and heads off to follow Melody, who's hot on the scent.]

Y

[brodakota]

[North sighed. Couldn't they all just get along? Although he appreciated that everyone seemed to be cooperating to help him out.]

Alright, Max. Lead the way.

[The Meow wow woofed and headed off, nose to the ground and bum in the air.]

[skysmirror]

[Happily oblivious to any tension in the air, Xion turned to follow North. She didn't know Carolina well, but they could probably manage to get along for a search.]

Right. Barkley, help Max.

[Said Meow Wow hurried off to sniff and search alongside Max, doing his best not to get in the way as he did so.]

[guerriera]

[ Wishes aren't horses, North. You'll have to make do with grumbly ponies, who are at least cooperating (which is more than might have happened had Theta disappeared the week before). Carolina's tamasheep merely sighed, before following in the first party's wake. Hopefully, they wouldn't have use for his spells. ..Hopefully.

Letting the Meow-Wows do their thing, Carolina kept her eyes and ears fixed on their surroundings. It was pretty dark, and the onset of evening wasn't helping either. She doesn't like to consider the reasons why Theta might have gone deeper into the woods.. ]

So far, no sign of additional nightmares. We'll have to take that as a good one. [For now.]

[brodakota]

Yeah. Let's hope it stays that way.

[North is feeling a little better now that the search is underway. He does his best to focus, trying to cast a little light from his horn.]

Sorry so late. >_<

[skysmirror]

[Conditions definitely aren't the best for a search (or recon, for that matter) but Xion is used to dark places. At least one of them has a light.]

I hope we find Theta fast.

s'all good <3

[guerriera]

[ The little bit of light helps, though Carolina wishes her armor was half as useful as when she were human.

Mindful of her feet, Carolina frowns as she watches Max's progress, especially when he begins to stop-start stop-start and his tail whisks back and forth less and less... That's never a good sign, in her book. ]

We should fan out here, see if we can spot something off the path. Don't get too far away, we don't know what else could be lurking around here.

[brodakota]

Right. Let me know if you need any light.

[North has his head close the ground, looking for tracks of any kind.


There's a rustling in some bushes not too far away.]

[skysmirror]

[Barkley hears the rustling and rushes towards it, barking to let everyone know he found a Thing. Maybe it's Theta!

Xion follows him.]

Maybe some over here? I think Barkley's found something.

[raisethemoon]

[Luna, meanwhile, lengthens her strides to come up alongside Wash with her light. It wouldn't do to walk into anything unpleasant.]

Do you know if Theta has learned to breathe fire yet?

[unrecovered]

[He appreciates the light, though Melody finds it entirely unnecessary. She can follow the scent without it, thank you.]

Unless someone taught him to, I doubt it.

[It hadn't exactly crossed Wash's mind either. After all, Sigma had been the fiery AI, not Theta.]

[raisethemoon]

Hm. Perhaps that would be a good future exercise. He would not produce a significant amount of flame at his age, but possibly enough to frighten foes.

[unrecovered]

Talk to North about it after we find Theta. I don't think either of them know he can do that.

[raisethemoon]

Do the dragons in your tales not breathe fire?

[unrecovered]

Well, yes, but Theta's not usually a dragon. He's probably still getting used to that.

[raisethemoon]

Perhaps Celestia can teach him. She adopted a young dragon as a ward some years ago.

[brokentrust]

[The conversation may be cut short by the sounds of someone struggling with something.]