Star yawned, consciousness returning to him as he sleepily sat up in bed. It was early morning, a bit later then he was used to getting, but he didn't mind. The twittering birds next to the window of his home in Ponyville didn't change his mood in the slightest though, for the events of the past few days were still fresh in his mind.
"I-I still can't believe I messed up t-that badly," he muttered to himself as he rose from his bed.
(Star is 19 in this rp. Also, he's not the owner of the house; that would be Fair Weather, an old pegasus mare who helped out Star when he arrived in Ponyville)
Match Stick stands in full Guardspony attire to the side of the front door of the house that Star is staying in, his orders bringing him there long before Star ever planned on getting up. Still, the stallion had no qualms about his arrangement, this task was deemed important and was to be highly rewarded for the simple service of guarding some nopony and providing occasional assistance to their work.
Star went through the process of waking up; he washed his face, brushed his teeth, and finished using the lavatory. He then made his way to the kitchen to prepare his breakfast.
Match heard the movement inside and leaned over slightly to look in through a window to see what was happening, but the other stallion's morning routine wasn't very interesting and he went back to watching his post.
Star had just started eating some hay cereal, when an old pegasus mare walked into the kitchen.
"Morning, Mrs. Weather," he mumbled in between bites.
"Morning yungun!" she responded cheerfully, drawing back the shades on all the windows. The ambient light suddenly filled the kitchen.
"That's better," Weather smiled. She opened a window facing the front, and hollered, "Guard boy! It's breakfast time!"
Having already eaten, Match wasn't really concerned with any food that his assignment could provide, but orders were orders. Swinging his armored hoof up to the door beside him, Match knocked three times on the locked door without leaving his post.
"Coming!" Weather called out, as she left her preparations and hurried to the entrance. She fished the key from its spot, and unlocked the door.
Match stands in the doorway, facing Fair Weather. He remains composed and in a professional posture as he asks, "Permission to enter?" No need to stray off the books, just a little body guarding and Mana Drawing.
"None of that now dear, it's too early for that," Weather chided the guardspony, gently dragging him inside. "Now come eat with us in the kitchen; there's a few blueberry pancakes with your name on them!"
"Forgive me, but I have already eaten." the stallion states as walks through the door, closing it behind him. He moves confidently into the kitchen and sits down at the table in the spot prepared for him.
"Oh, don't you worry about that, you're stomach will be growling in no time!" Weather responded cheerfully, preparing the pancake batter. Star glanced nervously at the guard, then focused his sole attention on his hay cereal.
Match stares at the meal set before him, awkwardly glancing around the table to the other faces and to the furnishings of the room every now and then. Flexing his closed lips, the stallion refuses to eat without a said word as he sits as still as he can manage.
Within minutes, the aroma of freshly made pancakes wafted through the air. Fair Weather gathered them on a plate, and placed it on the table, along with a bottle of maple syrup.
"Dig in!" she said, before sitting down. Star helped himself to a few, covering them with a liberal amount of syrup.
Match smiles, but eats nothing, continuing to insist that he is full and doesn't need nor want anything else to eat.
As he ate, Star kept giving the guard furtive glances. He still wasn't used to the idea of having somepony watch him.
(Will be away for 2 days)
Match sighs heavily before standing up from the table. "I'll be waiting outside for when you choose to begin," he addresses to Star before leaving the small kitchen and heading for the front door.
Star stared at his empty plate. His abilities had been revealed to the public, despite his best attempts to hide it. Instead of being punished, he was being rewarded! He just didn't get it.
"Are you full, dearie?" Weather spoke, jolting him out of his reverie.
"Y-Yes," Star answered, rising from his seat. He took his dish, washed it and left it in the sink, then went to get the guard.
(what rank is Match?)
(Does it matter? I mean, the only rank we know for sure is captain o the guard :P)
The guard was waiting in the same place he had waited all morning, his hooves covering his previous tracks with astonishing accuracy.
(It makes it easier for Star to properly address Match)
"M-Mister Guard?" Star stuck his head out the door. "I'm r-ready now."
"Then lead the way sir," Match replies stoically.
Star lead the guard to a simple drawing room; a bunch of parchments lay scattered about, filled with notes and calculations.
"S-Sorry about the mess, sir," Star said apologetically, moving to clean them up.
"It is no issue, just tell me my duties," Match affirms, his professionalism remaining as present as ever.
"W-Well," Star began, "I've been asked to f-find a way to make my...talent available for the G-Guard to use. They said they would send s-somepony who could provide extra mana, so..."
"Sorry sir, I thought that you had been more thoroughly informed. I can assist the magical efforts of others, this much is true."
Star nodded, though he wondered why the guard thought he was female
"A-Anyways, I'm ready to begin now," he continued, then hesitated. "U-Um, your mana thing is safe, right?"
(derp >.<)
(Oops, made a mistake, sorry.)
"Safe is a relative term," Match replies sternly as he begins to relax himself in preparation of the procedure.
"O-Okay," Star said. His horn started glowing, his brow furrowed in intense concentration. A small patch near his flank began to grow warm.
Match's own horn glowed softly and much dimmer than Star's as an ethereal stream of magical energy glistened it's way though the air and into Star's glow.
"Tell me when you want the overcharge," He tells Star as his horn slowly grows brighter and brighter until flames begin to take form around it.
A shimmering glow appeared in front of Star. Beads of sweat trickled down his brow.
"N-Now!" he shouted.
The orange tint thickens into a glaring light as mana flowed between the two unicorns' horns. Star feels his magic swelling effortlessly in potency and more like he's directing the magic than supplying it.
Star felt the massive spike in mana, and the strain became lighter. A shimmering crack appeared in front of the unicorn, and it began to widen, showing a slightly fuzzy picture that began to sharpen as it grew.
"..."
"D-did you say something?" Star asked the guard while trying to maintain his concentration.
"Negative sir," Match cringes through his own strain as beads of sweat roll down his face and the ethereal connection between himself and star grows to a brilliant light.
The picture grew clearer, showing a swirling image of Star's bedroom.
"..."
"C-Come again?" Star called back.
In an instant, the magical assistance of Match Stick ceases, leaving the remaining magic to Star alone.
[Color=orange]"Sir, is something wrong?"[/color] the fiery guardspony asks.
"S-Something....w-wrong?" Star asked curiously, the gate in its final stabilization phase. "N-Not that I know of. I t-thought you were s-saying something, and c-couldn't hear, is all."
"I haven't said anything to you sir," Match responds adamantly, unphased by Star's doubt.
"W-What?" Star stammered, dumbfounded. "T-Then who did I hear t-talking?"
"I have no information to provide on the subject, sir" Match states absolutely.
Star thought for a while about the guard's response.
"I-I don't usually hear talking when o-opening a gate. Should I stop now? I-It's almost finished..."
"So we continue?" Match asks sincerely.
"S-Sure," Star replied, deciding to leave the matter alone for now. He turned back towards the gate, and resumed from where he left off.
Match reconnects his mana siphon to Star, feeding him once again with the massive reserves of a mana well.
After another minute of intense concentration and magical activity, the picture in the portal stopped waving and stood still.
"T-That's it," Star gasped, and wiped his brow. "It can be maintained b-by the original caster with minimal effort."
Match's eyes flash open with fear as he shouts out a warning, "Wait, something is wrong... I can fee-"
*Fwoosh*
The portal explodes outwards as a burst if magical energies overpower it and the raw teleportational magic is freed from its binds, enveloping the pair of ponies.
"W-Wha-!" is all Star managed to utter before being bathed in blue energy. An unbearable humming filled his ears; he felt like he was being stretched was crushed at once. Incredible pressure behind his eye sockets echoed throughout his skull, driving him towards pink, white, unconsi...
...help...
Match opens his eyes to the blinding light of a mid-day sun, his body lying haphazardly in a green plain. Beside him lies the unconscious form of Star.
"Hey, wake up," Match speaks as he pushes Star with his hoof, rocking Star's body slightly.
"Guhh..." Star moaned, and stirred. He opened his eyes, squinting in the bright sunlight. He could make out a blue sky, a grassy plain, and an armored face.
"W-Whoa!" He jumped up, startled, then calmed down as he recognized the face of the guard he had been assigned.
"W-What's going on?"
"I-I don't know, sir" Match replies, his eyes darting around the landscape in search of some landmark to tell where they are.
Star frowned, and drudged up his last memory.
"T-The portal had been set up," he mused. "And then it exploded. I t-think there was a large overflow of mana that must have o-overloaded it."
He looked at the guard, who seemed to be looking for something.
"D-Do you know where we are?" he asked.
"No," Match replies sternly as he continues his search.
Star shrank back a bit. "S-So what do we do now?"
"Pick a direction, and walk," Match says frankly, trotting off in the direction of the sun.
"W-Wait for me!" Star hastily scrambled after the guard.
Match followed the sun through the field, eventually leading the two ponies to a high hill. Climbing to the top, Match freezes as his eyes fall upon smokestacks in the distance.
A piece of the hill swung open behind the two ponies, revealing a dark grey earth pony wearing a blackened flatcap.
"Quickly now, before you're spotted!" he hissed at the pair, wildly gesturing them to follow him.
Startled, Star jumped away from the voice, and unconsciously moved closer towards the guard; he stared in confusion at the sight before him.
(picture here (http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-ES5Z9YAH0L4/UT4-IRwG_XI/AAAAAAAAl7g/C0eLmw3su-0/s1600/cap9.jpg))
Match hops down the hill towards the hidden entrance, his golden armor gleaming under the mid-day sun.
"By Celestia's light, what manner if place is this, sir?" He asks the earth pony.
A baffled expression appeared on the earth pony's face, but it cleared up immediately.
"Never mind that now, get in and climb down!" he replied hurriedly, pointing to the uncovered hole in the hill. Metal rungs lead down into a darkness dotted with faint specks of light.
Without a word, Star approached and started to descend, a hint of apprehension and familiarity upon his face.
Match ignited, filling the chamber with brilliant light and heat, vanishing only to reappear at.the bottom of the ladder in a similar fashion. If Star was any closer he would have seen Match's legs begin to buckle after his magical maneuver, but he quickly compensated and regained his stoic composure.
Star climbed down steadily the shaft, wondering what was going on. Above him, the hatch to the outside clanked shut, and he could hear the sound of hooves on metal (aside from his own) above him. Before long, the two had made it to the bottom; the guard was waiting for them, and Star idly wondered how he had got there before them. Twisting pipes served as walls, and snaked down corridors that traveled in opposite directions from the small lighted area in which they now stood.
"Well, now that we're out of harm's way for the moment, maybe you two can tell me what the hay you were doing on Lord Sunset's reserve?" the earth pony questioned the pair in a gruff tone.
"I know of all Equestria's nobility, and much of those beyond, but have never heard of a Lord Sunset," Match replies is suspicion of their supposed savior, staring him down with fiery eyes.
The earth pony was taken aback. "Never heard...he's one of the rulers of the Equestrian Empire! How can you not know of him!?"
His gaze narrowed. "Who are you really?"
"Private Match Stick of her Majesties Royal Guard," He replies proudly, cocking his head as he introduces himself.
"A-And I'm Star Diver," the cyan unicorn added. "I'm with Match...k-kinda."
The earth pony stared at them both for a moment. Then he laughed.
"Oh, I see!" he chuckled. "You had me worried for a moment there."
He siddled over to Star and whispered conspiratorially, "He must be a handful, eh Doctor?"
Star's mind went blank at that. "I-I'm sorry...?"
"No worries here, friend," the earth pony continued in a sympathetic tone, "your superiors won't hear anything from Green Hoof. Come, I'll guide you and your charge to a back exit, and you can make your way to the Institute from there."
"You dare to insult a guardspony in uniform so openly!? I will have you know that as Princess Celestia's hoof in her kingdom, an insult of us is an insult of her," Match declares wrathfully, his patience having been wained by everything that has happened thus far. His body ripples with spectral flames as his emotion is made manifest by the immense magical energies at his disposal. These fires even make his armor shine all the greater in the bunker-like structure that they are now in, and his azure cape begins to take of as if caught in a breeze.
"Mmmhmm. Sure," Green snorted, then started walking down the left corridor.
"M-Maybe we should just play along for now, M-Mister Match," Star tugged frantically at the guardspony. "At least until w-we can find out more with what we're d-dealing with."
"Hmmph, I will not degrade myself to act as some kind of lunatic in order to satisfy the ignorance​ of some distant barbarians," Match states with hushed tone to Star.
"J-Just for now?" Star pleaded. "Until we get out of here?"
"No," Match says with finality, refusing to continue the conversation further.
Star looked at Match for a long moment, then turned his head away. Biting his lip, he turned towards the direction that Green had gone, and followed, leaving the guard behind.
Match silently follows Star and Green, keeping a stern look about him.
"So, Doc," Green said conversationally when Star caught up to him. "I hear that the Institute have their hooves busy, what the recent arrests made and all. Who'd they round up this time?"
"S-Sorry, I can't tell you that," Star said easily, ears pricking up at what sounded like Match's hoofbeats.
"Of course you can't," the earth pony chuckled.
Match grumbles, but keeps pace.
Green led them for a while, passing through many claustrophobic corridors of pipes; he had lapsed into silence after Star kept giving the earth pony evasive answers to his questions. After what seemed like an eternity had passed, the trio arrived at a solid metal door being guarded by two ponies (races unknown) brandishing maces in what looked like plate armor.
"Hoof, what are these...two doing here?" the left one asked Green warningly in a grating voice.
"The good doctor here had a mishap with one of his patients," Green answered smoothly. "I'm just showing them the way out." The armored pony considered this, then nodded.
"Very well." The guard opened a panel next to the door, and pressed a button. With a sharp hiss of air, the door lifted, revealing a grey stairway beyond.
"Well, here we are, the back door," Green said matter-of-factly. "It leads into an run-down warehouse in the Drifter's District. Keep a sharp eye on yourself and your friend, and you shouldn't have a problem making it back in one piece. For the record, this meeting never happened."
"Y-Yes," Star answered nervously, jumping a bit at the sound of steam being released from a nearby pipe.
Match stays observant if these strange ponies, their technology, and their practices. He follows silently behind Star, resisting dropping his jaw at the massive steam powered door.
The moment the pair cleared the doorway, the door slammed shut with a loud CLANG, leaving them in total darkness. Light crept through a small crack at the top of the steps, outlining what looked like a hatch to the outside world.
Star gulped nervously. "I-I guess we're really in for it n-now," he half-whispered.
Match's horn ignights with magical fire, providing a bright illumination similar to a torch.
"Do not fear, my little pony, for you are in the company of a Royal Guard."
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"A-Alright then," Star replied in the same tone. He moved aside, so that Match could take the lead.
Match leads the two of them onwards through the blackened hall of stone. He occasionally sends off a flare of fire into the darkness, which goes a way before expanding into a small inferno of heat and light.
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After a while, the two arrived at the end; dim light shone through the hinges of the hatch above them. Aside from the clatter of their hooves, and the whooshes of Match's spell, no sound could be heard.
"W-Well, I guess this is it," Star said, lighting his horn and craning his head to look at the hatch. "C-Can you help me move this?"
"Indeed," Match says as his horn's flame grew brighter and more intense and orange light surrounded the hatch door, blasting it upward and outward.
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Amidst the screeching sound of rusty hinges, they saw the warehouse in all its decay. Piles of machinery lay everywhere, abandoned and coated with a thick layer of dust. Large boarded up windows covered the walls, though some boards had been pried open, letting the daylight shine through. The air had a slightly musty smell to it, and a steady drip of water could be heard nearby. At the far end of the wall, was a rusty shuttered door, closed. Three figures slept next to it, apparently unaware of all the noise.
Match steps up into the vast room, gesturing for Star to stay where he is. His fire's light danced around the room's every surface, though its heat brought match not even a sweat. With careful steps the golden clad pony marched forth towards the sleeping trio guarding the supposed exit, a slight clack accompanying his every step as his hard hooves and armor make contact with the floor.
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"W-What do we do?" Star whispered to Match as they approached the trio sleeping at the exit. On closer inspection, the shapes revealed themselves to be two ponies (a mare and a stallion), and a zebra. All three were wearing rags, and the zebra's coat was pocked with scorch marks.
"We leave," Match states firmly, as to reassure Star that things are going fine. Still, he moves towards the door, preparing himself for any sort of assault that the trio may bare.
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Despite the closeness of Match and Star, the trio did not wake up. The mare's left ear twitched, and she mumbled in her sleep, "...it's time..."
Match moves past the sleepy three and to the exit. "Come on," he loudly whispered to Star, urging him to come along.
Star nodded, and made his way towards Match, nearly stepping on the sleeping stallion out of sheer nervousness.
Opening the door, Match recoils from the sight beyond the humble portal. "By Celestia's mane," he gasped as the stench of filth of both land and sky fills the warehouse.
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"W-What is this place?" Star gasped aloud at the sight of dilapidated buildings and smog that filled their eyes. He took in the boarded up and smashed windows, the rag wearing ponies that walked the garbage-filled streets, and wondered just how much trouble they were in.
Match took his first step out into this new world, a world wrought with the anguish of the impoverished and the downtrodden. His practiced eyes scan the smog-filled horizon, seeing the towering buildings and plumbs of smoke that choke out both light and air. "What sort of trickery have we come upon, to see a living dirge of society play out before our eyes?"
"I-I don't think we're in Equestria anymore..." Star said slowly, his mind racing. He needed to test something, but he couldn't do it right here, right now.
Sighing, he turned to Match and said, "W-We need to find a way to disguise ourselves, w-we stick out too much."
"Indeed," Match agrees with Star. "We just need to find some sort of store, unless you want to wear scraps.
"
Nodding, Star walked up to a passing earth pony, and asked him, "I-Is there a clothing shop around here?"
The stallion glanced briefly at Star, then walked on with a slightly faster gait. Star looked back at Match, and shrugged.
Match rolls his eyes at Star and looks around the cityscape for a vantage point from which to see more of the district and hopefully see some opportunity through the chocking smog.
Amid the smog covering the skyline, four buildings loomed over the others. Each one sported a massive, dark spire, that every now and again seemed to light up with an electrical discharge.
"Dangerous for sure, but they may be our best bet." Match murmurs to himself before calling out to Star, "Get close."
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"A-Alright," Star replied, and placed himself somewhat behind the guard, wondering their next move was going to be.
Match's horn and eyes glow a stark Orange before erupting into flames that engulf the two ponies. In an instant the flames dissipate and the pair are atop one of the high towers, though Match looks worse for ware.
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"W-Whoa!" Star jumped back at their sudden disappearance and reappearance on top of one of the massive spiked buildings. Energy sparked and crackled all around them, and the unicorn felt very much on edge. "Y-You could have warned me!"
"Better if I don't, these get a bit less comfortable sometimes," Match responds smirkly through a cringe of pain. "Now, where to go from here?"
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Star stared at the vast city that stretched beneath them, from the slums to the factories on the edge of the horizon. Despite its grim look, it held a sort of charm that beckoned towards him.
"I-I don't know," he finally answered Match, turning back towards the guard pony. "I suppose we could try to find a l-library. That should tell us more about this place, whatever it is."
Match takes survey of the land at large, coming up with a few landmarks in order to better navigate the city in the future.
His attention snaps back to the construct on which they stand when the sky cracked with thunderous noise and lightning stuck another tower. "This place is not safe," he warns with a predators low growl, his eyes searching the ground for some way down.
It doesn't take long for an access panel to catch the trained eyes of the golden sentry, and he had no sooner seen the metal door before setting upon it.
"I hope they don't lock something this high up..."
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"I-I don't think we should be here," Star said in a worried tone at the thunderous crack. "I don't want to get f-fried by lightning too."
Match grunts under the force of pulling on the locked hatch, and bright flame follows the groans of defeat. "...Guess that they do." Magical flame hot enought to melt steel flickers on Match's horn as he lowers it to the life-saving hatch. "This shouldn't take long," he informs Star as sparks fly from the steel base.
"H-Huh!? W-What are you doing!?" Star gasped, unable to take his eyes off the glowing hatch. "Whoever runs this place will notice it for sure!"
"Well it's better than creating a fireball atop one of the highest buildings in this place, so I'll take my chances."
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"I-I...b-but...," Star started, then gave up; at this point, it wouldn't make a difference, if Match stopped, since the damage was already done. He resigned himself to watching the white-hot metal of the hatch begin to catch fire and melt.
"There, we're in," Match says to Star as he enters the tower.
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