Lost in the Emerald Dream (Daisy)

[CableZ]

Another glorious day in Equestria. The bright and beautiful sky was something to behold, though it was something to behold nearly ever summer's day unless there was some kind of mix up in the weather department. That was one of the things A'bek really didn't like about Equestria, it felt so artificial at times. They actually had a rain schedule in the Sunday paper for the week's rain, it was just a bit annoying. Maybe if you'd lived with it all your life then you would be okay with it, but for A'bek who was used to natural weather patterns it just made him uncomfortable. It made him paranoid actually, weirdly when you never expected rain it felt normal. Knowing exactly when rain would hit was just a bit boring at the end of the day, A'bek enjoyed getting caught in the rain and the frantic run to try and find cover. That and storms were very rare in Equestria, in fact the only time he'd known of a storm was when the weather team accidentally forgot to do some rain one week and had to compensate. At least the sunny days were truly beautiful, the ponies could nail that at least.

He truly loved Equestria, but he also loved the travel. He often tried to learn of interesting places that were wholly different from the area that he dubbed 'classic' Equestria. Spending a lot of time around Ponyville and central Equestria had left him a little tired of green plains and oak forests, he was curious as to a few more varied environments. That was when he heard of a popular nature reserve known as The Emerald Dream Mountain, which is where you were said to be able to see a 'view of the world'. What that meant was that supposedly there were more environments and types of nature there in a small area than anywhere else in Equestria. The entire mountain was a large reserve, with winding paths weaving through the entire thing. Some of the things he'd heard about the place were incredible, enough to make him want to visit. So that's exactly what he planned to do, he'd packed up the few material possessions he had in his satchel bags and was preparing to make his way. A'bek actually simply used two large double sided pony satchels as there wasn't really any kind of bag big enough for him to use, this meant he had 4 bags on each side of his body. Each full of notes, vials and other little pieces of equipment he used to brew potions, or his various packed lunches. He was actually quite well prepared.

The path to the mountain that the public approached on made it quite the theatrical affair, emerging from a forest you saw the expanse of the mountain rise up at it disappear softly into puffy clouds above. It wasn't a harsh steel incline, if anything it was like a very large set of hills, but it was visible even from down below that it got what anyone would call mountainous at the top. The path that approached the mountain had to cross quite a wide river to get over to the footpath that lead into the dense bamboo forest that covered a lot of the hilly lower area of the mountain. It'd be more peaceful if it weren't for the thick dark grey clouds over head that really did look like they were about ready to burst. An interested fact about the area was that ponies looked after wildlife and terrain, so this was not a reserve to protect some kind of dying forest or species. Instead it was meant to be a completely natural area, weather was not controlled here and while animals did indeed roam free, they were at least not any sort that could be lethal to ponies. There were no Ursa-Majors around these parts that was for sure.

The bamboo shoots of the forest started off a few meters from where you got off the finely crafted wooden bridge, rising up perfectly straight really quite high up. The shade the leaves provided was quite visible, the low light that was already around thanks to the clouds really got lost in there. In the sunlight it was quite beautiful as all the shapes between the leaves were shaded on the ground. Alas that was not the case today, as A'bek emerged from the forest that lead to the bridge onto the mountain, a spattering of rain began to softly drop slowly. It wasn't too noticeable at first, an errant drop here or there at first. However that didn't last long as soon the clouds erupted and a torrential rain had started. A'bek walked along with a bit of a grump, he might have come to this mountain to get away from scheduled weather but the rain felt like the earth was proving some kind of point to him. He knew it was coincidence but coincidence can be annoying. However as he was crossing the bridge onto the mountain, he noticed that the river was rising very rapidly. In fact in no time at all it was starting to spray onto the bridge as the flow increased in intensity. A'bek knew what was coming, he'd accidentally flooded enough small streams to know what it looked like when a river was about to burst its banks. Quickly charging to the far side of the bridge, A'bek made it just in time as the river erupted over onto the bridge, flowing over the wooden panels threatening to sweep those who might cross it into the handrails quite violently. As the rain continued to pour down above, A'bek turned to look at the river, having to take a few steps back as the water continued to rise up.

[Oopsie Daisy]

After what had seemed to take forever, Fable was finally ready for his trip.

The cream coloured unicorn had spent a few hours fussing over what to bring and deciding what he'd need while Naja hovered above, rolling his beady eyes and laughing at the overly punctual pony. The school had given him a basic list of things he'd need, but Fable was the kind of pony who needed to think up every different situation that could occur and what particular item would be needed for the situation. His leather saddlebags were now full of paperwork, study items, a small medi-kit, a packed lunch, his camera, and of course plenty of bits. The assignment he'd been given was to travel to the Emerald Dream Mountain reserve to document the rare creatures they kept there and study the terrain and weather patterns. Nothing too interesting, but it still sounded like a lot of fun -- plus the reserve looked absolutely stunning. It felt like a holiday as well as a school assignment, which were the best kinds in Fable's eyes.

They arrived at the entrance to the reserve early in the afternoon, the Summer sun shining over the entire area as it rose to its highest peak in the sky. Fable blinked as it shone directly into his eyes for a moment, reflecting off of his glasses and blinding him momentarily. He lifted them up his nose to rub his eyes with a hoof, ignoring his assistant's raspy chuckling. Laughing at any kind of misfortune he suffered from seemed to be all Naja was good for half the time. Fable gazed up at the glorious sight before him: the path that weaved out from the bamboo forest over a fast-flowing river which then went straight up into heavy cloud cover which seemed to swallow the vast mountainous peaks. He couldn't even imagine the view from up there, but from what he'd heard, it was legendary.

Fable entered the forest, a jaunty trot in his step as he looked at the tall shoots with sheer wonder. Not being a biology or botany student in no way meant that he couldn't admire such stunning scenery and plant growth. It was simply gorgeous, despite being very humid. "We have to reach the peak in the next few hours or so. Keep up, it's not that hot in here," he said with a chuckle as the amphithere frantically flapped after him, panting in the hot weather. "Easy for you to say, you're not covered in feathers!" He protested in his whiny voice. Fable couldn't help but roll his eyes.. his assistant was so hopelessly domesticated. It would always amuse him to no end. He would've offered his friend a ride, but that would entail him curling around his neck, and quite frankly it was far too hot to wear a scarf.

The feathered and scaled beast stopped complaining when he realised just how many bugs were swarming around the lush area, and wasted no time in munching them up. Fable was having such a good time that he barely noticed the sudden change in weather or the drop in temperature until Naja landed on his back, feeling a little bit wet. The stallion was about to question it when he himself felt gentle raindrops on his pelt and looked upwards to see dark clouds filling the previously clear blue skies. His ears fell back in disappointment.. this wasn't very fair at all.

Soon enough the forest ended and the beautifully crafted wooden bridge leaning over the river stood before them. Naja settled over Fable's shoulders as the pony made his way towards the river, only just noticing the tall figure who was already crossing it there. Doing a double-take, the unicorn's eyes widened as he looked up at the magnificent goat towering over him. "Blimey.." he whispered in awe. He'd never seen a creature like this before, which means that his attention was immediately stolen. "Ohh here we go.." muttered Naja, covering his face with his wings after shaking rainwater out of them. But before Fable had the chance to approach the strange stranger and introduce himself, the rainfall suddenly become extremely heavy, and he watched in horror as the goat looked over the side to watch the water begin to rise at an alarming rate.

"Look out!" he shouted anxiously, but luckily the stranger had seen it coming and had managed to reach the other side just in time. Suddenly realising that he also had to get across, Fable shot across the bridge as fast as he could with Naja still clinging onto his neck, wobbling frantically as the bridge began to break underneath his scattering hooves. Just as the water began to burst over the bridge, the frantic pony managed to leap onto the bank just in time, turning to watch the bridge get swallowed by the water and feeling relieved that he wasn't getting swallowed along with it. He checked to see if his companion was alright before checking his saddlebags which were rather wet but luckily were still resting on his haunches. He then turned to the goat who was watching the fast-flowing river and approached him, also looking down at the furious water below. "Are you alright, Sir?" He asked, out of breath but happy they were all safe.

[CableZ]

A'bek hadn't noticed the pony until he asked him if he was doing okay. Turning his head to look down at the pony, A'bek chuckled softly and smoothed out the scruffy fur on his head as it slicked down in the rain. Nodding for a moment, A'bek looked back out over the raging torrent with raised eyebrows.

"I am fine little one, though I must admit I did not see this coming." A'bek said rather surprised by it all.

As the bridge buckled under the weight of the rampaging river, the wood soon splintered as it could not take the immense force slamming into it. It was ripped apart and sent cascading downstream, leaving the pair stranded as the river had now increased in width and ferocity so much that there was no chance they could swim across it. This posed a problem as due to the nature of the mountain there were really only two ways to access it, the first was the bridge that they had just seen swept away. The other was on the other side of the nature reserve, which was no short walk. The rest of the mountain was either now surrounded by an impassable river or dropped to a massive sheer cliff. A'bek sighed softly as he shook his head at the sight.

"Such a shame. There is no negotiating with nature when it is like this, it is like a child throwing a tantrum." A'bek chuckled softly at his own analogy, though the not so distant rumble of thunder quickly shut him up. Turning his whole body to face the pony, A'bek bowed his head softly in greetings. "My name is A'bek, I appreciate your concern over by well being." Always had to keep up manners first.

As the rain continued to pour down on them, A'bek looked up the incline of the hill that the path they were on lead up to, the bamboo forest mere steps away no providing a soundtrack of rain hitting it's leaves and hollow trunks. Water had begun to trickle down toward them, it seems that whoever designed the path had made it so each step had water roll down to either side into little waterways that seemed to be made out of bamboo that had been cut in half. A'bek did not yet have a map of this location, he had in fact been hoping to buy one when he got here but for now he was a little lost.

"I must confess friend, I do not know where we are to go in a situation such as this, do you have any ideas?" He asked hopefully, a warm smile still on his face despite how soggy he looked.

[Oopsie Daisy]

Fable looked back up at the stranger as he smoothed out the wet tuft of fur on his head and spoke his response. The nickname "little one" was definitely pretty fitting, considering the goat standing before him was roughly the size of Princess Celestia. The unicorn had to crane his neck just to look up at him. There was no doubt the nature nerd was still pretty intrigued by a creature he'd never expected to come across.

"Tell me about it," he said with a scoff, raising a foreleg with alarm as the bridge was all but smashed to pieces and dragged away by the merciless current. A frowned crossed his freckled face, for that had been their only means of entering and exiting the reserve. He was aware that there another one, but it was miles away. Oh well, he figured it was something that needed to be worried about later rather than sooner, for he still had his assignment to focus on, as well as the ever so polite stranger who made a rather amusing comment about how ruthless nature can be.

He returned the jovial chuckling, nodding with agreement. "That is too true. That poor bridge had no chance." He shook his head from side to side, thinking this was exactly why ponies preferred to be in control of the weather themselves - to avoid natural disasters like this. He looked back at the goat as he turned his full attention to the stallion in order to bow his horned head, and Fable smiled cheerfully and did the same, raising a gentlemanly hoof to his chest. "It's a pleasure, A'bek. My name is Fable Rune, but you can just call me Fable," he said humbly, certainly appreciating the male's politeness. A loud "AHEM" was then heard, and Fable winced as the creature still perched on his shoulders nudged him with his wing shoulder. He rolled his brown eyes as the amphithere flapped into the air, showing off his intricate rainbow wings. He was used to awe-inspired responses due to his rarity, and all but relished in them. Modesty didn't exist in his dictionary, it seemed.

"And this annoying thing is Naja, my loyal assistant." Fable said with a chuckle, causing Naja to glare at him. He wanted to ask the goat exactly what species he was, but it felt rather rude considering they just met. Even the ever-nerdy zoology nut knew when to keep his mouth shut. Instead he just watched as A'bek observed the area as the rain continued to pour down over the scene, causing the pony to shiver ever so slightly. He knew it'd be best not to stay in the pouring rain for too much longer, and who knows when it would decide to let up?

A'bek's question caught his attention once again, and the pony nodded before using his mouth to open one of his bags. A pink sparkling aura lifted a rolled up soaking piece of paper, and he used the spell to give it a shake before pulling it out in front of his eyes. It was a map he'd been given for his task, and despite it being a bit runny and faded it was still readable. "No problem. According to this, it looks like the best way to go is up the mountain. I think that'd be our nearest source of shelter, and we'd better get out of the rain fast," he said, quickly rolling the map back up and placing it back into the bag. It seemed the two of them were now travelling companions, brought together by odd circumstances. Not forgetting Naja as well, naturally.

"Well come on then, what are you guys waiting for?? Let's go!" he squawked, flying in the direction of the cliff. Fable looked to A'bek with a smile before following after his winged friend. He was right: the quicker they moved, the better.

[CableZ]

The ponies reactions to A'bek's words belied that undercurrent of comradery the ponies all seemed to have, it did not matter that A'bek was a large and peculariar stranger, Fable spoke in an amusing way as if they had been friends for a long time. A'bek had to chuckle at his 'tell me about it' remark. He was correct about the bridge also, it was a senseless waste. In the same way A'bek hated to see nature suffer for no reason, the destruction of someone's hard work like that served no purpose beyond trapping them on the reserve. A'bek smiled at his introduction, though his face swapped out the smile for confusion when an unseen voice made its presence known. It was only now that A'bek was made aware of the creature wrapped around Fable. The angle didn't help so A'bek crouched down and inspected the creature more closely. The rarity was lost on A'bek whom really didn't know what creatures were rare or not, though he still had to appreciate that this was an interesting creature to say the least. Moving back as the Naja took to the air, A'bek stood back up to his full height. A'bek didn't seem overly impressed by the multicoloured wings, surely they were pretty but A'bek preferred to keep things humble.

"A pleasure to meet you." A'bek said as he bowed his head to Naja in turn.

Thankful to see that his new companion had a map, A'bek listened intently over the cascading river to what Fable was saying. Looking up into the bamboo forest as he mentioned they would need to head up the mountain, not exactly liking that prospect. However another rumble of thunder quickly sent A'bek's eyes constricting into dots. It was a little too simple to say that A'bek was scared of lightning, but when you stood taller than a lot of things with two very large lightning rods on your head, you learned to be a little cautious during a storm. Since his original intention had been to explore the mountain, A'bek wasn't too torn up that it would be their very next move, still he wished he had been able to do something about the bridge before it had happened. The water had risen quite suddenly, it would later be revealed that the increased rainfall had been going on for several days at a lake upstream that formed a small waterfall into the river. It turned out that the waterfall had toppled and the rocks holding back a lot of the water in the lake had fallen, meaning a massive surge of water had cascaded down and rose the water levels in the lake dramatically.

Nodding along with the direction that they get a move on, A'bek started walking alongside fable. His massive strides allowed him to walk at a slower pace, A'bek always had been very laid back. As they moved under the cover of the bamboo, the rainfall slowly somewhat, though there was still that damp feeling in the air. The pooling water on the leaves above either trickled down the bamboo shoots or formed even larger rain drops that plopped down on the companions.

"So tell my Fable, what is it that brings you to this mountain during today's unfortunate weather?" A'bek asked with a warm smile, with the way he acted you woulnd't know there was a fierce storm going on.

[Oopsie Daisy]

There was no doubt that the young unicorn could've been much more unlucky with the companion he'd ended up with during the unfortunate weather circumstances. The goat was very humble and polite, and someone who seemed very easy to talk to and get along with. Not to mention his lack of sheer awe from Naja's over-the-top display was enough to make Fable stifle a chuckle: especially considering the amphtithere's look of disappointment that splayed across his sharp face. It felt cruel yet good to laugh considering the creature's ego needed to be taken down a few notches. Still, A'bek showed nothing but respect towards Naja, so he reluctantly bowed back to the large goat, not forgetting his manners for once. The crashing of the ever-growing and increasingly angry waves was the loudest sound that could be heard, and the rain only seemed to get heavier and heavier. When a lightning bolt cracked across the raging sky, Fable couldn't help but notice A'bek's sudden alarmed expression, and quickly understood why he would get so nervous in a thunderstorm. It was indeed vital for the trio to get out of the storm as soon as possible, so they were soon on their way.

He looked back at the river, and figured that one of the ponies who worked at the reserve would have it replaced and hopefully strengthened. He made a note to inform them whenever they got to some kind of information centre - assuming they weren't already aware of it, of course. They were heading in the direction of the continuing bamboo forest, which would hopefully provide some shelter from the pouring rain. By now, Fable's scruffy blonde fringe was drenched and dripping into his eyes, so he was thankful to have some form of shade at least. Normally he didn't mind the rain, but no one liked getting soaked. He was absolutely freezing.

The forest was lush, and provided fairly decent shade from the rainfall. Fable walked beside A'bek, who humbly matched the shorter-legged pony's pace with his own long limbs, for which Fable was grateful. A drop of moisture from a leaf fell from the shoot and landed right on the pony's nose, catching him by surprise with its sudden coldness. He shook his head from side to side, frowning as his spectacles were becoming more and more covered by rainwater, making it harder for him to see. His ears pricked when A'bek spoke up to ask him a question, his voice casual despite their current situation. It was very welcoming, and Fable returned the goat's warm smile.

"School assignment," he replied, his voice matching A'bek's smooth normalcy. "I was sent here to document rare creatures and study the terrain and weather patterns. I already have a pretty good idea what to write in my report." He let out a chuckle at these words. He'd never expected the weather to be quite so awful, especially considering how sunny it was just minutes before. Naja was still in-flight, also happy to be somewhat out of the downpour, but remained uncharacteristically quiet due to the storm making him rather nervous. "What about you, A'bek? I'm sure you were expecting this unfortunate weather just as much as I was. What brings you here?"

[CableZ]

A'bek kept his eyes forward even as Fable talked, occasionally glancing down at his small companion to acknowledge what was being said. As the rain pattered down around them, A'bek felt the weight of the water as it soaked into his fur. They would need to stop and get some shelter at some point so he could dry himself off, A'bek really did need to get his fur trimmed at some point. In the frozen north it was understandable for his fur to be as it was, though it did occasionally tend to gather clumps of snow on his legs. But Equestria was for the most part, a warm and climate land with occasional rainfall. It just didn't make sense for him to continue having his fur as long as it was. Besides he felt like his could do with getting his chin scruff trimmed down at the very least.

"Amusingly I was travelling here to get away from the controlled weather back in central Equestria, I suppose I got my wish," A'bek chuckled softly. "I'm a Druid by profession, I am what some refer to as a master of nature, though that term is laughable to me."

Shaking off some of the excess water in his fur, A'bek explained a little about himself.

"Places like this obviously interest me, such diverse climates are great fun to explore. I suppose you could say my reason for being anyway is aimless wandering with a little direction added in," A'bek smirked. "So, school assignment eh? I did not think you so young, you look to be an adult stallion to my eyes. What is it that you study?" A'bek asked curiously.

As the two talked the ground smoothed out from it's incline and they soon came to a small clearing in the forest. It was little more than a few meters wide, it was a little crossroads that lead to various other paths. However the fortuitous nature of this area was that the crossroads was defined by being a raised gazebo looking structure. A'bek breathed a sigh of relief as he cleared the steps onto the raised wooden platform with one stride.

It was dry, it was sheltered. A'bek then revealed a party trick he had neglected to explain to the young pony. His horns began to glow, though not in the conventional sense like a pony's might. A'bek's horns began to glow from the core, light shining through the cracks and what not of his horns. Then the multitude of bags on his bag softly floated off his back and plopped down onto the dry wood, the water soaking into the wood slightly as A'bek himself sat down with a happy sigh.

[Oopsie Daisy]

Already the atmosphere surrounding the trio was warm and companionable, despite the rain still falling down around them in heavy drops and the dark clouds blanketing the sky above. The young stallion occasionally looked up to the goat as he spoke and listened: still slightly in awe of the unusual character he'd had the fortune to meet just minutes before. Fable was generally the kind of pony who could get on with anyone, and was rather social despite his bookish tendencies and his desire to often close himself away into his interests and studies. Being a student often took up a lot of his time, but he still tried to make his own time so he could still see his friends and family. He wasn't shy or asocial, he was just.. busy and easily swept away.

He listened as A'bek spoke, also laughing softly at his words. He was personally thankful for the weather the ponies were in control of - mostly for its predictability. Their current situation was a perfect example why. "Ah, I don't blame you. We ponies do like our schedules," he said with a humoured grin. "You got that right," came Naja's scratchy voice as he flew just ahead. Fable's ears pricked when A'bek mentioned he was a Druid and was known as a "master of nature", making the yellow-pelted unicorn all the more curious about his fascinating companion. "Is that right? What does that mean exactly, if you don't mind my asking?" He asked politely, eager to learn more about the goat who continued to explain a little about himself.

Fable nodded with understanding, able to relate to A'bek in the regard that he also liked a good exploration every now and again. "Me too, I love anything that could be considered diverse or unusual. Despite the unfortunate weather, I'm still very excited to be here." He then smiled with amusement at the Druid's curiosity about his status and age, and was happy to explain his circumstances. It was clear he was still getting used to pony culture, so it was understandable. "I am still a young stallion, but ponies can remain students for most of their young lives if they so choose to be. I went into the school when I was still a foal, and I suppose I'm more of a college student now, if that makes any sense," he said, trying to explain as best he could. "And I mostly study mythology and zoology, among a few other things. Those are my main focuses though."

Due to their conversation, Fable had barely noticed that the ground had gotten smoother and they'd reached a clearing that cut neatly into the bamboo forest. The pony followed A'bek's gaze and saw the scene before them: disappointed that the dreary weather ruined would what could otherwise be a calming and picturesque image. Either way, the gazebo would certainly provide decent shelter, so the pony mirrored A'bek's relieved sigh and galloped up to the structure. Naja followed close behind, landing on Fable's back as the pony wasted no time in settling under the wooden roof.

There was no way he was to expect what happened next. The goat's intricate horns began to glow - but unlike when a unicorn's horn that's surrounded with a magical aura, his seemed to glow and pulsate from the inside. The magic seemed to work similarly to a unicorn's though: being able to use telekinesis an move things without needing to touch them. Who knew what other wonderful things he was capable of? There was no doubt he was impressed. "Wow, I didn't know you could use magic. What other tricks do you have up your sleeve, A'bek?" he asked with a playful smirk as his own horn lit up with a glittering pink aura, lifting his own saddlebags and also placing them on the wooden floor. It was nowhere near as impressive as the goat's amazing magical display of course, and Fable was eager to talk magic with him. Plus he was just happy to be out of the rain at last, but who knew when it would let up? Hopefully it would get lighter soon at least, for he was still working under a time limit after all.

[CableZ]

As A'bek settled his soggy fur into a more comfortable position to sit on, he chuckled at Fable's words concerning over his use of magic. A'bek always seemed to forget that Goats in this time were not magical, their little stubby horns had no means to channel any kind of magic. He'd only met a few goats in his time in Equestria though, who knew what they were capable of.

"Oh, yes I suppose I forgot to mention," A'bek smirked as he spoke. "These horns aren't just for ruining ceilings, my species if quite magical. In fact I suppose it would clarify to mention the Druidic nature I spoke of earlier."

A'bek made a slight groan as he got back onto his cloven hooves, the weight of all the water in his shaggy fur made getting back up a little bit of a struggle. A'bek preferred being stood when he explained things, a little quirk more than anything. Wandering around the place as he spoke felt more natural than sat just rattling words off, plus he had a little demonstration in mind.

"My kind are known as the Ibex. We're a magical lot but we have an affinity for a certain kind of magic, that being nature and the power over it. That is what a Druid in my time was. I can't do certain things you ponies can do, I hear rumour that you unicorns have spells for things such as time travel, which to me is mere fiction." The goat let out a jovial laugh as he idly wandered around the gazebo.

Stretching himself out, A'bek then shook his body a little to try and get some of the excess water from his fur. Getting a haircut was slowly making it's way up his priority list.

"It is hard to explain, you ponies are so skilled at magic in it's broadest sense. However there are certain things I can do that you may need to practice for decades to master, it comes a little easier to me. Like...hm, Ah! I know." A'bek rubbed his chin scruff before smiling and heading out of the gazebo back into the rain.

Looking up at the sky, A'bek did enjoy the feeling of the rain but the aftermath was usually a bit of a pain to deal with. Turning back to face Fable, A'bek smiled knowingly before getting on with his demonstration.

Closing his eyes, A'bek took several deep breathes before opening his eyes again quite suddenly. Immediately the visible change in A'bek was that his eyes were slightly glazed over, a milky white colour covered his pupils ever so slightly. His horns began to glow from within once more as he slowly roze his head and looked up to the sky. He began to speak witha ghostly voice, as if his own voice echoed each time he spoke.

"Hlyða mé o' spéir, hætta an báis' hrata. Fang ian aithin!"

With the final echoed word, something impossible happened. The rain stopped. It did not cease to fall, but each individual droplet suddenly stopped in mid air and simply floated in place. A serene silence washed over the area as it felt like time had stopped, only the wind offered any kind of soundtrack. There wasn't much light, but what little there was was caught in each of the floating droplets that were suspended in the air.

Their motion was frozen in time, looking ready to cascade toward the ground. A'bek's eyes returned to normal as he took a large breath. It was quite a trying thing to do, but he had managed it quite well. What was most amazing was that he'd frozen the rain in place was that it was only in a small area. Just in the clearing of the bamboo, outside of that area the rain was still visible falling down at quite a expedient rate.

"You see? We can do all sorts of fun things." A'bek laughed. "Though I must admit that this is one of the more impractical parlour tricks I have," A'bek admitted as he looked around the still scene.

[Oopsie Daisy]

Fable remained seated, brown eyes wide with intrigue and curiosity as the goat got to his feet with a laboured groan. The unicorn could imagine the discomfort the poor thick-coated creature was probably in right now, and could relate to his need to wander and gesture while explaining things.. although his way was usually more overly passionate and what others often called "nerdy". He nodded in understanding as A'bek spoke, answering questions he had asked minutes before, and making sure he remained quiet in order to remain courteous and take in all the information he was given. Fable had always been a good listener: especially when it came to things he was interested in.

Loud yet soft clops could be heard over the loud drumming of the rain above as the Ibex paced around the gazebo as he spoke, telling the curious pony about his race and how they used magic. It was truly fascinating.. Fable was close to reaching for his notepad and jotting all this information down just like he was back in class. They certainly were rather different to ponies. When A'bek mentioned the use of time travel, Fable gave a light chuckle in response. "Haha, well.. time travel isn't exactly a spell just anyone can use, of course. I never learnt how to do it myself, as it's not taught at school. I think only very few unicorns were able to pull it off, such as Starswirl the Bearded and Princess Twilight, as far as I know," he explained, just wanting to make it clear that time travel wasn't an average spell for ponies to conjure and use whenever they wished. He personally wouldn't mind knowing the spell himself, it would certainly make life a lot easier. It may as well have been mere fiction for him too, considering how ancient and obscure time spells were, and how hard they were to come across.

He continued to watch and listen as A'bek spoke, blinking when he appeared to have an idea, or hopefully a demonstration. He was then walking out of their temporary shelter, so Fable quickly scrambled to his feet and moved to the edge to get a better view. He was ridiculously excited, hardly believing he was about to watch a feat of magic that wasn't from a unicorn. The Ibex's eyes then seemed to glaze over with a milky haze: his horns once again lighting up with a natural glow, before he began chanting a vocal spell that cloaked his voice in echoes. A magical shift seemed to surround the area, and Fable lifted a foreleg in surprise: mouth agape in wonder and amazement as even Naja flew forward to get a better look. They could scarcely believe their eyes.. the rain had been frozen-mid fall, and was now suspended in the air around them. What was even more amazing was that just outside of A'bek's magical field, it still continued to pour down with tremendous force.

"Woooowww.." the unicorn breathed, taking a step out of the gazebo as A'bek recovered from the spell. "Impractical or not, this is absolutely fascinating.." His voice trailed off as he looked at the frozen raindrops surrounding them, watching them evaporate into water whenever they touched him. The small amount of light coming from the otherwise darkened skies hit of the drops, causing them to glimmer ever so slightly. It was beautiful. Even Naja seemed impressed, even though he'd never show it of course.

[CableZ]

A'bek was a little enthralled in the tranquil scene he had inadvertently created, the peace and quiet accented by the beautiful visuals really made something special. As Fable stepped out into the still rain and the droplets soaked into his fur as he moved through them, A'bek turned his attention to the pony with a smile. He felt it was a pretty effective demonstration of the kind of power a druid had, amusing considering if A'bek tried to do pony magic he'd probably faint. Pony magic for one thing seemed like it had to be aimed and almost fired, A'bek was unsure how he'd do that with his curved horns.

"I'm glad you enjoy it, though we should probably take shelter again." A'bek smiled as he moved past Fable and under the gazebo.

A strange sense of tension soon washed over the area as the still droplets of rain began to shudder uneasily, in fact the palpable unease was one that you got just before a mass rainfall. Indeed soon after A'bek had stepped back under the gazebo, the rain began to fall again. It was no slow acceleration of speed, it was as if the rain had never stopped. As the heavy rainfall resumed.

Looking out into the rain as it poured once again, there was a noticeable difference in shade between the clouds above the gazebo and the ones a little further out. A noticeable circular section of cloud above them was darker than the rest of the cloud as the rain had been held in, it was quite strange. A'bek had a little smile on his face as he turned back and sat down on the wooden floor of the gazebo, looking over to Fable.

"Apologies, I did not want it to seem as though I were showing off. I am not the best as describing things, it was merely a party trick." A'bek confessed, internally he just loved doing that, but his apology was still sincere. "Anyway enough about me, I'm curious as to you and your peculiar companion. I have never seen such a creature, rare creatures interest you yes? I must say that I've never had much interest in animals but I would always enjoy watching them, what is it that attracts you about the exotic creatures of this world?" A'bek asked curiously always wanting to know more about things outside his fields of knowledge.