Zophio nickers intensely, but catches himself and tries to quickly quiet it, so as not to be so unbecoming. He follows everyone in, waiting by the door.
Shubshi doesn't look very interested in what's going on but does accept some cordial if offered. No sense turning down free stuff.
Ah cordial would be wonderful!
agrees Vi enthusiastically as she follows the mare in to her cottage
Wow your home is so lovely, what a wonderful collection of art you have on the walls! Oooh and that delicious sugary smell, you couldn't ask for a more wonderful home!
she exclaims, head whipping this way and that as she tries to take everything in at once.
She turns and smiles at the foal, tickling his chin with one hoof and eliciting several giggles
Who's a lucky little one to grow up in such a fantastic place!?
Oh please, Raspberry, you know that I don't know how to take care of...
""Go cling onto her for a bit whilst mommy gets cleaned up!"
Children.
Embarrassed by this sudden burden, Midnight Dove tried awkwardly to held Punch in her hooves, without dropping the warm little foal. For a first time, she managed it quite well, but, unlike Raspberry, without any self-confidence.
"Hey, there, little one..."
Alright... What should I do now? Stroke his head? Hug him? Speak of... Babies' thing? But what's a foal interest anyway? Apart eating? And crying? And cuddling? Oh no, do something, or he's going to cry and... Nobody wants that. It would be heartbreaking.
"Oh my, you're all... Sticky. Um... Let me arrange that."
She gently wiped the foal's mouth, using a corner of her white cloak, leaving a stain of jam. She felt slightly moved when she looked into his big, innocent eyes.
Same colour as his mom.
"Yeah, I'd like cordial, please!"
Moonstar is very polite, saying her "thank you"s and such, but she is watching the foal and Midnight with interest. One might even think she hasn't seen a foal before.
Mostly though she stays quiet and doesn't draw much attention to herself, despite the fancy clothes and doing nearly as good as Mac.
Zophio is silently amused at Midnight Dove holding the foal like it were a fragile, magically cursed vase of some kind. His heart swells a bit when he sees her clean its face, however. His thoughts go back to his family, his mother and little sibling, he hopes the life he's chosen is still serving them well.
"Five cordial's, then," Punch smiles, taking the fresh-made jug-handle in mouth and pouring five cups into the broad-handled earthpony hoof-mugs. "Thank you," she replies, as Virtue complements her home.
"We don't have cordial that often," Punch answers, "mostly when my friends visit, so I'm not really luckier than them." He suggests. "Me too Mommy!" Punch squirms in his aunty Dove's hooves, not distracted for long by Virtue's tickling. "I'd like some too." He pauses. "You have some when my friends visit," he argues contingently.
"But you just had some," Raspberry protests... but its clear she's no more immune to her foal's adorableness than anypony else, and she soon relents. "Well, just a small cup," she allows, at which he cheers and bounces in Dove's hooves.
OH NO, HE'S SLIPPING-
Midnight Dove managed -in extremis- to catch the little foal. She quickly put him on the floor before he could fall again.
"My, you've got a... tonic one," she exclaimed, trying to hide the small heart attack Punch had just given to his Aunty.
Luckily, Moonstar didn't laugh out loud, must be all the practice she had as a foal to not give herself away when sneaking around under tables at balls when she was supposed to be asleep.
Vi grabs the slippery foal from Midnight and nuzzles him mercilessly until he submits to sitting on her shoulders and drinking his cordial.
The paladin clears her throat
Sadly, whilst it is a treat to meet you and your darling little one...
she winks at the foal as he licks the last few drops of sugary liquid from his mug
...we do have some questions to ask if that's ok. We're looking for Solar Breeze who seems to have gone missing after passing through here, would you have any idea where he might be please? He left this too...
she shows the buckle to the mare.
"Oh my," Raspberry replies, as Punch scurries over to twine between his mother's hooves, taking in the room at a glance as he does so. "He's lucky you found that. If not, it probably would've been lost. I'm sure the solar seamstress's will be able to repair it very neatly, whenever you catch up with him." She continues. "He seemed like a nice stallion. He bought a few bottles of Cordial for the road. It does get hot on the trot to Canterlot, especially at this time of year," Raspberry smiles.
Sense Motive DC 15
Moonstar doesn't seem to notice anything amiss. "This is very good. You certainly know your craft well. If you have any bottles left, I wouldn't mind buying a few for road myself." Moonstar smiles, though it probably looks haughty given where she learned to smile.
Shubshi continues sipping his cordial, listening to Raspberry half-heartedly.
With her mark of destiny itching at Cordial's words, Vi smiles at Cordial.
Thank you for telling us, we only have his best interests at heart, and we *really* need to track him down as soon as we can. If there's anything else you could tell us, anything you might remember, perhaps something you might not even be sure of and thought you shouldn't say...now would be an excellent time to voice it!
Vi gives her best Paladin-stare, looking deep in to Cordial's eyes and appearing to try and encourage the mare to share anything she might know...
Midnight Dove noticed immediatly her friend's uneasiness. The unicorn's gaze was confused -and worried.
"Raspberry... Is everything okay," she asked.
She smiled sweetly at her childhood friend -a smile which didn't hide very well her concern.
There is something she doesn't want to tell -something seems to worry her.
"What's wrong?... Please, tell me. You're my best friend. I want to help you."
"Umm..." Raspberry shifts uncomfortably. "Of course I'd be delighted to sell you some lovingly-made cordial," she smiles half-happily at Moonstar. She sags and sighs. "I suppose it doesn't matter now anyway. Solar Breeze was rather upset that Father Zeal wouldn't marry that lovely young couple," her expression, for a moment, turns mulish, "and so was I." She declares. "Father Octave would've. Solar Breeze admired their dedication, their devotion to each other and their determination to be properly wed."
"He said if Father Zeal wouldn't marry them he would. He said he planned to leave town by the south road to Canterlot, and so he did, as my husband said, so we could honestly say that beneath the light of the Sun... but I know he meant to loop back east and meet up with Sapphire Treats and Treasured Heart. There's an abandoned hamlet on the old road to Canterlot, a few dozen miles east of here. It's not much, but there's a small shrine, or at least there used to be. Enough for their needs, anyway." She half-smiles. "They're probably happily wed and halfway back to Canterlot by now, if they're not there already." She pauses. "Do you, uh, still want the Cordial, Milady?"
Ah now I understand your desire not to get anyone in trouble, and that is laudable, well done!
Vi beams brightly at Cordial before turning to the others assembled
I think our path lies clear then, we should trace Breeze's hoofsteps and head east towards the old abandoned hamlet near the old Canterlot road. Come, there is no time to waste!
she sits up to leave, then turns back to her drink and finishes the entire mug, declaring happily
Nicest cordial I ever drank, thank you!
She tickles the little foal under the chin again and then trots out the front door to wait for the others to say goodbye.
Zophio bows at Raspberry's help, and holds the door open for the fillies as they all leave for the hamlet.
Shubshi files the information away, already making some words to convince his patrons to pay him for his services if the couple managed to return home before he could deliver them. Of course, much better if he found them first and get paid with no trouble.
He nods to Raspberry Cordial and exits her home while Zophio is holding the door open.
That explains a lot about Father Zeal's behaviour, Midnight Dove thought, with a bit of satisfaction. He was indeed involved.
When Virtuous Heart got up, she startled, feeling suddenly confused.
We are leaving already?
Her eyes filled up with profound sadness when she realised that she may not have the opportunity to see her friend and Punch again, but she understood that they could not stay. The mission was too important. The Church was more important. As always.
"Thank you for your hospitality, Raspberry," she said, getting up too. "But we cannot stay. We have to find Solar Breeze quickly..."
She hesitated, before speaking again:
"I don't know yet if I'll be able to return to Rondel, but I hope that we could meet again very soon. And I could write yo you, from Canterlot. I wish you much joy," she added, clearly seized with emotion.
Moonstar smiles again, "I would indeed still love a few bottles of cordial."
In response to Midnight, "Don't worry Midnight, you'll have a chance for a visit, a proper visit even."
"Yes, young Dove, when our mission is over and complete,
We'll return again at leisure to sit, talk, and eat." Zophio encourages his riding companion as they make their way toward the old road.
In spite of his efforts to hide it, you can tell that Zophio was emotionally moved to speak when he saw Midnight's sadness. It's clear that his feelings for her are more than professional.
"Thank you," Midnight Dove replied, clearly very touched by Zophio and Moonstar Eclipse's words. "It's... Very kind of you. I'll be happy to return, without any doubt."
Her words were sincere and warm, no different from usual.
To Zophio:
She avoided your gaze. Well, she does it regularly -you know that she hears better than she sees, after all-, but is it on purpose this time?
Sense Motive DC 13:
Although she doesn't mention anything, you are pretty sure that she has noticed Zophio's emotion. You have difficulties to tell how she feels about it though, but her lack of response, and her avoiding the subject suggests that she is disturbed -it has obviously surprised her. She seems uncomfortable about it. Maybe she doesn't understand the true nature of Zophio's feelings yet?
Shubshi notices the drama going on but resolutely ignores it. None of his business.
Zophio takes Dove's avoidance as a bid for clarification and understanding, which he intends to address at a later time when their attention is in lower demand.
Moonstar is completely oblivious to Zophio's feelings, perhaps because she just isn't really familiar with such feelings, she does seem to notice that Midnight is uncomfortable about something, possibly involving Zophio? She decides to wait and see if it becomes something she needs to resolve, or if it handles itself.
Vi nods to herself and suppresses a small smile as she reads the exchange between the unicorn and zebra, perhaps their feelings would find space to grow and be explored once things weren't so fast-paced and demanding.
Or perhaps those same feelings would be galvanised, challenged and acted upon during the time they spent together working on finding Solar Breeze.
Violet sighs contentedly to herself, either way there was potential for chivalric romance, she felt she was definitely in the right place at the right time for being a knight-errant.
Still smiling to herself she calls over her shoulder
Come now, no time to waste! We must be away as soon as possible!
The old east road predates Garrick's Valish Empire, and its route wends and winds its way along the path of least resistance, dipping through the valleys between hills, and worming its way around stands of trees. Since the construction of the south road, it's been largely disused, save for the odd logger or gatherspony, and the farm-shacks where they make their shelter. Many more seem to be disused, scavenged for materials or left to rot. Even this light traffic has worn the ill-maintained road, and path is rutted and worn of old, and strewn with detritus besides. At least its relatively easy to find traces that a small group of ponies passed this way not too long ago - the odd broken-branch, or clear hoofsprint near some muddy puddle that wouldn't dare exist on a better-maintained road...
After about half a day, you pass a well-maintained wooden farm-shack, the last you've seen for more than an hour. So far from the village, it has the feeling of a small yet well-cared-for house, and a garland of pretty flowers adorn the door... which hangs askew and broken from its hinges...
"I get a strange feeling about that place. Perhaps we should check it out." Moonstar starts cautiously heading for the door, from an angle so as not to be to easy to spot, and peeks inside. Mac exasperatedly, yet silently, follows behind her.
Zophio nods in agreement as he readies a spear, as he lets some of the more observant ponies go on ahead to inspect the shack.
Shubshi discreetly taps his wrists, making sure his weapons are ready, before looking around the area. His eyes scout for traps, hoofprints, perhaps signs of a struggle.
The situation seems peaceful. The hardy flowers around the shack shift in the subtle breeze, though a few seem recently cut. The tidy interior has the spare austerity of the poor, but there are a few homely touches. A pressed, dried flower. A simple wooden carving. The carefree art of a foal spread upon the wattle-and-daub walls in the rich natural colours of bark and berries.
Behind the shack, Shubshi finds the newly-turned earth of a pair of graves. The simple sunburst of multi-crossed branches surmounts both, and a few flowers, a few days past fresh, weave between them. Hoofprints surround the graves, at least three different sets, amidst the marks left by broken twigs, dragged along the ground or poked into it...
Shubshi tries to see if any names or possessions have been left to mark the graves before directing the others to what he found.
The hoofprints he tries to extract information from but, besides seeing three different sets, is unable to gather much more.
Midnight Dove approached Shubshi.
"Could this be the hamlet Raspberry talked about? I don't see any shrine."
She stared at the graves and the twigs, and sniffed them cautiously. She frowned with worry.
"What's that? It's still fresh. And what's with those marks? Are they our fugitives'?"
Vi cautiously sniffs the air for any lingering scents, just in case there is anypony close by still
Hmm... now here lies a story that we need to understand
she scrutinises the surroundings of the grave site, checking for pieces of cloth, hair or fur that might have been caught whilst somepony was dragging what was buried in the graves.
She ponders whether the specific decorations on the graves has meaning beyond sentimentality, especially the use of those wildflowers.
Zophio does his best to track the hoof-prints, as well as look for any clue as to what transpired here.
Zophio quickly finds hoofprints continuing down the east road, likely the same three who left Rondel.
Virtuous Heart soon realises that the pattern of twigs is a common way of marking a grave with the symbol of the Sun under strained conditions, either on the battlefield or simply due to poverty. Either could apply in this case. The flowers are laid in a pattern reminiscent of one popular in Canterlot... the intricate intertwining almost requires a unicorn's skill, and one with fine control at that - unless somepony bore the talent as their Brand of Destiny, of course.
Shubshi finds that the inside of the hut has been tidied, recently and somewhat hurriedly. There's a small quantity of food, carefully stored against the winter, but the summer perishables you'd expect to find have been cleaned out. It doesn't take long to find the nook where the ponies would've kept their few paltry valuables - cleared out, save for a neatly-tied scroll.
The hornwriting is a beautiful copperplate, clearly unicorn work.
'We are so sorry for your loss,' it begins, 'we came upon this place down the east road from Rondel, and found your loved ones dead. We buried them with all honour. We have taken the food to spare the rats, and this wealth to spare the bandits and grave-robbers. Pursue any claim with the Church of the Sun. Their deaths were not peaceful, their bodies pierced and slashed. Be cautious.
Yours,
Paladin Solar Breeze,
Mage Sapphire Treats
The scroll ends with the symbols of the Sun, Wealth, Dead and Danger, Village and Safety - these symbols are well-known, easily drawn by hoof or mouth, used in the hinterlands where knowledge of reading and writing are less than common.
Looking more closely, its possible to see where thick red pony blood has stained the earthen floor of the shack red, and that many of the scratches and gouges in the well-used wood of the furniture and supporting posts are deep and fresh, the telltale signs of wayward violence...
Setting the spear down a moment to speak, Zophio says,
"Our targets came and paid their respects,
And left back along the same road, next.
We would do well to kneel and pray and follow,
Lest we leave our efforts empty and hollow."
The zebra does take a knee at their graves, offering up a silent prayer over their souls, before picking his spear back up and leading the way up the trail, following the tracks he found.
Head down, Midnight Dove prayed silently with Zophio for several minutes.
May you eceive the Moon's blessing, and rest in peace...
When the prayer ended, she said softly:
"Shall we keep walking? I hope it isn't too late to join them..."
Moonstar frowns and stands over the graves a moment. For a liitle while she seems thoughtful.
"Yeah, better to continue on. I don't fancy either of our parties meeting trouble."
As midday wanes into afternoon, the trees and meadows give way to rock and scrubland. After a few hours, you reach a narrow and jagged ravine, varying from twenty to forty feet wide. On your side, the road turns south towards Canterlot, whilst ahead, its crossed by a rickety and threadbare rope bridge that has seen better decades, supported by broken stone pillars of some older structure. Two stand straight, but most lie fallen, or tilt drunkenly with the broken ground, and some teeter out over the ravine itself.
"Oh, this is neat. I'll have to come back later and explore this area. Anypony going to brave the bridge, or shall the winged ones play ferry?" Moonstar smiled mischievously at those with wings.
This looks like a fine place for a quick scout, we need to know which way our intrepid lovers went! I'll happily fly someone across the other side who knows what they are looking for, broken grass and bent trees and everything!
Vi is eager, perhaps too eager, to offer someone a ride, she's practically jumping at the chance to stretch her wings.
Zophio waits for somepony else to volunteer, because he knows he got lucky at the cabin. That being thought, he does his best to see if he can figure out if their targets went south toward Canterlot.
It's pretty clear that the road to Canterlot is untravelled by pony hooves, and has been for some time...
Zophio does however find a smattering of clawmarks, indenting the ground in a variety of different routes and directions...
"Hmm. Either they met trouble or we lost their trail a while back. Well, I can scout over the bridge if needed."
Midnight Dove mentally calculate the rope bridge's length.
Odd... Why would fugitives want to cross that dangerous bridge? What's on the other side?, she thought, rather curious.
"Crossing the ravine by air seems indeed safer...", the unicorn admitted. "But wouldn't it be tiring for you to make us cross one by one?"
"Three of us have wings, that means only a single trip, unless they would rather have two flyers per pony." Moonstar said contemplatively, "Of course, a group should check below just in case somepony fell."
A faded sign, probably formerly attached to one of the bridge-posts, reads: 'Pumpkin, Flower, Ore, Tomato', with a small forward-pointing arrow. Likely, these are the names of the families that lived in the abandoned hamlet the fugitive lovers and Solar Breeze were making for - or possibly, the kinds of goods that used to be available there. It's not clear.
Closer inspection of the pillars reveals several have been crudely carved with epithets in confusing, pidgeon Equestrian, some half-mixed with the brutish 'language' of Gemgnolls, and a script that is just-about recognisable as draconic.
Knowledge (nobility) DC20
Immoldroth: The offspring of Arkynaster slaughtered her siblings and claimed their hoards as her own, but she lacks the strength and will to challenge her father. She lairs in an abandoned pony fastness dating back to the Endless Winter - perhaps the family seat of Princess Platinum herself, near where the Riddle Peaks meet the Sunset Mountains.
In the course of inspecting the area around the bridge, you find several of the pillars have been used to secure a fresh, new rope that dangles over the edge of the ravine. It's knotted every inch or so, and falls down a kink in the rugged ravine's near wall, such that a careful pony taking the rope in their mouths, and stretching their hooves to both sides of the kink, might inch their way down... and there are signs that a small group of ponies has recently done just this...
Peering over the edge, the ravine is noticeably deeper at this point, fifty feet rather than thirty, and though you can see the bottom, the lazy afternoon sun casts long shadows down there.