Being Dogged {open}

[Twilight Sparkle]

Twilight paused, holding completely still. She dared a slight glance over her shoulder, then let out a moan of frustration, one with an accompanying stamp of the foot. Sure enough, just a few feet behind her was this adorable looking dog. Twilight wasn't an expert on breeds or anything, but this was obviously a smallish dog, maybe medium sized, and definitely young. It looked pretty enough, but had been mostly staring at Twilight for ages.

"This is just... great," she muttered. The unicorn girl blew out her lips, hanging her head slightly. A curtain of purple with a streak of pink fell about Twilight's face. It may have blocked out the sight of the dog, but it certainly didn't block off hearing him. Twilight could hear him venturing a little closer to her, taking a few steps. In fact, she could feel him nudging against her leg. And she certainly knew for a fact that he was, in fact, a "he," thanks to what he'd done when they'd first met. It was the sort of action that male doggies did whenever they encountered someone they liked, and it was part of the reason Twilight had been so adamant in avoiding the creature. The other part just being that she wanted to unwind. She'd gotten a To-Go-Cup of tea, which she clutched in one hand, and held a book in the other. Sitting in the garden and reading had sounded wonderful. Then had come the special doggie greeting.

Twilight opened her eyes, looking down to see that, sure enough, the dog had resumed his amorous actions. Twilight groaned in frustration, shaking her leg several times. As soon as the dog released, she took off running, sprinting through the park. After dashing several yards, she hazarded a glance behind her. Sure enough, there was the dog, chasing after her, which just gave Twilight the urge to run faster. Unfortunately, Twilight wasn't exactly an athlete, nor was she the master of her own coordination: she'd barely gotten a few more steps before plowing into a bench. Momentum carried her forward, and soon Twilight was very thankful for the tights she'd worn under her skirt. and if that wasn't joyous enough, she could hear the dog padding up behind her, which just made her groan and hit the bench again.

[Meg Evans]

Meg had been sitting on the bench pondering her new situation when the most peculiar girl came barreling into the bench, startling her and pulling her back to what was obviously considered reality. Meg instantly stood and took a step back, her willowy frame swaying with the slight breeze as she looked to the colorful girl. Was it human?

Meg was about to go help the girl when a dog came prancing up. "Oh goodness!" Meg exclaimed. Meg loved dogs, if she had to choose between dogs and cats she would choose dogs every time. "What an adorable dog you have." She said kneeling down to let the pooch approach and sniff her hand. Once she declared the dog friendly, Meg reached out to pet him on the head and scratch behind the ears. Well aren't you just the sweetest? She smiled as the dog turned it's attention back to the girl.

"Are you alright?" She asked curiously keeping her distance. She wasn't sure what this was or who. Meg's eyes were still growing accustomed to color and so it was slightly odd to see someone so vibrant like the girl before her.

"Is there someone I can call..." She trailed off circling to the other side of the girl now to get a better look at her.

Meg was so curious. Who was she? Where had she come from? Was she from here? Maybe she had seen George! Meg hoped the fall hadn't rattled her skull too much. She had questions and this was the first person she had encountered since her arrival other than the man in the suit. Maybe this too colorful, weird looking girl could help her!

[Twilight Sparkle]

The dog was adorable? Well, that was one word for what he was. Twilight would have gone with "amorous" personally, but she supposed the other woman hadn't gotten to know him yet. Twilight twisted and tried to right herself, nearly stepping on the dog as Twilight moved and the pooch moved to the woman who was being much nicer than the bright-haired one. Twilight was mostly glad of this, letting out something like a sigh of relief as the dog's attentions were, at least for the moment, shifted.

"I'm okay," admitted Twilight. She was still working on dusting herself off and straightening as much as she could. "I just didn't see the bench. It's fine though; I've had a lot worse," which was an understatement. Twilight had experienced worse even dating back to her arrival here. "I almost got run over by a car a few days ago, so the dog's actually a bit of a relief," Twilight finally managed to fully right herself and even got her clothes straightened. Her legs still stung where she'd hit the bench, but everything seemed to be more or less alright. Twilight looked at the dog, not at all surprised to see him headbutting his new friend. Give him a few more seconds, and he'd be getting amorous with her legs. Twilight traced the path of dog and girl as they both came over to her other side.

"You could call his owner," suggested Twilight, nodding to the animal, "because he's definitely not mine. And you might want to guard your leg, he's a little too friendly," Twilight smiled an uneasy smile, trying to chuckle. The dog was already circling about Meg as though looking for the best place to start.

[Meg Evans]

It was so odd to be so tall here. Meg stood to her full height now and looked down at the vibrant girl who still looked a wee bit disoriented. "Are you sure you're alright?" She asked watching her brush herself off. When the brightly colored girl told her about nearly getting hit by a car Meg's eyes grew to the size of saucers. "They almost hit you? How though? Surely there can't be that many cars here. In the city it's easy to almost get hit but here..." she trailed off. "Here it would seem like people have enough room to stop and let you pass." Meg mused as she too notice the dog begin to headbutt her legs.

"Oh goodness, I bet the dog is a bit of relief." Meg agreed reaching down to pick up the circling pooch. He wasn't too big and certainly very cute. "Where is your owner hmm?" She asked searching for a tag but to no avail.

Meg was still weary of the girl but felt like she posed no real danger. "I'm Meg by the way..." She trailed off as she stopped to put the pooch down. "Your hair...it's very bright. Unusual" She added. When it dawned on Meg that her comments were rude she took a step back. "I'm sorry I don't mean to be offensive. I've just never seen something so...unique." She finished.

To make matters worse, the dog who had once been chasing this girl was suddenly regaining a keen interest in her again. Excellent.

[Twilight Sparkle]

"Yeah, it was... pretty deliberate," admitted Twilight, averting her eyes. She really didn't want to admit that there was someone out to kill her, especially to a stranger that she had just met. While Meg hardly seemed like a plant or spy or anything along those lines, Twilight couldn't help but be cautious. If nothing else, she didn't want to scare someone. "I wouldn't worry about it," she insisted. "Though you'd better be ready for weirdness if you stick around here..."

Thankfully, the dog intervened, to some degree. Meg had bent over and the dog had taken this as an indication that he could overreact. He got even more excited when Meg picked him up, squirming about and attempting to lick whatever body parts Meg allowed to get within range of his excited tongue. The dog's tail kept moving, which probably made him a little difficult to hold, but he definitely seemed excited to be in the position he was in, practically vibrating with joy.

An introduction came, and then something that Twilight was definitely used to. The unicorn girl let out a little laugh, closing her eyes for a moment and shaking her head. "Sorry, it's alright though, really. About every other person I talk to thinks my hair is weird. It's not exactly normal for here, is it? It was back home though. Of course," Twilight smiled a touch mischievously, "I was a unicorn back home, so colorful hair was sort of the norm." She looked at the dog, who had been put down and was renewing his interest in Twilight. The unicorn sighed, and a waving purple energy began to form about the dog. It lifted from its feet, surprise bugging its little eyes, as Twilight magically lifted him and held him. "See?" she said, gesturing, "it's great for handling eager pets!"

[Meg Evans]

Weirdness? What kind of weirdness? Meg looked over her shoulder out of curiosity and looked around. She took in her surroundings but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. It was just a simple park with a puppy running around and various plant life soaking up the rays of sun. The only thing or person in this case that would be considered odd, unusual, or out of place would be the woman in front of her. "I-I don't think we can leave?" Meg said. "Why is that? I'd very much like to go home...surely there is an airport around here somewhere?" She asked. "I know tickets are a bit pricey and all...but my parents will bust my chops if they don't hear from me. They'll be worried." She insisted. Hopefully this girl knew something or could at least direct her to someone who did.

Meg smiled when the dog began to wiggle and jiggle with excitement. "Oh who is your owner...and why don't they have you on a leash?" She asked as if the dog would actually respond. She knew it wouldn't but perhaps this girl did. "You are the cutest thing, aren't ya' little fella" She said scratching it behind the years.

Meg was quite embarrassed when the girl excused her comment about her hair. It had just slipped out of her mouth! Meg hadn't meant to say something so rude but the girl's hair had just been so bright! How could she not at least think something? Then the girl said she was a unicorn and it was game over. This couldn't be real. This girl in front of her thought she had been a unicorn! There were no such things as unicorns. As the dog was lifted into the air, Meg's eyes grew to the size of saucers. What was this? She took a step back and looked at the poor dog who looked absolutely terrified, or perhaps it was excitement; Meg couldn't tell the difference.

"I-I see..." She murmured unsure. She wasn't afraid of this girl, absolutely not. She just wasn't sure what she was seeing. How was this possible? It was defying all laws of gravity and just about everything else in the world that was well normal. "How do you do that?" She asked taking the tiniest step forward again to now analyze the girl and the dog and the purple energy between them.

[Twilight Sparkle]

Twilight shrugged: "None of us know why we're not allowed to leave, honestly. We just know that they want to keep us in Tenebrae, and they're pretty insistent about it. There's a guard around the borders, and we definitely don't have an airport. They don't even like to hear that we're thinking about flying," at least, that had been Twilight's experience. it was odd though; they hadn't exactly rid the library of books on flight or building airplanes or the like. It was like they were challenging the Shifted, insisting that they try and figure out their own way out of the circumstances they were in. That was definitely a challenge that Twilight took up, but it was also one that she wasn't sure about getting other people involved in. There was something a little innocent about Meg, and Twilight just wasn't comfortable with dragging an innocent into things. Maybe when they had more hard answers, sure.

after all, Meg was freaking out with just a little display of magic. Thankfully, Twilight had some preparation and experience in dealing with that too. "It's my magic," she explained, her voice cheery as it slid into "lecture" mode. "Like I said: I used to be a unicorn. Like everyone else, I lost all my powers and abilities when I got here; I just kept my hair," she gestured to the purple and pink mane. "I've been here for months, and believe me, there's been a lot of weird stuff happening since I've been here. You'll probably run into it," Twilight offered an apologetic smile. "Sorry, I know this can be a lot to handle. Did you want to sit down or something?"

the dog chose that moment to let out a little bark. Twilight looked to him, blinking in surprise. when she realized what she was doing, she blushed slightly. The energies carried the pooch over to the bench, gently setting him down. The dog seemed content there for the moment, though that was probably in no small part to having his paws set down on something solid.

[Meg Evans]

They want to keep us in eh? "We're not zoo animals..." Meg muttered under her breath pondering what could be the reasons and cause behind this whole mess. Her thoughts were distracted by the girls display of magic. At her question, Meg shook her head insistently. "Oh goodness no." Meg shook her head. Why would she want to sit down? Like everyone else she lost her magic and abilities? Meg didn't have abilities or magic. Perhaps she was wrongly placed in here, perhaps there was a chance that she could go home! She had no idea how far from the truth she was though.

"How do you do that?" She asked narrowing her eyes in concentration as she studied the energy. The puppy on the other hand was not amused. Meg watched as the girl moved the dog from the air to the bench in which she set the pooch down on.

"So...everyone here, they have powers?" Meg asked.

"Do you know how we got here? One minute I was on a date and then the next I'm here. I don't even know if my date came with me" Meg added. All of the questions were beginning to get even on Meg's nerves, mainly because she didn't have the answer to any of them. This place was beautiful and quaint but it wasn't New York City, it wasn't her home. She wanted to get back desperately. Probably similarly to everyone else who was stuck here.

[Twilight Sparkle]

Twilight really, really wanted to comment on the zoo animals comment. She knew from first hand experience that some of the "people" walking around Tenebrae had, in fact, been zoo animals in their previous lives. However, she sincerely doubted that was something to share with someone who was clearly having trouble adapting. In point of fact, Twilight was beginning to wonder if anyone had really taken Meg aside and explained this whole thing. She could do it; she'd been trained and she had the inclination. But she was already feeling a bit guilty from doing it backwards. That and the dog kept giving her a look that really didn't sit well with the unicorn girl.

"That?" asked Twilight, nodding to the dog. "That's magic. I was born with it, really. Well, I was born a unicorn and most unicorns are born with magic to some degree or another. We're not entirely sure what gives us our magical abilities, but there are several prevailing theories. Most of them have to do with the horn being a conduit to the magical energies prevalent in the world. Others have suggested that when the various ponies were all created, unicorns were given an extra helping of magic in order to help maintain the balance and aid the others in moving things around. Generally speaking, I prefer the idea that our horns work to balance the magic within us and the magic in the greater world. Some of us have more magic than others; my special talent was actually for magic, so it makes---"

Twilight trailed off, realizing that she'd just essentially given a mini-lecture on magic. She blushed, looking down to see that the dog, at least, was looking at her with something akin to fascination mixed with a healthy dose of confusion. Twilight turned the sheepish smile on Meg, who Twilight suspected was feeling overwhelmed. "Sorry, I, uh, go a little overboard sometimes..."