Within the Shadow of Twilight

You are on the deck of an aged ship. Its sails flap limply in the unsteady wind. The crew's chatter has slowly ground to silence as you approach the shadowy isle. The waves move in tentatively, as if afraid to break on the shore.

"Not fit for a stallion out there." Mutters the swarthy captain at your side, "Bleakest isle I've ever been. Chills the bones, chills em right to the marrow. Like staring into an icy well."

He shakes his mane, "Thanks again for coming."

The dragon stretches from his nap, and takes a look at the island in the distance. He's surprised at just how gloomy it actually turned out to be. "That's Seahaven?" Scorch asks the Captain. "I knew you said it was dreary, but this is the kinda place I'd expect from a horror story. What kind of pony in their right mind would live here?"

Wandering Eye had been in the midst of writing a letter, or rather planning one, when he was stopped by the simple dilemma of having no ink. This in itself wasn't much of a problem, but Wandering Eye had packed a bottle of ink and now it was gone. He had it and now it was gone.

That meant somepony took it. Perhaps it was even the work of them.

He found that unlikely, however, since being on the ship limited the number of suspects and he doubted they would risk exposing a member to steal something as trivial as an ink bottle. But then again, trying to figure out how they worked was an exercise in futility. Like most of the matters of the Beyond.

Besides, maybe he just misplaced it. Or left it at home. Though he had to wonder why he would have packed a quill and no ink.

Well, it was a minor mystery that he wasn't sure he had time to resolve. As he stood on the deck of the ship, watching the town approach, he recalled that he had more important matters to resolve. Which was why he was up on the deck of the ship instead, enjoying the weather (no, really) and watching their destination approach.

Wandering Eye cared little for the talk of the isle - he had seen bleaker places before, and he didn't listen to the captain's superstitions. Well, that wasn't true, especially since he was kind of a superstitious pony himself when you got down to it. It was like... well, he made note of what the captain said. But that didn't mean he believed it.

Besides, it looked like a very interesting place. There was more than just the matter of a missing filly here, he felt... if everything he'd heard about this isle - ghostly towers and mysterious shadows, to name a few - had a basis in reality (as some superstitions are, including all of his own, of course), then he would have a lot to discover here.

The island could try and hide its secrets. But Wandering Eye knew that no secret stays hidden forever.

Staring into the distant fog, the midnight-colored stallion couldn't help but think of the phrase "smoke and mirrors". Whatever spooky and dreary effect the fog may have given off to others, Lens Flare saw merely as a blanket, aiming to misdirect and conceal. It was like a fog machine, that had gone into overdrive, preventing a spoiled trick - the thing interest, one that you aren't supposed to gaze at, was lurking behind it.

"Not fit for a stallion out there." Mutters the swarthy captain at your side. "Bleakest isle I've ever been. Chills the bones, chills em right to the marrow. Like staring into an icy well.

Lens Flare couldn't help but chuckle at the captain's particular choice of words. It was a little in-joke, one only a select few ponies knew the punchline of, the captain included. Those that did, would often indulge in such jokes, when the opportunity arose for such. "I think I'll manage. After all, it doesn't appear to be as bleak and chilly as the prospect of spending the night under a snow-covered bridge, my friend."

He shakes his mane, "Thanks again for coming."

"Don't mention it. I still remember little Sunspark, back from when you took me in. She certainly made sure I wasn't bored, eager to see all my tricks and all. I even taught her how to do my classic "flower sparks" trick. Remember how you had to get her to let go of my legs, when it was time to go? Heh, it's the little things like that, those little joys, that make me love what I do. To hear of her going missing... To have such a travesty occur, with one's family... I can't fathom how you must feel right now.", Lens says, putting a hoof on the captain's shoulder. "Now look, I know I owe you a debt and all... but debt or no, this ain't something you can just refuse. We'll find her, mark my words, captain."

Wandering Eye had been in the midst of writing a letter, or rather planning one, when he was stopped by the simple dilemma of having no ink. This in itself wasn't much of a problem, but Wandering Eye had packed a bottle of ink and now it was gone. He had it and now it was gone.

That meant somepony took it. Perhaps it was even the work of them.

Lens Flare giggled at the sounds of rummaging within the scholar pony's room, briefly wondering whether the invisibility spell would wear off, further increasing his confusion, or whether he'd locate it "by accident" first, likely blotting out something in the process.

Paper Shadow wrote:The dragon stretches from his nap, and takes a look at the island in the distance. He's surprised at just how gloomy it actually turned out to be. "That's Seahaven?" Scorch asks the Captain. "I knew you said it was dreary, but this is the kinda place I'd expect from a horror story. What kind of pony in their right mind would live here?"

"The poets I suppose," Captain Swarthy gave a rasping chuckle, "Those faithful to the shadows and night. But mostly common folk. The spiceblossoms grow well here, there's a great many that find a trade. But the real strangeness be the safety. Sickness never touches these shores, good fortune brings in fine trade, even some illnesses have healed themselves it'd normally take a Canterlot medic to cure. It's amazing what a family will endure for the sake of their children.

Zarhon wrote:"Don't mention it. I still remember little Sunspark, back from when you took me in. She certainly made sure I wasn't bored, eager to see all my tricks and all. I even taught her how to do my classic "flower sparks" trick. Remember how you had to get her to let go of my legs, when it was time to go? Heh, it's the little things like that, those little joys, that make me love what I do. To hear of her going missing... To have such a travesty occur, with one's family... I can't fathom how you must feel right now.", Lens says, putting a hoof on the captain's shoulder. "Now look, I know I owe you a debt and all... but debt or no, this ain't something you can just refuse. We'll find her, mark my words, captain."

The Captain's eyes fall to the ship's deck, his mouth twisting slightly.

"Thank you," he swallowed softly, "I'll be holdin' you to that."

Wandering Eye listened with interest at the captain's description of the island's special properties. "That's... interesting. Very interesting properties for an island to have... has anypony tried to investigate the island's strange healing properties or is it still just a mystery?" If the mood weren't so grim he would have chuckled. "Of course, solving mysteries is what we're here to do... the missing pony case, and quite possibly the island's secrets with it."

The cream-colored unicorn magically drew his glasses from a khaki vest pocket, holding them steady while he wiped them carefully with a cloth in his hoof. They were just reading glasses, but he still wanted to make sure they were clean and unfogged. Really, it was more an automatic action for him to do while he thought. "This isn't going to be an easy case, I can tell you that. You say the filly just... vanished? Went behind a tree and was gone, just like that? What have the local investigators turned up, if anything?" The thing about being a third-party detective was that the local police or constabulary usually had done their best already... all a pony could do was go over the evidence and the site and hope they found something the others had missed.

"Place has only been here a few years. The Nightfall have been digging into it for three or four now. Creepy ponies if you ask me, and their coats are cold as a wintry night on the Iceflow Sea. Don't know if they've turned up anything. We haven't been on speakin' terms since... Well, haven't been talkin'."

"Frankly, I'd take the occasional snuffles over this place," remarks Scorch. "And what kind of ponies call themselves 'The Nightfall' anyway?"

Swarthy's brow furrows, "Odd ones, be sure of that. Followers of the shadowy parts of the world. Subtle magicians, clever historians. Scroll, the old Canterlot relic hunter, founded them before he died."

He gave a tiny smirk, "Never caught them in a foul act, but I'd keep a pair of eyes trained on any you brush up agianst."

Wandering Eye returned the smirk. "Well, with behavior like that, they're bound to be suspicious. Still, probably best not to antagonize them until we have proof. They seem to have coexisted with the townsfolk for some time without incident, am I correct?" It would be way too easy if they were responsible. Still, they sounded like an order he himself might have joined, in another time... indeed, he'd even come across a mention of them in his research once. Well, perhaps it was them, it could have been some other faction with a similar purpose - or a similar name. "Nightfall" was such a spiffy word, after all.

Dusk Raven wrote:"This isn't going to be an easy case, I can tell you that. You say the filly just... vanished? Went behind a tree and was gone, just like that?"

"Hmm... Unless my own expertise at vanishing is beguiling me, I think a good place to start with our little investigation would be the very scene of the disappearance. I'll bet those Nightfall folk simply haven't been looking in the right way. Or perhaps they have, but failed to see the clues as what they are. I'm particularly interested in inspecting that tree... If my assumptions turn out to be correct, it could give us a well-needed lead to go from."

Paper Shadow wrote:"And what kind of ponies call themselves 'The Nightfall' anyway?"

"Ponies with a certain preference for night-time, I'd imagine!" Lens Flare replied, with a big, cheeky grin. "Everypony hears "night", or "darkness" or "shadow" or anything nocturnal related, and quickly gets edgy about it. Ain't all about the sun, you know! 'The Nightfall'... A respectable name, really! Or, if not that, like a good name for a lunar circus. I certainly like it, though I suppose I am a bit biased in the matter, hehe. In any case, if they're anything like the Lunar Guards, I think keeping out of their way and attention would indeed be a wise choice of action, at least, until we need their support."

Sickness never touches these shores, good fortune brings in fine trade, even some illnesses have healed themselves it'd normally take a Canterlot medic to cure. It's amazing what a family will endure for the sake of their children.

"Hm, sounds like a utopia in itself, doesn't it? If it's so great a place to be in, how come there aren't any tourists to the island, or ponies flocking in, to benefit from the islands blessings? Sounds a bit too good to be true to me!"

Zarhon wrote:"Hm, sounds like a utopia in itself, doesn't it? If it's so great a place to be in, how come there aren't any tourists to the island, or ponies flocking in, to benefit from the islands blessings? Sounds a bit too good to be true to me!"

"I don't make a home here," the Captain agreed, "But the shadowy isle's appearance and stories keep many away. Only the desperate or fiercely optimistic, if there is a difference, overlook the forbidding exterior to reap the island's awards."

"Sunbright's offered up just about everything herself. Poor girl, I had to stop her from offering more."

The ship cut through the last of the fog, the crew dropping anchor and weighing against the dock. An aged, toothless pony grinned up at them from the dock's edge. "Why... Hello there young fellows! Welcome to Black Bargain! Is there a healer amidst ye, or a scholar? Those haven't happened yet!"

The captain sighed, a sound of mingled exhaustion and exasperation.

Hoo boy. It's one of those types. Even at the circus, Lens could never get used to such ponies.
"Ah, greetings, sir of name yet unknown. While I can confirm that I am neither a healer nor a scholar of any worthwhile arts, may I kindly ask your own name before I properly introduce myself? And, uhm... Haven't... "happened" yet? Whatever do you mean by that, sir?", Lens asks the toothless pony, whilst simultaneously expressing a confused frown at the captain, mouthing the question "what?" towards him.

The old horse just cackled and broke into a wild, out-of-tune sing-song.

"Seven years!
Shut way your fears!
The Bargain Bleak and Black!
The people free, ring round to me,
Yet three will not come back!
A handsome trade, but spade's a spade
For as the rotting wood
It melts away, hip-hip hooray
Tis all for greater good!"

The captain stepped onto the plank, shaking his head. "Codger, you've been off your medicine again?"

"I feel perfectly fine," the aged stallion insisted, "Take em when I need em."

"You know that's not how the medicine works. Come on, I'll be taking ye back to Biddy. Lean on me." The navy-blue coated sea captain with the scraggly beard lay a hoof around Codger's shoulders and began helping him back towards the town.

"'Yet three will not come back'?" muses Scorch as he looks at the two ponies beside him. "Does that mean once we've left we don't have to worry about this place any more?"

"Yes, I think I see, now, where most of the stories came into being from." Lens muttered, as he followed alongside the captain. "Is that some kind of local shanty, captain? It sounds a bit... well, grim. Did something happen seven years ago?"

Paper Shadow wrote:"'Yet three will not come back'?" muses Scorch as he looks at the two ponies beside him. "Does that mean once we've left we don't have to worry about this place any more?"

"That a rather 'optimistic' interpretation of the song..."

Wandering Eye, admittedly, hadn't been paying much attention to the "song." "An... interesting notion." He thought for a moment. On the one hand, he wouldn't lend much credence to the old pony's craziness... but on the other hand, he'd learned not to discount things based on his personal superstitions or lack thereof.

The captain shouldered the wheezing, toothless gray up toward the town - his hooves clunking against the dock. "Not a notion." He shook his mane as Codger giggled, "Never heard it but out of this old sot's lips. And this town's been here but five years and a month or three."

The captain made his way up to the white gates of Seahaven. The gates were crafted from stone so white it seemed as though all color had been bleached from them. Iron bars set between the stone arch. The captain exchanged a few words with the guards. The gates clanked open.

Seahaven stretched beyond. It was a rather mottled affair, white stone buildings scattered throughout with more traditional stone houses cropping up between them. The torches burned a welcoming orange, keeping the city well-lit even in the shadow of night. The streets were rather busy, with flower-vendors and curiosity stands speckling the streets.

"Welcome to Seahaven." The captain murmured to the rest of the group, "Come on Codger, I'm sure Biddy's got a bowl of spiceblossom soup waiting for you."

"Spicy spicy!" Cackled Codger, "But pricey, pricey!"

The Captain chuckled, "Not for folks that earn a living, unlike this sot. They're full of flavor. Few petals of the little black and red flowers can make even boiled broth tasty as dandelion soup. Never seen their like anywhere else, but there's whole fields of them just on the edge of town. Main reason so many common folk been settlin' here - there's coin growing in the ground."

They reached a dimly lit house built from redwood. "Hey, biddy, I got your husband here."

"What?! You send that worthless lout inside!" A shrill voice shrieked from inside.

"Think she's scary now?" Codger grinned, "But two years ago, I was just gettin' me cutie mark! Now lookit me!"

He pranced inside and the captain chuckled.

"Sounds pretty good. Wonder what it would taste like mixed with a couple of gemstones," Scorch thinks out loud...

The dragon then lowers his head to whisper to Wandering Eye and Lens Flare. "So, now that we are here, what's the battleplan?"

"Well, since we're already in town, we might as well pay a visit to the Sun's residence. Ask her about her daughter, and other details of the disappearance, over a friendly meal, as well as get our temporary lodging in order in the process... Afterwards, Miss Sunbright can lead, or direct us, to where her daughter vanished."

(OOC: Is Sunbright a single mother, or is her husband a factor as well?)