Fa'Diel - Natural Spring
The scent of wildflowers and plants is overpowering here, such flora
surrounding a naturally-made depression in the ground filled with clear
water. The lilting melodies of native birds and stiff percussion of
rustling greenery and colorful insects meld together in a perfectly
harmonious composition. Dense, untamed foliage prevents passage anywhere
except to a large clearing, which is barely visible itself through the
towering trees.

Over the last several days, Ambience had seemed to stick close to home, though his reasons weren't clear. Seikou had been gone during this time, and despite the length of time, Ambience hadn't seemed worried. Anyone else's father disappearing for this long might've triggered a panic, but the boy seemed to just brush it off as a normal occurrance, for whatever reason.

At this time, as evening began to settle around the cabin, Ambience stood straight and tall outside the residence, Sylvan and Layla hovering somewhat out of the way, but still nearby. A steady green aura enveloped his form, as well as that of the Dryads', and his features were tense, his eyes closed. In one of the tiny creatures' hands was a broad leaf, held at arm's length.

The boy's golden longsword was drawn and held at the ready, but Ambience stood stock-still, unmoving despite those around him, whether it be Dryad or otherwise.

In keeping with the vow she'd made to help protect her 'host', Rarity is sitting nearby and watching, holding small sapphire shards aloft with magic from her horn. She, too, remains still and quiet, though the unicornista is smiling as she takes in their surroundings.

Layla, the one not holding the leaf, turns in a slow circle in the air where she hovers, waving a small arm gently in Ambience's direction as a small, shy woman's voice echoes out from her body. "Watch for change.. change in Mana. All things, slightest difference.. know when act. Watch!"

Ambience seemed to tense, and Sylvan took on something of a nervous air, her aura pulsing to match the showing of her uncertainty. Still, she held the big leaf steady, waiting. Ambience didn't move.

In a rather rare display, Rarity's closing her eyes as the glow surrounding her horn gradually extends to encompass her entire body, especially as she taps into the underlying mana with her own magical abilities.

"Control it... don't let it control you..!" Layla waves a tiny arm again, and at that specific moment, Sylvan lets go of the leaf she's holding, emitting a tiny, almost-scared squeak as she does!

Ambience's aura flares brightly at the same time, and a shrill whistle cuts through the air! All of a sudden, the falling leaf... continues falling, as it separates into two nearly-equivalent pieces, landing soundlessly on the grassy ground.

In the midst of this, Ambience has not moved; his grip on his weapon has tightened, but he doesn't appear to have moved at all.

'It seems so tranquil he-...oh, my stars...!' The sudden vision rushing through her mind has Rarity gasping quietly and extinguishing the magic grip on the shards, which fall harmlessly to the ground behind her as she whispers to herself. "What an ominous vision... Could he really...?"

Ambience's aura pulses wildly for a moment, before it regains control into something of a gentler encompassment, as Sylvan and Layla float nearer to him. He opens his eyes at that moment, looking somewhat unhappy. One of the Dryads waves a hand, nodding its leafy head. "Hard, we know.. same power as mother, nothing to hold with.. Ambience, getting better.." The other Dryad looks past Ambience at Rarity, seemingly confused about what had transpired behind them.

Ambience frowns softly as his aura begins to dwindle and fade, taking the Dryads' with it. "It feels easier just to let it go.. I get that feeling of wanting to.. destroy everything. It scares me.. Why?"

Layla looks at Ambience silently for several moments, her expression, tiny as it already is, indiscernable.

At this point, the soft blue aura around Rarity has all but disappeared, replaced by a sharp sense of dread as she turns to you. "Dear... It's not often I get scared, away from Equestria as I am, but... That vision I got has me concerned, and somewhat frightened, that you might soon kill me in spite of all the generosity I've shown you..."

Rarity sighs heavily, shaking her head and regarding you with a sad smile. "I've done all I can to show you that not all Wishborn are bad, but maybe it's not going to be enough..."

Ambience doesn't turn to face Rarity, though his floating companions certainly do. The blink wide green eyes in apparent confusion on what she's referring to, looking between the Pony and each other. In the meantime, Ambience lower his head, going so far as to toss his sword away, where it lands with a -whumpf- in the grass, some few feet away.

You say 'I can't control it. I'm tryin' really, really hard... but all I feel is... bad things. Really bad things. It feels like I want to... break everything. Kill everyone. And at the last minute, thanks to them... I come back. I can't.. I..'

Ambience's shoulders sag, as he stares, lost, at the gleaming, golden blade in the grass a few feet away, apparently lost not only in focus, but of speech as well.

The admission from you is enough to move the unicornista to open tears, as she trots over to provide comfort by way of a hug. "Darling... Despite being afraid of what I saw you doing to whoever that was in that vision, I'm not going to selfishly turn away from you. Generosity of the degree I possess is truly a 'Rarity', and regardless of what I face, I'll give of myself freely, even if that involves the ultimate sacrifice."

Rarity says 'Even if I end up dying by your hand, in the future... I'll at least die knowing I showed you a good side of those who are Wishborn.'

Ambience is likely hugged from behind, as he still doesn't turn to face her, perhaps from the shame of what he'd just admitted to feeling. "I don't want that to happen. I don't want ANY of it to happen." If he was going to cry, it wasn't showing. He looks not scared, but frustrated. Angry, perhaps.

You say 'I.. I didn't offer you a place to stay, so I could wake up one day with a bloody body in my bed! I don't want this! Any of it!'

Ambience is openly angered at this time, though he doesn't pull away from Rarity.

In response to the outburst, and despite her tears, Rarity pulls back, not caring that her eyeshadow is being smeared across her fur. "I... Believe me, you, when I say that there are so many things I never wanted to have happen to me, or my friends. I'm crying right now, for you, because I'm feeling your anger at all this..."

Ambience lifts his head somewhat, and glances over his shoulder; his tone lightens somewhat, but the aggravation is still apparent on his young face. "The same thing happened to mama.. but she knows how to control it. But until she comes back.. I jus' have to hope I can.. keep it down."

The two Dryads fly in close to him, hovering a foot or so alongside him on either side of his face. "Sylvan and Layla are the only ones keepin' me stable, right now... they help keep the pressure down, which I think is a reason mama sent them to me. Maybe she knew this would happen, eventually.." Ambience stops, turning somewhat to more fully look at the distressed Pony, arms at his sides.

"As one of my friends would have said by now... 'Breaking a promise is the quickest way to lose a friend... FOREVER!' I promised to protect you until she returns, and I've got no intention of going back on my word, because - to be honest - I'm starting to see you as more than just a friend..." Through her tears, and the eyeshadow-streaked coat, Rarity's smiling in a clear display of sincerity. "I may not be her, but you have my sincerest word that I'll help you as well to keep this future from becom

Rarity says 'I may not be her, but you have my sincerest word that I'll help you as well to keep this future from becoming reality.'

/More than a.../ Ambience looked somber for a moment, taking in the poor girl's disheveled face as it began to sink in, tugging at his heart in a way he didn't think he'd experienced, up to this point. Dissipating was the anger he was feeling at his lack of control over his own power, quietly being replaced with a strong desire to see Rarity be.. something, anything at all. But not this.

She -had- promised. And even he know the value of promises. Without fully understanding why, Ambience reached out to hug Rarity tightly, as if afraid that it wasn't he, himself, that might actually remove her from the face of the world. "Rarity.. it'll be okay. Please don't cry.. please? I.. I'll try harder, if I have to.."

"I truly do appreciate everything you've done for me, and seeing how uncertain you are is enough to give me the resolve to go to the ends of the Earth with a smile. I'll be standing right beside you, providing strength through this battle." With a nod, Rarity's returning the hug with her forelegs, levitating a lace handkerchief over to dry her tears and smiling.

Ambience physically reaches out to take the handkerchief, himself, so that he might clear the poor girl's face himself; likely, it was, that he felt responsible for it, as having caused such an episode in the first place. His face seems a bit determined by this time, having forgotten altogether his discarded weapon and only concerning himself with Rarity's well-being.

You say 'It'll be okay.. things don't have'ta turn out for the worse. It'll be okay, Rarity. No matter what, I'll try hard for everyone.. and for you, especially. I promise.'

The telltale glow of magic from Rarity's horn fades once the handkerchief's been taken, as she lowers her head to give you a tender kiss. "Nothing would make me happier..."

Ambience stops at that moment, holding the handkerchief on the side of Rarity's face at the moment of this affectionate display. Whether it was the moment or just his own concern for her well-being taking over, Ambience found himself lost in the kiss, returning it in kind; a faint crimson hue found its way into his face, and his hand gradually slid from the girl's cheek, forgotten at the moment.

Nearby, Sylvan and Layla have gone wide-eyed (which is a feat for them, as it were) at this display, and don't seem sure of what do to about it. Do they.. break it up? Leave them alone? The two creatures seem absolutely without knowledge on how to treat... whatever this is, between Ambience and Rarity.

It's only several seconds later that Rarity's pulling back and breaking the kiss, though she doesn't release you from the hug.

The effects of this seem to linger upon Ambience, as he seems.. at a loss, himself. A rush of emotion courses through his body at this time, ever-present in the redness that is relatively prominent on his face. He looks up at Rarity quietly, not really sure of himself. "Rarity..? I.. I'm sorry. Are you.. okay?" His word choice seems a bit mundane, but then, look at what'd just happened.

Sylvan and Layla hover a bit closer toward the two of them, uncertainly, but still with purpose. After all, they -were- the boy's guardians, right? Both of them peer at Rarity quizzically as they draw nearer, as if making sure whatever had just happened hadn't harmed Ambience at all, as unlikely as this prospect now seemed.

Rarity, for her part, has also turned a fierce shade of crimson - a stark contrast, no doubt - to her usually marshmallow-hued fur. "It's... what I said, darling... I'm seeing you as more than a friend..." As the duo of tree-sprite females approach, the unicornista lifts one hoof to rub the side of her head in sheepish embarrassment.

Ambience glances on either side of him as the two Dryads approached, and offered them both half-smiles, as well as he could, of affirmation that he was, indeed, alright. Following, he raises the handkerchief once more, cleaning off a spot or two of blurred eyeshadow he hadn't managed to get to yet, prior to something that had stopped him in his tracks. His smile lingered somewhat, though his red irises strayed elsewhere.

You say 'We should.. prob'ly head inside pretty soon. It's gettin' pretty late out.'

Rarity says 'I think so too, dear...'

Ambience nods, lowering his hand again, but holding onto the kerchief nontheless. He looks between the two tree-maidens, his expression lightening altogether as the excess color diminishes from his face. "Thanks, you two. I'd prob'ly be in a whole lotta trouble if I didn't have you guys around. Mama would be proud.. and.." He hesitates somewhat, but nods. "Thanks.. for helping keep Rarity safe, too. Even if its keeping her safe.. from me."

Ambience tries not to linger on this thought for too long, instead taking the handkerchief and brushing past Rarity, glancing at her knowingly as he heads toward the house, purposefully.

With a nod of gratitude to the pair of tree-sprites, Rarity's breaking into a light gallop to keep pace with you, directing magic to her horn to help keep the path clear.