EcstaticWind

"How long will you be in Vanhoover, Mr. Briar?" Velvet would ask after a silent moment of debate, possibly a moment longer than he actually needed. The hoof on his shoulder was comforting, even if Brair was more of a pony-shaped plant than a pony with plant elements. He could still feel his heart racing and the fear of the unknown eating at him, but what did he have to lose now that he was thinking on it. "If you're going to be in the city much longer, please come and visit before you leave. I'll have an answer for you by then, if not sooner." If nothing else, it was progress, even if it was spurred by Briar's touch and an awkward silence. Eventually, Velvet went to the counter to get some paper and a pen, offering it to Briar. Of course, he had no way of knowing that he was hardly the only one to shy away from the call to adventure.

Velvet took a breath to calm himself, his doubt and uncertainty clashing with his curiosity. It was enough when one was suggesting he adventure, but now both were. He almost shut down from what seemed to him like the pair unintentionally overwhelming him with all of this. “I...I’m not sure. I‘m not an adventurer, so I can’t just say yes without hesitation, but I can’t say no, either, because it might help. But...I don’t know...I need more of a reason to go out so far. I can learn more about cooking, gardening and medicine here in Equestria if I wanted. But when you leave, I might never get this chance again. But I’m too afraid to take it...” Velvet tried not to break down, but it was getting hard to hide how much this ate at him. How cornered he felt by such well-intended and heartfelt offers of assistance and broadening horizons, and how ashamed he felt that he hesitated and even seemed to push away the offered hoof out of fear.

"I guess...it wouldn't be such a bad idea to spend my vacation abroad. I don't know about going exploring or adventuring, but seeing somewhere new on a holiday might be nice. I really don't want to be rude and turn down your suggestions. It's just a big commitment that I'm not sure I'm ready for, though I wouldn't be able to tell when I am ready for it. Perhaps these gifts are wasted on me, a pony who can't decide his path and gets scared of going anywhere that isn't home, whether it's mine or my parents' home." He was starting to feel bad, caught between being polite and his fear. Without a drive one way or another, he just wound up with an upset stomach and feeling like he was being ungrateful to a stranger who had no obligation to help him offering advice of his own free will. He'd have to face it sooner or later, a fact he accepted with a small amount of resignation. "I'm sorry... I don't mean to be like this. I've just never done anything like that. I wish I was braver. That I could just leap at the chance to adventure."

Velvet shuffled nervously, unsure how to react or respond to Brair's advice and suggestions. It seemed logical and sensible, but it was also, to Velvet, a daunting task. Even slightly overwhelming. "Still...It seems rude to draw the attention on me like that... Your suggestions are all very sensible and adventurous, but I'm not sure I'm the type to go adventuring like that. I mean, I'm a florist who likes to cook. Moving out here to Vanhoover was scary enough. I don't even know how I'd handle going to Germane or a battlefield. It's not that I don't want to... I'm just afraid. Of many things, and none of which I could pin down in a short amount of time." He took a breath, trying to calm his nerves to better articulate himself before he panicked at the pressure and overload of potential new things. "It's just a lot to take in, and I'm not sure I see myself in those situations. There's better, braver ponies than me to go out and adventure..."

“It’s an extension of the Earth Pony magic most forget about. The reason why Earth Ponies are better at growing crops and tending to the gardens and livestock. My mother being a Unicorn helped, since I can manipulate it. Without a horn, I can only turn subtle Earth Pony magic into a healing touch. Not that I’m complaining. I just can’t shake the feeling that, despite my aspirations, I should be doing more with it. Every now and then, I think...maybe I can’t decide what I want to do because I have this talent and don’t know what I should do with it.” Velvet said, staring at his own hoof for a moment before looking back to Briar. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to make it about me all of a sudden. You’re most welcome, and I hope you’ll be okay from here. Sorry again for...Y’know...making it about myself.”

"That sounds like good advice. Alright, I'll spend my vacation in Ponyville." Velvet said with a smile, accepting the bits as they were floated towards him and putting them in a pocket on his apron. "I wish the worth of my plants were seen as universally as you seem to. Supply and demand tend to influence how much you can make from these. But it's not always a bad thing. Some ponies wait until the price comes down so they can afford it easier, and some start a trend from something that doesn't seem like it would catch on. It's not perfect, but as long as ponies appreciate what I have to sell, then I don't mind playing with the prices a little. A customer returning is more valuable than the money they spend, I say." He grew concerned as Brair opened his eyes, then shut them, unsure what he could do to help, if anything. "Yes, I do. Quite proud of them, actually. Um, please hold still a moment. I haven't tried this on ponies very often, but it should help to ease the discomfort." He said, placing his hoof on Briar's. A soft green glow transferred from Velvet to the plant pony, a soothing warmth to counteract the strain of seeing.

"I do indeed. This particular one wasn't doing very well 'til I got to it. It wasn't responding to the old fashioned way, so I used my healing touch on it. I think this one might be appropriate for you and Brittle. To represent the care you give her." Velvet said with a smile. He put his heart into these plants, as much as he did the meals he prepared at home. And he was prepared to part with one he'd cared for for so long if it went to these ponies and brought them joy. "I'll keep your recommendations in mind for vacation spots. I'm looking forward to getting a change in scenery for a bit, actually."

"I am due for a vacation, but I hadn't decided where to go. Perhaps I've been cooped up with work and city life a bit longer than I thought. I should head out towards Ponyville again, for some of that country air. But your advice is good. I hadn't considered growing my own vegetables." He said, getting up from the counter to lead the customers to where he last saw the Amaryllis flowers. that way, they could choose the color they liked best. "I think they're about 10 bits, but could be lower due to lower demand at the moment. Purple lilies are in season right now." Velvet Lily said, considering Briar's words about combining passions.

"I'm sorry to hear that. I can see why she's introverted. But that gives me two good ideas for plants I could recommend if you're looking for something pretty. The Alstroemeria flower, which symbolizes wealth, prosperity and fortune, and is also the flower of friendship. Or the Amaryllis, symbolising splendid beauty, and also worth beyond beauty. Either of these would be a lovely message for Brittle, I think. But that's if I were buying flowers for her." Velvet said, though he wondered if they had such flowers in stock. Alstroemeria, for instance was a mountain flower and the Amaryllis was a more tropical flower. He was certain they had one of them at least. "In any case, I wish you the best of luck with your endeavours, sir. I'm still deciding my future goals, since I could study and work with plants like I do now, but I also enjoy cooking. Torn between two things I enjoy, I get a little indecisive." He said with a slightly embarrassed chuckle, rubbing at the back of his head.

Velvet smiled as he saw Briar offer out the strawberry to the mare with him. He wanted to reach out to her in some way, but thought better of it with how nervous she seemed. It almost broke his heart to see her in such a state, but it would be better in this instance to simply let her relax and decide when she was comfortable. After all, he didn't get those gorgeous strawberries by rushing it. The information Briar shared, however, was of great interest to the Earth Pony. "I wasn't too worried, but I'm glad to hear that anyway. It'd be wonderful if it turned out better than last time." He said, touching a plant next to him that he had just noticed was looking down. After a faint glow,the plant was looking much perkier and livelier than before. "How many subspecies do you know of? And have you thought about writing an encyclopedia on your species to sell? That might be a good way to get the information out there." His eyes drifted to the mare briefly before going back to Briar. "Your friend seems awfully timid. Is she okay?"

Velvet looked up with a cheery smile, seemingly not worried about the toothy grin that most ponies might be a little unnerved by. Perfectly understandable reasons, as most sharp-toothed things tend to be dangerous. Velvet, however, was perfectly cheerful and happy to greet and serve the pair if there was anything in particular they wanted. "Hello, sir. I'm doing quite well, thank you. Nice quiet morning with some fresh warm coffee to start that day. How can I help you?" He asked, pushing a basket of fresh strawberries towards the pair. A sample he offered ponies, and hoped it would cheer the poor mare up even a little bit. "Forgive me for asking, but would you happen to be an Evergrown? I've read about them in books, but never actually met one for real, so I thought it was better to ask. And...I'm being rude, aren't I?" He was concerned his well-intentioned curiosity would be seen as an insult, and that was hardly what he wanted, since Velvet tried to get along with anypony he met, always looking for things they held in common rather than getting hung up on differences. The potential bad review on his workplace was also a factor at the moment.

It was a peaceful sort of day in the city of Vanhoover, though for Velvet Lily, he was more preoccupied with making sure the plants were looking fine for the customers. He worked in a plant nursery, selling plants to all kinds of customers. And they seemed keen to buy from him. Velvet had a rare talent for an Earth Pony, being active manipulation of the otherwise subtle magic that Earth Ponies employ to tend to crops and gardens, or in simpler terms, a healing touch. And he employed it regularly on plants that seemed under the weather, which was simple enough to recover from, as he could simply add an extra teaspoon of sugar to his coffee to get that energy back. Larger plants took more out of him, but thankfully, they didn't sell massive shrubs. He hummed a little tune to himself, using his talents to liven up a sad-looking tomato plant as he took up the front counter, wondering what today had in store for him. Maybe he'd finally be able to decide on his future career today, since he still had three equally viable options to choose from.

Congrats to both of you on the promotions ^~^ Best of luck, Randi and Derplight

(Replied to the wrong page at first. Sorry about that ) *Holds marshmallows near the fire-breathing pony* Do you mind roasting these for me?

Hello. Could someone...pony? Uh, where am I?

This is likely in the wrong place, but as I've only recently returned to the site out of curiosity regarding the recent update (Love what you've done with the place, by the way), I'm not too familiar with where things like this are meant to go anymore. Regardless, I'm looking to remove some of my older and no longer relevant roleplay character profiles that I no longer want or need. How might I be able to do that?

@@Randimaxis, Alex could barely believe the strange stuff going on before him, but he was starting to get the feeling that he was never going to see this place he was meant to live in. But right now...he'd just had enough. He came full circle from being worn down to now just wanting a break from the insanity going on around him. He sighed and stared back at Discord. "I think I understand, but Dodric...Discord...whatever your name is, I haven't had a moment to sit down and think about where I am. I just got here a few hours ago and I haven't had a breather since then. So, if you'd be kind enough to take me and Inkwell to my temporary place of residence while I'm here in Equestria, I'll think about your request. But please...please take me home so I can get a break from this craziness..." Maybe pleading with some kind of cosmic horror (Or...that's what Alex thought he was by now) wasn't the greatest plan, but Alex was too tired and stressed to really be afraid now. Once he got a rest, then he could think about the rational sides of his actions.

@@Randimaxis, Alex raised an eyebrow at the seemingly excitable pony. "Uh, well, we are in a hurry, I guess." He said softly, trying not to make himself stand out too much and just wanting a break from all of this terror. He was slowly starting to regret his choice, but it was a little late to pull out now. He was in this for the long haul, but he'd have to try and adapt before his cynical mind overloaded and broke. But first...he needed some peace and quiet and time to think about things. Though...the one thing that bothered him most was Luna. He still couldn't quite fathom how it was his problem that she hated humans. Whatever the reason, he was certain he had nothing to do with it.

Alex had absolutely no idea what was going on. His homesickness flared again as he tried to drink his water, growing increasingly fearful under the scrutinous eyes of the ponies. He looked away from them, just wanting it all to be over as soon as possible. As he went to take a sip, he was yanked away, spilling his water and dropping the glass by accident. 'Maybe I should've just asked to go home...' He thought to himself as he was dragged out to the taxi.

@@Hypn0ticD, Alex kept as quiet as he could, unwilling to speak or do anything of any sort to try and tip off the orange pony. But she seemed nice enough. Better than the pink one who just bounced away, and by the sounds of things, meeting with a Princess. He felt nervous and light-headed. "Um...c-could I have a glass of water please? I...I think I'm going to faint any moment now. It's, uh...It's my first time here..." @@EquestrianScholar, Pinkie bounced around, looking for Princess Celestia, intending to tell her about the minotaur dignitary that the scientist had brought with him. After all, if he's a dignitary, it stands to reason that the Princess should know about it. She'd surely tell Luna and things could proceed in an official fashion. Not that Pinkie observed official in the same regard as others, being an energetic nutball. (Short-ish post, but I'm still alive)

Alex stared at the note and the key, reading it over and taking in all the information it held about Equestria. During this time, he felt conflicted and unsure. On the one hand, he really didn't want to go and only ever promised to enter the contest. He never promised to actually go. But on the other hand, he wouldn't really be holding to the spirit of his word. He was broken out of his deep thought by a knock on his door. "Ah! Uh, come in?" His dad walked in. "Hey, kiddo. Y'all okay in here? Ya look down about somethin'" "Just...You remember that contest a while ago?" Alex asked. "Eeyup. Ah remember ya made a fuss about it. Complained that ya had ta watch...What was it again?" "Transformers: Dark of the Moon... Well, I won the contest. I get to go to some crazy made-up place called Equestria, and...well, if I start saying this, everyone's gonna think I'm crazy. Plus, I don't really want to go anyway. It's not the kind of thing I'm interested in. But if I don't...well, I'll never live it down if I refuse..." Noticing how Alex felt conflicted and torn over this decision, his father pulled him into a comforting embrace. "Ah'd say to give it a chance. Y'all can always ask to come home if it's too much, rahght? Just be sure of your decision and make sure it's what you want." Alex nodded, returning the hug. "Thanks, Dad...I'll miss you..." ~~~ 3 days later, Alex was preparing to leave for Equestria. As the note had warned him, he'd packed for summer and winter climates, familiarized himself with the customs, and taken in as much of the extra notes and information as he could. The part about no meat was...regrettable, as Alex loved his meat and wasn't looking forward to a vegetarian diet for the next several months, but it was understandable. Ponies were, after all, plant-eaters. He'd even put in for time off and set his affairs in order. With him, he brought just a few things relating to his job as a YouTuber, namely his laptop and some recording gear. And finally, he'd informed his viewers that his gaming content would be sparse for the next few months and limited to whatever he had on his PC. Naturally, the top requests were the Five Nights at Freddy's series. He sighed and waited for the portal to open. He had to admit...he didn't feel joy or excitement at this. If anything, he only felt sad that he had to leave his home.

Pinkie giggled and rattled off several of her party plans, ranging from a welcome party on the level of the Grand Galloping Gala to a smaller one like Twilight's birthday that one time, not really paying attention to what the others were saying just yet. By the time they got to Canterlot, she had too many plans, but she felt there was a piece missing. A piece to give it a more personal charm to make the humans feel welcomed. Upon arrival, she burst out of the train car, full of energy and vigour. "Let's meet the humans! When are they arriving? Where are they arriving? Do we know what they're gonna be like? Do they like ponies? Oooh, wait, I bet they like balloons, right?" She asked, her usual excitable nature masking the simple act of asking for information on their inbound guests.

@@~Chaotic Eddie~, "Yeah...I'd do the same if it were anypony I cared about. I'd do my damn best to bring them home safe. Twilight...she showed me that much." Dash stopped herself, not wanting to go on too much. Especially when her confidence in herself stemmed from her having the support of her friends. Their belief in her allowed her to believe in herself. "So, uh, after we get this armour, reckon we could see about breakfast? Haven't had any real food in a while."

@@~Chaotic Eddie~, Dash followed after her, eager to get a new suit of armour. Her old set wasn't going to prevent bullets hitting her much longer. "I can tweak the HUD no problem, but the rest of it... Not so much. But Wrench is good at that, right? Or she wouldn't be repairing our Titans."