Randimaxis

*slowly raises hand* Ummm... hiya. I was wondering about getting some arts done, and your arts are quite nice arts; may I have some arts, please? (You don't have to accept my request, but I'd be happy if you considered it.)

*slowly raises hand* Umm... hiya. May I inquire if you would be interested in a possible commission from me? (I swear, I'm paper-trained... finally.)

We once stood face to face But you cower at the sight of me You run the other way 'Cause I am the enemy I put you in your place You pray for security 'Cause I am the enemy I am the enemy - "I Am The Enemy" by All Good Things

... I'm there. No, literally - I'M THERE.

As they continued along, Mystic was treated to a sight she might not have had the chance to truly see before; the path wound through a thicket of tall brambles (with spines; the path was the ONLY safe place to walk) and up and down a few embankments, until she rounded an ivy-covered corner, and... She was on the open side of the mountain, and she could almost see forever from here. They were very far up - so high, there were clouds beneath them. The view spanned miles and miles below; a quaint little town in the distance looking like a filly's playset, a farm in the far distance, with groves of some unidentifiable fruit trees, valleys and hills covered with grass and flowers, forests both thick and sparse... it was a breathtaking view, even for the most hardened and seasoned of travellers. Of course, Bloom had seen it many times already; Master Dax had a tendancy to hide in Blackwater Ridge at times, which was on a split-off path, further up. Still, it was always a lovely sight to behold... as long as you minded your steps, as there was no railing between the somewhat narrow path and the sheer drop of what may have been hundreds of meters or more. Yet another reason for it to be so breathtaking. @Loud Opinion "Y'know, Mother says that you can take a good measure of someone based sheerly on what they say and how they say it - and frankly? I don't know of you'll make the cut, mister. I mean, I've been doing all the talking so far, and you've barely said even a hoofful of words at all. I'm starting to wonder if you have a learning disability, as some of my tutors referred to their other students - well, in comparison to ME, anyway - when they spoke of how far behind they were. But I've always been like that, so I suppose it's okay. Hey, are you even listening to me? If not, it's fine - I can keep talking for as LONG as it takes for me to get through to you, mister, because I would REEEEEEEEALLY like a friend... and since there's nobody else around who wants to be my friend (except Dax, who's a dork), then I guess I'm kinda stuck with you, so I gotta make the most out of it. So now, I gotta ask about your credentials, because I promise you, though you might actually have thoughts otherwise on the subject, your mastery of thread counts aren't gonna mean diddly-squat to the Blackwater Quarry; in fact, we just today got a zebra in to work on some of the records and stuff - say, you don't think she's gonna take the job YOU'RE here for, do ya? I mean, maybe you just got here a day late and a bit short - jeez, that would really BITE, wouldn't it? If you came all the way here from Thread Count City to try to find a decent job here, and then only coming to find out that someone else beat you to the punch? But I don't know if that matters to you or not, but it's still something you should know about, I mean, if you DO wanna work here. Hey, look at that - you have a cutie mark; I don't have one yet, but when I get one, it'll be perfect for me, and easy to understand; yours looks... well, at least I'll bet you're proud of yourself, right? Hey, good job, champ! You managed to muddle through your 'Special' moment, and got rewarded with a picture of... that... for everyone to see and think whatever they think about you. DO they think about you? I mean, if you were the kind of pony others would think about, what do you think they'd think of you?" Dax gave what looked to be a mischevious grin as he saw the packet; a rarity for the Blackwater. "Y'know what? It would be fun to see him finally get his. I mean, it's been a long time coming, and if there's any way to get at him, you'll blast your way to it, no doubt!" He pulled the filly off his leg and gave her a proper hug. "You're gonna be great to have here, Blitzy. Thanks for working so hard to find me, and thanks for the thoughtfulness of the fireworks; you're a fantastic friend, and I only hope I can do something like that for you too, someday." Silver grinned, then glanced up into the sky. "Maybe we should head back; I have a feeling you'll be wanted for lunch soon, and if you don't show up, Mrs. Blackwater will worry." Dax nodded, then looked at Blitz. "Hey... you wanna see if you can join us for lunch? I wanna gather up Mystic too; we can go by the manor and see if she's finished with what she had to do. I know the back path, and we can reach the front yard in no time!" "Besides, I'd like to start really getting a good look at those wings of yours; by the time you two are finished with lunch, I should have a rather complete schematic to work with - and we can start work on the Blitzwing, Model Two!" She gave a shy smile and a blush. "I-if you don't mind me calling it that, Blitz." Little did they realize, it was the same path that Mystic and Bloom were already taking, and that they would meet sooner than they thought. Cragg smiled wider as Clod revealed the name of the employee. "Excellent. Wonderful. Good." He stepped closer to the farmpone, and put a sympathetic hoof on his shoulder. "A million thank yous, for assisting my assistant with gathering, er... supplies. Yes, gathering supplies. With such a gracious and gentlecoltly gesture, I dare say that you've earned a bit of a bonus, my good stallion. Here, have this..." He looked back at the zebra and gave a nod of his head towards Hopper; the shade-wearing stallion, without any change of expression, reached into his vest and produced a grapefruit-sized diamond, rather well-cut and pure, and gave it to Cragg, who in turn held it out to the farmpone. "Here - take it. It's yours, for doing such a fine job with your helping hooves. And if you're interested, there are plenty more where this one came from... IF you're willing to help me out with a few other... eh, 'chores'... that have to be completed? Are you interested?" Pansy looked at Clod with an expression on her muzzle that said she hoped Clod wasn't considering it.

Confusion If a tree falls in the woods, is it because squirrels touch themselves at night, or is it Memorex?