open Strange Tales of the Equestrian Idiot RP Thread (See OOC to join!)

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

@@GeneralDirection, @@Windbreaker, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@bronislav84, @@Taialin, @@RubyW32, @@Yoshi89, @@EquestrianScholar, @,

 

"...Dammit." Inkwell muttered under his breath. All had been going well when he led Alex down the first few corridors, surprised at all of the hiding spots he had come across when a guard or castle worker, but now, now that the were upon the final, but most difficult stretch. To make matters worse, four of the Heroes had just emerged from the kitchen. "Damn it all..." He then turned to fetch Alex, whom he had left hiding behind one of the castle's many large pillars. "Alex," he hissed. "We're almost there, but we have a bit of a problem..."

 

"What kind of problem? Security?" Alex whispered back. He tried thinking of this like he would in a stealth-based video game like Thief, hoping it would give him some idea of how to approach this situation.

 

"More like the V.I.P. variety. Princess Cadance and four of our Heroes are here heading out of the kitchen. What's more, they have an army of chefs with them!"

 

"How much cover in there? Any ways we can slip through or around enemy territory?" He asked. "And which Heroes are they? I forget...or didn't really know too well in the first place."

 

"Long story, but the Heroes saved Equestria five times*, If I can recall. They're a real big deal around here!"

 

"I see... So, what's the plan? How are we gonna avoid being spotted?" Alex asked. If he knew the layout of the place, he might be able to piece together a plan.

 

"For now, you're gonna have to stay here, because there aren't any places to hide in the next corridor. Once they've all passed, we run for it."

 

Alex nodded. He didn't have much choice but to trust Inkwell at the moment. Of course, there was always a wrench in the plan. As if on cue, that wrench manifested itself in the form of a certain pink mare. "Whacha whispering about, Mr Secret Science Pony? I saw you peek into the kitchen then bolt, so I thought 'hmmm...looks suspicious', so I had to investigate. What are you hiding Mr Secret Science Pony?" Pinkie asked, grinning deviously like she'd just thought of a clever trick in a prank party.

 

'No. No, nononono NO!' Inkwuell's eyes widened as he jumped. Beads of sweat formed on his forehead. 'PLEASE, Celestia, don't let her find out!' Inkwell inhaled deeply, quickly plastered a smile on his face, and whipped around. "You've caught me.... Pinkie Pie, was it? You've caught me preparing a speech for my students regarding the humans' arrival. I just want to make sure it sounds compelling when I say it out loud, is all!" he said, adding a laugh, doing his best to hide his nervousness.

 

"Really? That's really nice of you, giving them such a warm welcome. It's just what we need to complete their welcome party!" Pinkie said, before noticing the cloaked figure. Alex hoped she wouldn't draw attention to him. He really wasn't ready to meet and greet when he barely had time for a coffee break. Then... She said it. "Who's this?"

 

'Dammit! Think of something!' Inkwell darted his eyes to the human, than flashed a wan smile. "This is an ambassador for the Minotaurs. He was just on his way to meet with Celestia."

 

Inkwell then glanced up at the others, noting that they were about halfway down, yet Pinkie had managed to attract Applejack's attention... "...Pinkie??" Fantastic. As if he didn't enough to deal with??

 

"He's kinda small for a minotaur, and pretty thin. Besides, he doesn't seem to have horns, and why would he wear a cloak?" Pinkie asked in a curious tone, all these terms flying right over Alex's head.

 

Damn and blast it, this mare was persistent! "I have no clue about that, I'll admit, but perhaps you can tell Celestia that he's requesting an audience with her?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow. "You are meeting with her later, are you not?"

 

"Oh! I should go and get Princess Celestia, then!" Pinkie said. 'Yes~! Forgive me for using you in a lie, Your Majesty, but I must protect Alex's-- Pinkie Pie darted over to AJ, who had closed some distance between herself and the. "Could you watch Mister Secret Science pony while I get Princess Celestia?"

 

"Shore thing, Pinkie!" Applejack said, finally reaching them. "Who's this here fella?" She asked, trotting over to Alex, sniffing the air before him, frowning thoughtfully.

 

Alex bit his lip under the hood, trying not to make any sounds for fear of it compromising him and Inkwell whilst Pinkie trotted off to find Princess Celestia, leaving Inkwell and Alex alone with Applejack, who stepped even closer to Alex, getting more of his scent. "You shore he's a Minotaur? He don't smell like one! In fact, that's not a scent Ah've ever smelled afore, and Ah've been all over Equestria!"

 

"Yes! Yes, he is!" Inkwell said, louder than he would've liked. He sandwiched himself between the farm pony and the human, mentally kicking himself for not having something to mask his scent. "I'm sure he has somewhere to be, as do you--" " Oh, nonsense! Perhaps we can help 'im out!" Inkwell's blood ran cold as Applejack turned and called out to the others, "Hey, everypony! We got ourselves a guest! Maybe we can show 'im around!"

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Zhooves, "I would like that very much, if you wouldn't mind," Clover replied, with a warm smile. "I can take a break soon, I have nearly finished the magic book I have been working on for a while, and the term of magic lessons is almost finished. Of course, I did take a break from writing my book to come and see the strange aliens. Who could resist?"

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

@@GeneralDirection, @@Windbreaker, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@bronislav84, @@Taialin, @@RubyW32, @@Yoshi89, @@EquestrianScholar,

@@Zhooves, @@Pripyat Pony, @,

 

Colette stirred, stretched, and rose from her bed. How long was she out? After a quick check of her phone, she found she only slept a few hours. Sighing, she got out of the bed, slipped on a pair of flip flops, then stepped outside of her room. 'Might as well explore for a bit whilst I'm awake!'

 

Was the other guy here yet? "Hello??" She called out into the hall. No response. She made her way down the hall to where the door to the other bedroom was, and knocked. "You here yet??" Again, no response. Colette then slowly turned the doorknob, then opened the door to reveal a still unoccupied room. "Wonderful. He better not've chickened out, or I'll find him and beat his ass when I get back!" She muttered.

 

She closed the door and made her way down the stairs, calling out once again in hopes of educing a response, only to call out in vain once more. Colette passed through the kitchen, foyer, living room, before coming across a door she hadn't seen the first time she had wandered around. She opened it to reveal an unfurnished room, and it made her smile. "Looks like I found my new studio~!" She said in a sing-song voice, clapping her hands together. "Sorry, other dude, but you snooze, you lose!"

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

"Aaand --- there!" Colette said, smiling as she turned on her recording sign. "Not perfect, but it'll do for now!"

 

She then stepped back into the room and began to play a for a little while...

 

 

https://youtu.be/6OkUjnrfjC4

 

[EcstaticWind 572]

@@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)

[Taialin 217]

@@Hypn0ticD, @@Windbreaker, @@GeneralDirection, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @
One's own thoughts were a terrific distraction against all the noise that happened around oneself. Yes, Applejack might have asked a question in jest, or Princess Cadance might have been trying to get her attention, but that was all just varying degrees of noise against her worries about the humans and what picture they'd convey upon their arrival. It was only when Princess Luna addressed her directly that Rarity broke out of her reverie, and only that after a few seconds.
 
"Rarity, I take it that you are having second thoughts about our . . . visitors as well?"
 
". . . oh, eh, wha?" Rarity furrowed her brow and tried to recall what exactly it was that Princess Luna had said to her. She scooted closer to her and spoke in a low whisper, trying to make their conversation private. "Ah, I apologize for my unconscientiousness, Princess. But you are correct, mostly. I do fear the character of our new arrivals, but I also fear what we will do to them. And I appreciate the vote of confidence in us, but you could not say that Pinkie's particular . . . style of greeting others is necessarily the most conservative method. I realize it worked with the yaks, but—"
 
Rarity was interrupted by a commotion that seemed to be coming from the pony and rather tall, hooded figure outside of the kitchen. Naturally, Pinkie Pie and Applejack were the first ponies to encounter the situation. Of course. Pinkie was making a fool of herself, as she always did, and Applejack, while less offensive, was still being rather crass in her choice of greeting. Rarity leaned over and said out of the corner of her mouth, "See what I mean?"
 
Come to think of it, this pony's story wasn't particularly convincing. He was lying through his teeth—that much was clear—and that gave reason for Rarity to believe this tall figure was certainly not a minotaur ambassador. What other tall two-legged species was Rarity privy to, then? Not many, save for one she learned about not a few hours ago. She still had her doubts, but given by the fact that they were all planning to meet humans soon, and here was a tall figure that matched their specifications to a tee . . . it was fairly trivial to make the necessary connections.
 
"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."
 
Rarity rolled her eyes. Bingo. Only a truly incompetent ambassador would say that "it was their first time." An incompetent ambassador or a confused alien visitor—one of the two, and Rarity had already placed her bets on which one it was. But not seeking to make a commotion, Rarity probed her magic in the kitchen, quickly filled a glass with water, and garnished it with a lemon slice before proffering it to the figure duly, up where she presumed their face would be. "There you are, dear." And whether the human would see it or not, Rarity smiled wanly and said, "Welcome to Equestria."

[Yoshi89 5,293]

@@GeneralDirection, @@Windbreaker, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@bronislav84, @@Taialin, @@RubyW32, @@Hypn0ticD, @@EquestrianScholar,

@@Zhooves, @@Pripyat Pony, @,

Spike understood the importance of Cadance getting ready for the big feast ahead of them and wrapped up the conversation as he, Applejack and Fluttershy were ushered out of the kitchen. "It's okay, Cadance," he called. "You seem to have a lot on your plate." He saw Applejack sneaking a fritter before they left the kitchen and his own stomach started to growl. I'd better grab a quick bite or I'll never make it through without meeting these humans! he thought. Further down from the platter stood a plate of cookies and Spike swiped a couple. "I'm sure they won't notice," he whispered to himself before biting into one.

 

Once he was finished eating the other cookie, Spike looked up to see Applejack and Pinkie Pie conversing with a strange cloaked figure. His head then followed Pinkie Pie as she zipped off in search of Celestia. "This must be one of the humans they're talking about," Spike said to himself. "But why is he calling himself a minotaur? He's doesn't look buff enough." He then saw Rarity levitating a glass of water over to where he stood. For a moment, he thought about introducing himself as well but stopped when he saw Twilight rushing for the kitchen with a several cookbooks in her magical aura. "Twilight?" he called to her, running towards the kitchen doors. "Hey, Twilight! Wait up! Do you have everything covered?"

[Zhooves 843]

@@Zhooves, "I would like that very much, if you wouldn't mind," Clover replied, with a warm smile. "I can take a break soon, I have nearly finished the magic book I have been working on for a while, and the term of magic lessons is almost finished. Of course, I did take a break from writing my book to come and see the strange aliens. Who could resist?"

North kept on listening to Clover with his head still turned in the direction the carriage had gone. After a quick moment of silence after Clover had finished talking, his ears perked up a bit.

"...Can you hear that?" he almost mumbled to himself, a look of wonder and mystery slowly getting to his face.

"Somewhere in the direction the carriage went... Strange sounds of music..." he continued before starting to take a few slow steps in its direction.

"Want to have a look? It is still a while till those creatures are supposed to appear, is it not?"

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Zhooves, "It is, but I'm very curious about what that music is," Clover replied. Her ears pricked up as she listened to the strange music, which seemed to get clearer all the time.

 

"Maybe it's the aliens making the music!" Clover exclaimed suddenly. "Let's go and see. I wonder, how can they make music without hooves and horns?"

[Derplight Sperkle 1,013]

@@Hypn0ticD,@@Windbreaker, @@Taialin

 

Fluttershy got caught up in the middle of the rush of chefponies and others getting the party. "Oh excuse me, pardon me, please let me through..." Fluttershy said in vain to all the ponies around her. She saw the familiar jumping head of Pinkie Pie and Applejack's hat above the crowd. Suddenly an idea lit up in Fluttershy's head as she decided to take flight above the crowd. Fluttershy smiled a little to herself as she flew towards her friends.

 

As she neared, Fluttershy noticed a rather tall figure with a cloak around it. That can't be a pony, she thought. Once Fluttershy found an open area to land, her hooves landed softly on the ground. A few tentative steps later, Fluttershy was behind her friends, afraid of what this mysterious figure was. It looked like Rarity served the creature a glass of water. 

 

Fluttershy mustered all the courage she could and asked Rarity, "Who is that?"

[Skycoaster 697]

@@Taialin, @@Windbreaker, @@Hypn0ticD,@@Derplight Sperkle, @@Yoshi89,

With a sign, Luna would nod. "I remember all too well the greeting I received during Nightmare Night from Pinkie Pie. Her, what word should I use to describe it....antics where very crude and easily misinterpreted." The memory of the mare's playfulness being mistaken for fear immediately popped to mind. What worried Luna the most was how the citizens of Ponyville seemed to blindly agree with the pink mare. It Pinkie where to do something similar here, with all the extra ponies in attendance, the results would be disastrous. Looking over to Apple Jack, Luna would nod and accept the fritter. "Perhaps you are right. Perhaps this worry is coming from my empty stomach."  Within a few bites, the fritter would disappear.

 

The night princess would take note of what was transpiring with Pinkie Pie and the pony and hooded figure she and Apple Jack where conversing with. With a subtle twitch of her ear, Luna would focus her attention on their conversation. With all that was going on, she could not be too careful. Upon hearing the word ambassador, Luna's full attention was on the hooded figure. Something felt out of place to her. Slowly the princess would make her way over to the commotion. "I could not help but take notice of your arrival ambassador. Greetings. I am Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria, and Princess of the Night." Squinting her eyes, she would scrutinize everything about the cloaked figure as she looked him over from head to toe. "I believe my sister is occupied." Luna's wings would stand erect as she took a formal tone. "Perhaps there is something that I can help you with...ambassador." Luna herself would also take notice of the difference in aroma near the hooded figure.

 

Luna would glare at the pony with the hooded figure. "A tad on the defensive side, are we?" She would say with a small amount of sarcasm in her voice. "It is quite rare for an ambassador not to be accompanied by security of their own kind, is it not?"

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

@@Windbreaker, @@bronislav84, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@GeneralDirection, @@Taialin, @@Yoshi89, @,

 

No. This couldn't be happening. It simply wasn't supposed to happen! And yet Alex was now being accosted by the former Element Bearers... the pink one seemed to buy the story, but the others weren't so gullible. 'If only the human had come earlier! But so long as he stays quiet...'

 

"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..."

 

Inkwell facehoofed. 'Dammit, boy!' Inkwell thought. "There you are, dear," the white Unicorn offered, levitating a glass of water over to Alex. "Welcome to Equestria."

 

Princess Twilight Sparkle chimed in then, taking a quick bow to Alex before passing by. "It is nice to meet you."

 

It surprised Inkwell to see the Princess of Friendship be so uncharacteristically incurious, yet he decided against questioning it. "Well, the ambassador and I must be going now." Inkwell said with a nervous laugh. The scholar then turned to face the two remaining princesses, and bowed his head. "Please pardon us, your majesties." He then turned to Alex and nudged him slightly. "Come along now!"

 

"I could not help but take notice of your arrival ambassador. Greetings." The Night Princess began, causing Inkwell's heart to drop. "I am Princess Luna, Co-Ruler of Equestria, and Princess of the Night." Inkwell gulped nervously as Luna narrowed her eyes at Alex, as if she were sizing him up. "I believe my sister is occupied." Inkwell doubled back as the regal mare unfurled her wings in a seeming display of intimidation. "Perhaps there is something that I can help you with...ambassador?"

 

"A thousand pardons Princess, but the ambassador does not wish to keep you or the present company from preparing for our guests' arrival." Inkwell said, his barrel now in between the lunar deity and the human. "I will guide him to where he needs to go, since it's along my way."

 

"A tad on the defensive side, are we?" the princess asked, her attention now on the scholar. "It is quite rare for an ambassador not to be accompanied by security of their own kind, is it not?"

 

"The teacher pony's right, Princess Luna!" Applejack chimed in. "We gotta get that party ready, but just setten' 'round asking after other ponies' business is just burnin' daylight!" The cowpony then turned and bowed to the human, and winked upon lifting her head. "You go on ahead --'ambassador'. We'll take care a' Pinkie Pie!"

 

"Thank you so much --Applejack, was it? Thank you ever so much! Let's be off ambassador!"

 

Inkwell gave Alex no time to react as he cast his magic around him and dragged him down the corridor and off to the taxi...

[EcstaticWind 572]

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.

[Skycoaster 697]

Dark Wing rolled his eyes as attempted to wake up. "Ugh. It's morning...." as he pulled the pillow over his head to block out the sound of the alarm clock. "I'm a Lunar Guard I work at night," he grumbled. "Why in the name of Equestria do I even have an afternoon shif....." He sat straight up as he remembered what day it was. "Oh....," the bat pony would say as he began to fully wake up. Looking down to the lower bunk, he would notice his brothers bed being empty. Sigh. "I guess Her Highness was able to talk Paladin into a double as well..." It would not take the guard long to get himself ready. Splashing some water on his face to make sure he was fully awake, he would begin the process of putting his armor on.

 

The sound of grumbling could be heard emanating from the young stallion's stomach. He would give a quick glance over to the clock, taking note of the time. A small smile would form as it appeared that he would have time to get something to eat for breakfast before starting Princess Luna's task. Using his stealth, he would make his way to the castle kitchen unnoticed. He would open the cupboard where the night guards rations where kept, grabbing a muffin before closing it.

 

@@bronislav84, @,@@Yoshi89,

Closing the door to the ration cupboard, he would notice Princess Twilight, her dragon assistant, and Princess Cadance as he took a large bite of the muffin, hoping that he wasn't noticed.

[Zhooves 843]

@@Zhooves, "It is, but I'm very curious about what that music is," Clover replied. Her ears pricked up as she listened to the strange music, which seemed to get clearer all the time.

 

"Maybe it's the aliens making the music!" Clover exclaimed suddenly. "Let's go and see. I wonder, how can they make music without hooves and horns?"

"Who knows..." he begun, starting to walk at his pace towards the direction the music came from. "Dragons and minotaurs each have claws of some sort... I guess there is always a way."

He kept walking, though not for long, until they came upon the building the music clearly was coming from. "Comes from inside there somewhere it seems." he said, looking around.

"Whoever is therein, those beings or not, I am interested in these sounds... Should we knock?" North said in a slightly lower voice, raising an eyebrow at Clover.

@@Hypn0ticD, 

He approached the door, and did a couple of light knocks.

Edited December 25, 2015 by Zhooves

[Taialin 217]

@@Hypn0ticD, @@Windbreaker, @@bronislav84, @, @@GeneralDirection, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@Yoshi89, @
And there he goes, Rarity thought as the human and his attendant rushed off and away. So quickly that the human dropped his water seemingly on accident. Rarity sighed and gathered up the glass and water on the ground and returned them to the sink.
 
Overall, she couldn't say that their first encounter with the humans was anything like she expected it to be. Her worries about the humans' apparent penchant for violence and rashness were unfounded; it seemed like they did a better job of scaring the human than the other way around. Chalk it up to Pinkie's usual way of greeting ponies and the, frankly, rather jittery attendant of theirs who really should have taken a class or two in crew resource management.
 
"So . . . so what now?"
 

 
It was good to be without a schedule.
 
True, a schedule (and an assistant to keep her to it) was certainly necessary in her day to day life, but the occasional day when she didn't have to keep to within two-and-a-half minutes of the timetable was a rare one, and in Celestia's opinion, a boon. It seemed that a visit from otherworldly beings was enough to throw her usual schedule to the wayside. Naturally, she wouldn't tell anypony of this, but that freedom gave her the vested privilege of talking to ponies on her own terms, on her own time.
 
Yes, it was good to be without a schedule. And even when Pinkie interrupted her conversation and informed her that a minotaur ambassador required her audience, she still thought it was a good day. Of course, the wink was a bit suspicious (none of her advisors were anything but unambiguous), but Celestia thought nothing of it.
 
"Does somepony require your assistance, Princess?"
 
"I'm afraid so, Paladin. But it was lovely to talk with you after so long. You know how it is in the castle. Send my regards to Sweet Buttercup and your wife."
 
With her brief send-off, Princess Celestia sauntered off to the kitchen whereabouts, where Pinkie said the minotaur would be found.
 
"Oh! Excuse me," Celestia said as a pony accompanying a figure about as tall as herself brushed by her quickly and made their way down the hall she had just come up. How bizarre. It was uncommon that she ever saw anypony who wasn't a guard moving so quickly through the halls of the castle. Surely they just had somewhere urgent to be.
 
But Celestia thought that perhaps that figure was more consequential than she thought because when she made it back to the kitchen area where the rest of the ponies were waiting, they were all staring at the same hallway, various degrees of blank, confused, and suspicious looks on their faces.
 
"Did I miss anything?"

[Skycoaster 697]

@@Hypn0ticD, @@Taialin,
Luna would raise an eyebrow as the 'ambassador' was dragged away. The expression that filled her face was somewhere between shock and suspicion. Looking to AppleJack near by, she would sigh deeply. "Perhaps you are correct. The sooner that this welcome is prepared, the sooner that we all can move on with other tasks." Still looking a bit flustered, she would sit down and put a hoof to her forehead. 'What did I just witness?' she thought to herself as she tried to figure out just what had transpired before her.

"Something dose not feel right..." the Lunar Princess would being. "That twas one of the humans. Though I can not put my hoof on it, Something is amiss." Looking over to Rarity, she could tell that the unicorn may have felt the same way. "I do not admit to being wrong often, but he seemed to be petrified of us...of me..." Luna hung her head low as a feeling of sadness came over her. Their reaction was that of somepony that had run into Nightmare Moon, not her. Taking a few moments to collect herself, she would look around at those who remained in the room. Luna would sigh deeply. "If our first meeting with the humans is any indication, we may be in for a complicated visit." Luna's eyes would narrow as she continued to look down the hallway. "I do not take kindly to open deception.." The princess herself was having a conflict within her as she was angry, but yet felt sorry for the human that had been before them.

 

"Did I miss anything?"

Luna would glare at her sisters comment. "Do you mean other than one of the humans..than yes."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Windbreaker, @@Hypn0ticD,

 

Inkwell and Alex made their way out to the street, attempting to get to the waiting taxi before any of the other ponies around them started putting two and two together. As they reached their ride, it was obvious this was going to be quite a long day - and it hadn't even truly gotten started yet! Already things were becoming overwhelming, and there was going to be a lot more of the same as this visit went on. Maybe this WAS a bad idea, after all... but it was happening, for better or for worse.

 

The closest available taxi looked like your everyday standard cab: yellow with a checkered stripe down each side, sturdy wheels, a well-oiled harness. The logo on the side was a golden apple, and the words 'Dodric's Taxi Service' emblazoned on it. There was a single stallion here, leaning against the side of the carriage and giving the two of them a passively interested look. He had a maroon coat with a stark white mane, mostly stuffed under a cabbie cap, and his observant eyes were yellowish, possibly jaundiced-looking orbs. As they approached, he made a sweeping gesture towards his cab and grinned kindly at them both.

 

"Gentlecolts, if you need the ride, then I'm here to provide! Easy rates, smooth travelling and some of the most interesting conversation this side of the Crystal Empire! And I'd hurry, were I you... it seems as if a scandalous vandal is making the rounds here..."

 

The pony nodded his head towards the curb behind him. From where they stood, every other cab there had some sort of malady: a wheel had fallen off of this one, the axle had snapped on that one, the straps had gotten hopelessly tangled on yet another, and a fourth was - for all intents and purposes - stuffed full of what appeared to be... chickens? Yes, there was a chaotic, muffled yammering of clucking hens, quite distressed at being inside the cab in the first place. It seemed as if, no matter how many chickens the driver pulled from his fowl-filled taxi, there were more and more still ensconced within. Many of the drivers were arguing loudly, some with each other and some with themselves... but it was clear that this taxi would be the only one available for the present duration, maybe even for quite some time.

 

The driver grinned. "Shall we be off?" He opened the door and made a sweeping bow, motioning to the plush-looking interior, smiling broadly and projecting a trustworthy aura over both Inkwell and Alex.

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

@@Windbreaker, @@GeneralDirection, @, @@Derplight Sperkle, @@bronislav84, @@Taialin, @@RubyW32, @@Yoshi89,

@@Zhooves, @@Pripyat Pony,

@,

 

"Foolish boy!" Inkwell hissed in a hushed tone as he stopped trotting and released Alex from his magic. " What were you thinking? Now they all know..."

 

"I don't know what I was thinking...I'm in a foreign land and suddenly I've got the eyes of every important pony in the land staring at me. I cracked under a lot of pressure and nearly fainted. And the dark blue one...I get the feeling she hates me, but I don't know what I've done to deserve it. Are you sure about this, Inkwell?" Alex asked, almost going limp where he stood. It was taking a lot of self-control to keep from breaking down.

 

"If you wish to go back, then I'm afraid you're going to have to wait. Unless, of course you want to run into the Princesses and the heroes again." Inkwell said, taking a step toward him; he furrowed his brow at the sight of the boy swooning. "As for Princess Luna, well... I must admit she's not very receptive to the idea of allowing humans into her kingdom. She sees both you and the girl as a threat. It's up to you to prove her wrong," Inkwell then turned to take a few steps forward. " Provided you stay. And as for your question? I don't know, Alex,"Inkwell turned his head to face him. "It was ultimately your decision to come, so you tell me."

 

"I didn't come here to be hated by royalty just because I breathe and exist, Inkwell. Whatever Luna's got against us, it's her problem. Not mine... I've got my own crisis right now. The only one on my side right now is you, and you don't give a whole lot of support." Alex said, starting to get angry before calming down again, due to his current turmoil sending him through a mix of emotions. "Sorry...I shouldn't say that to you after you've tried to help me this far..."

 

"Princess Luna is your problem!" Inkwell snapped, whirling on his hoof and storming back over to the human. "Spell Caster and I will do our best to keep her from you, but she's one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria. I think it'd be wise to start caring!"

 

That was it for Alex. The stress finally compounded and he broke down. "I'm s-sorry..." He choked out and pulled his hood lower to hide his expression, though the trembles running through his body gave it away that he'd finally broken under the insane amount of pressure mounted on his shoulders.

 

"I'm sorry as well," Inkwell responded, his voice markedly softer. "But you mustn't underestimate the significance of your presence in Equestria, nor the princess' concerns." Inkwell cast his magic around Alex's hood to pull it back just enough to look him in the eye. "But you have to be willing to accept that fact."

 

Alex gingerly reached out to Inkwell, unable to put his thoughts into words. His expression was scared, stressed, sad and confused. Nothing he'd read in the information had prepared him for this, and the only guide he had kept flip-flopping between whether he was focused on the job or trying to be supportive, which further added to Alex's confusion and frustration. All he could do right now was cry, after everything that happened so far.

 

Inkwell looked away as he pawed at the ground. "I want to help you Alex, I really do." looking back to him, he added, "But we can't stay here. We have to go to your hideout before anypony else sees you."

 

He nodded glumly. "Lead the way."

 

Inkwell smiled and lowered Alex's hood. "We've wasted enough time here. Stay close -- and quiet."

 

Alex nodded and followed Inkwell's lead. His first visit so far...had been pretty terrifying. Perhaps if he'd arrived sooner, maybe he'd have had time to adjust and this wouldn't be as much of a shock.

 

@@Randimaxis,

 

There were no further incidents nor breakdowns from the boy, which Inkwell was all too glad for; the boy's waffling had already cost them both time, secrecy and what little mental fortitude the human had. Any more delays would only -- what in the world??

 

"Gentlecolts, if you need the ride, then I'm here to provide! Easy rates, smooth travelling and some of the most interesting conversation this side of the Crystal Empire! And I'd hurry, were I you... it seems as if a scandalous vandal is making the rounds here..."

 

The taxi pony that greeted them was not the one he hired; . Inkwell looked to where the driver nodded, making the frown already on his muzzle only deepen.

 

Driver after driver was experiencing some sort of calamity that rendered them unable to drive. A tangled harness here, a broken axle there - and Inkwell spotted his hired driver pulling chickens from his cab. Just what in Tartarus was going on??

 

"Shall we be off?" the mysterious driver asked, flashing a large smile.

 

"Whoare you??"

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Windbreaker, @@Hypn0ticD

 

The stallion blinked at Inkwell, a poker face evident on his muzzle until he stood back up and eyeballed the guide.

 

"Me?  What does it look like I am?"  He turned his head and examined his cab innocently before turning back.  "This IS a cab, after all... and I'm wearing the hat, aren't I?"  

 

He turned to face Alex, speaking in a sotto voce whisper behind his hoof.  "You'd think he'd have seen a taxicab before, right?"  The stallion slipped the boy a wink before facing Inkwell again.

 

"To answer your question sir, I happen to be the ONLY buggy that will be available anytime soon... might not even be another cab here for the rest of the day; there was some sort of 'incident' earlier today, and I was the last one that made it out before it blocked the streets.  Lucky me, eh?"

 

He tapped a hoof against the sign on his door.  "See that?"  He motioned to the words 'Dodric's Taxi Service'.  "That is me, good sirs - and I have a reputation to uphold, so here I am!  Wouldn't want to see anypony getting stranded, especially with all this hubbub going on!"  Alex thought he caught the barest of glimmers in the stallion's eye, as if there had been some other, more personal term he'd wanted to utilize instead of 'hubbub'.

 

"Now, if you're ready to depart, simply step inside and allow me to whisk you away to your destination!"  His smile was full of bonhomie, yet he raised an eyebrow as he added, "Of course, you could always wait here with the chickens for a replacement cab, should you feel so inclined - seeing as I saw Princess Luna head inside earlier, who knows?  Maybe she'll be back out at any moment, and you could ask for her autograph, hmmmm?  Wouldn't meeting up with her be just a splendid thing?  That is, unless you're in a hurry..."

 

His smile was charming, and he seemed full of a decent basic goodwill, a sense of adventure... and a streak of mischief.

[Skycoaster 697]

@@bronislav84, @,@@Yoshi89,

The bat pony would finish his rations and look to the clock, waiting for his early shift to begin. He would take his orders that Princess Luna herself had written out of his armor and begin reading them over. DarkWing would would draw a blank as all that was on the piece of paper was written 'surveillance.' With all the stress that Princess Luna had been going through the past few weeks, he dared not interrupt what activity that she or Celestia where up to. Seeing the Princess of Friendship in front of him, perhaps she may be able to help decipher the cryptic orders.

 

Putting on his helmet, he would approach the princesses in the kitchen. "Excuse me your highness," as he salutied Twilight. I have a bit of a conundrum. May I speak to you in private for a moment. It is of top secrete priority."

[EcstaticWind 572]

@@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.

[Hypn0ticD 1,213]

@@Zhooves, @@Pripyat Pony,

 

Colette wiped away the beads of sweat as she finished playing the song. "This room seriously needs some soundproofing. There's flanking everywhere!" she mused aloud with a thoughtful frown "There's music friggin' everywhere, right??" She asked no one in particular "There's gotta be a local who's gotta know a thing or two about soundproofing."

 

Colette continued to strum a few chords in preparation for the next song she would play, but stopped at until she heard the soft yet distinct sound of someone, or rather, some pony knocking on the front door.

 

"Shit, shit, SHIT!" she hissed. "I just had to get carried away! Son of a bitch!"

 

Colette quickly closed the curtains before racing up the stairs for her cloak. She practically jumped the stairs three at a time as she put the cloak on. "Alright... you can do this," she told herself. "Just see what they want, then get them outta here!"

 

With one final adjustment of the cloak's hood and a deep breath, opened the door just enough to peer out. "Yes... may I help you?"

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

@@Zhooves, @@Hypn0ticD, Clover was about to answer North, when suddenly, the door opened. The white unicorn mare let out a gasp; the alien that they had been discussing was standing right there in front of them! It did look very strange; the creature stood on two legs instead of four and had funny appendages instead of hooves, that looked a bit like dog or bear paws.

 

"Yes, may I help you?"

 

"You're the alien, aren't you?" Clover replied, even in her amazement at seeing the alien in the flesh, not forgetting her manners. "We're sorry to interrupt, but we heard the most wonderful music. Was it you making it?"

[Taialin 217]

@@Hypn0ticD, @
"Something is amiss. I do not admit to being wrong often, but he seemed to be petrified of us. Of me."
 
Princess Luna drew Rarity's attention with that statement, and she looked back at her, just soon enough to catch her hang her head in despair of her conclusion. Goodness, Rarity thought. Luna can't be the only one whom that human was apprehensive of. Come to think of it, he seemed to be apprehensive of . . . well, everything. She knew about Luna's tendency to blame herself for things. So she raised a hoof in preparation to comfort Luna, but she hesitated. How did one go about comforting the Princess of the Night?
 
And then there was the fact that despite improving significantly since her return, Princess Luna still could have something of a more . . . intimidating countenance than the average pony. That plus a jittery alien in an unfamiliar world seemed like it would just result in poor results every single time. Rarity certainly didn't want to be pony to tell her that it was in her nature that she scare alien beings.
 

 
"Oh! Did I?" Celestia looked behind her at the empty hallway. So that was why everypony was so agitated by those two. The tall one was one of the humans she had heard so much about.
 
One of the humans who had, apparently, in whatever way, unbalanced her sister. Celestia heard Luna's comments, and she caught the undertones of what she was saying. It was something that was a touchy subject for both her and her sister. She was thinking about Nightmare Moon, wasn't she? The human's contact with her had her start thinking about that. And whoever reminded her sister of that was not a friend.
 
Celestia's opinion of the humans soured just slightly. It was true that Luna was not the most inviting pony, but a human had still offended her. Celestia sidled up to Luna and said, "Perhaps we just need to be a bit more welcoming of their presence." And in a lower undertone, audible only to her sister, she murmured, "And if they still decide to be frightened of you, that is not your fault."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Windbreaker

@@Hypn0ticD

 

"Excellent!  Simply take a seat, gentlecolts, and we'll be off!"  He ushered them both into the taxi hurriedly, then turned back to face down the cab-lined street.  

 

All around them, utter chaos had taken over - two of the drivers had started pushing each other, which inadvertently knocked another wheel loose from the nearby cab, which went careening across the road and bumped over the curb, crashing through a store window.  The sound frightened the chickens, which then began a squawking, pecking stampede that started chasing the terrified drivers.  It was pandemonium...

 

The pony with the cabbie cap on smiled broadly.  "And such a beautiful day, isn't it fellows?"

 

The cabbie pony leaned down like he was preparing to run a sprint, then took a deep breath, lifted his flank, and took off like a speeding Parasprite...

 

... GOING IN FULL REVERSE.

 

Alex and Inkwell saw the world speeding away from them, directly ahead of their view - and worse, they had NO way to see behind them, so all they had to judge their location with was whatever was zipping away from them at somewhat alarming speeds.  The cabbie pony, by the way, had turned over and was now belly-up in the harness, and was not even touching the ground.  

 

"Ah, so good to partake in the occasional travel, isn't it?  To stretch the legs, so to speak... whether seventeen, or four... or even TWO... feels good to simply enjoy the fresh air, the sunshine, the joys of getting that heart pumping - am I right?  You two certainly seem to be experiencing something similar to that right now, I assume?"

 

A tea set on a winged tray flapped up beside him, and as they watched, his form seemed to start... s-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g... and his limbs began twisting into what seemed to be completely random shapes; a lion's paw, a dragon's tail, two different horns (YOU know the rest)... until the 'pony' had shifted into something the likes of which Alex had never before seen up close and personal like this!

 

He reached over and took a teacup from the flying tray, delicately with his pinkie out.  "Thank you; go see if our guests would like any."  The tray smoothly flapped and flew its way over to them both.  It remained where it was, eerily seeming to stay still as the rest of the world went zooming off in front of their faces... then, a cliffside zoomed away, meaning that they should have been falling - but they were flying instead, and rather smoothly.

 

"Please... allow me to introduce myself..."

 

The tip of his tail lifted into view, and the tuft of fur on the end made a makeshift hand, which snapped it's fingers.  The left side door of the cab flew off, spun around the taxi and stopped in front of their view, hovering there.  As they watched, the "c" in "Dodric's Taxi Service" stretched up and gobbled up the apostrophe, then started wriggling around with the other letters in "Dodrics" until they lined up differently and became still.

 

The door now read, "Discord Taxi Service".

 

The Lord Of Chaos smiled and made a little bow in front of them as the door simply flew out and away into the wind.

 

"It is an absolute honor to meet the first human invited into Equestria, Alex - shall we have a little chat while we head to... well, wherever you were wanting to go; what do you say?"