open [RP] The Blackwater Quarry

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

@Randimaxis

Outside the Mines - Mine kitchen

Her eyes went over the note at speed, then again, then a third time as to make sure she took it in correctly. Her first reaction after the third reading was a sigh, a one of disappointment. "Very well, I could give you a laundry list of reasons and examples as to that drug, potion what ever it is being made in large amounts could do to help the military and medical treatment in the civilian sector or the absolute amount of bits one could sell if for..."

She paused to rub her temples a little. "Makes no sense to me, but I'll say this. If we leave this place in six weeks or six months. In your will when you're old and frail and it won't somehow affect you, please give my family that stuff. I would suspect it would save thousands of lives. You can't let it go to your grave it would be beyond selfish. But as for now, I'll stay silent. Does that satisfy you?" It almost felt wrong to say that, she felt like someone who had four relatives serving in the Guard that it would be so useful for them and their comrades, also as a money mare it sorta hurt. But in the end, it was not her invention it was Taps's. 

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Blitz Boom

"Okay, electric stuff later, promise? I take my box too then! Explosives and fun things for everypony, hehe. But enough of this talky talky. Let's go fix and/or destroy things! I wanna learn and be better."

Silver lifted an eyebrow, but smiled kindly.

"No, Blitz - not destroy things... well, not as such 'destroy', but more like 'pull apart and refashion to make things work better'... but the idea is to make things easier for everypony else; when everything works correctly and efficiently, then that's less stress on them as a result.  That way, they treat everyone else better, and everyone else treats each other better, and such and so forth... uhhh, kinda like..." she struggled to find a good alliteration. 

Looking over Blitz (who didn't seem to be paying much attention anyway, bless her heart), she considered what sort of connection she COULD make with the little powder keg... and that thought gave her the idea.  Watching Blitz closely, she slowly and hesitantly finished her sentence, as if awaiting the little mare's reaction to be... well, explosive.

"... like... fireworks, right?  A number of ponies could make pretty lights in the sky anytime they wanted, but not only do fireworks do that for them, they also do that BIGGER and BETTER!  In that way, they spread their own kind of joy and peace - which is kiiiiiiiinda what I do, if you break it down."

She genuinely liked the tiny pepper pot; that exuberance alone could power a freight train, and she was all smiles.  Nothing wrong with that, Silver thought to herself.

She glanced back to ask Dax if it would be okay for her to steal his friend for a bit - especially because he usually didn't really have many friends in the first place... but when she saw him engaged in conversation with the well-dressed young stallion (who was distractingly handsome, she actively tried not to notice), she figured that he probably had his hooves full already... and that he'd recall that Blitz had been positively bombastic in her joy at meeting the maintenance mare, and not panic when he realized they were alone.

Smiling, she began to make her way toward the center of the quarry yard.  "Alright - let's go, then!  I can show you the boilers... well, what there IS of the boilers are there to see, anyway."

@Hazard Time

Dax, meanwhile, had now started off at a light trot towards the incline that led to the large hole in the mountain that was the Blackwater Mine.

"C'mon - we gotta find a forepony to let us into the vault; the door only opens for special magical keys, and there's only four.  They belong to the three foreponies, and Father." 

Even though the words were spoken aloud and not written, it always sounded obvious that the words Father and Mother were capitalized; it was just something in Dax's voice that gave those words 'starts with a capital letter' status.

The eager stallion made his way toward the mineshaft, gleefully beckoning Key to follow.

 

 

@cwhip9

Echo's eyes widened a bit, seeming to make them almost leap with hope.

"Oh, I... I-I don't want to be any... a-a-any... trouble, not on MY behalf... but, um..."

She gave a slight sigh, as if telling herself to pull it together, then looked up with a bit more acceptance.

"... um, I really, really DO need a job, and it sounds like this place could use someone like me.  It's... almost too good to be true, it sounds like.  But I feel like I can... can t-t-trust you, so... I think I would like a tour... if you're not, um,, too terribly busy if that's okay?"

 

 

3 hours ago, Mentis Soliloquy said:

"Very well, I could give you a laundry list of reasons and examples as to that drug, potion what ever it is being made in large amounts could do to help the military and medical treatment in the civilian sector or the absolute amount of bits one could sell if for...

Makes no sense to me, but I'll say this. If we leave this place in six weeks or six months. In your will when you're old and frail and it won't somehow affect you, please give my family that stuff. I would suspect it would save thousands of lives. You can't let it go to your grave it would be beyond selfish. But as for now, I'll stay silent. Does that satisfy you?" 

Taps hung her head and sighed, then shook her head and took her pad back, scrawling furiously once again for about thirty seconds before showing it to her again - this time, with a different message on it.

[I cannot release the elixir in that manner - besides, it technically wasn't mine in the first place.]

Looking up at Scarlet, she gave her a very direct stare for about a five-second count... then wrote something else on the pad:

[If you TRULY want to know, meet me at the Pony Express Office in the quarry around midnight tonight.  I can't explain now, but I may be willing to later.]

She showed her, and awaited a response while she gave her pencil another gnaw.

 

[cwhip9 1,078]

Just now, Randimaxis said:

"... um, I really, really DO need a job, and it sounds like this place could use someone like me.  It's... almost too good to be true, it sounds like.  But I feel like I can... can t-t-trust you, so... I think I would like a tour... if you're not, um,, too terribly busy if that's okay?"

Cresent smiled with a shrug "I'm on a break today boss gave me for something, that feel through but that doesn't mean I can help show round a fellow bat around, besides" he said helping her up from the table as they finished theire soup. "its been a bit sense I made rounds in the mine a good stretch of the legs never hurt anypony" he said. "and again no pony will bite you here if so they got me to bite them back us bats got to watch out for each other you know" he said confidently showing his canines then putting them back quickly.   

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@Randimaxis

How adorable.  Was she trying to show off, or was she normally this pompous?  In either case, Carnelian's amused grin was the closest thing to applause that she'd get out of her.

The talk of seeing the rest of her house allowed the mare to continue onward, her eyes lingering on the other stallion no longer.  She was interested in counting the rooms in this manor.  It wasn't likely to be as large as hers, but there was plenty of room left for surprises.

------------

Low's face lit up at the thought of seeing something as beautiful as the Blackwater treasure.  "I'd love to see it," he said, following after the other.  However, his smile disappeared at the thought of four magical keys.  If they needed that many keys to get into the vault, would they really just give them to Dax?  They wouldn't just give them out to him just because he wanted to show it off to somepony, right?  Or maybe he was just overthinking things again.

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Randimaxis

"Destroy to create. Remove something and take it apart for pieces to build something better. It's the bestest fun ever!"

Silver's words were like honey to Blitz, and she had no problem just gorging on every precious drop. The mare handled fillies rather well it seemed.

"Fireworks! I make all sorts of things, but fireworks is the best. It is pretty, and it make everypony happy to see. Dax actually asked me to make him a special firework display when we met. Thought it'd make everypony like him more, and when they see it, I bet it will. It will be so fun to see him fire them off."

Wings were her unfinished brain child, and would always be what she strived to do, but explosives were her speciality after all. Be it bombs or fireworks, she loved making things that went *Boom*, and fireworks were both more challenging and more wanted than like, dynamite. Sure, she made both, but especially foreworks exactly because it was wanted, and she wanted both friends and recognition.

"I'll make sure you're there to see it too. Promise. Now let's go and meddle with things! I wanna see what these boilers are."

Blitz looked around herself in random directions, ready to sprint in any of them as soon as she could pick a way. Silver might want to start moving the right way soon, or they'd end up with Blitz loose on the grounds, wanting to have fun and examine things. It likely wouldn't end well.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 8/14/2017 at 1:52 PM, cwhip9 said:

"...and again no pony will bite you here; if so they got me to bite them back - us bats got to watch out for each other you know."

Echo smiled and blushed a bit, which gave her such a pretty look.  She gladly followed Cress, a look of grateful adoration as she tried to keep pace with the fellow bat-pony.

"I really... can't thank you enough for this chance.  I-I-I swear, I'll do the best I can..."

With that statement, a slight shadow crossed her features for a moment, yet she simply shook her head and was back to the same sweetheart she was.

"I guess I should ask... uh, maybe a bit?... about anypony else here who might... y'know... not l-l-like me?  I mean, I want to make a lot of friends, yes, but... well, I... uh, I would like to be prepared for... if a-a-anypony might... yell at me."

She looked at Crescent again, her eyes quavery but curious.

"... and it would be good to know if anypony would be on my s-side... other than YOU, of course.  I know you'll... help me out here.  Th-thank you."

She blushed yet again.

 

 

On 8/14/2017 at 8:39 PM, Hazard Time said:

 "I'd love to see it."

Dax made his way up the path to the huge, gaping maw in the mountain that served as the entrance to The Blackwater Mines.  Once there, he looked around carefully - but it wasn't long before he spotted what he was looking for.

"There!  There's Chuck - he's a bit gruff, but okay, as far as foreponies go.  C'mon - I can introduce you, if you like."

The stallion came over towards the strong-looking gray pony, who was taller than Dax by a few inches.  He seemed to be chatting with somepony else, but smiled as he saw Dax approaching.

"'Eyyyyy... dat's a Dax if ever I saw one!  Howzyadoin', kiddo?"

With that, he craned his neck around the Blackwater and gave a skeptical eye to Key; Chuck did look intimidating, but Dax's manner seemed to be at ease around the gruff-looking forepony - so maybe he wasn't as mean as he looked?

"... and youse?  Y'seem lika fellah what got a few bits behind ya - ain't DAT somethin'?  Makes me wondah what youse two's upta..."

Dax grinned.  "This is Low Key - Key, this is Chuck List, the head forepony here at the quarry; he's been Father's right-hoof stallion for a long time."  

Chuck gave Key a grin.  "A plezya ta meetcha, Key.  So, what's dis alla 'bout?"

"Chuck, we were wondering if you might be able to let us into the Vault.  My friend here wants to see the Blackwater Emerald - and I'd REALLY like to show him.  I know you have a key, and I just wanted the chance to go inside with him, show him what all is there, then I PROMISE we'll close it right back up when we're done.  C'mon, Chuck... pleeeeeease?"

Chuck List's suspicious look turned to an amused one.  "Well... he ain't lookin' like somepone dat'd take nuthin'... so I suppose it's arrite wit me.  Shure - I c'n take yaz dere an' open it up fer yaz.  Dat wouldn't be too much ta do.  B'sides, it's tek'nikly YOURS anyways, so... I figger DAT would be parta myjob, eh?"

Turning to the one he was speaking to, he said "Dis'll just be a mo'; hang on, an' I'll be back in two shakes, arrite?"

With that, he turned back to face the two friends.  "Folla me, youse two."

Chuck began making his way towards Shed Row, and Dax dutifully followed, motioning Key to keep up.  

As he walked, he glanced back at Key.  "So, what's YER story dere, fancy fella?  You here fer Dax, or anuddah reazon?"

The forepony's accent was a thick Manehattan drawl, but it wasn't indecipherable... well, MOSTLY, anyway.

 

 

Vylia's tour of the upstairs rooms was MUCH more satisfying - even if it were only that way to the Blackwater Matriarch herself.

There were a total of 55 bedrooms in all, each with its own bathroom, and a few with circular pads on the floor - which, once lifted, revealed the presence of what appeared to be carefully constructed tubs, each with a single button on a small box ensconced within.  

"Hot tubs, dearie - the button activates the hot water, which rushes up from the springs below and heats in the boilers, making it a soothing and relaxing way to end a rough day.  These were MY idea, by the way - and the designs cost me nothing, as they were a gift of gratitude from one of the quarry workers... Silver Studs, I think.  A good mare, but somewhat scatterbrained at times; still, she does do excellent work."

 As she continued the tour, she happily pointed out the size of the manor - and roughly a third of the entire structure was sunken into the side of the mountain.  These were the passages that had to be lit by electricity, because there were no windows.  There was subdued lighting here, as well as some far better tapestries than were displayed below, and artworks that made the stuff downstairs look shallow and tawdry by comparison.  

Indeed, Blackwater Manor was MUCH bigger on the inside than the outside would allow one to guess.

It wasn't quite Canterlot-class, no... but it was certainly more than above average, and it was obvious that the Blackwater fortune had been put to good use here.  Vylia had been right after all; they DID have good taste - it just wasn't on display for any mere passing pony to view.  It seemed that Vylia was the one to deem whom could enjoy the luxuries here - and she had most certainly placed Carnelian HIGH on the list of approved guests.

She talked, laughed and snarked almost the whole tour, seemingly having a wonderful time enjoying her company's presence.  Once she reached the top of the staircase again, she turned to face her new ally with a kind grin.

"Of course, you are ALWAYS welcome here - and to confirm that, you are quite welcome to choose whichever unoccupied room you'd like to call your own.  As soon as you do, dearie, I'll have the maids prepare it to the best of their ability - BEYOND such, if you like - and we can get on with the prospect of a fine dinner, complete with my family's presence... unless you'd rather that I corral my husband for such, and let my children eat on their own time?  Truly, either way is fine by me, but in case you'd like to speak with Luther in a more private setting, with just the three of us?  I'd be happy to arrange it however you like."

"After all," she smiled broadly, "YOU are my esteemed guest here, and far be it for anypony to say that Vylia Blackwater does NOT know how to cater to her guests."

 

 

On 8/17/2017 at 7:05 AM, Blitz Boom said:

"Now let's go and meddle with things! I wanna see what these boilers are..."

 

Silver gave a light giggle, enjoying the sheer enthusiasm of the little one.

"Okay, this way - follow me, and don't stray; there are actually a LOT of things in the quarry which could be pretty dangerous."

She led her to a large building, where a number of workers were in the process of repairing what looked like a hole in the wall.  Silver sighed as she saw it, looking slightly crestfallen.

"There've had to be some repairs, as we had a flood here - but the work is coming along nicely, and the boilers inside should still be intact enough to work with; if they weren't, we wouldn't have any power available to use!  Besides," her smile widened, "I believe you mentioned something about electricity?  Well, THIS is where most of the quarry gets it from.  Now, just inside here..."

She opened an outer door, and held it open for Blitz.  "Take a look!"

Inside, there were a number of conveyor belts, all leading from the far end of the refinery to what looked to be several large metal tubes sticking up from the floor.  The belts were feeding raw emeralds (as well as a few other, scattered gems) down the line and into hoppers that were attached to the front of the metal columns.  Blitz couldn't see where they came out, but that may not have mattered much to her, as she was surrounded by gears, pistons, steam vents and other various mechanical wonders that would take the breath away of just about anypony who viewed this marvelous wonder of technology.

"So... do you like it?  It's pretty nifty - and I'M in charge of it all!  Well," she smirked, "technically Mr. Blackwater's in charge - I'm just the mare who keeps it all working smoothly."

Her chest puffed out a bit at that; she seemed to be quite proud of her work here.

 

 

(FYI, the sun will be going down soon; this day has lasted FOREVER, it feels like...)

 

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

@Randimaxis

Outside the Mines - Mine kitchen

She looked back up at her for a second time after reading more of her notes. "It's not yours...? Hmm... Well, I suppose you can tempt me into some secret meeting later tonight." She leaned more forward, a slight flicker in her eyes. "If you can't explain well enough, I will be telling my cousin about this, I'm sure she'll get answers from you personally." Scarlet did not want to appear the evil mare, but if Taps did not own the invention it gave her little pause to think of actually telling the world about it. She could not see any other good alternative, Taps would have to be quite a writer to stop her telling her cousin in a short amount of time. 

She sat back from her somewhat intimidating position. "Not that I mean anything bad by that. But since you don't own the invention, then you have no claim to what I do with its knowledge." 

[cwhip9 1,078]

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 4:13 AM, Randimaxis said:

With that statement, a slight shadow crossed her features for a moment, yet she simply shook her head and was back to the same sweetheart she was.

Seeing this made cresent start listening to her a bit more but still keep the upbeat attitude he had been going as they left the lunch room waving godby to scarlet making a mentl note to catch up with her again.

 

On ‎8‎/‎20‎/‎2017 at 4:13 AM, Randimaxis said:

"... and it would be good to know if anypony would be on my s-side... other than YOU, of course.  I know you'll... help me out here.  Th-thank you."

As she blushed asking this he wasn't worried if he was showing red in the cheeks or not, just glad to make a cute new friend that was a cute bat mare....that was twice wasn't it?

"Well for pony who might yell at you Redd likes yelling I think he doesn't laugh enough honestly that or just doesn't like working, he can be a pain in terms of getting in the way but honestly while he like to look for loopholes to win arguments the straight up facts generally shuts his muzzle" he said as he guided the cute bat mare. 

"Then theirs chuck, he's hard but trust me he means well. hard working and trying to keep pony's safe while working, just do you job when ever he's around and he'll warm up to it just very slowly" he paused while thinking of the family and his coworkers.

"You still haven't met The boss himself have you? Mr Black Water owns the mine and has helped me out while working here id recommend seeing him once we are done so first off ill show you where you probably already met our mines nurse Ziggy" he said leading the mare to the medical shed trying not...ok he wasn't trying he was liking how her eyes were quavering. It looked like she wanted to ask something but was scared yet on the edge of breaking through the shell of don't hurt me I need a hug, and maybe.....ok baty boy settle down!

 Cresent stopped that train of thought "Ziggy will want a general check up on you too mining is a workout even for an monitor, I haven't seen one work here yet but it wouldn't surprise me" he said

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Widdershins

Blitz listened as well as she could, but there was just so much happening around her right now that it was hard to respond to it with more than a few *uhuh* and *Mmm*.

The flood damages showed on more than the hole int he wall. The ground were still a little soggy here and there, she saw several bricks that were loose on other buildings, and what looked like the remnants of the water tower that used to be there, She hadn't seen this as she broke in, as her focus had been entirely on finding Dax, but now... Man, it had to have been some pretty bad stuff that had happened here. Hopefully nopony got hurt too badly.

"Looks bad."

It would ahve been more sincere-sounding if she hadn't been so giddy at the prospect of soon being able to watch a kinfd of electricity gathering. Not the sort she had in mind at first, as she were sure catching lightning had to be it, but if this was something kind of easy, she'd love that too. Her workshop was near a lake, so perhaps she could make something similar and get a bit of electricity herself. Perhaps enough to light a lamp or something in her workshop? It sometimes were annoying to work at night since she couldn't have an open flame in there without starting a series of events that would - among other things - burn the Everfree Forest to the ground.

Nothing could have prepared her for the magnitude of work that actually went in this though, and as she were shown in, her jaw nearly fell the the floor.

Conveyor belts ran with precious gems of some kind back and forth towards a destination currently unknown to her, but she honestly didn't care enough about some silly rocks like that right now either.

What really caught her eyes was all the technology. Pistons, gears, levers, working automation, the sound of metallic parts working in harmony, just... All of it filled her with wonder. This was on a way more advanced stage that she had thought she'd find here in the quarry, and currently, it left her awestruck.

A small, nagging sensation in the back of her mind felt like it were trying to push something forth. A memory perhaps, though the sensation was fleeting. Whatever had been scratching her brain hadn't found any footing.

"This is..."

She walked a few, cautious steps forward, almost as if she were afraid that this was all just an illusion, and going too close would cause it to flicker into nothingness.

"...Amazing!"

Sadly, the moment passed, and she hyped herself up to a level that made her previous mood seem mellow and tired.

She jumped into the place and frantically ran around the place, inspecting all as safely as you could expect from a foal with the kind of crazed look that had gone over her eyes. Meaning that she pretty would attempt to poke to everything and glare intently at any kind of machinery whilst her muzzle went full speed with mainly half-finished sentences about how this likely worked, the parts interacting, potential in the gears for things she didn't overly specify, but seemed to be on another level than bombs, and small utterances of glee.

It might seem like semi-crazy gibberish, but it was just that Blitz's mind worked faster than her muzzle when she saw things like this, and the increased flood of thoughts, ideas and future experiments that flooded her mind, caused her energy to spike. Something which in turn, made her seem a bit unhinged.

It also made her particularly hard to catch, so Silver might have a problem if she didn't manage to calm Blitz down somehow, or lure her closer.

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@Randimaxis

As they went on their way, Low's eyes took careful attention to his surroundings.  When they approached the gruff forestallion, the unicorn noble nearly recoiled at his dialect.  It was so...rough.  Crude, even.  It was as if he was mumbling his entire sentence and even though he could understand the gist, there were still a few nuances that left him trying to fill in the blanks.  What did this pony have against dental fricatives?  Or verbs?  Or really just grammar in general?

In spite of this, Low pressed on and tried to give him a smile, even if it was a bit awkward and forced.  Was this more than just a lack of education?  Was this a different dialect, albeit bastardized, of standard Equestrian?  If so, would the other pony understand him if he opened his mouth?  There was only one way to find out.

"It's a-a pleasure to make y-your acquaintance," he stammered, nodding at Chuck.  The next minute was a blur while Low tried to keep up with the others, fuses in his brain shorting out as he tried to translate what was just said into a workable sentence.  For a pony who could easily switch between Standard Equestrian and the Stalliongradskii regional dialect, he sure was having a HECK of a time with this one.

Suddenly finding himself being addressed, the unicorn's eyes went wide and he began stammering and blubbering.  Okay, okay, uhh...fer...could be for, but who in their right mind could possibly be so uneducated as to think the ō could ever make an ə sound?

"Erm...uh...yes," Low began, a bead of sweat rolling down the side of his face.

 

------------------------------------

 

Carnelian nodded in approval of the sights.  Quite hospital, this place was.  Certainly an excellent place to host a soiree, should she be able to get the attention of enough ponies.

"Your hospitality knows no bounds," she commented, looking around the rooms.  "I will only have the best room in your manor...unless it happens to be occupied."  The mare gave her a knowing glance.  It was only common sense that the proprietor should claim the very best for herself.

"In the mean time, I would most certainly wish to dine with you and your family.  My ward will also be in attendance.  It will be an excellent opportunity for us to get to know each other in a more intimate setting.  I hope this is doable on such short notice?"

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Mentis Soliloquy

Taps glowered at Scarlet for a moment... then simply closed her eyes, sighed, tapped a hoof on the midnight invitation, then stood up and put her pad away.

She headed for the door, looking a tad miffed... then stopped short.  Turning back, she now had a kinder, more patient light in her eyes - mismatched as they were - and she pulled her pad out yet again.  After only a moment's scribble on it, she showed it to the cook once more.

[Things will be a bit clearer when you meet me tonight; hopefully, you'll at least allow an explanation before you simply go off and tell all of Equestria.  I think, after what happened back at the flood, you owe me THAT much.]

With that, she stowed away the pad once more, and with a slight wave, went out the door, closing it carefully behind her.

Now Scarlet was simply sitting in the kitchen alone.

 

 

 

@cwhip9

"Oh... well, I guess we don't want to meet Redd... he sounds pretty bad.  But Chuck sounds okay... though i really don't want to get him upset.  i g-guess I'll find out on my own... but you'll help out, I hope."

She looked down and gulped oh-so-cutely, then looked back up at Cress.

"Mister Blackwater sounds like he's probably quite a busy stallion; I wouldn't want to d-d-disturb him... unless, of course, you... you think it's o-okay?  I mean, yes, I want... I NEED a job here, but are you sure there won't be any problems, just going to see him at any time?  Would he accept me?  Is he used to having workers come speak to him like that?"

She continued to follow, taking note of Ziggy's shack, Shed Row, and the Blackwater Vault down at the far end.  Quizzically, she looked to her fellow bat-pony.

"W-what's that boulder doing down there?  Is it some sort of monument, or is it just a part of the mountain?"

 

 

 

7 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"This is... Amazing!"

Silver gave a sweet laugh, watching Blitz going all over the place and taking in every little gear the refinery had to offer.

"It's GREAT, isn't it?  I sometimes get just as overwhelmed as I'll bet you feel right now!  I mean... there's nothing else like it in all of Equestria, I'm fairly certain!  And this stuff is actually a few hundred years old, minus the parts that needed replacing, of course.  But still - to think that there was genius like this SO LONG AGO!  well, it makes my tail twirl!"

She made her way towards the end of the line of tubes, to one that had a big number [6] on the side.

"This is Hopper #6 - and it's kinda cantankerous, to be honest.  I have to make sure to vent it every single day... or else the pressure builds up in a soft spot beneath it... and when it builds up TOO much... KA-BLOOEY!  It shoots straight up into the sky!  I've only known it to do that once... and that's why we have to make SURE it gets vented properly; the damage it did to the refinery was massive, and it took months to set it right again."

She made her way around to a panel at the rear, and slid it open with long-practiced precision.

"Now, normally I do this alone, but... well, if you'd like, you can be my helper in this.  All you have to do is simple; there's a valve about three feet behind the big red pipe in the center.  Now, DON'T TOUCH THAT RED PIPE - it's VERY hot - but the valve is in a place that won't burn your hooves, so don't worry.  Now, once there, turn it clockwise s-l-o-w-l-y, and you should hear steam hissing out above you.  Make sure to hold the valve, as it can close itself up.  Once it vents, turn the valve back the way it was to start with, and climb back out - from there, I can show you how to reactivate it.  Simple as pie!"

She gave a thoughtful look.  "Well, not to imply that making pie is simple, but more like how it's easy to eat a pie... I think..."

Shrugging, she returned her gaze to Blitz.  "Once that's done, I'll show you the main engine - it's a real DOOZY!"

Silver seemed almost as enthusiastic about showing it off as Blitz was to simply see it!

 

 

@Hazard Time

Chuck gave Key a bit of a look, as if he was trying to decide if the princeling was slow-witted or something... but shrugged after a moment.

"Arrite... so, Daxie - what's dis guy s'posed ta be here witchoo about, hanh?  He don't seem like he's upfer any rock-kickin'-" a chuckle from Chuck at that, "so's I figger he's gotta be here fer somethin' else.  Any cloozta dat?"

Dax looked at Chuck and grinned.  "Well, he's here because his guardian is currently visiting with Mother..."

Chuck scoffed and gave a short bark of a laugh.  "Oh, yeah?  So's we're talkin' tooah deb-yew-taunt, izzat so?  Well ain't DAT a t'ing ta wonder 'bout?"  

He leaned in towards Key a bit more, and the little fellow could smell the scent of dust, soil and sweat on the forepony.  "Lemme give yaz some advice on DAT one; Miz Vylia?  She ain't NOMARE ta get peeved atcha - so's yew bettah mind yer words an' such - 'cuz she's got herse'f a TEMPAH, dat one does."

Dax gave a slight blush and sigh.  "Well... Mother DOES have a nasty temper, yeah.  Chuck's right - though I'm pretty sure you're well-raised enough to get by without making her mad.  Just flatter her - she LOVES that!"

They reached the end of Shed Row, and there were large twin doors set directly into the side of the boulder itself.  they were ornately carved, and had a lovely scrimshaw that appealed to the eye.  Still, pretty of not, they looked HEAVY.

Reaching the front, the most obvious thing to notice was that there were no handles, doorknobs OR keyholes anywhere to be seen; there was a square plate where a keyhole would possibly be, but it seemed fused to the rock itself.  Where would a key even go?

Yet Chuck didn't seem fazed in the least.  he reached into his inner vest pocket and produced a key... or... what LOOKED like a key... sort of...

The key almost resembled one of those old-time simple keys - yet it was, for all looks, made of smoke.  It truly looked as though somepony had carved a key out of nothing more than mist, though it was as solid as could be.  Staring long enough, one could even look right THROUGH it!  It almost seemed as though it were something a pegasus would make out of cloud... yet, there it was, solid as ever in Chuck's grip.  As he brought it to the square plate, the key simply sank into the plate as if it were a ghost!

With a slight turn, there was a soft hum, then a quick little pop of light from the doors themselves... then, the left one simply opened of its' own accord.

Chuck looked at them both.  "Youze two don' geddin' no trubble here, y'got dat?  Long az yaz keep y'self from doin' nuttin' wit' da stuff in dere, it'll be arrite ta gedda grand toura da place.  An' Daxie here knows it inside an' out!"

Dax grinned and nodded.  "Thanks, Chuck!"

The forepony nodded and waved as he walked off, headed back to the mineshaft to do his duty.

Dax turned to Key.  "So... you ready?"

 

 

1 hour ago, Hazard Time said:

"I will only have the best room in your manor...unless it happens to be occupied."

Vylia smirked.  "Well, I'll be happy to give you the best we have available... but the most SECURE bedroom in the manor belongs to myself and Luther; I do hope you understand, dearie.  But I promise, yours is the best in SHOW, for certain!"

She turned to a passing maid and leaned in, a look of fear crossing the maid's muzzle as Vylia spoke low and gruff.

"Get the Victoria Suite ready for my guest - NOW."

The maid bowed, then quickly hightailed to the end of the hallway - no dust settled on any of the Blackwater servants, that was for sure!  That done, she turned back to Carnelian with a wide smile.

1 hour ago, Hazard Time said:

"In the mean time, I would most certainly wish to dine with you and your family.  My ward will also be in attendance.  It will be an excellent opportunity for us to get to know each other in a more intimate setting.  I hope this is doable on such short notice?"

Vylia's sparkling laugh returned.  "Why, of course!  In fact, why don't we..."

She stopped short for a moment, then actually gave a bit of an embarrassed grin.  "I may have to warn you, dearie - I'm afraid our family is a bit, erm... unconventional when it comes to meals.  I'll gather them, oh yes - but DO understand that I'm certain you'll want an explanation for why Dinner occurs as it does."

With that cryptic statement, she began to lead her guest downstairs.  Another maid, cleaning a obnoxiously colorful tapestry on the first floor, looked up and instantly stood, seeing that Vylia was intent on her.  The Blackwater matron leaned in and spoke calmly.

"Gather my family; it is time for Dinner, and I'll not wait long for their arrival."

Nodding, the maid scampered off, presumably to round up the rest of the Blackwaters.  Vylia then started down a side hall.

"This way, dearie - and please, tell me - what sort of cuisine would you prefer tonight?"

 

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Randimaxis

Blitz barely listened to anything until she heard Silver make an explosion sound. Prior to that, she were far too busy running between of of these, soaking in the ways they seemed to work and run through schematics in her head over what she could use this for. Her wings were one of them, as the moving parts here seemed like they had some good points in moveable parts, though more than anything, it went to thoughts on how to use natural resources somewhat like this too.

It wasn't certain if she could use the stream near her home to do anything with this, as the water for this may or may not need some actual power for that, but she weren't too far from a minor waterfall either, so perhaps if she applied some of t the basics here too she could do something? She'd need metal of course, and a whole lot of it. Then find some way to make sure it didn't rust. Perhaps she could make a coating of sorts with some of the things in her workshop? She had done weirder things than that.

Then along came of course thoughts on more delicate things that could also work from gears, intricate parts, and the seemingly perfectly looped way this whole machine worked. Perhaps if she could minimize it to a smaller cube size and run some sort of self-sustained force powered by the initial water stream, she could make a power supply of some kind? Too heavy to use with her wings, but if she could make something smaller once, it could happen again somehow and then it was just doing it until finally it would fit the wings, or something else perhaps. Electricity were going to be useful for more things than her mind could wrap around just yet, no matter how much it sped on.

"KABOOM! Not here though. Dangerdangerdanger! Water boiling, ponies boiling, all bad, no fun, check, repair, sustain!"

The erratic filly ran over to Silver and stopped momentarily in front of her, thought it was clear to see on her that she were twitching to move around again and spend some energy whilst her brain ran amok.

"No red, turn valve, hold til it sssssssteams! Then put everything back and make a run for it Forest!"

Silver wouldn't have a chance to respond before Blitz ran off again, and made her way over to the valve she were supposed to grab a hold off.

She narrowly missed the hot pipe, which - considering she literally had gunpowder in her coat - were likely a pretty good thing, or this could have ended up pretty ugly. She did circle it a few times and felt the heat radiate from it. She'd poke to it with a stick if she had any right now, but since she didn't, and didn't see any other loose metal parts around her, she let it be after the third time around where she waved her hoof towards it.

Getting to the one she were supposed to work with, she froze in place and looked at the valve with an increasing giggle-to-cackle radiating from her muzzle, before she grabbed hold and started to pull it. If she had been a bigger pony, that warning about this having to be done slowly would have meant just about nothing, but since she were a filly - and a physically weak one at that - this should hopefully amount to the force asked for.

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@Randimaxis

Oh thank both the Sun and Moon princesses, Dax was picking up the slack.  For a second there, he was worried that he would have to carry on a conversa-

Low flinched as Chuck leaned in close, his muzzle scrunching up.  By the solar winds, when was the last time he bathed?!  Could he not afford it, or was Miss Carnelian right that common ponies simply couldn't understand the complex benefits of good hygiene?

The unicorn could only nod in accordance to...whatever it was the forestallion had just said.  Something about Vylia, possibly a warning, judging by his tone of voice.  She did seem nice, but so too did Miss Carnelian.  He had once made the mistake of angering her on a stressful day, and the tongue lashing he had received left him in tears.  If Vylia was capable of just half of what his lady could do to him, then there was simply no way he would be able to withstand her righteous fury.

Low watched in silent awe as the magical key was procured and used.  That was a very peculiar magical lock, one that he had not seen before.  Carnelian had similar things, though for her most sensitive items, she never trusted items that she could lose.  They were always special passwords that asked a peculiarly worded riddle that only she knew the references to.  She had let him try once, but the riddle made absolutely no sense and seemed more like an absurdist work of prose.  To this day, he still sometimes found himself asking what a "criminally turpid koi" could possibly be a reference to.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Low responded, his eyes looking to Dax before peering into the darkness before him.  "I must admit that it's been a while since I've been somewhere so...creepy."

----------

If nothing else, Carnelian was impressed by the tight ship the mare ran.  Sombra would probably have been impressed as well.  She thought of saying something, but she decided not to.  Whatever wasn't broken in the first place didn't require a hammer to fix it, after all.  In either case, Carnelian preferred a less direct method of intimidation.  So long as her staff did what they were told, she treated them with kindness and dignity.  Step out of line, however, and the serpent bore its true fangs.  She didn't have to do it often for the message to get around to the rest of her staff.

"You have most definitely piqued my curiosity," she responded.  "I do detest surprises, however, so please, tell me all about this...would it be fair to call it a dysfunction, or is it more of a ritual?  In either case, I feel a hunger for something exotic.  Perhaps Saddle Arabian or Zebrican, it has been a while since I visited the Far East."

Edited August 29, 2017 by Hazard Time

[cwhip9 1,078]

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 0:44 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Mister Blackwater sounds like he's probably quite a busy stallion; I wouldn't want to d-d-disturb him... unless, of course, you... you think it's o-okay?  I mean, yes, I want... I NEED a job here, but are you sure there won't be any problems, just going to see him at any time?  Would he accept me?  Is he used to having workers come speak to him like that?"

"well technically im on time off right now, trotting up and saying 'hey meet the new bat boss' might be a bit forward but it will get your hoof in the door. Maybe we can run into dax perhaps soon. always one for a good laugh of maybe the every shy one whos name I keep forgetting before hoof. " cresent agreed seeing her cuteness would get a blush out of him she probably caught. "but trust me having a bat to train to be a guied here will be fun"

On ‎8‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 0:44 AM, Randimaxis said:

"W-what's that boulder doing down there?  Is it some sort of monument, or is it just a part of the mountain?"

"well originally part of the mountain but how it go here was a freak mudslide, dosent happen often but it happened yesterday which was, one hey of a day" the batpony said surprised he forgot about the whole incident from yesterday. "Place is still getting repaired but not as bad as it could have been thankfully we had every pony who could help in the right place" he said still looking at the rock. Then looking at the cute mare he said "but trust me starting a mudslide not the best thing to do at a mine" he joke   

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 8/24/2017 at 3:08 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Getting to the one she were supposed to work with, she froze in place and looked at the valve with an increasing giggle-to-cackle radiating from her muzzle, before she grabbed hold and started to pull it.

A thin stream of hyper-hot steam shot out of the pipe, roughly three feet above where Blitz stood, making a high-pitched squealed that almost rivaled the quarry's steam whistle.  It didn't last long, though - the whistle petered out into a simple sigh of escaping steam, signaling that it had been successfully done.

Silver poked her head into the hatch.  "That's it!  Simple enough, right?  Now, if you come back out here, I'll show you the gem hoppers - we have to check their balance, which means checking the generator and belts... oh, and we may have to change out the Fire Opal if it's gotten too weak.  You wouldn't be up for seeing a combustion furnace in action, would you?"

Silver felt fairly certain Blitz wouldn't mind such a detour - in fact, she was overjoyed that somepony was taking an interest in her job... besides herself, that is.

 

 

Ziggy's hug gave Beck reason to pause; here he was in the embrace of what was undoubtedly one of the prettiest and most exotic mares he'd seen in a long, long time... and she most certainly seemed to enjoy his company, unlike many of the mares who he'd met while he was a criminal.  Usually, Pic-... uh, "Call" was the one who had skill with the fillies - Beck was always better as the Quiet One.

Now, however, he found himself blushing just a bit as the Doctor released her hug and went back to cleaning.  He looked down at her and thought, either my hoof was a LOT dirtier than I thought... or she's taking her time on purpose.  Beck simply sat back and allowed her to continue.

"It's kinda cool to learn that Mrs. Blackwater is that informed about things. Never thought she'd be that sort, or the kind who would willingly take in a couple of renowned thieves and give them a chance. Sounds much nicer than what the quarry workers normally says about her."

Beck gave a snort.  "Oh, Madam Vylia knows FAR more than she lets on - she has an extensive network of ponies, griffons, buffalo and even a yak or two who all tell her whatever she asks about.  I have no idea HOW she cultivated such a work, but she's been using it since Day One of her presence at the quarry.  It's part of the reason why the Blackwaters aren't singled out and rudely targeted by socialites; the wrong sentence crosses Madam Vylia's super-sensitive ears, and within a week she'll know almost every single one of your darkest secrets.  As it is, she's in the immediate habit of finding out as much as she can on ANYPONY who comes into the quarry grounds."

Beck looked out the window at the Blackwater Manor, sitting above the quarry proper.

"She has my brother and I dead-to-rights... and she knows ALL about the foreponies... she knows about Silver's family... and she's well aware of every single miner and employee here.  Lately, she's been muttering something about 'family issues'; my thought is that it has something to do with one of our newer hires, but she never really SAYS who these things are about... until the moment comes to reveal her hoof, that is."

Beck's eyes wandered from the window to settle on Ziggy again.

"I'm curious though, who were you? Quick or Draw? I'm guessing... The later? Seems more natural to have you named second twice over for convenience and stuff. Oh! And do you think there is anypony out there looking for the old yous? "

Beck grimaced, then shut his eyes as he responded.

"I was Lock Jaw - not 'Draw'; I was the muscle and the lookout.  The Pilfered Purse probably isn't the same without us, I'll give you that much; that was the name of the Thieves' Guild we were a part of.  As far as that lot goes, I don't think we have anything to fear from them... we all got along swimmingly.  But the one who hired us to do the job... well, that's a different matter entirely."

Beck grew a look of restlessness and paranoia as he continued.  "The hiring was fairly generic, except for the idea that I felt like we were walking into the Badlands on this one; it was an individual who didn't introduce themselves, but our other friends in the Pilfered Purse told us that it was VITAL that we succeed, because the client did NOT take well to failure.  That... that was the last time we ever even spoke to our contacts - I honestly feel as though we've been rightfully considered to be dead, but... well, we haven't done ANYTHING outside this quarry that didn't involve the Blackwaters.  And frankly, we're afraid to."

 

 

On 8/29/2017 at 0:31 AM, Hazard Time said:

"I must admit that it's been a while since I've been somewhere so...creepy."

Dax smiled.  "It's only creepy because the lights are off - watch this!"

The Blackwater stallion ran a hoof across the wall near the door, and there was a sound like wind chimes tinkling... then, slowly, crystals in wall sconces began to glow, shedding light on the interior as a whole... and WHAT A WHOLE!

The entire boulder had been hollowed out, and within was now what appeared to be an open atrium surrounded by scaffolding, catwalks and shelves upon shelves of chests, sacks, jars and other various containers.  It was an open atrium, and even from right at the door, one felt as though they were walking into pure royal regality instead of a vault.  There was a massive green pillar that seemed to be holding up the ceiling right in the dead center of the vault, and all around were signs of opulence that put anything Key had seen inside the manor to shame.

Each level had lights, and there were areas that had different colored lights as well - which Dax explained with gusto.

"TA-DAAAAAH!  Welcome to The Blackwater Vault!  The ONLY vault in all of Equestria fashioned from a single, solid piece of rock - which means the doors are the only feasible way in AND out of it, so there's no way to infiltrate it without going through the Ghost Lock and the singe spells."  Dax pointed to the floor, where there were a number of carefully carved runes arranged around the doorway's entrance.

"If you'd have gotten in here without permission, you'd be a crispy critter right now!  But the spells are specifically attuned to my family, so the only way to guarantee you'll get through unscathed is if you're with one of us - or have one of Father's Vault Passes.  Now, each section's colors are specific areas..."

He pointed to each area as he spoke, leaning in closely to make sure Key could see where he was pointing without mistake.

"The GREEN area is where we keep our most valuable emeralds, of course... the BLUE section is where the little magical trinkets the Blackwaters have picked up over the years reside... then, the YELLOW area is where we keep important papers and documents, like the original deed to the quarry land... and the PINK area is where Mother keeps her own personal collection of clothing and jewelry - so THAT'S dull... and the RED area is... well, that's OFF-LIMITS.  Father says there's dangerous stuff in there - and except for one or two instances where I... *ahem* couldn't resist..."  Dax blushed.  "...  I've stayed out of there."

He then smiled broadly and pointed at the green pillar.  "And, as promised... The Blackwater Emerald!"

Upon closer examination, the huge pillar that was seemingly holding up the ceiling was, in fact, pure emerald!  It was all one massive piece - there wasn't a single separation to be seen - and it was well over four stories tall!  It was covered, from top to bottom, with all sorts of runes and scrimshaw carved directly into the stone itself - it looked like a huge work of art, and HAD to be worth a ridiculous amount of bits.

Dax's barrel swelled with pride.  "... and I found it!"

 

 

On 8/29/2017 at 0:31 AM, Hazard Time said:

"I do detest surprises, however, so please, tell me all about this...would it be fair to call it a dysfunction, or is it more of a ritual?  In either case, I feel a hunger for something exotic.  Perhaps Saddle Arabian or Zebrican, it has been a while since I visited the Far East."

Vylia laughed her sparkling laugh, then gave a slight blush as she explained.

"Saddle Arabian might be beyond our ability... oh, but there are some absolutely WONDERFUL Zebrican recipes that would be no trouble at all... because, eh... well..."

She gave a quick sigh, as if steeling herself for disapproval, then turned to face her guest.

"... because I shall be making your Dinner, dearie.  Yes, yes - we have a number of servants, and many of them are rather qualified to make a fantastic meal, but... well, my own family has always prided themselves on being self-sufficient, and as a result, I have always made my own meals.  In fact, Luther follows suit as well, and even the children are versed in making themselves food.  Which is why I say it's a bit unconventional - we have MORE than enough bits to hire others to do so FOR us... but, in the spirit of maintaining independence, I would rather prefer to SEE what I'm about to INGEST, instead of leaving those choices to anyone else - regardless of their ability.  Plus, I certainly have to admit that there are NO possibilities for any shenanigans or other, possibly more insidious food issues."

She then smiled broadly.  "Besides, it's best to keep one's abilities up to snuff - as you can never be sure when you'll find yourself in a situation that calls for something that cannot be done by proxy, so to speak.  Mind you, NOT that we make EVERYTHING here ourselves... but meals are always 'self-serve' - exceptions for any company we may have notwithstanding."

Vylia gave a smile as she trotted along towards the kitchen.  "I hope you don't see it as... well, 'less than worthy' of us, I suppose?  After all, I DO enjoy my own cooking, and I'm certain YOU shall, as well!  There's at least two different possibilities already ruminating - and I certainly cannot wait for you to taste my culinary talent!"

 

 

On 8/29/2017 at 1:20 AM, cwhip9 said:

"But trust me, starting a mudslide not the best thing to do at a mine."

Echo shook her head, agreeing with Crescent as they walked along.

She kept looking about, her eyes wandering all over the place until they came to rest at the entrance to the Blackwater Mine... then, she blanched a bit and gulped.

"Th-th-the mine... it looks b-b-big.  Like it might be the kind of p-place that could... c-c-could be... really d-d-d-d-dangerous."

She moved a bit closer to Cress, and leaned in closer to him as she kept looking at the forebodingly dark cavern.  It was obvious she was afraid, but there seemed to be some other sort of hesitation in her.  Crescent couldn't put a hoof on it, but there was something about Echo that seemed as if she were scared to be here... and it didn't seem to be limited to the mine, either.

She almost seemed as if she was afraid that somepony would draw back and strike her at any moment - she even flinched from workers who passed by too closely.  It was as if she thought she'd done something wrong, and was waiting for retribution in some manner or such.

Regardless, she continued to walk with Cress as he spoke about the quarry until she looked up and saw how dark it was getting.

"Uhm, C-C-Crescent?  I... I..."

She suddenly took in a rush of air with a loud gasp, and spilled it out all at once.

"... Iseethatit'sgettingdarkandIdon'twanttosleepinacraggycaveagainohpleasepleasePLEASEtellmethatImightbeabletoresthereatthequarrypleaseforjustawhile?"

She slapped her hooves over her mouth, and here eyes widened at the stream of words that had blasted from her.  Keeping her mouth covered, her eyes locked on Cress as she spoke, muffled.  "Uhm... if there's room, that is?"

[cwhip9 1,078]

On ‎8‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 5:09 PM, Randimaxis said:

She slapped her hooves over her mouth, and here eyes widened at the stream of words that had blasted from her.  Keeping her mouth covered, her eyes locked on Cress as she spoke, muffled.  "Uhm... if there's room, that is?"

Cresent was surprised seeing her action as it got darker and clung closer to him like one would a pulshi on a cold night. It did feel off, and a familiar look he'd seen on himself too long ago before the mine became part of his life. Either somepony was out for her or something to get this much of a reaction to the dark, and how she lock eyes with him they seemed to tell more then what was being said. He draped a wing around her comfort trying to calm her more as they trotted onward around the mine  

"I stay in a shed here in the mine you can sleep their tonight echo don't worry your safe, ok?" he said He looked back at the cave.

"come on ill show you where Im at" he said soon guiding her to his hut. It wasn't fancy nore was it cheap as Echo would notice right away. With a fridge in the corner near the restroom. A hammock, with a blanket and a pillow ,a table with a chair near along with enough room for about 3 avrige sized ponys to be in comfy like and a decent rug in the medium sized cabin as well, it wasn't fancy but one could almost call it a home office complete with a small radio on a small book shelf.

"with how often I work here getting this took a bit of time but it helps going back and forth between my place and here" The batpony said. cheeringly going to the closet getting to the fridge "its not much but it get the job done what you want for dinner I have left over pasta and  some milk and juice" he said "no cider though id prefer to get drunk off work grounds" he chuckled trying to relax the mare more. He looked back at echo for her answer.

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Randimaxis

Blitz seemed torn on what to do until the words *combustion engine* came around. Sure, she had perked her ears when fire opals had come around into the conversation too, but combustion engine? That one was going to lure her in like a moth to a flame, though Silver likely already knew that. She seemed to have a knack for knowing what to say to get Blitz's attention in her inventor haze to a point were it seemed deliberate, though Blitz didn't notice it at all. Everything she cared for had been in those two, beautiful words from before.

"Combustion engine? I wanna see!"

Blitz almost got through the pipes without issues until her eagerness got the better of her and she sped up to head for the exit. You wouldn't think this much of an issue, but unfortunately, once Blitz had momentum, she needed some space to stop, so when it came to the door she sped out... And slid across the ground for a half meter, headfirst into a bucket that made her loose her balance and caused her to tumble for a little further before finally stopping.

The items that had been in her bag were scattered all around her currently. What seemed like small firecrackers, pellets, pipes of some kind and a half-large round one with a clown face painted unto it, made for the bulk of things. Most of the fireworks things here looked home made, as it were wrapped in some kind of bark rather than the usual cardboard, but that shouldn't be a surprise really, as the filly had been open about making things like that.

What might be a bit more perplexing were the two items that were not fireworks. Namely, what seemed like a metallic pine cone all closed up, and a small, wooden box with a button on top of it. Blitz might have explained what these things were normally, but unfortunately, she didn't really see any of this as her head were stuck in the bucket, and she didn't seem like she were able to pull it off on her own.

Hopefully the water that had been in the bucket and was currently washing down the sides of her head had been clean too.

Meanwhile, Ziggy giggled a little after being corrected on the usage of Beck's former name.

"Sorry, sorry, I must've heard wrong, thought it was Draw for some reason.

But Ja- I mean, Beck, are you sure that it really is dangerous outside for you and your brother? I mean, you sound like you're being taken well care of here, but isn't it kinda sad to be sort of locked up in the quarry, when there's a whole world out there? No matter how good life is going to be in here, there's all sorts of things you can do out there. Travel, studying, socializing with ponies not covered in minedust, and all kinds of other things.

Honestly, I thought you'd know. I mean, you just told how vast Mrs. Blackwater's web of creatures and info-stuffs are. I figured she might've found something out about it and known if anypony actually were looking for you then, right? Seems like it anyway, if she can scrounge up dirt on everypony else like a devious comic book character, but I guess everypony haves their limits. Oh well.

Its not because I'm not trying to make you leave the quarry or anything, but say - and this is just a really hypothetical thought - that a mare wanted to drag you out of the quarry and have a fun evening with you, it'd be nice knowing there wasn't a danger to you and m- I mean, whoever that might be that I totally don't know and is purely hypothetical. Hypothetically that is."

Phew, totally saved that one on the finish line, no doubt about that. Perhaps she should let him go before he might accidentally get suspicious about her masterful ruse though? His hoof had been clean enough for like, ten minutes anyway, and much longer than this and he might get suspicious about her trying to keep him here. A silly thought of course, since he shouldn't be able to deduce that from her ingenious ways, but better safe than sorry, right?

So she wrapped up, used a bit of disinfectant on the wound, and wrapped up his hoof in a new layer of gauze.

"Alright, clean and healthy now. Few more days like this, and you'll be back to being really easy to confuse with your brother.

Oh right, I totally forgot! Remember the potion you two wanted me to work on? I managed to find some Goldneedle flying around yesterday, so you can scratch that from the list. How's said list going by the way? Do I need to get the cauldron up and running soon?"

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@Randimaxis

Was there a word to describe just how beautiful the inside of the vault was?  To be fair, Low had been in very expensive show rooms before, though Miss Carnelian had never allowed him into her family's private vault.  What lay behind that thick, magically warded, hermetically sealed, mythril doorway was as much a mystery to him as it was to any other.  He could not even begin to imagine what she's hiding in there.  Whatever Miss Carnelian possessed, if the Blackwater Vault contained even half as many beautiful wonders, then surely his eyes would be burned from his sockets if he were to so much as glance at the Koroundio family hoard.

"Wow..." his muttered, absolutely dumbstruck as he lightly tread upon this hallowed ground.  The most valuable Blackwater heirlooms, all in one room, all within touching distance of him!  NO, don't touch them!  What if he slipped and damaged them?  He could never forgive himself for damaging such beauty.  Tears welled in his eyes, though he tried blinking them back to avoid embarrassing himself in front of his host.

"Y-you found it?" Low gasped.  His eyes went from Dax to the emerald, his eyes wide with awe.  "It's...it's beautiful!  How did you find it?"

-----------------------------

Carnelian chuckled mirthfully, shaking her head.  This poor child...my, my, did she have a long way to go.  "I do not doubt your cooking ability for a second, but surely, you must promise me that you will never do this when you are host to other blue-blooded guests.  I can understand your mindset, but an important unspoken rule about being an aristocrat, Miss Vylia, is that we never get our hooves dirty.  Any other pony would find your pragmatism enduring, but appearances, my dear, are everything to a noble.  To be seen cooking a meal, whether it be for yourself or another, is to lower yourself to the level of your servants, and if you want the aristocracy to respect you, then you must put your power on display.  We care less for what you can do than for how many servants you have at your disposal to do it for you.

"However, don't consider this a denial from me.  After all, you have been nothing but a wonderful hostess thus far, and far be it from me to deny a gift so graciously given.  I would be honored to dine with you and the rest of your family as a token of our new friendship."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 9/1/2017 at 8:36 PM, cwhip9 said:

"I stay in a shed here in the mine you can sleep their tonight echo don't worry your safe, ok?"

The bat-mare blushed prettily, but only nodded - she seemed a bit overwhelmed by all that was going on around her, and was taken a bit aback at Crescent's kind offer.  She followed along, her eyes never wandering far from the guide as he brought her to Shed Row, and then to his own modest domicile. 

On 9/1/2017 at 8:36 PM, cwhip9 said:

"With how often I work here, getting this took a bit of time but it helps going back and forth between my place and here.  It's not much, but it gets the job done... what you want for dinner?  I have left over pasta and some milk and juice - no cider though; I'd prefer to get drunk off work grounds."

Echo looked the place over - and seemed to be almost in awe of the place.

"This... this is a-all YOURS?  I mean, I believe you, but... well, I've... i-it's just..."

Her eyes suddenly got watery, and she looked to Cress as she spoke, tears in her voice.

"... h-h-have you ever been forced to live a certain way, but saw so much potential for something more?  Like... like there was something more out there, where you didn't have to... t-to..."

She looked down for a moment, wiped her muzzle, then looked up with a bit more of a smile than a frown.  "Sorry, it's... I-I-I still have to get used to being treated so... s-so nicely... sorry.  Your place is SO nice - if I work here l-long enough, can I have a shed, too?"

 

 

On 9/5/2017 at 6:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Oh right, I totally forgot! Remember the potion you two wanted me to work on? I managed to find some Goldneedle flying around yesterday, so you can scratch that from the list. How's said list going by the way? Do I need to get the cauldron up and running soon?"

On 9/5/2017 at 6:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

But Ja- I mean, Beck, are you sure that it really is dangerous outside for you and your brother? I mean, you sound like you're being taken well care of here, but isn't it kinda sad to be sort of locked up in the quarry, when there's a whole world out there? No matter how good life is going to be in here, there's all sorts of things you can do out there. Travel, studying, socializing with ponies not covered in minedust, and all kinds of other things.

The butler pony gave a soft snort.  "How well I remember... but honestly?  I'm not entirely certain we ARE being hunted - after all, Madam Vylia is the one who made the arrangements for us to stay, so I would think that our identities are not in jeopardy... but still, how can I risk it?  My brother is all I have, and vice-versa; should either of us put the other at risk, merely for the sake of 'getting out a bit'?  Not that I wouldn't mind such, but..."

He sighed heavily.  "... what would be the point in it?  Our old lives are no more, and our new ones don't seem to have much NEED to go elsewhere."

On 9/5/2017 at 6:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

Its not because I'm not trying to make you leave the quarry or anything, but say - and this is just a really hypothetical thought - that a mare wanted to drag you out of the quarry and have a fun evening with you, it'd be nice knowing there wasn't a danger to you and m- I mean, whoever that might be that I totally don't know and is purely hypothetical. Hypothetically that is."

Beck looked at Ziggy for a long moment, mentally trying to figure out what she'd just implied.

"... well..." he began slowly, as if he were piecing it together as he spoke, "... I... suppose that would be... quite an opportunity... one would guess... I mean, I've never actually BEEN anywhere with a mare - at least, not since my brother and I left our parents many moons ago... but, I suppose... HYPOTHETICALLY speaking, of course... that such a thing wouldn't be IMpossible..." 

"In fact, I rather like the idea; such an outing could not only be cathartic for my nerves, but would certainly be nice to be able to spend time with a mare who WASN'T bossy and demanding.  A mare who could be quite wonderful to get to know better.  A mare who might even be approachable by one such as myself.  A mare whom I could definitely see myself spending much of my free time with."

He smiled with a small glimmer in his eye.  "Hypothetically speaking, of course," he said with a charming smile. 

 

 

On 9/5/2017 at 6:07 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Combustion engine? I wanna see!"

Silver giggled at the minute mare's exuberance, yet gave a slight squeak of surprise as she collided with the bucket.  though it had just been water, it was far better than the bucket of tar that was kept next to the boilers - THAT would have been a disaster.  

As she made her way over to Blitz to help remove the bucket, her eyes drifted over the contents of the bag, strewn all over the floor.

"Well, you're just a little powderkeg warehouse, aren't you?  Okay, maybe not so much as a warehouse, but more like a cartful of explosions!  But hey," Silver asked, "what are these things?"

The unicorn pointed out the green egg and the wooden box; with so much else to figure out Blitz's intelligence, Silver wondered what sort of sparks or smoke THESE two things made...

 

 

On 9/7/2017 at 0:57 AM, Hazard Time said:

 "I do not doubt your cooking ability for a second, but surely, you must promise me that you will never do this when you are host to other blue-blooded guests.  I can understand your mindset, but an important unspoken rule about being an aristocrat, Miss Vylia, is that we never get our hooves dirty.  Any other pony would find your pragmatism enduring, but appearances, my dear, are everything to a noble.  To be seen cooking a meal, whether it be for yourself or another, is to lower yourself to the level of your servants, and if you want the aristocracy to respect you, then you must put your power on display.  We care less for what you can do than for how many servants you have at your disposal to do it for you.

Vylia's tinkling laughter seemed to match Carnelian's own.

"Do you think me MAD?  Of course, when it comes to something more respectable, the help are going to be the ones over the stove!  I'd have FAR too many other responsibilities as a hostess to such a soiree... plus, I swear, it almost seems as if ANY form of independence is seen as pedestrian and droll.  Far be it for ME to prove to them that I don't need servants - let them think I'm just as helpless as many of them are.  We're of a different breed, dearie - you and I represent those of stature who can SURVIVE and THRIVE, where even the loftiest fall."

She smiled smugly.  "Of course, as we are who we are, it should be no surprise."

The kitchen was done up in stonework, and had a very warm feel to it.  There was a large, flat steel grill, with a number of cooking implements in fair reach - perfect for whomever might cook on it.  A large ornate shelf held a number of fine plates, bowls and mugs - all of which were clean and ordered neatly.  There was a central island, where there was a built-in cutting board and a smooth tile surface.

In the far corner was what appeared to be a steel chest - Vylia made her way over to it and lifted its' lid; cold air and a vaporous fog seeped from it as the Blackwater matron peered inside.

"Well... we have a number of different vegetables available... OOH!  Pineapple would certainly add an interesting twist to almost any Zebrican recipe... and mayhaps I could put together a fine combination of rolls and sauce?  Then again, a casserole made of exotic cheeses and pastas might do as well, especially with a bit of spice here and there.  Or mayhaps a salad - after all, our figures may be perfect, but why tempt a flabby fate?"

She giggled at this, amusing herself at the very least.  She then started removing a number of items from the chest - many of which had what looked to be ice on them.  Moving to the stovetop, she pressed a few buttons set into the side, and a slow heat began to build.  She washed her hooves in the sink, then began to rapidly reduce the gathered vegetables to a more manageable state for cooking.

 

 

On 9/7/2017 at 0:57 AM, Hazard Time said:

 "It's...it's beautiful!  How did you find it?"

Dax's barrel swelled with pride and his smile grew about three sizes.

"I'd been sneaking into the mines to help out, as Father had forbidden me from going there... but it was SO dull around the manor, and I really wanted to help out.  So, I snuck in to help, and I did well enough that the other miners kept the secret.  We dug for a long time, until I felt a-..."

Dax pondered for a moment, then looked to Key.  "Y'know what it feels like when you have one of those 'traveling itches'?  Well, it was sorta like that, except it INSISTED that something was below us.  Came to discover I had a knack for finding emeralds - and I helped find about four deposits before my 'knack' went absolutely bonkers!  We tracked it down to where I felt the strongest pull, and then we dug."

"It was a HUGE swath of green against the farthest wall, and it was SO beautiful!  The other miners cheered for me, and even carried me out of the mine... which was where Father had been waiting to find out what the commotion was.  He heard about the emerald and was pleased... until he discovered I was there.  Then..."

Dax's face fell, and his eyes took on a haunted look.  "... that was when... when Father made me-"

"Master Daxter?"

Dax nearly jumped out of his skin as the maid mare behind them both waited patiently.  Once Dax caught his breath, she spoke again.

"Madam Vylia requests your presence at dinner - your current company in tow."

Dax took a deep breath and let it out in a relieved whoosh.  "Thank... th-thank you, Doily.  We'll be right there."

The maid turned to leave, yet spoke back at them over her flank.  "I wouldn't be late, were I you."

Dax turned to Key.  "Well, seems like supper will be at the manor tonight - which is fine, because I don't really have full meal-type foods at my campsite.  Okay, well..." he began to trot towards the vault doors, and he beckoned Key to follow.

"C'mon - Mother won't accept excuses, and I can help you figure out what you might like to eat... c'mon!"

 

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Randimaxis

Ziggy got a great big smirk on her face that almost shone with glee, though she tried to hide it. As usual though, she did so rather poorly, and unless Beck had gone blind in the last few minutes, he should be able to easily tell.

It was one of Ziggy's qualities, if you would. A forced honesty since her emotions betrayed whatever wall she might attempt to put up in front of it. She still believed she could sometimes though, which were adorable to some, but puzzled her at times when she were found out. One of the reasons why she had only been allowed to try and help with a celebration once, and it had been her sister's graduation party. The rest had agreed it was best to keep her out of the loop after that, if surprises were a factor.

She could still lie a little, to ponies who were either pretty gullible or who were interested in other things, but overall, she had to focus on other things to not be overly easy to see through. That was often were hugs came into the picture, unless it was Mr. Blackwater. Oh nononono, even she wasn't crazy enough to try that. Safer to smooch a cactus.

"Well, it sounds like a hypothetically good evening then. One can only hope that someday, a dashing mare will spirit you away for a night of merriment outside of the quarry. Or inside the quarry, if I ca- I mean, the hypothetical mare could. hypothetically!"

That one was saved right? Yeah, totally. He wouldn't guess a thing, and just keep thinking they were speaking hypothetical. She'd be able to just one day surprise him and swoop him away for a fun night... Somewhere. She really needed to see if perhaps she couldn't compromise and have the whole thing here somehow, without Mrs. Blackwater stealing him away from her. That would just ruin the entire thing.

Although, there was an issue with having this outside the quarry. Namely that she uhm... Kinda didn't know what to do in the area. She mostly used the little free time she had to fly around and explore the mountains, or sleep, as she tended to get in here early and out again late, if at all.

Sheesh, she really needed to get a social life, huh?

Well, perhaps she could ask somepony in the quarry about what there was to do in the area? But who would know that sort of thing? Crescent perhaps? Yeah, that was an option, but he had his new batmare friend to see to - she bet there were a lot of kissy faces going on with those two right now - so who else?

...Scarlet perhaps? She were pretty new, but she seemed like a nice mare. Perhaps she could go ask her? Oh, or Silver? No wait, she were with the filly, so that was out. Red Handid maybe? Lord knew what he did normally, and to be honest, he could use somepony to talk to. Yeah, he seemed like a solid plan B. Or D perhaps. Depended on how many others she could think about.

...It would be awkward to ask Call about this, wouldn't it? Sure, he'd know what his brother found fun, but still... Seemed kinda iffy. Besides, he hadn't left the quarry in ages either, so she'd likely have better luck asking Mr. Blackwater. Hah! That'd be the day right there.

Suddenly realizing she had been starring into thin air for a bit, Ziggy shook her head and got on her hooves with a slight blush on her face.

"Hehe, whoops. Sorry about that, I got a little distracted.

Anyway, your hoof is fine and sound this time, but you still need to come in for new gauze the next two days. After that, you're as sparkly and perfect as ever."

Not letting the opportunity passed, since she had bandaged his hoof already after all, she went over and pulled Beck in for a close hug. Considering her size, it'd be something like a filly carrying her teddybear from an outsider, though Ziggy didn't see Beck as a toy.

Well, she did want to drag him around and make him drink tea... in a pretty dress... but that was besides the point.

Meanwhile, with Silver's help, the bucket would finally pop off Blitz head, revealing a pretty soaked, but still happily grinning filly.

"Hehe, thank you for helping me get the bucket off. Nasty things keeps wanting to hug my head."

Thankfully, the water seemed to have cooled her down some, so there was something good to be said for this. As well as the miracle in her not having gotten hurt from the accident. Either she had some luck on her side, or some kind of guardian angel were looking down on her. Poor overworked thing if the later was true.

Being asked what a few of her things were didn't make her spike again either, but she did seem pretty happy about things regardless as she bounced over and picked up the pinecone.

"This used to be a music player that I tried to repair, but I did something wrong, so now it just emits this shockwave when I press play after rewinding it. I usually use it to scare away the wood puppies that wanna go *rawr rawr* and bite. Slams them around like they were twigs, hehe.

But Mayor Made made me promise not to use it when I could hit ponies, so I don't think I can show you right now. Oh! But I can show you this other one. I mean, it's not completed yet, but it's gonna be so cool when it is!"

Carefully putting the former musical pine cone down in her bag, she took hold in the box witht he button, then used her magic to pop the sides off instead. Beneath it were a confused mess of wires to the untrained eye, though one such as Silver would likely be able to see the meaning in the madness, as all of them were connected to something. Either the walls and going towards the lid, something underneath them that wasn't watchable, or the shards of colored glass that she had carefully placed around in here. There were a good layer of that, which almost covered the wires if you didn't look carefully, but seeing it close made the two layers easy enough to differentiate.

"It's supposed to give off this huge, pretty light show, but I can't find a way to keep it powered longer than a few seconds. I bet if I had managed to actually catch that lightning it would've worked, but nuhuh. It didn't want to play with me. I even had the socket ready for it and everything."

Blitz turned it around, took the back off, and showed the center of the wires beneath it, where something were supposed to stand in the middle. It seemed to need to be formed roughly like a small sphere, though you could see a few weird colorations where she had put in something else to see if she could make it work. From the smell of it, lemons and potentially a potato or two had been involved at some point to try and make it work for her, but as could be expected, that wasn't sustainable.

Other than that, it seemed to be pretty well crafted. The frame had likely come from some kind of drawer she had mixed with a jack in the box, and the wires from multiple sources, judging by the varying sizes. Trash by some, but materials for a scavenger like Blitz, who liked to dig around the trash of Ponyville to find herself some good parts. She had to bathe a lot to not reek too badly though, that was a bit of a minus.

[cwhip9 1,078]

On ‎9‎/‎8‎/‎2017 at 10:58 PM, Randimaxis said:

She looked down for a moment, wiped her muzzle, then looked up with a bit more of a smile than a frown.  "Sorry, it's... I-I-I still have to get used to being treated so... s-so nicely... sorry.  Your place is SO nice - if I work here l-long enough, can I have a shed, too?"

Cresent simply trotted up and hugged the mare wiping her tears away "hey we bats got to stick together don't worry about it" he said wiping more tears from her. "just no more tears, unless your happy. your in good hoofs in order to get your own spot yes you do need to work hard and impress the boss who'll we'll meet most likely tomorrow took me a couple of months. Until then I could use an extra hoof around the office their is also a barracks near by most of the workers have when they pull all nighters and such" he moved back to the kitchen yet pulling her with to get her to move more.  

"but to answer the other question...yes. We all have different baggage dealing with it defines who we are, for example thiers a reason why I live in the forrest but you still havnt answerd pasta for dinner?" he ask holding up a box full of chilled pasta    

[Hazard Time 1,127]

@Randimaxis

"All wonderful choices, my dear.  I'm sure it will be marvelous."  Lip service, at best, but it wasn't as if Carnelian would ever admit to know anything about cooking.  She had never cooked a single meal for herself, and for her, that was a point of pride.  However, that didn't stop her from observing, if not to make sure that her hostess wasn't putting anything suspicious in it, then to just watch the process with curiosity.  What was it like to cook?  Was it truly as undignified as she had always believed it to be?

---------------------

Low thought about that for a while, but couldn't really relate, come to think of it.  There were very few times in his life when he had thought of rebelling, but never had he followed through with it.  His father and mother had always been just, and Carnelian...come to think of it, the thought of rebellion against her wishes brought him more discomfort than for his parents.  There were a few possibilities why that was, but he didn't want to think about them.

"I mean, I always did feel pulled towards my mother's library and my father's art gallery.  I think that's just how cutie marks usually manifest, though?"  Wow, he never realized it before, but compared to Dax, he must seem incredibly boring.  No thoughts of rebelliousness, no adventurous tales to regale him with.  The only point of interest to him was that he was a blue-blood whose parents and the guardian they had trusted him to were rich enough to get him virtually anything he ever desired.

His sudden feelings of inadequacy coupled with interest in Dax's troubles were interrupted by the maid, causing him his head to shoot straight up at attention.  When he recovered, he fell in behind the other.  "Of course!  I'd love the chance to dine with you."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

WHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

The steam whistle sounded off yet another day of work at the Blackwater Quarry.  The miners were tired, and the call for bed had finally come.  Returning tools to their proper places, the various miners set everything back as it should be, then took thir leave of the work area.  Roughly a third of them made their way towards the barracks; their home more than the house they keep their stuff in.  A few of the workers here simply stayy on the property - as long as they do their jobs well, there's never any hassle from those in charge.

Within the space of roughly twenty minutes, the once-vibrant and bustling quarry was now a ghost town, quiet and somber, all nestled snugly within the quarry walls, in a bowl of peaks between mountaintops.  The quarry stood silent, yet that didn't mean it was abandoned... in fact, far from it.

 

 

On 9/12/2017 at 5:09 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Hehe, whoops. Sorry about that, I got a little distracted.  Anyway, your hoof is fine and sound this time, but you still need to come in for new gauze the next two days. After that, you're as sparkly and perfect as ever."

Beck gave a smile.  "Changing over the next two days, you say?  Well, it certainly would be a convenient way for the two of us to have reason to meet again, would it not?"  The smile became one that said he had a fairly good idea of whom Ziggy was hypothetically theorizing about, yet he didn't give the game away.

He did, however, look quite flattered... and was showing a bit of interest in return, apparently.

His head swiveled toward the door as the work whistle went off.  "Already!?  Goodness, Madam Blackwater will doubtless be FURIOUS if we aren't there tonight to serve for her!  Her guests are of high repute, and she wouldn't DARE show herself to be lesser in any capacity as long as she has US... unless we aren't available!  Ohhhhh dear, oh dear, oh dear..."

Beck gathered himself together and headed for the door... then, short of pushing it open, he stopped.  He glanced over his shoulder at Ziggy, then turned and, in no rush, made his way over to her, took one of her hooves in his own, and leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on the very tip of her hoof.

"Thank you so very kindly, Doc-... pardon me, Ziggy... for your kindness and... attentions.  I will most certainly see you on the morrow - have a good evening, m'lady."

With that, he bowed politely and turned smartly, heading out the door in full butler mode... yet with a small smile on his muzzle, which he carried with him back up to the manor.

 

 

On 9/18/2017 at 2:33 PM, Hazard Time said:

 What was it like to cook?  Was it truly as undignified as she had always believed it to be?

If Vylia's reactions were any gauge, it certainly looked more fun than advertised.

The pegasus mare seemed to truly get into what she was doing, even idly chatting about the way she proceeded as she chopped, sliced, steamed, grilled and boiled the required dishes that she apparently felt were necessary for tonight's feast.  She kept tasting little bits of ingredients here and there, and even offered Carnelian a spoonful or two of certain parts of the recipes - after tasting it herself, proving a pronounced lack of skullduggery in the food preparations.

As much as she was doing, Vylia stayed quite active - and seemed to enjoy it.  She did a good bit of talking, though there were certainly breaks in her narrative for her esteemed guest to speak up.  It didn't seem like she was being dismissive; she genuinely seemed to be having a good time, cooking a meal for her guests as she was.

The more she cooked, the better the entire kitchen began to smell; it wasn't long before there were plates and plates of different, exotic foods - and even though Carnelian had seen the entire affair happen right before her eyes, the sheer amount of food almost seemed impossible!  Vylia, however, merely smiled and picked up a tray, placing a number of items on it. 

Like clockwork, the kitchen door opened just as Vylia finished filling the tray, and one of the butler twins made his way over, took up the tray, and made his way back out - presumably towards a dining hall.  Filling a second one, she looked to her guest. 

"Allow me to finish setting up, dearie, and I'll gladly walk you to our little dining nook." 

She let loose with a self-satisfied chuckle, seemingly quite pleased to show off her skills on the grill, so to speak.

 

 

On 9/18/2017 at 2:33 PM, Hazard Time said:

"I mean, I always did feel pulled towards my mother's library and my father's art gallery.  I think that's just how cutie marks usually manifest, though?"

"Cutie Marks don't just appear out of nothing, Key - at least, I don't feel like they do.  I think it's got at least SOMETHING to do with you, personally; the mark should speak to YOU, not to anyone else.  That's what I think makes them unique - like mine, for instance."

Dax's cutie mark looked like a rock with the top of an emerald sticking out of it - the emerald itself almost seemed to shine, as if it were real... but it simply had to be a trick of the light, right?

"To me, it means something worthy buried in something that nobody would expect much from - a plain ol' rock.  that... kinda feels like me, sometimes.  I mean, not that I like to brag or anything, not about myself... but I will say that I've had a few experiences that I think helped me to figure out what it meant to me."

They reached the manor, and the aroma of tasty exotic foods swept back over the both of them as they entered.  Dax gave a long sniff, then smiled broadly.

"That smells like Mother's at the stove - she's a better cook than even I am!  C'mon..."

He suddenly stopped, and after looking around quickly, he turned a pale muzzle to look at Key.

"I, uh... I should warn you.  About Oglevy; he's my brother."

Dax leaned in almost muzzle-to-muzzle with Key.  "Don't.  Trust.  Him."

It would almost be humorous... except the look on Dax's muzzle was real enough.  He then turned, and headed down the grand hallway.  "If nothing else, he might not cause a scene if Father's there - NOPONY would.  You'll see what I mean."

They reached a set of doors, and there was the dining room... except it was more the size of a small atrium!  There was a table that was, instead of one long stretch, was arranged as three circles, connected like a triangle to each other and made of well-polished marble with a silverleaf trim.  Each of the three sections looked to weight close to a ton, and it was obvious the being who made it had been quite talented.

Along the walls were a number of hoof-painted portraits, exhibiting a number of different families (or single individuals) that all seemed to have different versions of the Blackwater Manor in the background, from what appeared to be a humble, two-floor dwelling down to what must have certainly been of merely the last generation before this.  Though each had its' own style, all the subjects seemed to have interesting stories behind them: One red-maned stallion with his hoof on a dynamite plunger, another one portrayed hauntingly lovely mare holding a flowerpot, yet another had what appeared to be a steel-eyed stallion standing next to a bewitching zebra, and another had a fat and piggy-looking stallion with a jar of what looked to be moonshine in a saddlebag.  All in all, the Dining Hall was certainly had a few conversation starters, to be sure!

Seated at the table already was a stern-muzzled stallion whose bespectacled eyes locked on Key as soon as he was visible.  They were indigo, judging and quite unnerving.  Inspecting Key up and down, they narrowed.  Dax, however, didn't seem the least bit disturbed by this.

"Father, this is Low Key, the protegee of Mother's guest.  He's quite a gentlecolt, and he's been good company to boot.  Key, this is Luther Blackwater, patriarch of the Blackwater family."

The stallion was BIG - he truly LOOKED like somepony who kicked rocks for a living; massive knots of muscle in powerful-looking legs and a thick barrel.  His mane, done up in a classic Trojan ridge down his neck, and his neat, short tail gave one the impression that he brooked no nonsense.  He also wore a smart vest, and what looked to be a plain, yet sturdy-looking wristwatch.  His cutie mark (if anything about Luther could be considered 'cute') was a pickaxe and a red feather quill pen, crossed in the middle, and his outfit looked specially tailored to show it off, even when he was sitting down.   

The dour-looking stallion, still staring at Key, blinked.  Once.

"Hello, Low Key.  Welcome to my home."

His voice matched his appearance; strong, broad and calmly intimidating.

 

 

On 9/12/2017 at 11:53 PM, cwhip9 said:

"We all have different baggage; dealing with it defines who we are, for example there's a reason why I live in the forest... but you still haven't answered - pasta for dinner?"

Echo blushed a bit shyly, but smiled back all the same.

"Th-thank you, Crescent.  You're really a good egg - I m-mean that.  You're willing to go all out of your way, doing so much to help me out, all your kind words of support..."

She started to tear up again, yet she caught herself and simply wiped her eyes with the back of her hoof.

"... and y-y-yes," she gave a small giggle, "pasta sounds like a wonderful-"

THAT was when the steam whistle went off, and Echo nearly leapt out of her fur!  Her eyes went wide and panicky, darting everywhere at once looking for whatever it was that MADE that horrific sound to come and get her.

"W-w-what w-w-was th-th-THAT!?!?"

She was shaking, every nerve on edge as she panted in fear.

 

 

On 9/12/2017 at 5:09 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"It's supposed to give off this huge, pretty light show, but I can't find a way to keep it powered longer than a few seconds. I bet if I had managed to actually catch that lightning it would've worked, but nuhuh. It didn't want to play with me. I even had the socket ready for it and everything."

Silver looked into the box's mechanisms with interest.

"This... this is... I can see where you... but then... does that there... carries over with... and then it... with the...so you'd need a..."

She turned to look at Blitz again, this time with a touch of the filly's own excitement.

"What you're looking for is an electrical battery - it's like a miniature generator, except it's more like a power source than a FULL generator.  But yeah, with one of those, you could potentially run this thing for HOURS!  And you know what?"

She grinned.  "I just HAPPEN to have a few batteries in storage that MIGHT work for this device, if we can try to finagle a way to connect them.  Which, in good theory, shouldn't be too difficult.  In fact, we might possibly be able to get this thing up and running by tomorrow night - or even to-"

The steam whistle went off, and Silver gave a pleasant laugh.

"Well, THAT means I can no longer show you the rest of the refinery - TODAY, that is!  But you're more than welcome to come back with me to my shed, where we can get a better look at your invention, and maybe even get it working better!  I won't mind the company, and I'm sure Dax is at dinner with his family tonight - they usually do when they have the rare guest."

She turned to the door leading back out, and gestured.  "Shall we go, little genius?"

If Silver could adopt Blitz, she would.  In a hoofbeat.

 

 

@Mentis Soliloquy

[If you TRULY want to know, meet me at the Pony Express Office in the quarry around midnight tonight.  I can't explain now, but I may be willing to later.]

[Pony Express Office - Around Midnight]

The office was closed up tightly.

It was actually a cottage, and a rather nice one, at that.  It had two floors, a red brick chimney and a shingled roof that was in excellent repair.  Little shutters for the windows were locked for the night, and there was a small, thin stream of smoke that was drifting from the top of the pillar of bricks.  Otherwise, the cottage looked cozy and inviting, as if it was almost a Bed-'N'-Breakfast instead of a post office.

There was a small garden outside, complete with a silly-looking scarecrow hanging from a rack of sticks, looking properly forlorn.  The light post fence around the place added almost a storybook look to it, almost surreal in such a drab and grey place as the quarry typically could be. 

Everything was dark inside... except for a single blue candle, lit and burning idly upon the front windowsill, as if waiting for somepony to come...

 

[Mentis Soliloquy 3,024]

@Randimaxis

Outside the Mines - Pony Express Office. 

"Why in the heck I have to come out here at this time of night is silly. I should be tucked up in some nice warm bed counting sheep, but no... Taps had to have me come out here at Luna knows what time to chat to her about that damn potion." Scarlet was not in the best of moods at this time of night, she had to be up early to feed everyone and this was not sleeping so that was going effect her next day as she lost out on sleep time. 

In a short enough amount of time, she'd made it to the post office cottage thingy. "This is the most un post office looking post office I've ever seen." She remarked to herself as she made her way to the front of the building and looked to the picket fence and small gate. She took a deep breather and moved through it up to the front door noticing the candle in the front window. She then knocked on the front door a good firm knock so that Taps would hear her. 

[Blitz Boom 4,422]

@Randimaxis

"Always happy to see a though stallion like you Beck."

Ziggy grinned at him as he laid a little on her that he didn't mind the two of them spending more time together. Of course, he could not possibly have seen through her masterful charade, so obviously, he were just being forthcoming with things for no reason. Perhaps the talk of hypotheticals had made him curious and wanting to push his luck a little? Not that she minde- Oh dear Celestia!

She jumped slightly into the air as the flute went off. It wasn't a problem normally, but if she were distracted and unaware of the time of day, it sometimes went off and scared the heebie-jeebies out of her.

It seemed like she wasn't the only one who had lost track of time, as Beck got into ranting mode on how he had to get back to the manor before Mrs. Blackwater got cross with his absence. Poor stallion really were on a tight leash it sounded like, but at least it kinda made sense this time, since Vylia had guests.

You had to make the time to get everything done great when there was company, but it did sadden her a little. She had kinda hoped Beck would be able to stay a while longer and chat more with her, instead of... Wait, why was he turning around?

Ziggy's mind pretty much froze as Beck took up her hoof and kissed it. No no, not because of the alcohol her hoof was covered in right now after cleansing his hoof would taste weird, but more the action itself. And then what he said afterwards... Her brain kinda melted, and when the 404 message finally flickered off and she got control over herself again, he were gone.

Se knds ticked by where she just starred at her hoof, thinking over what had happened time and time again before she finally just placed her head in said hoof and shook it.

How big of an idiot could she be? There was this perfectly good, tough stallion - a gentlecolt no less - who seemed like he actually liked her enough to make that sort of contact with her, and she had just stood there like a stack of cardboard.

Okay, relax Ziggy. Perhaps he didn't notice since he was seven kinds of busy? This might not be as embarrassing as it felt.

Yeah... Of course! He had taken off pretty fast, and she had things to do. Sure he wouldn't think too much on this, right? Hehe... heh...

Pull yourself together here. He was just a pony after all, right? So what if he were the first stallion who had ever shown her this kind of interest,  she was barely 20 anyway. It was perfectly normal to have never had a coltfriend at that age..  If you lived on a rock farm.

Her mind went around a lot over the next fifteen minutes as she cleaned up and started writing down things. Joy, sadness, worry, usual butterflies in the stomach, and so on. Eventually though, the optimist in her won out, and she started to think on it in positive, and slightly obsessive ways. Nothing majorly concerning, but they'd see how it went the next time she saw him. Might be she'd snatch him up and steal him away right there on the spot.

Actually... Well, it might be jumping the gun a little, but perhaps she should sent her sister a letter about this? Perhaps she had some insight into what she were supposed to do currently? Plus she kinda wanted to brag about Beck just a little bit.

It took her about ten more minutes to get a proper letter going, which she had to read through a few times to make triply sure she hadn't said a thing about how Beck used to be in here, before she put it in an envelope and stuck it in one of her pockets. She'd have to remember to give it to Taps in the morning, but for now, she had a heap of paperwork to finish.

Jeez there was a thought that could kill the mood... Oh well, might as well get started, or it'd just get horrible tomorrow.

================================

 

Blitz looked at Silver with a bit of worry and anticipation when Silver started to turn her box around. Anticipation mainly, as she loved to hear what others had to say about her small inventions, and worry since she might drop it. Should be repairable again if it were, but there were so many other things she'd rather do in the quarry. Especially with Silver, as she was a genius with thunder power! Why wouldn't she want to learn from her?

She crept closer and listened as well as she could to what the mare were mumbling about, but she didn't really catch much of it.

Were she disappointing? Mad? Awestruck? About to nick it? It wasn't likely Blitz could fight back if that was it, but Silver wasn't a meanie pony, right? Right.

Thoughts kept racing and her adrenaline rose again. She felt like she was going to burst... And then Silver started talking.

Not only did she praise what Blitz had done a little, but she also said she might be able to help fixing the thing too! Not just that, she also invited Blitz to her workshop where they could check up on it for the night! This was the bestest day ever!

Blitz didn't even wait for Silver to stop talking before she had taken a few steps back and launched herself forward to cling around the inventor mare's neck. Whatever she missed or not didn't change how she responded afterwards. It'd just determine whatever or not she'd talk whilst lying on her chest or around Silver's neck.

"Yeeeeeeeey! You're the bestest pony ever Silver! Oh oh, do you think I can sneak out and get my crate first? Can I Can I? I have more stuff that I wanna show you."

Blitz tried to look pleading, but with her current energetic state it couldn't get to anything but *impish*, which had its time and place, but perhaps not when she wanted to sneak out and do bad things. Or okay, get bad things and sneak them in. Wait, good things, good she meant!

"Pleeeeease? I wanna show the very best stuff to the smartest pony I've ever met."

Whilst it might sound like Blitz was trying to soften up the mare, she just stated what she considered the facts. Anypony could own a place like this likely, but could anypony make lighting in small containers like Silver did? She thought now, hence Silver was the one she sought approval from. Like an apprentice to the master or something like that.

Edited September 25, 2017 by Blitz Boom