open [RP] The Blackwater Quarry

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 1/24/2020 at 12:21 AM, Illiad Easle said:

"I... I'll meet you up there. I just remembered there's something I need to take care of back in my room. I shan't take long, but speaking of which... the water in the rooms, fed from a natural spring right? Illiad mentioned it but he wasn't clear whether it was a standard thing."

Silver smiled.  "A natural spring that the quarry literally sits right on top of, yes!  I've had extensive time to look over a lot of the plumbing here, and I have to admit that Rhenny Blackwater was a genius himself!  How he managed to get all the pipes into the ground and working the way they do is beyond me, for the moment... but I swear, I am fully invested in figuring it out; after all, SOMEone needs to make sure things are fixed properly, right?  And any sort of construction information I can glean from it is just fuel for inventions in the future!"

Dax looked a bit worried at Mystic's words.  "You, uhm... y-you feeling okay?  You seem... distracted..."

 

On 1/24/2020 at 12:21 AM, Illiad Easle said:

"Don't worry, I'll be quick. I think I'll be able to find my way up there if you're there."

Dax's concern was writ large on his muzzle, but he nodded all the same.  "Well, as long as you'll be okay, I guess... "  But he didn't really seem to buy the excuse; he was concerned, but he didn't show it openly yet - whatever her reasoning, he was trusting that if she needed anything, she would have asked.

"When you want to head to Pitch Point, just come to the side of the refinery with the red post in the ground; you'll see a path at the side of it that leads around to the right way to go.  I hope it'll be quick - I'm sure Blitz wants to show this off to as many others as she can!"

Plus, I'm worried about you... and now that I'm getting to enjoy your company more, I want everything to be as perfect as it can for you here.

Dax turned and began to follow Blitz, though he spared another glance over his flank at Mystic.

 

On 1/26/2020 at 12:19 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Goodbye, Dax's marefriend! Hope your head will feel better soon."

I hope so too, Dax thought.

He was more oblivious to the fact that a number of the surrounding workers were looking at him; to believe that the Blackwater actually had a marefriend was a bit difficult to swallow for them.  One or two even gave a slight grin.  However, nothing was said or done by the workers in that measure, and they all had jobs to do.

 

On 1/26/2020 at 12:19 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Tingly! I bet it's gonna be real fun seeing where to blow up things with you, hehe."

Chuck looked after the strange filly.  "Why do I gets dis feelin' dat dis's gonna get woise b'fore it gets beddah?" he said to himself before shaking the thoughts from his head and trotting his way back to the mines, where he was certain he'd be needed.  He liked Blitz well enough, he supposed... but he knew mischief when he saw it, and that filly looked like she was the daughter of a calamity waiting to happen.

Still, if The Boss said she should work here, then he wasn't about to say no.  However, he'd be keeping a close eye on Blitz from here on out.  Just in case.

 

On 1/26/2020 at 12:19 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Let's go while your marefriend gets her things done, Dax. And then later, we're gonna watch fireworks, okay? I bet your dad and your marefriend gonna like it too. And your mom. Oh, can I ask her if she wanna watch it with us? I bet she's not as bad as what everypony said on my way here either, since Dax-Dad were all nice."

Dax gave the idea a thought.

"Well, Mother does like things that are bright and flashy - maybe she would like fireworks, as long as she's kept a safe distance from them, of course.  I figure you already know what sort of hazards are involved, so you know what to do, right?  Maybe if we make it seem like a really big event, she'll think it's... uhm... more exotic that way.  My Mother is kinda strange sometimes... but she tends to like things I like, so I'm sure she'll be mad about you, Blitz!"

 

 

 

@Loud Opinion

"I, uh, sorry. I was just a tad distracted. Thank you for the directions."

'Redd' grinned widely.  "Naaaaah, no problems here.  Just think of it as me doing my 'civic duty' to help out other fellow workers... y'know, to give them a proper greeting, right?  I mean, if we're BOTH gonna be workin' here, we may as well help each other out.  So, I'll take you up to the manor, and we'll see about getting you up to snuff on what-all goes on here."

"I know this must have been inconvenient, but I really appreciate the help." 

The unicorn waved a dismissing hoof.  "No trouble, no trouble at all!  Really, I'm just glad I ran into you - it's always good to meet new folks, am I right?  So, since we're here and such, mind if I ask about you a bit?  Like where'd you come from, how'd you find out about this job, which Blackwater you know, and so on.  Heck, even if you do't know ANY Blackwaters, I assume that SOMEone told you about this place, as word of the Blackwater Quarry doesn't get around too much."

He was trying to have a passing conversation with Gold, even though he seemed a bit 'off' somehow.  Maybe Gold was just being paranoid?  Maybe, maybe not - but time would tell, at any rate.

 

 

 

On 1/24/2020 at 5:32 AM, Widdershins said:

"You'll... have ta pardon me, Ma'am. Ah couldn' tell if you wus a Blackwater.   ...on account of you ain't black. Reckon that be why they called thet.

 You'll, uh, have ta show me the way, I sup'ose. Only know me the mine here, Miss."

She closed her eyes and sighed with frustration.

"No, I'm NOT a Blackwater personally - I'm... an employee.  And as a fellow employee, you need to follow me so we can get the necessary stuff from that shed, and you and I BOTH can get back to work!  Of all the stallions in this Celestia-forsaken place..."

She began making her way to Shed Row, hoping beyond hope that Clod was smart enough to follow.  Normally, she'd be swinging her flank in an overtly sensual manner... but Clod had both frustrated and irritated her; she'd have little else to do with trying to butter him up anymore, that much was certain.

"Come on.  Shed #7.  THIS way."

She grumbled something under her breath about idiocy and cliffjumping... or somthing of that nature.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

Inwardly Mystic cringed that she was causing Dax such distress, but she soldiered on, trotting up to the manor just as fast as she could without aggravating her condition. Provided she was not stopped along the way she'd head straight to her room. And to deter most from stopping her she'd push out some of her discomfort on them empathically, hopefully making them too uncomfortable to strike up a conversation with her.

Once she was in her room, and after quickly ensuring that she wasn't being watched, she set the tub to fill itself as she silently praised this Rhenny pony. She'd need the mineral water. After a second check of the room to ensure that she was absolutely alone, and not being watched magically or otherwise, she proceeded to rather violently orally expel her lunch into the rising water.

Her lunch being a rather copious amount of an amber slime, almost like honey, and all the emotion she had collected, or rather had dumped on her, by Blitz.

In the process she had dropped her disguise, revealing her to be a changeling, an immature queen to be precise. Without her disguise she stood much taller than before, as Mystic she was just a bit shorter than Dax, but now she likely stood a good head taller than Luther.

Slime and emotion expelled into the water she quickly set about mixing it into emotion gel, stopping the water when it reached the right consistency, she'd have to leave it sitting for a bit, but it was safer to keep it her than within herself. Even as a fledgling queen she could only hold so much, and Blitz clearly had plenty to give.

Mystic would don her disguise again, drink a sample of the gel she had made, ensure she looked the same as when she had entered, and set back out to follow the directions that Dax had given her.

@Randimaxis

If 'Redd' really were leading Gold up to the manor, provided she wasn't stopped for some reason while still inside, she'd see them coming and decide to wait for 'Redd' to approach, he'd likely be best able to set her on the right path, rather than risk getting lost and being late to meet back up with Dax.

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Randimaxis 

 Clod Hopper obediently fell into step behind the new mare allowing her to lead the way. He grew slightly more concerned over her half heard mumblings as they walked ahead in silence for a while. 

"...I miss sum'thin'? Dunno how it'd help any but I reckon jumpin off a hill isn't all that hard ta do."

 

 

 (Way above content length yet it's still somehow balking at letting me post this with that excuse of being "below content length.")

Don't know what else I can do here, don't know why it's being such a fussbucket today.......................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

On 2/2/2020 at 10:49 PM, Randimaxis said:

"Well, Mother does like things that are bright and flashy - maybe she would like fireworks, as long as she's kept a safe distance from them, of course.  I figure you already know what sort of hazards are involved, so you know what to do, right?  Maybe if we make it seem like a really big event, she'll think it's... uhm... more exotic that way.  My Mother is kinda strange sometimes... but she tends to like things I like, so I'm sure she'll be mad about you, Blitz!"

Blitz clapped her little front hooves together with a gleeful smile on her face as the prospect of trying to do something special for Dax's mom. Thank Celestia that she were not within running range of her workshop, or she would have taken off at this instance to make something to try and impress her. A fair chance that it would explode, and as she'd try to make it flashy, a good... 23% chance that it would somehow result in temporary mass blindness due to her taking things a bit too literally at times, and likely not waiting to see if there'd be any side effects by super sizing a small sample.

That being said, Blitz were nothing if not resourceful, and if anything in this place could work for her purpose, she'd find it, and McGyver it together somehow. The fun part would be in seeing what it did when it were done with, which sure, testing could fix, but if you wanted to impress somepony right here and now, who had time to test run things, right? Just try your best, and keep a safe distance, just in case.

"So you're saying I should make even More and Bigger fireworks to really get her to like me? Hehehe, I can do that. I bet this one's gonna really impress her though, uhuh. Silver saw two of them go boom, and she said lots of nice words. And when a super smart pony like this says nice things, it gotta count at least double."

So not it seemed like she had a bit of an event to get ready, with more fireworks... Hmm, she might not have her things from the forest, but she still had some fireworks left beyond the display. perhaps if she split up a few and added them together, she could make something really good? Perhaps not the smoke bomb though. Otherwise, they might not be able to see something, and that sure wasn't gonna be flashy! That wouldn't do when she were trying to show something nice to Dax's mom.

All for later though. Right now, they had a mountain to show off to Dax, and as such, she'd do her best to direct him right to it. Or well, rather she'd bounce around and on occasion push the back of his legs with her head if he slowed down for some reason, or she perceived him to anyway. Much like Ziggy, Blitz wore her emotions on her sleeves, and the impatience were hard to miss, though more understandable as the explosive little thing were but a filly. This sort of giddy, foalhood enthusiasm were not uncommon for somepony her age, even if the subject of this impatient jolliness were usually something one her age would run away from, and pretend like they had no idea about. Not Blitz though. She knew her mayhem, and she were more than happy to show what to some might seem like an everlasting monument to her potential, but to her were just the first step towards making that place into what would one day be her magnum opus: A pile of dust, where once a piece of solid mountain used as a blasting site had once stood.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Randimaxis,

Wider still, his guide's grin grew, but the words accompanying were disarming. It couldn't be long until they reached the manor, so Gold had to make the most of his time. Thankfully, his effort to placate the stallion was ultimately unnecessary. He would have to take note that this Redd was more genuine than he sounded. However, this relief would fade at the introduction of very pertinent questions. Redd almost sounded like he didn't trust him even though the tone was still genuine. They must not get too many recruits around here, Gold concluded, making the ones that do come all the more scrutinized. After realizing he had stalled a little, Gold spoke up, "That's a lot of questions. I must be quite the curiosity. Regardless, I do have answers."
"You see," Gold began, "I am from the Gold family, and I've overheard from my father that the Blackwaters were a very influential family that was a great place for new people to start. Though, if you are to be believed, I think he just wanted me off my flanks and into the workforce. When my allowance ran dry, I suppose you could say this place called to me..."
As Gold Dust finished he trailed off before resuming with a point of his hoof, "Ah, that must be the manor there."

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 2/2/2020 at 5:23 PM, Illiad Easle said:

Mystic would don her disguise again, drink a sample of the gel she had made, ensure she looked the same as when she had entered, and set back out to follow the directions that Dax had given her.

As she opened the door to her room, she surprised a rather stately-looking butler who stood there, hoof raised as if to knock.

"Oh!  A thousand pardons, madam," he began, "I was unsure as to whether or not the suite was unoccupied; do forgive me.  I have been sent by way of Lady Vylia to ensure the room is not only to your liking, but to change the linens and tidy up inside.  I assume you will be staying for a length of time that shall require me to add this room to my daily itenerary?  It would not be any issue, I assure you, madam."

He gave a slight bow.  "My name is Call, and I live to serve; please allow me a bit to ensure the room is clean and up to Lady Vylia's standards for you, if I may?"

 

 

12 hours ago, Loud Opinion said:

"That's a lot of questions. I must be quite the curiosity. Regardless, I do have answers."

"Hey, we don't really get many new faces here... so yeah, kinda makes you a novelty, so to speak!  And I'm just making small talk, anyhoof - don't mind me."

 

12 hours ago, Loud Opinion said:

"You see, I am from the Gold family, and I've overheard from my father that the Blackwaters were a very influential family that was a great place for new people to start. Though, if you are to be believed, I think he just wanted me off my flanks and into the workforce.  When my allowance ran dry, I suppose you could say this place called to me..."

'Redd' nodded with understanding.  "Oh, yeah, yeah... nothing like a little hard work to make ends meet, right?  I mean, I'm just a rock-kicker, but if you're headed up to the manor... why, I'm sure there'll be plenty to learn for ya here!"

Why did his smile get bigger at that?

"But really - anyone at the manor can tell you that they have hospitality down to a science!  I'll bet they even have a suite ready for you already!  And whoo!  You should see the rooms in there!  If they expect you coming, I'm sure they'll have something already cooked up for ya!"

 

13 hours ago, Loud Opinion said:

"Ah, that must be the manor there."

And so it was...

The Blackwater Manor was a fascinating structure; it was even more stately than it appeared to be from a distance.  Four stories of quietly elegant design sat solemnly back against the mountain, surrounded by well-manicured gardens and a stone-tile walkway.  Opulent, but respectably so.  Silver ivy climbed the walls at the sides, and what looked to be a respectable garage sat at the furthest side.  Part of the manor even seemed to be imbedded in the mountain itself!

This place felt aged and dignified, and seemed to have culture around every corner; even the well-manicured gardens around the manor house looked tastefully elegant, and not at all overblown or grandiose.  The Blackwater Manor was elegant, yet reserved in such; it was the sort of home the wealthy wish they could have constructed for their legacies to live on in.

Reaching the large twin front doors, 'Redd' knocked.  In moments, a young chambermare appeared.

"Hey-o, Peachy!" Gold's company started, "we've got a Mister Gold here, and as sure as my name's 'Redd Handid', I'll bet they have the BEST suite ready for him, don't they?"  A slow smile spread across the maid's muzzle. 

"Of course they do, Mister Redd... would you care to escort him to the guest suite?  You know where they are, right?"

'Redd' gave a merry laugh.  "Of course I do, sweetheart!  I'll take him riiiiiight where he needs to be, you betcha!"  He stepped past the threshhold, and motioned for Gold to follow him in.  The pretty maid smiled and bowed to Gold as he entered. 

"Welcome to Blackwater Manor, sir; I hope you enjoy your stay!" 

The interior was a bit different than the outside; here, Gold could see a number of ostentatious displays of wealth: gaudy and expensive vases, amazing and colorful tapestries, tables and chairs that looked as though they were practically made out of foppishness, curtains that spoke of elegance (if perhaps a bit loudly)... though the decorations were exceedingly expensive, Gold got the impression that whomever purchased these decorations had a somewhat tacky sense of style.  Not enough to be ridiculous... but enough to most certainly be accused of questionable taste.

'Redd' began to escort him up a flight of opulently-carpeted stairs, then through a hallway with portraits of strange-looking mares and stallions lining the walls.  

 

 

On 2/5/2020 at 4:29 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"So you're saying I should make even More and Bigger fireworks to really get her to like me? Hehehe, I can do that. I bet this one's gonna really impress her though, uhuh. Silver saw two of them go boom, and she said lots of nice words. And when a super smart pony like this says nice things, it gotta count at least double."

Dax gave a chuckle as she tried to push him to move faster.  "Hey, hey!  I'm moving, okay?" he laughed, "Y'know, you two BOTH seem really excited that you did what you did up there - and I'm always happy to share in something like that!  Besides, Pitch Point is a part of Blackwater family history, y'know?"

Silver's adorable whinnygiggle lit out from her.  "Well, if Blitz keeps doing as well as she has, it'll be more like it will BECOME history!"

He looked at Blitz.  "Pitch was an explosives fan, too... did I already tell you about him?  I figure, if anyone could appreciate him, it'd be YOU, Blitzy!  He blew up the entire side of a mountain once..." Dax scratched his head.  "... DID I tell you about him already?"

Dax, Silver and a bundle of excitement named Blitz Boom continued their path toward the broken mountain, nearing the site.  One more bend, and Blitz's accomplishent would be evident for the middle Blackwater child to see.

 

 

On 2/3/2020 at 7:37 AM, Widdershins said:

"...I miss sum'thin'? Dunno how it'd help any but I reckon jumpin off a hill isn't all that hard ta do."

The mare sighed.  "Look, here, THIS shed!"  She stopped as she reached Shed Row, and pointed a hoof at the one with a big number '7' painted on the side.  She trotted over to it and tuned to look at Clod.

"Now, the keys are lost, and I'm not strong enough to get it open; that's where YOU come in.  I want you to help me get inside, so I can grab the stuff I need... for work.  Do that for me, and you can go right back to... whatever you were doing already, which looked like nothing much.  It shouldn't take more than a moment or two, and the Blackwaters would appreciate it, I'm certain."

She tried the door, but it was locked.  "Well, I tried.  Okay, YOU get it open - I'll wait."  True to her word, she stood off to one side and waited... although it seemed she wasn't going to wait patiently.

"Come on, come on!  I don't have all day, you know!" she groused.

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

9 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

"My name is Call, and I live to serve; please allow me a bit to ensure the room is clean and up to Lady Vylia's standards for you, if I may?"

To say Mystic was surprised by Call being on the other side of the door, would be an understatement, but a sharp gasp and a step back was her only external reaction. Idiot! How did I not notice him there? Being in a hurry like that is going to end this real quick.

She giggled nervously at her own reaction and stepped back for Call to enter so they wouldn't be talking through the doorway. "By all means! Excuse the clutter, I haven't yet had the chance to unpack and organize yet."

If I tie him up, how long before anyone notices he's missing? He looks just like the other one, wait...

She gave him a curious look, "We've met before, haven't we? You were there with Lady Vylia in the sun room."

There goes that plan, She'd notice Immediately.

She'd look about the room, "I don't think anything needs cleaning or changing just yet, I've just moved in after all, hardly had the chance to use anything."

Except the tub, which is out of service until I get a better place for that. If he goes in there I'll have to Charm him, he can't leave thinking anything's wrong.

"And I don't know about daily, I consider myself a rather clean pony after all, I don't think I'd generate enough mess to need cleaning every day."

That would make the tub situation even more of an issue, I'd hate to waste all that gel though.

She'd look like she'd just remembered something, "Oh! I was thinking to ask, would it be at all possible to have a barrel or two of spring water brought in here? It may seem like an odd request, but I've grown rather accustomed to the taste of barreled water."

Then I'll have somewhere to keep the gel that isn't the tub, and the cleaning staff wouldn't have reason to check the barrels. Plus convenient access for curing and using.

She'd position herself between Call and the bathroom just in case Call wanted to check it too, she should be able to disguise the tub to make it look like it was empty, at least for a moment.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

On 2/7/2020 at 5:42 PM, Randimaxis said:

Silver's adorable whinnygiggle lit out from her.  "Well, if Blitz keeps doing as well as she has, it'll be more like it will BECOME history!"

"One day, I wanna plant a biiiiig sign in front of an even bigger pile of dust up there, that's gonna say *Here WERE a mountain* Hehehe!"

Then she'd become part of the Blackwater Quarry history too for sure. Was gonna be all sorts of storied about the mountain and what had been there, but when she one day blasted it to dust, and had it all gathered under one of those giant cheese bowl glass things (she had to look into how to make that when it were) she'd be able to make her mark on the local history too, and really impress Dax-Dad too for sure. She bet they'd be able to make good use of whatever she had made that could blow up a mountain at that time too. Surely there'd be a mountain in the way somewhere that could use some blowing up. Or a mountain top at least, she wasn't picky.

Blitz would stop pushing Dax along once he stopped being slow and got on his way, though she'd pause briefly to answer this statement from Silver, as well as when Dax came out and asked her about a peculiar pony that he had indeed told her about before, however briefly it might have been.

On 2/7/2020 at 5:42 PM, Randimaxis said:

"... DID I tell you about him already?

"Uhuh, you said he were a real good one to blow up a mountainside, and that you'd let me see some papers of his. Or did I make up the last part? Hehe, I can't remember anymore, lots of things happened. But but but, we can look at that later. See? We're almost at the mountain! Come oooooon!"

Things were a bit blurry about what they talked about just when she found Dax right now, as her head were filled with all the fresh fun things that had gone on, and plans about what to do with making something that'd really impress his mother, along with having to go around with Mr. Tingly tomorrow. Whom she also had to make a gift for, duh.

Combined with the mountain fresh in her mind and a real big focus on getting Dax there to see it, her mind were scattered to cover all sorts of things right now. Soon as the mountain part got sorted, perhaps there'd be time for her to rummage the old memories and getting an answer to the question without Dax having to scour his own head. Guess they'd see, but one thing at a time. And right now? That thing were a cracked mountain. hehe, she bet Dax's jaw was gonna go right to the dirt, just like Pinkie's sometimes did! This were going to be awesome!

[Loud Opinion 602]

 

On 2/7/2020 at 11:42 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Oh, yeah, yeah... nothing like a little hard work to make ends meet, right?

Well, there certainly were worse fates than the white-collar work Gold was set up for, but then again, Redd seamed to be in higher spirits which was more than what Gold could say for himself. Maybe it was just the nerves of a new position and new responsibilities. Surely once Gold was as used to his duties as Redd was then that would change. It simply wouldn't due to languishing despite the better conditions.

On 2/7/2020 at 11:42 AM, Randimaxis said:

"But really - anyone at the manor can tell you that they have hospitality down to a science!

And there it was, Gold thought to himself, Redd had just tipped his hoof. Believing the Blackwaters weren't so influential was one thing, but getting Gold to believe that the Blackwaters were hospitable after the things he heard about them was a step too far. Redd was trying to play him for a fool. It should have been more apparent with the jester hat on Redd's cutiemark, but it's better late than never.

On 2/7/2020 at 11:42 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Welcome to Blackwater Manor, sir; I hope you enjoy your stay!" 

Now confident in Redd's intentions, Gold's tone shifted to be more serious. "Quite," Gold said simply but with underpinning scrutiny. Gold then realized that he shouldn't be as transparent as Redd was being and when he took his gaze off the maid, his stance and face returned to one of a humble follower. It wasn't too late, Gold mused, perhaps he thinks I'm mean toward service staff because of my upbringing. It would follow the stereotype. Gold just hoped Redd isn't the type for self-reflection.

As he was lead up the manor, Gold was reminded of his home. The Gold's were very ostentatious, but this just looked like a cheap imitation. Like a child looking to his peers to see what was permitted instead of asking an authority the gaudiness was on the same level but had none of the direction. Expensive things were placed haphazardly with no artistic feel. The Gold's wore their excessive wealth like a tailored suit. They made it look like they were made for their wealth. This? It was like a child wearing his father's shoes but without any of the charm.

"Can you believe this?" Gold said asked with a mocking chuckle, hamming up the spoiled act just a touch.

[Widdershins 9,955]

On 2/8/2020 at 1:42 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Come on, come on!  I don't have all day, you know!" she groused.

"Whelp, alrighty Missy. Iffen yeh'll pardon me here..."

 Clod Hopper would quietly shoulder past the mare to the door... where he then turned around to face her a scant few inches from her face to direct his back legs square to the door. Without a pause to flinch or avert eye contact from her, as this was the quickest, most direct response and usual for him, he let go with a buck quick as a wink. A loud POW resounded in the area as his powerful back legs hit the door.

 As splinters of the now reduced to sawdust door showered down, its doorknob now having flown into oblivion, Clod bowed his head to her in a manner that would cause one to suspect he'd be holding his hat to his chest right now if he had one. "Reckon ah done furgit iffen I intro-duced mahsef. Name be Hopper. ...Clod Hopper. ...yew kin jist call me Hopper."

 Clod began absently swatting door shards off his jittering flank with his tail as a country pony did get awfully used to debris on them.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 2/7/2020 at 10:09 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"By all means! Excuse the clutter, I haven't yet had the chance to unpack and organize yet."

"Should you wish, madam, I or my brother would be more than happy to arrange your clothing within the closet or drawers; it would be no trouble whatsoever, I assure you."

He entered the room and began a careful study of everything within.  "Madam Vylia would be positively livid if we were to have missed a spot in our cleaning duties; she finds first impressions to be so very important, and to have any form of mess in the quarters of a guest would be unthinkable.  I assure you, madam, I shall only be a moment or two."

 

On 2/7/2020 at 10:09 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"We've met before, haven't we? You were there with Lady Vylia in the sun room."

He gave a smile.  "Truly, Miss Mystic, I recall you indeed.  I must say, to have made such an impression upon Madam Vyia is quite a feat of accomplishment.  I would daresay you should be quite proud of such an accomplishment."

He tidied up around the room, spot-cleaning and making certain not a speck of dust was visible anywhere in sight.  He was quite diligent, leaving no proverbial stone unturned.

 

On 2/7/2020 at 10:09 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"I don't think anything needs cleaning or changing just yet, I've just moved in after all, hardly had the chance to use anything."

"All the better to ensure that the job of cleaning the room was well done.  As I said, no trouble at all, Miss."

 

On 2/7/2020 at 10:09 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"And I don't know about daily, I consider myself a rather clean pony after all, I don't think I'd generate enough mess to need cleaning every day."

"Oh!"  His head swung around to meet her stare.  "There is no disrespect meant in this!  Madam Vylia practically demands that occupied quarters are to be at least looked over once a day; she would not abide by either my brother or I skipping such a duty.  I most certainly respect the want to remain clean, and I appreciate the effort expended upon such.  Still, I would have to attend to the room at any rate... but your clean habits will most certainly make my work far easier - and I thank you wholeheartedly for that!"

 

On 2/7/2020 at 10:09 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"Oh! I was thinking to ask, would it be at all possible to have a barrel or two of spring water brought in here? It may seem like an odd request, but I've grown rather accustomed to the taste of barreled water."

Call turned to face her with a grin.  "Not at all, Miss - any request made, no matter how unusual, will gladly be carried out by myself or my brother.  I will see to it that your request for barrels of mineral water, two of them, shall be filled and done as requested.  It would be no trouble at all."

He then turned towards the bathroom... and lifted an eyebrow at Mystic's presence in front of it.

"Miss Glow, if you wouldn't mind, I must check the facilities as well - regardless of whatever mess may be present, I assure you, I can attend to it... and what's more, I shan't speak a word of it to a soul."  He gave a conspiritorial wink.  "Because, I assure you, whatever it is that has you standing between myself and the bathroom, you shouldn't worry yourelf over such.  I promise, I shall be both quick and discrete."

 

 

 

On 2/9/2020 at 1:54 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"One day, I wanna plant a biiiiig sign in front of an even bigger pile of dust up there, that's gonna say *Here WERE a mountain* Hehehe!"

Dax grinned.  "Well, as far as goals go, that's a doozy of one... but honestly?  I think, if anyone can succeed at that, YOU can!"

 

On 2/9/2020 at 1:54 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Uhuh, you said he were a real good one to blow up a mountainside, and that you'd let me see some papers of his. Or did I make up the last part? Hehe, I can't remember anymore, lots of things happened. But but but, we can look at that later. See? We're almost at the mountain! Come oooooon!"

Dax smiled.  "I guess I did... and I'll have to get my hooves on Pitch's notebook and show it to you; there's recipes in there that I think might be his own secret concoction, but I never was much for, uhm... 'volatile chemistry', so I never experimented with it.  Maybe you and Silver could?"

Rounding the corner and finally coming to the location, Dax slowed to a stop, staring at the massive gouge in the mountain blasting site.  He looked back and forth across it, and he let out a long, low whistle.

"Blitz... WOW!  I mean, just... WOW!  How did you... I mean, what could... it's so... WOW!"  He gave a laugh, then looked toward the little dynamo.  "And this was just using stuff that Silver had?"

The handimare gave a giggle and clapped her hooves.  "When it comes to explosives, Blitz is a bonafide genius!  I was amazed myself, and your father was quite impressed!  THIS was why he gave her the job as my assistant here; she proved she knew what she was doing, and HO YEAH, she did a... bang-up job!"

She gave a whinnygiggle that Dax chuckled over, then he looked back at Blitz.

"This is... amazing, Blitz.  Of course, I knew you could be capable of something like this, but actually seeing it for myself?"  He laughed.  "Impressive!"

 

 

 

On 2/9/2020 at 6:05 PM, Loud Opinion said:

"Can you believe this?"

'Redd's' chuckle was somewhat subdued, but it may have been so he didn't disturb anyone else around.

"Oh, I've been here long enough to know my way around a good bit.  So yeah, I can believe that the Blackwaters have so much nice stuff, don't they?  I wish I had even a fraction of their wealth; I'd probably live in a big mansion like this one, too!"

They came to a stop outside of a set of double doors.  "Okay, this is the guest suite - you're more than welcome to make yourself at home here!  Y'know, rest your hooves, get in a shower after your probably long trip, get used to the kind of soft stuff they give their guests, that kind of thing... I'll be sure to let Mrs. Blackwater know you've arrived, and they'll probably send a servant to help you settle in!  Okay, so - here we are!"

He opened the doors... and inside was actually a far more subdued and presentable room.  There was a four-post bed with few frills, dressers and bureaus that were utilitarian and well-made, and a bathroom with a walk-in bathtub.  There were pictures of various nature scenes on the walls, and the general feel of the room was one of quiet, reserved opulence.

"Okay, then - you get comfy and cozy, and I'll send Madam Blackwater word that you've arrived, okie dokie lokie?  And hey - nice to meetcha!  Maybe we'll see each other again sometime soon, eh?"  He made his way back down the hall, giving Gold a bit of a wave as he made his way around the corner and out of sight.

 

 

 

52 minutes ago, Widdershins said:

"Whelp, alrighty Missy. Iffen yeh'll pardon me here..."

When Clod's hooves struck the doors, they shattered apart, leaving scant more than toothpick-sized splinters.  The mare cringed visibly as he did this, then she sighed and darted inside the shed as fast as she could.

"Okay, great, thanks, appreciated, good job, whatever, gotta get to work now, pretty busy..."

 

54 minutes ago, Widdershins said:

"Reckon ah done furgit iffen I intro-duced mahsef. Name be Hopper. ...Clod Hopper. ...yew kin jist call me Hopper."

The mare stopped for only a moment to look at him.

"Wha..?  Oh, uh... Tart Dewdrop- I MEAN..!"

She facehoofed and groaned.  "Whatever, sure - probably won't remember anyway - good to meet you, blah blah blee blah, all that good stuff, I need to get to work now!"

There was a bit of shuffling and rattling inside, and for a moment, she stopped and Clod heard her mutter, "what in the... what's THIS thing?  Meh, Cogs will figure it out, I'm sure".  It only took a few minutes, but Tart came back out with a canvas bag stuffed full, as well as something wrapped in a dull blue tarp.  With a quick look around, she blinked at Clod.

"You're... still here?  Good grief, get back to work, stupid!  If they catch you just standing around, you'll get fired for sure!  Just... y'know what?  Do what you want; no fur off my flank."

She turned and made her way out of Shed Row, headed for the front gates, keeping a sharp eye out for ANYONE as she carried her 'gatherings' towards the quarry's exit.

[Widdershins 9,955]

29 minutes ago, Randimaxis said:

Do what you want; no fur off my flank."

  Hopper gave no second thought to anything suspicious. He grew up on a stump farm, having anything worth stealing meant you didn't use it till it broke. And because he grew up so far in the country...

 He turned slowly to watch her go. He blinked at her hasty retreat.

 Well, he thought to himself. That was probably the nicest he'd been treated, by a mare nonetheless. The only other pony he'd met here pretty much just told him to start work, and she hadn't used overly descriptive terms to describe him as a 'bump onna log' or a 'sin against nature' like his father used to greet him with. She had said it was a Good Job and it was Good to be around him. … he felt funny about her and not in a way he knew how to react to.

 Plus, well, she had said to do what he wanted. Being fired didn't mean anything to him as that then must have meant the debt was settled then. She was a nice mare. He wanted to see about helping her more. Maybe she'd say he was Good more.    ...besides, nothin' else to do now.

 With a very audible "Huh." Clod Hopper slowly moseyed after her with a stride far outreaching hers to follow this "Dewdrop." Perhaps he'd meet somepony along the way to loudly tell about this mare that just ran out of a broken-in shed with a bundle of official mine supplies and if not, he'd probably meet up with her sooner than expected. He wasn't in a rush, but good old fashioned country single-mindedness got you far and fast sometimes.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

15 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

I assure you, I can attend to it... and what's more, I shan't speak a word of it to a soul.

Now wouldn't that be something. If I knew him better I could risk it, but no. There's no way I'm risking my place here, if I got discovered this early I'd never hear the end of it!

She only looked a slight bit relieved, "Was it that obvious?" she said with a blush, but stood enough to the side so that Call could get by her.

To prep the illusion, he has to see something, else he'd wonder why I was worried, but it can't be the gel.

They say its hardest to tell a lie when they're expecting it, equally hard is detecting a spell you never suspected could be cast. Given her rather unassuming zebra appearance, it would be hard to guess that she could cast such an illusion, but she had been trained in just that sort of thing just for situations like this.

She would wait until Call had passed her, then she'd warp her toiletry bag into the bathroom, specifically not taking care as to where it ended up, she winced at the clattering sound in the bathroom as the bottles within tipped out.

Those are expensive, I hope they don't break.

That took care of the apparent embarrassment, then came the more tricky part.

As soon as Call went to open the door to the bathroom she'd cast the visual illusion, making the gel invisible, so unless he climbed in the tub himself he shouldn't notice its presence. And if he did, she'd be able to pull it out of the way.

She'd hide the magical strain with a blush, it was hard holding a disguise and the illusion at the same time, "I uh, told you I hadn't had time to organize yet."

When Call would open the door he'd see the scattered bottles, a toiletry bag perched on the sink having apparently fallen off, the bottles within scattered across the floor.

 "You uh, don't need to worry yourself with that, I'll get those gathered up soon, wouldn't want to accidentally get hit with a strange mixture after all, improperly mixed potions can have very strange effects. And to be honest, as much as I would appreciate the help organizing, I am not used to others going through my things, hence my awkwardness here, I hope you understand?"

She hoped he would leave the bathroom quickly, as the longer she held the illusion the more it strained her to do so.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

On 2/11/2020 at 1:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

"I guess I did... and I'll have to get my hooves on Pitch's notebook and show it to you; there's recipes in there that I think might be his own secret concoction, but I never was much for, uhm... 'volatile chemistry', so I never experimented with it.  Maybe you and Silver could?"

"Yey! I bet there's some real good kabooms in there just waiting to be improved to mega-kabooms!"

This day was just becoming better and better. Seriously, what could possibly go wrong today after all of this good stuff? The mean butler yelling at her again? Dax getting sad because his other friend (who was due a big pile of itching powder as far as she were concerned) came around to do stuff that made him down again? Peh, everything were but small specks of darkness against the dazzling light this day had been already, and it still had lots of things in front of them! Including a fireworks show that Dax had been due for months now.

On 2/11/2020 at 1:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

"Blitz... WOW!  I mean, just... WOW!  How did you... I mean, what could... it's so... WOW!"  He gave a laugh, then looked toward the little dynamo.  "And this was just using stuff that Silver had?"

Blitz got a great big grin on her face when she got here and saw Dax's reaction. Most definitely, he were awestruck and real impressed, even if he sadly didn't have his jaw drop, Pinkie style. Guess you couldn't have everything, but it were still a good reaction. And the compliments? Mmmm, she loved those. Made her feel like bouncing around him all day long.

"Uhuh. I didn't have my own stuff here, but Silver's got some reeeeeally good things, like real blasting powder and fuses. I gotta make lots of something that kinda looks like it in the forest, or find stuff to make them in Ponyville when everypony's sleeping get them, but here? There's loads of really high end boom stuff! Easy to make something fun."

There were a great big grin on her face as she bounced around Dax, thinking about how good explosives she might be able to make once she wasn't just randomly testing a few things, but knew how to work everything properly. Plus she might find something in the trash to really spice it up, like an old sandwich bag and some gem dust. Lot's of things might be useful that some might not think of, but then you got some fun stuff in the trash, had an idea, and suddenly boom! Glitter bomb, Poison Joke style.

Hmm, she really had to remember getting some of those with her when she went to her shed one of these days. Those plants were real good for a few prank things that surely somepony here would like. Just had to crush, distill, and add the right herbs, and the poison joke effects weren't gonna last long. She could attest to that, as she had used stuff filled with her concoction on Silver Spoon and Diamond Tiara lots of times, since the fillies were meanies who deserved to be pranked, and nothing had really stuck. Except for their aversion of getting anywhere near her, or try to call her out whilst she could hear them. Wasn't fun to go after somepony who had no issues getting back at you.

On 2/11/2020 at 1:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

"When it comes to explosives, Blitz is a bonafide genius!  I was amazed myself, and your father was quite impressed!  THIS was why he gave her the job as my assistant here; she proved she knew what she was doing, and HO YEAH, she did a... bang-up job!"

She gave a whinnygiggle that Dax chuckled over, then he looked back at Blitz.

"This is... amazing, Blitz.  Of course, I knew you could be capable of something like this, but actually seeing it for myself?"  He laughed.  "Impressive!"

"Dax-Dad made me promise not to explode anything unless I told him, but that's okay, I wanna make more stuff to thank him for letting me stay and learn things from Silver. Plus, I wanna see if I can make him smile. He's got a big old grumpy face."

She stopped up and did a very poor impression of Luther's stone face towards Dax, which lasted for all of a second or so, before she got overtaken by the glee and cheerful mood around here. Especially from Silver, who once again were working her up by playing along and also feeding into this energy loop of sorts they had gotten themselves caught in. It were really fun to her honestly. In Ponyville, nopony she hung around were able to get on board the same energy and hype for things as she were. Some were close, and Pinkie had gotten really happy too a few times, when she came around and gifted the party mare something fun, like confetti bombs for her cannon, or a reply of said party weapon, that she had made mostly from seeing it being used by the mare, and then taking it from there. Only one prototype exploded, so it had honestly been a pretty quick one to nail down, and Pinkie had seemed happy about being given a spare. No idea what she were using it for, if anything, but ti didn't really matter either.

...What was she thinking about again here? Oh right, Silver. Silver were different. She had the smarts and want for tech stuff to really get on board with the advancements that somepony like Blitz could bring along, even if her greatest projects were bound to explode by design. The two of them had a way of just getting into tune with one another that Blitz couldn't remember having with anypony else, and that made her thrilled to see what sorta things she could learn and do, now that Luther had said that she'd be allowed to stay here, and work as Silver's assistant. Only downside would probably be that she couldn't get back to Ponyville that often, but it'd probably be okay. She just had to send a letter or something to the mayor so that nopony got worried she had gotten eaten, or blown herself up.

"Is your mom a grumpy too? Lot's of ponies talked about her too when I asked for directions here. Said some silly mean things, but Dax-Dad isn't bad like they said, so she's not either I bet. Just some meanies telling wrong stories. One even said their foals were a buncha bad words! Mean lady doesn't know what she's talking about. Dax is a good pony."

She went over and snuggled her friends front leg, as she casually went over her getting some pretty bad stories told as she were on her way here, and stopped to ask for directions. She really didn't get why ponies were so mean about the Blackwaters. Dax were nice, and Dax-Dad were a grumpy face, but he were a good pony. She didn't know about his mother who were apparently a sneaky mare who were bad to others, or her other foals, since she hadn't wanted to hear details from the mean lady who indirectly talked badly about her friend. Probably fine ponies too, but just a little strange. Just like Dax and his dad were. Nothing wrong with being strange.

"I dunno why nopony talked about Silver though. She's real smart, and makes all sorts of really impressive things. That's way more interesting to talk about than bad words about Dax's family. Maybe I just didn't ask the right ones? Hehe, perhaps Mr. Bear would've known, and just didn't get to say it."

She giggled a little as she imagined that the bear who had sadly taken off pretty quickly after she started to play with it, would've told her stories about the genius Silver, where nopony else had for no apparent reason. Seriously, she made big things with steam and electricity! Why wasn't this something she had heard about all the way over in Ponyville? Smarts like this should be known all over Equestria.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Randimaxis,

On 2/11/2020 at 7:50 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Oh, I've been here long enough to know my way around a good bit.  So yeah, I can believe that the Blackwaters have so much nice stuff, don't they?  I wish I had even a fraction of their wealth; I'd probably live in a big mansion like this one, too!"

"Ya, but it's all so wasteful," Gold said out loud in his room, "It can't be fair to have it all in one place." Even the Gold family never spent half as much on aesthetics. What helped give the Gold's their well suited look was that most of it had some utility. Gold edged cutlery might seem like a gross waste, but when considering how resistant gold is to tarnishing, you realize that the display adds some tangible value. A fifth painting on the same hall wall didn't have the same effect. Perhaps Gold Dust was dwelling on this too much. He had a clear goal that was going to be hard enough as it was; no reason to complicate things, but it stuck for whatever reason. This room was more leagues more subtle, but the same feel of excess was unshakable.

As he sat on the couch opposite the painted vista of the quarry as he tried to get it out of his mind. He almost nodded off when a jolt from his left fore-hoof brought his attention to his ring. The constant reminder of the fruits of trust got his mind wandering over to Redd's wordy departure. "So this was guest suite..." That didn't sit well with Gold. Why would it be so modest? If this house was all about flashy displays, wouldn't it make more seance for this room to be a crescendo of flash to dazzle everypony. This suited a pony that expected to see flair and pizzazz every day. Like a resident.

Gold Dust immediately jumped out of his couch seat and opened the door to find his way back to the front door, hopping the trap hadn't been sprung. "Nice try Redd, but it won't be that easy," Gold muttered as he flapped his fatigued wings ready to start flying through the halls.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 2/11/2020 at 8:38 AM, Widdershins said:

"Huh."

Dewdrop's trail wasn't difficult for a farmpone to follow; she had dainty little hooves, and the tracks she left were as plain as vanilla.  Best of all?  It wasn't too far - a few miles, at best.  Something Clod could possibly have walked in his sleep.

The tracks led down one path, up another, and spiralled along a mountainside until they reached what looked like a much smaller version of the Blackwater Quarry; a steel fence that surrounded a few small buildings, and an enormous warehouse towards the back.  There was a sign out front, but Clod's reading skills might not have been up to the challenge of such a feat.  Then again, maybe he could figure it out if he stared at it hard enough.

The sign read: 

[CRAGG MINING COMPANY]

Excavations, mining & gemstone collection

The dainty hoofprints led right into the front gates.

 

 

 

On 2/11/2020 at 11:40 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"You uh, don't need to worry yourself with that, I'll get those gathered up soon, wouldn't want to accidentally get hit with a strange mixture after all, improperly mixed potions can have very strange effects. And to be honest, as much as I would appreciate the help organizing, I am not used to others going through my things, hence my awkwardness here, I hope you understand?"

Call gave a merry chuckle.  "Nonsense, madam - it's my job to see to it that everything is clean and tidy, especially with guests in our midst!  I promise you, I won't be more than two shakes of a lamb's tail!"

With that, Call stepped into the bathroom and, true to his word, made short and (thankfully) quick work of tidying everything up; he even arranged the bottles by size next to the sink.  Once complete, he glanced into the tub... then nodded approval as he made his way back out.

"Nothing to worry about, madam," he said with a conspiritorial wink, "I shan't tell Master Dax that you made a bit of a mess; from what I gather, I'd say you could possibly be an absolute slob, but he'd still only have eyes for you.  Your secret is safe with me."

As everything else was in order, the butler pony made his way out of the room.  "If you should require anything further, please feel free to make mention of it to myself or my brother.  It is our pleasure to serve, madam Mystic."

She was alone again... and the butler was as quick in his duties as he was spiffy in his tailor-made suit.

 

 

 

On 2/13/2020 at 6:59 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Dax-Dad made me promise not to explode anything unless I told him, but that's okay, I wanna make more stuff to thank him for letting me stay and learn things from Silver. Plus, I wanna see if I can make him smile. He's got a big old grumpy face."

Dax laughed at Blitz's impression of his father.  "Well, let's just say you have your work cut out for you, in that case!  Father's never been one to smile - the best you can possibly get from him is a genuine straight face!  But that's an accomplishment, to be sure... just getting him to approve you being Silver's assistant is PROOF that you're a genius when it comes to blowing stuff up!"

 

On 2/13/2020 at 6:59 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Is your mom a grumpy too? Lot's of ponies talked about her too when I asked for directions here. Said some silly mean things, but Dax-Dad isn't bad like they said, so she's not either I bet. Just some meanies telling wrong stories. One even said their foals were a buncha bad words! Mean lady doesn't know what she's talking about. Dax is a good pony."

Dax gave an embarrassed chuckle.  "Mother... is more prissy than grumpy.  But, for the record, if she looks grumpy... RUN.  She's got a nasty temper, and tends to yell when she's angry.  Thankfully, she only tends to get angry with Beck and Call - so I'm pretty sure you'll only get to meet the prissy side of her."

Dax did gave a slight sigh as the words of the general opinion reached his ears yet again.  "The reputation we have... well, it's kinda something that was more of my grandfater Erasmus' fault; HE was a conniving, cold-hearted stallion, and he was just the latest in a long line of... not-so-good ponies in charge here.  Honestly?  Father has been working hard to change that mindset... but, as you've heard, it doesn't always reach everyone that we're not that bad."

 

On 2/13/2020 at 6:59 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"I dunno why nopony talked about Silver though. She's real smart, and makes all sorts of really impressive things. That's way more interesting to talk about than bad words about Dax's family. Maybe I just didn't ask the right ones? Hehe, perhaps Mr. Bear would've known, and just didn't get to say it."

As Dax mouthed the words 'Mister Bear?', Silver chuckled shyly.

"I've been trying to spread word of my inventions for about a year now... but word of mouth takes time to pass around.  However, I DO have quite a fan in the nation of Troy, and I'm hoping the stuff I sent along to them has been useful enough for them to remember me!  At least... I hope so."

Silver seemed to deflate just a smidge at that; though she'd been working out many different ideas, she'd also been waiting to hear back from a prestigious think-tank about how well her invention was received... yet, she hadn't heard a single peep about it from them.  It didn't deter her from continuing her work... but still, she was beginning to feel that particular end wasn't going to yield any results shed ever see.

Her smile returned as she spoke up.  "But I still have a LOT more inventions, and I'm sure that, even if nopony knows my name, my inventions will help others for generations to come!"

 

 

 

On 2/17/2020 at 7:48 AM, Loud Opinion said:

"Nice try Redd, but it won't be that easy,"

Outside the door, strangely enough, was a small blue colt.

He sat there, looking up at Gold with big, sparkling green eyes and a curious look on his muzzle.  He sported wings, so he was apparently a pegasus... but that was about all Gold could tell from looking at him.

"Hiya, mister," the colt spoke, "you wanna play with me?"

He looked like he was hiding a hope that Gold would, indeed, play with him.  A colt in a big, boring place like this would most certainly be looking for something to do... and apparently, that meant asking Gold if he could play.

"Mother's got stuff to do today, and Father's always busy.  I don't go out much, so I don't have many friends... but YOU could be my friend, right?"

The colt seemed sincere enough.

 

 

[Love Bloom]

BLACKWATER MANOR - Main hall

A white mare, with a beautiful blonde mane is seen inside the main hall of the Blackwater Manor. She wore the uniform of a maid, signifying that she indeed is an employee for the Blackwaters. As she canters down slowly towards the front porch, she reflects on how she arrived at such place, and how her past self got her into such mess, that is, sudden employment.

"Two years on.....I realized what a fool I was.....I knew that I screwed up when I saw her, and how cunning she was. This labor is my punishment, but...I started to appreciate my fate, after realizing that they aren't as they seem....and as most would say, nopony should ever judge by the cover of a book. Yes, I thought the rumors were true after all, so my dumb freelancing....so called ...self proclamed pony-tarian aid worker self decided to come here, and make a statement about how things work....Then she came along.....and offered to show me how they did things...little did I know....I fell for her trap.....then I am chained to the manor to work for half a decade. First year...I struggled to understand the basics......I basically let my emotions get in the way of work. I struggled doing things..simply because I nearly lacked an interest. Second year came...and I slowly realized it, bit by bit, but I still made the same mistakes.

Then I knew I was being too prideful of myself.....yes I'm a rich....spoiled...filly..but I didn't understand a single bit about how the world really works...those that work under them....they were raised to be...resilient...tough...and efficient. They are like...the flower buds that made it through the storm...we all are.... and I feel that, when I realized it, I bloomed like the rest. I knew..this is the reality...and I owe it to her for teaching me...and I'll never forget that...I will pay my respects by serving this place as long as I wear the armor, that is the uniform, till the end of the contract........As signed by me...Love Bloom."

She then stopped at the door, "Oh, I'm here." she spoke with such a low voice.

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

Mystic was overjoyed when Call finally left, dropping the illusion on the tub, and shuddering at how Call had so carelessly organized her tinctures. Stars above! Does he know nothing about what these bottles contain? She picked up one to put it back in the bag it had fallen from. Though to be fair, it's not like the labels are written in Equestrian, it's not exactly fair to expect him to read Runic or Zebrican. Still, size is not a proper way to organize these! You always sort by function!

She returned to the bag the bottles that didn't belong in the bathroom, which had mostly runic labels, and reorganized the ones that would remain, sorted by what they did and the order they should be used in.

Once she had set her bottles in the order she preferred she turned to leave, before a pair of thoughts struck her. First she took another drink of the gel she had made, then she set a defense rune on both the door to her room and the door to the bathroom, if someone entered her room she'd be magically notified, and if someone tried to enter her bathroom... try would be the keyword, as the rune would keep the door locked until someone disarmed the rune.

Hopefully it wouldn't be necessary, given Call had just been through, but she did not want anyone looking through that room while she wasn't there.

You'd think I'd be used to it by now, it's not all that different from home. But then again I didn't have anything to hide back there.

She would then leave the room, feeling the notification from the detector rune as she passed through the door.

So long as she did not encounter something interesting, she would make her way up to where Dax and Blitz were, anxious to make up the time that Call had delayed her.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Illiad Easle @Randimaxis

On 2/20/2020 at 8:52 PM, Randimaxis said:

"Mother... is more prissy than grumpy.  But, for the record, if she looks grumpy... RUN.  She's got a nasty temper, and tends to yell when she's angry.  Thankfully, she only tends to get angry with Beck and Call - so I'm pretty sure you'll only get to meet the prissy side of her."

Dax did gave a slight sigh as the words of the general opinion reached his ears yet again.  "The reputation we have... well, it's kinda something that was more of my grandfater Erasmus' fault; HE was a conniving, cold-hearted stallion, and he was just the latest in a long line of... not-so-good ponies in charge here.  Honestly?  Father has been working hard to change that mindset... but, as you've heard, it doesn't always reach everyone that we're not that bad."

"Grumpy ponies just needs more hugs. And firecrackers."

Blitz clapped her little hooves together excitedly, jumping into the air whilst doing so. She got the clapping right there, yet fell flat on her stomach as her weight proportions were still unusual for her, as she weren't wearing her wings. She honestly had no idea when she had last had them off for this long, and though she felt light as a feather, it were still weird. It would be good when she eventually got that back again.

But that wasn't important. The wings were safe and sound in Silver's lab, and they were talking about Dax's mom, who sounded like she would be a tough one to talk to, but that's what they said about Luther too, and that hadn't been true. Even Dax said his family weren't all the best when she had met them, and so far that didn't seem right, even if she hadn't met his mother, or two brothers yet. Hehe, she looked forward to seeing the little brother, since Ziggy said they could be playmates. Even though the butlers had gotten some funny faces when it were mentioned. Probably just more bad words that wasn't true, or he liked to play games they didn't. She understood that. Not many wanted to play *Fetch the grenade* with the timberwolves when she asked them, so he might have some games they didn't want to take part in either. Or he were a menace. Guess they'd see, hehe.

Same with his momma. She had to wait and see, and in case she didn't look too happy, she'd get a big ol' friendship hug. Worked on Luther, so it'd surely work on her too.

"Your grandfather sounds like a real bad pony if Dax-Dad have to try and make up for it. Shouldn't be his problem that his daddy were a meanie, and others who can't see that are a bunch of stupid heads."

On 2/20/2020 at 8:52 PM, Randimaxis said:

"I've been trying to spread word of my inventions for about a year now... but word of mouth takes time to pass around.  However, I DO have quite a fan in the nation of Troy, and

It was mostly white noise that Blitz heard after that point. and she looked up at Silver big big, excited eyes, hungry for more knowledge.

"Oh! Oh! I heard about Troy when I were still in school! It's a real big sandy place, right? I got kicked out before I learned more, but it must be a smart place if somepony there likes your work.

Who's your fan there? Is it a pony? Dragon? Griffon? Draconequus? Hydra? Ghost? Changeling? Evergrown? Dryad? Sea Serpent?"

She'd keep on going until there'd come some info on this whole thing, going into more outlandish races like pixies and sand demons, which might not be actual things, but hey, what did she know, right? Plant ponies and big talking water snakes with beards and pretty hair didn't sound real either, but she had seen both whilst she lived in the Everfree.

Perhaps she should go say goodbye to him too? He were a pretty kind sea serpent, though she weren't sure where he were. She had only seen him around once, and that were in town. A real weird place for him to be, but some ponies seemed to be okay with him. Real slippery sort though. Tricky one to hug.

[Loud Opinion 602]

On 2/20/2020 at 2:52 PM, Randimaxis said:

"Mother's got stuff to do today, and Father's always busy.  I don't go out much, so I don't have many friends... but YOU could be my friend, right?"

Gold looked at the colt with suspicion. He couldn't help but relate, being an only child and not having any friends before school, but he was primed for deception. He had to be at the front door before anyone with authority saw him. The halls seemed more and more intimidating by the second. many of it's paintings were portraits, and their eyes seemed to sneer in silent hostility. Gold needed a second to slow his heart-rate, but a second was far more than he had to spare. An impatient colt wanted an answer, and he needed one that the colt wouldn't feel the need to tell his parents about, just in case he was a child of the house.

"I've been looking for someone I can talk about accounting with," Gold said with a smile and took a breath now that he was satisfied with his plan, "I remember my first audit. It was so peaceful and calm. Isle seven of warehouse fore had the best welcome mats. The thread-count must have been about ninety-nine each."

As Gold went on his tirade, he gestured for the colt to follow as he walked down the hall trying to use the more familiar paintings to retrace his steps. Hopefully the colt could see where this was going and paint drying would be time better spent.

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Randimaxis

  With a long stride on powerful legs and a single-minded focus on... well, that he was walking, a few miles were a quick jog to Clod Hopper. As far as he could tell, he was still on Blackwater property. Same buildings, same fences and other stuff. In the sense that those were things found in both places. Besides, what sense was there in having another, smaller set up right next to another one when both would likely start some sort of war with each other? That was far too outlandish to even be considered by a farmpony like he was.

 Hopper trotted right past the sign without even bothering to notice it. Signs didn't exist where he came from. Your territory was how far you could launch a pitchfork, that usually gave outsiders a pretty darn clear view of what to stay away from. And if you couldn't defend your farm, well you didn't keep it then. As simple as that.  Such notions of workplace subterfuge would have to be explained in very careful detail for him to not wave it away as backwards City Folk Larnin'. If you were gonna be dishonest and steal from somepony's farm, then you better have a good explaining for the right quick whooping you were going to get and if he was working for one side of it, that probably meant he was going to have to do whooping. A notion the likes of which most ponies would worry about coming from him even if he were a peaceable colt.

 As it would stand, this big lump of stallion would come trotting in merrily within mere hearing distance of the sprinting mare before him right through the front gates of a station that likely didn't appreciate innocent bypassers.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 2/21/2020 at 9:06 PM, Illiad Easle said:

So long as she did not encounter something interesting, she would make her way up to where Dax and Blitz were, anxious to make up the time that Call had delayed her.

As she made her way through the halls, Mystic saw a number of portraits on the wall; a mustard yellow stallion with a sinister smirk, a sad and morose blue mare, another mare with a mysterious gaze that seemed to follow her, a zebra with a pair of accusing eyes, an angry-looking maroon stallion... and it might have been safe to assume they were all Blackwaters, as the portraits were all well-framed and cared for.  Some of the paintings were centuries old, and they still looked as though they could have been painted yesterday.

Making her way into the front hall, Mystic opened the front doors just in time to hear the maid standing there say something aloud...

On 2/21/2020 at 5:35 AM, Flow said:

"Oh, I'm here."

 

 

 

On 2/25/2020 at 5:24 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Your grandfather sounds like a real bad pony if Dax-Dad have to try and make up for it. Shouldn't be his problem that his daddy were a meanie, and others who can't see that are a bunch of stupid heads."

Dax sighed.  "It's... difficult for others to look past history, especially with one as checkered as ours.  Father's sour appearance doesn't help that much, and Mother's foppishness isn't very endearing to others, either.  Add Oggie's little attitude, and you mostly get suspicious stares and turned-up snouts.  It's not easy, getting others to overlook years of bad history, but sometimes you catch a break, and find some good, good friends."  He smiled at Blitz.

"Or even a dash of romance, eh?"  Silver nudged Dax, and the young stallion's blush made another appearance.

 

On 2/25/2020 at 5:24 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Oh! Oh! I heard about Troy when I were still in school! It's a real big sandy place, right? I got kicked out before I learned more, but it must be a smart place if somepony there likes your work.

Who's your fan there? Is it a pony? Dragon? Griffon? Draconequus? Hydra? Ghost? Changeling? Evergrown? Dryad? Sea Serpent?"

Silver smiled, then gave an airy sigh of longing.  "He's a pony - a unicorn - who really likes my work... and I really, really like him, too.  And, well, he also seems to like me back, and we like each other, so... eh..."

Now Dax gave his own grin, and nudged the handimare back.  "So he's your coltfriend, right?"

Silver seemed to catch another round of the blush as well, smiling shyly.  "... well, I... he... I like to... think so, y-yes... and we've, um, h-had our moments together, true... and it... well, he... uh..."

Dax smiled.  "I know exactly what you mean, Silver.  Exactly."

 

 

 

On 2/29/2020 at 12:54 PM, Loud Opinion said:

"I've been looking for someone I can talk about accounting with; I remember my first audit. It was so peaceful and calm. Isle seven of warehouse fore had the best welcome mats. The thread-count must have been about ninety-nine each."

The colt looked at him for a moment, blinked, then gave a curious look as he began to follow along.

"Welcome mat thread-counts?" the little colt gave a scoff, "You had an audit right in front of you, and you can only remember thread-counts?  If you asked Mother, she'd tell you about how she located an oversight on the PegAir books about shipping expenses from a particular branch in Las Pegasus, an independent shipping company.  She'll tell you that her find helped that company discover embezzlement going on between the lines, and that her company got a bonus for finding that tidbit.  She'll also tell you that it rearranged much of the profit information from the fiscal year, and that her company was hired to fix it, due to Mother's timely discovery.  Mother made millions from the debacle, and PegAir still hires her each year for a focused cost audit, at premium salary prices."

He then waved a dismissive hoof in the air.  "Oh, but you wanted to talk about thread-counts, right?  Sorry - go right ahead, mister."

 

 

 

On 3/11/2020 at 9:53 AM, Widdershins said:

As it would stand, this big lump of stallion would come trotting in merrily within mere hearing distance of the sprinting mare before him right through the front gates of a station that likely didn't appreciate innocent bypassers.

"Whoa, um, hey, yo, 'scuse me, sir!" came a meek little voice, pushed to a loud squeak by the volume of the labor going on around him.

A mare trotted her way over to Clod; she had a pink coat with a short purple and yellow mane, and wore spectacles on her yellow muzzle.  She was a bit thick, and was nowhere near as attractive as Tart had been.  However, she did wear a kind, if harried, smile on her muzzle as she made her way over to the farmpony.

"Um, if you're wanting to talk business, sir, the boss' trailer's right over here.  I can take you to him.  However, we don't allow others to just walk around on the quarry grounds, sir - I'll have to ask you to stay out of the work areas, please.  Maybe there's a question about our operations here; may I possibly answer them?  My name is Pansy Meeks - a pleasure to meet you, sir."

She seemed nice enough, at least.  And she was calling him 'sir'?

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis @Flow

Mystic felt the curious mixture of emotions long before she arrived in the Front Hall to find the maid producing the miasma. She raised an eyebrow in a mix of concern and confusion, unless her senses were failing there wasn't anyone else in the hall, and therefore the maid either knew she was coming to greet her in her odd way, or the maid had been talking to herself.

Given the maid hadn't seemed to have noticed her arrival, the latter seemed far more likely. Nonetheless, there was no reason why she couldn't try to get to the bottom of this strange maid.

Mystic would wave to try and get the maid's attention before speaking up, "Excuse me, I'm looking to get up to the ridge? Or wherever the Blackwaters test their explosives. Do you think you could help me find my way?"

It wouldn't do to simply ask what was wrong, that sort of thing needed to come naturally, start a conversation first, get a name, then cultivate the desired emotion.

Shoot! Missed a step! Mystic quickly followed her statement with another, "I'm Mystic Glow," She hesitated before simply falling silent, waiting for the maid to respond herself.

[Love Bloom]

@Randimaxis @Illiad Easle

When Love Bloom reached for the door, it opened by itself, as if she had magical powers to open doors without contact. Though, it turned out to be someone right in front of her, she had a white coat, which bore a striking similarity to her own, but only differentiated by black zebra stripes. Given the confused expression on her face, LB thought "Oh dear, I'm talking to myself again, and she just heard me, plus I just appeared right in front of her eyes, now that is just outright embarrassing, I better apologize." 

Then she began "Ah...It seems I'm talking to myself again. I didn't mean to spook you, I beg your pardon." She then bowed in apology. Almost immediately after that, the striped one spoke to her.

22 hours ago, Illiad Easle said:

"Excuse me, I'm looking to get up to the ridge? Or wherever the Blackwaters test their explosives. Do you think you could help me find my way?"

Hearing that, the maid thought that this was her chance to redeem herself after that confusion, though the request she was given seemed odd to her, but who was she to question anyone, when it is in the maid's creed to "receive, and execute". She then answered "Oh, that place? Well, I believe I do not have the authorization to be out in the quarry. Though, I can lead you to the way there."

When the striped one introduced herself as Mystic Glow, Love Bloom felt the need to return the favor, and introduce herself "Mystic Glow, a very nice name indeed. My name is Love Bloom, one of many who serve the Blackwater Manor, and it's patrons, it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance." After clearing her throat, she continued with such a monotonous tone  "So, shall I lead you on the way out? If yes, then please follow me." 

She then turned around, and started pacing slowly towards the entrance, hoping that Mystic would follow suit.

Edited March 18, 2020 by Flow

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Illiad Easle @Randimaxis

Blitz listened to Silver and Dax tease one another about their significant others. Silver were the most entertaining one, as she were getting Really flustered about this, whilst Dax were just sorta blushing, which weren't as fun to look at, but that wasn't really the point here either, right? It were all about them having somepony special in their lives, which far as she knew, were really important for ponies the older they got, and it were hard to argue against Dax and uhm... Huh, she sorta forgot the name of his marefriend.

Anyway, Dax's marefriend and him looked cute together, and he weren't sad or alone like this, which had been an issue he'd talked about when they first met all those months ago, in the Everfree Forest. He had been all about not having friends, his family being mean, and all that sorta thing, but just look at him now: He had his bestest friend in aaaaaaall of Equestria here, along with his marefriend, and later today, would also have some nice family time watching fireworks. Things were going great for him.

Silver too it sounded like. From what Blitz got between the stammering forth of a statement that Dax made easier to grasp by just cutting through it and calling her and the mysterious stallion from Troy a couple. Sounded like it were somepony really special to make her this flustered, and when it were also somepony who got how smart she were and appreciated it? Sounded like a winner, and hopefully somepony that she'd see again soon. If she saw him too, perhaps she could convince him to move to Equestria to be with Silver then? Ponies who liked one another a lot wanted to be around one another often, right? Blitz were pretty sure she got that part right.

"Hehehe, I hope to meet your very special somepony one day, Silver. He sounds like a fun one."

Unbeknownst to hr, she had already seen him. He were a certain pony whose shoes that she wanted to drizzle itching powder into, for leaving Dax hanging earlier, and making him cry. Also for thinking that he could be Dax's bestest friend, which were clearly Her position, and she wasn't gonna give that up without a fight. It were going to end up being a great first meeting once he eventually came back around, though it were likely going to be decided how she'd approach him based on whatever or not Silver introduced him as her coltfriend before she got the itching powder out. Though she might honestly still try and give that to Illiad. Y'know, out of principle.

"And I don't think Dax-Dad's bad. He looks a little grumpy, but lots of ponies have lots of looks. I dunno why anypony would judge you just on that, when there might be a happy, friendly pony behind the grump. Like he is. He's a really nice pony, just like you are.

But what's wrong with your little brother? Everypony's acting funny when talking about him. Is he a bully? I like to mess with bullies."

The look in her eyes as she looked up at Dax and said this, could best be described as *Predatory*. Call it a... Side hobby or so, but she had made a point of messing with the bullies whom she had seen when the had been in school in Ponyville, and a few times after that too, since they were naughty fillies and needed to be pranked. If Oglevy were the same, she could figure something out too. A shame she hadn't brought her Poison Joke stuff though. That were great at really messing with others, but there were lots of things around here. She were sure she could find something that'd still do the trick.