open [RP] The Blackwater Quarry

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Okay, so That was not entertaining for long.

 

Ziggy sighed and looked at the pile of papers stacked up from her little game. it had helped pass 10-15 minutes like she had thought, but it just wasn't enough, and especially not with this odd thought circling around her head.

 

It wasn't anything Really special or anything, it was just a worry about the ember wound. It didn't seem like the miner who had gotten hit would return for the time being, so he was hopefully all well thankfully, but bad things tended to not just happen once, but several in a row and it made her wonder if that was just a superstitious thing or if that held true here.

 

Smaller injuries and the occasional small burn tended to happen in clutches here, sure, but the ember wound were pretty severe compared to that, and the thought that things like that could avalanche... The medicine for that stuff wouldn't last forever if it started, but she didn't have any idea if these sort of things were like that. Did one ember mean that suddenly, a large amount would start falling on everypony? Would they hit a veins or something of that stuff normally? Even if she had been here for awhile, the discovery of this sort of thing were before her time, and she wasn't sure what to... Huh.

 

Ziggy perked up suddenly as a thought entered her head. The archives. She didn't have any real papers from previous doctors here in her office - except for the crumbled up note she'd found wedged under the desk that looked sorta like a sandwich recipe - bu the Blackwaters supposedly had had stuff going way back. She could read some of that perhaps, and get a feeling of if things tended to escalate so she could prepare for things, both medicinally and mentally.

 

Hmm... But it had sounded like Mr. Blackwater was busy as ever preparing something, likely related to the flier she'd gotten, so he wouldn't have the time to give her access. And that was if she'd get access to that sort at all. He might think it a massive waste of time after all.

 

She couldn't get the thought out of her head, and she liked to be prepared for something very bad - which major ember burns on a roll would be - so though it might be a waste of time she really wanted to do this, but how in tarnation was she gonn- Bingo!

 

A light went off over her head and she went towards the door. She'd make sure that nopony was there for her, or who needed her, and then she'd take off for a bit and look for Dax again. She could use some of her lunch break on this since she normally just sat in her office with a sandwich, which usually gave her a bit of spare time, and as long as the hours fitted on the list at the end of the day it should all be okay.

Edited August 30, 2016 by Blitz Boom

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Randimaxis,
"well we do have evidence of sompony trying this" cresent nodded at the knocked out ponys, "all were missing is the name and motive, if this would be red...."

 

cresent thought back to the conversation he had with the pony before hoof "getting him to talk wouldn't be the best trot in the park, we'll need to find a way to push it out of him. And if we go after the wrong pony it'll set off the other or others we are on too them/him/her" cresent did his turn of pacing back and forth

 

"I hadn't meet dax yet so im not going to worry about him, chuck would dance around questions, like red but I don't see him doing this crap unless you really pissed him off. then again talking to him is near impossible, that or he just doesn't like bats....taps....I don't remember seeing her for a while now"   

 

"half of me wants to keep going in the mine to see where this go's another half I saying confront red, lets look deeper." he said looking further in the mine "if I were trying to get ride of me id have two fail safe to say 'see I was really doing my job' then again weather red is smarter then me we'll find out the further we go" he said scratching his mane

 

cresent then looked around trying to remember where the next incident happened the previous incident involved a spider vs minor problem and the spider won. that was before they had the guides arm themselves as well, sad part was that was the reason now cresent was allowed to use his gauntlet.  Turning towards the mare "you remember the spider vs minor incident or was that before you showed up? Im thinking of checking that site next" he asked  

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@Blitz Boom

 

THE QUARRY - The Lunch Trailer

 

There was a bit of a crowd at the tables, seeing as it was close to time for a shift change.  Miners were chatting, laughing and carrying on - typical quarry fare.  Many of the ponies here were caught up in chatting, but more than a few made a moment or two available to wave at Ziggy as she passed.

 

The smell of fresh-cooked greens permeated the entire area, and there was a slight line at the trailer.  Each table had a number of ponies sitting there... all but one, that is.

 

Sitting at the furthest table out, by himself, was Dax Blackwater.  It seemed as if none of the other ponies would even look his way, much less talk to him.  He was idly picking at the plate of food in front of him, looking somewhat forlorn.

 

 

@@cwhip9

 

THE QUARRY - Deep Mine

 

 Silver pondered the question for a moment, then nodded.

 

"Actually, now that I think about it... yeah, that was last month, wasn't it?  Or am I mis-remembering?  Well, I seem to recall the incident had happened because I found it odd that the spiders would actively go after one of ours.  Seemed like a random incident at the time, but... you don't think THAT was a part of all this, do you?"

 

She nervously paced as she went on thinking out loud.

 

"Okay, let's think: Dax doesn't seem like the kind to do anything wicked, especially after... well, 'The Incident', really.  He doesn't seem like a bad pony, but... you never know.  Chuck isn't all that bad, actually - he always makes sure I have all my equipment before I start building anything in the mines, and... well... he's kind of a big softie, once you get to know him.  Redd?  Well... I'm certain you'll understand if I have nothing to say about him - not that I actually have NOTHING to say about him, but what I DO have to say about him isn't exactly nice.  And Taps is Taps; she'd never do anything to harm the quarry."

 

Silver turned and looked further down the tunnel, concern battling with worry for the most prominent look on her muzzle.

 

"As for a 'Fail-Safe', you have nothing to worry about - as far as I'm concerned, we're looking into a claim of blown lights, and you're with me to make certain I don't end up defenseless in the dark."

 

She smiled a mischievous grin.

 

"Not that I AM defenseless in the dark, but it's okay to let them think that, right?  So, shall we get moving?"

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Wauv, what a gathering today!

 

Ziggy wasn't often at the lunch trailer cause she were mostly eating mostly for herself in her office so she were ready if something happened, so she wasn't used to seeing many ponies gathered. The few times when she did, it usually were timed so that most of them were done eating or she got there a bit early, so hitting the right time when a lot of ponies were here were really interesting and kinda fun to see.

 

She waved happily at the ones who greeted her with a big grin on her face, the smells drawing her towards the line for the food after a bit. She wasn't there at first for that really, just to see if anypony would know where Dax were, buuuuut... It smelled so Good! It likely didn't hurt if she just had a little bit of a lunch break either, right?

 

After getting through the line and having her own plate of yummies, Ziggy looked around for a place to place herself so she could eat. Her height helped give her an overview, but many of the tables were well packed. Well, except the one table where Dax sat, but the one right next to him looked like it might sooon get a free sp- Wait, what?

 

Looking back at the table she saw him again: Dax, sitting lonely all by himself atand poking to his food with everypony else looking like they avoided him. Sure, she knew that there was likely a reason for that if the stories were true, but come on! it wasn't nice to just leave him all alone like that.

 

Before anypony could stop her, or Dax take notice of her, she were over at him and loomed over him like the shadow of a giant whilst she leaned over him, bowing her neck in a half-bow so that she ended up face to face with him, though she were technically upside down. Normally she achieved this by just flying over a pony on her back, but she were carrying a plate, so it wasn't that simple here. Might still be possible, sure, but in the moment this had been what she had gone with as she looked at Dax with a warm smile and a voice that sounded like it might spawn kittens and rainbows any second.

 

"I look for a place, to eat and relax, and who do I face but our own little Dax?"

 

It wasn't mocking in any way, but her rhyming side did take over at times, and in the impulse-controlled paths of her brain that worked when she started to talk in rhymes, this had sounded right. Besides, most things were just a matter of How you said it, and not the words themselves.

 

Before he'd have a chance to answer, she had zoomed over to the other side of the table and put her plate down so that she were facing him, the grin not faltering from her face for a second.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@Blitz Boom

 

Dax's eyes rolled up from staring at his plate.  As soon as he recognized Ziggy, they widened.  His head raised up, and he had a rather surprised look on his face as he seemed to be staring at her in shock.  Apparently, Dax wasn't used to ponies approaching him.  He looked around again at the other ponies around him, then looked back at her.

 

"You... you're actually gonna sit here?  N-n-not that I mind, really, but..."

 

He once again looked around, then he turned back to her.

 

"You might not wanna... wanna be seen with me; I'm not exactly well-liked, y'know.  But..."

 

While his sentence trailed off, Ziggy could see a tiny, happy grin on his muzzle.  He might have been apprehensive, but he sure seemed to be glad she was here.  He sat up a little straighter, seemingly forgetting the food right in front of him and focusing solely on the zebra sitting across from him.  Everything in his body language suggested that he was ecstatic to actually have company...

 

... but it did raise the question of what had caused this?  Why were the other ponies avoiding Dax like the plague?  Was it the fact he was a Blackwater?  Did he do something wrong?  Whatever the reason, there was no telling.  Still, it was a point to ponder.

 

"... well, it's still good to see you, Doctor."   Looking about, Ziggy could now see that there were a few workers giving her suspicious glances.  This seemed not to be lost on Dax either, as he suddenly spoke up a bit louder.  "I hope the physical results came back looking good!"

 

He then sat there, grinning like an idiot at her as his eyes continually scanned around them both.  From between clenched teeth, he spoke softly so he wouldn't be heard by anyone other than her.

 

"The miners won't like it if they see you with me... but if it's for a physical, they might overlook it."

 

Dax grinned widely, and sort-of looked like he was losing his sanity; the look in his eyes, however, said that he was so glad to have somepony keeping him company.  It was kinda goofy, but Ziggy was beginning to get the impression that Dax was kind of a goofy stallion anyway.

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Randimaxis,
cresent laughed "well in the dark, ya I'll cover you" he said trying to laugh off the blush 

He looked farther in the cave "then its settled reds prime suspect and something tells me we could find his hoof prints over hear" he began to move forward when suddenly he had a fun idea cross his mind, "I just thought of something"

 

Crescent looked back at the mare smiling  "how are you in terms of heights?" he said approached the mare then extended his wings galloping past her.

 

Silver must have been very confused where crescent was galloping but she soon found her answer hearing the standing of his wings behind him she was suddenly pulled up and airborne in the cave as crescent swooped below her tripping her to fall on his back with his wings spred  

 

"good news is caves have little turbulence pluses its a bit farther to our next site to investigate" said the bat pony starting at a glide giving the unicorn on his back time to hold on securely. Once he felt her hoofs secure them selves on him he gradually gain speed

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@cwhip9

 

"Whoa - WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!"

 

 Silver let out a whoop of surprise as he swept he off her hooves and into the air.  It took a moment, but she managed to get herself balanced enough to stay put on his back.  Crescent could feel her clutching him tightly, her front hooves wrapped around his neck in a close embrace... one that was close enough to feel Silver's breath on his neck.

 

"Oh!  Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!  Oh, Cress - this is... it's... is it always like this for you?  This is wonderful!  Ha ha!"

 

She hugged him tightly, overjoyed that he was sharing this with her.  She was thoroughly enjoying the feel of the air running through her mane, the sensation of being airborne, the thrill of flying.  She smiled from ear to ear, her entire muzzle lighting up like one of her light set-ups.

 

Below them, the cavern twisted and wound again and again, yet maneuvering was no problem to the skilled bat-pony; he could do this in his sleep... which was appropriate, seeing as how with Silver hugging him tightly, he almost felt as if this was a dream.

 

Far too soon for his liking, Silver pointed a hoof towards the ground.

 

"My goggles are picking up hoofprints - there!"

 

Though he truly wished it never had to end, Crescent knew the old axiom 'business before pleasure'; with a flourish, he set them both down.  Silver climbed down from his back and ran a hoof through her wild mane, taming it quickly.

 

There was, indeed, a set of hoofprints here.  There were only a few, as the tracks were only visible in a patch of dirt which hadn't yet been cleared from the pathway.  Crescent could count a sparse six hoofprints - and that was all.

 

Silver, however, hunkered down and scrutinized the prints closely.  As she looked, her horn began to glow as a magnifying glass floated out of her toolkit and levitated in front of her eye.  She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she examined the evidence; it was kinda cute.

 

Suddenly, she gave a slight gasp, then looked up at Crescent with a worried gaze.

 

"Cress, I've been working here for a while now, and I have worked the miner's horseshoes to perfection.  As is such, I'm kind of an authority on the shoes used here in the Blackwater Quarry.  The thing is, after looking these over carefully and examining each detail, I can only reach one conclusion... these are NOT my make or model of shoe."

 

The look on her face was grim as she stood up.

 

"I think we might have a trespasser."

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Oh come on, this was just silly.

 

Ziggy caught a quick glance of somepony looking oddly towards her and Dax when he mentioned it, but she could really see what the point were in being like that. Sure, Dax might be a Blackwater and yeah, stories went what happened to those that tried to get near one of them, but that wasn't Dax' fault, and having to hide with weird behaviour like this was just a wrong way of handling things in her mind.

 

Granted, she had not heard the whole story of when he had been made to fire others before so she were not fully informed, but it was unlikely to have changed her opinion on things. Ziggy was the sort who hated having enemies and loved having as many friends - or tolerable acquaintances at least - as possible around her. It made the days better.

 

But oh well, she had made Dax play along with one of her things, it was just fair that she played along with his. Though next time, she'd just... Grab him and squeze him until ponies stopping looking weirdly or he reached a critical stage from lacking air, whatever would happen first.No idea if it'd work, but it was a samall thought for now anyway. If the day came, she'd perhaps think of something else.

 

"Yeppers, nothing wrong there, though I'd still say you could use some more meat on your bones."

 

Ziggy took a mouthful of the food on her plate whilst looking at him with an amused glimmer in her eyes and a satisfied smile. She hadn't given him a physical, nor likely would have said that if it came to it since Dax looked to be perfectly fine, but he had looked kinda silly, and she liked to be a bit silly back. Not too silly though. The last time she had given her all was still spoken about in weird tones and with raised eyebrows at the medical school she had gone to in Las Pegasus, and it hadn't been a fun aftermath.

 

Besides, she didn't want to be fired for something like that. If she had to be sacked, then it should be because she really messed something up, not because she glued Mr. Blackwater's hoof to his head or something like that.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@Blitz Boom

 

He'd been wondering about the doctor for a while now, since Father had first mentioned her.

 

"Capable.  Wasn't much to debate; price was fair, skill was decent.  Better than the last few, in fact."   

 

Luther Blackwater was NOT one to simply toss out compliments so quickly; he'd only seemingly been proud of Dax only a small hoofull of times, and even then he hadn't smiled.  That means this doctor was certainly good at what she did.

 

The fact she was a zebra was... interesting.  She loomed over him - to be fair, she loomed over almost everypony.  His own band-like pattern was somewhat similar to hers, but Ziggy's were more copious.  He wondered why she stared at him the way she sometimes did... it felt almost... feral?... in nature, and it made him worry just a bit.

 

Still, she was rather nice.  She hadn't ratted him out to Father, and she'd been easily forgiving of the little white lie earlier.  Now, here she was, sitting at the table with him.  Eating with him.  He felt embarrassed for her, yet at the same time rather elated for himself; it was somepony the miners hadn't talked to!  Maybe if he got in a good first impression, he could make a frie-

 

Better not jinx it, he thought.

 

"I, uhm... well, what's up?"

 

He hoped he didn't look as nervous as he sounded.

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Nothing really. I was out looking for... Something, and then I just came past here and smelled dinner. Been a bit since I ate outside the office really."

 

Ziggy took another bite and chowed down happily on it, ignoring a bit that she had trailed off as tyo Why she had come around here to begin with.

 

It wasn't because she didn't want to tell though. Rather, with all the things going on in here, the smells and fighting her urge to tacklehug everypony, she had sorta forgotten what she was out for to begin with. She was sure it was something involving work, but she just couldn't grasp exactly what it had been she was touring around after before meeting Dax again.

 

A minute or so went on with her proply chewing through the mouthful she had whilst the gears in her head started to move a few ticks. There wasn't anything at first, then suddenly her eyes opened and she looked at Dax with energy again and swallowed her food. She could remember it now.

 

"Oh right. I was out looking for you. Had something I wanted to ask with your help with."

 

She didn't say more before another mouthful was started to get chewing on, leaving Dax somewhat hanging about what she were there for. But they'd get there in time.

 

...Well, Hopefully anyway.

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@cwhip9

 

"Whoa - WHOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAA!!!"

 

 Silver let out a whoop of surprise as he swept he off her hooves and into the air.  It took a moment, but she managed to get herself balanced enough to stay put on his back.  Crescent could feel her clutching him tightly, her front hooves wrapped around his neck in a close embrace... one that was close enough to feel Silver's breath on his neck.

 

"Oh!  Oh-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho-ho!  Oh, Cress - this is... it's... is it always like this for you?  This is wonderful!  Ha ha!"

 

She hugged him tightly, overjoyed that he was sharing this with her.  She was thoroughly enjoying the feel of the air running through her mane, the sensation of being airborne, the thrill of flying.  She smiled from ear to ear, her entire muzzle lighting up like one of her light set-ups.

 

Below them, the cavern twisted and wound again and again, yet maneuvering was no problem to the skilled bat-pony; he could do this in his sleep... which was appropriate, seeing as how with Silver hugging him tightly, he almost felt as if this was a dream.

 

Far too soon for his liking, Silver pointed a hoof towards the ground.

 

"My goggles are picking up hoofprints - there!"

 

Though he truly wished it never had to end, Crescent knew the old axiom 'business before pleasure'; with a flourish, he set them both down.  Silver climbed down from his back and ran a hoof through her wild mane, taming it quickly.

 

There was, indeed, a set of hoofprints here.  There were only a few, as the tracks were only visible in a patch of dirt which hadn't yet been cleared from the pathway.  Crescent could count a sparse six hoofprints - and that was all.

 

Silver, however, hunkered down and scrutinized the prints closely.  As she looked, her horn began to glow as a magnifying glass floated out of her toolkit and levitated in front of her eye.  She stuck her tongue out of the corner of her mouth as she examined the evidence; it was kinda cute.

 

Suddenly, she gave a slight gasp, then looked up at Crescent with a worried gaze.

 

"Cress, I've been working here for a while now, and I have worked the miner's horseshoes to perfection.  As is such, I'm kind of an authority on the shoes used here in the Blackwater Quarry.  The thing is, after looking these over carefully and examining each detail, I can only reach one conclusion... these are NOT my make or model of shoe."

 

The look on her face was grim as she stood up.

 

"I think we might have a trespasser."

Crescent looked at the fresh hoof prints closely, he didn't have a good eye on hoof details so he just took her word for it. Looking around he could hear a faint blood beat all though his was drumming like a volcano but that was more adrenalin still running thru him. "sounds right but I was hopping this would happen la-" he then herd an distinct beat of blood that of a spider. He stopped talking hopping it wasn't the Spider he was thinking of scanning the room still no sign of the intruder.

No after a death of a fellow spider the rest of the spider avoid the spot outright, this was a spider and he didn't recognize this one. A small hiss was herd nearby "Silver I'm not the only one" he was interrupted again by a giant blast above them of dynamite sending rock on them. He tackled Silver seeing more of the rock fall around them feeling some hit him followed by a lot of pain to one of his wings he used to cover the two of them followed by instant numbness with a rock hitting the batponys head knocking him out  

The rocks stop falling and crescent could hear the 3rd blood beat draw in close

 

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@Blitz Boom

 

Dax blinked at her.  "MY help?  Well... sure, I'd like to help, but..." he lifted an eyebrow curiously, "... you're sure you want MY help?" 

 

Dax wasn't completely certain that the kind doctor knew what she was getting into.  The last time he'd helped anypony, there had been quite a few ponies who had ended up paying the price for it...

 

Am I going to keep letting my Father run my life, even when he isn't here?

 

"I mean, uhm... yeah.  Sure, I'd LOVE to help out!"  He sat up a bit straighter in his seat, and looked for all intents and purposes like he was waiting for orders.

 

 

 

@@cwhip9

 

Before the darkness of unconsciousness completely covered Crescent's vision, he saw a pony-shaped form moving towards himself and Silver...

 

[ABOUT AN HOUR LATER]

 

Crescent could hear nearby conversation fading in slowly.

 

"... telling you, Chuck - it was on the chart!"

 

"Dat's pure marmalade - waddn't no blastin' t'day, ya idjit!  An' you sez dese two was in dat closed-off section?"

 

"Yeah, but I swear I didn't know they-"

 

"Whaddoo I tell you lugs everyday, huh?  Check... the... site... BEFORE... ya blast!  Whaddif dey waddn't so lucky, huh?  Whaddif dey... hey, Silver - you up?"

 

Crescent's ears picked up creaking from the cot next to his own.

 

"I wouldn't say... I'm up... but I'm... no longer down... Cress?"

 

A chuckle.  "Yer 'special somepony' is right next to ya, Silver."

 

"I... well, he... we're not actually-"

 

"Yeah, yeah... stow it; I wanna know wha'happen down dere.  Doc's not gonna be needed fer dis, 'cuz you two was lucky.  REAL lucky.  Came out okay, we s'pose... howyafeel?"

 

"Fine, fine... what about Crescent?"

 

"Dat guy's pretty tough; he'll be arright."

 

Crescent could stay laid out and keep listening, or he could add his own two cents to the conversation... it was up to him.

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Ziggy clapped her front hooves together with an increasing grin on her face, ignoring the miners around them that here and there gave weird looks towards them. They could look and think what they wanted really. it was a free country, and she couldn't hear their thoughts anyway, so eh, what did it matter?

 

"Awesome sauce! Okay, so here it is. I need your help for... Uhm..."

 

She scratched her head a little, trying to come up with it again. She really had to try and keep her errands straight in there sometimes. Sure, it wasn't as important as keeping the emergency procedures fresh in case a seriously hurt miner came around again, but still, a few things should stick better.

 

"Oh, right. I wanted to know if you knew of any papers from the previous doctors anywhere? I wanted to look at the history of accidents here to sort of... Y'know, get a feel for what I need to be prepared for."

 

It wasn't the entire reason, but the other stuff was sorta paranoia thinking. This sounded better for now, and the rest could be talked about later if it was. It really depended on how things went, and if Dax could help her with this. Buuuut if he couldn't, she could still just ask him a few other things now that she had him. No fun in just running away from a pony like this.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@Blitz Boom

 

Dax gave her a quizzical look.

 

"Papers?  Uhm... yeah.  Yeah we DO have those; Father insists on keeping accurate records for 'posterity', he says.  Well, I don't know posterity from my posterior, but I haveta say that it's come in handy a few times.  There's all sorts of records and files and stuff to go through, and it's pretty much orderly... but..."

 

Dax turned and gave a glance at the mansion-on-the-cliffside that had been the Blackwater home for generations upon generations.  After a moment, he turned back to face Ziggy.

 

"... but they're at the mansion.  They're not in Father's study, thank goodness, but they are in the storage room - and that's in the section where our bedrooms are.  I dunno if Father would be mad at you for being in there, especially if it's for business purposes, but I think he'd be mad at ME for letting you in without asking him first."

 

He gave a sigh... then he began to think it over.  His brow furrowed with concentration, and for a moment one could see the resemblance between Dax and his Father.

 

"I could ask first... but there'd be the chance he'd say no - and I don't think that'd do you any good."

 

Shaking his head to clear his mind, he gave a slight shrug, then after looking around a bit, he leaned in close and looked Ziggy right in the eye.

 

"So... should we ask?  Or are we gonna haveta sneak in?" 

 

She got the distinct impression he was hoping for the latter of the two choices.

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Blitz Boom

 

Dax blinked at her.  "MY help?  Well... sure, I'd like to help, but..." he lifted an eyebrow curiously, "... you're sure you want MY help?" 

 

Dax wasn't completely certain that the kind doctor knew what she was getting into.  The last time he'd helped anypony, there had been quite a few ponies who had ended up paying the price for it...

 

Am I going to keep letting my Father run my life, even when he isn't here?

 

"I mean, uhm... yeah.  Sure, I'd LOVE to help out!"  He sat up a bit straighter in his seat, and looked for all intents and purposes like he was waiting for orders.

 

 

 

@@cwhip9

 

Before the darkness of unconsciousness completely covered Crescent's vision, he saw a pony-shaped form moving towards himself and Silver...

 

[ABOUT AN HOUR LATER]

 

Crescent could hear nearby conversation fading in slowly.

 

"... telling you, Chuck - it was on the chart!"

 

"Dat's pure marmalade - waddn't no blastin' t'day, ya idjit!  An' you sez dese two was in dat closed-off section?"

 

"Yeah, but I swear I didn't know they-"

 

"Whaddoo I tell you lugs everyday, huh?  Check... the... site... BEFORE... ya blast!  Whaddif dey waddn't so lucky, huh?  Whaddif dey... hey, Silver - you up?"

 

Crescent's ears picked up creaking from the cot next to his own.

 

"I wouldn't say... I'm up... but I'm... no longer down... Cress?"

 

A chuckle.  "Yer 'special somepony' is right next to ya, Silver."

 

"I... well, he... we're not actually-"

 

"Yeah, yeah... stow it; I wanna know wha'happen down dere.  Doc's not gonna be needed fer dis, 'cuz you two was lucky.  REAL lucky.  Came out okay, we s'pose... howyafeel?"

 

"Fine, fine... what about Crescent?"

 

"Dat guy's pretty tough; he'll be arright."

 

Crescent could stay laid out and keep listening, or he could add his own two cents to the conversation... it was up to him.

As Cresent listened many questions jumped in his head as to what happened after he black out, and the fact his head hurt didn't help from the explosion. The bat pony propped himself on his elbows and looked around.

 

To his right there was Silver looking pale from probably shock he listened to her blood hearing nothing bleeding but more just moving slowly trying to make sense of things like himself.

 

Chuck looking over at the two of them with...a rare look of concern?...it was odd seeing that on a pony who's face always had a hard stern look that would remind him more of a prison warden then minor. The more he thought about it who would know the difference between him happy or annoyed if not the black waters.

 

Another pony or two with a more concerned look on their face's.

 

Cresent looked at Chuck and said "chuck....that explosion....was not an misplaced one" he found his voice sounded tired, worn out like after a good time laughing. He looked at the pony who he probably herd talking "who found us, and who's in charge of the blasting's?"

 

He knew this was one of those few moments where not only did they have a hard proof of sabotage but they had more then one witness to the site of what just happened. Also, he looked at Silver

 

"are you alright?" he asked his crush.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

OUTER YARD: Quarry Grounds

 

 

 

"chuck....that explosion....was not an misplaced one"

 

Chuck lifted an eyebrow.  

 

"Not mizplaced?  Ged oudda here widdat!  Ain't NO WAY nopony got inta Shed Numbah 25 - not widdout a Forepony, dey wudd'nt." 

 

Still, the hard-muzzled Head Miner looked unconvinced.  He wasn't so much calling Crescent a liar... but instead, it was more a knee-jerk reaction to what wasn't allowed.  Chuck knew the rules well: Only authorized foreponies for the Blackwater Quarry had access to the specially enchanted keys that would open one of the most solid 'sheds' ever made.

 

Shed #25 was actually a massive, hollowed-out boulder that was halfway sunken into the ground at the end of the other twenty four actual brick and mortar sheds.  Even though it was half-buried, it was still three stories tall - and secured with cold iron struts, steel cables and cement.  The story-high front door had been built with a lock that, along with being immensely expensive and extravagant, was enchanted with rather stout magics.  Mayhaps not completely impregnable... but close enough to spit, so to speak.

 

This was where the biggest, most beautiful emeralds were stored - including the widely talked-about (but rarely actually seen)  Blackwater Spiral Emerald; a perfectly hued green stone that was supposedly shaped in a natural spiral shape.  The quarry's most valuable gemstone.

 

It was also where they kept a lockdown on the Quarry's entire supply of dynamite.  The cases that held them were written with enchanted glyphs that kept the dangerous explosives in an even environment, so they wouldn't sweat out their precious (and highly volatile) nitro-glycerin.

 

 

 

"who found us, and who's in charge of the blasting's?"

 

 

"Dat's ME, doofus - I'M da one dat writes up da schedules... dat's how I knew dere waddn't any blastin' today!"

 

With that out, Chuck gave a hard sigh, then scratched his forehead in puzzlement.

 

"Dere's only t'ree keys, an' I got mine right here."  Chuck dipped into his inner-left chest pouch and produced a small, ornate silver key.  Even though it was obviously solid, since Chuck was holding it, it was almost as if you could see through it; like a ghostly key.  Showing it to them for only a moment, he carefully placed it back into the pouch it came from; the one right next to Chuck's chest.  NOPONY would have gotten that key from him... and woe be to anypony that tried.

 

"Da udda two belong ta Slapper an' Redd... an' dose two knuckle-heads ain't got da sense to come in outta da rain.  Oh, dey think dey're tough... at leas' Redd does... but dey ain't got da kinda chestnuts ta do nuttin' like dis."

 

"I know Slapper's innocent; he'd never hurt me, and we've been buddies since he was still one of the regular miners.  But Redd..?"

 

"AY DERE - don'tchoo go acccusin' nopony o' nuttin' widdout some kinda evidence; he might beeya yutz, but he's still been here long enuff ta have earned at least enuff respect ta have proof o' dis 'fore ya jus' go off an' blame 'im.  T'aint fair!  Just 'cuz he's a jerk don't mean we gotta be jerks too, y'know."

 

Chuck had a point, unfortunately; it wouldn't do to accuse somepony without proper evidence of their guilt.  It would be rude and extremely unfair to the accusee, not to mention possibly end up in a legal battle... or worse.

 

Meanwhile, Silver's ear perked up as Crescent spoke.

 

 

 

"are you alright?"

 

"Fine and dandy... well, not so much fine and dandy, as I'm not hurt badly and can walk; nothing but some bumps and scrapes, is all.  That, of course, thanks to my bestest buddy - Cress, thanks.  I really mean that... hero."

 

She leaned across the gap between the cots and gave him a tight hug.  The squeeze she gave was hard enough to make his bruised wings hurt - but he had not a care in the world for the pain; he was on Cloud Nine.

 

"Yeah, yeah... stow it.  Look, dis is gettin' fishier an' fishier all da time.  We gotta talk ta dose two clowns, Redd an' Slapper - find out if dey lost dere keys or not.  Least, dat's what I think."

 

"We should, yes... Cress, what do you think?  Would Redd stoop this low?  I mean, that'd be too dirty, even for him... I... I think..."

[cwhip9 1,078]

 

 

"AY DERE - don'tchoo go acccusin' nopony o' nuttin' widdout some kinda evidence; he might beeya yutz, but he's still been here long enuff ta have earned at least enuff respect ta have proof o' dis 'fore ya jus' go off an' blame 'im. T'aint fair! Just 'cuz he's a jerk don't mean we gotta be jerks too, y'know."

 

Cresents tired look turned sour slamming his hoof down on the bed he said  "look at the maps chuck! And now this happing in the same spot where we had the spider incident before I showed up? I know you were here when that whole fiasco went down. Somponys trying to cover his tracks, red, slapper, I don't know who but some things are off."  

 

Hearing Silver and hug him calmed him down again.

 

"We should, yes... Cress, what do you think? Would Redd stoop this low? I mean, that'd be too dirty, even for him... I... I think..."

The batpony smiled at the mare.

 

Nuzzeling her he said "i still don't know what to think love" he closed his eyes feeling her warmth on him he silently kissed her neck hopping it wasn't obvious too every pony in the room not realizing he said the word 'love'. He opened his eyes looking at chuck  "Something tells me Red will show up, or who ever is trying to stop me is about to walk in to see his hoof work. I know you wouldn't get ride of any pony by blasting them chuck unless the needed it. So your good in my book" 

 

Cresent wanted to see his charts, he also wanted time to just think with Silver over the events. Looking at the window he noticed the sky had changed color sense they were in the mine, "wait, how long were we in there?" he asked to eveypony then looked at the two ponys that were behind chuck "and who in the hey are you two?"

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Well, I don't exactly fall in with anything. Hard to sneak like that."

 

She did get the sorta pressure on that last part from Dax, but it was like she said: She wasn't easy to sneak around. She was taller than most ponies, and light pink and white wasn't exactly sneaky colours to work with. Usually she only had luck hiding when she did so in a cloud, and having a cloud wander through the halls would look a bit weird.

 

Besides, she preferred to be polite and ask for things instead of trying to be the worst example of a ninja this side of Manehatten. usually it ended over well, and usually the worst that could happen there was that you got a no. Sneaking around, you might end in jail or something.

 

"I'd prefer to just ask him nicely, but it's your home. I'll go with whatever you think works the best, or is more fun."

 

She grinned widely at Dax before taking another bite of her half-eaten lunch. She wasn't sure how this would end, but she was sure that whatever Dax would chose from the other options would be fine. Sure, sneaking might end badly, but perhaps he just didn't want to disturb Mr. Blackwater when he was busy? The boss Were doing something when they met him at the warehouse after all, and it wouldn't be nice to disturb him with trivial things if it were...

 

Meh, no need for her to worry about that now. She'd see what Dax chose, then hope whatever it would be ended well. He should know what he was doing after all... Right?

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@cwhip9

 

 

"look at the maps chuck! And now this happing in the same spot where we had the spider incident before I showed up? I know you were here when that whole fiasco went down. Somponys trying to cover his tracks, red, slapper, I don't know who but some things are off."

 

Chuck narrowed his eyes a bit.  

 

"Don'choo yell at ME, Crescent - I'M da one whoze job's on da line, here!  Dat blast'll get blamed on ME, if we don't figger dis out!"

 

He huffed a moment, then closed his eyes.  Taking a deep breath, he seemed a bit calmer when he opened them.

 

"... but I agrees wit'cha; somethin' ain't addin' up like it oughta.  I'm still tryin' ta figger out how dey GOT da stuff in da FIRST place."

 

 

 

"i still don't know what to think love"

 

There was a slight chuckle from the other ponies, and one nudged the other as the other winked at him.  Silver's eyes got wide as Crescent gave her the slightest of kisses, then a red wave of blush rolled across her features.

 

"Crescent... what... uhm... I don't think..."

 

She lowered her voice a bit, and leaned in close.

 

"... I think we should talk about this when nopony else can hear us, you know?  Ponies... well, they talk... and if the pony who did this hears about it..."

 

Even though the reception seemed somewhat cooler than Crescent might have wanted, Silver still had a smile on her face.  The advance wasn't exactly unwanted... just ill-timed.

 

 

 

"Something tells me Red will show up, or who ever is trying to stop me is about to walk in to see his hoof work. I know you wouldn't get ride of any pony by blasting them chuck unless the needed it. So your good in my book." 

 

 

 

"wait, how long were we in there?"  "and who in the hey are you two?"

 

 

The two standing behind Chuck exchanged a glance, then simply stepped forward.

 

"I'm Drill Bit... this is Pebble Crunch."  The other pony nodded.  "We... we were the two who were... were blasting when we heard you yell out 'wait'... then we searched, because nopony else was supposed to be there.  Good thing you spoke up, too - we'd have triggered the other charge, which would have been right beneath you both.  Sorry Silver, Crescent... we didn't know though, I swear!  Like Chuck said, nopony was supposed to be there!"

 

"... but, I didn't yell out wait... I don't remember Cress saying it either... then, who said it?"

 

Pebble Crunch, however, began making a studious study of the floor and walls as Drill and Silver spoke.  A VERY studious study, indeed...

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

 

 

 

"I'd prefer to just ask him nicely, but it's your home. I'll go with whatever you think works the best, or is more fun."

 

Dax sighed.

 

"Yeah... you're right, of course.  If we got caught..."

 

He visibly shivered, then straightened up and nodded.

 

"Yeah, sure - I can ask for you.  Besides, it might show Father that I'm doing something important here, so I won't have to stay inside all day.  Besides, there's no need to risk your job over all this.  Look, gimme about twenty minutes, then come up to the house - I promise, I won't let ya down!"

 

Dax's grin returned, and he gave a smart salute.  With that, he left the table, tossing his plate into the washbin as he trotted off and giving Ziggy a small wave as he went back towards Blackwater Manor.

 

Dax wasn't a bad sort at all.  The Blackwaters had a reputation across Equestria of being mean, rude, snobbish and greedy... among other, less mentionable things... but Dax showed absolutely none of that.  Among this family of proverbial black sheep, he was the white one.

 

Lost in her thoughts, Ziggy didn't notice the three miners that had gathered around her until one of them spoke.

 

"Hey, Doc - what're you doin' talkin' to THAT one?  He's trouble, don't you know that?  You might wanna... reconsider... chattin' with the likes o' him; wouldn't want to find out you're talkin' about US to that one - might be a BIG mistake..."

 

The other two miners were standing quite close, and Ziggy could tell they weren't joking with her... and, because of her empathic nature, she could also sense... was it fear?  Possibly, but it was well masked by the intimidation they were trying to put forth.

 

Why would they be afraid of Dax Blackwater?

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Randimaxis,  Cresent tried to play back the events in the cave, he couldn't remember what was said save the group they had to wrestle out info....wait...cresent counted how many ponys were in the room. And here he thought it was closed off a bit but he then realized there were more then just the 5 of them. No sign of the group of 3 ponys they ran into, he hoped they wouldn't come back and leave after they woke up. Which raised another question...but how to bring them up?  

 

"Ok lets make this easier. anypony who wasn't there when me and silver got blown up, excluding chuck and you two" he paused pointing at Bit and Chruch "leave now!".

 

Cresent waited for the other pony's to shuffle out, he breathed out one they left closed his eyes and opening them again. He remembered his crush said something privately to him after that "lass" comment. He steeled himself away from his crush trying to focus on the real story. Looking again at the two ponys and chuck he said

 

"If you three were there....and neither I nor silver said 'wait'....and if chuck found us....." he looked back and forth between the 3 of them. He tried to get up then stopped himself feeling a very annoyed leg stop him,

 

"are you sure you ponys didn't mishear chuck before that explosion? It might have been him telling you guys to stop before hoof. Think carefully, if we can answer the questions hear and now we could save life's from more accident's...and in this case chucks job." The bat pony listened closely to the twos blood beat, it seemed to have gone from a usual beat to a rather quick nervos one....stress?
     or trying to hide somepony?

[Blitz Boom 4,426]

@@Randimaxis,

 

"Awh, that's just silly talk."

 

She did kinda get the feeling that they were trying to mask over being afraid of something with the raw attitude thing, but she knew just the cure for that: Faster than the three could react, she had zoomed behind them and taken them all into a quick group hug before letting go and just standing there, a little behind them, with a big, happy grin on her face.

 

"Everypony's my friend, and I don't say bad things about my friends. And sure, I know all the things said about the Blackwaters and stuff - I have been hearing a lot of you out before, remember? - but I'm a doctor. I'm not supposed to be biased or shun anypony. Besides, he's just being nice and trying to help me with some papers from the previous doctors so I can learn a little more about what to expect of injuries around here. It helps everypony, especially if there's more embers or worse in the mine cause trust me-"

 

She moved a bit closer and got a serious look in her eyes for a bit.

 

"- you don't want me to be unprepared for more things like that."

 

The serious look vanished and she moved back a little, bouncing in place ever so slightly, seemingly not taking much notice of the whole *indirectly telling her to not be near a Blackwater without it being job related or bad things would happen* sort of way the others had approached her with before, though they would have seen that beneath the happy surface, she did register it, she just didn't really care enough for it to give it much more of a thought.

 

"Oooh, that reminds me: I need to check up on my patient from before and see how his leg is coming around. I wonder if he's in here somewhere..."

 

It was one of the time when having a height advantage helped her in her daily life: It made it easier to spot ponies when she couldn't fly around. Though, the question did remain whatever said miner was in here or not... She Did have 20 minutes to look for him though, so if he wasn't, she could always ask around the mines.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@@cwhip9

 

Chuck shrugged.  "I didn't say nuttin' 'cept STOP; I didn't hear no 'wait' from nopony, an' I didn't say no 'wait', too..."

 

Bit shrugged.  "It wasn't me - I heard 'wait', then I heard Chuck say to stop... well, YELL to stop... but it didn't sound like Chuck, that's for sure."

 

Crunch began to sweat.  "I... I h-h-heard Chuck say 'wait' - I mean 'stop' - I mean, uhm..."

 

Suddenly, Crunch bolted for the door at a full gallop... but as he got to it, the door opened.

 

"Hey, what's hap-"

 

WHAM!

 

Crunch ran directly into Knee Slapper, full tilt.  Slapper didn't budge an inch; Crunch bounced off and hit the floor hard.  Slapper blinked a couple of times, then looked at Chuck and the others.

 

"Let me guess - Crunch here needs a bit of de-lousing, and I just kept him from running away from a flea bath, right?"

 

He was making jokes, but anypony could tell Slapper was concerned about what had just happened.

 

 

 

@@Blitz Boom

 

The other ponies, taken aback by Ziggy's attitude toward them, seemed to not only calm down, but they looked a bit ashamed of their behavior.  One of them even gave a small wave as she left to find the miner she'd worked on.  Apparently, the situation had been defused... for now.

 

Seeing as there was currently only one pony with that sort of injury, it only took a few minutes before she spotted him.  He was making his way back from the Outer Yard, and he waved as he saw her.

 

"Hey!  I'm glad I found you; I didn't get the chance to say thanks, Doc.  You saved my flank back there... I know it's your job, but that doesn't mean I can't be grateful, right?"

 

He gave her a careful hug, minding his own injuries.

 

"Thanks, Doc - you're a lifesaver... but you already know that, don't you?"

 

His smile was genuine, and worth the effort of finding him.

 

"If there's anything I can do for you, just say the word - I'm there."

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Randimaxis, Cresent couldn't help but laugh, well it sounded more like a cough. He patted Silver to let him go as much as he wanted to just melt back into her arms remembering how she said "talk" he nodded at her but they needed to get answers, now. He got off from the bed stretching  his wings wincing a bit. 

 

"Actually Slapper, I think you just solved us a big pice of a puzzle" said Cresent

  

The batpony approached Crunch, who's blood was pumping faster then a train engine on a Tuesday. "Crunch, trust me who ever is threatening you. is not as bad as me, now remember iv just been blown up I might have a few things up here loose" cresent said tapping his head with his wing.  

 

He then looked at knee slapper "also odd question, you still have your key to the ordnance shed we have? something tells me this wasn't an accident, silvers fine and hasn't slapped me yet so, I think on levels on sanity....then again being blown up mixes up things"

 

 Cresent didn't know how a concussion felt, he also didn't know if things go south how'll he could play this crazy card he sometimes pulls. It works on the new minors coming in somedays when they don't listen to him. Knee slapper had probably seen it enough to know when the bat pony was joking. Then again going crazy after being blown up has happened before.   

 

Up till this point Cresent and knee slapper were not drinking buddy's but they never had an argument ether, so in regards to knee slapper Cresent considered him...safe?...Then again he was finding out which pony's he could and couldn't trust more and more sense this whole mess started.   

[Randimaxis 8,633]

 

 

"Actually Slapper, I think you just solved us a big piece of a puzzle"

Slapper, amused, made his way over to Crunch and blocked his exit.  A big, goofy grin on his face... but flint and steel in his eyes.

 

"Crunch, trust me who ever is threatening you. is not as bad as me, now remember iv just been blown up I might have a few things up here loose"

Crunch's eyes became saucer plates in size, and Crescent's keen hearing could easily pick up the sound of his teeth chattering.

 

"... l-l-look, I-I-I can't-t-t s-s-say anyth-... I j-j-just..."

 

"Look Crunchy, here's the deal... d'you wanna be my new 'special friend', hmmmmmm?  'Cause, see - I LOVE pulling my best pranks on my 'SPECIAL' friends... don't I, Silver?"

 

Silver grinned wickedly at Crunch.  "Oh, you'll be toast... not so much in the sense that you'll be heated bread, as much as... well, you know what?  Toast has it easier than what'll be in store for you."

 

 

 

"also odd question, you still have your key to the ordnance shed we have? something tells me this wasn't an accident, silvers fine and hasn't slapped me yet so, I think on levels on sanity....then again being blown up mixes up things"

 

"Got it right here..."

 

His horn lit up, and a key that looked exactly like Chuck's levitated up out of his inner vest pocket.  The fact that it was see-through and now levitating made it look like a ghostly apparition, haunting the air between them all.

 

That did it.

 

"THE COLT!  THE COLT!  IT WAS THE COLT!  DON'T HURT ME!  I SWEAR IT!  THE COLT SAID WAIT!  IT WAS HIM!  PLEASE, LET ME GO!  PUH-LEE-HEE-HEE-HEE-heeeeeze..."

 

Slapper blinked.  

 

"The colt?  Wait... do you mean... the Blackwater's colt?"

 

Crunch nodded, miserably.

 

"Ohhhhhhhh... fudgecakes."  Slapper gulped.  "Not good."

[cwhip9 1,078]

@@Randimaxis,

When the key was shown all possibility's to Slapper being the trigger pony went out the window. If what Cresent has seen from this ponys pranks, explosives would rarely be used for laughs unless it was ending up with a powdered black face.

 

Cresent raised and eyebrow at the mention of the colt. He trotted back to his bed, opened up the foot locker finding cider in it. He gave it to Crunch and guided him towards one of the beds." youv had a ruff day bud, just take it easy"

The batpony then began to pace, a habit those who knew him soon began to realizing as he started to think outloud.

 

"so,  let me get this straight. Some pony begins to mess with my charts, Me and Silver go into the mine to find out whats up with a blown out fuse because she has no night vision. along the way" he paused, if he mentioned the group they ran into he wondered if they would connect to anypony in the room, he decided to try it.

 

"we run into, well mercs sating don't pass, it went well" the bat pony saw silver get a little worried mention them. He winked at her "_{trust me on this}"  he looked back at the group "cue later we go further in the mine and we get blown up, via poor crunch getting the shaft."

 

Crunch winced slightly at the mention of his name "don't worry bud no pony's going to hurt you now" he then looked back at the group. He looked at Slapper

 

"how much of this is news to you Slapper?" based off this answer this will make 90% sure that all standing in the room currently are really 1 just being used to get rid of cresent or 2 aslo are targets themselves of red, the colt, or the unknown saboteur