open [RP] The Blackwater Quarry

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Randimaxis

 Lifting the side of the back blanket back down Clod Hopper met Pansy's questions with a simple, laconic response back. "Was born with 'em. Pa says I shouldn't use them.

 They don't hurt much anymore, Ma'am. Don' want you goin through no hassle on my account. Reckon that makin' you worry would hurt me more."

 He accepted the padding from the mare and nodded in approval. AFter having put it on, he turned to her to agree. "A delivery is a promise an' I'll do what I can to help."

 

(OOC: So it's doing that required threshold thing again? Anyone know what that is, refers to or how much it is? Because i'm usually pretty good at keeping this at length but I don't know how much I can put in and frankly at this point i'm just stretching for time, so help a guy out? Heh~)

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Randimaxis,

Gold didn't like where the implications were headed here. Perhaps the criminal world was not the best place to bring the conversation when his own credibility wasn't a slam dunk. Regardless, Gold still saw his advantage and was ever keen on pressing it.

"Well, we can avoid the question of trust so long as we work with individuals..." was the setup to his proposal. Gold let a slight trail off to theatrically continue, "but, if we trusted the counting of emeralds to say, a mathematical formula, we can take trust out of the occasion entirely. If a counter smuggles, he can deny the existence of the emeralds all together, but, if a mathematician were to lie about the number of gems, then one can check their work, and promptly fire the mathematician. One wouldn't even have to get the police involved if they didn't want to, as apposed to the messy business of legally persecuting a smuggler who may or may-not have already fled the country."

"Once I'm given an adequate reason to provide this service I can begin looking for somepony to replace your bean counter. I'm sure I can find someone that wouldn't even effect your earnings."

Now it was Gold's turn to look comfortable in the room. Even if their was something wrong with his suggestion, he had several other reasons to impalement it that he could point to. Out valuing this other accountant sounded easier by the minuet. The level of access he would have would make his job so much easier. He had to resist grinning like a shark smelling blood in the water.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

On 9/20/2020 at 8:44 PM, Randimaxis said:

He then threw his forelegs out to the sides, mimicking a big explosion, his muzzle nothing but a huge smile as his eyes looked extremely excited.  He then pointed behind him at his tombstone, and patted the dirt right in front of it, as if telling her exactly where to put it.

Then, his smile turning a bit less manic and a bit more gentle, he then pointed his hoof at Blitz, then motioned like pages turning... and nodded at her.

If it where physically possible, to have glitter lightening up your eyes, Blitz would have done so, out of sheer joy at what she were interpreting.

*gasp* "You want me to get it, and we read it Together?! Yeeeey!"

She'd jump in place, happy as a clam, and already imagining herself sitting here, next to the long dead spirit of the best explosion expert the Blackwater family ever had. Just him and her, reading through pages and pages of high explosive records, and trying to find some inspiration for something spectacular within. Considering what she had been told by Dax, there would be so much that she could learn from this, that it was bound to make her muse scream in joy. Or abject terror. Who knew?

And speaking of Dax, she had to go find him! He said he knew about the book, so that meant he'd know where she could find it up there! Otherwise, she'd end up getting lost in there for days. And who had the time for that? There were no telling how long she'd have this chance at speaking explosives with Pitch, so she better hurry.

"I'll go find somepony who can show me where the book is, right away! Daaaaaaaax!"

Her voice became distant, as Blitz ran, fast as she could, towards the quarry. Dax had went there to check out something, so he should still be there, right? If he wasn't, she'd just have to run to the mansion and ask for him. Long as she found him fast, that were the important part.

Meanwhile, four minutes of run time away from Blitz, Ziggy would swoop down from the sky, like a candy-cane lightning bolt, and land right in front of Silver, with her eyes wide open behind the glass-less frames.

"What happened?! Are you hurt?"

She'd start to give her a very quick run down, to check if Silver were injured. The doctor rushing around her in a blur, poking, lifting limbs, and otherwise checking to see if there were any physical injuries. Though she thankfully found none.

Ziggy had been flying around the area, trying to figure out where that sound from before had come from, but found nothing out of the ordinary. Not until Silver started to make a ruckus, and she arrived to find that Dax were already there. She didn't even address him at first, as they started out talking about something that happened to Silver. It sounded like she said she were flogged, but there didn't seem to be any wounds from such a thing. No fresh cuts at all in fact, from what she could tell.

"...Wait, did you say flogged, or robbed?"

The tension went out of her body, as Ziggy's brain tried to catch up with her, after she had made sure that Silver were fine. Something which lasted for about two seconds, before her eyes went really big, and she let out a susprised gasp.

"You Did say robbed! What'd they take?! Oh sweet Celestia, not the keys to the fuse boxes, or power... Things, right? Should I call for a lockdown? Does everypony need to get out of the mine, for their own safety?!"

She might be overthinking how bad this were, but the safety and health of the workers, were her primary concern. So when a thief came along, and stole from their tech head, that might mean a lot of bad things for their security, by one of the mine's enemies. And if that happened, then everypony could be in danger, if they went on with work as usual, knowing none the wiser. Just imagine the issues from the light suddenly going out down in the mines, or the mansion's power going off, whilst a crew of thieves went in, to try and hit the vault. Or they might have stolen one of her experiments, that cause wreck havoc on the quarry.

This could be catastrophic!

[Randimaxis 8,633]

@Illiad Easle

"I'm, um, heading back to the manor now, before anything else happens."

As she stepped away towards the front gates, Mystic could still feel eyes watching her... though whether a good or bad thing, she had no way of knowing.

Maybe if she came across Dax - or perhaps one of the other Blackwaters - she might be able to ask about the stallions in her drawing; Dax would probably know best, but there was always a chance she'd be able to get some information from someone else as well.

Still, it was most certainly getting late, and after such an experience, some rest might be just what the doctor ordered?

 

 

On 9/21/2020 at 8:39 AM, Flow said:

"Hmm, wonder who was buried here? Only one way to find out. Err.... maybe there was a reason why I was told to come here, not just to clear this stuff away, but maybe it wanted to show me something, not too sure about it, but I'll find out soon enough,"

The statue was... taller than she expected.

It looked to be almost a story tall, and depicted... somepony... with wings outstretched.  What's more, it wasn't the only one here; there seemed to be another one, situated across from this one, and it too was covered in vines and growth.

With a bit of clearing, Bloom began to notice little details about the statue, such as how the marble it was made from was so very smooth, and parts of it almost looked alive.  Of course, with the encounter she'd had earlier, it was a bit unnerving to say the least.  But as the rest of the foliage began to join the pile she was making, she made out what appeared to be a long and flowing mane, a very regal pose, and... a horn?

Now she was beginning to see it; this wasn't a Blackwater - this was Princess Luna!

It was a simply marvellous sculpture; it captured her essence exceedingly well, and was quite breathtaking to behold.  Not only that, but it was quite well-preserved, for having been outside for... well, from the vines, perhaps a very, very long time?

 

 

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

*gasp* "You want me to get it, and we read it Together?! Yeeeey!"

The ghost smiled sweetly, then motioned towards the direction of the quarry, an excited look growing on his own muzzle.

 

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"I'll go find somepony who can show me where the book is, right away! Daaaaaaaax!"

He grinned and waved to her as she ran off, his visage slowly fading as she left his company.

As soon as the graveyard was empty of living souls, the fog faded from view; tonight's mysteries here were done, but they were only the first in what was to be a rather interesting set of events to come... as the ponies of the Blackwater Quarry would soon discover.

 

 

On 9/22/2020 at 9:32 AM, Widdershins said:

"Was born with 'em. Pa says I shouldn't use them.

 They don't hurt much anymore, Ma'am. Don' want you goin through no hassle on my account. Reckon that makin' you worry would hurt me more."

Pansy looked at him with pity in her eyes.  "Well, if you will pardon me for saying, I believe you should use whatever Life gives you, and cherish who you are - regardless of what others say.  Of course," she added with a sheepish expression, "I'm not one with much room to talk, I suppose; working for Mister Cragg isn't exactly my best choice, but..."

She sighed.  "... it's the only one he'll give me."

 

On 9/22/2020 at 9:32 AM, Widdershins said:

"A delivery is a promise an' I'll do what I can to help."

Pansy looked somewhat pleased at her padding work, and spoke softly to him.

"Right - now that we've worked around the issue, let's get this harness settled."

She worked the straps carefully, and secured it tightly enough to hold, but loose enough not to hurt Clod.  Once that was done, she used a pulley and rope to lift the crate, then gently brought it down onto him and secured the harness.

"There.  Now you should have no issues with your delivery.  Thank you for your help, Mister Hopper... and thank you for trusting me with your secret - I promise, I won't tell a soul."

 

 

 

On 9/23/2020 at 9:15 AM, Loud Opinion said:

"Well, we can avoid the question of trust so long as we work with individuals...but, if we trusted the counting of emeralds to say, a mathematical formula, we can take trust out of the occasion entirely. If a counter smuggles, he can deny the existence of the emeralds all together, but, if a mathematician were to lie about the number of gems, then one can check their work, and promptly fire the mathematician. One wouldn't even have to get the police involved if they didn't want to, as apposed to the messy business of legally persecuting a smuggler who may or may-not have already fled the country."

"Once I'm given an adequate reason to provide this service I can begin looking for somepony to replace your bean counter. I'm sure I can find someone that wouldn't even effect your earnings."

Vylia steepled her hooves and looked at him for quite a moment... then, with a smooth smile, she gestured with a hoof out from the balcony, towards the quarry itself.

"THIS, Mister Golddust, is a legacy - one that others can be very critical and jealous of.  I wouldn't put it past some out there who might be inclined to try to make a side-profit from all the hard work my husband and his miners do; your words have some merit to them, I'll admit... and frankly, I would say it's quite the time to maybe investigate such a thing."

She then took up her cup of tea and daintily sipped at it.

"Very well - if you''re so very invested in the idea of such an embezzlement, then by all means, I invite you to stay with us while you bring the culprit forward; you seem practically convinced that such shenanigans are going on, so I'll hold you to that."

NOW, her smile grew wide.

"I shall give you ONE WEEK to discover whom is stealing from us, and expose their activities - with proper proof, of course.  Do this, and I shall personally guarantee you a place here at the quarry..."

She then sat back on her chaise.  "HOWEVER... if a week passes, and you should FAIL to find this 'embezzler', then I shall take it as a PERSONAL offense to my husband's company, and not only will I have you removed from this place... but I shall make certain you never work with numbers again within the borders of Equestria."

She sipped at her tea again.  "But since you're so convinced, it shouldn't be an issue, yes?"

 

 

 

5 hours ago, Blitz Boom said:

"You Did say robbed! What'd they take?! Oh sweet Celestia, not the keys to the fuse boxes, or power... Things, right? Should I call for a lockdown? Does everypony need to get out of the mine, for their own safety?!"

 

Dax nodded.  "Yeah, Silver - what was stolen?"

The mare was practcally hysterical AND on the verge of tears.  "My blueprints!  They took my blueprints, and... and they stole Blitz's wings!"

Silver began to shed tears as she sat down in her doorway and shuddered.  "All my hard work... all HER hard work... gone... just g-gone..."

Dax was in shock for a moment... then, his muzzle grew as stern as his father's was.

"Ziggy, would you be so kind as to stay with Silver while I go tell Chuck about this?"

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

Provided nothing got in her way, she would be making her way towards the manor until she caught wind of the unmistakable distress coming from Silver. Mystic of course didn't know it was Silver specifically, but she could tell that Dax was nearby and as such decided it wouldn't be too much a detour from her resting to see what was going on.

@Randimaxis @Blitz Boom

Mystic would arrive about when Dax was done issuing orders, she had never seen him so tense before, "I... is everything alright? What's going on?" She was about to bring up the drawings, but it was clear that there were likely more pressing matters at hoof. Despite how much it would augment her migrain she did what she could to empathically impart calm on Dax and Silver, it likely wouldn't do too much for either of them, but it would take the edge off.

[Flow 1,619]

10 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

The statue was... taller than she expected.

It looked to be almost a story tall, and depicted... somepony... with wings outstretched.  What's more, it wasn't the only one here; there seemed to be another one, situated across from this one, and it too was covered in vines and growth.

With a bit of clearing, Bloom began to notice little details about the statue, such as how the marble it was made from was so very smooth, and parts of it almost looked alive.  Of course, with the encounter she'd had earlier, it was a bit unnerving to say the least.  But as the rest of the foliage began to join the pile she was making, she made out what appeared to be a long and flowing mane, a very regal pose, and... a horn?

Now she was beginning to see it; this wasn't a Blackwater - this was Princess Luna!

It was a simply marvellous sculpture; it captured her essence exceedingly well, and was quite breathtaking to behold.  Not only that, but it was quite well-preserved, for having been outside for... well, from the vines, perhaps a very, very long time?

While ridding the statue from the vines and overgrowth, Bloom took note that this one was taller than the other ones in the area, she then stopped to take a look around the area to find a similar statue, it too was covered in vines. "Okay, who could that be? Hmm, well a request is a request, guess I'll have to take care of that too." She thought, before continuing. Upon closer inspection, she noticed that this statue not only had wings, but a horn as well. It also sported a long, flowing mane, and it was striking a regal pose, all this baffled her, "Wait, I've seen this before, where could I have- Oh....That's no Blackwater....that's.." She thought before noticing the engraved cutie mark on the sculpture, now free of the vines. "P-Princess Luna!" She exclaimed, as she gazed at the detailed statue of the princess.

She then turned her attention to the other statue, which Bloom thought was safe to assume to be of Princess Celestia, "So that must be Princess Celestia correct? Well, here I go again with the vines. This isn't my kind of thing in my line of work, but to see such spectacle is a wondrous experience." And with that thought, she approached the other statue to do the same thing she had done to the statue of Princess Luna.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

"Oooh, you poor poor thing. Come here."

Ziggy swooped over and grabbed hold of Silver, as she dragged the frazzled mare into a warm hug. This close, Ziggy's peppermint perfume were hard to miss, and had the situation been different, questions could have been asked why she were using that today. She would've been happy to tell that there were a certain butler who had to get his bandages changed today, whom she might be trying to class up a bit for, before everything just started to go crazy, and she had to postpone things. She'd need a new whiff of it soon, if it were to last, but that wasn't important right now. What were, were Silver, and the disgusting act that had been committed against her.

"Don't you worry Silver. We'll find out who did this, and we'll get everything back. Okay? it's a big quarry, somepony's seen something."

She'd look over at Dax, with big, pleading eyes towards the stallion who might be able to get things well and truly in motion. Yet... He wouldn't be able to do it quickly enough, and Chuck wasn't the first one who needed to know. Not with a security breach this big.

Her look started to grow determined, and she'd nod, before loosening her grip on Silver.

(The following does not happen, if Silver won't let go)

"They need to know at the gate first, so they can close the quarry, and I'm faster than you. I'll get right back here after that. It'll be less than two minutes, okay?"

She wouldn't wait for an answer, before she flew off as fast as she could, leaving only a vague smell of peppermint in the wake. It might not be ideal, but the varied ponies at the Quarry should know that she wasn't kidding when she talked about something like this. Nopony, joked about this at Luther's quarry. Not if they were smart.

And as she had said, she were faster than Dax. By quite a margin too. It were one of the reasons ´she made for a good doctor in this big quarry. She could get to many places, quite fast. It also helped on her metabolism, and increased energy levels, that she had a place were she were generally required to move around more. Like they had said at med school, all the way up to when she graduated: She were a fine doctor, but she'd never make it in a proper hospital. It'd simply be too idle and boxed up to contain her.

Plus, in situations like this, it'd make for faster alarm to the front guards, so they could get the gates closed. Whoever did this breaking, might still be here, so they had to close the place off. And fast!

She'd be able to get there, and depending on how many times she had to tell the ones at the gate that they had a breaking, and that they had to close the gates, it's be between a minute and two minutes, before she were back. With a bit of sweat on her brow, as she were straining herself to get around as fast as she could right now, and not panic. So far she managed to do both, though the relatively calm part, were the hardest by far.

"Okay, they know, I can take over again. Everything okay?"

She'd return about a minute, to a minute and a half before Blitz would. There'd be quite a situation when that occurred, more than likely.

In case Silver didn't let her go, or acted really panicky, in a way that meant she had to stay though, Ziggy would just stick around, and let Dax handle things. She'd just tell him that the gate had to be closed too, before trying to deal with Silver again.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Randimaxis,

Gold was about to get indigent. Vylia was downright insulting with her offer, but it just wasn't worth fighting against. Maybe it was the weakness in Gold's body. His front hoof trembled as if to punctuate his fatigue. Maybe he could have negotiated himself out of the trial-by-fire gamble. Then again, how hard could finding a scapegoat be? 

"Alright," Gold conceited with a tangible burden in his tone, "If you are looking for heads to roll, then it would be poor salesmanship to offer you something else. Though I could do without the guillotine over my head. I mean," Gold let out a chuckle, "I haven't even started and my carrier is on the line."

"If I can't get access the quarry's financial records over the past seven years then the deal's off. I'm not about to risk so much on an impossible task. Also, I want top notch lodging. I don't want to be distracted by things like poor sleep on an uncomfortable mattress."

Of course, he wasn't enthused to the wager, so he'd sweeten the pot half hoping she'd reject it, and half hoping she'd accept it. It wasn't like getting the job was an absolute necessity at the end of the day.

Edited September 29, 2020 by Loud Opinion

[Widdershins 9,955]

On 9/25/2020 at 9:21 AM, Randimaxis said:

She sighed.  "... it's the only one he'll give me."

"Ah jobs a job, I say. Pappy used ta say its the measure of a mule an', to myself, I like to add on that it ain't the results you get but how ya do your job. Gets done iffen when it gets done.

Now I thank yee kindly for help out of a healthy, kind mare like yerself but I reckon I best be gettin' on my way back to base. Iffen we meet again, don' be a stranger."

 With a kindly, slow and welcoming nod goodbye, Clod Hopper trudged his big hooves back along the path he had "hurried" along earlier chasing a different, more abrupt mare. He journeyed off on his route to carry the large crate back to the Blackwater emerald Quarry with it slowly swaying on his back as if cargo on a ship at sea, the rocky peaks and cliffsides like the peaks of waves.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 9/26/2020 at 5:16 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Oooh, you poor poor thing. Come here."

Silver gratefully accepted the hug, and sobbed a bit on Ziggy's shoulder.  "I just d-don't understand who would DO such a thing!  This has NEVER happened before!"

 

On 9/26/2020 at 5:16 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Don't you worry Silver. We'll find out who did this, and we'll get everything back. Okay? it's a big quarry, somepony's seen something."

"Ziggy's right," Dax said as he put a hoof on her shoulder, "someone has to have some idea of what's going on here... Chuck should be told about this... and Father, too."

 

On 9/26/2020 at 5:16 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"They need to know at the gate first, so they can close the quarry, and I'm faster than you. I'll get right back here after that. It'll be less than two minutes, okay?"

Dax nodded, and sat down next to Silver.  "Thanks, Ziggy - I'll stick around a moment, sure."   He took over the comforting hug as the doctor flew to the gates.

 

On 9/24/2020 at 8:37 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"I... is everything alright? What's going on?"

The two earth ponies looked over at her, and both seemed to calm down a good bit for her efforts, Dax merely upset and Silver sniffling and wiping her eyes.

"Silver's been robbed - that was the shriek we heard earlier, when she discovered it.  They took her blueprints, as well as Blitz's mechanical wings; whoever it was had better be long gone, or when Father finds them, they'll wish they were."

He looked to Mystic apologetically as he continued to comfort Sliver.

"I'm so angry and embarrassed that this happened - I hope this doesn't reflect badly on the quarry for you; I promise, this doesn't happen normally!"

 

On 9/26/2020 at 5:16 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Okay, they know, I can take over again. Everything okay?"

"Oh, Ziggy... how can everything be okay?  My plans... ALL my plans... gone, just... j-just GONE!"

Dax looked at her with a sympathetic grin... then looked at Mystic with a more determined muzzle.  "Mystic, are you okay to stay here with them while I tell Father... or would you rather come with me?  Either way, he has to know."

 

 

 

@Flow

"So that must be Princess Celestia correct? Well, here I go again with the vines. This isn't my kind of thing in my line of work, but to see such spectacle is a wondrous experience." 

Sure enough, beneath the vines on this statue was an equally impressive rendition of Celestia; the two statues looked almost alive, and they were amazing in their likeness.  Whomever had done this was quite the sculptor...

Which raised the question of WHY these magnificent works of art were simply lying here, unseen and unappreciated for what had to be a century if it was a day.  Surely, if these had been in, say, the Canterlot Gardens, they would be quite the talk of the entire town.  Yet here they were, simply perched on their pedestals, with nobody around to see them.

Had it been the ghost, during her living years, who had crafted these wonders?  Maybe checking the name on the tomb that statue stood on would reveal something?

Looking upon the visages of the royal pair, they almost seemed as if they would bow and thank her at any moment... yet, unlike the statue in Blackwater Ridge, they simply stayed put, like good statues should.  However, it felt almost as if the smile Celestia wore and the kind gaze of Luna were a little brighter for her efforts.

 

 

 

On 9/29/2020 at 1:04 PM, Loud Opinion said:

"Alright, if you are looking for heads to roll, then it would be poor salesmanship to offer you something else. Though I could do without the guillotine over my head. I mean, I haven't even started and my career is on the line."

Vylia simply gave a lofty grin, and took another sip of her tea.

"Oh, but you already have - the very minute you walked onto the quarry grounds, I knew you would be meeting with me, so I've already arranged everything accordingly.  You see..."

She gave him a direct look with a smirk.  "Nothing goes on here that I don't know about, Golddust.  Nothing."

 

On 9/29/2020 at 1:04 PM, Loud Opinion said:

"If I can't get access the quarry's financial records over the past seven years then the deal's off. I'm not about to risk so much on an impossible task. Also, I want top notch lodging. I don't want to be distracted by things like poor sleep on an uncomfortable mattress."

"Have you not been shown to your quarters yet?  I would assume that was the reason you were escorted in to begin with, yes?  As it seems you have no baggage with you, I would believe that whatever room they've placed you in would be where you are expected to stay - and don't try to tell me you haven't been shown to a suite; my servants have already claimed to have seen you in the manor proper... oh!"

She now leaned forward with a softer smile in place.  "Have you met my little Oglevy yet?  I'm certain he's bound to take a fancy towards you - he's quite the little genius, you know?"

 

 

 

On 10/15/2020 at 12:00 PM, Widdershins said:

Ah jobs a job, I say. Pappy used ta say its the measure of a mule an', to myself, I like to add on that it ain't the results you get but how ya do your job. Gets done iffen when it gets done.

Now I thank yee kindly for help out of a healthy, kind mare like yerself but I reckon I best be gettin' on my way back to base. Iffen we meet again, don' be a stranger."

Pansy grinned genuinely.  "I won't, Mister Hopper - thank you for your help, and I do hope we meet again."

As he left the grounds, there were a number of ponies around who took note of Clod's departure... and all of them seemed to be watching him intently.

The trek back to the Blackwater Quarry would take a bit... but the crate on his back was strange, to say the least; every now and again, it felt like something inside was shifting a bit.  Hopefully, it wouldn't be damaged in the travel process; whatever was inside should be delivered in the best condition, of course.

 

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis @Blitz Boom

Mystic was very concerned at the news she had been given, she knew from the currently Acting Consul Easle that Silver's blueprints were very important to her. So loosing them would be like if someone had stolen Mystic's more... private... predictions.

She knew that Silver was important to Easle, and she couldn't help but feel sorry for her, but she was here for Dax.

20 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

"Mystic, are you okay to stay here with them while I tell Father... or would you rather come with me?  Either way, he has to know."

(I don't think Ziggy and Mystic have formally met yet)

Mystic shook her head, "I'll be buried before I let another thing get between us today. Miss... Ziggy? I think Vice-Consul Easle mentioned her, seems to have things under control. Let's go."

She would quickly move to follow Dax wherever he went.

[Flow 1,619]

@Randimaxis

On 10/17/2020 at 4:09 PM, Randimaxis said:

Sure enough, beneath the vines on this statue was an equally impressive rendition of Celestia; the two statues looked almost alive, and they were amazing in their likeness.  Whomever had done this was quite the sculptor...

Which raised the question of WHY these magnificent works of art were simply lying here, unseen and unappreciated for what had to be a century if it was a day.  Surely, if these had been in, say, the Canterlot Gardens, they would be quite the talk of the entire town.  Yet here they were, simply perched on their pedestals, with nobody around to see them.

Had it been the ghost, during her living years, who had crafted these wonders?  Maybe checking the name on the tomb that statue stood on would reveal something?

Looking upon the visages of the royal pair, they almost seemed as if they would bow and thank her at any moment... yet, unlike the statue in Blackwater Ridge, they simply stayed put, like good statues should.  However, it felt almost as if the smile Celestia wore and the kind gaze of Luna were a little brighter for her efforts.

Bloom's guess on the next statue proved to be correct, as it reveals itself to be that of Princess Celestia. Like Luna, it was a sight to behold. She thought, of all the statues that sit on Blackwater property, why was it that these two were neglected for the overgrowth to grow upon? Such works of art would be a waste if they were to not be seen, and left to the elements to crumble. Were they not to be forgotten, they would make a fine display to visitors of Blackwater. "Shame, these both would prove to be popular to guests, of all the statues here, why these two? Why would they be neglected?" She thought, before she thought about the history of Blackwater, not long before it ringed a bell, "Hmm, could this.." And then the thought of Horace Blackwater came back to her, "Uhh...Horace? I remember that he refused to claim responsibility for deaths caused by his brewed product. Then that's when Celestia barred the Blackwaters from entering Canterlot...so I guess in response, he probably forgot about these statues for the overgrowth to take over. Though, that can be the case if these have existed around his time."

She then thought about the sculptor of the two, "Okay, so did this sculptor exist around or before the time of Horace? Err...how would I find out?" She then thought about the statue back at Blackwater Ridge, the one that came up to her "Ah yes, that was the one that requested I clear this growth, wait...could that....could she be the one? Or could she have any relation to the one that sculpted these masterpieces? Err...I guess there's one way to find out," Bloom then turned around to the path back to Blackwater Ridge, then set off to search for answers on that gravestone. "I probably should return to the Manor, but a little glimpse into history won't hurt now, will it?" She thought, as she galloped on her way there.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis @Illiad Easle

On 10/17/2020 at 8:09 AM, Randimaxis said:

Dax nodded, and sat down next to Silver.  "Thanks, Ziggy - I'll stick around a moment, sure."   He took over the comforting hug as the doctor flew to the gates.

Ziggy wished she had answers to Silver, as she sat broken down in her embrace. Who could blame her really? These schematics were her life work, and this quarry were supposed to be safe. And yet here somepony had just walked in and stolen from her. Brazenly so even, as this were in the middle of the day. It had to feel terrible, and make the poor mare worry about the safety of her work going forward too. How safe could the quarry really be, when this could happen, and nopony stopped it?

And Blitz. The little thing seemed like she had the best of times since getting here, and now she had to also find her own, treasured possession stolen. Something which clearly didn't fit an adult pony, and yet somepony had still stolen it. What kind of dark souled, rotten creature would steal from a foal?

So many questions, and yet all Ziggy could offer, were a shoulder to cry on, and reassurances that everything were going to be alright. Not enough as far as she were concerned, but hopefully it would do, until Silver had cried out, and were able to join them in making a more direct effort towards a solution to all of this. She were a smart mare, and would best know how her schematics worked and looked like. If they had to go to Mrs. Blackwater and tell her about this, she were going to need something to look for. Ziggy didn't know how the mare did it, but Vylia were a mare who could find out all sorts of things, from what the stories said. Maybe she knew somepony who worked in a patent office, who could flag her down when somepony tried to put in her work as their own? She didn't know, but if the mare could figure out the deal with her buttlers, while they were casing the quarry, surely she could find out loads of things.

On 10/17/2020 at 8:09 AM, Randimaxis said:

Dax nodded, and sat down next to Silver.  "Thanks, Ziggy - I'll stick around a moment, sure."   He took over the comforting hug as the doctor flew to the gates.

For a bit of time though, she were going to need to leave the comforting role to Dax, as she flew off towards the gate, and flagged the guards on top of it down. As were sometimes the case when she were frantic, she'd explain herself in rhyme, though she were not as cryptic in her sayings when doing so, as for example her father. They should be able to understand her saying that they had a robbery, and they had to shut down the quarry. Plus let the Blackwaters know if they had seen anypony that wasn't supposed to be there, or just some leaving in general. There were gonna be a lot of suspects there she bet, but that were for Luther to go through, she guessed. It were hard to say for sure. She weren't really involved in their security system. She were just faster to get to the gate, and send the message along.

Once the message had come through, she'd come back. For the mare who had yet to meet the doctor, it would likely be a fairly odd sight, to see a streak of pink and white, fly jaggedly through the air, like a drunk lightning bolt. Would likely not be less weird, when said *bolt* would strike right in front of them, and be a rather tall, pink and white striped half-pegasus with glass-less frames on her face.

On 10/17/2020 at 8:09 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Oh, Ziggy... how can everything be okay?  My plans... ALL my plans... gone, just... j-just GONE!"

Dax looked at her with a sympathetic grin... then looked at Mystic with a more determined muzzle.  "Mystic, are you okay to stay here with them while I tell Father... or would you rather come with me?  Either way, he has to know."

 

On 10/18/2020 at 4:40 AM, Illiad Easle said:

Mystic shook her head, "I'll be buried before I let another thing get between us today. Miss... Ziggy? I think Vice-Consul Easle mentioned her, seems to have things under control. Let's go."

Ziggy would take over the embrace again, and bury Silver in her big, fluffy wings.

"Sssssh, it's okay Silver. We'll make sure everything gets better again. You don't think Mr. Blackwater would let anypony get away with doing this, right?"

She'd turn her head, and look at the two ponies, just before they took off.

"Make sure Mrs. Blackwater hears it too, please. She knows lots of things. Maybe she can figure something out? Try getting there super fast. And I gotta owe you a hug for another time. I would've done it now, but Silver needs me here. Rain check, okay?"

She'd give a quick smile to the mare she didn't know, before going back to coddling Silver full time again, like a mother with a sad injured foal.

It would be less than a minute after the others left, before they two of them would hear running, and then the sound of something grinding over the dirt. A sound quickly followed by the sight of Blitz sliding past them, trying to stop. And she were lucky this time. She didn't hit a wall, a bucket, or anything. It just took her a few meters to get to a halt, as per usual.

"Hey hey hey! Have you seen Dax? It's reeeeeeally important! I've seen a.. A..."

Now her mind came to a screeching halt, as she saw the big doctor, coddle the genius mare she had hung out with, for several hours at this point. And she looked sad. Like, really much.

"Silver, are you crying? *gasp* Did somepony hurt you!? Noooooo!"

She'd jump over and join in on the hug, embracing Silver and trying to make her smartest friend feel better again. She had no idea what were going on, but some meanie had clearly made Silver sad. And soon as she were feeling better, and could tell her who it were, Blitz were gonna make them regret it. She had a bag of itching powder, and no reservations against using it!

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Randimaxis

 The trip back through what was likely rocky mountain pass, however far the two mining encampments were, proved mostly uneventful. Clod Hopper was the sort not to question the task he was given, only concern himself to the duties he was honor bound to do. Though only piecing together you might want to drop a package once it starts smoking sulfurous fumes might hold bad connotations in and of itself. But regardless, any movement of his parcel wasn't important enough to pay heed to. As far as Hopper dared to pay attention to, it was just an innocuous square package he was hauling.

 Trotting back onto Blackwater grounds he approached the center of the area first and, as before, began heading towards the biggest building, the mansion, with the reasoning that deliveries most likely went to the place all the management lived or at least worked from. Once he got there, he would begin to look for someone to ask for a delivery, as he had of yet to meet any of this blackwater family folk that his father was indebted to.

 And under that, lay the undercurrent thought of what had happened to the mare he had wandered after on his way to that other quarry, some details slightly slipping his mind as the hours had passed. What was her name again? Cheeky Tart? Something pastry related probably. Ponies tended to be. And she had had flappy back growths too, like he did. Perhaps he had thought to ask of that but Hopper wasn't sure how to speak to others on account that he didn't want to bother them with too many nagging questions. It had plenty bothered his grumpy old mule of a father many a time before as a colt.

 Hopper had a lot of layers of thought inside him. He was aware that might have made him come across a bit slow to others, but he didn't know either how to address that to them either. Best to keep your head down and do your chores like a good colt, after all.

[Loud Opinion 602]

@Randimaxis,

Nothing goes on without her knowing... That took the wind out of Gold's sail. A scapegoat was hard enough for a new employee to pull off, but if she ran a tight ship then what hope was there? For Celestia's sake, Gold was an accountant, not a detective. Sure he could find financial records, but if this other accountant knew what he was doing then this adversary could easily work around him. If he backed down now, then Vylia would know he was just telling her what she wanted to hear. What rich pony doesn't distrust the lower class after all? Even his narrative didn't seem to take. Gold knew that telling a rich pony to hate those less lucky was like selling ice-cream on a hot day. If he couldn't pull that off then that was a bad singe.

This whole situation had failure written all over it. It was time to leave before things got finalized. He felt undecided, so he let his body move for him. A single hoof back gave him the resolve to walk out.

"I'm sorry Vylia, but..." Gold stopped to compose, "I think it is in my best interest to retract my offer. Thank you for your time. I would wish you luck slandering my name if their was much to slander."

With that, he stormed out of the room. Now Gold felt something he had been missing all day: Control. With that control came vigor! He walked without the earlier tremble of wiriness and he flew with force, opposed to the apathetic gliding he entered with. Was he wasting a good opportunity? Maybe, but there will be more, even if he has to make his own. Something he felt more than capable of.

Mr. Crag would see no report. Simply a an apology, a resignation, and a refund. He wanted no connection to either place. Now Gold charted a new path into Equestria's skies!

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 10/18/2020 at 7:21 AM, Flow said:

"I probably should return to the Manor, but a little glimpse into history won't hurt now, will it?"

The path was as she recalled it, and it wasn't long beore she ended up back in the family graveyard.  With a number of fancy headstones and statues, it took a moment to find the one that she'd seen... but as soon as she saw it, there was no mistaking it - after all, one doesn't forget a statue that walks up to them, do they?

The grave beneath was old - over a thousand years old, in fact.  Thought time had done a number on the stone, the true testament of the sculptor's work had been the effort and skill used to carve into this particular statue... and the fact that it still stood, after all this time, was one Tartarus of a testament.  Maybe the statue itself had been magically treated?

Beneath the stone statue were the words, barely visible yet still ledgible enough:  

CHISEL BLACK
Master Sculptor
~>0<~
6 AD - 55 AD

The poor thing had not even made it to fifty summers... and yet, had lived long enough to create such masterpieces.  It was a bit... disconcerting... that she'd also apprently created her own tombstone, but the realization hit Bloom like a ton of bricks:  The statues in that garden were over a thousand years old... and still looked as magnificent as they had.

Reading the headstone's words, they seemed to almost glow for a moment, and Bloom herself suddenly felt as if she were relieved... soothed from some unknown source.  Calmed, as it were.  There was nothing different about her, nor any outward sign of what she'd felt... yet somehow, she had the sensation that she'd done something good... something right... and whatever had sent her along that path was grateful for her help.

Blackwater Ridge didn't look or feel frightening at all, now - indeed, Bloom was overcome with a sensation of peace.

 

 

On 10/17/2020 at 10:40 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"I'll be buried before I let another thing get between us today. Miss... Ziggy? I think Vice-Consul Easle mentioned her, seems to have things under control. Let's go."

Dax nodded, glad to have Mystic by his side, and charged towards Blackwater Manor.

They passed an unfamiliar stallion headed towards the gates as they did, but other than a brief glimpse from Dax, he paid him little mind as they charged onward.  Dax barrelled through the front doors, causing them to slam open loudly; the sound echoed through the manor, causing all sorts of servants to stop dead in their tracks...

And, even before they reached the stairs, Luther Blackwater came bursting from his office, looking sharp and alert, and came to the head of the grand stairway before they made it up.  His eyes were electric as they locked with his son's.

"What is it?" he asked directly.

"Father, there's been a theft; Silver Stud's shed has been robbed, and the theif stole her blueprints!"

Luther's eyes widened.  "The gates-"

"Locked down already, thanks to Doc Zinger."

"Silver?"

"Being seen to by Ziggy as well - she's a wreck, but she's calming down."

"Investigations will be underway shortly.  Thank you, Daxter - I will inform Vylia, and come to speak to Silver personally, as well as witness the scene."

The stallion made his way towards Vylia's sun room, while Dax turned to Mystic and sighed, his ears drooping.

"Father can handle some of this, but I feel like we could be doing something as well - do you maybe have some, uhm... way to help investigate, maybe?"  He glanced around a bit before leaning in close, "If you need to, we could go to your room if you, er... need some privacy?  Or if you can't do anything like that, would you maybe know what we could do?  I don't think we would be able to search Silver's shed for clues yet - but I 'm pretty sure Father will allow it, once he's gotten his plan into motion; he won't allow this to just slip under the rug, but... can't we help somehow?"

He looked at her with those emerald eyes of his, hoping she had some sort of answer.

 

 

 

On 10/20/2020 at 2:48 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Silver, are you crying? *gasp* Did somepony hurt you!? Noooooo!"

Silver looked at the little dynamo and her tears began flowing again... but she fixed her with her most sorrowful and repantant look.

"Oh, Blitz... oh... I'm not s-sure how to tell you this, b-but... but I HAVE to tell you..."

She seemed to brace herself, drawing some personal courage and strength from Ziggy's embrace before she passed on the news that she was completely unsure how the filly would take it.

"Blitz," she said, "I've... I've been robbed."

Her tears redoubled.  "They took ALL my blueprints... and... a-and they took your wings."

It devastated her to tell the little filly that her mechanical wonder was gone... but Silver flet responsible, since she'd been the one to get her to remove them for study in the first place, and she wasn't going to shirk from the responsibility of informing her of the truth.

"Oh, Blitz - I am SO sorry!" she cried, "I should never have asked you to take them off... oh, I'm so very, very sorry!  Please forgive me!"

The mare was obviously upset over her plans being taken, but seemed even moreso over the theft of Blitz's wings... and it was written all over her muzzle.

 

 

On 10/30/2020 at 11:42 PM, Widdershins said:

Best to keep your head down and do your chores like a good colt, after all.

Fortunately for him, he had just managed to make his way into the gates of the Blackwater Quarry before a weird-looking bolt of lightning found its' way to the guard shack at the top.  Without any sort of blast, the bolt then made its' way back towards the quarry yard, and the massive gates creaked loudly as they were shut, the boom of their closing echoing throughout the quarry itself.

Strangely enough, it seemed that there was a great deal of activity happening within the yard proper; a number of workers were making their way there, curious looks on their muzzles as they went to see what the problem was... of course, not a one of them seemed to pay any attention to Clod, crate on his back or not.

Indeed, it seemed as if there was a bit of chaos going on here... the source of which wasn't exactly easy to figure out.  Maybe he could help?

Or maybe it was better for him to get back to the mines, as soon as possible?  Or perhaps to deliver the crate on his back first?  This was turning out to be a far more confusing day than Clod had possibly planned for...

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

Despite what she had heard from Illiad about Luther's more caring side, Mystic still found his direct presence intimidating. Perhaps it was for the best that she was working under Vylia instead of being Luther's personal assistant as she had previously intended. She let Dax do the talking and did her best to not draw Luther's attention or ire.

18 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

"Father can handle some of this, but I feel like we could be doing something as well - do you maybe have some, uhm... way to help investigate, maybe?"  He glanced around a bit before leaning in close, "If you need to, we could go to your room if you, er... need some privacy?  Or if you can't do anything like that, would you maybe know what we could do?  I don't think we would be able to search Silver's shed for clues yet - but I 'm pretty sure Father will allow it, once he's gotten his plan into motion; he won't allow this to just slip under the rug, but... can't we help somehow?"

Mystic looked a bit unsure as she thought, "Well... there's a few things I could try. Had we been there sooner I might have been able to sniff out the trail of whoever went through, but too many ponies had been through by the time we arrived that any trail would have been muddled. I could do a general scan for anyone feeling anxious, but that's hoping they're still in the quarry and know they're being looked for..."

She nodded, "There's another thing I could try, but privacy would be necessary. Let's go to my room."

Mystic would lead the way as best as she could remember, letting Dax correct her path if he knew a shorter path than going back to the entrance and then to her room.

Once they were there she would make sure the door was closed, then seal it with magic. She got ready to drop her disguise, adn blushed as she looked over at Dax, "I've, um, grown a bit since you last saw me... just so you're not surprised."

With a deep breath, and one final check on the seal, she let the amber fire wash over her, revealing the fledgling changeling queen she was under the disguise. As Mystic she stood just shorter than Dax, but as Oracle she was a full head taller than Dax. She chuckled as she now looked down at Dax, but didn't comment on it as she retrieved her blindfold and drawing implements and headed to the bathroom, motioning for Dax to follow. Once inside the bathroom she dispelled the illusion hiding the gel in the bathtub before immersing her whole self in the honey-like liquid, "I'm going to try looking in the past, see if I can't get a glimpse of whoever went into Silver's shed, and maybe where they went if the energy in this tub holds out."

she afixed the blindfold inverted as she had when interacting with the ghosts in the graveyard, then began attempting to peer into the past around Silver's shed, drawing a vague depiction of whoever she saw, along with a direction as to where they went.

She would stop, exhausted, once the contents of the tub had gone from a syrupy honey to a thick tar in consistency, hopefully one of the ponies she had seen was the one they needed to look for.

(I'll let Randimaxis decide exactly how much she manages to scry)

[Flow 1,619]

On 11/19/2020 at 6:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

The path was as she recalled it, and it wasn't long beore she ended up back in the family graveyard.  With a number of fancy headstones and statues, it took a moment to find the one that she'd seen... but as soon as she saw it, there was no mistaking it - after all, one doesn't forget a statue that walks up to them, do they?

The grave beneath was old - over a thousand years old, in fact.  Thought time had done a number on the stone, the true testament of the sculptor's work had been the effort and skill used to carve into this particular statue... and the fact that it still stood, after all this time, was one Tartarus of a testament.  Maybe the statue itself had been magically treated?

When Bloom reached the graveyard, she then came to a halt, then looked around for the statue that had interacted with her earlier. For sure, the looks of this particular one was ingrained onto her memory, especially when it had came alive right in front of her eyes, It did not take long till she found the grave with that statue. Almost imediately, she took note of the grave, noting its age, and how it withstood time, and the elements to retain such impressive form. It did made her ponder, was such statue treated with magic to maintain its form? But beneath all that splendor, were carvings of words that had aged very much, with a weathered look much opposite to the statue that rested upon it. Despite that, it was still legible enough to read.

On 11/19/2020 at 6:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

CHISEL BLACK
Master Sculptor
~>0<~
6 AD - 55 AD

The poor thing had not even made it to fifty summers... and yet, had lived long enough to create such masterpieces.  It was a bit... disconcerting... that she'd also apprently created her own tombstone, but the realization hit Bloom like a ton of bricks:  The statues in that garden were over a thousand years old... and still looked as magnificent as they had.

Reading the headstone's words, they seemed to almost glow for a moment, and Bloom herself suddenly felt as if she were relieved... soothed from some unknown source.  Calmed, as it were.  There was nothing different about her, nor any outward sign of what she'd felt... yet somehow, she had the sensation that she'd done something good... something right... and whatever had sent her along that path was grateful for her help.

Blackwater Ridge didn't look or feel frightening at all, now - indeed, Bloom was overcome with a sensation of peace. 

Upon reading the name "Chisel Black", Bloom immediately remembered who she was, thanks to Dax' "lectures" on Blackwater family history "Chisel..Black..Master Sculptor....AD... Ohhh...Now I remember! She was the one that sculpted the Two Sisters...but..it's quite sad that she passed not long after that. The thought of you creating your own headstones, or all these headstones, is unsettling. Well, at least that confirms that the two statues long existed before Horace," After that thought, the words suddenly seemed to glow, before it brought a feeling of relief to her, it was that kind of feeling of satisfaction, something that felt like she did a good deed, whatever that was, she felt refreshed. After a brief pause, Bloom then said, "Though, if you're thanking me for cleaning up back there, well...I should thank you for showing me such a marvelous work of art. You can pretty much say that was mutual for sure." She then smiled.

Taking note of her surroundings in the graveyard, Bloom no longer felt frightened, but felt at peace, though, that was short lived when she remembered that she had to go back to the manor. "Well, thank you, I best be returning now," She said, before leaving the area in a slow canter.

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

@Randimaxis

On 11/19/2020 at 9:50 AM, Randimaxis said:

"Oh, Blitz - I am SO sorry!" she cried, "I should never have asked you to take them off... oh, I'm so very, very sorry!  Please forgive me!"

The mare was obviously upset over her plans being taken, but seemed even moreso over the theft of Blitz's wings... and it was written all over her muzzle.

Blitz didn't look angry, nor really disappointed. Not even a little bit, as she looked up on Silver, telling her what had happened, while Ziggy tried to tell her that it wasn't her fault. How were Silver to know they had a brazen thief like that in the quarry after all? It were usually so safe here, and it wasn't like she were constantly keeping her door open. She weren't at all responsible here.

"You were robbed?!"

Blitz went to her knees, and wriggled her rear as she prepped to jump as far up as she could.

As she pushed as hard as she could, she'd pounce upwards, and should hit Silver around her neck,, where she'd clamp, and bury her face on the side of the larger mare's throat.

"Don't cry Silver. It'll be okay. Dax-Dad will find out who did it, and then he'll be nasty to them until they give you your stuff back."

She didn't cry, didn't sulk. Heck, she didn't even mention the wings, as frankly, that wasn't important to her. What were important, were that some real meanie pants had stolen from Silver. Probably some nasty heads that were jealous of her being thousands of times smarter than they'd ever be. And just look how sad they made her! If she had her hooves on them, she'd roll them in itchy powder, and tie their tails together! Or something worse. Not *explode them to small bits* worse, but still. They deserved something bad to happen to them, when they made Silver cry like this.

If Silver mentioned the wings again, Blitz would finally address them though, yet if she didn't, her and Ziggy would just make sure to keep her hugged and snuggly. Had to make sure she knew they were there for her, in this horrible, horrible situation.

"Hey hey hey, the wings aren't important. We were gonna make new, good ones, right? And I remember how I made those, so boo to them. Just means there's room to make new ones that work, while the meanie thieves took those that didn't. Phooey to them!"

"She'd right, Silver. They might've taken some of your things, but you two are incredibly smart. You can remake it, and do it better, while Mr. and Mrs. Blackwater finds out who did this. You'll see. They're gonna figure it out sooner or later."

[Widdershins 9,955]

On 11/19/2020 at 5:50 PM, Randimaxis said:

This was turning out to be a far more confusing day than Clod had possibly planned for...

Fortunately enough, one could say Clod Hopper was immune to being confused. He didn't much plan his days or goals further out than what he was told to do by whoever was higher in authority. There were perks to being simple. You learned quick that the simplest answer was the best and likely kept you alive sooner. You didn't question how lightning struck, you just made darn certain you weren't were it was happening. If your barn caught fire, then you run and go get that handy bucket of water and if you didn't, well you were down one barn. It didn't pay no mind to keep fussing about what was normal around the parts you found yourself in, especially not in a typically magic-inclined realm Equestria happened to be. Trouble happens, then who's involved in it will sort it out. Your neighbor gets his crops attacked by wildlife, then that's his problem. If its too big a problem, it'll come get you too and then you can both deal with it together then. Life was simple when you lived way out in the country.

 Now talking to mares or anypony else, that was confusing.

The fact he was on lockdown (uncomfortable throat-clearing of authorial awkwardness) within the quarry walls left the workhorse nonplussed. That was where he was supposed to be after all. If he did manage to figure anything out milling in a murmuring mob; not much good his knowin' stuff was gonna help. If somepony was hurt, he wasn't the pony to help. Unless somepony suddenly needed a wagon pulled or something kicked, sure; but not much help he would be in a fuss & bother. Besides, he already had a job to do.

A horse hafta help.

After a long, silent glance at the scene of things, filled with a slow waterfall of thoughts uninterrupted by the puttering of those trotting pass to gawk, Hopper would resume his course up the path to the mansion. Once he got there he would intend to knock on the front door to present his... well, present. Hay, maybe when he did get there, whoever poked their head out might be a more capable pony to know how to address the problem of some messy noise.

[Randimaxis 8,633]

On 2020-11-19 at 11:01 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"I've, um, grown a bit since you last saw me... just so you're not surprised."

Dax simply nodded, but as she made the shift, his eyes grew W-I-D-E with surprise; he looked shocked, but as Mystic was a changeling, she could see past the stunned expression to feel that his heart was triphammering because he found her grown form to be gorgeous.  He didn't say anything - his eyes and his heart were doing all the talking.

 

On 2020-11-19 at 11:01 PM, Illiad Easle said:

"I'm going to try looking in the past, see if I can't get a glimpse of whoever went into Silver's shed, and maybe where they went if the energy in this tub holds out."

Dax nodded, seemingly lost to communication for a bit.

I didn't think it was possible that she'd ever be more beautiful than when I last saw her... and I was COMPLETELY wrong.

He simply followed along into the bathroom... but when he noticed he was staring, he stopped, looked away and blushed with great intensity.  But he did shift his interests when she began to draw...

 

On 2020-11-19 at 11:01 PM, Illiad Easle said:

she afixed the blindfold inverted as she had when interacting with the ghosts in the graveyard, then began attempting to peer into the past around Silver's shed, drawing a vague depiction of whoever she saw, along with a direction as to where they went.

She would stop, exhausted, once the contents of the tub had gone from a syrupy honey to a thick tar in consistency, hopefully one of the ponies she had seen was the one they needed to look for.

The picture was bordered with what looked like broken, jagged wood all around the edges, as if the viewer was peering through a broken hole.

To one side was what looked like a mare, a rather attractive one, who also seemed to have some sort of grey, hazy aura around her - but it was an aura that had a strand running from it, running off behind her somewhere.  Her muzzle expression was one of almost cartoonish greed, complete with salacious smile and wide, hungry eyes.  She was quite lovely... but apparently wasn't someone whose inside reflected their outsides.

The other form in the picture was big.  Really big.  I mean, WHOA, dat's a bigg'un.  He was a huge earth pony stallion wearing a working harness and a saddleblanket, and looked likethe kind of pone you'd see working in the Blackwater Mines... but his expression wasn't one of greed, or lust, or even irritation; he wore the expression of someone who was simply existsing.  No smile, no frown, no smirk, no bowed eyebrows.  Purely a plain, emotionless, unthinking face.

The aura around this one was far brighter than the mare's was; he wasn't like the other one - that much was obvious.  Unfotunately, she wasn't sure if she'd ever seen these two before... but the background she'd drawn was RIGHT outside of Silver's shed.  Which meant the ribbon that led from the mare's aura seemed to lead... 

"East..." Dax said softly as he looked at the picture.  "That tendril-thing leads off to the east - out of the front gates, and towards the path down the moutnain.  Nothing that way for a long time, except-"

Dax's eyes grew wide.  "... Mister Cragg's Mining Facility."

 

 

 

On 2020-11-20 at 9:17 AM, Flow said:

"Well, thank you, I best be returning now,"

The cemetery was quiet; whatever she'd done, Bloom had made peace with the entity here.

The walk back to the labor yard was quick, and Bloom found herself within the quarry yard once more.  Among the workers, there seemed to be a bit of disturbance, as many of them were whispering to each other or seemingly searching about.  In passing, the mare caught a few snippets from conversations.

"... DO such a thing?  I mean, she don't hurt nobody..."
"... said it was like someone had just blew the door clean up!  It was in pieces..."
"... poor thing; she's really upset over what..."
"... gonna FIND whoever did this, and make 'em wish they..."
"... had that filly with her too; whoever did this is a world class HEEL if you ask..."

What was going on now?  Maybe she could find out more at the manor, from the other servants - possibly even the On twins?

 

 

 

On 2020-11-22 at 3:04 PM, Blitz Boom said:

"Hey hey hey, the wings aren't important. We were gonna make new, good ones, right? And I remember how I made those, so boo to them. Just means there's room to make new ones that work, while the meanie thieves took those that didn't. Phooey to them!"

"She'd right, Silver. They might've taken some of your things, but you two are incredibly smart. You can remake it, and do it better, while Mr. and Mrs. Blackwater finds out who did this. You'll see. They're gonna figure it out sooner or later."

"You... y-you really think so?"  Silver gave a glimmer of hope, which then turned to sadness as she thought further about the situation.  "Oh, but... all my plans... there were some things in there that I-"

She stopped abruptly, her eyes widening as a thought occurred to her.  Silver suddenly got up and made her way to Shed #7, with its' pronounced lack of a door.  She darted inside, then rummaged around for a bit before things went dead quiet.  After a few moments, Silver came out of her workshed looking as though she'd seen a ghost.  She took five steps away, then plunked her body down onto the ground.  Slowly, she looked up at the two of them.

"... they're ALL gone..." she gulped, "... e-even the WORST stuff... even the worst possible thing to lose track of... all gone..."

She blinked.  "... what do I do now?"

 

 

 

On 2020-11-26 at 8:10 AM, Widdershins said:

A horse hafta help.

Clod made his way through the masses, seemingly as unnoticed as if he was utterly invisible.  Making his way towards the manor, nobody stopped him, nobody spoke to him, and nobody bothered him; he was practically invisible.  He found the pathway leading to the manor proper, and began to trot his way carefully up the rise and around the bend.  Reaching the front walkway, he could see the door, and it even had a brass knockplate on the huge and expensive-looking double doors - that would be where to knock, of course.

@Flow

Which, coincidentally, Love Bloom happened to be heading nearly the same direction; the mare maid could see the broad stallion with the heavy-looking crate attached to his back, heading directly for Blackwater Manor.  Maybe she could help him out a bit?

[Illiad Easle 2,973]

@Randimaxis

21 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

to feel that his heart was triphammering because he found her grown form to be gorgeous

Oracle was inwardly relieved that he appreciated her grown up form, she hadn't fully developed yet, and would likely be as large as her mother once fully grown, but it looked like Dax would have no issue with that. I mean, he did have a thing for Princess Luna, and she is a tall mare herself, so it shouldn't have been too surprising.

21 hours ago, Randimaxis said:

"East..." Dax said softly as he looked at the picture.  "That tendril-thing leads off to the east - out of the front gates, and towards the path down the moutnain.  Nothing that way for a long time, except-"

Dax's eyes grew wide.  "... Mister Cragg's Mining Facility."

Oracle was well and truly exhausted by the time she got to the image that resonated with Dax, but she was relieved she had found something promising, "Sounds like a good lead then, spread the word of our suspects, hopefully we can find them before anything happens and get Silver's stuff back."

She tried to stand, but the tar held her nearly still, so she turned on the water instead, "It... um, it'll take a bit for this to dissolve, you should get moving, I'll get out there and help as soon as I can."

As she waited for the tar to dissolve she realized the precarious position she had put herself in for Dax's sake. As drained as she was she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight if someone came in looking for her, and she couldn't disguise until the tar was cleared from her chitin lest she set the whole tub on fire.

[Flow 1,619]

On 2021-03-03 at 5:34 PM, Randimaxis said:

The cemetery was quiet; whatever she'd done, Bloom had made peace with the entity here.

The walk back to the labor yard was quick, and Bloom found herself within the quarry yard once more.

Right before her destination, the quarry yard lies right before it, she took note of how short the trek was, "As each day passes by, the way around the premises, seem to feel as if they're getting shorter. It probably has to do with familiarizing oneself with the environment, repetitiveness, repeated journeys around your work environment. Well, of course everyone experiences such thing everyday. But since it's repetitive, you'd get tired of it, as it becomes a regular part of your day, adding to the definition of 'mundane', such is work life, but we all get used to it, it's li-" Her thoughts abruptly came to a halt upon capturing a whiff of the conversations by employees as she passed by.

On 2021-03-03 at 5:34 PM, Randimaxis said:

Among the workers, there seemed to be a bit of disturbance, as many of them were whispering to each other or seemingly searching about.  In passing, the mare caught a few snippets from conversations.

"... DO such a thing?  I mean, she don't hurt nobody..."
"... said it was like someone had just blew the door clean up!  It was in pieces..."
"... poor thing; she's really upset over what..."
"... gonna FIND whoever did this, and make 'em wish they..."
"... had that filly with her too; whoever did this is a world class HEEL if you ask..."

She did not stop to listen, but she kept moving towards the manor. The words she overheard had piqued her curiosity. "She...now who could that be? A female employee of the mines right...then there's that filly.." In no time, she figured that they might be talking about Silver "Oh, it's Silver huh, and the Filly's Blitz, I see. Now that I think about it, that scream we heard earlier did sound like her, but...that sounded really different...as if...there was...grave sorrow in that voice. Something terrible must have happened, I guess I learn more about this at the manor, news spreads around like wildfire in these parts." She thought as she continued on her way.

On 2021-03-03 at 5:34 PM, Randimaxis said:

Clod made his way through the masses, seemingly as unnoticed as if he was utterly invisible.  Making his way towards the manor, nobody stopped him, nobody spoke to him, and nobody bothered him; he was practically invisible.  He found the pathway leading to the manor proper, and began to trot his way carefully up the rise and around the bend.  Reaching the front walkway, he could see the door, and it even had a brass knockplate on the huge and expensive-looking double doors - that would be where to knock, of course.

Which, coincidentally, Love Bloom happened to be heading nearly the same direction; the mare maid could see the broad stallion with the heavy-looking crate attached to his back, heading directly for Blackwater Manor.  Maybe she could help him out a bit?

@Widdershins

Upon arriving at the doorstep of the manor, Bloom would find a large dark brown pegasus on the way in, he seemed to be carrying a rather heavy crate attached to his back, he looked like it might be too much to carry, so the drive to assist came naturally, as it was her job after all. She then approached the pegasai, and asked "Sir, do you require assistance? That crate err...seems rather heavy..."

[Widdershins 9,955]

@Randimaxis & @Flow

 As the stallion had noticed the large door knocker, he made his way to in in the usual unrushed way of the sort those do who look as if they've never rushed for much in their lives. A slow, steady progress generally expected of a workhorse farmpony that was uninterrupted... except the approach of a new mare and likely worker to the household he was approaching.

 From where he was hailed on the path, Clod Hopper turned smoothly and unencumbered by the large crate strapped, padded and nestled ontop the thickly woven and ancient back blanket that hid his wings. Even if his wings had been the normal size of a pegasus' to be seen from a little ways off, it would be remarkably rare to see a winged pony do much of the heavy lifting one more usually expected of the other pony races. Through this ease of movement, he might have wordlessly answered her question for aid.

"Oh, uh... Howdy Ma'am." The farmboy stallion greeted her in a low county drawl, one that spoke of being unused to speaking up. "Had a deliv'ry fer the big place up yonder. Needed ta know where to leave 'er at? Was just gon go in the front, less iffen you knew where better to put it?"

 

[Blitz Boom 4,427]

On 2021-03-03 at 8:34 AM, Randimaxis said:

"You... y-you really think so?" 

"Of course, Silver. You're a real smart egg. And this little powder keg seems to be bursting at the seams to get to work just making bigger and better things already."

"Uhuh! We'll make something Really good now, and then they'll regret taking the bad stuff."

Maybe not the exact best way of looking on but Blitz were just trying to be positive here, and the way she looked at it, the bad creatures would get what was coming to them, and in the meantime, Silver and her would show them by making things that were even better than what those meanies stole.

Ziggy however, were just trying to keep her head high, and show Silver that there were ponies here who'd help her get through this, in each their own way. Blitz with work, and her with hugs and reassurances. Which seemed to work, right up until the mare wandered back inside, and came out, looking like she had just been broken again.

On 2021-03-03 at 8:34 AM, Randimaxis said:

"... they're ALL gone..." she gulped, "... e-even the WORST stuff... even the worst possible thing to lose track of... all gone..."

She blinked.  "... what do I do now?"

Okay. this might need a change of strategy then. Because it sounded a bit like she had been robbed of something both important, and dangerous. Which were definitely bad. Yet she still didn't focus on what were important here... Maybe. Ziggy wasn't entirely sure what she were doing right now, but to quote her teacher when he addressed the class, after electing Ziggy to be the guinea pig for their gauze appliance class: Just go for it.

So she'd bounce over, and put a hoof on each of Silver's shoulders, to try and get her to focus on the zegasus.

"You're gonna make a list of what were taken, and what the plans were for. Then we make sure that Mrs. Blackwater gets that, so that she start getting hold of the guards, and do her spooky magic, to find out who snatched these, okay? I'm sure the more she knows, the better. Then maybe write those down you remember, and ask Mr. Blackwater for some kind of really good safe for these things?"

Blitz on the other hoof, had gone inside the shed when Silver exited, and would come back with a wrench in her muzzle. She'd look up at Silver with gleeful confidence, and a smile on her muzzle. She hadn't a sliver of a doubt, that Silver could get past this, and just do even better, and she wanted to encourage her to keep working. It always helped clear her mind, and make her happy again.