private A Cultural Exchange 1x1 with Randimaxis

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

That's the scariest part isn't it.

 

"The safest option would be to simply leave and talk to your father about it later, see what he knows about the situation."

Illiad turned to face the direction they came from. "We should get going, if this is a trap I don't want to get caught in it." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"Me either."

 

Dax hurriedly made his way back up the cavern, making sure to keep Illiad in sight at all times.  As they reached the mouth of the cavern, a voice greeted them.  Though it sounded pleasant enough, Illiad could hear the snide undertones easily.

 

"Well, well, well... if it isn't little Daxter.  And he's brought a friend, too!  How nice."

 

It was the red pony from earlier.  He wore a smile that seemed to be even more false than Vylia's, and his emotions were somewhere between agitated and smug.  Floating within the locks of his wild yellow mane was a red horn.  He came up to Illiad with an even wider smile.

 

"Wonderful to meet you - the name is Redd Handid, and I'm one of the foreponies here at the Blackwater Quarry.  As a forepony, it just so happens to be my job to try to keep an eye on the things happening around here... such as, say - I don't know - a colt and a stranger making their way back up from the mines?  VERY interesting, that - would certainly also be interesting to certain parties, I'm sure."

 

Dax frowned and stood his ground, but the Trojan could feel the fear seeping from behind the young Blackwater's brave facade.

 

"Leave us alone, Redd... we didn't do anything wrong."

 

"Is THAT a fact?  And what about your Father's rule about you going into the mines?  Hmmmmm?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Somehow I knew this would happen. But this fear will be useful now.

 

Illiad began draining the fear and smug agitation from the pair, switching the two emotions between the two.

I would say that I'm sure Mr. Blackwater would understand given our findings.

"Hold on," I turned to Dax, "Your father already knows you've been in the mines, he didn't say anything when you brought what you found to him earlier did he? Where else could you have gotten it except for in the mines. And because he already knows and did not express displeasure last time..."

I turn to face the forepony directly, hitting hit with one last burst of fear as I spoke.

"It would certainly be a waste of his valuable time to bring it up."

Illiad prepped a teleport spell with the assistance of his diamond.

Please cave in, I hate all this manipulation and I don't have plans to see Mr. Blackwater directly but I do believe I can get my findings to him first.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Redd started to protest, but then Illiad's switch took place... and it appeared that Redd wasn't exactly the bravest of stallions.

 

"He... already knew, you say?  Hmmmm... well, I suppose that may be the case, Daxter... but I still plan on adding it to my daily report, for your information.  I'm simply trying to make certain you're safe - and that nopony untoward gets their hooves in the mines.  I certainly hope you understand my position here..."

 

Redd spoke all this as he was inching back away from the two.  Once he trailed off, he sort of ambled away, shooting nervous glances over his flank.  Dax watched him walk off, then smiled.

 

"Yeah, you'd better be on your way, Redd... trying to get us in trouble... if I was just a little older..."

 

Dax shook his head, as if to clear out rogue thoughts... then grinned at Illiad again.

 

"Hey, I have something I gotta deliver to Taps - can we go ahead and get that out of the way?  Once that's done, I'll have everything that I have to do today done - and we can go fishing!  Whaddya say?  Or was there something else you wanted to do?"

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

I hope this trend does not continue, I'm playing right into the Empathic stereotype with all this actual manipulation.

 

Illiad turned to face Dax, "Even if you were older your father's rules would still apply, its his mine. Speaking of which, we should tell him about what we found, see if he knows already. If he doesn't it should be quite pleasing for him to know, if he does he'll hopefully appreciate that we didn't start extracting it. We should probably tell him before he receives the daily report." Illiad sighed and shook his head a bit. "I really am a nerd, isn't that wonderful?" Dax's next statement then registered with him, "Oh, you fish? I've heard of pegasi and griffons fishing but not an Earth Pony like you, I've never fished so I wouldn't know too much about it. But let's finish your delivery and see." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax sort of looked down after being told he should listen to his Father, but there didn't seem to be any quenching his enthusiasm.

 

"Well... yeah, maybe we should let him know.  You're right.  He usually doesn't check his reports until around dusk - unless they come in urgent - so we have some time.  C'mon," he grinned, "I just have to deliver a scroll, then we should be clear!"

 

He made his way through the yard and back towards the wall surrounding the quarry... but the wall at the back of the property, instead of the way Illiad was brought in.  There was a bit of a surprise as there was not only a smaller single door back here, but there was also a carriage garage and a stone house.  There was a picture of an envelope and a package tied with twine on a wooden slat suspended from a pole next to it.

 

"Okay, I just gotta find Taps, and we can go..."

 

Dax began searching around the building, then the garage, then the area around the two, curiosity turning to frustration on his face.  Dax finally gave a hard huff, and went over to open the door.  Leaning in, he called out, "Taps?  Are you here?  Taaaaaaaps..?"

 

Completely out of nowhere, a small blue mare stepped out from behind Illiad, and put a hoof to her smiling lips in a shush gesture.  She had on a leather satchel, and wore a black and green hat.  The little silver plate on the front of the hat said [QUARRY POST], and written on the side of the satchel was the word 'Taps'.  She nonchalantly leaned against a nearby rail and watched the house, an amused grin on her muzzle, as Dax kept scrounging around inside.

 

She looked over at the unicorn, and tapped a hoof against the word written on her satchel, then gave him a small, smart salute and a smile.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Does Equestria have a monopoly on all the cute mares? I suppose the skewed gender ratio works in my favor here.

 

Illiad replied with a slight grin and raised eyebrows, he then turned to Dax, "If she's not here, where do you suppose she'd be? Also, is this a post office?" 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

From inside: "Yeah - she's our resident delivery pony.  She's run a Pony Express branch here at the quarry for a while now - and hasn't missed a deadline yet!" 

 

Taps gave a haughty smile for a moment, and then put her hoof over her muzzle as she silently giggled.

 

"She's been here for a long time - I was still a colt when she came, and Father said he'd found her homeless and broke, outside of Los Pegasus."

 

Taps blushed, and scratched nervously at the back of her neck for a moment.

 

"But she's really a good pony - she's helped out in a lot of situations, plus she always seems to know about what's happening - even if it has nothing to do with her."

 

Taps shrugged coolly, then tossed a knowing wink at Illiad.

 

"Still... it's okay if she knows a lot, because she doesn't really speak.  At least, not that I've ever heard."

 

Taps nodded, then shrugged broadly.  At about this point, Dax came out of the office.

 

"Well, if she's not here the- HEY!"  Dax looked a bit chagrined, but Taps simply clapped her hooves together and trotted over to him.  Taps gave the young stallion a quick sidelong hug before stepping back and raising her eyebrows at him.

 

"Hunh?  OH!  Oh yeah!  Father wanted me to make sure this went straight into your hooves - said it was 'of utmost priority', so it must be important."

 

He reached back into his wild mane and pulled out a length of yarn, like he did earlier.  at the end of it was a small scroll, tied with the yarn.  Dax carefully removed it from his mane, and gave it to Taps.  She looked it over, scanned the address closely, then nodded and stuffed it into her satchel.

 

"Thanks - everything going alright today?"

 

The mare seemed to think about it for a moment, then smiled and nodded.

 

"Glad to hear.  This is Illiad Easle, from Troy - he's my friend who's staying here for the week."

 

Taps, with a tiny smug smile and lots of good humour in her manner, again saluted the unicorn smartly.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

It's a shame she doesn't talk much, I'm sure she has a very pleasant voice.

 

Illiad didn't know exactly how to respond, he knew there were a few pony express offices in Troy, mostly as a go between to the Equestrian Postal Service. "I suppose it makes sense to have a pony express here rather than a branch of the Equestrian Postal service." He turned to face Taps directly, "And it is a pleasure to meet you." 

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Taps gave a short, polite curtsy.  Her eyes were fascinating; the left was a cool purple, while the right was a light brown.  Her emotions were frosty; nothing readily discernible. 

 

"Well, I delivered the package - from her, we could leave the Quarry and head to my tent.  It's a bit of a walk, but... we can stay the night there, and I can show you my telescope.  That's where the fish are biting.  I have the equipment and stuff there already; we just have to show up."

 

Dax was excited, but he wasn't the firecracker/volcano he had been yesterday; he was settling down, which was a good thing.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

If he's this excited here, then who knows how excited he will be when we go to Troy. I hope Carbon isn't busy next week, having him there should serve as a good dampener.

 

"Alright, just remember that we still need to talk to your father before he reads his daily reports. Other than that I guess we are free for the rest of the day."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Dax led Illiad back up to the manor house; at least the unicorn was getting his exercise!  The path came back around, and the front of the house had a number of random ponies in butler/maid outfits, all doing random caretaking.  A few looked up as they approached, and he could feel a little brightness touch each pony as Dax passed them - they certainly didn't have the same hesitancy as the miners seemed to.

 

Once inside, they made the trek up to Luther's study.  Once there, Dax knocked on his Father's door, three slow taps.  The echoes wandered down the hall, then returned like messengers with news.

 

"Enter."

 

Dax looked at Illiad and gave a weak smile.  Then, straightening his shoulders, he opened the door and went inside, holding it open for his friend.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

I retrieved the scanner that I had made out of the diamond that Dax gave me as I entered, adjusting it to show the location of the diamonds in the mountain in relation to where we were. This made the cloud look smaller, but still noticeably large to those who know cloud diamonds. Once I was inside I again waited patiently to be spoken to as before.

I sincerely hope he takes this news well. The last thing I want is for this exchange to end early.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther was at his desk, and looked up as the two entered the office.  His eyes passed between them both, then settled on Dax.

 

"What?"

 

Dax straightened his posture and faced his father as he began to speak, all his courage mustered.

 

"Father, we have news for you - we have apparently discovered a very large deposit of Cloud Diamond, down in the deep mines.  Mr. Easle says that it's far more valuable than most might think, and he's worried about the value of that chunk you said I could give him.  He suggested that we-"

 

"Where?"

 

Dax was caught unawares, and he took a moment before he answered, "Uhm... just past marker 501, I think."

 

Luther looked thoughtful for a moment.

 

"Illiad is very interested in it, and he thinks it could be one of the biggest deposits ever."

 

The elder Blackwater lifted an eyebrow, his gaze focusing on Illiad.

 

"Explain."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis, 

 

Illiad straightened his posture, again slipping into the Canterlot Intellectual accent he used with Mr. Blackwater before.

 

"You see sir, Cloud Diamond is one of the rarest gemstones ever discovered." He pulled out his gem, or what wasn't being used to hold the seal design, "This is the total amount that Princess Luna has been able to find in Equestria since Discord was defeated the first time, for perspective, she estimates that the moon contains no more than three times this much, and I estimate that your mountain's deposit contains at least as much as this gem here. Which would be a value of over 23 million bits. (I did the math, taaffeite is a million times rarer than diamonds and is valued at $20,000 per gram, there are 1167 grams in a softball sized diamond. Your golf ball amount is actually worth 2.9 million bits and is about 10% of the total amount in the mountain.)."

 

Illiad was about to go on to explain its extraction difficulty but decided to let his information sink in.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther shot a sidelong glance at his son.  He steepled his hooves at the desk, then simply gave his son an order.

 

"Daxter, go outside."

 

Dax looked a bit crushed.  "Why?"

 

"I want to talk to Illiad."

 

"But..."

 

"Is this a cultural exchange?"

 

"I... I guess so, Father."  Dax's eyes seemed to try to find something to look at besides Luther.

 

"Then we are exchanging culture; this should not take long."

 

Dax, pouting a bit but still ready to go, he gave a hopefully reassuring look to Illiad.  He then turned and headed out of the study, apparently willing to wait in the hall.  He closed the door behind himself.

 

Luther, in the meantime, turned and leveled his frosty gaze on Illiad.

 

"Now... explain why you are interested."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Well, I can't exactly demonstrate with my gem fragmented like this... Oh! that's right, Dax's is not part of the nexus!

 

Illiad looked pensive as if unsure how to respond, then his face shifted back to confidence. He retrieved the scan as he pulled the design from his robes, he transferred the design to the other diamond before returning the original diamond to it's natural form. Once complete he returned the design to his robes as his completed gem began to float lazily in place without the support of his magic.

 

"There are a few reasons why I am interested Mr. Blackwater. The first is its adaptability and diverse usefulness. The second is a bit more complex. I have had many occasions to work with Princess Luna directly, which is part of the reason why I own most of her collection of cloud diamond, she is always interested in acquiring more and has asked me to notify her when some is found. The third reason is significantly more delicate. You've no doubt noticed that my diamond is currently floating of its own volition at the moment. Cloud diamonds are attuned to hold very special magics, thus they can be quite dangerous if they were to fall into the wrong hooves. I suspect this is part of the reason why Princess Luna is so keen on collecting all of it."

 

Illiad smiled a bit as he retrieved his gem from where it was floating, he returned it ot the interior of his robes. "That is why I am interested, make of it what you will."

 

​I have no idea how he will respond to this, I sincerely hope it is positive.

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther's gaze never left Illiad as he gave his reasons and explanations.  It was a bit unnerving, especially coupled with the fact that the elder Blackwater was putting out nothing at all emotionally; he might as well have been a tree, for all Illiad was picking up.  Eventually, as Illiad finished talking, Luther stood up and walked around the desk to face the unicorn.  With less than a foot of space between them, Luther leaned in towards Illiad.

 

"I know about the Cloud Diamond; I found the deposit."  A small touch of concern eked out at that moment.  "Ten years ago."

 

He pulled himself to his full height, then made his way over to the balcony.  Standing stolidly, he ran his gaze over the quarry.

 

"The deposit was much bigger then.  It was... beautiful.  It was also protected by..."  Was that a touch of fear from Luther Blackwater?  "... something very nasty.  One of my staff, Knee Slapper, sealed it away into the deposit itself; I have not seen it since."

 

He closed his eyes and gave a sigh of weariness that seemed almost too big for him to bear.

 

"I still have a gathering of the deposit we did harvest, if you're interested - but the deposit still there is off limits; to you, to my son, to my workers.  Most likely Daxter removed the barricades; get him to put them back.  I do not want that... thing... coming back."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

So that's what felt so wrong about the place. Truly something powerful once resided there. This is something Luna should know about immediately. 

 

Illiad's face went serious once he heard about the dangers. "I will ensure that the barricades are restored with all due speed. I will do what I can to strengthen them further if I can, we certainly don't want them accidentally removed again."

 

As he spoke Illiad began to plan what exactly he would say to Luna. "If you don't mind sir, I will be alerting Princess Luna to this creature's presence, no doubt she will be able to ensure that it will never be a threat to anyone here."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

"NO!"

 

Luther's shout was loud and... fearful?

 

"You do NOT understand!  That thing... the more ponies that know about it, the more chance it will have to escape!  It..."

 

Luther sighed, and with that sigh his scowl simply melted into a face of concern and worry - it was the first time he'd ever seen anything but a scowl on the stallion's muzzle... but it was doubtful that this was an improvement.

 

"It was evil.  It... it took over one of my foreponies, and it caused three deaths before it was contained.  When it was sealed, Slapper said the spell would hold... but it was fragile.  Too much active magic around it, and it might break."

 

The scowl returned, this time with seriously intimidating reinforcements as Luther locked his most determined stare at the Trojan.   

 

"I DO NOT WANT IT BROKEN... AND NEITHER DO YOU; IS THAT UNDERSTOOD?"

 

The fear from Luther was palpable and quite real; what in the world had happened?  Still, this seemed to be the end of this conversation - Luther spoke again, and was far less aggressive now, emotionally packing the bad feelings away with impressive speed.

 

"If you want to speak about the deposit I have in storage, we can.  I am willing to sell some of it."  

 

The elder Blackwater gave a small, almost undetectable shudder.

 

"Questions about that thing, ask Slapper; he still works here."

 

It apparently bothered Luther considerably to talk about it... then again, from what Illiad could tell, the experience would have bothered ANYpony.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Clearly this thing should not remain unconstrained any longer. Luna will hear about this as soon as possible.

 

Illiad's face grew darker and a bit more serious, "Believe me Mr. Blackwater I have no intention on releasing whatever evil you have managed to contain. You must be aware that the seal could already be broken. I will speak to Slapper about his seal and see if anything can be done to strengthen it." Illiad sighed a bit as he drew a bit of Mr. Blackwater's fear away, placing it in his gem. "I will let Princess Luna know that you are willing to sell, she will be most pleased to hear I am sure."

 

Illiad prepared to leave the room. "Is that all you need Sir? I have almost finished the design if you would like to approve it while I'm here."  

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Apparently satisfied with Illiad's response, Luther settled back into his seat at his desk.  

 

His gaze seemed almost to retract into him, and for a moment his age was visible; he had seen a LOT of years, and if what Illiad had heard was correct, those would have been years without much in the way of rest or sidetracking... not even a hobby, as far as had been seen yet.  On top of the business of the quarry, he had a family - and he did pay them attention, even loved them, and that meant he worried about them, as well.

 

He shook his well-groomed mane and gave a hard gust of a sigh; so refocused, he turned his attention back to the unicorn.

 

"The design.  Let's see it."

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

A slight smile appeared on Illiad's face, quickly replacing his uncharacteristically serious look. He retrieved the design from his robes, placing it on the table in front of Mr. Blackwater.  The design was shaped in a circle, the exterior made of the two necklaces of Mrs. Blackwater intertwined. Within the necklace circle was Dax's mark with Mr. Blackwater's in front of it. "What do you think? For the security pattern I'm thinking a sort of Zig-Zag design but I will take what suggestions you have."

[Randimaxis 8,652]

@@Illiad Easle

 

Luther looked it over closely, adjusting his glasses as he did.  His eyes glided over the design, twitching back and forth over small details.  Eventually, he sat back and nodded.

 

"Approved.  Well constructed.  Zig-zag sounds fine."

 

He glanced towards the door, seemingly considering something out there for a moment.  Once whatever was on his mind was satisfied, he then turned back to look at Illiad.  

 

"Daxter enjoys your company.  You are enjoying his?" 

 

As typical of the elder Blackwater, he wasn't simply asking this to hear himself talk; he was genuinely curious.

[Illiad Easle 3,135]

@@Randimaxis,

 

Illiad's smile grew slightly larger at Mr. Blackwater's praise. "Thank you sir, I'll have the design constructed when I return to Troy and have it sent to you when it is complete. I have found this exchange quite satisfactory, I have learned much and am a better person for having experienced it. Daxter is kind and caring at heart, as well as unbiased and accepting of new ideas. Noble attributes that I see in far too few ponies these days." Illiad retrieved the design and placed it in his robes, glad he didn't have to worry about it any longer. "If that is all Sir, I should get back to him and get those barricades back up."