open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[CameoShadowness 251]

On 8/6/2020 at 10:34 PM, Samurai Equine said:

@Ragland Tiger, @CameoShadowness

The library mare comes back. "I'm pretty sure the breezie from our local butterfly garden was not Posurmade. They might have been related, I guess, but still a completely different breezie." The library mare says with a smile "... Oh, right! The book. There might be a rare first edition in our vault, where we keep books that are not meant to be checked out by the regular library patrons. The vault is secured, no one can get in or out without the key. I suppose I could let you look at it, if you keep the book in the vault."

 

5 hours ago, Ragland Tiger said:

@CameoShadowness  @Samurai Equine

"T-take us th-th-there," said Bluebell, carefully studying the library mare's demeanor.

 

Beryl rolls her eyes and her tone seemed off as she continued. "Doubt it. Posurmade was de onry breezie to have dat ardifact- in our endire histoly. We courdn't ever repeat it- nor did we wand to after knowing de cruelties of de outter world. Dus de reason we limid oulserves in inderadions." She took a breath and her tone became somewhat more welcoming. "But show us da book. I would never boder disgracing it." 

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

"So was it one of those love at first sight situations? Thundy asked. "I asked because I know those situations all too well. Do you have feelings for Pastel? You don't have to say if you're not comfortable saying." Thundy added as the two approached the vast field. 

@ExplosionMare

Chelsea made a right into a purple lit cave. It's crystals were the source of the purple light. A small squeak and whinny caught her ear. She stopped. "Wait Pastel, do you hear that?" Chelsea asked as she heard the squeak and whinny again, followed by what appeared to be crying. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

5 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

"So was it one of those love at first sight situations? Thundy asked. "I asked because I know those situations all too well. Do you have feelings for Pastel? You don't have to say if you're not comfortable saying." Thundy added as the two approached the vast field. 

@C. Thunder Dash

"I-I guess so. I mean, we essentially met after I had gotten off fo the train that lead to the open road towards the town entrance. Since then, we were always together when meeting up with the others, as well as staying at the same house complex that was next to the arcade." Dynamo responded, recalling all fo the events that lead up to now with him and Pastel. Hearing the griffon's question lead the unicorn to become hesitant. "I-I...I just..." He sighed, shaking his head, before opening his eyes slightly. His face looking towards the ground as it seemed more interesting to look at. "...I don't know. I don't really understand feeling when it comes to relationships. I thought I knew back then, but it turned out that my bullies had gotten someone to use me. So, I really don't know what to consider. That, and there's also another issue. I'm about nineteen years old and she's about seven to eight years old. If it's a crush, then I suppose it's fine. It's just...isn't it wrong if it turned into a relationship. Even the fact of considering there might be feelings for her?" Dynamo knew it was an uncomfortable thing to ask. Even so, he knew it was something he had the male griffon. It would probably be the same kin of situation if he asked Samurai, Astral and Pencil.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

"There's nothing wrong with friendship Dynamo, but I think the truth has to be told here. It may be hard for her, but back where I'm from, there's no way on earth that would be legal. I mean, people would go crazy...so in the end, truth is, friendship is as far as it could go Dynamo." Thundy said gently stroking Dynamo's mane lovingly to comfort him. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

21 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

"There's nothing wrong with friendship Dynamo, but I think the truth has to be told here. It may be hard for her, but back where I'm from, there's no way on earth that would be legal. I mean, people would go crazy...so in the end, truth is, friendship is as far as it could go Dynamo." Thundy said gently stroking Dynamo's mane lovingly to comfort him. 

@C. Thunder Dash

"M-Maybe you're right, but I guess it's better to get a second opinion." Dynamo responded with a nod. Feeling slightly calm as Thundy had stroked his mane. "I know that our two worlds might differ and might relate, but I might also ask some others. Just because I've known them since I got to Friendshire and I know it's strange. I guess I just...trust them, you know? They haven't really hurt me, or used me. I know that I don't really get how to not take things as seriously as one would imagine. However, I'm slowly starting to learn more and more of what true friendship is. I know I can use that spell you mentioned. The one that would turn me into a colt. That would be taking the easy way out and it wouldn't be the answer. Pastel's grandfather was okay with it, but I still don't know if it would be right or not. I think I'm going to ask my friend's later and see what they think. I do really appreciate what you said though. It's always good to ask a friend." He would say with a smile, while unintentionally calling Thundy his friend. He never asked him or Chelsea, but just like with Bluebell. It seemed as if the feeling of friendship was right to him. "At any rate, I guess we should get back to the training, right? I want to say that it was a fluke, but I did discover a bit of magic in yesterday's race."

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

”The thing is, if you become a colt, you’d have to stay one as long as you’re in Friendshire.” Thundy said finding a good spot in the field. “And please tell me about this fluke of magic that happened during the race yesterday.” Thundy added. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

38 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

”The thing is, if you become a colt, you’d have to stay one as long as you’re in Friendshire.” Thundy said finding a good spot in the field. “And please tell me about this fluke of magic that happened during the race yesterday.” Thundy added. 

@C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo could only nod at Thundy's remark as he wasn't sure how to truly respond. After finding a good spot in the field, the blue unicorn nodded once more about the magic he had discovered. "Okay. So, this all happened in the arcade a day or two prior before the race was established. Apparently, Samurai had said that I was pretty skilled with my magic in video games. Considering that my cutie mark is based on a video game controller. However, I haven't truly understood what kind of magic I do have. Looking through a couple of books, I was able to learn about the power of elemental magic. So, I though, why couldn't I just use the kind of magic that would be used in video games. Sort of like the spells you can use in the Kingdom Hearts series. Would something like that be possible?" He asks, wanting to get an honest opinion from the male griffon.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

Thundy thought. “You mean something like this?” He asked as he gathered some electricity and made a ball of energy appeared. He then morphed the ball into a fireball. He then added more electricity and forged Link’s sword from Legend of Zelda. He swung it around and ended in a sword fighting pose. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

10 minutes ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

Thundy thought. “You mean something like this?” He asked as he gathered some electricity and made a ball of energy appeared. He then morphed the ball into a fireball. He then added more electricity and forged Link’s sword from Legend of Zelda. He swung it around and ended in a sword fighting pose. 

@C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo's eyes widened as Thundy gathered energy, before forging the Master Sword. The expression on his face was priceless as he watched the male griffon assume a sword fighting pose. "Uh...no? Have you really been to this gaming dimension? I mean, wait. What were we discussing?" He asks, shaking his head to gather his bearings. "N-No. Definitely not like that. I meant something like this." Taking a deep breath and leaning into a sort of steady pose, his horn began to glow with magic. After a few moments of concentration, Dynamo opened his eyes as he looked at the ground below. "Freeze!" He exclaimed, before launching an ice spell from his horn. Soon enough, a bit of the ground was frozen in an ice blast spell. "S-Something like that. I-I'm still getting used to using spells like that. I-It's honestly not that draining, but still draining as I'm not used to using magic like that yet." He panted as he was feeling slightly tired.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

“I see what you’re saying now.” Thundy said as he gathered some electricity. The ground began to tremble and crack below them. Thundy raised his talons up as if he was about to push something. “Seismic...Pulse!” Thundy shouted as he pushed forward releasing a load of energy. A giant shockwave that split the ground open was unleashed. Thundy then gathered more electricity. His talons lit up a nature green. “Restore.” He said as he let out a slow pulse that returned the ravaged ground back to what it was, a nice field. 

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

1 minute ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

“I see what you’re saying now.” Thundy said as he gathered some electricity. The ground began to tremble and crack below them. Thundy raised his talons up as if he was about to push something. “Seismic...Pulse!” Thundy shouted as he pushed forward releasing a load of energy. A giant shockwave that split the ground open was unleashed. Thundy then gathered more electricity. His talons lit up a nature green. “Restore.” He said as he let out a slow pulse that returned the ravaged ground back to what it was, a nice field. 

@C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo raised an eyebrow as it seemed that Thundy had begun to understand what he was talking about. Suddenly, Dynamo began to lose his balance as the ground began to shake and tremble. Dynamo began to fall towards the ground. Resulting in him tumbling and rolling along the field as a giant shockwave spilt the ground in two. Getting his bearings, the gamer pony was stunned at how much damage had been caused by what seemed to be barely any magic at all. "W-Whoa..." He simply uttered in both surprise and awe, before the griffon began to restore the field as if it wasn't damaged at all. "T-That was insane. I mean, I guess that's sort of like that, but I'm not entirely sure. From what I'm able to gather, I might be able to learn different kinds of elemental magic. I'm not entirely sure which ones, but I had a theory. Maybe some of the spells I could use in video games could become a magic of its own. A sort of video game magic from what Samurai and I coined up." He responded, slowly rising to his hooves after gathering his bearings. "For another example, I was also thinking of this." His horn started to glow as he thought of the magic in his mind. After a moment, the spell in mind had taken form in the form of floating fireballs. Opening his eyes, he smiled and sighed softly as he was grateful his spell had worked. "I was in the heat of the moment in the race, that I just threw caution to the wind. No pun intended, of course. If you know of the Pokemon games, then you would know of the move, will-o-wisp. I can launch fire too, but my magic would make them sort of heat seeking. I'm not sure if it would work, but I was able to make these two spells work yesterday. The only question is if I'm able to learn other forms of elemental magic. W-What do you think, Thundy?" He would ask, turning his attention back towards the male griffon.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

"Oh, well that's pretty simple. It's all about drawing energy from nature itself. Magic is pure energy. Combine that with a concept of what is called "ki" energy, and the possibilities of what you can do multiply." Thundy said as he gathered some energy and made an ordinary rock appear in his talon. "Watch this." He said as he gathered some electricity and released it on the stone. The ordinary stone slowly turned into an egg. Thundy then gathered some electricity and a green gentle aura surrounded his body. He slowly began to release the energy on the egg. The egg began to stir and crack, Something was hatching out of the egg. The egg fully hatched after five more seconds, and there right in Thundy's palm, was a baby bluejay. Thundy then released a little more of this nature energy he had tapped into and the baby bluejay began to grow in age until it was a full adult bluejay. It chirped at Thundy, looking around, seeing Dynamo. Thundy was panting softly as the green aura faded. 

[ExplosionMare 18,062]

@C. Thunder Dash

(OOC: You said Pastel instead of Pencil)

Upon entering the cave, purple light enveloped the two girls that seemed rather soft and inviting. Pencil was relieved by this, at least for the time being. It wasn’t until she heard little squeaks and whinnies that she grew concerned again.

Apparently Chelsea heard it too, which made Pencil feel a little better. Whatever was making the noise sounded like it was almost sobbing, too. Pencil got a little sad, especially after remembering the whale they saved. Was this yet another lost creature?

“Let’s go find the source of that noise,” Pencil suggested to Chelsea.

[Samurai Equine 51,442]

@Pastel Heart, @GeneralDirection

Samurai nearly laughs at Silver's question. "I can't explain it either, my friend. All I know is that a byproduct of absorption magic is that your taste buds get the sensation of flavor, at least for some ponies. For me, absorbing fire doesn't usually have a flavor, but magic-based fire is different. That always has a flavor. This one time, a pony was using an electricity spell to cause a fire, and I absorbed the flames as soon as I could. The trace amounts of magic left over gave it a spicy taste, for some reason. Had to wash it down with some milk."

Samurai soon stands, but lets Pastel get on his back again if she wants. They were done here. "That sounds like a good idea. We can do that while I get Pastel-chan some of those sweets I promised her."

As Samurai leads the way, he looks at Pastel. "Are you absolutely sure it's okay that I hugged you? Where I come from, hugs are a little taboo. You're only suppose to hug family members or lovers, and even then you're suppose to save it for behind closed doors only. And yet... Ever since I left Japon, I've been seeing it happen more and more often, and no pony ever gets offended by it. Is hugs a common thing?" Samurai asks.

@Ragland Tiger, @CameoShadowness

The library mare decides not to challenge Beryl on this. "Well, if it means that much to you, then I guess you can have the artifact. We've been using it for cataloging and storage purposes, but if it belongs to Breezie culture, then it's only right for a Breezie to take it."

She leads them away from the main part of the library to a vault behind the checkout desks. Grabbing the right set of keys, she opens it up, and lets Beryl and Bluebell inside. "Remember, no book leaves this vault, but you can look at as many as you want." The contents of the vault aren't much; it simply contains the library's most important books. First editions, out-of-print specials, books with labels that read "Not for rent or resale", etc. And yes, there is a first edition of the book they are looking for.

@Astral Vision

With a flourish, a bit of cool down, and some finishing spray, Trilby's hat is soon complete. "Ah! Thank you, my friend. You've been a dear good model for sitting so still. You may get up now." Trilby drives the point home by taking his hat back and by giving him a friendly hug. It's enough to shake Astral out of his completely still posture, and Trilby wouldn't have done it if he really needed Astral to continue staying still.

Still, he did ask a question. "Help the citizens? Well... I mean, I have my reasons for being here, but helping others? I, uh... I think... That sounds familiar, and also not? Mmm..." Trilby lifts his hat and rubs his head. "That sounds important for some reason, but why?" Astral is getting some strange signals from his amulet. It seems he might not be able to lift this curse after all, not without finding the source, the person who cast it in the first place. But right now, the curse is at its weakest. That seems to be the underling pattern of this curse! When Trilby is actually thinking of others in a selfless way, the curse stops haunting him. It happened when he saw Shadow, and it's happening now with him thinking about helping others. When he's at his most selfish, or when he encourages others to be equally selfish, the curse activates.

"Well, whatever it is I'm forgetting, it must not be that important!" Trilby just shrugs off any repressed memories he has for now. "The point is, I'm here because I have nowhere else to go." Trilby gives a sad sigh, then focuses on Samurai's custom order. "You see, I've been to many parts of Equestria. Oh, and a clothing store is not really what I wanted to do. Hats are my specialty. It's on my cutie mark, if you look closely." Trilby wiggles his flank a little. "All I ever wanted was to make a hat shop that ponies would love to go to. I went to Ponyville to set up my first shop, but Rarity's business was doing so well that it overshadowed my own. She could make regular clothes and quality hats, so I wasn't needed. I tried bigger places like Canterlot, but the market was so over saturated with similar shops that mine wasn't necessary there either. I tried tourist spots like Las Pegasus, but places like that attract tourists that only want cheap and quick souvenirs, not the quality items I offer."

Recalling these memories aren't exactly making Trilby feel great about himself. "Cast out of each place I had been too, I soon found myself traveling, destitute, and... a little broken in spirit. I truly felt like there was no place in Equestria that wanted a hat shop. And then somehow, by complete coincidence, I stumbled upon Friendshire in my travels. This place didn't have any hat stores, nor any quality clothing stores. I decided to try my luck and open a hat store first. However, I learned I'd get more customers if I bit the bullet and made clothes too. It's better but still not much. Enough to keep the lights on and such, and being a business owner does grant me certain perks now and then. I get good deals at fancy restaurants just because they respect fellow business owners like myself! But even with this store, I still need to make enough money to support my own lifestyle. That's why I'm moonlighting other jobs on the side. You know, working for the mayor and advertising the town's therapist whenever I can."

Trilby breaks away from his work for just a second to smile at Astral. "What about you, Astral? You seem magically proficient. Do you have a job here? You could be the town's certified magic expert. I bet you'd get tons of ponies that want to know how to improve their magic potion skills or want to learn more spells to improve their daily lives and such."

Edited August 9, 2020 by Samurai Equine

[Pastel Heart 6,466]

@GeneralDirection @Samurai Equine

With that debacle over, Pastel hopped up on Samurai's back once again, waving Silver along to follow. 

"Oh! I was egging you on with the sweets thing but if you're serious I'd like that lots!~ let's all eat so much sweets that our teeth fall out and we die of agitated gum disease!"

She threw her front hooves up in the air cheerfully as she said this in a cheerful voice. Upon Samurai asking her the big question, which is of course about hugs, the all important thing in the solar system; Pastel thought about it for a little bit before casually shrugging.

"I like hugs, from anypony! I guess we're all just differently customed in this country or whatever? Or is Sami saying he's in love with me? I'm an idol now so you gotta make an appointment for a date with me~! I'm suuuper important like that!"

She poked his head as she poked his head, teasing her friend. This time with her friends, some of the only real friends she ever had, was nice. Hopefully it would last.

[GeneralDirection 1,050]

@Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

Silver was still confused but decided to just accept the fact for what it was and move on.

The kirin nods in agreement to move on and added “Hmm, I may just grab some candy for myself, too.” Lately, anything aside from dried star fruit had been a luxury for him, so some sweets sounded pretty good right about now. Pastel was…a little too excited about getting gum disease.

As they walked along, Samurai started talking to Pastel, and Silver listened quietly to his questions. He found it interesting that where the unicorn was from, ponies didn’t really hug each other unless in private. Silver wanted to say something but kept to himself since he wasn’t being addressed. Pastel was doing a good enough job of explaining, anyway.

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

11 hours ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

"Oh, well that's pretty simple. It's all about drawing energy from nature itself. Magic is pure energy. Combine that with a concept of what is called "ki" energy, and the possibilities of what you can do multiply." Thundy said as he gathered some energy and made an ordinary rock appear in his talon. "Watch this." He said as he gathered some electricity and released it on the stone. The ordinary stone slowly turned into an egg. Thundy then gathered some electricity and a green gentle aura surrounded his body. He slowly began to release the energy on the egg. The egg began to stir and crack, Something was hatching out of the egg. The egg fully hatched after five more seconds, and there right in Thundy's palm, was a baby bluejay. Thundy then released a little more of this nature energy he had tapped into and the baby bluejay began to grow in age until it was a full adult bluejay. It chirped at Thundy, looking around, seeing Dynamo. Thundy was panting softly as the green aura faded. 

@C. Thunder Dash
 

“I think I’ve heard of the work ki. I think my mom and some classes in school had brought up the term. Something along the lines of everyone having ki within them. Isn’t ki also a form of spiritual energy? I think there was a mention that ki and magic are sort of different from each other.” Dynamo explained as he watched Thundy began to use his energy once more. Making a piece of stone appear, the blue unicorn watched as the stone filled energy was turned into an egg. “Transfiguration? How did-?” He stopped mid sentence as the griffon made the egg hatch into a tiny bluejay. It would have been impressive enough. However, the blue jay soon morphed into full fledged adult bluejay. “I-Is that even possible to do something like that? Magic like that seems unheard of. It’s just...how does that fit with the kind of magic I’m trying to learn?” He asks, slightly annoyed as it seems Thundy was dodging the question. While it was cool to see the different forms of spells being used. The gamer pony wanted to see if he was capable of using more kinds of elemental magic.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

@Dynamo Pad

”Well, the point is Dynamo, that in order to use any elemental type of magic, you need to draw energy from nature itself. The most basic elemental spell that is usually taught is transfiguring a ball of pure energy into an element ball. To do it, you have to focus on the characteristics of the element, even if you’re in the heat of the moment.” Thundy said as the blue jay flew off with a chirp. 

[Astral Vision 286]

8 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

 

@Astral Vision

With a flourish, a bit of cool down, and some finishing spray, Trilby's hat is soon complete. "Ah! Thank you, my friend. You've been a dear good model for sitting so still. You may get up now." Trilby drives the point home by taking his hat back and by giving him a friendly hug. It's enough to shake Astral out of his completely still posture, and Trilby wouldn't have done it if he really needed Astral to continue staying still.

Still, he did ask a question. "Help the citizens? Well... I mean, I have my reasons for being here, but helping others? I, uh... I think... That sounds familiar, and also not? Mmm..." Trilby lifts his hat and rubs his head. "That sounds important for some reason, but why?" Astral is getting some strange signals from his amulet. It seems he might not be able to lift this curse after all, not without finding the source, the person who cast it in the first place. But right now, the curse is at its weakest. That seems to be the underling pattern of this curse! When Trilby is actually thinking of others in a selfless way, the curse stops haunting him. It happened when he saw Shadow, and it's happening now with him thinking about helping others. When he's at his most selfish, or when he encourages others to be equally selfish, the curse activates.

"Well, whatever it is I'm forgetting, it must not be that important!" Trilby just shrugs off any repressed memories he has for now. "The point is, I'm here because I have nowhere else to go." Trilby gives a sad sigh, then focuses on Samurai's custom order. "You see, I've been to many parts of Equestria. Oh, and a clothing store is not really what I wanted to do. Hats are my specialty. It's on my cutie mark, if you look closely." Trilby wiggles his flank a little. "All I ever wanted was to make a hat shop that ponies would love to go to. I went to Ponyville to set up my first shop, but Rarity's business was doing so well that it overshadowed my own. She could make regular clothes and quality hats, so I wasn't needed. I tried bigger places like Canterlot, but the market was so over saturated with similar shops that mine wasn't necessary there either. I tried tourist spots like Las Pegasus, but places like that attract tourists that only want cheap and quick souvenirs, not the quality items I offer."

Recalling these memories aren't exactly making Trilby feel great about himself. "Cast out of each place I had been too, I soon found myself traveling, destitute, and... a little broken in spirit. I truly felt like there was no place in Equestria that wanted a hat shop. And then somehow, by complete coincidence, I stumbled upon Friendshire in my travels. This place didn't have any hat stores, nor any quality clothing stores. I decided to try my luck and open a hat store first. However, I learned I'd get more customers if I bit the bullet and made clothes too. It's better but still not much. Enough to keep the lights on and such, and being a business owner does grant me certain perks now and then. I get good deals at fancy restaurants just because they respect fellow business owners like myself! But even with this store, I still need to make enough money to support my own lifestyle. That's why I'm moonlighting other jobs on the side. You know, working for the mayor and advertising the town's therapist whenever I can."

Trilby breaks away from his work for just a second to smile at Astral. "What about you, Astral? You seem magically proficient. Do you have a job here? You could be the town's certified magic expert. I bet you'd get tons of ponies that want to know how to improve their magic potion skills or want to learn more spells to improve their daily lives and such."

@Samurai Equine

Astral was relieved to move from his stance, being as still as a statue was a challenge both physically and mentally. As he checked his Amulet's progress, he discovered that it was unable to drain the curse completely, but the remains he sensed were far weaker than before. Astral took this evidence into a hypothesis; Trilby was acting far more humble compared to his attitude back in the alleyway, and seeing Shadow Trail, a pony he cared very deep for, was enough to free him of the curse's grip.

'It would seem that Trilby is only corrupted when his emotions turn selfish, but helping other creatures is enough to keep the curse at bay. This curse definitely uses dark magic; but then again, is there really any time it isn't?' Astral thought to himself.

As Astral listened to Trilby's story, he felt he could relate to the struggle, though not in the sense of fashion. Astral had traveled far across Equestria in his mission to detain dark magic and forbidden artifacts, but this was only trusted to the most skilled of unicorns, so Astral usually kept to himself in work and training. Being alone on the road was never easy, but Astral was happy to see that Trilby had found a place in Friendshire, even if he had to work multiple careers.

"It's a shame I didn't come to see your shop back in Canterlot; I may not be much of a hat pony myself, but I still believe every magic expert needs a proper accessory. Hmm, believe it or not, I don't actually have a career in Friendshire. Ever since I arrived, I've focused solely on ridding the town of its curse, though I guess I've also given magic lessons to Dynamo and Pencil; with a bit more training, those two could become great magic experts. I hope Celestia would be proud of my accomplishments, little ol' Astral from student to teacher like her, but the thing is.. I'm not sure setting up a business would be the best idea."

Astral sighed, knowing Trilby would ask why this was the case; despite knowing the curse that plagued Trilby, Astral saw no reason why he couldn't open up, especially since the fashion pony just had.

"Trilby, what the others don't know about me is that I'm actually a professional Wizard; I was trained to deal with dark magic artifacts and curses, and whichever of the two is here, its aura is what drew me to Friendshire in the first place. Once I finally solve the issue, I'll most likely be called back to Canterlot, meaning that anything I opened would be left abandoned. Don't get me wrong, I Iike Friendshire, and would want nothing more than to set up a post. But if the town really does need a magic expert, I'm willing to fill the role for the time being, or until I find an apprentice to cover for me."

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

2 hours ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

@Dynamo Pad

”Well, the point is Dynamo, that in order to use any elemental type of magic, you need to draw energy from nature itself. The most basic elemental spell that is usually taught is transfiguring a ball of pure energy into an element ball. To do it, you have to focus on the characteristics of the element, even if you’re in the heat of the moment.” Thundy said as the blue jay flew off with a chirp. 

@C. Thunder Dash
 

Dynamo could only tilt his head in confusion as Thu day had explained how to draw out elemental magic. Even as the bluejay flew away, the blue unicorn was still unsure of the griffons explanation. “That doesn’t make any sort of sense. If that’s tru, then how was I able to make those spells become possible? You saw how I got these fireballs and even the ice to work. So, what’s the difference eve from what I’m doing now against what you’re telling me?” He asks, the fireballs still floating around him, before fading away.

[Courageous Thunder Dash 7,824]

1 hour ago, Dynamo Pad said:

@C. Thunder Dash
 

Dynamo could only tilt his head in confusion as Thu day had explained how to draw out elemental magic. Even as the bluejay flew away, the blue unicorn was still unsure of the griffons explanation. “That doesn’t make any sort of sense. If that’s tru, then how was I able to make those spells become possible? You saw how I got these fireballs and even the ice to work. So, what’s the difference eve from what I’m doing now against what you’re telling me?” He asks, the fireballs still floating around him, before fading away.

"So what I mean is...what is...say...fire like?" Thundy asked as he gathered some electricity and made a ball of energy appear in his talons. He then slowly morphed it into a ball of fire. "If you were to give it a personality, what would it be? There's a point to why I'm asking you this and this point will answer your question." Thundy said as he continued to hold the fireball in his talons. 

Edited August 9, 2020 by C. Thunder Dash

[Ragland Tiger 3,391]

21 hours ago, Samurai Equine said:

@Ragland Tiger, @CameoShadowness

The library mare decides not to challenge Beryl on this. "Well, if it means that much to you, then I guess you can have the artifact. We've been using it for cataloging and storage purposes, but if it belongs to Breezie culture, then it's only right for a Breezie to take it."

She leads them away from the main part of the library to a vault behind the checkout desks. Grabbing the right set of keys, she opens it up, and lets Beryl and Bluebell inside. "Remember, no book leaves this vault, but you can look at as many as you want." The contents of the vault aren't much; it simply contains the library's most important books. First editions, out-of-print specials, books with labels that read "Not for rent or resale", etc. And yes, there is a first edition of the book they are looking for.

@Samurai Equine  @CameoShadowness

Just before she enetred the vault, Bluebell turned and looked straight at the face of the library mare, thought a moment, and then said, "Y-you're hiding s-s-smomething.  I-I-I'm a historian with- with the royal court of C-Canterlot.  Believe me, if  some-somepony unleashed a wi-win-windigo, or pulled some other d-dangerous magic, we could all b-b-b-be in some s-serious jeopardy.  You-you might want to re-reconsider whose-whose confidences you k-keep.  Oh, and d-d-don't lock us up-up in h-here either.  You don't w-w-want to s-see the mess I leave be-behind when we esc-escape."

With that she went into the vault with Beryl. They got the book, put it on the table at the center of the vault, and started reading.  Bluebell spotted something- a page was missing, carefully cut out of the book.  "Wh-what do we h-h-have here?"  She pulled the orphaned page form her saddle bag again, and placed it carefully near the binding.  It fit perfectly.

"Well, wa-wa-waddya know!"

Edited August 10, 2020 by Ragland Tiger
typo

[Dynamo Pad 11,311]

4 hours ago, C. Thunder Dash said:

"So what I mean is...what is...say...fire like?" Thundy asked as he gathered some electricity and made a ball of energy appear in his talons. He then slowly morphed it into a ball of fire. "If you were to give it a personality, what would it be? There's a point to why I'm asking you this and this point will answer your question." Thundy said as he continued to hold the fireball in his talons. 

@C. Thunder Dash

Dynamo sighed as he shook his head. All the while, still feeling confused by Thundy's riddles. "I get you're trying to help, but I'm still lost. It's just that I'm still confused." He would say as the griffon formed a ball of fire from the energy in his talons. "This doesn't really answer my question. I mean, I think I get what you're trying to say, but what I mean is this. How was it that I was able to use those kinds of elemental spells when I wasn't using the information that you were explaining? I don't get how that was possible without the kind of energy from nature that you're trying to show me." 

[Samurai Equine 51,442]

@Ragland Tiger, @CameoShadowness

The library mare gasps at Bluebell's accusations and the reveal of her credentials. "I-I wouldn't! I..." She signs and lowers her head, letting them both go inside. It's been a trying day for her. She's been called a liar. She's been accused of trying to lock them in a vault. She's pretty sure Beryl hates her. And worst of all, neither of them even asked her name. "...After today, I quit." She says quietly to herself. After today, the library is going to have one less staff worker, and they don't even have a head librarian yet. At this rate, the library will be completely abandoned.

@Astral Vision

Trilby does his best to multitask while talking to Astral. "...Wouldn't that be a good thing, though? I've only talked to the remaining townsponies that have always lived here. If this place use to be active and bustling, then lifting the curse means it would go back to the way it was, right? Businesses would be booming, citizens would be happy, the town would have leaders again, the mayors would be back in office, and this town wouldn't be a desolate final location for creatures down on their luck like me. You'd be able to leave because the town would be back to its former glory. Seems like that's the end goal in all this. Although..." Trilby stops to think about it. "...I suppose if you reach that goal, the town won't have need for me either. They might decide they like somepony else's clothing stores better, and I'll have to leave and try setting up again somewhere else."

Trilby buries his head in his work. "Well, maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Who knows, maybe the Yaks in Yakyakistan would like some hats. Provided I can make them smash-proof."

@GeneralDirection, @Pastel Heart

Samurai nods, letting the information sink in. "Different cultures..." But then he realizes what Pastel just asked, and his eyes pop wide open and he blushes. "Iiya! It's not like that, really..." He does his best to hide his face from Pastel. He wasn't trying to make a love confession or anything, yet here she is putting him on the spot.

Eventually, the three of them go back into town and find a candy store, with a place where they can sit down. Samurai gladly pays for as many sweets as they want, hoping that Pastel isn't getting more than she can handle. Samurai himself only gets a bottled water, he all ready had something sweet earlier. With Silver's help, they begin packaging and labeling gifts. "Thank you for the help. I hope this isn't another distraction. I know you said you want to be moving on."

[GeneralDirection 1,050]

@Pastel Heart @Samurai Equine

Silver couldn’t help but chuckle at Samurai’s reaction to being put on the spot by Pastel. He had thought he had overheard somepony saying she was leaving soon, and while Silver hoped this wasn’t the case, he had no right to make a statement like that. Not when he didn’t know where he was going himself.

When they arrived at the candy store, Silver picked out some dark chocolate, and joined the others at the table. He grabs some supplies and gets to work, looking up when Samurai spoke.

“No problem, happy to help! It’s fine, I can’t really go anywhere now, it’s too late to make any meaningful progress. Besides, I don’t think that’s entirely accurate. I’m ultimately here to explore, and while I didn’t exactly plan on being here, I certainly don’t mind meeting new ponies, especially if they’re as friendly as you two.” He smiled, but his smile faded quickly. “I’m kinda torn right now, to be honest. My village, that’s all I’ve ever known. I do miss my family and friends there. But I also remind myself that there is a reason why I left there. I really felt like life there was far too…menial. Everypony was just ok with accepting things for the way they were, like they forgot how to dream or something. That’s why I left. I had hoped there was something more exciting for me to find out there.” He remarked as he stared wistfully off into the distance.

Silver knew this was a decision only he could make. Nopony else was going to tell him what to do. Maybe he just needed to stop thinking about it and accept things for the way they were. He was here now, and he didn’t really want to go back home, so what did he have to lose?

After some moments of silence, Silver finally spoke up. “I think I’ve decided what I’m going to do. My decision will be to stay put here for now. I may return to my village at some point, but I doubt even that would be permanent. There’s nothing more I can learn from there; I think it’s time to move on.” He stated.