open The Town That Friendship Forgot

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Bastian

“Yeah, especially when it comes to foals playing around or taking a walk with their parents” she beamed. When she heard Forest asked what happened to her at the Everfree, she lied “Oh, uh... I witnessed a chicken petrify a unicorn while I was looking around the place , heh, heh heh heh” she let out a nervous chuckle. This guy seemed as if she had saw her at the past and if he knew what she was and what she had done, then he's a threat. She shrugged this thoughts away as she wanted to have a good luck and try forgetting the past.

@Samurai Equine

“How about I'll pay you 20 bits? You need money to run this shop anyway” she suggested. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Samurai Equine 45,721]

@Bastian, @Windy Breeze

Trilby tosses the coin bag back to him. "Keep it, for now. Pay me tomorrow when you come to pick up the order. Just in case they need any alterations."

Trilby turns back to Shadow. "So, about that 2 bits. If that's too much, maybe you'd like to have a nice discussion about it elsewhere?"

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Bastian @Samurai Equine

“Nah, I'm okay” she glanced at the monk, then at Trilby “Um, I need to go now, have a nice day, Trilby and Forest!”

As soon as she went outside the shop, she quickly unfurl her wings and quickly to flew to go back to the house where she is staying.

Horseapples, I shouldn't had frowned! She chastised herself. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Bastian 13,319]

@Samurai Equine @Windy Breeze

Forest shouted to the fleeing pegasus.

Hey! Stop! Come back here!

But she wouldn't return. He did what he had to do, chase her.

He ran after Shadow, ignoring Trilby completely, she was far more important now.

He ran very fast, he chased her from the ground and if she didn't speed up, he would get to her eventually.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Bastian

She heard Forest yelled for her to stop. Should I stop? But what if he knows my secret!? She immediately flew and hid herself inside a green waste container and silently closed the lid Maybe I should stay here until midnight? I hope he doesn't check the garbage box I'm hiding in and I hope my black with yellow streak contrail doesn't lead him here. Oh, Luna, please save me. 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Samurai Equine 45,721]

@Bastian, @Windy Breeze

Trilby reaches out. "No, wait! What--" But it was too late. He lowers his ears and his head in defeat. "...What about the hat." The hat was still on her head when she left. Trilby wanted excitement, but he didn't think about potential shoplifters. ...And he actually kind of liked Shadow Trail...

He looks at Forest when her hears her calling out to Shadow. "You probably shouldn't chase--" But it was too late. He was gone too.

... Well, now what? ... Trilby closes up shop for now. He collects some material and heads out.

@Pastel-chan

Trilby travels a far to visit the town's counselor. It's a little late, but he should still be in his office. He knocks. "Sir? I have a report for you." Trilby was his first, and best, patient.

Edited February 29, 2020 by Samurai Equine

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

Quote

Trilby reaches out. "No, wait! What--" But it was too late. He lowers his ears and his head in defeat. "...What about the hat." The hat was still on her head when she left. Trilby wanted excitement, but he didn't think about potential shoplifters. ...And he actually kind of liked Shadow Trail...

@Bastian @Samurai Equine

Meanwhile... 

“Oh no, where is my hat!? And why are the bits I'm going to give to Trilby are still here!?” she whispered her panic, her shrinked into pinpoints “Now I'm a criminal of this town thanks to that guy!” she said, referring Forest.

[Bastian 13,319]

Forest turned to the alley, there were many waste containers inside and she could have hidden a any, unfortunately for Shadow he was trained and knew how to look, he watched closely every one and one of them had some marks of hooves invisible to the normal eye, he was about to open it but he stopped dead.

 

Time to meditate, she can wait.

And after that he walked away, leaving her were she was.

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

14 minutes ago, Samurai Equine said:@Pastel-chan

 

Trilby travels a far to visit the town's counselor. It's a little late, but he should still be in his office. He knocks. "Sir? I have a report for you." Trilby was his first, and best, patient.

"Hmm? A report? Sounds serious."

The well dressed dragon answers the door, adjusting his glasses. He steps aside to invite his friend in with a smile.

"Come in. You know this is basically your second home."

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

@Bastian

When she heard her pursuer left, she let out a sigh of relief. She cautiosly open the lid to check if he was still there, fortunately he wasn't. 

“I got to go back to Trilby and pay him, that's what I can only do now” she said to herself as she spread her wings and dash towards to the place where Trilby's shop is.

However, to her dismay, the shop was already closed.

“Oh, luna” she said “What am I going to do now...?” she sighed, opening her saddlebag and brought 20 bits out of it “Maybe I should leave it here by the building?” she put the bits on the ground. Satisfied, she turn tail and flew away and back to the house. 

It took her a few minutes to reach the house but atleast she wasn't spotted by the monk.

When she knocked at the door, the stallion open the door. He smiled “I thought you forgot your other package” he finally noticed the obvious thing he should have said first “what happened to you anyway?”

“Hide & Seek” Shadow uttered. The stallion lifted an eyebrow. 

“I don't remember the game being so messy and brutal” he said “You should go and take a nice bath on our bathtub” 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Samurai Equine 45,721]

@Pastel-chan

Trilby comes in. "Thank you, Dr. Milenko. Today's been a very busy day. A bunch of new citizens have arrived in town, about 7 give or take. They aren't like the citizens that were born here. These new arrivals have life and energy. Eventually, they might also need counselling."

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Samurai Equine

The dragon Milenko sits down in his lounge chair, sipping his coffee. You think he'd get tired of the stuff.

"Feel free to help yourself. What's mine is yours, my friend."

He smiled as he heard the news of the new residents. It's been quite awhile. Be it some twist of fate or destiny, it's nice to see new faces.

"Indeed. I imagine anyone who would stumble upon this place has some weight on their heart; that was the case for me, after all... Do let them know my doors are open if they're having issues, yes? I'd love to meet them, myself. Hopefully they don't notice the horns first."

The dragon seemed kind, and was making an effort to be approachable despite his scary outer exterior. If things got busier, would things be as lively as they were in Ponyville? One could dream.

[ExplosionMare 18,007]

Pencil decided that, for the time being, she would head to some of the local shops before she settled in. She could see what goods the town had to offer and maybe get some inspiration for the commission. Pencil looked around for anything nearby, taking in the layout of the stores for future reference. She spotted a library, a market, and a hat shop from what she could see. She decided on the hat shop since she figured she would have a good chance of finding something exotic in there. Pencil walked up to the shop, keeping a light pace to prevent bumping into any pony leaving the store.

She pushed the door open slightly then squeezed her way into the entrance. Upon entering, Pencil noticed a wide variety of hats in many different styles ranging from basic to extremely festive. Beaming, Pencil trotted around the store and looked at the wares, taking note of the items she found the most interesting. She even tried a few things on to gain new perspectives on them. As Pencil browsed, she took out one of her notepads and began to sketch, capturing the essence of each hat. 

[Samurai Equine 45,721]

@Pastel-chan

Trilby respectfully turns down the offer. He doesn't like coffee. Latte is the closest he'll get, and he all ready had one earlier.
He bows at his request. "Yes sir, Doctor. Thank you."

Trilby Hatter takes his leave for the evening, thankful that the doctor didn't ask about Samurai Equine, the one pony that has never stopped by his office before. Still a work in progress...

@ExplosionMare

Making the trot back to his shop, he notices that despite putting up a "Closed" sign, somepony still entered. He also notices someone left a bag of bits near the entrance. He collects it before going inside.

Trilby walks up behind Pencil as she is sketching. "That hat you're drawing comes with a special offer: A free matching scarf; if you're interested." Trilby smirks and shakes his head a little bit. "What a day, first a shoplifter, and now a trespasser. It's fine, though. You like my wares, so you obviously have good taste." Trilby says. It might be getting late in the evening, but it's never too late for a customer.

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

Another day in Friendshire. 

Shadow looked at the ceiling as she lay on her bed, her mane and messy and her eyes half open. She thought of waking up but decided to continue sleeping, she wanted to forget her encounter with Forest Gum. 

[Bastian 13,319]

Forest meditated for a long time, the first hour was used for reaching the energies of nature, the next half was used to establish a reliable conection and the rest was used for resting himself, like if he was sleeping.

Now to find Shadow. He thought.

He searched all energies throughout the town, when he stumbles upon dark ones he will know where is she.

It didn't took long for him to find a particular dark place, he was about to go and look for her but he needed breakfast.

A quick breakfast first, then I will worry about her. Said Forest while rising from his meditating position.

He walked out of his apartment and into the nearest café, it was called "The brown gold".

As he sat and asked for a cup of coffee he kept thinking

As soon as I leave, I will visit her, but not up-front, I will sneak into her, if not she will run away like yesterday. 

And with a plan in mind he drank his coffee with satisfaction. 

[Windy Breeze 15,175]

Shadow woke up once again, this time letting consciousness took over her.

“Good moooorning Equestria!” She moaned, scratching her disheveled grey mane with yellow streak. She slowly got up from her bed to look at one of her saddlebags, one which contain her pouch, her drinking water and some papers from several organizations she worked while the other saddlebag held something. Opening the said saddlebag revealed her flight suit. She sighed and dressed herself, going to a mirror and making several poses “I am Shadow Trail, a member of the Shadowbolts, bow to the princess of the night and respect her!” she let out a childish laugh. Deciding that the fun is enough, she undressed herself and put her uniform back to her saddlebag and hide it under the bed.

Nopony has to reveal my secret she thought coldy without any sign of her cheerful personality. She shut her eyes as she pushed the saddlebag further into the shadows.

After a couple of minutes of eating with the family who let her stay in their house, she bid them goodbye to go and apologize to Trilby.

If Forest would ever corner me, I have to stick to the crowd. I'm not named 'Shadow' for nothing but I still have to be careful. Trilby's first, then do your job as a freelance photographer she thought as she glance at her surroundings as she makes her way towards Trilby's Hats & Clothing. 

She arrived with no problems, she had passed by a few houses, shops, and cafés. She noticed that the 20 bits she left are now gone I hope it's Trilby who got the bits. 

Edited March 1, 2020 by Windy Breeze

[Bastian 13,319]

@Windy Breeze

Forest finished his coffee and was about to exit the place but he saw Shadow and decided to wait some seconds before heading out, she was a block away and he used his training to make no sound while walking, he would occasionally hide beneath corners to avoid beeing seen.

Edited March 1, 2020 by Bastian

[Astral Vision 286]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel-chan

The three ponies finally arrived at their destination, the building standing tall and proud. Astral and Dynamo entered while Pastel happily bounced behind. As they entered the library, Astral was in shock as he gazed upon the near-endless isles stacked with countless books. As he took in the sights, he was brought to the floor as he nearly cried a tear of joy.

"So many glorious books! Yet, so little time. Alright guys, if we're gonna uncover the possibilities behind this town's division, then we need as much of this town's history as possible. Dynamo, let me know if you and Pastel find anything, and make sure she doesn't make too much noise. Pastel, please try and stay close to Dynamo so you don't get lost, libraries can be like labyrinths."

Astral then departed from the group and began searching through many shelves, using his magic to observe multiple novels at once as well as remove dust from between each page. Astral soon realized that even when he did find the book, Dynamo and Pastel may have trouble finding him, especially since Dynamo was apparently unpractised with magic. He only hoped he could find what he was looking for before closing time.

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

@Astral Vision @Pastel-chan

Upon reaching their destination, Dynamo looked in awe at how gigantic the library was. It was like a mansion with how many books were shelved together. Dynamo turned to Astral, who looked to be on the urge of crying. As he was about to ask if he was okay, Dynamo chuckled as he heard Astral’s response. 
 

“It sounds like you are a book enthusiast. I like reading, but something more along the lines to fiction. Sort of like Harry Trotter or manga.” He would say, nodding as he was given his objective for being here. “Okay, then. So, it looks like we’ll need to split up to cover some ground. If either team finds any books, then we’ll go meet back at the center. That way, we won’t have to worry about being lost. Unless you have a spell that can guide us here. I don’t know if some spells are allowed in a library. We wouldn’t want to burn any of the books.  Trust me when I say I know what a labyrinth is like when it comes to an arcade. So many arcade machines and prize grabbers, that you can get lost.” 
 

Dynamo left with Pastel, while the duo looked for books that would have what the group needed. If he had found any information on Asian pony culture/history, he would grab the book from the shelf. However, he would make sure to look into it later. With how much time they had left in the day, Dynamo wanted to help find as much as they could before the library closed.

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Astral Vision @Dynamo Pad

"Woooaaahh, it's like, huge~ I bet you can find anything in here! Fantasy, sci fi, folk tales, even those books they don't let fillys read! They're for like super smart ponies I bet~!"

Pastel was practically bouncing from shelf to shelf, all but forgetting the reason they originally came in. She was in Dynamo's proximity, but seemed to be getting further and further away. She was definitely gonna get lost at this rate. She seemed particularly inclined to fantasy, so that was atleast a hint. Unless Dynamo passed some kinda perception check, Pastel was gonna wander off pretty deep.

[Astral Vision 286]

@Dynamo Pad @Pastel-chan @Samurai Equine

After looking through what seemed like an endless sea of books, Astral eventually made his way to the history section. Then, from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of the word 'Friendshire'. Quickly removing the book from the shelf, Astral dusted it off with his magic, and the book while faded had the title "Friendshire, A Pony's History".

"Jackpot! Hopefully this should set some light on things" Astral whispered in delight. He could barely contain himself as he turned the first page, and he began to immerse himself into the town's history. (Samurai, sorry if I go a little off from what you had planned for the town's foundation, but I can always edit this post.)

40 long years ago, there were two brothers who had left from their home village. The two saw their home as too small for their liking, and thought they could accomplish so much more with greater space. The two were near inseparable and seemed to share a single mindset, so it was no surprise that they both agreed to depart.

As they travelled the distant lands of Equestria, the two soon found land which had not yet been claimed, and they were quick to set up camp. As the years went by, the civilization continued to grow in size, and more ponies from across the land came to settle. The town was named 'Friendshire' after the brothers' shared friendship, and their example inspired many ponies to grow in trust towards others. However, though the two brothers lead their community with pride and compassion, there was soon a different force that came to pass.

Astral was intrigued, at least now he understood how the town had received it's name, though he was still at a miss for the mayors' apparent division. As he turned the page slowly, ready to finally receive some answers, he was only met with shock.

The pages were gone, they had been ripped out by some unknown force.

"Who would have done such a thing, especially to a book?!" Astral nearly had an outburst, though he quickly heard a "Shh" from a nearby pony.

"It seems like somepony or other doesn't want anyone to know why the mayors are fighting, but why? No matter their reasons, I still need to show this to Dynamo and the others." Astral tucked the book into his satchel, and quietly searched for a take out section. Astral hoped that Dynamo and Pastel weren't lost, or would at least be waiting near the centre.

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

9 hours ago, Pastel-chan said:

@Astral Vision @Dynamo Pad

"Woooaaahh, it's like, huge~ I bet you can find anything in here! Fantasy, sci fi, folk tales, even those books they don't let fillys read! They're for like super smart ponies I bet~!"

Pastel was practically bouncing from shelf to shelf, all but forgetting the reason they originally came in. She was in Dynamo's proximity, but seemed to be getting further and further away. She was definitely gonna get lost at this rate. She seemed particularly inclined to fantasy, so that was atleast a hint. Unless Dynamo passed some kinda perception check, Pastel was gonna wander off pretty deep.

@Astral Vision

"You can say that again, Pastel. I can imagine there would be bookshelves that have specific genres. If so, then I can see what books the super smart ponies would like to read."

He chuckled slightly as he stacked a couple of books on the ground. He looked around to see if the young filly was still with him. As he looked, he quickly turned in each direction. Trying his best to not panic and/or hyperventilate in the fear of losing his friend. He squinted his eyes as he thought he saw Pastel, but she seemed to have been getting further away. "I wonder if she's going into the fantasy section." He looked at the stack of books as an idea had come to mind. He made sure to leave a trail of the books he was planning to gather, while making his way over to Pastel. "Hey, Pastel. Wait for me. You shouldn't go wandering off." He called out to her in a loud whisper, while making sure not to disturb any of the other ponies and creatures, who were reading. If Astral went looking for them, he would see the stack of books in a neat line. A sign left by Dynamo in the event that he and Pastel had gotten lost.

 

[Pastel Heart 6,463]

@Dynamo Pad @Astral Vision

Thankfully, the little troublemaker didn't get too far. She had stopped in the nonfiction section, remembering something about lookinand found a weird book she'd never seen before, and Astral was close by as well.

"Cognitive... magic? Weird. Looks complicated."

She flipped through it. The writer was "Kinesis", probably a pseudonym. It talked about the power of the mind, and by fusing magic with the dreams and desires, one could shape reality to their liking. The magic seemed kinda sketchy though... Like, not the kind of magic unicorns usually use.

"Dream magic? Sounds kinda like what Luna does... but this is weird... like, sorcery kinda!"

The filly talked loud enough to get a glare from a nearby bookworm, to which she smiles nervously and puts the book away. No doubt the other two heard her as well.

[Dynamo Pad 10,775]

13 minutes ago, Pastel-chan said:

@Dynamo Pad @Astral Vision

Thankfully, the little troublemaker didn't get too far. She had stopped in the nonfiction section, remembering something about lookinand found a weird book she'd never seen before, and Astral was close by as well.

"Cognitive... magic? Weird. Looks complicated."

She flipped through it. The writer was "Kinesis", probably a pseudonym. It talked about the power of the mind, and by fusing magic with the dreams and desires, one could shape reality to their liking. The magic seemed kinda sketchy though... Like, not the kind of magic unicorns usually use.

"Dream magic? Sounds kinda like what Luna does... but this is weird... like, sorcery kinda!"

The filly talked loud enough to get a glare from a nearby bookworm, to which she smiles nervously and puts the book away. No doubt the other two heard her as well.

As he reached the nonfiction section of the library, Dynamo sighed in relief as he found that Pastel didn't get too far. 

"There you are. I'm glad I was able to catch up to you. I was worried you would have wondered off and got lost, Pastel."

His ears perked as he walked up to Pastel. All the while, taking notice of what Pastel had said out loud. "What's this talk about Dream Magic? I've heard that Princess Luna's magic is all about the dream realm, but there's something related to that in a book? I didn't think such information would exist. What kind of book is that?"