private Mystery Beneath Vanhoover

[Bari 7,023]

OOC Thread

 

"Everypony get on your hooves! Grab the reins! Go, move that fat rump you lazyface!"
 
A gruff looking stallion shouted orders while standing on a wooden box, the green hard hat on his head ensured that nopony would ever dare to question his authority over the wasteland that is the Vanhoover Gorge mine. The sun was shining brightly right above his head. The vast nothingness of brown, earthy plain around him made sure that there were no trees or water bodies around the site to cool the weather down, but he paid no mind to it all. The Vanhoover Gorge mine, or the Dead mine as some had started to call it since it stopped yielding precious stones from its belly, was located near the northern border of the Vanhoover, merely walking distance away from the base of the Unicorn Range Highlands. The supervisor smiled smugly as at least three dozens of earth ponies scrambled to their respective positions next to the massive wooden crate that was looming above them, easily dwarfing the usual big rocks that littered the mine quarry landscape. "All right, on the third mark, pull it as hard as you can!"
 
"Why can't we get one of those fancy unicorns to do this for us?" One of the workers whimpered to his friend while reluctantly fastening the filthy reins around his torso. His friend who was standing next to him did the same while audibly snickering.
 
"You know those snob hornflakes can't even lift one empty crate. Unless we can enlist princess Twilight to help us, we will need at least two hundreds of them just to get this thing moving," He replied. With a pull of his hoof, the rein finally latched onto itself around him. "Pegasi are also out of question. That mare over there wouldn't let any of them to get near this site." He pointed to somewhere behind them.
 
The other stallion rolled his eyes as he righted his yellow hard hat. "Psssh. Rich ponies and their weird logics."
"Stop talking, you two!" The gruff stallion barked, the two workers quickly shut their mouth. He cleared his throat before continuing. "Get ready! One. Two..."
 
The wooden crate was easily five ponies high and thirty ponies long. It was delivered to the quarry by a freight train, and it took twenty earth ponies to pull it to its current position. Now they needed more hooves to set it up straight onto its intended position and uncover the content for everypony to see.
 
"Oh Celestia this is going to be marvelous! I'm so excited!" One of the ponies inside a nearby makeshift barrack couldn't held back her enthusiasm. Her hooves started to rattle on the wooden floor. Another mare next to her could only voice her displeasure with a huff. There were other ponies with them, she couldn’t risk of spilling any beans out.
 
"Three!"
 
True on the mark, the 39 stallions of the Geode United pulled their reins simultaneously. At first, the wooden crate stayed stubborn, but soon the gravity yielded. With unnerving slowness, the crate slowly straightened up. With a slam and a yelp of dozens of stallions suddenly flung free from their harnesses, the crate was finally standing. The crowd of workers cheered as one by one the sides of the crates fell off, revealing the prize inside it. An echo of amazement could be heard inside the barrack.
 
One of the ponies in the barrack, the mayor of the Vanhoover, Marmalade, was already stomping her hooves in mirth. It was understandable, for what she saw before her might be the key for the second renaissance of Equestria. It was a massive coal black cylinder, made of magically reinforced steel and various other technological stuff she couldn’t even begin to understand. With a huge drill at the bottom, multitude of caterpillar tracks dotted its jagged sides and the steel cage currently suspending it well above the ground, it was not hard to guess what its use was supposed to be.
 
The soft green mare next to her cleared her throat loudly, trying to calm the cheering mayor down. Thankfully the mayor took the hint and muttered a small apologize. The mare sighed before she spoke, “You should know better than that.”
 
“I’m sorry,” The mayor apologized, she smiled meekly. “But Summer, aren’t you excited by all of this? If everything goes according to the plan, at the end of the year we can see a complete revamp of the entire city! Who knows what we might be able to do at the end of the decade?” She moved closer to gave the other mare a side hug.
The mare who was referred as Summer simply nodded and smiled curtly. “Yes, I know about our plan, Marmalade, but we still need to carry out the plan before we can celebrate.”
 
Marmalade chuckled, she stepped away from Summer. “You should try loosen up every once in awhile  dear.” She tried to ignore the exasperated sigh of the mare while addressing the crowd of ponies behind them. Only some of them are business ponies, good majorities of them were just curious ponies passing by, not that she took mind of it. Marmalade wanted to share the news of the Vanhoover’s achievements to everypony, and the look of awe from their faces filled her with pride. “Fillies and gentlecolts, welcome to the Vanhoover’s newest technology breakthrough, the Steel Monolith! With this, ponies of Equestria will no longer have to worry about living without energy any longer!”
 
One of the ponies hurriedly wrote something to his notebook. Must be a journalist, Marmalade mused to herself. “Any questions?”
 
***
 

Deep inside the currently repurposed ballroom, behind the stage and a good distance away from the crowd that was currently arriving from various places around Equestria, a gaggle of ponies were discussing on how they should carry out the seminar. They had been talking on the issue back and forth for a good portion of the day, but they had yet to meet an agreement. The only unicorn in the room seethed.
 
Blitz Blaze, or the Blue Fire, as some of his colleagues called him, couldn't believe his luck, or the lack thereof. He was summoned to this backwater of a town for a spell of his and to help the Ore clan in their latest project, and yet the ponies in front of him wouldn't let him carry out the demonstration on his way. The ultramarine unicorn rubbed his head for the umpteenth time in the hour. He pointed a hoof to the mare before speaking out, "Look, Beryl, I don't care if you are the one who's in charge here. This ore..." He nudged the floating orb of light in front of him. "...is mine. The spell is also mine. It is beyond doubt that I should be the one who has the full right to decide how we should carry out the demonstration, not you," He spat. Blitz fully understood that Beryl was the one who got all the actual money and the power, but that didn't deter him at all.
 
The goldenrod mare merely stared in the face of the oddly aggressive stallion before her. If things had gone her way, she would have removed the arrogant fool from the equation entirely. But as it was, Beryl had no choice but to handle the situation. Beside her, Nickel Ore, her younger brother, studied Blitz with a bored expression. He was only here because Beryl had promised him that the festival would be entertaining. But she didn't actually care too much about his entertainment. It seemed more likely that she needed him for some reason. The 17-year-old colt didn't see why she needed him, but it was best not to question her.

The mare, who had celebrated her 25th birthday only a month ago, cocked an eyebrow before answering. "I don't know who you think you are, but I'm in command here, alright? The ore is to be used for the good of Equestria. You are going to help. Or you will be charged with treason. By withholding the spell, which you have refused to teach to another pony, you may in fact be endangering the future of our country." she said as she leveled her gaze and the stallion.

Nickel's eyes widened at the implication. When had anypony been accused of treason? It was unheard of! He looked towards his sister and saw that her eyes betrayed no emotion. It seemed she was quite serious. Getting up the nerve to challenge Beryl's words, Nickel asked, "Dear sister, how is it you know these things?" He almost regretted opening his mouth when she turned her quiet fury on him, but she softened an inch before she responded. "Nickel, the princesses are well aware of what has gone on since the discovery of the ore. And I am quite certain that they would like to see what it can do. Now, I know for a fact that they do not know its potential, but I have enough evidence to convince them that anypony who sets back the project is to be considered a threat to the kingdom's progress."

When she concluded, Nickel wanted to hide. He hated when Beryl explained things. It always made him feel stupid. Why did she have to be so cold yet fierce? He sorely missed Lapis. Whenever he had come home from school during his time with the Research Academy, he always told him about all the cool things he was learning. Nickel also loved to read about Lapis' adventures as well. He wanted to meet Lapis' assistant, Asteria, as well. And he might get his chance since the pair were supposed to be attending the seminar. It was motivation enough for him to deal with Beryl for the time being.
 

"Why, you little-!" If Blitz was upset before, he was definitely fuming from the mare's words now. He gritted his teeth. Did she not know who he was? He was the top of his class and generation, one of the three unicorns in history that can perform remote teleportation, and the prized pyromancer of the Canterlot University. If he so wish he could easily overrun the entire building with flames within less than a blink of an eye. As much as he wanted to roast the mare and her brother alive, the direct order from the University clearly stated that he would have to help her and her little science project. The unicorn huffed a trail of hot steam from his nostril, his eyes locked with the mare's as she droned to explain to her brother that the princesses would very well be informed about everything.
 
"Fine, as you wish," the unicorn spat. "I will do as you say in the seminar, but you should know that other than the newly crowned princess, I am the only one that can perform the remote teleportation enchantment, and I deserve respect." He stomped a hoof to put an emphasis on the last word. The ore in his telekinesis trembled momentarily. He moved aside to give way to the mare to the ballroom, where he was sure almost a thousand of ponies from all corners of Equestria currently waiting for their show. It was supposed to be his show, but now he would have to step back and let Beryl do her job.

 
Beryl nodded with some satisfaction as the stallion consented. It was as it should be. The fool remained quiet and out of sight while a superior and better suited pony took over. Nickel remained by her side up until she reached the podium. Beryl absently shooed him away in a way that wasn't able to be seen from the crowd. The dull grey colt assented without a word and went to stand beside the curtain, mostly out of sight. A vague grin spread across the honey yellow mare's face. The audience was hers to command. With one last sweep of the ponies with her eyes, she cleared her throat and began.
 
 
"Greetings fillies and gentlecolts, and welcome to the Vanhoover's annual Equestrian Ore Festival! I thank you for your time here, I promise what you will see here will not be a waste of your time. Today is the is the start of the new era of Equestria!" she announced with much enthusiasm. It was her goal to get her name in the history books, and this was a beautiful way to do it.
 
"I'm sure that everypony here already heard about the unfortunate incident in the Vanhoover Gorge mine that happened not too long ago. Our determined brethren daily risk their lives in various coal mines all over Equestria to ensure that we as a whole are not separated by distance and our winter nights would not be as chilling as they were hundreds of years ago." she continued, pausing to let it all sink in. "It is certainly unfortunate, for years we are yet to find a better alternative that can supply as much energy, but no more. The miners of the Geode United have found, deep below the earth's crust, a way to overcome this challenge. An ore unlike those we have right now in our disposal. An ore that, when processed right, can easily powers an entire grid of industrial sector without requiring our brethren to grit their teeth and plunge themselves to the unforgiving darkness in hopes that the walls would not betray them for a day longer. An ore that can finally give us the means to reach the stars themselves! Blitz, if you may." She motioned to the arrogant unicorn, hoping he would do his part.
 
Blitz grunted. He didn't particularly like to be ordered around, but even he had to agree that Beryl did a good job to sway the masses, something that he had yet to master. He stepped forward and start channelling his magical leylines into the ore. "I'll show you," He whispered under his breath. "The true meaning of power."
 
The interweaving leylines twisted and turned around and through the ore, multiplying themselves at an alarming rate in every cycle. Blitz made sure that he didn't pour too much magic, focusing much of his energy trying to contain the now almost combusting orb of raw energy. He forcibly compressed the entire thing before finally let them loose. Waves upon waves of technicolor fire flooded the ballroom's roof. Some ponies in the front seats briefly screamed in terror, only to be in awe after they learned that the fire was cold to the touch. It was unnerving, but their attention quickly occupied to the colorful blaze that was happening above them. The fire rolled and spiralled around, forming impossible knots and twists that shouldn't be impossible for a normal fire. After two breathtaking minutes, the blaze dimmed, only to spark once more and fully forming a huge emblazoned emblem of Equestria on the roof before finally slowly dispersed to nothingness.
 
Beryl was amazed at the display. She really didn't think the fool was this skilled. But she showed only the barest amount of amazement upon her features. She only needed to appear as though she cared. Once the magic tricks were through, she resumed her speech. "This ore, Metrozium, can be found in the Gorge mine of Vanhoover, but it can only be found one and a half miles beneath the surface, which some of you may know is easily eight time deeper than even our deepest coal mine. To obtain what little we currently have, the Geode United of the Ore clan had to spend more than twenty six million of bits, and even after that, the vertical mine shaft could not held for long and a brave stallion sacrificed his life to ensure that Equestria can have at least a hoof full of this miraculous ore. The sheer number of the bits required for a full scale of mining might not be possible for Vanhoover alone to get, but if every cities on Equestria stand together we can be certain that in the near future we will never have to worry again about electricity, about heat, about power and everything. No longer will we have to be limited by how much coal we have, on how much timber we can burn. We can instead focus our energies on how to further advance ourselves as a civilization, and soon the sky itself will be under our hooves." she proclaimed with more vigor than she had expected. She had no idea why she had actually gotten into it, but it had the desired effect. It just needed one last thing to make it perfect.
 
"For a better Equestria! For a better future!" she shouted bravely and without conviction. She was greeted with the cheers of over a thousand ponies. The din filled her heart with pure uninhibited joy, that which she had not felt in years. But one pony in particular wasn't exactly cheering. Nickel had spotted his older brother among the crowd. He was sitting in his seat, politely clapping his hooves together while all the ponies around him were on their hooves, shouting and crying out with excitement. His face was a mask of curious interest, as though he didn't know what to feel. Beside him, a purple filly seemed overjoyed. She tried to get the blue stallion next to her to cheer as well, but he merely brush away the idea. "Yup, that's Lapis alright, and the filly must be Asteria. I hope this seminar is over after this...." he mutter under his breath. While it wasn't exactly boring, he really just wanted to get to his brother and hear about his adventures.

 
***
 

The Equestrian Ore Festival was going full-force. It was midday and positively everypony was sweating, but it didn’t stop them from enjoying the happy moment together with their friends and families. Various stands and tents of foods and games and even shady-looking fortunetellers dotted the central park of Vanhoover. There was a huge outdoor stage at the north end of the park, on it a small-time concert was held for the annual festival, celebrating the establishment of the 1st Vanhoover’s mine.

 

Joyful laughter filled the air, but not in one of the tent that was rooted near the stage concert. Inside the relatively small tent stood a lone pegasus mare. The white pegasus was resting her head on her table. The ice cream maker behind her hummed softly, continuously cooling down its precious cargo inside. The curious lack of costumer for the day had almost driven her to depression. Yesterday had been quite a success, so she had prepared a lot of sugar and cream for the day. The mare sighed, she could only look at other more crowded stalls around her in envy. "Buck it all," she mumbled.

 

Not so far from the ice cream stall, a gaggle of ponies of various ages had formed a large circle around a clown and his assistant. The clown, who was dressed in a bright, colorful attire and a rainbow wig, was juggling various seemingly dangerous objects high in the air with his hooves. Knifes, lit torches, bowling balls, and even a flailing cat, all were skilfully bounced back and forth by the stallion. His filly assistant ran around in circles while shouting, "Come on, Everypony! Come and see the wonderful acrobatic of Bonzo from Manehattan! Come and see, everypony!"

 

 

 

 

;;RPCode

 

;;Character - Bari - Bari - - %%North DM%%

 

;;Character - Starshine - Starshine - - %%South DM%%

 

;;Character - Motion Spark & Rosebelle - Motion Spark - - %%Conmare/Artist%%

 

;;Character - Synth Pulse - Ruby - - %%Musician%%

 

;;Character - Grand Journeys - Electrobolt - - %%Adventurer%%

 

;;Character - Kerry Bog - Angus Young - - %%Detective%%

 

;;Character - Swallow Tail - Jinx - - %%Musician%%

 

;;Character - Arcanel - Eevee - - %%Mailpony%%

 

;;ExtraLink - Equestria Map

 

;;DefaultTitle - %%RP Player%%

 

Edited May 10, 2013 by Bari

[Electrobolt 2,069]

Earlier this morning, Grand Journeys ran through her apartment trying to make sure she had everything ready while trying to eat her breakfast. When she checked her saddlebag, she made sure her map, compass, and sack of bits were inside. After seeing them all there, she nodded before taking the sack out and carrying it over to the nearest table. There, the mare poured the contents out as she counted out each individual bit. "Twenty-four, twenty-five, twenty-six..." she whispered to herself, as she moved each bit around and making rows of tens with them. After she finished counting them out, Grand had counted out a total of five rows, for fifty bits.

 

Letting out a sigh, she muttered, "I didn't get as many bits as I had before last month's dues... And the payment last week had put a dent in my total..." Shaking her head, she tried to look at the bright side. "Well... At least I've stocked up on groceries recently, and the next bill isn't due for four more weeks. I should have plenty of time to earn more bits before then!" With a nod, she then stored her fifty bits inside her sack and then put it back in her saddlebag. Afterwards, she then returned to the kitchen to properly finish her breakfast off.

 

Once she had finished her breakfast, Grand let out a content sigh before looking over to the fruit bowl. Even though it wouldn't be that long to get to Vanhoover from Tall Tale, she figured that taking along a small snack wouldn't hurt anyways. Approaching the fruit bowl, she gingerly picked up an apple using her mouth, before carrying it over to her saddlebag and storing it inside. After that, she ran through every room to make sure she had everything ready. With a nod, content that she was ready, Grand grabbed her saddlebag and strapped it on her back before leaving the appartment.

 

When she was outside and in an open section, Grand took a deep breath. Then, after taking a galloping start, she took to the air as she began her trip to Vanhoover for the festival. While soaring through the clear skies, she thought back on the previous days. About three days ago, she had returned from her travels around Equestria. With a yawn, she had headed straight to her room before falling onto her bed. As soon as she did, Grand took her saddlebag off and began to look through her stuff to check on what little supplies were left. As she did, though, she happened to pull out a flier for an Equestrian Ore Festival that was happening in Vanhoover. After lazily glancing it over, she smiled. "Perhaps a break from adventuring would be a good idea..."

 

Fast forward to the day of the festival, around noon. After having flown for about four hours with breaks, Grand finally made it to the city where the festival was being held. Touching down on the ground, she then decided to travel by hoof as she entered Vanhoover, heading towards the direction where the festival was being held. After walking for a while, she finally made it as she looked around. "Heh, all these ponies seem to be enjoying themselves," she whispered to herself, traversing through the crowds as she started to look around.

 

After having looked around quite a bit, she smiled. *Yeah, I think I needed this break,* she mused in her mind, before happening across an empty tent that sold ice cream. On a nice day like this, wouldn't ice cream be very delicious? Confused, Grand thought about why nopony was there. Shaking her head, she figured that she would at least be one pony who would make a purchase at the stall. Smiling, Grand began to approach the stall before clearing her throat. The smile still on her face, Grand asked, "Hello, I'd like to have an ice cream. Um, how many bits would it be for a cone?"

[Starshine 16,333]

 

Winterglade had seriously started to consider closing her tent early. She didn't understand how could there was no buyer since the morning. Heck, she could swear that a couple of colts from yesterday told her that they would come here again, but until now there was no telltale of their snouts. She sighed. An errant strand of deep blue mane wandered to her face, but she didn't made any attempt to blow it away. She was about to serve herself some more cold water when a bright turquoise pegasus approached her stall.

 

 

 

miling, Grand began to approach the stall before clearing her throat. The smile still on her face, Grand asked, "Hello, I'd like to have an ice cream. Um, how many bits would it be for a cone?"

 

"Oh! Hello there! New here?" Winterglade stuttered out. The mare's arrival had caught her off guard. She cleared her throat loudly. Mind you manner girl! She scolded herself. "Um, sorry. Anyway, it's one bits for a cone. It's all the same for any flavor." She pointed a hoof to the large ice cream machine behind her, which was still humming softly. "I have regular chocolate, vanilla, mint chocolate chip, strawberry, and mocha. If you want a larger portion, i can give you a bowl of them with just three bits!"

 

"So, what would it be?" Winterglade asked to the mare, smiling widely while doing so.

 

***

 

 

 

"For a better Equestria! For a better future!" she shouted bravely and without conviction. She was greeted with the cheers of over a thousand ponies.

The cacophony that was the seminar almost deafened the hay out of the lone filly that was standing near the emergency exit of the ballroom. She knew that what her father brought to the world has important, but she had no idea the reception would be this... big. She was proud, sure, but she couldn't help but to hope that her father was here to celebrate it along with everypony. The soft yellow filly pawed the floor, uncertainty filled her eyes as she tried to scan the cheering crowd. After a few while the racket was finally too much for her to bear. She turned tail and galloped out of the building, tears welled up in her eyes.

[Jinx 2,292]

Swallow Tail had just left a tavern on the outskirts of Baltimare when a small brown colt came bounding after him. The small colt had crashed into Swallow Tail almost knocking him over before repeatedly aplogizing. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, but there was a Mare in the tavern that wanted you to have this, so I came as fast as I could." Swallow Tail had a confused look on his face, "Hey there, it's alright, just let me look at it." The small brown colt earnestly handed him the letter without hesitation.

 

Swallow Tail examined the letter, and noticed that it was a piece of fine parchment, wrapped with a red ribbon. He undid the ribbon with his teeth, and unfolded the letter written with golden ink to read to himself.

 

'Dear Swallow Tail, you have been cordially invited to perform at Vanhoover's Annual Equestrian Ore Festival. I would very much appreciate if you could attend, and you will be rewarded for your time and effort. Some of the best musicians in all of Equestria have also been invited.'

 

Of course Swallow Tail hadn't ever performed at something that was on this large of a scale before. He still wondered why he had been chosen, considering he was just a traveler who only performed at Inns and Taverns. The weirder thing is he got invited near his hometown, which was almost on the other side of Equestria. Regardless of that, the journey would take awhile, and he had plenty of time to ponder it on the way there.

 

Of course at this point, the brown colt was still standing there, "Um hello, Mr. Swallow Tail, is anybody in there." Swallow Tail snapped back to reality and noticed that the colt was still standing in front of him, before he continued, "Yes, is there anything else you need?" The colt responded back quickly, "Yes sir, we'd appreciate if you came back here anytime you wished to. Your music and your absolute presence was absolutely awe-inspiring." Swallow Tail was taken back quite a bit at this, "You know I'm not that great, there's plenty of musicians and ponies out there that put me to shame."

 

Swallow Tail's mind started to wander off to all of the other great musicians he's heard. 'Some people are just born with the talent to do this', he thought to himself. The colt piped up again, "You're still one of the best musicians I've ever seen sing, and play simultaneously without the use of magic." Swallow Tail patted the Earth Pony colt's head, reassuring him, "You can do almost anything, if you set your mind to it." The small brown colt started talking again, "Alright I have to get back to work, so please come again sometime." Swallow Tail nodded to the Colt, as he turned around and was on his way.

 

1 Month Later...

 

Swallow Tail reached Vanhoover with sore hooves, a grumbling stomach, and a tired look on his face. He rarely ever used a train, and he wasn't much for using his wings. The reason for that was because he carried food and various other things with him in his saddlebag, not to mention the instrument that was around his back. The city was bustling with ponies everywhere, and it definitely wasn't what he was used to. Swallow Tail didn't realize until now just what he had gotten himself into, but he wasn't going to falter now. 'Besides, this could be a great learning experience for me', Swallow Tail thought to himself. Swallow Tail headed towards the music playing in the distance, and eventually he came across a large stage with a decent crowd of people surrounding it.

[Arcanel 3,041]

A loud sound was ongoing around the streets of Vanhoover. This was the sound of the Equestrian Ore Festival at full force, the event which Arcanel was now walking through in his day off. Arcanel had heard that that day, many thing were happening at the same time at the city, iincluding the festival, but also the announcement of an important ore discovery. He had decided to check the festival first, and with a decent amount of bits he had collected, he continued to stroll through the festival.

 

"Wow... this is huuuuuge! I don't even know where to go first!" yelled the white pegasus in excitement. This was the first time he was able to attend a festival of such scale and he was enchanted by it. This coupled with the fact he had an affinity for ores, made it all the better. What had originally surprised him was the message that Fast Post , his boss at the post office, had told everypony that day at the job. *Alright, this day, might as well be one of the most important in Vanhoover's history. And if that wasn't enough, today is the Equestrian Ore Festival, which is being celebrated in Vanhoover after a long time. Only a fool and a ruthless pony would deprivate you from this. Today, there is no work at the post office. Now go and enjoy yourselves.* After those words, the post office had almost celebrated their day off and everypony had gone on their merry day, knowing that if their boss was giving a day off, they should take it.

 

"Well... I'll probably get more information about that ore discovery later. For now, let's see what should I do first!" Arcanel yelled in excitement once more. As he started watching through all the stands, he heard some noise from a particular point in the festival. As he looked towards that way, he noticed a stage and even music starting to sound from there. "Oh yeah, I remember that they said the festical would have some music! Well, might as well check that first. I'll probably get an idea of what to buy later, haha!" he laughed as he now almost galloped towards the stage in anxiety to hear the music. However, as he was moving forward, he did not see ahead from him and bumped into a pony, which had made him sit from the force.

 

@@Jinx,

 

"Augh... dear Luna I need to watch where I'm going through...  ummm... are you okay? I'm so sorry for bumping into you." he apologized as he gave a hoof to help the pony stand up again. As he did, he noticed the pony was a blue coated pegasus stallion, but he also noticed an instrument on his back. *He must be a musician, I guess.* Arcanel determined. "Um... again... are you a musician from the festival?" he asked, now worried he migh have broken something or worse and worried that the musician may not be able to participate.

[Modphase 1,271]

Detective Kerry Bog had enjoyed this train ride, for the most part. He may not be riding in a first class private carriage, but there was hardly anypony else in his particular car, or the whole train for that matter. The attendant was polite, and made his comfort and well-being her top concern. The scenery outside was gorgeous, and he spent many hours pondering over nature's beautiful existence. And on top of all that, the entire trip was paid for by Vanhoover's police force.

 

But now was the time when Kerry needed to prepare himself mentally. He was less than thirty minutes from Vanhoover's central train station, and the gravity of the task ahead was fearfully strong.

 

He thought of all the things he had read about the "Dead Mine", as critics had called it. Countless editorials had covered the papers from front to back, either condemning or appraising the mining of Metrozium. Those who favored it mentioned the infinite renewable energy attainable through it's manipulation, and the titanic boost of the Equestrian economy as a bi-product. Those who did not support it feared that the mining was dangerous and could possibly disturb not only the planet itself, but Equestria's peace, due to the inevitable (so they said) fighting over this "wicked" ore.

 

And here he was, en-route to the site that caused all of these debates. Look on the bright side he thought to himself. All I need to do is go there, inspect some things, bang on some pipes, that's it. I have all of my permits... Kerry looked inside his attache case for his permits. They were right where he left them... but even so, he spent the next five minutes making sure he had everything he needed for the tenth time.

 

A minute into his rummaging, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked up, and saw the familiar face of the attendant.

 

"Going through your attache case again are we?" She said in her usual comforting voice.

 

"I, uh, no, no I'm not- uh, sorry, I mean, yes I am. Can't be too careful, you know." Bog ejaculated. "Is there something wrong sir?" She crooned. "Other than stress, I'm fine." "Whatever it is, don't rack your brain too much about it. Now, would you like something to drink, sir?" "Oh, yes please, ma'am. Coffee please. Black." The attendant turned on her hoof and trotted out toward the snack car. Bog followed her with his eyes, and once again, speculated about the gray Pegasus he was scheduled to meet with at the station.

 

Misty Leaves was her name. He didn't know what to expect of her other than she was assigned to keep him safe in an area that was reputable to be dangerous.

 

A few moments later, and the attendant was back with a styrofoam cup half filled with the dark liquid. She levitated it off her platter using her magic, and gingerly placed it on the tray in front of him. He thanked her, and when she was done migrating to a neighboring car, he looked around, made sure nopony was looking, and poured cream into the cup to the point where it almost overflowed. He dropped one sugar cube into the cup (more like on top of the mountain of cream), felt that one wasn't enough, nor, three, and decided that six sugar cubes would do it. He tilted his head back, and poured the coffee which was still near boiling temperatures down his throat. It took one down and he was done, coffee, cream and all.

 

He leaned back in his seat, allowing himself to relax, and as the skyline of Vanhoover loomed closer and closer, he thought. At least I'll be able to enjoy myself at the Festival. That would be a fun de-stresser. He closed his eyes, until the jolting stop of the train woke him up. Re-energized, he picked up his luggage, and left the car.

Edited May 1, 2013 by Angus Young

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

*Crreeaaaaa----rrrrSLAM* Was the only sound that was heard throughout the small house as Synth had finally returned, tired from his constant job search. He slowly starting walking to his room, barely holding in his anguish at the terrible day he had. Before he could make it in and manage to slam that door as well, his roommate, Bass Rumble, called out from the living room “I swear if you break my door, Synth.”. “UUUGGGGHHHH!” Was the only reply he got back. “Horrible day again?” He tried once more, hoping for some actual words and a proper response this time. A hope that went unfulfilled. “UUUGGGHHH!” Synth grunted again. “Stop being a little filly! It could not have been that bad, man!” “You dont even know! I was running ALL OVER Ponyville ALL DAY! Everywhere I go is the same bucking thing! 'We'll send word if we need you', Which, we all know is just the easy way of saying its not happening!” Synth replied back. “Come on, man. We all have our craptastic days. This is just one of them. Ju--” “Well, I'm tired of these craptastic days!” Synth interrupted. “I'd like it all to end so I can get on with my life and not keep running around all bucking day. Maybe then I could produce something worthwhile.” Bass Rumble sighed and shook his head at his young friend. “Ya know, I was planning on going to this festival all the way up in Vanhoover, but I think you could use the trip more than me. I couldn't even go if I wanted since my job won't let me off those days. And since I just so happened to already have a ticket--” Bass holds out his hoof, showing a train ticket marked for Vanhoover in about a week “--you can have it and go instead of me. You seem to need a break badly anyhow.” Synth was speechless. He stood there looking at his friend's hoof with the ticket in it. “Well, you gonna take it or stand there staring at it like a filly that just saw the stallion of her dreams?” Synth quickly grabs the ticket from his friend's hoof. “Oh, shut it, you oversized slab of meat. And thanks. I appreciate it.” “Now, give me a kiss and you can go back to your room.” Bass kept looking forward at the televison while Synth just stared him down. “You asked for it.” Synth said as he leaned down to kiss his friend on the cheek. “Whoa ho ho ho, no no, I was just kidding.” Bass said with a chuckle “Im mighty ok without it.” Synth laughed as well. “Yeah, that's what I thought.” he proceeded to his room and started to plan on what to take for his oncoming trip. He was so very relieved to be able to get a break from his usual everyday turmoil. He laid back on his bed and let out a great sigh at the thought of some relaxation.

 

–

A week later

–

 

Synth was busy making sure he had all the things he needed to take with him for the train ride ahead and for once he arrived at the festival. The day outside was beautiful. Clear skys, not a cloud in sight, and very warm. Ponies all over town were enjoying this gorgeous day. Synth did one last check of his stuff and then was finally ready for his train ride to Vanhoover. He wasnt bringing much other than his headphones, music player, and some bits. He also had a few snacks for the train ride, but not too many. Bass came barging into his room soon after he finished his check. “You ready, pipsqueak?” “Don't you dare pretend like you're seeing me off. You're just ready to have the house to yourself for a while so you can lazy about it in every room again.” Synth Replied. “Dang it, you found me out. I'll make sure to roll around on your bed the most.” “Oh, dear Luna, just wash the sheets when you're done being the dog you are.” Both of the two ponies started laughing. “Nah, but seriously, man, your train is almost ready to depart and you're, like, gonna be late.” All laughter had stopped upon the uttering of that phrase. “.....CRAP!” Synth said as he pushed his friend out of the way and made it out the door. He screamed back at him “I blame you if I'm late, tubby!” Bass walked outside the door and yelled back “That's one extra flop on your bed just for that! Hope it doesn't break!” Bass walked back into his house with a laugh, closing the door behind him.

 

Synth galloped all the way to the train station and quickly ran to the loading area. He got into line and patientely waited for his turn to board. Once he made it in he found himself a seat off by himself so as to not disturb anyone with his music. He pulled out his headphones, placed them on top of his head covering his ears, and turned his music on. His choice of music this time was that of the Metal genre. Something he hadn't listened to in a while. His head slowly started to follow the hit of the drums as well as his lower hooves. He kept where he was in mind, and made sure to not get too loud. He looked outside the window and thought to himself ~This is exactly what I need.~

The train finally departed for its destination.

Next stop: Vanhoover.

 

–

A few days later in Vanhoover

–

 

Synth had finally made it to Vanhoover. The train ride lasted about two days and he was eager to get off and stretch his hooves. Synth happily arose from his seat and started to trot off the train. His music player was just about dead, as he had listened to it the whole time riding there minus a few hours for sleep. As soon as he reaches the boarding platform, Synth moves off to the side for a stretch. ~Aaaaaaaaahhh! My aching hooves! Feels soo good to move them about. Now, lets go and find where this festival is. Shouldn't be too hard to do.~ He took out the pamphlet he was given by Bass and looked to see where it was. ~...uh huh....go there.....turn here...and bam, I'm there. Easy enough. Ok, lets go then.~ And with that, he started on his way to the Vanhoover fair.

 

Synth had finally arrived at the festival and it was exceptionally hot outside. He was tired, but glad he finally made it. When he got there, the first thing he saw was a stage that had some ponies on top of it playing music. Instead of going straight to it, he continued to look around at all the attractions and ponies running around. While he was looking, he continued walking. Eventually, he noticed one attraction that had a clown at it. This caught his attention the most, as there was a giant group of ponies surrounding it. So he went over to see what all the hubbub was about. As he approached the stand, he could make out one voice that sounded like it was coming from a filly. He didnt catch it fully, but what he did catch was 'the wonderful acrobatics of Bonzo from Manehatten!'. He took this chance to merge with the crowd, pushing himself closer and closer to the front until he could see everything easily.

 

[Bari 7,023]

Silver Ore smiled smugly once the Steel Monolith was in place and unpacked. Now that it was taken care of, he could march right up to his bossy cousin and show her that he was a much better leader than her. Why, he could even interrupt the stupid seminar. That would definitely get on her nerves. But in the corner of his eye, he spotted the barrack the mayor was hiding in. Was she not brave enough to stand beside him while he got this blasted machine into place? He made his way there in a run of a trot.

He pushed his way past any and all who got in his way. It seemed like this were some sort of press conference or something. Why? Wasn’t there a seminar elsewhere in the city? It didn’t make much sense to Silver. Without giving her even the chance to address him, Silver called out to the mayor. “Yo, Marmalade. I hope you noticed what we did out there. Now that that’s done, I’m taking off. Unless you have something to tell me? ‘cause once I get out of here, I ain’t coming back today.” he said with a defiant edge to his voice.

Several Weeks Ago, Fillydelphia

Inside the local Researcher’s Guild building, Lapis Lazuli sat amongst the books of the institute’s library. Today was a slow day. No word from anypony in the field, and no new notices. So, there was nothing to do. No planning, no adventuring, just relaxing. Lapis liked to just rest once in awhile. Suddenly, a purple unicorn filly tackled Lapis to the ground. Thankfully, he was undamaged. “Asteria, what have I told you about not attacking me?” he asked while getting up before dusting himself off. She only stared for a few moments before blushing and looking away. Lapis merely sighed and tried to figure out why she had done such in the first place. “Asteria, surely there must have been a reason for that, right? Did you mean to show me something?” She nodded several times. “Uh huh, yeah!” she replied.

The purple filly reached into her saddlebag and pulled out a letter with Lapis’ name written on it in bronze print. He knew right away it was from his family. It was traditional to mark their letters with that color of ink. He wasted no time in opening it, fearing the worst. His parents weren’t the youngest of ponies, and who knew what could've happened while he was gone. He stared at it, scanning it a few times. Despite being from his older sister, it was not bad news. In fact, one might consider it good news. It detailed the Equestrian Ore Festival at Vanhoover, along with the discovery of the Metrozium ore. “Well, this is certainly interesting. Asteria, are you up for some fun at a festival?” he said carelessly. He realized his mistake too late as the young pony almost jumped on him again. With a quick hoof, he stopped her short. “It’s not for a few weeks, so calm down, alright?”

Today, Vanhoover

Lapis listened and watched his older sister orate. It was quite impressive, but his expression remain impassive. Conversely, Asteria was as excited as all the others in the crowd. She wasn’t exactly showing it, but he could feel the electricity in the air. This ore was certainly a strange subject. Something to look into if he got the chance. And then, Beryl concluded her performance. The crowd went wild, as though they had been a balloon slowly filling with water until it burst.

Up on stage, Beryl Ore was still taking it all in. Never before had she had so many cheer for her. but really, they were only excited about the Metrozium. They didn’t actually care for the deliverer of the news. She soon dismissed the notion, but the feeling lingered a bit. “Alright, if anyone has a question, feel free to ask away.” she announced in an all encompassing voice. She scanned the crowd for the blue stallion she called brother. If he was here, he would most certainly ask far more questions than she could answer. But when she found him, he was just sitting there, watching. Was Lapis bored? Were her words not good enough? He was such a strange stallion. She dismissed that as well.

Nickel took this moment to get out into the crowd and approach his older brother. “So, this is the young miss Asteria you wrote home about, eh? She’s kind of cute. I’m Nickel Ore, Lapis’ brother, by the way.” he said smiling broadly. Asteria blushed and giggled. She was unused to someone her near her own age calling her cute. It seemed somehow silly. “Yup, that’s my name. Nice to meet you, Nickel Ore. Lapis told me about you already.” she replied in a friendly manner. Nickel smiled as well, but he wondered what exactly Lapis had told her.

Lapis watched slightly annoyed. What was Nickel up to? Well, it didn’t matter at the moment. “So, the seminar appears close to over, so I think going out into the festival would be a good idea.” he said getting up. The two younger ponies followed after him, abuzz with talk of the festival and what they could do. Eventually, they ended up at Bonzo’s acrobatics show. Today seemed like it was going to be a fun day.

Misty Leaves waited on a bench at the Vanhoover train station, patiently awaiting the detective. She was clad in the armor of a minor city guard, since that was her job after all. It was somewhat unclear to her why they needed a detective. Was the ‘Dead mine’ such a big deal? She rarely paid attention to the news, so she was kind of in the dark. She blew out air in anxiety, which rustled the tuff of her short purple mane that stuck out from underneath her helmet. What did they even need her for? Did they expect there to be monsters? The most she handled was the infrequent troublemaking minotaur, or wayward wild animal. Did she have what it took to take down whatever may lurk within the mine? No use in worrying, though. This was a mission she took, voluntarily, on behalf of the city. No chance she could back out. Not that she would, though. Vanhoover was her duty to protect. As it was for any of the other city guards.

Soon, the train pulled up, its sides gleaming in the sun. Misty quickly got to her hooves to receive the detective. It was likely the fellow wasn’t all that strong, so she needed to get a good judge of his prowess. According to the intel, his name was Kerry Bog. It seemed like an odd name to her. After the stallion got off, Misty took the chance to look him over. He was an earth pony, beige and brown. He didn't have much color to him. Though, his shirt marked him as unique. It was odd for a pony to wear clothing without purpose. She doubted he was into fashion, and a dress shirt offered little protection. So why with the shirt? If she had a chance, she would certainly ask him.

Wasting no time, she made with introductions. “Hello detective Kerry Bog. I am Misty Leaves, city guard of Vanhoover. I have been instructed to escort you to the Dead mine, and, in the event of hostile force, protect you. I’m sure you must be tired after your train ride, so if you will please come with me, we can have lunch together.” she said before trotting off. She stopped and turned her head back to say, “And, if we have time, maybe we can enjoy the festival?” She gave him a friendly wink and then continued walking. In only a short time, Misty arrived at an outdoor cafe near the festivities and took a seat. A waiter came up and asked, “ What'll it be, Misty?” She thought for a moment. “A cup of tea and a few doughnuts.” she said without taking a look at the menu. “So, Bog, what'll you have?” she asked once he arrived. As soon as he finished ordering, she took this as a chance to get to know him. “Mind if you tell me about yourself? Since we'll be working together, we may as well become somewhat familiar.”

Among the hustle and bustle of the crowd, a lone earth pony stallion stood without any goal in mind. He was brown, his hooves a lighter brown. His mane and tail were a steel blue. And his violet eyes shone with joy. Vanhoover, the site of one of the biggest festivals of the year! Who wouldn’t be excited? The stallion looked all around him, taking it in. Sweat dripped into his eye, and it was clear something needed to be done about cooling off. In no time at all, he spotted an ice cream tent. Licking his lips hungrily, he approached.

Once inside, he was surprised to find only two mares. “Business slow today?” he asked in a rich baritone. “Well, that’s kind of sad. I would have thought this heat would drive them to your lovely little tent. How sad. But nevermind that. I am here to purchase a cone. One mint please.” He produced a few bits and waited for the mare to fulfill his order. He decided to turn towards the only other pony in the tent. “Why, hello there. My name is Trench Digger. And who might you be?” he asked politely. This mare appeared to be the amiable sort. Perhaps that assumption held true when one actually spoke with her.

Not too far from Trench Digger, another stallion of note was making his way towards the stage to view the concert. This pony held himself with a slightly more sophisticated attitude. He was a dark cyan unicorn, his dark gold mane and tail well groomed. His purple eyes scanned the crowd. So many ponies here today. All of them here to have fun. It was a joyous sight. It almost warmed his heart. But a crash distracted him.

Turning to find the source, he was met with the unpleasant sight of a pegasus with a heavy looking backpack on the ground, with another pony standing near him. It was clear the white pegasus had knocked the other over, but perhaps not out of malice. The blue pegasus appeared to be a musician, and the lover of music within him pushed him to introduce himself. “I’m sorry, but do either of you need any help?” he asked with a refined accent. “I see that you are carrying a lot of things, and maybe you’d like a helping hoof? Oh, I seem to have forgotten to tell you my name. I am Weaver, a simple clothes maker of little fame. And what are your names?”

Edited May 8, 2013 by Bari

[Starshine 16,333]

Marmalade was on the roll. She patiently answered all of the questions that were directed to her, taking care not to reveal too much. The crowd of ponies in front of her, unsated was their curiosity at the giant construct that was looming over the quarry, kept asking even more question. Marmalade tried her best to calmly answer each and every one of them as a teacher would. A dainty mare with flashy garment at the back of the group asked what was the point of it all, if Celestia could provide them everything they would ever need. Marmalade had to physically stopped herself from slapping the naive mare. With a chair.

 

When Silver Ore plowed his way through the crowd, Marmalade let out a relieved sigh. The stallion was one of the heads of the Ore clan. The mayor smiled as the stallion spoke.

 

He pushed his way past any and all who got in his way. It seemed like this were some sort of press conference or something. Why? Wasn’t there a seminar elsewhere in the city? It didn’t make much sense to Silver. Without giving her even the chance to address him, Silver called out to the mayor. “Yo, Marmalade. I hope you noticed what we did out there. Now that that’s done, I’m taking off. Unless you have something to tell me? ‘cause once I get out of here, I ain’t coming back today.” he said with a defiant edge to his voice.

 

"I sure do notice what you did out there, Silver. You did an excellent job leading the miners. I'm grateful to have you in the team." The stallion might be a bit harsh and demanding at times, but Marmalade had to agree that he was a strong leader, albeit a bit less than his cousin's charismatic presence. "I'm afraid there is nothing else to do here, we should gather at the seminar for the next phase. Um, if you want to leave to the city first, that would be fine."

 

Summerfall watched the entire ordeal from her place next to the meek mayor. She didn't say anything anything when the rude mare from the back spoke, or when Silver Ore approached Marmalade. She simply stood there, unassuming and looking a tad bored at everything. She had no need to say anything, Marmalade had agreed that she would do the public relation matter. When the mayor told Silver to leave them behind, Summerfall stepped forward. "Excuse me, Marmalade." She whispered something to the mayor. She looked disappointed, but she nodded an approval. Summerfall then turned to address the crows. "Excuse me everypony, the questions would have to end here. We can continue later at tomorrow evening at the town hall. Any further questions should wait until then." The crowd looked disappointed, but nopony said anything as they slowly dispersed to each of their own. Only the journalist remained, but a stern glare from Summerfall was enough to send him away. She turned to face the mayor. "I'm sorry, but we can't afford to delay anything. We should go to the ballroom now."

 

Marmalade sighed. She wanted to talk more with the crowd, but Summerfall was right. She still had a lot to discuss with Beryl Ore. With Summerfall on the lead, she trotted to the city's tram near the barrack. There were already some ponies waiting inside the tram. She looked to Silver ore. "Are you going?"

 

---

 

He took this chance to merge with the crowd, pushing himself closer and closer to the front until he could see everything easily.

The two younger ponies followed after him, abuzz with talk of the festival and what they could do. Eventually, they ended up at Bonzo’s acrobatics show. Today seemed like it was going to be a fun day.

 

Bonzo's already wide smile grew even wider when he sensed that more and more ponies had gathered around him and his apprentice, who hadn't stopped from her crowd-gathering routine. The torches in his juggle circle had started to grow dim, nearly out of oil, even the cat grew bored and stopped hissing. He would have to switch to another attraction, fast. "Bright Penny!" He called out to the filly. "Random stallion, three apples!"

 

@

 

Bright Penny quickly skid to a halt. Three apples, that was a code for something she was always excited to try. With manic grin she quickly jumped onto a nearby sky blue unicorn. She pulled out three bright red apples out of nowhere and stacked them on the stallion's head. She ducked to whisper to the stallion, "Psst. Don't move your neck. Stay calm." The filly then stood on her hindhooves and shouted, "Make way for the Bonzo the knife thrower!"

 

The crowd of ponies around the unicorn stallion quickly cleared the area, some even cried out in surprise. Without a word Bonzo quickly caught the falling knives one by one and threw them straight to the apples, neatly piercing all of them near the middle. The crowd cheered in amazement. "Thank you!" Bonzo bowed, only to cut short as the cat fell on his rainbow wig, which promptly decided that it was a good time to enact her revenge. The crowd roared in laughter as the previously calm clown suddenly reduced into a screaming, panicked mess as the cat furiously attacked his face. Bright Penny herself made no attempt to help her teacher, she only stood on the icy blue unicorn and giggled.

 

---

 

Blitz Blaze scanned the now almost crazed crowd. It was subtle, but he could definitely see that a certain twinkle in the eyes of the huge majority of the ponies. The same twinkle that once drove him away from his old friends. Greed. Pure, undiluted greed. These ponies cared for nothing but their own wealth, and Beryl had just shown them a new way to achieve it. The ultramarine unicorn sighed. It pained him that the ore would be used for fuelling the industries instead of for magical research. He had planned to scare the ponies away with his fire, but he knew that without an open corporation and sponsorship from these ponies the ores were unreachable. He backtrotted away slowly from the stage, the ore still in his telekinesis, to his seat near the backstage.

 

"Such mindless crowd... driven by nothing but lust for excess. It was a good thing that we have our eyes trained on the proper thing, isn't it?" Blitz spoke to the floating ore. There was no response, not that he expected any. He liked to talk with random objects. it might looked weird, but it was a habit that he developed when he was an apprentice. "I wish that Maroon and the others were here. We could think of something to fetch us the ores without having to rely on these ponies."

 

The unicorn looked impassively at the crowd. A stallion had a bright idea to climb the stage to approach Beryl, but with a strong push of telekinesis Blitz Blaze shoved him away from the mare. There was no time to deal with such hooligans, he thought to himself.

 

---

 

OOC: I will respond to Trench Digger's ice cream purchase after Grand Journeys replied, so that it won't mess up with the timeline.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Starshine

[Electrobolt 2,069]

When the mare had spoken to her, Grand had to suppress a chuckle. *It's that easy to tell, huh?* she thought as the ice cream-serving mare resumed, telling her the prices and the flavors. When she had mentioned mint chocolate chip, however, Grand started to absent-mindedly lick her lips. *Wow... She even has mint chocolate chip here...? Sweet!* It was around then that the mare added that she could fix a bowl of ice cream for three bits. With a smile, she decided to answer her first question. "Hahah... Well, I---" she began, before another pony entered the tent.

 

Distracted, she turned her head around as she saw a brown Earth Pony stallion walking up to the counter, before ordering himself some mint ice cream. Although he had cut ahead of her, Grand shook her head. *Not like there's much business around, like he said... And it is odd, like he said, too...* Just then, the stallion began to speak up, causing the pegasus mare to get pulled back to reality. He introduced himself as Trench Digger, before asking who she was. Clearing her throat out, she began to introduce herself. "Hello, Trench Digger. My name is Grand Journeys, and I was just about to order some mint ice cream, myself!"

 

Turning around, Grand then continued to say what she started to tell the mare. "Sorry about that. Anyways, you'd be right, I'm pretty much new here. In fact, I came down here from Tall Tale after hearing about the festival." Clearing her throat, she then decided it was time to place her order. "Um, anyways, I'll have a bowl of mint chocolate chip, please." After she made her order, the pegasus reached into her saddlebag to access her bits, before setting three bits down. Afterwards, she looked back to Trench Digger as she asked with a smile, "What about you? You here for the festival as well?"

Edited May 9, 2013 by Electrobolt

[Motion Spark 7,807]

A small but very expensive looking yacth was apporaching at Vanhoover's bay, the weather was slightly cold but not something ponies would call winter. While the yatch was making it's way through, a brief conversation was happening inside of it...

 

"are we there yet?" the voice of a mare repeated softly.

 

"we are almost here certainly" another voice, this time masculine, responded

 

"this is a lovely day don't you think?"

 

"I concur my damsel. In fact, Vanhoover is a great location at this time of the year, there is an Ore Festival Celebration that you can't miss."

 

"I think I heard of it. But how rare you think that ore would be?"

 

"well, I don't have much information about it. But my colleagues have told me that it's a rare kind, however I doubt even I can get permission to find out about it."

 

"so, do you assume that it might not be a regular ore?"

 

"Rumors have been floating in Canterlot's elite society. I can't fully say. But, I think that you would enjoy the festival much better, you don't want to get your hooves dirty in some stinky mine. I heard there are plenty of surprises, and I got special invitations for us. I wonder what could it be?"

 

"haha oh yes.... the festival"

 

"let's make a toast....for my guest of honor...Rosebelle!" said the very elegant looking unicorn while levitating a bottle of wine and 2 glasses.

 

"don't make me blush Prosecutor Billmane, I'm really sorry your lovely wife couldn't attend to this event." replied very courtly, the pink mare.

 

"It's a shame indeed. We are very careful about what we serve at our home, I don't know why she could get ill by food poisoning.... Anyways we fired our chef and hired another one much better than her."

 

"It's so unfortunate what happened to her, ponies like that evil mare should end up behind bars. I really don't want to take her spot."

 

"We made sure to get the authorities involved in this case, don't worry, and It's fine my dear Rosebelle, as I said...you are my guest of honor. This event is worthy of your beauty, elegance and class"

 

"cheers" said Billmane.

 

"cheers" repeated Rosebelle, *CLINCH!* while they started to drink the golden colored wine.

 

"I can assure you...this is a trip that you won't forget..."

 

 

 

 

[Jinx 2,292]

"Um... again... are you a musician from the festival?" he asked, now worried he migh have broken something or worse and worried that the musician may not be able to participate.

 

The music on stage right now wasn't exactly the kind of music Swallow Tail liked to hear, but the sheer size of the crowd was somewhat overwhelming. He had a bit of a fear of going up on that stage, especially if the crowd didn't exactly like what he was going to perform. He was more suited to Inns and Taverns, and feared the acoustics of an outside venue would be lackluster.

 

All of a sudden Swallow Tail found himself face first in the dirt. Something or someone had bumped into him, and he didn't have the reflexes to regain his balance. Swallow Tail appeared to be fine, it wasn't that much of a crash after all. He muttered an "I'm alright." as he grabbed onto the pegasus' hoof to help himself up to his feet. "That's right I'm a musician, but I just arrived here." Swallow Tail said as he realized that fall could have very well damaged his instrument. Swallow Tail momentarily panicked as he quickly snatched the pack off of his back to make sure nothing was damaged.

 

“I see that you are carrying a lot of things, and maybe you’d like a helping hoof? Oh, I seem to have forgotten to tell you my name. I am Weaver, a simple clothes maker of little fame. And what are your names?”

 

Swallow Tail looked to the new pony who had just arrived with a confused look on his face, "I'm quite alright, I've been carrying this with me all the way from Baltimare." Swallow Tail also didn't like entrusting things to other ponies, especially his precious belongings. He was more than a little bit intrigued about both of these ponies, as usually most ponies seemed to pay him no mind. "My name is Swallow Tail and I've been invited to play here. I've just arrived, and this fellow beside of me is..." Swallow Tail stated as he gestured to the white pegasus beside of him.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

 

Beside one of the secluded tents, there were 2 ponies arguing. One was quite a large grey earth pony with yellow eyes and a short white mane. The other was a much smaller nimble frame unicorn with a white coat and a flaming red flowing mane. The larger one spoke first, practically yelling"I don't care what they said Falaris, this place is way too crowded to pull off something like that." The smaller one retorted back, "You'll watch your tone if you know what's good for you, and we'll be able to pull this off."

 

Falaris paused before continuing, "We look suspicious like this anyways Gruk, we should wander around a bit." Gruk kicked at the dirt surrounding him, "I guess we have to wait for awhile anyways don't we, until the crowds are distracted." He spat into the ground and mumbled under his breath, "I hate festivals." Falaris tried to reassure him, "Besides, we might be able to have a little bit of 'fun'." The two ponies gathered themselves together and started heading towards the more crowded areas of the festival.

Edited May 9, 2013 by Jinx

[Modphase 1,271]

With his first glance, Bog was startled by the grandeur of Vanhoover Central Station. The private station he had left at Phillydelphia was merely a small, corrugated iron-roofed shelter, occupied by a few old security guards. The Vanhoover station, on the other hand, was a large, splendid structure. Overhead, the sun shone brightly on the open-air gardens. On his right and left, pillars with beautiful hoof-carved designs gave pointers to the other platforms. In front of him, a fountain adorned with statues of alicorns pouring vases of water into the mouths of Draconeqi. And all around him, sharp dressed ponies bustling from here to there and from there to here.

 

Kerry cocked his head in all directions, and peered over other ponies, looking for the gray mare that resembled the picture he had seen in her portfolio. Soon after, he found her, and was greeted warmly.

 

 

Wasting no time, she made with introductions. “Hello detective Kerry Bog. I am Misty Leaves, city guard of Vanhoover. I have been instructed to escort you to the Dead mine, and, in the event of hostile force, protect you. I’m sure you must be tired after your train ride, so if you will please come with me, we can have lunch together.” she said before trotting off. She stopped and turned her head back to say, “And, if we have time, maybe we can enjoy the festival?”

 

 

"Hello Misty Leaves, it's a pleasure to meet you." Bog gave Misty Leaves a strong hoofshake. "The armor took me by surprise, which is why it may have taken a bit for me to find you. The security guards back in Phillydelphia wear armor that looks nothing like that." Bog adjusted his saddlebags on his back. "Yes, lunch would be fine, I am a little hungry, and a place to put these heavy bags down for a while would be great. I was also informed about the festival, and I think it would be great if we could go."

 

***

Kerry sat down in a small diner chair, and relieved himself of the weight of the saddlebags.

 

“So, Bog, what'll you have?” she asked once he arrived. 

 

He pondered over the menu for a while, his eyes wandering from left to right. "I'll have the regular poppy seed sandwich on pumpernickel bread, hay cakes, and a glass of water please."

 

 

 As soon as he finished ordering, she took this as a chance to get to know him. “Mind if you tell me about yourself? Since we'll be working together, we may as well become somewhat familiar.”

 

 

"Hmm, I was born on a farm on the outskirts of Las Pegasus. Growing up, I worked there, and also at a thrift shop. I was well known to be good at problem solving, which later led to my detective work. My cutie mark, a magnifying glass, was acquired when I helped the police force find one of my friends. For the past year I have been doing individual detective work with little success. I used to be in the police force, and I am thinking about rejoining. Some of my interests are hoofboxing, although I'm not very good at it and I never plan on entering any competitions. I mostly do it because I think it would be a good thing to know in my line of work. Some more of my interests include researching ancient Equestrian history, doing things with close friends, and a lot of other things that I can't even name. How about you?"

Edited May 10, 2013 by Modphase

[Starshine 16,333]

 

 

 

When she had mentioned mint chocolate chip, however, Grand started to absent-mindedly lick her lips...

 

With a smile, she decided to answer her first question. "Hahah... Well, I---" she began, before another pony entered the tent.

 

Winterglade couldn't help but to grin childishly when the mare licked her lips. A pony who licked their lips would be more likely to order a bigger portion. Just as the mare started to reply, am earth pony stallion entered the tent. Winterglade had to stop herself from prancing in place out of sheer happiness. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad after all.

 

 

 

Once inside, he was surprised to find only two mares. “Business slow today?” he asked in a rich baritone. “Well, that’s kind of sad. I would have thought this heat would drive them to your lovely little tent. How sad. But nevermind that. I am here to purchase a cone. One mint please.” He produced a few bits and waited for the mare to fulfill his order.

 

"One mint cone, coming right up!" With trained precision Winterglade grabbed an empty cone from her basket and filled its top with bright green deliciousness from her ice cream machine. It hummed softly as its owner clicked a button to stop it from overfilling the cone. She handed it to the stallion. Her face contorted into a confused look when she saw the bits the stallion gave her. "Um, sir, one cone only costs you one bit. It's a bit too much, or maybe you want some more of it?"

 

The stallion was busy introducing himself to the mare. Winterglade assumed that he missed her explanation about the ice cream cost. With a shrug she pulled one of the bits onto her cabinet under the table and set aside the rest for stallion to take back. Trench Digger, and Grand Journeys, her first and second costumer of the day. She hoped that they wouldn't be the last.

 

 

 

Turning around, Grand then continued to say what she started to tell the mare. "Sorry about that. Anyways, you'd be right, I'm pretty much new here. In fact, I came down here from Tall Tale after hearing about the festival." Clearing her throat, she then decided it was time to place her order. "Um, anyways, I'll have a bowl of mint chocolate chip, please." After she made her order, the pegasus reached into her saddlebag to access her bits, before setting three bits down.

 

 

Winterglade made an "O" face when Grand Journeys explained that she came from the Tall Tale just to see the festival. That's a long distance to cover. "One bowl it is!" She chirped as she turned around and started to fill a bowl with the mint chocolate chip ice cream. The machine's hum grew a bit louder and rougher. "Come on... Don't you die on me now!" Winterglade hissed. Thankfully the machine stayed true to its function and filled the bowl to the brim. She turned and with a smile gave Grand Journeys her ice cream. She pulled the three bits into her cabinet. Four bits, one hundred and ninety six to go! Winterglade watched in curiosity as Grand Journeys and Trench Digger continued their conversation. With ponies talking in her tent, it was more likely for other ponies to notice her tent.

 

---

 

A lone dove was flying above the Vanhoover harbor in wide circles. It had been doing its daily routine of searching for food for its young, and now it had the entire day to fly around in bliss. It had no idea why it chose this particular spot to fly around, but it did. A kind yet curious equine had feed it a lot of bread crumbs just a few minutes before, and it was content for its belly was full. The kind equine even gave it a sparkly necklace. It was a small glass tube with a rolled piece of paper inside it. It looked shiny and pleasing to the dove. Today was a good day.

 

@@Motion Spark

 

A yacht slowly made its way to the Vanhoover harbor. It was relatively small, but it was very glamorous looking, compared to any other yachts on the harbor, and it piqued the dove's curiosity. Slowly it glided to the yacht. There was a pink equine sitting in the yacht, but there was no open window for the dove to perch on. It instead chose to land on the deck and started pecking around the floor. It cooed happily.

[Arcanel 3,041]

"That's right I'm a musician, but I just arrived here."

 

"I see... that's cool! What do you-" Arcanel interrupted his question as he saw that the stallion looked slightly panicked as he looked to his instrument pack. *Oh no, I hope I didn't break anything...* he wondered, now becoming slightly panicked himself as he didn't want to be the cause of the musician not being able to participate. Before he could voice his concern however, he noticed a dark cyan unicorn approach both him and the blue pegasus.

 

 

 

“I’m sorry, but do either of you need any help?” he asked with a refined accent. “I see that you are carrying a lot of things, and maybe you’d like a helping hoof? Oh, I seem to have forgotten to tell you my name. I am Weaver, a simple clothes maker of little fame. And what are your names?”

 

*Random unicorn coming to help? Odd, but nice nonetheless.* He thought as he liked the gesture of the unicorn to lend a hoof and help if needed.

 

 

 

I'm quite alright, I've been carrying this with me all the way from Baltimare."

 

*Wow... that's a long way to carry an instrument... however, he probably cares a lot for it.* He determined, impressed by the lengths of which the blue stallion had carried the instrument.

 

 

 

"My name is Swallow Tail and I've been invited to play here. I've just arrived, and this fellow beside of me is..."

 

@@Jinx,@@Bari,  

 

As the blue unicorn, now known as Swallow Tail, turned to indicate him, Arcanel introduced himself. "And I'm Arcanel, mailpony forthe Vanhoover's Post Office. Nice to meet you Mr. Weaver and nice to you meet you too Mr. Swallow Tail! Sorry again for crashing into you..." he greeted cheerfully before rubbing his head in embarassment. "Ummm... if you wouldn't mind asking.. Mr. Swallow Tail... what instrument do you play? And Mr. Weaver, what brings you to the Vanhoover Ore Festival, if you wouldn't mind saying?" he asked, curious of the instruement Swallow Tail played as he loved music, and curious as to why a clothes maker would come to an ore festival, even though it could be a simple fascination for ores.

Edited May 11, 2013 by Eevee

[Haven Celestii 9,385]

 

 

Bonzo's already wide smile grew even wider when he sensed that more and more ponies had gathered around him and his apprentice, who hadn't stopped from her crowd-gathering routine. The torches in his juggle circle had started to grow dim, nearly out of oil, even the cat grew bored and stopped hissing. He would have to switch to another attraction, fast. "Bright Penny!" He called out to the filly. "Random stallion, three apples!"

 

@

 

Bright Penny quickly skid to a halt. Three apples, that was a code for something she was always excited to try. With manic grin she quickly jumped onto a nearby sky blue unicorn. She pulled out three bright red apples out of nowhere and stacked them on the stallion's head. She ducked to whisper to the stallion, "Psst. Don't move your neck. Stay calm." The filly then stood on her hindhooves and shouted, "Make way for the Bonzo the knife thrower!"

 

The crowd of ponies around the unicorn stallion quickly cleared the area, some even cried out in surprise. Without a word Bonzo quickly caught the falling knives one by one and threw them straight to the apples, neatly piercing all of them near the middle. The crowd cheered in amazement. "Thank you!" Bonzo bowed, only to cut short as the cat fell on his rainbow wig, which promptly decided that it was a good time to enact her revenge. The crowd roared in laughter as the previously calm clown suddenly reduced into a screaming, panicked mess as the cat furiously attacked his face. Bright Penny herself made no attempt to help her teacher, she only stood on the icy blue unicorn and giggled.

Synth stood in the crowd looking at the clown with great interest. He noticed that the things he were juggling, which  were on fire, were now much less ablaze. He figured this would be the time for something new and wondered just what it would be. He heard the clown yell something to his assistant, but all he could really make out of it was something about a stallion. So he assumed they'd be grabbing some stallion from the crowd. ~They're gonna call out some random guy from the crowd? I wonder who the unlucky sucker will be.~ He thought to himself

 

Just as he had finished his thought, he saw a little blur of movement and the next thing he knew, there was a filly standing on his back.

He was the unlucky sucker.

 

He felt three objects being placed on his head. What they were, he couldn't tell. Somewhat shaken by his new sudden passenger, he couldn't think to move. He heard his passenger say something to him about not moving and to stay calm. Not moving was easy, staying calm, he already failed at.

With big worried eyes he questioned his passenger's words. "Stay calm?! What in the hay do I need to stay calm for?! And what are you placing on my head?!" But he didn't get an answer as the passenger, which he now assumed was the filly assistant, had went ahead to announcing what was about to happen. At the hearing of just what it was, Synth froze in place looking dead ahead. "Kn-kni-knife...thrower?" *gulp*

He tried to swallow down his fear and extreme want to run as far away as possible, but due to already being aimed at, he figured his chances of living would be better if he stood as still as he could.

He noticed the crowd around him had dispersed and some even let out screams, but all he was worried about was himself not being filled with blades today. He watched as the clown caught the knives from the air and quickly throw them at the apples. Synth closed his eyes and braced for what may be his last breathes of air.

*Thunk thunk thunk*

Was the sound the knives made as they pierced all the apples cleanly. All of which seemed to be very crisp from their sound. Synth did nothing but stood there even as the crowd applauded Bonzo on his amazing accuracy. As much as he wanted to run off to somewhere safer now, his legs still wouldn't allow him to. He then noticed that his passenger was still standing on his back, but was now laughing at something. He opened his eyes to a peculiar sight, that of a clown being attacked by a cat. He then realized that the act was finally over and he can move now. He told the filly to hop off quickly as his legs promptly jellified and he plummeted to the ground, still shaken up just a tad.