(Hoofington) A Group of Travelers (Open to All)

[Bronies For Life]

A train traveled through the hills about 4 miles away from Hoofington. Inside of it sat Aqua Marine, her friends, and a rather irritable green pegasus. Constantly, she complained about everything. The bumpyness, how fast they were going, anything. Eventually, this broke Aqua's nerve.

"Oi! Mind doing me a favor and BEING QUIET?"

"Well excuuuuuse me for complaining about the ride I spent my hard earned bits on!"

This arguement went on for quite the while, some insults were thrown, and even some hooves.

Fly By felt the side of her face. This blue mare hit hard.

"Okay, okay. You win."

"Dang right I do..."

"Why ya heading to Hoofington, anyways? Barely even a town from what I've heard."

"Um, lets see... I was born there, my parents are there, and its just as big as a regular town, thank you very much."

"We'll see about that. I'm here competing in its race thats happening soon. ...Ya know, it might be nice having a few friends there to watch. You guys wanna come?" Fly motioned to the group.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hoss and Shanna sat in their seats listening to the arguing.. Well, Hoss was actually asleep in his seat...

Shanna winced as she saw the hooves start to fly. "Ouch! That had to hurt!"

She looked the green pegasus mare over as said peagasus started speaking more civilly to Aqua.

Shanna's ears suddenly perked as she elbowed her brother awake. She leaned forward eagerly "Race? What race?"

Hoss yawned and sat up "A race? In Hoofington?"

[Bronies For Life]

"Small, local one. Its there ya can meet just about everyone."

"Prize for first place, too!"

"Nothing too special. Just a trophy worth a few hundred bits. Compared to what you can get in Manehattan, we're cheapskates."

"Keeps the food on the plates... Hey, I heard this rumor about people from Hoofington. Is it true that they're all half donkey half zebra?"

"Most certainly not! Now wherever you heard that lie, you can take it to its make and tell them to..." Aqua pinched her forehead with her front hooves. "Calm down... Calm down."

"Hey! I was just asking!"

"Rudeness aside, anyone's allowed to compete. Pegasus have a little cloud ring course, earth pony's and unicorns have a regular track. If so inclined, pegasi can run the regular track, though their wings have to be tied to prevent cheating."

"Well that takes out half the fun!"

Aqua pointed a hoof at the green mare. "You. Be quiet. You've insulted me and my home, and have hit me. I don't see where you've earned enough respect from me and my town to argue with our rules."

"Fiiiiiiiiiiiiine. But don't expect any bits when I win!"

"I don't want any."

[Mojo]

Seated across from Shanna and Hoss was a light blue unicorn mare with a stethoscope around her long neck. Her face whined at the arguing that was taking place in earshot of her, and quite possibly, the entire train car.

"Oh my, I certainly hope they don't argue like that all the way to Hoofington," Starflower said. "A race in Hoofington? That sounds interesting. We all had quite a wonderful time during the last Running of the Leaves. I hope Aqua's alright, she really doesn't need to be straining herself after that episode with Dusty."

[Bronies For Life]

"Hey! Hey. Hey Water."

"Its Aqua. And yeah?"

"Why are you such a killjoy?"

"Maybe if your joy didn't come from antagonizing other people, I would be less of one?"

"Yeah, yeah. You're no fun."

Aqua's ears perked up at the mention of the Running of the Leaves. "Im afraid I missed it... Have to keep my parents fed!"

"Stupid no prize races... Whats the point in the Running of the Leaves if you don't even get bits for winning?!"

"Bragging rights. Honor. Some new friends. Exercise. Making the leaves fall from the tree's."

"And no bits! How am I supposed to eat when I don't earn anything?"

"Maybe don't rely on an unreliable income?"

"Nah. Racing's fun."

"Well if its so, then maybe i'll try to do the ground course?"

"Maybe i'll do the Pegasus course second round?"

The two butted heads eagerly; Both loved arguements. One was more orderly, one was more chaotic. A perfect combination for fun.

"I'll see ya at the race, then."

"I'll see ya at the finish line, then."

They both quieted down after that.

"What did I just agree to?"

[Boss_Hoss1]

Shanna and Hoss listened carefully and the stallion's face brightened. Shanna nudged her brother "A pegasus course and an earth course? Hay! A chance for you to make up for missing the Running of the Leaves, Bro."

The stallion nodded and grinned "My hoof is in fine shape now. Look out Hoofington, here I come!"

Then their friend and the aggressive pegasus mare started arguing again. Stunned, the twins sat there, their heads swinging back and forth like watching a tennis match.

Hoss blinked "Is it me or are they enjoying this?"

When the argument was done, Aqua was looking confused and a touch horrified. Shanna smiled "Dont worry, you'll have friends in the race with you. Arguments becoming race challenges happens all the time in Cloudsdale."

[Bronies For Life]

"Hey! may I remind you that SHE brought it up?"

"I wouldn't have brought it up if you wouldn't have bragged about your unreliable job!"

"HEY! My job is far from unreliable! Its just not always available..."

"Oh really? At least I don't need pure luck to get paid!"

"It takes a LOT of skill to win a race!"

"Yeah, I bet! It also takes 3 days of being lazy to 'save your strength'!"

"How are you supposed to fly tired, huh?"

"Maybe have some real energy!"

"Oh yeah? Maybe ya should get some skill, ya slow excuse for a pony!"

"Hey! Maybe you should get that pole out of your..." Aqua pinched her temples again. "Calm..."

"Oh, I knew it! Ya can't even stomach one insult!"

"Weak-winged no good ruffian!"

"Small horned strict as hell street-mare..."

"HEY!"

"HEY!"

[Dusty]

The train slams to a stop "EVER ONE OFFFF! WE ARE AT ARE STOP! THINKS FOR TAKING THE TRAIN HERE, YOUR BITS KEEP US GOING! AND REMEMBER USE US THREE TIMES AND THE NEXT RIDE IS 30% OFF! YEEE-HAAA!" A rather huge pony yells as he walks to the back of the train out side of it. all the pony's get up and start moving to out.

Dusty walks with the rest of his team to the back of the train for some TLC after that long pull "yippy kay yay!" "Why ya so happy mate?" "Ah'm going to have some fun..." "oh no..." "What is it now? if this gets us in ji-" "it well not! cuss ah'm not goin-" "Run out of town like a cat?" "NO! now come on guys we are going to hit up the lower parts of this barking city and have some fun." they keep on talking as they pass by a group of pony Dusty can swear he has seen before...

[Mojo]

(ooc): wow, that was a quick change of pace!

As the passangers disembarked from the train, Starflower walked with her group (Hoss, Shanna and Aqua) as they came down the departure ramp. The light blue unicorn used her levitation magic to pull a wheeled rack of her suitcases behind her as the group moved into the station.

"Well, that was certainly an interesting trip," Starflower said to her friends before turning towards Aqua.

"Aqua, was that a friend of yours you were arguing with? I'm not trying to be nosy, but you are still my patient and if you overexcert yourself or go through undo stress then it is a medical concern. I ask because I care about all my patients."

[Boss_Hoss1]

The twins were busy watching the arguing match, their heads again swinging from side to side as they stared.

Shanna mused "It must be like haggling for her..."

Suddenly the train stopped quickly, banging them into each other, their heads rattling against each other dizzily.

Hoss sat up, his eyes derping for a moment "Hoo boy, now I know why we fly wherever we go. These enchanted pulling trains can stop faster than we can..."

Shanna shook her head to clear it. "At least it keeps the pullers safe."

As they disembarked, she thought she heard a voice she knew but could not quite place it...

[Bronies For Life]

"See ya at the race, slowpoke!" Fly By flew off towards the center of the town.

"I have no idea who that mare was. But now, apparently, im in a race. And I appreciate your concern, but she's nothing compared to some customers ive had." Aqua motioned towards a street, with a few stray ponies walking about. "Comeon, I know a delightful little seafood place where we can eat. They got fish for anyone who wants to cast there lot in there, and then they have tones of delectable variants of Sea Weed and other under-sea vegetation mished and mashed together into great meals."

"'m' parents are out for there anniversary. Somewhere in the Painted Pinto. All I know is they decide, I fund."

[Dusty]

Dusty looks back, he NEW he had to seem them before... oh. "Shanna... oh and Aqua... hay boys you keep on going ah well see you in a few." "Oh, don't tell me you w-" "No no not that just keep on going." they shrug and walk off as dusty go's and follows the group. last time they the ran him out of town, this time he was going to run them out of town! After he is done playing with them. fore now, he keeps low and to the shadows as he works out his plan... must of it having do with takeing bits.

[Mojo]

"Sounds terrfic, Aqua!" Starflower neighed. "I haven't had fresh seaweed or kelp in years! Don't often have it available where I live. There are no dry land farmers that can grow water plants, Lead the way and we'll follow!"

Starflower walked with the group towards the center of town. The light blue unicorn passed by Dusty, of course she had no idea who he really was. The stethoscope wearing mare was weary from the long train trip and was more concerned with stretching her legs than looking all around for danger and was thinking more about her 'patient'.

"So far, Aqua seems to be alright, but you never know with the kind of magical exertion she recently went through. My magical energy transfer did help her, but she'll probably need time for her body to rebuild her internal magical reverse energy. Better keep a close eye on her for the next few hours."

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hoss and Shanna looked around as they carried the 3' long yellow painted oaken box between them and their luggage in their saddlebags.

Setting it down for a moment, they looked to Aqua. Shanna asked "Before we can eat, is there a small cart we can rent to push or pull? This telescope can be tricky to move around groundside."

Hoss streeeetched his wings in relief at setting the box down for a moment, and took a deep breath. "This sea air is amazing! Neither of us have had fish before, but if other ponies eat it fine, we are willing to try it."

Shanna suddenly felt an itch along her spine, like she was being watched...

[Appliance]

(Hi guys! Hope ya don't mind me buttin' in!)

---

Drat.

The silver mare shuffled her wings in annoyance as she trotted around the streets of Hoofington.

Rookie tasks again! No fighting yet.. she thought to herself.

Silversword had been assigned to guard the race, to make sure everything remained orderly and no fights occurred. To be honest, she wouldn't mind jumping in to break up a fight. It'd be better than the mundane tasks the Destriers had set her so far.

There hadn't really been much need of her yet, until she gained experience and showed her fighting skills.

So here she was. In an unfamiliar town. By herself. Again. Blowing her forelock out of her face, she decided that it would be best to scout out the area where the race would be held first.

[Dusty]

(you guys can just pass me, Dusty is doing nothing but sneak sneak.)

[Bronies For Life]

Aqua waved a hoof down the street.

"Comeon! in just a little while, they're gonna be packed for dinner!" She began walking towards a sign that said "Fruit of the Sea".

Inside the shop, it was obvious through the smell that they were in the right place. Some fishy smell towards the right side of the shop, while the left side smelled more like the usual, vegetarian diets. On the right side, half of the seats were lowered and in the water, as to make sure that the occasional Kelpie doesn't feel left out having to swim around while eating. Left side was seated entirely for ground-borne ponies.

Aqua walked up to the keep. "Aye, get me a Kelp 'n' Seaweed salad."

"Sure thing."

"Whadda you guys want? They got salad, fish wrapped in seaweed, some decent vegetarian meals, and some other things!"

[Mojo]

"Well, I'm not much into eating fish, but the seaweed sounds delightful!" Starflower chimed in. "As a health care professional, I do like the nutritional benefits of water plants like seaweed and kale. Add to that the extra flavor sea water gives them and it makes for a wonderful change of pace from good old fashioned grass or hay. Oh, sorry, here we are on a pleasure trip and I'm talking 'shop' to you all. I do apologize."

Starflower looked over at Aqua to make certain the younger unicorn was alright. In the back of her mind, she was still concerned about her present state of health.

[Boss_Hoss1]

Hoss and Shanna stop at the train station's Hoovz Rental counter for a moment. Hoss haggles and Shanna bats her eyes and in moments, they come back to the group with a small 2' x 3' four wheeled cargo cart hauling their telescope case. Shanna smiles as her brother pulls the cart by it's handle. "Now we can move faster."

Seeing the group entering the shop ahead, they follow along inside.

They looked from left to right at the seating, then pulled their cart to the left, near the largest open group of seats.

The twins put their heads together for a moment, whispering and pointing wings at the menu board.

Hoss turned to the keep "We'll have two Kelp and Seaweed salads, and we want a single small portion of fish wrapped in seaweed so we can give it a try between us."

Shanna nods "Yes, if Aqua mentions it as an option, it should be exotic and okay for us to try."

Hoss nods to the open welldeck with seats on the right "Do Hippocampi come here often?

(OOC: fellow herbivores, namely deer, have been seen occasionally eating small fish IRL )

[Bronies For Life]

"Not as often as you'd think. They're turned off by the smell of fish. Speaking of which, its rare a pony'll buy fish. Its happened before, but not often." Aqua looked around.

"Noone else here. Strange. Normally about this time this place is chock full."

(OOC: Oh look, no inspiration.)

[Appliance]

All clear. The place was fine, and Silversword had some time to kill.

She probably would be busy throughout the race, so she might as well go get something to eat to last her till then.

After clearing it with the others, she trotted off towards the restaurants, the bits she had jingling in her saddlebag.

Where to eat? she thought to herself, looking around, ears back as she was so unaccustomed to the place, the sounds, the smells..

She ended up just walking to the first restaurant she found, which smelled oddly like the sea.

That, in itself was a reassuring thing. Silversword loved the sea!

Or, well, anything to do with water and swimming.

Waiting for someone to approach her and take her orders, she began to wander the shop, intrigued.

[Dusty]

"you got to me bucking me..." Dusty looked at the restaurant with a less then happy gaze. "All the shops in the city, they take this one, the one done up for sea loving pony's. An't ah lucky or what?" his snake just wiggles it's tail. "Ya ya, don't rube it in! Bu-" he looks one pony over as she walks in "Silver?" he runs in to the shop after her, the others he can play with later for now, she was the top of his to do list. "Silver! nice seeing y'all!" he yells as he runs up next to silver.

[Mojo]

Seeing the twins placing their order, Starflower decides to do the same.

"Kelp and seasweed salad for me as well, thank you," the tall light blue unicorn mare said. "So Aqua, you say this restaurant is usually full? This does seem odd. I wonder why?"

Now Starflower's natural 'danger' instinct kicked in. Why would this fine establish be so empty at this time of day? Oh well, there has to be a reasonable explanation.

[Boss_Hoss1]

(Sorry for the delay, missed that Mojo posted)

Shanna and Hoss sat together with the others, awaiting their order.

Hoss commented "It's too bad the Hippocampi dont come here then. I was hoping to meet one soon."

The pair turned as a tall pegasus mare came in, shining silvery in the lamplights and promentant Cutie Mark of crossed swords.

Not having met Jubilee yet, Hoss freely glanced at her specuatively when he could, but then something happened to draw attention away from her.

A huge white unicorn pony charged in and shouted greetings to the pegasus.

The twins didnt recogize him in the relative dimness at first, then they both did a stunned double take.

Shanna uttered a Fluttershy squeak and ducked behind Starflower, while Hoss moved closer to Aqua to nudge her and point at Dusty with his nose, and put a wingtip to his lips with a "shh" motion...

[Bronies For Life]

Aqua sat, staring into space, awaiting her order. She did not notice when a new pegasus came in; for all she cared, she could have been Celestia and she would have still brushed her off.

Then, suddenly, a huge unicorn charged in. It wouldn't of taken a genius to figure out who this was; he did have the same color's, cutie mark, and size.

Aqua took a quick glance at Dusty, then at Hoss, who was pointing at him and telling her to be quiet, then at Shanna who was hiding behind the nurse.

She nodded at Hoss, got up, and trotted ever-so-lightly to the waiter.

"Get me a glass of water. Fast." she whispered.

Before the waiter could say 'okay', she nudged her nose at Dusty.

The waiter went behind the counter, and Aqua walked next to Hoss. Into his ear, she whispered;

"Keep an eye on him. If he does something funny, tell me, and I'll give him a muffle made out of water."