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Pennwick

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Everything posted by Pennwick

  1. The fact another pony had stopped to help was almost as surprising to Ashton as he was to the Griffin. Honestly the whole ponies helping each other out thing was a little strange to him. He had expected more to capitalize on the chance to get ahead. It wasn't as if the syrup was dangerous. They could all pull themselves free eventually on their own. The only reason he had stopped was he wasn’t a racer. He figured nobody else would give her a hand. He always figured these eastern Ponies to be too soft to handle dealing with a Griffin. A sharp pain helped him to regain his focus. Perhaps offering his bare hoof wasn't the best option. Her grip was like steel but it was too late to switch to a branch or something. “Right, Now!” He started tugging trying to match his rhythm with the Griffin’s own. He couldn’t see the other pony very well but his position struck him as odd and not just the fact that ‘helping’ in such way could have earned him a claw to the face if the Griffins appendages weren’t occupied. There were some things you just didn’t do. It was the fact of how momentum worked and how the syrup seemed to have a magnetic attraction to pony hair. If she were to suddenly break free… “Are you sure” *tug* “that you’re not” *tug* “going to” *tug* “fall” *tug* “in yourself?” He gave a strong heave. It looked like she was coming loose.
  2. Ashton slid down the hill back towards the race track. Running downhill on a invisible path covered with slick leaves probably wasn't the best game plan, but it was too late to stop now. Narrowly avoiding taking a tumble he skidded to a stop at the bottom and took off running. Even if he wasn't an official participant he was going to give this last section of the race his all. What better way to judge his chances for next year than to put his body to the test today. He could smell the maples everywhere. It made him crave waffles even though he had never had them until a week ago. Since then he had eaten them for breakfast every morning he could manage it. It probably wasn't too healthy but he couldn't really help himself. The food was so rich here compared to back home. He barely needed any topping. Here though, the smell was almost overpowering. It took some self restraint not to drool. A number of ponies seemed to have gotten themselves stuck. He wasn't quite how the ground wasn't that messy when he came through this morning. Perhaps whatever was causing the leaves to fall was causing the trees to produce extra syrup. Honestly he wasn't really sure on why this running worked. As far as he could tell the shaking shouldn't be causing all these leaves to fall, he assumed magic was involved but it was something he never really could get his head around. The schools in Rockwington were understandably lax on the subject. He decided the best way to avoid the sap was to follow his opponents steps exactly. Kind of like when he'd follow Jill or Sienna down a dark tunnel. However keeping up with the front end ponies was tougher than it looked. It was one thing to match their path but keeping their pace was another matter. He felt himself falling behind so when he saw the Griffin go for a more direct path he follower her lead. However upon hearing her outburst he skidded to a stop just before the puddle. The leaves had concealed what appeared to be a large pool of sap and the Griffin appeared to be stuck. He considered not helping her for a moment. Some Griffins could be quite proud and would want solve the issue on their own. He knew a fair few Griffins who would take any offer of assistance as a implication of weakness. However this time he decided to go with his gut and offer a helping 'claw' to the griffin. He carefully positioned himself as not to get stuck himself and reached out a hoof to the Griffess. "Come on, pull yourself outta there."
  3. Ashton returned to the balloon and, after a little rummaging, managed to find his design book and a stubby pencil. It would work. Cat streched out her wings and let Ashton know that she lived in a apartment complex on the far side of Ponyville. She also told him that Inkwell lived there as well so if he ever wanted to stop by it shouldn't be too hard to find them. He closed his book. "Thanks again. I'll try and visit but it might be few weeks before I get settled. Though maybe I'll stop by Ponyville to sell some things. Who knows?" He turned back to the griffins. "If you two want to rest go ahead. I'll just take time to make sure none of my tools got broken. Perhaps we can leave this evening then. Otherwise we should leave now. Either way make a decision." Maybe he was being pushy but since they had already weighed the options and stated he could go on it was really up to Lola. Sitting and thinking about it was just wasting time.
  4. Location: Woods between points 4 and 6 on the map. Ashton wasn't quite sure why but even far from the course the leaves were falling at an accelerated rate. Perhaps there were tremors he wasn't feeling? But then why would the leaves be falling? Maybe it was the cooler breeze. It definitely felt like winter was coming. He felt like he could easily outpace the racers this way so he took his time taking in the sights. Aside from his brief landing in Everfree a while back he had never really been in a heavily wooded area. Sure Canterlot and the surrounding areas had 50x the trees Rockwington had but it was still very open. Here, off the trail, you could hardly walk 50 feet in a straight line without brushing up against an oak or maple. He had at first been a little concerned with getting lost but he figured as long as he kept the sun to his right he should make it back to the hills around Canterlot. He stopped for a moment and just listened to the breeze blowing through the trees. Too bad he wasn't able to see it in spring or summer too. Fall was great but he couldn't help but remember that after today there would only be a few leaves left hanging and that would be the end. From what his sister had told him during the earlier months the forest always had something new to find. A different wildflower, a rare bird's song, supposedly there was even a mystical Peryton residing in the forest, whatever that was. Now that he thought about it he hadn't actually seen any animals near the track. He heard a lot of reactions to them but didn't see any himself. He squinted his eyes trying to pick out any squirrels or rabbits among the falling leaves. He remembered reading once that squirrels collect nuts for the winter. Or was that pandas? He didn't think there were any pandas in whitetail but he could be wrong. He started trotting ahead again watching for both just in case.
  5. "Yeah," Ashton replied to Cat Napper, "I'm not actually racing though, just watching. I can hardly keep up with everything that is going on when I'm standing still much less..." He slipped on a patch wet leaves and stumbled but managed to keep his footing. "I mean. I can't watch, talk and run at the same time. A lot of ponies are having that problem it seems." "Was that?" he turned his head looking to the side of the track. A little orange leaf appeared to be jumping about. "Anyway yeah a lot of things seem to be going on. Some ponies seem like they're having really bad days." Cat included, though he didn't mention that out loud. He stumbled again. Perhaps he should stop running on the edge of the trail. "I'll catch up with you two further ahead. I'm going to take a shortcut. Good luck!" he started veering off the track to the left slowed to a casual trot watching the remaining ponies gallop along the course.
  6. Oh well. I still think its a little unfair that they are stuck sooooo far behind. Maybe next time the system will work a little better. I understand that its too late to change anything now. About the eventual ending of the race. Have you considered maybe adding a photo finish topic if there is a tie in the first 3 places? One last chance between two ponies to see who comes out on top? Considering the top six places are currently only seperated by 3 points its a very close race. You might want to think up some sort of plan in case of a tie. Also poor Shanna. You really need to give them some sort of consolation prize if they get any more ones. Getting twos and threes in your RP grade and then the dice deciding hate on you with such fervor...
  7. Question. It might be just me but shouldn't everyone in the race get the d6 rolls even if they didn't post in that segment. It isn't as if their character isn't racing they just were being boring about it. Not getting the bonus RP points should be the only loss to those people. Don't cripple them by taking away their random rolls.
  8. Ashton sat contently in a pile of leaves that had been left on the side of the path. Apparently somepony had raked some of the leaves aside yesterday so the path was clear and visible to the runners. Or rather clearer, a few more had fallen overnight and as more ponies came through the rest would be falling. He was glad he had chosen not to race. There was no way he would have been able to fully appreciate the gently falling leaves while rushing to stay ahead. Maybe next year, if he was still in the area, he could participate. He thought himself pretty quick but wasn't sure if he could keep it up all day. Pulling a cart back to town was one thing running 3 or 4 times the distance was another. But this year he was enthralled in just watching the leaves fall Unknown to him a few stray leaves were stuck to his back hinting at his actions a moment ago. Before anypony had arrived to the segment of the track he had engaged in an activity he had never been able to enjoy as a foal. Namely, leaping into a pile of leaves and thrashing about. It was amazing fun. He could understand why they did it. It was so soft and the colors were all around you. Just laying in the leaves was like swimming in a painting. He could have almost fallen asleep right there. Sometimes trying to keep up appearances was a pain. Wouldn't want to be seen doing something so foalish by potential customers. The moment he had heard ponies coming his way he flipped himself over and shook the leaves off of himself. Hopefully he would appear as a casual observer. There were so many ponies racing! He couldn't There had to be at least three dozen. There were even some non-ponies too. He spotted at least one griffin and one Diamond dog. Though neither he recognized. Maybe they were locals. He didn't see many familiar faces among the racers either. The only one he recognized at all was a blue hued pegasus trying to close the distance. "CAT NAPPER! HEY CAT!" he called out as he stumbled from his pile. He started running along the edge of the track trying to match her pace. She appeared to be running with a Crimson Unicorn. She seemed familiar somehow but he couldn't remember where he had seen her. "Cat! You look rough" he asked with concern, "What happened too you?"
  9. "I... See..." was all Ashton could offer regarding the mysterious doctor pony. It sounded like some sort of weird set up for a joke but without a punchline. He hoped hid didn't run into this pony anytime soon. He couldn't really agree with Dr. Nut either. There seemed to be history between Ponies and Griffins all right, but most of it would probably be better off forgotten. If there was any hope between the two it lay in the now, not in the past. "Um, Bye." he gave a little wave to the pony who left as quickly as he arrived. He wasn't too sure what to think of him. He seemed 'friendly' and 'nice' but to him it seemed phony. He couldn't quite fathom someone like him ever having been out west. "Maybe I should leave too." he said after taking another gulp, leaving only a tiny amount in the bottom of the glass. "I don't want to take any more of your time and I should probably get ready for an early start tomorrow." He enjoyed talking to Martini but he still felt a little uncomfortable. In addition he realized he really should be saving the few bits he had. Who knows what expenses could come up between now and when he sold his gems.
  10. "Oh?" questioned Ashton a little confused. He wasn't expecting charity from a stranger. He took another glance at Brazil Nut who seemed quite earnest. He gathered his coins and placed them back in the pouch. "I... Thank you." Again he was startled by the differences between here and Rockwington. Should their places have been reversed he wouldn't even of thought of just giving him the money even though he was a pony. It sure was different. "The gems? No it was Jill and Sienna who helped me find ones like these. And are they used for money? Well kind of, Diamond Dogs use them that way but its hard to put an exact value on a gem. Still you can get some good information if you're willing to trade a few. Like where you might find denser deposits or if there have been any cave-ins in the area. Or if you're unlucky you may be 'asked' to pay a 'toll' for using certain tunnels. So its nice to have a few polished ones just in case." "You could have a few if you like." He slid her the bag. "I'd recommend a moonstone but I don't think I have any in there. Perhaps a pair of sapphires for earrings? I'm afraid I can't make you anything though." he added a little deflated. All of his tools were tightly packed away in the balloon, underneath all of Lola's belongings. "You too Doctor Brazil. Emeralds might suit you but I'm afraid I don't have too many of those." he was glad he was able to share his gems. Sometimes he forgot their value since he worked with them all the time. At Brazil's query he paused again. He figured he would be the type to get along with Griffins better. "Oh, you've been there? Not too much has changed lately. Talonopolis is still pretty strict about not letting in any ponies. I have heard a rumor though that the Goldplumes are trying to push for a small market outside of the city that other species could visit. I suppose that might be an improvement but it would still mean walking back and forth each day or trying to camp out in Raptorclaw." then again Mido's information wasn't always the best but it was an interesting idea. "And the University in Rockwington is adding on a wing. I forget what for though. When did you last pass through?"
  11. "We're due in Canterlot tomorrow evening." he offered. "If we stay here we would need to either travel during the night or leave immediately in the morning." Traveling at night was something you generally avoided in the Raptorclaw area but in a balloon in Equestria? He wasn't really sure. "As for rest I think I'll be fine. For a few hours anyway." Actually he felt like he could lie down on the grass at his feet and fall asleep easily but wasn't sure if Miss Silverbeak would settle for such accommodations. He briefly wondered how soft clouds were and yawned. "Oh, You're right Cat Napper." he turned back to the ponies. "I should get your address. I'm going to be staying somewere in Canterlot or Ponyville and it would be good to stay in touch right? Maybe I'll be able to stop by?" He turned to the balloon to find a pen and paper before remembering that both of them carried sketchbooks and his things were probably buried under a great deal of clutter. "I don't suppose I could..."
  12. Six? I can handle six. He wasn't exactly sure how much a bit was worth. Ashton pulled a small pouch out. He quickly declined the other pony's offer. "I'm sorry, I won't be in town for all that long. I probably wouldn't get the chance to pay you back." The bag appeared full but when he opened it only a few bits were visible. Most of it was filled with Griffin money and small gemstones. After a little picking through it he came up with enough to cover his bill with 2 left over. He slid the coins across the bar to Martini. "But thank you for the information. I'll probably end up staying at the Night Stables or someplace similar. I'll only be there for a few days or so." He didn't seem overly concerned about his lack of funds. He had a few plans to earn a bit while passing through Ponyville and Canterlot. And if things didn't work out one or two nights under the stars wouldn't kill him. From what his parents told him the weather was always pleasant in Canterlot even in the middle of the night.
  13. "No no, it's fine." Ashton replied waving his hoof. He actually had no idea what they were talking about. Some mythical pony he had never heard of. Living in Equestria was certainly going to be an experience. "It does sound interesting. Being able to recognize the difference between the paintings and the landscape I mean. Everyone else must have overlooked it all these years." he had always considered himself to be pretty good at spotting details but spotting a missing tree in dozens of pictures. He'd never be able to do something like that. "And you were in Canterlot, right? I'm going to be going there myself. I don't suppose you know a good place to stay?" he asked trying not to sound like he was prying too much. He took a drink of his own whiskey Martini had poured earlier.. He couldn't say he exactly cared for it. Maybe next time he would just order some kind of juice. It would make sense for them to have a better selection here than back home, being closer to orchards and all. He had always wanted to try something more exotic, like pineapple or mango. Anything other than Apple was exorbitantly expensive. His hairs stiffened as he remembered something. 'Woah. Money. Those weren't Griffin coins he had tossed on the table earlier.' He tried to think if he had any pony money in his bags. His sister had sent him a few coins a while back. How much was it worth though. He tried to sound casual. Though for his efforts he didn't do a terribly good job. His voice was quite shaky. "Uh, Miss Martini. How much do I owe for everything? So far, I mean."
  14. "Miss Silverbeak." Ashton turned as he heard Lola's voice. At first it was a relief to see her again but... As soon as she opened her beak he couldn't help but feel she was, once again, again talking down to him. He wasn't sure if it was what she was saying or how she said it but to him it sounded like ponies were something lesser. Her kindness and courtesy just seemed artificial to him. Maybe he was just tired and she really was sincere but at the moment he just felt worn out. "There was a bit of a crash. I repaired the damage." was all he offered. He was glad Delios had covered introductions. It saved him the effort. What came next was really up to Lola. He would like to stay in Ponyville for a bit long. Perhaps fall asleep in the balloon and see if he could get together enough bits to pay to take the group out to a meal but they were on the verge of falling behind schedule. He could just as easily sleep in the balloon and then perhaps mail a gift to Cat Napper and Inkwell. Either would work but the second might be the best to go with.
  15. ((OoC: I might be wrong but I think Lola, Ashton, Brazil and the staff are the only ones in at the moment. I got the feeling that we were in a kind of early afternoon Lull. After all the ponies there for lunch left but before anyone showed up for evening drinking.)) "A little, yeah." he replied. All the things she were saying we special seemed normal to him. Talking with Griffins, digging with dogs, it was all basic stuff. He figured anypony in Rockwington could do the same. Most just preferred not to. He considered maybe sharing some of his fathers tips for dealing with Griffins but paused when the regular came in. He stayed silent while the other two talked. He could wait a bit while she served up a drink and they caught up. Maybe he would overhear something interesting. If he was just in the Canterlot area digging he might know a bit about the area. Still it looked like it would be hard to find an opening in the conversation with the way this pony was talking.
  16. When you say Giffins in Manehattan all I can think about is them forming a gang. And all of them have Cockney accents. I'm not sure if this is the best idea or the worst idea.
  17. Trains have been brought up in the griffin thread as well. Its been discussed that maybe it was they who invented the steam engine and Ponies are just trying to copy it. They haven't got the actual engine worked out but they can pull it just fine. At least for smaller trains. If this is the case then there's probably a train between Rockwington and Talonopolis, plus all the smaller mining camps. In Eastern Equestria though it seems like the only proper station is in Appleloosa. The other stop could be in Ponyville or perhaps somewhere outside of it. We haven't seen an evidence of tracks but it seems unlikely they would carry a tree that far without some kind of assistance.
  18. One year? Based on the fact that 100 years was a nap to them I would say spike is less than one DAY old in dragon years. Anyways the idea of dragons cultivating gemstones seems like an interesting idea. Now that I think about it the area that Rarity was finding gemstones was pretty barren. A few trees but otherwise it was clear of grass and other plants. Maybe a dragon comes by every thousand years and burns everything down instead of weeding. Honestly when it comes to dragons and magic, we can't really base Equestrian geology on Earth Geology all that much. That or its the rock farms.
  19. Ashton nodded and took another sip of his drink. It was a nice story. He couldn't fathom having to run a beach stand on his own. In the jewelry shop you were lucky to have a dozen customers each day. At a drink stand he estimated you would get a dozen each hour if not more. He had never been to a real beach before he could only really speculate. She seemed to be missing the point a bit. "Thats not exactly what I meant. I mean that all my classmates, except for my sister, were griffins. I couldn't really." he paused. He didn't really want to talk about it. He wasn't even sure if there was anything to talk about. "You know. Nevermind." 'like magic'? That's a really strange and saccharine way to put it. Friendship isn't magic. It wasn't magical that they worked together. They had skills that worked well together. The way she put it was just... too sugary. He hoped all ponies weren't like this. "I uh. Never thought about it that way. I'd say we're just good friends and we know each others skills. It more logical than magical."
  20. Ashton shook himself awake, whipping his still messy mane about. He hadn't been able to sleep exactly. More a light doze but he felt refreshed nonetheless. "No no no. I got it" He stood himself up and looked over the edge. "We're a little close. We'll have to land on the far side." He pulled the rope letting out some air and they very slowly started to descend. He tried to keep his eyes peeled for any signs of Lola down below. He squinted. Even if the morning light wasn't casting odd shadows around town it would be hard to pick out a single griffin down below. Even at this early hour quite a few ponies were moving about down below further distracting him. A few even appeared to be looking up at the balloon. Though from this distance he couldn't tell for sure. It only took them a few minutes to clear the town and reach the far side where Ashton again pulled on the rope, speeding their decent. "It's all just controlling the air. Less hot air means less lift. So we drop." The balloon kept falling and as they touched the ground Ashton gave another tug letting out a long wheeze of air. "Okay. We shouldn't float away if you two jump out now." He paused a moment. He should really keep looking for Lola. Assuming she made it out of the forest it would probably be a lot easier for a pony to find a griffin than a griffin to find a pony. That is assuming the pony didn't have a balloon. Maybe he should stay with it? And he had to thank these two properly as well. Perhaps a gift? "Sorry." he said as he leapt out of the balloon himself. "I would like to thank you but I really should be looking for..."
  21. "Uh, Thank you" he replied as he felt his cheeks reddening again. "It's easier when you have such a charming bartender." he never really had anyone chat him up like this. Nobody really in his species range back home. It felt a little awkward but he couldn't say he completely hated it either. "Griffin schools do go on a bit longer generally. I think basic pony schooling stops a year or two sooner. Still, I bet there are a lot things you know that I don't. Griffins tend to pass over the topics of magic and cutie marks." Sure he got a little home schooling in the subjects but he sometimes felt that neither of his parents were particularly good instructors. "So I'd say we're about even." "Special? Maybe. As far as I know my Grandfather tweaked a gold finding spell so it could find gems as well. As far as I know our family is the only one who uses this variation. Though I suppose there are other spells out there." he had heard of a few other spells before. Usually when his mother was trying to scope out new places to sell their products too. Though many unicorns carefully guarded their signature spells. It wouldn't make sense to just give those to the competition. "I'm not that great at the spell but since Sienna knows where the best tunnels are and Jill is great at digging it still works out. But I'm pretty sure my special skill isn't organization or anything like that. It just naturally came together since we were already friends."
  22. Actually. Skye mentioned steam. That makes me wonder if maybe they have developed the trains seen in 'over a barrel'. They wouldn't need them for personal transport but if they're working with all kinds of metal and ore they need to transport it somehow. Perhaps the train seen is a copy off the griffin one but without full understanding the Ponies could only pull the engine.
  23. We do have to make some assumptions though. Otherwise we wouldn't have Talonopolis and Rockwington. Also why does silver have to be worth less than gold? It all depends on what ponies/griffins agree its worth. But if you say that Gold needs to be worth more than silver then how about something else. Perhaps griffins already use paper money. Throw out some suggestions. We could just leave it vague for now but I think it makes sense that they would use different money. Just the fact that Ponies are led by Celestia and Griffins are led by the highest ranking families. Different systems of government would lend them to having different currencies.
  24. He thought to himself. While Blushroom was nice and probably one of the few ponies he could trust not to laugh at his ignorance he really should try and stay at the Gala. He hadn't introduced himself to Princess Celestia and even though he had never tried a donut he didn't have any money left. He had heard there was a buffet table somewhere but it must have been further in. He wished he could somehow be in two places at once. "I. Guess." he said unenthusiastically. He really wasn't too sure. Though maybe he could work out a way to see both Princesses tomorrow if he could get an audience. His ears perked a little. Maybe he could find some way to make up for his mistake. "Um. Do you mind if I make a quick stop by the inn I'm staying at? I want to grab a few things before we go there."
  25. Griffins sure are jerks aren't they? Lets have a suggestions thread about 'em. First you might want to check out a thread we had before the move: Lets Talk Griffins. There was a lot of good discussion there and I'd like to see that kind of interest rekindled. Now, this may seem self serving but I'd like to re-pitch my idea on Griffin money. I kind of sense a little lack of respect between the two. Although Griffins probably appreciate the whole raising the sun thing Celestia does they probably would like to maintain an independent currency. I was thinking since Bits were gold the griffin money could be Silver. I don't have a set name for them but just calling them 'silver' seems fine. Each coin would be a fair bit larger than a silver dollar and worth 8 bits on average. Since a lot of things are worth less than a whole coin its often split into pieces known as 'eighths', 'quarters', or 'halfs'. Hopefully I can get a little feedback on this.
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