Pennwick

"Oh? Its nothing." he said shaking his hoof chasing away the insect. "Just waiting." he hadn't even noticed her acting strange. He was too absorbed in his own thoughts. "Miss Luna, I mean Princess Luna seems nice." he tried to think of a way he could off hoofedly ask who this mysterious mare was without sounding too stupid. "I mean. WHO is she? Even Griffins know about Celestia, why haven't I ever heard of her? I must have seemed so ignorant." He let out an exasperated sigh. "Now that I think about it, should I even go and try to see Celestia. Are they any other realitives to worry about? Any princes I should know?" he paused. Maybe he just wasn't ready for something like this.

"Don't worry. Its so simple a pony can do it." He pointed up to the burner above. Two ropes and a chain hung down from above. "If we're flying level then you don't need to do anything. As the air cools we'll start to drop a little so just tug on this chain for a bit." he indicated the chain up above with a small handle for gripping onto. He slowly got to his feet and bit onto the end sending a blast of flame up into the envelope. "Like that. But not too long or we'll end up going to high." he shut his eyes. He was really just mimicking back what Monty had told him when he first took him up. He let out a long yawn. "If we're going up too fast tug on the long brown rope for a few seconds and let some air out. Leave the short red one alone though." He sat back down again. "If we start falling or the weather gets bad let me know, I guess." he yawned again. "But it should be easy." his eyes flicked as he sat in a half asleep stupor.

"Oh no. Its true. At least partially." he tapped his chin with his hoof. "I guess its more a difference in attitude. I can't really explain it. I've only seen it from my side myself and my friends tell me I'm pretty much half Griffin." He smiled. He assumed his friends were exaggerating but he felt like he got treated fair enough in town. "I suppose that's partially because my Grandfather insisted I go to school with them. My sister and I were the only ponies in the class. We didn't just learn how to think like Griffins we learned to be Griffins. Er. So to speak." He stopped for a moment when Martini started making the drink. It was impressive how she could maintain her balance while preforming magic like that. Whenever Ashton wanted to do a spell he pretty much had to stop moving and close his eyes. Being able to not only move freely but also to spin a bottle on her hoof was nothing short of amazing to him. "Wow." was all he could manage when she set down the drink. He tried taking a sip and coughed a little. Very different from what he just had. "I've never seen anything like that." "Too bad I never learned anything like that in class but I guess Griffins aren't know for Magical prowess." he sighed. Sometimes he thought it would have been nice to go to a pony school instead. Sure he learned a lot more about technology but maybe he would know more about magic if he had proper schooling. "Miss Lola didn't explain it to me. You might have to ask her. It could be somewhat secret for all I know. I'm guessing it stores the electricity and then somehow releases it when its triggered. It must be really new though. She's a Silverbeak and a scientist, she's going to have some things I've never even heard of." "Diamond dogs are a bit mix. Many are very pleasant. Two of my best friends are Diamond dogs. Others just want to keep to themselves. Some however, will use their knowledge of the tunnels and extort a 'toll' or worse." he grimaced a little. He had been caught more than once and forced to give up all of his gems that he had found. "Those types usually stay underground and don't go far from the caves. If you run into any in town they're probably friendly or just want to do some business." "Some can be a bit weird but the nice ones are pleasant enough. I do more working with them than Griffins. If I take both my friends with me we find so many more gems. Even after splitting it three ways we're each probably taking home more than four times what I could dig up on my own. The guide me through the tunnels, I find the gems, and then we dig. It works out well for everyone." Ashton beamed. He took a lot of pride in this arrangement. He could even bring home more gems than his Grandfather with this arrangement.

Ashtons ears drooped a little. He had been hoping to find out, maybe he could of sold his excess gemstones to them. However... "No. No I haven't." he could excuse himself this way. The Princess seemed nice enough but it was still awkward to address someone of such stature without knowing who they were. "Maybe I'll go try again now. There were quite a few ponies waiting earlier." He bowed again before starting to turn away. "It was a pleasure to meet you Princess Luna." He dropped his voice and whispered to Blushroom. "When you have a moment, would you?" He rounded a corner. He needed to know what he didn't know. Which was a lot. Hopefully Blushroom would soon follow and she could fill him in. If not maybe he could find out somehow tomorrow from somepony else. He felt a little pinch on his leg. He looked down. Apparently a small insect had jumped into it, and there was a light colored pony right behind it. "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm just waiting for someone."

"Right. Taking off." he called out before yawning himself. He turned the gas as high as it could go in order to clear the treeline before the wind blew them too much. His stomach lurched a little as he looked over the edge of the basket. He didn't want to think about falling again but the idea creeped up on him. He took a few deep breaths and turned away from the ground. 'I'll be fine. The weather is calm and Delios is here just in case. Pull yourself together.' Still looking down at the ground made him uneasy. He instead tried to focus on the land further ahead where the wind was carrying them to. They were a lot closer to Ponyville than he initially though. He had assume he had crashed in the middle of the forest but it looked more like only a mile or two from the edge. He squinted trying to look at the town. He thought he saw some movement but couldn't make anything out with the glare of the sun. He sat down in the basket and leaned up against the cargo. "Delios? Do you think you could watch for a bit? I feel like I'm going to fall asleep." He glanced around a bit. It looked like the Griffin preferred to fly alongside the balloon. Or perhaps they had jumped out during takeoff to increase lift. Either way they were no longer in the basket. "Er. Inkwell could you? Just let me know if we start falling or if the wind picks up okay." ((OoC: Buxy appears to be MIA again. I suggest pretending he's still there just flying alongside the balloon. If we get to Ponyville and we haven't heard from them we'll assume they went back to do one last look around Everfree for Lola.))

Though he tried to hide it Ashton was still confused. If she was Princess Celestia's sister why hadn't he heard of her. His sister had spent a few weeks in Canterlot 3 years back. She would have told him if there were two princesses. Even if she wasn't there at the time she would have at least heard about her right? 'I hope I'm not being forgetful.' He tried to smile. "Yes. It is... an honor to meet you." he mimicked Blushroom though the words felt hollow. It seemed as Blushroom was recovering Ashton was slipping. He tried to latch onto something to complement on without sounding like a fool. Gems, he could talk about that. Wasn't that initially what he wanted to ask her about? "Your jewelry goes very well with your dress Princess. You don't see pearls mixed with diamonds too often. Can I ask who did it?" Hopefully he could hold out a little longer before excusing himself. Maybe Blushroom could tell him how badly he messed up later.

"Oh no. I was born there." Ashton corrected. "My Mother, Sister, and I were all born in Rockwington. It was my Grandfather who did all the respect earning." He thought for a moment. Maybe that wasn't all true. He supposed he had earned a small part of it too. "That would be fine." He didn't really know the much about drinks so everything sounded equally foreign. He continued talking while she prepared it. "Some Griffins are pretty accepting though. Some of the Diamond Dogs are pretty nice too, if a little rough. And the rest of them aren't exactly mean. Most of them just don't think much of Ponies." It was a tricky subject. Hard to understand and harder to explain. "Which is too bad really, we could learn a lot from them. See that parasol Miss Lola has?" he said pointing back to the table he started at. "Shoots lightning. Its amazing. And anyone could use it. No complex spells or anything."

Ashton paused for a moment. He hadn't really connected the dots between Luna and that day the sun didn't rise. He guessed that would make sense, 'Luna, Lunar'. There was probably more to the story though. He doubted Princess Celestia would allow someone unstable and dangerous to freely wander. "Your forwardness?" Ashton didn't bother lowering his voice. "If anyone should be punished it would be me." He froze a moment realizing what he just said. Hopefully the Princess wouldn't take him up on that offer. "I mean. What I mean is you didn't do anything wrong." He turned to the princess and smiled awkwardly. He would have to remember to deliver a gift of apology tomorrow. "Correct Miss Lu... I mean Your Majesty? She hasn't done anything wrong."

"Dellios? I thought you had gone back or something when you didn't show up this morning." It would be good to have him around again. Not only was he more pleasant to be around than Lola it would help to have someone else who knew exactly what she looked like. "Its odd that neither of us have seen her though. Maybe she already made it to Ponyville. We got separated before I crashed. Maybe she though I made it through." He appraised the amount of room left trying to guess how much space there was before turning back to Cat Napper and Inkwell. "All 4 of us should fit. It'll be a little snug though. Personally I think if I sat down anyway I might fall asleep. If you want though you could sit on top of the balloon. I don't think the weight would be an issue." The fire was just embers now and the sun was barely visible over the tree line. He jumped into the basket and reignited the burner. He kept fiddling with the burner making sure things were all working. "Oh I almost forgot, this is Delios. He was with us at Rockwington and we hoped he could catch up with us."

((OoC: Ashton outright emptied his glass a few posts back. The glass isn't half full, its all empty.)) Ashton smiled warmly. It was nice to not have to talk about himself. He wasn't really too comfortable talking about himself. It felt strange to be discussing personal problems with a relative stranger. In any case that part of the conversation was over. He would much rather listen to Martini talk about her home. "That does sound nice." he closed his eyes trying to envision jungles and beaches. He couldn't really imagine endless water or being completely surrounded by trees but it still gave him a nice image. "I wish I could say the same about Rockwington. Don't get me wrong. The griffin artisans can make some amazing pieces of art and the University is breathtaking even if you can't afford to study there. Its just not the safest place if you're a pony. He eyed his empty glass. He wasn't sure what his tolerance level was. He didn't think he had too much but how would he know? It could explain his slip up earlier but still one more probably wouldn't hurt. "I uh. How about something else? I'm not really sure what to order though." Hopefully she would make a suggestion. He didn't really have any ideas or know the menu.

Ashton glanced away. 'Royalty? Maybe I shouldn't have did that.' It was too late to turn back now. She didn't seem upset that much or if she was she wasn't showing it. Either way he felt it could be a lot worse. Blushroom's reaction though, why was she so scared? Did she know something he didn't? After shaking her hoof he immediately sank into a short bow. "I'm sorry, we don't hear much about Canterlot in Rockwington." It was a poor excuse but truthfully he didn't really know who she was. In one of his sisters letter sshe had mentioned that a customer had seen another Princess in Ponyville but beyond her name he didn't know anything.

"Huh? What?" Ashton briefly resisted being guided to this other Unicus/Pegacorn. Talking to them could be interesting maybe it wouldn't hurt. How to address them was the question. He didn't want to undermine their status, nor did he want to appear submissive before someone even if they were high rank. Back home it took boldness to get ahead. He was never much good at that but he could try here. As he approached he inclined his head slightly in greeting. "Good evening." He raised his hoof again for a hoofshake. "I'm Ashton Stone. And you are?"

"Hmmm?" He turned to face the trio. It wasn't Celestia. He had glimpsed the princess in his moment spent in the Main Hall before it got to be too much for him. There was some resemblance though, even if just the horn and wings. Ask him to identify the top members of the Razorclaw, Goldplume, or Silverbeak family. That he could do. Equestrian nobles? Nope. Not a clue. He shook his head. "No idea. Does Princess Celestia have any relatives? That would be my guess." Her dress was quite stunning. Probably the best Ashton had seen all night. Then again he might be just admiring the jewelry which was top class. Each diamond shone like a little star. It was hard to get jewel to be so brilliant even in the dark. Maybe he would see if he could work up the courage to ask who did them.

A small gust tugged at the balloon momentarily distracting him. "That's okay. I'm not sure how close the wind should blow us to Ponyville but I'm guessing it won't be more than a mile from where we land. I'm still not quite sure where we are." He left the balloon half inflated and started piling his and Lolas things into the basket. It seemed like a lot for one griffin but perhaps all of it was science-y stuff like she claimed. He had been to the university a few times and what he had seen didn't exactly look portable. Hopefully nothing broke in the crash. One of the cases sounded like it was full of broken glass. Hopefully she could replace whatever it was. Everything else seemed intact. He finally put his own bags in as well and checked the sky. He couldn't see the sun yet but a warm glow was coming from the east. In a few hours it would probably be morning. The pegasi still seemed to be working on their painting. He sat down next to the balloon finally able to relax. "Whenever you two are ready we can get going."

Ashton turned to face the other pony. He hadn't really be expecting a response. Being lost in the garden he had only stepped around her out of reflex. Looking again she was quite 'interesting' looking. He wasn't exactly that familiar with fashion but he thought the ensemble looked nice but the natural materials made him wonder if such a dress could stay together for more than one night before decaying. Still it was very pretty. "Oh!?" he replied still a little surprised. "My Name is Ashton. From Rockwington." he extended his hoof for a brief hoofshake. He was a little intimated himself but as long as it was one Earth Pony he told himself he could get through it. Maybe he could try complementing her or something. He wasn't much good at pony pleasantries. "Your dress looks very nice. Did you make it yourself?" EDIT: Changed to so he actually says something beyond a very brief introduction. Otherwise the entire conversation might consist of nervously staring at each other.

'Ugh, glad to be out of there.' It was just too much for Ashton. So many ponies. If he took all the ponies he had ever met before leaving home he would still only have a small fraction of number in the main hall. Even if he knew anyone there there would be no way to pick them out of the crowd. So many ponies it made him feel ill, like he had a knot in his stomach. He wondered if he would be so intimidated if they were Griffins or was it the sheer numbers getting to him. And the clothes. He felt terribly under-dressed. He had only brought a simple collar he had managed to improve a bit with a set of silver and amethyst pins. These ponies on the other hand had lovely dresses and fine suits. Even if he had known he would be going to something like this he wouldn't have been able to get anything of this caliber in Rockwington. Out here at least things seemed to be quieter. A few ponies here and there, and an amazing garden. He had never seen anything close to this. All the gardens back in Rockwington had to conserve their water and usually grew in stone planters. Here everything felt to natural and alive. And the animals too, he had never seen so many in one place. There were even these little blinking bugs he had never seen before. He had to restrain himself from chasing after them like a foal. He normally wasn't this playful but there were just so many wonders here he couldn't help it. He was far too distracted to watch where he was going. He nearly collided with a Earth Pony who had stopped in the middle of the path. He carefully stepped around pony careful not to tread on her nature themed dress. "Excuse me."

"I'm sorry if that seemed a little dull. Maybe once we get in the air I can tell you about the time my sister and I were captured by Diamond Dogs, or the time my Grandfather walked from Roughrider to a small cave near Canterlot without ever coming to the surface." Ashton kept working on the stitching. Things were coming together. The large gash seemed solid enough. He responded as he went over his work testing the seams. "Actually there was a pony we were supposed to meet here. I think his name was Mr. Breezy. Monty said he would be able to help us inflate the balloon if we stopped in Ponyville. I was going to try there." one of the patches came loose. He would have to redo it when he was done. "I'm sure she can handle herself though. She seemed very well prepared, she even had a parasol that shot lightning. Quite impressive. I'm sure she's fine." He picked up the needle and re-mended the last hole. He packed what was left of the repair kit and started the long process of inflating the balloon. "This'll probably take a while but if you like I could give you a ride to Ponyville. I'd rather not stay in the forest."

((OoC: He was irked about you questioning his desire to be a jeweler. Not asking about his cutie mark. He defines himself by being part of his family business like many griffins. To him it was an insult to imply that he wasn't meant to be a jeweler.)) "Thank you for saying that. The more I think about it, its probably a manner of scope. To broad or narrow." the fact that she didn't fully understand it either made him feel a bit better. "Maybe I can find some expert in Canterlot. It wasn't really something I could work out with my friends considering none of them have cutie marks themselves." He took a bite out of his sandwich that he had almost forgotten. "And thank you for promising to keep it secret. It means a lot." He took a bite out of his sandwich that he had almost forgotten. Now that they seemed to have exhausted that line of conversation he wasn't sure what topic to discuss next. What do ponies talk about? "You said you were from Gallopus Island? What is it like there?"

Ashton checked over his work carefully. He had managed to patch all the small holes but some of the stitching looked a little lose. Maybe he should redo some of them. He wouldn't want any to come undone in the air. Falling again would be 'unpleasant'. He wondered how did Monty do it without m'agic. 'Probably practice with a needle. Talons are useful for that sort of thing.' "Oh?" he dropped his thread. He couldn't work magic and talk at the same time very well. "Its not really all that exciting. I was planning on leaving home and becoming a Journeypony for a while now but unless I wanted to walk through the swamps to Fillydelphia I didn't have many options. I got lucky. Miss Silverbeak and Delios needed something to help carry their things." he gestured to the pile of baggage a short distance from the fire. "They agreed to take the balloon and myself to Canterlot. Really I was just in the right place at the right time asking the right question. Yesterday we went as far as Bareback and today we were planning to get as far as Canterlot since the wind was favorable. You see how that turned out..." "Once I get this balloon patched up I plan on stopping in Ponyville. Hopefully I can find Miss Silverbeak there. From there its on to Canterlot. Hopefully I can find a job there or in Ponyville. Otherwise I might head to Fillydelphia." He started hunting around for his dropped needle. If he kept at it he might be able to finish in an hour. Then he could start inflating the balloon, or pass out. Now that he thought about it he had been up since dawn and the morning was only a few hours away. Now that annoying buzz he felt whenever he used magic was keeping him awake and alert but once they were up in the air he hoped he wouldn't fall asleep. He would have to try and keep it together. Considering what he had heard about this forest he'd rather not stay the night even in this clearing.

((OoC: Glad to have you back Meow! I'm actually considering requesting permission to change Ashton's mark. I wanted to imply that he refines things. Such as cutting a gem or polishing a finished piece of jewlery. I didn't want to resort to using a jar of polish or a generic gemstone but showing the raw material doesn't really express the right idea as much as I hoped.)) Her words offered a bit of relief to him. Maybe his inability to do magic wouldn't stand out as much. Or at least maybe he could hide it until he figured out what his problem was. He just had to hope that he wouldn't embarrass his family too much. "It IS a little personal, yes." he replied curtly. "I am a jeweler because I want to be a jeweler. Its as simple as that." Even if he didn't feel his work was up to his Grandfathers standards didn't mean it wasn't what he was meant to do. On his good days he could make a piece he could be proud to sell. "Besides, isn't it natural to want to follow in your parents hoofsteps?" "I... Guess I could explain it. I've never really been asked by another pony before." Now that he thought about it besides his family and close Griffin and Diamond Dog friends he probably had never told the story to anybody. "It was a few years back, pretty early in spring I think. My Mother was taking my sister and I along with her to gather raw gems from the caves. Its pitch black inside so my sister and I had to keep up with her. In one of the deeper caverns we found a huge amount of Prasiolite. I mean green quartz. Crystal-wise they weren't that great. They were all spotty and foggy. The thing that made them special is that they were glowing brightly enough to light up the room. Sometimes you can find glowing rocks in the caves. If you break them off they stop glowing after a few seconds so we don't collect them. Usually though its just a crystal or two and they don't cast enough light to read by but in that chamber it was practically daylight. Well if the sun was green that is." "Our mother decided we could take a break there. Take inventory, give her horn a rest, that sort of thing. Unfortunately I lost track of her. I guess I was too absorbed in the rocks. By the time I realized what happened she was long gone. I really should have just stayed put but I figured that she only could have gone one way since there were only two tunnels leading in and out so I went out into the dark after her. From there I can't really tell you what happened. I know the paths branched a few times and that at some point I fell down a steep slope. When I tried to find my way back to the green chamber I just got more lost and ended up twisting my hoof." "From that point on I just stayed where I was. I didn't exactly have much choice at that point. I felt horrible. I didn't know which was worse. The fact that nobody would probably ever find me or the fact I had gotten myself in this mess. At some point, probably hours after I got lost, I took out my polishing kit and a few stones my mother had given me to carry. I couldn't really do that good of job in the dark but I guess I found it calming. As sappy as it sound cleaning the dirt away felt like cleaning my worries away. At least at the moment." "I must have calmed myself down enough to fall asleep at some point because my Grandfather tells me he found me asleep in the cave. It wasn't until we actually left the caves that I woke up. It was just around noon of the next day. I'd been missing for almost 24 hours. I slept most of the way back home and I didn't even notice until then that I had gotten my cutie mark." "I guess it was probably the polishing but that seems a bit narrow doesn't it? Just polishing and cleaning? That's why I'm trying to learn as much as I can and be a real jeweler like my Mother and Grandfather." he finished. "I mean having clean gems is good and all but its not what makes it a great jewel in the first place, is it?"

Ashton picked up the rope again. "'hat should do et." He gave a few more strong tugs pulling it a bit further each time until the whole thing unceremoniously fell to the ground with a thump. Pulling the balloon flat he hoped there would be enough supplies to fix it. Aside from the large gash there were a number of small holes. He knew how to do a little sewing. Enough to mend but it would definitely take time. He turned to the Unicorn who seemed a little more attentive at the moment. "Okay. I think I can do this. I should be able to stitch it together in a hour or two. Thank you again for your help." he inclined his head to the other pony. He nosed through the bags until he found the kit again and got to work. Light was a bit of an issue but nothing too much of a problem for him. Not anymore difficult than finding gems with only a lantern to light the caves. Though then he typically didn't need to work with a tiny needle he kept dropping. Progress was being made. It was ugly progress but it should hold. At least it would until it could get proper repairs in Canterlot.

((OoC: What I was trying to get accross is Ashton is poor at all kinds of magic. His spells often fizzle or weaken and he has immense difficulty learning any new spells. He is effectively magically 'challenged'.)) "Thats not quite it." he responded. He felt like he was repeating himself. Maybe he wasn't being clear enough. "I can hardly do ANY magic. I hear so much about Canterlot I'm afraid that I'll embarass myself or my family." he sighed. "I don't really want to go there, its just thats where the balloon is going. I was hoping to go to Phillydelphia or Ponyville first." "I'm Ashton. Ashton Stone. My family owns a jewlerly store in Rockwington." He paused. It was wierd for her to be so friendly. Were all ponies out east like this? And what is my special talent? It seemed a strange thing to ask. It was a bit of an uncofortable subject. His Grandfather had always told him that his mark indicated he would be a great jewler but he never felt all that great. The forge made him nervious, he couldn't engrave, and his designs were uninspired. But his whole life was jewlery and his Jet mark reinforced that. "I guess. Its jewlery." he replied with no ethusiasm. He felt frusterated not being able to give a proper awnser. She seemed to be almost asking hard questions on purpose.

((OoC: I'm passing. Ashton doesn't have anything to add. He has a knife but even if you asked he wouldn't let you use it to cut the branch. I'll probably end up going after CatNapper posts. However here is a little more information on the clearing. Its about 150 feet (Hooves?) across and almost perfectly circular. Other than the grass and a few flowers not much grows in the clearing. In the middle is a gigantic stump. Its probably about 20 feet across. It was originally planted 1100 years ago, give or take a decade. At that point the forest hadn't reached the area yet. That occurred closer to 300-400 years ago. Due to the shade the immense tree provided (and possibly some magical influence as well) not many other trees grew in the area so this circle stayed clear of the forest. Sometime not too long after its thousandth birthday the tree was cut down (Likely by somepony following an old legend) Since then the stump has slowly began rotting away and the forest has slowly began closing in as well. In another hundred years this clearing will probably just be another patch of forest. ))

There were two benefits to having an orange coat such as his. One was that he blended in nicely in the reddish orange canyon rocks. Being able to camouflage easily was a great boon when trying to avoid those that might try and rob or extort you. Second it made his blush less visible. "No... I mean. I need the basics." he bit at his lip a little. "I can't do the spells my Grandfather tries to teach me. Even the finding spell I can't get to work without a sample. My sister mastered it in a month. I haven't gotten it in years." He wasn't quite sure why he kept going. He didn't really have a reason to share with this Unicorn. "I try not to pick up anything fragile because I'm afraid I'll drop it. I've lost count of how many dishes I've shattered." Ugh. He must sound like an idiot. Like a lame Griffin who couldn't fly. Somehow though he felt a little better. Even if she thought he was pathetic it felt good to tell someone. He tried to smile a little. Even if things went badly he would know what to expect in Canterlot then. He rubbed his face with his hooves. "I'm sorry, I'm just really nervous. If I had talons I could count the number of ponies I know on them." He sighed. "Maybe, something else. I don't know." He must seem like a terrible patron. Maybe he should have just stayed with the balloon.

He had to admit he was a little impressed. He had always assumed that Pegasi were much weaker than Griffins. Actually he had been a bit confused on how they could fly with such tiny wings. This one however had made a good effort to remove the balloon on her own. He glanced over her as he snuffed the lamp to conserve oil. She looked fine. Just worn out. "You did well." he offered. He gripped one of the ropes attached to the canopy in his mouth. "You," he said indicating Inkwell. "giv me a and ere." One or two good pulls could probably do it. The balloon would be a mess but he could probably straighten it out.