Pennwick

Ashton sighed lightly. Maybe he was being stupid, letting it get to him. She was being friendly enough. "Really? That sounds. Nice." She sounded earnest but he couldn't really believe anything like a city could be called 'breathtaking'. He supposed he would find out in the next few days. "Why now? I guess I've been always busy learning from and helping my Parents and Grandparents. Right now we're a little ahead so I'm taking the chance to get away from home for a while." he took another drink. He was a little uncomfortable talking about himself. Talking to this pony who was clearly adept at her job made him feel unskilled. "I wonder if I can find a tutor in Canterlot." he covered his mouth with his hoof realizing he had said the last bit out loud. He drained his glass and hoped she hadn't noticed.

"There was a bit of a storm before. Bizarre really, no rain or anything, just wind." He wondered if this was something that happened often in Everfree. He never heard of a storm like this back home. "Anyways, after I lost track of Miss Silverbeak I tried to land the balloon this clearing. I thought I was going to make it but then I fell just before the balloon touched down." "You haven't seen haven't seen her have you? Griffin, pinkish, carries a parasol? No?" He wasn't too surprised. If she hadn't seen the balloon Lola probably would have gone straight to Ponyville or Canterlot. He was a little surprised that they offered to help so readily. He hadn't even asked for assistance yet. He had planned on working it into the conversation later. Offering them a ride to Ponyville if they helped. He went over to his bags. "That would be great. I was going to try and pull it down myself in the morning but... he pulled out a dissembled oil lantern and pieced it together. It didn't give off all that much light but maybe it could help. He offered it to the Pegasi "If you can get it on the ground I can take care of any holes while you sketch." "My name is Ashton by the way. Or just Ash."

Ashton snapped back awake. He had been starting to nod off without noticing. He quickly whipped his head around looking for who had called out. He was rather surprised when he spotted the ponies. He had expected if any help were to arrive it would be from above the canopy. To him the forest seemed impossible to navigate. Maybe he was closer to town than he thought. "Mostly!" Ashton called back. "But the balloon... Not so much." He inclined his head toward the brown blob snagged on the tree. "Its stuck in the tree and I think there might be a hole somewhere." He squinted. He had been staring into the fire too long. He noticed the wings on the pale pegasi. Maybe they would be willing to help. He waved the over to the fire and put another heavy branch on.

Ashton watched over the forest for any clearing to land but the constant lurching of the balloon made him hesitant to poke his head out over the edge. Ashton cowered as a strong gust sent the balloon spinning further off course. This time when he looked over the edge he couldn't even spot Lola. He could however make out what appeared to be a clearing in the direction the wind was roughly pushing the balloon. He immediately pulled the valve to release as much hot air as possible. Too much! From his perspective it looked like he would crash into the trees at this rate. He tried to ignite the burner but another push knocked him off his hooves. Before he could recover a sudden lateral gust from the rear knocked the basket sideways dislodging occupants and cargo. Free of some weight the balloon slowed it decent and sank into the forest. [Ended] ((OoC: Somepony please join the crash thread. Ashton is so lonely.))

I honestly find the technological inconsistency charming. Plus if fuels my desire to cross Ponies and Fallout. A restored world with gaps in technology. I would like to see a few more male ponies though. Mac, Breezy and 'Quills 'n Sofa' are great but I'd like to see more. As much as I hated Snips and Snails at their first appearance their magic act in Show Stoppers made me consider them as characters I'd like to see more of. That and the air time needs to change. Thought that doesn't affect me. I never watch it at airtime anyway.

"I know what Microbursts are." he lied. He wasn't even really thinking about what he was saying. He just wanted to get on the ground. He felt helpless up in the air. If something like that hit them the balloon would go down for sure. "Sure, yeah. I'm not going anywhere." he said shakily. The balloon lurched again and Ashton wished he had talons to grip with. He dropped into the basket so he couldn't see the ground any more.

'Won't do me any good just sitting here.' Ashton thought to himself. Still it was quite the decision. Things didn't seem so bad right now but he was willing to be that as soon as the sun went down the forest would seem less hospitable. Getting out with the balloon would be best but rushing to get it loose could damage it further and he doubted he could do a good job patching it in the dark. Setting up for the night and working in the morning might be safer. He settled on the second option. He doubted he could bring down the balloon without tearing a gash in it. Plus if he started a fire maybe Delios, Lola, or somebody else might notice. Then again he had no way of knowing if they had been blown off track or how deep in the forest he was. Regardless he started foraging for materials. Fortunately Ashton didn't need to stray far to find firewood. As soon as he left the clearing dead branches could be found anywhere. He grabbed what he could and dumped it near the balloon before venturing out again. By the third load it was getting dark. He thought he had more time maybe he had been out longer than he thought. At least it seems he had made the right decision. He cleared a small ring and set up the fire to the best of his ability. Grabbing the matches from the balloon he struck one and set it against the tinder. It gave off a few hopeful sparks and went dead. An embarrassing number of matches later a piece of wood finally caught alight and he had a small fire going. He sat down and warmed his hooves a little. The sun had set half an hour ago and the only light was coming from the fire and the stars. To his benefit the fire was actually quite bright casting a glow around the clearing. Even it couldn't pierce the forest though. He could swear he felt eyes watching him. He hoped that if anything was out there it didn't eat ponies. He floated another log on and went over to his thing and grabbed a bag. Opening it he munched on some of the trail mix he had packed as he sat next to the fire. He felt tiered but he needed to stay up. At least for a while longer.

((OoC: Just a small note. Unless otherwise stated Ashton doesn't use magic. I think the only thing he's used it for since arriving is for eating the sandwich)) He hadn't even noticed her falter. He was far too tense to pick up on that. Not only was the waitress rather attractive but she was also a Unicorn like himself. Gallopocous? He had heard the name somewhere before. Something his Grandfather had ordered once? Some material maybe, but he had no idea where it was on the map. He hoped it was a little obscure and he wasn't just stupid. His ears drooped a little but he tried to keep smiling. Now that he thought of it, it was rather silly to assume she would be from Canterlot. There was more to Equestria than just Fillydephia and Ponyville. "Me? No." he replied, "I'm from Rockwington, going to Canterlot." He tentatively took a sip of his drink. It was a lot softer than he expected* though he couldn't say he cared for the taste all that much. Reminded him of strong cranberry juice. "I just don't really know what to expect when I get there. Its supposed to be the 'city of magic' and everything." He took another gulp. *Ashton has a bit of an 'experience' in the past; Be wary if your Diamond Dog friend offers you alcohol they nicked from their father. Doubly so if it appears to be stored in a jar normally used for preserves. It's probably best NOT to drink it.

((OoC: The location of the clearing is actually not that deep within the forest. A few miles at most. However Ashton doesn't know this. It would be difficult to have seen the balloon go down. You would either have to be quite keen eyed or already close to the edge of the forest.)) "Nnngh." Ashton flopped over onto his stomach. Everything ached. Nothing felt broken though, so that was a small bit of luck. For falling out of a hot air balloon he did pretty well. At least the sudden wind that had brought the balloon down seemed to have calmed. He shook his head and pulled himself to his feet, surveying the area. The glade was oddly less 'wild' than the surrounding area. Instead of the gnarled trees that were found in the rest of the forest a dense grass grew. A few smaller saplings looked like they were coming up but it would be many, many years before they grew into anything resembling a tree of the Everfree. Oddly enough a behemoth stump sat in the dead center of the clearing. Nose to tail it had to be five or six times his length across. Ashton was a little saddened, it would have been amazing to see such a tree, though judging by the decay it must have been cut down decades if not centuries ago. Hardly anything was left, if it had been any smaller it probably would have rotted away entirely. The hot air balloon lay on the far side of the clearing. The basket. Despite having capsized him and the cargo moments before 'landing' itself looked to be in decent condition. Dirty yes, damaged no. The envelope however was a bit worse off. Tangled in a particularly spiteful looking tree Ashton was willing to wager that there would be at least one hole that required patching. Not to mention without wings or magic it would be a long task to get the balloon down to repair it. The tree, devoid of leaves, seemed to be leering at him. He slowly started gather things up and look for the toolkit. Thankfully his bags of gemstones hadn't opened and nothing appeared to be damaged. He dumped them by the stump. As a precaution he slipped into his knife belt*, normally he'd already be wearing it but since he didn't need to carry anything this morning when he left he never put it or his saddlebags. He started gathering Lola's things as well. Even if they weren't on the best of terms he wasn't just going to dump her luggage in the forest. One of her cases had broken open, the latch damaged. Ashton gathered the things up as best he could and stuffed them back inside. As he did, he glimpsed himself in one of her hand-mirrors. He was quite a mess. Grass stains all over his body and his mane was a mess. He laughed a little. If she were here in the same condition she'd probably be trying to straighten her feathers. Maybe that was a little harsh. She was fussy but still a hard worker. It would be nice to have her around right now. He turned to the balloon. He had to decide to either set up camp here or try and get the balloon in working condition. Trying to get to Ponyville on foot was out of the question. He had no idea how long it would take and what he would run into. At least here he couldn't see any monsters. He sat down in the grass. He needed to decide quickly though. It was starting to get to be late afternoon. *I used belt for lack of a better word. Its more just a simple harness that is designed so Ashton can conceal a knife under his saddlebags. Rockwington and the canyon can be pretty rough so its best to be prepared, just in case.

"Microbursts?.." he asked. He was about to accuse her of making words up when the balloon lurched again. Maybe he was just forgetting things. He always skipped class on flying days. Not much point for a pony without wings. He hung onto the edge of the basket, looking out over the forest. "We should land but I don't see anywhere." He scanned the area below him but nothing looked suitable. There were a few small clearings but there would be no real way to get into them without risk of crashing. Maybe a professional could but he was just a novice when it came to ballooning.

"Thank you" Ashton said as the hostess set the plate of sandwiches in front of him. The looked delicious, either Miss Sterling was a fair chef in her own right or he was hungrier than he thought he was. Either way his mouth was soon full of sandwich. When Lola introduced him he almost interjected but stopped. There was no reason to get upset, it wouldn't do him any good. Besides, his mouth was full. He really just wanted to talk to someone else for a change. He was in the balloon all day with Lola and it would be the same thing tomorrow. Lola seemed to be monopolizing the conversation here. He swallowed and moved his untouched wine glass to his plate next to the remaining sandwich. "Excuse me." he stated as he stood up. He picked up his plate and moved to the bar. Ashton set down his plate spilling a little of the full glass onto his sandwich. He tried to get the attention of the bartender. Maybe he could get some answers from her. "Excuse me." he asked in a poor imitation of confidence, "Are you from Canterlot?"

'Unlikely.' Ashton thought to himself as she left to check the inn. He wasn't going to object. Having her out of his mane for a while would be a welcome change. 'This is stupid.' She isn't being outwardly mean or rude. Maybe all high class Griffins were like that. If the amount really was small in comparison to what she had then he couldn't really complain. Still it rubbed him the wrong way. He hoped Delios would show up. He was visibly disappointed when she came back alone. He responded with an indifferent "Alright." He leaped into the basket while he waited for her to board. Turning up the gas the balloon quickly rose into the air. As soon as the appeared to be at a comfortable altitude Aston began nosing through his things. He wanted something to occupy himself with before she started talking about Magic or the Forest again.

"I'll be fine. Please, don't worry about me. he replied. He was becoming a little irritated with the Griffin. Maybe it was because he was nursing a bit of a headache but he couldn't help feeling like she was talking down to him. He was a little stiff after yesterday's journey but its not as if she had dragged him along. He had known what he was getting into when he initially asked Monty to take him. He wasn't going to let something like a little stiffness bother him. Griffins that we're like that were sometimes more bothersome than those that outright scorned them. You could easily ignore those with practice. With those that pitied you they still placed themselves above you but you're forced to act grateful. He hoped Delios would show up soon.

"Haven't seen Delios this morning. Didn't see him at all yesterday either after we got here actually. Did he even check in?" Hadn't he mentioned something about finding a cloud or cave? Hopefully he had caught that Lola was paying for their rooms. "Thank you again for covering the room. I can't believe that I didn't bring along more bits." He was a little confused with her generosity. He wouldn't be able to help her much with her research. He hoped his didn't come off as someone who could tell her all about magic. He nodded. "It will take a while. Monty mentioned a Mr. Breezy in Ponyville but we might not even be stopping there." He checked to make sure the balloon was secured as he kept the flame aimed properly. He wanted to see what Lola was writing in her notebook but he felt it would be rude to ask. Plus he was busy with the balloon he couldn't just leave it.

Jeez, StrawberryBlossom, way to make the best post in the thread. How is anyone supposed to compete with that. But this episode has got me thinking. I'm sure a lot of characters have Cutie Mark stories like these but unless we talk to the Crusaders in the RP its unlikely that we'll ever share them. Perhaps a compendium should be made to post them in. Though I can't really think of an in character reason to do so.

Ashton trotted out of the inn with his mouth still full of muffin. Still very early he couldn't even make the sun out from between the mountains to the east, though a glow could clearly be seen from that direction. 'Maybe its a little too early?' he mused to himself as he crossed to the far east side of town where he had landed the balloon yesterday. He tossed the bags that he had brought with him into the basket and started getting the balloon ready for todays trip. The dull envelope was slick with water. It would take a while to inflate the balloon. Perhaps he should have taken care of it better last evening. It would be very difficult to make it to Canterlot before evening. A strong wind was blowing towards the forest though, maybe they could still make the trip in one day. Though only if his companions showed up early enough.

Ashton grinned a little at her correction. Many of his friends back home made the same errors. He was quite used to it. He was however a little irked with her half ordering for him. While he was hungry, he could order for himself. He hoped the Griffin didn't see him as a creature that needed to be cared for. Griffins like that were almost as bad as those who looked down on them directly. He tried to not let it get to him. Maybe they were just trying to be courteous. "I would, like something. he replied, perhaps a little forcefully. "but there isn't any rush." he added. He didn't really have any plans afterward. He could probably idle the rest of the day away in here. He glanced around the room without saying anything more.

He brought the balloon down further aiming for what looked like a open spot on the far side of town. His eyes glazed a little as Lola listed off the creatures seen in the forest. She talked more than any Griffin he knew. Though maybe it was the subject that made it seem seem boring. He couldn't count himself interested in Magic or dangerous creatures. He grew up among dangerous creatures, at least they were dangerous relative to a pony. Maybe it was a high class thing? And magic, ugh. He hadn't thought about it much before he had left but how would he look to other Unicorns. Sure he could move some things around and find gems but he always felt like a bit of a magical runt. He couldn't lift anything heavier a saddlebag full of gems and even that was strenuous. He couldn't even learn his grandfathers engraving technique. Even his sister had figured out how to make some basic shapes when she was his age. Ashton couldn't even manage a scribble. It didn't help that there wasn't much options for tutoring. In Canterlot they studied magic their whole lives. They had wonderful schools. His ears drooped. Even their foals could probably out-magic him. Maybe he wouldn't go with the others all the way to Canterlot. Maybe he'd just stay in Ponyville. He heard that there were mostly Earth Ponies there. He'd fit in better. A loud sputter from the burner snapped him back to what he was supposed to be focusing on. He had overshot his mark and they were coming in plenty fast. The basket hit the ground with an audible 'THUMP', jarring everyone aboard. One of Ashton's bags tipped over spilling its gems. "I'm. I'm sorry." he murmured as he scooped his rubies back into the bag. "I wasn't thinking." "I'll clean this up and take care of the balloon if you two want to go ahead. It shouldn't take long. If you find a place to stay let me know. Otherwise I'm sure we can find each other." ((OoC: We would be kind of splitting up here but since there's only one thread in the region we'll probably all end up at the Rhinestone Quarry for some reason or other. As for the balloon I'm figuring that it would be fine just to leave it deflated. Normally it would be packed and folded but if we're leaving the next morning it's seems not too unreasonable just to leave it out. Also for the next threads of this adventures location I suggest we stick it in the Everfree forest region since we'll be 'landing' there, even if only for a while.)) ((OoC2: Buxy seems to be taking a while. I'm going to go ahead and post in the Rhinestone Quarry thread. Hopefully it doesn't cause any issues.))

((OoC: Other than a somewhat rough landing I didn't have any plans. Bags spilling, rope jumbled, that sort of thing. If we're going to be dropping in the forest however we might as well skip the lesser mishap. Can always combine it with our later troubles. I also apologize if my posts seem a little short. I have a bit of trouble embellishing my dialog.)) Ashton put his hooves on the edge of the basket and could barely make out the small town of Bareback Gulch. He took another peek at the map that they had been given. "Maybe if the wind is good tomorrow and we get an early start we can make the rest of the trip in one day." He pulled the release valve letting some of the air out of the balloon, starting their decent.

Ashton pushed around the supplies that Monty had packed earlier. Tucked behind his bags he found a number of sturdy, if slightly heavy, coils of rope for guiding the balloon. He looped his hoof through one and offered it to Dellios. "There should be some rings to tie it to about halfway up the balloon." He briefly glanced at the other ropes. Should he offer one to Lyra as well? Dellios seemed like he was going to do it. If he remembered right the balloon was designed for two pegasi to pull so maybe one Griffin could do it. He wasn't sure how much stronger a Griffin was compared to a Pegasus. ((OoC: What exactly is our plan when we reach Bareback Gulch? Do we make another thread and post there for a while? Perhaps we invade other threads for a week or so? I don't have much experience with an RP like this.))

While Lola was talking about Unicorn magic. He didn't seem too comfortable with the subject. He thought Lyra's parasol was amazing but he didn't want to discuss magic or other Unicorns. "Of course." he replied after she finished. He never really could get his head around the system of Griffin families but he had no reason to reveal what she had said. Not that it would probably matter. He suspected that the Razorclaws wouldn't pay much heed to whatever a Unicorn said. The balloon was starting to slow down and drift higher in the air. If Ashton remembered correctly soon they would need to guide the balloon to a favorable current to keep going. He wished he remembered more about air currents but being earthbound most of his life it didn't come up all that often. ((OoC: Normally I'd say don't worry about posting too much. I love having a lot to reply to, but since we're going to be traveling for a while still maybe it would be best to save some of it for day 2 of our travel. As for guiding the balloon it doesn't need to go far but its a hefty object to pull. It'll probably only take 15 minutes or so of work but if only one Griffin is pulling it will probably be quite tiring.))

"I see." he said a little flatly. It was odd of them to say it that way. He felt the gap between ponies and griffins wasn't all that odd. Maybe he was just used to it. He took a peek over the edge again. They were starting to cross the desert. He decided to change the subject. "So are you going to be staying long in Canterlot? I don't think I could afford to stay there more than a night or two. Just long enough to sell some pieces and then I'll probably look for a place to stay in Trottingham or Ponyville."

"Its hard to say really." he said with a shrug. It was a bit of a complex issue. He could never keep up with all the customers like his father did. He usually stayed in back polishing the gems or helping his Mother and Grandfaher. Sometimes he went out with one to collect stones from the canyon but he never did much work behind the register. "We don't go in Talonopolis, no, but every now and then somegriffin comes in and buys a mess of gems. Maybe some are getting resold there. Oh, and every now and then my Grandfather gets a special order for a custom gem or engraving. A few of those might come from Talonopolis too, though we don't make a habit of asking." He paused for a bit. "... but it works out alright I guess. Between the griffin's from Rockwington and the orders my sister makes plus the occasional bulk request from the Diamond dogs we have plenty of customers." The truth of the matter was that Ashton was felt little bored at time. Hardly any gems came back for cleaning or maintenance and that's what he excelled at. "What about yourselves? Are you both scholars?"

He was little surprised. He always figured griffins would be able to go anywhere anytime. He always wondered where he would go if he had wings. Maybe it wasn't so easy. "Yeah. Its either through the mountains and desert or the swamp. There isn't any easy route is there?" He turned back to the other Griffin. "Huh? Oh, we're Jewelers." He pulled one of his bag bags out indicating the mark on his bag. "You would be surprised the gems you can find in the canyon. Mostly rubies but there's a little of everything."

((OoC: I did a little more research on ballooning. Its much more complicated than I thought. Hopefully in the ponyverse its a bit easier. Having wings on two of the passengers probably helps as well. As for the dead air, I don't make any claims about knowing how wind really works. I'm just hazarding a guess that it might work similarly to sea/land winds. You'd only have to tow a short while (30 minutes or so?) before finding a new wind.)) "... if you forget anything there are some books packed with the engines." Monty finished. For some reason he felt that things would turn out alright. If the worst happened and they lost the balloon he could always ask the Silverbeaks and Stonecutters to cover it. He hoped. Rockwington was slowly dipping under the horizon. "I have to get back. I have other orders to work on. I hope your trip goes well." He smiled a little nervously then dove out of the basket and started a long glide back to town. Ashton peered over the edge. They were high up. REALLY high up, or rather it seemed high to him. He couldn't be sure. If there wasn't such a study barrier between him and the drop he'd probably be a wreck. He looked out again. "So have either of you been to Canterlot before? I've never been further than Neighples."