SunsetSombra

Well, this had turned out interesting - she pondered whether or not pinchy had any idea what the entire deal of this line was, but dismissed it quickly...Pinchy wasn't really into the whole romantic or even kissy scene yet, so it seemed doubtful that she'd be here for the same reasons most other ponies were.

Of course, she could see that the filly was next to the princess in line - the initial shock of Celestia's presence had almost worn off somewhat on the mare, but she knew that this would possibly be a moment that the youngster would remember for a long time. She curses herself somewhat for not having brought a camera with her, but decided that perhaps that was for the best...clearly the princess was already far too busy in conversation to even remotely have time for a picture from a silly mother pony like her...but there WAS always Pinchy!

" PINCHY - SAY HELLO TO THE PRINCESS! " Berry called out loudly, waving back at her young impressionable filly. " YOU MAY NOT GET THIS CHANCE AGAIN! "

Well, she may not be right there beside her silly daughter, but Berry knew that. at the very least, Pinchy would listen to her and perhaps make the best of this before the moment passed!

Berry had heard something of a rather weird situation surrounding the princess and a few ponies...something about a rather off base remark had ticked off the royal presence and made those in the line up ahead a little anxious - the earth pony mare gave a small frown and shook her head...Royalty were there to be respected, not speculated or rumored about. She had every mind to go out there and give some ponies a real piece of her mind, but that would probably have come at the loss of her place in line, and that wasn't something she was prepared to put herself through, no matter how righteous or just it might have been to do so. Besides, it really wasn't any of her business and she'd only heard bits and pieces of what was going on...the last thing she wanted to do was charge ahead of herself, lose her place in line AND make herself look an utter idiot in the process...no, no she was safer and better off staying right where she was.

She peered ahead a little and blinked - a familiar young filly was within looking distance...Ruby had made her way into the line, it seemed, and was also here for the offer....well, that was a little unexpected, but it was up to her what she did with her pocket bits. However, Berry instinctively knew that she still had to do what any good nosy parent would do in her position - and that was to completely alert Pinchy to her presence mere meters away in the line!

" YOOOHOOO! " Berry calls out, raising a hoof for the young filly to see...not even taking note of who else would notice. " Piiiiinccchhhhhy! "

She didn't give thought to whether or not Pinchy wanted to be seen with her mom like this whilst out...she was on full 'Mom' mode, and nothing was going to interfere!

Berry was finding herself in a confused collection of ponies - they were all still chattering and rumoring about the Princess Twilight news....although it seemed that, for the most part, the Apple Farmer mare and Celestia had doused the enthusiastic news somewhat with a firm hosing of reality. She rubs her head and gives a small utterance of frustration as she simply stands in line and shrugs her shoulders, deciding that clearly this was just going to wind up being a non-thing and not worth even giving any further thought about.

Still, the rest of her surrounding ponies were sure interesting folks...romance, drama, a little intrigue - there was no shame in taking interest in those who were in the immediate area, and Berry was certainly trying to pay as much attention to those closest that she could. It wasn't like she really knew a great many of them, so it probably hardly mattered in the long run. Besides, she was a little bored, and clearly just looking for something to get her mind off of the fact she was stood in a line with a whole herd of ponies she didn't know all the names to!

Berry rolls her eyes and stretches slightly - for such a still day, it was surprisingly hot...which was not helping her curently restless state at all!

Electrical systems are on the fritz - shall hopefully be back by weeks end if we're lucky - earlier if something fortunate comes up.

So yeah, this is Robikku forced into going dark until roughly then! XD;

Well, upon her stars...Berry Punch just about keeled over when the shriek came from somewhere further down the line - oh Celestia, Berry was overwhelmed with the bustling going on in this like...so much was going on, and that last little callout had stirred up a proverbial bees nest of absolute reactions that berry could hear resonating right through dozens of ponies cores, and rightfully so - the librarian princess was a mare of some fame in the area, whomever had apparently partaken in the role of 'stallion' or whatever for Miss Sparkles current situation was going to wind up in quite a situation indeed.

Of course, the idea that the whole thing wasnt real or was something that had been created out of chinese whispers didn't really strike her whilst dealing with tantalising nuggets of neighbourly information - she was a simple mare who liked a little gossiping, she wasn't ashamed to admit that fact out loud to herself. The very idea that Twilight Sparkle, the most unexpected Princess Equestria had ever seen ascend, being given the most unexpected gift that a mare could have bestowed upon her...well, so long as the conditions were favourable...made Berry a little aflutter with a case of the D'awwwws!

" Oh, I MUST find her and congratulate her on this newfound event! " Berry resolves with herself, deciding that it was ONLY the best neighbourly thing anypony could do.

" She'll want lots of fresh fruits and juices! " she giggles into a hoof, positively glowing with the thought. " And lots of motherly advice from an experienced mare! "

Her mind reeled with absolutely dozens of things that she could say, do and present the alicorn Princess upon finding her - some of Pinchys old clothes, getting the young filly or foal into a school and arranging playdates and Celestia FORBID that she wouldn't find someway of getting involved in a babyshower at Ponyville. Whilst Berry wasn't really the MOST experienced at the entire affair - that particular honor, as far as she knew, went right to the Cakes and their twins - but she WAS an eager young mother who simply wanted to HELP a fellow mare out in a time of unexpected things!

Of course, all of this was clearly for absolutely nothing in reality, but the poor Oblivious mother that was Berry Punch was completely blind to the truth of the matter!

...She's such Silly mare!

Berry needed apples...yup, she had plum run outta the things a day ago, and she needed a few for some personal supplies as well as some for the juice bar...and having heard from somepony earlier in the day that there was a rather interesting offer going on at Seet apple acres,on a bushel of them, she could hardly turn it down...afterall, apples tasted so much sweeter when they were free!

The wine colored mare had made her way alone to the farm, and found the back of the rather long extending line of ponies - there was excited chattering and conversation taking place, a real little community-in-a-community taking shape within the confines of this little queue for appletastic goods. She chuckles to herself as she parks behind the last pony in line and stretched gently, just glad to have found out at all that this was going on...a free bunch of apples in return for a simple kiss to one of Ponyvilles most well known farming faces - who could resist such a treat?

An offer absolutely worth the price of admission - Berry flicked her tail in anticipation as she stood in line, ready to play her part...this was to prove a very interesting day!

Berry was already trying her hardest to focus on NOT freaking out more...the circumstances of Pinchy's magical color change has clearly not affected the filly's bright demeanour and sparkling outlook on live - it was really something sometimes to watch Pinchy get into her zest for life over the smallest things, no matter how serious or not so they may be. Whilst Berry might still have been conjuring the worst possible thoughts together, Pinchy would always find some way to add just the right amount of silly that would give Berry pause for thought and a small chuckle, which would normally chill her out a little if things were stressful.

Berry utters a soft sigh, a small smile creeping over her muzzle even if the motherly side of her was still worrying a storm...if Ruby was still very much her silly self, then mayhaps things would be okay - but that wasn't going to stop her from taking her to WHOEVER it was ponies went to when it came to curing an errant Unicorn spell like this. She pauses and rubbed her muzzle in thought - just who WAS she going to go to about this anyway...was there a Unicorn Doctor or some kind of antispell for this kind of situation?

Welp, earth ponies just weren't very used to this kind of thing - she was gonna have to consult somepony about this!

Oh dear, Oh dear...the wine colored mare was finding herself terribly uncertain about all this - the youngster clearly wasn't going through any trauma, but Berry Punch most certainly was having herself a moment of unbridled motherly worry...was this what every non-unicorn mother to such a species felt? How was it possible to handle a magical filly with unmatchable cuteness and a tendency of getting into the most mischief she could in the smallest amount of time. She takes a sharp intake of breath, counts to three mentally and tried the best she could to get some composure before the filly coined onto the fact she was about a few inches short of having the biggest panic attack equestria had ever seen!

" No, no you're not...you're not slimy! " she says with a small nod, secretly at least a little thankful Ruby wasn't some kind of slime monster by now. " But I'm...not sure what's happened - you're all...viridian...like an overripe grape. Oh I hope there's a reversal, you don't need to be green...you were fine before! " Berry was resisting the urge to pace again, her mind in a rush as she tried to regin herself - oh what would the neighbours say. " Oh my, your teacher! " she holds up a hoof to her muzzle and mutters softly to herself, shaking her head slightly. " What would cheerilee say....or QUICKLIME?! "

A mental image of all of the ways this could escalate rushed to her as she found herself hyperventilating a little...she really wasn't very good with panicking, not at all!

Permission was granted for use of Robikku Pegasus a while ago - as a matter of routine, this is my additional written permission for clarification on the subject.

Indeed - prior discussion has led us to the conclusion that this application does not cross the boundries for Crossover territory.

Vinyl Scratch was a night mare - everypony knew this, she was one of Equestrias more noted fans of the nightlife and esteemed club DJ who wore many hats in the business...but the Vinyl Scratch strolling the night streets tonight was a mare in a more calm, contemplative mood...she had no shows for a couple nights, and this was a chance for the mare to get out and socialise a little with others, something that she rarely had the chance to do when it came to her most favourite time of the day, the evenings and beyond.

Normally she'd have sauntered into another one of the clubs nearby to jam out with the ponies on the dance floor, or maybe even gotten a few drinks and chilled out with friends...but every once in a while, the mare had a hankering to just make her way through the streets of canterlot - the sounds and hubbub of the city were always like a soothing, fuelling influence on her. Of course, she wore her hair in a ponytail and was currently not wearing the shades that most ponies would know her with...and for good measure, she was wearing a saddlebag over her cutie mark just to avoid too much attention - but it was never to avoid it, it was merely to keep things quiet and generally natural whilst she took her walks amongst the ponies and other critters of the city at night.

For the time being, of course, Vinyl had not really thought about where she was headed...and had no idea of just who or what may lay ahead in her encounters during tonights little wander!

Well, I think I can toss Vinyl in there - she's totes available for such a thing....

Well, that was unexpected!

Seriously...Berry hadn't really expected something quite as largescale to result from pinchy's magical testing...such as a complete garden upheavel or the skies raining berries - but as it turns out, the mare was also very much unprepared for the immediate situation which now presented itself. Berry's rather surprised glance at the filly became a close inspection - small squeaks of concern and worry laced her tones as she tried to get her bearings on the situation, before getting an actual breath to speak her uncertain feeling!

" Pinchy? " she pokes the filly on the muzzle with a hoof lightly. " Do you feel okay? Do you need me to run you down to the doctors? - ...oh my, this magic stuff isn't something I'm sure I know how to deal with like this! "

Berry was completely thrown for a loop - her pinchy having somehow turned herself green after the rather potent magical backfiring from her misadventure in trying to master the natural skills of her kind - She was baffled and bemused, but she wasn't about to let herself fall apart entirely at the seams if she could help it - it was only a color change, she reasoned, it didn't seem that anything else had gone particularly wrong.

" Well, I suppose I can make you a sandwich and a juice... " she says, clearing her throat and starting towards home, only a few minutes away from the vineyard and fruit gardens.

" And maybe a Cider for me - I need a little something to settle myself with....I don't think I was quite ready for all of this mystery magical malarkey! "

Spike found himself growing ever more baffled by the growing discourse between spin and pathfinder - the pair of them were clearly hardly what anypony would call friends, which was pretty self evident whenever pathfinder would say something that the 'good doctor' would either shoot down or dismiss with a rather distinctly uncaring manner...Spike wasn't particularly fond of the pair of them having a verbal spar in the library - if anything, it was just making him roll his eyes all the more at the situation...it was just silly!

he wasn't overly invested in the tale behind the claw either - pathfinder rattled off something about artifacts and such, but truth be told...Spike wasn't sure there was any immediate reason for him to believe that knowing all of the details behind the ruby claw was gonna be of any benefit - however, he HAD been the one who'd asked about it, and thus he accepted the infoburst being dropped upon himself and twilight, hoping that something would eventually make a lick of sense when it was all over - which didn't seem to be anytime soon!

Spike just settles himself down on a nearby stool and munches on a small sapphire he'd stored for a light snack - he had no idea when these ponies were gonna get to something even close to a relatable point, let alone one that he'd have anything worth commenting on...for the time being, better to let Twilight handle things, she seemed to have it all under control for the time being anyway!

Berry wasn't really sure if she was ever ready for her daughters attempts at self education - Pinchy was such a young filly, and as such berry had convinced herself a little that she'd grow into spells and that somehow everything would just eventually make sense...that she wouldn't have any cause at all to worry about the filly and her magicval appendage. Perhaps this apprehension was part of the reason that she had donned a safety helmet and padding whenever pinchy was out practicing her magical ability...something she'd taken to doing after finding herself inadvertantly pelted by prancing purpleberries, chased by chomping cherries, and almost stomped on by straying strawberries.

" Careful dear... " she called out from the sidelines, nervously adjusting the helmet perched on her head as the filly starts up.

" I don't want to end up having to clean up pulpy messes around town again like last time! " the cautious mother says as she regards her daughters focused expression.

She really just looked so adorable when she was this focused, Berry noted - she'd have taken a photo or something of the filly there and then had she had the means to!.

Anyhow, this wasn't the time to be interfering with her daughters activity...she clearly had to focus if she wanted to avoid blowing up anything or making stuff transform into oranges - Berry decided to back away and resume work on picking the days quota of berries and fruits, taking care to not get too in the way of Pinchy during this most delicate of times. to tell the truth, she needed a unicorn to help her l'il daughter out with this whole magic training thing...but good help was so hard to find sometimes, and Berry wasn't really sure that Twilight Sparkle, the towns librarian and general magical prodigy princess, was available to school a young filly unicorn like Ruby Pinch...which meant she was likely going to have to figure out a suitable alternative for her little pinchy and soon if Pinchy was going to learn how to make the best of her powers.

For the time being, however, all she could do was cheer on her daughter and hope to luna that nothing else blew up - like her petunia patch had sadly doe some days ago.

Ohohoho *Tweaks shades* Vinyl, eh?

Normally folks roll out the welcome wagon for ponies...but for the more pronounced Vinyl fans, I'mma jus' have to roll out...

Spike was finding this particular scene curious - he wasn't sure exactly how to take the Pegasus currently testing Twilights patience, nor was he terribly fond of what Doctor Spintale was making himself look like either.

Something about both of them was screwy and he wasn't really able to put his finger on the fine points of it, other than their behaviour was really weird!

"Because of the Ruby Claaaaaw! I gave it to Snowfall and somepony stole it and I think it's part of this Staff of Fate thingy mobober!"

“You’re looking for the Ruby Claw… and you’ve already recovered it once… and then this artifact gets stolen… and now you expect that the book we’ve got here, written hundreds of years ago, will somehow allow you to solve... a present-day caper?”

The conversation between Spintale and Pathfinder was also starting to sound like there was something else going obn that the young dragon wasnt sure about...they'd mentioned this ruby claw now between them a couple of times, but he'd had absolutely no idea what this item was, or why it was even worth finding....let alone coming to Golden Oaks and bothering Twilight over a book about it - his innate dragon curiosity was burning, and he chose this moment to pipe up and ask a little more about the manticore in the room!

" Soooo... " Spike starts, once a break in the conversation arises. " What exactly IS this Ruby Claw doohickey for anyway? "

It felt like a legit question for the dragon to ask, considering he'd really had absolutely no clue what it was that made this thing so sought after!

Vinyl found herself distracted upon arrival in the lunch area with the odd request from another student...who intro'd themselves right off the bat.

"Hey Vinyl Scratch! I'm Haywire and I'm a big fan of yur DJ'n! Might I sit a spell with ya and eat?"

" Uh....sure, I guess! " She says, giving a small nonchalent shrug - she wasn't choosy...indeed, she was savvy enough to know that she should get along with everypony she could in order to stay better with everyone who listened to her and her musical talents. Whereas others might have just wanted to go along with their social stigmas, Vinyl wasn't much on following the crowds and was publically well recognised for having sat with pretty much anyone, regardless of interests and such. " beats having lunch on ya own, anyway! "

Still, she wasn't anywhere near ready to sit down just yet...she actually needed to go ATTAIN her eats first, and that is exactly what she intended on doing as she heads to the cafeteria line and waits, looking ahead as much as she could to get a glimpse of what lay ahead - but she might as well have been trying to look into the future, it was entirely hopeless!

Giving a small utterance of a sigh, she just stands and waits...for what else was there she could do?

Ugh, Mac hadn't felt this pained and banged up since the time he'd lost that danged bet against Applejack some time ago...he'd been trying to help AppleBloom herd the sheep with winona, but wound up having himself a sharper tumble down a slope than he'd have liked, resulting in quite the array of bruises and general bumps. He couldn't stay down for long though, as he knew that he was needed far more around the farm than he could feasibly do whilst hurting, and that meant he needed a fix...something to help get himself back into a much more manageable state whilst tending to his various list of chores around Sweet Apple Acres.

For this, he'd come down to Ponyville on his own on the search for something that might help him - a tonic, potion, packet of leaves, tea, or something that'd help make the swellings go down and his endurance for the task at hoof go up - as it happens, he remembered being reccomended that a particular Zebra set up shop in Ponyville for such an occasion by a friend of a friend, and thus had made his voyage all the way out down town to track down this one mare in particular...he'd heard from someplace that zebras made some of the most potent fixits and curealls known to pony kind and thus this sounded just up his particular alley.

Finding the only zebra in Ponyville wasn't a huge task though, since she stood out in the marketplace...in as wildly exotic a stall as his mind had even dared allow...the smell quite an interestingly spicy scent, and one that Macintosh found himself somewhat not being particularly offended by - it certainly smelt like mysterious unexplored tonics and cures were here at the very least. " 'scuse me, ma'am... " the apple stallion says, coming close to the stall with a somewhat uncertain glance. " Might this, uh, be where ah can find med'cines an' such? Ah got mahself into a l'il bit of a fall a day or so ago, an' ah'm in need of somethin' to help fix me up for th' farm...is it, uh, possible that ya got anythin' at all that might be of use? "

Spike was just about to get back to taking care of the wagon of books he'd left unattended, when the pegasus from before seemingly makes their way back into the room, creating something of a stir and clearly riling up the so-called good doctor Spin up just a tad...

Spike couldn't help but mentally giggle at the scene as Pathfinder sipped at the tea...finishing it in one go!

"That's good stuff! Is this special dragon tea or just normal green tea? Is Dragon Tea purple or green?"

Spike couldn't help but blink a couple of times, not quite sure if he could answer that with a straight face... " Uhh, thats pretty much normal morning leaf tea " the Dragon says, deciding that simple answer was the better solution when handling a rather manic pegasus of this particular mares nature. He would have commented further, but it seemed like her attention was immediately drawn back to the book in discussion, which apparently left Spin Tale looking a whole lot less than pleased despite his comment - Spike didn't really wanna get caught in the middle of this weird fray, considering it looked like Spin was going to explode at any moment.

" All this over a single book? " Spike blinks and looks at Twilight with a shrug, entirely bemused at the scene unfolding before him. " These ponies are crazy.... "

Spike was too busy looking at a selection of coloured inks and ink pots when once again, Flthy had put himself into the position of curious shop owner wanting to find out how he as a customer was feeling...Spike wasn't really one to focus greatly on such things, considering that right now the only real reason he was even shopping right now was for the prize of some sweet Rainbow Jammy goodness.

" [colour=#008080]Uhh...[/colour] " Spike begins, his mind kinda thinking as hard as he could about what, if anything, might be worth mentioning. " [colour=#008080]Could use some footstools around here, I guess... [/colour]"

The dragon WAS shorter than ponies, afterall, and this seemed a fair enough thing to present to an eager to please sales pony. " [colour=#008080]or shorter shelves? Iunno, whichever works best[/colour]! "

The dragon paused for thought, scratching under his chin for a moment as he looked around - perhaps it was worth looking around for some more basic teas, given that although quicklimes selection of teas that he enjoyed picking up regularly for Twilights consumption was perfectly adequate for their general enjoyment, it wasn't always what guests to Golden Oaks enjoyed nor wanted when a cup of tea was offered up in their direction...something a little more regular and generic was a far better choice for such ponies.

" [colour=#008080]Say, you wouldn't happen to sell tea, would ya?[/colour] " Spike asks hopefully. " [colour=#008080]Just the ordinary stuff....we keep a lot of different teas at the library, but we need something more, uh, plain![/colour] "

Sure, he could have gone to Quicklimes and gotten something like that, but he was here and it sounded like a pretty easy pickup....given everything else going on, he was sure filthy could probably appreciate that at least a few customers weren't trying to get up to any weird hijinks for a change!

. "Not as easy running the donut business outside as it is inside, but I think I'm managing. If it's donuts you want, yous have come to the right place because nopony makes donuts like I make donuts, lemme tell you."

Vinyl grins as she surveys the choices of Donut behind the desk, already salivating a little at which choices she wants - indeed, it seemed like Joe did donuts of every type...jelly, jam, cream, vanilla, cocoa, coffee...heck, he even did donuts she'd never heard of, and that was something that she found herself even more interested in.

She made a mental note to drop by his shop the next time it was properly opened, since she was a big fan of exotic desserts and treats!

" [colour=#800080]Well, guess I'll just have t'take a couple of the best ones you got there, pon'[/colour]! " she says with a small nod, tweaking her shades lightly against her muzzle.

" [colour=#800080]Leeeet's take a couple of traditional jam, a couple of that chocolate custard ya got there, and a couple of Cinnamon-iced Hole donuts at the back there...they look pretty good[/colour]! "

She chuckles slightly and floats over a small bag of bits and piles a neat stack of the required amount in advance...she was, if anything, one to make sure things were done right!

Vinyl had only been laid on the bed for the briefest of moments when she heard a rather muffled and annoyed groan...

[colour=#FFCC00]“Uggggh, some ponies were trying to sleep in here, you know.....”[/colour]

She paused and sat up, not entirely sure where the voice had come from and thus she flops off of the bed, shakes herself off and looks around to find the source of the irritated mini-outburst...finding it to be a grey pegasus currently sprawled out on a bed not too far from her own. The DJ mare gigglesnorts slightly, giving a small shrug as she sweeps a hoof through her two-toned mane, a playful smirk on her features.

"[colour=#800080] Sorry, missy...s'just been a while since I've had a good bed t'sleep in...usually I just wind up crashed out on the couch at home[/colour]! " she says apologetically.

" [colour=#800080]S'cool though, I was just in here to get a couple hours kip myself before the show later...didn't even realise there was anypony else in this room yet[/colour]! "

She then trotted back to her bed and sprawled onto it with one last relaxed sigh, before closing her eyes to just enjoy the quiet time before the epic party in a little while!

Vinyl Scratch was hungry - not the kinda hungry that called for a full meal, mind you, but the kinda hungry that prompted one of her small snacking outs...she'd come out to Canterlots town fringes to grab herself some supplies so she could take them back home and listen to some tracks and relax on her l'il balcony for a while. Of course, before she could really make such a delicious vision of the future come true, she needed to decide just what it was that fit her ideas of suitable munchables for the evening!

With her mane swept back, and a crimson pair of shades nestling on her muzzle, she makes her way through Canterlots market area with a wide grin, seeking the holy grail of foodstuffs that would strike her tastebuds and her wallet in just the right way. Luckily, it seemed as though something that might just tickle her fancy was in sight - a seemingly popular l'il donut stall, no doubt linked to the donut store that was currently under renevation nearby...she'd seen it a little ways back, which was something that had only served to disappoint her snack-senses at the time - round sweet doughy delicacies were only a few short steps away, so the DJ Unicorn makes her way towards the sacred snackbar and gives her widest grin.

" [colour=#800080]Heeeey, how's tricks[/colour]? " she starts, tweaking her shades as she leant against the stand with a grin. " [colour=#800080]I've gots me a hankerin' for some Donuts...hows 'bout it[/colour]? "

Vinyl offers up her most bewitching DJ Grin and a slight waggle of the eyebrows...afterall, there was always time to put the legendary DJ Pon3 charms to good use!