(Outside Ponyville) Daringcon General (Open)

[SteelEagle]

Pathfinder was striking some more poses, getting into it perhaps a bit much, when she was joined by the more excited and direct Daring Do. She felt as if the whole situation just got thirty percent more awesome in two seconds flat as the mares started mugging the camera like it had lunch money that needed taking. Then there was a big 'ol group hug and Pathfinder felt more than a little excited to have met such wonderful and joy-filled(not to mention like-minded and fine smelling) compatriots. Usually ponies took a few pictures or played with her for a minute before scampering away because they just couldn't handle how amazingly awesome and Do'ish she was.

But today was a day beyond all other days for her to fly the flag of daring Do high and for once find some like-minded allies in that neverending quest for the Do of Do's. Heck, even as they started to separate, she had a desire to snog with the more professionally done Do. Only two things stopped her. First and foremost, she knew it wasn't the REAL Daring Do. Secondly, Snowfall was four inches away. Now admittedly Snowfall must have known that if Pathfinder ever meet the real Daring Do then all relationship obligations were null and void, but as well done and nice smelling as she was, this mare was not the real Daring DO. So she returned the hoofbump, waved her fellows off, and fell in close and deep with Snowfall.

[colour=#006400]"Hehe, that was lots of fun! And if ya wanna get some of the best merch, ya gotta go to the best merchandise sellers, the best vendors! And I know just the very best! he's this griffon dude and bought all sorts of...plu..." [/colour]She trailed off as she held her Snowfall with her left foreleg close, almost squeezing too much, before she slowly let her grip die as her eyes took in.

That reporter from PegasEye news or whatever it was- Pathfinder had seen maybe two minutes of TV in her life that didn't involve Daring Do reviews- was holding a Daring Do plush. And he was holding it wrong! If you held them by the wings, then the stitching might fail and her fluff innards would spill out. Not to say it faded the colours and after some time the wing would stick up and that was just not fit for the cuddle. Oh yeah, and it was one of her old plushes. Pathfinder started tugging on Snowfall's ears as she trotted towards him.

[colour=#006400]"Snowy! Snowy! We have to get that plushy! You look cuter, so get on!" [/colour]She finished as they drew near, not telling her that the last time she had seen a camera lens it had been curse and trapped her inside the film reel for two weeks as she fought some etheral mind beast. It had left her with a mild fear of television camera thingies, as opposed to normal cameras which she had gotten over her fear of earlier in life. That fear had been caused by a scary story some other kids at the orphanage told her, but she got them back when they graduated from a prestigious university instead of hanging out with her. Ha, yeah, being stuck in a fancy office all day and working on criminal justice and families and all that jazz in place of being Pathfinder's companions- poor them!

[Bramble Rose]

Dash was startled to find herself surrounded by mares wearing the filmy costumes that could only be from 'Daring Do and the Lost Oasis.' [colour=#808080]"Oh, wow,"[/colour] she said, [colour=#808080]"those are pretty good-"[/colour] She stopped instantly as Carrot raised his camera, automatically throwing herself into a daring pose with the dancing mares draped over her on every side. He was gonna have some awesome pictures from this! She stuck with the pose as he went through a series of the dancing mares' cameras, too, as they apparently wanted a few of their own pictures.

She was feeling pretty awesome about all this! Ponies wanting her picture, everywhere! This was GREAT! And then one wanted some one-on-one pictures just with her! [colour=#808080]"Yeah, sure, that sounds awesome! Get as close as you -"[/colour] She *mmphed* in surprise, her eyes going wide, as the mare snuggled up to her chest and then kissed her full on the lips! She barely even noticed the *fwash* of Carrot taking the picture of the kiss!

The dancing mare gave her an impish little excited grin and Dash started to stammer out some sort of belated protest... when another hoof grabbed her from the other side, turned her around, and another of the mares was kissing her! The *fwash* of the camera to the side made her blink, half-blinded, as the other mare backed off, too, giving an impish little giggle ... [colour=#808080]"Uh... wuh... I didn't realize..."[/colour] she stammered, stunned... [colour=#808080]"I'm not..."[/colour]

The two mares giggled happily, and hugged each other, and then exchanged a kiss of their own, and this time Dash was able to block her eyes at the *fwash* of the camera that Carrot was carrying. She didn't really hear much of them thanking her, and just nodded and tucked away the little note they gave her into one of her many pockets, as they retrieved their camera and the whole group went on their way, those two mares staying very close to each other.

She looked up to Carrot. [colour=#808080]"What just happened?!"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#006400]"Hehe, that was lots of fun! And if ya wanna get some of the best merch, ya gotta go to the best merchandise sellers, the best vendors! And I know just the very best! he's this griffon dude and bought all sorts of...plu..." [/colour]

Snowfall smiled. If this griffon was one of Pathfinder's friend, she was eager to meet him. She was definitely eager to get her hands on some wonderful merchandise too. It was going to be so great! The way Pathfinder suddenly cut herself off was odd though. Snow looked over at her mare, following Pathfinder's eyes. They had landed upon a plush Daring Do toy being dangled before the crowd by a rather out of place looking stallion.

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[colour=#cccccc]"Who wants a free plushie!!?? Come here, get interviewed, and I'll give you this free plushie!"[/colour]

This was the stallion's pitch it seemed. Interview, huh? How curious. On closer examination the pony did have a full setup. Actual cameras? How luxurious. Filming news reels perhaps? Short form documentary? She had been interviewed for radio and print numerous times before, but Snow couldn't say she had ever been filmed. It seemed like a rare honor, though she had to say she did support burgeoning new medias. Though as the owner of a tech company that perhaps went without saying. She didn't know much about this PegasEye News or its racket, but she had made enough rounds in the Stalliongrad tabloids to know that reporters generally didn't have your best interests in hoof. Additionally, if this was distributed to a wide audience and she was recognized it would be a massive headache for her mother and the ponies on the NSI board...

On the other hand, it felt absolutely naturally. This stallion had a smug look about him. He seemed to exude this energy like he thought he was better than everypony else in the room. Pathfinder was on Snow's side... and she did rather want the plush for herself. Maybe it was a foolish act, but Snowfall wasn't a pony afraid to admit that at times she was a fool. Without giving it much more thought, she stepped forward and faced the arrogant looking reporter, raising her hoof.

[colour=#99ccff]"I would be delighted to take that plush toy off your hooves, sir," [/colour]she said with a nod to the stallion. [colour=#99ccff]"And I would have no objections to an interview."[/colour]

​

[brianblackberry]

This was going exceptionally well for Carrot Fields, not only was he getting great pictures of a group of beautiful mares wearing the most enticing costumes, but Rainbow Dash was fully going along with the scene and posing as Daring Do among them. This was so great! He was sure to cherish these, how could it get more awesome than this?

Then the kiss happened. Carrot was lucky enough to be quick on the draw, capturing for posterity the moment one of the dancing mares’ lips locked with Dash’s. Things just went twenty percent hotter! He wasn’t sure if the mares were just teasing Dash or otherwise serious - but he didn't care; content to just get the Best. Pictures. Ever! [colour=#ff8c00]“Ye ur sae lucky, Ah wish Ah was in yer position, but at leest Ah got some great photos. Those mares really loch yoo; Ah didn’t ken ye waur sae popular wi' th' mares.”[/colour] That last statement did bring down Carrot’s emotional high some, after all she was really cool and really cute, it’d be a bummer if she didn’t care for stallions.

Carrot blushed and gave a smile. [colour=#ff8c00]"Uh, sae ... let's ... see whit else is aroond haur!"[/colour] He looked around quickly and settled on the nearest table were several ponies sat engrossed in some game. [colour=#ff8c00]"Whit's this?" [/colour] The table itself was full of little home-made terrain of some underground temple with pillars and traps, and a bunch of little pony figures, including a little Daring Do figure, being moved across the table, then dice being rolled... [colour=#ee82ee]"Ooooo... you accidentally triggered the giant scythe..."[/colour]

[Bellosh]

Falco Kestrelson was a bit surprised that the pegasus decided to buy the Daring Do plushie. By all accounts, the reporter fellow didn’t seem to relish being at the convention at all; ergo, it was quite a convenient change of heart for the pegasus to undergo. Especially since the previous interested pony decided to run off with some mares; ah well Falco rationalized. The early bird always gets the worm.

[colour=#008000]“Thank you for your purchase today sir,”[/colour] Mr. Kestrelson thanked the pony as he handed his bits; [colour=#008000]“Just remember if you ever drop by Beakbreak City, be sure to visit the Gems & Trinkets-”[/colour] Again, the griffon’s shouting was of no use; it looked like the reporter’s real purpose of his purchase was to use it as a bribe to lure a Daring Do fan into an interview. Falco was very much shocked at who accepted the offer; aside from that cosmetic horn and that silly costume, the dealer of tech gadgets has familiar with NSI plenty enough to know how its CEO looked. Not only was Snowfall here too, but was that Pathfinder at her side? Did his honorary niece actually befriend the CEO of a big-name corporation and never told him about it?

[colour=#008000]~Pathfinder will suuuuuure have a lot to talk about....~[/colour]

A short distance away, a slickly-dressed stallion observed all the commotion present in the Dealer’s Hall. Unlike most of the other attendees, he sported a VIP badge signifying his status as a Very Important Pony for this event. Of course in Merlot’s case, he deemed himself a Very Important Pony regardless of where he was at a given time. Usually the good doctor would have never attended an event like this in a million years, but the convention organizers had asked Merlot to host a Q&A session about how real archaeology differed from the grossly-unrealistic antics depicted in the Daring Do books. For a substantial fee, Merlot was more than happy to accept the offer.

His curiosity getting the better of him, Merlot pushed and shoved his way through the camera-wielding crowd only to find a trashiest of displays. Apparently a whole bunch of ponies decided to crowd around a Daring Do cosplayer along with bunch of dancing mares, the details of the costumes consistent with descriptions from Daring Do and the Scorching Sands the gentlecolt reckoned, as they engaged in... well, impolite acts. Wasn’t this convention supposed to be family friendly?

Casting his gaze away from the undignified cosplayers, somepony did happen to catch Merlot’s eye. The pink unicorn mare the stallion spotted was only a mere photographer, but her relatively tall and slim physique made her appear as if she instead belonged at an exclusive party in Canterlot or Manehatten. Merlot grinned; as a gentlecolt of fine tastes, he had a certain weakness for mares like the apparent photographer. Making his way through the swarm once more (careful not to wrinkle his suit too much), Merlot waited until the mare finished addressing the cosplayers before quietly purring in her ear;[colour=#0000ff] “I must say mademoiselle, but you look rather regal for a photographer.”[/colour]

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden saw a pegasus in a very fancy outfit approach him and insist that she be the one interviewed and also be given the plushie. Madden pulled away his plushie, but also giggled at her calling it a toy. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Woa, now hang on their, Sweet Cheeks, you'll get the plushie after the interview."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden set the plushie down behind him, and motioned the camera mare to start rolling. Madden looked at the mare, who looked very pretty for being at a con, and was especially dressed in what looked like formal attire. To get a better look, he dropped his glasses down off for a moment, but then put them back to cover his blue eyes. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"You don't look like much a Daring Do fan. Are you sure you are right for this interview? I need a real darey to represent the convention by. Let me ask you this first: Who are you, and why are you here?"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

(ooc: in case anyone wonders, river has suggested that for the sake of the interview and not having it drag on forever, we post outside post order for a while.)

[colour=#d3d3d3]"Woa, now hang on their, Sweet Cheeks, you'll get the plushie after the interview. You don't look like much a Daring Do fan. Are you sure you are right for this interview? I need a real darey to represent the convention by. Let me ask you this first: Who are you, and why are you here?"[/colour]

Snow smiled a polite smile. What an unpleasantly condescending thing to say. She had dealt with sleazy reporters before, but this guy was quite possibly worse than the average. He just had such an awful smugness to him as he asked his questions. He was like a beast eager to tear her down. She wasn't about to let him. Nope. She wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of getting the better of her.

[colour=#99ccff]"Who am I? Why I'm just an ordinary fan here to enjoy the festivities of the convention of course,"[/colour] Snowfall answered with a modest smile and a shy laugh, looking a bit surprised by the question. She wasn't sure he'd buy it; a discerning eye could tell that her "costume" was worth far, far more than it had any right to be. Still, it was her choice to be very careful with how she presented herself.

After a pause, she lit up her eyes and nodded. [colour=#99ccff]"Oh! You mean who I am today? Well, I'm Princess Coruscate Veil, leader of the Veil Kingdom and seeker of the prized Soul Diamond which I hope to use to put an end to a curse on my kingdom and erase the failings of my torrid past. I'm the primary antagonist of Daring Do and the Secrets of the Forgotten Kingdom, in my opinion one of the most intelligent, emotional and exciting entires in the Daring Do canon and a book I would recommend to anyone with any interest in the series." [/colour]

[colour=#99ccff]"As for why I'm here, it's actually a date," [/colour]she started with a small blush. [colour=#99ccff]"My fillyfriend and I are both big fans of the series, so when we heard about the convention, we had to check it out. There are few things more fulfilling than enjoying shared passion with someone you care for, after all."[/colour]

​

[Volt]

That certainly wasn't the reaction she was expecting. It seemed as her words and kind gesture were ignored, and she was left with photos hanging in the air while the group she was addressing scattered around, probably to experience everything that Daring Con had to offer. Or perhaps meet up with some friends? Who'd know that...? Their zealotry was somewhat disturbing, but at once quite interesting. She hardly could understand how those ponies put so much fervor into retracing something so simple as fictional story series. The only thing she could probably compare this fervor to, was her own passion towards photography... Yes, seeing it this way, that would probably explain some of mysterious reasons behind their behavior.

A smile crawled up on Star's face, as she shook her head in resignation and slight disbelief. She was amused. The way those ponies could enjoy themselves was making her a bit jealous, but it certainly wasn't her field of interest. [colour=#9900cc]"Well, each pony has their own, right?"[/colour] - a simple thought crawled up to her mind as she levitated the photos towards herself again. [colour=#9900cc]"Hmm... perhaps some of them will be of any use, I might-"[/colour]

​

[colour=#0000ff]“I must say mademoiselle, but you look rather regal for a photographer.”[/colour]

In a place like Daring Con, one could expect everything. The amount of commotion and all the noises accompanying it was simply unthinkable. But a silent voice flowing directly to her ear was a thing she could never predict here, even if all the treasures of Equestria were offered to her for that deed. She took a quick step aside, startled, and turned towards the 'intruder' who invaded her personal space. That caused her to lose concentration on the photos, which were now probably laying somewhere on the floor being trampled by the indifferent crowd. 'Elegance'. That was the first word that came to her mind. Second thoughts reminded her that she's on DD convention though... it was just an another cosplayer. [colour=#9900cc]"Regal? Well... thank you, I guess."[/colour] - she promptly replied with a smile. The way this stallion approached her was a bit creepy. But she had to admit, his choice of words was unique. She was aware of her appearance, but at once doubted if she was ever called 'regal'. Still... [colour=#9900cc]"Excuse me though, but I'm at work. If I was to respond to anypony bothering me I'd never- Oh..."[/colour] - that's when her eyes landed on the VIP badge. Her smile disappeared, being replaced with an expression of sheer surprise. That little fact changed everything. [colour=#9900cc]"I'm sorry, I didn't notice that badge earlier."[/colour] - mare explained in abashment - [colour=#9900cc]"Is there anything I could help you with?"[/colour] - who knew what kind of VIP she stumbled across? Perhaps she could somehow benefit from this situation. Although she didn't know how yet. It seemed as she had completely forgotten about the photos that were probably one of the best taken so far. Seeing how her second thoughts concerning cosplay were inaccurate, Risi started wondering who might this unicorn stallion be. Elegance in daily life wasn't quite common. Unless one could either a) afford it or b) was compelled to maintaining it.

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden started fake snoring as he let the mare talk. And when she finished, he fake woke himself up. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Okthatsgreat, but when we start doing the interview, spare the life story, alright Toots? Let's start the interview now." [/colour][colour=#000000] Madden grabbed a radio mike from the camera mare and held it up to his face.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"Hello, I'm at Daringcon in Ponyville. And I'm here to learn about dungeons, shiny objects, and, oh, I don't know, all things Daring Do. I have with me, a lovely little pony."[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden turns to the pony who volunteered to be interviewed. But instead of asking the expected questions, he flipped the script. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"How old are you?"[/colour]

​

[RarityDash]

[colour=#d3d3d3]"Okthatsgreat, but when we start doing the interview, spare the life story, alright Toots? Let's start the interview now." [/colour]

Snowfall tried her best not to glower at the obnoxious stallion, difficult as it were. She was a shrewd mare though. She had put up with a lot of nonsense in her day. She was a CEO and an heiress; between her mother, the board, the long series of suitors she was seeing before she met Pathfinder and just the sorts she did business and negotiations with regularly, Snowfall had become all too adept at putting on the right sort of masks. She was going to stand strong, hold her ground and not let this insufferable dolt get the better of her. That in mind, she continued to smile a confident smile.

​

[colour=#d3d3d3]"Hello, I'm at Daringcon in Ponyville. And I'm here to learn about dungeons, shiny objects, and, oh, I don't know, all things Daring Do. I have with me, a lovely little pony. How old are you?"[/colour]

Really? Really? That's what he was going with? That was his big lead off question. Snowfall's mask almost crumbled right there. Seriously, where had this creep attended journalism school? It was almost unreal. This PegasEye news had the rare luxury of a film crew but clearly the outfit was no more cutting edge than the average trash tabloid circuit. Still, Snow kept her smile on. This was a joke, but she was going to remain dignified and personable as she could be.

[colour=#99ccff]"Asking a mare her age? I don't know if I could say..."[/colour] Snow said, affecting a blush and adding a small a laugh.

[colour=#99ccff]"Princess Veil, who I'm dressed as today, has been ruling the forgotten Veil Kingdom for 1000 years old though. I can say I'm not quite that old yet at least!"[/colour] she added in a friendly, joking tone, ending on a giggle.

​

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden turned to the camera. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Hear that ponies? She's a thousand years old!"[/colour][colour=#000000] The stallion moved his free forehoof around to signify mysticism, more sarcastically that any other way. Madden's tone was a lot more relaxed, but also was geared towards the fact that he would say almost anything to get the connection right with the interviewee. He didn't like it, but it meant he would have to stoop down to their level in order to make this halfway interesting. And this also meant that his audience would have to play along with all of the foalery that was going on in order to make sense of it. In a sense, Madden was finally playing along.[/colour]

[colour=#ffffff]"So, Princess Viel?"[/colour][colour=#000000] Madden bowed halfheartedly as he said it, [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"What brings you to this convention? Should you be a ruler, or have some lands, or being ruling a land, or something? Or are you here to get Daring Do's autograph? Cuz if so, I can show you where she is." [/colour][colour=#000000] Madden then pointed in every direction, smiling quite gaily as he did it. [/colour][colour=#ffffff] "And why is Daring Do so important to a Princess?"[/colour]

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[Bramble Rose]

Rainbow Dash blinked, staring off after the retreating mares, then turned her gaze back to Carrot, bristling. [colour=#696969] "Oh, so you'd think you'd be pretty lucky if a bunch of beefy stallions came along and kissed you?"[/colour] She snorted at the thought. If that actually happened, she'd fall over laughing. [colour=#696969]"I'd rather have you kissing me than them,"[/colour] she said offhandedly, peering over the table.

This was nothing new to her. She had always been vaguely aware of miniatures gaming ... as something EGGHEADS did. [colour=#696969]"Oh, justa buncha eggheads playin' a game... see, they take these lil' molds and melt some pewter figures, then spend hooouuurs painting them - "[/colour] She drawled dismissively, but then she blinked, and bent down closer. [colour=#696969]"Wow, that's actually really well done ... you can actually see her feathers ..." [/colour]

She resumed her mocking voice, [colour=#696969]"And then they make all this terrain out of cardboard and-"[/colour] She was cut off as a thin wood buzz-saw painted up with shiny metallic paint popped up out of the base of the terrain right in front of one of the models, her jaw dropping. [colour=#696969]"Oh, that was AWESOME!"[/colour]

Another player rolled the dice, and moved their player - a chubby pony that looked JUST like Salad, one of Daring Do's goofy egghead contacts - around the edge of the terrain, and then more dice revealed he had missed most of the traps. [colour=#696969]"Oh, wow! Salad's almost to the artifact! Ha-ha! That'd be hilARious if he got there ahead of Daring Do!"[/colour] Dash's face lit up as she leaned further over the table, her eyes taking in the scene unfolding beneath her. [colour=#696969]"It's just like a Daring Do story, except you're making it as you go along!"[/colour]

She glanced at the nearby setup of unpainted miniatures with a longing look. [colour=#696969]"Nnnngh ... I'd love to be able to play this, but I don't have anywhere to set it up. This stuff would probably drop right through my floor!"[/colour]

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[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields felt pretty stupid about his comment after Dash's retort; she was right, of course - he wouldn't want a bunch of stallions kissing him! His comment was just juvenile fantasy, and he certainly wanted to get past such dumbtail statements. Still, he couldn't help but think about the topic of Dash and kissing in general, muttering in a quiet, barely audible tone,[colour=#ff8c00] "Oi'd rather be kissing ye then any other pony here."[/colour]

Oh no, he'd actually said that out loud! Carrot was glad the subject quickly changed to the miniatures before them. Hopefully, she'd no heard anything. Still as welcome as the subject change had been for him, Carrot was still taken aback from Dash's initial assessment that such games were just for "eggheads". He was about to speak up in defense of the game when the blue pegasus' tune suddenly became one of admiration. [colour=#ff8c00]"Actually, fans do all sorts a things tae tell their own Daring Do stories, miniatures like these, board games, artwork, an' everything!"[/colour] Carrot didn't write any himself, but he had read more than a few fan fictions in the fanzines.

The gray stallion couldn't help but think how it was so hot for a cute mare to be into "egghead" Daring Do stuff, getting adorably excited over the miniatures. He wasn't going to tell Dash that, but he did have an idea,[colour=#ff8c00] "Oi have a workshop at me farm - ye're welcome tae use it tae work on yer miniatures, an' store 'em there, if'n ye want tae!"[/colour] Carrot blushed embarrassingly, though he didn't know why - it wasn't like he was asking her on a date or anything, just a place she could use for her hobby. Still, he was nervous about it, and wasn't sure which answer would make him even more nervous, an emphatic no, or an enthusiastic yes.

[Bellosh]

By the looks of her smile, the pretty mare had been flattered by Merlot’s compliment. Even though she tried to brush the stallion off, the pink unicorn rectified the error of her ways upon glimpsing the gentlecolt’s VIP badge. A grin formed on Merlot’s face as the flustered photographer asked if he needed assistance of any sort. Things looked really up for Merlot.

[colour=#0000ff]“As a matter of fact, there is something that I’d like to inquire about,”[/colour] the archaeologist began; [colour=#0000ff]“There’s a panel in Ballroom B that I’m supposed to be at in five minutes. However, I took the liberty of losing myself among the crowd and now, I can’t seem to find my way. If you’ll be so kind mademoiselle,”[/colour] Merlot gave a brief chuckle while flashing his million-bit smile at the lady; [colour=#0000ff]“Would you be able to lead me there?”[/colour]

To be rather truthful, Merlot could care less if he was punctual to his own panel or not; it does pay every so often to be fashionably late to an occasion. Seeing the lovely pink uniform in front of him now, the gentlecolt did not regret sending away his convention escort one bit. Now... the game of charming the mare further could begin, especially now that her disreputable photography subjects had rudely wandered off.....

OOC: Falco's still around, but I'll be giving him a break this posting cycle.

[SteelEagle]

Pathfinder had it up to her darling hat with this pushy, vile little meatbag of a reporter with his cocky smile and his rude questions and mannerisms. How dare he mock one of the most richly detailed and layered villains in young-mare literature history! Maybe that claim was based on her not having read anything else but goshdarnit, it was a valid opinion regardless. How dare he mock the entire literary pantheon of Daring Do with his snideness and barely concealed disgust. Each one of the books was a best-seller and known Equestrian wide. What could he claim? Nothing so glamorous or amazing as that for sure! And how dare he not give Snowfall the proper respect she deserved! Not only was she the CEO of a powerful corporation but she was a beautiful mare and most importantly of all a fellow fan and her special mare!

This reporter was just asking for her to kick his flank up and down the aisle, but Pathfinder bit her tongue. Literally, she had started to mouth something nasty when her teeth clamped down an the wounded tongue fled back inside the safety of her mouth. Her wings came out and flapped impatiently as her feet soundlessly stomped about as their interview continued The only thing saving him from Pathfinder was not wanting to upset her mare, but even her patience had it's limits. Considering that limit was usually getting a name of a side character from a story incorrect, she considered Madden's current good health a sign of her goodwill. That was coming to an end, as Pathfinder couldn't take it anymore.

[colour=#006400]"Hey! You RESPECT her, stallion!" [/colour]She blasted, stepping in front of Snowfall with eyes that spoke a little bit of anger but mostly astonishment, [colour=#006400]"She's the CEO of Northern Storm, and look at her wings! They're beautiful! And her mane is like a thousand billion bajillion Snowflakes, and that's probably why her mum named her Snowfall! And stop treating Daring Do bad, what'd she do to you? Why, I bet you're one of those Courageous Colt fans! Well, let me tell you something, that's nothing but a cheap knockoff and we all know it! And you smell!"[/colour] She finished before turning around, spreading her wings impudently, and taking flight like a filly told she couldn't bring her coltfriend home.

[Volt]

The stallion's choice of words was proving itself quite peculiar. It for sure gave her another reason to believe that this certain unicorn was well-mannered. Although she felt quite skeptical after hearing out his request. Risi didn't know if she had time to be of such an assistance to that pony. She had her own work to be done as well, and when it came down to business, nothing could stand between her and job well done. Star was extremely studious and focused on her tasks. That's what she believed at least, until she saw his smile. It was that kind of smile that should be kept locked away from society, since it was dangerously contagious. It could be a matter of seconds for them to soon have a ridiculous smiling contest around. Thus, she quickly decided to return it. And after that, there was no retreating anymore.

[colour=#9900cc]"Oh I doubt I could say 'no' to such a gentlestallion, could I?"[/colour] - Star couldn't tell why she giggled after her response. It was completely unintended, moreover she somewhat disliked it. It was like school times all-over again. [colour=#9900cc]"Five minutes to Ballroom B?" [/colour]- ignoring that event, she ran through her memories of the convention map - [colour=#9900cc]"Completely plausible without any haste. It's nearby actually." [/colour]- Risi pointed somewhere behind herself - [colour=#9900cc]"Please, follow me."[/colour] - she added, before gracefully turning around and proceeding into the crowds towards the ballroom.

It still felt somewhat wrong, she was at work and there were maps probably everywhere around here. Every single cosplayer probably had one. Though she belonged to staff, it was nothing unusual that a VIP chose her to ask for directions, she would have probably done the same. Besides, he seemed quite polite. And something inside her, though she couldn't locate the source, was telling her she could spare a few moments of her precious work time. And she decided to heed that call. [colour=#9900cc]"Consider this as a coffee break... yes, that's it." [/colour]- there was completely nothing wrong with this approach. Somehow, she always knew how to convince herself to her own lies... [colour=#9900cc]"Regal."[/colour] - mare snorted to herself trying to contain her laughter, knowing that the crowd would muffle her voice. [colour=#9900cc]"Priceless."[/colour]

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[Bramble Rose]

[colour=#696969]Rainbow Dash[/colour]

If there was anything Dash had learned from a lifetime of being friends with Fluttershy, it was that you never asked anypony to repeat themselves when they talked that quietly. It just made them lock up. So she magnanimously ignored whatever it was Carrot had just muttered. Instead-

[colour=#696969]"Oh, really?!"[/colour] she cried out, brightening. [colour=#696969]"Sure, that'd be awesome!"[/colour] She didn't hesitate for a moment - stallion she's barely met wants to offer his workshop for her use? Why not? She was, after all, Rainbow Dash! Who didn't want to help her? She trotted over to the table selling all the supplies, looking it over. There was a truly bewildering array here.

[colour=#696969]"Ummmmm..."[/colour] Dash murmured, eyes nearly crossing as she looked over the selection...[colour=#696969] "OK, uh ..."[/colour] She focused in on a display case full of already-painted miniatures. [colour=#696969]"OH! I'll have this Daring Do here, and ... oh, this Princess Veil one, I just saw someone with an awesome costume of that, and, ummm... " [/colour] She paused as the vender there informed her of their astronomical prices. [colour=#696969]"WHAT?! How... what?! Why ... how ... but the unpainted ones are, like, a TENTH that! I'll just take the unpainted ones, then! I'll paint them myself!"[/colour]

So she got herself a dozen miniatures, and a set of paints, and a few brushes, and then there was the primer, and the finisher, and the special cloth, and the base stands, and... UGH. [colour=#696969]"Why is it so complicated?"[/colour] she groaned, dumping the whole lot into her saddlebags. Especially modified to have Daring Do's cutie mark on them!

She turned back to Carrot, grinning again. [colour=#696969]"Right, anyway! where were we?"[/colour] Her voice got a bit distant as she counted off on her feathers, going back in time... [colour=#696969]"Egghead game ... you kissing stallions ... you tried to ditch me ... three Daring Dos and a Princess Veil ... body paint ... sneaking past guards ... AH! Right! You were gonna get me food!"[/colour] Her stomach rumbled in appreciation for this idea.

​

[colour=#696969]Silver Flash[/colour]

Silver Flash found her way to Ballroom B just fine - she tucked her map away in one of Daring Do's many pockets - this vest was *really* useful - and smiled at the small billboard out front declaring the events.

[colour=#696969]"Making the Boring Breathtaking: How Daring Do took Archeology and made it Fun"[/colour]

It seemed like it was going to be a fun panel! The organizers said they'd even gotten a real archeologist to come in, who was happy to have his craft be roasted a little! She set herself up at the entrance, and started greeting the fans as they filed in. [colour=#696969]"Hi! Hello! Glad you could come! Yeah, go ahead, take a picture!"[/colour]

​

[brianblackberry]

Carrot Fields gave a broad smile hiding the fact he was shocked Rainbow Dash accepted his offer. They didn't know other all that well and here he was offering her his sanctuary, his workshop, just so the pretty blue peagsus could work on her miniatures. No doubt his little sister, Purple Haze, would give him grief over it, but it was worth it; and besides he was just being neighborly and showing what a good citizen of the Ponyville area he and by extension, the Carrots, were!

[colour=#ff8c00]"Feel free tae come by any time!" [/colour] Carrot mused as he watched Dash collect the various supplies for her new miniature hobby. [colour=#ff8c00]"I mean weel, knock first ay course, but usually either myself ur may baby sister ur at haem. I'll let 'er know 'at ye may come by; she is really sweit an' will probably want tae bake ye something."[/colour] Carrot chuckled at that last part; Purple wouldn't be able to resist trying her experiments on a new pony; his only worry was how many questions would Purple pepper Dash with.

Carrot's musing over his sister's curiosity was broken by Dash's monologue about her version of the events that day in reverse order, the gray stallion didn't think too much into it until he heard the "you kissing stallions" part in reference to him! [colour=#ff8c00] "ah dinnae kiss stallions! If thaur was any pony eh'd ever kiss in this place, it woods be ye!"[/colour]

For a moment for Carrot stood there with complete silence and shock as he realized what he not only said out loud, but really loud! The embarrassed stallion put his forehoof to his mouth while his saucepan eyes darted from side to side. He had to say something to change the subject and fast! [colour=#ff8c00] "Sae yeah! Lunch! Let's dae lunch! Ah bet they hae excellent hay fries an' honey and wheat shakes, I'll buy!"[/colour]

[PedestrianWolf]

Fuchsia Blooms finally arrived at the front doors to the convention building. She would have liked to get there earlier, but she had to take care of the morning deliveries before closing the shop for the day. Even so, she wasn't too terribly late. Sure, she had missed the opening ceremony, but there were still interesting panels to attend.

Fuchsia giggled to herself. Imagine, a full grown pony like her attending a Daring Do convention! She wasn't a huge fan of the series, but she did like a good adventure story, and there weren't many better than the Daring Do books. Even if they were written for fillies and colts. But she had heard about the other conventions held around Equestria, and decided it sounded like fun. And it was good to get away from the shop every once and awhile.

The line outside looked daunting. Dozens of dejected looking ponies milled around. She caught parts of their conversation, something about the tickets being all sold out. And something else about a pegasus making extra badges, but who had since disappeared. It was a good thing she had pre-registered for her badge. It would be terrible if she had come all the way to Ponyville only to have to turn around and go home again.

Fuchsia Blooms walked up to the pre-paid line, claimed her badge, and went inside. What chaos! Tons of ponies, of all ages, many dressed in character costumes. How delightful! She made a mental note to visit the vendor area to peruse the many items available for sale. But first, she was just in time for a panel on real archeology in Ballroom B.

[Bellosh]

Laughing in turn with the photographer, Merlot experienced elation from his current success as he trotted by the mare’s side to Ballroom B. [colour=#0000ff]“You know,”[/colour] the stallion engaged in small talk;[colour=#0000ff] “I’ve actually found this event to be better run than I’ve possibly anticipated. You see ummm... my older brother attended an amateur Daring Do convention years ago in Las Pegasus, back when the franchise was first starting out.”[/colour] Of course, Merlot’s claim was a lie; he was the colt that attended the infamous convention, but he’d never let anypony know that.

[colour=#0000ff]“Back then, the fandom had absolutely no clue how to organize a convention, or even understood the most basic things about paying the bills. Needless to say, by the second day of the convention, the organizers of the Las Pegasus managed to blow through all their money. They had no bits left to pay the VIPs that attended and the hotel where they ran the con... so regrettably, the hotel forced the cancellation of the con and spiked the room prices for everyone that stayed in the hotel.”[/colour]

A glare now visible in Merlot’s eyes, he continued his story of unimaginable horror; [colour=#0000ff]“My... brother was left with no money to pay his way home or for postage for a simple letter. When my parents finally found him in Las Pegasus a few days later, he was working furiously as a dishwasher trying to earn the bits for a trip home. It probably goes without saying... but they never let any of us attend a Daring Do fan gathering again.”[/colour] While this incident did not manage to make the future-archaeologist abandon his love for the franchise, it might have provoked the incident that did... the story of which could not be told in the company of Serious ponies.

In the middle of reminiscing, Merlot halted as he glimpsed a most peculiar, and not entirely welcome sight. Drawn by the commotion of what sounded like the temper-tantrum of a child, the gentlecolt spied a reporting crew with one of those new-fangled cameras being rudely talked down by a Daring Do cosplayer. Merlot didn’t need to do a double-take; he’d recognize that brat Pathfinder anyway. And apparently this brat was defending one of his old short-lived flames, a CEO from Stalliongrad who seemed to have regressed to a foalhood state judging by that ridiculous alicorn princess costume of hers; an unquestionable rendition of Princess Veil as a matter of fact.

Merlot visibly tsked-tsked at the sorry scene in front of him; there’ll come a time Snowfall’s wrong choice in friends would cost her. For the time being, the unicorn made no effort to continue the trek to Ballroom B with the photographer, unable to turn away from the train wreck occurring in front of his very eyes. The archaeologist had two minutes until his panel started.....

[RarityDash]

[colour=#d3d3d3]"Hear that ponies? She's a thousand years old! So, Princess Viel? What brings you to this convention? Should you be a ruler, or have some lands, or being ruling a land, or something? Or are you here to get Daring Do's autograph? Cuz if so, I can show you where she is. And why is Daring Do so important to a Princess?"[/colour]

As the interview continued, Snowfall was becoming increasingly fed up with the disrespectful, unprofessional interviewer. Seriously, this guy reported news? For who? She was seriously going to have to look into this shoddy operation of his later and see who exactly was in charge of it. Regardless, she did her best to keep her cool and not let on how she felt about the jerk. She wasn't going to let this ingrate paint her into some kind of ugly caricature for whoever watched his garbage to gawk at.

[colour=#99ccff]"Actually, the character's name is Princess Veil,"[/colour] she started, noting he had said her name wrong.[colour=#99ccff] "And I'm not sure I understand... did you want me to actually act the character?"[/colour] she added, feigning like she didn't get that he was mocking her. [colour=#99ccff]"I'm no professional actress, but I could always try..."[/colour]

She gave a forced cough and then stiffened her posture. [colour=#99ccff]"Yes, I Princess Veil rule over the great Veil Kingdom, isolated for centuries from the outside world. I have tracked Daring Do, the ungrateful mare who stands in the way of my schemes, to this place, but I now face the problem of discerning just which is the real her. Once I find her, I will rid myself of her for once and for all!"[/colour] Snowfall did the best to act the part again, though giving it slightly less enthusiasm than before.

[colour=#99ccff]"How was that?"[/colour] Snowfall said with a small laugh, losing the act returning to a more normal posture. [colour=#99ccff]"Seriously though, I'm just here because I'm a big fan and it seemed like a fun thing for me and my fillyfriend to do for a date. Daring Do is important to me because she represents freedom and a lust for life. I had a rather strict upbringing, and even now I work a serious job that demands a lot of time and commitment. Daring Do for me has always been a fun way to escape from that for a little while and experience a world of freedom and adven--."[/colour]

​

[colour=#006400]"Hey! You RESPECT her, stallion! [/colour][colour=#006400]She's the CEO of Northern Storm, and look at her wings! They're beautiful! And her mane is like a thousand billion bajillion Snowflakes, and that's probably why her mum named her Snowfall! And stop treating Daring Do bad, what'd she do to you? Why, I bet you're one of those Courageous Colt fans! Well, let me tell you something, that's nothing but a cheap knockoff and we all know it! And you smell!"[/colour]

Snowfall facehooved as she was interrupted suddenly by the ever clueless Pathfinder. She admired her mare's intentions, but Pathfinder really had said about everything wrong she possibly could. She had inadvertently given this smug lowlife the kind of reckless outburst he was hoping for. Moreover she had revealed Snow's identity. She wasn't ashamed of being here of course, but her wealth and position would invariably shift the focus of the discourse. Snow had hoped to just be a positive representation of the fandom. Now she was a celebrity fan. This made the story entirely different. Her strategy would stay largely the same though. She turned to Pathfinder.

[colour=#99ccff]"It's okay, Path, I'm fine here. You needn't worry,"[/colour] Snow said, waving a hoof in hopes of easing the other mare up. [colour=#99ccff]"And it was actually my father who picked my name,"[/colour] she added with an affected giggle.

Turning back to the reporter, she gave him a smile.[colour=#99ccff] "I apologize for that. She can get rather protective of me, especially if she thinks I'm being attacked,"[/colour] she said, nodding fondly and trying her best to play fair. [colour=#99ccff]"An unfounded concern, I know. As a journalist, you'd surely never be anything but civil and fair with me. Feel free to carry on."[/colour]

​

[Quillhart]

Quillhart! ^^

http://www.canterlot...55198_thumb.png

And his application of course

Quillhart popped his head by the entrance door and scanned the area. His eyes moved rapidly from the left to the right behind his glasses when he pulled down his Daring Do hat to cover as much of his face as possible. He disliked it when he gained too much attention from other ponies so he sneaked carefully with a group of fans to avoid any unwanted gazes. He got inside without any problems and he gently pushed his hat upwards to get a better view of the place. He froze on the spot with his mouth wholly opened. It was truly a knockdown to see the huge room with thousands and thousands of ponies, plushies, and the best thing of it all, Daring Do was everywhere! His eyes glimmered and he smiled widely to himself. This was the truly biggest book con that he'd ever been on! He shook his head to get rid of the spell that the environment laid at him. [colour=#daa520]"Come on Quilly! Keep it cool. You don't want to stay dumbfounded on this spot the whole day, do you?" [/colour]

He reached his hoof into his saddle bag, with his eyes still studying the environment, and pulled out a quill, some ink and a piece of paper and looked around for a nice place to sit. He noticed a nice spot the far corner to the right and he trotted in its direction and sprinted the last meters before he stopped, turned and slid the rest of the distant before he softly bumped into the corner in a relaxing position. He took a seat, looked up and sighed relived when he couldn't see that anypony had noticed him. He grabbed the quill and began to write frequently with his tongue bulging his right cheek and his dark eyes glimmering in concentration.

The surrounding began to fade from his attention when he went deeper and deeper into the story that he wrote. It was about a pony who was a lot different from himself. A daring pony, a brave and heroes pony did not fear any adversities or conflicts. He sighed to himself, a pony who was a lot like Rainbow Dash. He kept on writing his little story with a lot of zeal and squinted eyes. A stir to the right with the quill and the pony saved a family from a burning house, a swirl to the left and he recovered from a deadly poison. He kept on writing and was now completely unaware of his surrounding, and sadly also the ponies who had stopped by and giggled to the funny, emotion-filled faces that he made while he wrote.

[Hippo]

[colour=#000000]Madden nodded his head. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Sure!"[/colour][colour=#000000] He wanted his interviewee to have the freedom to say whatever is on her mind. The more content, the more probable she would say something vaguely interesting. As she kept in character, Madden assumed that he would just cut out the parts in which she was acting out of character. After all, what's exciting about watching an interview with a normal run-of-the-mill pegasus pony? This interview was about the insane wacko underneath that pretended to not only be an alicorn, but also a princess and Daring Do's enemy.

And then, Daring Do. Well, one of them at least. And Madden could never make heads of tails out of all the ponies dressed up as her. This could have been a pony he talked to earlier, or it could have been a brand new pony. Whoever it was, they seemed to know the pony he was interviewing personally, and didn't seem to like the way it was going. Madden just let her snap in front of the camera, it rolling the entire time.

As soon as the pony flew away, Madden held his hoof up to Snowy, straightened his glasses, but then removed them, revealing his grayish blue eyes. He looked at the camera, which was still rotating its recording away. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"You see that folks? That is the kind of rudeness that this convention suffers from. These ponies, while innocent and fun lovely at first glance, are some of the more rude ponies I've ever met. And all they care about is their interests and their obsessions. They are clearly removed from Equestrian society."[/colour]

[colour=#000000]Madden turned back to Snowy, who was still standing within view of the camera. He vaguely listened to her public apology of the pony she apparently knew, but Madden did not have interest in recording that material, so he just nodded inconspicuously while she spoke. She she was done, he commenced. [/colour][colour=#ffffff]"Don't you agree miss? Wasn't that rude of her?"[/colour]

​

[Volt]

OOC: Sorry for late response. I've had this post ready for 2-3 days but my web is completely rebelling lately Doesn't even load sites.

It was certainly a nice feeling to be able to forget about one's duties for a moment. Although Star's consciousness protested, she felt much better being able to give herself a short break. Perhaps she was working too hard lately? Pressurizing herself and pushing to her limits... Striving for improvement was one thing, but blindly forcing herself into work was an entirely different matter. VIP stallion caught up to her and trotted by her side. Risi was coming up with a topic for a conversation, but it seemed that the stallion beat her to it. So she just decided to, for once, remain quiet and simply listen. And colt if he didn't have a lot to say...

She kept nodding to ensure him that she's listening while making her way through the crowd. His story sounded familiar though... It reminded herself of her fillyhood. Perhaps not the convention part, she never really held any warm feelings towards conventions. She remained rather completely indifferent. But the tough time his brother had... It reminded her of the time she used to spend with her sister. While being loving daughters separately, together they've created truly a mischievous duet. From drawing allover the house, through 'adopting' random animals and finishing on sneaking out when they weren't allowed to. Star was so relished with her memories that she completely missed the moment stallion ceased talking. As she caught a grasp of her surrounding again, she turned to him: [colour=#9900cc]"Ow, it seems your tale zon-"[/colour] - but her recipient wasn't there.

From the place she was standing she could see the Ballroom B entrance already. But it didn't seem as if the VIP rushed towards it. She peered behind hoping to find him there, and after a brief delay she managed to achieve that. To her surprise, he was just standing there, looking somewhere to his side. [colour=#9900cc]"Hey! We're nearly there!"[/colour] - mare shouted, but quickly realized that her voice simply dissipated between hundreds of other voices around. Star trotted close to the VIP. [colour=#9900cc]"We should keep going."[/colour] - she marked calmly, but her curiosity took over her. She drew near the stallion and leaned above his head (what wasn't too hard considering her height...). After a brief moment she managed to track down the possible reason of this delay. Those were the two mares she managed to spot earlier and, it seemed so at least, another pony working in staff. Her face presented sudden enlightenment. [colour=#9900cc]"Oh I saw them already!"[/colour] - she marked while pointing a hoof at them - [colour=#9900cc]"Such a wonderful costumes, truly. I think they're, so far, one of best I've seen. Although I don't know who the staff is."[/colour] - Risi turned her sight at the VIP. She was close enough now to catch the colour of his gray eyes. And since she was never shy, considering how popular she was as a filly, maintaining eye contact was quite natural for her. [colour=#9900cc]"You happen to know them? I mean, what's so interesting in this image...?"[/colour] - she inquired with a slight head tilt, forgetting they were supposed to head to the Ballroom completely. Star was quite confused and wasn't even trying to hide it.

​

[Bellosh]

Merlot couldn’t quite make out what the bickering ponies were talking about, but the interviewer looked irate enough, and Pathfinder as usual was proving to be an embarrassment to those around her. The VIP would have kept his gaze on them longer if it wasn’t for his lady companion entering his line of vision. Being asked about who those ponies were, Merlot obliged the request quite readily; [colour=#0000ff]“That mare you see there dressed in that Princess Veil costume, she is Snowfall, CEO of Northern Storm Industries. I’ve had the great pleasure of making her acquaintance in the past. As for her... uhhhhh, companion, her name is Pathfinder, and she is nothing more than a... nuisance within the Daring Do fandom.”[/colour] Shuddering, Merlot at all costs didn’t want to give that madmare the satisfaction of being renowned as a so-called adventurer.

It now occurred to the gentlecolt that he had yet to make a proper introduction. Turning towards the pink unicorn, the grinning Merlot looked into her blue eyes and commenced the pleasantries; [colour=#0000ff]“As for me mademoiselle, I’m Dr. Merlot, archaeologist and a humble guest of this convention today.”[/colour] Then in a calculated move to enamor the photographer further, he took her hoof into his own as if imitating the old rites of courtly love; [colour=#0000ff]“And who might you be, I wonder?”[/colour]

Merlot was now one minute overdue for his panel.....