StrongCopper

To be fair, the crow not being impressed by the threat wasn't important. The fact that Spearmint's eyes were not being pecked was. So Spearmint was happy to deal with a less then comfortable grip of claws on his head for as long as Huginn was perched on him... through Spearmint wouldn't lie to himself that the sudden absence of claws on his scalp when the crow flew back to Chipper wasn't a pleasant one. Having his hoof shaken rather then just a hoof bump was surprising but... not unwelcome either. It was just not what he was expecting. Then as Chipper examined the map Spearmint had been using, Spearmint himself couldn't help but be concerned for just a moment that the map would turn out to be some kind of welcome prank for new students before the mood suddenly changed. Honestly, it seemed like a major coincidence that out of all the people he could meet, the first one he encountered would be his roommate. Relaxing just a little, he offered a smile as he said "Well that's a relief. I was worried that I was going to be wandering around the place for hours trying to find it. You mind showing me where we're staying?" He asked earnestly. There was also a brief moment before he also added "I wasn't aware that students were allowed to keep pets here." Hoping that it would open up a discussion.

Crows were not an unknown animal to Spearmint; They were one of the only species of birds that came out to Green Meadows. Well, to be more precise it was the same family or families of crows that tended to stop by and stay for a number of months to lay some eggs and rise the next generation. Honestly, he and many of the other ponies in town had left the crows alone to their own devices and in return the crows seemed to like them enough that it wasn't strange for them to be almost within reach of a pony without even bothering to fly away. To some degree Spearmint had even been able to tell some of the crows apart and recognize them as individuals... through he never really bothered to give them names or anything. The crow that had been flying through the hallway was not one of the crows he had recognized back at Green Meadows, but it seemed to be completely comfortable enough with ponies to land on his head as if he was a fleshy perch. As it looked at his face upside down and he gazed back at it, he blinked slightly but stayed relatively still in order not to disturb it. However, there was a slight narrowing of Spearmint's eyes as he gazed at the bird as he stated matter of factually "If you're just here to keep my company and enjoy a ride, that's fine... but I'm not dead so if you try and eat one of my eyes, I will end you. We understand each other?" One didn't grow up near crows without finding out what they ate... and he had seen family units of crows fight each other for the eyeballs of a body before like how a pony family might fight over a favored dessert. Hearing a voice calling out from behind him, Spearmint had to make an effort not to suddenly jerk his head towards the noise, mindful of the weight on his head. With a careful slowness, he turned to face the new arrival so as to not startle the crow on his head. Looking at the blue colt who had joined him who was clearly the owner of the bird, Spearmint... didn't really know how to respond right away. His raven pun got him to let out an amused snort from his nose, but he couldn't help but answer "You know, seeing you for a second I thought I was seeing a murder of crows. But clearly, there is no probable caws." He tried to keep a straight face as he waited to see how his own attempt at a pun went. Offering the colt his hoof to bump, he introduced himself as "Spearmint Sovereign. I am actually a bit turned around. You wouldn't happen to know where room..." He carefully floated the map over to revel the marked room in question where he was trying to get to "... well, where this room is, would you?"

Spearmint had always believed that the act of moving from one home to another was a somewhat time consuming, emotionally challenging event that often required things like moving vans, tear filled good byes and a nostalgic sense of loss even as one moved forward into a new future. Now that he was doing it for himself... he was somewhat disappointed by the fact that the stories he had heard and believed didn't have a whole lot of truth to them for him. Leaving Green Meadows behind had been a rather quick and easy affair; He only had the one bag of stuff with him and the only pony who might have cared that he was leaving was his mother who at the time was currently being transported to a cell to await trial for crimes against the residents of Green Meadows. While it had taken some time to get to Ponyville proper (and thus the School of Friendship that was there), the young colt quickly found himself embracing the vast difference to his former home like a duckling being introduced to water for the first time. Everything was so colorful and full of life here. There were actual plants and the greenery was almost overwhelming compared to the near barren, dusty planes around Green Meadows. The school itself was... well, it did kind of look a bit gaudy and the fact that it seemed to be covered by Princess Twilight's cutie mark seemed a bit egotistical to him but those were minor complaints that didn't bare being brought up. It was however somewhat bigger then he was used to, to the point where finding the dorm room that he was going to be staying at was actually proving to be something of a challenge. He even had a map of the school giving him directions and he was pretty sure he had gotten turned around a hallway or two back. The student lodging area just had a 'it all looks the same' vibe to it. Taking a seat in order to have a more in depth look at the map held in his magic, he started muttering to himself as he traced his hoof along the path he believed he had followed in order to try and work out where he was. "Okay, so I passed that janitors closest... I know I passed this mural here... where did I get turned around?"

Roleplay Type: World of Equestria Name: Spearmint Sovereign Gender: Male Age: Colt Species: Unicorn (pony) Eye colour: Seaform Green Coat: Spearmint Green Mane/Tail: Lime Green Physique: As a growing colt, Spearmint's recent growth spurts had resulted in a unicorn who is rather lanky who hasn't quite finished growing into his body yet. This is not helped by the fact that he is rather clearly somewhat underweight, since the only thing preventing someone from seeing his ribs through his chest is his coat. It would be unfair to say that he is nothing but skin and bones, but he does need a few solid meals for his own well being. His mane and tail have been cut recently, but in a somewhat haphazard manner that suggested that it the kind of haircut someone got from home rather then at the hoofs or horn of a professional, a haphazard attempt just to make both of them as short and easy to look after as possible rather then with any real thought towards making the one with them look good. There is a furtive, fearful manner in which he tends to move his eyes, as if even when in a place where he should be safe and sound that he was still on alert and looking for the first sign of danger. Residence: The School of Friendship Dorms, Ponyville. Occupation: Student Cutie Mark: A bright, almost glowing turquoise crown. Unique Traits: Spearmint's special spell, the thing innate to him and which earned him his cutie mark, is an ability to mentally influence other creatures in a very specific way; They will want to be his loyal friend. While on paper this would sound like a classic case of mental domination or a situation where others would be converted into mindless puppets, in practice this is not the case. Those under the influence of the spell remain themselves, with free will and the ability to make their own decisions... but when they think of Spearmint their opinions of him will naturally drift towards what they view to be his positive traits while thoughts related to betraying him or his trust come across as unthinkable and not to be considered. He cannot order anyone to do anything magically and someone with enough determination could pretty easily resist and break his magical charm. All it really does is make someone more inclined to like him and want to be his friend through good and bad times. History: Spearmint was born in a small rural town in Equestria by the name of Green Meadows. Green Meadows was something of a joke name, due to the fact that the town was a minor mining town in a stretch of Equestria where plant life generally didn't survive for long. Spearmint was the son of General Sovereign, the unicorn overseer of Green Meadows' mining operations and... truth be told, no one actually knew who his father was. General never spoke about the father to anyone, not even Spearmint himself... and those that asked were quickly subject to General's fiery temper. As the local overseer and thus highest authority of the mining operations of the town, General was entrusted to running the day to day operations while those above her in the company did their jobs elsewhere, giving her next to no oversight in exactly how she did her job. She was an effective, if callous taskmaster who used every loophole and trick in the book to cut costs and corners while maximizing profit, preferring to resort to suppressing and controlling the unrest of the miners rather then waste time, money or effort fixing the causes of their unrest. When things finally hit the tipping point, General resorted to... darker measures to restore order and get bodies working the mines. Namely, she started mind controlling her work force, reducing them into near autonomous drones. This lasted for a little while before a friendship task force showed up one Saturday, found out what she was doing, beat her into submission and freed the work force, hauling General Sovereign off to trial and prison for her crimes. In the background of all this, was Spearmint. While he loved his mother, her high standards and need for control of just about any given situation was overbearing on most days. Spearmint was generally a lonely child, since there weren't many other children around Green Meadows for him to play with and those few that did... well, if their parents hadn't warned them away from spending time with him, them meeting his mother tended to convince them to back off and stay away, despite whatever personal thoughts they harbored about Spearmint himself. As he started to grow older and became a colt, Spearmint found his cutie mark and talent from what many would have considered the most unlikely of all places; The Journal of Friendship by Twilight Sparkle and her friends. Their messages and lessons about friendship touched the lonely colt, enlightening him to the world of friendship that he had been unable to properly find a way into and lighting a flame in his heart not to give up and to keep trying. However, like many others who read the Journal of Friendship, Spearmint also took away a lesson that the writers likely never intended. Looking over their words about their clashes with villains such as Nightmare Moon and largely looking into the actions of Twilight Sparkle, Spearmint came to a logical conclusion; Using magic to turn someone or something on a path of destruction or social isolation into a friend was a perfectly acceptable course of action. It took some time and research before he managed to put together a spell that would suit his purpose and needs (the fact that there were a bunch of books and tomes about mental magic in his house already would, in hindsight, be a pretty strong indicator of his mother's future actions), but in time he managed to create something of his own. Most of the spells in the books he was reading was about turning living things into puppets... and that didn't really appeal to Spearmint. If he wanted puppets he could literally go and buy one and he would likely still be as lonely as he was before, he wanted an actual friend. All he wanted was for somepony to think positively about him and to want to stick with him, even if they were intimidated by his mother... and for a time it worked wonderfully! He suddenly was able to be friends with ponies his own age, despite the fact that his mother wasn't a good pony. Then his mother started making her workforce into mind controlled puppets and Spearmint learned the limits of the loyalty his spell created as his new friends abandoned him to flee and hide. It hurt but... he couldn't exactly fault them for it, considering the circumstances. It wasn't long before ponies showed up, friendship battle happened and his mother was going to jail while all her spell work was undone... but that left Spearmint in an awkward position. Anyone who suggested that his friends had been enchanted generally did so under the impression that it had been General who did so, but having your mother try and mind control a town and force them to work in the mines tended to kill any chance of having a healthy social life in said town by association. Since he couldn't stay in Green Meadows anymore, he decided to ask the ponies who had defeated his mother if he could travel with them back to where they were going. He ended up traveling to Canterlot that way... and after spending less then a day there heard about the School of Friendship in nearby Ponyville and hopped onto the next train because he couldn't afford to stay in Canterlot. Character Personality: Spearmint in a colt who has always had a harsh, demanding order imposed on him by his mother. Now free of her and finding himself at the School of Friendship, Spearmint... doesn't really know how to relax or fit in properly. For the first time he is truly free to make his own decisions and... it's honestly kind of overwhelming and terrifying for him. There are a lot of things he is scared and nervous of actually. The fact that his special talent is so deeply related to the crimes of his mother has actually caused him to grow fearful of reveling it to anyone. The fact that his mother mind controlled a town and was currently in prison for it. ...That without the usage of his talent, he still would be all alone without anyone who cared enough about him to want to be his friend. Still, this was the School of Friendship, founded by his idol Twilight Sparkle!... even if the Princess was now the Ruler of Equestria and no longer ran the school personally. If there is anywhere he can learn how to make friends, it would be here, right? Character Summary: The lonely son of a Saturday Cartoon villain trying to create a life for himself outside of his mother's shadow.

Feeling the urge to defend himself slightly from his ignorance of the purpose of the expedition, even as Rose placed a hoof on his shoulder he explained after she explained what she was "In my defense, I only heard about this expedition through rumor and gossip. Things tend to get distorted when its put through the rumor mill and I felt it was just quicker and safer if I just outright asked you what the truth was." Then she told him what the goal of the expedition was... and for a few seconds he waited for her to announce that she was joking before his face started to go ashen as she proved to be completely serious. The mixture of emotions that followed was a cocktail of concern, fear... and anger as he took a few deep breaths to properly collect himself in a professional manner. "...So please let me get this straight. You are taking a crew into the Everfree Forest in order to hunt down and kill a Hydra in order to collect its blood to study its alchemical properties. An adult hydra mind you, because before they get old enough to be able to spit and breath their highly toxic venom, all that poisonous stuff mixes with the blood as an evolutionary trait to discourage predators trying to get a meal before they grow big enough to defend themselves." There was a deep breath before he continued "I'm sorry Miss Compass, but I must decline assisting your efforts on moral grounds. If this was a case of a hydra being a threat to Ponyville or other nearby settlements things might be different, but I cannot justify going into the territory of a creature that's far from any harm to sentient life and hunting it for science and profit."

With the leading mare herself pointed out by two other members of her expedition, Strong Copper decided that time was a factor to consider as he turned to face Miss Compass herself before she had a proper chance to introduce herself. "My name is Strong Copper. I know we haven't met face to face before but I've heard rumors around town that you're leading an expedition into the Everfree and... well, from what I've heard, it sounds like you haven't recruited anyone with knowledge of the flora and fauna of the forest or how to properly deal with them." He shrugged his shoulders as he quickly admitted "I'm kind of concerned for the well being of yourself and those you are leading because of it. I know you likely don't want to just hire some random expert who showed up at the last moment but... if you tell me what your looking for in the Everfree maybe I could give you some free advice here and now on what to expect and how to deal with it."

The 'expedition' into the Everfree had been more then enough to fuel the rumor mill of Ponyville for a while now. Exactly what the goal of the expedition itself was was a matter of debate that was not often agreed upon, but the solid cores of fact that had managed to survive the grinding of the rumor mill was that the trip was being organized by an alchemist called Rose Compass to head into the Everfree Forest and that she had managed to get her hooves on an airship in order to aid in her efforts. Ponyville had grown as a town over the last few years, but it was still small enough that Strong Copper had been able to catch wind of what was going on. For a time he had been content just to stay out of it; After all, he hadn't been sort out to assist in whatever the expedition was about and thus it really wasn't his business. However, when one of the rumors going around suggested that Rose was bringing along her spa pony marefriend as a member of the crew quickly proved to be true, Strong Copper had to reconsider his stance on the matter. If he didn't at least go and offer his expertise and services, there was a very real chance that this Rose Compass was going to get herself and everyone who she had brought along for her fools errand killed. Finding Rose Compass proved harder, but the Canterlot born unicorn fell back on a tired and true method of catching up with her before she could disappear into the Everfree; He watched the skies for an airship and followed it to where it was landing. While he had galloped over to the landing site in order to avoid missing the expedition completely, he had taken an educated guess about where the airship could have landed to begin with and thus, didn't have all that much distance to cover. Still with plenty of breath to work with as the unicorn arrived and glanced around, he called out "Excuse me, who here is 'Rose Compass'?"

Glancing towards the mare that had announced herself as Trixie, Strong Copper carefully untangled himself from the shovel physically but continued to maintain a firm grip with his magic. Yes it was a bit more of a headache on his part trying to contain something that was doing everything in its enchanted power to move, but it allowed him to get a relatively safe physical distance away from... to quote Trixie herself, the spellbound spade. This caution proved itself well deserved as once the magical hold faded Copper had enough to move backwards to avoid taking a heavy blow to the side of the head. What happened next was both simple to explain... but that simplicity in turn was also incredibility complicated at the same time. It was easy to say that Trixie had suddenly sprouted a pair of wings before vaporizing her feral shovel with a blast of magic. The logistics and reasoning of how she was able to do this however was a lot more... complicated to say the least. It took a few seconds for Strong Copper to blink the spots that had appeared in his vision due to the sudden light show, but once he had he couldn't help but notice just how winded Trixie was. Calmly walking over to her side, he took a seat before reaching up to softly pat her on the back in a comforting manner. "I'm going to be completely honest with you. You're either one of the most humble ponies I have ever met, or I made such a strong good impression that you felt the need to go all out in order to impress me and blow my mind. Either way... my name is Strong Copper and it's a pleasure to meet you." He honestly couldn't help but smile as he gazed at her face and introduced himself. "Also, I'm sorry about your shovel. Even if it was a pain in the flank..."

Strong Copper had heard that story about the enchanted broom as well. It was generally the first story about enchantment magic that unicorns were taught in order to stress that it could be dangerous. The fact that the shovel in question responded to the attempt to turn it off by trying to smash the mare's head in, while some might have found it comedic, was further proof that enchantment was a dangerous field of magic. Not wishing to see a mare get bashed in the head with a shovel, Copper started a charge in order to leap into the situation in a very literal sense. Wrapping his front legs around the shovel as his horn lit up to cease it both physically and with his magic at the same time in order to force to a halt, he actually managed to stop its attempts to attack its mistress. The strain of doing so quickly showed on his features however; It was outright fighting him every second, trying to break free of his holds with a surprising amount of strength that didn't understand the mortal limits of growing tired. His gaze looked on the thing as he struggled to maintain concentration, he had to focus on his breathing to keep them slow and steady as he quickly muttered "I don't know how long I can hold this. Please hurry!" before there was a slight wince of pain of a headache and a small shift of his grip as the shovel did a stronger then normal movement. He lapsed into silence to better focus his attention on keeping the damn thing still.

Copper tried to be polite and not laugh as the shovel dumped snow on the mare. He had to raise a leg in order to cover his mouth to do so, but he managed to avoid embarrassing her. Watching her shake the snow off of her was an interesting experience as well, but he lowered his leg back to the ground in order to stand and speak properly once she was somewhat more collected again. "I'm not in a rush at the moment so I'm more then happy to help out. Honestly I'm just glad to finally meet the mare who's carriage seems to have taken her almost as far across Equestria as myself." He paused for a moment... before he grinned as he offered as a compliment "It says a lot about how much my mind tended to be focused on the next job that I remember seeing the wagon, but somehow completely missed the beautiful mare pulling it until now." Snorting softly to himself as he turned to look at the shovel again, he narrowed his gaze slightly before asking "So... is there an off command to make it just be a normal shovel again or is it alright for me to wrestle it and tame it to my will to use it as a normal shovel? Enchantments aren't my strong suit."

Strong Copper As he calmly walked along a road that had recently been shoveled but the snow was taking advantage of the lack of the shovel-er from before to try and regain some lost territory, Strong Copper found the mild resistance to actually be rather enjoyable and a pleasant change of pace. Wading through knee deep snow was something he had done a number of times before and it was honestly something that grew old rather quickly, but having the path be completely clear felt... wrong at the same time as well in a manner that he would struggle to put into actual words. Given some protection from the cold due to his jumper and a good pair of boots, when he came to a random stop along the path with his head tilted to the side, the cold didn't bother him all that much. It was kind of hard to pin down exactly what had caused him to stop; The magical snow shovel that was clearly moving the same pile of snow around, the rather pretty unicorn mare who's name he didn't know who was clearly doing some work on a wagon would have both been good answers. But the truth was it was the wagon itself that caught his eye. At first it was merely due to a passing thought that he had seen it somewhere before... but the longer he looked at it, the more certain he became that he had seen that wagon before! Not just in Ponyville either, but at various towns, settlements and even just on the road as he traveled for his job. His curiosity slightly peaked and having no pressing matters to attend to, he decided to leave the path in order to work his way through the snow and past the enchanted snow shovel as he asked the mare whom he assumed was the owner of the wagon "Excuse me Miss, would you like a hoof clearing the path to get the wagon out? It seems like your shovel is having some minor issues."

With little surprise, the day after Norton's letter hit the papers, another letter penned by a different claw took its place to answer it. To the Citizens of Equestria, Having spent a great number of my years walking this world within the fair and peaceful boarders of Equestria, I have learned and embraced a great deal of values and lessons that my kin back in the Dragonlands have only recently started to be introduced to via the works of the School of Friendship founded by Princess Sparkle herself. The reason I am taking the time to write this letter is to discuss the Element that I find has a special place in my heart; Honesty. Yesterday, while own my way to Canterlot in order to meet with Princess Sparkle herself, I read a rather captivating letter from one Norton Breakbeak. I am sure that many of those who read it found it highly entertaining, listening to the latest chapter in the grand, heroic tale of a griffon seeking to reclaim his families long abandoned birthright from the clutches of a greedy dragon before restoring it to glory. Someponies might have even ended up reading it to their foals as a bedtime story to help them fall asleep and not just because subjects such as trade deals tends to bore them towards seeking entertainment from their dreams. Alas, that was all that letter was. Nothing more then a fairy tale. Norton Breakbeak is not some scion of the Griffonstone throne who has at last come home to reclaim his birthright. He is a former marine captain from Aquellia who was discharged due to mental instability. His trade deal with Tenochtitlan was not a victory of friendship and diplomacy; It was a trade deal brought via a shipment of gems that had been purchased by Equestria and was on route when Breakbeak's loyal band of lackeys and bandits hijacked it. The fate of those brave griffons who were transporting that shipment is currently unknown since no evidence of them has yet to be found. Alongside his gift of stolen valuable gems, Breakbeak sealed his agreement with Tenochtitlan with a blood pact to serve their interests going forward. I write this letter because I believe that Equestria needs to hear the truth of this so called 'Emperor' and his actions. While some can say that Honesty can be harsh and unkind, I know for a fact that one of the founding principles of Equestria is that a hard truth is better then an easy lie. I also saw it as a chance to publicly apologize as the founder and CEO of Prosperity Mining for the lateness of our shipment. Another shipment of gems is currently being prepared and will be sent as soon as it is safe to do so at no extra charge. When you purchased that shipment from me, I made a promise to deliver what was asked for and I will not let a bandit king force me to break my word. May you and your kin prosper, Ridge, CEO of Prosperity Mining.

It's unlikely things are going to get bigger then Griffonstone but... well, you never know. History turns on small things. After all, WW1 started because of an independence dispute.

Ridge sighed softly as he leaned back, his eyes closed as he waited in his little private booth of the hotel bar/eating area that he was staying at. The trip from Griffonstone hadn't been all that long and already he had set up an appointment with the current pony princess to meet with her within the next couple of days. After all as critical as he viewed his current situation, showing a degree of curtsy would certainly make a good impression and help him strive to get the result that he was after. It also allowed him the chance to do a bit of head hunting for his company and goals. The Heart's Warming Incident had proven that while the mining itself could easily be left to the locals, security was going to require him reaching out for employees who had the correct skill set while completely lacking the possibility of being compromised by loyalties towards the so called 'Emperor'... or failing that, friends and family who supported him. He would not have another one of his caravans go missing to that deluded catbird again! So he had put out an ad in a couple of Equestrian papers in Canterlot and settlements within reasonable traveling distance, offering employment at Prosperity Mining alongside the coverage of travel costs. The idea of spending more of his horde to relocate creatures had stung him deeply, but he needed people he could count on to be loyal to him who weren't stupid enough to just go 'Oh okay' when some random griffons walked up and said they would take this shift. Those ads were not the only advertisement he had put out either. Having had a much more... familiar connection with the seedier parts of Equestria then most, Ridge had quietly put the word out on the Underworld's version of a community advertisement board. He had money. He had a problem. He was willing to part with the former in order to acquire the services of someone willing to take care of the latter in a subtle manner. The nets were cast out. The dragon just had to wait and see what he dragged in.

He had been outplayed. As much as the fact revolted and angered him, Ridge had the common sense to acknowledge that this situation was not in his favor and there was practically nothing he could do in this given moment to try and turn it in his favor. There might have been something he could have said or done earlier, but the arrival of a caravan from a native power that he had managed to sway to his side had rather simply cemented Norton's position and gave him a popularity with the crowd that would naturally swing in his direction regardless of just about anything he said at this point. A lesser dragon would have lashed out, resorting to violence regardless of the odds. The slightly smarter but still lesser mind would have howled, fumed and raged like an upset child who didn't get their own way. Instead, Ridge lifted his right claw and raised two fingers straight up to silently gesture that he had something to say. "So let me get this straight just so everyone is on board. You've targeted a newly started up company founded by a minority of the community and ambushed their first trade convey to a foreign nation like a common bandit, doing gods knows what to those who were transporting and escorting it in the process because they haven't returned here, then took your stolen goods to not only sell them in Tenochtitlan but use what was rightfully sold to Equestria in order to convince Tenochtitlan to recognize what would otherwise be your illegal government." His words weren't angry or... any emotion really. He was calmly just stating facts as he saw them. Sky's blue, water's wet and you're nothing but a trumped up bandit. After a moment of silence... Ridge actually started to clap. It was little more then a slow golf clap, but in the silence that had likely been created by this whole damn exchange the sound of claw and scale meeting each other was a lot louder then it had right to be. Ridge actually offered Norton a smile. "Well played. But then I guess you had more to gain. After all, what good are mere bits when a crown and dynasty are on the line? By all means, everyone can continue to enjoy the party. After all, it's already been paid for out of my pocket so I don't see any reason to ruin anyone's enjoyment. But personally I will need to retire for the evening. After all, I now have to draw up a letter explaining why a shipment of gems isn't going to be arriving now. Happy Hearths Warming Emperor Norton." Offering Cemmoyāhua a respectful bow of the head as well, Ridge turned and walked away with his head held high, his tail clearly not between his legs. This round was Norton's. Ridge wasn't going to deny that. But one battle didn't make a war.

There was really only one answer that Ridge could give to the mare and it was the truth of the matter. "We've only recently sent out our first shipment to Equestria. I'm not sure if you're aware, but organizing and getting a mine operational takes time and hard work. It's why I haven't reached out to make contact with Tenochtitlan yet, because call me old fashioned but I prefer to have something to show for my efforts rather then merely talk a big game."

The smile on Ridge's face was a frozen thing as he gazed at Norman. His trade caravan of ponies, his offering of 'gifts' to undermine his own celebration... but his announcement of the Griffonstone National Mines was what really caught his attention. The urge to burn a catbird to serve as the main course of the evening was growing again, but for the sake of civility (and the crowd of witnesses both local and possible future trading partners) that option was being filed away for later. He suspected he knew where the conversation was going, but a bit of theater to confirm one way or the other wouldn't hurt. "I must say I admire your bravery Norton. Adventuring out beyond the relative safety of the local Griffonstone area in order to discover a new claim to build a mine around. Color me impressed!" Turning his gaze towards Cemmoyāhua, the cold rage that was being reserved for Norton slipped away into an... expression of remorse? Sympathy? "Forgive me if I am pronouncing your name wrong Miss Cemmoyahua because I am not as well versed in Tenochtitlan dialects as I would long to be. I am Ridge, founder and owner of Prosperity Mining and it would be my pleasure to welcome you and yours to Griffonstone after your travels. However, I fear that you may have been asked to come here under false pretenses. I would be correct in assuming that you were invited here by the 'Emperor of Griffonstone'?" The title was said with him making quotation marks with his claws. Pausing but a moment to give the impression that he was waiting for an answer before barreling on, he laid the honest truth to bare. "There is no Emperor of Griffonstone. Norton here is some random griffon from the Republic that started squawking that he was the Emperor without any actual evidence and everyone kind of played along with it because he wasn't hurting anyone and it was amusing." Ridge's facial expression turned icy as he glanced to glare at Norton like he was some cub that had gotten caught doing something he wasn't meant to. "It stopped being harmless and amusing the moment he conned your government into believing he is actually a head of a state and organized a trade deal." Turning back to Cemmoyāhua, his expression softened again as he offered "However, if you can make some time to speak with myself and the head of the local Equestrian military outpost about the arrangements that Norton has made, we'll be happy to arrange things so that Tenochtitlan can save face from this whole debacle."

If anyone in the crowd had the power to read minds or emotions, they likely would have reveled themselves because of their desire to suddenly be as far away from Ridge as they possibly could having betrayed them. Well on the surface he was smiling beneath the surface was a building, almost impossibly hot rage akin to the molten magma that ran deep under the surface of the Dragonlands. Had this been just about any other dragon, parts of Griffonstone would be on fire and the first part of it to burst into flame would have been Emperor Norton himself! However, Ridge wasn't like many dragons. He had tasted the bitter wine of defeat and being upstaged by others many times before and while he still hated it, it gave him the experience not to lose his cool and actually think about the situation despite the desire to remove the head of an upstart catbird. While on the surface Norton had won this round, Ridge took a mental step back in order to examine the situation from a place of cold calculation in order to attempt to figure out how he could turn this to his advantage... and suddenly the rage disappeared as he recognized the gift that the upstart had given him without intending to. The markets of Tenoctilan were now open to Griffonstone... and unless the 'Emperor' wanted to undermine his own announcement and give a solid amount of ammunition to politically be torn apart for seeking to stifle free enterprise, Prosperity Mining would also benefit from such an arrangement because it was (on paper at least) a Griffonstone company. Sure, there was going to be work going forward but opportunities always took work... and Norton's hard work had gone a long way to providing him with opportunities to profit. So he could let Norton have his win, if only because of the compensation he was going to get in return. So it was with a surprising amount of good grace that Ridge grinned at the 'Emperor' and announced with his arms flung to the sides wide as if he was accepting an old friend "Why Norton! What a surprisingly thoughtful and generous gift! I'm sad to say I don't have anything near as meaningful to give you in return but I'll make it up to you next year. Consider it something to look forward to when you host your first party of the holidays!" He actually made a small show of thinking about something before adding "We should actually line up the calendar for next year in advance. Don't want both parties to end up on the same day after all."

Shortly after Ridge had arrived in Griffonstone, it had been everything that he could have asked for. Dirt poor with no real local government to speak of or law enforcement to contend with. His hunch about the gems and riches buried in the earth that had been mined back when Griffonstone had been an actual power having been abandoned as its major trading partner had disappeared and the kingdom was crumbling rather then just running dry had proved to be correct and thus he was free to set up Prosperity Mining in order to harvest it. Even having an Equestrian military base being set up nearby had proven to be an opportunity rather then a hassle, because not only did it mean that he didn't have to invest as heavily as he might have needed to in order to secure the city and more importantly his mining operations, but some early arrangements he made with them had given him a degree of legitimacy that his company would have needed time and effort to earn. It also offered him an early trading partner to sell the gems his company was mining too, but he knew better then to count on the Equestrians to remain as such. Equestria was naturally rich with gems and crystals, with their current interest in purchasing from his company being little more then an attempt by them to help start up a company within Griffonstone in order to try and kick start the economy of the old griffon capital. That good will and more importantly, the bits backing it would only last so long. He would need to branch out into other markets in time, but it was still a damn good start for a dragon's horde and even better for a new company. However, getting his company into the ground to start digging had not been the only thing on Ridge's mind as of late. The same day that he had inspected the quality of the gems to be mined in the future, the 'Emperor' had arrived in Griffonstone. A delusional, homeless gutter bird who believed he was soaring and had designs to uplift the rest of Griffonstone with him. While it was laughable to consider him as anything close to a real threat, Ridge hadn't gotten this far by allowing himself to become complicate; He himself had taken advantage of others believing that he wasn't a big enough threat to be worth considering a few times and he likely would again. The cold, hard fact of the matter was that the 'Emperor' might have been a joke, but he was a joke that the other griffons were entertaining... and considering his own plans for the city, griffon sovereignty under a griffon ruler was a dangerous idea to have floating around. However, disposing of the problem was somewhat harder because the crazy buzzard was somewhat popular and well liked; Setting such people on fire tended to work against the one setting the fire and that would simply cause further problems down the line if not ruin his plans completely. Alternative solutions were required... and as much as it hurt him deeply whenever he looked at the bottom line of the bill, the holidays provided him with an opening to deepen his roots and further cement himself here while making the 'Emperor' out as the bitless bum he was. 'The First Annual Prosperity Mining Hearts Warming Party' as he had taken to calling it on the posters he had placed around Griffonstone was, by the standards of the dilapidated settlement, a lavish affair in which no expense had been spared, delicacies that a hard working family might have saved up enough for once or twice a year were common place on the tables, the drink was endless and came in bountiful forms and several live bands had been contracted to play throughout the night. Behind the scenes there was very much a budget for the party and by the standards of more developed Equestrian cities like Manehatten or Canterlot if he had tried to host an event with the same budget there, it would have either needed to be a cozy, private affair with a limited number of guests or risk being so bare thread that it would have been over rather quickly. The fact that Griffonstone had such a low population coupled with the low standards that its poverty had enforced on the population had gone a long way to making sure that this was going to be a smash hit. Climbing up onto the wooden stage that had been built for the evening for the bands later on, Ridge the dragon gazed out at the crowd that had likely been drawn out if for no other reason then it promised to be a night of entertainment and food that they didn't have to pay for rather then by any actual holiday cheer or love of him or his company. Dressed in a lovely red jacket that blended well with his scales while helping to protect him from the chill that was generally always in the air, he cleared his throat before speaking with a tone of voice that commanded attention. "Ladies, Gentlebirds, ponies and anyone else who happened to be here that I haven't spotted in the crowd yet. As the founder and president of Prosperity Mining, Griffonstone has been good to me since my arrival here. As such, I couldn't help but feel the urge to give back a little to the community that has allowed me to prosper in such a relatively short amount of time as a sign of goodwill going forward into the new year. However before we can enjoy the music, take advantage of the food and get plastered on drink I do believe it's time for me to make a little speech." "And I believe it's time for us to take a little nap!" An elderly voice called from the crowd, the exact source of which was lost amongst the wave of merriment and laughter. Ridge himself couldn't help but chuckle along as he waved a claw in the air. "I know, but formalities and all that. Let's just get this over with quick." Reaching into a pocket of his jacket to remove a sheet of paper... and then into a different pocket to pull out an almost comically small pair of glasses that he donned, he started by going "My speech, here is my holiday speech." before politely clearing his throat before reading it aloud. "Thank you all and merry Hearts Warming!" before lowering the piece of paper and gazing out over the crowd. The silence was quickly filled by a different elderly voice from the crowd that seemed to be close to where the original had come from. "That was the speech?!" before it was quickly joined by the original speaker. "It was dumb!" "It was obvious!" "It was pointless!" "It was... short?" There was a silence as two old griffons turned to look at each other, before both turning back towards the stage and announcing together "I LOVED IT!" much to the amusement of the crowd and Ridge himself. "Well I'm tried of speeches." Ridge announced, before blowing a brief burst of flame that combusted the paper in his claws before declaring "Let's get this party started!" and abandoning the stage to allow the first band to get started, the dance floor to live up to its namesake and the food and drink to be open to the public.

It had to be said, Strong Copper wasn't used to dealing with someone who only spoke in rhyme. Yes he could understand her reasons for it being rooted in a desire to make sure that whenever she spoke, her words were carefully thought out but in matters of haste or danger, sometimes a quick and easy to understand word was needed instead of speaking in riddles. However, as he listened to her words he seemed to get the general gist of what she was trying to say. Her plan seemed to be, as he quietly followed after her in order to avoid detection, to subdue the timber wolf so that she could apply a remedy that she knew and had the supplies for back home. A solid plan, but there were still a few gaps in it from his point of view as he started to pick up the pace once they were a safe enough distance away from the afflicted timber wolf as to not alert it to their presence. "Okay. If it's not a factor we have to worry about while we subdue and treat the timber wolf, we can hold off on discussing what caused its condition until later. I am definitely going to have to invite you around for lunch or an afternoon tea or something in the next few days because you've got a lot of first hoof knowledge of the Everfree that would be a huge benefit to have. But if time is a factor, wouldn't it make a bit more sense to subdue it now and then bring it back to your house for treatment? Yes, we have a general idea of where to find it due to knowing where its territory is and I doubt it can travel far in its current state, but you're making it sound like it only has a few hours to live."

When Zecora offered a good idea, it was a good idea. More information was required in order to uncover this mystery and Strong Copper strongly suspected that the source of the noise wasn't going to prove to be Filthy Rich wearing a timber wolf mask, trying to scare ponies away from his bits... He had Spoiled Rich to do that for him after all. Since climbing a tree was not in the cards for either of them (hooves did not aid the climbing process after all and neither of them had wings), he decided to follow her example by locating a better position to try and spy their target. More by chance then anything, the pair were upwind of the source of the noise. The noise itself proved to be coming from a makeshift lair of sorts... or at least one that was in the process of being made. Timber Wolves were akin to their flesh and blood counterparts in that they were nomads; They tended to claim large territories (or at least as large as they were allowed), but they rarely stayed in a singular area of it for more then a season, moving around their domain in response to where the food was going. Thus, they tended to have dens and sheltered locations scattered around their respective domains that could take many shapes and sizes, often taking advantage of local features but occasionally doing some altering in order to have a more comfortable stay. This one had selected a dead, fallen tree trunk to serve as shelter for the time being, but the creature itself was clawing at a still living tree nearby. It was pretty easy to see what was wrong with the Timber Wolf in question from sight alone, through the actual logistics of it were rather insane and Copper didn't have the faintest idea off the top of his head where to start trying to fix it. Timber Wolves were... well, true to their name, magical creatures made out of wood. The one that was methodically clawing at the trunk of a tree to refresh a territorial marking into it seemed to be a fusion of wood and stone; It was not a happy fusion. A slightly longer observation reveled the current state of affairs in all their horrifying, nightmarish glory; Across the timber wolf's otherwise wooden body were 'patches' of what had clearly once been wood that had been transmuted into stone, locking that section of the body into whatever position it had been when the transformation occurred and thus, whenever the rest of the body tried to move in such a why that would normally involve that section, caused wood and stone to grind against each other in what appeared to be a rather painful sounding way. These stone sections seemed to run deep as well, proving to Copper why it was one its own: Whatever had caused the transmutation of parts of the timber wolf into stone had seriously hindered the wolf's ability to move freely or at speed, causing it to not be able to keep up with the pack and likely either being left behind or outright leaving in order to avoid slowing the pack down. The extra weight of having stone parts likely didn't help either. Unable to hunt properly, it had resorted to leaving the Everfree to target Ponyville's chickens (and likely other owned animals in time) that tended to be penned or tied up and thus unable to run away or fight back as effectively. The front left leg of the wolf seemed to have suffered from this stone... whatever it was as well, having been transformed and locked into stone from the claw up until just under the joint halfway up... and that fact that seemed to answer why there seemed to be dead, hardened wood within the footprints and earlier markings they had come across. Certain types of wood could be mistaken for stone after it died and dried out completely... it seemed in this case they had gotten it the other way around. Of course, just because they now knew that this timber wolf seemed to have random parts of its very being turning to stone didn't exactly do anything to answer the question of 'Why' it was seemingly partially turned to stone. That was a mystery... and possibly a dangerous one at that. Abandoning his position in order to quietly make his way over to join Zecora and confirming that they could see the stricken timber wolf from her position as well, he couldn't help but state the obvious rather softly "Well... this is a new one for me. What about for you?"

For what little it was worth, it was easy to see that Strong Copper understood that everypony must ask her that question shortly after meeting her. Everyone had a question that was always brought up and it tended to get rather old in a hurry... even if the question still needed to be asked. "Well, there's nothing wrong with taking the time to think before we speak. Most sadly don't..." He answered softly, offering her a small smile... before a strange noise caused his ears to go on high alert and his head to snap towards the sound. It was a rather strange noise to encounter within a forest of all things. The way the sound traveled suggested slow but consistant movements but they were clearly hobbled... but it was the nature of the noise itself that truly raised concerns as easily as it sent shivers down ones spine. Exactly what the noise was proved difficult to put into words but... it kind of sounded like stone grinding against wood in a terrible way for both. Slowly turning his head to look at Zecora, he lowered his voice as he softly asked "Do you know what that is?"

So the mare was a herbalist. That answered a few questions about why she was within the forest, but there was one question that continued to poke and prod at him as they continued their travel together and as time passed the urge to ask it continued to grow "Fair enough. I'm sure there are plenty of plants out here that few actually know about." He answered politely, but despite the fact that he was trying to keep his mind focused on the task at hoof, it was clear that something was provoking his curiosity even as he remained silent for a few moments. At last, he couldn't resist any further. Risking a glance from the tracks he was following, he took a moment to consider his words before finally settling on "Look, I'm sorry if this comes off as rude or being culturally insensitive but I do have to ask. Why do you always talk in rhyme?" For what it was worth, the expression on his face was a mixture of curiosity at the answer and a degree shame that he was asking in the first place.

It took a little while to notice, but once Zecora mentioned it, it really did look like something had swept over the chicken marks shortly after they had been made, but hadn't done so to the point of actually covering anything up. The whole situation was an oddity; A mystery to be uncovered and explored further to be sure but it wasn't the mystery that they were already following. Was there a chance the two mysteries were somehow related? Possibly, but until they knew more about the situation any theory they came up with was just that... a theory. Untested and unproven. The oddity noted for the time being, Strong Copper raised his head to have a glance around to make sure they weren't in any kind of danger before he started to lead the way again. "Anyway..." He started off slowly, talking a little softer then before but still with a mildly casual air. "What kind of herbs are you looking for and way do you need them?" Getting someone to talk about their own interests and passions was a good social move, right?

So she had come here to locate some herbs that he suspected were native to the Everfree. Makes perfect sense in a way... even more so because it sounded like she came out here fairly often. "I'm not going to offer caution to someone who's passions require them to go places where others view as dangerous... if only because that would make me rather a hypocrite. But I'm assuming that the herbs your after struggle to grow outside of the Everfree's native soil?" He asked, his attention being on the trail they were following but at least trying to show that he was paying attention to what she had to say. While he kept a close eye on the freshest trail of the timber wolf they were following, an older track caused him to pause briefly if only because of how strange it was to see it due to how out of place it was. Exactly how old the markings were, he couldn't tell.. if he had to guess they were at least a few days old, if not a week or two. Remarkably rare in a wild zone for such small markings to survive this long, but it seemed that the weather had been relatively forgiving in this section of the Everfree and the small path that the timber wolf had made in the forest in recent times had managed to prevent plant life from covering it up yet. It still begged the question through. "What was a chicken doing this deep in the Everfree?" He offered a small gesture towards the chicken scratches in general for the benefit of Zecora. At least, they could have been chicken scratches. Copper had been around a hen house recently and while it was true that other birds might have left such markings he couldn't help but recognize the resemblance. Granted these markings were somewhat deeper in the ground then the standard hen, suggesting that this strange specimen was noticeably heaver then the norm.