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Cubbage

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Posts posted by Cubbage

  1. Lope was relieved when the crystal arrested, but again worried when Spike brought out another. And even more so when Strong Copper agreed with him! "I'm still not so sure," he said, trying to at least stall the dragon a little. It was imperative he kept S.T.A.R. out of this. His trainer was a hard flank already. She was a nightmare when in a jurisdiction battle. "Maybe we should do a little investigating before we decide to call in the royal guard. After all, if it's nothing, I think Twilight's ponies would be rather annoyed to be troubled in the middle of the night over a false alarm, don't you?" Please say yes, please say yes, please say yes, was all that was going through his mind now...

  2. Twinkle Dawn's heart nearly burst with joy! "Then I was right! You are the visitor I've been expecting!" She teleported the rest of the way down the stairs and moved hastily towards the entryway fireplace. "I've been waiting all day for you! Here, let me put some tea on! I don't know why I didn't have any ready when you arrived! It's almost midnight! I should have known to be prepared!" The logs in the fireplace glowed momentarily with her green aura before bursting into flames. She dashed out of the room to fill a teapot and came back moments later, hanging it above the fire. She then turned to her new guest, taking him in fully for the first time.

     

    Now that she had a good look at him, he was... off-putting. His mane was long and unkempt, and she couldn't tell if his beard was a fashion statement or just a result of bad shaving habits. Oh well! "Strange" was what her horoscope had said, and this pony was indeed strange! "Let me guess! The stars guided you here! You felt drawn by the planets!" She knew she wasn't behaving very professionally, but she was tired from not sleeping and overjoyed that her prediction had been accurate. "You must tell me everything!" She levitated two stools to where they stood and positioned them directly behind each of them, then sat down, eagerly awaiting the pony's tale of how he had been "guided" to her.

  3. Wow, this pony was quite educated on the problem. His description was actually very similar in some places to the briefing packet that Tangent and he had received before being dispatched on this mission. Though their intel discussed other possibilities, such as necromancy or other sorcery as the cause, which he had deemed a bit more likely than a shadow pony like Stygian or Nightmare Moon. Of course, there was always the possibility that could be happening. He seemed to recall record of an incident in which F.R.O.W.N. had bathed in some corrupted water and suddenly become incredibly powerful with shadow magic... He wasn't in Ponyville for that, though. He'd only heard about it down the grapevine. 

     

    In any case, this Strong Copper was going to be a good ally. "The thought of a demon like that stalking Ponyville... Gives me the jitters!" he said, shaking to emphasize his point. "Let me help you search for it. Two pairs of eyes is better than one, after all. Besides, I'm a pretty good athlete, and It might be nice to have a runner and bucker if things get hairy." He kicked his back legs in the air as he had when he was a buckball star, ignoring a slight pain in his haunch from the sudden exertion.

     

    Then Spike mentioned getting the Princess to dispatch some of her agents. And if that meant what it usually did, that would mean S.T.A.R. "No, wait!" he said, reaching a hoof to stop the dragon. But coming down from his show kicks slowed his reaction time, and he could tell he wasn't going to be able to stop the crystal. His mind pleaded for Strong Copper to be faster than him...

  4. Twinkle Dawn yawned as she put her eye to the telescope. Three of the Galloplean moons of Jupiter were visible tonight, an impressive number. Europa, her favorite, was unfortunately nowhere to be seen. She had a feeling that was a bad omen. And her feelings were usually correct. 

     

    She jotted some notes down in her journal, even deciding to make a quick sketch, though she had to reposition the telescope several times for that to be possible. All the while, she checked her watch. Her horoscope had said to "Expect a strange visitor today," which is why she had been up all day instead of sleeping like she usually did. When the stars called, she wanted to be ready, and if that meant welcoming a strange visitor into her home, then she would be awake and ready to have them as soon as they knocked.

     

    But they hadn't knocked. She considered not coming in tonight, but had a feeling she should. Clients didn't usually seek her at the observatory, but then maybe that was what would make this visitor strange. Perhaps she -- or he -- would come to the observatory at this uncelestial hour seeking the guidance of the stars.

     

    She yawned again. Whoever it was, they'd better hurry up. It was almost midnight, meaning the day was almost over. She couldn't be wrong about this. The horoscope had been so clear. There was no way she was wrong. She wasn't normally wrong. Especially with horoscopes. She always checked and rechecked horoscopes because that's what most of her clients asked for, and the thought of their disappointment was too much for her. Ever since being dismissed from her position as royal astrologer, she had suffered a degree of anxiety over her predictions. Luna and Celestia had dreamed Tirek's coming and she hadn't. That was a huge fail. She couldn't allow herself to make another mistake like that again. 

    She took some deep breaths to calm herself and flipped to the table at the back of her journal to look at her orders. Several ponies requesting horoscopes, nothing out of the ordinary there. One pony wanted to know how compatible he was with a mare he had his eye on. The stars usually didn't have much to say on that regard. The two pony's signs would tell her everything she needed to know. But she liked to consult the sky as an added measure anyway. 

     

    Her train of thought was interrupted when she heard the observatory door open. That was weird. She could have sworn she locked it... Visitors weren't permitted at an hour like this. She descended the steps from the main telescope, stopping once she could see the entryway, where the silhouette of a tall unicorn stood. "Can... I help you?" she asked as she lit her horn to try to reveal more of the pony. Was this the strange visitor she was supposed to expect?

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  5. "I asked them to keep it on the mild side, so hopefully the heat of the pot is the only heat I'll be getting tonight..." Cloudy mused in response to Windy's remarks on jambalaya. "I love mixing clouds on the go! I mean, don't get me wrong, lab formulas are super cool because then you can make all sorts of clouds, like these ones (she patted the table, indicating the types of clouds she was referencing), but making clouds from raw water using nothing but good ol' pegasus magic? Now that's what I call fun! And exercise! But as for bellowing dispersement... Hm... You'll probably want more of a fog cloud than a traditional cumulus or cirrus. That'll be tricky to work with, though, I should warn you. If you try too hard to shape them, you might end up condensing them into a thicker cloud and then they won't give the effect you want. And they don't hold their shape very well, either. Hm..." she thought on the problem some. Perhaps there was a way to make a thicker fog cloud that could hold its shape longer? This was certainly going to be a challenge. Maybe she'd invent a new formula! From the sounds of it, she would be spending the next few days off work in the laboratory!

     

    That was an intimidating thought. She had always loved the chemistry side of cloud making, but the laboratory... It wasn't the place for her. Most of the memories she had of it were repressed by her depressed state while working there. It all seemed like a haze to her, even though it had taken more than a year of her life. She could remember her parents talking seriously with her after one of their family dinners. Their concern for her well-being... If it hadn't been for them, she might not have ever left the lab. She might have become a recluse! That was definitely not something she wanted!

     

    Aaaand Windy was talking again. No, she had been talking. Cloudy just missed the first few lines being lost in thought... again. She really needed to work on that! It had gotten her in trouble in the pas-- Stop! She's talking!

     

    Cloudy payed attention for the remainder of what Windy said, and tried to piece together her words' full meaning from there.

  6. Strong Copper's comment brought Agent Lighthoof instantly back to the conversation. Was this pony a S.M.I.L.E. agent as well? He thought only he and Tangent Line had been dispatched... Best not to risk it. He could ask him about it later, interrogate him in a more formal setting. For now, he kept his cover up. "Something? The way you say that sounds like it's something dangerous... Should I be worried?" He took that moment to glance around nervously, though he was actually searching for the "something" himself. "I'm just in town to visit! I didn't realize it could be so dangerous!" 

     

    His trainer's voice came through his ear again, this time a bit louder, and much more irritated. Yeah yeah, he needed to get back to searching. But if this pony was searching for the same thing he was, then it could be advantageous to stick around him. After all, the more eyes the merrier. But Lope also needed to figure out why Strong Copper was here searching for it in the first place. Who had sent him? Was he with S.T.A.R.? He really hoped not. Tangent tended to get really touchy when it came to jurisdiction battles between S.T.A.R. and S.M.I.L.E.. He didn't want another feud. 

  7. Agent Lighthoof took the opportunity brought about by this new pony's arrival to try to casually take his leave. He wasn't going to find any creatures just standing here chatting, especially when Spike and he were clearly here on different "royal business." That is, if S.M.I.L.E. missions could be classified as royal business...

     

    He started to back up, casually at first, then more deliberately as a flicker of movement behind him caught his eye. His head whipped around, hoping to see whatever it was in full view, but... Either he had imagined it, or it had moved too quickly. There wasn't even an alleyway near where he'd thought it was, which eliminated the possibility that anything he'd seen could have hidden just before he looked. No, it was just plain ol' Sugarcube Corner. Get ahold of yourself, Johdpur. You're acting like a rookie! he thought scoldingly. His trainer would say he looked "like a filly on nightmare night", jumping at shadows like he was. Then again, it was shadows they had come to jump at, so maybe he wasn't being paranoid after all...

  8. Morning Glow's whole body went rigid when she heard the voice of the Archchancellor behind her. She knew running was discouraged in the halls, but she also knew she shouldn't be late to orientation. She slowly turned around -- and a wave of relief hit her. It wasn't her he was getting after at all! It was Chipper Demise and Kettle Corn, several meters behind her down the hall! She released her breath (which came as a mild surprise because she hadn't realized she'd been holding it) and then sneered a little, turning back to the direction she was heading and trotting -- not running as before -- off gleefully. It was a shame. Had there been more time before orientation, she would have stayed to see what the Archchancellor said. Unfortunately, she was almost late as she was and did not want to start the semester off with a tardy. 

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  9. Lope barely listened, keeping his eyes out for suspicious movement. Even with his trainer's dark vision spell, it wasn't easy to see out here. "Wow, that sounds pretty rough," he said absentmindedly. Some movement caught his eye, and his whole body tensed with preparation to dart. But as it drew closer he relaxed. Just another unicorn out for a stroll past dark. Geesh, and he had thought Manehattan was the city that never slept! So many ponies were still out and about apparently. "So who's your mark then?" he said, returning to the conversation for a moment.

     

    He heard a spell aura activate inside his ear canal, and the voice of his trainer rang as if she were right next to him. "Agent, would you hurry up and dispense with the pleasantries? We've got a job to do here, remember?" 

     

    "I know," he whispered in response, forgetting that he was talking with Spike momentarily. 

  10. Surprisingly, Chipper seemed to be a quick study in the ways of etiquette. He even raised his hand when he wanted to say something, which Morning Glow figured was his way of mocking her, but she didn't mind as long as he knocked before coming into their dorm in the future. She gasped as she realized he was right about one thing, though: She was going to be late for orientation if she didn't hurry. She took this opportunity, what with the door being crowded, to practice her teleportation. Her horn glowed for a few moments as she focused her energy, and then with a sphere of  turquoise light and a loud POP!, she disappeared from the dorm and reappeared just outside it. She couldn't teleport very far, but it was certainly a start, especially for her age. She gave a joyful giggle and then galloped off toward the entrance hall where orientation was supposed to begin. 

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  11. Royal business? Could they be here for the same thing? Best not to disclose his reason for the time being. The dragon had mentioned a Twilight, and he assumed that meant Princess Twilight Sparkle, in which case this dragon must be Spike, her loyal companion. His fears of being recognized heightened slightly. Though he'd never interacted with Spike or Twilight directly during his time in Ponyville, it was still a small town. "Insomnia. I have a hard time sleeping some nights and strolling helps get my energy out. So what royal business is so important that it requires sneaking around at night?" Hopefully he wasn't being too direct. He didn't want to garner any suspicion from the dragon. But he also needed to know if the reptile could be trusted or if he should try to cut the conversation short and get back to his investigation. 

  12. Agent Lighthoof checked the street before moving quietly out of the alley. Apparently, he didn't check thoroughly enough, though. He had only made a couple of trots before a small creature bumped into his back leg, eliciting a quiet wince from him as he turned to see who -- or what -- had made contact with him. A dragon? Oh no! It started to cry out! Luckily, it hushed itself, but Lope still looked around frantically to see if anyone had heard. Still looked clear. That was good. He wasn't supposed to be seen. He was here on official business, and being recognized in Ponyville could spell the end of his career. As far as everypony in this village was concerned, he had died years ago. "Uh... Hey, little dragon... What are you doing out so late?" he asked, trying to remain casual. He kept his eyes out, though, scanning the streets for ponies or... other inhabitants of the town.

  13. Cloudy considered the offer as her soup was gently placed in front of her, but became momentarily distracted as the heat of the bowl caused a barely-noticeable area of the table around it to condense from clouds to water droplets. Most ponies didn't notice things like that, but clouds were her thing, and so she did. She also noticed that Windy was still talking and dialed her focus back in on what she was saying, catching the end of the sentence and giving a bit of a smile like she had been listening all along. "Well, if I only had to make the clouds, I guess that wouldn't be too much trouble... Hm... If you're sculpting, you'll probably want something fairly soft and easy to work with, yet firm enough to hold its shape. Probably just a little bit firmer than a standard cumulus. Those hold a shape about as well as memory foam. You can sculpt them, sure, but just be ready to have your artwork gone less than a minute later. Hm... Aha! I know just the thing! It's a simple formula that I think will give you just the right consistency for your act!" then the realization hit her that as a professional, Windy probably already knew what grade of cloud she was looking for and only really needed Cloudy to put the formula for it together in her cloud machine. "That is, if you don't already have a formula in mind. I mean, if you have one you've been using, then it's probably a good idea to stick with that. Why change something that works, right? Haha"

     

    She took a spoonful of the jambalaya and quickly closed her lips around it, a decision she regretted instantly as she felt the broiling liquid sear the insides of her mouth. She immediately spurted the mouthful back into the bowl and took a long drink of her ice water. "Wow! I was not expecting that! I forgot that soups are usually served hot hahaha!" she laughed, now realizing how disgusting her action had been. "I uh... think I'll give it a minute to calm down," she chuckled.

  14. Oh great. Another corn-obsessed pony to join the circus. This family was becoming more than she could take. 

     

    But she didn't have to think too hard about it for long, because just after Candy Corn's arrival, Spearmint and Chipper Demise entered the room. Spearmint was at least courteous and knocked and waited for an invitation to enter, but Chipper showed his usual lack of respect for social customs and marched straight into the dorm, which was now becoming crowded with ponies. "What in Equestria are you doing??" she asked frantically, using her magic to push him towards the door. "This is a girls' dorm! That means boys aren't supposed to be in it! Especially without invitation!" She said a silent prayer she would have very few classes with this... rough-around-the-edges pony. "Now stand outside and try it again," she said condescendingly as she finally moved the colt beyond the doorframe. She knew that with as uncultured as he was, trying to teach him manners had the potential to make her late for orientation, but she felt it was an important lesson for him to learn for the future -- for her sake. She couldn't have him barging in on her any time he liked! That thought made her shiver a bit. "Say, 'Excuse me, but may I please come in?' and then wait to be told yes."

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  15. Cloudfeather was still uneasy, but trotted ahead to match Wind Racer's pace. 

     

    At the hedge maze, she began to relax a little looking at the statues that decorated the entryway. She often wondered how many of them were once real creatures or ponies. One large statue depicting a changeling queen, a pegasus filly, and a decrepit centaur, she knew for a fact was an enchanted statue that had once been living. It had been defaced many times and cleaned just as many, though some ponies had used their horns to mark some obscenities in indelible spell writing that was still there when they passed it.

     

    At last, they reached the entrance to the maze, which was surprisingly empty for the most part. Several ponies walked around, and a group even made their way out as the three of them entered, but other than that, the area was devoid of ponies. Their solitude did little to ease Cloudy's nerves about Sanda and now Wind Racer, but she continued to try to play things cool. She just talked less and thought more.

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  16. Despite her name, Morning Glow was not a morning pony, and was still slightly disoriented when the younger filly attacked her face. Luckily, with the help of the energy ball's sister, Morning Glow was able to levitate her off. "What's the matter with you?? Don't you have any personal space??" she scolded the younger filly, agitated by the sudden ambush. "And yes, I did. I like to keep my room organized, so this way neither of us ends up with stuff on the other's side. You're welcome!" she added proudly, using her magic to straighten out the blankets of the other filly's bed where she had previously been laying. "I don't expect everypony to comply with my level of organization, though, so you're welcome to keep your side as neat or messy as you like." 

     

    Then she turned to the youngest of the three. "Shouldn't you be getting settled in your dorm? Orientation begins soon, doesn't it?"

    • Like 2
  17. Ohhh boy. This was going to be... interesting. Cloudy still wasn't fully comfortable with this rugged pegasus. It wasn't that she thought she was dangerous or anything, just that... there was something intimidating about her. She casually maneuvered herself to be on the other side of Wind. Sanda Kumo... That was an interesting name for sure... It certainly wasn't Equestrian that she knew of. 

     

    "I'm Cloudfeather," she said, still trying to sound as natural as possible. What was Wind thinking inviting a strange pony to just come to the labyrinth with them?? Then again, what had she been thinking in associating with Wind with no prior introduction. That really put her choices today into perspective! She began contemplating her decisions today...

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