Bannhammer

Sucre was in the zone, her hooves moved in a flurry as she placed dollops of batter on the griddle, each one flattening out into a perfectly thin disk. These would cook for just a few moments, turning golden brown on one side before being flipped over to cook some more. Once the pastry had been cooked all the way through, Sucre Bleu placed them on a large platter, where each one received its specific topping. She turned her attention away from the platter for only a split second, reaching for the garnishes and sauces before turning back to place them on... the... crepes. "A VOLEUR! A VOLEUR!" she cried, putting a hoof to her mouth as she looked around. Where could her delicious treats be? Who would be so villainous as to steal them before she had even put the garnish on? "Sugar Crystal, somepony took my cr-" Sucre turned to look at her cousin, her face paling as she noticed the tray of crepes, being used as samples! "QU'EST-CE QUE C'EST? CE N'EST PAS POSSIBLE!" the mare shouted. She fumed for a moment, deciding that now was NOT the time to kill her cousin, that might scare the customers away. Instead, she would continue to make crepes, and then LATER, she would kill her cousin. "Je ne le crois pas, je se deteste, et je ne l'aime PAS la batard qui a pris mes crepes! REVANCHE!" Her ramblings started off as a mutter, but soon Sucre was shouting again, still working hard despite her anger. The working mare's anger fueled her well, and she was soon churning out crepes at a lightning pace, without sacrificing quality for speed. Each treat was as good as the last, perfectly cooked and covered in a different sweet. As the line progressed, she noticed a mare standing off to the side, it seemed she just wanted to watch the show. "EH, ALLEZ, VIENS! Why watch when you could TASTE, non?"

Sighing frustratedly, Sucre Bleu Waved a hoof dismissively and turned around. "Ponies eat at your restaurant because you serve giant portions for cheap, the atmosphere has nothing to do with it!" The cooking mare sniffed loudly and looked over her shoulder at her cousin. "If you wish to help me, I cannot deny such a request, you may... 'advertise' for me while I craft my desserts. " Sucre turned around and looked at Sugar Crystal with her eyes focused and severe. "You may advertise as you please, but please, do try to keep it mostly civil." Finally done, Sucre turned back around and trotted towards her stand, muttering under her breath, "Je ne le CROIS PAS!" Once she reached her stand, the blue mare adjusted her hair bun once more and stood behind the griddles, still muttering under her breath. Eventually she called out and raised a hoof. "Eh! Depeche-toi, vite vite!"

Sucre heard the very familiar drawl come from behind, and she instinctively let out a long sigh as she turned around to face her cousin. Of course, Sugar Crystal had to show up and tell her how to run her cart. Sure, she wasn't getting all the bits she expected, but her technique had earned her a fair number of bits already. The light blue mare fidgeted with her hair a bit as she slowly approached the nosy pony. "Eh, quoi? Je n'ecoute rien, peut etre tu peux parler en fancy?. She finished her sentence with a slight scowl, not exactly pleased with Sugar Crystal's intrusion. Sucre sighed again, her cousin was just trying to help, and while Sucre's skill was mostly in cooking, Sugar Crystal's forte was in sales. The chef didn't want to admit it, but help would surely make her job a little bit easier. "Well, what would you suggest? That I stand around and bark at ponies like some sort of ruffian? I doubt that would serve me quite well, delicate treats deserve no less from their vendor." Instinctively, her snout turned up a little bit at the mention of refinement and class. "This is exactly why I left the sugar family behind in the first place, a bunch of ruffians, our family, especially that Maple Sugar."

Maximilian looked around a bit, still trying to get accustomed to his new home, eventually he'd get used to it. His thoughts were interrupted by a tap on the shoulder, and the Rockefilly turned around to see that Arrow had caught up to him again. The other stallion's answer came as a relief to Max, who adjusted his jacket and cleared his throat. "Well, once we get you all signed up, you'll be in work within two days. Of course, your first task will be to help set up all the structure's we'll need, including your quarters. For the time being, you and your friend will be staying in one of my guest rooms." He nodded politely and smiled. "The background checks won't take too long, and I don't think a physical is necessary for either of you. To be honest, a pony's past shouldn't effect their chances of getting hired..." Maximilian laughed loudly and gave Arrow a playful punch to the shoulder. "Just so long as we don't find anything too crazy, am I right?"

The stop at the tavern was received warmly by the purple stallion, who had almost gone an entire day without a drink. Martel looked around, drinking in the atmosphere, it was almost like a Germane beer hall, but not quite. Too many round tables and not enough music for this place to be any good, but you had to take what you could get. He took his seat to the left of the small armored pony and to the right of the militant mare. The fruit was of no interest to Martel, instead his attention gravitated quickly to the selections of ales and spirits. Without another moment's thought, he opened his saddlebag and retrieved his stein, the large, metal tankard which could hold enough booze for two large ponies. Martel slammed it on the table and barked at the nearest bar pony, "Your cheapest ale and your strongest liquor!" Now that the drinks were taken care of, Martel found it an appropriate time to observe the others at his table. His glance moved from pony to pony, judging each silently. Cutlass seemed to be a lover or swords, even putting one in her name, and he had a few questions for her. Smaller, and far less prepared, the greenhorn came off as simply inexperienced. The mare from Stalliongrad seemed just his type, and Martel couldn't help but give a hearty laugh. "My hammer is made of steel, and so is my liver! Thirty bits to the best drinker at the table?" He raised his glass and erupted in a traditional Germane drinking song. His raucous, empassioned singing died down as soon as the conversation started up. Apparently the Mädchen was from Canterlot, and while Martel had never been there, he knew that it was a beautiful city in its own right. He felt a pang of sympathy for her when she revealed exactly why she was so unprepared. That quickly passed when he recalled that she was a soldier, and there were no excuses for ineptitude. The purple stallion blinked a few times in surprise as she turned her attention to him. He snorted, taking a moment to ponder her question before responding. "Ah, Mädchen, Germaney and Canterlot may be close on the map, but they are far apart in other ways!" He waved a hoof to articulate his speech, and just then his stein, along with a glass of vodka, arrived at the table. Martel held his hoof up, signaling that a pause was required, he then grabbed the glass of vodka and chugged it all in one huge gulp. His snout scrunched up and he exhaled loudly as he tossed the glass outside. "Ach, Brennen pinkeln!" Martel cleared his throat with a swig of ale before turning to face radiant steel again. "Verzeih mir, Mädchen. Germaney is much different, there is no order here! If a train says that it will arrive at 8:03, here it may not come until 8:10! In my home, ponies are on time and follow orders, here, you are rabble who do as they please! Not to be offending of course, Equestria is beautiful, with many species, Germaney is just woodland, filled with hearty ponies. It is different, very different. I am missing it sometimes, Ja?" He rose his tankard high for another swig before slamming it onto the table, making everything else jump up an inch. He wiped stray brew from his muzzle and sighed happily. "I was told of Lunae by an ally, And I thought It could be good opportunity for adventure, and if bits are made along way, all is better!" The armored pony nodded towards his smaller counterpart, and then slowly turned his head towards Cutlass. "What about you, Klinge Herrin? You have no insignia, and I am not thinking you are mercenary...

Entire thing gone

Everypony seemed to finally be coming together, and while it wasn't totally in support of Max's ideas, it was progress nonetheless. Braeburn had actually managed to make a few fair points, and the support of the other Appleoosans drove the point home. Maximilian had to pause for a moment, finishing his coffee and putting the mug aside as he chose his words carefully. "Miss Snowfall, I see now that your suggestions, and those of my associates are... the more level headed approach. This is no crisis in capitalism, there are livelihoods at stake, not bottom lines. Normally I'd be inclined to take the hard line approach towards the diamond dogs, show a strong hoof, as it were. Although, after listening to the points presented, I must admit that my approach may not be the most effective one available. It seems I still have a bit to learn about my new home." The Rockefilly chuckled a bit to himself, finding the whole situation a bit amusing. He didn't like admitting his own mistakes, but if he continued on, arrogantly struggling to press home a futile position to much more informed ponies than he, it would only end badly. Thankfully he knew these ponies well enough to not feel bad about it. Mistakes could be made, a pony merely needed to redeem himself and all would be well. Glancing slightly to his side, Max shot a quick glance to the mocha mare nearby. Normally he'd be quick to talk to her, maybe even see what would develop, but now was not the time nor the place for such pleasantries. Braeburn seemed to be quite interested in Madame Bistro, making it quite obvious with his manners and even more so with his words. Let him be so crass, Max knew that there would be better opportunities to chat with the pony he fancied. "I'll send word for a detachment of ponies to be kept on alert nearby, but not in town. They'll be close enough to help us out, but not close enough to be noticeable. Also, I'd love to talk to the buffalo first hoof, it's the best way to make an honest deal, it builds trust. Braeburn, I think things would go better if you were to accompany me, you've already dealt with them, it seems. I think you'd make quite the difference." "Sheriff, you will of course have complete control of Appleoosa's security, and I know we all trust you to ensure that the troops on alert are never called up. Madame Bistro... if there is anything you wish to help with, I'll do my best to accomodate you, although maybe a few cups of coffee could calm those dogs down!" Max chuckled again, quite pleased with the situation at hoof. Sure, he may have lost a small amount of face by switching opinions, but his response more than made up for it. He knew Snowfall's type, she was much like him. While she may have been brought up to believe that a strong, ruthless business pony was the best kind, she'd have an inherent appreciation for handling things with a more dignified touch. "Now... any more questions or concerns? Or shall we take a break for the night?"

Another day, another unsuccessful scheme. Pistachio Nut trotted down the lonely road, dejected and About ready to call it a life. Only the promise of tomorrow kept him going, and while Pistachio was almost always an optimist, that night he felt a bit lower than usual. Being from the Nut family had perks, but it also carried the enormous weight of tradition. He was supposed to work on the farm, cultivating and growing the product for the family, perpetuating the traditional Nut family existence. Forget the fact that Pistachio wanted no part in it, he wasn't supposed to have a choice. Eventually he ran away, determined to make it on his own, now here he was, one day older and one day closer to going back home. In the distance, a distraction appeared in the form of a tent. Well, maybe somepony else was running a scam, at least he could learn something. The tan pony picked up the pace, eager to get his mind off of the current situation. Anything that could get him to think about something other than his situation was more than welcome. As he finally reached the makeshift structure, Pistachio noticed a few key details. The poor artwork on the front, the dumb premise, and the dismally small number of ponies present. If this was a scam, somepony wasn't trying hard enough! "Hey, what's going on here?" He carelessly flipped open the flaps to the tent and barged in, quickly looking around to assess the place. The Nut saw another pony in the tent with him, and he found himself getting caught up in her appearance before noting what she said. "Fortune telling, seriously? Geez, this is the worst scam I've ever seen!" Pistachio quickly looked to the pony in question. "You ARE a fortune teller, right?"

"Damn the markets for not having fresh strawberries! Am I supposed to serve berries from yesterday to my customers? Zut Alors, je deteste que je n'ai pas les fraises! Mais, du calme... du calme..." Sucre Bleu took a few deep breaths, trying not to get too worked up over the strawberry-less disaster. Well, might as well get the stand set up, then she could focus on the problem at hoof. She closed her eyes, and her horn was enveloped in a tannish glow, her magic starting to work on the two bundles in front of her. The larger of the pair started to unfurl, its wheels clattering as the whole structure shook under her spell. Large wooden panels unfolded, revealing a massive griddle, powered by an equally massive furnace underneath. The wooden panels were removed and placed at the sides, allowing the heat to vent away from the ponies in line. The second cart clattered and shifted, panels moving around to grant access to the dozens of toppings and sauces available for the crepes. The batter itself was contained up above, complete with a small funnel to allow precise dollops of the delectable mixture to be placed on the griddle. A few last pieces flew into place, and soon the entire set up was enclosed in some large wooden planks, effectively creating a stand instead of a simple cart. The last touch came with the 'open' sign that graced the front. Sucre Bleu's Creperie was open for business! The sign above read 'Crepes pour tout, tout de suite!' "Ponies of Manehatten! Freshly made crepes, from the streets of Trottingham to your lovely city! Try the delectable sweets of the elites, for only one bit a piece! Ce sont délicieux!" She didn't shout, that would be far too crude. Instead, the lean unicorn politely spoke to passers by, attempting to lure them in, instead of drag them to her stand. She still needed a few thousand more bits before she could buy that real estate in Trottingham and open her own restaurant, so she needed every sale she could get. Still, that was no excuse for poor business practices. Hopefully somepony would decided to give her a try, it was always the first customer that was the hardest!

It had been a hectic last few days, and Ace on many occasions was just about to open his new letter when he'd suddenly be called away to do something else. Fortunately, Ace served enough to avoid the menial tasks, the other officers granted those to the greenwings. So while he wasn't cleaning latrines or doing articles for the REA newspaper, Ace still had plenty of work on his hooves. The tired and ultimately exhausted aviator shambles towards his cot, the training of the new recruits fresh on his mind, but sore on his body. Slumping on the hard bed, Ace groaned and stretched his back and wings as he reached for the envelope he kept stored in his pillow, away from prying eyes. The sun had not yet passed the highest point, so Ace knew he finally had a bit of time to himself. He carefully tore open the envelop and withdrew the prized message within. Ace's eyes hungrily devoured each and every word, treating each letter as a welcomed comfort from home. Initially, he smiled, both proud of and happy for Vinyl, she landed one of the most prestigious gigs ever! Ace continued reading, an unknown smile gracing his face all the while. His eyes only widened more and more as he read. The base and everypony on it had been debriefed about what happened, but nopony told him that things had been quite that serious! Celestia herself, taken down? The royal guard overpowered? Ok, so maybe ace knew that if the REA had been in charge of security, things would have gone a bit better, but still, that was amazing, and scary too! His thoughts shifted, and he felt a powerful feeling come over him. Vinyl was ok! Despite everything that had happened, she was fine, and that tugged at Ace's gut so hard he needed a moment to compose himself. Never before did the well being of one pony affect him so much. He loved his comrades, and he felt anger and rage when something happened to one of them, but now? Hearing that Vinyl was in trouble made him physically sick, and even though he knew she was fine, that feeling wouldn't leave. The aviator decided that the best way to overcome this new feeling was simply to write her, so he grabbed a piece of paper, a quill, and a small box. Ace bit the tip of the feather, creating the sharpest and most fine point that he could, hopefully his writing wouldn't be affected by his fatigue. Dear Vinyl, I'm just glad to hear you're ok. We were told what happened, but I think they left out some details. Just to know that you were in danger and there was nothing I could do, it hurts. I want you to know that if anything happens, anything at all, and you need me, I'll take leave and be there immediately, you can count on it. I'm really happy for you, it sounds like you had a great time and were part of something special! I've never been to a wedding before, much less a royal one, but it sounds fun! I've never heard of the princesses dancing before, but who can resist when you're the one on the decks? I'm a little upset that you didn't send anything while hiding from the Changelings. I kid! Don't worry about not sending anything, I think you had a good enough excuse! That doesn't mean I can't send you things instead! Ace rolled over on the bed and opened his footlocker, searching for a few specific items and dropping them into a smaller box. The first things he dropped in were some cylindrical objects, 11 of them, to be exact. Here are some military grade glowsticks, 5 white and 5 blue with one green. They're extremely bright, and intended for lighting up tents or caves, but I feel you can make better use of them! Each stick can last 4-5 days, and be recharged with magic, so use them all the time if you like! They're way cooler that dumb old candles if you ask me. Ace went back to his locker and rummaged around a bit, looking for anything else he could send to Vinyl before he shipped out. Really he should send her all the important things he had... Just in case. That line of thinking was a bit morbid, but logical. He grabbed a few more miscellaneous items and dropped them into the box. Here's some more stuff, just because I don't know when i'll be able to send my next package. There's a picture of me with my squad when I first showed up seven years ago. I'm the rookie on the far right, now I'm the only pony left, everypony else retired or got knocked out of service. I look pretty different in this picture (less bruises!), and I thought maybe you'd like it, mainly since I don't have any other pictures of myself! ( a crime, I know) Also, here's the 'wonderbolt recruit' pin I've been holding into since I met them. It's not worth much, but I think it would look nice on you. The pin in question was a small pair of silver wings, with the wonderbolts logo emblazoned in the middle and the word 'recruit' on both wings. Ace really hoped that she wouldn't question exactly why he was sending all of these things at once. Hopefully he'd be able to explain it in person when he came back... If he came back. The rest of the stuff is just some nice trinkets i found in my footlocker. Oh, and my Bronze Medal too, you can do what you like with it. I'll try to take care of myself when I'm on duty. Scuttlebutt says we've got a mission tomorrow, and I don't know how it'll go, but I know it's going to be huge. You WILL get another letter from me, so don't worry. I'll be fine. With Love, Ace Ace read it over a few times and analyzed the contents of the box before wrapping it all up and tossing it at the mail pony. Now, some sleep was in order. He was going to have a heck of a day tomorrow.

Oh no, Max would not play that game. Normally the Rockefilly leapt at the chance to have a battle of words, a grammar slamma jamma, or giving Braeburn a diction affliction, so to speak. Of course, such actions would surely have a less than desirable effect on his esteemed guest, and Madame Bistro couldn't possibly condone such juvenile behavior. Snorting softly, Maximilian turned to face the settler pony. "About the buffalo, they seem to be much friendlier, despite the war that almost broke out. I feel a lot more comfortable dealing with them, and I'm completely ready to give them whatever they ask for in exchange for use of their land. Sheriff, if you could schedule a meeting with them, I'd be pleased to go myself. At least they'll listen to reason." He lifted his mug for a slow sip of the black elixir within. "I see your concerns when it comes to the diamond dogs, they are a real threat that we must deal with carefully. Though bringing in the military is to defend us, not create a police state! A few soldiers, in their shining armor, might at least make the dogs think twice before trying anything. I certainly don't wish to blatantly attack their settlements!" Max eyed the orange stallion carefully, reading him for clues. That subtle shift from left to right, the fidgeting with his hat, each little nuance told Max something different, but Max didn't care about the small details, he wanted to get right at him. He would find a way to both impress Madame Bistro and make a point, both without resorting to such obvious tactics like flinging compliments around. "Braeburn, I have no intention of creating such an abrasive situation. Diplomatically, a large show of force would serve to do nothing but inflame an already volatile situation, assuming we handle it wrong, of course. Miss Snowfall is correct, to try and use overwhelming force against the diamond dogs could never be completely successful, if even one got away we'd have a critical predicament in our hooves, and that's not a chance I'm willing to take." The Rockefilly stared into his coffee, thinking deeply about how to handle this. "I still think a military presence would be preferable to none at all, even a small one. But Braeburn, they won't be ordering anypony around. They're disciplined ponies who's job is to protect and serve. Maybe you should meet a few before jumping to conclusions? Just as not all city ponies are stuffy, not all ponies in uniform are oafs!" He sipped his coffee, punctuating his speech with a small pause to think things over. That last sentence came out a bit harsher than he intended. Slowly he put the cup down and cleared his throat. "Pardon me, I'm afraid the intensity of the situation is getting to my head, although that's no excuse." Thoughtfully, the unicorn levitated a forkful of pie to his maw and slowly and politely chewed the delicious treat. "You may be fine leaving the security of appleoosa up to chance, but I'll tell you right now that there is no way of rationalizing Diamond Dog actions, even if things are going well, the could still try something. I don't want to see anything happen to this beautiful town, or the ponies in it. We will bolster our security, although only by a small amount. Even one or two soldiers would be acceptable, any sort of presence is preferred." The rich stallion turned his attention to the less talkative ponies, namely Miss LaMare and Madame Bistro. "Certainly you two must have thoughts on the matter." Maximilian sipped his coffee, and listened. This was only going to get more interesting as the night went on.

So good :'I I can't say anything else, it's too beautiful.

Maximilian breathed in, about to ask her about her cutie mark story, but she quickly cut him off. Normally he'd be a tiny but suspicious, but this was a party and she a lovely mare, what's there to hide? Surely she found her story uninteresting and simply wished to change the subject. He listened intently, and smirked a bit as she whispered conspiratorially into his ear. Well, Max had never been one for raging parties, but he understood exactly what she alluded to. Her admission of a lack of recent drinking did concern him a bit, but her wide grin comforted him enough to let it slide. Her last few sentences really got him thinking, and Max rubbed his chin for a moment. "Listen, I'd love to have some fun, but I'm a businesspony at heart. If I'm going to make a difference in this world, I can't stop moving foreword." A faint smile crept into his muzzle, and Maximilian felt his shoulders loosen up a fair bit. "Now that I think about it, this fashion show is quite the stress reliever. I get to have some nice drinks and meet beautiful ponies, I even got to dance with one! Soon I'll be making deals with the arts, and who knows where it could go next?" The older unicorn winked coyly and adjusted his white tux, feeling a little more relaxed than he felt in a while.

Just switching him to final

Ok, saw the episode. Almost had manly tears the whole time with the real Candace. My mind was blown by the approach they took. I've completely predicted the outcome and main plot of every episode this season. I thought that twi was going to cast a cloning spell to help everypony work faster. I'm so glad I was wrong. This is the first episode that I'be actually felt giddy watching. I know exactly how twilight feels in this situation, with an older sibling that lives far away that you never see, and I would be lying if the whole episode didn't make me sniffle a bit, especially the first song. The moral, I feel, is perfectly done. It's so corny and cheesy that it works. Love conquers all. The changing queen used love to beat celestia, but she didn't fathom the true power that love had. I think it was great. The fight scene was well done, and i felt my heart melt and swell during the evil Candace song. All in all a great episode. Also, I don't think that changlings should be in the rp. They just seem like an annoyance, and there's no reason to have one other than to cause trouble! "But Bann, I'll make a nice changling! One that is misunderstood and hates. Being bad blah blah blah hurr durr." No. According to canon, they're evil. You make a changling, they're evil. Do we really want a bunch of people with troll characters? And that's ignoring the fact that we don't know where they come from, and whether or not a single changling can operate away from the swarm. Basically, it's just a bad idea. I know we've already made non-show creatures canon, but let's not jump the gun here and do something we'll all regret. Anyway, glad to see vinyl and Luna, blah blah blah. Good episode.

Max nodded gratefully as he recieved his coffe, still mulling over everything that had been said thus far. Braeburn continued to say the wrong thing, Miss Lamare and the Sheriff were being very helpful, and Madame Bistro was bringing everything together nicely. The Rockefilly sipped his coffee, deep in thought, and let the ebony liquid brush past his lips and invigorate him with new energy. It was strong, very strong, it almost knocked the air out of him. Max smiled and looked at Madame Bistro, raising his cup. "Madame, I've had too many cups of coffee to count, but they all pale in comparison to this. I asked for sweet as a kiss, and I believe you've fooled my lips.. Bravo." A few mind games with Braeburn wouldn't hurt, and besides, if she was still available, Max wouldn't hesitate to sweep her off her hooves. He took another quiet sip and munched thoughtfully on his apple pie, another delectable treat. "Miss Snowfall, the question of the Diamond Dogs has yet to be answered yet. And while I know that we can negotiate with the Buffalo, I'm less certain about our chances with the canine criminals up in the mountains. I've never dealt with them before, and I'm wondering if asking for government assistance wouldn't be the best route. I can call in some favors and secure at least a small amount of soldiers, enough to create the illusion that Equestria itself is behind this project. Maybe then we can force the diamond dogs into a favorable position, rather than trying to appease them." Max sipped his coffee again and looked around the room. "The last thing I want is violence, I know full well how the dogs could tunnel under our town and sink it in the sand. I just don't see how we're going to reach terms with them without a show of force. Of course, I need to hear what you'd think about that, I can't just gallop in and sink the whole project myself..." "Speaking of negotiations... Sheriff, what's our situation with the buffalo? Would we be cleared to enter their land and build part of the railroad on it? And Braeburn, would any trees be in the way of a Northeastern or Northwestern rail from here?" He already knew the answers to those questions, having spent the last few weeks learning everything he could, but part of this was to improve Miss Snowfalls opinion of not only the town, but him as a partner. Sipping his coffee again, Max waited for answers.

This thing is going slower than expected. I'll be out of town this weekend, hopefully i can get something in before that.

"MAIL CALL!" "Coming through, fellas" The bi-weekly call went out, and all the ponies on base scampered to the small tent, cramming into the comm center for a tiny glimpse of home. Ace led the pack, being one of the 'old swaybacks', he could easily take anypony's spot in line. The ponies he passed were slack jawed when they saw the Blue pony passing by, not because he was cutting in line, that was expected. Their total shock and awe came from the face that Ace High actually seemed to be expecting mail. In his 7 years of service, Ace had never recieved a single letter, heck, he'd never even sent anything! A few of his friends whispered among themselves, thinking up outlandish ways to explain why he was getting a letter. "Maybe somepony died?" "Nah, it's junk mail." "Maybe... he got a marefriend?" The two didn't even need to say anything, they just chuckled loudly and shook their heads. Some ideas were just too outrageous. Ace adjusted his vest, waiting anxiously as the Comms officer rifled through the recent deliveries. "Ace... Ace... here you are. Hope it ain't a wrong address, son. The aviator really didn't have anything to say, so he politely grabbed the letter in his mouth (gently, so as not to damage the precious cargo), and set off to read it in private. A few errant glances were shot his way as he trotted, somepony's were genuinely skeptical, whispering to eachother, passing bits back and forth and trying to guess what this was all about. One stallion, a new recruit that had yet to even see combat, called out after Ace. "Coltfriend finally found your adress, Sir?" Normally Ace would smack somepony around for saying something like that, but he was far too happy to react, much less care about what was being said. Not only did she get his letter, Vinyl read it, and then she replied. Even if he didn't have wings, Ace would still feel like he could walk on air. She was on his mind constantly, and he could barely wait to read what she had written. He finally entered the barracks, far ahead of the other ponies in line, and carefully broke the letter's seal. Ace placed the envelope in his hooflocker underneath his cot, before carefully unfolding the paper inside. His eyes hungrily lapped up each individual mark from her pen, absolutely gorging himself on every solitary scratch and line given. After reading her thoughtful letter (multiple times, of course), Ace set about crafting a proper response. He felt a bit bad that he couldn't write anything as well as Vinyl could, but he would do his best. He pulled out some standard issue paper, his standard issue pen, and worked on an anything-but-standard-issue letter. " Dear Vinyl " Ok, that's a good start. Just call her 'Vinyl', keep it casual, and then move on to the body of the letter. Ace could feel a few drops of sweat on his brow as he wrote, more out of nervousness and elation than from anything else. " It's great to hear that you're doing well. I'm sure those shows were big sucesses successes because you were there. " Ok, one mistake isn't too bad. Besides, he didn't really have enough paper to start over every time he made a mistake. " I've been trying to listen to more of your stuff, and luckily the new recruits love you! They think you're the best DJ ever, and they got chewed out by the CO when they tried to put up a poster of you in the mess hall. It was a nice one, and pretty big too. Captain said that he'd let me do something like that, but not any greenhorns. All I'd need is a poster and i'd be ready to go! If you want to send some records, I would really like that. Especially since the trots domino one is too scratched to be played anymore. Now we don't have any music at all. Nopony here knows who I'm sending letters to, or getting them from. If they found out that I was talking to their favourite DJ, they'd probably flip out of their horse shoes! I mean, it's strange hearing ponies talk about you while I walk by. You won't believe the looks I get when I interject and correct them about your discocgraph albums. Part of me wants to tell them, but while that would totally impress the crud out of them, I think it would be the wrong thing to do. I don't like love enjoy being with you because you're famous (but it isn't a bad coincidence), i like love respect and enjoy your company because you're nice, and smart, and funny, and nice. You're not some conquest to brag about, you're a special somepony. They can keep thinking I'm getting junk mail, or letters from my family, this isn't about them. It's about us. I'll try to take care of myself, but I'm a bit anxious about our operation ███████ at ███████. It's strange, I've never really been afraid before, but now, knowing that somepony back home is worried about me, I don't know. It's just strange. I'll do what I can over here, keep rocking out back home, ok? Sincerely If anypony were to ask Ace why he crossed that out and replaced it, he might be able to muster up an answer. Part of it was just that 'Sincerely' sounded too formal. He didn't really know what to call it, so he just put what he felt was right. Love, Ace high. With that, the pegasus gave the error ridden letter a long read through. By the time he was ready to send it, a few hours had passed, and there was even a small crowd of ponies watching from a distance. He shot them a look, and the younger soldiers quickly dispersed and went back to their DJ PON-3 v.s DEAD3QUINE debate. He wanted to weigh in, but maybe he could catch the mail pony before he left! Ace dashed out of the barracks and nearly tackled the poor pony, shoving his addressed envelope into his face before quickly taking off again to attend to his duties. He wanted to live long enough to get another letter, and he had to prepare himself for anything. He couldn't help but hum a tune as he flew, still feeling as elated as ever. Knowing that somepony cared about him was stronger than any armor, and things were really looking up, it seemed.

Ace had settled into his cot, taking a few precious hours to grab some sleep in between shifts. Being back on base was hectic enough, but the batch of fresh recruits only gave him more work to do and more ponies to look after. Of course, the aviator had been waiting for some true downtime so that he could finally write a letter to the mare that had been on his mind ever since he got to base, even before that. He pulled out a small piece of paper and put it on top of the book he kept under his bunk. He was laying on his cot, pencil in mouth, as he tried to figure out what to write. There was so much he wanted to say, but writing never really was one of Ace's strong suits. Well, the best way to do.it was to be honest, and that was only by simply writing down what he was thinking. The blue pegasus took a short moment to think before putting the pencil to paper, writing slowly and deliberately, making sure that his words were crisp and clear. When he was finally done, Ace read over the whole thing multiple times, double checking it. Dear Vinyl Scratch, It took a while, but I finally got some down time. The first thing I'm doing is writing this, mainly because I can't stop thinking about you. When I'm on patrol, when I'm at the mess hall, you're always on my mind. My CO saw me daydreaming a bit, and he asked me if I had a mare on my mind, I don't know how he read my mind, but we all just laughed and shrugged it off. I don't care what everypony else thinks, if I have to have you on my mind all the time, then I'm fine with that. We got some new recruits in today, they're so green I think I saw some leaves pop out of them during training. I don't know how I'm expected to keep them alive more than a week when they don't even know how to march yet. I'll do my best though, part of me wonders if they too have somepony back home they're fighting for, if so, I want to make sure they can get back to them. How are things on your end? I know something big is happening around here, considering that ███████ said that we saw some movement out by ████████████ before I arrived. Hopefully this tiny little outpost can hold if anything happens. Well, that's about all I can really write about right now. How are things on your end, played any gigs yet? Sincerely, Ace High P.S The ponies around me are wide eyed, I've never written a letter before, even to my family, they think I've gone a bit crazy... Ace looked over the parchment over a few times and then got up from his cot. He trotted over to the communications tent, where the mail pegasus had just arrived, dumping out the small pile of letters onto a table for distribution. Ace managed to stop him for a moment and pass him the freshly written letter. Of course, Ace was told to put it in a darn envelope, write an adress, and THEN give it to him. The aviator did what he was told, remembering these steps for future reference. Finally, the mail pony grabbed his freshly filled satchel and darted out of the tent, moving quickly to avoid interception. He would take the letter to a larger base, and after passing 'Sensitive Materials Censorship', it would be sent to it's final location. The military was efficient, and Vinyl would recieve the letter the very next morning.

Maximilian could only tense up as Braeburn continued to talk, and talk, and talk. The Rockefilly was convinced that the farm pony was going to singlehoofedly ruin this entire project by talking Snowfall out of town. The mare from Stalliongrad simply shrugged it off and continued with business, as was to be expected from a professional of her caliber. She started to ask some very good questions, ones that Max had prepared for. The entrepreneurial stallion grabbed a map he'd stashed nearby and rolled it open on the table. "Well, the size really is hard to estimate, considering that we have new ponies showing up by the dozens almost every day. It's a few hundred now, but I feel like it will easily be a thousand in a matter of weeks, not counting the labor coming in." Max tapped his chin thoughtfully."There are a few mines nearby, those are the main natural resources we have around here. Copper, Iron, some Nickel, even a few gold mines around these parts." He glanced over at the lawpony and grinned."Criminal Activity? Well, unless you count the occasional rowdy pony at the Salt Lick, there ain't crime around these parts. Besides, anypony that tries to break the law gets a few days in the brig, courtesy of the sheriff himself!" Max bit his lip tentatively and nodded to the others. "I believe this is a question exclusively for them to answer..."

pretty well, unfortunately haven't had much time to update him. I'll be doing a monster update over the weekend if all goes well.

Max was almost fully invested in his current conversation, but a loud shriek quickly caught his attention, that sounded like Madame Bistro! Clearing his throat, Max politely excused himself for a moment. "One moment, Arrow, I simply must see what's going on..." Now, Max had been fond of the mare ever since she welcomed him to Appleoosa, she was a Manehattanite, so she understood what he was coming from. Of course, there was always business to take care of, and Max never really had the chance to talk to her much, aside from the odd cup of coffee, he'd only been in town a short while, anyway. As Maximilian approached, trotting a bit more quickly than usual in his tux, he could see that whatever had happened must have calmed down by now. Still, as a gentlecolt, he had to check on the mocha mare. The Rockefilly stopped just a bit short, noticing the younger stallion at her side. "Everything okay over here? I heard a right awful holler." Max struggled a bit with the words, trying to sound like an Appleoosan without being mean and stereotypical. Max noticed the froggy culprit hopping away and he chuckled lightly to himself. "Ah, from the shout I assumed something croaked, I guess I was right about that!."

I'm not really sure XD Looking at the age I made him (young stallion, pretty much a colt) it would make sense for him to be part of the latest generation. Although, if we can't fit him in, I'll make the necessary changes